Feb Misc

Some of our memories from Feb! 

A chilly brunch at Panera. One of the few places we can normally eat with minimal stress. 

Still working on coloring in the lines but getting better

Loading up stuff from the house to put in the storage unit. 

Tired daddy, sweet boys 

First trip to Krispy Kreme 

 I took the following picture to remember a disastrous meal.  Ryan was working all day Saturday and James pleaded with me to take him to Shogun. Against my better judgement we went and it was a disaster. Crying from H, James laying on the floor having a tantrum, H dumping a bowl of salad and dressing on the floor, etc. etc. I was so thankful to leave.

We had our first ER visit.  Long story short- H swallowed something and almost choked. Hours later he was still acting funny and breathing strange. Ryan ended up having to take him to the ER late at night while I stayed at home. It was about the 887, 951 time that I wished we had family close by because it is really not cool to have to stay behind when your baby goes to the hospital because you have no one you can call to stay with your 3 year old. Praise Jesus that Ryan pulled some strings and they got seen right away and it ended up being okay. 

The next morning, showing off his hospital I.D.

Bringing home his valentine for Mommy 

Who would have ever thought my kid would have a REDDISH tint to his hair?!?! 

Play date with Emmy 

Love him

Wearing the first outfit that Ryan's grandparents gave him as a baby 

Too much love from brother 

All better 

Thursday night "jumpy" night 

What Would We Do Without Nene?

Ryan and I say it often. We don't know how we would have survived the past five years without my mom.  Anyone who knows her knows that she is truly a saint!  She  is so sweet to come and visit us as often she can.  She always insists on Ryan and I going out as much as possible while she takes care of the kids. Bless her heart, this last time she shared a room with James for a week (who is not an easy kid to share a room with) and even slept on the floor on a kid-sized air mattress! As happy as we are to move closer to our families I have to admit it has been really special to have our visitors come and stay and really live with us. 

She loves her boys and they sure do love her!

I mean how many Grandma's are this fun??? 

H is having a blast!

We celebrated her birthday

Having a little snack together

We love you Nene! 

A Quick Weekend Visit

Right after I found out my friend Shannon was pregnant we began working on her baby shower and I knew there was one weekend that would allow me to get to come for it. Thankfully it worked out for everyone to do it then!  Ryan had a 3 day weekend so I left him with James for some quality time together and Harrison and I headed to NC.  Unfortunately the night before I left I got really really sick. I wasn't sure I would even be able to travel but somehow we made it there.

Just hanging out at the airport 

Valentine lunch date

My travel buddy

I think Harrison liked getting all the attention on this trip and not having to share with his brother!

H was my date to the shower

Yummy brunch

Can't believe we used to babysit Mary Helen's kids and now she is holding ours! 

Love this little man

I just realized I don't have a picture with just Shannon! Hopefully our talented photographer Sara got one in her stash.

Shortly after the shower we realized I had strep throat.  Thankfully I know a doctor who can call me in meds even from afar. :)  Needless to say it was not the ideal scenario but at least I had my family to help me so it actually was a lot better than being sick in Shreveport on my own!  

Pappy and his mini-me

No matter how sick I was there was no way I was missing our family dinner (minus Ryan) that night. We had had reservations for dinner for my mom's birthday and David and Greer had come just for it. Truthfully even though I felt awful I was so thrilled to get to be with my family that it was still a wonderful night. 

That night while we were at dinner Harrison got to have a special overnight trip to Nana and Pop's. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures. I seriously ran in and out to try to avoid infecting anyone else.  It worked out great that they took him because I was able to get a full nights sleep which I desperately needed!

So glad to see David and Greer 

Before long it was time to go back and thankfully my mom traveled with me.  On the last flight Harrison was so bad that the flight attendant actually came to me and gave me permission to go stand in front of the cockpit door (which if you have ever flown you know is a big no-no these days) so I could bounce him on my shoulder until he fell asleep. Praise the Lord for understanding flight attendants! 

It was a great weekend but boy am I ready to take a break from traveling with kids for awhile! 

James's Interview at 3 1/2

What's your favorite color? Blue

What's your favorite toy? Trains

What's your favorite place to go eat? Shogun, Jason's Deli 

What's your favorite TV show? Thomas (Am I the only parent that thinks this is actually the most boring???)

What's your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Chicken

What's your favorite thing to do with Harrison? Give him a bottle and hold him

What is your favorite game? Checkers (we have never played this before)

What is your favorite snack? Goldfish

What is your favorite animal? Tiger

What is your favorite song? Thomas and Friends 

What is your favorite book Thomas Blue Mountain Mystery (we never read this, not sure why he said that)

Who is your best friend? Daddy

What do you like to do with Mommy? Go to Sci-Port

What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play in the sand box

What is your favorite drink? Juice

What is your favorite holiday? Christmas

What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Puppy

What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Oatmeal

What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? Play trains

What do you want to be when you grow up? A policeman so no one goes fast

James at 3 1/2

I never got around to writing the post for when James was three- whoops! I cannot believe that James will be four in six months.  I remember looking at a little boy that was four a couple of years ago and thinking that James would be almost that age when we moved. I could not imagine him so grown up and old and now that time is almost here. Crazy!

How to describe James at this age? Well my brother David's description recently was, "the coolest and smartest kid I have ever known."  Not that we are biased or anything but I have to agree, haha! I will start with the good. James is very funny and the things he says constantly make us laugh. James is a super sweet kid.  He is so kind to others and thankfully we have not ever had any problems with hitting or being mean to other kids. We have never had trouble with him at preschool and the teachers all tell me how well behaved he is. (its amazing how he can be so good for them but also so terrible for me at times!)

Loves to be silly!

James LOVES preschool.  I stressed over where to send him this year and I am so thankful we left him where he is. He loves to learn and his mind is constantly going and does not have an off button.  He loves letters and numbers. He can count to 100 and can identify all the numbers. He can count by 10's and 2's and has started doing simple addition and subtraction problems in his head.  He can write almost all of his letters and is constantly asking me how to spell different words.  He understands the calendar, can make patterns, can classify and sort, and has the most incredible memory I have ever known. He can recall small events from over 2 years ago. The things he brings up from the past amaze Ryan and me because we can barely remember them!

Family portrait and rainbow on Daddy's lunch bag

Picture of Daddy

We were brainstorming "at" words. When we were done I asked him if he could read any of the words and he read them all! 

I got out of the shower and he had arranged his number cards counting by 2's

He is a wonderful big brother.  I can count on one hand the times he has been mean to Harrison. He wants Harrison with him all the time and does not like being separated from him.  It is so sweet to see them play with each other.  James insists on hugging and kissing him before every nap and bedtime and often tries to get Harrison to hold his hand while sitting together. His special nickname for Harrison is Peanut and he prays for Peanut every day.

I love the way his mind works and the deep conversations we have about all sorts of topics but especially the bible. He challenges me to really think through what we believe and why.  Oftentimes his questions leave me wondering how to answer in a way that is age appropriate but also that satisfies his curiosity.

Some of his favorite toys are Legos, blocks, trains, anything you can push and run with, balls,  puzzles, paint, cars, trucks, and the Magna Doodle. We are pretty conservative in how much exposure he gets to technology and television and Ryan and I both love the fact that he is just as happy playing with non-electronic toys.  He definitely does loves TV.  His current favorites are Bubble Guppies, Veggie Tales, SuperWhy, and Thomas. To be truthful I don't tape any other shows because I don't want to have to deal with it! He also loves to read books and to help me in the kitchen.

Lego tower 

Now the not so good or maybe I should say the challenging side of James. :)  He is stubborn, so so stubborn. Headstrong.  Strong-willed. According to my parents VERY similar to my brother David as a kid.  Avoid power struggles with him at all cost because it is not going to end pretty! He can be super sweet and then fall apart in a minute. I feel like I am constantly having to discipline him, especially lately.  In the past couple of weeks he has had a meltdown basically everywhere we normally go: the gym, the church, restaurants.  I'm sure all of Shreveport has seen me carrying him kicking and screaming at this point!

This day he had a fit because I went to the bathroom and he wanted to go first... 

All that being said my hope and prayer for him is that God will use that stubborn, strong willed personality to do great things one day in the future. I don't ever want to squelch his personality because it makes him who he is.  For all of the challenges we love him SO much.  Oftentimes at night I snuggle with him and tears form in my eyes because I still can't believe how blessed I am to be his Mama.  We love you sweet boy!