15 Months Old!

Dear James,

You are fifteen months old this week!  You are at such a fun age and are truly coming into your own as a little boy.  Daddy put your Cozy Coup together this past weekend and it is a big hit!  You love to go down in the basement with Daddy and Drew and ride in your car.  You mostly enjoy getting in and out of it over and over again.  It's fun to watch!  

You are quite an explorer... always getting into something.  You have even figured out how to open the doors.  I frequently hear a beep beep and catch you just as you are backing your little self out the door and into the garage.  You love to be outdoors and become very angry when others get to leave the house and don't take you with them!  It is a joy to watch you at this age as you discover new things on your own two feet!

You definitely keep me on my toes!  You are constantly tumbling, tripping and pulling things over on yourself.  You don't have fear of many things at this point.  Daddy likes to throw you into the air as you laugh gleefully and you love to do it over and over again.  

My favorite things about you at this age are your curiosity and eagerness to explore new things.  I love your independence, but you still need your mama too.  At story time you frequently toddle into the middle of the room with the other little ones.  Once you realize you are alone you scan the room looking for me and then run back for a quick hug of reassurance.  This fills my heart to bursting.  I love that you are all boy, but you still want to sit on my lap and read a book.  As a matter of fact... you love to look at your books and spend a good part of the day tearing them off your bookshelf and then flipping through the pages.  You are frequently carrying a book to someone and handing it to them to read to you.  

The other day I asked you to bring me your Twinkle Twinkle book.  You looked around the room, spotted it on the floor, went and picked it up and then brought it back to me.  I'm sure you are a genius!  You are a good listener and most often follow our directions when we ask you to do something.  You are such a sweet little boy!

Your word bank is coming along.  You have added baby, bye bye and all done to your vocabulary.   But your two favorites are still wow and uh oh.  Wednesday mornings are a favorite time to stand by the window and use your words as you watch the garbage truck go by.

I wish I could bottle you up and capture all of your sweetness during this time.  The days pass so quickly and I know some day I am going to be sitting and looking at these pictures and wanting to have just one hour of this time back.  There are so many little things that happen during the day and I just want to remember them all, but I know that I won't be able to and so I am content in the fact that I get to spend every day being at home with you.  There is no greater joy than just soaking up the moments... even if I can't remember every little detail... I will rest in the fact that I got to be with you and invest in your little life and just love you.  I praise God for that and I know that it will make all the difference.  

I say this to you all the time and I pray that you know it in your heart... you are a blessing and a gift from God and we love you.

Love,

Mama

He gives... making her the joyous mother.

~Psalm 113:9

Seabrook Island

We spent the second week of September soaking up the sun with my family on lovely Seabrook Island in South Carolina.  James loved the beach... including the sand!  In fact... he had no problem eating it.  Ick!  We spent the week going for bike rides, hitting the pool and living it up on the beach.  It was so much fun and went way too quickly!  The only bummer was not having daddy and Drew with us.  Since Drew had just started school they couldn't make the trip.  They were missed!

Here are just a few highlights...

Checking out the ocean for the first time...

This is the life!

Lazy pool days

James was obsessed with pushing Chloe's pink raft around on the sand!

Cozy naps after playing hard in the sun and sand!

Cousin hugs!

Having fun with beach toys

More cousin fun!

Our blonde curlies... so cute!

No fear!  James just went right into the water.

Lovin the beach

Pool time with Pop!

A visit to the South Carolina Aquarium

Tot zone at the Aquarium

We are already counting the days until next year!  

Good Bye Sweet Summer...

We have been busy the past few weeks cramming in as much last minute summer fun as we could manage and consequently I have not been so good with keeping up with my posts!  Sadly, the days are getting shorter and cooler as evidenced by the fact that I am pulling on socks and a sweatshirt every morning before stepping foot on the chilly hardwood floors.  Ah... summer... you will be missed!  Here are a few remnants of those glorious, sun drenched days.

James enjoyed chillin in his stroller with a sippy cup of cold water and some Cheerios while we cruised the neighborhood.  Believe it or not he keeps those sunglasses on!

We spent one too hot Sunday afternoon at the Museum of Natural History.  James and Drew enjoyed checking out the fountain in front of the building.

James loves his big brother!  And Drew loves his little brother!  It is a joy to see these two have such fun together even with a twelve year age difference.  After our trip to the museum we enjoyed dinner at a nearby restaurant and then walked around the streets of Oakland checking out the Cathedral of Learning and the Carnegie Library.  It was a fun August afternoon!

The following weekend we headed north towards Moraine to go to Living Treasures Animal Park.  It was a neat place... many different types of animals, which is more than I had expected.  We enjoyed feeding the monkey's, bears, turtles, deer, goats, llamas and pigs.  Drew and his friend even took a ride on the back of a camel!

James has been busy, busy, busy and has just recently become a proficient walker!  We did lots of practicing towards the end of August.  His absolute favorite thing to do was walk up and down the sidewalk in front of our house with his lion walker.  He was quite a sight and got lots of honks and waves from the neighbors!

I am loving watching him accomplish new things, but walking has been the best so far!  He looks like a little mummy with his arms stuck out in front of him and his legs kicking out to the sides.  He is so proud of himself, especially when we praise him and he walks around with a big grin on his face most of the time.  He is smitten!

We spent the final weekends of summer at our lake cottage in Chautauqua relaxing on the deck, taking leisurely boat rides and kayaking.

And now we bid a fond farewell to summer...