'I do it myself'

That seems to be Jake's favorite phrase as of late.

He wants to be a big boy and show he can do things on his own, like going up stairs.

At work, we have a parking garage in the basement, so he has to walk the stairs. It used to be he would reach his hand out to either one of us for help. Now, we get "I do it myself," and he goes up the stairs by himself. Of course, we keep a good eye on him with one of us in front and one behind, but he really does a good job of stairs.

One of his other favorite phrases is "I help Mommy" or "I help Daddy." He loves to help us do things. Sometimes it's a good thing like today. Kevin was filling holes in the yard from badgers, moles, skunks and armadillos. (Take your pick, we have them all at one time or another). Jake came up to him and said "I help Daddy" and had to help fill the holes. But, when he wants to help fix dinner that can be an issue, especially if knives or the stove are involved. Usually, though, we can find him a safe, easy task to do and he's happy.

If we only can get him to always say "I do it myself" when he eats. LOL He tends to poke along and we have to shovel the food in.