Fore!

One of the byproducts of living off a golf course is you never have to worry about buying golf balls again. Every so often—plop!—another one lands in the backyard. Jonas' Mima, who lived here before us, had amassed a healthy collection during her time here, dumping them in a large vase that we now have in the living room...

...the other day, Jonas was outside and discovered a few of his own, of different colors no less. He seemed to enjoy the experience, trying to hold on to several at once until he settled on just two. There should be plenty more where those came from.

Creek Fest

One of the things Mom and Dad looked forward to most about moving to Colorado was the chance to take Jonas up to Boulder. And specifically, we looked forward to hanging out at the Boulder Creek Festival, an annual event on Memorial Day weekend with crafts and booths and all sorts of fun. We went up there this weekend and while the festival was fun, we made our own memories along the creek itself, stopping for a little picnic. Jonas especially enjoyed the food...

...and of course the drink...

...he also got a close look at some ducks in the water...

...and it got even better when Mom took out some bubbles, making the Big Guy laugh out loud...

...but it was a statue of Chief Niwot that was perhaps of most interest...

As the local legend states, there is curse of Chief Niwot, who once ruled over the land: Once you gaze at the Flatirons above Boulder, you'll never want to be anywhere else again. Now that Jonas has spent time there and met the chief, perhaps that football scholarship to CU isn't out of the question.

Rolling Along (The Movie)

Watching Jonas scoot around the house with a truck and car in each hand is so amusing, we decided to put it to film. Here you can see the joy he has getting around this way, and the adorable glee he'll get when he stops to shake things up a bit. As this Bonus Jonas video footage attests, crawling with cars is not the easiest way to get around the house, but it's clearly his favorite mode of transportation.

Rolling Along

It is safe to say that Jonas now has a full-on obsession with cars and trucks. In recent weeks, Jonas has made it a habit to crawl around the house with one in each hand. He especially likes the feel of the cars in his hand in the kitchen, where he can glide effortlessly across the tiles. Let's just say the sound produced by this habit means he probably doesn't have a career in burglary, since there would be no mistaking his presence in any room. We imagine that's a good thing. While it's funny to listen to, it's also pretty darn cute.

Spring Fling

Yesterday afternoon was beautiful here and when Mom got home from work, she and the Big Guy took a little walk outside the house to see what they could see. Jonas seemed particularly interested in hanging out by the gorgeous aspen trees on our front lawn...

...and of course he had to fling the leaves over and over...

...he and Mom shared a good laugh outside the front door...

...but the real treat came in the back, where all these people wielding these funny sticks kept pulling up in the greatest things on Earth—cars!

...Jonas and Mom watched them for a long time, with Jonas offering lots of commentary. But it wasn't clear if he was commenting on their swings, or just on the cars. All in all, a fun spring afternoon.

Just Looking

After his memorable trip to the dentist yesterday, Jonas got some fun time at the library—one of his favorite places. After each reading hour, they put out a tunnel that Jonas seems increasingly interested in inspecting. One of these days, he might actually go in.

First Bite

Well, Jonas survived his first visit with a dentist, although it wasn't entirely pretty. Things started out on the right foot. Seems the dentist has been around the block a few times, and had all sorts of stuffed animal friends to distract Jonas before she poked around. Indeed, with Mom there to hold him, it all began so well...

...and then—WHAM!—time to look in Jonas' mouth, an experience he's not particularly fond of even in the best of circumstances...

...as dental pokings go, this had to be the most gentle one he'll probably ever receive. After all, there's not much they do with 14-month-old kids. Still, poor Jonas felt like he had been through the wringer...

...and, in fairness to Jonas, not helping the matter was a kangaroo in the corner, which on first glance looked harmless and friendly but on closer inspection revealed a pretty creepy-looking set of chompers, creepy enough that it almost made Dad want to give Mom a hug too when it was all over...

...in the end, Jonas got a good check-up: The teeth look good and he still has time before he needs to stop his habit of sucking his fingers when he goes to sleep. No word yet on whether he's inherited Mom's perfect teeth, but we keep our fingers crossed (and eventually, out of our mouths for good).

Good Standing

Jonas isn't quite interested in walking yet, but he's making great progress on the standing front. This weekend at the library, thanks to the presence of some trucks to distract him, Jonas stood on his own for quite a while. At first, Mom was thrilled to see it happen...

...that in turn got Jonas excited (or maybe it was just the trucks)...

...and after a few minutes, the whole standing thing was old hat, with Jonas making it seem like it was no big deal at all.

Brushing

From early on, Mom and Dad tried to will Jonas to have Mom's perfect teeth. Oh, he could look like Dad in every respect, we said, just please get Mom's teeth. This week, we take Jonas for his first dentist appointment and we'll see how well we're doing on that front. But in the meantime, Jonas is showing some good promise. A few months back, he seemed interested in giving us a dental check-up. Now we've got even more reason to feel good after watching him try to brush all six of his teeth. Here is some Bonus Jonas video footage of the Big Guy taking care of those pearly whites.

Forced Encounter

Jonas has yet to be properly introduced to the "Star Wars" franchise, but based on this chance encounter with a Storm Trooper at the mall this morning, we're not sure he's going to know what to make of it.

Bunny Boy

It's been another tough week for Jonas. Let's just say one of his medications for a recent ear infection didn't quite agree with him, causing his skin to turn a color that even Dad in his colorblind state found alarming. But we're all better now, and it's time to be silly once again. And what could possibly be more silly than this?

Just Ducky

This past weekend, Mom, Dad and Jonas decided to take in some of the local flavor of Castle Rock and headed down to the "Ducky Derby," an adorable little downtown street fair whose main event is a plastic duck race along the local creek. Despite some chilly weather, Jonas had a heck of a time, even donning his duck-themed blanket his Nana made for him. Jonas not only got a little plastic duck of his own (which he clutched the entire time), but he got to see all sorts of cars and trucks on display, all of which had wheels he felt the need to inspect. But Mom came out the big winner. Seems not just one, but two, of the ducks she purchased in the big race came in! As a result, we won a discount on the services of a local photographer and a discount to a local skatepark. Perhaps that last one will serve as the ultimate incentive for Jonas to learn to walk.

Still at Ease

The other night, Jonas proved that he's not just comfortable in the grocery food aisles. Out of nowhere, at the conclusion of his nightly meal, the Big Guy decided that he would show off his refined crossed-leg pose, with his trademark gleam of course. It was pretty adorable.

At Ease

Jonas has all sorts of places where he feels comfortable. There's his crib, of course. There's the living room full of toys. But the baby food aisle of the grocery store, ah yes, now that is a place where he can just sit back and take it all in...

Snow and Rain

It's been a typical spring week in Colorado this week, with weather all over the place. Whether it's been snowing or raining though, Jonas was content to play around inside while he checked out the variety of weather conditions that awaited outside.

Aftermath

Sometimes after a hard afternoon of play, the remnants of battle remain scattered across the field.

Double Fisted

It's no secret that Jonas enjoys cars and trucks. But lately, he's been double-fisted, crawling around with one in each hand lest he miss an opportunity for more rolling. As Mom noted after seeing this photo, today cars and trucks, tomorrow beers.

Snow Day

Jonas (as well as Mom and Dad) was surprised to wake up to a whole bunch of wet spring snow this morning. Since he was already planning to be home with Dad today anyway, it wasn't technically a snow day for Jonas, but nonetheless, he seemed awfully curious about the white stuff and its presence in the yard.

Parking It (The Movie)

Jonas was just too darn adorable at the park this weekend to take only photos. So, we brought the video camera along and with a little help from John Denver, here's a montage of Jonas having a heck of a time outside.

Parking It

Jonas had a great Mother's Day weekend, taking advantage of some beautiful weather and a new bug-themed hat to enjoy a few parks in the neighborhood. On Sunday, he seemed to particularly enjoy crawling around on a big stretch of grass at one park, covering a substantial amount of ground and giving his knees an especially good workout...

...he also got to practice his future defensive lineman stance, eyeing the other kids in the park as if they were a quarterback in the open field, waiting to be sacked...

...but not to appear too intimidating (at least not yet), he also took some time to be cute and adorable...

...the fun didn't end there. Jonas also got to check out some swings...

...and he also got to ride on some cool playground equipment with Dad...

...and he even got to practice this ridiculous thing called walking that Mom and Dad keep telling him is all the rage...

...but since this was Mother's Day, the best moments this weekend were shared with the No. 1 lady in his life, who enjoyed watching her guy have such a good time.

Ode to Mom

It's Mother's Day and we would be remiss if we didn't wish a Happy Mother's Day to all our family and friends who hold the esteemed title of Mom. So, happy Mother's Day! And to honor the particular Mom who made this blog possible, we present some shots taken just yesterday of Mom and her favorite little guy doing what moms do best: enjoying tender day-to-day moments with their little ones.