The Keene Family

Remember when JT got to try yogurt with his own spoon and bowl? This week we tried applesauce and the results were pretty fabulous - just look! I'm inspired by JT's swimming buddy, Emi , who has a mom that updates her blog whenever she feels like it. Now that it's summer, I am planning to be more spontaneous with my postings (did you catch the paradox there?). :)

That's right, you read that correctly. That's one month until the big day, and a whole new world of peanut butter, strawberries, honey, egg whites, and whole milk. Not all at once, but still, it's exciting! Meanwhile, we've been doing some pretty fun stuff while we wait. Here are three of JT's 11-month-old pictures that I took in our backyard. Special thanks to Jim for being so funny right behind me while I snapped away. The first one is my new favorite picture of him. And yes, he's holding on to the deck rail all by himself. This week was Jim's sister's birthday. We celebrated with a yummy barbecue dinner and cake at Jim's parent's house. JT was a lucky guy and got to help his Aunt Jennifer open her presents and blow out her candles. JT also got a new fun present to use at Grandpa and Grandma's house while we were there: a ride-on John Deere tractor. It even rumbles and makes a tractor sound when someone is sitting on the seat. JT knew to...

One last posting: this morning, JT and I went to the big parade for our town's annual summer kick-off celebration. JT had a great time clapping, waving, and bopping his head to the music. It was really cute to watch him look at all of the floats. The parade lasted an hour and a half (!) so JT was ready for a nap by the time we walked back to the car! We'll save the rides for next year.

Picture of the Week: JT is standing all over the place now. He loves the vacuum cleaner. Jim told him today that he probably won't love it when we start making him use it... but for now, he can't wait to touch it. He's also standing in his crib, in his pack-n-play, at the back door, and anywhere with something solid to use for balance, like a wall. This new skill helped him figure out something cool to do in his room when he's not especially ready for a nap... see picture below. :) I started using the Moby Wrap again this week for new purposes. There is a great side hip hold and another on the back. It was very convenient, and JT seemed to like it just fine.

On Monday, we invited our god-daughter, Aly, to go to the park with us. We had a great time! Here is Jim teaching Aly to pump her legs "just like Rachel" (Aly's cousin). Both kids liked going high on the swings. It is amazingly difficult to get pictures of smiling kids on swings. Thank goodness for digital... fifty shots later, I had a couple that I liked! Next we moved on to the play structures. Aly and JT got to try out the slides. Aly, of course, went on the much cooler slides while JT was stuck sitting on this rabbit. I think he's thinking, "What am I supposed to do on this stupid rabbit?" While headed back to the car, Jim suggested that we could play Roly-Poly down the hill. Of course, Aly loved this idea. Then Jim told Aly that "Becky just loves to play Roly-Poly!" and so I was stuck. Once she got the hang of it, she thought it was pretty fun. JT watched from his stroller.

Because we're insane, the morning after Jim's party we got up and left the house by 6:30 AM to participate in the Seattle Race for the Cure 5K run. Jim did a great job encouraging me and pushing the jogger stroller. I was only 25 seconds away from my goal time... which gives me something to work on for next year's race. We think the way JT sits in the stroller is pretty funny. He's really into relaxing, I guess. When we got home from the race, JT and Jim took some time to lounge on the couch while I made lunch. Then we all took a nap! JT likes to hold someone else's hands and help them clap, and that's what is in this Flip Clip. In the afternoon, we went to my cousin's wife's baby shower. JT thought Great Aunt Linda's "stinky toes" game was hilarious! He also got a shoulder ride from Grandpa Cole. We had a very busy week... if you haven't noticed, this was my third posting. So keep scrolling! :)

Jim turned thirty this week! He took the day off work so we could relax and enjoy the great weather. Every year, Jim asks for the same thing for his birthday: to ski at Long Lake. And every year it rains. Or we can't find someone to ski with us. So we haven't skiied on Long Lake on his birthday since 1997. Seriously. But this year it was ninety degrees and we have our own boat, so Jim was in heaven. We spent nine straight hours on the boat, and it was awesome. Jim said it was the best birthday ever! First things first... here is JT giving Dad his birthday present: new board shorts to wear in the boat. JT took his morning nap sitting up in Grandpa Keene's lap with his life vest on while we skiied. Too funny! We went swimming throughout the day to keep JT cool. And then we reapplied sun screen! In the afternoon, Grandpa Cole decided to join us on the boat. Here are the two retired Grandpas living it up in the sunshine. And here is our "Jim is 30" family photo. Aroun...

We spent time on three different lakes this week. Yeah, life is tough. Here is JT getting sunblocked before our morning on Lake Sammamish on Monday. And here he is waiting in the boat for our new friend (and cool life insurance agent) Vanessa to arrive so we can hit the water. On Tuesday, we invited Jen and Asher to hang out on Lake Sawyer with us. We got to visit Lisa on her parent's dock while we were there. It was so hot that we took the boys in for a swim. This week JT got to test out his very own bowl. Of course, it is the kind that suctions to the tray. It matches his spoon and fork, and he loved it. He kept giggling and grinning and showing me his spoon. I think he felt very empowered. The Flip Clip is from the beginning; the picture is from the end. The other Flip Clip this week is pretty simple... JT is pushing his elephant train toy around. Recently he has figured out that the elephant and the other animals that attach to it can be pushed around the room, and that is gre...