James’ first bike ride

To be grammatically correct: James’ first trike ride.  But that doesn’t sound as monumental.

We got James a 3-in-1 tricycle this week.  it starts as a push trike that he can steer, then turns into something else, then turns into a tricycle. 1.  2.  3.

It started yesterday with the assembly.  James has been quite the helper these days.  Whether he’s “helping” assemble a bike trike,

or “helping” Daddy read the paper,

or “helping” bathe Lynyrd.

He is very hands on.  So, yesterday Justin quickly tried to assemble the trike, while James continuously carried this tire to me saying, “cracka??” {cracker}  I have absolutely. no. idea. why.

And then, as usual, baby James got hurt.

After a good night’s sleep, we thought we’d venture out on a little bike ride.  We were ready to go.  Just waiting on Daddy.

And when Justin came out, I got a picture of James in front of his first home, which I know I will cherish one day.

And off we went.

And it was all downhill from there.  We had a rough time enabling the steering (which I think is so important to help with the fine motor skills!). Lynyrd barked so much before we left the driveway that we had to put him back inside.  And then James’ too big, borrowed croc fell off his foot and he scraped his toe, which led to hysterical crying.  So, our first bike ride lasted about 3 minutes and then, we took the poor boy in.

Although James’ first bike ride was not quite as I had imagined, this is the unpredictable reality of having a child.  One of my favorite things about kids {besides their innocence} is their resiliency.  And Sweet Baby James was back to his happy self in no time.  On the day of his first “bike ride.”

My toddler

I love my little toddler.

And my little toddler loves his Aunt Laurie.

H2O

With a high of 100 degrees yesterday and an actual temperature of 95, it couldn’t have been a better day for James to get his new sand and water table! 

Grandma Lisa and Grandpa Andy wanted to get him the perfect outdoor activity set for his birthday, and they hit the nail on the head with this one.  James has always loved to play with water, and he now loves to play outside so much that he cries when we bring him in.  And he sometimes cries when I let Lynyrd - and only Lynyrd - out.  What could be more perfect on a hot summer day than pouring cool water all over yourself?

We tried it with with just water (no sand), which is what I’ll probably do until the novelty wears off – it’s much cleaner that way.  He diligently played like he was playing with something he wasn’t supposed to, and I was going to take it away from him at any second.

He wouldn’t even look up for me to get one picture (no matter what I said and where I stood).

Although, I didn’t get one smiling picture of my little water bug, I know this birthday gift will make for one happy {and cool!} summer!  Thank you Grandma and Grandpa!

James, the star

Here are a couple of pre-haircut videos.  In the first one, James is dancing a little jig that Papa taught him.  I wasn’t able to trim this video so, it’s a little long.

This next one is James being silly with his good ole “Ah choo” joke and a couple of head shakes.  The boy’s got talent.  A natural entertainer.

James’ First Haircut

Sniff, sniff. Wipe my tear.

I’ve known this day was approaching for a couple of months now. When James was mistaken for a girl a few weeks ago in Publix, I let it go. It used to happen here and there when he was a newborn… it hasn’t happened in what seems like forever… so, I let it go. The second time he was mistaken for a girl {in Publix again – what the heck!}, I scheduled his first haircut.

James’ first haircut was sentimental.

Scary.

Terrifying.

So bad that animal crackers didn’t help.

Not funny at all.

Incomprehensible.

Absolutely the worst thing that could happen to a person.

But it didn’t last long. And Ms. Kelly was great {and earned a 90% tip}.

And we were out the door in no time. And it was that moment that James got his first real lollipop.

And that lollipop saved the day. James finished every last lick and cried if we tried to take it away.

Today my baby took one step closer to growing up.

And although the haircut experience was less than ideal, I couldn’t be prouder of my big boy.

I love you, my Sweet Baby James.

two peas in a pod

When little Ellie was born two years ago, it never occurred to me that I also, would soon have a baby. And it certainly never occurred to me that these two cousins would grow up together and be so close. (James trying to kiss Ellie for the picture)

Although they spend a fair share of their time fighting over whatever the other one has, they also enjoy playing together.If one has a snack, a drink or a paci then the other has to have it, too. {This sometimes works to our advantage, like when Ellie started drinking water instead of juice, because James does. And how James switched to the big kid sippy cups, because Ellie does. Now, if we can just get them both to eat vegetables…} I was making marshmallow pops this morning for Ellie’s birthday party so, the kiddos got a sneak peek. Ellie ate hers like a lady.While James ate his like he was competing in a contest.I did give them the pops before the icing had hardened so, the mess was unavoidable.After a while, James usually gets frustrated watching Ellie do all the things that he hasn’t quite figured out yet.And he makes it known when he’s done playing. I guess James is like most men that relish their down time after trying to keep up with a girl.

Sunday Morning

James has been struggling in the church nursery for months.  Not today.  Today, they said he was helping the big kids put their toys back in the basket {who taught him that??} and pushing a baby in a stroller {When they told me that, all I could think was “thank you, Lord, for protecting that child”}  Yes, our little James is becoming all growed up.  And here are some pictures of our Sunday Morning.