about a boy

It is probably about time for an update on our little guy:)

I can't even believe how fast he's learning, like a sponge- just soaking it all up!

age:13 months
weight: 23+ lbs

he speaks:
da-da, mom, yeah, God, and the rest is gibberish :)

he signs:
brush teeth, eat, all done, milk, fish

(we are working on: more, please, thank you, dog, bird)

he understands:
go outside, ball, book, bellybutton, mouth, eyes, hair, kisses, hug, bath, hungry/snack, drink, nap-time, truck, shoes, "can I have it please?"(in regards to sharing)

His very favorite thing now is reading his books. He will lay face-down on his rug and browse through the collection. He also loves sharing with anyone who is near and hugging other kids. He doesn't hug us so much, but if there's someone his size he sees it fit I suppose! We are trying to get him to say HI and BYE, but it hasn't registered yet :) He just smiles. haha.

I should also mention that his hair is all blonde now. Jonathan and I both had blonde hair when we were little and it darkened a few years later, so I think Talmage will follow the trend.

Its lots of fun being this boy's parents and we look forward to the days ahead!

lions & tigers & bears, oh my!

Did you know there was a zoo in Idaho Falls? I didn't! At least not until a few weeks ago. I had googled local, fun attractions for kids and the Tautphas Zoo popped up. All the reviews said that it was such a great little zoo with a bunch of animals. So this weekend we took a visit with our good friends the Tataipus. They have a little boy named Kai about the same age as Talmage. It was a beautiful day and a grand time!

Here's Ashleigh and I with our boys and twin strollers :)

the two amigos watching flamingos...

pondering at "pelican pier"

I'm not really sure what this animal is...

three ducks in a row

peacock!

its hard to see but he is looking through the cage of a lion and lioness! they are lounging in the background.

zebras

this monkey stared at Jonathan for a long time...

This was the last thing of the day and the COOLEST! an otter came right up to Talmage to say hello and they nearly touched noses through the glass. Luckily Jonathan was camera-ready :)

mother's & dad's days

Mother's Day was great this year. On Saturday my sweetheart surprised me by leaving little notes around the apartment that said sentimental things :) It seemed like with each one I would cry a little more...usually I'm not such a sap but I guess my emotions were already high that day. The last note was stuck onto my present- a grand and beautiful headboard! This was a project we had been gathering materials for but he secretly got the rest of them and built it for me. It looks white in the picture but its actually a light cream color to match our bedspread :)

I loved the end result! On the note, it said "May this gift remind you at the end of the day of all these things (and more) you add to my life and our children; which make you the great mother that you are." It makes more sense having read the previous notes....haha...but it was really sweet and I was blown away at his creativity :)

The next day Talmage got all dressed up his lil suit (a gift from his Mimi!) and he looked so adorable...I couldn't help but smile each time I saw him running down the hall in that get-up. The pants were a little loose in the rump haha...

At church all the women got pink roses. It was a good reminder that all women, mothers or not, can be great influences on those around them. I admire many gals in the ward for their nurturing qualities, genuine concern for others, and wholehearted devotion to the gospel. I only hope that I can exemplify that someday. To those women I say THANK YOU and never stop being you.

Tomorrow is Jonathan's birthday, but we celebrated a few days early. We ate out at T.G.I.F and I pretended that I left something in the car. When I came back I presented him with his birthday gift! He was like a little boy on Christmas morning :)

Hooray! A new hat and wading boots with interchangeable soles (he's wanted those boots for SO long). Happy birthday sweetie!

and these are just some fun pics of Talmage enjoying his bowlful of noodles :)

We just love him so much!!!

summer beginnings

Rexburg's weather is...well, in one word...unpredictable!

Not even kidding, a few weeks ago this is how much we had to bundle up Talmage on our our daily walk to the mailbox.

and as we were walking back, there were tiny snow flurries falling all around us. Yeah, it would be safe to say I was near to blowing a gasket.

But then, all of a sudden, the sun came out and we've had GORGEOUS days. Finally an opportunity to use our new bike trailer :)

We're pretty sure he likes riding in it, even though he always pulls a really funny face as he's bumping along the road.

He especially loves to take Mr. Gruffles along...(yes, I caved in to the pillow pets...it is a long story but basically, when I tried to put him back on the shelf Talmage was NOT having it)

In other news, if anyone is wondering what is new with us, Jonathan works full-time with the Forest Service 8-5, Monday-Friday. He has the weekends off for now but in the next month his 2 days off will switch to the middle of the week. I am NOT looking forward to spending my Sundays alone, especially hauling little guy to church and handling him by myself through all 3 meetings. It is a challenge even now with both of us there. I usually have to stash a few dum-dums (and MANY other snacks) in my purse to keep Talmage happy. Even then he always wants to be on the move and play (or hit) the other kids. When Sacrament meeting starts its his naptime so we're lucky if we get to take the sacrament at all. Oh well, only 5 more months till I get to hand him over to Nursery! :D Don't get me wrong, I love church. And I really love dressing up Talmage in his cute little vests and bow-ties too...sometimes its just sooooo stressful. hahaha...

I also babysit a cute little 6 month old named Madeline twice a week. It used to be every day but her daddy found he was able to be home with her :) She is so so adorable and really gets along with Talmage. Once, Talmage had overslept his nap and so I put her in his crib and let her wake him up. When he saw her in there, he got really smiley and cute and handed her his stuffed giraffe. It was so stinkin cute :)

I think this summer will be loads of fun :)