Tonight we took Fellow back to the vet for a follow up appointment from his knee surgery. Jacob was riding in the back seat next to Fellow's carrier, and as we pulled into the parking lot, Fellow was frantically "chirping", and just would not calm down. As this continued, I climbed into the back seat to get Jacob, and he very calmly looked at me and said, "Maybe Fellow is singing Alleluiah!"
He always sees the brighter side of things!!

More quotes from Jacob the past few days:
While we were eating snack:
"These grapes fall down my legs, and into my toes!"

Trouble carrying his "heavy" stool over to help cook.
I asked him how he asks for help:
"Help please God"

Looking at a picture of the US in an atlas. Jacob pointed to where we live, where Zachary lives (Dallas, TX), and where the rockets launch from in FL. Then he said:
"I want to see where the dump trucks live. Where is their house?"

We were reading on the couch. Jacob took off his socks, and set them next to his feet. I picked them up, and threw them across the living room just to be funny. Jacob was surprised, and started laughing, then he told me: "We need to put a hamper in the fireplace Mommy!"

After reading the last page of a story with a happy ending:
"Oh, that's so nice!"

One of Jacob's favorite things to do is play with Legos! He thinks up unique ideas like lemonade stands on wheels that drive around, and dumps lemonade with the excavator scoop that is attached to it...Everything he builds includes some sort of construction machinery. He loves building, and has a great imagination! Also came across this picture of his tinker toy x-ray machine on his digital camera the other day. The big circle at the bottom of the picture is the door, which he opens like a gate to let the next patient in!

Jacob and I were eating muffins together for breakfast. He ate a hole on the side, and as far into the middle as he could. Then he set it on his plate and said, "There's the stable that Baby Jesus is in! Mary and Baby Jesus are in there, but not Joseph because he went to the store to get groceries!"

Tonight we had a play date at the kids play area at the mall. Before we left, we stopped at the pet store, and there was a couple getting a new puppy. Jacob and I went over to the counter to see. I asked the lady if it was a boy or girl. It was a girl, and I asked Jacob what he thought they should name the girl puppy...Jacob said, "Mommy!".

Jacob and I stopped at the store tonight. I pulled into a parking spot, turned off the car, and turned around towards him, kind of rushed, as I said, "Are you ready?". Jacob slowly turned his cheek towards me with an over confident, charming little grin, and said, "Hey Good Lookin!" Caught off guard, I asked him to repeat it, and then replied in disbelief, "Did you just say, 'Hey Good Lookin'?" Jacob said yes, and I asked him who taught him that?..."KRISTEN!!!" We both started laughing out loud together!

Then in the store, we stopped in the women's department just for a minute. Jacob pointed across the way and said, "I will be right back. I want to go right over there and look in the Daddy Jeans Department". (The boys and mens dept's were right next to each other!) I told Jacob he had to stay with me, but he continued to do a good job trying to sell his idea without whining or throwing a fit. A few minutes later, we checked out the toddler clothes too!

Jacob was a little over tired, and started crying at dinner. He said "not nobody loves me", so we started talking about all of the people that love him. He couldn't argue, but continued whining as he said, "Nobody loves my teeth"...sometimes you just can't win!

"I'm a pretend astronaut, not a real astronaut"

I took Fellow to the vet last week because he has been limping. (Jacob will tell you that Fellow "hops", which is always followed by a demonstration!) I took Jacob with me to the vet, and he was particularly interested in the x-ray process, and the light they put the x-ray on to read it. Fellow tore a ligament in his knee, and so he had surgery today, but we've been talking about it for the past week. Now Jacob makes x-ray machines out of tinker toys, and his stuffed animals have been getting x-rays of their legs, and he's the vet. Jacob asked me if his stuffed animals had bones. I explained that only people and animals have bones inside, and his stuffed animals have cotton, kind of like a pillow inside. Jacob replied, "They have pretend bones!"

Cute things Jacob said the past few days:
Driving home from the Mall of America today:
"Look Mommy, There is Ikea...That is where they make keys for you to buy!"

Talking about a trip to TX we are planning:
"...And I won't need to walk with you, because I am going to sit on the pilot's lap!"

Talking about taking his stuffed animals on our trip:
"My pets are a little bit nervous...that means they're happy...that means they're hungry!"

Forgetting to let the digital scale zero out before he stepped on it:
"Holy buckets! I am zero point zero pounds! I'm getting really big!"

Getting dressed this morning:
"How about I put my shirt in the hamper because it is dirty, and you can wash it...how 'bout that for an idea?"

Talking today about someone's windshield that cracked in a storm several months ago:
"Did the rain say it was sorry for breaking the hick-up (pick-up) truck's window?"

Jacob came to me crying, and I asked him why he was crying:
"I don't know why I am crying, but I don't want to stop crying yet"

Today we went to Baby Ben's baptism. It was only family there, so the kids got to go right up to the baptismal font, and the Pastor explained what was going to happen.

A few weeks ago, we had gone to visit Carol. It was dark when we left, and we drove by a business that had their lights on. Inside we saw two huge polar bears that had been preserved in a standing position, like you'd see at the science museum or something. They were kind of scary looking, and Jacob asked a lot of questions about them. I just explained that they used to be alive, but when they died, and didn't need their bodies anymore, someone had them stuffed like a stuffed animal instead of putting their body in the ground. I explained that they don't eat or bite, or move, and they were just to look at. So tonight we visited Carol (a few weeks since seeing the polar bears), and in the car on the way home, Jacob asked, "Where are the bears that don't need their bodies anymore?" He has such a great memory!

This morning, Jacob and I were rocking in the rocking chair. His head rested on my shoulder, and in a very quiet voice, I was telling him things that I love about him.
"I love rocking in the rocking chair with you"
"I love playing with you"
"I love it when you help Mommy cook"
"I love reading together"
"I love your smile", etc.
I had made a pretty long list, and Jacob had been silent the whole time, until I said, "I love hearing you laugh out loud when you see a funny part on a movie". Jacob suddenly sat up a little and whispered, "Like Charlie Brown said I got a rock?!?!" (From It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown)

Tonight we celebrated Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa, and Mindy and Mark. It was fun watching Jacob pull gifts out from under the tree, and recognize his name on the tag.

Jacob and I went bowling today. Usually we go to the Mermaid, so while we were driving, Jacob said, "We're going bowling under the girl with the fish feet, and we're gonna knock the pins down!"

Last night, I woke up in the middle of the night, and heard Jacob singing. He had gotten out of bed, and was lying on the kitchen floor in front of Fellow's house, with his stuffed animal in hand, singing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" to Fellow.

Perfect day for sledding!! Today was the first time we went sledding on a big hill, instead of just around the backyard. Jacob really liked it! He'd "get into the rocket ship", and count us down at the top of the hill..."5-4-3-2-1-lift off!" The bottom of the hill was "space". He even did okay when we wiped out a few times! He wanted to go again later, but it was starting to get dark, so Nate pulled him around in the yard. I asked Jacob to bring back some wood for a fire in the fireplace (last picture).