A Day in Paradise (for James anyway)

This lion had the largest, fluffiest mane I had ever seen!

All James could talk about leading up to this trip was the tiger. In fact, he woke up at 3:30 that morning thinking it was time to see the tiger. :/ for me...

He especially loved the animals he could pet. He loved this pony and the reindeer and goats. He even tried chasing the deer. He's fast, but not that fast. :)

Lauren went along with us. It was very cold, but she enjoyed herself. You wouldn't know it by this picture...Look at that red, little nose!

James' school took a field trip to a Wildlife center on Friday and he was in Paradise! It was a very cold morning, but he of course didn't mind. You all know how much James loves animals! He was so looking forward to this trip. He loved feeding the goats and even kissed one of them-ON THE MOUTH!!! They say their mouths are clean, but I was a little grossed out!!! There were several exotic animals which he loved, but he did have a difficult time understanding he COULDN'T climb in the cages with the tiger, lion, buffalo, and black bears. And on many of the fences there was a small opening which he tried to squeeze through. Oh, that was a long 2 hours!! They had many of his favorites too like a sheepdog, bobcat, baby cub, and many more. He really enjoyed himself and I enjoyed watching him have a "passion" for things at this young age. It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun!

Top Ten...

Happy Mother's Day

My Top Ten Best Things About Being A Mom:

10. Being able to still be in the clothes you slept in at 11:00 a.m. (or 3:00 p.m.) as long as your kids are dressed and looking good
9. Reading the same books over and over...and over again and still reading them because you know they love 'em
8. Having James crawl into bed with me at 7:30 (or sooner :/) and snuggle until I'm ready to start the day.
7. Going to the store and leaving with everything EXCEPT for the 2 things I went there for (but usually having fun)
8. The way my feet now act as another set of hands and my ability to multitask has gone through the roof.
7. Learning to appreciate the times you get to sit down and eat a meal uninterrupted.
6. Looking at James at the end of the day and knowing the dirtier he is, chances are the more fun we had that day.
5. The way Lauren's whips her head around at the sound of my voice and immediately begins smiling (or crying...)
4. Being able to lay my head on the pillow at night and recap the day's events... good and bad...I shared it with them.
3. Knowing that even on the bad days, tomorrow will be a new and fresh one.
2. Having everything else that seemed so important before become nothing more than an afterthought.
1. The joy and pride I have in these two lives that I am blessed to be raising. Words can't even describe how full my life truly is...for I never could have imagined motherhood would be so amazing.

Because of You...

Mother's Day meant a great deal to me this year... it always has and has taken on a new meaning since I had children, but I found myself so grateful for not only my own mother, but my mother-in-law. So much of what Luke and I are trying to instill in our own children and the life we are trying to create for them and what we are teaching them is because of the way we were taught and the examples that were set by our mothers. I am so grateful for the way my mother-in-law raised Luke and the values she taught him. Because of her (and my father-in-law) we are seeing the impact on our own family. I hope someday my children rise up and call me,"Blessed."

Heaven...

He got to wear his first helmet!

Well, not exactly...the weather was just dreadful on Mother's Day, but that sure didn't stop James (or Grandpa) from enjoying the outdoors and the toys that went along with it. James was simply in heaven. He was with Grandma and Grandpa, they let him traipse around outside in the mud, took him for rides on the mower and he found a helmet!!! A real helmet! James loves motorcycles and helmets and often times asks to wear them, but we never know the people he is asking... :) Gotta love the heart of a child. Many of his dreams came true yesterday and I got to sit back and enjoy every minute. HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ME!!! There isn't much better than watching your child enjoy and love his grandparents and watch that love reciprocated.

She's a Rolling...

It's official... Lauren is rolling over! I can't believe it! She seemed annoyed today while I was making James his lunch and was starting to fuss. Then she was quiet, so I peeked over at her and she was on her side and then on her belly and loving it! She was pretty proud of herself. I thought is might be a fluke, but she has continued to do it all day! Where is time going? It's so fun, but I catch myself getting a little sad too. She and James seem to both be changing daily... I feel so blessed to be able to be home with them sharing each of these special moments...

I'm A Big Kid Now...

He's showing you his Pull-ups

So after my episode with James and the crib a few weeks ago (if you don't know what I'm referring to, look at my past blogs :) )I decided maybe this was a good time to potty train James. He has done extremely well with it. He enjoys going potty, but only wants to on the toilet (as opposed to the potty chair). He doesn't let you hold him and in fact tells you to, "Move." I am often times afraid he will fall in. The toilet can be a large, scary place for a 2 year old! We've had some close calls. Oh and he doesn't like wearing diapers at all anymore, just "Poo-ups." (pull ups) He is definitely "growing up."

Mommy's Helper

He's holding up the green pepper for me to see.

James loves to help me do things and especially if it involves being in the kitchen. I'm not sure if it's the fact that he likes helping or he enjoys standing on a chair! :) I cut up various vegetables today and he helped me bag them up. He wanted to do the green peppers all by himself. It was precious and I had a difficult time not laughing too hard. His little hands couldn't get the bag open well and the peppers all in. And then the outside of the bag was getting wet, making it slippery and even more difficult. He stuck with it though and all of the green peppers made it in the bag. Well, except for the one he decided to eat.

Another Favorite...

Little girl shirts-they are precious! They even have little ruffle sleeves!
Makes me smile every time!

A Few of My Favorite Things

This smile...

Flip-flops on little kids or as James calls them, "Foo-pops."

How James always wants to look out the window to see
everything going on outside. People probably think we're nuts! :)

The way James' hair is already bleaching blonde around his
hairline. And the way he WON'T look at the camera!

Hurry Up Daddy!

He's handing Luke the screws! What a guy!!!

James actually uses the drill very well. He can get those screws in
and of course loves to pull the trigger!

Luke is building James a sandbox-a very large one! James is very
excited about it and eager to help. He LOVES using the tools!
Hopefully it will be finished soon!

A Mover and a Shaker

Lauren has recently begun squirming her way out of her bouncy seat. Today, she made it completely out! Guess we need to put those straps to use! She usually likes to wiggle her way to the bottom and grab her toes, but today she just decided she had enough! :) It's a hard life...

Yes, My Son is Naked in His Crib

Ok, so we are officially parents of a full-blown 2 year old. James has always been a very pleasant, compliant, well-behaved little boy. That is until Monday morning. He woke up out of nowhere and just decided to go ahead and bring truth to the stories you hear about 2 year olds. We didn't see it coming at all. We put him to bed sweet James and he woke up 'I'm going to push every button possible' James. Anyone relate? So this picture was taken when I had put him down for his nap. He called me in there twice and I told him I wasn't coming in again. Well, I did and it's a GOOD thing! He was yelling, "Shel!" Oh yes, he is calling me by my first name. I went in and much to my surprise, there he was standing up-buck naked. I knew that probably wasn't the worst of my problems either. I flipped on the light and discovered that everything his bladder had been storing for quite some time was on the crib, pillow, blankets, all the stuffed animals...everywhere. I didn't know whether to cry or laugh. So, I did both. I decided to take a picture and that gave me a few seconds to gather my thoughts. Needless to say 20 minutes later: a bare crib, and a two year old who THOUGHT he got out of his nap, I proceeded to put him back down for a nap... Then I spent the next 15 minutes wondering if I handled the situation correctly. "Did I come down on him hard enough? How can I avoid this from ever happening again? Will I be able to salvage the stuffed animals? WHY? WHY WHY?" It's just funny how you can try to do all the "right" things when parenting and yet you just can't avoid a child's instinct to test the limits. And he did... :) I'm sure there will be more stories like this to come, but hopefully not too many more!

We Love You Uncle Tim

My brother came home for a quick visit before heading out to sea. He shipped out on Tuesday and is headed to the Persian Gulf with the U.S. Navy. James and I pray for his safety before each nap and bedtime. James loves his Uncle Tim. Next time he sees the kids, they will have grown and changed. We love you Uncle Tim!!

Our Future Scholar

This look is courtesy of fashion guru- James. James loves putting glasses and hats on Lauren and I found this look to be quite striking! =) She doesn't seem to mind. I'm sure that will change soon...

James the Baker (no more)

if you look closely you can see the half eaten pepperoni

Ok, I laughed so hard at this entire experince and I hope you will be able to picture and appreciate it. I was making homemade pizza for dinner and thought it would be fun for James to help me make it. He is usually up on a chair "helping" me make dinner anyway. He wasn't real interested in spreading the dough out (too squishy) or putting on the sauce. So I gave him the pepperoni to put on and he loved that. Until...he decided to go ahead and give one a taste. He LOVED them. So he would eat all but a sliver and then put it on the pizza. I couldn't stop laughing. I knew it was just us eating it so I didn't care. He probably ate 15 peices of pepperoni until I took it away. He wasn't real successful in getting the cheese on the pizza either. What you see in the picture is what was left of what he was supposed to put on the pizza. Yeah... it never made it to the pizza. We had a great time and I laughed hysterically. He wasn't too hungry when dinner time came. He got filled up on pepperoni and mozzarella cheese. Mmmm.....

Happy Baby Girl

Lauren is a very happy girl these days, especially if we are playing with her. She LOVES to be entertained. This is a smile she gave James. She adores her brother. Often times when James talks to her she just belly laughs. It is so fantastic!! Of course James repeats himself and soaks up the attention. :) We love our kiddos.

Things Lauren enjoys:
- attention
- James (hope that lasts for a while)
- funny voices
- her back being tickled
- being nuzzled on her face
- sleeping on her daddy

Spring Has Sprung

We are really enjoying these first spring days. It is difficult to get James back inside once he is out.
These are some of the few times we get to experience "meltdowns." He loves playing with Luke's golf clubs
(not sure how much Luke likes it), but I have him play in the grass so they don't get scraped! :) I'm lookin out for
you honey...