Old Toys, New Toys and Static Electricity

Finally settling in back home and enjoying not living out of suitcases. Jaydon's having fun with his old toys - that seem so easy to play with now. We used to celebrate when he was able to hit the toy cat just right so it sang. Now it might run out of batteries from singing so much. We also got some new toys. The exer-saucer. This toy is a replacement for baby walkers, it allows them to stand and spin around but no walking (and falling down stairs). We also discovered a small problem with having your couches vacuumed everyday - static electricity. Jaydon's hair will completely stand on end - it's pretty funny, we just have to be careful not to shock him too much.

Final Stop - Louisiana

The final stop on Jaydon's grand tour of the states was Louisiana. Jaydon got to experience his first road trip which was a real challenge for everyone since he hates his car seat. But it was all worth it so he could meet his Aunt Renee and cousin Tanner. Tanner was great with Jaydon and kept asking if he could play with his baby cousin - we had to keep reminding him that was still a little small to play with. Next stop was Steve's Grandpa's house. This part of the trip was bitter sweet. It was great to see everyone but Steve's Grandpa passed away in March and never got to meet Jaydon. He spent a lot of time with his great grandmother Marilyn... and also got to meet his great aunt Claudinelle. On our drive back to Houston we stopped back by Renee's again. Melissa and her kids Karlee and Trevor were visiting from Alaska since school was finally out so we had a rare opportunity for a picture op with all the cousins. Karlee also got to have on last snuggle before we got back on the plane for our 16 hr flight home to Doha.

2nd stop - Seattle

The second stop on Jaydon's grand tour of the US was Seattle. We don't have any family in Seattle but it's a required lay-over when going to Alaska and wonderful city to spend a week in so my parents and brother (sorry Mike we didn't get any pics of you) volunteered to take a trip up to see us.We rented a condo in downtown 1 block for Pikes Market. The view was spectacular and we enjoyed all the wonderful restaurants and touristy things to do like the aquarium and art museum. We had beautiful weather the whole trip (not a single drop of rain) and spent one day taking the ferry to Banbridge island. This is a view of the city from the ferry. Both Grandma and Grandpa got to have some quality time with Jaydon enjoying the sun. Grandpa's and Jaydon having a chat.
Seattle also ended up being a great place to meet up with some old college friends. We saw Tim (who was best man at our wedding) and his wife Carolyn. And one of my old college roommates Michelle and her 2 wonderful kids Annika and Cole. We had no idea the week in Seattle would be so busy but we had a great time... and I think Jaydon enjoyed it too.

1st Stop - North Pole, Alaska

Jaydon had his first trip to the states. And all things considered happened to be a very good flyer. Conveniently he had a knack of sleeping during take-off and landing or sitting quietly enjoying a bottle.

He even put up with the ridiculous seat belt Qatar Airways made him wear.
After landing in Houston direct from Doha (a 16 hr flight) we had a day of rest before flying to Fairbanks. While in Fairbanks Jaydon got to meet a whole bunch of his family. He really liked hanging out with Aunt Melissa (Steve's sister). He also discovered how much fun cousins are who are closer to his size. Karlee was very good at telling Jaydon stories and helping her brother Trevor hold Jaydon.
No visit to North Pole Alaska is complete without a visit to Santa's house.
Unfortunately, Santa was still recuperating from last Christmas. Apparently he doesn't go back on duty until after Memorial day so Jaydon has to settle for sitting on Dad's lap in Santa's chair. Next stop was Alaska land where we found this unique sculpture of a salmon...I don't think they actually get quite that big. Then it was time to sit back, relax and enjoy the sunshine. Jaydon really enjoyed the cool breeze and got so excited when we took him out for walks. Before leaving he had to have one more cuddle with cousin Karlee.

1st trip to US

Jaydon is ready for his 1st trip to the US. He was so excited that he jumped right into the suitcase and packed himself. The part I enjoyed the most about getting ready for this trip was watching Mariah try to pack. Baby clothes are small and all, but really, there is only so much that you can fit in a suitcase. It took some persuading to convince her that we didn't need six outfits per day for the entire month we are on the road. I had a good laugh, and received a good beating for it too....

Here is a good photo of Jaydon being adorable in and out of the bath tub. He really loves his baths, but I think he loves hanging out in the towel afterwords more. Jaydon and I went for another swim at the pool. He was hoping to see some hot chicks sunbathing so he got all dressed up. Too bad for him it was night time so there wasn't much scenery for him. This frustration luckily passed as soon as he remembered how much he enjoyed swimming.

You can always count on him for a laugh about such things after the moment has passed. What a stud.

Camo

You may remember from the baby shower that Jaydon got a camo outfit.
Well it finally fits (and is almost too small for him) so Jaydon and daddy put on a fashion show.
Not many opportunities to wear mossy oak forest camo in the middle of the desert so we had to make due with the tree in the front yard. It also went well with his fishing hat, now he just needs a couple fly fishing lures to complete the hat.

These are couple other cute photos we had on the camera from various times when Jaydon was showing off and being a ham. He's learned how to laugh out loud and can get both Steve and I cracking up with his giggling sessions.He's also practicing his flirty eyes look that daddy taught him so he can be sure to get all the girls soon.

1st Swim

Jaydon took his first dip in the pool, escorted by his dad.

He wasn't too sure at first but got into it once he realized how much fun splashing is.

Now every time we give him a bath he makes extra sure to splash everyone involved.

I guess we should of known that he'd take to the water being an Aquarius and all.

Too bad the photographer didn't get any of the smiles he had...he really did enjoy it.