Is this heaven? No, it's Iowa.

We finally checked off our last item on our list of "Things to do in Iowa" today. We visited the movie site of "Field of Dreams" in Dyersville, Iowa. It's been almost 20 years since the movie was filmed and yet the ball field and house looked very much the same. We were quite surprised to see how many people were there as well. People visit from everywhere and while the location does not allow organized ball games, they do encourage you to grab your glove and bat and play a little all-American baseball.

John Ross enjoyed running around the bases - not to mention standing on them. We think a baseman position is definitely in his future. He also enjoyed running to the outfield to play in the corn.

We didn't run into Shoeless Joe Jackson, but had a great time visiting the Field of Dreams!

Swimmer Boy

John Ross has been a little fish this summer! We visited the Lake of the Ozarks in June and he enjoyed bobbing in the water while wearing his new life jacket.

In July Mommy and John Ross enrolled in a toddler swimming class. John Ross did so good and even got his certificate of completion that we proudly have hanging on the refrigerator door. Towards the end of the week, the children had the opportunity to ride down the water slide with an adult, which thankfully Daddy stepped in to help with. As you can see, John Ross thought that was a blast. We had trouble getting him back into the regular swimming pool!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

To celebrate Kyle's 30th birthday, we took a trip to Boston in May. We had never visited Massachusetts and we felt it was a great time to go, especially since some of our good friends (and John Ross' godparents), Matt and Chris Mahn, live there. We took in as much of the city as we could during our extended weekend, but the highlight for Kyle was seeing the KC Royals play at Fenway. It was a historic night with the Red Sox pitching a no-hitter (not so fun for Royals fans) and it was John Ross' first major league baseball game. He thoroughly enjoyed his first box of Cracker Jacks. As he would say, "num, num"! It was great fun spending time with the Mahns and John Ross made some new friends with their dogs, Ranger and E-Dog. Thanks to Matt and Chris for a wonderful visit!

He's Walking!

John Ross has been walking almost a month now! He decided to really commit to his new skill while Mom and Dad were out of town. He was staying at Nana and Papa Miller's house while we were in Dallas for the Cotton Bowl and decided it was time to strut his stuff. Of course, we're excited about his new independence, although walking means BIG trouble for us and his four-legged siblings. We're ALL on the move these days.

John Ross is busy exploring new things such as... what happens to a cell phone when it's dropped in the dog's water bowl? what does finger paint taste like? why does Annie run away when I pull her tail? We're learning a lot that's for sure. Lesson from this week - no paint allowed during Dad's day off. Mom came home to a toddler Smurf (see photo).

Happy 1st Birthday, John Ross!

What a fun and eventful year John Ross has had! We celebrated his first birthday in style. On his actual birthday of September 26th, Mommy and Daddy gave him his gifts, which included a wagon. Later that afternoon, he and his daycare friends enjoyed a caterpillar made of cupcakes. On Saturday, September 29th, all of John Ross' aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents came to Iowa to celebrate at the Malter "Birthday Barn" for an E-I-E-I-O themed party. We had baby chickens and all! What a wonderful time we had (see photos). We ended the weekend by attending the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. One of Daddy's friends is the vet for the circus, and she was kind enough to give us a few tickets to enjoy. Of all the animals, John Ross enjoyed the little dogs the most.

John Ross is busy moving about. He's still not walking, but he's so close! He's growing so fast and has already had 4 haircuts. We are so blessed to have a healthy one-year-old.

9-Month Update

John Ross now has 7 teeth and is crawling all over the place. Crawling has turned Mommy and Daddy into the “fun police”. Baby-proof door locks and gates just get in the way of a good time! (Check out his teeth in the photo taken on Independence Day)

We’ve had a busy, but fun summer so far. Just recently Cortney’s brother, Brandon, got married. John Ross was a ring bearer in the big event. He looked adorable in his tuxedo, but slept through the entire ceremony. We are now anxiously awaiting the arrival of Cousin Best (Daphne and Tyler’s baby). Should be any day now! Meanwhile, John Ross is spending time splashing in the baby pool and pestering his 4-legged siblings.

8-Month Update

We can't believe John Ross is already 8 months old! He has changed so much in recent weeks. He is sitting on his own and pulling himself up on his crib rail. He is busy getting into anything he can get his hands on. He can get up on all fours, but is not quite crawling. He gets around by rolling or scooting. He now has four teeth... you can see in his photo he looks like a baby vampire. Our pediatrician assures us that this is normal. John Ross has been a social butterfly during the past two months attending bridal showers, baby showers, graduation parties and his first two sporting events - a Stars hockey game and an I-Cubs baseball game. To our surprise, he enjoyed both. We're extremely excited about the upcoming summer and spending more time with him outdoors.