Double Stroller

To any moms out there,

I'm wondering if you suggest I get a double stroller, and if so what kind. I'm wondering how much I would actually use one. Would it fit in my trunk? They are so expensive. Any suggestions on where to get one? Thank you mommies!

A new car

Nathan got a new car (not us, unfortunately). It was a Christmas gift from Grandad James and Ms. Gloria. Just wanted to post a few pictures of the fun we've had.

The Christmas Season is Here!

This is Nathan's 2nd Christmas, but the first one where he can touch, reach, and pull down the tree if he wanted to. We put the tree up last night and had the Christmas music playing. It reminded me of when I was a kid back at home and we would put on this silly Christmas music and all decorated the house. I got all these good memories and feelings. It's different now that I'm the adult/mom and have a child. Nathan did great. We put in him the exersaucer (surprised he still goes in there) and he watched us do all the work. He kept asking to touch and see the ornaments (especially the ones that look like balls). He kept saying 'ball' the whole night.

Nathan also did his first craft ever. My good friend Julie watched him for the morning and kept him busy! The little antlers are his hands and the head is his footprint. How cute!! I am a proud mom who has it hanging on the refrigerator. He is such a toddler, not my little baby anymore.

Nathan's Changes

Nathan got his first haircut! He held still the whole time but was screaming. He didn't want to move because we gave him a sucker. So there was snot, drool, and hair all over the place.

He's also trying really hard to talk. Just in the last few days he has said ball, all done, and outside. He doesn't articulate every sound but it is very close. His baby talk has also improved from just da da all time to all kinds of sounds. He's also become more of a ham lately. He laughs a lot at who knows what and tries to be silly. I love it!

Pictures of our GIRL!!!

Yes, we are having a girl! We are so excited. We are thinking of naming her Grace Whitney.

Gupta's & Grandma's

We went down to Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach this weekend. We were able meet little Nikel (I hope I spelled his name right) and spend some time with our dear friends, Navin and Regina. He was so precious and Nathan was very gentle with him.

Then we headed down to my Grandma's place and spent the day with my aunt and uncle. Here are some pictures of our adventures.

Loving to Learn

My little boy is loving learning and I'm loving it! He has just recently been excited to read (well more like look at) books. He will bring me all the way to his room, point at his bookshelf, and then run to the rocking chair. It is quite a change from a week ago when he would sit on your lap for maybe 2 minutes and then throw the book across the room. He points at everything and says 'dat?' until you tell him what the object is. Sometimes when Mike and I are both reading on the couch, he'll get one of his books and ask to sit between us while he looks at his. Brings huge smiles to my face!!!

Trip to Disney

Mom came down from Michigan for Stephie's baby shower. On Saturday, we went to Disney! This was Nathan's first time experiencing the magical world. We went to Animal Kingdom because of how much Nathan enjoys animals. We were only there for about 2 hours but were able to see a variety of animals on the safari. Nathan was pointing at everything and was talking up a storm. Then we went to Epcot for dinner and fireworks.

We had a lot of pushing to do. Steph was in a wheelchair and Nathan was in his stroller. I wish I could have been on wheels. What a fun day we had!

Trip to Seattle- Mom and Ed's place

We had such a good time!!!! I know I talked with a lot of you moms trying to get ideas on how to keep a one year old behaved on a plane. Well, thank you for all your help. Nathan did fairly well. On the way there, we started off with just a 2 hour flight and we are on a nice plane that had tvs in the seat in front of you. So Nathan got to push all the buttons and had a good ol' time. The next flight, from Houston to Seattle, was a bit longer, about 5 hours. That one was a bit more difficult because he (and the rest of us) was tired and he refuses to take a nap if anyone is around. But we made it and he did great with the 3 hour time change. On the way home, our plane took off 1 and 1/2 hours late due to brake difficulties (ya, I wanted those fixed) so we ended up missing our connecting flight and had to spend the night in Houston. None of us got much sleep, but we did get a free hotel and dinner.

We had a good mix of relaxation time and going out. On one of our days, we spent it in the city of Seattle and walked a lot. We visited Pike's place (and lost Mike for about a half hour), saw the Space Needle, and went to a seafood place on the lake called, Salty's. We went golfing (this was Mike's first time ever!!! he did pretty good...other than on the driving range he accidentally threw his club about 20 yards, thankfully he didn't hit anyone) and he actually went with Ed later in the week by his request (no flying clubs this time.) We went to Leavenworth, a cute little German town in the mountains and had a lot of fudge. Mike and I spent one day going to Gigg Harbor and he showed me all the places he used to live. We were able to meet his uncle Skip and visit his grandma. I think this was my favorite part...seeing all his memories and what was important to him.


It was a great trip! The mountains were absolutely beautiful. But of course, it is also nice to be home. I missed my warm sunny days. I actually slept 12 hours last night so we are still recouping from the trip. Home sweet home

My baby is one....

Well, he's growing up. The older he gets the more fun he is. Here are some pictures from his birthday party! Thank you everyone for his gifts. He loves them!

Enjoying the Sun

2 lines on the pregnancy stick!!!!!

There is nothing like those few moments before you take a pregnancy test and you know that in the next '3-5 minutes' your life could totally change. That in 9 months you could have another person living in your house for the next 18 years, another box of diapers each month, 2 car seats (will they fit in my car?), sleepless nights again, and that you could be bringing into the world someone's wife or husband one day. Mike and I talked about waiting until this weekend to take the test but I got antsy, big surprise, and took it Thursday afternoon while he was at work. I read those directions so carefully because I wanted to make sure that I knew how many lines I was looking for. Once I felt confident I would remember that I was looking for 2 lines, I took the test. I didn't have to wait 3-5 minutes. In about 2 seconds I saw one line (means the test is working) and then I wait a second (I think I could have burned that stick with my eyes I was staring at it so hard) and then I saw a second pink line!!!! 'Oh my gosh' is all I could say about a hundred times as I walked all over our bedroom. So this is the fun part (other than having a baby). I put the pregnancy test in a gift box, slapped a bow on top, and gave it to Mike when he came home.

It doesn't seem real to me but I am so so thankful that God would bless us with another little James baby. I can't wait to see what this next one will be like in looks, temperament, and personality. Will he or she be like Nathan or completely different? These next 9 months will be fun chasing around my little 11 month old with a big belly! I don't think they'll be much chasing going on.

Independence Day

I think we forget about what the 4th symbolizes. At least I know I barely think about the independence of our country. Probably because I don't know anything different than freedom. Mike and I finished watching the John Adams HBO series recently and that stuck in my mind this 4th. To think about just how hard many heroic men worked to give us what we have today.

What I usually think of on the 4th is grilling with friends, fireworks, family, etc. And well, that is what we did this year and had a great time! Angie's fiancee was in town and we got to meet him. I'm glad that we liked him and 'approved.' Here are a few pictures to describe our time together.