Just Jace

So, I just did a post for Ariana, and now, as the blog title says, this post is all about Jace. Jace is now 5 years old. That means, in October he will be turning 6, which means MY LITTLE BOY WILL BE STARTING KINDERGARTEN! Yeah, huge milestone that I'm totally not ready for. Jace attended a special ed preschool because he was diagnosed with Aspergers when he was 3. Anyways, back in February, I was called into Jace's preschool to meet with his teachers and principal. So, I met with them and at their appointment, they told me they had done testing on Jace and he tested out of the preschool. So, he went to school one last time and that was it. Between a trip to Disneyland and moving right after, we never did put him into another school because it would have been for such a short amount of time. It will be interesting to have him start kindergarten and have that structure in his life again.

Jace is still our funny boy. I'm so glad my husband thought to write down and document all the funny things he comes up with. I think one of my favorites by far would be one he said recently "Grandma Rowley is sooo sweet! She puts hearts in my eyes!" I guess he got it maybe from cartoons? If you ever have time, go to twitter and find #stuffjacesez and you'll see everything that Lance has documented. I actually made a book of it. I guess it's time to start part 2.

Jace is very helpful with his sister...most of the time. He always checks her diaper worrying if she might have pooped. Whenever I put Ariana in her booster seat to eat, he'll notice when she's done and help her down. He also really likes to lay her down for bed and tuck her in. I'm so glad my kids get along. Ariana has become very accustomed to Jace and doesn't freak out every time he touches her or wrestles her anymore.

I love how Jace tries to act grown-up. He tries so hard when he talks to say grown up words like absolutely or do you mind? The other night, he came into my room and asked if I would absolutely mind if we traded blankets for the night so he could use mine because it was his favorite and I could borrow his. I just couldn't resist the sweetness in his asking, so of course, I caved in and he used my big blanket and I used one of his baby quilts. If it wasn't so hot, I wouldn't have done it, so considering it's been warmer and I don't put all the blanket over me anyways, I traded for the night. He's very good about saying please and thankyou.

Jace is very into counting. Whenever we need to get him to do things, we count to get him to go faster. His favorite is for us to count to 120. I guess it's his favorite number. He's picked up so quickly just in the past couple of weeks counting on his own. I was very impressed to see him count to 200 this week. The other day, I was surprised to hear him count from 100 backwards. Then, we taught him to count to 100 by 5's and as soon as we started, he automatically caught on.

I think Jace's biggest dilemma when he starts kindergarten is going to be his handwriting. He has always struggled holding a pencil and writing his name correctly. I can't get him to write any letters at all anymore. I've told him that when he starts school, he has to learn to write. I'm hoping he'll pick it up really quickly once he gets started. There's something about having strangers teach you rather than your parents. He opens up more to doing things for other people that aren't his family.

Jace got a bike with training wheels for Christmas. He likes to spend his time outside whether it be just running, riding his bike, or helping water the plants. We've taken him to a couple splash pads this summer and he LOVES them! I didn't think he would because he doesn't like water spraying his face, but he proved me wrong. I think he'd spend all his time outside if he could. He also loves electronics. He likes finding new games and playing them. This was the first week he has ever been grounded from something and we decided on computer, phones, and tablet because he loves them so much. He did very well for his first real big punishment. It was hard because I know he would have liked time on them, but he did very well resisting and obeying us.

Anyways, here are some more recent pictures of our boy. He's growing up so fast!

All about Ariana

Did you miss me? It's only been a year since I last posted. I guess I got lazy and just stopped blogging. Anyways, a year ago, I posted about my baby turning one. Here we are a year later and she is now two! Time flies when you're having fun. Anyways, just thought I should give a little update on the kids.

Let's start with our little girl since probably the most has changed with her and I should document some of it somewhere. Ariana is our slow learning child. She's really taken her time doing things. She didn't walk until about 21 months. Some people still see her and say "ahh...she just learned to walk". She's definitely got the new walk look but she's getting faster and faster everyday. At her 2-year appointment, she weighed in at 29 pounds (77th percentile) and 34 inches (51st percentile). She definitely has a little pot belly, but oh how I love it. Her head size is still off the charts.

Ariana has really turned into a jabberer. I love hearing her sit and talk. She's slowly starting to mimick things we say and do. If she sees us change our clothes, she'll have a new set of clothes to bring to you so she can get dressed too. When it's time to leave, she'll stop and stick her arm in the air and wave at you until you wave back at her and say bye. If someone goes to the fridge, she'll be right behind you so she can get in too and show you what she wants out of it. Every once in awhile, she'll look at the camera and say "cheese". Whenever she gets mad or frustrated or something hurts her, she'll throw her hand over her mouth and let out a cry. Her hair is long enough where I can brush it and put it up. She's getting more and more patient with getting her hair done. She really enjoys helping out with things. If she sees us do things like clean up, she'll get down and hand you things to put away. She also likes to take things and put them in the garbage. She is definitely our snuggler. She LOVES to sit on peoples laps. If I'm sitting on the floor or the bed or anywhere, she automatically takes her spot on my lap. Sometimes, Jace will fight her for it and Ariana will throw a fit. She won't stand for it. That is her spot. Ariana is turning more and more into a girly-girl. I hope she keeps it up. If she hears music, she'll dance to it. Hopefully in a year we'll start her in a dance class. She definitely knows when she looks pretty because she receives so much praise. She likes to dress up. She has a couple skirts she really likes to wear. Sometimes I'll change her diaper and pull up her nightgown to find a skirt underneath it. The other day, she found an empty thing of eye shadow and was sticking her finger in it rubbing it on her eyes.

We moved a few months ago to a new place and we decided when we moved, we weren't going to set up the crib again. Jace got a new bed and Ariana moved to the toddler bed. The first week or so was a little difficult because it was so easy for her to get out of it, but she adjusted really quickly to it. She is definitely our sleeper. Sometimes I wish she and Jace didn't have to share a room because if he wasn't in there, she would sleep in every morning.

Ariana loves to carry stuff. She used to have an attachment to a certain blanket. She couldn't sleep without it or go anywhere without it. Recently, we misplaced the blanket. For all I know, Jace could have hidden it from her. I think since we lost it, she has learned to be okay without it. I'm sure if it ever shows up again, she'll be pretty excited. I have noticed though, if she gets really tired or hurts herself, she looks for a blanket to comfort her. In general though, she likes to have something in her hands. Sometimes it's just an empty cup or bag.

Ariana just learned how to give kisses. It used to be great big open-mouth kisses. More recently, they've turned into real kisses, even though the smooch sound might not come until she takes her lips off your face. She can also be a real hugger. I've noticed it most when she's in a shopping cart and she'll lean into me and put her arms around me and say "ahh."

Anyways, here are some recent pics of our little angel!