Happy Birthday Little Monster

For Jacksie's 2nd Birthday we had a monster theme.  He was so cute, but didn't really understand that the gifts were for him.  Tanner has the ability to convince Jacksie that all things are his, so we had to help him understand that they were for him.  My guess is this is the only birthday we will ever have to do that.  We had to have a couple of runs  at blowing out the candles because he was a little scared at first, but by the third time he got it!  

Jacksie Wells 2 yrs

Weight 24 lb 10%

Height 35 in 75 %

Head 19 in 50 %

Crazy that it has already been two years since we brought this sweet little boy home with us from the hospital, but it is also hard to remember that there was ever a time without him.  He is just as sweet as ever and has a smile that can melt anyones heart.  He is FULL of personality and life.  I remember before he was born Brad and I were worried that our new baby could never be as funny as Tanner.  Well they are both the funniest little boys ever and together....it is hard to stop laughing.  Every night before Brad and I go to sleep we sit and talk about all the funny things Tanner and Jackson said and did throughout the day. Here are a few other things that Jacksie loves at this time...

-Tanner:  Jackson LOVES to do and say everything Tanner does (it is a good thing that he is a good little boy).  He also loves to  do everything that Tanner is told not to do, so it has its pros and cons.

- Loves his  crib:  He will wake up and talk for a while, sing, and take care of his kitty (it is really a fox).  When he is ready to get up he will yell, "I done sleeping now."

- Your welcome translates to "gum gum."

- He is not the bravest little boy and does not like anything fast.  At Disneyland he would hold my hand over his eyes and here he hates to get on the  tractor or 4-wheeler.

- Hats: he likes to wear all hats backwards and usually has at least 3 stacked on, it is very funny.  However, he does not want to wear hats out in public.

- Has potty training down  good all on his own.  He loses interest based on what is going on during the day, but he has done it all himself.

- His nickname is Jacksie boy and so he has put this ending on all of our names...mommy boy, Tanner boy, daddy boy etc.

- He is a little tattle tale on his dad and will come and tell me whenever he gets in trouble.  He hasn't learned that if it hadn't been Brad getting him in trouble that I would have.  He also blames his dad for everything.  If there is a toy missing or if he has something hurting it is always his dads fault.

- When he gets in trouble he thinks that if he talks in a soft high pitched voice he can get out of it.

-  He is very independant and plays with toys so cute.  He manipulates things and will make a game out of anything.  Some days he will focus on stacking all the DVDs or will make a line of them accross the house.

- He also likes to steal certain things and has very specific hiding places.  He will get my mascara and hide behind my skirts or he will get Brads toothbrush and hide behind the laundry basket.  This does NOT make his dad very happy, but it is hard not to laugh at.  He also gives himself away because all we have to do is call out, "la la la" and he will respond, "la la la."

Jackson is a VERY happy boy and we feel so blessed that he is ours.  He makes me feel needed as a mom and he is so sweet to everyone.  We all LOVE our little Jacksie boy and could not imagine a day without him!!!!

Disneyland

This was such a fun vacation!!! We have not stopped talking about it since we got home and I am sure we wont stop anytime soon.  Tanner was such a good sport and went on everything he was tall enough for except Splash Mountain (it was brokem).  He loved them all except Thunder Mountain and Space Mountain.  I don't think that he will be returning to them anytime soon.  Jacksie, like his mother, did not really like anything that went fast or un high.  He was so funny about it.  The first ride that we went on was the spaceships that go around in a circle up high.  He started to cry and so I covered his eyes and from that point on if I took my hand off he would put it right back on.  His favorite was the carousels, which was perfect because there was rarely a line and I could take him on a bunch of times while Tanner and Brad were on a bigger ride.  I really cannot express how much fun we all had.   Seeing the characters was so fun and since we have gotten home Tanner will dress up as a character and will come out to have his picture taken with people.  Jackson also left with a crush on Minnie Mouse.

Jacksie Boy

Oh our little Jackson is a crack up. He is very spirited and has a smile that can almost get him away with anything, especially if it is to someone other than me or Brad. Jackson's days consist of playing with Tanner and following what ever he is doing, picking out books to have me read, riding anything he can (the 4-wheeler is preferred, not by me), telling Tanner that there are dinos in the other room, giving hugs and kisses. When he plays his dino game he usually needs Tanner to hug him before they go on their search.
Jackson loves baths and showers. We cannot say the either of the words because if we do he will be naked by time we turn around. He will also be naked if he hears someone else in the shower. He is a little toy dumper. He will dump bins of toys and then he will sit down and go through them all. He also loves to dance and sing. He will turn music on and bring everyone into the room, "come on mom," to dance or sometimes just to watch him dance. He will also be sining throughout the day and while he is in his crib. His favorite songs are, Jingle Bells, ABC's, Popcorn Popping, and Head Shoulders Knees and Toes. He will also sing along to anything that he knows the words to.
Jackson loves to snuggle and will still just tuck his head into who ever is holding him, he doesn't even have to know the person well. The first thing he does when he gets out of his bed is run into me and snuggle in my bed with me. Needless to say this is one of my favorite things. Another thing he will do is throughout the day he will come and ask for a hug. He will wrap his arms around me and kiss my neck.
Along with all this sweetness Jackson does have a rebelious side and loves to get into anything he isn't supposed to. This will include my makeup (he will either be found with black lips and Tanner is saying "no Jackson it isn't pretty," or he will have one of my brushes down the drain), he also loves outlets and fyi "no", timeout, hand spanks don't work. He will also find other "no no's" throughout the day so we have to be very aware of when our home gets a little quiet. Although he is very appologetic and says "sorry" for everything. Lately he has figured out, "please mom" and he is sure this entitles him to whatever he wants. He also likes to be in on the discipline for Tanner and will count for him.
He also has a class clown side to him and LOVES to be laughed at. He will do things just to make us laugh and they work every time. One of hte things he does involuntarily is a bitter soda face every time he has a drink with carbonation.

Here are some cute things that Jackson says now...

"Show me": he wants to show you something

"a me": look at me

"no way mom": self explanatory and used for most things especially if he hears the words night night, sleep, rest, or nap.

"Jacksie amen": he wants to say the prayer

"Piderman piderman, pew pew": Just like the real thing with a cute little twist, oh and he does point his finger for the "pew pew" part.

"a show": he would like to watch a show

"Old toe": Rachel

"9-10- where are ya": hide and go seek

"I 3 ys ode": he hears tanner say this, so he thinks he needs to as well

There are a million other things that he says and I wish I recorded them all. Just the way he puts thoughts and sentences together is so fun to see and is so cute.

Tanner Bradley Ironman Smith

Tanner is still so very funny and I cannot keep up with writing everything down that he says. his day consists of protecting Jackson from dinosaurs (dinos) and the rest of us from many other bad guys that are around. He is usually found in at least one of the following costumes at least once a day; Spiderman, Buzz, Mr. Incredible, or a fireman. Our days also consist of him having various skits for us to act out. Some are scenes from Cars 2 where he is Finn McMissle, others are things he has made up where he is some sort of super hero and saves me and then I find out that it was Tanner the whole time.
He LOVES Jacksie and is a very good big brother. He is sure to let me know if he isn't doing what he should and the first to find fun things for them to do. If Jackson is crying or is upset over anything Tanner will stop at nothing to make him happy. He gets toys, does tricks, finds treats, etc. Sometimes we have to stop the "help" especially if it is because our sweet little Jacksie is in a little bit of trouble.
Tanner's mind is very quick and he NEVER stops thinking. He will come up with the funniest questions that I know he has been going over in his mind for some time. Books are sometimes a slow read because every page has a question, and I will be honest there are a lot of the questions that I do not know and we have to wait until Dad gets home.
Tanner also LOVES babies. He has been asking for 2 baby sisters. Well, he is getting 1 baby brother, but he is still happy. If he sees a baby he will stop what he is doing and go spend some time talking to the baby, it is so sweet. When i ask what will we do with the new baby he always tells me, "Mom you can hold Jackson and I will hold the new baby."
Tanner loves anything that has to do with Ironman, we still have no idea where this loves came from, or Spiderman or Finn McMissle. Some of his favorite games are "Tag chase tickle," chase of any kind, riding his 4-wheeler and coming to visit me ( I am usually just named "people" in these scenarios), going to school where I pack him snacks in his lunchbox, or anything with Jacks.
Here are some funny comments by our little Tanner man....

When asked if he liked his new Sunbeam teacher, "Ya, but I don't know her very well so I didn't tell her what was on my underwear."

During prayers, "Please bless that we can all become super heroes because we would really love that."

"Hey mom when i get bigger my underwear are going to be too small. I guess I will just have to borrow yours and Dad's."

Jackson threw a fork and it went right into the toilet while Tanner was sitting on it and he said, "I'm sure that he is on the naughty list." This was obviously in December.

When asked what his last name is he will tell people without hesitation "ironman."

"I can't wait to be a dad so that I can be the boss."

Whenever Jackson gets hurt Tanner will hold him and say, "Jackson I am soooo sorry that happened to you."

Favorite game- Tag chase tickle- basically just chase. He and Brad play 3 games of it every day since Tanner is 3.

We had a lesson about repentance and later Brad was telling Tanner to do something and he didn't want to so he told him, "no, I will just pray about it later."

Another favorite of Tanner's is to get "scratch, rub, waddle" a little back massage.