For Anna...

Some Great Babysitters

While Mom and I were at the shower, Dad, Ryan and Susan watched Josiah for us. They took him to the park, gave him lots of cheese and learned that he doesn't like car washes. (I learned this too. Needless to say by the look of my car, he's never been through a car wash.)

Static in the winter time, sliding on plastic with thin hair

After the shower we went to Slope's for Josiah's first cheese biscuit. Mmmm...

The first thing Josiah did when he saw Pop was rub his head.

"Hat" Josiah notices everyone and everything wearing a hat.

"Hat"

This was after the shower at the coffeehouse. Josiah wanted to show Nana around.

Erin's Baby Shower

Carrie-Anne, Mom and I threw a casual, fun baby shower for dear Erin, who is expecting a little boy any day now. Her due date is Saturday, so we were just under the wire, but not out of the woods.

Erin, Emily, Me, Josiah, Carrie-Anne and Selah
The kiddos crashed the party at the end. Being with these women again is, as Erin described, "good for my soul." We're in such different places, so it's rare, but sweet when we get together.

Erin and Katie

We had the shower at a great local coffee house, Land of a Thousand Hills, which had incredible coffee and has a great mission as well to help Rwanda's people. It was wonderfully relaxed.

Some Berean moms, now becoming Berean grandmoms. My parents have been in the same Sunday school class for 25 years, and they're all starting to hit the third generation.

We all went ga-ga over this outfit.

The soon-to-be Aunt Anne

Emily, Anne R., Mom and Ellen

Anne C., Ellen and Ann G.

Carrie-Anne, Nita and Jan

Precious

I love it when he takes my hand to show me something. It's a precious moment that I know I need to savor. My little boy will not always want to hold my hand.

An Apple a Day

Tunnel

Nana and Pop brought the tunnels to our house. I think Josiah enjoys the fact that trains are surrounding him more than the fact he's going through a tunnel! These are terrible quality pictures, but the subject matter is cute.

Stopping to look at the choo-choos.

I made it!

Vroom

Cars/trucks/tractors/anything with wheels are hands down Josiah's favorite toy. He already had some, but received several more for Christmas. Each time I thought, "Oh dear, we do not need more cars." But I was wrong. It turns out a boy can never have enough cars.

He also can't have too many books about cars.

Cars and trucks are still "ackums", ambulances are "blu-blus" and tractors are "dada."

This is very serious business. He has lots of car noises too.

Even this zebra has wheels.

5-5-5

Post (with description) the 5th photo found in the 5th folder (etc.) in your My Pictures folder, then tag 5 friends to do the same.

Carrie-Anne tagged me with this, and it seemed fun. This is what I landed on, and what a fun picture. This is my brother Parker, and his wife, Rachel, at their wedding on July 3, 2004. Jonathan was a groomsman, and I was a bridesmaid. It was such a sweet day because my brother had married a most excellent wife, who is also a dear friend. I'm blessed beyond measure to have both of them in my life. The wedding was also fun because I knew so many people: family, college friends, church friends and family friends. It was like being at my wedding, only with the chance to have a conversation. My cousin Ryan, also a groomsman, spied a lovely woman named Susan at this wedding, and three years later, we were dancing at their wedding.

I tag:

Rachel, appropriately 

Leslie

Kristen Stewart

Kristen McCutchen

Janie

January Oh Baby

We had a great turnout for Oh Baby this month with six babies from three months to 16 months. Leah and her little girl Bailey hosted.

Josiah, Will, Brantley, Bailey, Jack and Anna

Brantley is apparently the only one who knows to smile for the camera.

"Mama, why are you making me sit?"

Bailey has had enough!

Seriously, enough! Jack says, "Work with me people."

Josiah is out of here. See you babies later!

Josiah and Jack were fascinated with Leah's dog, Tito. Josiah was always taking my hand and leading me to the dog where he would bark non-stop.
I promise we didn't plan their coordinated outfits.

Josiah and Jack learning to share. They both loved Bailey's cell phone, and unfortunately Leah couldn't find it after the playdate. I hoped this hadn't happened, but I told Leah to check her trash can. Sure enough...yikes! Sorry Bailey!

I snatched this one from Melanie's site from our outing to the library's story time last week. It's fun having a boy around that's close to Josiah's age.

Mastering the Spoon

I feel like I've posted a lot of pictures of Josiah in this high-chair, but it's a really easy time to snap pictures. When we were NC, Grammy helped Josiah master his spoon technique, and he's getting better and better. He's still using an overhand grip of course, but most of it gets in his mouth most of the time.

Car Wash

I found a little surprise as I was unloading the dishwasher.

Dancing

My favorite things about this video:

• Shows Josiah's "dancing." He does this with his toys that play music, and most often to "Old McDonald."
• Shows his running. Jonathan claims that he "got this from me." I think I remember showing him how to run and thinking it necessitated a prolonged yell.
• The awkward social interaction with the girl at the end.
  

Baby and Me

My friend Melanie and her little boy Jack invited us to go to "Baby and Me" at one of our local libraries. The lady did interactive songs, and the kids played with instruments and scarves and a parachute. It was really a fun program.

Most of the children did this...

My child...

Most of the kids sat attentively in their mother's laps, but Josiah decided to lead a rebellion. The leader was a doing a song about monkeys with a puppet where you could take the monkeys off the tree. Josiah went and retrieved the first monkey that "fell down." The rest of the children followed suit with the remaining monkeys. Then he went and got his instrument back out of the box, and the rest of the kids followed suit. Not sure if this was a bad-mommy moment or just letting him have his independence. It was a small group, and no one seemed to mind. At least I hope not.

Melanie showed him the lion afterward, and he showed her his roar. Isn't Jack adorable?