15 Months and 3 1/2 Years!

My babies are now 15 months and 3 1/2 years!  Here's what's new with them:

Jacob continues to be my little smiler.  I have the privilege of witnessing this adorable smile about 183 times a day.  He'll look at me, get this huge smile on his face and then tackle me with a huge hug, over and over, all day long.  He is so stinkin' cute!    

Jacob says "Hi" in a cute, southern drawl, like Lindsay, my dear friend from Lousville... "Haaaiii"

He has his own version of hugging and kissing which involves leaning his head into you for hugs and open mouth, slobbery kisses!  Did I say that I adore this boy?

Jacob has really begun to understand and respond to directions (let's go to bed, let's change your diaper, where are your teeth, where's your nose, etc.).  It's pretty fun!  He also will finally hold his own sippy cup and climb the stairs up and down to the toy room (very exciting milestones for me!).

Did I mention that we spend most days in our pajamas?  Why get dressed?  We have the rest of our lives for that!  I'm enjoying these laid back years!

I just can't get over this face.  His smile makes me smile!

At Jacob's 15 month appointment, he was 32" and 23 lbs.  He's been growing lots... and eating lots!  He drags me to the pantry 82 times a day.  I seriously run out of ideas of things to feed him!  He has 7 teeth now.  Right at 15 months, he gave up his morning nap.  It was smooth, easy transition.  He also had the flu for the first time and slept extra long a few nights-18 hours one night and 16 another!  The day he slept 18 hours, he had gone down for a nap at 1 PM.  By evening, I was wondering if I should wake him up so he'd sleep all night, but I resisted.  I just do not believe in waking up sleeping babies (or kids for that matter!).  And what do you know, he slept until 7 the next morning.  I guess he needed it!  I was starting to worry about him when he slept that long, but you never would have known he was sick by the way he acted!

Jacob got his 2nd haircut here in Catlin, by Jenni Canady.  Not quite as exciting as Disney World, but honestly, it was a better haircut.  I thought he looked adorable!  I guess we'll have to start maintaining this; I'm not used to that having only had a girl before!

Jacob also loves to "talk" on the phone.  He just says "ah, ah, ah" and nods his head-adorable.

Hannah and her friends, Violet and Lily, at Donkey Basketball.  They almost look like triplets!  Hannah got to ride a donkey across the gym floor!

Hannah is slightly obsessed with dressing up and wearing accessories.  I have a bucket of accessories I keep out of reach because they end up everywhere, but we got it down one evening and she went to town!  She is also OBSESSED with the sundress in the picture above.  She wears it as often as she can.  It was from last summer, and I had packed it away in the basement, but she found it and has been wearing it every day!  

She looks like a hippie!

Hannah is really into helping me in the kitchen these days.  I love having her help.  I think she'll be cooking us dinner in a few years!  One of her favorite things to make is "Macky Macky and Cheese."  Grandma Teresa made her this adorable apron for Christmas.  So cute!  I remember having an apron when I was little and I just LOVED it!

Hannah's always saying things like "Oh sweet brother, I love you.  You so precious."  She is a good big sister!

Can I just brag on my babies for a minute?  I'm a little afraid of jinxing myself by saying this, but these kids are awesome when it comes to grocery shopping and eating out at fancy restaurants.  Trust me, it's exhausting to keep them entertained and these are not my favorite things to do with two small children, but I am very proud of them.  We spend A LOT of hours at nice restaurants, with both sides of Josh's family, and they do great!  They have also been troopers when it comes to grocery shopping.  I'm sure my day is coming, but we're over a year into having two babies, and I can't say that we've had a bad incident yet.  This makes mama very happy!

Hannah started coming out of her room a few months ago after we had put her to bed, which is something we hadn't dealt with before.  She seemed like she was getting scared so I offered to leave her door open if she promised to stay in bed.  It's worked like a charm!  She looks like an angel when she's asleep!  I love our bedtime routine with her.  It's fun that she has a big bed now where we can cuddle and reading stories, pray, and sing.  I think she's ready to give up her nap, at least for the most part.  She was very consistent until recently but doesn't seem to need it suddenly.  She'll go to bed a little earlier now and can sleep as late as she wants in the morning, so it's a trade off.  I love that we can have such a flexible schedule!

We got Grandma Teresa a new kitty for her birthday since our kitty, Storm left us last summer.  The new kitty is named Cookie (after much debate!).  Hannah and I were rooting for Jasmine or Belle.  The kids really like her.  Hannah has a banana in her mouth in this picture, silly girl!

 I am just loving every minute of this stage of life!  I love my two babies and love that I get to be with them all day every day.  I never get tired of it and there is NOTHING that I'd rather be doing!