Aside from our wild zoo adventures on Sunday, we spent much of our weekend outside. It rained on Saturday, but not until late morning, so whenever we could, we stole a moment outdoors.

Friday evening, I introduced Jameson to chalk. He did try to eat it a couple times, but quickly seemed to figure out that it makes color. I would tell him to draw and he’d mark up the driveway in little spurts. Then he’d walk around with the chalk in his hand and steadily got better at adding pressure to make darker marks.

He seemed more fascinated though with the bucket and wanted to slide chalk out and back into the bucket. Saturday, he dumped the bucket out on the garage floor but luckily it didn’t make too much of a mess. Draw outside only, I frequently told him.

Friday evening we went on a walk, and I may not have mentioned here before but one of Jameson’s best friends at daycare, born just a week apart from him, lives in our neighborhood. We see them more frequently now that the weather is nice in the evenings. They have an older girl and their son Jameson’s age. We saw them on Friday night and stopped for a little while to play.

Jameson loved exploring and playing with new toys, but he didn’t seem to recognize Nathan until it was nearly time to go, and then he pointed and stared for a second and tried to grab his hand. It was too cute!

On Sunday, Brian got a great idea. We have a family/bench style swing which Jameson loved last year and was great for his cranky evenings. This year, we have a baby/toddler swing that we’ve borrowed long term from a friend. However, with no swing set or low hanging branches, we weren’t sure what to do with it. But Brian realized the family swing frame would be perfect for hanging his baby swing.

It’s a little lopsided on occasion since we haven’t nailed getting it level, but Jameson loved his first swing experience!

We also brought out the slide that we’ve owned since our days working for a toy company. Yes, we have been saving toys long before children were ever in the picture. And when I say we, I mean Brian (cue some awwwwws). Jameson is familiar with slides from daycare, so it didn’t take him long to climb up it. He had trouble getting his legs out from under him so he required a little help, but he is a champion slider.

Meanwhile, Brian started chopping down some brush we have in our backyard and the neighbors popped over to play too. They brought over some of their toys too, and Jameson and Lily were good sports for a moment while I snapped this photo of them crammed together in Lily’s car.

All that play required a snack! And Jameson discovered how to feed Sasha. He’s done it without much thought before, throwing food from his high chair, but he started grabbing handfuls and giving them right to her. He thought it was hilarious (as did we, despite ourselves)

We spent all of Sunday outside, and I think I may have gotten a little tan. In April! I have probably gotten more sun already this year than I did for months last year. Jameson is so good for me.

I love Jameson’s new jacket! It’s the perfect early spring jacket, flannel and warm. He looks like a little man in it. While I’m disappointed our 80 degree weather is gone, the jacket almost makes up for it.

Finally got some photos of Jameson happy in the wagon. Usually he is very solemn while we pull him around, but he was in an exceptionally cheerful mood on Saturday.

We went on a wagon ride with Lily and Curtis, our neighbors. I decided to be a tool and take the big camera with us on our entire walk.

Before we left our little circles (there are only 3 houses on our street, with two circles at either end), I picked another weed flower for Jameson to hold.

By the end, Jameson was only holding on to the stem. But he didn’t want to let it go!

I let the boys do all the hard work of pulling, as Brian said, 80 pounds of kid. Which I think was a lie, it was maybe 40 pounds.

This isn’t our street, we don’t have any trees in our tree lawn, but if I had my choice, these would the trees that we’d plant.

All of them in a row like that, with well manicured lawns and lovely houses make my stereotypical little heart happy. This is why I wanted to live in a neighborhood, with sidewalked roads and pretty green grass.

Jameson and Lily pointed and called at all the dogs we saw.

By the end of the walk, Jameson was totally relaxed.

Yesterday, we hit 67 and today we will hit 68 and sunny (SUNNY!). So we’ve been pulling around Jameson and Lily in our wagon, hanging out outside, enjoying the nice weather and the evening sunlight pouring into our living room.

Sunday, Lily and her dad came over for a visit. Lily and Jameson are very different (aside from the fact that they are four months apart in age). Lily is prim and proper, picks up after herself, uses utensils and keeps herself neat. What a little lady! Jameson is pretty much a little hooligan.

Lily was beside herself when Jameson started dumping his cheerios on the floor. He was doing it on purpose, since his snack cup has that lid that is supposed to prevent accidental spills. He grabbed handfuls and just scattered them across the floor.

So, she gave him some of her cheerios. Which he also tossed on the floor.

We gave up on the cheerios for Jameson and took them away.

Since it’s so nice out, Brian put together the little basketball hoop for Jameson that we had in the basement. We haven’t taken it outside yet, because we’re missing a piece, but Jameson enjoyed playing with it inside.

This one is out of focus, but it cracks me up. Jameson decided to throw his bear through the hoop too. Lily’s expression in the background is great. “You’re doing it wrong!”

Then we went outside. Jameson looks so mellow and relatively unexcited here, but I promise you he has walked over to the wagon EVERY. DAY. since then. This is not his first wagon experience, but it is his first in a while. When we get home from work, he attempts to climb in it or push it around. He loves it!

And here are a few fun Instagrammed moments from recent lovely evenings as well. Follow me @hilaryrose620