Happier Still

Pregnancy quiz: 38 weeks

2012-01-27T14:58:00.009-07:00

How far along: 38 weeks. Or 39 depending on which due date you are looking at.

Sleep: Horrible. One night was comically bad. James started the week with a horrible cold and on Tuesday night was up once an hour crying (reminds me of what newborns are like...). The same night I fell asleep crying due to frustration with the Ikea dresser (hello pregnancy hormones!), and it went on and on. Such a bad night. Other nights have sucked as well. Now that I have James's cold, one night I was up with a horrible sore throat, and last night I was up nearly all night because I couldn't breathe through my nose, and mouth breathing keeps me awake. Ugg... Plus, there is a lot on my mind these days. I'm not feeling very well rested to say the least.

Weight Gain/Loss: Up one pound since last week. Go me!

Belly button in or out: Out. :)

Movement: This little girl of mine keeps me company all night long. She is a night owl to the extreme. I'm a little worried.

Size of Baby: 19.5" and 6.5 lbs or so.

Pregnancy Symptoms: Everything. I've felt weepy this week (which is not me at all), I've felt exhausted. Everything hurts. I'm too far along in this pregnancy to carry James for more than just a few steps (and forget getting him in and out of his carseat...). Pelvic pressure is back with a vengeance, as is sciatic nerve pain. Plus, I have a full blown cold. I'm a real treat this week. ;)

Labor Signs: Nada. A couple of braxton hicks contractions, but nothing other than that.

Food Cravings: I have less of an appetite these days due to being sick and also hardly any room in my tummy for anything other than baby. James has hardly eaten this week either. Breaks my heart. Poor little dude.

What I miss: Ibuprofin. Like a lot. I forget how nice it is to pop a few when my throat is on fire or when my entire back is aching. Excited to have the chance again soon. Tylenol is just not cutting it.

What else I miss? Sleep. I don't think I've slept longer than three hours in a row for weeks. I'm up a lot at night. I guess this is my body's way of getting me ready for Baby Girl.

What I am looking forward to: Finishing the nursery (there is still a lot to do!), and meeting my daughter. Oh my oh my I'm excited for that!

Weekly Wisdom: Things could be worse. Keep that in mind. James and I are sick and yucky, but its only a cold and sinus infection. Thank goodness for that, by next week we'll be feeling 100%.

Best moment this week: My baby shower last Saturday and a full spa day on Sunday. Oh my word... best weekend ever!

Milestones: 38 weeks. My "official" due date is less than a week away! (Next Thursday, gulp!)

Above: my poor sick kiddo. I have such sympathy for him. Some days are better than others, and we've left the house, but today he is back to feeling yucky.

And below, my tummy. It's been a long time since I've been able to look down and see my toes. The flash cards? Doesn't matter how many times I clean them up, the throws them all over the floor again minutes later.
Huge tummy. Messy living room. Such is life. And here is what I looked like when I was 38 weeks with James. I think I'm about the same size.

James's Milestones {26 months}

2012-01-25T12:53:00.007-07:00

Since I no longer do Wolfy posts each month, I haven't updated about all the fun new milestones and developments in James's sweet little personality for quite some time. This is not ok. Things that James does and says now are so fleeting, and before I know it, he changes it up, and what he used to do is soon forgotten.

So, I've been trying to make a list of things on my phone and add them here from time to time. Here is the list:

Says "ok-k" when he means yes. Actually he did this a ton about a month ago, but now no longer does it. Glad I made a note, it was so sweet!
Says "love you!" and "bye bye" in the funniest little voice. Super high pitched and wonderful. He's been doing this for about a month and I need to get a video, its so darn charming.
Calls himself Dames. Will knock on the door while E is in the bathroom. When E says "who is it?" James says "Dames!"
Has been more and more independent. Will often say "no help, Dames do it!"
Loves his big boy room (photos and blog post are not forgotten), and loves the travel theme. The little suitcases he calls briefcases. He says "briefcase! Work! Go!" Just over the last few days we've asked him where he works and he says "pool!". Haha!
We kept James's car seat rear facing until 25 months (most parents switch to front facing at 1 year). Because he couldn't see out the front window, anytime I'd slow the car down or stop, he'd say "go please!"
Now that he's front facing we've taught him what the lights mean. He'll warn you a half mile in advance that there is a red light and yell "stop!".
When I get mad at other drivers (I'm not an angry driver but I do give commentary on other driver's lack of skill) James says "silly Mama!"
E and James still LOVE to cook on Saturday and Sunday morning. Now James will ask E each and every morning "cook? weekend?". Seriously, so cute.
Because E does a lot of the cooking (hello awesome husband award), that when I cook, James gets a little flustered. He told me the other day "Dada's spatchula, Mama's turn." Phew, glad I got a turn. ;)
Can count to ten (he could do this right around the time he turned 2) and knows almost all his letters (C, U, Z and Q still give him trouble). He knows his shapes and colors too.
Will repeat almost anything very clearly. However still calls cucumbers "cumber-cumber", avocados "avocado-cado" and pancakes "pancake-cakes". So sweet.
E told me that one day while he was driving with James at Christmas time, E was signing along with the Christmas music. James said "no song!". After awhile E forgot and sang again. James repeated his request.
Seeks privacy when he needs to go potty. Finds a little spot and says "poo poo fort!"
He has the funniest laugh ever. E and I call it the smoker laugh. It is really deep and so hilarious. This paired with the high pitched "love you! bye bye" is so random and awesome.
Mabel (our kitty, whom James calls Bul) mewed the other day. James said "oh no! Bul hungry!"
Dada asks him if he's a kiddo or a squirmy wormy. He says kiddo, unless he wants to be tickled and then he says "wormy wormy wormy!" and runs away.
His favorite books are Good Night Good Night Construction Site, Mouse Mess, Barnyard Dance and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. However, over the last month he just likes to do "crazy dance" before bed instead of read.
Sometimes when James is being a little naughty I'll say "hey you!". Now when he knows he's being naughty or breaking a small rule he'll say "hey you!"
Everything in life that James finds interesting he wants to share. This is good and bad because he'll say "Mommy, see, look!" to show me what he's seeing. But it doesn't stop there. He'll often ask me to "see look" 10-50 times depending on how interesting he finds it.

And here are a few phone photos. I take most of my day to day life photos on my phone so I can text them to E. When I take a photo I especially like, I'll add it to Instagram. If you want to follow me on Instagram my user name is HappierStill.

The boy and I on my bed after nap time watching cartoons.Damma Connie got us these wonderful vintage inspired flash cards. James is in love and plays with them every day. I just adore the little illustrations on the back of each card.
James got his first big boy haircut last Friday. His long locks were seriously out of control. He loved his haircut, ate a sucker, watched Yo Gabba Gabba and is looking so handsome post trim (see first photo! Nice and short!).
And, although not related to James, E and I have been working each night on Baby Girl's dresser. We decided on this one from Ikea, and it took forever to put together! Now that it's finally complete, all Baby Girl's clothes are folded and ready. I can't get over how cute and tiny they are!

Little Red Riding Hood Baby Shower

2012-01-23T18:02:00.006-07:00

When my sweet childhood friend offered to host a baby shower for me, I was unsure. I had a baby shower for James only two years ago, but she persisted. "You'll need baby girl things, and I want to host, and we could have the theme be Little Red Riding Hood."

The thought of letting Jessica host a shower for me was not only a major treat (her home is beautiful and she has a serious talent for throwing amazing parties), it was something that was so beyond generous. Sisters and best friends host showers. Jessica is my new best friend, not only because we get along amazingly, but because seriously, we've been friends since we were third graders. It was meant to be.
First order of business for any Little Red Riding Hood party? Wolfy dressed as Grandma, of course. So so funny and cute. Jessica is so creative.
Also, this woodland themed centerpiece for the brunch table? AMAZING! Oh my word! It is so darling, so sweet. I'm in love.
Favors for all the guests with homemade tags out of fabric and felt. No detail was forgotten.
Old storybook Little Red Riding Hood banner. The banner was about 20 flags long and "told" the entire story of Little Red Riding Hood.
The guest list was kept small, mostly family and a few new Mama friends I've made in the last two years.
Although my Grandma has a really hard time moving around much, she was able to attend my shower, mostly thanks to my amazing Aunt Laura. So happy she was there.
Jessica's kitchen is so open and beautiful, perfect for hosting parties.
In addition to the beautiful decorations, hosting, and games Jessica put on a full brunch for the guests. No easy feat when you work full time AND have a toddler. I'm telling you, this woman is amazing.
Everyone serving up their meal. Everything was so delicious. I felt so spoiled.
Jessica's living room is where we spent most of the time. Notice the Red Riding Hood banner on the window?
We talked, ate, played games, enjoyed the fact that there were no toddlers allowed at the party. I loved this detail, it was so fun to just enjoy being an adult without keeping a constant eye on the kiddo.
I think everyone had such a good time. I know I did.
The present pile was huge. Oh my word. So much pink. Baby girls are so fun!
I got an amazing array of gifts, some of my favorites being the homemade items. This baby blanket? Beyond adorable.
Jessica also sewed a Little Red Riding Hood doll for Baby Girl (as if she hadn't done enough!). I love her so much, my gosh, so sweet.
Some of my Mama friends. Julia, me, Sedra and Ashley.
What an amazing day. I seriously had such a fun time visiting, eating and opening darling presents for Baby Girl. I'm one spoiled lady, and damn I'm thankful.

"More Egg!"

2012-01-20T21:14:00.001-07:00

The other day James and Damma Connie were playing downstairs in our playroom. Connie invented the funniest game ever, seriously, James asked for "more egg" for a solid 30 minutes and laughed hysterically each time Damma dropped the wooden toy egg and said "splat!"

Finally I decided I better get a video. These big giggles are just to good to pass up. Each time he pauses, he asks "more egg!" meaning he wants Connie to throw the egg again, drop it, and say "splat!".

Pregnancy quiz: 37 weeks

2012-01-20T15:06:00.003-07:00

How far along: 37 weeks! Full term! (Also?! What's crazy? I'm still considered 38 weeks by my doc! I moved my due date back in my own mind because of what ultrasound shows, but HOLY MOLY!)

Sleep: Only ok. I'm exhausted by bedtime but have a lot on my mind. I think of something in the middle of the night and obsess over it until morning. Also, falling asleep is really hard. Staying asleep is even harder.

Weight Gain/Loss: I have gained so slowly. I think my grand total is up around 21 lbs without much gain in the last few weeks. I was nearing 26 lbs at this point with James and most woman are closer to 30+.

Belly button in or out: Out. :)

Movement: Yes. Now when I'm up in the middle of the night I realize I have someone that is also up. Baby Girl loves the 3:00 am hour! Oh dear....

Size of Baby: 19.5" and 6 lbs or so. Oh wow! She's ready at any time!

Pregnancy Symptoms: Pregnancy insomnia which includes a lot of getting up to pee, getting up to get a drink, waking up because my ears are killing me (huh?) and other fun things. I've been feeling surprisingly comfortable (comparatively) during the day, just exhausted. I've had a few Braxton Hicks contractions, which are not fun at all, but I had many more when I was pregnant with James, so I'm happy they are so few and far between.

Labor Signs: Last three weeks I've been 1 cm dilated and no change in my cirvix. Baby is head down (as she's been my entire pregnancy) and ready for the world.

Food Cravings: Fruit and vinegar. Salads with tons of vinegar dressing and salt and vinegar chips are my fave.

What I miss: Being able to do anything at all productive at any point in the day. James is asleep for a nice long nap mid day and goes to bed early and I'm in bed most of those hours too. I want to craft, I have things that need to be done, and they just aren't happening.

What I am looking forward to: Um? What any mom is excited for at 37 weeks?! Meeting my new baby! Looking so so so forward to that. Telling her I love her, that I adore her, that she will be perfect for our family. Telling her that I've wanted to be a mother of a daughter for my entire life, and she completes our family. I am so excited for that.

Also?! BEST WEEKEND EVER! Not even joking. Tomorrow I have a baby shower that I could not be more excited about, and Sunday E and I are taking our Spa day and dinner date that I asked for for Christmas. Spa day includes the entire day with E and no kiddo, a Japanese bath and a 90 minute prenatal massage. Yea, can't wait.

Weekly Wisdom: Enjoy every single minute. Very very soon I'll be the mama of two kiddos. These last weeks with James have been wonderful. I am soaking it all up.

Best moment this week: Daily time with my little side kick. I can't get enough of what a sweet amazing kid I've got.

Milestones: 37 weeks! I'm full term!

Something I feel like I'm slacking on is taking more day to day photos. I always grab my camera on the weekends and do a big weekend blog post, but what I want to remember is the small stuff. The little things that make my life so great. I usually have a (decent) excuse, like "the light is not good". Well the other morning when James was having his daily dance party on my bed and the light was horrible, I figured I'd snap a few photos anyway. I got what I wanted, a happy boy, a little view into my happiness, and something I would likely forget. With Apple TV we can listen to iTunes on the TV. He loves it and dances happily for a few songs but he has such particular music taste. Most the time he's telling me "new song!" and "bye bye song" meaning he's ready to dance to something else. So goofy.

Black and White Wednesday

2012-01-18T19:27:00.002-07:00

The bathroom window at the farmhouse. Letting in the sunshine.

Winter farmhouse

2012-01-16T14:27:00.006-07:00

About a month ago E and I sat down and made a list of things that "needed" to be done before we have a toddler and a newborn. Out to dinner a couple of times, a day at the spa (which was my Christmas present), and, if possible, a day at the farmhouse.

We haven't been to the farmhouse since last July (what?!) and even though traveling with James sometimes feels like more work than relaxation, we wanted to give it whirl anyway. James did great in the car, thankfully, and even took a little nap at the farmhouse, which I was thrilled about.

When we got there we quickly discovered the furnace wasn't working. E knew what part had broken, and called his Dad to hunt it down in Salt Lake. Luckily, it looked like this outside:
Seriously, where did January go? The weather was so mild, temps in the 50s and warm and wonderful in the sun. We explored the yard, James happily stomped in the little snow that had yet to melt in the shade, and we all smiled so much.
James found a big branch and the sunshine just continued to get more brilliant.
Grandma Connie found a basket of E's trucks from 30 years ago and brought them out for James to play with. He loved digging in the soil with his little spoon.
After James's little nap we decided to take a walk. Chelsea and Joe joined us, which is wonderful because James is in love with his aunts and uncles. Joe is amazing with James, happy to pick him up and taking the time to show him the "big bubbles" in the river. (Notice Joe is in a t-shirt. Usually the farmhouse looks like this in January!)
Leading the way, as always.
Each time we walk down Gordan's Lane I try to get a photo of James and I in front of the barn doors. I love this tradition. Isn't my boy so adorable?
He has recently started kissing. Gah, love this kiddo.
There was a "big truck" on our walk with a "huge wheel". James was obsessed.
Checking out the ditch on his tummy. The sunshine still amazing, the birds singing.
We stayed outside late into the afternoon. As the sun started to sink behind the trees to the west, we head back inside. However, it was cold. The temperature difference between the sunny lawn and the kitchen was at least 20 degrees.

James got his horsey from his pile of belongings and climbed on E's lap to watch Chuggington. Sitting near the coal burning stove, trying to keep warm, watching a cartoon on the iPad, such a wonderful juxtaposition.
Everyone bundled up, stove door open, sun streaming in.
Old Betsy (the coal burning stove) and Connie both did a fantastic job cooking us a hot and delicious roast beef dinner. Rolls, potatoes, cucumbers in vinegar and veggies were all served. Finally, as the evening wore on, Steve and David showed up with the furnace part, the furnace was easily repaired, and E and I packed our tired toddler and headed home.
What a happy Saturday.

More farmhouse reading? Click the farmhouse tag at the top of this post, right under the title.

Then and Now {farmhouse}

2012-01-14T20:54:00.006-07:00

In July 2009 E and I visited the farmhouse. I was 24 weeks pregnant, and he snapped this photo of me near one of my favorite spots in Mt. Pleasant.
And then we went back when I was 36 weeks pregnant with James and took another photo in the same spot.
A year later, in July 2010 we recreated the shot again. I was no longer pregnant and I had a 7.5 month old!
Just today (we HAD to go to the farmhouse before having a second kiddo in tow!) E took another shot of me in the same spot. James is two and big and independent and amazing and I'm 36 weeks pregnant (notice I was about the same size with James's pregnancy at 36 weeks). Wow. How time flies. I love this series.

Pregnancy quiz: 36 weeks

2012-01-13T12:50:00.005-07:00

How far along: 36 weeks!

Sleep: Really horrible this week! Worst week in a long while. One night I was panicked because I couldn't remember what baby girl clothes I had purchased last summer. So in the middle of the night I had to hunt through the storage room to check. Yes, I knew it was crazy at the time, but I couldn't get it out of my head, and knew the only way I'd sleep was to just go check. Then? I still didn't fall asleep for two more hours. And every night has been horrible and weird, like that one.

Weight Gain/Loss: Didn't gain anything this week. So crazy because I'm eating plenty and buttering every piece of bread heavily.

Belly button in or out: Yep! I called it! When I was pregnant with James my belly button popped at 36 weeks, and with this pregnancy it did as well. I'd say I'm 70% popped. :)

Movement: So much! You can see my entire stomach shift positions. Super creepy. E won't let me put his hand on my tummy because of the amount of movement. He says "it creeps me out."

Size of Baby: 19" and gaining weight at about 5.75 lbs. Not growing in length much, but gaining weight!

Pregnancy Symptoms: Hello pregnancy insomnia. We meet again. Damn you. Sciatic nerve pain isn't quite as bad, but now my ears hurt (??) when I'm sleeping. I remember this from James's pregnancy as well. So weird.

Food Cravings: Fruit fruit fruit.

What I miss: Being able to keep up with James and have some energy in the middle of the day. I nap and am still exhausted by 7:30 pm.

What I am looking forward to: Setting up the nursery. Another thing I was panicked about this week in the middle of the night? The fact that we still don't have a crib. I had been undecided for my entire pregnancy on if I wanted to buy a second crib because James will be done with his fairly soon. I didn't want to move James out of his until he was ready, because he is such a good sleeper, the last thing I needed was two kids with crazy sleep. So I thought I'd use the pack and play (playpen) for Baby Girl. Well, the other night at 3:00 am I decided I NEEDED another crib, and ordered it the next morning. Poor E, he never knows what rant I'll go on first thing in the morning because I was "thinking" the night before.

Anyway, to make a long story short, I ordered the crib and crib mattress and it's already here, so I think we'll set it up this weekend. We are also planning on a trip to IKEA for a dresser. Her nursery will be almost complete soon!

Another thing I'm really looking forward to? A childhood friend of mine offered to host a baby shower for me. I was unsure at first, being that Baby Girl is not my first baby (and traditionally baby showers are only for your first), but after some convincing, I decided to go for it. She is hosting a Little Red Riding Hood themed shower next weekend for me. I am so so so excited. I convinced her to keep the guest list tiny, since it is my second shower, but am excited to celebrate Baby Girl with some close family and friends.

Weekly Wisdom: Note to self: when you need to check on the status of baby girl dresses at 3:00 am, just get up and do it. Trying to convince yourself that it's crazy, and you can check in the morning, for two hours, just makes the length of time you're up even longer.

Best moment this week: Talking baby shower details the other night with my friend who's hosting, I'm so excited. Also, finding that there are wonderful little girl clothes that I bought 6 months ago that are perfect, so I can stop freaking out.

Milestones: 36 weeks is the last week I'm considered pre-term. Next week I'll be considered full term! Scary and wonderful.

Photo above is another I took last Saturday on our snow day. I loved how simple it was and wanted to post it for Black and White Wednesday. Being that I'm exhausted and need to nap most days, I didn't post a B&W Wednesday this week. So here it is! A few days late.

And, I took this same quiz when I was 36 weeks pregnant with James, click here to compare.

At the aquarium

2012-01-11T19:58:00.005-07:00

There are few activities that are suited for our little family as well as the aquarium. In the middle of the winter, when the sky begins to get dark by 4:30, the aquarium is especially needed. Which means James and I often find ourselves there.

On Sunday, our afternoon was open, so I suggested a trip to the aquarium. This is not unusual, seriously we frequent this place weekly (thank goodness for inexpensive annual passes!). E happily agreed and mentioned he wanted to bring his camera along. I hardly ever bring my camera because of the dim lighting and hard to angle shots. E's shots are great, of course. Clear, even in the dark, and he brought the magic of a place James knows so well to my blog.

Pretty stunning photo babe. Well done.
Yes, I think this puffer fish is smiling at you!
Our happy boy, through a tank (and a few unfocused bubbles and one very unfocused nemo fish).
I've written about the aquarium a couple other times. Here and here are the links.

Hello January

2012-01-09T14:55:00.003-07:00

January, how we've missed you. Snow, cold, a touch of wind. Hello again.

What a cold start to the weekend. Friday evening was mild and calm, Saturday morning we opened the curtains to see the world blanketed in white. James happily cheered "snow!" as we fixed a big breakfast and sat down to enjoy. Afterwards we asked him what he'd like to do, it was Saturday after all, and weekends from here on out are super busy.

"Outside!" he exclaimed.

So on came the coats, the hats, the mittens, the boots. And out we went. What a wonderful time we had tromping around in the snow with our two year old. He understands so much, he strives to understand more. I love this age.

We told him tongues are good for catching snow. We only had to show him how once, and he was happy to test the theory.
His best smiles are always for Dada. And I'm okay with that. They adore each other.
What a lovely snowy day.
After a little tromping around in the backyard we made our way to the front and took a little walk. Around the block once and we were all cold and ready for a long nap. Welcome back winter.

Pregnancy quiz: 35 weeks

2012-01-06T14:34:00.005-07:00

How far along: Anybody that is pregnant or has been pregnant knows the magic of hitting 35 weeks. It means 35 weeks past, 35 days to go. Holy moly.

Sleep: Some nights terrible. Most nights passable. Falling asleep in so so hard. I am more uncomfortable in my own bed then any other time of day. It is miserable.

Weight Gain/Loss: Up 21 lbs.

Belly button in or out: It is super flat. I think I'll pop out around 36 weeks, just like James's pregnancy.

Movement: Oh yes, a lot of it.

Size of Baby: 19" and gaining weight at about 5.5 lbs.

Pregnancy Symptoms: My sciatic is all I can think about these days. It hurts so much, especially when I try to sleep. Things that are not bothering me though? I'm not moody (whoo-hooo!), have no swelling (yes!!), can still fit into my regular shoes and my face isn't fat (hurrah!), and my feet don't hurt (most of the time).

Also this cold winter weather suits me so well. I hardly ever wear a coat when I'm out and the bedroom is nice and crisp at night. E keeps saying "cold" and tries to prove he's uncomfortable by wearing a full fleece set of PJs and a hat to bed (yep, its true) but it feels nice to me. ;)

Food Cravings: I need a fruit stand installed in my kitchen. I'm eating like a gorilla. Fresh fruit all the time, and lots of it.

What I miss: Sushi. The end has almost come.

What I am looking forward to: Meeting my daughter. Getting so excited for this. Not looking forward to labor, or the tantrums that will follow when James adjusts to being one of two kiddos, or the lack of sleep, but I'm very much looking forward to a new baby.

Also, E and I are going out to dinner tonight. We are going to try to go again (and maybe even once more after that) before Baby Girl gets here!

Weekly Wisdom: I had another ultrasound because my tummy is still measuring small. Baby Girl looked happy and healthy in my tummy and, according to her size, shows a due date of February 10th, which I've been planning on all along (eight days past her "official due date of Feb. 2nd). When they were trying to get a clear shot of her face for me, she kept showing them the back of her head, which as covered with quite a bit of thick hair. So darling.

Best moment this week: New Years Eve fondue rocked my world. I adore fondue. Also, the walk in the garden last weekend was so wonderful. The mild weather has stuck around and James and I have been enjoying being outside as much as possible.

Milestones: 35 weeks past, 35 days to go!

Winter Garden

2012-01-05T20:41:00.008-07:00

Every year my little family heads up to Red Butte Garden sometime in the winter to enjoy the crisp cold air, the snow, the ice, and the garden when she sleeps.

In 2010 we went with James who was tiny. It was his first trip to a place that he now knows like the back of his hand. In 2011 we went and for the first time, didn't bring the stroller. James walked the paths alone, leading the way, enjoying the cold.

This year we didn't wear coats. There wasn't any snow and not even a hint of winter. However, it was wonderful. The garden still slept. We enjoyed the sunshine and pretended it was March. James happily lead the way, seeking out all his favorite spots. The Children's Garden, the waterfall and river, the moose statue, and the three beautiful terraced gardens.

E and I followed slowly, each with our cameras. Nothing was missed. I don't want anything forgotten. These are the days, these last few dwindling days, of having one child. Never again will we only have James. And that is a little bittersweet.

The sky was pure blue, not a cloud in sight.
James leads the way with a healthy pace (running at top speed).
The Children's Garden is magical to James. It really is magical to any kid. Each area is so thoughtfully designed, he just loves it. Near the back there is an area with a small pond and one single fountain that was still running. We carefully walked out across the floating path to watch the fountain up close. He was mesmerized.
So glad E caught this moment.
Looking at the river through the bridge is serious work.

Happy kiddo.
James has started sharing his snacks with all his toys (and the cats) lately. When he saw the moose statue, he was happy to offer up a bite of his string cheese.
Some fountains and ponds were frozen, even though it was plenty warm. These berries and leaves frozen in a small pond was one of my favorite of all of E's shots. Nice work babe.
Happy to be out.
And acting like a goof, as always.
As we left we commented that the next time we go to Red Butte Garden, we will have two children. Amazing.

Vacation week coming to a close

2012-01-02T20:52:00.007-07:00

E has had the last ten and a half days off of work. Ten and a half! Holy moly! The last week and a half has not only been filled with all sorts of Christmas fun, but so much more. We've tried to limit James's activity level a bit, not only since it is the middle of winter, but because being 9 months pregnant (today!!!), I just didn't have it in me to do two activities a day. But we tried to leave the house at least once a day, and being that there were ten days in there, here are some of the things we've been up to:

Trip to the aquarium
Trip to the new Natural History Museum
Train ride and Temple Square
Another train ride and out to breakfast
Drive up to Midway for dinner at Chelsea and Joe's
Walk in City Creek Canyon
Walk in Red Butte Garden
Dinner downtown
Couple of play days at Gymboree
Visit the pool

Wow. That is quite a list. That's paired with a delicious breakfast each and every day, and also a super yummy dinner, because when E is home, he loves to cook. We also had lots of time for long naps, playing with new toys and all sorts of Christmas fun. Phew, we've been busy. And it has been wonderful. Like seriously crazy wonderful. I'm soaking in all this only child time with James. Before we know it, it will never ever be like this again.

And, Chelsea and Joe got a new waterproof camera and we suggested they take it with us to the pool. SO glad they did! Now I've got "proof" of what a water baby this kiddo is. He has no fear, at least in the pool.

His favorite thing about the pool is the "huge fallfall". He'll stand right next to it for the majority of the time, and walk fearlessly under its spray over and over.

He never closes his eyes. His face is always soaked with spraying water and he's as happy as can be.
Happy might be an understatement.

Pregnancy quiz: 34 weeks

2011-12-30T20:39:00.004-07:00

How far along: 34 weeks. But remember, my doc still considers me 35 weeks, even though my bump is measuring a touch small.

Sleep: Starting to hurt more and more. Falling asleep sucks, staying asleep sucks and things ache by morning.

Weight Gain/Loss: Is slow. I hope to gain more and have a nice healthy fat baby, but my Doc warned me that Baby Girl will likely be smaller than James was.

Movement: Kick kick kick, right now.

Size of Baby: 19" and almost 5 lbs!

Pregnancy Symptoms: Umm, everything.

Food Cravings: Fresh fruit. I can not get enough.

What I miss: Being able to get comfortable in bed. I'm tired, I'm grumpy and I'm not comfortable. Yuck.

What I am looking forward to: Oh my! New Years Eve tomorrow night (E and I are staying in), New Year's Day we are driving up to Midway and January is already fun of fun activities.

Weekly Wisdom: There are limited weekends before Baby Girl arrives (after this weekend, like only 4 more to go!). E and I are making a list of what we still "must do" with one kiddo and without a newborn. Oh my! The list is longer than the 4 weekends can hold. Excited though.

Best moment this week: This has been the best week ever. I love having E home. He's made a big yummy breakfast every day and he got a Wok for Christmas, so he's made dinner almost every night. Spoiled doesn't even cover it.

Milestones: On Monday I'll be ONE month away from my "official" due date February 2nd. I'm still planning on the due date of February 10th, but that is quite exciting.

Photo above, taken today.

Winter Header

2011-12-30T20:03:00.006-07:00

Today I was inspired to take new header photos. However, Utah is seriously lacking in the snow department. Last year's winter header was glorious, James and I in the park with our sled and feet and feet of fresh show. This year we've hardly got any, and nothing has stuck around. In fact, today was so mild, none of us wore coats. Weird weird weird.

For my header I changed some of these into black and white, trying to give it a more winter feel, but I'll leave them color for this post. We really did have a nice time walking around in the park. Mild temperatures and no coats? I'm not about to complain.

Somebody else was quite happy about being out as well.
Oh his eyes. And his out of control nap hair. I love this little boy, every fiber of his being.
E brought his camera as well. He told James to look at him and say "cheese". Glad I was on the sidelines.
Rockin' my baby bump and lifting 30 lbs over my head. Yep, I'm super Mama.

Cedar trees are so pretty. I love that something so simple can make me so happy.
And speaking of simple things making you happy. Look what happened to be at the park. A mixer!
Waving as it goes by.
Oh wow! That was awesome!
Dada and son.
Hope you like the new header.

More Christmas activities

2011-12-29T18:22:00.009-07:00

I kinda love that Christmas lasts an entire month. Forget just Christmas day and eve, we start celebrating right after Thanksgiving and are just finishing up. That means one more final Christmas post. I hope you are not tired of all things Christmas by now. This will be my last Christmas post until next year, promise.
Last week before the big holiday we had E's family's traditional cookie day. This differs from my family's cookie day in the fact that it is mostly a sugar cookie decorating party. Connie had purchased these "weird glasses" that made the Christmas lights on the tree look distorted. James loved the glasses and still talks about "weird glasses". I was thrilled to find that if I put my camera up the the glasses, I could easily take a photo of the effect, as demonstrated above.
This year's cookie decorating party started with dinner (pizza and salad) and ended with decorating at least six dozen sugar cookies.
Every year it is a family event. Chelsea and Joe make all the cookies earlier in the day, and they are ready and waiting when we arrive. Yea, it's awesome.
Connie was around for lots of kissing on this boy.
Last year on cookie day James tasted his very first cookie. This year on cookie day James actually got to decorate. He asked for "spice" (sprinkles) and went to town with his little frosted cookie.
More...
A few more...
Completed masterpiece! Only took an entire jar of red sprinkles and a few green ones for the top.
Visiting Temple Square is another, very classic, Salt Lake City pre-Christmas activity. It is one E and I haven't done for a few years, but used to be tradition in early years of our dating. James has never been to Temple Square, being that we are not LDS, but we were excited to see the lights and take the train downtown.
We parked within the free zone hoping James would like the train as much as we though he might.
Once inside we easily found enough seats for our family.
And to say he liked it would be an understatement.
Seriously. Highlight of this kid's life. Later, we went to dinner and got chatting with another family with a toddler. I mentioned the fact that we went on the train and James chimed into the conversation saying "love it!". So sweet. Also, isn't his reflection in this photo beyond perfect?
We arrived a little before the lights were turned on, but that was ok. It gave us a chance to look around the beautiful grounds and all the fountains (fallfalls). See E and James at the top of the photo?
Dusk at Temple Square.
Once 5:00 hit, the lights all turned on. James stopped what he was doing and clapped. So sweet, I tell you.
The reflection pool really is awesome.

In all the years I've been visiting Temple Square to see the lights, I've never come at sunset. Why? No idea, it made it amazing!

Merry Christmas! Until next year!

Christmas Day

2011-12-27T12:14:00.015-07:00

Merry merry Christmas! It might be two days past the holiday, but I have yet to blog Christmas photos and even a couple of Christmas activities. By the end of this, I'll be in a true Christmas coma.

Christmas morning was so memorable. James is getting to the age where he understands presents. Santa is still a little beyond him, but he knew what it meant to have a new toy. First thing I did on Christmas morning was turned on the tree and grabbed my video camera. I wanted to have a video of James walking down the hall and into the living room. I wanted to see his face when he saw his new slide. I didn't catch his face (darn it) but I do have video proof of how thrilled he was to receive a "big slide!". I just love this video. :)

Once the video camera was put away and we rode the slide a few more times, we moved onto our stockings. I love taking a photo of James with his stocking every year, but my favorite stocking photo ever will always be his first.

James was thrilled with this light up spinning toy that Santa found at the mall.
And he loved this noise maker too. It is so fun trying to find little presents to tuck in the stocking. Growing up, stockings were almost better than the big presents. Little gifts mixed in with fruit and candy. Also, James got a sucker (lollipop) in his stocking. It was the only thing he asked for this year, and was beyond thrilled to see it. All the rest of the Christmas morning photos have that blasted sucker in his hand.
Each year Santa brings at least one toy and one book. I love this tradition and want to keep it until he's an adult. This year's book of choose? A digger book, of course. As soon as he laid eyes on it he said "read, read, read!".
So Dada and kiddo sat down for some Christmas morning reading about diggers.
Throughout the morning he'd go back to the slide periodically to ride down "fast".

E asked for only one thing, a new watch. It is Swiss made and somehow really good (?). He was in heaven.
And I only asked for one thing as well: a day at the spa before Baby Girl gets here. I was specific with my request, however. I wanted E to join me (because the spa is more fun with those you love) so it had to include a babysitter for this little man.
He stepped it up and decided to have an entire "Japanese Relaxation Day" where we will spa and go to a Japanese dinner. To tie the theme together he got me a beautiful wood cut Japanese advent card. I was a very happy girl.
At ten we joined E's siblings at E's family's house. The present pile was enormous and everything looked and felt so festive.
Connie is known for her stockings. They are beyond description. Amazing. James was thrilled with all the little goodies in his stocking and began to eat raisins first thing.
E's siblings. His brother David, brother-in-law Joe, and sister Chelsea.
And his parents. Everyone opened present after present.
New coat for me (can't zip it up yet, let's hope it fits once the baby is here!).
Enjoying the long wonderful Christmas morning.
Happy kiddo.
Soon it was time to sit down for brunch. Connie made the traditional hash brown casserole and we had fruit, yogurt, and croissants to accompany it. So yummy.
Back at home we all enjoyed a long nap, and then more sliding, of course.

My dad and his girlfriend came over late in the afternoon. We chatted, exchanged gifts, played with James (who by now was feeling quite grumpy) and pretty much enjoyed all that Christmas day had to offer.
At dinnertime we decided to brave the grumpy toddler (too much sugar, not enough sleep?) and head back to E's family's house for dinner. We've never had Christmas dinner with E's family, it has always been with mine. It was such a nice change, however.
James decided to cheer up (mostly) and eat dinner, join Mama and Dada on the couch for snuggles, and be wonderful and sweet. We stayed until his bedtime, sleepily packed up our boy, wished everyone a Merry Christmas and headed home with full bellies.
Merry Christmas.

Although it is now two days post holiday, I'm still living it up. E is home from work the entire week, and I'm not sure what I like more, Christmas day, or the week after. Today we spent a lazy morning at home and are meeting some family for a pool date this afternoon. Perfect.

Christmas Eve 2011

2011-12-26T13:23:00.008-07:00

Christmas Eve started out the best way possible, James slept in until 8:15. Oh my word! That is late for him. As soon as we were up we shuffled into the kitchen in our jammies so we could cook breakfast. James waits all week for the weekends so he can cook with Dada. He is always beyond thrilled when E is home requesting "cook, cook, cook!" as soon as he sees him.

The menu for Christmas Eve? Gingerbread waffles. It felt only felt right to have a festive Christmasy meal on Christmas Eve.
James is a master helper. Although he has a stool, he almost always wants to be picked up so he can be in the thick of things.

Paired with hot tea and real maple syrup, these babies were divine.
And somehow when things are topped with syrup our pickiest eater forgets he's picky.
The afternoon was filled with a long nap, finishing wrapping presents, and lying in the sunshine on the couch. Perfection.
As I stated earlier, my Mom and Chuck decided to host Christmas Eve this year. In addition to a fantastic dinner, they also decided to open presents the night before, which was such a wonderful idea. I was able to spend non-rushed time with all my siblings, and enjoy my Mom's beautiful house all decked out for the holidays.
James wore his festive sweater again and was happy to say "cheese" to the camera.
The entire time I was growing up Christmas Eve consisted of shrimp cocktails, homemade bread, and other amazing finicky homemade goodies. My mom decided since Christmas Eve is now her tradition, that she was going to make it her own. We had none of the traditional Christmas Eve foods, instead she ordered Thai take-out from the most amazing Thai restaurant Salt Lake City has to offer. It was daring, wonderful, and such a fantastic change. Everyone LOVED the food and we didn't feel quite as sad with the change of tradition when if felt new and different and fun.
Brandon, Kathleen, my Mom, E, and "Sissa".
The pile of presents was seriously out of this world huge. Everyone had tons of goodies to open and each item was wonderful. I exchanged with my siblings, Mom and Chuck, and Grandma as well, and everything was received with excitement.
My Grandma burst into tears when she opened her James, Year 2 book. I made her one last year, also, of James's first year. These books are so easy and fun to make, and my Grandma counts them as some of her most loved possessions.
Even James had a pile of presents.
My friend Naina sent these Trader Joe's applesauce packets that we had opened earlier in the day. James LOVED them and when, mid-party, he was getting fussy, I pulled one out, put on his bib, and let him go to town. Fussies vanished.
Chandler and Kathleen.
The dining room table.
Everyone enjoying the first course, Tom Kha soup. (Have you ever had this soup? Oh my word! If not, order it the next time you're out for Thai, you will not be disappointed!)
James happily ate Mac and Cheese.
Soup and dinner. I am in love with this new Thai food tradition. Oh my word, yum!

And the night ended with placing this huge slide in the living room. Christmas was yet to come!

Two photos from the last 24 hours

2011-12-25T20:21:00.004-07:00

Last night, around this time, Santa visited our house. Can you believe he was able to fit this baby down the chimney?! I was so excited to see my little boy's face on Christmas morning when he laid eyes on this.
Christmas morning did not disappoint. He saw it and was climbing the ladder before E and I even had a chance to remove the bow. First thing he did was go down it multiple times saying things like "huge slide," "awesome," and "fast". For the rest of the day he's gone up and down this slide, over and over. He is in love. I will share a video of his seeing the slide for the first time when I have a chance to do a Christmas blog post, but for now, I'll leave you with this joyful face:

Christmas at The Grand America

2011-12-23T13:06:00.009-07:00

The Grand America, the grandest of all Utah hotels. It is amazing. Twenty four stories of Italian marble and totally decked out for the holidays.

There is a lot of public space in the hotel, huge ballrooms, an impressive lobby, and dozens of walkways crowed with chandeliers. James was most impressed with the "huge fallfall" (fountain) in their garden. He watched it quite intently.
Red socks poking out from under his "gay pants" (gray).
Around every bend there was Christmas trees, beautiful displays, and these pretty glittery town scenes. I love these, and maybe will make a few in years to come.
Hundreds of chandeliers. Big, small, all amazingly beautiful.
Soon we wondered out to the garden. James "needed" to see the fallfall.

"Mama, do you see this?!"
Sweet kiddo.
It was as glorious as he thought.
Back inside we found a life-sized real gingerbread house. Life-sized. Never have I seen anything as impressive.
Are the hard candy windows not unreal?
James wasn't much into posing in front of the dozen of trees. I think this is all I got after numerous tries.

Near the end of our loop we stumbled upon Jou Jou, Grand American's extremely impressive toy store. The entire store was interactive. The robot would light up at just the right time, monsters peering from windows would make the children laugh, and hot air balloons circled on the ceiling. Both Mama and boy were mesmerized.
And, oh my, the candy display!
Candies in every color. A stage that lit up when you stepped up to pick out your candy choice. James was in heaven, and we didn't even buy anything.
I think walking around the Grand America (and maybe Breakfast with Santa) will become an annual tradition.

Pregnancy quiz: 33 weeks

2011-12-23T13:04:00.000-07:00

How far along: 33 weeks. Although I pushed back my due date on this quiz when Baby Girl was measuring small in ultrasound, my official due date is still February 2nd, which means I'm 34 weeks. But, I'm still measuring small (only 32 weeks today), so I don't think I'll deliver before the second.

Sleep: Ok, once I'm asleep. Falling asleep is painful. My heavy tummy, my horrible bitchy sciatic nerve (which is the worst at bed time), and my pelvic pressure all keep me from getting comfortable.

Weight Gain/Loss:Went to the doc just today and I'm up 20 lbs.

Movement: She is kicking me right now. When they were trying to find her heartbeat at the doctors, she was moving around so much, they kept loosing it. What a silly girl

Size of Baby: Last week she was 19" long and almost 4 lbs. Not much change this week.

Pregnancy Symptoms: My sciatic nerve is killing me. My pelvic pressure is not fun. Heartburn, sore back and feet, achy tummy, strong sense of smell. Oh the joys of third trimester.

Food Cravings: Sweets are everywhere this time of year, aren't they? They always sound good and then give me a bit of a tummy ache, so I'm trying to steer clear, actually. Fresh fruit is still my favorite.

What I miss: Lying on my back without major pain. Jogging up a flight of stairs. Being able to roll over.

What I am looking forward to: BEST WEEK EVER! Christmas Eve tomorrow, Christmas the next day, and then an entire week with E off of work. Yea, there is a lot to be happy about.

Weekly Wisdom: My doctor told me to eat a lot over the holidays because of my "slower weight gain." Ok! Done and done!

Best moment this week: Lots of holiday traditions over the last week. Zoo lights, Dim Sum with my Dad and siblings, Solstice Party, and E's family cookie day last night (which I still need to blog about).

Milestones: Reaching 33 weeks? Let's just call that a milestone. :)

James wishes you Merry Christmas

2011-12-22T13:34:00.002-07:00

I dressed James in my absolute favorite holiday sweater and we went to Grand America this morning for some photos. My favorite photo of the day happened to be on my driveway minutes before we left.

Merry Christmas from James.

And Grand America photos to come. We had such a good time.

Solstice Party

2011-12-21T20:41:00.006-07:00

Many years my Aunt Laura hosts a Solstice Party on or around the winter solstice. We were so excited when she told us about the party this year, because my two cousins, who are off at collage most the year, were home in time for this party.

I dressed up. I dressed up my little boy. I made a huge plate of the most beautiful Italian meats to share with my family. I packed my camera and the external flash (which is the only decent way to get good photos on the darkest day of the year). I was thrilled, thinking about the beautiful photos and the blog post I wanted to do (I had this blog post in my mind, from a few years ago).

I arrived and James was happy. I turned on the camera and got one photo of my delicious meat tray:
And then my camera died. I hadn't charged the battery, nor checked the status in over a month. Missing using my big camera at a family party felt like missing a friend, or a sister. Things were just not right.

So I grabbed my iPhone and made the best of the situation. The photos are blurry and grainy, but they are captured, and that's what's important.

After my Grandma's big fall less than a month ago, she's been trying her hardest to get in and out of her wheelchair and even walk. Her goal? Coming to this party. So so so glad she was able to attend.
Me, with my mom and Grandma.
James and "Sissa" had to check out this decoration of Laura's. He was in love with it.
Party in full swing. Everyone chatting and eating and drinking and laughing at silly James. Happy Solstice.
And Melissa captured these four photos for her Instragram. As soon as I saw it, I insisted she email it to me. The food was delish!

Zoo Lights {Christmas traditions}

2011-12-17T13:18:00.009-07:00

Christmas traditions keep getting better and better as years go on. In 2007 E's family started a new Christmas tradition of bundling up and heading to the zoo at nightfall right before Christmas. Back then Zoo Lights was brand new to Utah. But we loved it. We loved the cold. Loved getting hot chocolate, loved getting piping hot soup at a favorite restaurant either before or after and loved to add a new tradition to our long list of December "must-dos".

Since 2007 we've only missed one year at Zoo Lights because this little guy was only a couple weeks old, and we felt like it was too cold to go out with him. But he did join us last year, on his first ever Zoo Lights experience, so by this year, he was a seasoned pro.
It was quite cold. The ice sculptures had no trouble staying frozen.
Everywhere you looked there were beautiful lights. Up in the trees, lining all the paths, and even near some of the animals that were awake.
Some of the monkeys were awake and James looked on with eager fascination.
Most animals were asleep, but the lights were beyond fantastic.
Mama and James near a lit gingerbread house.
Eight months pregnant and rocking the baby bump.
The zoo set up some portable heaters around the grounds. As you can imagine, these were "hot spots" for everyone. (My cleverness just kills me! Ha!)
My boys.
The tigers were awake and giving quite the show. It was a little PG-13. Most adults were laughing and most kids were wondering what the heck was going on.

And because I never blogged any photos of last year's trip to Zoo Lights (what was I thinking?) here are two from last year.
My cutie pie one year old. Makes me miss him being small.

Pregnancy quiz: 32 weeks

2011-12-16T13:35:00.005-07:00

How far along: 32 weeks!

Sleep: I've actually had the best week of sleep for a really really long time. I get up a lot to pee, but fall back to sleep super fast. And I'm napping while James naps most days. Yippee for lots of sleep! I'm trying to enjoy it because once Baby Dos comes, not only will I not get a big break when James naps, but I'll be up a lot at night as well.

Movement: Baby Girl is a dancer. Or a karate master. Or something that involves lots of kicking at 6:00 am.

Size of Baby: 19" long and almost 4 lbs. So sweet!

Pregnancy Symptoms: Sciatic nerve pain, a new fun (note the sarcasm) type of pelvic pain, more pain in my growing tummy and more feeling uncomfortable. Walking at any speed other than slow? Not going to happen.

Food Cravings: Hot cheesy foods. We had lasagna last night and I honestly though I could eat the entire tray. Yum!

What I miss: I'm trying to focus not on what I miss, but what I will miss once I have two kids. Long mornings alone with James? Yea, I'll miss that. Story time with just him? I'll miss that too. Tickling and playing with no worry about how loud he's being, or if he'll wake the baby. I'll miss that a lot.

What I am looking forward to: This week. The week before Christmas is almost as good as the holiday itself. I wrapped all my presents today, we are going to Zoo Lights tonight and there is more fun coming. I love this time of year.

Weekly Wisdom: And elbow to the sciatic nerve before bed helps me fall asleep. E gives me an elbow to my butt muscle every night. :) Sounds so bad but it helps.

Best moment this week: Today watching the birds. Some days are good bird days, and today is one of them. All the flickers are out. Like 6 of them! And other types of woodpeckers too! And magpies. And so many more. I love it.
Not my bird photo. Totally stollen from Pinterest. But aren't flickers amazing? They are a big type of woodpecker (about the size of a magpie) that mate for life. So so neat.

Milestones: James has been sleeping successfully in his new big boy room for two weeks. His old room we now refer to "Baby sister's room" and he is thrilled to have more space and a light switch he can turn on and off himself. He loves it in there. So happy because I can't wait to add some girly touches to the nursery. Photos of James's new room coming shortly, let's hope.

Another best moment of the week? This moment. Watching the snow gently fall towards the ground the other morning. Nothing stuck around, but seeing the white flakes was magical, nonetheless.

Black and White Wednesday {winter walk}

2011-12-14T13:07:00.004-07:00

So far this winter has been mild. We had one snow in November (on the day we made the fort), and a dusting yesterday, but other than that, we've been snow free. Last year we'd tromped around in the snow quite a bit by this point in December.

But mild days mean more walks with me and my little side kick. I can hardly believe that in 1.5 months I'll have two children. I'm trying to cherish each of these days with James, and only James. He is a wonderful little guy and I am really going to miss having only him.

So today we piled on our coats and hats and walked up the street, stopping at all his favorite spots. Sometimes I wonder how many times I've walked up the street with James. One hundred? Two hundred? More? I wonder.

First order of business on any walk? Find a "big branch!" He'll often accumulate three or four and hand me the rejects to hold.
I love how curious he is. "Mini pinecone" he told me. I'm surprise he remembered what I called it, since it was over a week ago.
Remember his favorite tree? Yea, they are still best buds.
Red winter berries.
I didn't convert this photo to black and white. I love that winter is sometimes reduced to black, white and gray.
His eyes. This might be my favorite shot of his eyes since that one I took at Wheeler Farm last spring. They are beautiful.
Tighter crop, in color. Because he seriously has the prettiest eyes. I still say they are the color of the sea after a storm.
And if you clicked on all the silly links I kept adding to this post, you win a prize. Contact me to find out what it is. ;)

Cookie Day 2011

2011-12-12T13:24:00.013-07:00

About eight years ago my Grandparents started a new tradition where we would all get together and make cookies right before Christmas time. A party was scheduled, beautiful floury madness ensued, and cookie day was born.

I have always loved cookie day but it has changed quite a bit over the years. Once my grandparents hosted, now, for the last two years E and I have hosted. The idea is the same, however. Everyone brings a recipe and madness ensues. There is a three person line for the cake mixer, a two person long line for the 1/2 cup measuring cup, and the oven always has about a ten person line.

But madness brings magic. And magic is 8-15 different types of cookies, all fresh from the oven.

In addition to all the cookies, E decided to smoke pork and make pulled pork sandwiches so we could have dinner after all the baking was complete. This meant that he set his alarm clock so he could get the meat started at 6:45 am on Sunday morning. He said it was freezing and pitch black. This man is dedicated.

James was more than thrilled to have an entire party themed to his favorite hobby: cooking. He's a master with the whisk already.
And this was the first time using the mixer. I think he fell in love.
Whisk in one hand, mixer in the other. A pro already.
Rolo cookies baked on pretzels are always a favorite.
Beater with cookie dough? A must on cookie day.

Helping Grandma with the mixer. This is his "cheese" face. He seriously cracks me up.
My tree. Bokah (blurry).
Brandon and Kathleen have never joined us for cookie day. I told them to look at each other with true love, and this is what they gave me.
Melissa, my Aunt Laura, Brandon and my cousin Taylor working hard.
This is how the kitchen looked most of the time. So many people. The craziness is half the fun.
Once dinner was served people finally had a chance to sit down. Taylor and my brother Chandler we also both new to cookie day. What's with these boys and not wanting to bake cookies? Also notice Mabel, the kitty, is right in the middle of things.
One of my special ornaments. This is a wooden heart I picked up on our Canada trip.
So many wonderful cookies!
The crew (missing James and my Mom). So much fun!
PS - Want to see cookie days of years past? Here is 2008, 2009 (James was only 2.5 weeks!), and 2010.

PPS - Grandpa, Grandma and Kendra were missed. We didn't forget you. :)

Quiet moments in the living room with his trains

2011-12-10T18:27:00.001-07:00

Pregnancy quiz: 31 weeks

2011-12-09T13:10:00.007-07:00

How far along: 31 weeks. Two months from tomorrow is my due date. OH MY WORD!

Sleep: Most nights have been pretty good this week, actually. But last night James woke up screaming at 1:12 am. I jolted awake and went running to him. Hugged him and lied him back down and he was asleep before I left the room. Me on the other hand? Have you ever been jolted awake? I was so worried something was wrong I was up for hours.

Total weight gain/loss: I'm up 19 lbs.

Movement: Lots.

Size of Baby: 18" long (almost the length at birth) but still skinny at only 3.5 lbs.

Pregnancy Symptoms: Sciatic nerve pain has been a killer this week. Also, I'm feeling heavier and rounder and less able to move around freely. Walking up a flight of stairs totally winds me.

Food Cravings: Sweets after every meal which is totally not me. Good thing the house is stocked with candy due to the holidays.

What I miss: Lying on my back on the bed. For about three months I have not been able to read a book lying down, watch a movie, or even just relax on my back. Watching a movie curled on your side gets really old quite fast.

What I am looking forward to: Cookie baking day this weekend.

Weekly Wisdom: James is beyond smart. Last week we had a furnace guy come and look at our air flow problem and I told James his name was Kim. Today another man is here to fix the problem and every time James hears a clunk from the basement he says "Kim!". We haven't talked about Kim for the entire week.

Best moment this week: Some weeks I fall in love with my little boy all over again. This is one of those weeks, and the waves of love I feel is pretty awesome. Also, I've been getting excited about Christmas, and that's pretty fun too.

Milestones: Ever so slowly, we are moving forward on our name decision. It won't be Lily, even though that is James's choice. Also? I started doing these quizzes at 31 weeks with James. Here is a link if you care to compare (who am I kidding? I'll be the only one to click the link!).

And, above, we've hardly gone outside over the last week but one day we bundled up and met a couple of friends at the park. It was too cold within a half an hour, due to the quickly setting sun, but was fun while it lasted.

25 Christmas questions {a quiz}

2011-12-08T12:58:00.006-07:00

I used to love these little quizzes, and did quite a lot of them here on the blog three+ years ago. I found one today on a Blog I enjoy called Matt and Kara Adopt. Kara had 22 questions on her blog, but I felt like 25 was a nice round number and thought up a few of my own to add to it.

Want to play along? Leave a comment that you did the quiz and I'll make sure to read each of them.

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? Actually, neither. Is that horrible? Egg nog is a little heavy for my liking, and hot chocolate often gives me a tummy ache. My favorite holiday drink? A hot cup of tea in front of the fire. Biscotti too, please.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Growing up Santa always made sure to have different wrapping paper than the rest of the family gifts (of course he would, right?). Even after I knew the truth, little things like this totally added to the magic for me. They were wrapped and in piles for each sibling. Family presents were under the tree but seeing a huge pile of gifts with your name on it brings back such joy.

3. Colored lights or white on the tree? What about on the house? White on the tree. I still strictly follow this rule because the warm glow it creates is magic. Plus, in old fashioned times when they used real candles on the tree, the flames would have been white. And always colored on the house so we get best of both worlds. My brother Brandon and I were always in charge of the exterior of the house when we were older. We'd spend an entire day, sometimes six or eight hours fixing the outside until it was just right. When I was a lot younger we had a three story pine tree in our front yard. My dad would use a huge ladder and drape colored lights from its limbs. Seeing it lit up made me so happy.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No, I did when we were living at the condo but it dried out and kinda fell apart. Oh well.

5. When do you put up your decorations? Traditionally the day after Thanksgiving. Although sometimes I wish we had a real tree, the fact that my fakey can be up for 1.5 months makes it worth it.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Oh man. There are a lot. For years my Grandparents served shrimp on Christmas Eve. A couple of times they also had Beef Wellington, which seriously blew me away. I also adore our traditional Christmas morning casserole made with hash browns, ham and eggs.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? When I was about 13 we went with close family friends to a tree farm to pick out the perfect Christmas tree. It was cold, snow gently falling. I was with my best friend in the world and my siblings and her brother. We laughed and played until finding the perfect tree. Upon arriving home our Moms decided to start on some dinner and told us to "go play". We found the neighbors driveway flooded and frozen into a perfect sheet of ice. For the next hour we pretended to ice skate across the smooth surface laughing and playing the entire time. It was dark, cold and wonderful. I remember saying something along the lines of "this is the most wonderful Christmas activity ever!"

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Kindergarten. A friend told me. I was heartbroken and quickly figured out the truth about the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? We always opened new PJs on Christmas Eve.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? I love Christmas trees that tell a family story with lots of interesting and personal ornaments. I've collected ornaments on all the trips I've taken and it is so fun when decorating to find the Yosemite ornament, or the Italy ornament. I can't wait to start adding homemade ornaments that my kiddos make.

11. Snow! Love it or dread it? I love it! I just adore it at Christmas time. And as long as it is fresh (not icy and black) than I like it in January too. Come February and March I'm over it. Come April/May? I'm beyond over the snow and ready for spring.

12. Can you ice skate? I was a figure skater for eight years growing up. Private lessons, shows and even competitions. Now I'm not nearly as good, but still faster than my-once-hockey-playing husband. ;)

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? For some crazy reason when I was in third grade I really wanted crutches for Christmas. No idea why. But I got them and was over the moon. I also got my Addy American Girl doll when I was 13. She was a complete surprise and still is one of my favorite belongings.

14. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you? Starting and building family traditions. St. Nicholas tea, my family's cookie day, E's family's cookie day, Christmas Eve, the list goes on and on.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? I'm not much of a dessert fan. Is that wrong? I much rather fill up on another helping of dinner.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? For a long time (nearly my entire life) Christmas Eve was my favorite tradition. My grandparents would host the formal affair. My sister and I would often go to the hair salon that day and get an "up-do" and wear our most fancy dresses to the evening. Since my Grandpa's death and my Grandma's stroke Christmas Eve is totally different and not nearly as special. But we are trying. This year my mom is hosting and I can't wait to see what she has in mind.

17. What tops your tree? At the condo where we had nice tall ceilings we had a gold star top the tree. At our current house the tree touches the ceiling so we don't have a topper. It doesn't look lonely though, we have ornaments all the way to the tip top.

18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? Who doesn't love getting a special Christmas gift they've yearned for? But I really do love giving. If I somehow don't realize someone is opening the present from me, and I miss it, I always feel so bummed. But I hardly ever miss it.

19. Candy canes: yuck or yum? I'll pass.

20. Favorite Christmas movie? The Christmas Story, of course. I can't get enough.

21. Saddest Christmas song? Um? No idea. That Christmas Shoes song is sad and sappy, but not my style. I've always liked O Holy Night as far as religious songs go.

22. What is your favorite Christmas song? Carol of the Bells. I love it. And also I really like Walking in a Winter's Wonderland by The Carpenters.

23. What is your favorite Christmas memory as an adult? Oh man, there are so many. However introducing E to all of my family's Christmas traditions has to top the list. The first time I invited him to my Grandparent's Christmas Eve party we were both only 18.

I also love the memory of our annual Luminary Walk. We would walk from my Grandparent's house on the winter solstice to the cemetery near by. On this specific night the cemetery would have hundreds of thousands of luminaries lit. We were cold and happy. Upon returning to my Grandparent's house we'd dig into a huge dish of chili and spiced apple cider. This tradition fizzled out when my Grandma had her stroke. James was only a month old when he went on his one and only Luminary Walk. It is a great memory.

24. Describe your perfect Christmas morning? Hard question because as I start my own family this is changing. Growing up it would be waking up at seven and running downstairs with my parents in tow to enjoy presents, food, music and sweets. Over the last eight or so years we've joined E's family on Christmas morning and it is just as magical. Lots of presents, so much food and stockings that are overflowing.

Within the next few years I want to start my own family's Christmas morning traditions. Lots of presents, staying in jammies all day, a yummy breakfast with a visiting set of Grandparents for breakfast and more gifts. Maybe some hot chocolate with candy canes. But for now we are happy to still join E's family for most of the morning. It is wonderful.

25. Can you fall asleep on Christmas Eve? As a kid? Never. I also woke up early so excited that Christmas had finally come. Now? I can fall asleep easily.

This post reminds me so much of this one (Top Ten Holiday Traditions) I did years ago. Some things have really changed. Most are the same.

Black and White Wednesday {memory lane}

2011-12-07T13:11:00.004-07:00

Looking through my photos this morning I was taken with a few from last December. I don't have a lot of new photos from this week but couldn't help but smile when I saw these three in last year's December folder.

By early December last year we'd already had three or four decent snow storms. James loved trekking around in the sled. Oh man, he was so cute at 12.5 months.
My little Christmas elf. I love this one in color too. See it here.
On cookie day last year he tried his first ever cookie. I think he liked it.

St. Nicholas Tea {and Three Years of Then and Now}

2011-12-06T14:32:00.010-07:00

Each year on or around December 6th E's family hosts a tea to celebrate St. Nicholas Day. It is such a fun tradition because although it is close to Thanksgiving, it has an entirely different feel, and it really kicks off the Christmas season for me.

A traditional English tea is served around 4:00 pm with finger sandwiches, scones and dessert, and of course tea. This is exactly the menu Connie has each year. We devour the most amazing little finger sandwiches, nibble scones (that my wonderful husband always makes from scratch) and laugh over dessert.

James has been a part of this tradition since he was about two weeks old (here is the St. Nicholas post from 2009!).

This year he was on his best behavior eating a lot on his plate and making everyone laugh at his silly antics. He had juice instead of tea, and once we were done at the table he did a lot of playing with his adoring family in the living room.

Why can't all Sundays be this wonderful?
Dang E looks sharp. As does my little boy. James loved the fire and said "warm" whenever he was around it.
So dang delicious. I could eat finger sandwiches every day of my life.
The group, sans me.
Near the end of the evening James climbed up on the couch between E and his Uncle Joe. As he sat there smiling, he said "family". Oh my gosh this kid knows how to melt me into a pile of love.
This was taken two years ago at James's first St. Nicholas tea.
And this is from last year.
And this year! Three years already. What?!

Holiday header

2011-12-04T19:50:00.007-07:00

I wanted to wait for snow. I really did. But there is not much forecast and the little that has fell hasn't stuck to the ground. So when James got dressed for St. Nicholas Tea today and was acting especially smiley, I decided my time had come.

Out came the camera and the silly Dada antics and I think I caught a couple of real gems. Happy Holidays.

Holiday header. So sweet. This guy is going to be a big brother soon. :)
The weekend was spent BUSY. E and I had a project list a mile long. We wanted James to move into his "big boy room" so he had two months to adjust to his new space before he needs to adjust to the new baby. Well the big boy room was being used as the library (remember?). So the task included taking what seemed like hundreds of loads of books downstairs, and four huge bookcases, and moving all of James's things into his new room. E and I worked hard both yesterday morning and today (and all of last weekend).

And we did it! James is sleeping in his new room tonight for the first time ever. He's still in his same crib, but everything else is different. The room is a lot bigger which is great, more room for dancing! The basement is still a mess, but we are working on that.

Photos of the big boy room to come, soon, let's hope. There are still a handful of things I want to finish/buy before posting photos. I hope its worth the wait.

Also, we kicked off the holiday season with the annual St. Nicholas Tea that E's family hosted. So much fun. Oh my. Blog post to come.

And, one final note. There are some wonderful Christmas inspired blog posts popping up all over the net these days. Some just make me smile from ear to ear. I just love them. Got a few minutes? Read this totally amazing North Pole party, this post about getting the house ready for Christmas and this unreal post about the most amazing Christmas tree you've ever seen (really)! Love.

Pregnancy quiz: 30 weeks {and decorating the Christmas tree!}

2011-12-02T12:50:00.006-07:00

How far along: 30 weeks. Only ten (or 11) weeks to go!

Sleep: Some nights are ok, others are horrible. I'm awake a lot between 4 and 6 am.

Movement: Yep yep yep.

Size of Baby: 15.7" long and almost three pounds!

Pregnancy Symptoms: Pregnancy insomnia. Exhaustion, heartburn, back and leg aches. Sciatic nerve pain.

Food Cravings: Nothing much. Everything tastes good. Had to pretty much give up the tea and OJ this week due to heartburn.

What I miss: Coffee. It's been a long time since I've been able to enjoy a cup without that dang heartburn. Also, the warm sun. Although it hasn't snowed yet, it is cold outside making James and I stay indoors most of the day.

What I am looking forward to: St. Nicholas Tea is on Sunday. It is an annual tradition and one that really kicks off the Christmas season for me.

Weekly Wisdom: Watching someone you love grow older is horrible. My grandma is doing ok, but not well. She can't walk and is back at the rehab facility she was a year ago. Not sure if she'll ever walk again.

Best moment this week: Hearing James being a chatter box all through dinner last night. He was so excited to tell E about his day, he almost forgot to eat. Also we set up the Christmas tree last weekend. It was wonderful. We had the fire lit, Christmas music playing, and the most adorable little elf you've ever seen.

Milestones: 30 weeks feels like a milestone.

As I mentioned above, we set up the Christmas tree last weekend. Each year this gets more and more fun. James found the ornaments fascinating, and handed them to E and I with increasing speed for us to place on the tree. We joked that it was like a Christmas tree decorating sweat shop.
Near the end of decorating he decided to add a few of his own things. He stuffed them all in the back of one section of the tree. It is hilarious.
Finalizing his work.
After all the hard work James and Dada had to sit down for a story break. Of course we have many digger books on hand.
These photos remind me so much of decorating the tree last year with a one year old! Here is a link.

Black and White Wednesday {Thanksgiving: Part 2}

2011-11-30T12:41:00.006-07:00

Our long weekend at home was wonderful. Beyond wonderful. It started with E taking a half day on Wednesday and ended with another fantastic Thanksgiving dinner at my mom's house on Sunday night.

The fact that she was willing to push back my family's Thanksgiving to Sunday meant E and I could go to his family's house on Thursday, but it also meant my dad wasn't alone on Thanksgiving day, since he had all my hungry siblings to attend to. ;)

I wanted to dress up a little on Thanksgiving, since I'm in the same maternity yoga pants 7 days a week (not a joke). I wore a dress and tights! Oh how I felt fancy. :)

Before we left I asked E to take a photo of me in front of the Christmas tree. Of course he said yes. Then the cutest thing happened, James wanted to be in the photo too, and he pointed his little toe, to make himself look fancy too.

Above: 29.5 weeks pregnant with Baby Girl.

Doesn't James look dashing with his pointed toe and adorable new polar bear sweater? It was a birthday gift from a dear friend.
Once we got to my Mom's she handed James a new book she'd found. "Big Trucks" was then carried around the entire house for the rest of the evening, and anybody he found was roped into oohing and awing at diggers and bulldozers for at least five minutes.
My mom's table was looking awesome with her multi colored placemats and silver centerpieces.
Brandon and my E.
I was hoping James would eat a good dinner at my moms. He LOVED the pomegranate jello that my family serves every year, and kept making yummy sounds. Turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and everything else on his plate? Rejected.
The entire crowd. The morning after this feast, my Grandma (who is sitting next to E) took a spill in her house. Things are not good. She broke her femur up near her hip. It has since me surgically repaired but she will not be walking for a long time. We are hoping for the best.

Thanksgiving Day / James's birthday

2011-11-28T13:04:00.010-07:00

This is the last post in the loooong "James turns 2" series! Yippee! However, it is not the last in the Thanksgiving posts, since we celebrated twice this year and will still have to post about my mom's dinner.

With that said, let's get started. James was born two days before Thanksgiving in 2009 and last year his birthday fell the day before Thanksgiving. This year, however, it happened to fall on Thanksgiving day, which was awesome because E was home from work and everyone was in a celebratory mood anyway. Especially the birthday boy.

He woke up and after watching some "cho cho" we went into the kitchen to do his other favorite thing in the entire world: "cook". He had requested pancake-cakes which was fantastic, since we have a new tradition in our house. A friend of mine said the entire time she was growing up they got pancakes for their birthday breakfast. You had to eat the number of pancakes as how many years you were. She said as she got older the pancakes got smaller, so you could still eat 19, or whatever number you were on. She said it was one of her happiest memories. So, with that in mind, we are now doing a pancake breakfast on birthdays and you "have" to eat as many as you are old. :)

We decided since it was a birthday to throw in some chocolate chips. Notice I did one pancake with a #2 in chocolate chips.
Birthday boy easily ate two pancakes and asked for more when he was done. That is fine, as long as he eats at least two.
After breakfast the birthday boy got another present from Mama and Dada. He saw this toy at Ikea a few weeks ago and LOVED it. He said it was a digger. So he was beyond thrilled to see it again on the morning he turned 2.
Around ten am we headed to our local rec center. I was so thrilled to find out it was open on the morning of Thanksgiving. James absolutely loves the pool, and it is so much more fun when I have another adult there with me. E and I had a blast with James in all the "fall falls". This little boy loves his falling water.
The play structure that is inside the pool is kid-heaven. I would have loved one of these as a kid. Seeing James love it as much as he does almost makes up for the fact that they weren't around 25 years ago. ;)
Our local rec center also has a three story indoor slide. And, as long as a non-swimmer has an adults' lap to ride, there is no age limit. James LOVES the thing and has been going on it since he was 11 months old (gasp!). Now that I'm pregnant and tired, I make E take James to the top of the slide and go down with him. Best part? Seeing two huge grins as they round the last bend.
Tighter crop. Totally pixelated but beyond wonderful.
He's a water baby.
And he adores his Dada.
Back home James had an awesome nap, I was able to blog my year 2 letter and enjoy the sunshine for a moment outside.
Before we left for a Thanksgiving feast I asked E to take a couple of photos of me. It's been almost 5 weeks since I've had a belly photo. I'm getting big.
In the leaves.
Once we were at E's house for the holiday, James convinced "Pampa" to head outside with him. He wanted to look for some birds in the shrubs and both of them spent a good thirty minutes outside checking the bushes for birds. I love that James loves E's dad so much, it is beyond awesome.
The table looked lovely.
Once dinner was served James dug right in. Not sure what he ate but his plate was somewhat more empty than when we started. I do know, however, he loves cranberry sauce. (Check out these photos of him last Thanksgiving!)
Oh my word... this still makes my mouth water.
Last year James LOVED his pumpkin pie, so we got it again for him this year. And he needed a candle of course, since it was his birthday after all. He blew it out in two seconds flat, and everyone was laughing and so we lit it again. Again, blew it right out. And again. What a silly goof. Happy birthday my love, until next year!

Pregnancy quiz: 29 weeks

2011-11-26T14:04:00.003-07:00

How far along: 29 weeks. :)

Sleep: Better for a few nights and now not so hot again. Some nights I can't fall asleep, others I wake up in the early morning (around 3:00) and am up for a few hours before drifting off again.

Movement: Oh yes.

Size of Baby: Over 15" long and 2.5 lbs!

Pregnancy Symptoms: Oh my. Heartburn is ok due to new meds but everything else is bad.

Food Cravings: Nothing specific, Thanksgiving dinner rocked my world this week.

What I miss: Being able to easily play and sit on the floor with my little man. Not easy nor comfortable.

What I am looking forward to: More Thanksgiving eating at my Mom's tomorrow. Also, we are working on getting James's "big boy room" finished. It has hardly begun, but exciting nonetheless.

Weekly Wisdom: I have a 2 year old! Wisdom from that? Oh yes, teaches me every day patience.

Best moment this week: Thanksgiving day pretty much rocked. Still need to blog about the entire day.

Milestones: Now that we are past Thanksgiving and working towards Christmas, I can hardly believe how close February feels.

The day after James's birthday party he wanted to "cook". What else is new?! He made a huge mess of the counter, his jammies and everything around him. The digger had to be involved, of course. ;)

24 months with Wolfy {James is 2!!}

2011-11-25T17:19:00.008-07:00

This month James has become a chatter box! It is amazing. Every day he tells us 4-5 new words he knows, plus will repeat everything we say. Not only will he have entire conversations with us (most "sentences" are only 1-2 words), he can tell us all about what he's thinking and wanting to do. He talks non-stop in the car about what he sees out the windows, he talks non-stop from his crib when he's awake ("Mama, Mama, Mama!! Hug hug hug!" is about the cutest thing ever), and he tells us ok ("o-quay!") and "no" in the cutest voice imaginable. If you try to tease him, he plays along and teases right back.

Now, onto Wolfy photos (the last you'll see for maybe 6 months, eep!)-
I took these yesterday, on his birthday. He had the BEST day. Happy all day long. I took photos, and lots of them. I can't wait to blog about the entire day, ending in a very delicious Thanksgiving feast. But doesn't he look so handsome in his Thanksgiving/birthday attire?

Here is James's day, in his own words:

First thing in the morning he yells Mama or Dada or both repeatedly until we go and get him. Upon seeing us he either says "hug" or "sippy" (which is his sippy cup of milk) and then he promptly says "cho cho" which means he's ready to watch his favorite cartoon, Chuggingtion.
After cartoons, where he directs us to the shows he wants, he'll say "pancake-cake" and "eat" and "food" and "banana" all to indicate he's ready for breakfast. As soon as I place him in his "big boy chair" he'll ask for "bib" and "fork".
It goes on like this all day. He'll want to visit the "park" or get in the "tub". He'll talk about the "pool" with "huge fallfalls" (waterfalls), and ask to go outside. If I say "do you want to go outside?" he'll say "OK" in the cutest way ever. He almost never says yes, always OK.
When E arrives home from work he'll tell him all about our day, which friends we saw, if we'd been to Gymboree, and laugh at all the silly ("sitty" which is hilarious in its own right) things he did that day.
Before bed he'll ask for specific stories and dance to his drum. If E or I move from our regular spots he'll point and direct us back to where we should sit. So funny.
Once he's in bed he'll yell "Mama, hug!" again and again. Then when we go in he points to all of his blankets on the ground and say "uh oh!" and "no, no, no" since he knows the rules against throwing his blankets out of his crib.

And a few more things:

He has started counting. Today he saw "clocks! three!" and sure enough, there were three!
He knows all of his colors and says them quite enthusiastically and loudly.
Love circles and says "sir-cle" whenever he sees one.
Will ask for "nap" or "crib" by noon and happily takes a nap. The last few weeks bedtime has become more of a struggle.
Calls his Lovie "Sofie" and will ask for him whenever he's sad or tired.
Will say "go please" in the car every time I stop at a red light. And then when I go he says "fast! zoom!"
When he's frustrated and something isn't working for him (like his toys won't fit together) he'll say "uh oh" over and over at increasing speed before throwing a fit.
Loves that it is getting dark earlier in the evening. He'll say "ark" (dark) over and over and point out all the lights that are on. He also loves looking for the stars and moon.
He has started saying "fun" when we are doing something he likes. He'll be playing at the park or reading books with me, and he'll look up at me and say "fun!". It melts me into a puddle of cuteness.

Whew. 24 months of Wolfy photos. I have to admit, I am really looking forward to not doing these monthly. :) I told myself I'd do Wolfy photos until James was 2, and I did it! From now on, I think we'll move Wolfy photos to every 3 or 6 months. I still want to update my blog on all the new things James is doing, so I'll try to keep that up to date.

And from month 1 until now:

My sweet boy, today you are two

2011-11-24T12:20:00.006-07:00

Dear James,

Nothing in this world compares to you. You are sweet, kind, gentle, playful, smart and wonderful. As a Mama I am supposed to say all those things about you, but it is true. You are an adventure seeker like your Mom, and a touch shy and reserved like your Dad.

You are smart and silly and beyond perfect.

Two years ago, at this very moment I was pushing. About to meet the most wonderful soul in the universe. Glancing at the clock now (it is 12:23 pm and you were born at 12:56 pm) I can hardly believe that two years ago, at this moment, I did not yet know you. You are life-shifting, little boy. You make me laugh harder than I ever thought possible, make me cry with tears of joy when I see you accomplish new things, and make my heart grown ten-fold every single day.

Every night, before bedtime we read stories in your room. You sit, perched on my lap, with only your diaper on. I read to you, all the books of your choosing, all the while rubbing your shoulders and back and tummy. The entire time I'm thinking "I adore this little person, never did I know how much my heart can hold."

You are loved. Never forget that. Dada and I talk about you after you go to bed. Remembering the sweet perfect way you say "love you" or the silly giggle and dance move you showed off earlier in the day.

You are two today. You are amazing. The day everyone thinks about what they are thankful for (because after all, today is Thanksgiving!), my sweet dear boy, I am thankful for you.

I adore you.

Your Mama

James's second birthday party!

2011-11-20T18:37:00.017-07:00

This year I decided on a small party. No friends, only family and a very simple theme. After last year (with a full meal, the entire house decorated, a photo booth for guests, and every detail attended to), I was enormously happy with my decision.

And by a "small" party, I was thinking only family. E and I are extremely lucky in that we have both our families still living here and all our siblings are local. So "small" still ended up being 20+ guests. But James has a lot of love, and I couldn't ask for better.

First order of business in my simple digger party? The cake. James has been asking for chocolate cake for ages. Since he saw "chocolate cake" listed as something the Very Hungry Caterpillar ate he has wanted it too. Luckily, Costco sells a beautiful, enormous, delicious chocolate cake that was just perfect. Added some store bought diggers (which 24 hours after the party have still not left his side), a few sprinkles of brown sugar, and some chocolate candy rocks, I had a perfect cake in under 15 minutes.
Second order of business, very simple decorations and a very simple menu. We started the party at 3:00 and served a couple of light snacks and cake. That's it. Best decision ever!
The party was a smashing success. James opened the HUGE pile of presents quite happily, played with all his aunts and uncles, and was sweet and charming with his grandparents.
These Maga Blocks from Uncle David were such a big hit, the only way to distract him was stop for a cake break.

The cake was the highlight of the entire afternoon. He was delighted when everyone sang to him and even blew the candles out, by himself, at just the right moment. All the clapping and cheers made us want to do it all again, so we lit the candles and sang a second time. Ah, the joys of being 2.
Perfect form.
Once the birthday boy had a slice of cake, he insisted on eating the entire thing with his bulldozer. Fork? Wanted nothing to do with it.

Delish.
Once cake was eaten it was off to more presents. James gave a wonderful happy reaction to each and every present. However the wooden train set was sure to be a hit.

I was exhausted by the end of the party, but James was happy, and that's all that matters.
And I have a video of the first go on singing happy birthday. I'll try to get it uploaded soon!

And my mom wrote down what he received, here we go:

Chelsea and Joe - farm animal puppets (he loves the horse)
Chandler - dino toy
Melissa - vehicles puzzle
David - Mega blocks
Grandma Debbie and Grandpa Chuck - Step stool, potty and annual membership to new Natural History Museum
Nana (Great Grandma Barbar) - Backpack full of camping things. Snacks, flashlight, water bottle, whistle
Papa Craig - Big dump truck full of blocks
Damma Connie and Pampa Steve - Chuggington train set and Chugwash
Laura and Mike - Balloon, two dollar coins and a two dollar bill

Digger cake!

2011-11-19T17:59:00.004-07:00

Digger cake for the birthday boy. James had a blast at his party and at one point even asked for "cake, more!". AND he knew how to blow out the candles by himself at just the right time.

More to come. :) Right now I'm exhausted.

Pregnancy quiz: 28 weeks {third trimester!!!}

2011-11-18T13:44:00.003-07:00

How far along: 28 weeks!

Sleep: Horrible this week. Last night was the only passable night. I'm starting to remember what the term pregnancy insomnia means, I had it horribly with James too.

Movement: She's kicking me right now as a matter of fact. :)

Weight Gain: Went to the doc just this morning an I'm up 15 lbs.

Pregnancy Symptoms: Pelvic pressure, heartburn (bad enough now I'm on some stronger meds), extreme exhaustion, sciatic nerve pain, insomnia.

Food Cravings: Nothing notable this week although I've eaten a lot of Mexican food.

What I miss: MY HUSBAND! In one short hour he will be home from his LAST international trip this season. He's been gone since Saturday and although I haven't felt weepy this week (thank god!) I sure do miss him. As does my little kiddo.

What I am looking forward to: Hugging E. Seeing James hug Dada. We've missed him a lot. Also, tomorrow we celebrate James's second birthday! Holy Moly! So excited. And Thanksgiving!!!! James turns 2 on Thanksgiving day and I'm super excited for lots of quality family time.

Weekly Wisdom: My boy is a very good boy. I adore the little kid.

Best moment this week: I will say it hasn't yet come. Seeing E in just an hour wins out.

Milestones: Third trimester baby!

Photos of the week (all three are from my cell phone):

Above: best moment of every day is talking to Dada via Skype. E has had an amazing trip in Paris but is so ready to be home. James misses him like crazy when he's away and will get super close to the computer screen when we talk trying to give snuggles. Sweetest thing you'll ever see.

One day (maybe Tuesday?) I went on a playdate with my friend Andra who has twins that are James's age. All three boys found the diggers at the park absolutely fascinating. I love James's super rosy cheeks. It was cold!
We still go to Gymboree once a week and it is the highlight of James's entire day. Eric, our fantastic teacher, is beyond fantastic. James, who is very particular about his favorite people, can't stop talking about Eric all week. Recently he's decided to sit on Eric's lap during picture time. This is the funniest thing, because there are less than 5 people in the entire wold that he wants to sit on. Glad Eric made the cut. ;)

My day, in hours, as told in photographs

2011-11-16T19:30:00.008-07:00

An idea I've seen floating around on the internet is to document your day with photos. Take one photo an hour, and then blog them.

I've loved the idea but never got around to picking up my camera first thing in the morning until today. Most days I don't think about it until half the day is over, but today, today was my lucky day because I happened to glance at my camera right as the day begun.

So here is my day in photographs. One photo an hour, taken at thirty minutes past the top of the hour.

7:30 - James is awake and snuggled on my bed watching cartoons. This is one of my favorite traditions we have. I get to doze and snuggle my sweet boy and he watches (and learns!) from the kids shows he likes. Top choices of the week: Chuggington (of course), Yo Gabba Gabba, and Little Einsteins.
8:30 - Breakfast is through (two bowls of peach oatmeal, cheese and half a banana), and he's in the living room while I tidy the kitchen. Today he is being sweet with the kitties and giving Mabel a snuggle in the sun.
9:30 - Dressed and ready for our playdate at the park but decided he wanted to relax in the crib. This is his new thing, he loves his crib. He asks to get in multiple times a day and will just lie there and relax for a few minutes before wanting to get down. Sweet kiddo.
10:30 - Park playdate. Cold morning but there was sun! I have a friend, that like me, is always willing to go out if its sunny. "Chilly, what's chilly?! That just means an extra layer of clothing!" she told me this morning. I couldn't agree more.
11:30 - Near the end of the playdate James and her daughter Leah decided to sit down and discuss politics (?). For the life of us, we couldn't get them up and going again until we finally went back and picked them up. So funny.
12:30 - We are home, James is down for a nap, the kitchen is somewhat tidy and I finally have a chance to sit down and relax for the first time all day. My favorite thing to do while eating lunch? Read all the blogs I subscribe to on my iPhone.
1:30 - Not pictured. I took a nap. James was sleeping. Wonderful wonderful.

2:30 - He's up! I'm up! We are off to snuggle on the bed for a few more minutes while he drinks his "sippy". His cartoon choice this afternoon? Yo Gabba Gabba wins.
3:30- Playdate #2 of the day. I keep myself and James quite busy. Only way I stay sane. I'm not one to stay at home much. We met Ashley and Calin at the Aviary. The clear skies were gone and it got cold. I told James he needed to wear his mittens (first time ever) and he never took them off! What a good boy.
4:30 - At the end of the loop at the Aviary there is a sandbox full of different types of scooping tools. Perfect for a toddler with an obsession for scooping. Calin and James played here for quite some time while I chatted with Ashley.
5:30 - Tonight was different from 99% of other nights in that I went out to dinner with James. Most the time James eats at home at 5:30 but today I met my sister, brother and brother's girlfriend and the most amazing Mexican restaurant in Utah for dinner. It was awesome fun and James did really well too. Also? That sunset just about killed me as I walked inside. Marvelous!
6:30 (actually more like 6:45) - we are home after a quick fantastic Mexican feast. James is changed into a clean diaper and we are reading stories and getting in jammies before bed.
7:30 - 8:30 - Time to relax. The kiddo is still talking down the hall, and I spend some time on the computer for the first time today.
9:30 - In bed. Reading. I just finished the entire seven book Harry Potter series again. I loved them just as much as I loved them the dozen or so times I've read them before. But now that I'm done, I'm reading all of my other HP books that I have stashed around the house.
10:30 - Asleep. I'm asleep well before ten most nights, actually. ;)

So that's my day. Lots of playdates. Lots of time spent outdoors (even though it is now nearing the end of November), lots of time with my little man. Not a lot of time to sit down. Just how I like it.

Pregnancy quiz: 27 weeks

2011-11-11T19:08:00.004-07:00

How far along: 27 weeks. This is the LAST week of my second trimester. Wow!

Sleep: Ok. Most nights I settle down easily but have a hard time falling back asleep. Plus this time change is still messing me up.

Movement: Yep, the other morning Baby Girl had a tap class at 6:00 am.

Pregnancy Symptoms: Pelvic pressure, heartburn, extreme exhaustion, sciatic nerve pain.

Food Cravings: OJ tastes AMAZING in the morning. But can't drink it later in the day because of heartburn.

What I miss: Getting out of the car easily. Getting out of bed easily. Both feel like huge tasks.

What I am looking forward to: E's last big international trip of the season to be behind us. So so close! Also, James's second birthday party next weekend.

Weekly Wisdom: I love to nap.

Best moment this week:Playing in the leaves yesterday. It was wonderful (scroll down to see the post).

Milestones: Hello! Last week of second trimester!

Photos: James's favorite toys right now are his bulldozer and construction vehicles toys. He's loved them for months and plays with them every day. The first time I ever saw him do creative play was with these babies. It doesn't matter how many times I tuck them under the table in the living room, they are dragged out mere seconds later and left in the middle of the room as horrible tripping hazards. I don't mind, I just smile though. I love that he loves diggers and bulldozers as much as he does.
In addition to about 5 toys, we also have half a dozen digger books, always open to the digger page, mind you.
In the sunlight after his nap, hence his jammie pants.
"Up, down, bang!" is what he always says.
My almost two year old is more amazing that I could have ever imagined.

Fall leaves in the backyard

2011-11-10T18:28:00.003-07:00

Sometimes no words are needed. I think the joy speaks for itself.

Black and White Wednesday {Fort in the living room}

2011-11-09T12:23:00.005-07:00

On Saturday we woke up to snow. The house was chilly and gray and a little gloomy. E and I joked a couple of times that we should just get out the Christmas tree to cheer things up.

Instead James and I made a fort while E showered. It was James's first homemade fort and he was loving it. He helped me with the placement of blankets, sheets and towels and went in and out over and over squealing.

As soon as E emerged from the bathroom James could not wait to show him the fort. They read quite a few books inside while I sat on the sidelines soaking it all up: all this wonderfulness.
We made it quite large, with sleeping quarters and everything.
James loved to enter and exit the fort by crawling under the chair's legs.

Cookies for breakfast

2011-11-08T18:12:00.004-07:00

James is obsessed. One of the first things he want to do upon waking up is to "cook". He asks almost every morning. On the weekends its easy, E does cook most weekend mornings and James is always there to help.

But one day he was insistent. "Cook cook cook" he kept saying. So I relented. I'm not much of a baker, but we had all the things needed for homemade pumpkin cookies.

So we got out the flour, the baking soda, the pumpkin and made a huge mess of the kitchen before eight am. And by 8:15 we were enjoying fresh cookies for breakfast. He loved it, and I got to say, a hot chocolate chip pumpkin cookie with my tea did taste pretty divine.
Helping with the chocolate chips. At this point the clean kitchen is a lie. The entire sink was full of dirty dishes and James's hair had been coated in pumpkin puree.
Bake for 12 minutes.
Ummm... yum!
Because they were more cakey, I made him eat them with a fork. He loved them and ate three.
They were a fantastic start to a cold November day.

Pregnancy quiz: 26 weeks

2011-11-04T19:02:00.003-06:00

How far along: 26 weeks!

Sleep: One night was horrible but most others have been ok. I'm getting up a lot to pee again, which is not fun.

Belly button in or out: Still in, but every day it is more flat. Looking at my pregnancy quizzes from James's pregnancy, it looks like my belly button popped out at 36 weeks.

Movement: Yes yes yes. Still gentle enough to not cause much distress, I always smile.

Pregnancy Symptoms: Pelvic pressure is killing me. Also I'm exhausted. Last night I called it a night at 8:00pm and was asleep by 9:00. Felt awesome but today I was just as tired as ever. Also, I've got to pee almost every two hours.

Food Cravings: Asian food has taken over my life. We found a new Chinese takeout place this week that both E and I loved.

What I miss: Not getting up a million times a night, not needing to go to the bathroom a ton 24 hours a day.

What I am looking forward to: Today the weather changed from chilly autumn to windy winter. I made slow cooker chili and looked forward to it all day for dinner. It did not disappoint. (Here is the recipe, we use our crock pot and cooked for 6 hours on high. Seriously, bet chili you'll EVER have).

Weekly Wisdom: Staying indoors more this winter is going to be really really hard.

Best moment this week:Halloween. Weather was awesome and my little engineer had such a fun time.

Milestones: I'm closer to 30 weeks than I am to 20. Also, only two more weeks until my third trimester!

And above: As always, James and I have been enjoying any hint of sun this week even if the temperatures were in the forties. One morning we met a couple of friends at Crestwood Park (one of my all-time-favorites) and walked around. The photo I snapped with my phone just speaks November to me. Most the leaves are down, the little boy in a coat and hat, and the last days of sun ready to be enjoyed.

Halloween Fun at Wheeler Farm

2011-11-03T13:03:00.007-06:00

The weekend before Halloween we had the most beautiful days. Clear and crisp and just stunning. E and I thought it might be our last weekend to play outside, because usually by November things get quite chilly.

On Saturday we went to Wheeler Farm to do some Halloween activities. For a few dollars we could ride the wagon (pulled my a tractor of course), wander through the hay maze and pick out a couple of pumpkins in the pumpkin patch.

All perfect for a toddler on the weekend before Halloween.

We had an amazing day. We waited through two cycles of tractor rides to ensure a front row seat for our tractor-loving kid, the hay maze was a huge hit, and James took the job of picking out pumpkins very seriously. I simply adore days like this with my family.

Like always, I'll let the photos do the talking. ;)

Little Cottonwood Creek runs right through Wheeler Farm. When they weren't looking at the goats or laughing at the chickens, I found my boys intently studying the "fiver" (river).
Best spot on the tractor ride is right behind the tractor. It means that we could see the "veels" (wheels).

The hay maze was a HUGE hit. E and had no idea how much James would love running at top speed around that thing. It was a little tricky for us, if you didn't keep your eye on him every moment, he was gone. But there was one area that he ran around and around in. He was being so cute and silly I hid behind a hay bale and was thrilled when I captured this:
Around and around he went. Most photos were blurry because he was running and gave my camera little time to focus. But this blurry shot just melts me, so I had to include it.
In the pumpkin patch the first pumpkin he picked wasn't even a pumpkin, more of a squash maybe. He loved it from the moment he saw it. (Remember on Halloween wouldn't put it down when I was taking his photo). I think the reason he liked it was he could pick it up himself but it wasn't easy. Notice his face, using his "huge" muscles. Ha!
This AMAZING snowman was built with three of the largest pumpkins ever grown in Utah. The bottom most pumpkin was the all-time record holder, weighing in at 1600 lbs!
It was an amazing day. And I'm so glad we spent it outside, because this weekend calls for snow.

Happy Halloween! {and carving pumpkins too}

2011-10-31T20:48:00.009-06:00

Yesterday, after much anticipation, we decided to carve pumpkins. One from our garden and one from the pumpkin patch we'd visited on Saturday (blog post to come).

I was so excited, it's been almost ten years since I've carved a pumpkin. I could not wait to see how James would react. Plus, these types of holiday traditions are one of the things that makes being a parent so fun. Re-living your childhood through your own children. :)

He was excited at first, then a little unsure (what is all this stuff?) and then excited again once we started carving. He's really into transferring things from container to container, so as E and I scooped the pumpkin innards out, he's happily scoop them back into the pumpkin. And as I fished out all the seed for roasting, he'd happily scoop those back into the pumpkin too.

Black cat was not posed for this. Rumpus was quite interested in what we were up to.

Scooping.
We asked him if he wanted to put his hand into the pumpkin. No way, the spoon was as far as he'd go.
Some of the seeds for roasting.
Halloween day started with an entirely too early of a wake-up, a majorly grumpy toddler, and Gymboree class that ended in tears for both Mama and boy (yea for pregnancy hormones and a fitting toddler!).

Luckily the weather was splendid, so I didn't stay sad for long. Also, a long nap for the boy, and reading Harry Potter in the living room sun for the Mama fixed things up. This afternoon we visited E's work and were delighted to see all the other kids of co-workers there for trick-or-treating. James got a wonderful haul but was mostly thrilled with the three "suckers!".

This evening it went perfectly, just as I'd always hoped. We gave James dinner and waited until dusk. Then E and James wandered hand in hand out into the night (with me following behind for a couple of houses with the camera). E said he was a pro. Used his little fist to knock on the door, said "treat treat" in his sweet little voice, picked out a candy, and stowed it into his bucket before moving on.

Heaven.

I was sad to miss it, but our house was getting quite a crowd, and I knew E has dreamed of taking James trick-or-treating since the moment I said "I'm pregnant", so I thought it fitting for Dada to take up the task.

James came home with his tiny bucket full of candy a half an hour later. E and James poured the loot onto the floor to examine (very important, right?) and James chose a sucker to take into the bath with him. Only on Halloween. ;)

What a wonderful night.

Our porch with our proud pumpkins and our cute-as-heck train engineer. He insisted on holding that pumpkin for the picture. Wouldn't hear of putting it down.
He loved being a "cho cho driver".
Off to the first house. Most the time on the sidewalk James will pull his hand away from ours. But he happily held E's hand the entire time.
Headed up the street.
Moon.
Our little Halloween display.
Blurry but adorable. He had the biggest grin when he got home. And look at all that loot!
Sucker! Yummy! He was in heaven. Never in his life has he had this much candy in one day.
Beautiful beautiful candy.
And I wore my pregnancy skeleton shirt again! I wore it when I was pregnant with James as well, only two Halloweens ago.
A lot has changed since a year ago when James celebrated his first Halloween. Check it out here.

Pregnancy quiz: 25 weeks {and AMAZING autumn colors}

2011-10-28T19:07:00.010-06:00

How far along: After two weeks at 24 weeks (more about that here), I'm finally advancing and now at 25 weeks.

Size of Baby: Almost 14" long and 1.5 lbs.

Sleep: Not as good this week. I'm exhausted during the day too, so nap most days when James naps. What I'm struggling with is staying asleep. Seems like I drift off only to wake up again soon after.

Pregnancy Clothes: YES.

Belly button in or out: Still in, but flattening.

Movement: Kicks all day long and quite often at night when I'm trying to fall back asleep.

Pregnancy Symptoms: Pelvic pressure, funky taste in my mouth, exhaustion.

Food Cravings: Asian food craving is still going strong. This week we did Thai takeout. Yum.

What I miss: Not being in pain when I take long walks with James. Being able to wear my coats.

What I am looking forward to: Carving pumpkins this weekend.

Weekly Wisdom: I watched Food Inc. last night on Netflix and loved it. So interesting. So crazy. I've been thinking about it ever since.

Best moment this week: On Monday night E and I saw two friends married after dating of 8 years. It was a beautiful small wedding. James went down to bed for a babysitter (my sister) for the FIRST TIME IN HIS LIFE! Melissa said he was great and cried for less than 30 secs.

Milestones: 25 weeks feels like a milestone, not sure why.

And because of the fact that I'm now napping most days instead of spending time on the computer, my blogging is a little backed up. Over a week ago a couple of friends and I met up at Temple Quarry Trail to enjoy the amazing colors. We were there by 10:00 am and the sun had yet to break over the steep mountains, which meant it was cold! So cold. But the colors were unreal.

This kid and his sticks. Finds one on every walk we take.
Reminds me so much of an early explorer here. Maybe it's the way he's gazing off or the stick clutched close.
The path littered with a rainbow of colors.
This tree was green only a month ago.
Finally the first rays of the sun!
With the sun, the already brilliant leaves become even brighter.

James is 23 months {Wolfy!}

2011-10-26T12:35:00.007-06:00

Let's get the obvious out of the way. In less than ONE MONTH, my little baby, my tiny boy is going to be 2. How did this happen? Just yesterday I was hugely pregnant and wanting to start this special journey. These two years have flow by.
James is on a roll. He understands more, asks for things, has started using the word "please" and knows what he wants.

Here are some things about the last month:

He takes a 1-2.5 hour nap at noon or 12:30.
Sleeps 12-13 hours a night (which he's done for ages), 7pm bedtime until about 7 or 7:30 am.
Is almost 30 lbs. Won't know his actual weight until his 2 year appt.
Wears 18-24 month clothes. 2T is slightly big but we make it work by rolling it up a bit. Size 6 shoes.
Has a memory that kills me. He remembers things that happened last spring and tells me about them.
Two favorite books right now are Mouse Mess and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. He laughs at the naughty mice.
Adores diggers and bulldozers more than anything else. The only times he's linked three words together were when he asked "see digger work?" to us. Die of cute.
If you ask him about his birthday party he'll say "cake!"
"Mama" or "Mommy" is the first thing out of his mouth in the morning, and the last thing he says before bed. He likes to chant "Mamamamamama" from his crib. Cute and kinda insane.
When asked what he wants to do, you'll always get one of three answers: "Park" (60% of the time), "Zoo" (30% of the time) or "walk" (10% of the time). He loves to be outdoors.
Has reached an entirely new level of maniac dancing. He still dances to his drum before bed every night and each night is faster and scarier for E and I.
When E is tickling James he says "no Dada! No Dada!" and then when E stops he looks sideways in a mischievous way and says "more!"
Loves to notice lights, tells me if they are on or off. This has been something he's loved for quite some time, but I don't want to forget it.
Has recently started using words to tell me things like "wet" when he sees something dripping or "hot" when he sees the sunshine.
Uses a fork for all his meals. If we try to tell him its finger food (like chips) he will have none of it, and still try to use is fork. If we try to help him with his fork he has a tantrum. Yea for two year olds!
Is getting more and more into Chuggington (a train show by Disney) by the day. Talks about Koko almost all the time (if he's not talking about diggers, that is).
Asks for a "hug" in the sweetest little voice ever. The other day he ran to E saying "Dada hug!"
Is amazing.
And infuriating.
But mostly amazing.

This is his "cheese" face. Today I asked him what he will say on Halloween (we are trying to teach him trick-or-treat) and he said "cheese!"

I asked him to give Wolfy a hug. Sweetest boy ever.
And from month 1 until now:

Weekend at home

2011-10-24T12:49:00.006-06:00

As I've mentioned again and again and again, I love autumn. We've had crisp and cool mornings with blue skies turing into dazzling afternoons.

Every moment we are outside. Our weekend was low key, a lot of breakfast cooking (E and James made breakfast both Saturday and Sunday), a lot of walks to the playground and a lot of parks.

We even joined E's family for dinner downtown to celebrate two birthdays. Which reminds me, ONE month from today James turns two. (I'll update with Wolfy photos tomorrow or Wednesday, I promise.) One month? Holy moly, kid, slow down!

My favorite moments over the weekend happened downtown at Citycreek Canyon. The light was magnificent. The leaves were on fire. The temperature couldn't have been better: warm in the sun and cool in the shade. I didn't bring my camera and it was wonderful. No pressure to take the perfect shot. Just us, E, James and I enjoying a beautiful Saturday afternoon in October.

I did get a few photos from the weekend however. Low key, close to home, nothing spectacular. Perfect.

Blue skies and autumn leaves, my favorite combo.
James is loving the slide these days.

I think we're getting our two-year molars so James is in an extra snuggly mood. He just discovered the simple joy of a back scratch, and asks for them multiple times a day.
Rocking my 24 week belly.
We took a walk around Granite Park and the trails were really sandy and soft. James thought they were an enormous sand box and came home covered in dirt. Hair down to his shoes.
Trail jogging. Both E and I had a tough time keeping up with him. Views = spectacular.
And gone are the days E can cook without a little helper. James is into everything and wants to be up and able to see all. Here is a video I took on Saturday morning. Love all his talking.

Pregnancy quiz: 24 weeks {re-visiting 24 weeks...}

2011-10-21T12:51:00.005-06:00

How far along: 24 weeks. Yes, last week I was also 24 weeks. This week too. Why? I got another ultrasound this week and baby showed she is still measuring 8 days slow. First ultrasound gave me an estimated due date of February 10th, instead of February 2nd. This ultrasound showed the same thing. Which means... my due date is now 8 days later than I thought. I better get used to this idea. Adding eight days to your due date is not a huge deal, because everything else with Baby Girl is perfect! The doc was also worried about my cervical length (something that really worried me), but they measured three times during the appt and all looks very good and back to normal. Phew.

Size of Baby: At the ultrasound they told me she weighed 1 lbs. 7 oz. Cute!

Sleep: Mine is ok. Pretty good actually. Still getting up a lot to pee, but fall asleep again easily. And James's one hour naps? Well I got sick of them. After they lasted a month, one day once he'd woken up I went in and told him nap time was not over and he needed more sleep. Amazing part? He fell back asleep. I know. I felt like a goddess with super-awesome-nap-power at my fingertips. Wish I'd tried this much earlier in the month.

Weight Gain: They weighed me at the docs this week and total weight gain at this point is 13 lbs.

Pregnancy Clothes: Oh yea. All day every day.

Movement: I love feeling her little kicks and jabs throughout the day. Later in pregnancy this gets really uncomfortable, but now it is a sweet reminder I've got a human in there.

Pregnancy Symptoms: Pelvic pressure and heart burn have been this week's constant companions.

Food Cravings: Indian food, which is weird because I was totally turned off by Indian food during my first pregnancy. After I got good news at my ultrasound appointment, E and I decided to order Indian take-out. Best idea ever.

What I miss: Normal clothes. It is crazy how not-fun getting dressed is. I look like a cow in everything and wear yoga pants all the time. (Yea for looking like I just rolled out of bed!)

What I am looking forward to: Halloween. This year we are going to take James trick-or-treating for the first time. I am so so so excited.

Weekly Wisdom: October rocks.

Best moment this week: Neff's Canyon with the boy. Also, we went to the zoo last weekend and the tigers were out of this world. One hopped into the water (something I've always been longing to see) and then two of the big males stood up on their hind legs and batted at each other and roared. It was so awesome.

Milestones: Perfect ultrasound. Passed the glucose test. Both are celebration worthy! Oh and re-visiting week 24. :)

Two cell photo photos to add to this post:

James had his first bowl of cereal with milk today before nap time. He loved it. He thinks cereal is called "please" because that's what I told him he needed to say to his friend yesterday when James was trying to devour all of their Cheerios.
And about three weeks ago another of James's friends had a birthday party and gave out pirate gold as a favor. James? In love. He thinks that Mabel is the one that should be wearing the "fancy" and follows her around all day trying to place it on her. Mabel is an awesome sport and is oftentimes found all decorated by James.

October light is gold

2011-10-20T13:54:00.008-06:00

Did you ever notice that this time of year, only for about two weeks, as the northern hemisphere shifts closer and closer to winter, that the light turns from bright and beautiful to liquid gold? It does. And it is happening. And it is magic.

This means that James and I are outside every spare moment of every day. And more often than not I have my camera. The sky is blue, the mountains are a watercolor of green, yellow, red and orange, and the light that spills down is made of golden happiness.

It sounds sappy, so I'll let the photos do the talking.

James and I took a little Mama/big boy hike the other day. No Dada, no playdate, just the two of us. We had such a good time and laughed the entire way.

I taught him to say "cheese" when I point the camera at him. This was a first, and brand new. This is his "cheese" face.
More "cheese!"
The yellow cottonwoods are splendid.
Yea... I know. It made my jaw drop when I was there in person too.
James is all about finding sticks these days. He loves a good stick. What boy doesn't?

Lots and lots of color.

I'd ask James what colors he'd see. Every time he'd say either "purple" (?) or "buuuu". The sky was quite blue.
There was this little puddle in this rock that James was fascinated with. He'd dip leaves in and out and make sure the muddy water was spread everywhere.
But when the light is gold even muddy puddles are magic.

Hike with our little hiker {sorry, our HUGE hiker!}

2011-10-19T13:01:00.006-06:00

James is quite the hiker. Sometimes E and I talk about that fateful first hike where he screamed the entire time. How we joked that there was no way he was part of our family, our family loved to hike.

Now James will hike along beside you. He's not yet 2, and has decided the baby backpack is for babies, and he's HUGE (ask him and he'll tell you). So instead of doing any hike with real mileage (which is out anyway since I'm pregnant), we choose short easy hikes and James is beyond thrilled. So thrilled he'll talk about it for days afterwards.
He really is a goof. Runs up the entire trail and barrels down at full steam. E and I almost have about a million heart attacks because of the sheer amount of close-calls he has.
I love this one. E and James hike together most the time while I take up the rear. I love how he's looking up at his Dada.
Watching the river at the point we told him it was time to turn around. We gave him plenty of warning, so we didn't get an epic "why-do-we-have-to-turn-around?" fit like we did in Oregon.
James was so fast on his feet, that any time it looked tricky this is the look you'd get. It means "please take my hand, I need some help". It melts me. Such a good boy.
The snow and frost turned some of the aspens black. Always a sure sign winter's on its way.
Right at the end of the day the light turned to gold. James had found a rock he wanted to sit and climb on and I was beyond thrilled that he'd look at me and smile. Yes, I had to work for it, but Mama's "pterodactyl call" still will elicit a grin.

Last shot of the day, before the sun dipped below the peaks already brushed with snow.

Black and White Wednesday {Wheeler Farm}

2011-10-19T12:21:00.004-06:00

Remember last week when I posted this photo, and said there were more Wheeler Farm photos to come? Yea, it's taken a week to get them posted...
Last week a couple of friends and I met up at Wheeler Farm to enjoy the AMAZING Indian Summer. The morning was cool and brisk, but soon warmed up enough for all of us to unzip our jackets and smile a little brighter. This weather has my heart. I love it.

All the corn was available for toddlers to explore. All the little ones took quite awhile in the corn rows before moving on.
Liz, my friend who has this adorable guy, is really dang good about setting up playdates and then inviting new Mamas along. I've met so many really neat ladies this way. Last year James and I went to Wheeler Farm alone, almost always. I always envied the groups of ladies I saw, each chasing their own toddler when they wander too far. This year I'm part of that group. Thank you Liz.

Oh and James? Always this serious when tractor driving. He makes a B-line right to the tractor as soon as we get there and it's like pulling teeth to get him off. He likes his big trucks.
Aren't the kiddos cute? The little guy on the left is a month older than James and the little girl on the right is a month younger. So great to compare toddler stories with other Mamas that have been there, done that.
Near the end of the day we stopped at James's favorite tree. This thing is massive and at least 200 years old. I'll have to get better photos of it when I have enough confidence in my boy to step back a few yards. Right now I'm worried he's going to topple right off. He does love tree climbing though.

Pumpkin picking

2011-10-16T18:21:00.006-06:00

I'm a little backlogged on blog posts. I want to post more photos from our hike and more photos from Wheeler Farm. But for now, now I'm going to post something I've been looking forward to doing since May.

In March or so I mentioned to my Grandma Barbara that I wanted to grow pumpkins in our backyard for James. She, sweet as she is, made sure to add "giant pumpkin seeds" to her next grocery list.

In May I planted the little hard teardrops. In June James and I watched them sprout and grown. July I watered them each day, and come August we tenderly cared for our four pumpkins.

And today, after waiting two months from them to turn from a dark deep yellow to a brilliant intense orange, we picked them. James was more thrilled about the wheelbarrow rides back into the backyard for another load than anything else.

That's ok though, I think we'll grow pumpkins every year. One day soon (next October?) picking and carving them will be the highlight of the Halloween season (and trick-or-treating of course!).

Above, pumpkin sitting. And they are really bright orange. A totally different color than grocery store pumpkins.
Fall colors.

Two harvested, ready for the front porch.
Two more.
Best part is the wheelbarrow rides back into the backyard!
Four huge pumpkins. We'll carve a little closer to the holiday.

And a special pumpkin we won't carve. I used a nail and scared the flesh of this pumpkin when it was still quite young. As it grew, the little name James wrapped around its now big flesh.

My favorite shot from today's hike

2011-10-14T19:48:00.001-06:00

Pregnancy quiz: 24 weeks {and my favorite photo of James and I EVER}

2011-10-13T20:35:00.009-06:00

How far along: 24 weeks. I hate to say it, but I have a feeling this is the "middle" of this pregnancy for me. I have a feeling my due date will be pushed back a week due to Baby Girl measuring a week small, and I was pregnant for 41 weeks with James. So yea...

Re-reading this the next day made me realize I have major pregnancy brain. 24+24 does not in any way shape or form equal 42. Duh!

Size of Baby: Not sure. All sites say something different, but is seems that baby might be a foot long! WOW!

Sleep: James is still rocking the hour long naps this week, and my sleep has been ok. I'm exhausted by the end of the day and often call it a night by 9:00 pm.

Pregnancy Clothes: Yes. I bought some more this week. Pregnancy pants just kill me. They are terrible. So I got some yoga maternity pants. They are pretty much perfect other than the fact that I look like I'm always in my PJs.

Movement: Yes. She loves to move and wiggle. Last night at bed time I felt the first "hard" kick.

Pregnancy Symptoms: This week has been all about pelvic pressure. Tears are mostly gone (yea!) but sciatic nerve pain is still a pain in the ass. (haha! get it, because it's in the butt muscle.. haha!)

Food Cravings: Tomato soup and grilled cheese for lunch every day sounds perfect. This is how its been for two months already.

What I miss: Sushi. And James's long naps. Can I have them both please?

What I am looking forward to: Hearing that I have a perfectly growing baby and a nice thick cervix on my next appointment (scheduled for next Thursday!).

Weekly Wisdom: I love my life. I really really do.

Best moment this week: Seeing E arrive home. This was the best moment of the month.

Milestones: Still able to take longish walks with James? Does that count? Because this pelvic pressure is not fun.

And the two photos above? Yea. I was blown away too. My friend Sedra took those today of James and I at Wheeler Farm. AMAZING. My boy's smile just kills me. I haven't ever gotten this true happiness on camera before. Thank you thank you Sedra for having your camera at the right moment. I am seriously thinking of hanging these above my bed. (I liked these photos so much I swapped them into my header. Yea, love.)

More Wheeler Farm photos to come.

Family day on Monday

2011-10-12T19:50:00.008-06:00

Since E didn't arrive home from Japan until late in the afternoon Sunday, he decided to take the next day as a comp day.

Monday started slow and wonderful, it felt like a weekend. E got up and made breakfast and then later in the day after he took a nice long nap, and James took a very short nap, we decided to go to Red Butte Garden.

The skies were gray and it threatened rain, but the fact that it was dry made us all want to get out and enjoy one of the last remaining non-winter days we have left.

Plus, I was hoping to get some photo for an autumn header.

We had a wonderful time wandering the garden. Hardly anyone was there due to the blustery autumny weather (it was so wonderful!). I got some great shots and enjoyed my two boys like never before.

We stayed until the last moment, until the gates were closing and they practically kicked us out. After a short visit with E's brother and his new kitty, we decided to make it a night and go to dinner too.
The way we got this smile and the one above in the header was to let James watch the construction vehicles next door. Sure grins that way.

Sometimes James doesn't want anything to do with holding hands. Other days he's as happy as a clam to hold either my hand or E's. These days are my favorite.

See? More hand-holding.

Smelling the flowers. He still exhales instead of inhales. So funny. I love his silly scrunched face.
Heart shaped leaf.
Red Butte Cafe (appropriate after Red Butte Garden) serves the best food. Seriously, the best. It has been a favorite of mine since early collage when I discovered the French Onion Soup.

James was fantastic, sitting in his high chair through the entire meal and happily eating his dinner. E ordered tacos (he always craves Mexican after a week in Asia) and I ordered their Herb Marinated Top Sirloin sandwich, which is crimini mushrooms, caramelized onion, huge chunks of gorgonzola, basil aioli, all served open faced on fococcia. Seriously, the best.
My delicious dinner.
As we were leaving, almost as an afterthought, E decided to order a piece of pie (BEST pecan pie I've ever tasted) for takeout.

Once we were home and got the babe in bed, we lit the fire, the candles and made tea. We sat in the living room enjoying each other's company and the best pecan pie the state has to offer.

My Halloween mantel. All the lit candles set the mood perfectly for pie and tea!
And did you notice my new header? I am in love with it. Want to see old headers (all of them, in order?!), then click above on the Headers tab. Or click here.

Black and White Wednesday {Dada is home!!!}

2011-10-12T12:04:00.011-06:00

Last week was rough. Let's not lie.

I try to keep a positive attitude in life. I feel like attitude counts for 90% of the outcome of any situation.

But 9 days without E (he left at the beginning of one weekend and didn't get home until the end of the following weekend) was a lot. Taking care of a toddler, non-stop, alone, being pregnant, while is snowed outside (yuck! I know!) was a little much.

Let's just say I am so so so glad that week was behind us. James had a rough week (my gentle boy started hitting again), and this Mama had a rough week.

But because I don't like to dwell on the bad, I rather focus on the good, here are ten really good things that happened over the last week:

With the turn of the weather we've started getting out James's fall/winter wardrobe. There are lots of adorable things I'm looking forward to this season.
After a week of cold and yuck, there has been a return of warm/amazing/beautiful fall weather!
Lots and lots of playdates with Mamas that offered their support.
The pumpkins in the garden are getting ever bigger! I think we'll pick them this weekend.
Tea in the morning, every morning.
Early bedtime for me. With E gone (and now jet lagged) we've been hitting the sack at 9 pm. Awesome, especially when James takes mini extra short naps these days.
Halloween decorations. I got them out while E was gone, and I'm loving them.
E getting home. This was the best part of the week by far.
The half dozen big hugs James gave E when he saw him. Both E and James were thrilled. Once the shock wore off, he'd play for a few minutes and then run back to Dada and give him a big long extended hug. It happened quite a few times and was amazing.
Dada being back on the morning breakfast routine. Homemade biscuits taste way better than a stale piece of toast. The company of another adult in the house? Beyond wonderful.

James is such a good kitchen helper. So good in fact, it makes it quite difficult to work. He wants "up!" and if you try to explain you need both hands, it doesn't matter. Both E and I have gotten quite good at one-handed cooking.

Pregnancy quiz: 23 weeks

2011-10-06T13:05:00.004-06:00

How far along: 23 weeks, creeping along!

Size of Baby: Average baby at 23 weeks is eight inches and slightly over a pound. As far as I know baby girl is measuring a week late (so measuring at 22 weeks pregnant) so she might be a touch smaller than this.

Sleep: Last week I wrote: "mine ok. James's naps are only an hour this week. Uggg...." This week? Same. I really really need him to start napping a touch longer.

Pregnancy Clothes: Yep! I'm into both maternity pants and shirts. Pre-pregnancy hoodies I can still zip over my tummy, but its getting tight.

Movement: Yes. I love when I feel a gentle little kick.

Pregnancy Symptoms: I have been so teary this week. This is not me and I hate it. I hate feeling depressed and lonely and frustrated (which I've felt a lot this week).

Food Cravings: Fried foods. And things that are not at all good for me.

What I miss: My husband. Long work trips are the pits.

What I am looking forward to: Seeing E's smiling face when he returns!

Weekly Wisdom: When James is mean and aggressive, I've found that feeding him works better than timeout. Often times he's just hungry. Wish I knew that earlier this week.

Best moment this week: The fall leaves at Silver Lake. I'm still in awe.

Milestones: Baby Girl might be over a pound in weight!

Two videos this week! Both are shot from my iPhone vertically, hence the silly crop that YouTube gives it. Also, a sweet bath photo above. E is usually in charge of bath time, but being alone means I get to see all the sillies that bath time brings. I'm kinda liking it. ;)

We went to Barnes and Nobel when the weather turned from beautiful autumn to pre-winter yesterday. Both the videos are shot there.

The reason we went to Barnes and Nobel in the first place was to buy a truck book for this bulldozer and digger obsessed kid.

And James Joyce, the man who wrote Ulysses, is apparently Dada. James has done this for 6+ months and I find it hysterical.

Fallfall with Dada {Black and White Wednesday}

2011-10-05T12:45:00.000-06:00

Before E left we decided to take James up the canyon to visit a "huge fallfall" aka waterfall. His request of course.

We thought he'd love Lisa Falls because of the short hike, amazing waterfall that you could get next to, and shallow water.

We were wrong.

He was grumpy and grouchy and we ended up turning around ten minutes after we arrived.

I did get a few photos though. Most were lovely to change into black and white. Some just needed to stay in color.

Me with baby bump. Twenty two and a half weeks along.
James with a stick in the shallow water. The rock wall next to him is what the waterfall tumbled down. Seems perfect, right?
In the water. It might be fun to try this hike again next summer, we'll see.
Such a pretty happy waterfall.
Hiking back down the trail after a meltdown.
The beautiful canyon on the way home.
Last note: I posted this on Tuesday, not Wednesday. I think I'm looking forward to this week to come to an end. I'm adding days wherever I can. ;)