What are those kids up to?

I haven't done a very good job of keeping up on what our kids are like right now. Let's take a little peek into what makes them tick.

Jacob is almost 3 1/2 years old, and he is just a goof ball. This age is so fun (as much as it is challenging and frustrating) because he's added layers to his play. We don't just drive cars and trains around, we make up adventures for them. He doesn't just bang pans around on top of his play stove--we have an elaborate game of making a shopping list, setting up a "grocery store" where he picks up his needed items, cooking a meal in his kitchen, and then serving it in 5-course fashion. Then, of course, dishes need to be washed in his sink. Pretending is big. Many days, he informs us that he is not Jacob. He might be a puppy, a baby dinosaur, or Mariella. And when he is Mariella, she is Jacob. It can make for some very confusing conversations! He's very good at staying in character.

He does silly little dances. It's too great to even describe, but he gets the pointer fingers going and hops or runs in place. Sometimes he'll run around in a circle. Usually we dance together, but I've heard him playing music and bouncing around in his room while he's supposed to be napping.

He makes up songs. Sometimes they are his own words (or nonsensical words) and tunes, but most often he makes up his own words to real songs. I think this is a pretty amazing skill for a little kid. One of my absolute favorite songs of his is the Bob the Builder song, which instead of singing "Bob the Builder, can we fix it?" he started singing, "Chicken nuggets - 1-2-12." Another variation is to put Mariella into the song. He also thinks counting out of order is hilarious, and if you ask him how many he wants of something, he always says 12. He sings to Mariella when she gets upset, like during diaper changes or getting into her car seat. It works every time.

He can spell his name, but can't yet write any letters. He really wants to learn, though, and when he puts his mind to something, it happens pretty quickly! His drawing is evolving from just scribbles. To us, it still doesn't usually resemble anything, but he always knows what his drawings are. Sometimes, he just draws first and figures it out later--his doodles will look like a certain letter or number and he recognizes that.

One of the most fun things about Jacob is watching his love for his sister grow. She gets into all of his stuff, and he picks on her, but she is his favorite person in the world. He likes to show her how to play with things, and is very encouraging to her. As I mentioned before, he loves to sing to her, and is a great help in getting her to hold still during a diaper change or while being dressed. No one makes her laugh like Jacob can, and he can do it with a silly dance or "eating" her belly. Sometimes his attempts to wrestle with her make me nervous, but she just smiles and giggles and Jacob is pretty good about letting her go when she's ready.

Of course, it's not easy all the time. He has pretty typical 3-year-old difficulties, frustrations, and tantrums. It's probably just better not to record them for posterity. We'll probably remember a lot of them anyway! It really is amazing to see how he's grown up, obviously from birth, but even over the past year.