Busy Boy

Thomas is really a busy guy these days.  At 10 1/2 months, he moves really fast - pulling up on all the furiture and any willing (or just still) person he can find.
 He loves his "DA" as he calls John.  They have a lot of fun doing horsy rides, train rides, airplane rides and countless other things that make Thomas laugh. 
I continue to have a blast playing with Thomas and watching him grow in his abilities an understanding.  He is quite a fun little guy and loves to be involved in anything I am doing! I've been working part time from home for the last couple months during his naps, so time has really been flying by.


He is getting quite confident on his feet, but will still tumble down several times a day.  We're wondering how long it will be until he's able to walk alone.

Thomas plays hard, but when he's tired, he loves to be held!

I had a lot of fun watching John take these pictures.  John would run to one end of the hall, call Thomas then snap a couple pictures as fast as Thomas raced toward him.  Then off John would go to the other end of the hall and start taking pictures again!  I love all the different expressions Thomas has in these pictures!

Smiling Thomas

Fun-loving Thomas is now almost 8 months old!

His preferred method of transportation is crawling on his forearms!

He doesn't pull up very often yet, but does enjoy standing up at times!

He loves a joke and has a big smile that shows off his first two teeth!

Daddy and Thomas are best buddies! Thomas gets so excited when John comes home each day as he knows that now it's time to laugh and play!

Life as a mommy is fun!

Mowing the grass is amazing! (If you're Thomas)

When John mows the grass, Thomas enjoys sitting at watching every time!  Even if he was formerly cranky, he immediately calms down and watched intently as John goes back and forth accross the lawn!

Summer Sun

 The last few days have really felt like summer up here. The sun has been out full force for much of the day and temperatures have been almost 90 (I know this is probably cool compared to what you guys in Alabama are experiencing, but it does feel hot!).  Thomas loves being outside!


Yesterday when John came home for lunch, he found us outside.  Thomas was enjoying just sitting under a tree.  As I couldn't decide which pictures to show, I decided to use them all.  It's amazing all the different expressions Thomas can make in just a few minutes as well as how many different ways he sucks his thumb and fingers!

As Thomas enjoys himself in the shade, I've been enjoying using the summer sun to dry our clothes.  Since Thomas loves being outside, he's less fussy if I spend time hanging the clothes up and folding them as I take them down then if I were to do that inside.  I also like knowing that we're using less energy and thus saving some money by using the great clothes line that came with our house.  Hanging clothes is also great if you tend to forget about checking and turning back on the clothes in the dryer.  If you forget them on the line, they will just get dryer the longer you wait (as long as it doesn't rain!). 

Weekend Camping

This past weekend, John and I took Thomas camping at Mohican State Park, a beautiful park only about half an hour from our house. Some of the guys John works with had organized a trip, and we enjoyed being a part of the group of eight who came. There had been a lot of rain all day, but everything cleared up as we left for the campsite that evening. We enjoyed some great Chicken Pa Thai that John made us for supper when we got there! We used our new camp stove for the first time as well. It was fun to be outdoors and enjoy a nice fire with some friends.

The cool night air made for perfect sleeping! The camp sites were more primitive than we've typically camped at and didn't have any electricity or water so it was really dark at night!

There is a really pretty stream right across the road from these campsites. It was awesome to hear the water flowing as we fell asleep!

The next morning, Thomas was ready to be awake bright an early so I took him on a nice level trail to the base of the dam. By the time we got back to camp, he had fallen asleep!

Thomas also enjoyed getting to meet a dog that some friends brought.

Overall the trip was perfect! A great time to relax in beautiful surroundings!

Here he is getting flown back to the car for a diaper change :) It was quite an explosion!

Our little boy is getting big!

Grandpas!

Last weekend, we took a trip to Missouri for John's cousin's wedding.  It was fun to be a part of the celebrations and to meet many of John's relatives.  Many of them had come to our wedding, but there were also a good number that I had never gotten to meet before.  John's parents and siblings came as well and we enjoyed getting to spend time with them!

Another cool part about the trip was getting to have lunch with my own dad who was on his way to Kansas City.  To have the opportunity to get caught up with him again was a lot of fun!  So Thomas got to see both of his grandpas on the same day!

 

Before dad left, we took a picture (or two)! In this one, it looks as though Thomas is having fun and eager to tell us about it!

This is his serious - I'm looking at the camera now face.

Finally!  Smiles!

When I joined the picture, Thomas just wouldn't take is eyes off me!

Enjoying some Grandpa time!

Dad with his littlest grandson

That night we attended the rehearsal dinner and then gathered after that in the hotel lobby to celebrate Lisa's birthday.  By then, Thomas was pretty tired as you can see in these pictures!

He's still curious and was staring fixedly at the camera as his Grandpa held him.

Grandpa tells hims some amazing facts :)

What a joy it was to be with family!

Thomas is 4 months!

 

Thomas has developed quite a cute and happy personality.  As long as he's not tired or hungry, he is quite a joy!  He is quite generous with his smiles these days.  We have a lot of fun smiling back and forth at one another.

 

Thomas also enjoys studying things quite intently.  I've begun reading a book to him before each nap and now he will stare at any type of book or magazine that is placed in front of him.  I think he's going to be a bookworm!

John has taken so many cute pictures of Thomas that it's hard to know which ones to share! 

I love seeing his wide open smile!

 Thomas has definitely "found" his feet in the last couple weeks.  He has fun pulling them toward his mouth though he usually doesn't manage to get them in.  Since his fingers reach is mouth first, he typically get's distracted by his fingers and sucks them, dropping his foot at the same time!

He's been more drooly lately, but so far no teeth.  He also loves to roll over from his back to his tummy.  He's started rolling over almost every time I put him down in his crib.  I guess he never read the medical association recommendation that babies should sleep on their backs.  He seems to prefer sleeping on his tummy.

He loves to look at you and stare at things like ceiling fans.

Sometimes the things you say will simply amaze him!