Grammy visits KC

Daddy had to take a work trip for majority of the week prior to Mother's Day weekend. Mommy had a pretty packed work week so Grammy came to save us while Daddy was gone. It was a great, fun-filled week!

We enjoyed a morning trip to Panera for a bagel and coffee. This was just like old times when mommy and Grammy used to go to Panera when mommy was in college. James was a good sport and enjoyed watching the buses through the Panera window. 

Snuggles for Grammy as we waited in line to order.

Post Panera trip we went to the park. James was clearly tired and needed a nap so we didn't stay long. I love the picture below as it depicts James perfectly in his stage right now and Grammy's look is priceless. :)

Cousin Jack had a fieldtrip in KC on Friday, so we enjoyed an impromptu visit from him and Aunt Meggie for the afternoon. James sure LOVES Jack, and pretty sure he is just as smitten with him.  

Friday night Mommy and Daddy got to enjoy a date night! We were fortunate enough to snag some Garth Brooks tickets and enjoyed a few pre-concert beers at a brewery in the Crossroads District. Thanks, Grammy for keeping James for us!

 

 

Saturday morning, mommy and Grammy set out on their first Mother's Day fun run/walk. We hustled through a 1 mile walk and then enjoyed some post race treats. It was definitely fun to get to do this together.

Post-race, we treated ourselves to a relaxing Mother's Day pedicure!



 

Also while Grammy was visiting, James decided he would try a few new stunt in the den.



 

Grammy's face is priceless here!

 James also took advantage of laying on the love and kisses extra thick with Grammy! :) Or as he calls her, "Gia".

We also spent a lot of time outside getting to know the sprinkler. :) This boy LOVES being outside and LOVES the water!

 

  

 Not only were we thankful for all of the love and attention Grammy gave James for the week. But, we also enjoyed Grammy's cooking!!  Admittedly, I might have made her make my favorite childhood meal not once, but TWICE while she was visiting and I have ZERO regrets. James was even a fan of the pork cutlets!

 

It was a great week with "Gia" visiting. Mom, I am so thankful for you in so many ways!! Thank you for giving up your week to love on James and to help me keep my sanity. Oh, and to help me drink some wine! :) Love you!

 

 

18 Month Check-Up

 Prepare yourself for post overload tonight. Momma is catching this blog up to date!

James had his 18 month check-up a few days prior to his 18 month birthday. He was relatively a good sport throughout the entire visit as long as he had a few toys and snacks in tow.

  

Here are our guys stats below at his 18 month visit. Measuring in like a true lollipop- skinny body with a large dome. :) So thankful that he had a good visit!



And just because it is worth documenting. Literally the day after his check-up James took a spill down our family room steps. After the initial tears he seemed to not be walking appropriately so we decided to take him in to Children's Mercy. Thanks to a quick Urgent Care visit and the help of great staff (some of which mommy used to work with years ago) he got a clean bill of health! Whew! The first, and probably not the last x-ray this kid will ever have.



 

Mommy and Daddy do Dallas

Long overdue post yet again! This time, mommy and daddy took a quick 24 hour trip to Dallas for Daddy's birthday last month. We enjoy lots of fellowship with friends, good food and drink, and also a Sporting KC game. It was a quick, but fun 24 hours together.

We got home Sunday and had fun catching up with our boy. It seems as though Grand-mommy spoiled him while he was away as we were welcomed home to a few tantrums. :)

Easter 2017

Wow, seems I'm a tad behind on the blog these days!! I have quite the back log going and have been meaning to update now for weeks, but seems my busy  boy is keeping me on my toes!! I attempt to blog at night when he goes to bed, but then I just can't find the energy. So, here you have a rather large post from Easter, mainly of picture to catch you up to speed. 

Easter Eve....anxiously awaiting him to awake the following morning to see his goodies from the Easter bunny or "buuuhh eeee".

Scoping out the goodies!

First attempt at an Easter family photo.

Egg hunting with cousin Jordan. Well, mainly stick hunting. :)

1.5

Somehow, our sweet boy turned 18 months young on Easter Sunday. How can this be already? Time continues to pass so quickly. I so want time to slow down, yet I am loving every minute of all of the changes James is exhibiting. Some things that about you at this age....

• Man, are you a busy boy! You run. Everywhere. All of the time! You are fast, sneaky and love to climb. You also have some killer dance moves. One of these days I fear we will end up in the Emergency Department for you to get stitches. It's only a matter of time...sigh....
• You are smart. SO smart. Your vocabulary is booming and you are a little jokester. Recently you have started finishing sentences of books you often read and I will say, it's pretty impressive. The lately book you do this to is the "Bubbles, Bubbles" Elmo book.
• You LOVE your "Bankie" (Blankie) and all of your other"friends" in your crib. Just tonight, I chuckled as I heard you talking to "Pooh" and "wheeeel" (whale shark- from Finding Dory). You are so good at consoling yourself to bed.
• You LOVE your daddy. You are always keeping an eye on him and always want to know where he is. Pure sweetness!
• You love going on walks in your stroller to the park. Most days after we get home from daycare, you'll look at me as I get you out of your car seat and shout, "walk?!". You love to be outside and I love that about you. When we go on runs together you have started shouting, "FAST, FAST", as I run and you'll let me know if we aren't going fast enough for your liking.
• You are a creature of habit and routine. You are often ready for bed between 6:30/7:00 no matter the day, and often rise by 6:30/7:00 a.m. no matter the day. You also never fall for the "go to bed late, wake up late" trick. :) And if you wake-up mid nap, there is no getting you back to sleep.
• You continue to be a picky eater. I call you the "Carbotarian". You mostly love carbs, meat, fruit, and dairy. Daily foods for you consist of mac n' cheese, grilled cheese, cheese pizza....are you sensing a pattern here? You hate vegetables- although you'll eat "zoodles" (zucchini noodles- explain that one to me!). I pray you have gained weight since your lasts appointment with Dr. D, although I am skeptical. Sigh.....
• You are starting to exhibit so much independence and are so ornery! Just this week your lead teacher at school had to inform me that you have been a little challenging at times. Obviously you are only 18 months so a lot of it is to be expected, but a lot of it is that you are so smart and are starting to challenge others more. You were also reported to have been climbing more at school, which also makes sense because you are getting more brave at home starting to climb. Sigh.

James- you simply bring us pure joy. You are our life. Our world. Our happiness. Our world revolves around you and you make us happier and our days brighter- more than you even know! Although these toddler days have their moments, I would not trade them for the world! I told your Grammy just the other day that although you are SO busy, you are SO much fun! Your personality lights up the world and I am so, so, SO grateful that God made me your mommy!

Wednesday Fun







We had special visitors last Wednesday- The Howe's were in town from Minnesota while the girls had Spring break. And boy did we have a day packed full of fun!

The clan arrived at our house around 10:30. We gave a quick tour of our house before heading down to Grinder's for lunch. The kids were happy to see each other and didn't take long to warm up to each other. 

A quick story before leaving for lunch.

The kids were all really good at lunch. James was excited to color like his big cousins.



Precious!

Post lunch we went to an event space just a few block from Grinders to the Charlie Hustle t-shirt sale. No pictures were taken as it was pure madness trying to navigate the crowds while carrying a wiggly toddler!

Next up was LEGOLAND!  

Building things.

 

The Howe clan on one of the rides.

James- refusing to nap.

 After the chaos of LEGOLAND, a walk to Union Station for some coffee and a treat was a must!

We killed a little more time at Crown Center before dinner. They had a free "Sea-Underwater" exhibit that the kids enjoyed running around.

 

 

 

  

We wrapped up the day at Q39 for some obligatory BBQ. As usual, it did not disappoint! Although James did not nap the entire day, he did great!





 

Love these little ladies- seems like yesterday they were James' size snuggled in my lap. :)

Thanks again, Howe clan for coming to have fun in KC! Come back soon!