Snapshots: Jaden

This blog has totally taken the back seat lately. I love it for being my unofficial journal until I actually remember to write it in my for real journal, but blogging has been draining for the last little while.
I stressed over making it what I felt like other people wanted it to be, and I finally realized:
That's ridiculous.
For one, no matter what I do, how I write, or what pictures I put on here someone will always be able to find fault in it somewhere.
There is no way to please everyone. (Learn this please, Shannon.)
For two, I'm not blogging for anyone else. This blog is for me. For memories. For what I feel like I need to write, and sometimes I share that because I feel impressed to. But at the end of the day,
this blog is for my sake. :) So.

Here we are again.

I wanted to start doing 'snapshot' posts, because I'm too lazy to write out every detail all the time. ;)

Jaden is 2 1/2 years old now.
My baby, that I swear was kicking my ribs (and keeping me up all night with heartburn and a full bladder) yesterday... is 2. It's hard to even imagine life without our Jaden boy now. I feel like he's always been a part of my life. :)
With being two, he's brought a lot of humor, a lot of frustration... and a lot of light into our home. :)
He's constantly cracking me up with the things he comes up with.
Jaden's current obsession is sharks. I think it started with Finding Nemo (which he watched about a million times while I was recovering from the d&c and miscarriage), and then when we couldn't find the movie back at home we started watching Shark Tales. He's got a shark costume for Halloween already. He's affectionately named it, "Halloween Shark" and prefers to carry it around rather than actually wear it.
However, when he does wear it, he doesn't take it off. Which is why I went grocery shopping the other day with a cute baby Hazel in my baby wrap, and a roaring shark in the cart. Haha.

Jaden has been sneaking out of bed to bring books back with him at bedtime. He'll generally fall asleep with one cracked open on his lap.

He is such a chatter box! He is also a parrot, and copies literally everything. Funny... but also eye opening. I don't realize how much I'm using a phrase until I hear it on repeat from my toddler. Lately it's "I'm serious", "Go to the corner", or "I love you". So at least there's one nice one in there.
Matt gave my friend Chelsi a blessing when she was having some kidney stone pain, and the next day Jaden would come over every so often, put his hands on my head, mumble for a few seconds and end with "name of Jesus Christ, AMEN!" :)

This week we were in the car with the radio on, and after a minute Jaden pipes up with "Mama, nobody can drag Jaden down! ... Nobody can drag mama down!" (We were listening to 'Drag Me Down' by One Direction ps. He listens more than I realize sometimes!)

If I smile or laugh lately, Jaden will kind of giggle and ask, "You funny mama?"

He's growing so much, and I absolutely love to watch his personality develop. I wonder all the time who this cute boy will grow up to be. Hopefully he'll keep his sweet and tender heart forever. :)

My baby is 2!!

Last Saturday we had Jaden's birthday party.

Finally.

Jaden came down with bronchiolitis, a double ear infection, and fun allergies the weekend of his actual birthday. We spent that week taking him to the ER a couple of nights, doing lots of breathing treatments, and laying low. Thankfully by Monday the next week the pediatrician gave us the thumbs up on Jaden being passed the contagious part, and having clear lungs.

Today we celebrated my birthday, and as a gift, Jaden is sick again. :( But that's another story. 

Jaden has been completely obsessed with Thomas the train for the past yearish, and so I've been so excited to do a Thomas themed party. Probably more excited than Jaden. ;) 

I'm so happy with how it turned out, and so so grateful for the Twins' help! We may have stayed up until the wee hours making posters and stringing the balloon garland... it was like Christmas eve practically! ;)

   

 

 

I had to keep chasing Jaden away from the grapes and chips. :) 

Before Jaden got sick on his actual birthday, I decided I wanted to make him a birthday shirt. So I turned to Pinterest for a tutorial, which told me that I only needed to leave the bleach on the shirt for 10ish minutes... 3 hours later it was finally done haha. Pinterest fail turned win? 

Jaden loves Nanna... he has been known to chase her around to give her hugs ha. 

Before the party got started, Jaden kept coming by the cupcakes, just DYING to get a taste. But he was so good, and never touched it. 

Opening gifts ended up being kind of a joke. Jaden lost interest in opening presents after the first one (because it had a "Thoma" in it, and so his hands were full.) so I ended up doing the opening. Don't worry, he enjoyed all the other gifts after things calmed down. :)

Cousin Reed and his backpack. :) 

Grandpa Gallegos helping Jaden and Reed get some cars out of their boxes. 

Aunt Cherene had noticed how much Jaden likes peanut butter (this kid will seriously just sit there with a spoon and the jar until I catch him, haha) and so she gave him a jar of peanut butter at the party since we opened her other present on his real birthday. (The Thomas the train tent! Which all the kids enjoyed at the party!)

Jaden may or may not have drooled on a cupcake when he blew out the candles... I almost died ha.
I hurried and grabbed the cupcake out so no one would accidentally get it. Jaden took two bites and was done.
... at least he liked the trains! 

Sweet Grandma Great. Jaden love love loves his Grandma Great!

Cousin Christian testing out some of the cars Jaden got. 

Thank you to everyone who came and for the cute gifts you gave Jaden! He is one loved little boy. :) We had a fun day with everyone!