Monkey Birthday

Yesterday was Jacob's 2nd Birthday. My baby is getting so big!

I am in denial, but he won't let me stay that way for long as he is out to prove that he is not a toddler anymore. In the past three months he has insisted on growing up, and I truly mean insisted! No more sippie cups or booster chairs (thank goodness he is a relatively clean eater). He also insists on buckling himself into the car seat, and even trying to change his own diaper. (I know I should jump on that and start potty training...soon I hope!) But the funniest is watching him try and dress himself everyday. Everyday it is the same scenario...I try and get him dressed and he gets mad, and wants to do it himself, so I let him try and sometimes he is successful. But most of the time he comes to me with two legs in one pant hole and unable to manage the sleeves of his shirt. But he keeps trying!
His language has starting to come as he finally is saying a few words here and there...Hooray!!!! His favorite is "bus", "nack" for snack, and ello for 'hello". So happy to have some verbal communication! (We recently had him evaluated and he will start some speech therapy this week, I am so thrilled.) Surprisingly, up until now he really knows how to get his point across with other means of communication. The biggest of which has been his "ooh ohh" and "ahh ahh" and his very involved gesturing. As a result of this monkey talk I have come to refer to him as my little monkey. The name has stuck and it seemed only fitting to to throw him a monkey party. (I love that I can still pick his birthday theme this year.) The girls and I made these cute monkey cupcakes...

I think they turned out super cute and were very easy to put together, just a few Nilla wafers and some cake decorating gel.

It was super cute watching him try and blow out the candles...as he was afraid of the fire.

He loves this truck that Spencer and Maren picked out for him, and was very excited to get a plasma car (top picture) as he has missed playing with those that belonged to his friends in the neighborhood at Fort Polk.

I took this picture a few months ago while we were kayaking in Louisiana just before our move. I love his expression, as he didn't care that the hat was in his eye much, just happy to be out in the water with his dad. He loves to be with his dad, and I find it fitting that their dispositions are so similar. Calm and even. He also loves adventure. When on the alpine slide last month he laughed the whole way down and the next day was able to ride a water slide on my lap, and again laughed the whole way down. And then insisted on riding it over and over again.
Happy Birthday Little Monkey!