Outdoor Fun

During a recent park picnic, Lauren fed Marshall strawberries. Too cute!

Marshall was not having nearly as much as Ainsley on the glider.
We have a park nearby that has this neat kiddie water park section. Marshall and Lauren loved it, even though it wasn't super warm out. Lauren was braver than Marshall, running in and out of the spraying water.
Marshall liked trying to grab the water spray.
At one point, he was caught off guard as the water shot out at him from all directions. After that, he was done for the day!

Cute Confusion

I keep a space heater in the bathroom to use during Marshall's bath time in cooler weather. Since he first started bathing in the tub, we have reiterated that the heater is hot and we don't touch it. Over the past couple of weeks, we have also been telling him that his food is hot and then we blow on it to cool it off. Today, we were in the bathroom and he squatted down and pointed at the heater (knowing he wasn't supposed to get too close) and yelled, "hot" and then he started to blow at the heater.

Today at swim lessons there was a new student. He and his mom spoke Spanish to each other. After listening to them very intently, Marshall started to try and imitate them by going, "la, la, la" and flicking his tongue in and out of his mouth. I am glad he is still so little because it sounded like he was making fun of them!

Marshall's talking is very funny these days. He finally says, "mama," which, I must say, is nice to hear. Yesterday, he actually pointed at me when he said it. Other than "mama" and "dada," his most distinct word is "cracker." All of his other words are understandable to me, but probably not to the general public. His favorite things to try and say are "Aunt Stephie," which sounds like, "Ah Ta-Ta" and "all day," which sounds like, "ah duh." He'll also repeat his name, which sounds like, "Meh-Meh."

He is getting good with animal sounds. He can do dog, cat, horse, and snake quite clearly. He almost has cow, pig and duck down too. Although, for duck he says, "duck, duck" instead of "quack, quack."

Firsts

We've had a couple firsts this week. Marshall got a big boy hair cut and we went to the zoo! Marshall handled the hair cut like a veteran. He got to sit in a chair shaped like a car. They had a TV for him to watch but he was more interested in looking in the mirror. He was a little wary of the clippers but I told him they were saying, "vroom, vroom" (his favorite sound) and he then thought they were ok. We got a commemorative photo and lock of hair. I didn't even cry. =)

I was really impressed with the Oakland zoo. Very kid friendly and clean. Normally zoos just make me feel sorry for the animals but the enclosures were large and well kept and the animals looked healthy and content.

Front shot of new haircut as he escapes out the dog door (which he does ALL day).
New look from the back...it is so short!!
He seemed interested in the giraffes but really liked the elephants. He kept giggling at them.
Feeding the goat. The petting zoo was great. The goats and sheep were very docile and tolerant.
Marshall and Lauren enjoyed a cookie treat. They were so well behaved that day, despite being confined to the stroller so much.

May Fun

We're having a very nice month so far. Decent weather, fun activities. Swim lessons are going really well. Marshall loves them...no crying at all! He is learning to kick, roll, and pull himself up on the wall. We've been enjoying some relaxing weekends...hikes, bike rides, and grilling in the backyard.

Marshall loves to read. Yay! He is constantly picking out books and bringing them to us to read.
He is fascinated with sticks. This one was rather large!
A rare picture of just the two of us, taken by Haley (age 9).

Messy Eating

Berries and cottage cheese...yum. Not fun to clean up, but Marshall loves them.