greg.laura. oak.boone.gray.: NINE.

Oak Jack,

You are nine months today.

And boy howdy, you are doing new stuff like crazy.

This is so much fun!

We have had (another!) busy month! This past week we were in Beavers Bend and Edmond/Norman, today we are in Tulsa, tomorrow we will be in Martins Mill, and then home to Waco on Wednesday. WHEWWW! (not to mention what this weekend and next weekend hold! oh my!) I wouldn't trade it, though! (Well actually, if we could create a town with all our friends from Waco and both sides of our families...now that, THAT I would trade for our days on the road!) I love being with our families so much.

So, whats been happening this month?

-right at about 8 months (or a little before), you started trying to wave. you look at our hand. look back at yours. open. close. open. close. and then you are so so proud of yourself. CUUUTTTTEE!

-at about the same time, you also started giving "high-fives."

-Baby Joy was born! She is precious and we are so excited she is here!

-Pulling up. I completely forgot to document your "pulling up firsts." Before you started crawling... probably about 7 1/2 months, you started pulling up. Again, you are so proud of this accomplishment. And of course, we are too.

-You played at a splash pad for the first time and LOVED IT. I love it too! It is such a great alternative to swimming pools! Thankful for splash pads!

-Every new thing is so fun. And every new thing, I think "oh that is the cutest thing I've ever seen."

I am starting to see the tips of your top two teeth...coming soon!!!

-You are crawling like crazy!!!!
Faster and quicker every day!
You still crawl with your left foot up and flat on the floor, and your right underneath you.
It is a whole new world!! We haven't been home much this month (do I sound like a broken record? yes. have we created a lifestyle on the road? yes. no. big. deal.), but the little we have been home I have been chasing you and rearranging the house to fit your new exploring ways.

-You love floor vents.

-You favorite form of entertainment has to be "The Buttercup Song." (from Three Amigos) It ALWAYS gets your attention and ALWAYS makes you smile.

You also love the itsy bitsy spider. You watch that spider like it is the most interesting thing you've ever seen.

-You swam at Mama's for the first time.
This was a special day because it was also Grandad's Birthday.
He would have been 90 years old.
I can't wait to tell you all about him, he was pretty amazing.

this is the best pic i got of the three of yall! ha!

-You have started saying your D's. Da Da Da DaDA!!!! So, you've got your M's, D's and B's down!!!

-You are CRAZY about cars. Grandma and Caroline both have cars to play in at their houses, and you LOVE playing in them so much.
And Caroline...she LOVES pushing you!
Works out pretty well!
Yall are quite the team!

-Your "dinosaur mouth" (your little widows peek that comes to a point on your top lip) has been the talk of conversation lately. You've always done this look...but more and more people notice it. You usually do this face when you try not to smile. It is a great little smirk.

-You still LOVE water.

-We stayed at Dennis and Susan's (aka PeePop and BeeBop) house during Laci's wedding weekend. You pretty much fell in love with them.

-You ate chocolate for the first time!!! We were sitting at Laci's Rehearsal Dinner and they had mini Hershey bars scattered on the table. We were visiting with people, looked down, and you had helped yourself to your first bout of chocolate. Your face was covered. You loved it. You were up REALLY late. :) Here is the chocolate you devoured.

You are eating and loving everything. (except avocado, still.) New things? Mango, butternut squash, mum mums and puffs.

Puffs. You definitely didn't understand why in the world I was putting something of such size and texture in your mouth. But a few weeks of trying, and you love them. They have become a great "go to" on the road. You give a great dinosaur smirk with puffs in your mouth. You haven't quite figured out how to get them in your mouth after you pick them up. Therefore, you tuck them in your fist and have nubs for the remainder of the day until I pry them out of your hands. I think you would truly hold onto them forever.

We went to Bevers Bend National Park in Broken Bow, OK for the Hopkins Family Vacation. We rented a cabin, played games, had a talent show, ate yummy food, played in the river, and rented a boat on the lake! It was so much fun!
The following pictures are a mixture of Beavers Bend, Frontier City(first time!), and time in Edmond/Norman.