Mr. Smarty Pants

I've been told that every parent thinks their child is the brightest and most brilliant. Well, sure...who else is going to be their biggest champion, if not the parent?

Realistically, while I know Marshall is on par with his peers developmentally, I continue to be amazed at his comprehension. I don't give him enough credit for his level of understanding. When I give him instructions lately, he follows them (I realize there will be push back at some point in the not too distant future). Recently, he's done the following when asked: find daddy, pick up your water, bring mommy the block. When I ask Marshall if he is hungry and wants a snack, he enthusiastically yells, "NACK, NACK, NACK" and runs to his high chair.

The other day, after playing outside, I told him we needed to wash our hands before having a snack. Instead of running to his highchair, as I'd anticipated, he ran to the bathroom and waited at the sink for me. This morning, I told him we should pick out a book to read before his nap. He promptly went to his room and pointed at the bookshelf.

Marshall is obsessed with bananas. When he sees them, he gets a glazed look on his face and begins chanting, "NANA, NANA, NANA." This is especially funny when we go to the grocery store. We get lots of laughs from other shoppers. When we feed him bananas, we often cheer, "Go bananas, b-a-n-a-n-a-s!" Today, Chris asked, "should we give him b-a-n-a-n-a for breakfast?" Chris thought by spelling it out, we'd avoid the "NANA" shrieks. No such luck. I guess Marshall can spell because he happily responded with, "NANA, NANA, NANA" louder and louder until I peeled him one. He is obviously learning so much every day. It is a great learning experience for me too!

Play Time!

This last weekend, Mary Ann and John generously gave their time to help install Marshall's new play structure. It took the whole weekend to put together but turned out great!

McCall's Visit

My childhood friend, Chris, came to visit for an afternoon. We calculated that we've known each other now for 21 years. His son, Alexander, is just a month older than Marshall.
Alexander and Marshall had a milk chugging contest.

Trip South

Last week, Marshall and I had a great trip to see my family. We enjoyed an afternoon with my mom and grandparents. Marshall went to the beach for the first time! He loved it. He kept running towards the ocean.
Playing with rocks is always a hit. The sand was an extra bonus.
We also spent an afternoon at Darcy's.
My dad took us to the lake park to feed the ducks. A shoulder ride was the only way to get Marshall back to the car w/o a melt down. He didn't want to leave.

Swim Lessons

Marshall and I started a 9 week mommy-and-me swim class yesterday. Marshall did not mind getting into the pool or playing with pool toys but he was not at all thrilled with the actual swimming practice (kicking, laying on his back, etc.). It was quite the adventure for us both.

Napa Wine Tasting

My college roommate, Chris, came to visit for a few days. We spent one day wine tasting in Napa with Steph and Wynn. A great time! I highly recommend Goosecross winery. Small, friendly, reasonably priced (for Napa, that is), and very good wines.