Saturday morning

Oh what a wonderful life. I opened my eyes this morning to the little lights on the baby monitor joyfully lighting up as each happy sequel sounded through the little speaker.

Groggily I headed in to James's room and was thrilled to see my boy smiling up at me. After feeding him and brewing some coffee we went in to wake up E.

James and I playfully pounced on my sleeping husband. James was being so sweet and snuggley I just had to grab my camera. Some of these are blurry, but oh so cute.

Then we got up and got going. Because if you don't get going by 8:30 am than it is too damn hot to be outside later in the day. So we drove down to Murray Park to enjoy the Farmer's Market. We ended up buying an asiago baguette, a bag of fat happy rainier cherries, an amazing chocolate croissant and hot fresh amazing tamales that we brought home and enjoyed for lunch.

Awesome morning.


At 9:15 am it was so stinkn' hot that James and I had to find a shady spot for a rest.

First haircut

James's hair was getting really long and shaggy (can you see the long piece hanging off the back of his head in this photo?). It always looked like he was sporting a baby comb-over; E and I said he had the "baby banker" hair-do.

So after much thought E and I decided it could use a trim. I was waffling back and forth, I mean the tips of the long pieces were the last of his dark hair (you can really see how the long pieces where a totally different color than the short undergrowth here). Anyway, it was a hard decision.

But then I did it. And he looks so dang cute!

Again, I was trying to get James to smile and he was in such a silly mood he kept coughing/laughing/squealing which means he kept closing his eyes.
Such a silly goof.
Yep, he's handsome for sure.
And so happy! Isn't the haircut great?

Gift from Japan

E and I aren't much for shoping, but since this Japan trip was E's first international trip since James's birth, I insisted on E picking out a present for James while he was there.

And I'm glad I did, because this yakata is adorable. Adorable I tell ya.

James checks out a few books from the travel section of our library.

"Konnichiwa means 'good afternoon' Mama."
I kept trying to get James to smile, but every time he'd look at me he'd do his silly cough/laugh/sequel and close his eyes. He's quite a character.
James is going through a phase where everything goes on his head. Maybe he hopes the Japanese language will soak into his brain this way?

At the Aquarium

Remember back in February we took James to the Aquarium? And he had a major baby melt down? Yea, sensory overload I think.

Well now that James is a big eight month old boy E and I decided to go back to the aquarium yesterday (yea for comp days!). We strategically planned the event in the middle of the afternoon, between his two naps and it was a great escape from the unbearably hot afternoon temps.

James adored it. He watched the fish very carefully and smiled, talked, and did some dino growls at all the tanks. The new penguin exhibit was totally awesome and we happily watched the penguins wizz by us underwater for a good 15 minutes.

The tanks of tropical fish were mesmerizing. The jellyfish rocked James's world. And the sting rays (that you can touch) happily glided below us.

And since the annual pass is so affordable, I decided to get one. We'll be going to the aquarium a lot more in the next 12 months. Can't wait.

The jellyfish were lit with black lights and would change color every 15 seconds. So neat!
I absolutely love the look on his face here. He was enthralled.
Notice he even wore a little fish and sea creature inspired shirt? Yes, I planned that.
The sting rays in the touch exhibit are so smooth.


The sharks were awesome.
The penguins were so stinkn' fast they were hard to capture on camera. We loved it though.
And they have a South American exhibit with piranhas. We told James that they like to chomp!

Lake Solitude

E, James and I continued our weekly tradition yesterday with a weekend hike. This week we chose Lake Solitude, which starts at the very beautiful and very popular Silver Lake in Brighton Ski Resort. James loved practicing his walking (with help) at the beginning of the hike on the board walk.

Then up the trail we went. James happily talking to the sky, the trees, the dirt, the pine cones and the squirrels. E and I mostly hiking in silence, just enjoying each others' company. Isn't love that's been around awhile wonderful? Sometimes E and I are silent, and we don't feel like we are missing anything, just being with the other person is all that matters.

Anyway, back to the hike, James loves hiking. He smiles and giggles and squeals and makes his totally adorable cough-laugh a lot.

And when I was not basking in the love I have for these two boys, or soaking up the awesome beauty of the Utah mountains, I was thinking about James's first birthday party. I want to do a woodland theme (like his nursery) and although I don't want my boy to grow up too fast, I am quite excited to host his first birthday.



In the first photo James is tasting a pine cone. Don't think he liked it judging by the expression on his face. And don't you love his hiking shoes? I do. And below, I guess you can see that James was thrilled that E was home from Japan. And tasting some leaves, of course!



Love my little hikin' buddy and can't get over his cute fat thighs.
All the smiling, talking and giggling wore him out. On the way back down the trail he conked out. So cute.

8 months! Photos with Wolfy

Where oh where have the last eight months gone? In what seems like a blink my baby is becoming a boy right before my eyes.

James has had a fantastic month, the most fun yet. After his teeth broke through James started consistently sleeping through the night. This is something I have been yearning for since the very beginning, and it is so totally awesome. I feel like a million bucks when I've had a good night.

James is also still rockn' the world of naps, taking a two hour nap at ten am and another shorter nap at around three. I am so thrilled that he goes down for bed and naps without much fuss, it is just beyond wonderful.

James has been learning all about finger foods as of late, where most of his meals now include noodles, goldfish crackers, green beans and once even a french fry, all of which he feeds himself. He loves this new stage and it is so damn fun watching him carefully choose his next bite and then masterly place it in his mouth.

He is a rolln' machine and really wants to crawl, but has yet figure that out. I'm quite happy with a mostly stationary baby so I'm in not a huge rush. Walking with help and standing are still favorite activities, and hide and seek (where E and I hide and he laughs) is a favorite game.

Never have I known love so deep and encompassing. Happy eight months little man!

We got these special shoes for James to wear to the wedding. Aren't they adorable?

He sure is a good lookn' little guy.

And for even more cute, here is a video I took today. The laugh/squeal thing he does at 0:43 just cracks me us.