ALL ABOARD THE PARTY TRAIN!

James' 2nd birthday party was everything we'd hoped it would be - a fun, low-key morning celebration with friends and family, followed by a quiet afternoon of naps and one-on-one play time for Mama (thanks to Cora and Daddy taking an extended nap). Of course, we wish all our friends and family could have joined us, but we know they were thinking of James, just as we were thinking of them. A huge thank you to the Vicksburg crew - we loved chillin' with cake and watching all our babes (and soon-to-be babes, and babysat babes) play together. Thank you for coming and helping us to make James' birthday extra special!

James party decorations came from Mama (the "dinosaur train" garland) and ETSY (the Dinosaur Train name banner and goodie bags). Grambot made the cake, and Mama decorated it. Again this year, we used the yummy red velvet cupcake recipe (without the red dye, of course). This time with a fun train-shaped cupcake pan.

And there were balloons, of course. Though we lost a few to the ceiling, as James was overly excited to play with them when Jay got back from the store.He was so happy with his Dinosaur Train birthday shirt (he yelled "Choo-Choo's!!" as soon as I pulled it out of the closet), even though it was 2 sizes too big (but the smallest I could find).Waiting on the guests to arrive, we attempted photos with Grandpa and Grambot. Grandpa wore his T-rex shirt in honor of the party theme!Cora was enthralled with Desi when he arrived. She was all decked out in one of her biggest bows and a pretty dress. He was definitely staring her down. We think he wanted to rip that bow off her head. What is it with boys being anti-bow?I snapped this photo right before Will walked to me. It was AWESOME! He is getting so big too...James was really good about sharing his new train table (and other toys).You know it's a toddler party when the house is filled with diaper bags (these are just 2 of 5)...The Hancocks came to party, along with their sweet little newborn Emma and her adorable hat!Cora didn't last even halfway into the excitement before passing out on her Grambot. Notice the hand tucked into Grambot's shirt sleeve. She was seriously snuggled in.The only way Jay and I could get a photo with the birthday boy facing the camera was to smoosh his face with ours...Bring on the cake! (Admiring it with thumb-in-mouth, of course.)Yummy!

"Peasants?" "Opeen?"

The "bubble club" and soccer ball, a couple of his favorites. He got a cool dino explorer vehicle too. Mama might have liked the clothes best. And the books!

James had a blast running back and forth from the kitchen window to his train table after Manu. Manu is faster though...

Then we took them out to the playroom to burn off even more energy...

After all the guests left, he napped for a mere hour, then was up wanting more "pupcakes" and his "sucka". Oh, and I had to "opeen" his train jammies from Sandy, because he insisted on wearing the shirt.

When he was on a good sugar high, we played around in the sunroom some more, then went puddle stomping until our toes got cold. Then we had a nice, bubbly bath. Good times! Great birthday party! Awesome kid!

TOMORROW...

...we celebrate another awesome year!

GRAND PRESENTS

James got some AWESOME birthday gifts from his grandparents again this year!

Grandma sent him a train table set. When he saw it, first thing in the morning (we all set it up together after he went to bed the night before), he said "ooh-OOOOH-ooh!" and made a beeline for it. He was smitten.

After dinner, we gave him a cupcake (or "pupcake", in James' speak) with a couple of birthday candles on top to rehearse for his party.Then he opened the rest of his presents before bed (well, a very extended bedtime), from his Grambot and Papa (another new term for his Grandpa). He was so excited to unwrap his "peasants" that he kept telling me to "hurry hurry" and "opeen pwease". He is so cute! His Big Wheels is super cool, and he loves it. He'll be able to reach the pedals someday...

ITALIAN NIGHT

We headed to Italy this month, with pasta and meatballs and stuffed tuna and chicken parm, served with Caesar salad and Italian bread with roasted garlic, and authentic cheesecake for dessert. We all went to bed with overfull bellies, even the kids!

Both James and Cora thought Philip's homemade wheat pasta was the best!

HE'S TWO, AND HE'S TERRIFIC!

Let the Terrific Two's begin! Happy 2nd Birthday James!!

2-year stats: 29ish pounds and almost 3 feet tall!

IT'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!

Tomorrow James' reaches the 24-month mark, and maybe, just maybe, I'll stop measuring his age in months. Probably not though. Just be glad I don't measure by the days and hours and minutes...

"WHERE ARE THAT CHILD'S PANTS?!"

Grandpa (or "Pi-Paw", as James sometimes calls him now) and Grambot are back in town! I grabbed the kiddos from daycare immediately following naptime (and fresh diaper changes) and headed to the airport to collect them. We fed Cora, ran a couple very quick errands, and headed to an early dinner. In that time frame, James drank 2 cups of juice/water. And since I hadn't packed an extra pair of pants (because our cloth diapers never leak), I got to be that mom, the one with a pantless almost 2-year-old, strolling around in the cool evening breeze. Sorry buddy.

Oh, and for the record, Dick's Sporting Goods does not carry toddler-sized pants.

BLS: MARBLE?

We tried a new(ish) Mexican restaurant in Flowood this evening. Cora ate cheese, rice, guacamole, and refried beans. Oh, and the table...

THANKS AIDEN!

James got birthday mail yesterday from his pen pal Aiden. Crayons and an Elmo notepad, Dinosaur Train figurines, and stickers. He was pretty excited about it all... ...until he got in trouble for eating stickers!

LOOK WHAT 'WE' MADE

This was my first attempt at something other than a hem (or simply sewing 2 pieces of fabric together in a straight line). A pinafore dress for Cora. It's a little big on her right now (it's 12-month size) and it's far from perfect (my topstitching left a wobbly, wide seam), but it's functional, and it's pretty cute. Not too bad for my first real project. And I couldn't have done it without Jay!

It's meant to be worn over bloomers or jeans. It's reversible and the inside is a pretty pink. Of course, the wobbly brown stitching is more noticeable on that side...

SOLO SLEEPING?

Cora fell asleep all by herself, in her crib, at daycare today. I guess there's a first time for everything. They were so shocked, they had to text me about it. Granted, it only lasted 20 minutes, but hey, it's CORA we're talking about here, so it's a start. Personally, I think she looks awfully comfy with her paci in one hand and lovey in the other (from her Auntie T'in and Uncle Davey - she LOVES it), with a foot up on the rail...

HE'S SUPER, THANKS FOR ASKING!

I'm one of those lucky girls who married a Super Man and later learned that he is also a Super Dad. I try very hard to give thanks and acknowledgement and show my gratitude on a daily basis, and to not take anything he does for granted, but I doubt it's enough. Not to balance out all that he does for me and the kids. And watching him read to my precious babies last night got me thinking about the many, many ways in which Jay is a SuperDad and SuperHusband...

He is balancing his full-time job and a full load of graduate coursework (staying an integral member of his team at work and pulling an 'A' average in school, no doubt) while maintaining a full contribution at home and losing very little, if any time with his kids. Folks, that is no small feat.

He makes coffee and breakfast every single morning. And he packs our lunches for work. And if I haven't done so the night before, he gets the kids' sippy's and bottles and food ready for daycare. Half the days of the week he cooks dinner too. And his meals are better than mine...

He is on poop patrol far more often than I am, spraying off dirty diapers and keeping the cats' litter box clean. And since he's usually up late (very, very late sometimes) studying, he often finishes up diaper laundry long after I've gone to bed.

He takes time off work to take his kids to the doctor or stay home with them if they're sick. He always asks the right questions of the doctor and is much better than me about remembering which kid took which medicine at which time.

He takes care of all the unpleasant fix-its at home, calling to schedule appointments through our home warranty to get the dishwasher fixed and the AC unit replaced and the cable line properly buried, etc. And he then takes the time off work to meet the service calls and follows up to be sure everything is done correctly.

He is patient with me when he has to set up Skype for the umpteenth time or remind me to empty the vacuum before I use it or take more and more portraits I request of the kids.

There is no task too menial or superfluous to him. He is an expert at distracting the kids while I clip their nails and tricking Cora into taking her medicine.

He can find the solution to just about any problem. Honestly. Last weekend I brought my sewing machine to Atlanta to have Jean help me load a new bobbin (since I'd forgotten how). Well, sitting at a table with no less than 3 women who have been sewing practically their whole lives, who figured out how to finally load the bobbin? Jay. Not only that, but he then loaded half a dozen bobbins for me in different colors to save me time and effort later. Not to mention, he can fix the machine when I snap the thread or lose the bobbin thread or get things snagged. Indispensable, I tell you. The man can do anything!

And even when he's so busy there is no word to adequately describe his need for solo time, he still takes the time to hug me and hold me and talk with me about my day. And he never gets off the phone without telling me he loves me.

So, while I do my own fair share of chores and tasks and whatnot at home, you can see why I was so happy to hear that Jay's overnight trip got cancelled last week. He is the glue that keeps us together and the energy that keeps us all moving and on-time (as often as he can manage us, anyway). Thank you sweetie, you are indeed Super!

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?

FROM TUMMY TO BOOTY

Well, she's only done it once so far, so I have zero video or photographic evidence, but we're calling it a milestone reached today. Her Grambot and Grandpa can vouch for her, since she did it while we were Skyping this morning. We were talking about how Cora is finally starting to scoot forward (not just backward). She digs her tiny toes into the carpet (or bed), lifts her booty way up high, then flattens back out in an inch-worm motion that moves her forward ever so slightly. When she does it a few times in a row, so she can actually move enough to reach a toy (or her Mama). Fun stuff. So, I laid her on her belly in the hopes that she'd show off for her grandparents, but instead she pushed back and just sat right up, like she's been doing it forever. Of course, when I laid her back on her tummy so she could do it again for the camera and to show her Daddy, she threw a fit until I picked her up. Oh well, maybe tomorrow. Here's our little inch-worm outside yesterday afternoon. She had started off on the blue mat, up by the slide, but scooted herself backward off the mat and onto the tile. Good thing she landed in a spot that had been warmed by the sun, or that belly of hers would have been awfully cold...

BLS: BREAKFAST

I know it's been a while since I've done a BLS post, but I promise we're still feeding Cora. And we're still introducing new foods a few times per week. We just don't often remember to get out the camera. 2nd child syndrome...

Lately we've been focusing on breakfast foods. Cora has had pancakes, eggs, blueberries, apples and applesauce, and peach yogurt (YoBaby). She loves pancakes! Jay makes her the cutest little baby-sized pancakes and she gobbles them up. Eggs were a hit, especially with shredded cheese on top. Blueberries we cut into quarters (so she can't choke on them) and she picks them up one at a time, works them around to get the "meat" off, then spits the skins out. We went from sliced apples, to just giving her the center to gnaw on, and she loves it. We also tried spoon-feeding her some applesauce. She's not a big fan of being fed, but she'll let us give her a few bites. Since it worked with applesauce, we tried yogurt again this morning. Jay fed her about a quarter of the continer of YoBaby. As for new dinner foods, she's been joining us at The Hat, eating tortillas, refried beans, and guacamole. Next time we'll try the rice too.

I think it's getting harder to remember to post about her new foods because we don't really plan for them, we just give her bits and pieces of whatever we're eating. It makes feeding her SO very easy. Not that we minded taking the time to buy special foods for James that we could then steam and puree in mass quantities on the weekends, but BLS is definitely faster, simpler, and more fun. And I think Cora's fine motor skills are improving quickly with all the practice she gets while feeding herself, so it's really a win-win situation for all of us. Now, if only her good example would get James to eat HIS veggies...

ANOMALY?

Earlier this week, I got a text message from daycare that Cora had, for the first time ever, fallen asleep on her tummy (during play time). I told them I needed photographic evidence:

Then, this morning after I crawled out of bed, she rolled into my vacant spot and proceeded to sleep for another hour on her tummy.

Anomaly? Or is this girl turning into a tummy sleeper at the ripe ol' age of 8.5-months?...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNTIE T'IN

I've got my makeshift party hat on for ya...

MORE FROM ATLANTA

We received a CD of more fun Atlanta photos from Christina, so of course I had to share some...

Here is Jay at the bottom of the whale slide:

Cora smiling BIG in the whale shark ampitheater:

Talking to Will in the double stroller at the zoo:James on the giraffe:Cora giving Christina a little smirk:Adorable photo of Cora with her Daddy (and Ma-Maw in the background):She's so darn cute, let's look at that one close up:And finally, James and Mama on one of the slides at the playground:

HELLO?

With his Elmo phone in one hand and a "letter" for Cora's toy mailbox in the other. Letters don't actually "talk" buddy...