I Forgot to Mention

Goodness me... how could I have forgotten that we found Lightning McQueen (the orange one) under the stove yesterday! And that... James is (we think) saying his first word, da-da... holding up his arms to be picked-up, "pointing" his arm, and mimicking banging on his highchair tray (mommy goes: bang, bang, bang and he smiles and repeats: bang, bang, bang). All of which leads me to believe that James is the smartest 7 month old ever to grace this earth :)

On the challenging side of parenting this week... I could easily have also mentioned that Jacob got a spanking for continuing to dodge getting dressed (we've slipped into a real daily battle on this front) or that James still thinks 15 minutes is considered a proper afternoon nap! Tough-love is well... tough because he is just so gosh darn cute.

Here We Go...

Inspired by my girlfriend, I too am taking the bold move and starting a Family Blog- how cool is that! I love sharing stories about my little guys, like every mother out there- what a fantastic way to capture those moments (bragging or otherwise :)

Favorite things:

James (7 months)-

• smiling
• eating (pancakes, pears, crackers- all firsts this week)
• stuffed animals and soft blankets

Jacob (3 1/2 years, going on 4 this summer)

• Candy! Pretend play centered around candy- imaginary pinatas for his imaginary Birthday, pretending it is Christmas morning and opening his stocking (candy!), or his favorite all-time pretend venture, Halloween Day- knocking on the door and saying trick-or-treat... over and over and did I mention over... again. :)
• Telling stories (usually candy appears at some point)
• Riding his tricycle (since last fall he has become quite proficient!)
• His bear-star blanket

Funny Stories captured this week:

Jacob- As we left the high school baseball game last night, Jacob asked where the kids were going. I told him that the big kids were going to go home, eat supper, do their homework, and then go to sleep because tomorrow was a school day. He then said... (this is the cute part) "I wonder what letter they have?" Translation: He is on letter "M" - worksheets he brings home from preschool. Too cute!

James- Playing, squealing with joy as he played with his stuffed animals in his crib (photo above); a brand new "grunting" sound... at first I thought he was doing his business... oh no, just a new, loud, fun BOY sound; throwing himself forward and backward to reach a toy, or my food, whichever the case may be- James has the faster grab this side of the Mississippi!