cookie monster

We stopped by the grocery store today during our afternoon walk. I was craving something sweet so we looked around in the bakery. The women working the bakery counter oohed and aahed over Thomas. When they heard me say the cookies were for me and not for the baby, one of them quickly disappeared behind the counter and emerged with a cookie. A sugar cookie with M&Ms. All for Thomas. She handed him the cookie and he immediately put it to his mouth. This was his first sugary treat. Ever. We let him nibble on it but once he got about halfway through we decided he had probably had enough. When he saw I was going to take it from him, his reaction was swift. In less than a second the cookie was back in his mouth which was already full of cookie. What can I say? The boy likes his cookies. And so does his mom (and his dad, too!).

Bela's favorite pastime

sour face

Don't let the grimace fool you -- he actually liked the lime!

hello bubbles

Some gorgeous weather this week found Thomas and I playing in the backyard with the girls. All three of our kids love bubbles. The girls will jump around and bite the bubbles I blow. It's very cute and fun for Thomas. He thinks they are silly and laughs hysterically.

Happy Easter!

The Easter Bunny made a last minute decision to bring Thomas his first basket this year. He loved it! As do the dogs who have been spotted several times today carrying the stuffed M and soccer ball around the house. His parents enjoyed the chocolate treats.

11 months

Thomas got this walk-and-ride toy last weekend and he loves it. He'll push it around the living room, bumping into furniture and the dogs, too, if they aren't paying attention. Once in awhile he'll stop and put his arms up in the air as if to say "Look! No hands!!" and then he'll continue pushing it and bumping into things. He also loves to put things into the trunk (green thing in front) and take things out of the trunk. He puts them in and takes them out. Over and over and over...

Tulip Festival

The weather was absolutely gorgeous this afternoon in Woodburn for the annual Tulip Festival. Thomas' favorite part was a tractor-trailer thing that drove past while I was snapping these two photos of him.

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bump!

The exersaucer is so great. Whenever I need a free moment, in he goes. If I'm making dinner, he's in the exersaucer. If I'm outside doing something in the yard, he and the exersaucer are out there with me. But I think the end is nearing. He's beginning to pick it up and move it around which is still okay, but then he isn't always on the smoothest of surfaces. This last weekend he moved into onto the concrete pavers in the backyard. He was okay there, but once he began moving back to the smoother concrete surface, it caught on a paver and down he went. Fortunately the exersaucer broke his fall so it wasn't nearly as bad as it otherwise might have been. He cried for about one minute and then was right back to his happy self (his mom, on the other hand, took 20 minutes to recover). A little bump on the forehead and small scrapes on the nose and above his lip. Poor guy!

lessons at the zoo

Thomas really wants to walk. He wants to practice all the time, so this afternoon we did just that while at the zoo. The large lawn area with the stage is perfect for letting the kids run wild, picnics in the sunshine, and just taking a little break from zoo activities. In one exhibit, this lovely gazelle showed Thomas how the whole "walking around on two" thing is done.

Could he know?

Funny story to share...

I was making lunch this afternoon and had Thomas in his exersaucer hanging out in the kitchen with me. His is different than most in that it has three legs that touch the floor. One is a stationary leg and the other two have wheels so the exersaucer can either be moving or locked into a stationary position. These last few weeks, Thomas has taken to pulling up a corner and dragging the thing across the floor. He's able to move around a room with this nifty little trick.

So, I'm cooking on the stove and Thomas is spinning around in the exersaucer. He moves it around the kitchen and heads toward the hall. Somehow he is able to maneuver the thing around some corners and ends up getting it almost entirely into the bathroom. I know he's safe so I leave him alone and continue cooking. Then I hear him grunt. I look over and see what I affectionately refer to as "his poop face". When he finishes, he picks up a corner of the exersaucer and moves it back into the hall and toward the kitchen. He makes it into the kitchen where I scoop him up and take him back into the bathroom for a diaper change.

Could he really know? The kid amazes me.

[Note: This is not an April Fool's joke.]