Happy January!

We've been having fun since we've been home! Ian has (finally) started to take an interest in climbing ... onto drying racks, chairs, kiddie tables, etc. I was drying my hair and didn't notice him dragging the drying rack out of the closet until I saw him proudly sitting in the middle of it.
My friend, Jenn, convinced me to take Ian to Bouncin' Bears. I was convinced he wouldn't be interested since he doesn't know how to jump yet. Boy, was I wrong. He most enjoyed the large "pillow" (not pictured since Momma was in constant motion while holding Ian upright), this toddler jumping area, and the long slides.
Jenn's daughter, Brooke, was great at climbing up the ladder and sitting down before sliding.
Ian, on the other hand, did not want to waste time sitting down,
so he just slid down on his tummy each time! (see video below)


Whee! The big slides were a lot of fun ...
... and a great workout for us mommas as we carried our toddlers up the stairs.
Ian has been learning to play WITH his friends a little more often than just playing beside them. His favorite "game" to play with friends is to have them hold one side of the beads while he holds the other. Then, they walk around like a train saying "choo, choo." Caleb was a great sport at playing this little game.
We finally made it down to Ikea when Matt had MLK Day off of school. Uncle Andrew & Aunt Sarah had given Ian some money for Christmas to buy some fun new things from Ikea. We were happy to have the excuse to go to this really cool store!
Ian was excited to hold the scratch-off coupons they gave us upon entering the store,
and he loved exploring the furniture,
the international foods,
and, of course, the TOYS!

His favorite toys were the play pots and pans, which is not surprising since his favorite thing to play at home is to "go cook" in his play kitchen. We ended up using some of Great-Grandma Walquist's Christmas money to let Ian take home his own set of pots and pans.
The microwave was also a big hit!

What a fun toy demo area, huh??
It was complete with little furniture,
a little abacus/bead thing,
and even a spinny chair!!
Needless to say, we ended up buying WAY more than the easel and accessories Andrew & Sarah had sent us to Ikea for. (Let's just say we have some of Ian's birthday presents already!! :))
We enjoyed having Swedish meatballs for lunch at Ikea, compliments of Andrew & Sarah, too! The food was yummy! Don't let Ian's innocent little smile fool you. Right before this picture, when Matt was loading up our treasures into the car, I had my first (of probably many) experiences as "that mom." You know ... that mom that has the screaming, hungry, cranky toddler while she has her hands filled with stuff and is trying to cajole her sweet-though-not-at-the-time little one to follow her through the line while everyone in the whole place is watching with a mixture of compassion, interest, and annoyance?? Thankfully, the old guy with a German accent behind me in line kept saying, "Don't worry, he'll live." And a young dad came up and reassured me that he had a very similar experience just earlier that morning. Ahh ... the lessons in humility that I'm learning on a daily basis! :)
The easel from Uncle Andrew & Aunt Sarah is a big hit!! Ian loved drawing on it with chalk. (He also loves wearing his new Crocs that just came in the mail -- thanks for the heads-up on a super great deal, Aliceson! Who can pass up $9 Crocs??)
Ian kept saying "circle" as he drew.

But the fun REALLY began when the tempera paints came out (thanks, Grammy and Papa!). Ian thought they were super fun!
He chose to paint nearly his entire masterpiece in green with just a little yellow and orange. He kept switching the brush back and forth between his hands. I think he really liked how it felt to be painting!!



Another of Ian's current favorite pastimes is "playing the guitar." My friend Aliceson had suggested putting a gigantic rubber band on our china hutch to keep curious hands out of the cabinet that holds candles. It was a great idea, especially since he usually forgets the candles are even there and just strums and sings!! :)