Turning One!

My little peanut is turning one...I can hardly believe (or stand) it.  But as I reflect on this past year, all I can really feel is gratitude that it happened.

I knew months before his birth that James would come early.  He radiated this energy...this intense eagerness just to get here and those feeling flooded my body and mind throughout most of my pregnancy.  While he may have just been excited, all it did was make me feel anxious (I even had to stop shopping at the commissary because the narrow aisle made me claustrophobic).  So it was no surprise when my contractions started in the middle of November even though he was not due until the end of December.  Of course, the doctors assured me that they were only Braxton Hicks...I knew this baby would not wait until Christmas.  The day after Thanksgiving I decorated the house for Christmas, and I remember Arthur saying, "now he can come."  And it was only 72 hour later that he made his debut.  

After only one year, I can tell you that James' life is a direct reflection of his birth.  His little body was not ready, it needed more time.  But ready or not, he wasn't going to wait anymore.  It may have been dirty, messy and down right terrifying, but that wasn't going to stop him. 

Well, that is his him.  He shows no fear, rarely hesitates, gives 100%, and wants to be doing whatever his big brother is doing (especially if that means playing with Daddy).  He is almost always happy and can be amazingly mellow, but he also has remarkable determination, rarely gets discouraged...and has the cutest naughty smile anyone has ever seen. 

James, you (and your brother) are my greatest gift.  In your short life you have already taught me so much about embracing life and finding joy in life's simple things.  You fill our family with such a warm light, and none of us could imagine our life without you in it.  Thank you for joining our little team.  Happy Birthday Little Howler Monkey!

Tea Time with a side of Toys

There are no words to describe the special relationship we have with our Nanna.  On paper she is Arthur's grandmother and my boys great grandmother.  But in life, she is our go to nurse and montessori teacher, our friend and confidant, and (as my mother so perfectly described her) our very own fairy godmother.  Here are some special moments I was able to snap during our last visit back in the beginning of November.  I think they capture the deep love and friendship she has cultivated with our boys.  She and grandpa are such a blessing to us.

Life lessons I learned at Halloween

1) If you wait until the day before Halloween, you are too late to find a decent costume for little boys...Anywhere (luckily Halloween PJ's and a hand me down costume can work too)!

2) A three year old will do anything for candy, including sitting still for a complete make over.  Although, in truth, Jake is great at "committing" to things.  Once we decided on a skeleton, he was excited to do it all the way.

3) The second child is often more easy going than the first.  Jake was terrified of this tiger costume as a baby...James couldn't wait to start growling. :-)

4) Slipping in a puddle of water will not detour a determined skeleton from Operation Get Candy.  I was worried that he was hurt, but all Jake could cry was, "MY COSTUME!"  However, after he realized he still looked all right, he never complained about his wet jammies.  Honestly, I was pretty proud of him for not letting is ruin his night because I know he had have been uncomfortable.

5) 11 months is not too young to understand how Halloween works.  After going to several doors, I figured James could skip one or two.  Nope, he took my fingers and marched himself up the walk way after his brother to retrieve what was "rightfully" his. :-)

6) Mommies do get jealous and sometimes have a hard time sharing, but then I see the love and joy in my children's eyes and I am reminded how lucky I am that my boys are so loved.

7) Sometimes family pictures turn out better with an uncle than a dad. :-)

With Daddy

With Tio Lui

8) Christmas isn't the only holiday when children can learn joy in giving

Happy Halloween!!

Pumpkin Guts

Okay, we have our pumpkins.  Bring on the next family tradition.  Time to take those suckers home and have a messy blast getting them all cleaned out and carved into some awesome Jack-o-Lanterns.

Look at how ready and focused we are!  We even have Erin ready to help.

(Quick side note: Erin was one of the first friends I made after I moved to Davis.  I am so lucky that she has been a part of my life through all these years, and now my boys have her too.  As she explained to Jake, during this last visit, she has loved them since before they were even born.  Blood related or not, that sounds like an aunt to me.)

I mean what three year old doesn't like to get a little dirty...

Oh that's right, mine. :-)

This is about the point when Jake said, "This is like the grossest thing ever!"and marched back inside (and yes, Jake does talk like a teenager most of the time) and was not seen again until the threat of slimy pumpkin guts was over.

I learned an important lesson about my husband's side of the family that day...none of them actually like carving pumpkins...not as children...not now.  Luckily, Arthur loves me enough to carve with me (as long as I do most of the pumpkin gut cleaning).

And it actually worked out great.  Not having to keep track of Jake handling sharp tools meant I could actually carry on a real conversation while we carved some pretty rockin' Jack-O-Lanterns.

Arthur's masterpiece

Mine

And while Jake may have taken after Arthur's side when it comes to his feelings about pumpkin guts, I have a good feeling that James will be more than willing to get his hands dirty in the years to come.  Just look at that face. :-)