Christmas fun!!!

Yet again Christmas went to fast. James ended up having a double ear infection Christmas Eve. Luckily, we caught it before the infection made him too miserable. Christmas morning was so much fun. Ansley got a small trampoline from Santa and some small horse figurines. As many of you know Ansley only jumps. She jumps to dance, she jumps to walk, and she just jumps when waiting. As soon as she got on the trampoline she told us her teacher puts her hand on Ansleys head and says stop jumping. It was too funny.
James got some sports balls, cars, and golf clubs from Santa. I think he was most happy about the lollipops he got in his stocking. After Santa, we headed over to my parents house. We of course got my dad's Christmas Breakfast...omlet. My mouth waters on Christmas morning. Bob and I both decided that that was the first thing before we do presents. Luckily, the kids just went on to the playroom without realizing there were more presents. Ansley got a warm sleeping bag and some Dora figurines. She was in heaven. I think the sleeping bag won the prize because she got in it and didn't get out.
We then headed to downtown Atlanta to celebrate with Bob's side of the family. Ansley got a doll house that is awesome. She will now ask to go to her room so she can play with her dollhouse.
James got a rocking horse which he rides like he is in the rodeo. He can't quite get on it by himself which I am thankful for because he acts like he is holding on and then lets go. Too funny. He got many more presents but decided to fade due to lack of sleep and not feeling so well. Poor guy was spent by bedtime. We enjoyed spending time with all of our family especially great grandma!!!

Tank is growing!!!

We had James 12 month checkup yesterday. Unfortuntely, he has just gotten a nasty cold and doesn't feel so hot. The best part was I didn't worry too much about germs when we went to the doctors because he was already snotty. The doctor gave me the best news that his right ear has fluid but it is not at the point of antibiotics. So what she is saying is I will see you back in a few days when you haven't slept and he is really miserable!!!
When we first walked into the doctors office the receptionist informed me that he doens't look like he skips many meals. He is my good eater. He now weighs 23 pounds which is in the 50th percentile. His head circumference is still up in the 97th percentile. And his height is 97th percentile which is 31. The doctor asked me if he was walking yet as he was climbing up the stool in the office. She laughed and moved on to the next question. He is now running to catch up with the girls and is really enjoying learning things from Thomas.

Happy Birthday to Tank!!!

So this time last year.. I was fat!! Prego fat! I had this huge baby inside of me. We did not know what it was going to be. We had dropped Ansley off at my parents and headed off to Bob's parents condo. Dropping off Ansley was the hardest thing. I knew we were going to rock her world when we saw her next I just didn't know if it would be good or bad. Luckily, she thought she hit the lotto!!
We stayed at Donna and Richards Condo because it was close to the hospital. The induction was set for 7am. We watched a little TV and then headed to bed. My last night being pregnant was beautiful. We had the Atlanta skyline in view while we slept. It was amazing. The next morning we headed to the hospital. Bob stopped at Starbucks and grabbed a paper and coffee. I was under the impression I was not allowed to eat. In this parking lot was when we decided on the names. If it was a girl it would be Madison Mae and if it was a boy it would be James Adrian. I was still convinced it would be a girl. I couldn't have asked for a better day. I got induced felt a little pain called in for the drugs. I had the same nurse I had for Ansley the entire time and I had my mother and mother in law with me. It was unfortunate that James was a tank when he was born. He broke his collar bone and was sent to transition for a while. Then he decided to be an orange baby and spent most of his time in the hospital tanning. It was a rough start for him but all in all a beautiful day. Happy birthday to my sweet boy!!! I can't believe you are one.

Sleep over.

We are starting to get the hang of these cousin sleepovers. The boys were asleep by 8and the girls were in bed by 9. We are getting the hang of where everyone sleeps. These sleepovers are so nice for us to each get a night off. Keep your fingers crossed that this continues to work out so well. Tonight Bob made brownies with the kids and then we played with James new toys. The kids made a fort under the living room table.

James First Birthday Party!!

Today we had James First birthday party. It was a small get together but tons of fun. He loved the cake and enjoyed all the cars and noise makers he got. It is fun to get boy toys in the house. James actually birthday is on Wednesday. It is hard to believe tank is a year.

Is it really only Wednesday??? I am pretty sure that work took the cake today. I have a new bite mark, clothes that have pee all over them (not mine), and I am pretty sure I got a good cardio weight lifting session in today...and yes that was all within in an hour time span at work.
So then I get home to my quiet sweet babies. The night was going so well..then the lights went off. I was just getting the kiddos out of the bath tub and the lights went out. Never good with two naked kids. Next thing I know I hear a grunt. The lights came back on and James is smiling. I look down and there is poop on the floor. The kid literally shot a rocket straight out. All I could do was laugh. Did that just happen.
Below is a discussion Bob and Ansley had at school.
Ansley: "Daddy that's Jesus.
Daddy: "That's right Ansley"
Ansley: "He fills me up and makes me feel full."
Daddy: "Good job Ansley"
Then on the way to drop her off at Chapel, she rounds the corner and says "I eat the Jesus."

Catch up pictures

It has been a great week. Both of the kids were in good moods and we are moving closer to getting the house on the market. Here are some pictures from the past couple weeks. Keep your fingers crossed... we are going to visit Santa at Mt. Pisgah Early School Donuts with Santa tomorrow.
Playing together!!!

Cousins

Might have learned this from me.

Fun in the playroom

GA TECH's next Cheerleader minus the hair bow.

And yes that is a bag of skittles in her hands...thanks Uncle Tommy and Daddy.

Black Friday

The plan for Black Friday was to shop. That changed at 8:30am. The new plan was to go the Georgia Aquarium. My thought was everyone will be out shopping. Nope they were all at the Aquarium. However, it was still fun. For a few moments I thought we were at Disney during Spring Break!! Both of the kids loved it!! James tried numerous times to swim with the fish. Ansley liked looking at the whale sharks. After the Aquarium we headed over to Johnny Rockets. Ansley got her first taste of a milk shake. She loved it. Luckily there was enough to share. After a big morning Ansley got to go to the Tech Basketball game with Bob. She was a rock star!!!

Great Ages!!

The best things about being a three year old:
10) You can finally reach the light switch in the bathroom.
9) Your pants start shrinking for some reason and it is not because the water is rising outside.
8) Everyday a different body part hurts. Will we ever get past this stage.
7) Bandaids are a staple.
6) The truth is everywhere. When Ansley says something you know it is the truth
5) She loves her brother.
4) She is a sponge. Leapfrog + Miss Katie= letter sounds!!!
3) Watching Dora the Explorer Super babies never gets old.
2) Sleeping with the lights on keeps the tigers away.
1) I love riding my bike and getting group hugs!

The best things about being 11 months:
10)Loud noises still bring on excitement!
9) Chasing Ansley around the house can bring on the sweetest giggles.
8) Running into doors to make them open gives a sense of accomplishment.
7) Mommy saying no is funny!
6) Switching from a bottle to sippy cup of milk might present a problem.
5) My smile can melt anyones heart.
4) Eating a lollipop is the best! Just seeing the wrapper brings on excitement. Thanks Aunt Caroline.
3) I can say Daddy, Hi, woof woof, momma, and aah (thanks Grandaddy).
2) I can dance like sister.
1) Talking on the phone is fun even if it is a brush.

Yay!!!! James is feeling better. I would like to thank my sister and mom for helping me through this illness. I don't do sick. This was the first time one of my babies had a sickness that lasted a long time. There were numerous times I had to call them to get moral support.
Tonight Ansley and I made a gingerbread house. Yes I know Thanksgiving hasn't even gotten here and we, meaning Ansley, felt the need to get in the Christmas mood (or more like the candy mood). My dad made the mistake of showing Ansley the package. The moment we got home she was carrying around the box trying to dig in. I caved!!! Every year my siblings get gingerbread houses from my parents and we have a contest to see who can do the best one. Yes there is a sum of money for winning and definitely bragging rights throughout the year. I have yet to win so I decided to allow Ansley to just go at it. I am not allowed to put up pictures yet due to the massive amount of cheating. I wouldn't want anyone to copy her masterpiece.

It has been a while since I have blogged. James has been sick since last week. On Thursday he went to the doctors only to come away with a double ear infection. His temperature was around 104. Since Thursday he has remained on Tylenol or Ibuprofen otherwise his temperature creeps back up. Of course my kids haven't had much illness so this whole process has been nerve racking. Thankfully my mom dealt with him on Thursday and Friday and then I am home today with him. Keep your fingers crossed that his temperature stays away.
Ansley enjoyed her weekend. She got to go shopping with mommy and play with some church friends. She and Bob went to a luncheon at the Young's house. She and Clara played and played. Clara is almost a year older than Ansley. They played outside climbing trees and riding Clara's motorized car. Ansley didn't quite get the steering wheel thing. She would drive and then get out and turn it. Too Cute!! Of course, I was not there because I was with the sick little man.

Weekend Fun!!

Weekends seem to be going by way to fast. We decided to head to the park on Sunday. That was a mistake. Everyone in Dunwoody decided to go to. Poor James had to wait in line for the swing. They need to have a rule about a time limit. Unfortunately, we waited for a good 15 minutes before this group of people decided that their kids were done (the kids were way to old to be in the little play area). I know they were irritated that I was making a line for the swing. They were probably telling me off in thier special language. I was getting the eye. I wasn't the only one waiting. Next time we will skip the park and head to the backyard. Less stressful!!
We did have a really good time running around on the playground and then coming home to play in the leaves. I love these weekends.

In the video James is eating...Let me rephrase that I had just put him in his chair and was going to get him something to munch on while I was fixing dinner. I turned around and he was eating. There was nothing on his tray but he was pretending to eat. Too cute!!

Halloween

Halloween was a blast this year. Ansley was so much fun. Ansley and the cousins hit 12 houses which is 12 more than we went to last year. We went over to my parents house to trick or treat. It was so much fun taking Ansley to houses that I use to go to. I love that sense of community. You know you are in a good neighborhood when people never leave. Aunt Terri was in town and got to go around to the houses with us. I will have pictures up here soon. Ansley ended up being a pixie dust princess and James was Nemo.
Ansley and James both got their H1N1 shots on Monday. I am hoping this will keep us pretty well throughout the winter months.
Ansley has been doing great! She is learning so many new things daily. I think us working mom get in a guilt mode every once in a while that I should be staying at home with my little ones. But the things they learn in school is amazing. Ansley is getting spanish, music, P.E., chapel, and bible study at her school. She is a sponge these days. Yes I love staying at home and being with my darlings but I am so thankful that I am able to work and know that Ansley is in such a great learning enviornment and James is with my mom. It is such a blessing to have my mom watch the kids when they are babies. I can't repay her for the time she gives to my kids.
James is starting to run now. He thinks it is too funny to run toward the stairs and start climbing. He is defintely a mommas boy. But his sister does have a great part of his heart. It is so cute to see him giggling at her and then to see her feeding into it. James is all about the babble these days. He loves his voice.
Stay tuned for pictures!!

There is a good reason why there are more pictures of James than Ansley. The reason is she is three going on thirteen. She insists on doing her fake smile. What an awesome stage. Plus..I got them all dressed up and my camera decided to quit. So I dragged Caroline and Frances to the patch to take some pictures. You can't just reschdule and get everyone dressed up again for take two.

As I was reading the Reynolds blog page (like I do at least once a day because her blogs are too cute) I found myself being tagged. So guess what some of you have been tagged!!
So Here Are the Rules: Only use one word, Pass this Along to 6 of your favorite bloggers! Alert them that you have given them this award! Have Fun!
1. Where is your cell phone? bathroom
2. Your hair? washed
3. Your mother? Sarah
4. Your father? Tom
5. Your favorite food? Chicken
6. Your dream last night? BOB
7. Your favorite drink? water
8. Your dream/goal? 10 children
9. What room are you in? living room
10. Your hobby? sewing
11. Your fear? someone stealing my kids
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? home
13. Where were you last night? Dagwoods
14. Something that you aren’t? DD
15. Muffins? chocolate chip
16. Wish list item? iphone
17. Where did you grow up? Alpharetta
18. Last thing you did? fold clothes
19. What are you wearing? sweats
20. Your TV? TCU football
21. Your pets? smelly
22. Friends? awesome
23. Your life? fulfilled
24. Your mood? happy
25. Missing someone? no one
26. Vehicle? Odyssey
27. Something you’re not wearing? shoes
28. Your favorite store? target
29. Your favorite color? pink
30. When was the last time you laughed? seconds ago
31. Last time you cried? last week
32. Your best friend? husband
33. One place that I go to over and over? Target
34. One person who emails me regularly? Caroline
35. Favorite place to eat? Dagwoods
Tagged: Heather Harbin, Kelley Offenbacher, Caroline Grant, Jen Fleming, Alison Rollins, Jenny Miller. I will be checking to see if you do this:)

I have not been doing such a good job with blogging lately. So let me catch you up. The past two weekends it has been the kids and I. Bob has been traveling. The kids have been treating me well. I think they know I am a man down. I have been rushing around trying to get the house ready to sell. I still have one more charity run and then it is time for 1-800-Junk to come in and take the rest. I love this house and really don't want to move but when it comes to the kids I will do anything to give them a childhood that I had growing up!! If I could just pick this house up and move it off the main street that would rock. But we can't and I look forward to whereever we land.
The kids have been growing like weeds. I went to my favorite consignment store and loaded up on winter clothes. On Sunday Ansley jumped head first into a wall. So we made a special trip to Children's..that was loads of fun. Luckily I have great neighbors and family so they helped me out. Poor James was shifted around that day so he didn't get much of a nap therefore he kept us up that night. Ansley's head looks fine. I don't like to take chances with heads so we got it looked at anyway. The doctor said it was a good one. The goose egg went down and she got a lollipop and popsicle out of the deal so not a bad time for her. Her head does look really pretty!!!

10 months and walking..no sorry running!

Today James is 10 months old!!! However, he looks more like 12-18 months. He went from crawling to running within a couple days. He walks like a football player. It is so cute. Daddy taught him to go up stairs which I am daily thanking him for doing in so many words. Bob's reasoning is he wanted him to be safe when he climbs. So you can only imagine where I am running to get him half the time. He loves to eat. He can start before we sit down and still be going at it long after dinner is over.
James loves to look at this one book that has all different types of soft animals to touch. He likes anything that makes noise. He can be in an emotional state and you make some kind of noise and the tears dry up and he is on the move to find the noise maker. The one thing that tops his favorites list is my moms walker. He gets so excited. This walker is like none I have ever seen. I am pretty sure it is an over seas walker. I have yet to get footage on this but check back with me soon and I will have a video of him. James is a very happy baby who loves to chase his sister and has an eye for the cat. He tries to do everything his cousin does. He is getting a mouth full of teeth minus one front tooth. Hopefully that will come in soon or we will have to move to south GA. James is a sweet boy with an eye that watches everything that is happening around him. He is quick to learn whatever is going on in front of him. He completes our wonderful family!!

Halloween Preview...Meet Nemo!! Still to come Cinderella

Weekend

I survived being a single mom this weekend. The kids tried to tackle me but I came out on top...so maybe it was just James. Ansley is at such a great age that she is easily entertained. Now that James is cruising he has found a new freedom. He is everywhere, climbing stairs, tackling his sister, loving the dog, playing in the dogs water, banging on anything that makes noise, eating dog food when I am not looking, and his favorite thing to do is to open every single cabinet door. He has been polite to this point and not taken everything out of the cabinets but I am seeing that in my future. If you walked into my kitchen you would think I have been robbed. The kids are both at such a cute age. James has learned to clap for himself and others. He can pretty much go wherever his legs will take him. Ansley has been so respectful and loving lately. It is well worth the money I am dishing out to her school. I am afraid Mr. James is going to be going to school a lot earlier than Ansley went. He is itching to be with other kids. He likes Grandmas but loves being with Thomas on the days he is there.
Below are some pictures from the weekend. We went and saw Great Grandma. The kids had such a blast. Grandma is probably going to sleep for a week.
Ansley trying to smile.

Sweet picture.

Showing Great Grandma how he can stand.

Right before James took GG's wheelchair for a spin.

Cruising outside.

Pictures from the Playroom.

Now that James can almost walk he loves playing with Ansley. They are playing the keyboard in this picture.

Racing for the cell phone.

Oscar needed a little camera time.

A sweet moment.

Concentrating

My days seem to be flying by lately. Work, kids, work, then sleep. James has become a little speed machine. His goal is to see how fast he can walk holding on to anything in sight to get to the nearest cabinet or light socket. It is unreal. To add to this craziness he seems to fall every minute because he has no fear. His head looks like I beat him. He has even let me put ice on his head because I think it is so numb in the two spots he continuously hits.

Ansley is such a good sister. She absolutely loves having a baby in the house. I thought she might not like him getting bigger and more mobile. But she is so excited every time he does something new. She told her teacher the other day that James dosen't know how to use his hands (because we are constantly having to pull his hands out of her hair; luckily she has given up the screaming and is patient with him and sometimes laughs). Ansley is growing up so fast. I am now shopping for her in the girls section of the store. She is too cute. She wore leggings to school the other day and she said she was so excited because she looked like me. Too Cute!!!!

Life has been crazy this week with the flooding around Atlanta. Our creek got really high. To the point where I was freaking out withthe sinking feeling that there is nothing I can do but pray that it recedes before it hits our basement. Luckily, it did and we did not have any damage. However there are some trees that have suffered erosion at the roots and are leaning toward our house. This is scary since we are fixing the house up to put it on the market. The road closures have been crazy around here!!
The other natural disaster is James. I thought he was just getting one tooth in!! WRONG!!! Not two but four are coming in. The kid is a disaster. Sleep?? Who needs it. I keep reminding myself that this will only last a few days and to be thankful it is not a virus. He is still the destroyer. Still finds time to go after Ansley and tackle her. He even finds it more enjoyable when we tell him no. We are in trouble with this biggin.
Ansley went to the dermatologist on Friday for her itching. The dermatologist is worthless!!! I could have watched a snail for thirty minutes and learned more than I did at the dermatologist. They pretty much told me to put some lotion on and try stuff that I put on my legs (which didn't work). Waste of my time. I think this is an allergic reaction to something. However, there is no rash or anything to prove my point. This is getting ridiculous. Any suggestions??? Send them my way.

9 month checkup and accomplishments

James had a great checkup today. I hate going to the doctor for a well check up because we are always back there the next week sick. I am not a germ phobic person but the doctors office scares me. Below are his stats:
Weight: 21 lbs 12 oz (70-75 percentile)
Head Circumference: 18 3/4 (97 percentile)
Height: 30 1/4(95th Percentile).
I knew he was tall because he is in 12-18 month clothes. His weight has stayed the same since his 6 month check up. The doctor said that he is where a 12 month would be so it is okay that his weight has slowed since he is on the move. I do have to brag that he is the most handsome biggin!!!
I have a new nickname for James now. He is the destroyer. Biggin can destroy anything you give him. When we were at the doc today she gave him a cup to play with because he had already destroyed the table paper. He just cackled over the cup. We couldn't stop laughing at him. No need to buy him toys. I have given up my cabinets to him..he especially likes the tuberware cabinet.
James has been really into finger foods these days. Even when I give him baby food he still chomps like he is chewing gum. He can't stand it when Ansley is eating goldfish and cheerios and he doesn't have any. I caught him with honey nut cheerios in his mouth.
He has been really into Ansley lately. He thinks it is funny to body slam her and then sit back and laugh. Luckily she finds him amusing.
Yes this blog was all about James. I promise I will lay it on thick about Ansley next time.

We had our first soccor practice on Monday. Can we call it a circus??? Coach got stuck in traffic so we were left to entertain the girls for 30 minutes. There is a reason why I am not thier coach. I do have to brag I was a good soccor player. Caroline and I played on the same field the girls play on. Our team is made up of Ansley and Frances and then two boys from Frances class...Sam and Daniel. Daniel is amazing. This kid could play with 6 year olds. He is awesome. At one point during the scrimage he was scoring and the two girls were in the middle of the field cheering. It was hysterical. Our first game is this Saturday at 9am at Mt. Pisgah. If you feel like seeing the cutiest thing come out and cheer them on!!!

Pacey finally gone!!!

Okay so I was that mom that made fun of those parents that had a child that was over the age of 2 with pacey's stuck in there mouth. Unfortunately, Ansley is three and had a pacey. She mainly used it at night. But still too old for one. I have been too chicken to get rid of the pacey myself. I would like to thank Oscar the dog for doing my dirty work. We came home from work on Friday to find a chewed up pacey. Many months ago I had told Ansley that I would not replace the last pacey she had (thinking that it was only a matter of weeks before the last one was lost or destroyed). She treated that pacey like gold. But thanks to Oscar it had to be thrown away. She was devastated but not as much as I had imagined. In the mist of her crying I told her to call Caroline because Aunt Caroline always makes it better. Well she told Caroline everything (and so clearly told her). Caroline began to explain to her that big girls don't have pacey's...at that moment Ansley handed me the phone and wanted nothing to do with Caroline. It was very funny!!! When bedtime came she started to whine. I explained to her that she gave up her pacey therefore she gets a special treat. So what does she choose...a doll. Like we don't have enough no named dolls in our house. She was all excited to go to target today. Of course she spent forever in the baby doll isle. She really had her eye set on this huge dollhouse. I told her only Santa or grandads bring that too little girls. I did manage to get her to buy these two little ones that were $2. They are miniature babies like the ones she has already. She thought she hit the jackpot.
Last weekend we went to the first GA tech football game of the season and took Ansley with us. She loved it plus a bonus was that Logan and Celia were there. I can't wait until she is a little bit older to enjoy the games. Finally after the trillionth time of getting up and going to the bathroom, for a walk, or to get food..She and I headed out of the stadium to play.

Here are some random pictures that I have been getting.
This is Dora the explorer going on an adventure in the house.

Friday night we had put the kids to bed and was watching TV when we looked down and saw two of Ansley's babies watching TV with us. (kind of creepy)

James has started crawling this week and decided today was the day he would take a couple steps. Of course I was at Body pump. But he did show off after nap time for me. It is too cute. So I decided he needed to put on Thomas's shoes. Yet again his hand me downs don't fit biggin!!! However check out the shoes are there ankles anywhere.


Finally this is just the cutiest picture of James sleeping...