Iowa City in June Part 2

We spent much of the rest of our time in Iowa City relaxing and enjoying good company. We did some thrift shopping and got Oli some "new" toys and clothes. 

Oliver also met another baby, Vivian, who is about 6 weeks older than him. He wasn't so sure about her, but enjoyed playing with her toys.

Vivian checking out Oli

During our visit, Bruce and Jenny were nice enough to let Oli "borrow" some household items as toys. He especially liked a wooden spoon, a large plastic bowl, and various balls. Thanks for putting up with us for so long Bruce and Jenny! We really enjoyed our visit!

father and son

sleeping in the car again

We spent a night at Jess & Eleanor's house eating Thai food, strawberry shortcake, and playing the keyboard. Oliver loved it, though he was mostly interested in pushing the buttons that changed the sound. Maybe some piano lessons are in the future for Oli and his Aunt Eleanor?

Oli plays the keyboard with his Aunt Eleanor

We attended our friends Ian & Melissa's wedding on Saturday. It was held at a beautiful barn just outside of Iowa City. Oliver was a hit at the wedding and we all had a really fun time. There was clearly a lot of love and joy at the wedding. Congrats Ian & Melissa - your wedding was lovely!

photobooth

Our last morning in town, which was also Father's Day, Oliver spent some time hanging out with his Grandpa Bruce and Grandma Jenny. We didn't get any photos of Jenny and Oliver (sorry Jenny!), but here are a few of Oli and Grandpa Bruce.

obligatory Fathers Day photo

Iowa City in June Part 1

After we left Red Rock Lake, we drove to Iowa City. Oliver slept the whole way here! With all of the driving we've been doing, he's getting to be a pro at sleeping in the car. He's been adjusting to another new place well. He's working more on his crawling and has perfected the crawl to sit. He's been enjoying watching Grandma Jenny do yoga in the mornings and even tries to join in.

napping in the car

We are here in Iowa City for two big events. The first was Bruce's 60th birthday party. It was really nice to catch up with family and friends we hadn't seen in awhile. Oliver got to meet Chris' aunt Cyndi and uncle Bill for the first time, as well as many other friends. There were probably close to 80 people who came out to celebrate Bruce's birthday. It was held in their yard under some huge old trees. There was perfect weather, a live band, a bonfire, lots of good food, and great company! Happy birthday Bruce! Great party!

father and son at Grandpa's birthday bash

Oli meets Noah, both September babies

Willy at the party

clover chain

We are staying in Iowa City for the rest of the week to attend another wedding this weekend. We've been enjoying the quiet country living. Bruce and Jenny live near many Amish and it is very cool to see the horse and buggies going by their house. We checked out an Amish bakery and market this week too. The shops are dim because they are only lit with sunlight and the women working there wear traditional clothing even in the hot summer (long dresses, bonnets). I don't really know much about the Amish, but being here has peaked my interest in knowing more about them and their way of life. 

horse and buggy at the Amish market

We've been taking some walks in the beautiful summer weather and enjoying the quiet Iowa countryside. Perfect for napping!

beautiful Iowa countryside

napping on a walk in the country

one of Bruce and Jenny's barns

Iowa corn field

Camping with family at Red Rock Lake

We spent the first week in June at a cabin on Red Rock Lake near Pella, IA. We met Chris' brothers Jesse and James and their families there and much fun ensued. Some of the highlights were watching the babies meet each other, playing foosball, cooking smores over the fire pit in the backyard, taking a pontoon boat out on the lake, and walking to the top of the Cordova Water Tower. Mostly it was just nice to catch up with everyone and play games together (Twister was Molly's favorite). After the weekend ended, everyone else left and Chris, Oliver, and I stayed for a few more days. We had a chance to explore Pella and relax a little bit. While in town, I opted for doing some work at Smokey Row Coffee House, while Chris and Oliver went to the park. We had a great time and are already talking about doing it again next summer!

lakeside at Red Rock Lake

the babies meet

Oli with his cousins Matilda and Molly and his uncle James

 Oli in the yard

cousins in hats

Oli wants to play

loving the monkey book

cousins

Oli's uncle Jesse, cousin Molly, and aunt Eleanor
hanging out at the cabin and playing the ukulele

full of smiles

exploring the great outdoors

Oli's first boat ride

baby excitement

crawling practice

Oli loves sticks

teething!

sunset from the top of Cordova Tower

at the top of the tower

tower and sky

napping in the park

Oliver Laughs, Pillow Fight from Melanie Ayres on Vimeo.

Crawling

On the way home from our friends wedding in Boise, we had a layover in Salt Lake City. We let Oliver play on the floor and this was the first time he actually crawled forward! It was more of a scoot than a crawl, but I was so proud! He has continued to work on crawling and when he really wants something, can get himself going pretty quickly. It’s so fun to watch him in his development! Now we have to go baby proof our house.

Here's a short video of him in action, after about one week of practice. It's sort of a crawl-scoot combo.

Oliver Crawls from Melanie Ayres on Vimeo.