Puzzler

I'm not sure if it's considered neglect that yesterday was the first time James got to do a puzzle. Maybe it should be. My boy's a genius. First we gave him one of those peg puzzles with pictures underneath that match what he is taking out. simple... Then we gave him one without matching pictures underneath. hardly a challenge. He loves it. over and over and over again. in and out. Fun... fun... fun.... It may be that most 18 month olds could do the same but - yes, I'm a little proud of our puzzle master.

Perfect Place for a Picnic

Our 2nd annual picnic at Lake Harriet's Rose Garden. May is the best time to see the flowering trees and tulips. Simply beautiful.



James is defining himself away from his mommy. He will say good bye and leave us to go to what he feels is a safe place to explore. Sometimes he will tell me to go the other direction. He'll say "later," wave and take off.

At 18 months

James at 18 months

Our little boy is learning and growing so quickly. He really is a little boy. Some of his favorite things are: cars and trucks (of course), balls, and shoes. I almost forgot - he loves to make blanket tents and whisper. He is a very affectionate little guy - especially to mommy.He loves to play in the sand. He practices scooping and pouring. He also likes to practice eating with a spoon and fork and pouring and filling water in the bath tub.

Our curious little monkey would spend all day outside and enjoys adventures in his "truck" which is really his stroller. He learns new words almost every day, but they are hard to understand. He especially likes to say "See you later" pretty much to everyone and everything.

He has developed a shy side and some fears: elevators and swings. He is no longer "tall" compared to other kids his age either - falling in the 30% for both height and weight. I think he likes "crackers" a little too much.

James is just a joy to be around - and of course we are proud parents!

Potty

Today- James actually went potty on the potty chair. I'm certain it was an "accident," but what a proud moment. Now - to get him to repeat it.

And a couple of pics from our "daily life."

The duck pond (where the ducks are not hungry??)

James' first really short hair cut.
Enjoying a book with Grampa.

Sap Season

As a tradition, we make every effort to go to Spirit, WI (where Jesse grew up) for sap season. Here are a few photos detailing the process for those of you like me who thought maple syrup runs out of the tree.

This is Jesse's brother Nathanael drilling a hole in the maple tree. Apparently any maple will do, but some producer sweeter sap and some produce more sap than others. This is Jesse tapping a spout into the tree. Next he will hang a container to collect it.
The guys collected the sap in the evening and poured it into a big cooking "pot." Some days the containers were overflowing and on other days there was only a little sap. I learned that sap runs best on warm, sunny days when the temperature got below freezing the night before.
James is getting his first taste of sap. He liked it. It tastes like slightly sweet water - delicious. It makes great hot chocolate and coffee. (Notice the gigantic bruise on his cheek. Pour boy - fell off a ride on tractor the first day we arrived.)
Jesse is pouring the sap into the "pot." They cooked it overnight over an open fire. It took a good 10 hours of simmering to become syrup. You need 30-40 gallons of sap to produce 1 gallon of syrup.
But it's worth the work. It's hard to match the flavor of pure maple syrup on pancakes - especially if you grew up on it.

And this year we poured the syrup of fresh snow. A maple flavored snow cone. We remembered this from Little House in the Big Woods. Really delicious - but filling. We all took too much snow and were very full. We didn't want to waste the syrup.

James a year ago

The month of March is passing very quickly. We finally moved into our new house - the first weekend in March. It has been work - work - work since then. Jesse learned a lot about plumbing right away! We are happy to have hot running water, a flushable toilet, and no MAJOR leaks.

We haven't taken many pictures this month so here is one from a year ago. A year ago James was learning to sit up and roll over. Same spirited child - new conquests. These days James is really into Daddy's tools, cars (still), putting things in and out of containers, and his new tire swing. Some things may never change - a boy looking for adventure.

Meditation

So - a few sources recently have been advocating meditating on Scripture.

Our hearts are so full. After 20 days of postponements we finally closed on our house. In some ways it is a miracle that it actually happened. We see evidence of God's hand in this situation all over the place. Still, I am less than ecstatic. I feel somewhat overwhelmed and anxious. Then I start to question if this is really a part of God's will for us.

So many times in my life I have done the "right thing" because it was the right thing to do or to please others or to feel good about myself. Now I want to do the right thing - God's will - because I know His way is the only way that brings lasting joy. I am too easily swayed to trust my own mind.

Yet we have to believe that if God brought us this far he will not abandon us now. He is there willing to guide us along this next leg of our journey.

So... I am reminded to meditate and these are the two that are bringing me through:

Phil 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, instead, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, offer your requests to God. And the peace that passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. Acknowledge him in all your ways and He will direct your paths."

On a side note, James understands almost everything we say these days. Scary. Exciting. Yet, in this picture James is trying to fit a third shoe on his right foot. What is he thinking? He also tries to ride on his little truck (it's about 6 inches long). He gets frustrated when he doesn't into extremely small spaces. Maybe he thinks he's growing up too fast just like we do.

Ain't it Great to be CRAZY....

Yes, that's a cool diaper James, but why do you want it on the outside of your pj's?

Seriously, we understand why plastic bags are so dangerous for kids. If it doesn't go over his head it belongs around his neck.

All these peculiar ideas - I think he get's it from.... Jess. Definitely Jess.

James at 15 Months

James weighs 22lbs 2 oz
He is almost 32 in. long
Perfect size!
James also bit me for the first time! He was trying to turn on his space heater. He doesn't like to be told "no" repeatedly. Still we have a lot of fun together. His favorite game is being chased around the house. He loves being outside - even in the cold - even in the snow. Lately everything is a telephone "hello?" Right now he is saying "hello" into his dog.

We went to visit Jesse at work. We thought James would like running his before bedtime energy somewhere new. His excitement was uncontainable. Here he is climbing the ladder. Thankfully he stopped at this point and asked for help. His brain is starting to catch up to his feet.

Here he is enjoying the top with Daddy. He gets so excited when he can do something just like Dad does. It's also cute. He claps when he sees Daddy is coming in the door.

We also captured him on video doing a series of squats. It's hilarious. Now I know what parents' mean when they want some of their children's energy.

James...

I just wanted to post a classic cute kid picture. That's the first one. The second picture is James ignoring his parents' guidance. Hold on buddy. Don't worry he didn't get hurt. Also we posted a couple of new videos. One is of Jamers talking and the other one is of him exploring bubble wrap.

Moving Again?????

We're in the process of buying a house! YEA!! We are so excited, but we are nervous that it will fall through. Our closing date is February 8th. The house is in Spring Lake Park. Please pray that everything goes according to God's plan and that God continues to provide work for us! Here's a link for pictures. I'm pretty glad I married a painter.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lisarhody/475ManorDr

Trip to Wisconsin - Meet my Uncles

James made it his quest to master the stairs. Thankfully - he wanted someone to follow him. And thankfully, he will wait at the top before going down on his own. This is an improvement from last trip. These are 2 of James' favorite people in the whole world. REALLY. And "who wouldn't want to be just like them?" This is Uncle Matt...
And Uncle Nathanael.
We took James for his first ride in the sled. He was a bit tired and over bundled. I can only guess this is why he decided it was more endurable to take it lying down.
We thought putting him in a box would help - and it did. This is Jesse sending him across the snow for me to catch him. His first time down, James looked pensive. The second time down he cried. There was no third time down. James really wanted to walk in the snow or at least on the driveway - but Mommy bought him boots that have a heel on them and then bundled him up so much he couldn't bend anything - so it was too difficult. But of course it was fun to be outside. At least we imagine it was since James tried to make a break from the house numerous times.

Mommy's Purse

A couple of stories and James and my purse.... On this particular day James took my purse off the door knob and preceded to put it on the same way all toys should go - around his neck.

With some struggle (it's heavy) he changed his mind. He took it to the door and said "bye bye" as he reached for the door knob (which thankfully he can't open).
Story #2

I watched James as he grabbed my purse (once again off the door knob). He sat down and unzipped it. Took out the pack of gum. Opened it. Took out 1 piece. Unwrapped it and started to put it in his mouth. At this point I stepped in. I guess he's been watching how that's done.

The Zoo

We went to the zoo to break up the monotony of winter life. We thought James would love the animals- at least the monkeys. He watched. No reactions. The best part of the zoo was when Auntie Heidi came. We learned how gross Gorillas are - ask what they were doing. yuck.

Monkey Boy

Stuffing those cheeks...

James loves his bananas.

Merry Christmas

Thanks to everyone for the wonderful Christmas letters and cards. It is so much fun to read about your families and how God is blessing your lives.

Here are a few pics from our many Christmas celebrations. This is James enjoying Haley's Christmas toy. He loved to bounce on this with Haley, and he has subsequently made the connection that inflatable things are fun to bounce on. So, he tries to sit on his beach ball and bounce, but his feet don't quite reach the floor.

Christmas stockings filled with....

Cars. James cashed in on the cars, tractors, and trucks this year. He honestly loves them all. AND DON'T YOU DARE MOMMY try to put any of them away- especially my play road. They are to remain in the middle of the living room floor forever.

James' First Haircut

Due to unruly eating habits, we decided it was time for James to lose those beautiful baby curls. Fortunately, my sister Christy is a professional. Thanks Christy for the big boy hair cut. Looks great!

Crazy James

We are really enjoying his little personality. Here he is helping with the dishes. Notice the water bottle in his hand. ANYTHING adults use must be cool. HMMM chili tastes good.
Our little boy likes shoes. He's not so fond of clothes though. You might not think a 13 month old has preferences, but he leads us to his shoes and begs to have them on.

Crazy James!

ONE YEAR PICS

These are James' 1 year pictures. Yes, we're a bit late... It is increasingly difficult to get a good picture of James. Anyway, James is doing awesome. He is growing. He is trying out new words. He is moving at lightening speed. He really is a lot of fun. Lately he's been into lids again - putting them on, taking them off... He's enjoying his slide a lot lately - and his motor skills are at the point where it is safe fun. Jess and I are trying to figure out life and trying to keep up with Jamers.