Featured! {Party like a Kid!}

Okay, there are some awesome parties out there. So much talent to be had. And today James's first birthday party was included in that group on Party Like a Kid which is a really fun blog about kid parties! WOW! I am honored. So go check it out! Here is the post about James's first birthday party.

Holiday header! {Weekend at home}

What an amazing four day weekend it's been. I'm beat. Today was glorious from start to finish. Woke up late due to a sleeping in baby (it is crazy that 7:45 feels late), had coffee and enjoyed the fireplace and Christmas tree while James toddled around. Then the day got better and better. This afternoon we bundled up and took the baby out in the sled. There has been so much snow today and it was a perfect outing.

The day just kept getting better and it ended with another Thanksgiving feast at my mom's house. I can't wait to upload photos and blog about it, but it will have to wait.

I was so thrilled with everything today. My life feels like a Christmas card. Coffee, baby, Christmas tree, snow gently falling, hot breakfast and then a sledding trip in the afternoon. Christmas card I tell ya.

James really likes all the baby approved ornaments on the tree. He is so gentle, it is quite sweet.
Until he turns into the Toddler Christmas Monster and wreaks havoc on everything he sees...
And then he moves onto more exciting things, like helping Mama reorganize the fridge.
Christmas card, right?
We just had such a fun time.
James was smiling and squealing the entire time. (See photo in header above). He really enjoyed himself.
Goodbye Autumn 2010 header.
Welcome holiday header.

A snowy photo from today

More to come, I promise.

Thanksgiving day

I have so much to be thankful for. And Thanksgiving day wrapped up all the things I love and deposited it into a perfect day with my family.

It started out cold. Like really really cold (4 degrees with a high of 17). Yikes. But it was gorgeous outside. Sunshine, clear skies and a beautiful fresh blanket of white fluff. During morning nap I sat in the sunshine with my laptop and waited for pecan pies to bake. The entire house smelled divine. Sugary and holiday-ish.

After James woke up we decided we needed to get out. That morning we'd already done nearly one million circles around the living room and basement, and we needed to tucker the Baby Man out so he had a good second nap.

So we decided to bundle up as a family and go to the park. And, surprisingly, in the sunshine, it wasn't that cold. And, we had the park to ourselves! It was amazing. We tromped through the snow, watched the ducks circle in the river, played near the trees and really had an amazing time.

This is the view from the park. Salt Lake City is such a beautiful city.
We really had a fun time in the snow.


At one point we laid him down in the snow and he was laughing and acting super silly. So sweet.
Then James rocked his second nap. I hate waking him up, but we had a feast to attend! This photo might encompass everything I love. Peace, warmth, comfort and a wonderful little boy.
This is the view from the street on the way to E's house. Gah, sometimes I just have a glorious overload. ;)
Ethan's family invited my dad to Thanksgiving so he wouldn't be alone. It was wonderful to be surrounded by family from both sides. I was so excited to have James eat his first Thanksgiving meal (last year on Thanksgiving he was only 2 days old).


James loved everything. He kept everyone smiling through the entire meal with his silly squeaks and dino growls. He gobbled down turkey, candied yams, corn, and stuffing. But his favorite part of the meal? The cranberry sauce. My word, he LOVED it.
Scarfing down Thanksgiving dinner.
Then after some relaxing and letting the baby toddle around, we served dessert. The pecan pies were perfect this year. Just the right amount of bourbon and yumminess. James was thrilled when he was served an entire piece of pumpkin pie. Instead of picking at it he took the entire slice (I kid you not, this was a normal sized piece) and stuck the entire thing in is mouth and swallowed. We couldn't believe it! We kept joking that he eats like a snake, swallows his meal whole. He loved it.

It was an amazing day start to finish and really emphasized everything in my life that is awesome. E and I (and James!) are looking forward to another holiday feast on Sunday night with my family.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Damn I'm Thankful

I am so thankful for so many things. So many. Snowy days, cats stretched out to enjoy the slanting sunshine, hot pies cooling on the counter, sweet husband shaving (the old fashioned way) in the bathroom. But mostly, mostly I'm thankful for this silly goof:

And I want to re-post something I posted last year on Thanksgiving because I have a lot to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving. This Thanksgiving is a year I will never ever forget. I have so so many things to be thankful for, I am truly so lucky. I will finish up with my birth story later this weekend, but for now, since it is Thanksgiving, I must list the ten things I am most thankful for:

10. Ten perfect fingers and toes.

9. Photos of funny first moments. This was James's first bath. I laugh so much at this. His little hands look like he's a dictator or something.
And someday soon I'm sure I'll not find this photo as hilarious as I do now. James is perfect, a great sleeper and not much of a crier. When he gets going though, it just make me smile, he's just so mad. Love him.
8. Lots and lots of aunties and uncles to love.



7. Great Grandmas that proclaim that James is the cutest baby in the world.
6. The most wonderful caring fantastic husband I can imagine. He was so loving the entire time I was at the hospital. He never left my side, and snuggled and kissed his little son so much.
5. Black mohawks
4. Meeting the big brother and sister.


3. Three Grandpas


2. Two Grandmas

1. And a perfect baby boy. I can not tell you how happy I am to have a healthy little son. I am so so thankful. I love him so much. Happy Thanksgiving.

12 months with Wolfy {My boy is 1!}

On one hand, the first 12 months feel like a lifetime. I almost don't remember what my life was like before James. On the other hand these 12 months have gone faster than any before. Time flies when you are having a blast.

This last month has been the most fun yet. I say that every month, but with each passing day James shows more of his personality and learns new fun, silly, awesome things.

He is a walking fool, as you saw. He rarely falls, and he is getting better about not face planting, which is very good. He toddles everywhere on his own. Yesterday after a diaper change I put him on the floor in his bedroom. He toddled into the kitchen, leaned down, grabbed a piece of cheese toast that he had flung on the floor a couple of hours before, had it in his mouth eating it and walking away before I even knew what hit me.

James is eating more toddler foods now too. For breakfast he often has toast, yogurt or cottage cheese, fruit and whatever else I have handy. For lunch and dinner he has grilled cheese, turkey, bread, and cheese tortillas! Gone are the days that he ate homemade pureed goodies. Now he's eating like a big kid. (Thanksgiving tomorrow is going to be a blast!)

His new tricks include waving bye bye more and more often, learning to blow a kiss, learning the meaning of all sorts of new words (we are working on tickle, door, and cold this week), and shaking his head no whenever you ask him to give you a kiss. It is so damn funny, I will catch it on camera soon.

He's still sleeping well at night and most days at nap time. He is eating bigger and bigger portions, getting more and more adventurous with his walking, and babbling with new sounds every day.

Every night after E and I put him to bed we talk about all the cute and new things he did that day, something I hope we never tire of. Marveling at your kid grow up is so awesome, I love it.

Here he is, big one year old boy with Wolfy!

All done with pictures, as you can see.
I bought this outfit a year ago, when James was tiny. I remember thinking "he will not be this big next year, how could he?" Yea, it happens. They grow too quickly. I loved this outfit the moment I saw it, especially since I already had Wolfy photos in mind. I've been saving it for a year so he could wear it today. He looked adorable, and it was worth the wait.