It Was All Going So Well....

Ahhh, it was all going so well.  And really still is except for a minor mishap.  Here are some photos of James enjoying life and then you will see the oops.

I LOVE Piggy-back rides with my Daddy!

I love to read magazines (and rip them apart, too)!

I love to run around the house like a crazy monkey!

Oops!  Auntie Ronalee came over today for a play date with cousin Emily (8 months older than James).  James has become quite adept at going in and out the front door--which includes two concrete steps.  Today there was an oops.  No one quite saw it, but we think he stumbled on the landing, did a somersault off the top step and landed.  His nose is scraped pretty badly and he has a bump and a scrap on top of his head as well.  We were surprised he didn't need stitches with the way he fell.  A little cuddle from Mom and he was ready to go to the park on his date.  What a little trooper!

A close-up view--since he is smiling (and this is a few hours later and after his nap) he must be okay.

James and Daniel and Family

Jeff's birthday was yesterday so we went to his Mom and Dad's for dinner.  Everyone was there (Jeff's siblings and families) and so James got to play with his cousin Daniel.  It is interesting to see the two of them together.  Daniel is four months older and taller and slimmer.  James is 15 months now and 24.8lbs and 31.5 inches (so about the 50th to 75th percentile for both).  But, as we have discussed, James' feet are huge and are about 2 sizes bigger than his cousin's.  Crazy.  But, the two of them seemed to get along just fine which is nice to see.  Again, there are more pictures on Facebook.

Wrestling with Uncle Brett--after the smack down.

Wrestling with Uncle Brett--the smack down.

Sitting with Auntie Lauren.

Cousin Daniel and his Daddy, Craig.

Daniel, my feet are ticklish--stop that!!

You're silly--that's not true at all!

Aaahhhh!!  

Two cuties together!

I have spiked hair for Daddy's birthday.

Grandpa, did you see my bowl!  It belongs on my head.

Sometimes, you just have to run around like a crazy monkey with a bowl on your head.

Climbing Stairs & My New Trike!

Well, since we were out shopping for shoes yesterday, Linda and I decided to go to ToysRUs.  James got a gift card for his 1st birthday from his Auntie Lauren and we thought we would see what they had.  And they had a neat trike.  It is nice because it has a handle so I can hold on and push it.  The handle folds underneath and so James could use it as a rocking chair but we tried that and he hated it because it didn't move enough.  But he quite likes it as a trike.  He can't peddle but he tries to push it with his feet and he likes to climb on and off and push it around using the handle.  It is very cute.  So, he got new shoes and a new toy--a good day for Jamie.  There are also some photos (out of place since I can't move them) of him climbing stairs.  Yikes!

Eeeww.  Mom, my hands are dirty again!!  But isn't my new trike cool!

This is how I climb stairs now.  I have to be careful or I will scuff my nose again.

Holding the rails and going up sideways.  It is nerve-wracking to watch but he is pretty proficient at it.

The side view--yikes!

I am so proud of myself--look what I can do Mom!

This is my trike.  I like to sit on it like a big boy!

Look, I can push it around!

This is how I sit on my trike.

And this is how I get off my trike.  Aren't I a clever boy!

Again, there are more of these photos on Facebook if you are interested.

New Shoes for James

We discovered in the last week that James needed new shoes.  We had been checking them--pinching on the toe and sides--and they seemed to be fitting but in the last week, he was pulling them off constantly and his socks too.  And then we noticed that there were red marks on the tops of his feet after he pulled them off, so we decided it was definitely time.  His feet were a size and a half bigger--I swear they grew overnight.  He is also looking chunkier again so I think another height spurt is coming.  Anyway, we went shoe shopping and he has huge, wide feet.  So, our options are slightly limited but we found the perfect pair.  StrideRites made a cute pair of two-tone blue shoes--like a runner/hiker.  And they fit--size 7 and 1/2 wide!  And, they were called "the Jeffrey" shoe.  So, they were perfect.  And he was SO proud of himself in them.  He strutted around the store like he invented blue shoes.  And, the best part is, he doesn't seem to notice them and doesn't pick at them at all.  Here are some photos.

Don't I look like a big boy in my new shoes and my lobster sweater?

Blue suede shoes!

Look how BIG they are!!

I can kick a ball really well!

Eeewww!  Dirty hands, Mommy!  James has milk-carton blocks outside that he loves to stack and knock down but it rained last night and they were dirty.  Apparently, this offended his sensibilities because he kept stopping, looking at his hands, and rubbing them together to get the dirt off.

James at Home and on the Go

Here are some photos of James from the last few weeks.  They are in no particular order.  I discovered that it is actually quite a bit easier to upload photos and comments to a Facebook album so I may start doing that.  I haven't decided yet.  So, there are a bunch more on Facebook if you are on it and, if not, I guess it is time to join so you can see more of Jamie.  

Anyway, here is James.  We have been settling into life in our new home and he is doing really well.  Jeff is, of course, gone all day at work so we have gotten into a little routine.  We play or go for a walk in the morning.  Then James naps for a bit--on a good day, 2-3 hours, and I do some work (right now it is Cicero).  Then he wakes up and we play some more until Daddy comes home for supper.  It is very regular.  

Here is James on a rainy day in his nice comfy outfit from Aunt Jackie and Uncle Gord.

I've found my toes!  Fun!

Did you see my barn?  Let me show you!

Playing outside in the rain in my cool fireman coat with my wagon and ball.

Playing in a bowl with Grandma Lin.

It's a rainy day and my clothes were soaked so I got to wear my comfy sweat suit from my Nanner!

Photo is out of place, obviously, but you can see that only losers wear socks and Jamie is no loser!Hi Mom!  I am so warm and cozy--I love my dinosaur suit.

You're so funny, Mommy!

Jamie and his Grandma Linda--my hat is silly, I put it on myself!

Back Home!

Here is the last (or first, depending on your perspective) of many blogs tonight. I have put up several blogs in a row to make up for my lack of blogging over the last month. Moving with a 1 year old is not easy. Jamie really wasn't helpful and the move was not hassle free. We are still dealing with some things but we are mostly settled in to our new place and are getting into a routine. Here are some photos from around the house over the last few days.


Here is Jamie's room. We got these cute peel and stick wall decals. They are safari themed and they claim to be removable without taking paint with them. We will see in a couple of years if that is true. He giggled the whole time I was putting them up and now, when we go into his room, he runs over to the ones on the lower part--right of photo--and he pats them and smiles and laughs. He rubs the sun and pats the bird and the giraffe. He seems to think they are pretty neat. I may get some more or some different ones to fill in some other spaces in his room. They are pretty cute.

Here is Jamie sitting in one of our chairs. He can climb up into them and then he slouches down and and is chilling. He is very cool. Unfortunately, on Thursday, as we were leaving the house to go for a walk, he didn't wait for Mommy to help him down the concrete steps and he fell face first onto the concrete patio. He scuffed his nose and upper lip pretty badly. These photos were taken on Friday and his nose looked just awful. It already looks better today and it should heal completely. Poor little scuffed boy! This is what happens when you think you should be able to go down the stairs like a big boy!

A close up of the nose.

He likes to put the animals from his barn into the silo and watch them drop and then pick them out the bottom. It was pretty cute. He also likes to put the barn on my lap and press his face to the opening and look at me through it--this is hilarious, apparently. A BIG thank you Uncle Craig and Aunt Jocelyn for this birthday gift!! It is a new favourite.


I am a big boy in my chair!

We were having a friend for dinner and I just received a beautiful bunch of flowers for my birthday from my aunt and uncle. They were too pretty not to put up.

So, there are several more blogs below this that detail the last few weeks. I never stopped taking pictures, I just didn't have time to put them up. I will try to do better.

Fun in Saskatoon

Jeff, Jamie, and I drove to Saskatoon with my other sister, Heather, for our sister Susan's wedding. It was a long drive and we were pretty tired when we got in but we needed to stretch our legs so we went for a long walk. Here is most of the family.


Mom (Linda), Heather, Laurel (our aunt), Susan, Jamie, and Jeff. I am taking the picture--of course.

We went to the Museum of Antiquities at the University of Saskatchewan and Jamie liked the little boy playing with a goose.

Here is Jamie reading a book in his grandma's rocking chair. This was my mother's rocking chair and was, I think, her Christmas present when she was just a baby. There are pictures of her in it and pictures of me in it and now there are pictures of Jamie in it. He LOVED this chair. But, he is a daredevil and, more than once, he rocked so hard, he tipped it over on himself.

Reading his Night Cars book from Great-Auntie Jackie and Great-Uncle Gord.

Climbing in the chair--what a monkey!

Across from Mom's is a big park called Kinsmen Park. It has a little fair that is there year round but only operates in the summer. Again, it has been there since my mother was a kid and we all went to it when we were little. Since I was born in August, I had my first ride when I was only a few weeks old. James seemed to enjoy it more at his age. Here he is riding the merry-go-round with Great-Auntie Laurel.

Resting with Mommy and Auntie Laurel.

Yeah! This is his third and final ride and he finally gets it. He giggled and laughed and seemed to have lots of fun. We'll be back next summer for round 2!