Author: Jodi

It is hard to believe that our little Xan-Man is a year old. He lights up our lives with his open, sweet, and joyful spirit…endears himself to our hearts with his sensitivity and depth of soul…amazes us with his keen observation and investigation of the world around him…and in the words of his father, “He’s a leader of men, and I would follow him into battle”.

Yay for Xander!!! He had a blast on his birthday weekend…eating chocolate cupcakes, opening presents, and seeing family. Here are some pictures of our weekend-long celebration…

So, the boys fingerpainted in their diapers yesterday and had a blast. (It was a good thing too because after all was said and done, I had to scoop both of them up and put them in the tub…Xander tried to eat the fingerpaint and Jonas tried to wipe off his fingerpaint-y hands on his belly). Yay for messy art projects!!!

Here’s a picture of Jonas with his new favorite thing, a bug catcher (the best $2 I’ve ever spent…thank you, Dollar General!!!). Mommy and Daddy might even have more fun with it than he does. HaHa!!! We busted it out in the front yard for his first go around, and he caught two beetles and a caterpillar right away. He loves using it to collect “treasures” from our walks on the neighborhood trail through the woods too.

In his fifty-first week, Xander is: trying and loving eggs and strawberries; doing okay with a preliminary re-introduction to dairy (here’s hoping…); saying “na na” for “banana”, “nih nih” for “night night”, and “mmmm” when he likes what he’s eating; climbing out of his exersaucer (he was never a big fan anyway…too much to see and do); figuring out how to blow kisses; and perfecting his walking skills every day.

I took the boys to the Discovery Center again…this time for the Parents and Tots program. Mrs. Joy read “If You Give a Pig a Party” and the kids came dressed in their pajamas, wore party hats, and made noise makers (out of paper plates, beans, and streamers). The boys had a blast…they love that place…it’s custom-made for little explorers.

So, I took the boys to the zoo for a visit with our neighborhood mom’s club…they, of course, loved it as always…it is so precious to watch them discover and enjoy life…here are a few pictures of that sweetness.

Tom and the boys and I enjoyed having Grandma and Grandpa here for a week long visit. Grandpa helped DaDa build a beautiful, paver stone patio at the bottom of our deck (see during and after pictures below). Grandma went with us to Shipwrecked (a fun indoor play area that the boys enjoy on really cold, rainy, or hot days), storytime at the local library (Baby Signing) and at the downtown library (complete with puppets, juggling, singing, and more), and Moms & Tots (where the boys and I go twice a month to say the rosary and play with friends) at our church. Tom and I were thankful, as well, to have a little bit of “us” time while Grandma and Grandpa kept the boys for us and to have a nice dinner out, just the four of us (while our dear neighbor friend stayed with the sleeping buddies). It was fun taking Grandma and Grandpa to the neighborhood pool, where we take the boys several afternoons a week for a swim, too…reminds us how much we’re looking forward to our Lake Anna trip in July.

Here are our newest family pictures…courtesy of my dear friend, Marcie, a gifted photographer (www.marciekindred.com) who gave Jonas the best birthday present ever back in November that we just redeemed in May…a free family photo shoot.  A picture is worth a thousand words…

So, I took the boys to the Hatcher Dairy Farm today for a tour with the mom’s club, and they LOVED it.

Xander was windmilling his arms and saying “dah” for “dog” every time he saw a cow. Jonas was running ahead of the group, checking out the next best thing on the tour, and (smilingly and head shakingly) being dubbed as a “Curious George” by tour leaders and followers alike.

It was great fun seeing and learning about the pregnant momma cows and the newborn baby cows, checking out the milking station and the creamery, and tasting farm fresh butter and chocolate milk (nothing like it).

The boys have gotten a lot of mileage out of the tent that Grandma and Grandpa bought them for Christmas. They LOVE chasing each other through the tunnel.

The boys and I went to visit my dear friend, Lizza, and her precious baby boy, Bennett and had so much fun playing in their backyard. Xander and Bennett rode in the wagon and crawled around in the garden, and Jonas helped water the plants and turn the compost pile. Dexter (their lovable golden retriever) was, of course, a big hit as well. I was so inspired and hope to hit Lizza and Michael up for a garden/compost tutorial soon.