Christmas 2008

Jasper had a busy Christmas season. We celebrated Christmas Eve with the Balsbaugh side, and later that evening opened gifts with Grandma Debbie and Grandpa Brooke. Jasper got a electronic book system and several other things. We drove home late on Christmas Eve, and Jasper got up several times that night, so none of us had a lot of sleep. On Christmas morning, the three of us opened gifts at home in the morning. Jasper got a dr. kit (which he called a dr. tool box,) a tool box, several stocking stuffers and a train set. Josh got an XBox 360 and I got an Ipod!

The next stop was the truck stop in Rochester for our annual truck-stop breakfast buffet. After that, we went to Jack and Judy's house. We opened gifts with them and Derek. Jasper got a pop up Thomas the Train tent and a handmade toy box. Then we went to lunch at Judy's parents house, and there we got MORE gifts. Everyone is so generous and we are very appreciative.

Then Josh, Jasper, Derek and I headed to Cathy and Walt's for Christmas dinner. We all wore santa/elf hats for dinner (and Jasper had reindeer ears) Jasper got his birthday and Christmas gifts that night and was so excited! He got a beautiful rocking chair with his name and birthdate on it, a miniature 4-wheeler ride on toy, a ball to bounce on, etc., etc. This boy has so much new stuff to play with!!!

On Friday evening, we went to Grandma and Grandpa B's for the Combs' side Christmas. Jasper loved playing with his cousins and enjoyed seeing the babies. We videoed all the grandkids asking Grandma and Grandpa questions about their lives. We learned some things we'd never known about them before. Like when Grandpa first was interested in Grandma. Jasper got yet more gifts! We stayed later and played Clue with Colin, Heidi, and Heidi's sister, Alyssa and her husband Claudio (they're from Mozambique, Africa.)

Jasper and I ended up staying the night since Jasper was already sleeping. We spent the day in Peru with family and mom brought Jasper and I home this evening. Jasper enjoyed the extra time with his grandparents and and Uncle Colin!

Dressed for Dinner

  Jasper dressed in tails for Christmas Eve dinner at Grandma and Grandpa B's house. He inherited the cutest little tuxedo from his cousin, Jayden Brunnemer. It just fit and he looked adorable! There were 30 people at the annual Balsbaugh family Christmas Eve celebration. Jasper really enjoyed playing with his cousins and opening gifts. We had dinner and then all of the grandkids asked Grandma Lena questions about her life and we videoed it. It was really neat to hear what she had to say. The best was when she told a story about one time when she was very pregnant for Aunt Joyce and she and Grandpa Ralph were in the attic. Somehow he accidentally knocked her over and then laughed at her. She was really mad, and the next morning when Grandpa was all dressed for work, he asked Grandma if she was still mad. She was, so she threw a bowl of gravy at him!

Ho, Ho, Ho

Jasper learned to say Ho, Ho, Ho Merry Christmas! Check out this cute video.

Jasper is 2!

Jasper turned 2 on December 24, 2008. He was very excited about the helium Elmo balloon waiting for him on his chair in the kitchen. He got to unwrap his presents from Mommy and Daddy that morning. He got a remote controlled car (which he successfully learned to maneuver) and a dinosaur sticker book.

We think our little boy is an amazing 2 year old. He is bright, sweet, adorable and a wonderful blessing. Just to note what he's doing at 2:

~Can talk in sentences
~A large vocabulary (I can't keep up with all the words he knows)
~Understands most anything he's told and can follow instructions
~Colors/draws with his left hand. Holds a crayon and pencil correctly
~Knows 20 letters by sight
~Can say his alphabet A-L, mumbles M and N, says O-V, mumble, mumble, sings "now I know my ABC's" mumble mumble - sings "wit ME"
~Says please and thank you regularly
~Begninning to undress himself, sometimes tries to dress himself
~Plays pretend with stuffed animals, food, and tools
~Jumps, runs in circles, walks backwards, climbs
~Can count 1-9, doesn't know numbers by sight yet
~Sleeps in a big boy bed. Has a great bedtime routine of books, songs, prayers and then he stays in bed. Sleeps mostly through the night, sometimes wakes up and wants Mommy or Daddy to lay down on his floor until he falls back to sleep. Wakes up very early between 5:30 and 7 usually.
~Naps once per day for about 1-2 hours, though it is difficult to get him down at home - we no longer fight him to take a nap, he usually falls asleep on his own around 2:30 p.m.
~Recognizes friends and family in person and in pictures, knows their names.
~Knows his name (says "Bapper")
~Has a small interest in the potty and has used it a few times.
~Loves candy - his favorite is "brown candy" which is chocolate
~Will NOT eat a vegetable. We hide veggies in various food items (pureed veggies in kethcup, scrambled eggs, grilled cheese, breading on tofu nuggets, etc.)
~Favorite foods - cheese, bread, noodles, chicken nuggets, fruit, yogurt, sour cream, lunch meat, crackers, tofu, juice, milk (especially with chocolate)
~Brushes his teeth on his own (a lot of chewing on the brush)
~Likes to use stickers and glue - likes crafts
~Makes noises for his toys - cars/trucks, trains, animals
~Knows shapes: circle, square, triangle, rectangle, diamond (calls it a kite), octogon, heart, arrow
~Knows colors: red, blue, pink, yellow, white, black, brown, gray, green, orange, red
~Likes various TV shows and characters: Seasame street (Elmo), Handy Manny, Barney, Blue's Clues, Tigger and Pooh, Garfield
~Gives hugs, kisses, waves, blows kisses
~Has a good memory - recalls things that happened with various people and places (example - always remembers that Grandma Debbie has Baby Bear and Bambi and Elmo juice at her house.)
~Has all teeth except 2 year old molars
~About 30 pounds and a little over 36 inches tall (have to update that after his dr. appt.)
~The luckiest little boy in the world to have so many people who love him!!

Jasper's Party

Jasper's 2nd birthday party was Sunday at Grandma Debbie and Grandpa Brooke's house. The weather was a little rough, but everyone except Uncle Colin was able to make it. Jasper loved his Bob the Builder cake and quickly became a pro at opening gifts. He got all sorts of toys, books, games, clothes, etc. This kid has 6 different sets of grandparents, so he is making out pretty well. He got a tool bench with tools, a lego train set, a tractor that moves on its own, dinosaurs, a computer game, pjs, books, a new Bible, a memory game, and the list goes on...He was putting on quite a show for everyone. He will be 2 in a few hours. I'm heading to pick him up an Elmo helium balloon to surprise him with when he wakes up in the morning. We will give him his remote control car and a dinosaur sticker book for his birthday tomorrow morning. And then the Christmas celebrations begin! We will be partying solid for about 3 days!

The Cutest Little Elf

Jasper is really getting into the Christmas spirit. He likes to turn on (and off) the Christmas tree lights. He also has discovered the santa and elf hats that we have around the house. The other night he put on the elf hat and was running around with it pulled over his eyes. Then, when it was bathtime, he put it back on just before getting in the tub. He was stark naked wearing an elf hat. If that weren't funny enough, he began running through the house squealing. Yes, we did get it on video. Daddy told Jasper not to make us mad when he's a teenager!

Jasper Plays Pretend

 
Jasper has begun pretending quite a bit lately. At church on Sunday, the nursery worker told us he told them he was making "brown cookies." Later that evening, he was using his toy food to make Josh and I various treats. His favorite to make seemed to be apple juice. We took a Tigger toy down to our new hobby room and sat him at Jasper's little table and Jasper wanted to put a bib on him and feed him. Later Jasper took his sippy cup into the living room, opened up the nutcracker's mouth and gave him a drink.

It's amazing to see Jasper beginning to use his imagination. A few days ago we made a car out of a cardboard box and he was pretending to use a steering wheel and honk the horn!

He likes to draw and sometimes will tell you what he's drawn (such as Mommy, Daddy, Nano, etc.) He also will ask for me or whomever is around to draw things for him. He holds writing utensils correctly in his left hand. We are fairly certain that he's going to be a lefty though he can eat and throw a ball with his right hand. Daddy's pretty excited about the prospect of an ambidextrous athlete!