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!

My baby is one!

What a sad week. I don't like seeing my baby girl grow up so fast. Seriously, can a year have come and gone already? Having Ariana in our family has been THE BEST! On Saturday we celebrated her first Birthday with a party. My mom, sister,and I had been planning her party for over a month. Last month, I took Ariana and Jace grocery shopping. We needed to buy some time so I decided to go browsing down the baby toy aisle to see what kind of toys Ariana would go for. Anyways, I showed her a little bit of everything. She had no interest in the noise makers or electronics. However, we came upon a big tower of rubber duckies and she immediately grabbed the first one she could. I decided to buy it for her since it was less than a dollar. She absolutely giggled and smiled and hugged that thing. So, that's how we came to the idea of having a rubber ducky Birthday party. We began googling and searching pinterest for every idea we could find. I don't know why moms plan such big parties for their one-year-olds. It's not like they're going to remember it. Anyways, we did lots of preparation and I think the party was a success. I wish I would have done better with pictures. My sister did all the desserts which included the Birthday cake, cake pops, cupcakes, and lemon bars. We did blue foamy punch. The idea was to put some rubber duckies on the top to make it look like they were floating in a bubble bath. We made the punch and didn't put the ducks on because we didn't know how dirty they were. My mom made some salads and we put together sandwiches and wrapped them in wax paper with yarn around them and a rubber duck cutout on top. We had a couple games that I put together that included pin the bill on the duck and a beanbag toss with a duck's mouth cutout so it was like feed the duck. Then we did a relay. Anyways, the games didn't go as planned because we didn't have as many kids as we planned on come and it was raining cats and dogs through the party which blew the games down. We had the party at the park, but luckily we had a pavilion to keep us covered from the rain. I didn't plan a backup place for the party, so I'm very glad the pavilion worked out and kept us pretty dry. Anyways, that was pretty much it. It was a successful party despite it raining so hard.

Yep, I went all out and even put curlers in her hair to get ready for the party (even though it didn't really stay curled).

Showing off her Birthday outfit. The shirt and hairbow was made by yours truly (with a little help from my mom and sister).

My baby is a doll!!!

The cake and cupcakes

Eating dinner

Pin the bill on the duck. Jace was excited but he kind of freaked out once I blindfolded him. He didn't understand why he wasn't supposed to see.

Ariana is an eater! The second I put the cake on her tray, she started picking at it. I seriously don't think I've ever seen a baby go at a cake the way she did. Jace was completely opposite. We had to feed him his cake.

The kids having fun catching the rain.

I seriously love this girl!

Ariana really got into her presents. She was very interested in what was in each bag.

Today was Ariana's one-year checkup. She now weighs 21 pound-50% and is 30 inches long-90%. She's tall and skinny. As always, they asked about her head. She's had a big head since birth. She looked really good. She's been crawling for a couple months, but it was a really awkward crawl where she'd push her head into the ground and scoot. In the past 2-3 weeks, she has finally learned she can be up on her hands and knees and get around like that. She can pull herself up to things, but doesn't do it a lot. I think it's a security thing. She worries about falling. I've said it from the beginning, but my baby is a slower bloomer. She does everything at her own pace. Hopefully in the next few months she might be walking. Ariana has turned into a real babbler. She's talking nonstop. I have no idea what she's trying to say. She's still a good sleeper and a very good eater. We put her on whole milk a little early, but she's taken to it really well. She's also been on a sippy cup and has done well with that. She still loves anyone and will let anyone hold her, although she really loves her mommy. We sure love having our little girl in our family!

Jace's favorites

So, Lance and I are sitting downstairs asking Jace some of his favorite things and it's kind of fun getting his answers.

Favorite Color: Black and brown (at least for today. Tomorrow it will be different)
Favorite Number: 20
Favorite Person: Dagny and Brynn
Favorite Food: Breadsticks and Cereal
Favorite Song: Wiseman Built his house on a rock
Favorite Blankie: Cars blankie
Favorite shirt: Angry Birds and Lightning Mcqueen
Favorite Drink: Strawberry milk
Favorite book: A cars book
Favorite Movie: Cars 1
Favorite TV show: Caillou
Favorite Fruit: Strawberries and Grapes
Favorite Word: Porcupine, toot, and stinky
Favorite Game: Cars and Toy Story
Favorite Candy: Smarties, suckers
Favorite Ipad game: Price is Right
Favorite sport: basketball

What's up

So, I know I always say that I'm going to be better about blogging more, and I know it never happens. Oh well....I guess I'll just stop saying it and do the best I can. Does anybody even read my updates anyways? Anyways, I just wanted to give an update on life for my personal record. Maybe one day I'll put my blog into a book.

Let's start with Jace. Jace is our funny little man. He just finished his second year of preschool. Sadly, he still has one more year left. He was born in October, so he's one of the older children that has to endure one more whole year of preschool. It's okay though because he loves preschool. He is so happy with his teachers and he's always enjoyed the other children in his class.
Jace showing off his certificate. Jace and his teacher, Ms. Kay. Jace and Ms. Maria.
And this one, he said he had to have his picture in front of the playground. I think he must have liked preschool because he was smiling in all of these pictures! That's pretty rare.

Jace is very polite. He's always saying "please" and "thankyou" for everything! Sometimes it can be a pain because I'll ask him to do something for me and he'll say "No Thankyou." It's like he thinks that since he's being polite, he doesn't have to do it. Today, we were driving out to grandma's and Jace was sitting in the middle seat in the backseat of the car. He put his feet up on my armrest while we were driving. As soon as we got to grandma's house, he said "Thank you mommy for letting me put my feet up right there so that they could feel the cold air." He's just the sweetest little buggar.

As I said earlier, Jace is our funny boy. Sometimes, he just comes up with the funniest things to say. If you're ever on twitter (I don't do the twitter thing, but my husband does), check out stuffjacesez and you'll see a lot of the things he says. Here is just a sample of some of them.
*(At the hospital) Hey lady, do ya know? My daddy has an owie on his bum bum!
*Ariana, okay little Missy you better not fall off the bed again!
*I'm lightning McQueen, m Mommy is Phin McMissile, Ariana is Francesco, and Daddy is Mater because he can drive backwards
*Mommy, I didn't sleep at all last night. I couldn't get my eyes to shut.
*Are you kidding me? I'm mortified!
*Nicole: Jace drink the apple juice, it will help you get your hard poop out. Jace: I already did and its not working!!!
*I got a Lightning McQueen from Toys For Us!!!
*Jace (after hearing the dog fart): That's just like Scooby-Doo!
*Its hard to play on the iPad ... I need to take my pants off so its easier
*Do you know about blue grapes? They turn into blueberries!
*Jace: There's a lot of bugs there Me: Yeah there's a lot of ants there huh Jace: No they're not ants they're bugs cause they're on the sidewalk
*Ya know, when I was asleep my armpits were dirty and I needed deodorant
*Jace: Why are we going this way? Nicole: Cause this is the way home. Jace: But we're going to get lost in the future!

I get a kick out of how Jace is such a runner. He can't sit down long enough to watch a tv show or eat a big meal. He always has to stop what he's doing and run. I think it has to do with his aspergers because he always runs in the same pattern. He still loves his sister, sometimes a little too much. If she's sitting or laying down, he likes to pull her up onto his lap, which she hates. She really does love him too, except for when she's being dragged around by him. He's still the one person that can get her to laugh at him. When we're riding in the car, he likes to sit in the middle seat so he's right next to her and if she gets upset in the car, he'll say "It's okay sweetie. I'll take care of you." Or when he's leaving to go somewhere, he will go up to her and hug her and say "I'll be right back, okay Ariana?" in the sweetest voice. I really look forward to spending the summer with Jace. We have lots of plans like ride on the Trax train downtown, go to the aquarium (season passes, yeah!), swimming lessons. If I could afford it, we'd hop on a plane and hit Carsland in California Adventures. Jace has seen ads and has watched videos of it online and looked at pictures and has been begging to go. It costs money to do something like that though. Hopefully next year we can be smart with our money and afford to take him. Another funny story....last week we took Jace to City Creek (the new mall in Salt Lake) and took him to the Disney store. When we walked in he was like "It's magic. We're in Carsland!". I can't even imagine what it would be like to really take him to Carland. Jace is our crazy, funny, and sweet boy. I seriously can't get enough of him.
Now let's talk about this sweet face. She's my little sweetie. She's got the biggest bluest eyes that just pop when you look at her. Ariana is still my slow blooming baby. She is now 10 1/2 months old. She's still managing to do everything at her own pace. If you remember, she was very stubborn about learning to roll. Well, now we're past the 10 month mark and we're trying to get her to learn how to crawl. As we've worked with her on trying to get her to crawl, she's finally really discovered that rolling works for her. It's a little worrisome that she won't do it, but I've just learned that my baby does things in her own time. I love that now that she rolls, I'll go in her room and find her sleeping on her tummy. I actually think she might prefer to sleep that way now. She really wants to pull herself up to things but hasn't quite got the hang of it yet. Maybe she's just nervous about learning new things. If she doesn't figure it out in the next month or so, I will probably go get her checked out. Ariana has 3 teeth now, the 2 on bottom and then one of top. I haven't checked this week, but I'm sure another one on top should be popping in soon. Ariana loves taking baths with her brother. We've tried giving her baths alone, which she doesn't mind, but it's so much funner for her when her brother is in there with her. She sure is starting to babble a lot more. She loves to say dada and sometimes will say baba when she wants her bottle. I'm pretty sure she's said mama a couple times, but doesn't say it a whole lot. I'm having a blast as a mom dressing her up. It's so fun to put together outfits for her and get her dressed. She's not a big fan of me doing her hair, but I think she's starting to recognize when I'm doing it because she's learning to sit more still. She's at that very difficult age to sit through church. It's very hard to get through a sunday school or relief society lesson with a wiggly 10-month-old. She's very curious. If she gets her eye on something, she will wiggle and stretch to get to it. Even when she's laying down drinking a bottle, she's constantly got one hand reaching around for something to grab. She loves her solid foods, but it's hard to get her to hold still while feeding her. She looks right at you for a bite but the second the spoon touches her mouth, she has to look around for Jace. A couple months ago, I took her over to a neighbor's house and had her take some pictures of her all dolled up. They turned out great despite the fact she didn't want to smile.

As for life with Lance and I, nothing too exciting. Lance got a second job for a little while at JetBlue. It just became too hard for him with the hours and some of the Spanish calls he was taking, so he ended up quitting. It would have been super nice to get free flights, but it's okay. It would have been great to have it work out, but not everything goes like you want it to. I'm still busy work on call and just staying home with my kiddos. I love having time with them everyday and I'm so glad I get to be their mommy. That pretty much sums up our life. Oh, and to end, I'll post pictures we got taken at Fotofly last month. Jace was a stinkbug through them and again, Ariana wasn't into the idea of smiling for them, but with that cute face, she doesn't HAVE to smile.