Candy Corn and Marshmallows

A few weekends ago our church had a Fall Festival. There were games, food, crafts, and of course candy. Jonathan's favorite activity was cookie decorating, and I use the term decorating loosely. It was mainly Jonathan eating the candy that was suppose to go on the cookie.  He hadn't been exposed to much candy before this, so it was quite exciting (for him).

We try not to keep candy in the house, but there has been a lot around b/c of Halloween. And they have been somewhat helpful with potty training. Jonathan gets one candy corn (or one mini marshmallow) when he pees in the potty. It worked out well (Jonathan has not peed in his big boy pants for the past week!), until Jonathan discovered that he had to pee every five minutes...and received a candy corn every five minutes. Hmmm I think we need to rethink this potty training strategy...

Out apple picking, hiking, fishing, climbing,.....

We, the Payne family, like adventure. Before we had Jonathan, Nate and I usually went hiking or exploring almost every weekend. I get restless easily, and find it hard to sit at home and relax when there is so much to see and do! Thankfully, not only did I marry a wonderful man who shares my sense of adventure, but God blessed us with a son who also prefers to be out and about.  To satisfy this insatiable hunger to see and do more, we went apple picking, hiked near Mt.Baker, and attended the Salmon festival this weekend. 

Jonathan's favorite part of apple picking...the tractor of course

Nate had many proud moments this weekend...Jonathan wanting to take photos...

The other proud moment came during hiking where Jonathan exclaimed numerous times"Me good hiker" and told us that he wanted to "find big rocks".  He is such a good climber. Much more nimble than his old parents.

What a beautiful place!

Pike's Place

A few weekends ago, Nate, Jonathan, and I decided to do the Seattle tourist thing and explore Pike's Place Market. Here are some photos capturing our fun!

Latte outside the 1st Starbucks ever

Checking out the "funny looking crabs" at the market

Nate and Jonathan looking up at the Space Needle

Playing at the fountain which Jonathan calls "Big Sprinkler!"

Me Fast!

Jonathan loves physical activity right now-- kicking and throwing balls, running, jumping (on the ground, the bed, off stairs, etc). I am often fascinated how long and how much giggling will accompany these things. When we first arrived to Seattle, one of his favorite things to do with Nana was to run up and down a hill in the city park. And then last time we went he spent most of the time chasing the birds and rolling around in the grass. He already wants to join the older kids in their soccer games, so I am scouting out Mommy and me soccer activities. Didn't think I would become a soccer mom this early in the game!

 I am so thankful he gets so much enjoyment from being active. When we went to Greenlake park last weekend, my heart was warmed even more. Jonathan wanted to jog with mommy! We had fun racing each other, and he kept on exclaiming "Me Fast". There might come a day when Jonathan will view exercise as work, but for now I am enjoying him viewing it as fun. I hope this jog with mommy will be the first of many.

One of the many docks going out onto Greenlake

Ducks!

"me so tall"

Beautiful Greenlake

냠의 냠 or (Yum Yum)

Jonathan enjoying his mango and sticky rice at a local Thai restaurant

Jonathan, being the son of two food lovers, is a great eater. He rarely will turn down  food, and people are often in awe (or sickened) of how much he packs away. At a checkup, when his doctor was slightly concerned on how low his weight was on the growth chart, I recounted all the food he had eaten in the past 24 hours. Our pediatrician was quite taken back and no longer concerned about his weight. His doctor did mention that he must be very active (uh yes!) to metabolize such large amounts. Most toddlers slow down their consumption around this age and become a little picky with their food. Well...not Jonathan. I can only imagine what our grocery bill will be once he is a teenager.

 Any of you who have spent any time with me know how much I enjoy food. I love to consume it, love to smell it, and love to watch it. When I was in the hospital a few years ago and wasn't allowed to eat for a few days, the food network kept me happy. The nurses, doctors, and  Nate thought I was torturing myself, but no, it was pure enjoyment to watch all those delectable creations, even if I couldn't eat. However, as much as I love food, it wasn't until 2 years ago when I actually enjoyed creating it. Don't get me wrong, I could cook (had to eat didn't I?), and I did cook, but didn't get such pleasure out of it. I would chose eating out at a restaurant over cooking any day.  

After I got sick 2 years ago, and was so limited in what I could eat, I began to get serious about cooking. There were few restaurants that served food I could eat, so I cooked and cooked and cooked. And I actually found that I enjoyed it. I loved the order of it all (I mix a and b, and it equals c!). I loved the creativity. I loved preparing food for my loved ones and seeing their smiling, messy faces enjoying it. I loved knowing exactly what was in my family's and my food (the control freak in me). I loved how healthy it was compared to most restaurants. It has become one of my favorite things to do.

Nate's favorite food group is "anything Asian". He loves it all--Thai, Chinese, Korean, you name it. A delicious thing about the Seattle area is that there is asian food everywhere. On any major road there is at least one restaurant per block that has "teriakyi", "thai", or "chinese" in its title. There is a huge asian market just down the street from us, that has the largest inventory of asian ingredients I have seen. There have been a lot of Thai and Chinese recipes that I have wanted to make that had ingredients I couldn't even find at Wegmans. But hooray, they were all at the market, and then some. Looking forward to making some yum yum!

Auncie

When Phil and Nancy Payne offered for Nate, Jonathan, and me to stay with them until we got settled out in Seattle, we were excited but slightly nervous. We REALLY liked them, and we wanted them to continue liking us! I still remember meeting them right after Nate and I got engaged, and how much I loved them already, how I already felt like a part of their family. We know how chaotic, loud, and messy a house can get with a two year old boy. They were so generous and sweet in opening their home to us, but did they know what they were getting into by offering for us to live with them? 

What we didn't realize was that we were getting an amazing opportunity to deepen our relationship with them.  Nevermind that they have been nothing but gracious and generous since we have arrived, but the investment they have given to Jonathan has been priceless. Jonathan has grown so attached to Aunt Nancy, who he has dubbed "Auncie" (Aunt and Nancy smooshed together). He wakes up saying Auncie, when we come home from errands/park/gym he starts shouting for Auncie, and this weekend he has cried a few times because Auncie and Uncle Phil are gone for the weekend.  Jonathan has grown to have many favorites out here, but right now Auncie is his favorite playmate.

It has also been pretty cool for Jonathan is meet his cousin Miriam. Although he doesn't play/interact with her as much as he does with Auncie (which is probably a good thing considering how active and physical Jonathan can get when he plays), I'm looking forward to future playdates. Nate has such a wonderful history of growing up with cousins, playing at Mt.Hermon with them, and still having friendships with them after all these years. We hope Jonathan grows to have a similar history with his cousins.

Seeing Seattle and life through toddler eyes

I often say life with Jonathan is never dull. And while sometimes I say it in a "I'm one exhausted mother" tone, he does bring so much joy to my life. Things that seem drab or tiresome are suddenly exciting and new when I am with Jonathan. Like before I was always slightly (okay okay more than slightly) annoyed by sitting in traffic and construction, but with Jonathan it is a thrilling opportunity to look at trucks and hear him exclaim "Diggers! Push dirt! Scoop rock!".  Or how excited he gets to see mommy "coloring" (i.e. paying bills with check and pen) and wants to color with the pen too. Or how he points out to me so many fascinating things (rocks, worms, flowers, bugs) that I normally overlook during our walks. He reminds me to see the beauty in the world and the excitement all around us.

One of my favorite artists, Sara Groves, articulates so well in a song the beautiful lessons our children teach us.  Her song "I Can't Wait" goes something like this

I will teach you to read and you can turn the pages
How to dress and tie your shoes
Your one plus ones, and your two times two's
And you'll teach me
Of hearts and dreams
And all the most important things
And all that i have lost along the way
And I can't wait

As you grow, I'll show you things
How to ride your bike and kick your legs out on the swings
To fold your hands and bow your head
How to say your prayers before you go to bed
And you'll teach me
Of hearts and dreams
And all the most important things
And all that I have lost along the way
And I can't wait

How do you sleep so peacefully?
How do you trust unflinchingly?
How do you love so faithfully?
How do you dance so joyfully?
Oh you'll teach me
Of hearts and dreams
And all the most important (essential) things
And all that i have lost along the way
And I can't
No I can't
Come teach me
Of love and dreams
And all the most essential thing
And all that I have lost along the way

This song really hits close to home right now. Jonathan's example of "dancing so joyfully" and "trusting unflinchingly" is a good reminder for me. And I need it. This week has been a particularly hard week for me for various reasons (health, finances, missing friends and family, etc). But God reminded me today that I can sleep so peacefully , trust unflinchingly, love so faithfully, dance so joyfully because I am his beloved daughter. My life, whether full of hard stuff or not, is in the hands of a living, caring, all powerful God. And while Nate and I are by no means all caring or all powerful (though all living :) ), Jonathan rests in the knowledge that he is our beloved son. Aren't kids wonderful teachers?

"Making music" at the kiddie area at Zoo

So here are some recent pictures of Jonathan loving life and seeing Seattle through toddler eyes

Jonathan pointing out the "BIG boats" to daddy

Jonathan making friends with otter at Woodland Park Zoo

Enjoying tractors (his favorite part) of the Washington State Fair

Grinding corn at State Fair

Jonathan's first corn dog (the nurse inside of me was cringing as I contemplated the unhealthiness...but hey its the fair)

Thomas

Any parent of a toddler boy( or anyone who has played with Jonathan in the last month) can probably already guess what this post is about just by seeing the title.  Thomas (the train) is a source of pure enjoyment and obsession for Jonathan right now. I can't quite understand why...the books, video, and the trains themselves aren't that interesting.  Jonathan has always liked trains and trucks, but not to the degree he cares for Thomas. And although I am not a huge fan of characters and name branded toys, Jonathan's love of Thomas has been a wonderful conduit for experiencing life. How you ask? Well...

1. Boots

Jonathan hates to wear boots, specifically rain boots. But what he hates even more is getting his feet wet. So when we learned we were moving to the Seattle area, I was  a bit concerned how my outdoor loving little man was going to handle the rain. I tried all sorts of different rain boots out in MD and he cried when I put him in any of them. Aahh...but I hadn't tried Thomas the Train rain boots! Last week at a consignment shop in Edmonds, WA we found Thomas rain boots and success! Jonathan didn't want to take them off and walked around the store giggling "Thomas shoes, Thomas shoes". And despite that it has only rained twice in the past 3 weeks we have been here, his "Thomas shoes" have gotten a lot of use. He likes to wear them in the sunny weather and "water them". It is quite a fascinating experiment for him...you mean I can pour water on my shoes and my feet don't get wet? Brilliant!

I'm looking forward to many puddle jumping days, once the rain starts coming.

2. Meltdowns

Jonathan has done really well with all the transition and change. He has watched all his toys being packed away, lived in an empty house, then stayed at a friends' house for a few days, and then moved across the country to a completely new house with new people. I have been so proud of him and his adaptability.  But he has had his share of meltdowns since we've moved. On one of the first days out here, Jonathan was very upset for an unknown reason and none of us could console him. That is until...Thomas! Nate's Aunt Nancy (who we are staying with) pulled out her now grown son's  old Thomas the Train toys during this meltdown... And the tears, kicking, and screaming magically stopped. Silence and interest ensued. And everyday for the past few weeks he has played quietly with these Thomas trains while all his other toys gather dust. Mmm peace and quiet.

3. Prayer

One of our bedtime routines is for us to say prayers. For awhile I just prayed and Jonathan said "Amen". But the last week or so I've tried to model and include him in the prayers. I thought I would start out by having him repeat prayers. So the other night I started...

Me "Dear Jesus"

Jonathan "Dear Jesus"

Me "Thank you for Daddy"

Jonathan "Thank you for Thomas"

Me "Thank you for Nana"

Jonathan "Thank you for Thomas"

Me "Thank you for our house"

Jonathan "Thank you for Thomas"

After he was in bed and the door was closed, I sighed. But then the more I thought about it, I smiled. Nate's and my prayer and deepest hope for Jonathan is that he would come to know and love Jesus as his own. We want him to own his faith and not just do it because that is what Mommy and Daddy do, but because he loves Jesus. We want him to approach his Heavenly Father with such ease and freedom as he did the other night, and to share and pray for the things on his heart (like Thomas!). May these prayers be the first of many to our wonderful Saviour from our precious son.  

New Words

Jonathan is at the age where he is just soaking in a ton of new words. It has been fun watching him learn new words as we make memories out here. This past week blackberries and ferry have become two of his favorite words.

Edmonds, WA has a ferry that shuttles cars, semis, and people across the Puget Sound to the Olympic Peninsula. From Phil and Nancy's house (where we are staying) we have an amazing view of the Sound and the ferry. Thus Jonathan learned "ferry" early on, and thus we had to get a closer look for educational purposes :) Most people use the ferry for commuting, but there is also a good amount of people who use it for recreation.

On the other side of the Puget Sound we went to Kingston, a cute little town with parks (of course), more boats, lots of ice cream shops, and a small beach. The beach was especially fun for Jonathan because of all the digging to be had.

But Jonathan's favorite thing were the blackberries. Blackberries are everywhere out here. The first week we arrived in Edmonds I wanted to make a blackberry cobbler, but it seemed silly to pay $6 for a tiny tub of blackberries. So Nate walked outside with a bowl, down the street,  and 10 minutes later we had a huge bowl full of blackberries. And the blackberries are so ripe and sweet out here. I had never liked them (too tart) until I tried them out here. Yum. The beach at Kingston was lined with blackberry bushes and Jonathan couldn't get enough. He kept wanting to go back and get "blackberries in the mouth".