Outside at the Smith's

In addition to the pool, my parent's backyard had many things to do and places to explore.  As you might imagine, this was great for our little man who loves to be outside.  It sure is a change from "exploring" our small deck.

As usual, Jonah felt the urge to poke and touch everything.

Climbing over a stump.  This actually is an important stump; Vanessa and I were married underneath the tree (it was a huge willow tree at the time).

Hanging out by the fence.

Picking up some "pokey balls."

Trying to tell me something.  Not sure what he wanted, but he sure was expressive.

Jonah still loves the swing.

Swinging in the hammock with dad.  Don't be fooled, this moment lasted just long enough for Vanessa to snap a picture.  Jonah was quickly off again exploring the backyard.

He tried to ride the trike for a while, but that didn't work so well.  He couldn't quite reach the pedals so his favored method was to walk the trike around.

When walking the trike didn't work so well, he used another method.

Playing in the sandbox with cousin Hunter.

We are so fortunate that we get to stay at a place that has so much to offer for Jonah.  It is unfortunate that he doesn't get to be there more often, but we'll take what we can get.

Swimming at the Smith's

One of the advantages of staying at my parent's house when we visit Fresno is that we get to use their pool. The first couple days of our trip were actually a little chilly, so we didn't get to go swimming as much as I would have liked. That being said, we still did make it in a few times before the trip was over.

I was a little surprised because Jonah was a bit timid in the beginning. Granted, he's never really been in the pool before, but he loves the water so much that I thought he might dive right in (it's probably best he didn't).

Jonah slowly worked his way into the pool. Just his toes to start.

Hunter, on the other hand, was not timid about going in the water. In fact, he has turned in to quite the swimmer. By the way, I wonder where Hunter learned to make faces like that when people take pictures?

Oh, I see now.

It was fun having three of the four cousins all playing in the pool. Hopefully Noah can join in next time.

Jonah is trying to perfect his "cool" look. I think he's doing a pretty good job.

Nana was helping Jonah while Melissa helped Brooklyn. I should point out that Brooklyn was fearless in the pool. It is only a matter of time before she becomes an accomplished swimmer like her big brother.

After Jonah got a bit more comfortable, he and I were swimming all around. For some reason, he liked it when I would go under water while holding him above water. Of course, this turned into a game and I'd splash Jonah as I came up. Being a dad sure is fun sometimes.

Jonah eventually liked the pool so much, he even had an impromptu swim one night after dinner.

The next day, we were properly dressed. Hunter and Brooklyn weren't there, but Sierra kept Jonah company. And yes, he has his shoes on in the pool. He wanted to keep them on and I didn't really care—they are plastic Crocs after all—so they stayed on.

When Jonah lost interest in Sierra, he decided to bring in a toy. Tractor in the water...why not? We are on vacation!

Hiking at sugar bottom

Vanessa, Jonah, and I just got back from our trip to Fresno and we have many, many photos to share.  However, you'll have to wait a bit for those (I'm sure they'll be worth the wait).

Before we went to Fresno, Jonah and I hiked around Sugar Bottom campground.  This is the first time I've taken Jonah on a hike because I wasn't sure how he'd do.  Now that he's getting older and more capable, I thought it was time.

Never the tentative one, Jonah hit the trail running as soon as we got there.

Waiting for me to catch up.

And he's off!

Waiting for me...again.

Jonah was trying to tell me something, but I never did figure out what he wanted.

Jonah was so curious about everything and loved inspecting all the leaves, sticks, and logs.

It was really hot and muggy when we went hiking.  As you can see, Jonah was getting a little sweaty (and thirsty).

When we got back to the car, Jonah was tired and hungry.  Fortunately, I packed a granola bar.

Jonah did a great job during the hike and walked almost the entire time.  This is certainly something we'll do again.  I'm sure we'll have plenty of opportunities when we get to North Carolina.

Rainy day...part 3

I couldn't resist posting a few pictures of our recent trek outside to play in the rain.  Once you see them, you'll probably agree.  (Apparently there's been a theme going through some of our recent posts.)

It's a bit blurry, but you can see Jonah splashing in the puddle.

Being careful as we trudge through the field.

Playing on the train tracks again.  Whoops!

Splashing in more puddles.

What's better than running in the rain?

Dancing in the rain!

Rainy day...part 2

Recently, it has felt like it's been raining every day in Iowa.  While the rain does disrupt a lot, Jonah doesn't seem to mind.  Below are a few pictures from a recent rain storm.  At least he has pants (unlike last time).

You can see the rain coming down in the background.  Jonah was having fun feeling the rain on his face and catching raindrops in his mouth.

Trying on a new hat.

Patting the rain.  Yup, it's water.

Mmmmm.  Rain water from a shovel.  Tasty!

Sometimes the rain comes and goes very quickly.  After only a few minutes, the sun was starting to come out.

And finally, the obligatory close up photo.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day this year was a casual, little family affair. A simple breakfast at the most adorable little cafe (no idea how we have never been to this place before), and a trip to the park. As it is with most days, we tried to plan everything around Jonah's schedule and keeping him happy. Cause if Jonah ain't happy, ain't NOBODY happy!

 

 

 

Jonah is getting so strong! He loves to hang onto bars and just dangle. It is amazing how long he just hang there by his own strength. He almost never lets go and just waits for us to ask him if he wants to get down. He answers with an emphatic "Yeah!" and then signs for "more".

 

 

Unfortunately the trip to the park did include one bloody lip for our little man. He has a real knack for landing on his face. Not something a mama ever wants to see, especially on Mother's Day, but Andrew keeps reminding me that that is just life with a boy. Dirt, endless energy, and injuries. Apparently dolls and make overs really are not in my future.

Playing with puzzles

Recently we've been teaching Jonah his letters.  He now knows almost the entire alphabet (as long as they are capital letters).  He's still having a little trouble with some of the letters.  Ws, for example, he turns upside down and calls them Ms.  Pretty clever, really.

Now that Jonah knows a bunch of the letters, he likes to point them out whenever he can.  In some ways, it has turned into a little game for us.  While driving around, he'll call out a letter and Vanessa and I have to try and find out where he saw it.  It could be a sign on a building, maybe a licence plate or bumper sticker--you just never know.

We don't have a video of Jonah saying the letters yet, but we do have a fun video of him putting the letters into his puzzle.  The video is a bit long (about 3 and a half minutes), but it is cute watching him figure out where all the pieces go.  A couple things to watch for.  In the beginning he calls out the B.  He also says one of his current favorite phrases.  "Oh no!"  We hear that one a lot these days.  Enjoy.