Sweetest Two Year Old

This is one of those posts that's been floating around in my head, and I feel like I should hurry up and write it while it's still true.  I just can't stop thinking about how great Jacob is.  Trust me, I know that he'll always be great, but I also know that no child is perfect, and I feel like he's balancing on that age of innocence, where he still can almost do no wrong.  He has been a dream child for his first two and a half years.  And here are the many reasons why:

• He has never once gotten up in the night... and I mean EVER.... since we put him in his room at 4 months!  To be honest, some of my most special memories with Hannah were comforting her in the night when her teeth hurt.  But those were also some of my most frustrating, stressful memories!  I have never, ever had that with Jacob.  He just had his last teeth come through.  They never woke him up (at least at night!).  He had the stomach flu multiple times.  We never knew until morning.  I'm telling you, this kid sleeps through everything!  
• He gave up his pacifier at about 18 months without a second thought.  I just stopped giving it to him. 
• He wouldn't get too grouchy if he missed a nap.  If he got really tired, it was not unusual for him to sleep 18+ hours straight and get caught up.  
• I feel like he potty-trained in about an hour.  I sat with him until he went and told him not to go in his pants any more, and he said ok.  Now, he's not perfect in this, but I just can't get over how quickly he got it!  
• He always wants to sit with me.  He says, "no, I 'tuddle' mommy!"  I love it.    
• I can count on one hand how many times he's had a time-out.  He's very sensitive to being corrected.  If you talk sternly to him at all, it breaks his little heart.  He has the puppy dog lip and the big eyes filling with tears.  It seriously devastates him to be told that he did something wrong.  You have to correct him gently.  
• He talks very well and has a large vocabulary for his age.  He loves to pray.  He repeats after me.  Sometimes I just go on and on because I like to hear him talk.  And he translates my words into his, like Grandpa = papa.  
• He has slept in his toddler bed a few times and did great, but he still prefers his crib.  He has never climbed out.  He waits for me to get up and get him out of bed.  When he's tired, he gets his blankie and his thumb.  He has had several "favorite" blankies and rotates through them easily (Snoopy, Blue, Mickey, Diego).
• Everyone loves him and thinks he is the sweetest kid.  His teachers at church tell me how nice he is to the other kids.  
• He gives great hugs and will only kiss you square on the lips.  
• He's gone through several addictions in his little lifetime: fruit snacks, Mickey Mouse, and now my Kindle.  
• He can count to 10 and almost sing his ABC's.  
• He loves chocolate milk, dum-dum suckers, and taking baths.  
• He has a big, sweet, somewhat bashful smile.  
• For better or worse, this kid has no fear and is not easily injured.  He's pretty tough and easily recovers, which is good because he does seem to injure himself a lot.  
• If he's crying about something silly, I can usually tell him to stop crying, and he'll take a deep breath, blink back his tears, and say "ok."  It's kind of comical.  
• He loves to show you how strong he is.  He flexes his muscles until he goes red in the face and has to catch his breath.  It makes me laugh so hard.  

I think the biggest challenges we've had with him were the phases he went through where he didn't want to go to the nursery at church and where he didn't want his haircut.  Those were both stressful for sure, but I think he's come through both of those now.  So far, the "twos" have not been "terrible" at all.  In fact, I am loving them.  It is a very, very fun age!  But I can see that desire for independence and having his own way starting to rear its head.  So I thought I should write this while he's still so sweet and innocent.  And when I'm frustrated, I can look back and remember how easy we've had it.  Jacob, you're a great kid!!

Church Directory 2013

VBS 2013

We just finished VBS 2013.  We really changed it up this year and did it in the morning and in June (we usually do nights in late July). I think it was a great move all around, as we greatly increased attendance and maintained about the same number of volunteers!

Sandy Chew is our grade school minister, so she was definitely the head of VBS, but I tried to help her as much as I could!  I have to say it is a huge relief for our family not to have Josh in charge anymore.  It is a HUGE task!  I was still wiped out just from assisting Sandy.  The kids and I spent 40+ hours at the church last week, on top of Betsy's wedding and lots of other major events going on in our family.  I felt like a zombie some days!

 Can you spot Hannah in her preschool group?  She's sporting the crazy sunglasses!

Opening Program!!

 Snacks!!

 Games!!!

Missions!!

 We had a fabulous missions program this year.  One of our church's former missionaries to Tanzania led it.  She was great!  Here is Hannah dressing up in her African clothes.

 Crafts!!!

 Jacob spent the week in the nursery, but I stole him a few days during worship time! 

Our closing party was an outdoor movie in the back lot of the church!!!

Nine in Nine

In celebration of our Ninth Wedding Anniversary, I am highlighting our Top Nine Memories of Marriage:

Number One:  Our wedding and then honeymoon to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Number Two: Our one year anniversary trip to Brown County when we rented a house in the woods

Number Three: The purchase of our first house (which doesn't even look like our house now!)

Number Four: Our trip to Cancun

Number Five: Our trips to Chicago  (especially 2007-Our last trip before kids & 2012-Our only trip without kids since we had kids!)

Number Six: Hannah's Birth

Number Seven: Jacob's Birth

Number Eight: Our trips to Disney World

Number Nine: Our first family beach vacation to Myrtle Beach

Of course, not every day is a big, exciting event, but I love our simple day to day life together just as much.  I think we make a great team.  I can't wait to see what happens next!!!  I love you so much, Joshua Michael Downing!  Happy Anniversary!

Betsy's Shower

My baby sister's wedding is coming up!  Betsy and Nathan will be married June 15th, and we've been busy preparing and celebrating.  The sisters all threw a shower at the church with a hint of a "math" and "orange and blue" theme.  

 My talented sister-in-law made this cupcake cake, which was even yummier than it was pretty, if that's possible!

 I made my regular tuxedo strawberries but also added bride ones this time!

 I got Betsy his and her aprons for her orange kitchen theme.

The "Sudlow" women

A couple of weeks later, we had Betsy's bachelorette party at Kamakura Hibachi Grill and then went to Nathan's apartment for gifts.  It was a really fun girls night out.  I laughed so much that night.  We're so happy and excited for the future Mr. and Mrs. Alderman!