"I miss you Mommy."

Jude literally tells me he misses me about 40 times a day. I think he got it from me telling me I missed him when I'd get him up after his naps and in the morning. But now he tells me all day long, even though we are together all day! He is such a little sweetheart. I love it but it also breaks my heart a little because that is his little way of telling me he needs me. He will also say "Hold you. Hold me." I savor those moments when it's just he and I cuddling or reading stories or getting ready for bed. He is such a little doll. He gets that passionate about to explode tone in his low voice as he says "mishhhh youuu." Oh, I love him. There is this quote floating around Pinterest and it was just what I needed to hear at this time of my life...

I love being their world. I am everything they need. It can be draining at times, but it is also humbling and empowering.

On a lighter note, Jude is completely obsessed with tractors. He went through a train phase but now it's all about tractors and construction sites/workers/equipment. His dream came true the other day when they were redoing our roof and a tractor and dump truck were working right outside our window. Definitely a step up from watching the garbage truck come by. Sometimes we go down to a construction site near by and get out of the car and just sit and watch them "scooping and dumping." It makes his day and I think it makes the workers day too!

There is a big pile of mulch at the park at our apartment complex and Jude calls it the "mountain." We will go play on it and he will being his little tractor and dump truck. Sometimes his cute little Iraqi friends come play, too.

He is quite the talker. He will surprise and amaze us with he things he knows. He is seriously always listening. It makes me so grateful we don't watch TV or movies because he hears and picks up on everything. And most of the shows (even though they're for "kids"), I definitely wouldn't want Jude acting that way and saying those things. The other day after conference he was playing in the other room and randomly said, "God. Jesus. Moses! Amen!" It really made me realize that he is always listening and internalizing.

His little imagination has really grown. He loves to play with his toys now and will fur his train is a tractor or play "surgery" with Daddy. He is always very concerned about Abraham having his "tummy. time" and will go get his special little blanket from Aunt Carla that he has to use. Then as Abraham is laying on the blanket we play ducks and Abe is the whale. He also loves to "cook" things for us and usually cooks sauce, yellow sauce, apples, or chicken.

He is definitely a boy and definitely two and definitely our favorite little two year old!