James's second birthday party!

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!

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!!!}

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

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

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

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

Black and White Wednesday {Fort in the living room}

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

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

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

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.