Jumpin' Jacks

We got invited to go to Jumpin' Jacks with the Manis fam to celebrate Noah's birthday.  It was $4 Thursday so we'll definitely do that again.

He didn't "get it" at first but he warmed up to it.  When Logan got home and asked how it went I told him that I could see ALL of Chapter's teeth the whole time because he was smiling so big.  We went down a couple big slides but it seemed a bit treacherous to climb up them holding a toddler.  You have to wear socks (so it's slippery) and the toe holds really aren't designed for adult feet.  We only did it a few times but Chap liked the slides a lot.

Valentine's Day

This is me being a slacker and staging Valentine's pictures today, the last day of February.
We had a lot of fun though, we went to lunch with Daddy and we had a scavenger hunt and a giant heart shaped rice krispie.  Chap also looked extra adorable in his V-day Tee:)

Chap got lots of goodies.  Mommy and Daddy got him a Lightning McQueen fork, spoon, and twisty straw.  (Not that he knows who that is, he just needed cutlery, haha).  He got the Little People Valentine's set from Aunt Kristy, Aunt Katie got him heart shaped noodles, a pillowcase, and a Valentine Postage Stamp bear.  It's super cuddly and cute.  Grandma M sent him a card and a whole box of goodies.  So many goodies that we haven't eaten them all yet.  

And I just threw this one in because it's a great representation of his eye color.  Still not sure what they are but they sure aren't brown.  He has a cute green hoodie that makes them green as grass.  Is this what Hazel eyes are?  

Cousins

Chapter and I got to tend West and Legacy for a couple hours one day while their parents went to Vegas and before Anisa got out of school.  West is the closest aged cousin to Chapter and it was fun to have them over.  Legacy is a great baby tender and was so nice to Chap.

This is them playing in what we affectionately call "The Monstrosity".  Kristy gave it to him for Christmas and he is still wild about it and plays in it everyday.  

Yard Work (Skid Steer)

Apparently working for an excavation tycoon has its perks.  Logan borrowed a Skid Steer from his boss one weekend in January and ripped our yard to bits:)

Chapter and I headed up to my mom's for the day because we both knew that if Chapter knew Daddy was outside playing, he would think he needed to be to.  I didn't think I could handle keeping him out of the path of destruction, so we left.  Before we left though, Chap went for a short ride.

Logan wasn't exactly stellar at taking pictures once I left, but he ripped out our half of the abandoned ditch that lines our property.  This is huge progress in making our lot more usable space.  It's actually almost a half acre but it feels smaller than a lot of our friends' yards that are much smaller because it's oddly shaped and slope-y.  

Also, check out that sweet block wall and block in the background.  As I mentioned we have a lot of slopes.  My brother bought a house up in Elsinore to flip or rent out and it had piles of this rock in the yard.  We went up one weekend and got it with Ron in his truck.  I'm a little sentimental about it because it's from my hometown.  There are a ton of old outbuildings up there built from this (and even the local landmarks like the white rock schoolhouse and the recreation hall).  Plus it's always nice to have things that remind you of your old hometown in your new one:) 

16 Months

It's mornings like this one that make me both happy and sad; when my monkey wakes up and I swear he has grown since I tucked him into bed last night.  I'm so terrified that I'm not going to remember this.  I feel guilty for every moment I wasn't completely enjoying this and soaking him up. He's amazing.
 He's getting so big, at 16 months now he can do so many things he couldn't do just a couple months ago.  He knows where his nose and his belly are (the rest of his face is still a gamble at this point).  He answers your questions with "yeah" or "no" (he's been doing that for a month or more).  He's very independent and loves to play at the park and even climbs up and goes down the slide alone. We had some really awesome weather in January and we went to the park a lot.  We also helped daddy build a wall in our yard one weekend and Chap LOVES to be outside. He begs to go outside everyday and he points at the door or window and give the most convincing speech.  He climbs on everything.  He likes to ride in the wheelbarrow.  He loves getting tickled and being upside-down.  And he hands down gives the best hugs ever (sorry Logan).  My little man is getting so big and we love him so much!