Happy 1st Birthday, Baby Wade!

Happy 1st Birthday to our sweet nephew, Wade!!! Last Saturday we went to Charlotte for his party and had so much fun! He is such happy, active little guy! We love him so much!

He had no reservations about diving into his cake!!! (I love the little curls behind his ears! So cute!)

We also had a belated Mother's Day celebration last weekend! Daddy and the kids made me a special breakfast and got me some beautiful flowers. Lydia was really excited about the "cake" (cinnamon rolls).

The week leading up to Wade's party was a busy one for Jacob! He had his 4 year check-up on Monday and a dentist appointment on Wednesday. He was such a big boy! I can't even describe what a relief it was to take him to an appointment and not leave sweating and embarrassed. He was 100% cooperative and pleasant at each visit, which is a complete difference from this time last year! He said the nurse made his tummy feel scared (I think he was describing feeling nervous), but talked, and talked, and talked to Dr. Mustoe!  At 4 years old, he weighs 35.8 pounds and measure 40.5 inches.

I don't have a picture from his dentist appointment, but he willingly went with the hygienist all by himself while Lydia and I sat in the play-area! Its hard to believe it took 4 people to hold him down for his appointment this time last year!

Lydia had her 18 month well-visit a couple of weeks ago. She did really well, too. She screamed hysterically while the nurse took her measurements, but was very calm and mostly cooperative with Dr. Mustoe. Unfortunately she ended up getting sick a day or so after her visit.

At 18 months she weighs 22 pounds (38th percentile) and measures 34 inches (97th percentile!) She's long and lean, just like her brother!

I've been joking that Lydia would probably be potty trained by the time she was 18 months old, since potty training was such a horrendous disaster with Jacob. And while she is nowhere near potty-trained, she has surprised us by asking to sit on the potty and has actually gone pee-pee a few times! We're not really pushing it, because I don't think she's truly ready. We're just following her lead and letting her sit when she asks. She's a multi-tasker and brushes her teeth while taking care of business!

At 18 months, Lydia continues to want to be an independent girl! She loves to try to dress and undress herself, as evidenced below. She still loves shoes, purses, and babies. She also loves dancing, reading books, playing outside, and doing any and everything Jacob does! She also continues to be very verbal, and says more words than we can count. She isn't putting words together yet, but certainly understands everything we say. She isn't quite as good-natured as she was as an infant, and has an explosive temper when things don't go her way. However, she does seem to bounce back pretty quickly after her tantrums. I think some of her frustration comes from not being able to articulate her feelings. Hopefully some of that will work itself out as she learns to communicate more effectively. She is definitely still an extrovert and loves being in large groups! She seems to thrive on the energy and excitement of a crowd. And while she may not be as easy going as she was when she was younger, she is still an incredibly loving, sweet girl!

In other news, Jacob rarely naps anymore, which is sad for Mommy. However, if he does fall asleep, he's up until at least 10pm, which is also very sad for Mommy! So instead of napping in the afternoon, he has quiet time in his room. This works better some days than others. A few weeks ago I found him passed on his floor after getting Lydia up from her nap!

And I had to include this one...Yep, Jacob is in his jammies and my Halloween socks for a Post Office run.

I also had to include this picture of Daddy and the kids in Jacob's toddler bed. Daddy is very lucky the bed didn't snap!

Meme got Jacob a pretend coffeemaker for his birthday. He loves it and the kids have "coffee" with breakfast some mornings! I think its funny that Jacob is so into "playing coffee," because neither Scott or I are coffee drinkers, so its not like he's really seen us to mimic it.

Most of May has been really hot, so we've been breaking out the hats, sunscreen, and sprinkler! I love the picture of Jacob "reading" in the yard. He's really into the Magic Tree House books right now and carries them around in this backpack. I really hope grows up to love reading like I do!