Playing with James

Spending the days with the babe makes for quite a few silly games. I make up silly songs, come up with quite a few silly conversations, and rotate from room to room to try to keep boredom at a minimum.

Today while in James's room I thought we could practice some tummy to back rolls and I could try to catch it all on camera.

Didn't work out that way. James only seems to know how to roll about 1/3 of the time. So today he just got grumpy that he couldn't get off his tummy. (Can you tell from the last picture above that he was mad? Poor guy.)

Once his Mama rolled him over and gave him his binky, life was alright.
He's lovn' his toes.
And he is still a master at removing his own binky. Which makes for some interesting nights...
I think this child is part rooster. Look at that hair!

{Looking back} My own bridal shower

After hosting Chelsea and Joe's bridal shower a couple of weeks ago, I got nostalgic about my own bridal shower that was almost four years ago. Looking back on my blog (yes, I had my blog waaaayyyy back then!) I realized I did a piss poor job of documenting the fantastic day. So, let's try this again: looking back, my own bridal shower.

On June 18th 2006 my Grandparents hosted a bridal shower tea for me in their rose garden (here is the link to the original blog post). My grandparent's garden is awe inspiring. Really. It is so beautiful that my best friends Ben and Jo even decided to get married there.

When my Grandma and Grandpa offered to host my shower I jumped at the chance. I knew it would be something I would never ever forget, due to their knack for party planning, attention to detail, and the superior setting.

I wanted to have a tea party. I wanted to invite men as well as woman, and I wanted to have it on a fine June day all before my wedding day in July. Of course my grandparents fulfilled my every wish.

For about two months before my shower I fussed about my dress. I am not one to fuss much over clothes, and haven't ever really purchased expensive clothing in the past, but for my one and only bridal shower I wanted to have the perfect outfit. I looked for ages, and finally decided on this silk Ann Taylor dress that seemed to fit the garden tea party perfectly. I even bought the earrings and hair tie to match, which, again, is something I'd never done.
The guest list was about thirty people, men and women. My grandparents set out round tables in the upper garden and each one had a tablecloth and beautiful antique china. Also, each table had a teapot centerpiece overflowing with roses. It was stunning.
We asked people to dress for an afternoon tea, which mean everyone was in their finest duds. E and I circulated tables, nibbling on tea sandwiches, scones and sipping on tea, while we visited with our guests. Again and again we returned to my grandparent's side to tell them how amazing it all was. (Yep, that is my grandpa in dark green on the right side of the photo).
Like I said above, all the tables were set with beautiful china. This set of blue violets was my Great Grandma Mary's tea set. Isn't it perfect?
Notice the centerpieces and the stunning garden beyond.
My best friends were able to attend the very special day. Justin is being craJy, as always.
The future bride and groom (E and I) were very much in love. I thought I could never love anybody more than I loved E that day. How silly I was. My love for E has grown three fold, and of course there's Baby Man now too.
Isn't E adorable? We are opening presents, and as you can see, he is very excited about something we received from REI. Also, notice the amazing bouquet on the dessert table behind us.
One of my most precious gifts from that day were the antique tea cups my Grandparents bought us while they were in London only weeks before. They picked out two very special cups, one for E and one for myself and carefully carried them back to the states.
I have the most wonderful and tender memories of this day. My Grandma and Grandpa went all out to make this day so so so special for me and their future grandson E. Only about a week later my Grandpa announced to the family that he had cancer in his bladder. He had known the day of the tea, and wanted to keep it secret for a little longer so that day could be all about me. I can't imagine how much work went into the shower, how much they did, all with the new and horribly fresh knowledge that he had cancer.

My Yosemite wedding was really bittersweet. I was marrying the man I adored, in the most beautiful place in the world. The weather was beyond specular, the most important people in the world were with me to share the day. Yet, my parents had just finalized their divorce and my Grandpa was going home the following week to start chemo. Maybe that is why I treasure the memory of my bridal shower more fiercely now than ever before, and why I love this wedding day photo more with each passing day. Six months later my Grandpa passed away, and 3.5 years later my Grandma had a stroke. I treasure these times where they were both alive and healthy so so so much.
I don't want to end this post on such a sad note. Really, my Grandpa lived a very full and long life, and my Grandma is getting better and better by the day. Last Wednesday she returned home! She is a fighter.

And, one last final note, notice how many links I have to old posts I have here? I am so grateful I've had my blog for so long, even through tough and scary times. What an awesome way to remember things. If my fateful readers (I know there are three of you) have ever thought of blogging and don't already do so, now is the time. It is a gift to yourself. I could never put into words how much my blog means to me. How much I value it. It is one of my greatest belongings. Get blogging!

Getting big! 5 months old with Wolfy

James has grown so much over the last five months. Seeing photos of him as a newborn, I can hardly believe its the same boy. He was tiny! So cute! And such dark hair!

Now, of course, he's still totally adorable, but his hair has lightened quite a bit to a nice shade of light brown. At five months he is almost sleeping through the night (we need to replace his binky quite a few times, but no more night time feedings!), he is eating solids, he is rolling from tummy to back, he is laughing, smiling and grinning like crazy, and he is almost able to sit!

As I've mentioned again and again and again, E and I are crazy about our little guy. And he's pretty crazy about us too. Only we can illicit the biggest smiles, the best giggles, and the happiest baby. That's not to say he isn't a total charmer around his grandparents and strangers, but he makes it quite clear who he likes best. It is awesome.

1- I think this kid is SO DAMN CUTE. Gahh! I just had an overdose of cute.
2- One of James's newest tricks is sucking on either his top or bottom lip. He loves it! And it totally cracks me up.

Doesn't he look like a boy and not a baby?
He also loves to stick his tongue out and smile. He's getting so big!

On the bed

Day to day life with the babe is so wonderful. Simple, full of smiles and giggles, warm baths and long walks.

Every morning I nurse James on the master bed. I sip the coffee that E left for me in the travel mug before he headed out to work. I read my emails on my phone and look down a James's perfect eyelashes. Afterward we play in our jammies, talk, snuggle and laugh. Many mornings the kitties join the ritual. After awhile James wants to practice his new skills: standing with support, sitting and rolling. Every day he becomes better and better at all his new found tricks.

And the mornings on the bed with him are just totally and completely perfect.

Sunday in the Garden II

Remember this post from a year ago with the same title? That day I convinced E to wear yellow and bring his tripod to Red Butte Garden so we could get a family photo. I was about 10 weeks pregnant at the time and it would be the last spring our family was only the two of us.

How our little family has changed.

Today was a glorious spring day in Utah. Splendid, fantastic, marvelous. E and I were again looking forward to visiting Red Butte Garden to see the 100,000 daffodils in bloom. We, again, dressed in yellow and set up the tripod near the same bench that we sat in 12 months ago.

The little bean that was in my tummy last April is quite a bit bigger now. And he is SO LOVED. Neither E or I were expecting to love him this much. All parents say that it is hard to understand how much you'll love your child until you have one, and it is such a cliche because it is true. I never imagined I'd adore James as much as I do.

And spending a beautiful spring day in the garden with the two people I love more than anything in this world was beyond perfect. Life couldn't get any better. I am so damn lucky. And I never ever want to take it for granted.

April 2009 - E and I enjoying a beautiful spring day. Baby November is just a bean in my tummy.
April 2010 - E and I enjoying a beautiful spring day. Baby November is a big happy boy named James.
All the daffodils are amazing. Such a burst of bright cheery color after a long dark winter.

Me and my boy.
Totally cute photo of my two boys. I swear, each time I take a photo of them and tell myself "they couldn't get any cuter" then they prove me wrong. I think James was laughing when I took this. Love it.
Mama and James watch the Canadian geese, and the magnolia trees were in bloom. Heavenly.

James sings opera

Yes, another video. I hope you don't mind videos too much.

This one totally cracks me up. James has been singing lately. His pitch, emphasis, and tone are all perfect. After all, he's trained at the finest Italian opera schools his entire life.

Oh, and watch the entire movie, the end just kills me. He ADORES his Daddy.

Note to self: Sign and sing are spelled differently. Keep that in mind before posting.

Foods and kicks

I don't want to claim anything just yet, but James is getting better at sleeping at night. He's not yet sleeping through the night, but he seems to be making progress.

The rice cereal is still yummy yummy. He loves it! As you can see, by my highly professional homemade video. ;)

Bridal Shower Tea

Almost four years ago my Grandparents hosted a Bridal Shower Tea for me in their rose garden. It was amazing, and I have looked back on the day with the most tender of memories. When my sister-in-law Chelsea asked me to host a Bridal Shower Tea for her wedding, I was highly honored, and knew I had big shoes to fill.

I did everything as my Grandma would have done. I ironed all the tablecloths the day of the party. I used only linen napkins, crystal server-ware, the silver cutlery, and all of my fine china. I also purchased fresh flowers for the occasion, made sure there were some bridal shower party games (with tea-themed prizes!) and made a variety of fresh tea foods before the guests arrived.

I was extremely proud of all my hard work. Every day when the baby man would nap I would work on another little task, until everything was perfect.

The day of the shower Connie came over early and helped me prep all the tea sandwiches while E made homemade scones.

The result was beautiful. Chelsea was very happy, as was I.

Connie (my mother-in-law), Chelsea, her fiancée Joe, and his mother Mary.
Guest in the living room enjoy the first of three games.
We had men and women attend the shower which was quite fun.
I love tea sandwiches. Seriously, they are so yummy.
The future bride and groom.
I wore the same dress to Chelsea's tea that I wore to my shower all those years ago! I'm so happy I still fit in it. James wore his Easter duds and was happy and sweet for the entire party.
Presents are always a favorite.
This post makes me realize that I need to do a more detailed post about my own shower. It was such a wonderful day, I need to re-live it on my blog. Hopefully soon.

My new header

For years I've hated my header. Remember, the blue bar that was so so so ugly? I've been begging E for months to help me figure out how to do a new header with family photos, and today we finally spent the time and figured it out.

Don't you just adore my new header? I'll be updating it each season, which is something I'm really looking forward to.

Spring 2010:

Couple of recent photos

Today, as the maid-of-honor of Chelsea's wedding, I hosted a bridal shower tea. I had fantastic help from E and Connie, and the entire party went so so well. As it is 9:30 pm, and I'm quite tired, the bridal shower tea post will have to wait.

Tonight, however, I'll post a few recent photos. None of them really have a theme, but the are wonderful in the fact that they are us. Just little day to day activities that I happen to capture digitally.

Over the last few days James has become such a good eater! He is loving his rice cereal mixed with applesauce, and "helps" me put the spoon in his mouth.
The result is a big lovable mess.
James's hands have grown so much since he was a newborn. I swear, every time E or I look at his hands we comment on how huge they are. But compared to Daddy's hands, I guess they are still pretty little.
And most Saturday mornings at home have two things in common: staying in your PJs late and kisses from Daddy. Life couldn't get any better.