Aunt Amy...

My mom picked this flower for me to give you for your birthday.

But I knew I wouldn't see you for a few weeks, and it wouldn't ship well, so I decided the best option would be...

To eat it.

I knew you'd think it was a good idea.
I love you! Happy Birthday!

Ruffner Mountain Hike

Jonathan has had this week off, so we've been trying to do some fun family things, but also keeping it very relaxing for him. We planted our garden and some flowers in the front. We considered going camping, but realized that would be a little bit complicated with a baby. So we decided to a do a miniature camping experience at Ruffner Mountain. It's only about ten minutes away (when you have the right directions).

I think he likes it!

Jonathan doesn't like to use the Bjorn for hiking, or a stroller, and we don't have a backpack, so we just carry him. Which puts Josiah in some interesting positions...

We made it to the quarry, which is the highlight of the hike. We liked this trail because it was very quiet and undiscovered.

Yes that's me and the boy.

Here I'm showing him how to eat a rock. OK, I was trying to prevent him from eating it, but it looks like I'm feeding him.

Jonathan taking the road less traveled.

Showing the boy some flowers.

Our plan was to hike and then make a campfire and cook hot dogs and smores, but it rained after we got back from the hike. So we came home, put Josiah down for a nap and had our own picnic on our back porch.

7 Months

Daddy was around for this photo shoot to help me get some smiles.

Oh Bear, I'm glad we're friends.

Look how tall I am now!

Mr. Bear, you're so short I could punch you in the face.

7-Month Observations:
-Isn't doing a full-out crawl yet, but is definitely doing a forward army-crawl and lots of rolling. We have to keep an eye on him now during his play time because he can get around the whole floor.
-Is doing well with solids. So far he's tried rice cereal, oatmeal, applesauce, bananas, carrots, sweet potatoes, pears, apricots, peaches. He likes them all pretty well, but I would say rice cereal and applesauce is his favorite combo so far.
-He's babbling like crazy, but in spurts during the day. He says "Dada," but we don't think it's an actual association. We've been trying some sign language with him, and we think he's done the sign for 'drink' back to us.
-Funny story: In the grocery store yesterday, I was putting some baby food in the cart. Josiah saw it and starting grunting and opened his mouth really wide like he does when he's eating it. He definitely recognized it.

More Family Pictures

Josiah got to meet Great Aunt Marisa for the first time. She wasn't crazy about him at all.

With Cousin Ryan

Snuggling with GP. GP let him play with remote, so he was very content. He LOVES our remote, but we normally don't let him play with it.

Finally getting a nap!

Meeting Sandy. Sandy was very interested and very sweet to Josiah. The cat was also curious, but also scared.

Cousin Hank going fishin' - the professional at work.

Jaclyn trying her hand at feeding.

Granny Parker couldn't make it down, but she sent this sweet bunny to Josiah. It played Jesus Loves Me.

With Uncle Ronnie

And Aunt Gail

Mimi and GP babysat him on Monday night so Jonathan could have a date night (our first one since he was born!). We played putt-putt and arcade games and went out to dinner. We had a blast!

Page Family Picture

Uncle Parker and Aunt Rachel

Parker and Rachel came down from Boston for the weekend to warm up (and then we had snow flurries on Monday) and eat some barbecue. Oh and to see their nephew!

Happy Easter!

We're a little behind in blogging, but we just got back from spending Easter weekend in Atlanta. We had a house full of family/Josiah-admirers. I'll probably post in multiple entries, so here is Josiah's official Easter portrait.

Note: He was pretty happy for most of the weekend, despite his lack of smiling in the pictures. Most of that is due to sleep deprivation, so that's my fault, not his.

My debonair look

Oooo, dry grass, that's a fun toy.

I smell something funny...maybe it's me.

Shrimp and Grits Casserole

Here is a boring non-baby post. I've been trying to do more casseroles lately, since I can prepare them during naps or the night before, so I'm not as rushed at dinner time. This one is from this month's issue of Cooking Light, and it was very tasty. And a different starch for those of you who are stuck in a rut of potatoes, rice or pasta (as we often are). I left off the fresh chives because they're expensive, but we definitely recommend the hot pepper sauce with it.

Shrimp and Grits Casserole

2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter
1 (3-ounce) package 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 large egg whites
1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp, coarsely chopped
Cooking spray
Hot pepper sauce (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Combine milk and broth in a medium heavy saucepan; bring to a boil. Gradually add grits and salt to pan, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cook 5 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in Parmesan, butter, and cream cheese. Stir in parsley and next 4 ingredients (through shrimp). Spoon mixture into an 11 x 7–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until set. Serve with hot pepper sauce, if desired.

Easter Basket Special Delivery

We got a special package in the mail yesterday. Grammy and Granddaddy Moseley sent their Easter basket! Grammy always finds fun, special things for Easter baskets, so it's always exciting to see what's inside.

Reunited with the crunchy block.
After he enjoyed so much the one Grammy borrowed for our trip to NC, she went and found the set online for him. When I opened the package and found the crunchy one (there are four and they make different noises), I crunched it for him and his eyes got really big and he lunged for it. He definitely remembered it.

These other blocks are fun too.

They also sent some really wonderful books that tell the Easter story and help focus kids on the true reason for celebrating the holiday. They're called "My Easter Basket" and "Let's Celebrate Jesus on Easter" if you have kids and are looking for some good ones.
They also sent the aforementioned "Hello Ramses" just in time for for NCAA tournament.

The boxes were almost as much fun as the presents.
Not pictured are some great teethers. He actually really chewed on them. Most of the time he just tastes them and throws them down.

The big kids also got some fun things too! As many of you know, Peeps are near and dear to my heart. I'll have to find some people around here to share the broiling tradition. There was also a fun Peep bubble blower, which is probably actually for Josiah, but I was very excited about it. A fun salt & pepper shaker and hand towel, and Jello for making Jiggler eggs, a Moseley tradition.

Thanks for my great Easter basket! I love you!

Too Cool

These glasses last about 4 minutes before Josiah turns them into a toy. They were my attempt to keep the sun out his eyes on our walks. But hey, he still look too cool for a few minutes.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

We had a lovely Saturday watching the ACC tournament and doing some yard work. Josiah came outside to supervise a few projects. (Note: He takes off this hat on his own as well.)

"Dad, I think the garden should go a little more to the right. Mommy's tomatoes need more sunlight. And I think we're going to need a little more fertilizer."