Precious first steps....

Well ... if you read my last post you'll remember that Trip was really hoping that he wouldn't miss Jake's first steps while he was in Raleigh. As you may be guessing from the title of this post... unfortunately, he did miss those precious first steps. Jake and I went to visit Mamaw and Papaw while Trip was in Raleigh and Jake took his first steps while we were at their house. He still feels like the fastest way to travel is by crawling but he's walking more and more each day. Here are a few of his adorable wobbly steps...



We got Jake a sand & water table to play with outside and it was a huge hit. He even enjoyed helping Daddy put it together. After playing with it and getting so dirty that we had to strip him down to his diaper before he came back in the house he was ready for some milk and thought Daddy needed some too.

"Here Daddy... let me help you with that."

"Daddy... I've got your next screw ready."

"Thanks Mama & Daddy! This is awesome!"

"Look Mama... Daddy is drinking my milk."


We're still hiking every day that weather permits. We do at least 1.5 miles each day. We're hiking part of the Mountains to Sea trail. It has several access points on the Blue Ridge Parkway one of which is less than three miles from our house. They mark the trail periodically with colored dots on trees to help you insure that you're staying on the correct route. Jake looks for the dots and hollers out "DOT" as soon as he spots one. He touches each dot with his stick and then he says "go, go, go" so Daddy will jog to catch up with me. He LOVES our daily hikes and gets so excited when we tell him its time to go walk in the woods. I can not thank my cousin, Missy, enough for giving us the backpack that Jake rides in because it has brought great joy to all of us.

"Go... go... go... Daddy!"

"We're coming Mama. Daddy was just
showing me a fern. "

"Okay Daddy...I got that dot. "

"This seems like a good place to hold on. "

"Daddy... do you think Mama saw these pretty flowers?"

"Whew... hiking makes me thirsty. "


Trip is so hoping that Jake will love golf and so far so good. He loves to "play" with Daddy's clubs out in the yard. He'll be getting his own little clubs very soon.

"Daddy... I think this club may be too long for me."

"Look out Tiger.... here I come. "


Jake loves to play outside so we're in the yard a lot now that the weather is nice. He loves to play with his toys, find leaves and sticks or just dig in the dirt. We've been blowing bubbles for him too and he was really puzzled at first but now he thinks its funny.

"Hmmmm... what should I play with next? "

"Which way should I go? "

"I love these bubbles! "

"Hey... where are my bubbles going? "


Jake still loves his Tonka truck. Luckily, with a slight adjustment it becomes a walker so he's now pushing it all over the house. He walks behind it and says "go... go... go" until he runs into something and then he says "crash". It is the cutest thing!

"Go... go... go... CRASH!"


Jake is still very happy to be facing forward in his car seat and now loves nothing more than when Daddy rolls his window down. He smiles all over himself and throws his hand up immediately as soon as Trip asks him if he wants his window rolled down.

"I love to feel the wind."


Jake is looking less and less like a baby and more and more like a little boy. I just love this picture of him!

"Hey Mama! "


Jake really enjoys watching Sesame Street. He LOVES Elmo and gets all excited when they do the letter of the day. Trip was out of town and Jake had a rough night with teething so he slept late and didn't get breakfast until it was time for Sesame Street so I let him watch while he ate his cream cheese toast. He just looked so cute eating with his little feet crossed that I couldn't resist getting a picture of our little man.

"Wonder what the letter will be today Mama?"