Our last weekend as a family of three {so bittersweet}

As of right now, the plan is for me to be induced this Friday, (OMG! WHAT??!! Yea, kinda freaking out a bit...) which means last weekend was our last as a family of three.

This is so bittersweet.

We adore our family of three. James is wonderful and smart and amazing and the thought that we will change all of that makes me more than a little sad. E too, he said he was feeling so sad and tender last weekend, it just doesn't seem real.

So we decided to make the most of it. James is feeling better (not like last Saturday) and was being sweet and wonderful and perfect.

We woke up on Saturday and did our favorite thing in the world: cook. E and James made "oven pancakes" which are our favorite German Pancakes. We make this recipe almost weekly, especially in the winter and it is amazing. Buttery and lemony and divine. James loves them too, and eats a huge amount.
A few months ago we always gave James a little bowl of flour that he could mix while E worked on the real breakfast. He wasn't fooled. Now he wants to be right in the action, cracking the eggs (with help and a lot of time removing fragments of shell), whisking the milk and butter and even adding the "spice".
I mostly stayed sitting and enjoyed Dada and James doing what they do best.
German Pancakes get really puffed up in the oven. Sometimes they are even taller than this, it's pretty fun.
After breakfast we went to the park and enjoyed the mild temperatures. Where is winter? No idea, but I really don't care. These mild temperatures and sunny skies make me so so happy.

James has been excellent with not wanting to be picked up a lot lately. He says "no help, Dames do it" with most things and can even climb into his car seat unassisted now. But when he saw me posing for photos he ran over and asked "up up?" so I had to oblige. He's heavy, but I adore that he wants to be in my arms. So here I am, 40+ weeks pregnant with a heavy toddler and a knee to my tummy. (Looking forward to not being in the same outfit for every photo soon! Seriously, what gives?!)
Happy boy.

Found a big branch, of course.
The rest of the weekend was filled to the brim, a trip to the Planetarium, dinner at our favorite downtown restaurant (which James happens to love too!), a trip to the pool and even another visit to the aquarium. We stayed very busy, considering I'm over due and slower than a sloth, but by the end of the weekend, nobody wanted the fun to end.

I will miss this. Very much. James, you are going to make an incredible big brother, but you made an awesome only child too. I simple adore you.

At the aquarium

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

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.

Winter Garden

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

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.

Winter Header

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.