The Zoo

Ian had his first trip to the zoo last week! We took him to the Memphis Zoo. He had so much fun. The weather was great, and the zoo was not too crowded. Here are a few pictures from our latest family adventure.

Of course he and his Daddy has to ride the carousel. He loves this!

He also liked the sea lions. He ran back and forth.........

.....and back and forth chasing them for the longest time!

Look what hatched from that egg!

Of course he had to pet the "moo-cows."

He spent lots of time on Daddy's shoulders. It was this or walk. He did not want to ride in the stroller at all. What a big boy he is!

Ian really enjoyed looking at the pandas. This one was having lunch.

Sneaking a peak at some more animals.

This was near the end of our day. Ian liked watching the model train on the left side of the picture.

Look at this little explorer! He did a great job of smiling for the camera this time.

Here is our little family as we exited the zoo. Ian's first trip to the Memphis Zoo was really fun. We all had such a great time. The next time we go we should have one more little one in our photo!

Easter

Here are a few pictures from our Easter.

Making "monster" eggs with Mommy.

Looking so seriously for those eggs...............

Jackpot!
Found another one!

And celebrating with Daddy!

Ian's first big catch!

Today we took Ian on his first official fishing trip. Frank fixed him a pole and off to the pond we headed. Ian had been talking about going fishing all week. He really had fun. First, he had to pick out his spot.

Then, Frank helped him get his pole ready and put his hook in the pond.

Waiting was the hardest part!

But it didn't take long before he got a bite. Then he started pulling it in.

With his big catch finally to the pond bank, he was ready to check it out.

He watched very carefully as his Daddy took the fish off the hook.

Ian was very proud of his first big fish!

He wasn't very interested in holding it himself, though.

He was ready to go again once he released the fish back into the pond.

Ian really likes fishing with Daddy!

And he is also very good at getting his line all tangled up.....

When he was ready to go, he thought it would be a good idea to release the worms. So, he poured them all out of the cup! What a fun day with the family! Soon, our little girl will be joining us for these days!

Christmas!

Christmas comes but once a year - and if it were more we would have to find a bigger place to live! Santa (and all of the other little elves) must have thought Ian was a super good boy this year. Here is a peak at his favorite time of the year.

Searching for whatever is in the bottom of his stocking...........

Waking up still - and trying to decide what to take apart first!

Did you know that Daniel Boone was the conductor of Thomas the Tank Engine?

He had to go outside and ride his four-wheeler as soon as he got it.

Ready for the farm - when he can reach the pedals on his Ford tractor.

Saying "cheese" for the camera!

Standing on the sit-n-spin.

And riding his new tricycle. I think he has more vehicles than his mommy and daddy now!

So funny - when Frank helped him open the bag, he yelled "My tricycle!" like he knew it was coming or something. But, everything is "mine" these days.

And finally, giving Santa some love and a complementary ride in the Cozy Coupe for being so generous this year. What a loving little fellow!

Being Thankful.

Thanksgiving had a deeper meaning for us this year. On November 3, my family lost a dear man - my grandfather. So, even though this Thanksgiving was a sad one for us, it was also a time to reflect and be thankful for all of the wonderful blessings and time together that the Lord has blessed us with. Here are a few pics of Thanksgiving and other things Ian has been doing over the last month.

Ian loved playing in the leaves at Glenda and Wesley's house. He is still asking to go see Maggie!

And here he is saying "cheese" for the camera.

Our little family on Thanksgiving Day.

Look at this handsome little man!

Don't be deceived -- he was not even thinking about napping at this point!

Ian found this backpack and wanted to put it on. Then he said,"I go to school. I ride school bus."

He loves to listen to Frank's MP3 player. He will dance and dance!

Fall is here!

Finally, some cooler weather. Ian and I have enjoyed being able to play outside in the afternoons now that the weather has cooled off some. October was a great month for us! Ian is talking like crazy! He is even making sentences. He can repeat anything you say (I have to remind myself of that often!), and "No" is his favorite word! He has even started singing along with some of his favorite cartoon songs. Here is a little bit of what we did this past month.

We played in the sprinkler. Can you believe it was still hot enough in October to play in the sprinkler?!? Ian LOVED it!

I guess when all else fails, just attack it with the golf club!

We snacked....alot! Here is our little Elmo. Frank brought him this shirt from Minnesota. Ian loves Elmo!

We napped. Notice the bobo on his chin. I still can't figure out where this one came from?

We got clean. Ian loves to "play in the bubbles." But he just doesn't like to get dressed after he gets out of the tub. We are lucky to even get a towel around him most nights!

We invented new toys. You can see here that he turned one of my bowls into a hat. I gave up trying to get it back weeks ago. But he looks so cute when he runs around with it on his head yelling "hat."

And we did some trick or treating. Ian was a puppy this year. He actually liked wearing his costume.

Look out! Here comes one cute puppy!