Our very own okefenokee boy....

 

This is Jay's new football alarm clock. He knows now that we aren't going to come get him in the mornings until it goes off. He just plays in his room until he hears it and then he yells, "yay!"

I haven't taken many pictures this week but luckily found several that I took with my phone a few weeks ago and forgot about. Jay has been an angel these last few weeks (and I am pretty sure I've NEVER said that), for two reasons I think. One, he is talking sooooo more more now, using sentences and verbalizing what is wrong much more clearly. It seems like a switch flipped when he turned two and he realized that Wes and I are not here to keep him from fun...but that if he listens to us things will work out much better. As long as he is not tired or hungry he does what I say pretty well - for a toddler at least. We still have battles and his favorite words are still "no" and "stop" but overall, he obeys us much faster than he used to (meaning after the 3rd time we say something rather than the 20th time). I probably only use 'time out' every 3 or 4 days instead of 10 times a day. I am so thrilled with this new leaf and hope that it lasts for a little while. Also, the weather has been so nice that we have spent most of the days outside. With him able to run, scream, make messes, bang on things, and throw things to his heart's content, he is a completely satisfied little boy.

Next week I am going home to visit Mom and Kurt. We have spent so little time together since Daddy died and I am just missing home. We are going to see other family too which will be wonderful and stop by the beloved "papa ross'" house for a night too. There is NO way Jay would let me go all the way to GA and not get a ride on "papa's tractor"....and I can't wait to see Mama and Papa Ross either....although I am indifferent on the tractor part. ;)

Here are the pictures I have.

We went to the craft store the other day and Jay was determined that it was "jay's duckhat".

Fishing with Jay is a hazard....he knows he is supposed to swing the pole around and does so with no regard to who may be in the way.

Notice how Wes is assisting from as far away as possible

Now for some fishing lessons.

Apparently not quite there yet with the casting part...

I laughed the entire time they were learning how to fish...Jay was very confident in what he was doing and Wes was just trying to protect his eyes from being whipped with the pole.

Jay wears his 'monkey boots' when we go to the pond. He loves to walk in the water and splash around.

"yay pond!" he says after he comes out of the water.

Telling me all about it.

What a proud little man.

Jay wanted to "ride boat" but I told him we couldn't until Daddy was home. So he stood on it and pranced around saying "daddy's boat, jay's on daddy's boat". This is when Wes said he looks like he should be in the Okefenokee Swamp book.

This last three are when we were at the shopping center the other day and they had train rides. As soon as I mentioned it Jay spent the next 15 min asking to "ride train?...ride train?....ride train..." literally did not stop saying that until we were on the train. And as you can tell by his expression, riding the train was some very serious stuff.

While on the train a group of motorcycles rode by, then two helicopters flew over...he was so in awe that he couldn't even speak...a difficult feat with this boy.

And a very successful trip to the store in his book.