It's hard to believe but our little J is over a year and a half old. There is a lot going on, here is a sampling:
1. Word, words, words: I can say airplane, oatmeal, tractor, purple, yellow, MORE, bird, and car,car, car and well, basically anything! It might be in my own semi-mumbled version of the word but I'm a talker.
2. I can also say NO! and I always accompany it with an emphatic head shake. I have very particular preferences, which means I do the head-shake-and-say-NO move a lot.
3. I'm a pretty likable guy and while I can't
say yes, I do a great nod, but it's a little harder for me to do so it comes out as a big and dramatic movement. It's awfully cute.
4. I love music and dancing, particularly songs about cars, trains, and puppies (no joke!) but I will pretty much dance to anything. I have a great knee-bend move and LOVE spinning around in circles until I fall down. Row, Row, Row Your Boat is one of my favorites.
5. I like to eat crackers, lots and lots of crackers. Fruit and eggs are pretty good, too but I could subsist on crackers.
6. I'm pretty funny. I like a good tickle and I like to wrestle (as long everyone is gentle with me, of course!) but I find silly facial expressions pretty funny. I also find throwing food on the floor pretty funny...the funniest part is how seriously everyone else is about this.
7. I almost always say BYE when leaving a room and even say THANK YOU quite alot, though it comes out as 'dat do'. I even say this to my daycare teachers after a diaper change! (I'm not as nice to my parents for some mysterious reason).
8. I don't really like bath time, and only just started in the 'big' bathtub instead of the baby tub.
9. I reallly want to be around my big brother AT ALL TIMES, even when he is driving me crazy. I can't seem to peel myself away from his side, and often resort to pushing my head against his body and leaning into him just to show him that I love him...and sort of try to hurt him at the same time. I don't understand it either.
10. I love to play outside, I don't understand why we ever need to go inside. But, if we do go inside, can we please, please, please watch the Thomas the tank engine movie? If you say no, I'm going to have have a meltdown. I know what that black box is for, you can't fool me anymore...I'm nearly two.
We certainly have a lot to be thankful for! Good food, laughter, family from near and far, and a warm house full of love. 
Mama even has her amazing little helper...he is quite the carrot peeler!
We know that Jude is thankful for a grandpa willing to read a million books about trucks! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
I think not. 
(Wondering about the mysterious ladders in these pictures? We are painting the house!)
The day before Halloween we went to a little church party with kid-friendly activities. Little J was sick so stayed, uncharacteristically, out of the limelight. But, big brother got into the festivities. Trying out the donut eating game and the art project and just enjoying some Halloween fun. He's getting old enough to understand these crazy festivities...it's going to make Christmas extra sweet.
