Hanging out with Ira

Here's a couple of videos hot off the press. These were captured just a few minutes ago.


In this video, we're watching a crazy Italian TV show called "Quaq Quao." It's about two origami ducks. Basically they just quack at each other. As you know, Ira loves ducks, and Quaq Quao is no exception.


Watching videos with Ira from Jesse Morros on Vimeo.

The next video is of Ira demonstrating his newly discovered ability to High Five. We taught him to high five while we were dancing around to James Brown after dinner. This video also shows off Ira's clapping skills.


High Five! from Jesse Morros on Vimeo.

In the Park, part 2

Here's a short video of Ira on the swings at Centennial Park. It might make you a little dizzy. Also, be aware that the music playing in the video is coming from the concession stand near the playground and, thus, was not chosen by me. Though I do love those smooth jazz grooves.


Swingin' from Jesse Morros on Vimeo.

Sunday in the Park with Ira

Sunday we took Ira to Centennial Park, home of the fake Parthenon.


First, we stopped by the flower garden.





Ira didn't like the way the grass felt on his knees so he crawled on his toes.


Then we said hello to the ducks and geese.


Ira tried swinging by himself.


But he liked it better with Mommy.


Then we played with whatever this thing is.


Ira still hasn't made up his mind about the slide.


And the monkey bars are a little advanced for him.


The perfect end to a day at the park . . . ice cream.


And then it was time to go home.

Ira the ham

Someone just sent us this picture of Ira. It looks like he knows exactly how cute he is.

Summer vacation

I just uploaded a bunch of new pictures to the extensive Ira archives.

Most are from our trip to Florida for the 4th of July, but there are some from June that I forgot to add earlier. Like these pictures from the Arrington Vineyard in Arrington, TN. This is the vineyard owned by Kit Brooks from Kirsten's favorite band, Brooks & Dunn. I guess because I'm a little judgemental, I was expecting the wine to be maybe fruit flavored or carbonated, but it was actually really nice.



Even Ira enjoyed the wine.




Also from June - the International Puppet Festival at the library. This was pretty exciting. Puppeteers from all over the world came to Nashville to perform. Ira has seen musicians and ballets at the library and been fairly attentive and interested so we thought he would enjoy the puppets. It didn't work out so well. The library was packed; there were thousands of people, and it was super hot. I think the combination of crowds, heat, and long waits before the shows had a bit of a negative effect on Ira. So we didn't get to see any actual puppet shows. He did, however, love watching the man who made balloon animals and the stilt walker and jugglers.



Waiting for a show to start.



More waiting. If you have to wait a long time for something, it's preferable to spend that time with the cutest baby in the world.



Jugglin'



The children's area at the library is awesome.



We love vegetable themed children's toys.


And now to Florida. I'm going to do a quick overview of our trip to the Panhandle, but you can browse the photos on Picassa at your leisure. I'll add photos that other people took as soon as I get a hold of them.

I think Ira's favorite thing we did was blueberry picking in Granny Holley's front yard. The bush was bountiful, the berries were awesome and plump, and Ira ate more than I thought a baby could eat.







Kirsten didn't realize Ira was reaching into the bowl and helping himself to blueberries. We have no idea how many he actually ate.


Ira eatin' blueberries. from Jesse Morros on Vimeo.

Check out those fine motor skills.


My favorite thing we did in Pensacola was our diner at Sluggo's. I seriously dream about eating here. This was Ira's first trip to a punk rock, vegan restaurant/bar, and based on how fast he scarffed down those mashed potatoes, I think he liked it. Maybe when he's older I'll take him there a little later in the evening to enjoy an offensively named band of fifteen year olds with mohawks. Thanks to Kirsten's parents for being such good sports, and thanks to Ryan for pretending to be a real waiter so the Holleys weren't too weirded out.


Look at the BBQ Tofu!

Ira says, "The tofu's okay, but I'd prefer some tequila, please."

Right after this picture was taken, Ira smashed the shot glass on the floor.

These next few pictures are from the 4th of July celebration at Windy Hill Baptist Church in Beulah, FL. Kirsten's dad put on an awesome fireworks show, but the highlight of the night were our matching t-shirts.


Whatever you're thinking, you should probably keep it to yourself.





Cutest baby in the world.

The coolest thing we did on vacation was the result of something not very cool. It took us six hours to drive from Pensacola to Birmingham, which should take 3 1/2 or 4hours. Traffic wasn't bad; Ira was just really unhappy, and it's really hard to drive with an unhappy baby. We decided to spend the night in Cullman, AL, home of the Ave Maria Grotto, one of the coolest places in Alabama. You can read the whole story at the above link, but basically this monk was borderline crazy and created an amazing little world out of concrete, marble, and various pieces of junk. A large portion of it is a recreation of sites in Israel. This is the second tiny Israel I've been to, by the way. I think this is a place we'll have to visit multiple times.





You should really check out the rest of the pictures on Picassa. This stuff is awesome.

I leave you with this short video of Ira playing with the air conditioner in our hotel room. Look at all that hair!


Ira plays with an airconditioner from Jesse Morros on Vimeo.