Photo Shoot at the Park…

I am always so jealous of the amazing pictures that other people take of their kids.  I don’t have a fancy camera or anything but I thought I’d just take a bunch of pictures for fun today.  I think I got some good ones.

A Few Random Pictures of my Boy…

Here is my boy who likes to put his feet on the table while he’s eating…

…Who likes to climb in his swing and sit sideways rocking as hard as he can…

…Who discovered if he pulled out this plug, the vacuum would stop…

…Who emptied the contents of his diaper bag one by one down the stairs…

…Who prefers sleeping across the width of his crib instead of the length.

…Who just keeps me smiling everyday.

Letting My Boy be a Boy…

I am trying really hard to not be one of those mothers who prohibits their child from learning new things just because they might get dirty.  We have our fair share of outdoor exploring time, playing in the dirt, and eating the dirt occasionally (Joshua not me.)  This morning we went outside for a little walk and noticed a snail crawling across the porch so we stopped to watch.  He was only content to watch for so long before he was ready to touch.  My first reaction was to stop him and not let him, then I realized it really wouldn’t hurt anyone.  Then I noticed a bunch of snails nearby and put them on the porch so we could have “snail races.” 

 

YUCK! But it sure was fun.

My Sensitive Little Guy…

I got this book from the library about faces and feelings.  Each page has a flap that you open to see a picture of a baby.  Joshua is so cute when we read it.  My favorite page says, “Bunny is sad.  Are you sad too?  Booho!, You are sad too!”  Every time we get to this page Joshua makes a sad face and says ooohhh.  And then he tries to give the boy in the book a hug.  It just makes me smile.  I have such a sweet little guy!

Here are some other things this cute guy did today…
1. Climbed on the rocking horse all by himself.

2. Got the remote and turned on the TV.
3. Went past a stinky garbage can on our walk and in a disgusted tone he said “Ooo!”
4. Actually built blocks up instead of just knocking them over. (He did this all on his own.)

Happy First Birthday!

Can you believe he’s already a year old?  Joshua’s birthday was actually yesterday but I was too busy to get this post up, so here it is a day late. 
Happy Birthday to my beautiful boy!  You are the joy of my life kiddo.  There are days I am stressed out and just want to cry and then I see you discover something new or learn a new skill and suddenly I see the world through your eyes, a new perspective.  Everything is so exciting, the birds and plants as we go for a walk, the rock you find in the dirt, the piece of lint on the stairs.  This really is a fascinating world we live in, thank you for helping me stop and enjoy it.  But most of all I love your smile and your laugh.  I could just sit and watch you all day and when you smile up at me, my heart is full of more love than I knew was possible.  Being a mom is the greatest thing I’ve ever known, I am so happy that you are a part of our family.  I love you Joshua!
We celebrate his birthday with friends and family and had a great time.

It took him a bit to get the hang of it and just get messy, but he got there eventually.

Thanks for all who came to help celebrate this wonderful boy with us!

A New Hat…

I made Joshua a new hat a month or so ago, (click here to see first hat) but I just didn’t like how it turned out.  I didn’t have a pattern, I just kind of made it up as I went.  The brim was too frilly, so I added some stitching to bring it in to make it better, but still not quite what I wanted.  I started dreaming up a new hat and Elaine suggested I make it out of paper first so I could see how everything would lay.  Turned out to be a fabulous idea, and now I have created a pattern if I want to make this hat again.

The lining is colored stripes, and it is reversible, but I’m pretty sure the bug side wins.

I love the stitching on the brim!

I didn’t do this intentionally when I cut out the pattern, but I love that there is a big turtle right on top!

He couldn’t wait to get out and help Daddy and Grandpa work on the shed.

Fabulously Fun Day with Cousins…

Robbie and I took the kids to the zoo and had a fun day.  Maddie begged to get out and see the elephant statue and then changed her mind so that’s why she’s not in the picture.

Then we spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out with the grandparents.  Maddie helped grandpa with the playhouse while Brooklyn and Joshua had fun exploring and playing together.

Marshmallow Fondant!

I have been wanting to try marshmallow fondant for a while. A few weeks ago we had a cake decorating class at our enrichment night that inspired me to give it a try.  I found a simple recipe online and gave it a try.  The stuff is incredibly sticky and I had to keep moving to new parts of the table to try rolling it out again so it wouldn’t stick.  It took at least 5 tries of rolling it out and peeling it off the table, but it turned out pretty awesome!

I had to work to find a clean spot in the kitchen to take this picture because everything looked like this…

Field Trip…

Yesterday Joshua and I went to This is the Place with the third graders.  I missed out on this field trip last year because I was nine months pregnant and didn’t want to spend the day walking in the heat.  This year it was COLD!  I brought a jacket for Joshua but wasn’t smart enough to bring one for myself.  Joshua had fun, and hopefully he didn’t distract the kids too much from listening.   Here are some pictures of Joshua at the petting zoo.