Recycling Truck Obsession

We have been to the Sanitation Department open houses in Los Angeles and seem to be feeding this obsession our 3 year old James has with garbage trucks. We should consider cutting him off at 4 years old so this interest doesn't because a career choice... some of the teenagers at the Open House were just a little too skilled at operating the trucks -- and I would take those kids off to Kumon ASAP!


Coloring Pages

James drives the Tractor with Chuck Cole!

What a great Christmas visit we had in Asheville, NC with James' grandparents (GaGa and G'Daddy), Gwen and Thomas - and of course Mom and Dad. Neighbor Chuck Cole came over to visit with the 3-Year-Old dream: a giant green John Deere tractor -- and he let James operate it!

You Tube Link

James' 3rd Birthday Party

Happy 3rd Birthday, James! What fun we had at the birthday party for our Sweet (Baby) James at our house on Nov. 5, 2011. He's such a big boy now! James asked for a "Robot Party," based on a song he heard from his music teacher Parker Bent at HPCC, and also based on being in an episode of a TV show called "Raising Hope" where he met the Yo Gabba Gabba robot Plex (and other characters). We had 8 kids, a handpicked group of friends by James, which was the perfect size. And wow, what wonderful sweet kids they were. They danced, they sang, they jumped in the bouncey house, they swung at the pinata and they ate and ate both food and cake!

James loves all the cool gifts from his friends too! Thank you!

James' Mommy Megan made a Yo Gabba Gabba Plex Robot Cake - home made with cream cheese frosting and fondant decorations. The powdered donut ears, affixed by toothpicks, were the most popular item, as all the kids wanted donuts! Luckily I had to buy 12, so it wasn't an issue. The antennas were pretzel sticks covered in chocolate black frosting.

Here is another link to videos.

Amazing moments

James is such an enormous blessing in our lives. He is so well behaved, reasonable, kind, loving and sweet - and so incredibly cute as well.

One day James pointed to his male private part and said, "I have this one, Mommy. And you don't have this."

"Yes, that's right, honey," I said.

"And Daddy has one of these," he continued.

I said, "That's right, babe. Boys have that and girls do not. Mommy is a girl and you are a boy."

After a beat or two, he thought about what I said and responded with, "I want to buy you one."

I rolled laughing, but then had to actually respond with something that made sense of his discovery and sweet offer. What fun.

......................................

James has recently learned to be in tune with emotions and feelings, and will often say "You're happy, Mommy?" or "You're sad and crying, Mommy?". I explain that sometimes grown ups get sad, for reasons that do not have to do with him. He knows when to get me a kleenex, and he intuitively knows when to stretch his arms out wide, wrap them tightly around me, and give me a big kiss and a giant hug. And he ends it by looking up at me to say, "Mommy, you're so pretty."

Ahhh, these are the moments that make your heart sing and make every uphill challenge worth it tenfold. Children are the most amazing and wonderful thing in the world -- mine in particular. :) Thank God for this incredible and enormous blessing of Sweet Baby James. He is two weeks shy of his 3rd birthday, and insists that "I am not a baby. I'm a big boy."

It's going by so fast, but I have been drinking in every moment since his birth: The late nights, the early mornings, the midafternoon post-nap snuggles, playing football guys, and throwing the football across the living room. I will give him my last bit of energy now until forever. True love is being a mother

Fun and Funny Stuff to do with Kids

1. Celebrate silly holidays
   Make the most of April Fools', with spirited — but never mean-spirited — jokes your children and you can play with one another. There are scores of other silly days to celebrate, including National Tell a Joke Day (August 16), Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 19), Bathtub Party Day (December 5), National Chocolate Covered Anything Day (December 16), Fruitcake Toss Day (January 3), Backward Day (January 31), National Goof-Off Day (March 22), and Dance Like a Chicken Day (May 14).
   
2. Sing, sing, sing
   Fussing babies usually light up with an animated round of "Old MacDonald," funny voices and all. The more animated and ridiculous you are, the better. Singing takes the edge off for older children too. "Instead of saying, 'march, march, march' to bed, which would just stress me out, we sing," says mother of three Diana Ballou. "I can get the girls from bath to bed in 15 minutes just by singing 'Follow the Yellow Brick Road.' And we're laughing our pants off all the way there."
   
3. Share funny stories
   At dinnertime, tell your child anything silly you've seen during the day — a ridiculous street sign, something you overheard in the elevator. This is a great way to teach them about the fine art of conversation and help them see the light side of life.
   
4. Create funny traditions and rituals
   "Every Christmas Eve, we let the children open their silly present," says Christina Tynan-Wood, who gave her 11-year-old son, Cole, an inveterate ketchup lover, a giant bottle of it a couple of years ago.
   
5. Watch funny movies
   "Give some of the modern Disney DVDs a rest and break out the classics like Abbot and Costello or the Three Stooges," says Momfidence author Paula Spencer. "Something with a lot of slapstick that isn't about laughing at someone's expense."
   
6. Create a fun center
   "Have a funny corner in the house," says laugh psychologist Paul McGhee. "It's great to put up a bulletin board with funny articles from the newspaper."
   
7. Read funny books
   To get your newborn grinning and giggling, read 97 Ways to Make a Baby Laugh by Jack Moore. For toddlers, read them anything by Sandra Boynton, who has a superb sense of the ridiculous. Preschoolers love the Dumb Bunnies books by Dav Pilkey. For older kids, try the Bunnicula books by James Howe, knock-knock joke books, and those all-time favorites, elephant joke books.

No more monkeys... Doctor says: Don't call me up anymore

James Singing in his Deep Voice: Bumpin' Along - Jul 30 2011

Lucy in Hollywood Sprinklers - WET DOG! ha!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L49ctSbWRPI

Cute Phrases

Life with James makes our hearts swell with joy and happiness. We are so blessed.

James is talking up a storm and bringing his own version of humor and kindness to us.

Some things he says:

In the morning, he calls for us to get him from his crib "Come M'Here Daddy! Come M'Here Mommy!"

We saw the easter bunny yesterday, and on the way home, 5 hours later, he apparently had absorbed it and talked about the "Easter Bunny!" for 10 minutes!

Oatmeal Chocolate Sea Salt Cookies

Oatmeal Chocolate Sea Salt Cookies (Makes 4-5 Dozen)

1 Cup Unsalted Butter, softened
1 Cup Brown Sugar (light or dark)
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Large Eggs
2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt
3 Cups Old Fashioned Oats
1 9 oz Bag Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

Sea Salt Flakes (I use Maldon Sea Salt)

** Do NOT use iodized salt on top of the cookies.

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Using a standing or hand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy and fluffy, about 4 minutes ( I know 4 minutes seems like a long time, but it makes all the difference).
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, and vanilla until thoroughly combined.
4. Stir the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl.
5. Slowly add the flour to the butter/sugar mixture until combined.
6. Stir in oats and chocolate chips mixing well until combined.
7. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto parchment or silpat lined cookie sheet.*
8. Press down each cookie and top with a few flakes of sea salt.
9. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.
10. Cool and serve.

* You can also bake them in silicone individual muffin tins as I did in the picture for 18-20 minutes.
** After step #8, place sheet tray in the freezer for several hours, remove cookies to labeled zipper bags and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake according to directions in step #9.