Jim turned thirty this week! He took the day off work so we could relax and enjoy the great weather. Every year, Jim asks for the same thing for his birthday: to ski at Long Lake. And every year it rains. Or we can’t find someone to ski with us. So we haven’t skiied on Long Lake on his birthday since 1997. Seriously.

But this year it was ninety degrees and we have our own boat, so Jim was in heaven. We spent nine straight hours on the boat, and it was awesome. Jim said it was the best birthday ever!

First things first… here is JT giving Dad his birthday present: new board shorts to wear in the boat.

JT took his morning nap sitting up in Grandpa Keene’s lap with his life vest on while we skiied. Too funny!

We went swimming throughout the day to keep JT cool. And then we reapplied sun screen!

In the afternoon, Grandpa Cole decided to join us on the boat. Here are the two retired Grandpas living it up in the sunshine.

And here is our “Jim is 30” family photo.

Around dinner time, Grandma Keene delivered hot Spiro’s pizza to the boat. JT figured out how to drink out of Grandma’s water bottle, so you can guess where all her water went. At least he stayed hydrated. 🙂

We think the way JT sits in the stroller is pretty funny. He’s really into relaxing, I guess.

When we got home from the race, JT and Jim took some time to lounge on the couch while I made lunch. Then we all took a nap! JT likes to hold someone else’s hands and help them clap, and that’s what is in this Flip Clip.

In the afternoon, we went to my cousin’s wife’s baby shower. JT thought Great Aunt Linda’s “stinky toes” game was hilarious! He also got a shoulder ride from Grandpa Cole.

We had a very busy week… if you haven’t noticed, this was my third posting. So keep scrolling! 🙂

We spent time on three different lakes this week. Yeah, life is tough. Here is JT getting sunblocked before our morning on Lake Sammamish on Monday.

And here he is waiting in the boat for our new friend (and cool life insurance agent) Vanessa to arrive so we can hit the water.

On Tuesday, we invited Jen and Asher to hang out on Lake Sawyer with us. We got to visit Lisa on her parent’s dock while we were there. It was so hot that we took the boys in for a swim.

This week JT got to test out his very own bowl. Of course, it is the kind that suctions to the tray. It matches his spoon and fork, and he loved it. He kept giggling and grinning and showing me his spoon. I think he felt very empowered. The Flip Clip is from the beginning; the picture is from the end.

The other Flip Clip this week is pretty simple… JT is pushing his elephant train toy around. Recently he has figured out that the elephant and the other animals that attach to it can be pushed around the room, and that is great fun.

Since gaining more confidence in his mobility skills, JT is interested in everything he can get close to. He is pulling (or pushing) himself to standing and can climb up the two stairs from the lawn to the deck without any help.

Here he is helping with the laundry and getting ready to go in the car.

Since the weather has been so nice, we have permanently moved his portable high chair to the deck. We eat lots of meals out there in the summer, and JT enjoys having his own spot at the table. He has figured out he can rock the chair, but other than that it is business as usual. He is pictured here eating diced chicken, shredded carrots, and cheese. For dessert he had watermelon and LOVED it. Since Jim is allergic to watermelon, it’s not around our house very often.

Everyone in western Washington is pretty excited about the nice weather we’ve been having. On top of it all, it looks like Memorial Day will be seventy and sunny. This is very rare, and we are thrilled.

The first Flip Clip this week is of Slider, who I’m sure you all think is very neglected. On hot days, she loves to chase the water from the hose. There was a whole two minutes of this, but really, how much can you watch someone else’s dog chase water? 🙂

On to sunny weather… we’ve been enjoying the backyard and our neighborhood park. Some outdoor shots this week:

Thanks, Hollanders, for the awesome new play balls!

Checking out the kids going by on their bikes from the slide

Pulling weeds in the backyard with Mom
Dad says the hat is pretty dorky…

Helping Dad barbecue dinner means swinging in the hammock until the steaks are done!

We can’t believe we’ve been going to swim lessons for six months already. In the fall, JT will move up to the next class. For now, he’s still loving splashing around with Jim every week.

All of the sudden, JT figured out how to tip his sippy cup back to get every last drop. He has applied this new knowledge to cup drinking as well. As you can see, this means every last drop is all over him and his surroundings. Too cute!

We don’t mind letting JT explore around the house, as long as what he’s doing isn’t going to get him hurt. So when he opens the pantry door and takes things out, I think, no big deal. Then he figured out how to open the puffs container, and *swish* – puffs all over the floor. He hasn’t gotten banned from the pantry, but he had to help clean up the puffs. 🙂

We love playing catch with the giant stuffed baseball from Grandma Cole. You can’t really tell from this clip, but now JT leans and grabs it with both hands without us having to hand it directly to him. So fun!

JT barely played catch long enough for the video because he was SO FOCUSED on getting to the camera. So I recorded that, too.

And finally, the stairs. JT has been going up the first stair all week. Since we don’t have baby gates, this means more supervision of the stairs when we’re downstairs. But today Jim decided to let him go and follow him up. We have one very long flight of stairs, and JT made it almost to the top (four to go) before he got tired and stopped. We cheered when he made it to the top, and JT clapped for himself. Very exciting.

That’s right, we’re into double digits. We decided to take some pictures in the backyard to commemorate the occasion. That’s Grandma Cole’s hand helping JT keep his balance. He loves to stand up (and loves to push himself up to standing) but is still a little wobbly!

Hooray, flowers!

Playing in the bathroom while Mommy gets ready
Love those “big boy” pajamas!

Ah, the vacuum cleaner hose – a good distraction from the ironing board 🙂

You may have noticed the buzz cut. JT was sadly overdue for a trim, and Jim got out the clippers and the same guard as last time. We hadn’t noticed how much JT’s hair had grown, and suddenly an inch and a half of handsome baby hair was sitting in a pile on the counter. Oops. We decided that next time it won’t get so short. But for now, we’ll just load up on sunscreen and skip the hair brush.

The week’s Flip Clip is JT playing with his nesting boxes. He has to have his binky or he will just chew on the boxes, and they’re not made for that. In and out… in and out…

It was sooooo fun being a mother on Mother’s Day. At church, there is a whole tradition that I got to be a part of this year. Our pastor came up and told me, “Happy first Mother’s Day.” I got a flower from JT when I picked him up from nursery. The checker at Safeway congratulated me on being a mother. I got three “Happy Mother’s Day” text messages. I got cards from my parents and in-laws. And that was all before noon!

Jim, JT, and I went out on the boat on Lake Sammamish today. We packed a picnic lunch and books and just floated around. We oohed and ahhed over some of the gigantic houses and watched a float plane take off and land a few times. Jim took this great picture of JT and me (my new favorite, I think) right before I opened my present and card.

The boys even got some relax time in… JT fell asleep in his life jacket and we moved him to his nap spot, a cozy little place in the shade that we plan to utilize much this summer.

We got home and had pizza and watched a movie. I couldn’t have asked for better!

Poetic picture of the week – did you know balloons don’t make shadows?

Anyway… we had a great time skiing this week, as usual, and our friend Vivian rode along to take pictures. Here’s a couple. And yes, we’re wearing dry suits. The water temperature has barely broken sixty!

JT has also decided that crawling outside is really fun. Today he took a header off the patio and landed in the beauty bark – no tears, though, and the bark in his hair brushed right out. Usually he goes straight for underneath the table on the deck. Maybe it’s like a little fort.

For Cinco de Mayo (but mostly because I love to host), we had a dinner party. Recognize anything? About a year and a half ago, the same four women posed in a picture, but all four were pregnant with the kids that they’re now holding! Click here for the original picture from January 2008. Now the two on the right are pregnant again – both due in October. So next year the kids will almost outnumber the adults… which is a little scary.

Jim and JT got in the tub together this week. Too cute. Jim used the alphabet letters to do some teaching about science. 🙂

JT has become more interested in finger foods, which is fun. Chicken, cheese, puffs, and green beans and among his favorites. He’ll also munch on grated apple or asparagus spears, as you see below. He’s also been very hungry. All that moving around the house burns a lot of calories!

This week JT started pulling up to standing on his own. He thinks he is pretty cool! Just tonight he started the beginning of cruising: he moved from his blocks basket to me, and from me to the coffee table, all by himself while holding on to things. It was pretty fun to watch. The good news is that he has no problem getting down when he’s done.

He also started clapping. So fun!

Sunday: Grandpa and Grandma Keene come babysit while Jim and I have a date with the Skagens for Adam’s birthday. JT is so tuckered out he falls asleep on Grandma Keene… who doesn’t seem too bothered by it. 🙂

Monday: JT and I invite Jen and Asher to the park to play with us. The boys enjoy the slides, the swings, and, most of all, the daisies, pinecones, and leaves in the grass.

Thursday: JT gets to hold his own spoon during breakfast. He thinks it is pretty fun. He also gets to help drive the boat when we go skiing.

Friday: Jen and I hit the JBF sale and loaded up on toys, books, and clothes for our sons. I get a great set of nesting boxes for $2.50 (and they have already provided much entertainment). JT is just learning to take things out and put them back in, so this is good timing.

Saturday: Grandpa and Grandma Cole, who are bored with the rainy weather, come over to visit. I forgot to take pictures, but JT and Grandpa did play with another new toy: the Tonka truck. JT can ride on it or the seat flips up so he can stand behind it and hold on. He walked two whole steps holding on with Grandpa’s encouragement… and of course, learned to beep the horn his first time on. 🙂

One of the first things JT heads for with his newfound skill is the book basket. There is one in his room and one in the family room, and he knows right where they are. As a teacher, this makes me thrilled. He pulls them out of the basket, as if he’s looking for a specific one, and then finally chooses one to play with. He chews on them, which we discourage, but if he has a binky in his mouth he will just sit and play with the book for quite a while.

This week Grandma Cole treated me to our favorite Chinese restaurant, and JT enjoyed chillin’ in his chair while we ate. I included the second, not-so-adorable picture because people often comment on his big blue eyes… and sure enough, there they are!

JT is just starting to pull up. For this first picture, I helped him, but he stood there for awhile all by himself. Note the cool Star Wars shirt I found for him!

As I was writing this, I realized I didn’t have a Flip Clip from this week. Then I saw what JT was doing and decided to record it for this week’s clip. Give the kid a rope, and he’s a happy guy. (He’s been sitting there for twenty minutes now…)

Please note that this activity is closely monitored by an adult, and we don’t let him gnaw on the cord. 🙂