biking, kayaking, swimming, and so much more

Last week, Trevor and I went to Michigan to visit Oma, Pa, Uncle Bud, and Aunt E. Trevor had a great time biking, kayaking, swimming, going out for coffee (or in his case, mowing down carrot cake at JPs), going on walks with Oma, playing with his cousins: Jordi Luke and Caden, going out for lunch, and attending his cousin Angela's wedding. All in all it was a fun-filled week with a lot of memorable firsts....biking, kayaking, walking on sand at the beach, and going under water in the pool.

pineapple bum

Trevor has taken to sleep on his belly with his bum up in the air (apparantly Todd's brother, Troy, used to also sleep like this). We were putting him in a T-shirt and his cloth diaper at night (because of the hot weather); however, we discovered one morning that he had learned to unvelcro his diaper cover! oops! Now he wears shorts with his T-shirt :)

mr. fourth of july

On the fourth of July, we went to a barbeque where Trevor enjoyed the good eats and the swing. Later, we went to the fireworks .... he was crabbers until the fireworks started (which he loved!). In the picture of the fireworks, you can make out the back of his head in the carseat that doubled as a recliner.

finger food

Trevor prefers feeding himself over being spoon fed - granted, half of it goes to our dog Penny (but she has yet to complain). Here he is munching on bits of a pumpkin muffin and peas.

finding nemo

Trev is taking swimming lessons at the local YMCA. Tuesday was his first lesson, and it mostly consisted of moving to the groove of nursery rhymes and playing with toys. He really likes the water, but the pool was loud and overstimulating - so he was shell-shocked for most of the lesson. I did manage to capture this grin.

swing

We love spending time on the front porch swing. Sometimes Trevor sits on our lap, but other times, he sits beside us and holds on to the armrest. Here are three priceless expressions...wry, jolly, and "say what?"

father's day

Todd, oops I mean Trevor, is learning how to crawl. He can do the combat crawl to get something that he really wants. The close-up picture is of him crawling to get the camera. Todd is so proud to be a dad and to celebrate his first Father's day. People comment how Trevor looks more and more like Todd as he grows older.

memorial day

Trevor celebrated memorial day by attending a patriotic concert in the park with Grandpa and Grandma (Nelson). The weather was very hot, and Trevor found refuge from the sun beneath the shade of the chair. While listening to the music, he enjoyed the view of the Mississippi River.

cruising: back-pack style

Trevor is now at the age where he can ride in a backpack. He enjoys the scenery from above and likes the backpack as much as he does the stroller. After a bit, the ride on Daddy's back lulled him to sleep.

lil gardner

Trevor has been my assistant landscaper during the day. He mostly sits on the blanket and watches, but here he is inspecting the mulch for quality control.

little dutch boy

As you may know, I am mostly Dutch, which makes Trevor a little Dutch boy. We went to Michigan last week to celebrate Tulip Time. Trevor had fun eating, I mean smelling, the Tulips. We also watched the parade on Wednesday, saw the Dutch dancers on a couple nights, and dressed Trevor in a Dutch costume.

cinco de mayo

Ok, we're doing a blog about cinco de mayo a couple weeks late. But doesn't he look festive? Silly Grandpa (Tom) put on the sombrero and sunglasses while an unsuspecting Trevor was napping. All he needs are some nachos and a margarita....que bueno!

packing up

"Should he stay or should he go? If he stays there will be trouble, if he goes it will be double...." This has been the week of packing, and (much to his chagrin) Trevor has had to entertain himself.

The weather has been so beautiful this week that I've had a hard time being motivated to pack - so we had to sneak out for a walk with Dad, which Trevor always enjoys.

uncle bud

While we were in Michigan, Trevor and I went to watch my brother Adam, aka "Uncle Bud," play LaCrosse. Trevor was transfixed by the action for the first hour; by the second hour, he needed some activity. Gary (a family friend pictured with Opa and Trevor) encouraged Trevor to "hit people with sticks" as they do in the violent sport of LaCrosse. It doesn't fit with our philosophy of peace, but I suppose boys will be boys. Case in point: Trevor got in a tossle with the neighbor boy (6 weeks older) over a magic wand and the boys were indeed hitting each other with the magic stick.

wedded bliss

Todd's sister, Tara, married David Alberth on April 8. Trevor attended the event in style and was decked out in his sweater vest, khakis and velcro tie. He declined to invite a guest but did express interest in a local girl, Brooke, who happens to be the pastor's daughter.

naughty opa

Opa and Oma came for a visit and Opa is already demonstrating how he is going to spoil Trevor. He tried to tempt Trev with some Diet Coke (my and my dad's crack). In fact, my dad used to put Coke in my bottle, and, upon seeing him after work, I would hold it out to him saying "Cocos...Cocos." I thought this other photo of Opa and Trevor together was also really nice. Sometime, we'll have to have Oma and Trevor on the blog - but she'll have to confiscate him for a photo op from the self declared, "baby hog."

oops

So, I was feeding Trevor his breakfast of oatmeal and applesauce when Penny insisted that she absolutely must go outside pronto. I put Trevor's bowl of food out of reach... or so I thought! Needless to say, Trev's new nickname is "destructo commando." The close-up picture says it all, "who me?"

pirate

Arrrrr..... I'm a wee little pirate cutting a tooth!

bathtime

Trevor is still a big fan of bathtime, and I'm not sure which aspect he likes more: being naked or splashing me! He is working on the skill of sitting-up independently and uses bathtime and the bathtub ledge to practice. One of his favorite parts of taking a bath is cleaning his toes because it reminds him of his feet which he likes to kick - hence, the water everywhere :)

happy baby pose

Trevor is becoming quite the yoga master and regularly demonstrates his flexibility by grabbing his toes and rocking back and forth.

upside down

One of Trevor's favorite activities is hanging upside down. He squeals with delight and opens his mouth wide and cranks his head back in a very strange position. If he could, he would hang like a bat all day long.

cotton eyed joe

We simply love Trevor in this plaid shirt and jean set. There is a matching sweater but it was drool-soaked within 5 minutes - such is the life of a teething lad.

carrots

Rice cereal is good... but carrots are FANTASTIC! We recently made the transition to solid foods, and Trevor couldn't be happier. When feeding him rice cereal, he circles round and round in his exer-saucer making us chase him round with the spoon. However, for carrots, he'll stay perfectly still with his mouth open and ready.
Needless to say, the bib is not optional.

painting Trevor

After Trevor's (or our) dedication, Trevor and I headed to Michigan with my parents to try and escape Todd's sickness and his double pink eye - poor guy was REALLY sick. Trevor did end up with a cold but luckily not the virus Todd had or pink eye. While in Michigan, I painted a portrait of Trevor. It was a strange experience painting someone you see everyday and trying to capture their essence (it was akin to a self portrait). I really enjoyed the opportunity to paint again; watching Trevor during the day does not afford much uninterrupted time - so it was a real treat.

parent dedication

Trevor was dedicated (or I suppose, according to doctrine, that we were dedicated to raising Trevor in the faith) on Sunday, January 29 at Madison Park Christian Church. He wore a sweater knit by Grandma Judy, which received many compliments. Grandpa Tom and Grandma Linda drove down from Michigan to celebrate.

the littlest cruiser

We lost our camera on the cruise, but now have a new one - so we are back in the blogging business :) At 4 months, Trevor was certainly the littlest cruiser (especially since the minimum age is 6 months!) This picture was taken by Aunt Heidi and shows a typical scene on the ship: Grandpa Tom walking around with Trevor to keep him occupied and not fussy. He was happy as long as he was on the move and constantly looking at new scenery, especially the mirrors on the elevator.

two babies

For Christmas, Trevor, Todd, Penny, and I went to Pennsylvania to visit Todd's family (whew...14 hours each way in the car with a baby!) Judy enjoyed her role as a grandma and held Trevor whenever possible; Rick carried around and bonded with Penny, the other "baby." Needless to say, both our "babies" had a good trip. This week we're leaving on a cruise with the Bocks. Trevor is quite the world traveler at 3.5 months :)