Fun with a Toddler!

Ian is at such a fun age. Often, Matt remarks, "I think Ian is just getting more and more fun!" Kim couldn't agree more! Life with a toddler is an exciting adventure! No two days are the same!
One of Ian's newest fascinations is looking through pictures of himself. Almost every day, Ian will locate the scrapbook Momma has made of his first 16 months of life and will want to flip through it with Daddy or Momma. He mainly loves pointing out himself but will also identify some friends or family members when asked.
Last weekend, we explored Mercer Arboretum with our friend Caleb B. The boys were most interested in the water ...
... but did seem to like the flowers and plants we saw at the beginning of our trip.
We stopped for a break on a pretty garden swing.
"This is the BEST part," Caleb and Ian think.

Some of the pretty flowers we saw ...
... and even a lizard, or, as Ian would say, a "do-dud."

"This fountain is even cooler!" thinks Ian.
stopping to look at the fish

snack break!
on the way to the car!
We just so happened to go to Mercer Arboretum when they were hosting a "Garden Faire" across the street. (God works in such awesome ways!) The boys were super excited about their free "train ride" around the parking lot. Ian asked to go twice!
The conductor (seen in the background) LOVED his job and happily turned the train in circles for the kids.

We got to pet a constable's horse. It was a really friendly horse, even though it looks like Kim and Caleb almost lost their heads! :)
a much tamer picture :)
They had free activities for the kids, including planting their own seeds and learning about plants that attract butterflies.
They had free, though a bit random, music available.
We enjoyed the chance to sit in the shade while listening to the music. (It was a really hot day. Thankfully, life in Texas is MUCH cooler this week!)
enjoying a snack together after naps
We LOVE our new snow cone maker (garage sale purchase). We made apple juice snow cones on our first attempt.
Ian ate his whole bowl as well as some of Momma's bowl.
He's getting more confident about using a spoon, though it's still a little messy.
Of course, Ian was happy to help with hosing down the sticky table once we were done.
One of Ian's current favorite outside activities is using sidewalk chalk.
He'd like to use it on EVERYTHING, so we've had to do some talking about where chalk works best. :) Writing on the dark trash can is a big hit!


Here, Ian sings/does some actions for "Zaccheus."