Feet in the Fountain

It's summer again! At least for today, though the weather hasn't quite decided if we should put away our coats yet. Forrest hasn't warmed up to the splash pads yet this year, the big fountains still make him nervous. But the little ones are just his size.

Green Thumb

A Sunday morning planting a little herb garden with daddy!

Carousel Ride

First time on the carousel! He wanted to ride the rooster but it was taken so he settled for a serpentine horse instead. He wasn't thrilled during the ride but he wanted to go again and has talked about it all week so I think he liked it!

Scoot!

Forrest's prize for surviving 11 days without mommy: a brand new scooter! Okay the real reason dad bought the scooter was that all the other kids have them. But either way, he's learning to ride it and he is loving it. I just hope he learns to steer soon.

Bike Mechanic

One of Forrest's obsessions lately is turning the pedal on mom's shiny new bike. Let's hope he's figuring out how the whole thing works so in a few years he can become the family bike mechanic.

In the Driver's Seat

Always on the move!

Dumpling Chef

Start them early! Forrest is learning from the master. Mostly he just plays with the dough, and he refuses to taste the finished product. But I'm sure we're building a solid foundation for his future culinary skills. 

It's a Bird...

It's a plane! Forrest loves airplanes, like most little kids. Lucky for him we live in some kind of flyover zone. So he has lots of chances to spot planes, and helicopters too.

Spring is Here

The snow has almost all melted and its playground season again! Forrest's little feet can reach a lot more than they used to. He's ready for some fun!

Breakfast of Champions

Don't mind if I do! There is never a shortage of grape tomatoes in the Steinway Zolan household, where we had Passover this year. 

Graduation

Forrest has graduated to a toddler bed! He has also graduated to toddler temper tantrums. It was a sudden switch to hating everything and being comforted by nothing, but like everything else, it has to be a phase. Just don't tell me how long it's going to last.

Slam Dunk

Nothing like a good game of basketball in the snow!

又有柚子了

Forrest was surprisingly into this pomelo, he worked for a good long while on getting the juicy parts out (once it was cut open).

Snow Play

A few more snow photos now that it's more tolerable to be outside! Tubing on the city hall lawn, and playing with friends in a snow fort.

Chinese New Year

Forrest's first hongbao (red envelope) that he could actually explore! Yes all the money was still there after he finished with it. Happy New Year!

Window Watchers

The foremen have to keep a close eye on daddy and yeye when they're out shoveling. Don't want them slacking on the job!

Duet

Forrest has become officially obsessed with his little red ukelele. This makes it one of the best purchases I've made for him. The good thing is he doesn't seem to notice that it's always out of tune. The bad thing is he gets very upset when we have to stop playing. Even though he carries it everywhere and bangs it around, he carefully puts it back in its spot when it's dinner time!

Jammin' in Jammies

Strumming the old ukelele on a pajamas kind of day.

Personal Snow Pile

Forrest has found the best part of the snow is the small pile on the deck. You don't have to go far and you can move snow around as long as you want. One day when he figures out how to use his thumbs inside his mittens it might be even more fun!

Let it Snow

We wish we could make it stop but it just keeps snowing. Forrest is not too into the snow since it's hard to walk in. But he likes to play with spoons in the small snow pile we have on the deck. And he did have a good time exploring our snowy yard. For a few minutes at least before his mittens came off and his mitts got cold!

Cleanup in Aisle 1!

This is what happens when Forrest wants to feed Lotus her dinner. Luckily Lotus is not picky about the plating of the dish. Forrest valiantly tried to help clean up but eventually realized someone else was doing it much faster.

Blizzard

The aftermath of the blizzard. Most of the snow is about as deep as Forrest is tall. But of course the drifts and shoveled snow piles are much bigger!

Criss Cross Applesauce

Slicing apples and simmering applesauce was a good blizzard activity. Forrest was great at turning the crank!

Sledding

First snow of the year and the first one Forrest was actually aware of. What a surprise to open the curtains as usual and find a world of white! And also nice to find a buddy and some suckers to pull them around on a sled.

Heirloom Quilt

Forrest's amazing Christmas present from Grandma Char was the beautiful quilt!! It matches his cousin Diego's quilt and he sleeps under it every night. He really loves it and so do the rest of us!

Daily Exercise

Nothing like a workout to start your day!

Nobody Puts Forrest in the Corner

Except himself that is. He didn't do anything wrong, he just likes to hang out in the nook while he still fits.

Beanbag Toss

Thanks to some cute dog fabric I was gifted, I made Forrest these little beanbags. And thanks to Great Grandma 'Gusta who gave us her mother's bronze bowl, Forrest had everything he needed for target practice.

Big Shoes to Fill

I guess if I got to shuffle around in Shaq's shoes maybe I would remember what's so fun about giant footwear. Definitely seems to be universal among toddlers.

Tickling the Ivories

Nothing like a chance to make lots of noise!

Q&A

The new amusement in our household is asking Forrest questions and training him to answer. Seems to be a common pastime for families with children who have recently acquired some new cognitive skills.

Transcript:
Me: Forrest, what does daddy sound like when he sleeps?
Forrest: [snore sound]
Me: Forrest, what does grandpa sound like when he drinks water?
Forrest: [satisfied sigh sound]

Clean Sweep

 

He takes after his dad and paternal grandparents when it comes to his love of cleanliness!

Play Silks

 

Forrest's Christmas present from the Jaramillo family was some playsilks. He quickly discovered how much fun it is to wear them on his head. Unfortunately Lotus didn't think it was so much fun.

Christmas Selfie

This year's Christmas miracle was that Forrest played happily in one room for a whole hour! And gave us a chance to take this family picture.

Christmas Dumplings

Practicing his chopsticks skills on the traditional Christmas dumpling. He actually got pretty far before he gave up and used his hands. That's when he realized he doesn't even like dumplings. 

FaceTime

FaceTiming with the boys while I was away. I was surprised but Forrest really did seem to recognize me through the camera!

New Words

At this point I will say it's official. Forrest is starting to talk! For a while he's been saying mama (but not specifically in reference to me), no (that one he means) and uh oh. But those are words every kid says early on, not very special. His first interesting word though, is egg. He says it in Chinese (jidan) and it makes sense since he does love scrambled eggs. Other words he has added now include dad (baba), socks (wa), hot, thank you (xiexie), up, and hat (mao). I'm sure he'll be adding many more to the list very soon!

Look ma, no hands!

There's more and more that Forrest can do on the playground as he gets bigger and improves his balance. He loves the see-saw but thinks holding on is for babies!

Dishwasher

Forrest's latest obsession is the dishwasher. He loves to press the buttons and is constantly running the wash cycle when we turn our backs. We finally realized we should just unplug it altogether. He can still press the buttons but without the lights coming on it's not nearly as fun. Sorry, little guy.

Nainai's Return

Yeye and Nainai are back! Forrest didn't seem to recognize them from the FaceTime calls but he's quickly gotten to know them again. They pick Forrest up early from daycare and take him to the playground every afternoon, and they are finding more foods he will eat. In theory they give mom and dad a break, but in reality that only works if we leave the house because while we're here he's extra clingy. All part of the adjustment to having extra people around I suppose.

Toddler Towers

Another blurry picture, but I wanted to mark Forrest's entrance into the block phase. I'm sure it will last a long time. He's figured out how to gently stack each block of the tower, until he decides to violently destroy it of course.

Perfect Hiding Spot

Who knew when we redid the kitchen that this would turn out to be a perfect Forrest-sized nook? He likes to squeeze in here especially when he has a snack in hand. Good that he's utilizing it now - pretty soon he won't fit in it anymore!

Dim Sum

A successful trip out for dim sum. It only works because with the carts there's no waiting for the food to come. Note the quintessential old Chinese men in the background!

Front Seat Driver

Maybe if they work together they'll figure out how to drive it.

Happy

No special event in this picture, just a happy little guy!

Double Skyping

He's so popular everyone wants to watch him eat dinner.

Lazy Susan

Great grandma gave us her old lazy Susan. It doesn't work so well on the table because if we put anything on it Forrest will spin it right off. But on the floor it makes a pretty good block base.

Lite Brite

A favorite at the museum of science. This one combines two of Forrest's favorite things. Sticking things in other things, and bright lights. You'll probably find us here every rainy day.

Halloween

Obligatory photos of Forrest in his Halloween costume, which did not fool Lotus even for a second.