Drumming Prodigy

Some of our readers may have seen this already, but it's worth posting for the future historical record. That is to say, the record we'll want to return to when Jonas tours the world as a drummer, following in the footsteps of quite a few of his immediate relatives. Note the technique between hardwood and carpet. Dad couldn't be prouder.

Big Boy

The last week or two have definitely been a transition period for Jonas, who continues to say more and do more. And sometimes when we take his picture, he even seems like he has become a big boy overnight.

Woof!

As we mentioned, Jonas had an amazing week of firsts this past week. That included surprising Dad while we were reading a story the other day and hearing Jonas make the sound of a lion when he saw a picture of one—something Mom and Dad had yet to go over with him. Seems he's picking up all sorts of things at school. Fortunately, Jonas has figured out a sound that Mom and Dad have gone over with him about 8 million times, that being the sound a dog makes. Here's a quick video of Jonas attempting to make those sounds, sometimes successfully. If you watch close enough, you'll also see one of his first attempts to get up on those feet without the aid of a chair or anything to stand up on.

Stuffing

Dad was traveling this week and maybe it's because he was gone or maybe just because, but it seems like Jonas had one of those weeks where he transitioned from baby to little boy. It started last Sunday when Jonas gave Dad a great Father's Day present—by figuring out how to stand up on his own, working his way up the side of the coffee table at long last. But earlier that day, we knew something was up when Jonas' appetite, which has always been good, went into another gear. On a morning breakfast outing, Jonas caught the eye of a fellow eater...

...and seeing how it could be done, the stuffing was on...

...and on...

...and on...

...and on...

...slowing down, but still on...

...until finally, peace...

...that big-boy appetite has continued all week with no end in sight. Fifteen months old, and already starting to make the cupboards bare.

Same Old Story

Jonas may have entered a new class at daycare, but based on this first report from his teachers, some things never change.

Decisions

Jonas began spending time in a new classroom at his daycare this week with older kids who, among other things, only drink from sippy cups. Jonas is still pretty attached to his bottles, but has shown himself entirely capable of drinking from a cup if he wants to. Watching all those kids drinking from all those cups, he's bound to make the switch soon. But as you can see here, he's still trying to decide which he likes best at home.

Having a Seat

Jonas has been seemingly more interested in getting up on his feet in recent days, but this weekend, on a stroll through downtown Castle Rock, he decided he'd had enough and sat down for a rest. A cute, adorable rest.

Cookie Monster

For the first time, Jonas got to experience the joy of the free cookie for kids at the local supermarket this weekend. And oh what a joy it was. Jonas seemed to dig his crumb-face right from the start...

...and it wasn't long before he was a drooly, cookie-stained mess...

...all in all, one of the happiest trips to the store ever.

Father and Son

In honor of Father's Day, today we bring you some of Dad's favorite shots of him and his little guy hanging out, from the horrors of Jonas' first bath, to the fun of his first Colorado football uniform, to Jonas' ongoing efforts to figure out this walking thing. Thanks Jonas for being such a cool dude!

Wildlife Experience

Dad and Jonas went on a fun adventure this week to a little place called the Wildlife Experience near our place. It was filled with nearly real animals that Jonas didn't seem to know what to make of. For starters, Jonas seemed more than a bit concerned by the Megaladon exhibit—the largest shark that ever lived...

...but soon enough, he was touching sharks' teeth and having a fun time at it...

...as for the elephants, well, Jonas remained a bit unsure...

...in fact, the part Jonas seemed to like the best was the play area, where he got to build dams like a beaver, and practice his standing as well...

...but perhaps it comes as no surprise to learn his absolute favorite part of the wildlife experience. That came in the form of some blocks in the play area with (what else?) — cars...

...leave it to Jonas to find the only cars in the place. Maybe not so wild, but a life experience nonetheless.

Messing Around

Dad likes this shot of Jonas and Mom messing around on the front lawn. Not sure who's having a better time.

Step Son

Mom and Dad have been working hard with Jonas on taking those first steps. With a little support, he has shown himself to be capable of accomplishing the feat, even if he isn't entirely capable of accomplishing it with his feet in the right position...

...but it is pretty cute to watch. On that note, here's some Bonus Jonas video footage of Mom trying to encourage the Bug Guy on.

Cutie Pie

Here's another adorable shot of our adorable little guy. He's smiling because his cousins are jumping up and down on the other side of the camera, something that gave Jonas pleasure to no end.

Put Me Down!

We've been continuing to work on Jonas' standing skills and while he is entirely capable of doing it...

...let's just say he doesn't enjoy the experience for very long...

Car Show Fun

Mom saw an advertisement the other day for a car show in nearby Littleton and we decided that nothing sounded better for our car-obsessed little boy. So off we went to the show this morning and what a great time we had. Jonas enjoyed being held as he scouted out the cool rides with his Mom and Pop...

...he took a liking to just about everything, but for some reason he seemed especially excited about a red Corvette...

...once Mom peeked inside, she saw why. Seems Jonas was more excited about the toy Corvette on the seat than the real thing...

...in fact, the vehicles that excited Jonas the most seemed to be the ones that were there in support. We spent a long time looking at a nearby riding lawn mower. And then he saw this van that belonged to a repair service, and he went nuts with his inspection...

...he even had to get down to get a close look at the tires...

...he also seemed pretty happy to see some of the display booths, including one for the Butterfly Pavilion. Based on this, looks like we have another adventure coming...

...while Jonas had his own unique taste in things to see at the car show, Mom bee-lined toward her dream car, which wasn't just on display—it was for sale. Suddenly, $45,000 didn't seem like that much to Mom once the owner let her sit in his red 1988 Porsche 911 Carrera...

...after watching Mom have such a good time, the excitement became infectious for Jonas, and it wasn't long before he tried to lay claim to his own set of wheels in the Porsche section...

...but after learning that car wasn't for sale, Jonas had another idea. So, he set off for some shade and put his own sweet ride on display: A 2011 six-wheel, convertible Combi Umbrella Stroller. Just look at those rims!

...all in all, a fun day at the car show and a time that Jonas will likely not soon forget.

Jonas Wearhouse

On those Men's Wearhouse commercials, the guy is always assuring men that they're going to like the way they look, he guarantees it. So it was with Jonas this morning, who got to wear a shirt with a real-life tractor on it. He seemed skeptical at first, but once he saw himself in the mirror, he liked the way he looked. We could have guaranteed it.

New Trucks

There may be no cooler site than watching your little boy play with new trucks you've bought him. Jonas got three cool trucks (or "das" in his world...) just because Dad couldn't resist this week. They've even got magnets to keep them together, should he ever want to do such a crazy thing. Apparently, they're much more fun to play with while they're apart.

Hey Ladies

Oh, hey ladies. How you doin? Oh, you checking out my crib? Pretty awesome, huh? Yeah, that's right. That's a plane over there. And a truck. Pretty fantastic, I know. Why don't you come on in here and I'll point to them for you. Yeah, we can just sit here under my mobile that also has planes and trucks and we can just point to them. All night long.

On the Move

Dad likes this shot of our little man in motion, doing his thing with his cars and trucks.

Back to Himself

Jonas is back to his old self this morning, the first time in over a week that we can say that. It's nice to have him back. To appreciate his transition from sick mess to healthy boy, here's a shot from last week and one from this morning. Nice to have him back...