sometimes you are just done.
Friday, January 29, 2010
our sweet little man
excuse the plethora of pictures - but seriously, isn't he just the sweetest little guy??
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
whose turn is it?
Lately James is really good at telling us whose turn it is to do certain things. For example, if I ask him to clean up his cars, he puts a few away in the box then says, "Mommy's turn!" uh-uh, nice try bud.
Or, if he is tired and grumpy and is being a little mama's boy and Daddy tries to help him with something, he'll completely refuse and say, "Mommy's turn!" (kind of cute, really.)
But my absolute favorite is when he needs a diaper change, and I ask him, "whose turn is it to change you?" and he thinks for a few seconds, then says with a big smile, "Daddy's turn!!"
I love that. :)
p.s. speaking of diaper changes, the other day I was changing his diaper when he said in the sweetest little voice, "Thank you!!" (really it's more like "gank-gu") and it made all the hundreds and thousands of diaper changes SO worth it.
Or, if he is tired and grumpy and is being a little mama's boy and Daddy tries to help him with something, he'll completely refuse and say, "Mommy's turn!" (kind of cute, really.)
But my absolute favorite is when he needs a diaper change, and I ask him, "whose turn is it to change you?" and he thinks for a few seconds, then says with a big smile, "Daddy's turn!!"
I love that. :)
p.s. speaking of diaper changes, the other day I was changing his diaper when he said in the sweetest little voice, "Thank you!!" (really it's more like "gank-gu") and it made all the hundreds and thousands of diaper changes SO worth it.
Monday, January 25, 2010
James sings!
My mom will be the most excited about this post. Lately James has been quite the singer, but won't sing for anyone but mommy and daddy. He knows quite a few songs and we sing every night before bed - some of his favorites are Sweet Baby James, Godspeed (Sweet Dreams) by the Dixie Chicks, I Love to See the Temple and Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam.
I cannot believe he let me record him singing, he usually pushes the camera away and won't perform :) Here we are singing our opening song for our family home evening lesson - which turned into three opening songs since we were on a roll and I wanted to document his adorable singing.
p.s. note his amazing harmonies...what a musical genius....
I cannot believe he let me record him singing, he usually pushes the camera away and won't perform :) Here we are singing our opening song for our family home evening lesson - which turned into three opening songs since we were on a roll and I wanted to document his adorable singing.
p.s. note his amazing harmonies...what a musical genius....
Thursday, January 21, 2010
the art of deception
As the parent of a toddler, I have learned that a certain amount of deception goes a long way in keeping your kid healthy and happy. No, I'm not talking about teaching your kid to be deceptive and dishonest - I am talking about getting your child to eat healthy! What a struggle this is with a 2-year-old, as I'm sure many of you know.
I remember when my brother was a little kid, my parents could get him to eat almost anything by telling him that it tasted like hot dogs. I've tried this trick, and James does not fall for this at all. (Well, he's never even had a hot dog, but what I'm saying is that it won't work with any food that he likes!)
I have discovered a few things that have helped, though...oh, and trust me, we still have a LONG way to go with this kid...
1.) You can hide almost anything in a smoothie...
2.) Fish sticks look like chicken nuggets. hey, maybe still not the healthiest thing but they are another form of meat that my kid will now gladly eat, bringing his meat repertoire up to a whopping total of 2 things.
3.) James LOVES pancakes, but doesn't like anything ON them, he just picks them up and eats them - same with french toast. So, what do I do? I add some kind of fruit (like applesauce and/or bananas) to the batter, and voila! He (unknowingly) gets some extra fruit in his diet. hehehe.
4.) Thanks to this great book, my family has been eating more vegetables than usual. James even tried a little bit (he will now begrudgingly try one bite of whatever mommy makes him - hey, I am happy, it is one more bite than usual. Our favorite was his bite of mac and cheese - he put a huge bite in his mouth, gagged on it, but continued chewing and swallowed anyway - what a champ!!)
But seriously, Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld is a pretty awesome book. It is all about adding fruit and vegetable purees to recipes, making them much healthier for your family. All of the recipes we've tried so far have been awesome, and you can hardly tell there is squash or sweet potatoes in your food! Thanks to this book, our family has recently enjoyed several new yummy, healthy recipes, such as:
*mac and cheese with cauliflower
*sloppy joes with red peppers, sweet potatoes, celery and carrots
*chicken quesadillas with butternut squash
So, friends, how do you get your kids to eat healthy? I'd love to hear your brilliant ideas!
I remember when my brother was a little kid, my parents could get him to eat almost anything by telling him that it tasted like hot dogs. I've tried this trick, and James does not fall for this at all. (Well, he's never even had a hot dog, but what I'm saying is that it won't work with any food that he likes!)
I have discovered a few things that have helped, though...oh, and trust me, we still have a LONG way to go with this kid...
1.) You can hide almost anything in a smoothie...
2.) Fish sticks look like chicken nuggets. hey, maybe still not the healthiest thing but they are another form of meat that my kid will now gladly eat, bringing his meat repertoire up to a whopping total of 2 things.
3.) James LOVES pancakes, but doesn't like anything ON them, he just picks them up and eats them - same with french toast. So, what do I do? I add some kind of fruit (like applesauce and/or bananas) to the batter, and voila! He (unknowingly) gets some extra fruit in his diet. hehehe.
4.) Thanks to this great book, my family has been eating more vegetables than usual. James even tried a little bit (he will now begrudgingly try one bite of whatever mommy makes him - hey, I am happy, it is one more bite than usual. Our favorite was his bite of mac and cheese - he put a huge bite in his mouth, gagged on it, but continued chewing and swallowed anyway - what a champ!!)
But seriously, Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld is a pretty awesome book. It is all about adding fruit and vegetable purees to recipes, making them much healthier for your family. All of the recipes we've tried so far have been awesome, and you can hardly tell there is squash or sweet potatoes in your food! Thanks to this book, our family has recently enjoyed several new yummy, healthy recipes, such as:
*mac and cheese with cauliflower
*sloppy joes with red peppers, sweet potatoes, celery and carrots
*chicken quesadillas with butternut squash
So, friends, how do you get your kids to eat healthy? I'd love to hear your brilliant ideas!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
phew.
That is my sigh of relief that James is in bed. And quiet. [I take that back, he just sneezed...crossing fingers that he falls asleep soon!]
This week he has been awful with his naps, and it's making me crazy! I don't know about any of you, but I can never really completely relax until I know he's actually asleep. I can only get so much done when he's up there calling my name!
Any mommy knows that nap time is glorious. Not that we don't love our children and want to play with them and hug them and read to them, but you cannot stay sane without some amount of time to yourself during the day, am I right? Even if it's taking a hot bath or reading a magazine OR, better yet, leaving the child with your husband and getting out and going somewhere (even if it's just to the grocery store) by yourself (it's always nice when you can pick the tiny shopping cart and not the HUGE one with the car on the front that is impossible to maneuver through the aisles and you get in everybody's way and your child is hanging his head out the side).
I think that yesterday was particularly exhausting. James is usually pretty good about playing by himself while I do the dishes and get a few things done around the house. But yesterday he wanted my FULL attention. I'd leave the room and he'd start calling, "Mommy?? Mommy??" He wanted me to "make his toys talk" over and over and over again. There is only so much you can make a little wooden person say to his wooden buddy, or a car say to another car (unless you are my husband or my dad, in which case you can go on and on for hours and never seem to get tired of it).
After he'd been in his bed yesterday for an hour or so of "quiet time" (since he never fell asleep), I went in there and we had this conversation:
me: "why didn't you go to sleep?"
James: "awake!"
me: "well, did you try closing your eyes?"
James: "no. eyes open!"
we then had a sort of stare down and he started to grin.
James: "out? met? one met?" (one minute)
me: "you want to get out?"
James: long pause........................"ok!"
sigh.
Calling all mommies: What do you like to do during your "alone time" while your kiddies are sleeping or with daddy? How do you recharge your battery so you remain pleasant and patient? :)
This week he has been awful with his naps, and it's making me crazy! I don't know about any of you, but I can never really completely relax until I know he's actually asleep. I can only get so much done when he's up there calling my name!
Any mommy knows that nap time is glorious. Not that we don't love our children and want to play with them and hug them and read to them, but you cannot stay sane without some amount of time to yourself during the day, am I right? Even if it's taking a hot bath or reading a magazine OR, better yet, leaving the child with your husband and getting out and going somewhere (even if it's just to the grocery store) by yourself (it's always nice when you can pick the tiny shopping cart and not the HUGE one with the car on the front that is impossible to maneuver through the aisles and you get in everybody's way and your child is hanging his head out the side).
I think that yesterday was particularly exhausting. James is usually pretty good about playing by himself while I do the dishes and get a few things done around the house. But yesterday he wanted my FULL attention. I'd leave the room and he'd start calling, "Mommy?? Mommy??" He wanted me to "make his toys talk" over and over and over again. There is only so much you can make a little wooden person say to his wooden buddy, or a car say to another car (unless you are my husband or my dad, in which case you can go on and on for hours and never seem to get tired of it).
After he'd been in his bed yesterday for an hour or so of "quiet time" (since he never fell asleep), I went in there and we had this conversation:
me: "why didn't you go to sleep?"
James: "awake!"
me: "well, did you try closing your eyes?"
James: "no. eyes open!"
we then had a sort of stare down and he started to grin.
James: "out? met? one met?" (one minute)
me: "you want to get out?"
James: long pause........................"ok!"
sigh.
Calling all mommies: What do you like to do during your "alone time" while your kiddies are sleeping or with daddy? How do you recharge your battery so you remain pleasant and patient? :)
Monday, January 18, 2010
never posted
I was just going through some old posts and found this that I never posted - a list of cute/funny things that James said. I'm glad I wrote these down because (even though it was only a few weeks ago that he said them) I completely forgot about some of these! (Ah, the memory of a mommy - you swear you'll never forget each little moment, but you always do.)
cokes on (coats on)
move dose! (move those)
suck (he still uses this one, this is his word for truck - love it. I should also note that his word for jump is "sump")
man-a-walking (this is a game my Dad played with me when I was little, and James likes to play it; it involves making a little man with your fingers and making him walk up your arm and up over your head - sometimes we have to do this over and over and over again!)
hold me! this is probably the cutest thing he says lately, and even though at times it can get exhausting, it makes me feel great :) he really started using this a lot after I had a few good friends over (on different days) who brought their children/babies, and James just wasn't so sure about his mommy holding/interacting with other babies and kids.
blah blah blah - ahh, I completely forgot about this one. This was James imitating me talking on the phone. You can see how he feels about his mommy's phone conversations...
house! pants on! house! pants on! Ah yes, crying for me to put his pants on and take him downstairs. Good times.
cokes on (coats on)
move dose! (move those)
suck (he still uses this one, this is his word for truck - love it. I should also note that his word for jump is "sump")
man-a-walking (this is a game my Dad played with me when I was little, and James likes to play it; it involves making a little man with your fingers and making him walk up your arm and up over your head - sometimes we have to do this over and over and over again!)
hold me! this is probably the cutest thing he says lately, and even though at times it can get exhausting, it makes me feel great :) he really started using this a lot after I had a few good friends over (on different days) who brought their children/babies, and James just wasn't so sure about his mommy holding/interacting with other babies and kids.
blah blah blah - ahh, I completely forgot about this one. This was James imitating me talking on the phone. You can see how he feels about his mommy's phone conversations...
house! pants on! house! pants on! Ah yes, crying for me to put his pants on and take him downstairs. Good times.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
hello, blog.
Remember me? Yes I know it has been quite awhile. I hope you will forgive me. Well, we have been quite busy. Here's what we've been up to...
We got a Christmas tree (yes, this was quite some time ago...).
James was a really big help, as you can imagine.
We set up and decorated our tree.
We helped decorate my parents' tree.
We hung out with Bapa.
We had a ward Christmas party where our wonderful Bishop wore his pj's and read to the kids!
Josh went on a date, and I took a picture.
We played with toys.
We hung out with Janina and her son Aaron.
James and Aaron will be great friends, I am sure.
James played "book road" with Bapa, just like Mommy used to do when she was little.
We had Christmas Eve dinner by candlelight at my parents' house.
We looked cute.
We had a fun Christmas Eve with my family and Grandma Glenn.
We took too many pictures and some of us weren't so happy...
(look how cute: me, my mommy and my Grandma...)
We got Christmas pj's.
We came home and had our own little Christmas Eve/Christmas morning. Oh yes and this is our tree I mentioned earlier.
We had so much fun with our presents from Santa - James loves his train set!
We opened more presents at the parentals'.
I think James got the most presents of all! Go figure.
We loved our roll-up piano my parents gave us!
We visited James' great-Gibbons-grandparents.
We played with "Aunt Anyan" (which sounds similar to Aunt Onion.)
We had a nice visit.
We love my grandparents!
Abby had fun, too.
We took artsy pictures of Abby's new boots. (You've gotta have boots when you're dating a cowboy...)
James became buddies with his great-grandpa...
...and discovered that if you push his feet, his entire chair spins around in circles!
Talking on "phones" is one of James' favorite games. Josh clearly is excited as well.
My almost-90-year-old grandpa couldn't help but get on the floor and play with James.
We saw a pretty view of downtown Salt Lake.
We visited with aunts and uncles.
We spent New Years' Eve with Daniel & Bethany and their kids. We did sparklers.
Bethany and I had cute boots on (she's having a new baby soon!)
James was in an "Adorable Baby Contest" and did not win but we were so grateful for all our friends' votes!
We Skyped with family in Oregon and North Carolina.
We hung out.
We mourned our good ol' Dirk's passing (but only for a few minutes).
Well, those are the highlights. Congratulations on making it to the end of this super-long post.
We got a Christmas tree (yes, this was quite some time ago...).
James was a really big help, as you can imagine.
We set up and decorated our tree.
We helped decorate my parents' tree.
We hung out with Bapa.
We had a ward Christmas party where our wonderful Bishop wore his pj's and read to the kids!
Josh went on a date, and I took a picture.
We played with toys.
We hung out with Janina and her son Aaron.
James and Aaron will be great friends, I am sure.
James played "book road" with Bapa, just like Mommy used to do when she was little.
We had Christmas Eve dinner by candlelight at my parents' house.
We looked cute.
We had a fun Christmas Eve with my family and Grandma Glenn.
We took too many pictures and some of us weren't so happy...
(look how cute: me, my mommy and my Grandma...)
We got Christmas pj's.
We came home and had our own little Christmas Eve/Christmas morning. Oh yes and this is our tree I mentioned earlier.
We had so much fun with our presents from Santa - James loves his train set!
We opened more presents at the parentals'.
I think James got the most presents of all! Go figure.
We loved our roll-up piano my parents gave us!
We visited James' great-Gibbons-grandparents.
We played with "Aunt Anyan" (which sounds similar to Aunt Onion.)
We had a nice visit.
We love my grandparents!
Abby had fun, too.
We took artsy pictures of Abby's new boots. (You've gotta have boots when you're dating a cowboy...)
James became buddies with his great-grandpa...
...and discovered that if you push his feet, his entire chair spins around in circles!
Talking on "phones" is one of James' favorite games. Josh clearly is excited as well.
My almost-90-year-old grandpa couldn't help but get on the floor and play with James.
We saw a pretty view of downtown Salt Lake.
We visited with aunts and uncles.
We spent New Years' Eve with Daniel & Bethany and their kids. We did sparklers.
Bethany and I had cute boots on (she's having a new baby soon!)
James was in an "Adorable Baby Contest" and did not win but we were so grateful for all our friends' votes!
We hung out.
We mourned our good ol' Dirk's passing (but only for a few minutes).
Well, those are the highlights. Congratulations on making it to the end of this super-long post.
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