Wish you were here!

We have been having beautiful weather here in Virginia, and the boys and I have been taking full advantage of this rare opportunity. The double stroller lets us all get out of the house, and also gives Luke a snugly place to nap during our walks.

James saw some big kids at the park, and started going down the slide on his tummy. They also were using sticks as guns, he didn't quite get that concept thankfully.

And here is my smiley Luke. He is really getting his fingers in his mouth, and I think I see a tooth starting to poke through. Poor guy! But it doesn't keep him from smiling all day long. Luke, you really brighten my days!

He's touching me!

I have been trying so hard to get a good picture of these two guys for so long. As you can see from the above pictures, I have failed. Miserably. For some reason whenever I sit them next to each other, James decides he doesn't want to be touched. I am taken back to the time when Morgan used to taunt me with "I'm not touching you" and I would scream back "Stop touching me". Oh goodie, it is already beginning with my boys. Let the games begin!

Playtime

Here are a couple of cute pictures of the boys during our morning playtime. James HATED the Bumbo when he was a baby, his little (or should I say BIG) thighs just couldn't squeeze into the leg slots. Now at 21 months he has the same problem, but for some reason he LOVES sitting in the Bumbo. Below is James at 4 months and at 21 months in our blue Bumbo.

Luke LOVES his play-zoo. Another one of those things that James hated as a baby...these kids are a study in opposites! James has not tried to take Luke's play-zoo, although he has claimed the Bumbo as his own for the time being.

Happy Friday!

SNOW!!!

It snowed today. When John was walking home he called us and we all threw on some snow clothes so we could go out and enjoy all the fluffy white stuff.


James was a happy guy running through all the snow.

And Luke was so bundled up that he fell asleep in his baby Bjorn.

Can't really see him under that hat, but he's in there I promise.

James and John smiling in the snow.

The snow is so much fun!

James and Abigail

There are so many great stories from our trip down to Atlanta to visit family! Here are some of my favorites.

1. James rolled off the bed at our hotel on the way down south...he slept through the entire ordeal and John successfully picked him up and threw him back on the bed. What a great sleeper! Luke also decided to start sleeping 12 hour stretches at night. Ahh, I am so rested!

2. We visited Atlanta's aquarium and James LOVED it. There was a great kid area where James tried to climb into the pool, thankfully Nana scooped him out before he was soaked. He also really wanted to go down a long slide, but was too afraid until he saw big cousin Abigail do it all by herself.

3. Visiting with Ma (John's grandmother). She has so many great stories to tell. We even heard all about her Aunt who was very tall and had long fingers, just like Luke! James liked helping Ma honk the horn on her walker, and he also helped John change some of her light bulbs.

4. James and Abigail had so much fun playing together. James claps for himself after he completes a puzzle, and Abigail was watching and said "How cute!" and giggled.

5. Having a full dinner table with 6 adults, 2 toddlers and 2 babies and no one was fussing...amazing!

Gingerbread

We had a late Christmas celebration this past weekend with Uncle Robert, Aunt Stephanie, and cousins Wil, Maggie and Charlie. We had so much fun decorating gingerbread houses and spending time with family! Luke was the life of the party and was passed around so everyone got a chance to hold him. James was the his usual energetic self and got into everything. Good thing he has such sweet cousins who want to play with him, and Aunt Stephanie who always has great snacks!

Short order cook

The kitchen has been a big hit, especially when we brought up his table and chairs from downstairs. Now James has his own little restaurant and two very faithful customers...frog and bear. He really keeps busy moving around all the food and dishes and such. I mean really busy. Like I can actually get something done during the day while he plays kind of busy. Amazing!

Elephants and Pants

Today we took the boys to the Natural History Museum. We really wanted to go to the zoo, but it was just too cold to be outside for that long. We all bundled up and drove in after breakfast. The first thing we saw when we walked through the double doors was the huge elephant. James couldn't stop pointing and smiling. He also has a really cute elephant impersonation by putting his hand on his nose. Cute boy!

James pretty much smiled the entire time at the mammals exhibit. He roared when he saw the lion and giggled at the giraffe's long tongue. This kid loves animals, and we can't wait until the weather is warm enough to go to the zoo.

About half way through the museum John pulls me aside and tells me I have a hole in my pants...on my behind. Oh my goodness! I quickly pealed off my sweater and tied it around my waist. I took comfort that the museum wasn't too crowded! Later John also realized that his pants were stained. Too bad he didn't give us a good once over before we left the house! At least both the boys had cute outfits, hopefully everyone was busy looking at them rather then there bedraggled parents. Ha!

After all the excitement we walked by the carousel outside and snacked on fresh popcorn from one of the vendors. The wind was pretty chilly, but the sun was out. Luke happily enjoyed the sunshine.

And James loves running along the gravel paths.

So today we learned:
1. James loves animals
2. John and I are perfectly capable of dressing our kids, which is a good thing because
3. John and I can't dress ourselves

The World According to James

James loves to help when things need fixing. All he needs is a screwdriver and he is ready to help Uncle Morgan fix the toaster. Mind you, he knows the difference between his toy screwdriver and the real deal. No imitations for this guy.

This is the face I get when he doesn't want to eat something. It's got the markings a little independence and a little bit of mischief. Silly boy! Also we have discovered that ALL food tastes better at Costco. Just the other day he tried samples of smoothie, chocolate chip granola bar, sharp cheddar cheese and hot peperoni. He snarfed them all down and wanted more...who is this kid?

He is starting to get into more and more mischief...check out this structure he built. I have no idea how he climbed into it without toppling it over.

And he is learning all about his kitchen...I mean every inch. Sometimes I find it completely rotated or in the middle of the floor. And those pans may need to be stored away...the constant throwing of metal pans is starting to drive me insane. We needs some good ol' plastic pans! Also please note the champagne glasses on top of his kitchen...it appears James is already becoming a party animal.

Christmas Memories

Here are some of our favorite Christmas memories from 2008:

5 adults, 2 dogs, 1 toddler and 1 new born = a full house of family to help us celebrate this wonderful holiday! Here is the best family portrait that we took...

...and here is our favorite outtake:

Our neighbor made sure to put a bunny in their nativity scene just for James. He loves bunnies and whenever he sees our neighbors he makes sure to point out their decorative bunny in their front yard.

Crazy Uncle Morgan teaching James how to play on the playground. Uncle Morgan also tried to teach James all about wasabi at our traditional Christmas eve sushi dinner, but James was smart and didn't bite.

Auntie Julia's Christmas letter mad-lib.. we laughed so hard and got pretty creative with our choices of nouns and adjectives.


James and his new kitchen, he has been so busy organizing and playing. His eyes were so big when he walked into the kitchen Christmas morning and found his present.

Enjoying presents and time in our pjs Christmas morning. Luke was such a sweet little cuddler. I also bought the boys matching jammies and they looked so cute!

Evening walks to enjoy the Christmas lights in our neighborhood.

Merry Christmas!