twirpy twirp

sometimes....i tell you what....this cute kid of mine leaves me flabbergasted. he has me cracking up one moment and then about to pull my hair out in the next. he's 14 months now and at the moment is whining, standing on top of a box because he can't get down. he's got a strawberry breakfast bar smeared all over his Lakers pjs, and now that he's down from the box, he's mischieviously pulling out little screws and keys from a drawer in our computer desk. all the while he's keeping an eye on me, in case he sees me coming and planning to ruin his outlawed fun. sometimes....

but he's so much fun. so silly and so sweet. and he hands me those beloved screws and keys without a second thought. he's a very good sharer. he's just uber mischievous, adventurous, curious, and busy, busy, busy.

his latest accomplishment: walking! i love it. i love to see his little legs move so mechanically and penguin-like all at once. he took his first couple of steps right before he and i left for california a few weeks ago. scott had tears in his eyes when he took those shaky first steps. love that man. he had been so nervous that jake would walk in california and he'd miss it.

jake's favorite foods: grapes, chex mix, freeze-dried yogurts. favorite show: Curious George and the theme song/intro to The Office. favorite hand motion: waving bye-bye because he wants to go outside. favorite toys: car buggy and any ball. favorite word: ball. favorite thing about life: ball.

ball. ball. ball. ball. loves to say it. loves to play it. he applauds basketball hoops on our daily walks. to say he loves to play ball is an understatement. last night, after dinner, i thought, "hey, we should bounce the ball outside on the pavement. jake would love that!" so we go outside. we bounce the ball against the garage. and then jake spies a step. the one little step up to our porch. and he decides that going up and down this one, solitary step is way cooler than a ball at the moment. a step. sometimes....

there are the days when jake has found some black craft paint and ate it and smeared it all over my closet floor and there are the times when he pulls out all the socks from the drawer or the time when he pulled off a strip of wood from our kitchen table. yeah. that was pleasant.

but there are the sweet moments where he jumps down the couch and falls into my arms giggling or the nights where he wraps his little arms around my neck as i put him down to sleep or the sweet smirks he gives me that make his cheeks puff like a squirrels.

i love his twirpy guts.