{Fun with Dad}

This is from a while ago. It still makes me laugh when I hear Jonas laughing so hard. He ALWAYS laughs with Dad. (They're BFF's :])

{Jonas' 2 Year Old Pictures}

Our talented friend, Diana, took the most amazing pictures of Jonas for his 2nd birthday. Taking pictures of Jonas is hard work. He won't look at the camera. He turns in every direction that you are not. He refuses to smile. So poor (7 month pregnant) Diana really had her work cut out for her on this one. I felt so bad that Jonas was so uncooperative, but Di got some amazing shots. I love every one of them. Even if there is cookie on his face and no smiles. The pictures are beautiful Di. Thanks for sharing your talent with us :)

This is my favorite picture.

{Nothing Much}

We've been pretty boring around here lately. The weather has been hot and sticky mixed with some serious Thunderstorms. I've been contemplating a move to a state with LESS severe weather threats.

Jonas and I went to the Butterfly gardens with our friends a few weeks back. I need to take him back to explore the area more. He wasn't so thrilled with the butterfly's. Well...he loved them..but he loved them too much. He wanted to pick them up and show them to me. The workers there about had heart failure. He means well :)

This is the best picture I could get of Jonas looking at the camera.

We made a trip to IKEA last weekend to get a few things to organize all the toys that Jonas is acquiring. (thanks for that G&G's) The next day while Devin was putting things together, Jonas was quite the handy helper. I think all the stuff he's learned from Handy Manny came together :) He was hilarious! He got right in Devin's face to make sure Dad was doing it right.

Devin is incredibly patient and its a good thing. Jonas WOULD NOT leave him alone!

I mentioned the storms. They've been horrific. Lots of people out of power. One instance of a tree into an apartment building. AND if you know me, you know that I spent most of my Thunderstorms in bed with my little brother. I hate thunder. I know. Its weird, but I hate it. I was outside one day doing yard work when the rain just started pouring. I was soaked in no time..so I got Jonas and we made the most of it. The rain storms in MD are warm...so its fun to play in the rain since you don't get cold. Jonas loved it. His fascination with water continues.

We spend lots of days in the pool trying to keep cool. Jonas especially loves making Dad put his head under the water. It cracks me up because poor Devin can barely catch his breath before Jonas is shoving his head down again.

This picture was taken just moments before Jonas finally figured out how to spray these guns. It scared him to death when it shot right in his face, but he didn't cry. Notice the bubbles in the pool? Also his favorite: Bub Bub's.

{More Celebrating}

We had a super fun party for Jonas while we were in UT. It was a nice, happy celebration after a long hard week. Jonas was so lucky to get to have lots of family to celebrate with him. Although he is covering his ears in this picture..he LOVED having everyone singing to him. I have a video of him..but I can't get videos to upload lately.

Jonas covers his ears when he is scared....but also when he is excited :)

HERE IS THE MASTERPIECE! I can't believe Grandma Stevenson spent ALL day making this cake for Jonas. He L.O.V.E.D it! He really wanted to touch it and play in it, but we wouldn't let him. Its all done by free-hand. She's an amazing cake decorator. I need to take some lessons.

After cake and ice cream (homemade ice cream that was SOO good), we opened presents. The rule was no presents, because we had to pack everything in a suitcase. Grandpa and Grandma Stevenson didn't listen very well. That's OK. He loved this lap-top. Of course it helps that its Handy Manny. He also got a new shirt with Manny on it. If I let him choose his clothes...he picks it! His new Handy Manny PJ's are his FAVORITE. He was one spoiled boy!

*why is this text underlined? UGH*

Here he is with his laptop. So far he just likes to turn it off and on. He also hits the nails and tries to work the screwdriver. It was a dream come true for him to get it. I've let him play with it in Target for months now. He finally got to take it out of the box!

There were also great times after when the golf clubs came out. I think Grandpa Pierson, Uncle Duane, My Dad, and Kaylee lost a lots of balls in the hay field across the street. :) I wish I would have taken pictures!

Thanks so much to everyone for coming and celebrating Jonas' fun day. It was great to be together as a family for a Birthday!! Special thanks to Grandma for making THE best home-made Vanilla ice cream on the planet AND the best Handy Manny cake EVER! We love you :)

This picture has nothing to do with J's birthday. Its my sister, Taryn's, lunch one day. Not one, but TWO baked potatoes. So much she had to put it on two plates AND it takes her 45 minutes to make them. (They were already baked) They taste good though...right Tayrn?? Love you :)

{Our little J is 2!}

I think everyone says it: "Wow! I can't believe my baby is..." It really is crazy how fast time flies. Its safe to say Devin and I have had the best two years of our lives so far. Jonas is so much fun, so frustrating, and always hilarious. We took Jonas to Chick-fil-A for dinner, and then to get ice cream afterward. He was in heaven. That's his idea of a perfect day.

Jonas and Dad opening his new race track. They've both had lots of fun with this gift!

New books. One of his favorite gifts. Always.

A new Handy Manny chair. He's a little afraid of it. It folds up pretty easy. He's taken to putting his blankets in it and pushing it around the house instead. You know, just to avoid any incidents.

Then we headed upstairs for one last surprise.

"Mom, there's nothing in the bathroom."

"Oh wow! Look what Dad found!" I love it!

Reaching, Reaching, Reaching....

YEAH!!! It went in! We bought the basketball hoop with money from Jonas' Great-Grandparents. They're so good to him. He LOVES this thing! He's so funny and stands on the front of the stand to try and slam-dunk it. He also runs around saying, a ball, a ball. It was worth the frustration of trying to fit it in our little car. We really need to get a bigger car.

Happy Birthday Jonas Boy! Mom and Dad sure love you!!!

{Swimming at Home}

We bought J a pool for his birthday, but due to the heat we had over the weekend we gave it to him early. To say he LOVED it...is an understatement. He had a blast and threw a major fit when we made him get out...about 2 hours later!

It looks like they are practicing the baptizing thing. You got a while Boys!

L.O.V.E. J's face in this one. He has the best of both worlds: a pool, and his BFF, Dad.

The pool came with Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters to shoot the aliens behind Jonas. He couldn't figure out how to make them work. It didn't matter though, because he and Dad had more fun splashing each other. I love how his hair is soaked...and he wants more!

Cute Cabana Boy! He loved the pool. We need to get it out again. It provides hours of entertainment!

Recooperating

Some how everyone at our house has been sick, sick, sick with summer colds. Head colds. The worst. AND Jonas is working on his two year molars. Its been a long few weeks. We haven't been out much. Just trying to get over the stuffy, achy, coughy...yuckyness. We're getting there!

I decided to take Jonas to the splash park with some friends last week. We had a blast and he loved it...but I forgot to put the memory stick in my camera. SO Devin took us as a family on Saturday. Jonas loved it again. He is definitely a water babe!

He didn't even mind the water spraying in his eyes. He would just rub it out...and keep on walking.

They had the buckets that fill up and then dump. He wouldn't go under them, but we spent a long time looking at them.

Devin made him walk through the big fountains. He loved it. Giggled the whole time.

Here he is trying to explain to Dad why they should NOT go through the big fountain again. He got a little tired of it. He loved it when it was as tall as him, but when it was taller.....he wasn't so fond of it.

Hard to see them, but this was inside the big fountain.

This was Jonas' face most of the time. I'm telling you...he loved it!

His favorite thing were the sprinklers that shot out of the ground. He'd wait for them to go off and then run around in them. Then he got smart and stepped on them and waited for them to go off. Then he'd moved his foot and run around again. He cracked me up. We need to go again. He's free until the 27th...when he turns 2...but let's not talk about that....

This picture cracks me up. We got this tool set (Handy Manny Tool Set...his favorite cartoon) from G&G Pierson for Christmas. He's played with it off and on, but lately its his toy of choice. He takes all the tools out, and then puts them back in. (He knows the tools by name..so if you say.."Ok...now put in Rusty..he puts in Rusty..its comical) Last night he started carrying around the house..by the handle..acting like HE was Handy Manny. It was hilarious. We kept making him take the tools out, put them back in, and then he'd pick it up and walk off like he had a repair job to do. Maybe you had to be here...I'm glad I was!!