Jace turns TWO!

Jace turned TWO on February 9th.  Yes, only two, little one!  When you ask him how old he is, you never know what number he is gonna tell you!  Usually 4 or 8!  

Jace is a sweet little guy but lacks in the patience department!  Somehow (and luckily, I should add!) he always put the charm back on just in time!  ;)

In the last several weeks, his vocabulary has really taken off and he will pretty much say whatever you ask him to say.  He is still an amazing sleeper, taking 3-4 hour naps each afternoon and sleeping 11 hours at night.  I truthfully haven't had to get up with him at night for over a year!  He loves that his big sis sleeps in his room with him!  And for the most part, they get along great.  

Ruby reading to Jace ;)

He tries very hard to keep up with her!

Proof they can share ;)

Ruby "teaching" Jace what her drawing is all about 

He LOVES smoothies...

And his cousin Asher!  

And animals ;)

And being silly after bathtime!

It snowed 11 inches earlier in February and he loves playing in the snow!  It doesn't seem to matter how cold it is, he loves to be outside!

The snow wasn't "snowman snow" until the weekend before his birthday.  Which ended up being perfect timing for our guests!  My parents, and brother Kenny, sister-in-law Carrie, and nephew Tate came for the weekend to help celebrate Jace's 2nd birthday.  The temperatures were beautiful that weekend, so we all headed outside!  

Kenny and Tate

The snowman gang

After all three snowmen were built.  The extra little girl is our neighbor friend, Ava!

The weather was so beautiful that all three snowmen melted in a heap only a few hours later!  

We had Paul's parents and brother Jon, sister-in-law Stef, niece Sydney, and nephew Asher over that night as well.  We had pizza and cake ;)

He requested a Paw Patrol cake and was very set on eating Ryder ;)

Jace absolutely LOVED everyone singing to him!  He was smiles from ear to ear!  

Ruby and Sydney 

Jace...with Froggy (he doesn't go far without him!), Ruby, and Tate

On his actual birthday, we asked him which restaurant he'd like to go to.  I wasn't sure if he'd know how to answer as he'd never gotten to pick before.  But without much hesitation, he answered with "Pizza Ranch."  My kind of kid ;)

 Jace, we love you so much!  Your little smile is contagious and your personality is so cute!  We love seeing you learn new things and are so thankful God has given you to us as your parents!  

Have a great year being TWO!  

36 Weeks

36 Weeks

Quite the bump going on these days!  Since I went early with both Ruby and Jace I have my hopes up that I'll go early with this babe too.  But I'm trying really hard not to rely on that!  I'm ready to have a baby in my arms though!  I feel pretty good other than restless legs in the evening and through the night.  Ruby is still hoping for a sister but she says another boy will be fine too.  ;)

Jace's First Haircut

A week before his 2nd birthday, Jace finally got his first haircut!  We were prepared with suckers and the iphone to distract him but he was SO GOOD!  He just sat in the chair, looked at himself in the mirror, and repeated "haircut" in a proud voice a few times.  ;)

I was a bit sad to see the curls go (or the curls that can sometimes show up!) but I must admit, he's still pretty darn cute!  My brother said that he'll thank us someday for finally getting his haircut so perhaps it WAS getting a little out of control!  ;)

On a side note, before Christmas, Ruby had been talking about getting her haircut.  But as of recently, she has been questioning us if her hair is ever going to grow.  So when we decided it was time for Jace to get his haircut we asked her if she wanted her hair cut too.  She said, No, that she wanted her hair to grow long.  Someday baby girl!  And she handled Jace getting his haircut just fine!  

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

Looking so grown up now!  

Second Annual VH Family Trip

In January, the Van Heukelom family spent a few days in the Twin Cities.  It's a good meeting spot for the Iowans and Joel, the South Dakotan.  We did this last year too (three years ago we went with just Jon, Stef, and Sydney) and I think we plan to make it an annual event with the whole family.  We stayed in a hotel with a wonderful pool for the kids which is located right by the Mall of America.  We spent all of our time at the pool and Nickelodeon Studios.  

My favorite picture of the trip... love them.  

Both kids love the water!

Jace insisted on wearing his goggles like this pretty much the entire time.  

Grandma Ruth and Asher

Aunt Stef and Asher

Papa Gary and Jace

I obviously wasn't able to ride all the rides, but I got my fair share of the little rides with Jace!

Ruby just met the 42 inch height requirement and was able to go on some of the bigger rides.  And apparently she loved them all!  Below is a picture of her favorite ride: Splat-o-sphere.  Brings you up high and drops you... :)  I'm pretty sure they went on this ride 20 times.

One afternoon we went to the aquarium at the Mall of America.

Jace went one afternoon without a nap but by the second full day, he was ready for a nap.  For a little guy who usually takes 3-4 hour naps each afternoon, he did exceptionally well!  

We had a wonderful trip and loved spending time together as a family!