Sweet Baby J's

2009-12-02T21:29:00.001-08:00

A few more pictures from the past 6 months...

2009-12-02T21:04:00.000-08:00

Kids say the sweetest things...

Tonight we (Jonah, Jackie, and I (Jess)) were driving home from Jon's work. We had a nice evening meeting Daddy for a dinner break and then driving by his work because he had a surprise for me ( I love surprises-and Jon is so good at them). Anyways, I was talking to Jonah about his Uncle Stevie and how happy I am for him because he just found out he was accepted to medical school. Jonah proceeds to ask me about medical school and then chimes in that sometimes he wants to be a doctor but sometimes he wants to be a garbage man. "Mommy, what kind of school do I need to go to to become a garbage man?" I am really not sure, but I told him we could figure it out.... :)

I am sorry it has been so long between postings. I have been playing with the idea of starting a new blog but it isn't ready yet so I figured I had better update the current blog. Jon has been working a lot, so we have really been trying our best to enjoy our times together when he isn't working. We spent a day at Live Earth Farm picking apples and strawberries, eating fresh homemade ice cream and pressing apple cider. We've been to the city for a fun concert (one for us and one for the kids), we spent a restoring weekend in Big Sur where we saw two beautiful beaches, Uncle Stevie has moved into our house, and that is all that comes to mind right now... but hopefully these pictures will give a glimpse of the past few months.

2009-05-01T14:17:00.000-07:00

Jackie is all better! Thank you everyone for your prayers and support. She has taken off to make up for lost time. She is pulling to stand after only being out of the brace for a week and today she was trying to cruise along the coffee table. She is definitely a mover that loves to chase "da-nah" (I think that is Jonah) which she says all the time!

I love life as a mom. Sure, I have to say no when they do something dangerous, I have to keep the house clean ( I try :)), I have to pay the bills, and I have to buy groceries, but I get to do all of these things in the company of two wonderful little people (and be supported by a wonderful husband). Their smiles and laughter bring so much joy to my life. Lately we have been enjoying the wonderful weather, actually we've been enjoying the rainy weather too, riding bikes, taking walks, and cooking with lots of fresh veggies. I take joy in our adventures and daily rituals, like breakfast where Jonah gets syrup (he calls it dip it) all over his face and hands and Jackie pants until I let HER feed ME. (On a side note, I think almost all of our breakfast foods use syrup: french toast, pancakes, waffles, oatmeal....hmmmm). Or our bike rides together to pick up our vegetable box or to Jonah's school. It is so cute to see Jonah and Jackie interact inside the stroller/bike trailer. Being a mom has been about experiencing these years with my children along with teaching them. I look forward to each day, even when I am deliriously tired from my baby that likes to nurse throughout the night! (I just want to note that so that I don't forget what a little nurser Jackie was). Here are some recent pictures:

Grandma and two of her GRAND babies!
Jonah is wearing his train outfit at his school. Jackie is crawling quickly towards mama (which she now can say).

Sometimes the best days are unplanned! Jon, Stephen, and I snuck away for a mountain bike ride while my mom was visiting a few weeks ago.

2009-04-19T16:35:00.000-07:00

A Day in the East Bay

We had a really nice morning in the East Bay. We started out with a hike near Walnut Creek with our good friends Rob, Lucy, and Scout (their redhead Vizsla, who Jonah adores). We have known Rob and Lucy since the first year of law school in Virginia and they live in SF now. We don't see them enough considering how close we live.

After a great hike, we went to the Berkeley Thai Brunch at the Buddhist Temple. It is a Berkeley tradition, with plenty of good vegetarian food.

2009-04-12T16:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

This is the first Easter that Jonah actually understood what was going on. He probably had 5 Easter egg hunts and ate way too much candy (which left him with a tummy ache by the end of the weekend). Jonathan worked most of the weekend, but he was able to make it to one Easter egg hunt and to church on Sunday. See below for a pic of the kids in our backyard (with our garden project in the background).

2009-04-10T16:28:00.000-07:00

Blooming Palo Alto

The weather here has been beautiful. This is a picture from Jonathan's office window overlooking a small duck pond. These trees bring back good memories of the cherry blossoms in DC. . .

2009-04-04T16:18:00.000-07:00

Santa Cruz

It was a beautiful day in Santa Cruz with family. The girls (Jessi, Aunt S, Jackie) took a walk on the beach and Jackie loved crawling in the sand. The boys (Jonathan, Jonah, Stephen, GP) took a ride at Wilder ranch and got a little lost and a little in over their head. We finished the day off with some good burritos in downtown Santa Cruz. If only we could have more Saturdays in Santa Cruz. . .

(Aspen and Devon are going to love it here.)

2009-03-27T20:36:00.000-07:00

We love Caltrain

Earlier this week, Jess took the kids on the Caltrain. Below are a few pics, and Jonah's narration as I post this blog:

I love donuts. I have trains. I ride on top on Caltrain. Yeah. Yeah. I love my car carrier. I love going on train rides. You are making lots of words dad. Yeah. Well, that's it. Yeah, that's it. That's it dad. I say that's it.

I say I love my cars dad. I say I love my cars. Cars. My cars.

That's it.

2009-03-20T12:01:00.000-07:00

Thanks Stephen

Jessi's brother has been a huge help over the past two weeks cleaning, cooking, and serving as our personal sherpa. He left for a few days while my brother and his family are visiting from Seattle, but Uncle Stevie may be back for more adventures next week. Life has been crazy enough with him at the house; I can't imagine what the past two weeks would have been like without him there.

See below for a picture of Stephen pushing both kids in a stroller at the mall.

2009-03-19T07:12:00.000-07:00

Jackie Update

I often think of things to write in the blog while I am swimming very early in the morning. The pool where I swim is surrounded by tall redwood trees that are so majestic. I almost feel like I am at a National Park campground when I swim. Now that I have digressed a little....

While I swim I think of writing blog entries with titles like "What's wrong with this picture," and telling a funny story of how Jon and I were laying on the couch at 5:30 am while Jonah and Jackie were sound asleep in our bed. I also thought that I could write a list of all the things that happen before 9 am in our house. We all seem to wake up early, except Jon, who has had to become someone who wakes up early.

Maybe I will get back to some of those funny stories at some point. But this morning I am going to give a Jackie update. Our sweet Jackie seems back to her energetic, happy self again. About 1 week after the accident, she started trying to bend her left leg in the harness. She is so smiley and it is almost impossible to keep her still. The doctor said to let her do whatever she can do as long as she is wearing the orthosis (As an Orthotist, I have to call the brace an orthosis). She seems to be able to move pretty well in the orthosis and doesn't seem to be in pain anymore when her leg is moved. Someone at Jonah's pre-school suggested feeding her kale to help with bone growth. Jackie loves Kale! Her temperament has always been to be a mama's girl, but she has been exceptionally attached since her accident. As her mother it has been difficult for me to work through the accident, but I feel so much better now that she is feeling better. My brother has been staying with us for the past two weeks to help out. Most afternoons, we take Jonah and Jackie outside for some fresh air. Jackie sits in the stroller while we are getting a square plot in the backyard ready to garden. This has become such a special project that was started after Jackie's accident. She seems to like to sit still in the fresh air.

Thank you to everyone for your prayers and support. She will get another x-ray in 4 weeks, so we will be sure to update everyone.

2009-03-09T15:07:00.000-07:00

Baby Jackie's Bad Break

As some of you have already heard, on Saturday evening as Jessi was putting Jackie in the baby carrier Jackie arched her back and started to slip out of the carrier. Jessi reached around and grabbed Jackie to stop her from falling to the ground, and then heard a pop. Jackie was whimpering and did not want to crawl or move, so Jessi brought her to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation immediately. They took some x-rays and determined that Jackie's left femur was broken. It broke all of the way through at about a 45 degree angle mid-thigh, but it was not displaced. They put her in a splint on Saturday.

It is tough because she doesn't understand what is going on, but at the same time she is smart and doesn't try to use her left leg. She hasn't slept well since the accident and kind-of whimpers on and off during the night, but she is really tough and hasn't cried much at all. She is such a sweet little girl.

We saw a pediatric orthopedic doctor at PAMF today. The doctor was so great with the kids and was very reassuring. Because the break was relatively high on the leg, Jackie's leg was not cast; instead she was placed in a brace that attaches across her chest and to each leg to keep her legs at approximately ninety degree angles. Jessi actually wore the same type of brace for a year when she was a baby to treat her hip dysplasia. If all goes well, then Jackie will be in hers for six weeks.

Thanks for all of the well wishes. Jessi's brother is going to stay with us for a few days and help out, and Jonathan is avoiding work for at least a few days.

See below for some pics of our little princess.

Jackie with the brace (and her favorite baby doll).

Jackie with a splint (the day after the break).

2009-03-02T14:52:00.000-08:00

Baby Brendan McFarland

The McFarlands gathered in Seattle to meet Ben and Laurie's new baby. What a cute little boy. Jonah had such a great time playing with his cousins. Aidan (the other redhead) and Jonah have many similar interests and play well together. Sam was really good with Jonah as well. Ben had a big weekend too, as SPU gave him tenure while we were there. Nana and grandpa came in from Florida and spoiled all of the grandkids. Jason and Marnie (Jonathan's cousins) came up from Portland with their kids, who are four months older than Jonah and Jackie respectively. We had a full house and a lot of fun.

2009-01-29T14:59:00.001-08:00

Oakland Zoo

Jonah playing in Daddy's toy barrel

Jackie 6 1/2 months

Bedtime!

Jonah's train (one of his many wonderful creations - see how far it stretches)

Just one of those days.....

Today I had just one of those days where nothing seems to go completely right and you just have to keep smiling. Jonah's third birthday is coming and I have a very large to do list with not enough time to do it all. This morning I made a grocery list while Jonah made a train with every laundry basket, toy basket, and Tupperware bin he could find and Jackie was taking her morning nap. It's 10:15 and I'm headed out the door to run three errands: the post office, the children's library, and the grocery store. I knew I was a little ambitious to try to get all of this done and get home in time to feed the kiddos lunch and get them down for a nap by 1. The post office trip was successful, we got our package mailed and saw two cal trains to top off the experience, and got several very cute looks and awe's as Jonah pushed Jackie in the umbrella stroller. We head to the library, get everyone out of the car, walk up to the door and realize that the library is closed until 12 on Thursdays. Bummer because now I will have to come back because we have several books on hold that will expire very soon! We go ahead and put our books in the book drop and head back to the car. At this point I realize that Jackie has a dirty diaper. I didn't have any diapers in the diaper bag. Double bummer, but that is fine because I will just buy some at the grocery store (even though they are more expensive there, it's an emergency). On the way to Piazza's I decide to stop by another library to pick up some books on hold there (now why I have books on hold at two different libraries is another story). This library is closed until noon too. I guess I should have assumed, but I didn't, and now Jonah has to go pee pee. I do what any mother that doesn't want wet pants does and let him pee on a tree. Now we are at the grocery store and I am thinking do I have everything? Nope, I accidentally put my grocery list in the book drop at the library. Luckily I had a pretty good mental note of what I needed but didn't remember eggs until after I had checked out. On a positive note, I did remember to bring our reusable bags into the store from the trunk of our car (I think this is the first time since we moved to CA that I remembered). It was 12:15 when we checked out, Jackie was crying and grabbing my face because she was hungry and Jonah was begging me to open the smoothie I bought for him. Everyone was fed and sleeping by 1:45. Not too bad. Maybe when Jon comes home I will leave Jackie with him and Jonah and I can bike to the library. When I told my mom this story she said I should write it down so that I remember it. What better place to write it down than on our blog. Now to make mini carrot cupcakes for Jonah's birthday celebration at preschool tomorrow. He is so excited to wear the crown.

2008-12-25T22:12:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

I don't think Jonah fully grasps Christmas yet because we weren't up at 5:00 am to open gifts. He actually slept until 7 and so did Jackie. We had such a special day celebrating the birth of Jesus. Having only been in California for three and a half weeks, life has been a little hectic. It was nice to take a day to enjoy time as a family. My Gram, Aunt Suzanne and her son Ethan (on my Dad's side) came to visit for the holiday. After opening some presents at our "new" house, playing a little, making a few phone calls, and eating a breakfast of baked oatmeal, we went to GP's house to spend time with family, open a few more presents, eat Christmas dinner, and sing Christmas karaoke. When we pulled into our driveway at 7:30 this evening, Jonah said "We are happy, because we are together." That is the truth. Here are a few pictures to commemorate this special day.

Jonah is seeing his bike (with pedals) for the first time. For the past month whenever anyone asks him what he wants for Christmas, he says a bike with pedals. Since he is so skilled on his bike without pedals, he got a special orange Christmas present.

GP is very good at karaoke.

Yes, I look a lot like my Daddy!

This is Gram. Jessi's Dad's mom.

Jackie might be ready for solid food as indicated by her eating some wrapping paper.

2008-12-11T12:56:00.000-08:00

WE APOLOGIZE FOR NOT UPDATING THE BLOG MORE FREQUENTLY. WE HAVE BEEN BUSY MOVING. KEEP CHECKING FOR A DETAILED UPDATE TO COME SOON. UNTIL THEN.....HERE ARE A FEW PICTURES FROM MY 30TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION AT PALO ALTO SOL (A MEXICAN RESTAURANT). MY 30TH BIRTHDAY WAS SO SPECIAL WITH MANY WISHES FROM MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY. I AM SO THANKFUL TO HAVE SUCH WONDERFUL PEOPLE IN MY LIFE. ALSO COMING SOON ARE MY 30 GOALS FOR MY 30TH YEAR! I WILL HAVE TO POST THEM HERE FOR SOME ACCOUNTABILITY.

2008-10-31T18:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

Jonah was a pirate and Jacqueline was a pumpkin. This was the first Halloween that Jonah really understood what was going on. We trick-or-treated with a bunch of friends from the neighborhood, and there were tons of kids wandering around Foxhall Village having a great time. Jonah inherited his mommy's sweet tooth, and was bouncing off the walls for a couple of days based on his loot. Daddy has been doing his best to help Jonah get through the candy :)

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!

Jonah insists that he is a "good pirate" not a "scary pirate"

Cutest pumpkin I've ever seen

Emre, Charlie, and Jonah trick or treating

Jonah, Emre, and Lea setting up spider webs outside

2008-10-26T18:15:00.000-07:00

Marine Corps Marathon

I ran the Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday, October 26, 2008. I am just getting around to posting about it now because this is the first time I could walk all of the way to the computer since the run. Really, though, it was a great marathon. At the start line, I was surrounded by marines, and they started singing some sort of marine song about going off to war. Very motivating stuff as you're getting ready for your first marathon. I met my goal of finishing in less than four hours, and was able to raise some money for an injured marine charity along the way. While I didn't win the race, I certainly had the cutest support/cheering crew of the 30,000 runners by far. Many of our friends from the neighborhood came out to cheer (and/or jeer) me along.

Finished!

Gram with Jacqueline after the race

Jonah and Jackie waiting for daddy

Snug as a bug in a rug

Buon Giorno, Principessa! (my favorite picture from the race)

Daddy giving some tips to a future 2:30 marathoner. . .

2008-10-12T19:02:00.000-07:00

Grandpa and Nana visit DC

We had a great visit with Grandpa and Nana when they came to visit October 10-12. Grandpa got to meet Jackie for the first time. As always, the kiddos were spoiled and it was great to spend the weekend with the family.

2008-10-11T17:55:00.000-07:00

Jonathan's Admission to the Federal Circuit Bar

I was admitted to the Federal Circuit Bar on October 7, 2008. Judge Prost said some really nice things from the bench, and made a point to mention Jessi, Jonah, and Jacqueline. I don't know how to express what an amazing year this has been without sounding like I'm kissing up, but I feel so blessed to work for such a wonderful judge and with so many talented clerks at the court. Now I understand why former clerks always tell me that this is the best job I will ever have. . .

Jonathan & Jacqueline

Judge Prost, Jacqueline, Jonathan, and Jessi

2008-10-05T17:50:00.000-07:00

Baby Jacqueline's Dedication

Jacqueline was dedicated on Sunday, October 5, 2008, at DC Metro Church in Arlington, VA. David and Taryn Stine's youngest son Josiah was also dedicated on the same day. It was a very special day. Jacqueline wore a beautiful pink dress from Nana, but we didn't get any close-up pictures :) Ooops. . .

2008-10-01T10:28:00.000-07:00

Family Pictures

We had these pictures taken a few months ago, but we just realized that none were posted on the blog. These were taken at the Lincoln memorial, a few miles from our house, when Jackie was 13 days old. Jonah lost his monkey when we were in Seattle a few weeks ago, but Nana came this weekend and saved the day, bringing him a new monkey :)

2008-09-27T17:37:00.001-07:00

Photos!! I've had some requests for photos and apologize to our wonderful friends and family who are interested in the happenings of our lives.

We had some great friends living with us for three weeks. Jonah and his best buddy Owen really enjoyed playing the guitar in their underwear.

Jon and Jacqueline waiting at the bus stop after a visit to the court.

We made a scouting trip to Seattle and were lucky enough to run into the Baird family. I got to swim with Melissa (who is 8 months pregnant), and Jon got to run with Nathan.

Jackie loved looking at Uncle Ben's cool beard.

Jackie's first plane flight to Seattle and Jonah's ...ummm .... 15th???

Owen will be a great big brother some day. He was enthralled with "Baby Jackie."

We had many adventures with Kiki and Owen. This picture was taken on our way home from a morning at the park.

Jonah rode his bike to his first day of preschool. He was so excited to go to school and says circle time whenever you ask him what he did at preschool.

What is this big green chair? We are still trying to figure it out (well, not really). It sure makes for a cool picture on our walk home from a Saturday morning bagel breakfast with the Fountains.

2008-08-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

SIX WEEKS OLD!

The mosquitos got Jackie (twice). Washinton D.C. has a lot of mosquitos and they are constantly getting all of us except Jon. Jonah likes to say "mosquito got me". Whenever we clap our hands together he thinks we are getting a mosquito. Jackie is smiling now.

When I was taking pictures of Jackie's mosquito bites, Jonah asked me to take a picture of him. He actually has a bad cold today, so we are home playing with Lego's and watching Sesame Street (right now). He is also potty training, hence the big boy underwear.

2008-08-27T07:05:00.000-07:00

Life with two has been busy and an adjustment, but I have

been reminded that this is just a season of life and a very special season to enjoy. I (this is Je

ssi writing) feel so thankful and blessed with these two children. I know they are a gift and we want to raise them to be good people to help others and enjoy life to its fullest. Life has progressed much quicker with two. We seem to be out and about a lot more and have had some fun adventures. Jackie went to the zoo with her brother one week after she was born, and we go on daily walks, and spend a lot of time at the park and pool. Jonah is still adjusting to having a baby sister. For example, last night I was holding Jackie and Jonah said "Daddy hold baby Jackie, mommy hold Jonah."

We just found out that Jackie is going to have another boy cousin from Aunt Laurie and Uncle Ben. We are so excited and can't wait to meet the new McFarland family member (due at the beginning of January). Also, my sister Stephenie and her husband had a baby 2.5 weeks after Jackie was born (July 30). His name is Graham Anthony DellaRocco. Unfortunately we won't be able to get to Florida until Thanksgiving, but what a special time it will be to see baby Graham. Uncle Stephen will be there visiting too.... yipee!

Sweet Sleeping Baby - 5 weeks old.

Go Redskins! Daddy, Jonah, and Jackie at the redskins game. We made it almost to half time. It was a beautiful night with milkshakes, nachos, and pizza. Of course Jonah drank almost all of the milkshake

Every Sunday morning, we walk somewhere in Georgetown for breakfast and coffee. We started doing this in April and have really enjoyed our Sunday morning walks before church. It is always a challenge to see how quickly we can get ready for church.

Owen and Jonah... As Owen says, "Two Peas in a Pod". Owen and his family will be staying with us for two weeks. We will only be there for one week (because we will be in Seattle the other week), but that week will be full of fun and craziness.

Jonah always wants to give baby Jackie her "baba". Lately he has been asking her to lay down with him for story time before nap.

2008-08-02T20:51:00.000-07:00

Weeks 1-2

We had many visitors over the first two weeks of Jacqueline's life. Now it is just the four of us, and we are doing well. Jacqueline is a very sweet girl. Jonah is beginning to adjust to having to share his best friend (Mommy) with another, but he is very loving to Jacqueline and is already a great big brother. See below for a few pics of the first two weeks.

Week 1: Jessi, Jonah, & Jacqueline

Week 2: Grandma and Jacqueline.

Day 7: Taking a break with Great Grandma Benitez at the Dupont Circle farmer's market. Notice the peach juice all over Jonah. Jacqueline is getting a snack under the cape as well.

Day 1: Jacqueline with Nana.

2008-07-15T19:42:00.000-07:00

Days 1-2

Jacqueline on her birthday

Jonah and his buddy Owen took over the hospital bed for a pizza feast in celebration of Jacqueline's birthday. They had a blast raising and lowering the bed with the control panel.

Jacqueline at home. She looks like a cross between Jessi's baby pictures (especially the hair) and Jonah's.

Another day 2 profile.

Jacqueline won her first staring contest.

2008-07-14T13:37:00.000-07:00

The Delivery

On Saturday, July 12, 2008, Jessi began having light (easy for me to say) contractions around 6pm. She didn't tell me about the contractions until about 9:30pm because she didn't want me to try to convince her to go to the hospital too early. I called the doctor and he told us to come on in to get checked out. Next, we finished packing our hospital bags and I loaded the car. After about another hour at home, Jessi and I took a walk around Foxhall Village to try to get things to progress a bit more. With Jonah, Jessi's water broke before she noticed any contractions and the serious contractions didn't start for two hours after that, and then Jonah was born after another two hours. Jacqueline's labor was quite different in this respect in that Jessi was experiencing tolerable contractions for several hours before her water broke. We finally went to the hospital around midnight.

When we first got to the hospital, Jessi told the doctor that she didn't think she was in labor yet and that I made her come in. So, thinking this was a false alarm they put us in triage and the doctor did an exam on Jessi. After the exam, the doctor was surprised to tell us that Jessi was 5cm dilated, and we were whisked off to labor and delivery. Her water broke suddenly at 1:00 am during a contraction and after that, things moved along very quickly. Based on her good experience with Jonah's natural birth, Jessi opted once again for a natural delivery. After a few hard pushes Jacqueline made her appearance at 2:26 am and we were all smiles. . .

2008-07-13T13:24:00.001-07:00

Jacqueline Ramsey McFarland

Jacqueline Ramsey McFarland was born at 2:26 am on Sunday, July 13, 2008. She weighs 8 pounds 5 ounces and is 20 inches long. Jessi and Jacqueline are both doing great!

We will post later with details of the labor and delivery. See below for a few early pictures:

2008-05-22T18:06:00.000-07:00

Bambino Della Rocco

We went to Florida this weekend for a baby shower for Steph and Tony. It was great to see all of the family. Jonah got all of the attention that one boy could handle. On Friday, Jonathan and Jonah went with Nana and Granpa to meet Sara and Paul in Keystone Heights for Sara's birthday. Surprisingly, Keystone Heights had one of the coolest playgrounds we have ever seen. There were a bunch of big kids (probably 8-12 yr olds) playing on a big fort. Jonah really looks up to older kids now. He would walk right up to them and watch everything that they did. Of course, everywhere Jonah went he had his entourage (Nana, grandpa, daddy) following two steps behind. Lots of fun. The baby shower was Saturday and there were about 50 people and a couple hundred beers. You know, your typical baby shower. It actually turned out to be a lot of fun and went smoother than expected. Steph was a beautiful mother-to-be. We wish that we lived near Steph and Tony so the cousins could grow up together. With their aversion to the west coast and the lack of good patent law job prospects in central FL, I doubt we will live near eachother in the near future. See below for a few pics from the weekend:

Sisters. . .

Bellies. . .

Flight school with GP. . .

Ice cream cake = yummy

Don't worry, I'm just making sure no-one drinks daddy's Peroni.

2008-05-22T17:23:00.000-07:00

Long Time No Post

It has been quite a while since we updated the blog. We have made many good friends in DC and can't believe that we are half way through Jonathan's clerkship. Baby Jacqueline will be here in less than two months! See below for some pics from our latest adventures. . .

Jonah still loves trains. Jessi and GP took Jonah to the Thomas the Train day at the B&O railroad museum in Baltimore, MD.

Above is a picture of Jonah waiting by the finish line for daddy at the Capital Challenge Race.

Jonah and Owen chillin' in the alligator pool in our back yard.

Jonah and Charlie driving a tractor at truck day in VA.

Aaron, Owen, Jonah, and Jonathan during a camping/hiking trip in Shenandoah National Park. It was a bit chilly (it got down to 40 degrees), but Jonathan, Jessi, Jonah (& Jaqueline) were warm enough sharing 2 sleeping bags zipped together in a 2 person tent!

2008-03-08T18:12:00.000-08:00

Jonah Turns Two

Jonah had his friends Charlie and Dagne over for his second birthday. He had a blast. Jonah really likes having friends around now.

Jonah loves his guitar. In the picture above, he is running around in the greenway in front of our house. He is really turning into a little boy. Jonathan likes to ask him if he is a boy or a baby, but he still insists that he is a baby.

Jonah goes to see Mr. Skip play the guitar at a coffee house in Falls Church about once a week. Jonah loves to dance with his guitar while Mr. Skip jams.

2008-02-03T17:53:00.000-08:00

Mommy caught Jonah trying on her goggles. Of course she had to pull out the camera to take pictures. He walked around the house wearing them for a while.

There are some beautiful places very close to D.C. Great Falls is one of them. It was a little cold, but the rapids were realy cool to watch. In July there is a kayak race down these falls. I hope we are able to watch this race.
Jonah's first haircut (at a barber). He was a little scared, but he really needed it. This is the before picture.

After.

2008-01-06T11:57:00.000-08:00

More Christmas Pictures (that I meant to put up yesterday :)

Jonah loves puzzles!

Christmas Dinner

Attacking Uncle Ben.

Jonah and his cousin Aidan ("Ali" in Jonah language) had a lot of fun playing together.

2008-01-05T18:45:00.000-08:00

Aidan, Sam, and Jonah at the National Zoo.

2008-01-05T18:40:00.000-08:00

Touring Washington D.C.

How appropriate for the McFarland family -- Our first stop -- Albert Einstein! The boys had a lot of fun running in circles around Albert. We were able to get them to stop momentarily to take a picture.

Jonah and Daddy on the steps of the Lincoln Monument.

Too cute.

I had to include a bath picture.

2008-01-05T18:24:00.000-08:00

CHRISTMAS 2007

This picture was taken at the Christmas party where Jonah goes to daycare. He is at a home daycare two days a week and is beginning to like it. The women that work there are wonderful and they constantly comment on what a sweet little boy Jonah is and how good he is with the younger children.

Jonah and Daddy at the Christmas party. I would do a lot of silly things to get smiles like that.

Christmas morning!!! Jonah spent Christmas morning with mom and dad. Jonah walked downstairs and said, "Oh Boy"! Jonah got a bike from our friends in AZ (Thank you Katrina, Eric, Ryder and Oliver), some Duplos, an art easel (thanks Grandma), some brio (thanks Nana) and lots of little toys. Nana arrived around noon and Uncle Paul and Aunt Sara, and Uncle Ben, Aunt Laurie, Sam and Aidan arrived very very late Christmas night.

Playing with his choo choo trains.

2007-12-07T10:25:00.000-08:00

Our first snow. This is a picture of the townhouse we are living in.
This is a picture from our doorstep looking across the street. Isn't snow beautiful?
Jonah and mama in walking around in the snow. Jonah did not want to walk in the snow. He kept calling it rain and made me carry him constantly. I guess he doesn't remember his wintry beginnings in Chicago. :)

Jonah is now taking classes at Jonah's tree house. When I heard that there was a place in Georgetown called Jonah's tree house, I had to sign him up. He absolutely loves playing on all of the gym equipment. We have so much fun that he tries to join the class after us each time. We try to go to open play time a few times a week so that he can burn off some energy in this cold and wet place.

2007-12-02T17:37:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween!!! I think Jonah is the cutest monkey ever. I took him to Old Navy to pick out his costume and he immediately grabbed the banana. Every since he has been enthralled with the monkey. While we were in Florida the Nana gave Jonah a puppet monkey which is now one of his favorite toys.

This is a random picture of Jonah in front of the apple tree at GP's house. Very cute. He loves apples.

2007-12-02T17:13:00.000-08:00

We are finally almost settled in Washington D.C. and wanted to share some pictures from the past few months with everyone. We had a great time visiting friends along the way to D.C. We drove from San Jose to Flagstaff, but it took us 14 hours due to a wind storm in the Mojave desert. Jonah did great, but we did stop halfway at a Walmart to buy a mini DVD player. I think Jonah was much happier watching his movies during the drive. This first picture is of Ryder Leubkert and Jonah. They had so much fun jumping up and down in Ryders crib. I should email the video at somepoint....
In Albuquerque, we visited Justin, Jamie, and Joel Poore. Joel is only three months old (now 4 months) and very cute. It seems like yesterday when Jonah was that small. Jon left early to start the drive to Florida. Jonah and I spent two days there and then flew to Florida. Thanks Jon for doing the long drive. While in ABQ, Jamie took us on a very long tram/sky train ride at Sandia Peak. Jonah did not want the choo choo ride to end. The scenery was amazing and I would love to go back there to hike someday.
The Brevard Zoo is really cool. The coolest part was definitely feeding the birds bird nectar with Grandma and Papa.

2007-10-09T10:39:00.018-07:00

September & October 2007

September and October have been busy getting ready to move to DC, wrapping up things at work, and saying goodbye to friends. We had a great visit with Erik, Katrina and Ryder and there is a picture of Jonah and Ryder playing the piano below (Jonah is really getting into it in this pic).

We also had an awesome trip to Park City with our friends from 1L year. Jonah had such a good time with everyone and he actually slept through the night every night that we were there! Amazing.... We went on hikes, visited a ski resort, saw snow, watched some football, and watched the boys play a couple of pitiful games of basketball. What a great weekend. Thanks to everyone for being so good with Jonah!

Jessi, Jonah, and Jon went for a hike at Windy Hill on one Sunday morning. It was a beautiful day and Jonah decided to take a nappy nap near the top.

2007-08-20T20:49:00.000-07:00

Swim Lessons
Jonah has really enjoyed swim lessons. He loves the water and can swim underwater from mama to dada and to the teacher. He can monkey walk along the edge of the pool, and he loves to play motor boat and walk the plank. Mama couldn't get in the water for Jonah's last two swim classes because of her cast, so dada got to have all the fun!

Dada blowing Jonah's train whistle. The other night, Jon went in to check on Jonah before going to bed and Jonah was curled up with one of his arms securely around the choo choo. What a precious baby.

2007-08-20T20:41:00.000-07:00

One of Mama's best friends came to visit last weekend!! We had such a wonderful time. Mama and Erin had fun drinking mocha's and Jonah had tons of fun at the Roaring Camp Railroad. We took a "choo choo" ride, as Jonah says, through the redwood forest. Jonah was a little scared at first, but warmed up to the idea of being on a "big" choo choo quickly. Afterwards he was pushing his little choo choo on the big choo choo train tracks. Too cute!!

Jonah blowing goodbye kisses to the railroad/choo choo.

2007-08-05T20:29:00.000-07:00

Sunday August 5, 2007 - Tour De Peninsula. Jonah spent 3+ hours in his chariot today while mommy, daddy, and GP rode the 33 mile bike tour just north of Redwood City up to Skyline Drive. Jonah loved the ride. He took a little nap and even screamed wee wee as Jon raced and I mean raced down the hills. :)

Jonah loves water. I just adore this picture. He was so happy pouring water in and out of cups and filling his baby pool with the hose.

Last weekend was the San Jose Grand Prix. GP let Jonah play in the Go Kart. Jonah was in heaven. After the choo choo, steering wheels are Jonah's next love.

Jonah and I watching the race cars. Although, I think Jonah liked climbing up and down the bleachers more than watching any racing.

2007-07-06T08:32:00.000-07:00

Paul & Sara's Wedding - Jacksonville, FL - July 1, 2007

Sara and Paul had a beautiful wedding. Welcome to the family Paul. It was a great day. Jonah had lots of fun running around with his cousins Sam and Aidan at the reception. Jonah loved the jazz band at the reception (almost as much as he liked the pool at the hotel).

2007-07-06T08:25:00.000-07:00

The Chi-town Girlies

Haley and Stella came for a visit from Chi-town to see their boyfriend. The girlies loved to chase Jonah around and smother him with kisses. They had so much fun. There was almost as much kissing going on during that week as Paul & Sara's wedding video.

2007-07-06T08:21:00.000-07:00

A day at Epcot with Nana

We went to Epcot with Nana, Uncle Ben, Aunt Laurie, Sam & Aidan. The highlight of Jonah's day was the train table at the toy store. The highlight of daddy's day was fish & chips at the English pub.

2007-07-06T08:11:00.000-07:00

A day at Melbourne Beach with Grandma - July 2007

We spent the whole day at Melbourne Beach. We all got a little too much sun and had a little too much fun. We had lunch at Bizzaro's, and Jonah had one of his favorite meals (cheese pizza).

Jonah battling the waves with Grandma

Daddy burried Jonah

Jonah took a 2hr nap on the beach!

Sunglasses...

Grandma, Aunt Steph, Mommy, & Jonah

2007-07-06T07:46:00.001-07:00

Greg & Rachael's Wedding - Italy

May 2007

In May, Jonah took his first trip overseas to attend our good friends Greg & Rachael's wedding. See below for some pictures.

Greg & Rachael

Jonah inspecting the plane

Trevi Fountain

Jonah wet from Trevi Fountain

2007-07-06T07:30:00.000-07:00

More Italy ...

This is an outside shot of the main building of the villa where we stayed. Staying in the villa was lots of fun. We made most of our dinners at home, family style, and had a great time getting to know Greg & Rachael's families.

The bridesmaids with Greg & Rachael

(JM)^3

Jessi watches as Jonah explores the villa...

We had a blast riding this 3-person bike through the streets of Rome. Jonah loves steering wheels, so he was in heaven on the bike because he had his own wheel.

2007-05-13T22:11:00.000-07:00

Jonah and the Zoo Tractor

Jonah loves anything with wheels. He stares intently at the big boys as they ride their tricycles and bicycles around the park. He occasionally tries to commandeer one for himself, but does not get very far once he realizes that his short legs don't reach the pedals.

On Saturday, we went to the zoo with some friends (see the post just before this one). In the petting zoo area, there was a broken down toy tractor. Jonah jumped on and was in heaven. Other kids came, and left, but Jonah was not moving. Even when his buddy Jonah Hur came by, Jonah McF did not budge. At least Jonah M shared his pizza earlier in the day with Jonah H...

See below for a progression of pictures of Jonah's adventures on the stationary tractor. In the end, one of the older girls decided to just sit on the tractor in an apparent attempt to intimidate Jonah and commandeer the tractor for herself, but Jonah did not back down.

Jonah intently trying to figure out how the steering wheel works.

Jonah H stops by to see if his buddy Jonah M will let him take a turn shaking the steering wheel...

Jonah continuing to shake away at the steering wheel...

Abby was tired of waiting for Jonah to get out of the driver's seat, so she decided to sit on the engine. Jonah would not be deterred...

Perseverance paid off. Jonah has the tractor all to himself once again :)

2007-05-13T21:41:00.000-07:00

A day at the SF Zoo

(JM)^3 at the zoo

Jonah meets goat. Goat tries to poke out Jonahs eye with his horn. Daddy considers tackling goat, but considers the horns and keeps his distance...

2 Jonahs sharing pizza = 2 cute. What good boyz. They must have amazing mommies to teach them such good table manners.

Linnea & Jonah with Jessi and Jonah in the tunnel at the zoo.

2007-04-01T19:59:00.000-07:00

It feels like summer...

Jonah loves to play in the sand at the park near our house.

Mommy lets Jonah have lots more fun (read = get lots dirtier) than Daddy does at the park.

Definitely the coolest 14 month old I have seen in a while :)

Jonah is showing off his Herculean strength at the store.

It is amazing how fast he can get that cart going!

Jonah loves bikes. While mommy was away this weekend, daddy let Jonah pull daddy's bike down on top of him. Five minutes later, Jonah was trying to get on the bike again. Daddy thinks it is a good sign that Jonah won't let a little fall deter his love of cycling... Mommy thinks it is a bad sign of daddy's babysitting skills... Daddy thinks mommy is just being a pessimist...

2007-03-13T16:54:00.000-07:00

So it's been a while since we've updated the blog because we've been busy spending time with Uncle Stevie... who has left for Africa. Jonah misses his Uncle already. He has been crawling into his old room looking for Uncle Stevie... He also loves to point and touch the planets that Uncle Stevie hung for him. He is pointing at everything. He has now said dog, tree, and lots of mama's and dada's. His favorite food is fruit smoothies (homemade and from jamba juice). He is becoming our little boy. Right now he is taking about 5 independent steps at a time. He is definitely a gift from God.

Jonah was playing with the grocery bags, so mama made him a costume.

Grandma and Aunt Stephy came to visit to say goodbye to Uncle Stevie. We hiked from Mt. Tamalpais to Stinson beach and back. This was our halfway point.

Jonah loves to push a stroller. He will push it as long as we let him or until he finds some flowers or plants to distract him.

Goodbye Uncle Stevie- See you in two years. We all miss you but are so glad that you lived with us for a few months.

2007-02-03T21:11:00.000-08:00

JONAH'S BIRTHDAY PARTY- A PICNIC IN THE PARK WITH FRIENDS.
WE HAD LOTS OF FOOD AND FUN!!!

2007-01-31T08:36:00.000-08:00

Happy 1st Birthday Jonah!

This is a picture of Jonah with his friend Alexandra and her new walker wagon.

My first trike...

Thank you everybody for all of the wonderful birthday presents for Jonah. He is so lucky to have so many people that love him so much. We love you all!

Daddy and Jonah playing with his cell phone.

2007-01-02T09:27:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Jonah!! We spent Christmas with my Dad and brother and sisters.

Tahoe here we come whether there is snow or not!! This is a picture of Uncle Stephen and Aunt Stephy in the very back of the Montero at one of many bathroom breaks (much to GP's dislike).

Jonah eats spaghetti!

Our Christmas Eve hike at a preserve in Palo Alto.

2007-01-01T20:23:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!!
We had a wonderful time with our family in Seattle. This is a picture of Jonah with his soon to be Uncle. Welcome to the blog Paul.

The whole family on New Years Eve.

Could there be anything cuter than Sam, Jonah, and Aidan in the tub? I don't think so.

Pikes Place Market, Seattle, WA

2006-12-13T20:38:00.001-08:00

Can you believe that Jon cut down our Christmas tree??? Of course, he had Jonah and Uncle Stephen to help. Our beautiful Christmas tree is standing next to Jessi.

Jonah really really really loves cell phones. He has both of Jon's in his hands.

Jon was admitted to the CA bar on Monday. Yeahh!!! Jonah tried to compete with the Judge for everyones attention. All he wanted to do was to crawl everywhere during the ceremony.

Thanks GG, GGP, and Aunt Karen for this great gift. We are all singing the animal train song and Jonah drives the animal train all over our house.

2006-12-04T22:48:00.000-08:00

Jonah's First Thanksgiving!!
So, we realized that we didn't take enough pictures. We need some pics of GG, pop pop, and his soon to be new Uncle Paul. Since they are serious blog subscribers maybe they will email us a few to post.

Jonah and Grandma... he is a big boy!!!

A big boy who is very loved by Nana and Aunt Sara. Aunt Sara got engaged the day after Thansgiving. Isn't she glowing?

It is so special when Jonah falls asleep in my arms. I think the world stops.

Aunt Steph's blog debut... they had a lot of fun watching Damien skateboard.

2006-11-19T21:15:00.000-08:00

Hip Hip Hooray!!!! Dad passed the CA bar. Mom, Dad, and Uncle Stevie went for a bike ride and then had breakfast at the peninsula creamery. Mom said the milkshakes were incredible and I really enjoyed the little bite of french toast that I had. :)

Thanks Stella and Haley for the great shirts. I promise to keep them with me all the time because they are from my favorite girls.

I begged mommy to sleep in my crib with me and she was silly enough to listen to me. It was fun until Dad told her that she might break the crib!!!!

2006-11-14T21:57:00.000-08:00

Jonah and Uncle Stephen jammin on the piano!!! They are best buds!!!!

Aunt Lora watched Jonah while mommy got her teeth cleaned.

Grandma Pam loves holding Jonah. :) He can brighten anyones day.

Jonah's playroom

2006-11-14T21:26:00.000-08:00

BATH TIME!!!Jonah loves the water. We are teaching him to kick, kick, kick, and swim, swim, swim and blow bubbles.

2006-10-31T19:46:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween!!! Here are some of the latest and greatest of Jonah B. .....
Jonah really likes cars and trucks and anything with wheels that rolls. Mommy couldn't resist buying him a tractor with farm animals.

Jonah's second favorite thing to do is to pull books off his bookshelf one by one and laughing the whole time. He is so smiley and happy.

Daddy finally bought mommy a rocking chair!!! Jonah reeeeaaaalllly likes it.

The Finale..... Jonah is wearing his cousin's halloween costume. We went to Dad's work to say hello. I think the little dinosaur was overwhelmed with all of the attention.

2006-10-15T09:38:00.000-07:00

JONAH ON THE GO GO!!!!
8 MONTHS AND STILL GROWING :)

Jonah is in an exploration phase. He is learning all types of new things and is curious about everything.

About a month ago, Jonah started standing in his crib. I (jessi) walked in one morning and there he is standing in his crib, very proud of himself. He is still trying to figure out how to get down from the standing position (other than falling).

I guess all babies are fascinated by certain things, well, Jonah is fascinated with wheels and ANYTHING that rolls. He is constantly crawling towards his stroller and rolling it. Behind him is a package of clothes from Stella and Haley. He says thanks to his girlfriends. :)

Q -T- pie :) Jonah on the go go!!

Jonah is now bouncing to music. He loves to play the piano (the adult piano and baby piano) and listen to Uncle Stephen play the guittar and sing. Look how big he is getting!

2006-10-03T21:54:00.000-07:00

Jonah's Swim Lessons

Considering Jessi's passion for swimming, we decided to get Jonah started early with swim lessons (he didn't really retain much from all of the swimming that Jessi did while he was in the belly). Well, admittedly perhaps swimming is a bit ambitious in that he just started to crawl, but we think that he is an overacheiver like his mommy. Jonah loves the pool. He doesn't mind water in the face, but has trouble blowing bubbles under water, but he loves to laugh at mommy and daddy as we try to teach him how to blow bubbles...

Mt. Tamalpais Hill Climb - Jessi's First Bike Race

Jessi did her first road bicycle race (other than a triathalon) and did very well. Jonah and I were the loudest fans in the crowd at the finish line. Jonah enjoyed watching mommy race for once, after going to all of my races last year. The race was a monster climb up one of the toughest climbs in the bay area. Jonah thinks that we should take a ride up Mt. Tamalpais in the Chariot, but I'm not sure I have the legs to get us both up there. He's pretty persuasive though, so I'm sure we'll give it a shot one of these days...

2006-09-13T22:23:00.000-07:00

Napa

9/13/06

Ben, Laurie, Sam, Aiden (on the left)... JJJ (on the right)...

JJJ in the gondola (left)... Beautiful view of the vineyard from the gondola (right)...

2006-09-13T21:37:00.000-07:00

San Francisco

9/11/06

This week Ben (Jonathan's brother), Laurie, Sam, and Aiden McFarland are visiting from Seattle. On Monday, we went into San Francisco for the day. We met up with Rob and Lucy at their new place on Russian Hill and wandered over to the beach in front of the Golden Gate Bridge for a walk. Wow, what an amazing place...

Rob, Lucy, Jonah, and Jonathan in front of the Golden Gate Bridge. Jonah and Lucy bonded immediately... Perhaps it is the hair :)

JJJ in front of the GGB...

7 McFarlands in front of the Palace of Fine Arts in SF...

2006-09-06T18:25:00.000-07:00

San Francisco Aquarium
9-4-06

2006-09-06T17:53:00.000-07:00

Big Basin Hike
9-5-06

12mi Round Trip - 3 Water Falls - 2000 ft in Elevation Change

Jonah's First Waterfall - Berry Creek Falls

Daddy and Jonah are in awe of the beauty of nature half way up Jonah's second waterfall...

Lunch

2006-09-06T17:45:00.000-07:00

Mount Tamalpais Day Hike

9 mi to the coast and back

All smiles with the beach in the backdrop...

Both boys are exhausted with their their tongues out, mid-way through a beautiful hike...

Notice who is smiling and who is carrying the little giant :)

Only about one mile to go after the 10 foot ladder!

2006-09-06T17:28:00.000-07:00

Jonah's Cycling Adventures

The top two pictures are from Jonah's first bike ride. We rode about 25mi and daddy and uncle Stephen each pulled for half of the ride. Jonah was a real trooper and we all celebrated w/ smoothies at the end of the ride.

Erik, Katrina and Rider visited from Phoenix. Jonah and Rider went for Jonah's longest bike ride when Erik pulled both of these little studs for 45mi. We stopped half way at GP's house for a quick swim and some lunch. What a fun day!

2006-08-15T09:16:00.000-07:00

Well, we are now in Palo Alto. It was a crazy airplane flight with the cats, Jonah, and all of the terrorism scares on Thurs, but we arrived to Cali fine. See below for some pics from this week in Cali. The first pic is of Jonah in his new chair in the kitchen of our house (notice the bib Nana). The second pic is of a hike that we did in Saratoga with the crew (Stephen - Jessi's bro, and JJJ). Then there are two pics from a day trip to the dunes in Pismo beach this weekend. Jonah had his own little tent. The last pic is of Jonah helping us unpack in our new house...

Several of you have asked for our new address, so here it is: 247 Fulton St, Palo Alto, CA 94301

2006-08-09T18:36:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, Aug 9 - Jonah had bathtime with Stella and Haley today. He was happy in the top picture when he was in the background hangin' with Haley while Stella stole the show. Then he got a little upset in the lower picture when bathtime was over because he loved bathtime with the girls :)

This is a very bittersweet week. We made so many good friends in Chicago. It is sad to say goodbye. That said, we are really excited about starting the next stage of our lives. There are several new adventures to come.

Pic 1 - Wednesday, Aug 9 - Rand, Amy, and Trey went out for coffee at Istria with us. Rand has been a great influence on our lives in Chicago.

Pic 2 - Sunday, Aug 6 - Pat and Lara went to Ravinia with us to hear Yo Yo Ma. Pat is going to be Jonah's baseball, volleyball, and basketball coach one day.

Pic 3 - Thursday, Aug 3 - Keely and Jen took us out for dinner at Calypso. Jonah loves the foam puzzle play mat that they got him. Mainly he rolls on it and tries to eat it now, but I'm sure he will be able to put the puzzle together one day. Thanks!

2006-07-31T17:35:00.000-07:00

It is Jonah's 6 month birthday today. We celebrated as a family by buying Jonah a new book that has shiny lights called The Lonely Firefly. Jonah loved batting at the lights. I can't wait until our first real chance to chase around fireflies...

Jessi and I also celebrated by treating ourselves to gelato at Istria Cafe. Mmmmm. Jessi had mint chocolate and vanilla. I had strawberry/rasberry. Jonah was looking longingly at both cups. Unfortunately for him, the only solid food he gets so far is baby oatmeal. But from the look on his face, I have a feeling he will have his mommy's love of ice cream...

Here is a picture of some of our cycling buddies before we all played a nice "friendly" game of Risk. It is a good thing none of us are competitive ;)

I don't know who is more excited in this picture, Jonah or Aspen...

Well, this has been a great weekend after a long week. Thanks to Jessi for all of the support and for taking such amazing care of Jonah. I love you both so much...

- Jonathan

2006-07-27T13:20:00.000-07:00

I CAN'T HELP MYSELF!!! I love posting pictures of our very cute baby. He is changing everyday. It is absolutely amazing. He can sit by himself and is rolling over constantly. Here are some pictures from our Thursday. We had mom's group in the morning and then we went to the park. Jonah is sitting in my lap as I am typing this and he wanted me to tell daddy to hurry home and we miss you. We love you Jon. Congrats on finishing your bar exam.
Love,
Jessi and Jonah

2006-07-27T06:09:00.000-07:00

Hi Dad- Just wanted to say that I miss you and hope that your last day of the bar exam is fun. I can't wait to see you tomorrow!!!! Mommy has a tummy ache and I think it is empathy pains for you. :-) Come play with me!!!

2006-07-24T19:09:00.000-07:00

Today Jonah and Jessi walked downtown from Hyde Park with Liz and Nourit. It is great that we have such adventurous and fun friends. Liz and Jessi celebrated the journey with a mocha from Intelligentsia on Randolph St.. A mocha is happiness in a cup. :) Good luck to Jon--- tomorrow is the big day--- day 1 of the bar exam. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. We love you Jon!!!!

2006-07-22T19:40:00.000-07:00

For the past two weeks we have been having impromptu dinners at Christine and Michael's house. Or, I guess it should be called Stella and Haley's house. The dinners have been a compilation effort based on Christine's weekly box of vegetables. It is fun to see all of the cool things we can make from all of the fresh veggies. Christine had this great idea to dress all of the kids in tie dye and take a picture. It turned out to be a pretty good picture and will always be a good memory.

Here is a picture of Jonah, Stella, and Haley at Music Together. Jonah loves his music class. Stella and Jonah decided to try and dress similarly. Kind of cute. :)

2006-07-22T19:22:00.000-07:00

These pictures should be called Jonah and friends because they are pictures of Jonah with his friends throughout the past week. It has been a busy and exciting week for Jonah as we've tried to stay away from home so daddy can study for the big bad bar exam. We did kidnap dad for a few diversions.

Jonah and Ryder are on there way to lunch at the Medici in Hyde Park. Ryder came all the way from Phoenix, AZ to have lunch with Jonah. Jonah and Ryder spent the lunch planning their future biking adventures. Thanks Katrina, Erik, and Ryder for spending the day with us.

This is a picture of Jonah and his girlfriend of the week......Haley Sturgill!!! What a beauty!! They like to play together at Haley's house which Jonah refers to as disneyland. Jonah is frequently seen trying to hold Haley's hand. Haley is 2 months older than Jonah so she has been trying to help him with his sitting and crawling.

Mom's group buddies! Here we have Samuel and David chillin on the couch at the church office with Jonah. They have a lot of fun together once a week.

It is always a good day when mom gets a pedicure with her friends. Thanks to Pam for a wonderful morning. Jonah was the center of attention at 2 Q nails downtown where mom gets a pedicure. All of the ladies there have known Jonah since he was in mom's belly.

We had a very fun week. Now it is time to get to work as dad heads to CA to take the bar exam this week. We are moving to CA on August 10. Our friends in Chicago will definitely be missed.

2006-07-11T13:29:00.000-07:00

The day after Jonah's shots...

He is not feeling very well today. 102 temperature makes for an unhappy little boy. All he wants to do all day is snuggle... no games, just snuggling and wimpering. A day like this makes us appreciate what an easy-going baby he is most of the time...

2006-07-10T12:50:00.000-07:00

SO BIG!!!!

Jonah had his five month doctor's appointment today. He weighed in at 19 lbs!!! His length is 27 3/4" and head circumference is 17 1/4". He is healthy, happy, and we got the ok for him to go on a 100 mile bike ride with mom and dad in a few months. Unfortunately he had to get 4 shots, but he didn't cry until the last one. That must be because he has such super cute fleshy thighs. :)

2006-07-09T19:39:00.000-07:00

Jonah just loves to swing! Jessi brought Jonah to the park this afternoon while Jon hung out at the law library with his buddy Pat. Who do you think had more fun today???