Gotta hurry! He's napping.... It's nearly Christmas! Even if all he wants to do is play with wrapping paper and cardboard boxes, I'm so excited to experience this Christmas as a little family of 3 (almost 4!). I think I say it every time but Jack is getting more and more fun by the day. The way his eyes light up when J chases him around or scares him when he's coming around a corner is totally priceless. He loves loves loves reading. His current favorites are "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and what I'm pretty sure is a Chick-fil-a kid's meal prize book called "Wild Animals." He also went through a "Are you my Mother?" phase recently so that one is currently hiding under the couch. He's become very independent and wants to hold Walker's leash when we go outside. He's crazy about ducks and fish and will say his own version of "cockadoodledoo!!" when we do his farm animals puzzle. He loves playing ball and he's just started laying on his belly and pushing his cars around. I don't know where he learned that. Must be one of those innate "boy" things. I've been getting some pictures together for his first birthday party (rubber ducky themed, by the way) and I'm blown away... It's been almost an entire year with our precious boy! I know the pregnancy hormones are raging but seriously, guys.... He's such an incredible joy.

In other news, I'm halfway through pregnancy #2! Our anatomy scan is scheduled for Monday morning and that baby had better cooperate! I'm dying to know if Jack will have a little sister or brother. Also, we officially have orders! We found out that we're headed to Lejeune in Jacksonville, NC in March. It keeps hitting me that we'll leave our little island soon and I just have to warn J... There will be tears.

Okay! I have some dishes to do before the peace is disrupted... Love you!

Good morning! It's nap time for the babe so I thought I'd take the opportunity to update y'all. Mom is here and we're loving it! Jack jumped right into her arms at the airport and has been thoroughly enjoying his grandma's attention ever since. He's also officially 10 months old! Our monthly pictures are getting more and more difficult. We've resorted to bribery and several of the pictures show a mouthful of cheesy puffs.

Jack decided to start walking on October 23rd! We thought he was all over the place before but this really is a whole new ballgame. He toddles around everywhere and is so proud of himself. He's a pretty great eater and enjoys sharing nearly everything that J and I have. He's so over jarred purees but will suck down one of those baby food pouches like it's his job. He still loves yogurt and yogurt melts the best. It's been amazing to watch him imitate us when we play with his toys. Last night he pushed a ball around with a stick. I know his daddy can't wait to have a little golfing buddy! He has two bottom teeth and has started drooling like crazy again so we're on the lookout for more. For his first Halloween we went as Jack and the beanstalk. 

A couple of days ago we celebrated the 240th birthday of the Marine Corps. It's always fun to get all fancy and date the Mr. in his dress blues. I'm one lucky lady...

That's all for now! Have a wonderful weekend!

Happy October! Lots has been happening over here. We recently got back from a holiday in Bali! It was a wonderfully relaxing getaway. We spent a few days exploring then opted for the pool, family naps and some room service. Jack was a great little traveler. He made all sorts of friends with his waves, claps and smiles. He loved splashing in the pool and eating lots of solid foods (except for watermelon, which he threw on the ground). Thanks to the Pattersons we met a new Balinese friend and tour guide. Wayan drove us all over the place. We saw ornate temples, a traditional play, the monkey forest in Ubud, a gorgeous coffee plantation and rice paddy (my favorite!), the Bali zoo, and finally his own home to join his family for a traditional dessert drink. Another one of the highlights was renting a scooter and getting out on our own one day. Between the CRAZY drivers (and I mean nuts!) and the fact that we left Jack with the nannies at the resort, I had a heart attack the whole time... but I'm so glad we did it! Now we'll never forget bribing the police on two separate occasions to get out of a ticket or jail or whatever happens to scooter-ers without a proper license (thanks to the language barrier and some extremely laid back renters). We had a lot of fun and I'm so thankful for another opportunity to see another piece of the world.

In other news, we're still waiting to find out what's next for us. For now we're soaking up our little island. Our 3rd anniversary, my birthday (#28onthe28th), and the USMC birthday ball are around the corner. Also, Mom is coming to visit!!! We're so excited! Jack has lots of kisses and high fives to give.

Now for some pictures...

The Bali zoo was a lot of fun. It was the perfect size to wander for a couple hours. We had the opportunity to hold a baby crocodile, a monkey, and a bearcat.

Jack was so excited to ride Adele the elephant!

The excitement was so exhausting that he fell asleep.

The next few are from the coffee plantation/rice paddy. Like I mentioned earlier, this was one of my favorite parts of our trip. The people were so kind, it was seriously gorgeous, and it was fun trying all the different teas and coffees. This is where we tasted kopi luwak... the kind where the critter eats then poops a coffee bean. Don't worry, they clean it!

The Ubud monkey forest was so much fun! J particularly loved trying to feed them bananas (although one big grumpy monkey stole both bunches). Jack was pretty fascinated by them as well.

Jack loved some fresh coconut water!

We saw so much of this. It's a huge part of the Balinese culture and religion (primarily Hindu) to prepare and place offerings everywhere.

The next few are from our driver's village

Last but not least, a gorgeous batik store in Ubud.

Good morning! It's quiet for the moment here in the Jones house so I thought I'd check in. It's started to get a little bit cooler and the pumpkin cravings have begun. You'd better believe I've been browsing Pinterest for a recipe. I feel like September is when all the countdowns begin.... Dad's birthday is tomorrow! Happy Birthday, Dad!!! Halloween is 49 days away (I'm excited to figure out a costume for our little man!), 104 days til Christmas, 111 days til New Years Day and Jack's ONE YEAR BIRTHDAY!!! We're impatiently waiting to find out where we're off to next. I definitely cannot believe our time here in Okinawa is coming to an end. It seems like our goodbyes just keep coming. Next weekend we'll say "sayonara" to yet another sweet family. Before long it'll be us and we'll leave this little island that has been such an incredible home. We'll leave this place where our precious babe entered the world and made us a family of three. I can't wrap my head around it yet. A few days ago God reminded me that, "Together we will face whatever each day brings: pleasures, hardships, adventures, disappointments." I'll take my hopes and anxieties to Him.

I'm sure everybody wants a Jack update...
The kid is awesome. He's more and more fun each day. He's gaining confidence in his standing and walking (while holding on) abilities. Within the last week and a half or so he's decided it's not scary just to lean back and plop down on his booty. We've been trying out more solids. He absolutely loves pickles and the Gerber "lil crunchies" snacks. He has the most precious excited laugh and the squishiest kissable cheeks. He also just woke up... :) We're off to buy some pumpkin!

"Please sit still??"

It's almost September and we have an almost EIGHT month old! The kid is all over the place! It all happened so fast... one night he sat up in his crib for the first time, then during his first nap the following morning he pulled up to standing, and the day after that he mastered a real crawl! If I turn my back for a second he's splashing in Walker's water bowl or pulling up on the vacuum. He loves people and has the sweetest little personality. He just grins all the time unless you've got the big camera out to get some good pictures. We got some professional pictures done a week ago and our happy boy decided to trembling lip cry at the photographer. Stinker. His latest favorite is "skidamarink a dink a dink" and he's decided that he doesn't actually need to nap during the day. I almost don't want to type this and jinx it... but he's been sleeping through the night for a couple of weeks now! It's a trade-off this mama is happy to make. In September we'll start an "early explorers" class where Jack will get to play, craft, and learn with other babes his age. He loves being around other kids so I'm sure he'll enjoy it.

I think I've posted this quote before but all our exploring brought it to mind again... 

"The world is alive, blinking and clicking, winking at us slyly, inviting us to get up and dance to the music that's been playing since the beginning of time, if you bend all the way down and put your ear to the ground to hear it." -Shauna Niequist

SEVEN months old! Oh my! Our sweet bug is getting so big. Jack inchworms himself around everywhere these days. It's crazy how fast he can move to get to Walker's toys or the swiffer! He loves bananas and yogurt and NEVER EVER stops moving (jumping, scootching, rolling, etc.). I can't tell you how much of my hair he's ripped out or how many times he's swiped our glasses right off with his super strong grip. He's the best thing ever and he wears this mama out! This crazy Okinawa heat has had us running to the beach lately. He splashes and kicks and forgets that he's already tasted the sand (and it wasn't delicious last time either). It's the coolest thing to see him explore new textures and environments.

These first few pictures are from our trip to climb Mt. Fuji over the 4th of July weekend. That's a story for another day...

Did I mention he never stops moving??

As of yesterday (Japan time) this precious babe is FIVE months old! I can't even believe it! Jack has brought more joy to our lives than we could've imagined. These are some things he's been up to lately...

-smiling and giggling (he loves it best when his daddy sings made up songs to him)

-nibbling on his hands and toes

-bending over backward trying to snag glimpses of the tv when we have it on 

-making super high pitched screams and squeals (some are happy... some aren't)

-rolling over both ways

-playing with his toys (his favorite seems to be "Socks" from Grandma) and sticking them in his mouth

-smiling at himself in the mirror

-sleeping in his crib!

-giggling when daddy throws him in the air

As of yesterday he weighed 13.2 lbs. He's been at the bottom of the charts (4% for weight at 4 mos) but is slowly making his way up! He's working hard on his rolls and chins.