L o v e

In parenting there is a lot to learn about love.....learning (and relearning in my case) how to best love ourselves as well as others.  There is something so beautiful about being loved well, and loving well.  It has everything to do with attention and consideration; great attention and consideration for the other person involved.   

Happy Valentine's Day to my Little Love and also to my wonderfully attentive Husband.

I love you.

xoxo

Tamanawas Falls Hike

Winter has been good to us so far and we have been fortunate to have both snow and sunshine.  A few weekends ago we headed up the mountain to share one of our favorite hikes with Dave and Steph.  It was our first time heading there by snowshoes and it was just as lovely as the summertime version.  

We bundled Jonah up in several layers of clothes....each a size bigger than the layer below....making our own living (and cozy) matryoshka doll.

The forecast was for snow and lots of wind so we had the very popular trail to ourselves.  The storm did eventually arrive, but just as we were getting back to the car.

We crossed Cold Spring Creek several times on our way to the falls.  One of the footbridges had the railing knocked off from a tree fall, which made the bridge crossing a little thrilling.  

Jonah loved to point out the water ("wah-wee") flowing next to the trail.

Here are the boys making their way through the huge boulders from a large rock fall a few years ago.  The boulders looked like giant cupcakes iced with snow.

Arriving at the falls.....

We took a bunch of photos....with a beautiful backdrop.

It was a great day!

Home

We traveled a bit during the month of January to visit family....in Bellingham and Scottsdale.

While those places are lovely, it is nice to be home.

I took Jonah and Daisy on a hike this morning and had one of those I can't believe that we live here moments.  This beautiful walk along the bluff in Washington is just a few minutes drive from home.

I love that an outdoor adventure is so accessible.  Depending on the weather conditions, we have options for big views on calm days and canyon hikes when the wind is blowing. 

I usually carry Jonah for the first bit and then he gets a chance to walk.  He's got pretty good endurance.  After about a mile he starts getting tired....at which point he stops to pick up rocks.

Jonah surprised me today by saying "Contrail"...which apparently he learned yesterday when I pointed one out in the sky.  Planes, barges, and trains are currently some of his favorite things to spot.

Now that we are back in town, I will do some catch-up posts from last month.

I hope you all have a lovely day!  Happy February!

Blessings

Jonah turns 18 months today!  I have enjoyed watching my sweet baby grow the last year and a half.  

Over the last few months, most of his development energy has been intellectual.  It is truly stunning to see how quick he is to imitate, follow instructions, and learn.  I am surprised on a daily basis with his verbal skills.  Jonah started using multiple words together a few weeks ago.  Common phrases are "more please" and "up please", but I've also heard "Daddy phone", "see more", and "Daisy bye."

Jonah loves listening to music, dancing to music, and making his own music.  We have a few child-friendly musical instruments (bells, rhythm shakers, drum, etc.), but our cabinet containing tupperware and measuring spoons is often Jonah's preferred destination for percussion utensils.  

Our kitchen floor looks like this at least twice a day.  

Jonah also has shown interest in playing his recorder. He whistles long and short tones and covers the holes with his fingers to change the note.  I know it sounds pretty basic, but I've been playing the flute for 22 years and I'm impressed with his early skills.

Over the holiday we went to see Daddy at his office.  Jonah loved sitting in the big chair and getting to press the buttons on the keyboard.  This was NOT staged.  Does anyone else think he looks eerily comfortable?

I think this is the moment Jonah realized movement of the mouse correlates to the arrow-cursor moving on the screen.  Due to some studies we have read, Jonah has had almost no exposure to television or computers....a trend we hope to continue until he turns 3.  So this was a fun treat!

Speaking of treats....Jonah got to attend his first barrel tasting recently.  

This was at Phelps Creek Winery.  Yes, I know....you give him wine, but no Sesame Street?  

It was just a sip.

A little gift-wrapped Jonah boy.

And a few scenes from Christmas from last year.  They are so little!

A Santa Baby and cousin Mario.

Even though he's growing up so fast, he will always be my baby.

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and the new year finds you equally blessed.