JJ the Toddler

Don't be fooled by his angelic baby face.  This boy is approaching two years of age.  Which means a few things:

 JJ is no longer a baby.  Those who haven't seen him in the last few months (or ever, if you're uncle Jake), may be stunned when you reconnect with this boy in just a few short days.  Jared is a full blown toddler.  And he has a few things up his sleeves (or shorts, if--as in this case--he is not wearing sleaves).

 He can talk up a storm.  And, he frequently laughs his head off at his own jokes.  His favorite topics are: Bad King Noah, riding the school bus, Doctor Mickey, how every pair of shoes are "too tight" (even though they are not, footsie texture issues, I suppose), Lightning (Mcqueen), the "BOOM BOOM" thunder--he brings it up every time we talk about the weather or waking up, "Legolandon" which is code for playing legos  and talking about cute cousin Landon around our house, drawing Amy, "doo doo"--a word that he believes is the funniest ever invented, getting packages from the grandmas, Uncle Jake on a mission, singing "old mother goose," "pop corn popping," and "the temple son," and of course (my favorite) Jesus in the boat and Jesus in the clouds.  He prays to Jesus in the boat.  We don't want to correct him, and he'll catch on some day anyway.

 He can drive me crazy.  But somehow with JJ, crazy is only a fleeting realization that he is growing too old too fast and I can't keep up.  Especially when he throws his fits--screaming while running full speed toward the nearest wall.  Which makes me break character and laugh out loud.  Then I tell him to go to time out and he just goes.  This boy has a good heart.

He LOVES to make messes.  When he's angry, or even just feeling agitated by uncontrollable present circumstances, he looks for the nearest thing to throw. Pure Jared: he's done it ever since he was a kid.  And I hope it doesn't carry over into his adolescent years. 

 He wants to be just like his older brother.  They run and play and run and play and read books and run and play and read "No David" and play.  Aaron reads to him and he repeats everything he says.  Aaron learns a scripture for primary and JJ memorizes it with him (ask him about Joshua 24:15), and Aaron signs up to ride the school bus and JJ is convinced that he's going to get to ride it too.  My heart will break tomorrow when JJ has to say goodbye to Aaron on his first day of 4k school.

Yes, my sweet Jared Jonathan is a toddler.  It isn't too terrible.  Especially because he still has a magic button to push whenever he's feeling upset: the belly button.