Pictures Galore!

We certainly do not shy away from taking pictures here at the Jones Abode. Just like any new parents, we tend to get a little camera happy whenever Aiden is doing, well, pretty much anything. But despite our sizeable archive of pictures of Aiden playing with stones and/or sticks, we have never had the opportunity to take any kind of professional shots of him during these first few years.

Well, last week we did finally have that opportunity. Christy Willard is a friend of ours from church, and addition to being a mother of two, and a fellow blogger, she also really knows her way around a camera. Jen won a photo session with Christy via her blog A Heartening Life, so this past friday we put on our finest duds and drove over to a nearby farm park to take us some pictures.

The pictures that I uploaded here are just the tip of the iceberg, but they are certainly some of our favorites. Enjoy!

Mother's Day

Nothing quite like a quality Mother's Day snuggle.

Happy Mother's day to Mothers everywhere.

Hello summer. Welcome back. We missed you.

Ok, ok, ok... I know that the calender says that we are still firmly in spring territory, but with temperatures flirting with ninety degrees this past weekend we at the Jones Abode have been fully embracing the mid-summer vibe.

Let me set the scene for you: the lawn is lush and green, the patio furniture is set up for lounging, and the grill has had it's first official firing of the year- if it's not techincally summer it just might as well be.

On Saturday we were even inspired to break out the lawn sprinkler for a mid-summer experience that was a first for Aiden. It took just a little convincing from Mom, Dad and Grandpa, but it wasn't long before Aiden was fully on board with the joys of sprinkler-playing.

As with so many great summer activites this one ended with Aiden dripping wet and very happy. Thus the change of clothes before he chipped in to help Dad mow the lawn.

Spring Cleaning

The weather round these parts has continued to impress during the last few weeks. Sure, we've had our share of rainy, spring days (today for example), but more often than not we've seen clear skies and lots o' sun.

These pictures were taken from a day recently when Jen must have had the broom out to sweep off the deck and patio. Aiden, ever the imitator, was not one to be left out. This exceptional work ethic did not last for long, however, as attentions shifted to more pressing matters. In this case: bothering Bailey, and playing with stones.

Aiden's new trick

I don't think these need any explanation...

Play Date

With the summer-like weather this past week, Aiden got lots of time outside. If Aiden has sticks, stones, and a bucket of water, he is happy for hours.

So, one morning this week, Steph and Lucy came over for a visit. Lucy is 6 mos younger than Aiden, and when they were babies that seemed like a big age gap. But, as they get older, it is nice to have them so close in age and they are learning to play well together.

We all always joke that they will get married some day, so here are some pictures to add to the emabarrassing slide show that we will play at their wedding.

And here's a couple ones of just Aiden. It seems like he gets bigger and bigger every day.

What a weekend!

Last weekend we (Rob and Jen) had the chance to sneak away for a quick one night vacation down in center city. We got to celebrate Jen's birthday, eat some really good food, and enjoy some phenomenal weather- it was pretty perfect.

After returning home from our mini-trip we stayed the rest of the weekend at Jen's parent's houe in Blue Bell where we celebrated the Easter holiday with the family. Although we tried to limit his overall Easter candy intake Aiden did have a great time finding some Easter eggs and playing with his basket.

The weeked was capped off by a great Easter dinner with the family. The weather remained beautiful throughout and Aiden loved playing out in the yard with Grandpa, and Pop-Pop.

Happy Easter!

Things have been busy around the Jonesabode here recently. Rob's been working some extra shifts because they are a little short at work and because he can use the extra money for some outside/garden projects. So, I (Jen) am stepping in and doing a post this week!

This past week I went with some other mom's from our 'Mommy and Me' group to the mall to see the Easter bunny. It...was...insane... There were so many people there because it is spring break, I was exhausted by the time we left.

I wasn't sure how Aiden was going to take to the Easter bunny. But he was surprisingly excited, and didn't hesitate to sit on his lap.

However, it didn't take long for him to realize that maybe this was strange.

So I quickly stepped in before he got too upset.

I love this picture because there was a fan blowing to keep the Easter bunny cool, and Aiden must have been right in the crosswind.

Thank-you to Janice for taking these pictures, documenting the whole experience so I didn't have to pay the $18 for the one picture of him and the bunny.

We ended our trip (after craziness on the indoor playground) at the food court, which made Aiden (and myself) a happy camper.

Hope everyone was a blessed and happy Easter!