Road Trip (part one)

Ever since we took the plunge and got a minivan we have been anxious to take a serious road trip.  This past week we finally did it.  It was awesome and it was hard with a 16 month old.

First of all I apologize for the lack of photos on this post....iphoto has decided to not allow me to access them yet.  I'm sure if I reboot it at least 5 more times and whisper the magic word - nicely -  it would grant me access. I'm not in the mood.  Thinking about storing photos somewhere else but that is for another post.

Our first leg was to Rhode Island.  13 hours in the car.  We were most worried about this - because of James.  But he was a CHAMP!  He was a better traveler then I.  I had to stop at least every two hours to empty my tank (potty break).  I think it drove Rocky nuts.  But we still made it in 13 hours....so there!
James fell and got come MAJOR road rash on his cute little face at our first rest area stop.  It was pretty sad.  We had...
Lots of movies
Lots of music
Lots of laughs
Lots of stops
and 13 hours later we were in R.I.

This is when things got really interesting with the 16 month old.  So interesting that we considered turning around and heading home the next day.
He was up once every hour through the night crying unconsolably.
He refused to eat
He had to touch EVERYTHING
He HAD to have the phone, the remote, the laptop, the door open, the door closed, the lights on, the lights off.  My oh my.  And of course we didn't want our neighbors in the room next to us think that we beat our son so of course we gave him what he wanted.
The next morning he fell into a tub of ice (no worries, not enough to hurt him - just enough to make him cry...again)
He squeezed cheese all over his tummy.
He fell off the bed.
He cried and cried.
He wanted up
He wanted down
He wanted mom
He wanted Dad
He wanted a show
He wanted the door open
He wanted the door closed.....and so on

We were so happy when we got him in his car seat and he fell asleep by the time we had him buckled in.    (not quite that fast really, but it was close)

We drove around for two hours while he slept.  He NEEDED it.
When he woke up we parked the car and got up close and personal with the HUGE mansions and strolled along the cliff walk.  So beautiful.

Then it was off to Boston.
This was a quick drive.  Just over an hour (I think).  We got to our hotel and were soooo happy that we went with a suite.  We had a separate space for James and a little kitchen and we were all soooooo happy.

Boston was wonderful.  I would love to visit again.
We went to the children's museum - James threw his first MAJOR temper tantrum in public (on the floor - thrashing, kicking, screaming, crying, rolling around).  Rocky was totally embarrassed.  I thought it was funny.  It was all over a broom the cleaning lady had left in the bathroom, I wouldn't let James keep it.

We went to church, walked along the pier, walked the Freedom trail, stopped by Mike's pastries, went to the science museum, went to a red sox game, road the train (lots), walked around Harvard and MIT (thanks to Liz), we walked and walked and loved it.

Maine - burrrrrrrr - we hit up the beach.
Well the temperature was soooo nice but when you put your little toes in the ocean they would freeze off.  I mean it felt like they were going to freeze off.  I still have no idea why (or how) so many people played in the ocean in just their teeny, tiny, thin swimsuits.  I would have gotten in if I were wearing 10 wet suits.  James HATED the feel of sand on his feet and cried.  We got smart and put on his shoes and he was happy again.  We had some very yummy lobster and walked along the coast.  Maine was so beautiful.

16 months

Wow - I am getting way behind on the blog.  We just got back from a very fun vacation so I'll post more about that later....but I've got to get caught up on James.  I know you are all dying to know what has changed since last month.  Unfortunately it's not much but we do have a few things to report.

James 4th of July model shot.

This little guy has pooped in the potty.
Finally has one front tooth and it looks like maybe the other one will make an appearance sometime this year.  (we are slow teeth growers)
He is saying all kinds of words.
He is back on the binky - rats!  We will begin weening again.
He walks backwards.
He LOVES mom (me) - Like MAJOR LOVE.  I get hugs and kisses and lately I'm the only one he wants.  Luckily I'm usually the only one around.  It works out well for him.  It's becoming exhausting for me.
We now have to do some Curious George weening.
He LOVES LOVES hats.  We lost his favorite hat on the vacation....picked up a new one and James likes that one too (whew).
He loves giving hugs and kisses to kids his size or smaller.
He is SOOOO independent and wants to do his own thing - his way.  This has resulted in lots of tears.

 See - anything can be a hat!

 Doing his own thing.

15 months

My little man is getting busier and busier.  I remember when a friend at church said, "only 6 more months and he will be in nursery."  I felt sad.  I loved being with my little guy and wasn't anxious for him to go to nursery at all.  Well my attitude has CERTAINLY changed and now both Rocky and I are anxiously awaiting his 18 month mark.

James has also become quite attached to me.  If he can't see mom then something isn't right and he needs to cry about it.  We are the bestest of buddies now, whether we like it or not.

He is 22 lbs 2 oz  - 17.24%
30.25 inches - 23.87%
Still just a little guy.

He is walking very well now
He tries to jump
He talks all the time and is saying lots of words
He loves to throw balls
He loves to shoot balls into his bball hoop
He loves to be naked
He is very sensitive - if mom makes a sad face then James does too and usually starts to cry - but it is usually followed up my a sweet little hug.
He would love to just eat grapes all day everyday
He LOVES curious George - even more then before
He loves to be outside
He doesn't have his bottle and it almost off his binkie
He loves to sit/jump/stand on the couch
He loves to wear hats.

No Good Deed goes UNPUNISHED

A while ago a friend of mine asked me to give her a ride to church.  I was happy to pick her up.  We were having stake conference and because we now have a very very active 1 yr old we decided that Rocky should go early to save us a padded seat where we could BLOCK the boy in.  So James and I dropped Rocky off at the church and went home to get a few things and then off to pick up my friend.

When I got to her house she didn't come out like she normally does so I jumped out of the car not realizing that I had pushed the lock every so slightly enough to lock the door but to also look unlocked.  With the car running I ran up to the door and knocked.  Finally my friend came to the door and said that she wasn't going to be able to make it.  Bummer.  So I ran back to the car to find my door locked.  No worries - I thought I'll just try another door.  After trying all the doors I started to worry.  They were all locked.  My baby was inside and he started to cry.  Luckily I wasn't too far from home (.4 miles according to google, an 2 min drive or 8 min walk) so I ran - unluckily my shoe choice didn't help with the run.  Luckily I was going on pure adrenaline  so it wasn't too bad when my shoes kept flying off my feet.

I got home and grabbed the second set of keys and luckily Rocky's car was home so I sped back over.  I got up to the car and started pressing the unlock button and nothing happened.  At this point both James and I are freaking out.  Luckily the car was running so I knew that he wouldn't get too hot.  So I went in the house to call a locksmith.  Luckily my friend's dad was home and said -"let me see your keys for a minute."  He walked outside and opened my door.

I was so used to unlocking my door with the key pad that I hadn't even thought of trying the key to the door.  Oh man was I so grateful.  And LUCKILY we made it to church right before the meeting started.

14 Months

We didn't weight or measure James this month but it is safe to say that he is growing.  The 9 month clothes are finally too small and he is well into the 12 month size.

He is learning all sorts of fun things.

He just finished swimming lessons - they said he could do a lot more than I thought he could.  Oh well. I thought he just learned how to cry louder and more often.

He is WALKING

He blows kisses

When he wakes up he just lays in his bed until I come in the room - then he knows its okay to sit/stand up

He is becoming even more particular about what he eats.  :(  He usually just wants what I am having.
He will eat asparagus, tomatoes, potatoes, bread, pretty much any type of fruit and yogurt

He loves his friends
He loves to watch Curious George
He says "da" - dog, "pa" - puffs and "du" - duck
He loves birds
He loves to watch the garbage man
He still only has two teeth

He loves to be outside
He LOVES to press buttons

Likes to find belly buttons

Still loving anything/everything balls

We are just loving this little guy.

Mother's Day

James and Rocky were absolutely wonderful to me.  I received my favorite flowers (Gerber Daisy's), didn't have to make dinner and James put together something all by himself.....here it is

WOW - Photoshop

 Our ward does a really fun activity every year called The Chili Chocolate Cookoff.  The first time I heard it I was grossed out.  Who in there right mind would mix chili and chocolate.  SICK.  After attending - I discovered it is quite a desirable combo.  Members of the ward bring in their best chili and best chocolate dishes.....NOT combined.  We get to try them all and vote on the best.  People!  There are some mighty fine chili and chocolate cookers out there.

Along with this activity there is also an auction.  Members of the ward donate crafts, service, food, trips, etc.  Then we all get to bid on them.  This year I won a photoshop session.  It was AMAZING.

I learned how to do this...

 Before

 After

Thanks so much Kellie - to see more of her amazing work go to her website - http://kellieanderson.net

Easter

We had such a fun Easter with our good friends the Glassman's.  The dinner was so so yummy.  I thought it would be so fun to do a little egg hunt.  Here are a few photos of our egg hunting adventure.

 Whit, James, Rocky, and Devon in the back - wishing that everyone would hurry up because he couldn't help but find all the eggs.

Whit and James.

 Whit trying to get James to put his egg in the bucket.

 Devon very excited about his egg find.

 James showing off one of his eggs.

 Rocky finding an egg.

 The egg spoils - not spoiled eggs

James feeding Devon an egg.

The egg surprises weren't nearly as special as the one's that my sister Sara put in her eggs.  But we managed a few.  Thanks again Glassman's, James and Rocky for going on the hunt.  :)

Spray Tan

Did you know that this month is Sunless tanning month?  I did and was able to score a sweet free spray tan.  If you are interested you can get one too by signing up at Versaspa top right hand corner of the page.  You only have until April 30th to sign up and use it.  Anyway so I got my free spray tan a few days ago.

I've got a little history with the spray tan.
The first one I got was with my sister, Jamie, it was classic.  So fun/funny.  It was a booth spray.  This was about 10 years ago and we didn't know too much about spray tans.  We got our tan and immediately went to a kick boxing class where we sweated off our new spray tan onto our clothes.  My socks were never the same and we definitely had tan likes but not in a good way.  Sadly I have no pictures to document this event.

Next spray tan was for my sister-in-law's wedding.  It was the beginning of May and my skin was begging for some color.  So my other SIL, Amanda, and I went the day of the wedding, a couple hours before (we ran out of time the night before).  This probably wasn't the best plan.  I went to the sealing a good hour and a half after I got the tan....you need at least 4 hours before you should shower.  This wasn't my finest hour/s.  I looked very unnatural and smelled unnatural and really it isn't the best way to present ones self.  Then after the sealing in the Temple, we went outside to wait for the new couple and found it to be raining.  Well remember when I said you are supposed to wait at least 4 hours before showering?  Well I felt like the wicked witch of the west.  Anytime I got hit with water I felt like I was melting....actually I looked like I was melting.  It only hurt ... my pride.  Oh yeah and it looked like my teeth were GLOWING.

Now for the most recent tan.  I went with a friend who had never had a spray tan before.   It was quite an experience.  The girls who went before us had to get their tan twice because the machine wasn't working properly and wasn't spraying right.  Not exactly a confidence booster for a first timer.  My friend went first, we had decided with some help from the employees that we should go with the dark color.  So when she came out she looked good.  Not too dark - a nice look of color.  So I went in.  The spray machine took care of it's spraying business with no problems that I could see.  I went home...looked in the mirror....started laughing.  Those spray tan employees must have programed a double dose of darkness because I looked WAY different than my friend.  My face was dark orange and my hands even darker.  Oh my.

 My hand vs Rocky's hand

 Most flattering photo - OOMPA LOOMPA styled skin

Well I'm now on day 3 and had 4 showers and my color is looking a little more natural - if spray tan color can be called natural....except for my hands.  They are still pretty orange.  So funny - I'll probably still try out the spray tan every few years.  OOMPA LOOMPA orange or not. 

This is my color today - 3 days/4 washings

Have I convinced you to join in the spray tan fun?  Any takers?  Grandpa?  Grandma?   :)  Didn't think so.

Comfort sounds

I would just like to write a little about sounds that bring me comfort.  I heard one today and it got me thinking of all the things I love to hear.

The lawn mower - This means that it's warm and sunny and that the grass is growing.  It makes me feel like everything is ok.  I love listening to the lawn being mowed.

The birds in the morning - "In the leafy tree tops the birds sing good morning."  I know that for some they start singing a little too early but "they are the first to see the sun, they MUST tell everyone." I just LOVE it. 

Rain - I love the sound of rain, especially in the morning. 

Cristofori's Dream - When I was around the age of 12 -14ish my best friend would play this song.  Oh how I loved to hear it.  Then my sister Sara learned how to play it.  It's beautiful.

Laughing - I love to laugh and love to hear laughing. 

What are some of your comfort sounds?

13 months

Today James turned 13 months old.  I feel like he just turned 12 months old.  What is going on here?  Who is playing with the time clock? 

Well my little buddy is learning and growing sooo stinking fast, I feel like I can barely keep up.

His love for Balls is continuing to GROW!
He is crawling up the stairs.
He started swimming lessons (and has cried at both of them)
He is signing all sorts of things - please and hat are the latest.
He is loving black beans.
He gives kisses.
He is still sleeping sooo well.  We all love it.
He loves to be outside.
He is fascinated with animals.
He still only has two teeth and loves to bite mommy with them.
He loves fruit and now Rocky and I have to spell out the words if we talk about them otherwise he will stop eating and want only the fruit we have talked about.
He loves friends and playing.
He loves to drop things down the stairs.
He gets so excited to watch a show like baby signing time or baby einstien.

He loves his GG. Sorenson and wanted to wish this cool little lady a very happy Birthday.

Happy Birthday Grandma! Isn't she so fun?  I just love that she would humor me with these glasses while I snapped some photos.  Thanks Grandma.

Safari

James went on a Safari today - check it out....

 James in search of some wild animals

 hummmm - These animals just won't do.....

 Off he goes in search of a WILD BEAST


Looks like he found one.

WATCH OUT MOM!  It's a wild beast

oooooooh  - a ferociously handsome one.  :)

Don't worry mom, I took care of him for you.  xoxo

Sunny G's

James is really into sunglasses and hats lately.  He loves to put them on, take them off, put them on, take them off, put them on and then wear them around a while.

March Madness

Well our brackets failed us - COMPLETELY. 

I was VERYconfident that Ohio State was going to win it all.  In this scenario CONFIDENCE was NOT key.

Oh well.  Here is a photo of James and Rocky prepping for a BYU game.  

With all the madness happening we remembered that we got James a fun little birthday present.  Here he is opening it.  Oh yes, we went ALL out on wrapping it.  

He is REALLY into balls these days.  He was SO excited.

Ball!  Ball!  Ball!

Spiritual Vertigo

So excited to share this movie with you. This is Rocky's grandpa, a WWII pilot who flew a P-51 he named the Mormon Mustang.


Enjoy!