A Perfect View

It was our last full day with Moe-Joe and an absolute gorgeous day... so instead of wasting it indoors, we headed up to the Santa Rosa Plateau to stretch our legs and enjoy the beautiful day with a hike!

With the terrain not exactly being ideal for the stroller...

there was only one other option available: the Baby Bjorn!

For the first time, we sat Allen Jess facing forward so he could enjoy all of the beautiful scenery just like the rest us!

But to be honest, I'm really not sure who enjoyed it more...

Allen or Moe-Joe?

Regardless, Allen was just happy to be outside on a hike with his pretty Momma, his crazy Daddy, and his sweet Moe-Joe!

The ladies weren't playing around! They obviously didn't have a baby strapped to their chest... so they went in front and set the pace.

There were a few obstacles along the way...

but nothing we couldn't handle.

"Yes son, your future is very bright indeed!"

Just a couple of handsome young mountain men roaming the countryside together.

Allen Jess sure does like hiking with his Daddy & his Moe-Joe!

Jeilene & Moe-Joe soaking it all in. Actually, they both were huffing and puffing coming up the hill and needed a break. I must say, not a bad place to sit and catch your breath!

"Moe-Joe, you got a booger hanging out! Here, let me get it for you..."

At the halfway point on our hike, we unstrapped, took a breather, and let someone else hold Allen besides his Daddy!

Got Milk?

(We found out the hard way what happens when you feed a baby and then immediately strap him to your chest and go for a hike! But from the looks of it, he didn't seem to mind.)

Moe-Joe & Jei: "Are we lost?"

Me: "Nonsense! I know exactly where we are!"

Allen: "We're lost, aren't we Dad?"

We couldn't have asked for a better day... and we couldn't have asked for a better way to spend our last full day with Moe-Joe! 

It was a rather long and tiresome 4 mile hike, but it felt really good to get out on our feet and enjoy the wonderful weather together!  By the time we got back to the car and called it a day, we all were pretty beat... but obviously some more than others!

Pickles & Oranges

So there we were... the four of us enjoying a delicious meal out in town one evening when out of nowhere and completely nonchalantly, Moe-Joe grabs a lone pickle from her plate that went untouched, but rather than sticking it in her mouth... she decides to see if her little dinner buddy cared for the green pickle goodness instead!

At first he was like, "Whoa! That ain't my bottle!!!" ...and he made some nasty faces to go with the strange new taste he was experiencing.

But then, believe it or not...

he actually started to enjoy it!

He threw caution to the wind, grabbed a hold of that pickle, and totally went to town on that thing! 

So for the rest of the meal, until of course it found its way onto the floor, Allen Jess sucked, snacked and stuffed his chubby little cheeks with pickle... and his parents thought it was absolutely hysterical!

If Jei & I, and Allen Jess for that matter, thought that the pickle snack was just a one time thing... boy were we wrong! The next day we hit one of the local wineries for lunch... but with no pickles to be found, that sneaky little Moe-Joe grabbed the next best thing: a yummy orange slice!

And just like with the pickle... he wasn't quite sure about that brand new taste he was getting for the first time, but once he realized how delicious that orange really was, he really showed that thing who was boss!

Once again, thanks to Moe-Joe, Allen sucked that little orange peel dry! And in the process of course, he completely soaked himself in orange flavored slobber with the stickiest little baby hands imaginable!

Thanks Moe-Joe for introducing Allen Jess to his first real food flavors... and for the bellyaching laughs while doing it!

Boot Camp

Little did Allen Jess know that when his Moe-Joe showed up to spend an entire week with him... instead of having fun and playing all week, he was actually attending a week long boot camp!

Camp Moe-Joe was supposed to be fun and relaxing... but somebody decided to make it their mission to teach the cute little fella how to roll over on his own!

Moe-Joe was not fooling around either! 

She meant business and was determined to get that kid to roll over!

"Uhhh... how bout a little help here Moe-Joe?"

Allen knew he was in for a long week when after the first day of 'roll-overs' he woke up sore all over!

But that Moe-Joe sure is a tough one... and with soreness and all, she had Allen Jess face down on the mat the very next day!

"Seriously???

When is this crazy slave-driving lady leaving anyway?!"

Moe-Joe's Boot Camp wasn't just limited to learning how to roll over! Oh no... after each daily session on the mat, the iPad was brought out and the learning continued!

Believe it or not... he even learned how to properly work a touch screen! Either that or he just got lucky and just happened to hit the right thing on the screen as he was reaching to grab those bright colorful objects on the screen!?

Certainly not as strenuous and taxing as mat time...

but still very challenging!

And after all the hard work on the mat and all the challenging iPad games... Moe-Joe finally ended her stressful boot camp with a little fun at the park!

He just barely fit... but he was proud to be able to swing & play like one of the big boys!

It certainly wasn't any picnic, that's for sure! Moe-Joe tried her darnedest to teach Allen Jess something new, in hopes that by the time she left he'd be able to say, "My Moe-Joe taught me this!" But regardless of whether the boot camp was successful or not... Jei & I were just so content in watching a very happy Moe-Joe play with her adorable little Grandson!

Take Four

I'd like to say it was one big coincidence, but when Jei & I got ready to change out of our pajamas that morning and noticed both Allen Jess & Moe-Joe dressed in green... Jei & I agreed it would be the only logical and rational thing to do... to dress up in green too! (Yes, yes we are that dorky!) 

So anyway... since we were all so color-coordinated, a group photo seemed only appropriate! I got the camera out, attached the tripod, and set it up ever so carefully on the cat tree to get the best pic of the four of us together. I set the timer and quickly walked back to my position where I then had the near impossible task of trying to get Allen to look straight ahead in the general direction of the camera!

Take One: Not even close! Allen stared me down all the way back from the camera and he was just to cute not to stare right back!

Take Two: Better... but still a fail! Once again Allen stared me down to and from the camera and of course during the shot. But at least I managed to look up at the right moment this time... but that still only gave us three out of four, and we definitely weren't about to give up so soon!

Take Three: Fail... to the other side! Little Miss Know-It-All thought she would give it a try this time and swore she knew just what to do. But as it turned out, she sucked just as much as I did!

Take Four: Got it!!!  

I guess that about sums up life with a 4-month-old for us! Major 'props' to Moe-Joe for patiently sitting, smiling, and holding Mr. Looky-Loo! A little too much green perhaps, but in the end, the pic turned out pretty good and totally worth the hassle!