Too quiet...

I left James in the living room to play yesterday after his nap. Jemma was at the neighbors and I was working on dinner. It was just a little too quiet, so I went to investigate. Unfortunately the camera was upstairs, so I missed the photo of James' wide grin and puffy cheeks. Jemma had left a bowl of raisins on the couch and he was putting all that he could fit into his mouth. My first urge was to pry them all out of his mouth, but I breathed and watched as he chewed and gummed them all down. Jemma didn't eat a raisin until she was over two and here is my little eating machine chomping down... he can eat just about anything! I think he has even eaten part of Jemma's peanutbutter sandwhich... so much for those "rules" about what kids can and can't have!

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Aunt Suzanne got this adorable outfit for Jemma for Christmas:

Here are play pictures from Monday night just before bathtime: While Daddy was distracted with Jemma, James found paper... if Mommy had not been there to snatch it away, it would have gone into the mouth:

Jemma going to school on Tuesday (notice the beautiful shoes... thank you Nanny and GrandMary!)

Jim flew Tuesday night (he left home before 8:30 am and returned about midnight... long day!), so I made a pot of lentil-spinach soup and Amy joined us for dinner.

Merin, Mya and Scout came over for dinner (chicken, aspargus, baked potatoes, rolls, and fresh pineapple) last night. I kept expecting Jim to come home to join us for dinner, but it was another late night. I was on the way to take James for a bath when he arrived. The kids were both so excited to see him and it was fantastic to have the help with bath & bedtime!

Playtime!

Jemma asks, "Daddy, can we play rough?" Here is an example of the answer:

I threw a baby shower for Kat in Richmond, which turned out wonderful. She got some really cute little boy outfits and several wonderful handmade quilts, plus lots of other goodies for the baby. I ordered the cake from Ukops and it was so yummy (buttercream frosting!). They did a really cute little design, too. From what I could tell, everyone had a nice afternoon. It was so nice to be without the kids for an entire day... sometimes it is nice just to get away! Jim had a fabulous time with the kids and even took them out to a restaurant for lunch. He is such a wonderful father! Troy and Kat sent Christmas presents back for the kids... one of my favorite gifts, books! James loves his new duck book... can you tell?!?

I brought a balloon home from the shower and it is both kids favorite toy. James just points to it and smiles and grunts. Here is Daddy playing with the kids:

James climbed onto the stool (he loves to climb) to "help" Mommy cook with Jemma:

More "rough" play, per Jemma's request (also gives Daddy quite a workout):

Molar!?!

James has been drooling and chewing like crazy... teething is so much fun... you've seen the pictures of the drool... I keep expecting that fourth bottom tooth to pop through. It is so odd to see a child with 3 top teeth and 3 bottom teeth... where is that fourth bottom tooth? As I put him in the van today to go and get Jemma at school, I noticed a white speck in the back of his mouth, which I thought was leftover lunch. I reached in to get it out (I don't let him eat in his carseat for fear that he will choke) and discovered that it was his molar! It was not there this morning... the tooth just appeared in a few hours. I was not expecting a molar yet... Jemma was over a year late getting hers... but he is getting it just a little early!

My Train

I saw this train set on a TV segment about American made toys (www.maplelandmark.com). I loved it and thought it would be a wonderful thing to get for James, so I asked people to get it for him for Christmas. (Santa brought the Engineer's set, Caboose, Disk and Crane Cars.) I am hoping that he can collect many more pieces over the years... what a great thing for him to have forever! Jim made the shelf... you can't see it in these pictures but he made tracks for the train to "ride" on. And we finally made time to hang the pictures and handprints on the wall, too! :)

The straw

I was drinking a caffeine-free Coke last Sunday morning (1/20). James was in my arms and trying his best to get the straw. So, I stuck it in his mouth and he just grinned and took the biggest gulp of Coke. It was the first time he has ever used a straw and I didn't think he would actually use it. He then gave me the "more" sign. It was the first (and only) time that he has given the "more" sign... we've been trying to use baby-signs for months and he uses it correctly for Coke!!! I put some apple juice in a cup and let him use the straw, but he still wanted Mommy's Coke.

Jim and I were then reminiscing about Jemma's first time with a straw. I had stopped at Chick-fil-A for lunch and as I was getting Jemma out of the car seat at home, she was pointing at my Sprite. So, I put the straw in her mouth and she sucked down Sprite. As a first time mom, I was mortified! I called Jim at work all upset, "Jemma just drank Sprite... what should I do?!?" Jim was the calm one who pointed out that it would not hurt her to have a sip of Sprite. Ok, so I overreacted... she didn't drink poison... it was merely Sprite.

My perfect little boy!

James was my perfect little boy yesterday. It was a fast paced morning... nursing James then getting him ready, waking Jemma then getting her dressed (she can be such a SLOW poke first thing), feeding them both breakfast, packing lunches, and just getting out the door. I dropped Jemma and Mya off at school and then James and I went to the car dealership to have the oil change and state inspection done. They told me when I made the appointment that it would take about an hour and a half. So, I packed books, finger puppets, a rattle, toys and snacks. They have a kids room, but we skipped it. The TV was on, but I didn't really want James watching TV. So, we went to a corner of the showroom floor that was "hidden" by a cubicle wall so we could enjoy the sunshine and looking outside. James was so incredibly good! He watched the guys wash cars, I read books and we played with the toys, he munched on cheerios and he smiled at everyone that passed by... he was absolute baby perfection! Even when it took almost two hours, I didn't mind. Time actually passed quickly.

It was almost 11:30 when we left the dealership, which is in Norfolk. We were supposed to pick our neighbors up at the airport at 1:30, so instead of driving home and then turning around and driving back to Norfolk, we just stayed in Norfolk. We went to a store and browsed and he just smiled at people and had a grand time. I gave him a roll of wrapping paper that he held like a trophy! Then, I fed James lunch in the car while he watched people get in and out of their cars and go into the stores and he saw seagulls circling to find crumbs in the parking lot... he loves watching birds. About 12:30, he was getting very sleepy so I buckled him into the carseat. After screaming for 5 mintues, he went to sleep and napped until I took him out of the car at 1:30 to get Amy and her kids.

When we arrived home, he looked so happy. He napped for over two hours in his crib. Trina got Jemma from school, then brought her home after we arrived. It was such a big help for me and Jemma had such fun playing with Derek. She even painted snowflakes and glued buttons with sparkly glue at Trina's house.

Merin, Mya and Scout, Wendy, Donovan and Bradon, joined us for dinner last night. Wendy bought Chinese and we had a great time. It was a little circus-like with all the kids running around, but it was so much fun. It certainly makes the time pass quicker when the guys are away or just working late! Once everyone left, both the kids were ready for bath and bed. It was a crazy day, but a great day, too!! :)

Jim arrived home after James was in bed and just as I was begining to read Jemma a book. So, he was able to read Jemma a bedtime story and kiss her goodnight. If I had know that he was going to be home, then I probably would have kept James awake a few more minutes to see Daddy too. I just never know how long his debriefs are going to last!

Catching up!

Jim is off from work today and I must say again, "I love, love, love having him home!!!!"

Here are Jemma and Mya playing on Friday. They kept taking turns riding/pulling the wagon. Jemma even told Mya that she was on bedrest so she had to lay down while riding. Her imigination makes me laugh!

Here is James Saturday morning. He had just finished breakfast 30 minutes before, and here he is looking for crumbs in his high chair. The kid eats! For breakfast he has an entire banana, 3/4 cup yogurt plus 3 Tbsp of oatmeal... then he shovels in cheerios or puffs until he is full. And that is after he nurses! (On Christmas morning, my Aunt Jane said, "Is he really going to eat all of that?" And Jim's mom looked at his bowl and questioned whether he would finish all of it... and he did!) It is nothing for him to have a cream cheese sandwhich plus 4 Tbsp of meat puree with 1/3 cup of veggie or fruit puree and want more. If he keeps this up, I don't want to think of what our grocery bill will be when he is a teenager!! But I am noticing that his cute baby-fat rolls are almost gone. He is becoming a solid, tall little man. He is a little more than 24 lbs and Jemma is only 30... she eats too, but she only in spurts... there are days that she is like a little bird and others where I don't know where she packs it all!

Jemma, James and Daddy went to a birthday party Saturday afternoon. Here is James in his firetruck sweater from Uncle Andy and Aunt Suzanne! The clown painted a butterfly on her face. I only went for about 30 minutes, then I left for a baby shower at The Painted Lady. I had a splendid time!! It was a great shower and really enjoyed talking to the women. The food was so yummy. I ate two scones with lemon curd, Devonshire cream and raspberry jam, litte finger sandwhiches, chocolate covered strawberries. In fact, I ate so much that I could not finish my piece of the heavenly cake at the end. I didn't think that I liked scones... apparently, I do! And the tea (Jasmine) was very good, too. Such a great afternoon!! When I got home, Jim had made ravoli for dinner. He and Jemma and James were dining by candlelight and enjoying their special treat of gingerale out of champagne glasses. It was so cute and sweet!! Jim really enjoyed his time with the kids.

The weather is COLD. I don't like cold... I'm one of those people that prefers to hibernate when the temperature drops, so I was overjoyed when Jim took the kids out to play in the snow and later to go for a walk to the park. I just enjoyed the fireplace and stayed inside! The weather people were calling for a "winter storm" with 1-3 inches of snow. We got what I call a dusting. However, Jim scraped enough snow from the ground and car to help Jemma make a snowman family. They had a blast outside. Jim was throwing snowballs at Jemma and she was stomping on them! Then Mya came outside and the girls played and played. I had Jemma layered and bundled... I bought her a snowsuit last year (size 2T) that I thought would still fit, but I was very wrong. I have given it to our neighbor for her little girl, Claire. James is too big for the snowsuit that I bought for this year (6-12 months), and the 18 month one is just a little big but he still wore it! I am pretty certain that it will not fit next year!

Mya stayed and played until 2:30. I hope that it gave Merin a needed break... she has a newborn who isn't very fond of sleeping yet! How I remember those days. It is funny the things that you forget with time. She was talking of Scout falling asleep and not wanting to eat... it made me remember the times that we would take off Jemma's clothes, turn on the ceiling fan and lights and make her "uncomfortable" enough to stay awake to nurse. We had such a hard time getting her to nurse during those first months... I pumped every 3 hours almost everyday for 4 months until she got the hang of nursing. I am so, so glad that I stuck with it. She nursed until I got pregnant with James and I loved it. There were some frustrating times at the beginning, but it was well worth it!

Jim made a lasagna yesterday. It was so yummy! Merin brought Scout and Mya over and we had a great meal. Scout just slept in her carseat, so Merin got a relaxing and hot meal!

From the mouth of babes...

Last Thursday morning I had just finished nursing James and Jemma came in to snuggle with us in bed. (Jim had left for work much earlier.) It was such a nice, quiet morning. We were just snuggling and laughing. Then, she looked at my stomach and said, "Mommy, why is your belly all wrinkly?" I told her that I had gained a lot of weight while pregnant with James and my tummy is shrinking slowly. She then put her hand on my stomach and said, "Mommy, your tummy is all squishy. It is funny how it jiggles!" Ah, out of the mouth of a toddler... the cold, hard truth... one day, I aspire to have a non-squishy, non-jiggly belly... one day, I will get back into shape... one day...

Such a wonderful week...

Last week was so incredibly wonderful... we had temperatures in the 70s and the kids played outside every day!! :) Now it is cold... in fact, we had snow flurries yesterday. Yet Jemma still wants to play outside. So, we played outside briefly today. Here are some pictures from last week!

Why do I feel the need to get toys?!? James is so content to play with the containers, pots and pans in the kitchen...

James was not too sure of the sandbox on Tuesday (1/8). He was pretty content just to crawl on the deck and play with the toys. (Notice the drool...) Jemma had a blast playing soccer... running, kicking the ball and falling down! Tuesday was Brady's birthday, and Amy was taking him to Chili's to celebrate. We went along with them, since Jim was flying and I had not made dinner plans. It was two adults and five kids... and we had a pretty good time. They gave us a huge booth... James was in a high chair on one end and Claire was in a high chair on the other end! Amy was on one side with Brady, and I had Jemma and Addison on my side.

The next day, James crawled right into the sandbox and was having a grand time! (1/9) Jim had to fly again at night and I am reminded of how much it helps having him home. Bedtime is difficult with two little ones... both want your attention at the same time. I am amazed at how parents of many little ones retain their sanity! And it certainly makes me dread the upcoming months of work-ups and cruise...

Jim went to a retirement ceremony and was dressed in his uniform... Jemma wanted to put on his hat...

...I thought James looked cute in it too!

I had such a wonderful surprise on Thursday. Jim offered to take the kids to a birthday party while I went for a Ladies Night Out playing bunko. I had such fun... I rolled a bunko for the first time and I actually had the most wins!! (The first two times I played with the group in Quantico, I had with the most losses, which isn't too bad since you get a prize for being the biggest loser!) The theme of the gift was "Re-gift" which I thought was quite funny... at least until I left with Duct-ogamy. It is a book with 18 projects that you can do with Duct tape plus a roll of duct tape to get you started. Other people got candles, scarves, cute placecard holders... I got Duct-ogamy... it is a funny and highly unusual gift... wonder if I will ever had an occassion to re-gift this re-gift?!? It was so nice to get out and have the kids already in bed when I came home... I just adore my husband!!!

Here is Daddy applying makeup for Jemma. She got a princess make-up compact in her stocking from Santa... it has sparkly eyeshadow and lipgloss.

Wonderful weekend...

These past few days have been pretty relaxed. We have had some wonderful family time! I love it when Jim is home!! :)

I took these pictures of our happy little guy playing with the learning table last Thursday:

James has learned how to turn the TV on and loves to push the button over and over again... I hope this phase is over quickly. (We have to hide the remote because he can turn it on and off with the remote too.)

Amy (our next door neighbor) cam over for dinner on Friday. We ordered Papa John's pizza and let the kids play! Jim went to a squadron function and her husband (Mark) was in NY, so it was just the girls and kids... it was nice just to hang out and talk. I'm really going to miss them when they move!

I finally got the invitations to Kat's baby shower printed and mailed Saturday ... I think they are cute! James got his sixth tooth (upper left) on Saturday. We went to Derek's 3rd birthday celebration at Gymboree Saturday evening. The kids both had a blast! We had the whole place for just the 10 kids who attended Derek's party... it was so nice. And there was yummy cake, so Jemma was very happy. She must have asked 50 times on the way there, "Are we going to have birthday cake?" My girl likes her cake...

Here are a couple of pictures from Sunday morning... it was a nice, relaxing morning and the kids enjoyed having Daddy to play!

Mum Haircut = Food?!?

It was the Sunday before Christmas... it was a beautiful, sunny afternooon. Jemma and Daddy had gone to the store, so I decided that James and I should take a walk to deliver Christmas cards around the neighborhood. Before I could get us ready, Jemma and Daddy returned home. James was in the stroller and Jemma wanted to play outside, so while Jim and I put the groceries away, I asked Jemma to keep an eye on James and stay out of the street. We were only out of eyesight for a few minutes... when I came back outside, James had something in his mouth. I quickly took out the hard, round black object from his little mouth and noticed several others just like it on his stroller tray. When I questioned Jemma she replied, "I was giving the plant a haircut." She had been pulling the dead mum flowers from the plant and putting them on James' stroller! They keep me on my toes all the time...

Dry ice

We received a yummy cheesecake from Nanny for Christmas! Thank you, Nanny!!! :) (This is from 12/20, but with the holidays and a finicky internet, I'm just getting to post!)

It was packaged in dry ice. Jim showed Jemma the magic of dry ice. It was so cute and she was so funny repeating, "It is very cold. It will burn me. We don't touch the ice."

James just crawled around and was not too interested...