James's First Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! He is RISEN!!

We've been celebrating Easter in a low-key way as Eliot is finishing his dissertation this weekend (it's due on Tuesday). We did go to church and for a short walk in the park, and tonight we are tie-dying eggs and I am making a pot roast. We also did a little photo shoot of James with his Easter basket while wearing the outfit I made him. There are lots (and I mean LOTS) more pics in the Eleventh Month album, I just don't have time to post them all here!

Here are my favorites...
James getting ready


Yummy eggs!




I am pretty sure he'll not like us for this one someday...

He had so much fun!




Time to play!

James loves this carrot he got from Mimi Helen and Grandpa Mark.

James also got The Lorax from his grandparents for Earth Day... he unwrapped the whole thing himself and then played just with the paper!

Having fun with Daddy

The Easter baskets! James got some books from us, his grandparents, and his great-grandparents (thanks everyone), some toys from Grandma and Mimi Helen, and a stuffed frog, chocolate bunny (Lil explorer!), Mum Mum, freeze dried apples, and yogurt bites from mommy and daddy.

We took a walk in Hendrick's park after church where everything was blooming!







James exploring his Easter basket!




We also took a few short clips of James enjoying the Easter festivities. This one is of him playing with his whistle in his Easter outfit!



And one of him playing with his Earth Day gift wrap!


Happy Easter everyone!!

New car!!

We got a new car! Well, a new old car. It's a 2004 Nissan Altima. We LOVE it, though it is a 5-speed so I am learning something new! We got it for a great deal thanks to my mad bargaining skills learned from Dave Ramsey. The best part is... we paid for it with cash!!

Now we need to go sell the Kia, which breaks my heart a little because I will miss it. I've had that car since I was 18, nine whole years of my life. It's seen me through high school and college graduation, six cross-country trips, multiple trips to Mt. Rainier, getting buried in the snow at Timberline for our wedding, an 18-hr drive down to Florida with Maux for our freshman year Spring break, and James's first ride in a car home from the hospital. I will miss it, for sure.

But, on to bigger (and I mean BIGGER!) things! We needed more space for our family, and this car provides that while still getting good gas mileage. I am excited for the new car, and even more excited that it has air conditioning, power everything, an integrated phone, and no dent in the trunk. :-)

Here are a few pics of us on the day we got the "Spirit of Adventure"!






I put some elbow grease into it today and it no longer sports the "Go army" bumper sticker. It is also a LOT cleaner! I went ahead and cleaned out the kia while I was at it, and it is ready to be sold except for a quick wash of the outside. Found objects in the kia include two rocks collected from two separate trips, $1.05 in change, two missing umbrellas (one broken), and, of course, my little Tinkerbell that I got in Cinderella's castle at Disney World on that spring break trip so many years ago...

James is 10 Months Old!!!

James has hit the double digits!! I think he knew it was his 10-month birthday today, because he tried to pull up to standing (unsuccessfully) for the first time. He can't quite figure out how to get his legs under him for it, but if I help him he'll pull himself up!

He also learned how to do a high five with me today, and if I say "Dance dance!" while he's sitting in his high chair, he'll wiggle around like he's dancing. I swear I am hearing more things that sound like words come from him as well. He's growing up!

Here are a few pics from today... I'd post more but I am exhausted from cleaning out two cars today.

James in action

Now that James is getting more mobile, he is getting into everything! Here are some pics from his adventures around the house...









Cuddling with daddy!


Enjoying breakfast with Mimi and Grandpa


James vs the outlet covers...




For the record, the outlet covers won. Thanks Grandma!

Here is a video of him trying to get the covers off (he crawled over to them and sat up next to them by himself!).

Sitting man!

I just wanted to write a short note to mention that as of three days ago, James pushes himself up to a sitting position. Before we would have to sit him up as he couldn't quite figure it out... but now he does it by himself, easy as pie! I even saw him via our video monitor sitting up in his crib. He's growing up!

I'll post some new pics soon... right now I'm feeling under the weather and don't feel up to it.

Fuchsia Saturday!!!

We took James today to his first ever Fred Meyer Fuchsia Saturday event! This is something we go to every year to get flower starts for our garden when fuchsias and geraniums are 5 for $3. If you bring your own pots, they will even fill them with dirt and plant them for you. It is GREAT!

The first year we went, we didn't know what we were walking into and went at 10am (when the event started at 9am)... there was nothing left! It was all picked over and there were only a few damaged plants to choose from. So last year we went at 9am... we got a better selection, but arriving just 15 min late made the selection already limited. AND, we had to wait in a three-hour line... while I was pregnant! It was crazy.

So THIS year, we went with a game plan (and James!). We went before 9am, and Eliot got in line with James while I gathered the plants and brought them back to the cart. Then we realized that there were two lines this year (a paying line then a potting line). So Eliot went to stand in the potting line while James and I stood in the paying line. With this method, we were in and out in 45 minutes! Woohoo!! AND, we got about 10 varieties of fuchsias and a trailing geranium, which I didn't even know existed. AND, we got 25 plants for $16! So hopefully we'll have plenty of color outside this year. :-)

Here are two pics from James's first Fuchsia Saturday:



We had a fun visit from James's Aunt Lindy and his cousins Levi and Asher yesterday... James is finally old enough he can actually play with them! Levi helped James play with the ball popper, it was so cute! We also served the boys some noodles, veggies, and cheese sauce that I made. When the boys were sleeping (all three took a nap at the same time! Shocking!), Lindy and I made a few "tie" dyed eggs (I am going to post those pics with my Easter ones later this month). After their nap, we took all three boys to Skinner Butte park, with James in the Ergo so I could help Lindy chase after the boys! Here are a few pics from yesterday:

Asher enjoying lunch

The boys!

Lindy, Asher, and Levi after they woke up from their nap.

James playing on the floor

Eliot playing the fiddle for James!

James had spaghetti for dinner.

Asher on the slide!

Levi on the slide!

Lindy and the boys in the Saloon. :-)


James on the swing (at the park on a different day)

Daddy and James swinging


James enjoying some broccoli tonight

For some reason James likes to pound his water bottle on his tray...

Here's a video of it!


Plus a pic of James playing. :-)


Did I mention that James wears shoes now? It keeps him from pulling off his socks!