Hawaii trip

We recently got to go to Hawaii to visit Matt's parents and relax. What a fun trip! Here are some of the highlights (at least those we have pictures of). We also got to catch up with some great friends and revisit some of our favorite places.

Jack had lots of fun with Grandma at the Honolulu Zoo!
He also liked to bring Grandpa books to read (or at least look at a picture or two)
Jack seemed to really like the sand at the beach. He also liked throwing coral chunks into the water, but he wasn't so sure about the waves. The first day we went to Castles (my favorite), but after that we went to Turtle Bay, which is more little kid friendly (very small/no waves).
Heiau above Punaluu.
Overlooking Waimea.
Matt had to jump Laie point of course! (I would have joined him, but probably not the best idea while almost 5 months pregnant.
Family picture at the puka rock on the point the day we left. We so wish we could have stayed longer!

The kids part of the zoo was probably Jack's favorite. He got to crawl through a fish tank full of koi and got to pet goats! Not the greatest video..oh well. In the fish tank he stopped at every window gasped, pointed and signed fish...very cute.

We figured out that the key to keeping Jack's diaper on is to put a onesie on under his jammies. He has been pretty creative in trying to figure out a way around our little trick. This is just one example of the interesting pajama configurations I've found waiting for me in the morning.
Jack has discovered finger painting the last little while. I'm not sure which he likes more, the painting or choosing the color and showing me where he wants it.We moved his slide out of the living room (yay!) and onto the back deck. He often goes to the back door to let me know he wants to go play and gets upset when we are going somewhere and I don't let him play for a minute or two (we go out the back door most the time).I just love his little outfit! (Thanks Mom!) He is looking more and more like a little boy and less like a baby everyday.
We had a fun Memorial Day! We went to the local parade--complete with dogs in strollers, kids on bikes and antique farm equipment. We went to a park and bbq'd, but it was cold, so didn't last too long. Jack seemed to like his first parade.Matt's birthday was yesterday...I made a cake, it didn't turn out quite how I had envisioned, but it tasted pretty good. Happy Birthday Matt!!

I wish I could take credit for the flowers, but they just popped up. We did a little weeding, but that's it. It's been kind of fun waiting to see what kind they turned out to be. (don't know why the pictures are skewed right, but I'm too lazy to mess with it.









Matt had a couple days off last weekend and we took a short trip up to Traverse City on Lake Michigan. We discovered Jack is at an age that traveling consists of trying to cram in an activity or two between naps. It was a pretty uneventful trip. We took him to the children's museum and he seemed to have a good time. He even got to meet Curious George.
Outside our hotel right on the beach...would have been awesome if it was about 20 degrees warmer.
Jack did great on the car rides...he had plenty to keep him entertained.

Is 14 months too young for potty training?

Before: I just happened to take this last night because he looked so cute with his little feet up and snuggling with his dog ("dah-doe").
After: This is how I was greeted when I when to get him from his morning nap. Notice his pajama top is next to his diaper. Upon further investigation I discovered that he had somehow managed to pee in his bed without getting his pajama bottoms wet. How did he do that? Did he know he had to pee and think it would be more fun without the diaper? Was it just a coincidence that he happened to go before he'd worked out how to get his pants up after taking off the diaper? It's a mystery. Whatever happened he sure was proud of himself!

So here is yet another video of Jack. I know I seem a bit obsessed, but for me the purpose of this blog is a means to share pictures and videos with far away friends and family. Matt and I don't change much, but Jack does, therefore his pictures are more interesting. And get ready for double the pictures, because we are expecting baby #2 to arrive at the end of October!

This is Jack attempting to feed himself. He is very insistent on doing it himself and gets mad if I try to help. I usually sneak a bite into his mouth while his spoon handle is in the food.

While Matt was working nights last month, Jack and I went to Utah for a few days. (We never see him when he's working nights anyway.) Jack had a great time playing with Grandma and Grandpa. We took him the the little aquarium in Sandy and he loved it! His "fish" sign was put to good use.
The open tank with the sting rays was a big hit, the only problem was keeping him out of the water. He wanted to swim with those rays pretty badly. Maybe I'll have someone to scuba dive with in a few years!
When we got home Jack liked "helping" me unpack.
Yesterday, Jack decided he wanted to start walking. We've known he was capable for quite awhile, he just hadn't quite built up the confidence. He's been walking around holding on to one of mom's or dad's fingers for a long time and he finally figured out he didn't really need us. I'm sure it's a trend that will continue.