Jolie turns 2

It seems like with each subsequent child time goes faster and faster.  I know that from the newborn stage to the first birthday is the most physical change.  However, from one year to two years is a different kind of change.  It is so fun to see them with more hair, their personality develop, and see how they fit into the family.  Enter Jolie as a 2 year old.  Although she is very much her own personality, it is unbelievable how much she and Josie resemble each other.  Sometimes I like to try and trick Jeremiah by showing him a picture of one of the girls and he has to guess which one it is.  Half the time he is correct.

Because Jolie's birthday is so close to the first day of Spring and near Easter, we did a combined Easter/Spring birthday party.  Fun, bright colors mixed with Easter decorations.  We had mostly family with a few friends over.  Jolie thought the best part of the party was Grandma Angie's lap.  One of the best gifts Jolie gave to me was that six weeks before she turned 2 she decided to potty train herself.  Literally.  I have heard a few stories in magazines and online of kids who decide the want to potty train themselves at an early age.  Both Jamon and Josie were easy potty trainers so I actually don't mind the training.  However, this was a dream.  She literally woke up, took off her diaper and put it in the garbage and climbed onto the potty.  Within days she was dry at nap time!  And within the week she was dry at night.  I shouldn't be that surprised because Jolie is very independent.  She doesn't realize that she is younger than Jamon and Josie and just wants to keep up with everything they are doing.  Ever since the fall, if not sooner, she has been dressing herself, brushing her own teeth, drinking from a regular cup, feeding herself cereal with milk, and buckling her own straps in the carseat!  I keep reminding myself that this great independence and determination is a good thing, because often it results in tears and frustration, from both of us.

One thing I notice about Jolie is that she has very good balance, coordination, and strength, and little fear. This is a dangerous combination.  She started doing somersaults in the winter with no one showing her how.  She climbs on everything.  She is the kind of kid that parents put into gymnastics at an early age because of their energy!  She is also the kind of kid that melts your heart.  We often wake up to the sound of her singing "Jesus loves me."  And when she is not jumping or climbing on or off of something, she is singing "Hosanna" or "Hope for Every Man."  I absolutely love that she loves to sing.  Also, I love that she is the healthiest eater of our family.  Although she did inherit a sweet tooth from her daddy, other than that, she loves and will always choose sliced avocados, tomatoes, salad, hard boiled eggs, black beans, oatmeal, brown rice, fruit, peas, carrots and broccoli!  Jamon is our pickiest eater.  Josie is a pretty good eater and Jolie wins the best, healthy eater award.

My intention for this blog was to try and journal about our family.  To try and write down, capture and remember all the moments that I think I will remember when our kids are grown but I know I won't.  Sometimes, like right now, I get motivated to blog a lot.  And then other times it's months before I update anything.  It's times like this when I get to sit down and reflect on Jolie being 2 that I realize I have to find a way to be more consistent because time is passing by and they are growing up before my eyes.  That being said, Jolie you are a joy to have in our family.  My prayer for you this year is that you would learn to find joy in obedience.  It is so hard to be 2.  I know you get told "no" or "stop" a lot.  I just pray that you will find there is actually more freedom and true joy when we obey.  A lesson that I know comes from the Lord.

Opening Day

Jeremiah has fished on Opening Day for about 25 years now.  And, this year there were 4 generations of Heacocks.  Grandpa Jack, Jeff, Jeremiah and Jamon were all there for the Opening Day at South Twin Lake.  Jamon was very excited to go this year.  Last year when he was only 4 (almost 5) he couldn't go because there was still a lot of snow and Jeremiah was unsure whether or not he would last in a boat. But in a year things have changed.  Jamon has grown to be quite the little fisherman.  He has gone with Jeremiah and Jeff to Lava Lake and the Mckenzie River.  Jamon can tell you the exact number of fish they have caught each time.  He really enjoys reeling in the fish.  I asked him what the best part of fishing is, he replied "the snacks."  That's my kind of fishing!  

The sweetest part of the fishing trip is the one thing I don't have a picture of.  Jamon's Great Grandpa Jack took him out to breakfast on Saturday morning to the lodge, just the two of them.  The best part of it was that Great Grandpa Jack forgot his reading glasses and asked Jamon to read him the menu.  Jamon ended up reading the entire menu word for word. I would have loved to be an on looker to their breakfast conversation.  Jamon talked about it for days so it was a special day for him.  He said he ordered pancakes with strawberry topping and chocolate milk.  Grandpa Jack said he talked the entire time and the waitress got a big kick out of them.  

This year we were lucky to have Aunt Anna and the kids come up to Springfield while the men went fishing.  Anna and I decided that we should make this our annual girl's weekend.  We decided to spend the day at Johnson Brother's Nursery and then went out to lunch.  It was a great day too, however, I am looking forward to when Josie and Jolie are a little bit older to do a weekend full of sewing, crafting, tea, baking and antique shopping!  

This is some of what came from Jeremiah, Josh, Justin and Uncle Jon's boat. 

I love this picture.  Justin, Josh, Jeremiah and Jamon. 

Jeremiah had the biggest catch of the weekend.  He said it was on his last cast too! 

S'mores in April

We have had a very rainy winter.  Really kind of a wild weather winter in general.  There was talk of snow during February, and then we ended up getting almost 6" of snow in March!  And we were so blessed to have some record-breaking beautiful sunshine the past couple of days.  It was so nice that the kids asked if we could have a fire.  In our house having a fire means having s'mores.  Unable to resist the temptation, we had to have s'mores.  Jamon is a very patient s'more making.  He will wait until his marshmallow is golden brown.  Josie on the other hand is less patient and Jolie just wants to eat the chocolate.  It's days like these that I thoroughly enjoy our house.  The kids have spent all day running around.  Literally, all day playing.  And the best way to end a sunny day is with a s'more....or two.  

We really did spend all day outside.  We took an old blanket that my mom had made me in high school and grabbed a supply of crayons, markers and coloring books.  It was a great day.  We even had time for toe nail polish, swinging, practicing soccer.  More swinging, more coloring and more "summer" fun.  It's days like this that make me wish summer was here already!

Josie loves getting her toes painted.  And she will almost always choose pink. 

Jolie could spend all day outside.  She is like her sister, she loves to swing.

Jamon loves to practice and to work.  I love those qualities about him. 

I loved this day with them.  

Sisters

I asked Amy to come over and try and get some pictures of Jolie for her "official" 2 year old photos.  Jolie was uncooperative.  Josie wanted her pictures taken.  It pretty much didn't go as planned.  However, we were lucky to get a few good ones.  The only way to get Jolie to sit down was to give her a lollipop. It worked wonders.  These two girls are the best of friends one minute and then someone is crying the next.  I didn't grow up with a sister so I have no clue what to expect.  They already fight over clothes, shoes, who gets to held by daddy or grandma.  Although I have noticed a friendship forming in the past few months.  As both of them have gotten a little older, Josie has become more "motherly" and Jolie is more playful.  Josie and Jolie really are alike in a lot of ways.  They both LOVE sunglasses, hats, shoes, and pockets.  Both of them are performers  also.  They like to play dress up, run around aside, take care of daddy, pretend cook and both of them are very good helpers around the house.  They both like to sweep, dust, set the table and fold laundry.  Actually, Josie is a very good folder, especially with towels. I hope this continues!  It's fun to look at them in these pictures because this is what they are to us all the time, running around aside, wild hair and wearing pink and blue!  

The Great Pumpkin

One of my favorite things to do with the kids in the Fall is go to the pumpkin patch.  This was the first year I actually felt comfortable letting them trot around and it was so nice!  We ended up going a couple of times because Herrick Farm's is so close to us.  When we went for our friend Ellice's birthday it was the most perfect weather!  I am a huge fan of summer, but its days like these that make me love fall even more. 

The kids had a blast.  It was also the first year that we implemented the "you have to carry your own pumpkin" rule.  We have been going to the pumpkin patch with this group of friends since Jamon was four months old!  What a great tradition. Each year, there are more kids on the hay bails and it gets more difficult to take a "nice" family or group picture.  Nonetheless, it is still a highlight every year. 

These three boys' dads have all been best friends since early elementary school.  What a blessing! 

Jamon at 5.  It didn't take him long to choose a pumpkin. 

Josie at 3 years old.  She really wanted a huge pumpkin but settled for this more reasonable one. 

Jolie at 18 months. 

Kristie Price, Me, Victoria Michel, and Emily Roper 

Dear Tooth Fairy....

Jamon lost his first tooth.  It was actually his first tooth he got the day after he turned 6 months old, his bottom right tooth.  He was so excited!  He actually wrote a letter to the Tooth Fairy and put it by his pillow, and not for the life of me I cannot find it.  However, I memorized it.  It said:  "Dear Tooth Fairy, please leave my tooth.  I will take good care of it.  Thank you, Jamon."  What Tooth Fairy could deny that kind of plea?  So inside a basketball tooth pillow was a little baby tooth and $1.  Jamon actually still keeps his tooth in the tooth pillow.  And a few weeks later he lost his bottom left tooth!  And I put it on the kitchen counter so we wouldn't lose it.  Guess what?  We, or I, lost it.  I was wiping down the counters and it flew on the floor.  I must have swept it up.  I even searched the trash, but it is incredibly difficult to find a baby tooth in a full sack of garbage.  I felt terrible.  I told him that I would write a note to the Tooth Fairy explaining what happened and that he would still receive a prize.  I am loving this age.  It is a time of pure joy and innocence.  When I imagine childhood, I close my eyes and see Jamon and Josie at their ages right now!

Summer ends and soccer begins

Last year when I first started this blog I thought posting twice a month would be a piece of cake.  Little did I know that between homeschool, chicken farming, small scale farming, raising children and trying to improve my sewing skills that there would be little time left in my week to sit down and blog.  Blogging is kind of like scrapbooking to me.  When you are current and up-to-date it is to maintain. However, when you let a couple of months and major milestones like birthdays, vacations, parties sneak past you it is a little daunting to start again. 

That being said, most of these posts are a few months outdated.  Thankfully this is intended for my own family and close friends so hopefully everyone will be gracious.  Summer ended and I have to say that even though I love summer just as much as anyone else, I truly love fall.  It may be my favorite season.  This year we made the decision to let Jamon play AYSO soccer.  He played with his good friend Easton Roberson and Gabby Roper.  I have to admit it was humbling to become a "soccer mom."  But I loved it.  I loved cheering for him and taking him to practice to see the excitement in his eyes.  I think his coach Troy Thorsby was a little concerned during the first practice when coach asked the players to take their soccer ball and dribble down to the orange cone and come back.  Jamon proceeded to pick up his soccer ball and dribble it like a basketball....We had so much during the season and all the kids improved immensely and actually ended up scoring four goals in one game.  He is coachable, hard working and competitive, skills we hope will stick with him through adulthood.

During soccer season, AWANA started at Springfield Faith Center.  Josie was so excited because she was three and old enough to become a Cubby Bear.  It was very exciting for everyone.  Jamon being 5 is now a Sparks, he gets to wear a red vest and instead of earning patches he earns jewels for his pilot's wing.  The program is wonderful.  The kids love learning their versus and its so sweet to hear them have conversations about their book time, or the games, or even talk about the versus.  Jamon helps Josie memorize her versus and he is ever-impressive with his memorization ability.  He quizzes me on the new testament books, I often get a few mixed up and Jamon has to help me.  I was a little worried about Josie going to AWANA and staying up late once a week.  She is always so excited to go and actually crashes at bedtime.  She also has no problem with her weekly versus and it is so encouraging to me to see their love for learning God's word.