Fun, fun, fun!!

Nathan had a ton of fun today! We took him to a great outdoor mall with lots of cool things to do.

He climbed aboard his very first carousel...and rode it like a champ.

Giddyup!

Nathan loves himself a good fountain...

But this one was even better! Luckily, we had brought a change of clothes because he was SOAKED.

Beach Boy

Last night, we took a trip to the beach after dinner for some fresh ocean air. Nathan had a great time....he played in the sand, chased the birds and splashed around in the water!

By the time we left, he was soaking wet and covered in sand! But, Nathan knows the rules....NO SAND IN THE HOUSE.

SKATER

Nathan has been riding daddy's skateboard for awhile now and he's getting really good! In the past few months, he's progressed from sitting to kneeling to standing (stay tuned for some new footage of this) . Jeremy thought it was finally time to get Nathan his own board. I think he has visions of them cruising together through the neighborhood or down to the beach. I also heard Jeremy mention something about wanting to build a half pipe or ramp in the backyard. Um, yeah, that is SO not going to happen.

Nathan is stoked to have his very own skateboard. He can't believe it's all his!

He's not digging the idea of having to wear a helmet, but...safety first!

Enough practice on the carpet! Nathan moves outside to take his new board for a spin...

The Lake!

Nathan met up with a couple of his besties today for some fun at the lake. The weather was warm, the water was refreshing and the kids were just too cute!

Nathan and Tea kick it in the sand before heading down to the water for a swim...

Nathan's first time at a lake! He stops at the water's edge and wonders...where the heck are all the waves???

Avery joins Nathan for a little cooling off...

Teamwork! Look at how well the kids work together at building a sand castle. Ok, not really. Avery was building it and Nathan was trying to knock it down...

With no waves to surf, Nathan decides to give hula hooping a try...

The group shot. Or, should I say...an attempt at one. Yep, that's MY child who isn't cooperating.

Nighty Night

I'm pretty sure toddlers are supposed to have a bedtime routine...you know, it's the whole idea of creating a calm and relaxing atmosphere before they drift off to sleep. Well, Nathan hasn't really been following the rules! He pretty much runs around the house like a wild man before bed every.single.night. I guess we should probably be encouraging quiet activities like reading and cuddling instead of this...

Mallrats

Nathan met up with one of his besties, Avery, at the mall today for a little shopping and a lot of fun! They wanted to spend some time at the play area before hitting the shops.

Nathan and Avery compete for time on the slide! She shows him how the big kids do it...

Nathan follows Avery's lead and charges up all by himself!

Time to shop! This is WAY cooler than a stroller. The kids climbed aboard a fire truck built for two (complete with steering wheel and faux leather seats) and enjoyed a ride around the mall.

Summertime

With yet another weekend of perfect weather, we cruised on over to the beach for some sun, surf and sand!

Just like any good surfer would do, Nathan pauses for a moment to check the waves before heading down to the water.

He quickly forgets all about surfing as he sees something back on the beach and gets VERY excited...

A big sand castle! Nathan tried to destroy it immediately...and squealed with delight as he successfully knocked down a few of the towers. We knew the kids who built it would be coming after us at any moment!

So, Jeremy decided to build Nathan his very own! (And, yes, I know what you are thinking....Jeremy has not perfected the art of building a sand castle, has he?)

But, it didn't matter to Nathan...he loved it!

And, finally, after a long day in the sun, he headed back to camp. Ahhhh....cool shade and a dry diaper!

Cutie Pie!

Nathan flashes a smile for all of his adoring fans...

Running Man

Ok, I know I always talk about how Nathan is destined to be a great athlete, but I'm not so sure anymore. When I saw this, I didn't know what to think. Nathan thinks he can run....and REALLY fast at that. But I just don't see him being a future Olympian. Don't get me wrong, he does try really hard...but, um, he doesn't actually go anywhere.

Amiga de Nathan

Maria has been bringing her daughter, Susi, over to the house to play with Nathan...and they have a blast...Nathan just loves hanging out with her!

Susi hinted to Nathan that he really should add a scarf to his collection of accessories for the fall...and then showed him how to wear it in the most fashionable way.

Susi then taught Nathan about styling his hair and had him practice with this crazy ball! At some point, Nathan's hair ended up in a ponytail, but we all know how Jeremy would feel about posting a picture of THAT.

Masterpiece

I've always thought Nathan will grow up to be an extreme athlete or baseball player or even a quarterback (you should see him throw the binkie...it actually hurts if you are not quick enough to get out of the way). However, I'm starting to think that he may be more of the artistic type. Recently, we handed him a marker & paper and let him go for it! It's like he was born to do this. I think we have an artist on our hands.

Thanks a lot, Grandma!

Nathan probably won't let another vegetable cross his lips ever again. Why would he when Grandma is around to take him to McDonald's! After some long, hard play time at Gymboree...we headed out to lunch with Grandma for Nathan's very first Happy Meal. Boy, did he like it! He loved the french fries and couldn't get enough of the ketchup. And when he figured out that he could actually dip the french fries INTO the ketchup???...forget about it.

Nathan takes his french fries very seriously. He was full of extreme concentration and precision with every dipping motion.

He truly savored each and every bite...as though he knew it would be a very long time before he would eat this again.

Here We Go Again!

This isn't storytime at the library. It's the waiting area at the emergency room. Nathan suffered ANOTHER puncture wound to the forehead...so we zipped across town to the local hospital. They closed it up with some surgical glue and sent us on our merry way.

Park Fun

The weather was beautiful this weekend, so we decided to spend some time outdoors and took a family trip to the park.

This tunnel was the best! Nathan spent most of his time in here. He loved crawling back and forth...and figured out that he could stand up and walk through it.

Uh oh, the tickle monster found him!

Nathan hitched a ride with daddy on the slide.

Being that it was lunch time and Nathan was probably getting hungry...we knew it was time to go when he tried to eat the letter "D".

Cool Guy

Nathan loves to accessorize! Here he is with his latest purchase...brand new glasses and a very cool hat.

Everything's Bigger at the Mall

The mall rocks!! What a fun place to run around and check stuff out. And for a pint-sized dude like Nathan, everything is just so GRAND!

Nathan is completely obsessed with avocados. He loves to pick them from our tree, play with them, gnaw on them and, of course, eat them (sliced, diced, mashed...you name it). He found this at the mall and couldn't keep his hands off of it...a huge avocado. He was so thrilled!

Cool...a giant baseball!

And another favorite of Nathan's...the big ball of water!