HALLOWEEN

Is this my early Christmas present??

No, sorry James, this is just in the yard temporarily.
James came outside to play today and much to his delight, this backhoe loader was in the yard (yes, that is the correct name, we are WELL versed in the names of trucks & machines these days). Well James thought this was the best thing ever and enjoyed playing on the big machine that is now parked next to his swingset. Wanna ride on the swings? NO WAY! Not with this amazing contraption sitting here with wheels I can climb IN to. It will be sad when the landscaper comes back for the toy. Let's hope it stays through the weekend!

MUD

Not sure there needs to be any commentary for these pictures...We'll just set the stage: James helped daddy with the gardening this weekend and really got into his work! Good thing it was warm out and James didn't mind daddy spraying him down with the hose after the job was done.

Identity Crisis

We don't know who is more confused - James for falling in love with Brodie's bed and continually kicking him out, or Brodie who will insist on sitting in mom's lap since his bed is now sometimes off limits.

James in the yard

Lots to do on a beautiful autumn day: inspect the trees with my pal Brodie, make faces at mom and swing in my Home Depot race car swing. Life can't get better than this!

New Hampshire Vacation 2

We're now back from our week vacation up at the beach. The weather was beautiful & we all had our fill of fresh seafood and New England late summer. What a fun time we all had. James learned a lot from cousin Anna & is now showing off some new speaking skills. He also learned about french fries (a new favorite of course) and perfected more of his walking skills (no more tripping over the thresholds of doorways going outside & mastering a few stairs). We had an opportunity to take some family pictures & were lucky that everyone was in good spirits during the photo session.
the last picture is the view from the deck of our vacation house. Being able to walk down the stairs onto the sand and falling asleep to the sound of the ocean was VERY therapeutic and EVERYONE slept well - - and through the nite! Mom and dad are very happy with this new trend that James has really gotten into - SLEEPING. I guess if you wait long enough, it does happen!

New Hampshire Vacation 1

We've spent the past week up on the coast of New Hampshire on vacation with Nanny & Boppa, Uncle Chris, Aunt Becki, Anna and baby Emma. It's been a very fun week for James who decided after spending the day in the foot-wash bucket because he didn't enjoy the cold water, that the ocean wasn't so bad after 5pm. It was even better once he was covered in sand from head to toe.

Poor dad has been spending a good portion of vacation at "work" downstairs in his makeshift office but we have been bringing him great fresh seafood, beers after 4pm and doing a lot of playing when he's done.

We'll post more when we get home!

Keeping me busy

What is it about children and their utter obsession with cleaning tools? And when and why does this intrigue ever wear off? James is a huge fan of the Swiffer and welcomes the chance to help out with the daily chores...as long as they involve the Swiffer. This morning he would not relinquish the tool until mom enticed him with a promise to go outside on the swings.
Oh and another thank you to Aunt Ali for the big wheel James received for his birthday. Too bad we have yet to be allowed to assemble the toy. James has not lost his interest in the 3 wheels that are meant for the bike. He will spend HOURS rolling the wheels, banging the wheels, watching them fall and doing it all over again. Maybe he'll let us put the bike together for Christmas!!

My new playset

Last weekend mom found this amazing jungle gym on craigslist (is there anything you can't find there?). Dad quickly lept into action and the next day, Grandpa and dad were disessembling the set from the old house (see first picture). And the coolest thing was waking up the morning after the set arrived and seeing that BRAND NEW UHAUL parked in the driveway (has anyone ever seen a Uhaul with 275 miles on the odometer??). I was THRILLLED to touch those wheels and run around the truck again and again. I secretly wished that the truck would have stayed along with the swing set. THEN, this past week, Dad and Boppa spent some time "refurbishing" the set and this Saturday, Dad, Boppa and Uncle Chris put it all back together again in our yard! It looks AMAZING and just like new!! Now I have my very own playground in the backyard. I especially love the swings and going down the slide on mom or dad's lap. I'm still perfecting climbing the ramp up to the forts. Brodie's favorite part is the ramp up to the forts. He loves to run up...and down...and up...and down...and then he lays up in the tower looking down on his domain. He has yet to understand that he must yeild to those on the swings and we've had a few run-ins, but we think he'll get it...eventually. We even had cousin Anna and cousin William over this weekend to try out the set.
(no post would be complete without a picture of James, so the last shot is of James running by the camera a few days ago. Note the huge shiner above his eye. Fear is not something James is aware of and we've been experiencing first hand exactly what it's like to raise a boy.)