James' Blog

Kids Say the Cutest Things

2009-08-01T20:56:00.000-07:00

So, we were in the truck just leaving BriarPatch Co-op and James is in his seat with his trail mix that has chocolate chips in it. He says, "Mmmmmm....., I loooooovvvveeee chocolate." That's my boy alright. :D

Yummy Peach Pie

2009-08-01T20:44:00.000-07:00

And another shot of James closing his eyes because he always remembers that one time I told him he blinked. Smarty pants.

James' Version of Motorcycle Goggles

2009-08-01T20:16:00.000-07:00

Yes, those are organic chemistry safety goggles he found of mine. LOL! And the dog does not look impressed at all. LOL!

Hi! Still the dog is not impressed. Hehe!

And a dance move to change it up a bit. :D Silly child.

Mama's Birthday Dinner

2009-07-12T17:51:00.002-07:00

When you tell a 3 yr old not to close his eyes, guess what they do? That's right, close them tight. Hehe!

Can't believe I'm 33. Crazy how time flies. James took this picture by the way. :-)

Noah, Ezra and James being silly. They had a good time.

Mama's Birthday Dinner cont.

2009-07-12T17:11:00.002-07:00

All of us after dinner. :D It was good. Thanks Addie for taking me to dinner! Thanks Addie, your the bestest!

Show me your cookie time! James, Noah, and Ezra.

Things Kids Say That Melt Your Heart

2009-06-01T10:53:00.000-07:00

I woke up to James this morning saying mom, mom, and I answered him and he said mama, I love you. Awwwww! So sweet. ;-)

Baby Chicks and Baby Goats

2009-06-01T10:48:00.000-07:00

Baby goats that were born yesterday. James says they are sooooo cute. ;-)

James Found A Mud Hole

2009-05-19T15:21:00.001-07:00

I tried to get him to smile for me and look at the camera. Guess not. He had a blast getting dirty and cleaning up. LOL!

James and the Baby Chick

2009-05-17T12:13:00.001-07:00

Granpa bought some baby chicks the other day. James loves going and talking to them several times a day. LOL!

A Visit With The Cousins

2009-05-07T12:19:00.001-07:00

We had a great time visiting with them at the Coloma State Park. Lots of fun things to do. James and the girls panned for gold with "Rusty." They had a blast. There is Markham in the background. It was good to see him too since we don't get to see him as often.

Kaya and Emma with thier baby brother Emanuel (hope I spelled his name right). Can't believe Kaya will be 9 this year. My how the time flies.

Mama and baby. He is such a happy baby. So adorable.

The Over-Parenting Crisis

2009-04-28T16:48:00.000-07:00

The Over-Parenting Crisis
by Katie Allison Granju
Recently, a coworker and I were looking at some old family photos she had lying on her desk. Several of them were of her grandmother, tending to various household chores for the camera.

The photos looked to be from sometime in the 1950s, or possibly the early '60s. There she was, dressed in her June Cleaver-fresh, shirtwaist dress, standing at her spotless formica kitchen counter, preparing a meal. In another shot, she was perfectly coiffed, and dressed in pressed capris as she weeded the front garden.
"That's how I remember her," my friend said. "She was obsessed with having a perfect house and yard. Her casseroles looked better than they tasted, and I don't recall ever seeing a speck of dust or dirt anywhere in their house."
She went on.
"God, it's so ironic. She was so consumed with being the perfect homemaker that she didn't realize no one was actually comfortable in her home."

Those of us with pre-women's lib mothers and grandmothers remember women like this. They were the obsessive, vaguely dissatisfied homemakers Betty Friedan wrote about in The Feminine Mystique. They were the women whose worlds had become so narrowly focused on one facet of their lives — homemaking — that all the joy had been sucked right out of them.
Thank God we aren't those women. Right? Right?

Or are we? In recent years, I've encountered a disturbing trend among my current mothering peers. While we no longer pore endlessly over the grout-cleaning tips and curtain-sewing patterns in Ladies Home Journal, we've replaced this pre-feminist housewifery-porn with postmodern parenting-porn in the form of Fit Pregnancy and PARENTS magazines.

We may not stay up nights worrying about how to keep our whites whiter, but you can bet we're losing sleep over why little Jasper isn't yet out of diapers. We may no longer feel the need to compare the firmness of our jello salad with that of the other women at the church potluck, but we're not-so-secretly frantic over why little Ella from playgroup can already tie her shoes when our own five-year-old Ruby can't yet do the same.
In other words, we may no longer be "professional homemakers," but whether we stay home with our kids, or work outside the home, we've turned parenting into its own, highly stressful, endlessly demanding, often joyless undertaking. In fact, a recent study by research group Public Agenda found that seventy-six percent of American parents describe raising kids today as "much harder" than it was during their own childhoods.

But are we making it a lot harder than it has to be? I think so.
Last week, I was eating a meal with the parents of a lovely one-year-old child, their first. As the very cute baby played with her food, I noticed she was managing to get quite a bit of her mashed peas into her rosebud mouth with her small spoon.
"Wow, she's really getting the hang of that spoon," I commented with a smile.
"Yes," her mother replied, "I've been working really hard with her on it all week. It's kept me pretty busy."
Working really hard on teaching her to use a spoon? All week? Kept her pretty busy?

I shouldn't have been surprised. Hearing this intelligent, accomplished woman with a master's degree in biology tell me how consuming she's found teaching her toddler to use a spoon is just one more example of our current culture of hysterical parenting. I mean, really, when did parenting become this difficult? When did the admirable quality of involved parenting become this?

While it's one thing to be pleased — even proud — over baby's ability to connect spoon with mouth, it's quite another for her mother to become that invested in it, logistically or emotionally.

Wait, wait, you may be asking. Aren't you that same Katie Allison Granju who wrote a parenting book telling people to give their children more attention? Well, yes, and no. I did write the book Attachment Parenting (for which Dr. William Sears wrote the introduction), and I do believe strongly that infants and very young children thrive best with a high-touch, responsive style of parenting, but I'm also that mom who encouraged her two-year-old to play in the mud — some of which he certainly ate — and her five-year-old to climb trees. Yes, my kids slept with me as infants — because I found we all got the most sleep that way — but the kids were enjoying sleepovers with family and friends by kindergarten.

These days, I let my youngest kid enjoy his growing collection of pocket knives, and I expect my children to ride their scooters out of my eyesight in our urban neighborhood. And I frequently tell my children that since I already completed elementary school, and have no intention of repeating the work, they will need to do their homework without me hovering nearby.

I have often described my parenting philosophy as "benign neglect." Responsive parenting means just that: we respond to children's needs. It's not the same as over-parenting, in which we anticipate, preempt, or take control of our children's needs and developmental tasks.

Of course, like all parents, I have my worries. In my case, I fret that they are watching too much TV and not developing a strong enough work ethic. I worry that the fact that their parents are divorced will leave them irrevocably damaged. And like everyone else I know, the primal fear of stranger abduction is always hovering at the edge of my motherbrain.

But I can say honestly that I don't obsess about the minutiae of my parenting, and as I get ready to give birth to child number four with husband number two, fifteen years after becoming a mother for the first time at age twenty-three, I am increasingly finding that this puts me in a distinct minority. In the past decade and a half, the parenting zeitgeist has shifted . . . into overdrive.

While there have always been obsessive, overbearing parents, they used to be the exception, rather than the norm. They were the kinds of hyper-involved parents no one wanted to become; because as they lived their lives solely through the prism of their parenting, it was believed they produced the archetypal "mama's boy," the child who was never allowed any activities outside his parents' watchful eye, and who was coddled and protected from all conceivable risk. This type of childhood, we have always believed, ultimately produced individuals who were stunted in their ability to make bold moves or take leadership roles — or even function independently.

Until recently, the essential tasks of parenting were seen as nurturing and socializing children. Today, however, this simple mandate seems criminally neglectful. Now, parenting requires constant vigilance, unflagging attention to every detail of our children's lives, and ever present monitoring of their every activity.

This over-parenting has become an epidemic. Legions of well-intentioned mothers and fathers, urged on by popular media and the marketplace, are frantically striving to create an endlessly controlled, bubble-wrapped childrearing environment. From neuroses with regulating our babies' sleep habits, to insistence on antimicrobial everything, to the attempt to continue "babyproofing" our homes until our babies are well into elementary school, our current parenting zeitgeist is competitive, market-driven . . . and exhausting.

But as hard as we are on ourselves, we are even harder on our parenting peers. In its study of parenting attitudes, Public Agenda found that six in ten of us rate other parents only "fair" or "poor" in raising their children.

And these days, one big way we try to out-do these "fair" and "poor" parents is to buy better stuff. Our parental anxieties now include the belief that without the hippest, newest parenting swag, successful childrearing is no longer possible.

In fact, we no longer choose a stroller, but a parenting identity. Are you a trendy Bugaboo Frog kind of mom or perhaps a Mclaren traditionalist? God forbid you show up at the playground with a straight-from-Baby-Superstore Graco. How tacky! One mother I spoke to for this article sheepishly confided to me that she had gotten a new credit card for the sole purpose of paying for her $1,000 Stokke Xplory stroller, saying it made her feel like there was at least one thing she was assured she would do "better than anyone else at playgroup" for her son.

Peggy O'Mara, publisher of Mothering magazine and a keen observer of American parents for the past two decades, says she believes the commercialization of parenting masks our insecurities.

"I think people think they need a lot of baby gear because so many people use their children as social collateral, and judge one another by what they have for them," says O'Mara.

Don't get me wrong. I know that active, involved parenting matters . . . a lot. For those of us who take it on, raising a kid is certainly among the most meaningful and important tasks we'll ever do. In fact, I happen to agree with Jackie Kennedy, who famously said, "If you bungle raising your children, I don't think whatever else you do matters very much." The question becomes, however, whether the hovering, obsessive, all-consuming parenting style that has become de rigeur is actually serving our children — or us — very well. In our hyperfocus on all things parenting, are we bungling the very thing we seek to perfect?

Nearly ten years ago, author Judith Rich Harris made the cover of Time magazine with her wildly popular book, The Nurture Assumption, in which she argued that parents should stop worrying so much. But Harris took her argument several leagues further with her assertion that the reason parents should stop worrying is that ultimately, what mothers and fathers do — or don't do — has little impact on how children turn out.

But Harris was dead wrong. Parents have a huge impact on how their children turn out, and that's precisely why we need to take a hard look at the obsessive, controlling, perfectionistic parenting culture we're living in. In fact, facilitating children's ability to function independently, to figure things out, and to grow into themselves without excessive interference is in itself an essential task of parenting.

Parents' increasing obsession with creating a totally germ-free environment for children offers an instructive example of the way over-parenting is counterproductive. Fifteen years ago, when I brought my first baby home from the hospital, his father and I were instructed to keep him away from obviously sick people during the newborn period. After that, our pediatrician told us that exposure during infancy and childhood to household and environmental germs was part of building a healthy immune system.

Fast forward to 2007, as parents now attempt to create an artificially germ-free childhood. Not only do they avoid exposing their kids to sick people, they surround their children with antibacterial soaps and washes. They buy toys and baby gear coated in space-age, microbe-resistant surfaces, and trips to the grocery store require a specially made "shopping cart cover" meant to prevent little Liam or Ava from encountering anyone else's bacteria.

But medical experts are pleading with parents to stop with the anti-germ hysteria because rather than preventing illness in children, it's actually causing it, encouraging the growth of treatment-resistant strains of bacteria, and preventing kids' exposure in the healthy doses required to grow a strong immune system.

Yep, that's right, it turns out that regular, old, everyday germs are good for kids. So is regular, old dirt, disappointment, boredom, frustration, conflict, and the occasional playground accident. All of these help children to develop their own coping skills, creative and spiritual core, and sense of self.

When parents micromanage children's lives, overly investing themselves in their kids, everyone loses. Mothers and fathers lose themselves in their roles as parents, while kids never find themselves.

So here's my unsolicited advice to parents: take a step back. Relax. Enjoy. Your baby will sleep without an expert consultant coming to your house. Your toddler will eventually leave diapers behind. I promise. The Graco stroller won't mark your child — or you — as a loser.

Let your preschooler play in the dirt.

And for God's sake, let the baby figure the spoon out for herself.

At The Farm

2009-04-15T22:43:00.000-07:00

James taking a picture of himself. Why doesn't he smile like this when we take his picture.

Trying to get the ball from Shelby. She is going fast.

James' 3rd Birthday Party

2009-04-15T22:39:00.001-07:00

James' and mama at James' birthday party. Thanks Aunt Jen for letting us use your house for his party.

Happy Birthday James!

James' 3rd Birthday Party

2009-04-15T22:33:00.001-07:00

The boys playing.

Playing on the kayak.

Singing happy birthday to James. (I don't know why these turned out so dark, sorry).

Yeah! Everybody sang happy birthday. LOL!

James' 3rd Birthday Party cont.

2009-04-15T22:29:00.001-07:00

Can I blow them out now?

Blowing out his candles.

Yummy cupcake.

Opening presents with Daddy.

James' 3rd Birthday Party cont.

2009-04-15T22:23:00.000-07:00

Opening presents. Devin watching closely. He's as excited as James' was especially when there are trucks.

Playing with the cars and track from Daddy.

James showing off his bug catcher. It has been used many times already. Mosquito eaters, daddy longleg spiders, worms and rolly polly bugs have been captured and examined in it. ;-)

Petting the Kitty

2009-03-15T16:30:00.001-07:00

James loves the kitties even if he does harrass them just a little.

A Day at the Train Museum

2009-02-15T10:22:00.000-08:00

All Smiles

Big Train

Christmas!

2009-01-09T17:49:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve James opened a race track from Daddy.

James also opened the Plan City Parking Garage from Grandma and Grandpa Carson.

He loves to use the elevator to make the cars go up and down. He loves this toy! When we get a chance we will build him a train table and put this toy on half and train tracks on the other half.

This is James saying cheese for the camera on Christmas day. Hehe! Gotta love the cheese smile.

James Ped Appt.

2008-12-16T21:07:00.000-08:00

Well, James had his yearly check-up and he's been growing. His Dr. said he is 39" and in the 95% for height and he is 33 lbs and in the 76% for weight. Go James! Then we stayed for 1/2 hour after his appt. and played with all the toys in the waiting room. LOL! Then Santa was making his rounds in the building and he got a candy cane. Was very leary about Santa though. ;-) He was a big guy. So a fun day!

Tractors! James Loves Tractors!

2008-11-30T12:49:00.000-08:00

James driving Harley on cousin Devin's tractor on Thanksgiving Day. It wasn't moving very fast with two passengers.

Now Harley's turn to drive.

We went to grandma and grandpa's for Thanksgiving too. James got on grandpa's tractor all by himself.

Making tractor noises.

James and Harley

2008-11-30T12:47:00.000-08:00

Harley came over a couple weeks ago while her parents went out. They had a blast.

Harley being cute while reading books.

Reading books together.

Relaxing watching a movie.

Our Little Man

2008-11-30T12:28:00.000-08:00

Poor guy got a little bit of a shiner that day. We went to the park and right as he was climbing up the stairs bonked himself somehow. Sheesh! I tell ya, playing is rough sometimes. LOL!

Aw!

2008-11-09T22:46:00.001-08:00

James fell asleep playing a motorcycle video game. He was so tired. He helped us in the garden ALL day. He was so good! Yeah! Hope he lasts tom. when we go back and start making rows.

Two Boys in a Box

2008-11-03T17:22:00.001-08:00

Kitty Love

2008-11-03T17:19:00.000-08:00

Big 'ol smooch on the kitty.

Halloween 2008

2008-11-03T17:14:00.001-08:00

James and mama. Pirate and Farmer.

Grandma with grandkids and me. This is the best out of the 4 pics we took. Piper was Devin the fireman's fire dog.

Our little pirate.

Bishop's Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-28T16:31:00.001-07:00

We went to Bishop's Pumpkin Patch this last Sunday. Had a blast. They had so much to do and see. So many slides and mazes.

They even had a train. James loved it.

They also had this barn that had a maze upstairs and a slide to go down at the end of the maze.

James trying to scoop rocks.

Bishop's Pumpkin Patch Continued

2008-10-28T16:07:00.000-07:00

James and Harley went into the corn maze.

I have no idea what Harley is doing. James is having fun hiding in the corn.

We went on the hayride which, of course was pulled by a tractor. Very exciting!

A very nice lady took our picture, but I forgot to hold the camera still for a second after she took it. Oh well, it's cute, but fuzzy. Would have made a great holiday card.

Had to take a picture with the tractor. He is so dirty, he had a great time.

James in the Garden

2008-10-07T15:13:00.000-07:00

James holding a loofah gourd. They finally started producing and they are going crazy.
James wanted a close-up. ;-)

Misc. Pictures of James the last couple months

2008-10-01T16:07:00.000-07:00

That's a lot of pumpkin, pumpkin. ;-)
On daddy's dirt bike. I used this pic for Roger's birthday card we made him. So cute!
Collecting eggs with grandpa. He was so excited he could say "collecting eggs, " he had to tell me over and over. So cute!

James Driving

2008-10-01T16:00:00.000-07:00

James in cousin Devin's car at Aunt Jen's house.

At The Fair

2008-10-01T15:59:00.000-07:00

These are the only pics I got of the boys at the fair. I wish I had gotten some of them petting the pigs. Oh well. These are two of James' friends from playgroup. Ezra and Noah or as James pronounces it "Wawa." Ez is on the far left, Noah in the middle and James of course on the right. They had a blast at the fair, I just wish they would have the fair at a cooler time of the year. My goodness it was warm and we went on the coolest day.
They had so much fun on the foot massagers though. LOL!

Feeding the Horsies

2008-08-08T12:37:00.001-07:00

Here is Arielle one of the horses that lives on an acre behind us. She and Flash are super sweet. We feed them carrots a couple times a week when James remembers. Thier owner said we could feed them carrots anytime. So, when we went to the store yesterday we got an extra big bag.
Arielle on the left and Flash on the right. The fence is really high so it is hard to get thier whole heads.
Horse noses. They want MORE carrots. LOL! Flash is an old guy, he is 26. Arielle is 19. They were thier owners kids horses. They just mostly hang out these days.

Mama and James

2008-08-07T13:35:00.000-07:00

Mama and James hanging out.
James has done a lot of growing and made bounds and leaps in learning lately. He is starting to count, which is really cute and he practices all the time. He also is starting to say longer and longer sentences. And he has conquered peddling on his bicycle. Just today we took a walk and James peddled along. So cute and a good way to get his extra energy out before his nap. Just so long as he stays on the sidewalk otherwise he topples over the edge. I can't wait until we can take bike rides together. So fun!

2008-07-09T17:54:00.000-07:00

James pretending you can't see him. He wanted to play on the bike rack. We had just finished having desert downtown Sac. It was so yummy and I was so stuffed. This was after our Anniversary dinner. Can you believe its been 8 years? ;-)
Harley came over the other day and was enjoying some yummy scrambled eggs. Harley is always ready to pose and James was too busy with his eggs.

James and Roger in the Pool

2008-07-09T17:42:00.000-07:00

We went to the pool near Jen's house. James loves to use his floaties when he can't touch the bottom because he likes to do it himself. LOL!
James just started putting his head under by himself the other day when we went swimming with some friends. I can't wait until he can swim by himself.

Aunt Amy and James Swinging

2008-07-09T13:40:00.000-07:00

When Amy came to visit she and James went swinging. These are pictures my mom took.
They had a lot of fun.

I did it! I donated my hair!

2008-07-09T12:25:00.000-07:00

That is the minimum of 10". It will feel good for summer.

Digging in the Garden

2008-06-27T15:51:00.000-07:00

I had to snap this one quick before he realized I was taking it. He was busy digging in the garden.

2008-06-27T15:31:00.001-07:00

If all else fails play in a bucket. Sorry its so blurry, I tried to get a better one, but he kept jumping around. ;-p

2008-06-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

Pics of James at the garden here.

Squirrels

2008-06-09T12:35:00.001-07:00

We went the park today and saw lots of squirrels.
The squirrel stare down.
Squirrels playing or fighting in the tree.

2008-06-09T12:30:00.000-07:00

Being silly today at the garden.
Playing in the cooler when we were getting ready to go to Grandma's house last Thurs.

Looking Cute

2008-05-30T22:13:00.001-07:00

My cute little man, being, well, cute. ;-) James will be starting swim lessons again next week with his cousin Devin and instructed by Uncle Rich. It should be a fun summer for them. James went swimming 2 weeks ago with cousin Devin and they swam and swam. No wonder they slept so well that night. Cousin Devin slept until 11:30 the next morning. I think we were in the pool for about an hour and a half to two hours. They had a blast. I can't wait until lessons next week. James can now blow bubbles when you ask him to (he could blow bubbles last year, he just didn't get what you were asking him to do or he was too shy to). He's been very independent lately, he especially wants to cross the parking lot by himself, of course I make him hold my hand and he is getting better about it, but he would really like to do it himself. He's up to about 30 pounds weight wise these days, but I really do need to measure him height wise. He likes to jump off things lately. I can't remember anything else special he's been doing lately, just 2 yr old stuff I guess.
We are getting excited about going to the zoo this next year since Auntie Jen got us a year pass. Yippee! Going to go with the play group hopefully in the next week or two.

At The Garden

2008-05-11T22:19:00.000-07:00

James with his new dump truck. Thank you Grandma M. It' a late B-day present. He drives it all over the place.

James being silly. He was sitting there waiting for daddy to take a picture and then got all silly and threw his hand in the air and bounded away.

At the moment James is sitting on the new potty we got him today. He was so excited! He's been sitting on his potty with daddy. We are on our way to peepee in the potty. Yeah!

On Dada's Harley

2008-05-02T22:12:00.001-07:00

Talking about Dada's bike.
Yeah!

James has been saying yeah and clapping everytime we do something. For instance, we went to my mom's for a couple day and my sister brought some flowers and I was rearranging them and every time I put a flower in the vase it was a clap and "yeah." Too funny! He's been saying just about anything you say to him and he's been singing songs on cd's we play in the car. Loves his new cd he got for his birthday, esp. the dinosaur song. Roaaarrrr!
Looking forward to June and swimming lessons with Uncle Rich. Yeah!

Helping Water Plants

2008-05-02T22:04:00.000-07:00

Helping water mama's plants outside.

Talking To Himself

2008-04-22T16:29:00.001-07:00

Thought this was a cute pic of James standing in the yard talking to himself.

Baby, Baby

2008-04-17T15:56:00.000-07:00

Since last night James has insisted that he carry around a baby plant. Baby, baby. He says over and over.
He even had breakfast with his baby. He didn't want the plant to go back under the light last night out in the garage so I put a table light on James' table so the pumpkin would keep growing. Well, it was 1 inch high by the time his nap was over and he wanted to put that one back and get a new one that was smaller so he could call it baby. Silly boy.

James' 2nd Birthday!

2008-04-17T11:01:00.000-07:00

James and Harley eating mac n' cheese that Grandma M made. Mmmm....
James eating Sun Spot's (M&M alternative) instead of cake. He only wanted to blow candles out on his cake instead of eating it. It took us a couple minutes to figure that out. Hopefully I can get a pic of him blowing them out.
James, Harley, and Devin watching the remote control truck.
Harley and James watching Devin chase the truck.

Visiting With Cousins Kaya and Emma

2008-04-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

Here is a good picture of the girls. They came by as they were working there way to thier grandma's house. It was very nice to visit with cousin Holly too. Wish we could see you more often.
Here is a better pic of James trying to help Kaya.

Feeding the Baby Goat

2008-04-17T10:52:00.000-07:00

So cute!

Playing at cousin Devin's

2008-04-17T10:46:00.000-07:00

James on Devin's bike. They have been having a great time playing lately. They stand there and laugh at each other and run around. So cute! I think they are going to be best buds.

Mike' and Leighann's Wedding

2008-04-17T10:41:00.000-07:00

Awww... Just a beautiful day for a beautiful occasion.
James in his nice clothes. This is the last time he will wear it. It's getting tight in the crotch.
Here is the lemon tree James liked to hide under.

James and Dada

2008-04-17T10:33:00.000-07:00

Daddy and James
Here's another, I did it myself pic. I put Daddy's helmet and gloves on all by myself.

Easter Pic

2008-03-24T15:02:00.000-07:00

James trying to pick up all the Easter eggs at once.

More Family Pics and Easter

2008-03-24T14:43:00.001-07:00

Roger and James
Grandpa and James (yes that is choc. ice cream, don't tell anyone) ;-)
Harley at the Easter egg hunt. Such a cute dress.
Roger and James playing in the fountain after the egg hunt. We'll have to get some more pics from grandpa Steck of the Easter hunt.

We Babysat Harley

2008-03-24T14:32:00.000-07:00

Here they are in the double chairs Aunt Sandra gave us. James and Harley love to play together. They always ask for one another when the other is not around. James' first name he says consistently is Harley. He did call Roger and I by our names yesterday though instead of Mama and Dada. :-(
Here they are eating applesauce. Harley insisted we take off her shirt so that she didn't get applesauce on it. ;-)
Harley's close-up. So cute!

James' close-up. Hehe!

The Air Show

2008-03-24T13:10:00.000-07:00

Watching the airshow. James loved the airplanes. He got to sit in a helicopter and didn't want to get out.

2008-03-15T21:21:00.000-07:00

James is starting to put stuff in the toilet. Oy!

All By Myself

2008-03-06T13:51:00.000-08:00

That is the theme lately. He put his hat on all by himself and buckled the buckle in the wagon all by himself. He had a big growth spurt and is up to 35 1/4". I'm looking forward to putting his birthday party together. Can't believe he's going to be two. Time flies.
"All by myself mama."

Dressing up in Daddies Clothes

2008-02-10T20:41:00.000-08:00

Hat he got on himself. Shirt he had help with.
Ok, mom I'm done.

Wearing Big Shoes

2008-02-10T20:37:00.000-08:00

Mommies bike shoes. He's ready to go. He's got shoes on.
Daddies shoes. If I sit down they are tall enough to support my weight.

2008-01-18T21:59:00.000-08:00

Can I fit in Dada's magazine rack?

James at his table he got for Christmas. Thanks Grandma M!

Uncle Dave and Aunt Laura Visit

2008-01-18T21:45:00.000-08:00

James and Uncle Dave. Uncle Dave and Aunt Laura came to visit for Christmas from North Carolina. We loved having them here!
Uncle Dave is hilarious!
Playing with Uncle Dave.
Playing airplane with Aunt Laura. He didn't want to stop. ;-) He was smitten with Aunt Laura.
Pics taken by Dave and Laura.

Christmas Eve

2008-01-18T16:38:00.000-08:00

James got some new airplanes for Christmas. It was hard to tear him away from them to get him to smile for the camera.
There we go. James and Grandpa Steck with Dada in the background. A very happy boy with his airplanes.

2008-01-18T15:43:00.000-08:00

I don't think the kitty likes this situation.
Mom and David

Some Good Reading

2007-12-13T19:30:00.000-08:00

Here at the Steck house we only let James read the best. That includes the dictionary. ;-) He likes mama's book so I thought I'd give him a book just like mamas and it turned out to be a dictionary.
Some more good reading.

He's getting serious about this magazine.

Just Playing

2007-12-12T00:30:00.000-08:00

Being plain ole silly
More silliness.
He's been laying in this spot like Dada does lately. Rog will lay down put the blanket on himself and James will climb all over him. Now James wants to be like Dada. Put his head on the pillow and pull the blanket over himself. So cute. Our little copycat.

Wedding in San Luis Obispo

2007-12-04T00:00:00.000-08:00

Helping dig a hole in the sand. Roger was in a wedding for his good friend Jerry Thanksgiving weekend. It was on Avila Beach near San Luis Obispo. James loved the sand.
Daddy all dressed up. James had lots of kids to play with. He esp. liked the older girls who wanted to take care of him. It was so cute. He let them carry him around and everything. Lots of kids in this wedding including Jerry and Jen's baby girl. She fell asleep during the ceremony. So sweet.
James was too shy to dance, but he liked to watch.

Playing on the Beach in Avila

2007-12-03T23:57:00.000-08:00

Whoa
Being Silly
Having Fun in the Sand

More pics from the wedding Thanksgiving weekend

2007-12-03T23:54:00.000-08:00

Big Ocean
Getting all sandy
Running on the beach in Avila

Aunt Amy is Visiting!

2007-11-13T10:37:00.001-08:00

Aunt Amy is visiting and James loves her! It's so great he isn't so shy anymore! Still saying Okie Dokey Doggie Dokie. Then laughing.

Gardening James

2007-11-13T10:00:00.000-08:00

Tending to the garden.
Why are these gloves too big?
Happy Gardener. Who does he look like in this pic?
Floppy gloves on my hands.

Who's in the Box?

2007-11-09T14:02:00.000-08:00

Awwww!

2007-10-31T11:59:00.000-07:00

Dada finally got James to sleep all by himself. Awwww! They look so peaceful. So nice for mommy.

James' New Bicycle

2007-10-29T23:08:00.000-07:00

James loves his new bike. He now wears his helmet almost 24/7. I found his new bike at a huge used kids and baby sale they have in downtown Sacramento every six months called Just Between Friends. It was in really good shape for a used bicycle and was only $30. We've seen new ones average about $130. So, I think we did good.
James has been saying a lot of new words lately and has been saying a lot of phrases. He also has been making noises for his cars he plays with. So cute!

Airplanes, Cute Kid, and a little bit of Plumbers Bum

2007-10-23T17:08:00.000-07:00

;-)
The new obsession, airplanes on youtube!

A Day at The Zoo With Cousin Devin

2007-10-14T16:25:00.000-07:00

James and Devin in the wagon.
Devin asking where is my stroller while James watches the flamingos.
Cute pic of Auntie Jen and James. Discussing the wallabies I'm sure. ;-)

Some Birds at the Zoo

2007-10-14T16:18:00.000-07:00

Ducks
Flamingos. Oooooh aaaaaah!
Uncle Rich watching the flamingos with the boys.
Close-up of Flamingos.

The Zoo Outing Continued......

2007-10-14T16:13:00.000-07:00

So cute!
Orangatang
James loves the tigers the best. Big Kitties!

More at the Zoo

2007-10-14T16:06:00.000-07:00

Devin having a great day at the zoo.
Everybody hanging out while looking at the penguins.
James liked playing on the bleachers the best.

Being a Goofball in Mama's Hat

2007-10-10T23:16:00.001-07:00

Goofy Boy!
Waiting for Dada to come home. Wow! It's getting dark early already. Shucks.

2007-10-10T23:01:00.000-07:00

This one isn't as good as the others, but if you click on it to make it bigger you can see a lot of his new teeth coming in.
Super happy after his late nap.
Trying to get the camera.

Another Trip to AZ to See Great-Grandma

2007-10-10T12:33:00.000-07:00

James and Dada watching the airplanes. While I'm posting this James is jumping up and down in my lap yelling "air pane"! This one must be going to Florida. I think that's where Shamoo or whatever that famous whales name is. Hopefully we will get some photos of our trip from Auntie Jen to post. She's been super busy though and getting ready for cousin Devin's birthday bash on Saturday. I can't believe he's going to be 1. Time flies when you have babies.

Climbing onto a BIG Motorcycle

2007-09-23T01:05:00.001-07:00

Dada doesn't believe mama that James can climb on his bike all by himself. Mama has proof and here it is. I guess Dada better put his motorbike away in the garage.

Stacking Blocks

2007-09-23T01:03:00.000-07:00

Learning how to stack blocks with daddy.

2007-09-23T00:59:00.000-07:00

Taking our big pumpkins home.
Squash and Eggplant
Transporting our pumpkin to the truck.
Pumpkin to kid comparison.

Last time in his pool outside this Summer

2007-09-23T00:57:00.000-07:00

Sucking the water out of his washcloth.

2007-09-23T00:22:00.000-07:00

James decided for a couple days he wanted to wear his bike helmet everywhere. He was extra protected I guess in his carseat.
James in his bike trailer with his co-pilot Mrs. Cow.
Some friends came over and brought thier 19 month old, Harley. James liked her stroller so he climbed in and layed back (we don't have a stroller so this is novelty for him). Complete with her basketball sippy he was coveting. Harley decided she was going to be a big girl and push him around. Oh, and as you can see Shelby has 2 leashes on. His and Hers.

Cousin Rob's Wedding Reception in Chicago

2007-08-31T18:08:00.000-07:00

Mama and James ready for the reception
James and his cute outfit!
He learned he could fog up the window and fogged up all of the windows all the way across. So funny!
Cute photo of James looking out the window at the reception hall. I think he was mesmerized by the wind blowing the leaves on the trees.

Garfield Park Conservatory

2007-08-31T17:50:00.000-07:00

Pretty Fountain
Giant Sea Grapes
Palms in the Palm House, everything was so huge!

This is a place I found in my Organic Gardening magazine. Chicago was featured in it one month and the conservatory a place to see. They had a palm house, desert house, sweet house (that one was under construction, I really wanted to see cocoa trees!), an aromatic garden(also under construction, boohoo!), a childrens garden, and a couple other areas I can't remember. Very beautiful gardens in the greenhouses and gardens outside surrounding the greenhouses. They even had several different examples of composters which was really neat. Worm composting included. They had it set-up so the kids could dig in and find worms. So neat!

Then we went to a restaurant with Chicago style pizza, recommended by a locals granddaughter. Oh my, it was so good. I've never had pizza so good. Mmmmm.......

More From Garfield Park Conservatory

2007-08-31T17:45:00.000-07:00

Pretty Bird of Paradise
Just Beautiful
Koi!

Shedd Aqaurium in Chicago

2007-08-31T17:41:00.000-07:00

James loved the fish!
Sea Turtles
Even a duck.

More from Shedd Aquarium

2007-08-31T16:50:00.000-07:00

Example of local fish from the Lake Michigan. Carp and such.
Sea Dragon
Mommy don't make me look at the scary Sea Dragon. I will lay on the floor in protest.
Very cool sting rays. They had all kinds of shapes and letters on them. Can you see the S.

Swimming in Chicago with Cousin Donna

2007-08-31T16:30:00.000-07:00

Getting in the pool
off and swimming

First Haircut!

2007-08-21T00:03:00.000-07:00

That's sure a serious face! I thought one of these contraptions would be a good teething distraction on our trip. He always steals his cousins when we are visiting with him.
That's bright mama!
Hehe! I'm going to get you!
Good pic of his new haircut. Amy should remember those wood bead blocks. We found them at Grandma's house. He thinks its fun to make them his necklace.
James did so well at his first haircut. He sat on mama's lap and didn't move at all. He sat totally still. I'm sad I forgot the camera, but I did save his hair. ;-) He even sat most of the time on mama's lap while I got my hair trimmed.

James and the Giant Pumpkin

2007-08-21T00:00:00.001-07:00

I think it's twice the size of James atleast!
This one is a little smaller maybe Auntie Jen might like this one for her porch.

James at the Steck Family Reunion

2007-08-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

Hmmm.... How does this thing work?