The 4th of July Extravaganza

This weekend was the Plona 4th of July picnic/fireworks/camping event. What fun we all had and what perfect weather! Aunt Verna and Uncle Hank were wonderful hosts and we all had an amazing time. This was the first time James ever spent 8 hours straight RUNNING and PLAYING in his entire life and boy was he tired the next day! No complaints from James though, he is the happiest little person we know who truly enjoys life.
Here were some highlights of the day:
- Getting out of the car and immediately spotting Uncle Hank's tractor "Whoooah!! Big big tractor! James go see it now!" So the hello's were put on hold for a few minutes while James got his first trip to the tractor. (it was followed by many more throughout the day. Each time James would first beg someone for the keys...thankfully he didn't know how to turn it on!)
- Finding out that there are CHEESE BALLS in the world was quite an eye opening experience! Mom is hoping James has forgotten about this part in amoung all the other things...
- Going barefoot everywhere and playing with all the big kids
- Getting to play in the bouncy houses ALL DAY LONG! and there were three!! Best thing is Boppa has one now so James can play in it all the time!
- Playing with the super-cool matchbox car ramp that Uncle Hank made for his grandkids. Now daddy has a(nother) project for the fall!
- Tents? All these people are going to sleep in tents tonight? James was very intrigued by this. The Hartigans opted not to camp out that night given mom's 6 month pregnant status...though she's feeling rather well these days, we thought it would be a little too much this year.
- FIREWORKS!! James was especially wow'ed by these lights in the sky. The best thing for mom and dad was after they were done, James would reach into the sky and say "the beachballs, I can't get them, they are too high!" His parallel of the big round explosions to beachballs was priceless.
- Best part of all was mom being able to watch James and daddy play all day long together. I'm not sure who had more fun as each was always laughing: be it in the bouncy houses, playing with the remote control cars with the 8 year olds or getting to explore deep in the woods with Uncle Hank.
Hope the holiday was great for everyone!

Twins????

This weekend we celebrated Father's Day, an early celebration of James' birthday with Grandma, Grandpa, Grandma Bubbles, the Imschweilers and Aunt Ali (or, how james lovingly refers to her: Aunt Aggie). To our surprise, James decided that with Aunt Aggie there, the big slide was no longer off limits and cheerfully rode down 100 xs over the weekend for Ali. Ali also got James back to eating blueberries, which is a good thing since mom and dad planted 3 bushes of our own in the backyard this spring. What a fun filled weekend that will take until about Thursday to get back on track after all that excitement!

recent Hartigan happenings

We thought we'd share a few shots of what we've been up to the past few weeks. Besides cooking our baby girl, who is growing leaps and bounds, we've been busy with all sorts of things of fun events.

James loves to entertain around the house and really enjoys having his friends over for playdates. We always have such a fun time when friends come by. We're learning a lot by playing with others...James may have a different definition of the word "share" - in his terms it means when I say share, you give me what you have. If you don't I will continue to frantically say "SHARE!!" in hopes you will relinquish that toy. The good thing is, so far, James is pretty easy going and tends to just wait around for the toy and not throw too much of a fit. Let's hope this attitude sticks.

We also took a trip into Hoboken to visit the O'Dwyers. James had a blast with Barry and Cindy and especially enjoyed the uncle treatment from Barry: rides on his shoulders through town, really cool presents and lots of laughs.

Mom and Dad took a quick weekend away for mom's friend Hallie's wedding up in Maine. What a fun time we all had. Congratulations Hallie!

With each passing week, our baby girl is growing and kicking. This past Monday the doctor called her chubby and said she is really a thriving girl who's above average on her size. We are feeling so great about her progress and look forward to preparing for her fall arrival over the summer months.

James is still making us laugh every day with his comments and his constant narrative of his life. The other day as he was reliving an "oops" moment, James said "mommy bad dog" because she left magazines on her roof and drove away. James is not shy on telling-on mom for her absent-minded behaviors. He made sure to tell dad about mom almost hitting a tree in a driveway. Repeatedly. Thanks James. He's also enjoying singing songs and counting to 13 (the number of stairs we have) and even has started saying the ABCs.

Life still revolves around tractors and trucks but we're starting to realize that pretty soon, these motor vehicles will be joined by lots of dolls and pretty little things!

FoodTV here I come

James enjoys cooking and is always eager to help. Even in his underwear, James is willing to lend a hand. Now, if we were to campaign for James to land his own show, he may need to change his wardrobe, but we'll cross that bridge if we get to it. When you ask him what he's cooking, he will tell you: chicken and honey, bunnies (that's Annie's pasta to clarify) and potatoes.
Note to the worriers out there...the stove was not on and no, the burners were not hot.

Welcome Julia Marie Imschweiler

Our new baby neice was born early in the morning, yesterday, May 31st weighing in at 7lbs 11oz. and measuring 19.5 inches. The proud and strong mommy is doing great. We are posting a few shots debuting Julia on our blog with her VERY excited older brother and aunt and uncle. James thoroughly enjoyed meeting Jooolia and getting a chance to hang out with the happy family. Congratulations to the Imschweilers!

WE'RE SEEING PINK!

It's official: James is going to be a big brother...to a baby sister! Mom is NOT surprised in the least. Our little baby girl has been giving her mommy quite a time since she started her journey. She's already showing us how spunky she is. We are very excited and feeling so blessed to know that our baby girl is doing well!

Happy Mommy's Day

Mom can think of nothing more precious than getting greeted this morning with the sweetest words spoken by my little boy. Here's a recap of the greeting...but of course, when James sees the video camera he immediately launches into his cheese routine! Sorry we can't edit the ending :-)

Happy Mother's Day to all our moms!

The first part of our weekend was spent at a Touch A Truck event with cousin William, Uncle Frank and Aunt Kelly. What fun we had seeing all the trucks! We also got a chance to visit with our friends Andrew (or The Man as James calls him), lady Christine (who is going to be a mommy a few weeks before Bridget, what fun it is to share stories!) and their dog Max. James very much enjoyed his visit and has been asking for Max ever since.

James growing up

The past 2 months have really brought out a personality explosion in James. He started by narrating his every move and those of the people around him with comments like "James is running" or "mommy drive car", etc, etc. His sentences are getting increasingly more complex as he keeps up his learning. Now, we are on to the constant question of "what's that?" Which in turn really causes the parents to have to always be quick thinkers. It's not every day that someone is asking you what everything around them is and when you have to stop to explain the voice at a drive thru window or what a drop spreader is in the yard, it becomes challenging! He likes to tell you the colors of things or shapes he sees. He loves sounds in nature and can tell you if it's a crow chirping or if it's just a birdie.
James also likes to point out cars that drive by: daddys, mommy's, Boppa's and Nanny's. And, he's always right w/ the make and model. He's an expert at deciphering the difference between backhoes, dump trucks and bulldozers. And we LOVE to holler OOOH MOTORCYCLE!! when we see one drive by.
A funny James-ism that we love most is how he will now call his dad "Jim" and mom "Bridget" to get our attention.
Mom is getting bigger by the day (what ever happened to those stomach muscles?) and is starting to feel this little baby flipping around in her belly. Each day, James is showing us just how amazing being a parent is and how exciting it is going to be to do this all over again. We can't wait to experience life as it changes in October!

Here's James playing with his good friend Gus. About once a day James will discuss Gus, his dog Pete and ask to play with him. They are good buds.

The Spring Heat wave

We have a 30 second video option on our camera...we don't always capture the best 30 seconds of an event, but at any rate, here's 60 seconds of one of James' favorite activites. Usually, this is a bath or shower routine, but with this heat, he welcomed the outdoor shower.

The Real Haircut

BEFORE...
DURING...
I'VE HAD ENOUGH ALREADY
AFTER: WHAT A BIG BOY

Spring Arrives...

We went from jackets and hats on Easter, to warm clothes a few days later...hope the warm weather is here to stay!

Happy Easter

Just wanted to wish everyone a happy Easter from James, Brodie, mommy, daddy and also from...baby angel in mommy's belly. 12 1/2 weeks and counting. Guess that explains the quietness on the blogging front, mom's been feeling pretty punky for the past few months. Getting MuCH better now!
Hope everyone has a great day!