Northwest Trek

 On a beautiful spring weekend we had the fun opportunity to go the Northwest Trek, about an hour and a half away. It's essentially a specialized zoo with animals all native to the Northwest area. You ride a tram and see animals right up next to you as well as seeing other animals (like bears and mountain lions) in secured exhibits. Needless to say, our animal loving boy LOVED this trip!

 Jude is becoming so independent and loves being buddies with Daddy.

 He still prefers Mommy though, especially if he has a boo boo, or is getting sleepy.

 We saw some amazing animals, very up close, as you can see from below. Jude had a wonderful time and the whole tram got a kick out of his reactions. He often could spot animals quicker than Justin and me.

On the way home, we got to see this amazing view of Mt. Rainier. It was breathtaking! We also passed a Sonic (which are far and few between here) so I definitely enjoyed some cheesy tots and a cherry limeade slush.

We had a wonderful weekend and it's so wonderful seeing Jude enjoy God's creation and being in awe of it.

April In A Blur

 Ok, so I despise getting behind on my blogging. I'm always afraid I'm going to miss a memory and then not document it. We started our April as many others did with the celebration of Easter. Jude loved opening his Easter basket and for the first time ever, had a Reeses Egg, which like his mother, became an instant favorite. He also received a play doh set that has animal cookie cutters and who knew play doh could occupy a 2 year old for hours. If only he keeps it out of my rug! :)

 We had a wonderful and beautiful Easter, celebrating at church and in the resurrection of our Savior. Friends of ours had us over for Easter lunch and for an egg hunt, which Jude really enjoyed. Jude has gone through such a growth spurt, his Easter shirt barely fit him. I found a "War Eagle" colored polo months ago for the occasion and it ended up looking a tad bit like a muscle shirt.

 The week following Easter was my Spring break, which meant Potty Boot camp for Jude man. According to all the sites, lists, experts, yadda yadda, Jude was showing signs that he was ready. We got the potty, a stool for the big potty, jelly beans, and Reeses minis and this kid was ready. He did great the whole week off and was showing some mastery to his new skill.

When he returned to school the following week, we had prepped him for going potty at school, put on his favorite new undies, and were ready. However, on Monday, he would hold it until he could hold it no longer and wet himself. He was not having pottying at school.

On Tuesday, I got a call that Jude had 2 messy pants. :( When I picked him up, I myself was not feeling well and called Justin to meet us at home soon because we were both feeling pretty yucky. By 6 pm, I was running a fever and Jude was throwing up. The next 4 days we were consumed with messy pants, throw up, and chills. Thankfully, our bug left us, but Jude's fear of extreme stomach pain and stinging in his bottom did not and he began to refuse to go potty because he said it "hurt". Since then, we've given him a few weeks off to calm his fears and feel comfortable again. We're going to attempt the potty thing again before summer.

In April, we also traveled to Eastern Washington to see where Justin has been doing research and it was a nice weekend get away. Jude LOVED seeing all the animals and he is now an expert in knowing the different between cow poop and moose poop, thanks to the knowledge of his Daddy. I took my camera with me but it never left my duffel bag. :(

 Jude has become very interested in our habits, including using "odewant" and flossing. This kid has the best smelling tummy around and the teeth he flosses are the ones with his huge gaping whole, but he's pretty cute doing it.

I can't believe another month with this sweet man has already come and gone. According to my count down, I only have 5 more Mondays of school left and our plane tickets to NC have been purchased. Spring is here and we are so excited for new memories with our sweet boy!

Happy 2nd Birthday Sweet Baby Jude!

 This captures my favorite smile!

 My sweet boy!

Being adventurous with Daddy.

I could go on and on about how I can't believe Jude is already 2 years old, but I won't. The second year has gone even faster than the first and I keep loving this sweet little man more and more every day. In the past year, Jude has lived in 3, yes 3 states (AZ, NC for the summer, and now WA). He's visited 7 states total and been on many adventures including many hikes, museums, libraries, family and friend trips, and zoos. Here is what I always want to remember about Jude during his 2nd year:

Favorites:
Color: Pink (I know, we're working on this one)
Toy: Brown cow, new Thomas, and Chalkboard Easel (He also loves anything with animals and Elmo, his helicopter, and puzzles.)
Activities: Playing outside, drawing/coloring, doing puzzles
Books: Brown Bear Series, Sesame St. Books, and Big Red Tractor by Francis Chan
Food: Cheese, yogurt (particularly squeezers from Trader Joe's), sweet potatoe fries
Drink: Milk
Movie: Lion King
Game: Hide and Seek
Friend: Kate and Raegan from church and Reese, Evie, and Mackie (McKenzie) at school (He told me this one.)
Song: Praise Him, Old MacDonald
Animal: This can change daily, but usually elephant or cow
Shoes: Crocs
Hat: Reindeer and Auburn tobogan (I don't know what we'll do when it's too warm for tobogans, or what west coast people refer to as beanies.)

What he knows:
-Can identify all his ABC's but does not know the song yet
-Can count to 10
-Colors: blue, pink, purple, green, yellow, orange, brown, black, white, grey
-Shapes: square, rectangle, circle
-We're trying to learn a new Bible verse every month (paraphrased any way) but only January's has really stuck "Jesus washes white snow" aka "Jesus washes us white as snow."
-Jude knows more things about animals that I do. I say this seriously. He knows what many of them eat, where they live, and in what order they appear at the zoo. The other day I said, "There's a bird." and he replied, "No bird Mommy. Albetross." I guess we're both correct, but still.

Jude officially has ALL his teeth for 2 years old, as his last 2 top 2 year molars started breaking through this week. His bottom 2 came in a few weeks ago and I never realized until they were all the way in..oops. Of course, his minus his right bottom canine from his December fall (sad face) but he's proud to show his big gaping hole off and tell you the story of "fall down Mo Mo's stairs". 

As I've mentioned before, this blog serves as a keep up with family and friends, but also for my memory sake. At turning 2, Jude is sensitive. When he saw me cry when leaving NC in February, it made him very concerned and he will take his little chubby fingers, put them on my cheek and say, "No cwy Mommy." then squeeze my neck. He is also concerned about people's boo boos, especially Uncle Zach's. He is also opinionated. He wants to have a say in his clothes, mostly if they have animals, Elmo, or Thomas on them and of course his crocs and hat of choice. He does like his 1 "war eagle" (blue and orange striped) shirt.

He still enjoys being outdoors. Just this week we had a wonderful evening (enjoying the time change) of running up and down the hill by our apartment. He would squeal and laugh over and over and ask for "More outside." I burned some serious calories during this adventure. He enjoys riding his bike, running, and playing ball outside. He also loves looking for the moon. Unfortunately, due to our cloudy skies, he doesn't get to see it as often as he would like. Jude also loves coloring. He prefer markers over crayons and he loves to use his chalkboard. He likes to draw "nakes" (snakes) best.

He is also attentive to our prayer time. We pray before every meal, on our way to school, and at bedtime. He always ask for prayers for family and friends and the occasional toy and Mo Mo and Pop's doggies.

He is doing well with following directions and becoming more independent, including putting away toys, watering my plants, brushing his teeth, etc. He likes being a helper and wants to help me put clothes in the washing machine and sweep. I pray that his helping heart continues.

Jude is struggling with transitions. He does not like to change clothes, at all. He also doesn't like going to different places (unless it's very preferred) but of course he enjoys it once we're there. He certainly has his moments, but overall (knock on wood), he is obedient and is learning what it means to do what is asked of him. He can be strong willed at times, but pretty typical of his developmental stage.

He still goes to bed around 8:30 and wakes between 6:45 and 7:15. He naps every day from 1'ish to about 3 at school, but he'll stretch it out to 4 at home with less distractions. He still has his bap at night time. He also sleeps with his "babies", Monkey and Lamby. Bedtime routine consists of rocking and reading books, then being sung to by Mommy. He laughs when Daddy sings. :)

This sweet, beautiful boy is definitely not a baby, even though he asks to be Mommy's baby sometimes while I'm rocking him. As I think about how quickly these moments pass, I hope that Jude will know how much he is loved and how thankful I am to be his Mommy.

Happy Birthday sweet boy! We love you to the moon and back!

The Lord God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. -Zephaniah 3:17

Trip Home

 Jude and I had the wonderful opportunity to go home to NC over my mid-winter break. What a blessing. After heading to the airport on Saturday to get on the plane and sitting on the run way for 2 hours, they cancelled our flight due to electrical issues, AHHH. We did the whole thing over on Sunday and finally made it home (aka Jillian's house) for me to have little Eli in my arms for the first time. Jillian was in the delivery room with Justin and me when Jude was born so to wait nearly 4 weeks after his birth to hold him was very hard. He is so precious and such a content little guy.

 Jude did really awesome with meeting Eli. We had talked about it quite a bit. Right after this picture, Jude politely said, "Mommy no hold dat baby. (while pointing) Mo Mo hold dat baby." As soon as my Mom had Eli, Jude wrapped his arms around my neck.

 By the end of the week, Jude was really loving on Eli. He would put his bap (pacifier) in his mouth, rock him, flap his ears, and even asked to "Jude hold dat baby." He wanted to "bounce him" on his knees, haha. He even shared a Fruit Loop with him which we had to quickly grab out of Eli's mouth. I think my favorite memories of Jude with his first meetings with Eli were how he referred to him as being "so tiny" and saying that he "ate JJ's boobies". (sorry it that's TMI but it was hysterical)

 Right before this picture JJ's dog Alli was on the bed with the boys but we couldn't snap a picture quick enough.

In spite of starting the week with a virus, messed up plane trips, and travelling across the country, Jude was and always has been a trooper. We only had a few through yourself in the floor tantrums. :)

We had such a wonderful visit. It was great to spend time with family and friends (my college roomie Boofee came for dinner one night) as well as Justin's family. Jude had a quick visit with great- grandparents and my inlaws came to visit for a day. We also had an early birthday party for Jude while they were there, including cow and Elmo cupcakes, per request. Jude wanted me to keep lighting his candle over and over so he could blow it out. He cried when we sang to him, but he LOVED the cows on his "cupakes".

We are so blessed to have had our time with family. To say it was emotional to leave is an understatement as our boys are growing oh so fast. The Lord is always faithful to fill the void in my heart when I miss my family.

Here Lately...

 Life has been a little hectic here lately. Unfortunately, living 3,000 miles away from family, I haven't been able to help nearly as much as I would like. Since we returned from our holiday visit, my  brother had a brain bleed linked to his radiation treatments 7 years ago and is now in extensive therapy and recovering. My sister and BIL also welcome her first baby mentioned in my prior post, as well as Jude having his tooth extraction procedure. (After having a double ear infection and having his tooth become abscessed.)

It's been a lot, but let me tell you, God is faithful. Jude has been an amazing trooper through it all and continues to melt my heart every day. His love for books, animals, and choo choos blows my mind and how he is able to express himself blows me away. His vocabulary grows more and more every day and Justin and I are going to have to work hard to stay ahead of him. Let me give a disclaimer, my child is not perfect. He has began to learn the "art" of throwing himself to the floor but I think he's quickly learning that gets him no where fast. He can be whiny and bossy. But, in the midst of his sinful nature, he is sensitive, sweet, and pretty dern smart.

Thankfully, my boy does not like messes like his Mommy so he's pretty good about wiping up spills and helping with chores like sweeping, putting laundry in with Mommy, and picking up after himself when asked. There is the occasional "no" he gives me, which is usually ignored while he is then guided to do the said task. He knows where every thing is, meaning, his animal magnets on the fridge, yeah, when he plays with them and one random "dino" is missing, he tells Mommy, "Find dino peese!" It's usually behind the recycling bin or slipped under the fridge, but he knows it's not there, and he has over 20 of them. Maybe type A personality?

What has really melted my heart this month though is his spiritual development. He has learned 2 new Bible verses, 1 from church and one we've been working hard at home with. He says "Jesus washes white snow." Meaning, "Jesus washes us what as snow." and "I can all thing thwough Chwist". He's also started to help say the blessing at dinner, which makes my heart so happy.

There are so many horrific things he can and will be exposed to in this world. Oh how I pray for his soul and that his heart will be sensitive to the moving of the Spirit as he grows. I can't believe next month we'll be celebrating another birthday but until then, we'll enjoy these daily steps of Jude learning and growing.

And, on another note, is my nephew not the cutest thing you've ever seen? I can't wait to see him in just 2 more weeks. I love getting my daily updates on him from my sis and Jude asks to see Eli too. I hope and pray they grow to love one another and be best buddies.

Welcome!

Welcome Elijah Mason (Eli) Ball! My beautiful nephew was born Thursday, January 23, 2013 around 6:30 pm. He weighed 8 lb. 3 oz. (just like his cousin Jude). My sister is doing great and Phillip was a champ in the delivery room. My Mom had the honor of helping Jillian through the delivery and see Eli be born! (I'm pretty jealous but I did get to hear Eli's sweet cries only minutes after his arrival over the phone and got to watch him nurse for the first time ever via webcam and "spend time" with him and family that way.)

I am so thankful this beautiful blessing has arrived and I know he and Jude will be into some rowdy trouble in the years to come! I love you so much Eli and can't wait to meet you in just a few weeks!

To God Be The Glory

 Not only has the Lord given me a very brave, sensitive, sweet big brother to begin with...

He has given me the chance to make many more wonderful memories with him.

Thank you Lord for healing Zach again! We love you and know You alone are worthy of praise!