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...

On the move!

This is how we spend our days of late...  You look at me with surprise before getting into a little mischief!

Oh the pots and pans!  They are just too much fun!

You also love to play with our dirty shoes and chew on them.  Yum!

Those will not hold your attention long as you soon discover that the stairs are nearby and off you go!

Through the foyer...

And up, up, up.  You would do this all day long if I let you.  It never gets old!

You are such a busy little bee.  I love it when I go in to get you in the morning and you are standing at the edge of your crib jumping up and down anxiously awaiting my arrival.  There is just nothing like that joy on your face and it fills me up with joy also!  This is frequently how your hair looks first thing in the morning... adorable!!

After breakfast you play contently in the playroom for quite a while... sometimes with me and sometimes without.

We have so much fun together!  You love to pull yourself up to standing using me as a crutch.  Sometimes I let go and you stand on your own for a few seconds and then take a few steps.  You love when I praise you!

You are getting so good!  But you are still a little timid with walking and prefer to crawl really fast to get from one place to another.  We have been working on your motor skills as well... the shape sorter is a favorite.

It is so much fun to watch you master things!  This has been a wonderful summer to just enjoy seeing you thrive and grow.

The days are starting to get shorter.  The mornings and evenings are cool again and I am sad to see this time go.  But I know God has all kinds of good things planned just around the corner.

I praise Him for his provision, for His goodness and faithfulness.  He has showered us with abundance and blessings!

The LORD is my strength and my song; 

he has become my salvation;

He is my God, and I will praise him...

~Exodus 15:2

Happy Birthday Sweet Baby James!

Dear James,

Happy Birthday to our sweet baby... now almost a toddler!  Where did the year go?  It seems like just yesterday I was taking a long walk in hopes of jump starting my labor so that I would get to see your precious face for the first time.  It was that same day that we headed to the hospital awaiting your arrival!  You have grown leaps and bounds in your first year and accomplished so much... 

Meeting you for the first time!  You were 8lb 9oz and 20.5"

My 1 year old boy!  You are now 26 lbs and 32"!

You have been very busy since those first days.  As you come closer and closer to walking you have become quite the little explorer.  You are a boy in every way and we love it!  You navigate your way around the house through a combination of walking along walls and furniture and crawling and you have mastered climbing up the stairs... thanks to daddy:)  I can't take my eyes off of you for a moment as you are sure to be getting into a drawer, closing a door on your fingers, pulling a lamp by the cord from a table or getting into a waste basket and unraveling the toilet paper.  When you are awake there is no longer a dull moment!  You are eating mostly table foods and stills some chunky purees.  You also still love your baba and take four bottles of milk a day.  You are quite the persnickety one... it must be warm or you will not drink it!  We are working on the sippy cup and have no doubt you will master that soon.  You are still napping twice a day and sleeping 10-12 hours a night.  Your newest game is to shove your lovey in and out of the bars of your crib and down into the bumper.  Unfortunately that often means lovey ends up on the floor and then you cry hysterically until someone comes in to retrieve it for you.  We love that you love your bed and you also play well independently.  I typically put you in your playroom after breakfast and take a few minutes to clean the kitchen.  I love to listen to you chat and sing and usually find you looking out the window or flipping the pages of your books... a favorite past time.  You talk all day long and are getting close to saying some actual words!  The past few days we have heard a lot of "uh oh" and it is quite entertaining to watch you try to get the sounds out.  You are too cute!

My sweet baby James... you are more loved than you will ever know.  You are simply a joy in our lives.  As a celebration of our first year with you we invited family and friends to share in the fun while we hosted a carnival themed birthday party in the backyard!  Aunt Rini even made the trip all the way from Georgia with your seven cousins!  It was a very special afternoon.

We had a concessions stand with your cake, cupcakes and all kinds of other treats!

We had a photo booth!

Chloe and Max in the photo booth with funny hats!

Your cupcakes with fun toppers!

A year in photos so we could see how you had grown!

Your new chair from Nana and Pop

We decked out your high chair with balloons and a banner!

You smasher cake decorated with love by Mama!

When we first started to sing happy birthday you were a little unsure...

After a tentative first taste...

You went all in...

And loved it!!

It was a fun time!  By 7:00 you were done and I put you to bed.  Then I opened your gifts with the help of a few other little ones!  We are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends who came to share in our joy.  It was a very special day and we look forward to many more years of birthday fun!

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;

let the sea resound, and all that is in it;

let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them.

Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy;

they will sing before the LORD...

~Psalm 95:12

11 Months Old!

Dear James,

You are 11 months old and busy doing new things every day.  This has been a very exciting month as you have reached some big milestones!  Just when I was sure you were never going to crawl and were going to go straight to walking... you took off.  Well... a more accurate description would be two weeks of rocking back and forth on your knees in extreme frustration and crying while you tried to figure it out.  Honestly, this has become one of the biggest challenges for me as a parent because I want so badly to do things for you so that you don't become frustrated and you just have to figure them out on your own.  And so far you have done amazingly well and all in your own timing.  Here are a few of the things you have been up to most recently:

- Crawling... everywhere and the same week you started crawling you also started pulling yourself up on things and walking around!
- Trying to say words... you chit chat all day long!  You are very close to saying ball, but not quite there yet.  We are working on it!
- Eating more table foods.  You like peanut butter and jelly, pasta with tomato basil sauce, toast, bananas, yogurt and cheese.  You are not so fond of fruits unless they are pureed.  I have tried giving your strawberries, blueberries and watermelon and you take one bite and look at me like I am crazy.
- Drinking whole milk!  You officially gave up formula without a fuss and are happily sucking down 4-5 bottles of warm milk a day.
- You are interested in toys that you have to figure out... like stacking rings, shape sorters and lift the flap books.  You also like the simple pleasures like unrolling the toilet paper and tearing it into shreds!  You are very busy and I can no longer take me eyes off of your for more than a few seconds.  You keep me in shape!
- You are still wearing 12-18 and some 18-24 month clothes.  You seem to be slowing down just a wee bit in growth!
- You have become a snuggler, which I love!  At night when I am putting you to bed you often push your bottle out of your mouth, let out a sigh and snuggle up close for a rock before I put you in your crib.  There is no better time in my day than those sweet moments!

You are becoming such a little person.  It is so much fun to watch you grow and discover new things every day!

My prayer for you today and always is that you will grow to be strong in the LORD.  I pray that you will know Him from a young age and that you will faithfully serve Him for all of your days.  I know God has big plans for your life and I am humbled that He has chosen me to aid you in that journey.  You are the sweetest little angel and I love you more than you can possibly ever know.

And the boy grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                               ~Luke 2:40

Memorial Day... and other fun!

It has become something of a tradition in our family over the past few years to attend the annual Memorial Day Parade in Sewickley.  The kids get all decked out in their red, white and blue, eager to stake our their place on the curb to watch the stream of fire trucks, soldiers in uniform, marching bands and kilt clad bag pipers moving past.  It's always a good time!

Last year the babe was in the belly...

 What a difference a year makes!

He had a much better vantage point this year!  James was positively gleeful watching the fire trucks go by and he especially enjoyed the unicycles and the sweet dogs from the Humane Society.  It was so much fun to share this tradition with him!  He posed for a photo with Chloe...

Later we went to my sisters to help her plant her flowers.  He sat on a blanket in her front yard and played with his toys for two hours.  He is the sweetest little guy.  I am truly blessed!

This week has been a scorcher and we have all been doing our best to keep cool.  While I have been busy scurrying around planting flowers and trying to keep them watered... James has been chilling in his new pool.  This was five bucks well spent!

These are the joys that fill my days and my heart to overflowing.  Summer... here we come!