More on our guests...

Marc, Tammy, Alli, Nic and Nathan came to visit us during part of their spring break in the middle of March. We visited several fun places, and here are a few photos to share. Jonathan loved this exhibit at this "children's museum" of sorts that we visited... there was water and splashing... what fun! Here are Jamie and Jonathan with Marc and his family at the hippo exhibit at the zoo. It was a bit chilly, but tolerable that day.
This is a sculpture of a giant bug at the zoo. Nic loves bugs, so he was all about this photo. The Insectarium was actually quite fascinating, and I enjoyed viewing large bugs from the other side of the glass.
Nic and Jonathan investigating the bugs on the ground. Scientists at heart :+) (I can only hope...)
I'll post the last of these photos later this week... we had such a great time with the Guilds from Iowa! Jonathan was quite forlorn after they left, and I was the only remaining playmate.

~ Sarah ~

Many Visitors, Lots of Fun!

Since the beginning of the year (and our move into a house) I have been quite lazy with my blogging... so, I am going to make up for it this week. We have enjoyed several visitors so I have great photos to post from their time here. I love it when people are willing to make the effort to come and see us. I know it is effort... especially for the folks up North, but we just love seeing family and friends!

My parents visited for a week in early March. We spent some time at the zoo. Here is Jonathan with my dad and their matching hats. These were the zookeeper hats. My favorite (and one of J's, too) exhibit is the penguin and puffin area. Isn't this a great photo?
Mom, Dad and Jonathan... they are both so energetic about being willing to chase him and play with him. You would never guess them to be in their mid-sixties!

Many more photos to come of our time with Jamie's brother and his family. The cousins were of great amusement for Jonathan!

Sarah

Is it sunny in here?

We found these sunglasses in a box that we unpacked not too long ago... here is the result:

Have a great weekend!

Sarah

Fashion Show

Jonathan has been a boy of many fashions lately. He loves running around in his diaper so we spent an evening letting him play that way. He is playing "chase" in this photo... it was difficult to catch him in a still moment on this day. This is hide and seek under the table with the "pajama attire".
Looking dapper for church with a serious, still love my Mommy pose.
Little cool man in the hat. He especially likes the hearth in our new house so this photo exemplifies an especially common event in our house: sitting on the hearth, reading.
He likes to help me wipe the floor: here he is with HIS cloth to do so.
More photos will come tomorrow, but I can't figure out how to put more than 5 on here.

Last weekend I worked for the school district where I was previously employed. I was away from Jonathan for 2 nights and he and Daddy had a "male bonding weekend". They both had a great time and so did I! I missed both of them, but it was a good thing for all of us. It did remind me of how grateful I am to not be juggling childcare and work this year. Small blessings for which I am most grateful.

SPRING, please, please come soon!
Sarah

The Perils of Speed

Our camera battery died before we finished moving, but I took this photo before my parents arrived to help with the move and packing. I was attempting to pack the pantry while Jonathan was awake. One of many rookie mistakes. You can see the result. All of these items were stacked neatly in boxes before Jonathan got into them. Needless to say, the pantry packing was delayed until he slept. When my parents arrived, one person could distract the little man while the other two packed. Here is my dad on distraction duty.
The title of this blog is as a result of a crash that Jonathan had with the corner of the cupboards in the kitchen. He was running (now the only acceptable mode of movement) and tripped on something and ended up with his first bruise that broke the skin. Other dings have been just small bumps but this this was a large goose egg for much of the afternoon. So sad...

The light makes it a little bit hard to see, but we tried to commemorate the occasion with some photos. Based upon his family history (from Jamie) and his wreckless running, I am certain we are in for many more dings in the coming days.

Lastly - Jonathan had his 15 month check up a week or so ago... he is in the 10th percentile for weight. I think all of his weight is in his cheeks. His head is in the 75th percentile. Height is right in the middle somewhere. I think the running and the 10th percentile are directly related. He never stops moving unless asleep or strapped in his car seat.

~ Sarah ~

Exhale

We are finally settling in. After a almost year of waxing and waning chaos we have moved into a house and are unpacking things that have been in boxes sinces last April. Jamie echoed my thoughts on Sunday evening as we sat in our new living room, "I feel like I can finally exhale."

God has taught both of us a tremendous amount about how unimportant so many little "comfort" things really are in the larger scheme of life. Through all of the changes and small disappointments we had a heavenly Father who is loving and we had each other and Jonathan. And, many of the "comfort" things have returned: Jonathan is napping regularly and predictably (this did NOT happen for the first year of his life), we have rooms with a paint color other than the renter's white, we have photos of our family on the wall, and we have living space twice as large as our rental. Small gifts from God that I so appreciate!

In regards to the napping: Jonathan only needs one nap a day, but this nap sometimes intersects with lunch. This day lunch was at 10:45 and he still fell asleep in the middle of it. It is adorable to watch him start nodding off in the middle of chewing. Almost in la-la-land...
~ Sarah ~

The Chase Game and Puddles

Jonathan still loves to play chase, but there are now new variations on the game. He has added the element of crawling under the table to the original version of the game. This photo is after he has just crawled away from me - he is taunting me in an attempt to continue the game. Crayons are still among his favorite toys, and he was thrilled when I produced some "crayon/pencils" that I found in a box. He thought these were far better than the previous "large" crayons. I am guessing it is because they more closely resemble the pens and pencils that he sees me using.
A little video of Jonathan on the move...

Yesterday was one of the blissful days where the weather was unseasonably warm. Jonathan and I took a walk and after the walk, he wanted to play outside for a bit. Against all conventional wisdom: we ended up in the puddles. Both of us had a delightful time splashing and playing, and we were both SOAKED upon finishing our playtime. What a sight we must have been! We got several strange looks as folks passed by...

From your puddle splashing friends...