Jace turns ONE!

Sunday, February 9th, Jace turned ONE!  Everyone says it, but that year went so fast!  We moved when he was just shy of 5 months and I can hardly remember him being so small.  He weighs a little over 24 pounds which puts him around the 80th percentile.  He's also right around the 80th percentile for height and head circumference.  We finally got the Hawkeye room at the clinic and could take a photo of Jace like we did with Ruby almost 3 years ago.

We had a little Hawkeye party for him the Saturday before his birthday.  The Hawks actually played that day and won!  Both sets of grandparents were able to join us for his party.  He LOVED his cake!  He started out just touching it with one finger but was soon grabbing with both hands.  He was also pretty serious about it, which made us all laugh.

Jace continues to be such a happy and good boy!  He sleeps all night long and goes down without a fuss.  He gets one long nap a day but sometimes gets an additional 10-20 minute cat nap in the car if we go somewhere in the morning.  He loves music and singing and dancing.  When music turns on, he starts bouncing away.  His favorite song is "If You're Happy and You Know It."  He stomps his feet like a champ!  Jace can also clap, wave, sign "more," ROAR, and show you he's ONE.  He is a huge copy cat and tries to make silly sounds like we do.  He laughs when he hears people laughing and giggles at the faintest tickle.  Jace loves his sister and has started giving her hugs all the time.  His favorite game is still peek-a-boo.  If he sees a blanket on the floor, he either snuggles in with it or puts it on his head to play peek-a-boo.

Technically, he's taken his first unassisted steps, but we definitely can't call him a full fledged walker just yet.  He is close and gets closer each day, but for now he thinks crawling is cool enough.  He cocks his head to the right when he wants to get somewhere really fast.  Apparently that must help somehow! He can climb our full flight of stairs but doesn't really care to do it too often... but I think it's just because he loves being downstairs.

He points to everything, thinking that's all he needs to do to get whatever he wants.  He does get a bit frustrated when that doesn't work!  One of his favorite things is his sippy cup.  Or his sister's sippy cup. I've pretty much given up on keeping them separate.  We have transitioned to milk instead of formula, but he still prefers it from his bottle.  He gets 2-4 bottles a day.  He has 8 teeth and is a pretty good eater.

Boo, we LOVE you to pieces!  You are such a fun loving little boy that has made our family so happy!  We love to laugh and be crazy with you and are excited to see how your little personality grows in this next year!  We thank God for you and pray you grow to know Him!

Winter Happenings

Just a little update on life lately... 

It's STILL winter.  Winter has never been my favorite season, but I can't say I've ever gotten sick of winter.  I like living in Iowa and getting to experience all the seasons.  But this winter, I'm kind of over it!  It has been so COLD that we've hardly been able to play outside and somedays I feel like I shouldn't leave the house at all.  So we've gotten creative....

Luckily, Ruby loves making projects: 

Marshmallow snowman

Rainbow Salt Tray

Vinegar and Baking Soda

Tracing her letters with Paint

Lots of learning...

She wrote her name for the first time ;)

Lots of make believe...

We decided to go sledding in Williamsburg one afternoon.  It was sunny and decent when we left Coralville, but by the time we arrived in Williamsburg the sun had disappeared and the wind had picked up.  

Jace was not a fan.  

Ruby had fun.  We didn't last long but she was brave and by the end of the afternoon, she was going down the hill by herself!

We made a trip to Sibley in late January.  

Apparently, Jace doesn't like sledding...

We also visited Sioux Falls while we were home.  We cheered on the Hawkeyes from Buffalo Wild Wings... 

...and had fun at Brandon and Hattie's house.  The kids had the most fun playing with Autzen's dog kennel.  Little does Ruby know that Jace WILL get her back some day.  ;)

Petting Rex, the chinchilla

Reading with grandma 

And fortunately, we've continued some of our favorite activities...whether it be cold or warm outside. 

The Children's Museum...

Ruby and her friend, Clara

...and Swimming!

It was wonderful having Scott and Nicole join me as Paul was working.  Three adults to four kids was nice when it came to swimming!

And Ruby recently had her first dentist appointment.  She did fantastic!

And my two cute grocery shoppers ;)

It was 40 degrees today and it felt WONDERFUL!  We built our third snowman of the season but have yet to capture a picture!  We also took a walk around the neighborhood.  Being outside really does wonders for my soul!  I don't think the heat wave is here to stay, but bring on Spring!  I'm ready!