Finally...

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James has finally cut his top teeth. He has been working on them for the past month and once I discovered them he was so pleased with himself. I even got him to smile while I was talking his picture.  In the day he has had his new teeth he has wasted no time in trying to eat an apple and was thrilled to discover he can actually break of chunks of it himself. A whole new world has opened up to my baby.

James in now 11 months old and quite he is quite certain he is the favorite little boy in the house. His sister absolutely adores him and his parents can't get grumpy with him even when he is in trouble. All he has to do is flash his big smile and we instantly melt. This might turn out to be a problem. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

James is still very much a little boy...very busy with lots of things to do during the day. His favorite job lately is resetting our answering machine and phone. According to James it's quite possibly the best invention. Every single button on it makes noise or says something back to you. I'm not even sure how he gets some of the responses. It's so funny to watch him play with it, it's all very serious discovery time for him. He takes his discovery time VERY seriously.

His other major accomplishment this month as been walking. He has been taking steps since Christmas, but he is now a pro. He walks most of the time and can stand himself up in the middle of the floor when he falls down. Here is a little clip of him walking. In the middle he discovers I'm filming him and want to play with the camera, one of his favorite toys, he just doesn't understand why no one will let him play with it.



We are looking forward to his one year old birthday and can't wait to see what new things he accomplishes this month. Maybe he'll start growing hair.

A Wonderful Weekend

We had a wonderful weekend. Friday night Hailee's school had a carnival that we all went to. We ate pizza and hotdogs and bought $5 dollars worth of tickets that kept Hailee busy all night. I had to help with one of the booths so James, Hailee and Todd got to enjoy all the fun games. It was the perfect age for Hailee with lots of games she really enjoyed. At the end of the night they came to pick me up and she had a whole new stable of tiny horses and other little trinkets she had won at various booths. Since Todd had James as well he didn't get any pictures of her playing the games, but this is her at the end.

The next day we went into Portland to check out Powell's Books. It is the largest independently owned bookstore. It was so much fun, and the only way I can describe it is it fits right into Portland. It takes up an entire city block and has just about any type of book you could care to find. We spend most of the time in the children room and the kids had such a good time. One of our favorite discoveries was the fact they had used books as well as new books. They have a huge selection of Hailee's favorite books (Magic Treehouse, Tinkerbell, and Junie B. Jones). James even found his favorite books (That's Not My Monster).  Todd and I decided to start the Percy Jackson series. And everyone went home happy.

Once we got to the car Hailee couldn't wait to start reading her book until we got home. Both her and James started enjoying their books on the way home. The rest of the day was spend relaxing and reading our books. So far everyone is really enjoying their new books.

Hailee reads every night before going to bed and we've had a hard time keeping her in books. Depending on how early she goes to bed she'll read an entire Magic Tree house book before falling asleep.  I think we found our new favorite bookstore to keep us all busy reading.

James is finally starting to enjoy reading more as well. Before Christmas we discovered he enjoys books with textures. We found one called "That's not my Monster" that he absolutely loved. While on the plane to Arizona he loved reading it and then when we changed planes I forgot it on the plane. We were so sad, and checked three Barnes and Nobles with no luck finding a new one. When we found it at Powell's he was so excited and laughed again and again as we read it to him. It kept him entertained all the way home.

One of Todd and I's favorite thing to do in the evening once the kids are all in bed is read together. The first book we read was "The Three Musketeers" and it was so much fun. Other favorite's have been Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia. I think the Percy Jackson series will be a fun one to read together. They are fairly quick reads and have a fun story. So far so good. 

Our Little Girl

I can't believe that Hailee is 5 1/2. Honestly, where does the time go. She is becoming a beautiful independent little girl that is always a joy to have around. She has always been beautiful and a joy to be around, she is just adding the independent part. She is the smartest little one in her school class, the best helper with her little brother, the best at going to bed by herself, and such a good help around the house. She loves helping her mom, playing with her little brother,  and enjoys spending time with her dad. Here are some of my favorite stories of the last little while.

 One Saturday we went out to find Hailee a new winter coat to keep her warm on the 3 weeks worth of cold weather in Oregon. We were at the Gap when I found the most ADORABLE coat. It was cream with  fur trim on the hood. It was perfect, it would match everything and according to our daughter the boringest coat in the entire world. She didn't want to try it on, but seeing as Todd and I thought it was perfect we made her. We figured that if she could just see how adorable she looked she would instantly change her mind and want to buy it. I wish I had my camera with me to capture the look on her face when she looked in the mirror and said "I look like some strange kind of animal." We both just cracked up and decided to be good parents and let her pick out her own coat. She quickly picked out the one above and has been so pleased every day since. She LOVES her heart coat and I'm happy it makes her happy. Who would want a boring cream colored coat?

She has also grown in height the last few months. At the beginning of school her pants fit her perfectly. By November we had to be careful to choose really cute socks, her pants were getting a little short. In just two months or so she had grown out of her pants.

One night I was commenting on how big she was getting and she said, "Looks like I'll be getting married soon, but I still want to live with you." I told her we had plenty of time before she got married.

While we were in St. George visiting my mom took a day off. We had so much fun shopping and spending time together. After the third or fourth store Hailee asked. "Why are we shopping all day, it's not like it's black Friday or anything." No it wasn't black Friday, but we did find some pants that actually fit her for (hopefully) the rest of the school year.

James shopping on Black Friday. 

Just before going to St. George Hailee went to the dentist and she had a few cavities that needed to be fixed. We made the necessary appointments and she was really nervous. But after talking to her cousins (who know all about dentist) she was feeling a little better. She did so great at the appointment and was so brave. Her mom on the other hand didn't fare so well...I passed out right in the middle of the appointment. So we can add dentist to the list of places I've passed out. I think I've passed out at every type of medical office now.

While in St. George I went to the store with Deneille one afternoon and left Hailee with my parents. When I got home she was so stinky. Since we had a party in a few hours I asked what she had been up to. She said "I've been motoring with my grandpa." Come to find out they had been mowing the lawn together and she had the best time motoring with her grandpa.

While at Zion National Park we found wild turkeys. She was so excited to see what turkeys look like.

Hailee had learned a turkey song at school and while we were driving around I could hear her in the back singing...

Mr. Turkey, Mr. Turkey, run away run away
You will be a mouthful Thanksgiving Day, Thanksgiving Day.

After singing it through a few times she said:

H: Why do they want the turkey to run away
N: I guess they don't want him to get eaten on Thanksgiving
H: I think we should cut that turkey up, I love to eat turkey, it's my favorite food.

A little bit before this happened I was slicing a pork roast and Hailee asked.

H: What is that?
N: A pork roast.
H: Does pork roast come from a farm?
N: Yes it does.
H: What kind of a farm?
N: A pig farm.
H: How do they get the pork from the pig?
N: Go ask your dad.
H: (to her dad) How do they get the pork from the pig?
Todd goes on to explain that it's the muscles from the pig and they have to cut him up. To which Hailee responds
H: That is totally awesome.

I was worried about the response of cutting up a poor little pig, evidently she isn't too worried about such things.

Hailee had such a good time at the dentist that she told everyone about her cavities and her visit to the dentist. She told the lady that was checking us through security, people in the grocery store, or any stranger that said hi to her. She has decided that she wants to be a dentist when she grows up. I'm just happy that she is still excited about flossing her teeth. One day after her bath while she was getting ready for bed I was brushing her hair and said "You look beautiful, you're going to be a heart breaker when you grow up." She quickly replied "But I wanted to be a dentist!"

Coming back from Christmas I had to take James in to the doctor because I suspected an ear infection. On the way there Hailee asked me if she was going to the doctor too. I told her that it was just . "Oh that's good. I haven't had a shot in a while I thought I would have to get one." After all her school shots, her two flu shots and the H1N1, she's had enough shots to last her a while.

After what was a long day of being smothered by my children I exclaimed, "I just want five minutes where I am not being smothered." Hailee quickly jumped back on my lap and said "Maybe Wednesday." Oh if only that were true.

The other night we were talking about one of the boys in her class that wasn't very nice. While talking about it I asked her what kind of boy she was going to marry. She thought about it for a while and after saying no to my questions like "Are you going to marry a dumb boy?" She said "I'm going to marry a silly boy and a good boy. A good silly boy...like my dad." Well if she marries a boy like her dad I won't complain at all. Since Christmas they have been "working out" together. When Todd gets home from work they go down stairs and lift weights. Hailee even has her little set of 1-, 2- and 3-pound dumbbells. After lifting weights for a little while they play soccer or baseball. They always come back up laughing and having a good time together. It's been so nice to have a more manageable work schedule for Todd so they can have set time together.

Therapy

I have long since decided to keep my sanity I need a couple of things. The first is a phone where I can chat whenever I want to family and friends. The second is I need some kind of crafty project to work on. Lately I've been turning out to be more of a project collector. Instead of actually finishing my project I just would keep finding more and more adorable projects to make. Things have been piling up so I decided to make a New Years Resolution to finish up some of my projects that I've started and haven't quite finished yet. Here are some of my most recent...

Our new family picnic blanket 

This one I started before James was born. Really before we moved to Oregon I decided I wanted to make a levi quilt. A few trips to the fabric store and I found the fabric, came up with the idea and started cutting. I have never made a quilt before and I didn't have any of the right tools. (Thinking back I should have probably consulted a few professionals, but how had could it be really. ha ha ha) With a little trial and error I got some of it cut out. Then James decided to come and we decided to move so my pieces of quilt got up in a box and left until I made my new years resolution. I finally pulled it out again, got everything cut out and started sewing. The top is all done now and I just need to tie it all together. So technically this one isn't quite crossed off the list, but it's a whole lot closer than it was. It didn't even take too long considering I could only work on it when James was sleeping. If it didn't get picked up before he was up all of my nice organized piles were quickly scattered around.

Here is a closer view. The final quilt is 8 levi blocks high by 8 wide. The levi pieces are 8" and the fabric is 2". It was a lot of fun to put together.

Crayon Roll 

 

I have seen a few of these around and when I made by baby carrier I had some left over fabric that was just the perfect size. I finally got around to finishing it. It was really easy to make so I think I'll be making more of these. It was also the first time I got a good reaction from Todd. Just before I made this I was giving him a hard time telling him that he is never as excited as he should be about my craft projects. When he got home he said "Wow, this is really cute." He's learning.

Blank wall solution

A few Saturdays ago I had had it with not having anything on the wall. We want to paint so we haven't hung up any of our pictures. But enough is enough, with the tall ceilings and a busy little boy it's going to be a while until we get to painting. I grabbed the hammer and just started hanging up pictures. After I had gotten a few hung I decided I needed some pictures of James on the walls. So I ordered my prints from Costco and got to work on this project. I just used 12 x 12 inch canvas, painted the sides black and glued on the pictures. Now I have fun pictures in my kitchen. I love Costco's print center.

Hailee's ballet book

The last year we were in Utah Hailee was in a fun little ballet studio and at the end they gave her a DVD of her performance. Before James was born I had the idea to make her a book and glue the DVD in the back so it could be a fun reminder of her ballet class that year. With the incentive of shutterfly doing a free book (you just have to pay the $7.99 for shipping) I could hardly pass it up. I absolutely love how it turned out. I did it 8" square and all the pictures are black and white.

Hat for James

In the evenings after the kids go to bed and Todd is upstairs working I like to have a little something to do. During this time I like to read or work on other craft projects. Todd was a little nervous when I told him I was going to make a hat for James. I've made hats for Hailee in the past but they have always been very girly. I think he was worried that it would turn out a little 'too cute' for his son. But when I was done he was as pleased as I was with the project. Very simple, very easy, and not too girly.

Not too bad for the month of January. Being the financial analyst that he is Todd likes to tease me when I tell him how much money we're 'saving' by making things myself. But one thing he can't disagree on is we'd have to spend a lot more money on therapy without these little bits of sanity breaks. It gives me something to think about besides laundry, dishes, and poopy diapers even for just a little while. To me, that is pretty much priceless.

Saying Goodbye

The worst part about any trip is the time when it comes to say good-bye.

Uncle Patt and James

 

 

 

 

Driving up to Salt Lake with Kristen and Emily. We flew out of Salt Lake because all the flight out of Las Vegas were with one or two stops in crazy places. It would have taken us hours and hours to get home, and with two kids by myself I liked the options out of the Salt Lake airport better.

 

 We didn't have a lot of time, but we did get to see Aunt Ruthann and Kristy....

 

...visit with my friend Lisa and her girls...

 

...meet Aunt Brenda...

 

...and hurry to the airport so we didn't miss our flight. We got there just before it was time to board and then they announced that it was delayed coming out of Denver, so we had plenty of time. While we waited for our delayed plane at the airport I realized that 10 years ago today I was at this very same airport on my way to Portugal, I can't believe how fast the time has flown by. I don't think I could have guessed that I would be living in Oregon 10 years later. So fun!

Zion's Canyon

A trip home wouldn't be complete without a trip to Zions. We went on an exciting hike to Weeping Rock. It's been years since I've been to Weeping Rock and I don't think I have ever been in the winter. If you've never been it's a huge rock that is constantly dripping water and is a nice short walk for little kids. This time we went it was quite cold and everything was covered in ice from the dripping rock. It was really pretty. Hailee had such a good time and while I was in the car feeding James, Grandpa spoiled Hailee by getting her a 'dark-eyed junco' bird that makes the dark-eyed junco bird call. We're still enjoying that present at our house. :)

James loved being carried by Aunt Kristen.

 

 On the way up the trail, Grandpa was showing her the water coming out of the rock. She didn't know if she should believe him that the water was coming out of the rock.

 

 

 

 

  

We also saw so many deer and wild turkey. Hailee loves to eat turkey so she was especially pleased to find the turkeys.

Birthday Party

My dad's birthday was Friday so we had a party for him with family. It was fun to see my aunts and uncles as well as my cousin and her three little kids. Hailee loved playing with everyone and it was great catching up.

I was terrible at getting pictures with everyone, I was too busy talking and having a good time. I did manage to get a few of the kids playing and Grandma playing with James.

The other fun surprise was Kristen and Emily came home to surprise my dad for his birthday and to see us (I use the term "us" very loosely, they really came to see the kids).