Painting

I got the cutest pictures at work today from Desiree!!!! It seems that the kiddos did a little painting at daycare today!

Painting time!!!



Such a focused little artist!



Painting the belly is a little more fun!



The final masterpiece!  Look at me Mommy!!!!



So much fun!!!!  Loved getting these pictures at work today! 





Wiping

James noticies everything!!!  In accompanying me to the restroom, he has learned that the toilet paper is for wiping.  He has even been so kind as to get some toilet paper and try to help me wipe!  Such a thoughtful little man but unnecessary!  We have started to let James sit on the toilet before bath time and his favorite part is WIPING!!!!  He will take 2-3 squares of toilet paper, wipe himself, and then toss it into the toilet.  (Ammendment: James can't exactly tear the toilet paper himself so he tries to wipe with the entire roll of toilet paper unless Josh assists in the toitlet paper tearing.) Josh is trying to teach the little guy that boys stand and that there is no need for wiping.  However, this continues to be the BEST part of going potty!  So cute!!!! 

Ice cream!!!!!!

Our dear, dear friend Colleen decided to teach James how to drink the melted ice cream out of the bottom of the bowl! Let's just say that James LOVED the ice cream and LOVED Colleen for giving him a scoop, letting him finish Isa's, and letting him finish the small scoop at the bottom of the container! Thankfully ice cream is a VERY rare treat but one that is GREATLY enjoyed! A few cute pictures from the lesson...

Mirror, mirror, on the wall... he is his father after all!!!!

Nimbus Fish Hatchery

A few cute pictures from the Nimbus Fish Hatchery yesterday...
The fish food was stuck to James's hand! Oops!

James and Daddy feeding the fishIes! That entire cup in Josh's hand is full of fish food from the employee. He said that the first kiddo of the day gets free food!

More fishies to feed!

Running man!!!!! Making Uncle Doug proud!!!

Ahhh!!! Josh and James got eaten by a giant salmon!!!!

A 20 minute bike ride back to the car and James was out!!! So cute!!!!

Another great day...

Okay, I know I said that yesterday was a great day but today was another equally wonderful, if not better, day!!! It started with me getting to sleep in until almost 8am while Josh got up with James (already a better day!) Then it was off to Folsom Lake with some mommy, daddy, and baby friends for some fun in the water. Josh and James loved playing in the water and the dirt too of course! We even got to go for a good little kayak ride thanks to James's new lifevest which he likes MUCH better than the smaller one. (We may have to keep this in mind and be able to enjoy using our kayak again!) We also had a delicous buffet of food from all the wonderful mommies! James loved this and was trying to scam food off people all day! One of my favorite comments of the day, "Oh yeah, I've heard about your kid, he's the eater!" One of my other favorite quotes, "I forgot, James is the one who understands." (That made me so proud!)

Anyway, best part of the day was getting to go out on a boat ride with some friends. Josh, James, and I got to enjoy the bow of the boat and LOVED every minute of it! James thought going over the waves was the best and LOVED the big bounces! By the end of the ride, the fresh air, playing, and rocking of the boat got the best of him and he fell SOUND ASLEEP in Daddy's arms, life vest and all! It was hilarious because the bouncing of the boat was making James's arms fly up and down in the air. When we got back to shore, we decided that the best way to keep James asleep the longest was to lie him down just like he was at home so we laid two towels, folded in half, on the dirt and James slept. He slept and he slept and he slept! He ended up taking a 2 hour nap in the middle of the Folsom Lake picnic area under a tree on some towels! It was wonderful and he looked so precious doing it!! Can't wait for another boat ride!

Isn't that the cutest!!! I love it!!!!

As we were leaving our friends, the Magana's, invited us over for dinner. So it was a quick trip home to unpack beach stuff and pack stuff up for dinner, then off to the Magana's for some delicious lasagna! James and Isa had a wonderful time playing, fighting over toys, going down the slide, shoving each other away from toys, eating dinner, dancing, eating ice cream, taking a bath, and getting ready for bed. It is amazing to see how much they have grown and always so much fun to see them play together! And, as always, we had a wonderful time hanging out and catching up with Colleen and Benny!

After our fun and exhausting day, it was home for a late bedtime (for James) and an early bedtime (for Mommy and Daddy). Let's hope that James decides to make it a late wake up tomorrow too but somehow I doubt that!

A wonderful Saturday!

I really need to go to bed because morning will come early but I had to write a quick post about our wonderful Saturday! We started with some early morning waffle making fun. James was a great helper with pouring the ingredients in, mixing, and watching the batter go into the waffle maker. We woke Daddy up with a delicious breakfast in bed which he decided to move to the table for the sake of cleanliness!
Our morning activity was a little family bike ride down to the Nimbus Fish Hatchery to feed the fishies and learn about the life cycle of salmon. First part: fun, second: not as much but Josh and James enjoyed it! Josh and James especially enjoyed feeding the fish and watching them jump out of the water to get the food (I think Josh was even more amazed than James by all the fish jumping for the food! He just wished he had his fishing pole!) Definitely worth another trip sometime soon! Unfortunately, James fell asleep on the bike ride back to the car. The idea was to wake him up after only 15-20 minutes so he still took a good afternoon nap...
After lunch and running a few errands, we went home for this great afternoon nap... instead James played in his crib for an hour! At least Mommy and Daddy still got a little rest time. Then Grandpa Dave surprised us all by stopping by to play for a few hours. We got to enjoy all his Iceland pictures and hear all his wonderful stories! Sounded like everyone had a great time!!! Then it was off to the outlets and dinner...
James's sandals seemed to be getting a little small so we decided to swing by Stride Rite to get his foot measured and get some new sandals. Didn't work too well... we learned that James continues to have an extra wide (not wide, extra wide!) foot and very few sandals come in extra wide, especially this late in the summer season! Bummer!!! We ended up getting some darling 6 1/2 extra wides that will hopefully fit for Auntie Michellie and Uncle Gary's wedding!
After dinner we came home to burn a little energy in the backyard with Grandpa Dave and Daddy in the backyard. James got to show off his excellent climbing skills by climbing up onto his slide and up the back wall. He also amazed us all by hitting a pitch thrown by Grandpa!!!! MLB here we come!!!!
James has also learned where the doggie treats are and is constantly wanting to give Captain a treat. We have limited it to one before nap and one after nap otherwise we would go through a package a day of treats if it was up to James. James has even learned the hand signal to tell Captain to sit, though Captain doesn't exactly listen yet. He has also learned to clap and call "dog" when he wants Captain to come; again, Captain isn't the best listener!
One more cute story... "G0 Dog Go" is one of James's favorite books right now. For those of you who know the book, when we get to the hat page, James says"hi". Then when I ask, "Do you like my hat?" James will shake his head with an emphatic "NO!" It is so cute to realize that he knows the story!!!!
Anyway, just terribly in love with the little man and want to remember every single cute little story so I have to write them all down! Hope everyone else had a wonderful Saturday too and can't wait for a fun Sunday too!!! Love to all!!!!

So impressed...

James is constantly impressing me and making his Mommy so proud!!!!
- When I got home from my pedicure the other day, Josh told me "Ask James where his ladybug is." I did as I was told and James proceeded to run into his room and pointed to his ladybug who was nicely tucked under the blankie for a nap in the crib. So cute that James remembered that and was able to show me!
- Tonight Josh asked James to go to his room to get socks and bring them to him. James did run into his bedroom and got two pairs of socks but then got distracted before he made it back to Josh. At least he got half way!
- This morning as I was loading up all the stuff we needed for the day (James's backpack, my purse, my lunch box, my breakfast, a snack for the car, etc.), James ran off. So I called for James as I was walking to the garage door to see where he was, I turned the corner and realized that he was already standing at the garage door waiting for me! I guess he was one step ahead of me!!!
- On the way to daycare this morning, James signed "help" as he said "help". When I asked him what he wanted, he said "book". I was so impressed because he will usually fuss or whine to get my attention in the care but this time he said "help"!!!
- As we were leaving daycare today, James said, "Bye. Bye Desiree." I couldn't believe it but it seemed clear as day!!!! Josh claims that James said "elephant" clear as day a few days ago! James is definitely trying to say more and more words everyday! He is constantly talking away, though I can't understand most of it but I am beginning to understand more and more. Anytime I go over to the pantry or open the pantry, James will go over and ask for a "cracker". So cute!!!!
- James knows how to get his own bibs for mealtimes now. When he is hungry or I tell him it's mealtime, he will go over to the drawer, open the drawer, and take a bib or two or three out. I will ask him to only get one so he will often times take the extras, put them back, then close the drawer. Love it!
- James is learning more and more animal sounds everyday. He now knows: elephant, sheep, goat, cow, monkey, lion, tiger, bear, and horse. He can also say: dog and fish. He loves the digital picture frame because fish will swim across it. He will run over to the front table and ask for the "fish"!
Okay, that's about all I can think of for now. It's time to do the dishes that are quickly stacking up and then get to bed early hopefully! Love to all!!!

Camping and fun, fun, fun...

We have been very busy having lots of fun recently!!! This past weekend, we went camping with our friends the Pearts! I have heard that we are crazy and brave for taking a 15 month old camping, that means that the Pearts are even crazier and even braver for taking their 2 1/2 year old and 6 month old camping. Either way, we all had a great time!!!! James LOVED being out in the dirt and getting as filthy as possible!!! This was one time that I wasn't such a big fan of having a thumb-sucker... play in dirt, suck thumb, play in dirt, suck thumb, ugh!!! Oh well, "God made dirt, dirt don't hurt!" I don't know how many times I said that all weekend. James had a great time playing with his buddy Lucas and trying to keep up with him all weekend. We were most worried about him sleeping well in a tent but he did a GREAT job! The first night was quite rough but that was our fault for not following the regular routine so the second night we followed the regular routine and he "slept like a baby!" So the second night I got to worry all night that something was wrong because he was completely silent all night until he woke up thrilled at 6:30am! It was so cute to hear/see James wake up because he was thrilled to be camping still!!!! After the second night, we are ready to camp again any time!!! We were planning on camping until Monday but ended up coming home on Sunday so Joshie got to stay home and play with James and I on Monday. We had the perfect day!!! Josh, James, and I started the morning with gymnastics class at Tricks. James loves gymnastics and does so well at class that I have been wanting Josh to join us for weeks. I think Josh really enjoyed watching James have so much fun and James loved having his daddy with him. (Did I mention that James loves his Daddy like crazy!!!) I was so impressed with James at gymnastics this week... he was able to turn in circles on the trampoline and sit down when asked, he watched the teacher very intently, he gave the teacher his dot, he put his eggs away (then took them back out but at least we are closer), and was a great little climber! After gymnastics we ran a few quick errands, had a yummy lunch, then off to naptime for James. This gave Mommy the perfect opportunity to get a pedicure (with the gift certificate from my hubby for our anniversary!) It was wonderful!!!!!!!
After naptime (and pedicure time), we made a family trip with Auntie Michelle and Uncle Gary to the California State Fair!!! Let's just say that James was very overwhelmed with all the sounds and sights but enjoyed it overall!!! Our first stop was the dumbo ride which James loved! Especially the view from 20 feet in the air!

Go Bears!!!! Josh keeps trying to teach James how to say "Go Bears" and reminds me that we only have a few more months until college football starts! Oh my!

John Deere!!! Fun tractor rides with Daddy!

Then it was off to visit all the animals. James loved saying hi to the animals though he was a little overwhelmed with the number of sheep, goats, and cattle in the barns. He did a great job telling us what the animals said! So proud of that little guy! This goose was particularly infatuated with James!

Dinner was a little interesting as there aren't many baby-friendly, healthy food options at the fair but we did find a bowl of fruit for dinner which James LOVED!

James was exhausted as we left at 7:30 so we put him in a fresh diaper and fresh clothes (oops, we forgot PJs) which was a good choice because he was passed out in the backseat in 15 minutes! What a fun day!!!!

My Accident-Prone Husband....

My accident-prone husband was at it again tonight.... this time, the dangerous activity was... drying a new cake pan!!! James and I were Skyping with Great Grandma, Great Grandpa, and Aunt Arlene while Josh was drying a few dishes when all of the sudden a heard a few "not so nice" words. A quick look at Josh's hand and we jumped in the car and headed to urgent care. The first thing the doctor said was "oh look, you can see your thumb tendon!" Thankfully he did not cut his thumb tendon at all because that would have made this a much different story! Josh sliced the skin between the thumb and pointer finger which left a huge hole since there is no fat under the skin there! Three stitches later and we were on our way home with doctors orders to keep the stiches dry... no dishes, no giving James baths, and no dirty diaper changes! (I think I may need a few stitches in my hand too!) Anyway, Josh is doing just fine and should be getting the stitches out on Friday so welcome back to dirty diapers buddy! What's next????

So long...

I have been meaning to post something for a while but time keeps getting away from me and now it's been a few weeks.... Plus, it doesn't make it any easier that the laptop is broken, the desktop is not fun to sit at, and Josh's work laptop will randomly shut off when it doesn't feel like working anymore. I guess that means that it's time for a new laptop, just not ready to dish out that much money! So, what have we been up to????

On June 26th, we had a fun and eventful day celebrating Auntie Michellie's 26th birthday! James got to go to his first Rivercats game with Auntie Michellie, Uncle Gary, Grandpa (now Pa-pa because it's easier to say for James), G-ma-ma, Uncle Doug, and some of Uncle Gary's family and Auntie Michellie's friends. The whole idea of a baseball game in the middle of naptime doesn't sound too appealing but we decided to give it a try. James took a quick 45 minute nap before the game then stayed up for the rest of the day!!!! He was quite a trooper and lasted longer than the rest of us in the horrible Sacramento heat! Luckily, we all got a little relief by playing in Auntie and Uncle's pool after the game and enjoying a delicious BBQ thanks to Uncle Gary!!!

We all laid pretty low for the 4th of July this year. I had to work on Saturday and Sunday so Josh and James got to enjoy two days of male bonding. I think they had a great time and Mommy loved having two guests for lunch at work both days (lucky Mommy!) We celebrated the 4th by having Eli, CaraLynn (Josh's friends from work), Auntie, and Uncle over for a little BBQ. We were hoping that James could stay up a little late to enjoy some fireworks but unfortunately he was exhausted very early due to a LAME nap that day! Bummer!!! Maybe next year!!!

I am still having a WONDERFUL time watching James grow and learn so much all the time! He constantly AMAZES me!!! A few cute stories...
* Usually when we get home from work, we will walk down the street to get the mail. Today we came inside first (so I could go potty), then James told me that we needed to go get the mail. I aksed him to come get the keys from me so he came right over and reached up to get the keys. He then started running to the garage door so I asked him to go to the front door instead and he went right over to the front door and waited for me. Just amazing how he listened to all the directions so well!!!
* James knows where his bibs are and will go get one before each meal. He is great because he will take one out (sometimes more come out but he will put those back if I ask him) then close the drawer and run over to his high chair. The other day he even got the bib around his neck and tried to velcro it together. So darling!!!
* James has become quite the climber!!!! Desiree (daycare provider) said that James climbed onto every table last week! Yikes!!! He also learned how to climb up the short brick retaining wall in our backyard, onto the little slide in the backyard, and onto rolling toys so he can reach the toys in his cradle. Obviously I don't want him standing on rolling toys to reach things so I pulled out my two thickest textbooks for James to use as a stool to get his things in the cradle (and crawl onto the couch). He is so good at it and LOVES to have more independence!!!
* James has also become much more of a snuggler! (Mommy LOVES this!!!) He has been getting a book out of the cradle and walking over to ask me to read it to him. I'll sit down and James will crawl onto my lap and let me read him a book! LOVE IT!!!! He is also putting a book on the couch, crawling onto the couch, and sitting on the couch to read his book.
* James is learning new animal sounds all the time. He knows the sounds for elephants, cows, sheep, bear, and lion. Yesterday, he surprised me my saying "neigh" when we saw a horse!
* James is learning new words every day too!!!! Of course the words aren't clear but he tries and Mommy understands... fish, cheese, mail, milk, dog, ball, book, bat, head, hat, hot, hi, bye, go, goal, throw, mom, dad, pa-pa, cracker, and a few other things that I can't think of right now. I love that James knows so many words because it makes it so much easier for him to communicate with me!!!
* James is falling asleep wonderfully! He is often times excited about going to bed and will happily roll around and play for 5-20 minutes before falling asleep. All the sleep training is paying off and we are enjoying the benefits of it!!!

We are having such a wonderful time!!!!! I love thinking of new things we can do together and love that James is understanding more and more all the time! Just having so much fun!!!!