kitty cat

James favorite word by far is "kitty cat". Here is where it all began, his favorite animals puzzle. He knows the kitty cat by name, there is also a dog that he identifies with a "oof off", and the bird he just throws around. Apparently bird equals boring. Lately he has also been pointing out the kitty cat in his books, every chance he gets. I didn't realize how much kitty cats are used in childrens books.


The most ironic part about James' kitty cat obsession is that he wouldn't know a real kitty cat if he ran into one. I try to point them out to him on walks and we even went to the pet store to look at kitty cats. But he seemed uninterested, he likes his kitty cats in books and puzzles. Ironically James will probably be allergic to kitty cats just like his daddy. It runs in both families which is why we are all dog people, no cats anywhere.

He wasn't very happy to get his picture taken this morning, see below. He even threw the puzzle piece when he realized what I was trying to do. What a silly guy!

A few more firsts

James has been very busy exploring new things lately. Here are a few more firsts:


First iced latte. He LOVED it.

First time playing with the big foam puzzle. He just figured out that the pieces come apart, and now they are everywhere.

First nap on the back patio. He has been mimicking Zion a lot. So when he saw Zion lay down outside, he wanted to try too.

First city built on top of the DVD player. He will find a small spot and try to build inside it.

Have a great day!

Five years ago today...

...John and I tied the knot! Let me show you where it all began.

Here we are at the Sadie Hawkins dance our sophomore year in high school. It's like a where's waldo...can you find us? Hint: You were supposed to dress alike, and being very creative kids we chose to both wear navy blue shirts. Since our first date, I have been able to wear much more fashionable dresses (see collage below).

And here are some never before posted pictures of us over the years. Since we have been married we moved 3 times, met lots of new friends here in Virginia and have 1.5 children and one dog. Here is to many more years of fun and excitement, and navy blue shirts. Love you sweetie!

New favorite food

What is James' new favorite food?

BBQ flavored baked potato chips. Apparently it's genetic, James loves chips as much as his mommy and daddy. We also tried juice. That was a no go, he is a solid fan of water or milk.

Updates and the big fat lie

Sorry for the lack of blog postings lately. Seriously people, we had a holiday to celebrate our independence and we had to eat lots of hot dogs.

Here is a picture of James playing outside. His new favorite thing is to have a mini pool in his bucket. He even climbed in it once and was sitting in it, although not very successfully because he is a big boy.

So what has James been doing lately? Let me tell you because I am a proud mama.

*He follows a simple instruction most of the time. For example, if Grandma gives him something and says "Take this to mommy" he will grab it and come running over to me.
*He can identify himself in pictures. In fact this is a new favorite activity.
*He will stick out his tongue or grab his ears when asked where these parts are.
*He knows where we keep spare diapers and will go find them when he wants to be changed.
*He has decided that sometimes food tastes better off the floor. He also likes food better when it comes from Christine or Dan. He ate lime flavored tortilla chips at their house. He would never eat those from me!

Here are some pictures of our growing garden. I love how pretty it is when everything is in bloom. Amy, note our beautiful cone flowers, inspired by your garden.

And now for the big fat lie. You will all be pleased to know that I do not know how to do a keg stand. In fact, my husband is much to smart to even offer to teach me. Really, can anyone really see me doing that? I can't. All other statements were true. I have led a very exciting life, and it just keeps getting better!

5 truths and a lie

Ok friends here we go! I was inspired by Emily's blog so here is my version of 5 truths and a lie. Can you tell which of the following is not true?

1. I married my high school sweetheart. Our first date was when I asked him to the Sadie Hawkins dance.
2. Once I went to the wrong airport, and luckily the airline had empty seats and I could still fly to my destination.
3. One of my best hidden talents is belly dancing. I took lessons for years, and even performed in a talent show.
4. John taught me how to do a keg stand so I could impress his fraternity brothers.
5. I was named Junior Miss Palo Alto, but I only entered for the free t-shirt.
6. At one point in my life my friends called me "Bubbles". My best friend at the time went by Yum-yum.

Lazy Saturday

Today we had a lovely Saturday, and the day is only half over! We went on our usual Saturday search for yard sales, and stumbled across one that had lots of fun boy toys. James got these new fire trucks and is enjoying them very much. He dances to the music and likes to move the people all around on the truck. When he really likes a toy he will talk to himself as he plays, and this is one of my favorite things.

We also went to our local home improvement store to pick up a couple of things, and as James was being strolled through the store in the cart he was munching on some puffed corn snacks. (Note to all moms: Trader Joes makes fantastic puffed corn snacks that are more nutritious then the baby puffed corn snacks, and they are much better priced!) James has been flexing his muscles lately, and he took a larger puffed snack and held it up. He then proceeded to grunt and tear it in half. Surprised by his strength he held both halves in the air and inspected them. Then he shoved both in his mouth. What a guy! The people around us who caught this amazing feat also got some great entertainment, James was quite the hit in the hardware section.

Hope your Saturday is going well!

James in the jungle!

It is so nice having a resident gardener in the house. Grandma is really getting our backyard into shape and has been busy pruning and mulching. It looks GREAT, thanks Grandma!

Here is James "helping" Grandma. He loved the pile of vines and couldn't stop playing with them.

Here is James next to the pile.

Look what I found! I think the vine is longer then he is, yet he is happily swinging it around the yard.

What a sweet helper!

Just one of the guys

A couple of cute stories from the last couple of days....

The other night after dinner James asked to get out of his high chair, so I let him out and he ran into the living room to play. We didn't think much of it, until we realized it was very quiet. Generally this means he is getting into trouble. But when we peaked around the corner we saw he was very busy studying his "Who loves Baby" book, and more specifically looking at the picture of Daddy. So sweet!

Our good friends Dan and Christine came over the other night for a quick visit. James immediatley ran to Dan who threw him in the air and tickled his tummy. James giggled and loved every minute and was very sad to see them go, and gave a sweet wave good bye. Later that day we saw James standing in the same spot that Dan had thrown him in the air, just staring into space and giggling. It really looked like he was remembering the fun he had when Dan came to visit.

And tonight he was extremely busy playing with all his trucks. This is one manly little guy and I promise to post some more pictures soon!

Beach babies!

James and I just returned home from our time in Edisto Beach. James had such a fun time exploring the sand and the water. He also got his first taste of chocolate cake that his Nana made him. Yum!

Check out this smiling guy playing in the sand.

James loved his cousin Abigail. These two played so well together. Abigail taught James all about tea parties and baby dolls, and James taught Abigail all about throwing sand and getting messy.

Here is James watching his grandfather throw bread to the seagulls. He didn't really like to sit in the chair, he much preferred to stand.

Cousin Charlie had James glued to his juggling tricks. James would grab the balls and throw them like he was trying to juggle too.

For a complete look at our beach fun a slide show is below.