Merry Christmas x 2

Well, we are finally done traveling this year. We had a whirlwind Christmas in Tucson and another Christmas here at home with my folks. We feel so blessed to have such wonderful families. This has, truly, been the best Christmas yet. I could ramble for days about everything we've done in the past week, instead I thought I'd list some things that we don't ever want to forget (in no particular order):

• Christmas shopping with the Pratt ladies.
• Decoration shopping with my mom.
• Decorating the Christmas tree.
• Watching as James saw the lit tree for the first time.
• Jimmy putting up Christmas lights on the house.
  
• Teaching James how to rip off wrapping paper.
• James not really caring to rip off wrapping paper.
• James playing with each toy as it was unwrapped and not knowing there was a whole tree of presents waiting for him to open.
• Jimmy getting frustrated by James not wanting to tare through all the gifts.
• James walking around the airports.
• James making friends with all of the other toddlers in the airport.
  
• Baking cinnamon rolls with Sandra.
• James walking around my parents house not caring that there were tons of presents for him to open.
• James' curly red hair that looks really good with his red sweater.
• Watching Christmas movies.
• How happy Bob was about his secret Santa gift.
• James playing with Mom's feather dusters.
• James' little blue shoes
• Krista's Christmas frog.
• James and Eric playing together.
  

• My Dad's laugh when James does something cute or funny.
• Doing scratchers tickets after Christmas dinner with my family.
• James never wanting to be held, despite everyone's undying need to squeeze him tight.

• Beautiful snow in Tucson.

• James and my mom playing in the tee pee.

I'm sure there is more, but that's all I can think of right now. Merry Christmas and may everyone have a blessed New Year.

Party Time

aWe had such a fun day today. James and I loaded up the car and headed to Round Rock for the Bartholomew Family Christmas Party. We went a little early because I had some last minute Ikea shopping to do before we left for Tucson. James and I got what we needed from Ikea and got to Grandma and Grandpa's house just in time for a quick/not really existent nap before the party started. James had plenty of friends to play with this afternoon. Seems like a lot of people had babies this past year. I could kick myself for not having the camera (I left it in Tucson), because it was just so fun to see the kids. James was worn out by the end of the whole thing, and we left at about 7:30. We had a great time, and hopefully this party becomes a tradition!

Home again, Home again

We are back from Tucson. It was a whirlwind weekend, and we're happy to be home. We'll be heading back in exactly 7 days for Christmas. James was ill for about half of the weekend, so hopefully next week will be a little less hectic and more relaxing for him =)

We are almost ready for Christmas. The tree is trimmed, the stockings hung, and lights are up on the house. Although James doesn't quite get the concept, we can't wait for Santa Clause to visit our house.

Oh the weather out side is frightful...

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow.

Living in Austin comes at a price. No snow....or so we thought!




Oh and PS-We are finally walking!!!

Chuy's Parade

On Saturday we all loaded up and headed down town for the Chuy's Children Giving to Children Parade. James had a blast. He had his eyes glued to the floats and the animals and the kids and the bands the whole time. He was happy the entire time. All in all it was a super fun event for a really good cause.

Gobble Gobble

Happy Thanksgiving! It was just the three of us this year. I was super excited because Jimmy and I have never spent a holiday on our own. It was really nice. I prepared most of the dinner on Wednesday so I would only have to throw things in the oven and not have quite so many dishes to do. That ended up being really good because Jimmy and I seem to have come down with colds, and I would not have wanted to all of that cooking when I was feeling under the weather.

We spent a good amount of the day walking laps in the driveway with James. He's so close to walking on his own, but he is still a little timid, so we held his hand. We watched the neighbors put up their incredible light show. We watched a little football. And ate some turkey!

For some strange reason James (my Irish son) does not like potatoes (unless in the french fry form). What is up with that?! Anyway, he liked the turkey and the rolls. And while he enjoyed the green beans, they were a little stringy for him, so he didn't get too many.

All in all it was a wonderful day. Happy Thanksgiving to all of those who we couldn't be with this year!

Lunch time

Here is James enjoying a turkey on whole wheat with a side of edamame.



Notice our handy food sweeper's nose sticking in there. Shaymous is always there when we need him!

Rocking Chair

James has a new rocking chair. He spent all day yesterday perfecting the art of climbing in and out of it without help. He was so determined. Today he's being very nonchalant about it. Like it "ain't no thang." He's so cute =)

Halloween

Well, I didn't get any pictures of James on actual Halloween, but we did get some really good ones from the Trail of Treats the week before.

Recovery

I'm finally getting back into the swing of things. This has been a crazy week, that I'd like to forget (and probably will, thanks to pain medication). I got my gall bladder out last Sunday and came home on Monday. I'm still recovering, but I'm definitely on the upswing. James has been such a trooper. And my mother and Jimmy have been such big helps, as I have been pretty helpless. Mom has finally gone home, and hopefully we will be getting back to business as usual. I'm so blessed to have so many people that have offered to help us out when we needed it.

When Ya Wake Up in the Mornin', and it's Quarter to 8...

You brush your teeth. CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CHHH...



It's so funny- when Jimmy or I start to brush our teeth James wants to do it too, so bad!

Don't ya wish these things could last forever. That's really why I started this blog. To look back in 9 years and wish my son still had the same enthusiasm for oral hygiene.

Sweet Berry Farms

This morning James and I loaded up early and headed to the pumpkin patch. It was a little drizzly, but much better than being in 100 degree weather! James loved the goats and the baby goats up in the tree. He couldn't get enough of touching all the pumpkins. We had such a great time. We got there early enough that we left just in time for the Columbus holiday crowd to arrive. Perfect!

Empty House

James and I hung out with Grandma Susan today. She was so nice to prime the bathroom. (It's starting to look like an actual room, and not a construction site!) She also watched James while I went to the grocery store.

Jimmy's gone to Tucson on very late notice to be with his ailing grandfather. We're praying that Jim (Papa) recovers and Jimmy can come home soon. It's hard being far from your loved ones in situations like these.

Sunday

This evening we went to the Salt Lick for dinner. It's supposed to be the best BBQ in Texas...or at least in the Austin area. It was totally awesome. I can't believe we've never been there. We all got brisket, sausage, and ribs. James enjoyed some turkey. Afterwards there were peacocks and a live band outside. All in all, a really pleasant evening with great weather and great food.

Doc's

Jimmy surprised James and me with an invitation to lunch this afternoon. It was such a nice day, so we sat on the patio at Doc's (a local restaurant and bar). James enjoyed some chicken and had a bite or two of fries.

James seems to be eating less these days. There was a time, not too long ago, when I thought I couldn't feed him enough. He's back to a more reasonable amount of food, which is nice. I don't have to panic that there won't be enough to keep him happy when we go anywhere. It makes going out much more relaxing. As long as I keep the Mum Mum's handy, he's happy.

I felt like a true Austinite today. Going to South Congress for lunch. I love learning about the cool and quirky stuff to do and see that we can only find in Austin. I really enjoy living here.

When You're Smiling

Who couldn't love a smile like this =)



James and I took our first walk today, with James "walking" (holding my hands). We made it up about 2 houses before he decided walking was no longer working for him. As most of you know we live on a pretty steep hill, so I was very impressed with how far he got! He's going to be walking on his own any minute now. I'm building strength to keep up with him, when he does!

Out to lunch

Today James and I went with our MOMs club out to lunch. It was really fun to see the kids together. James is fascinated with other children. He spent most of the time smiling and pointing at the other kids. Although not his healthiest moment, he certainly enjoyed his pizza as well. =)

The Master Bathroom

We've been remodeling our master bathroom. So far, it hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be. I'm actually having fun picking out tiles and fixtures and all those fun things. It's getting to the point where I would like it to be done though. Tomorrow the walls are going up and being textured. Then the tiles go down. We can't wait to see how it turns out!

Here are some before (even before we moved in) -


(not our stuff)
(the lovely wall paper)

Some During-

the shower floor to the left and the original vinal tile to the right
No more wall!!



I can't wait until we can post the after photos! Stay tuned =)

Anna

The Mooney Family Visit

Bob and Sandra left on Monday evening. We all had such a great time. James' Birthday party was a huge success. We had so much fun! We love having visitors come to stay with us. Bob and Sandra are such a huge help. I can't wait until we see them in the winter.

So now, things have settled down. And we are trying to get back to some sort of routine. We had a great playgroup this morning. I'm feeling rested and relaxed....but I should be cleaning...

Anna

Happy Birthday James!

The 27th of August was James' first birthday. It was a nice quiet day with just James and me and his dad when he got home from work. I made a small cake that the three of us shared after chicken wings for dinner. Jimmy and I had chicken wings delivered to the hospital the night James was born, so we decided to start a tradition of having it on his birthday.

Jimmy's parents come tonight for the long weekend, and we'll have a party on Sunday afternoon with James' playgroup. That's provided my sore throat is gone by then. I'm almost recovered, but the kiddos don't want what James and I had!

This has been such an exciting and exhausting year. Jimmy and I can't imagine our lives without our little boy. We are so blessed.

I feel his pain!

So James got sick last week with Hand, Foot, and Mouth. It's a fairly common virus, but it can give you painful sores in your mouth. He had a hard time taking a bottle for a few days, and wasn't sleeping that great during that time. He's in much better spirits now that he almost over it. I wasn't worried about catching it because just about everything I read said adults don't usually get it, because most are immune by the time they're grown ups...yeah right. Just my luck, I catch it! I have the most painful sores in the back of my throat. Much worse than when I had strep. I feel so bad for James! I had no idea how bad this hurts. Poor guy.

I can't wait until I start to feel better too...

Vacation

We just got back from a wonderful 8 day vacation to New England. We had such a wonderful time! James was such a trooper.

On Saturday one of my best friends got married. It was beautiful. We were lucky enough to have my cousin watch James all day and night for us. Jimmy and I danced the night away. It was one of my favorite weddings to attend. It was perfection! After the wedding we all stayed overnight in my uncle's condo in downtown Boston. I couldn't have asked for a better evening.

On Sunday we hung out downtown for a little while and had lunch at Quincy Market. We went home in the afternoon and had dinner with the MA Barts.

On Monday Jimmy, James, and I packed the car to head to New Hampshire for the day. We visited my friend at her winery, and she gave use a private wine tasting. It was so beautiful, and the wine was excellent! We then told the GPS to take us to the nearest ocean, and it took us to the beautiful town of Portsmouth. It's really fun to see the different architecture around the country.




On Tuesday, we decided to have a veg day. We didn't do much of anything but relax. My cousins took us to their country club for dinner. Yum! We sat by the 1st tee and had a lovely dinner in perfectly cool weather.

On Wednesday, we drove around Worcester. James had a picnic at a park for breakfast. He had a blast going down the slides and swinging. The weather was perfect! Then we went to my cousin's restaurant for lunch. Then we went to Fenway Park for a baseball game. We were right on the field! Not too shabby for James' first baseball game =) The Red Sox won 8 to 4. James didn't make it through the whole game, but he was a great sport for about 8 innings!

On Thursday, Jimmy, James, and I loaded up early to head down to New Haven, Connecticut. We made it to my good friend's (from camp) house in just under 2 hours. She took us out for pizza and gave us a tour of downtown New Haven and Yale. Then we went back to her (adorable) house and a friend of her's came over with her son (same age as James). It's so fun to watch them learn to interact. Right now they just smile at each other for a second and then move on. It'll be great to see James interact more with kids his age. We stayed much later than we expected. They cooked us a fabulous dinner, with excellent wine! After dinner we cleaned up, and it was getting late, so we headed for home. We were exhausted, but had a great day. It was so nice to see them.

Then, on Friday we got a late start and decided to go out to lunch at a diner in West Boylston. We were going to go back and pull things together, but we decided to be crazy and just take off from there! We stopped at the grocery store on our way out to Old Sturbridge Village. What fun that was!! It's a living history museum set in Colonial times. James loved seeing the cows, chickens, and pigs, though he did not want to pet the cows! It started to rain after a few hours, so we decided to take our (wet) selves home. After James went down for the evening we decided to have Steve's Pizza for dinner. They have excellent sub sandwiches. Jimmy had an Italian grinder and I had a meatball sub (yum). It was the perfect end to our week in New England.

This morning we were out before the sun was up. We dropped the car off at the airport and got to our gate just in time to board (after a terrible line to check luggage). James slept most of the flight. When he was awake, much to Jimmy's chagrin, all he wanted was to unplug his dad's headphones. The car seat didn't make it back yet. We have one on loan from JetBlue. Hopefully they'll get it back to us in the morning.

We're home now, resting. James is about ready to got to bed...as am I. We had a great time, but are happy to be sleeping in our own bed again!

My Birthday

Well, I'm 26 years old now. Sometimes I feel like I should be older than that. Only because we are so lucky to have what we do at our age =)

I had a super birthday. Jimmy took me downtown for dinner the night before. Then on my birthday I got to sleep in. Then we just hung out with James all day. In the afternoon we went up to my parents and had dinner and cake and spent the night over there. It was such a lovely day.

Ellen's birthday is next week, and then it's James'. August is such a fun month!