Carter is now one year old! We had lots of fun two weeks ago at his birthday party. Carter’s little friends all came over and Carter got to eat his own cake. Lacey made a healthy cake for him out of carrots, wheat flour, and apple juice. It actually tasted really good.

Below is video from the birthday party, mostly of Carter eating his cake. Sorry–it is a bit long, but I think the grandparents will want to see it.

Liz, thanks for posting your pictures! We will add some later.

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Carter loves balloons! Every time he spots one he says “Bah! Bah!” and points his finger at it. Here is Carter walking around entertaining himself and us with a balloon.

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Almost walking! Carter took his first steps last Friday. Here he is on Sunday showing off for Nana and Granddad.

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We were finally able to catch Carter’s latest trick on video:

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The college football season is upon us again. Appropriately, my uncle Adam (of www.jonestopten.com fame) has just published his first book, Rose Bowl Dreams. The book details my uncle’s life as a career college football fan, namely, the University of Texas variety. But the book is more than a history of Longhorn football. It tells of growing up in the Jones family; of the loss of Adam’s mother (my grandmother); and of faith, restored in part by a kid named Vince Young.

Here is the link to the book on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Rose-Bowl-Dreams-Memoir-Football/dp/0312373694/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220284528&sr=8-1

Here is the official website:

http://www.rosebowldreams.com

I thought it was an excellent read, but I am biased. The book receives 5 out of 5 Homers from me.

–Mitch

http://acu.edu/news/2008/080815_mLearning_Lau.html

Interesting.

Carter is now pulling up on our furniture and fearlessly scaling tables, chairs, and walls. A few ambitious moments have resulted in some serious head bonks. I am sure all parents that have been through this stage have considered taping 1″ foam on their child from head to toe. Well, we tried that, and it just wasn’t quite practical. Lacey found a better solution: the Thudguard, headgear for babies!

http://www.thudguard.com/nav/product_info.html

http://www.thudguard.com/images/boyhead.jpg

Here is Carter cracking up as Lacey tries to feed him. Watch and enjoy! A laughing baby is good for your soul!

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Date: June 28, 2008
Carter’s age: 8 months, 5 days

I am finally finding time to sit down and write about what’s been going on in the Jones house. Carter has changed so much in the last month. Much to the excitement of his mother, Carter has said his first words. He has been saying mama and dada, but I think he is still just babbling and not using these words discriminately. However, after many months of hearing “Get down Bella”, “Go away Bella”, “Leave Carter alone, Bella”, “Carter, that’s Bella’s ball”, etc. Carter started saying “Beh-wuh” when he would see our dog. It has been so cool! It also makes Bella’s role in our family seem much more worthwhile.

Carter’s physical development is changing daily. He started pulling up June 9th. He started crawling on all fours shortly after that. He is also able to feed himself some things such as Cheerios, rice puffs, bagels, and banana pieces. His third tooth recently broke through the skin. He is such a busy boy, moving all over the house and playing with everything he sees.

I hope to post more pictures soon!

We had a fun time seeing everyone on Memorial Day weekend! Here are some pictures from the ranch:

http://followjones.com/Gallery/v/Carter_goes_to_the_ranch/