Yesterday Jack and I (Anne) got to have a great adventure together: Our friend Mandy and her son Grayson invited us to go to the Nashville zoo with them. The weather was absolutely perfect, and Jack and I were excited to get to go to the zoo together for the first time.

I think Jack liked watching the people more than watching the animals, and there were definitely lots of both. When we got to the petting zoo, Jack had the opportunity to meet a bunch of big and little and medium-sized goats. He immediately took on the important job of never taking his eyes off of any nearby goats…just in case they were about to do something really startling.

Jack’s favorite part of our adventure was definitely the bamboo forest. As soon as I sat him down among the bamboo stalks, he got a delighted smile on his face. He and his friend Grayson both enjoyed that a lot.

Hoping for more beautiful days and fun zoo trips to come!

This afternoon I (Anne) took Jack out into our front yard since it’s such a beautiful day. Jack’s first time in the grass was a few weeks ago when we took him to the park, and he didn’t care for it much then, but I thought he might do better in our own yard. But sadly, I put him down in the grass and he was as bewildered and unadventurous as I’ve ever seen him. He held both hands well away from that green prickly stuff, and even tried to keep one of his feet off it too (even though he was wearing long pants and shoes). After a long time of quiet deliberation, he did eventually move tentatively into the crawling position….before freezing again. We finally decided to call that “good enough” and come back inside. Maybe when we take him to the park tomorrow he’ll feel more comfortable.

Jack’s new daily exercise consist of climbing up the stairs multiple times a day. Here are pictures of his very first climb that happened several days ago. My favorite shot is when he finally makes it to the top. You can see a look of great joy and accomplishment.

After living in our house for 2 1/2 years, we FINALLY decided to paint the Bonus Room. And it definitely needed it. Have you ever seen a wall painted with giant blue-on-blue diamonds? Well, we have–er, had–one.

But now it’s a beautiful khaki play room. Ahhh. Great work, Jeff!

Today Jack got his first pair of shoes. Now that he’s spending so much time on his feet, it’s time for him to have some shoes to keep him from slipping on our wood floors. He looks pretty sporty!

Today Jack got to have a playdate with two boys from our church. The funny thing is, both moms are named Mandy, and both boys are named Greyson (although one is Greyson with an “e” and one is Grayson with an “a”). Jack is the youngest of the three boys, but they were all born within a few weeks of each other. All three boys love to play with balls. Very fun!

Jack and Henry are 9 months old now. Playing together is becoming much more fun! (But they save their smiles ’til they’re off camera…..)

Jack enjoys a fun moment with his oldest cousin Katie Goldsmith. This was one of my favorite pics from the holidays. As always, Jack is always happy to give the camera a smile.