Monday, August 16, 2010

Animal Lover

We had our first trip to the zoo this past weekend, Hank very much enjoyed the petting zoo...

uhhh..Dad? What is this thing?
hmmmmm...maybe we can be friends
Good ears for pulling
Loved the wooly lambs
He has had lots of practice petting big furry animals at home...Hank and Grady have become great buddies recently.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Road Trip 2010 Part 2

We decided to take the scenic route home from DC and drive through the mountains on the Blue Ridge Parkway and escape from the brutal summer heat we've been experiencing. Before we made it to the mountains we made a lunch stop at Great Aunt Susan's house in Charlottesville (not to be confused with Aunt Susie!). She had a fantastic lunch for us, and Hank enjoyed the break from the carseat for a while!

This trip was Hank's first true hiking/mountain experience, and I've never seen the boy laugh so hard as when he was riding in his backpack carrier with his Dad. We stayed the night at a fantastic lodge, the Bluffs Lodge high on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. It was a rustic lodge, with huge views of the mountains and the weather was amazing. It got down in the 60s at night, and we actually had to pull out some long sleeves! The best part of the lodge was the restaurant that had amazing southern cooking. Hank stuffed himself silly with corncakes and biscuits! A close second favorite to the backpack and corncakes was the wagon they had at the lodge. Johnny had Hank tearing around the parking lot at speeds that made mom very nervous. Nonetheless, Hank was belly laughing the entire time, so how could you say no?

We took a few short hikes along the way home, one to a waterfall (any falling water absolutely blows Hank's mind), and one to the highest point east of the Mississippi, Mt. Mitchell-Hank's first high point!! For a few moments he was the highest baby on the whole east coast! Next stop Mt. Rainier in September!
Hank ready to hike!
Flying down the hill in the wagon
First of many waterfall hikes


Hank's first high point!!

Checking out the waterfall with Dada
I love this shot of our family
Engrossed in the waterfall
Belly laughed the entire hike
Mama trying out the backpack! He's heavy!

Whew, that was a whirlwind trip for sure! But as everything is now, certainly a memorable one.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Road Trip 2010 Part 1

The first weekend of August we packed up the car and headed up to Washington DC for cousin Liz's wedding weekend. This was Hank's 3rd wedding in his 9 short months, so he's really getting to be an old pro on the wedding circut! We split the drive up into two days and spent time on the Blue Ridge Parkway on the way back. Hank is such a great traveler, he sleeps a good bit of the time, and spends the rest of his time playing with his toys, eating snacks, and looking out the windows chattering away in the backseat. We spent some time visiting the monuments in DC and looking for the president (no such luck :)). We got to ride the metro, a trolley, and a river boat (the reception was on a boat in the Potomac River). It was a great family gathering, and while Hank was initially a little weary of all the new faces, he quickly warmed up to everyone and was flashing his big smile and waving to anyone who was watching.
Hank on the riverboat at the reception
Our road warrior with all his car ride essentials!
No road trip is complete without a pit stop for dinner at the Cracker Barrell! Hank enjoyed his mashed potatoes, biscuits and green beans!
Trolley Ride in Alexandria
The Riverboat Hank's first train ride on the Metro Snack break! Checking out the grass on the National Lawn At the Lincoln Memorial reading the Gettysburg Address with Dad Washington Monument
Dancing with Aunt Susie at the reception
Dancing with Mom
Stay tuned for part 2-our trip home through the mountains and down the Blue Ridge Pkwy!

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

9 months old

This little man is keeping us busy these days. He's turned into a very efficient crawler, and can zip around the house and get into something faster than I can catch him! No matter how much I try to keep out of his reach, he still manages to find something new to tear apart! He crawls after the cats (mostly Grady cause he's the slowest) and gets to them, pulls their tail till they run away and the cycle continues. Poor kitties! He loves taking books, magazines, or any papers and spreading them out all over the place. Also a new trick is pulling to stand, and the beginnings of taking a few steps while standing. Luckilly, he is very chatty and is hardly ever quiet so I always know where he is even if I can't see him. I will hear him babbling away while investigating a cell phone or the remote. His favorite word is Dada, and it now officially means Dada. He will yell it with authority "DADA!!" if Johnny doesn't immediately acknowledge him. Mama is less common, but we tend to hear that one much more when he is tired or cranky (go figure). He will wave hello and byebye now, and a new favorite is "high fives". I've been introducing sign language to him and he pretty consistently does "all done" and "up" for me. I am thrilled that he is starting to communicate with us! His favorite song is still "Wheels on the Bus" and he immediately starts with the hand motions once we start singing. Not only does Hank enjoy singing about wheels, he is very intrigued with any toy that has wheels on it right now. He will push his stroller over just so he can investigate the wheels.

We've been having a great summer, lots of trips to the pool which include the splash fountains-a huge hit! He will stick his whole head in the middle of a sprinkler and just laugh and laugh. He's certainly not afraid to get his head wet! It's been a very hot summer ( as you can see from the pictures we have lots of "diaper days").

Hank has 4 teeth now-2 on top and 2 on bottom. He still eats some baby food, but really eats mostly table foods now. We've been working hard to get him to eat some of what we eat each night. We all sit at the table every night now for dinner together. He's a huge fan of cheerios, green beans, and oyster crackers right now :) He loves feeding himself (which is clear from the state of affairs on the floor under the kitchen table).

Never a dull moment in our lives! Happy 9 months little man!







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