Frustration...

This little guy has been spending quite a bit of time frustrated! Now that he can crawl he gets into literally everything! Nothing is safe! On several occasions he has even pulled himself up in a standing position...yikes! His greatest passion seems to be eating...doesn't even matter if it is food...any little piece of paper, fuzz, hair...it really doesn't matter, he is not picky...he will chew it for a while! Our latest passion seems to be rescuing him from one form of danger or another...so it is really his parents and sister who are causing him all the frustration! Sorry little guy...
One plus side of having such a busy little guy is that it is forcing us to get some of those neglected little projects around the house done. When we moved into the house a couple years ago we tore the wall out between the kitchen and dining room...and thanks to James we are finally getting around to replacing the carpeting and fixing the floor! These pictures were taken while Jon was working on the floor...we normally kept that part covered up...it looks pretty un-safe in these pictures! There is a silver lining in everything...a busy little boy = finally getting those little projects done!

Do I Match...

Who needs to match? When you have such great style, matching is an option only, right? At least that is what Elsie thinks! I love this combination she came up with, fur, stripes and flowers...Daddy proudly brought her up town to the basketball game looking like this!

Personally I think she is just so darn cute no one even notices the funky clothes!

A Girl with a creative mind...I think someday she will make a great fashion designer!

Road Trip...

I am pretty sure my Mom and I choose the coldest and windiest day for our 5 hour road trip...We drove in my parents big 15 passenger van...and if you have ever driven one you know what a boat of a vehicle it is...now imagine driving it through very heavy winds! My mom drove the whole way...I am sure her arms were throbbing by the time we finally got to Ana's house! This was the first time my mom drove all the way to Ana's house without my dad...so of course we picked the worst day ever...by the time we got to BE the radio was saying the schools were going to be 2 hours late the next day due to the cold temps...it was about -33' without windchill! That is just a bit cold!
The kids all road extremely well for the long car ride...with the exception of James! He does not like being confined in his carseat for any long periods of time...and 5 hours is kinda a long time! I now realize part of his "not so happy" attitude was probably because he was coming down with 5th disease...poor boy! All in all he did pretty good...going home was better.

The other kids all road very good...Elsie and Emma shared a seat...and they happily played games, coloured, talked and giggled...they get along like sisters! Marissa chose to sit next to James...she is a baby lover! She did very good to do her best to keep James busy...and was very patient to play "pick-up" over and over with him! Colter was our map reader...he kept us all informed of what town we were in and what town was next...he survived being the only guy traveling with all those girls!

I took pictures of all the kids while we were in the van...but half of them had eyes closed or just silly faces...plus my camera lens completely broke on this trip...so I had no choice but to use Jon's point and shoot Nikon...which I hate with a passion! So that is my explanation of why we hardly have any pictures of this road trip!

And after what felt like a super-dooper, long, long time we pulled into Ana, Brandon and Oliver's house! They kids all did a little clapping hootin' and hollerin' when we pulled into town! Ana's in-laws own a little Furniture and Coffee Shoppe downtown...and we stopped there first since Ana was working...and the kids ran off some energy by zipping up and down the rows of couches...soon they found a stroller and buckled James in and took him for some wild rides zipping around the furniture store. They all had fun...I mean really, how often do we let the kids run wild in a furniture store of all things!?

We went back to Ana and Brandon's house, had a nice little dinner, watched some Dish TV (what a treat!) and watched the kids all play together. The only reason all the kids agreed to go on the long car trip was to play with Oliver...and they played hard until well after bed time! Ana and Brandon have a 2 bedroom house...so my children and I took over Oliver's bedroom floor and everyone else slept in the living room...2 on reclining chairs, 3 on a blow-up air bed and one on the couch...it was good close bonding time! Our purpose of the road trip to BE was to pick up Laura and Lisa who had spent the week with Ana...so it was a whirlwind little trip. We left our house at 10am Thursday and left BE at 10 am Friday...a fast little trip...but good memories were made. We will be heading to BE for another whirlwind trip any day now...as soon as we get a phone call saying Little Gus is born we will be back in the car again!

Embrace the Camera...Pool Time

Thursday...Embrace the Camera again! My mom took lots of pictures of James and I while we were at the pool...the lighting was great for taking pictures with no flash...

Mommy and her super busy boy...

After James was done in the pool he was happy to watch the kids from my lap...then after a while he would arch his back and give out a little squeal...meaning, "Uncle, Auntie, I want back in the pool!" and they were all too happy to take him back in for a quick dip!

Swimming takes a lot of a person...and it calls for a snack time! James is in love with his Mum-Mum crackers...and he gets so excited when he sees them! He now has a specific little squeal when he sees the package...so sweet...

A fun day...a good day to lay back and imagine the snow away...it felt good to have a swim suit on for a change...however putting on all that winter gear and going out to the 8' weather to start the car before heading home was another story!

Swim Time...

We live in Minnesota...winter is long...so very long...blah, blah,blah...I think the winter blues have set in...Elsie has a "blah-ness" about her...I can tell she needs to get out, get some fresh air and do something out of the ordinary and fun! So last week we called up the aunties and begged them to go swimming with us at the local pool...and they swam...for hours...we eventually had to tell them it was time to go...I think it was just what all the kids needed...and maybe mama, too!
James was excited to get in the big pool...and he was a good sport about wearing one of his sister's left over PINK swim diapers! Auntie Marissa and Uncle Colter were very good about taking turns holding James in the water...I did get in for a while...but they begged to take him and I wasn't about to turn them down...As a result I was able to look through some of my new Ikea catalog!

I have a funny feeling James is going to be a little fish this summer...he is going to fully expect to be able to go swimming every time he sees water! James is one lucky boy that his Aunties and Uncle are patient enough to take him swimming in the pool...I love how gentle Colter always is with him...I think James is going to grow up thinking the world of his Uncle!

I love this picture...I think my mom must have taken it while I was changing out of my suit...Talk about action...yet Elsie calmly hangs on to her Uncle...she must trust him completely! The kids all love the water...and you can tell we have all grown up with a pool in the backyard...at one point my mom and I were calmly watching the kids play when we noticed that Elsie was floating around in her floaty in the deep end! It took a couple moments to realize that the average person might have freaked out a bit...my mom and I just chuckled...she really was fine...

All to soon it was time to go...back out to the freezing cold tundra...maybe not quite that cold...but sometimes it feels that bad! We finished off the fun day with a little pizza party at my parents house. We than had to rush home to pack for a whirlwind car trip...a 5 hour car ride I might add with 5 small children! I have pictures to share soon...

A fun afternoon...just what we all needed to beat those winter blues!

Baby Food...

Jon and I both love making baby food...to the point where we argue about who is going to make it! I think for Jon it is the fun of using the grinder...for me it is the good feeling I get knowing I am making healthy food for little one to eat. Being that we have celiac disease, dairy and nut allergies I am extremely passionate about the food we consume...I pay very close attention to our food...we do our best to make sure we eat healthy diets. I find it interesting that Elsie is already very in-tune to her body and knows on her own what she should and should not eat, what makes her feel icky and just not quite right. I hope James will be the same way. To give James a jump-start on his healthy diet we make baby food! Last week we were out of town for a few days so I did break down and buy some baby food...one word...Yuck! I bought James the 3rd foods thinking they would be a chunkier for him but it still ran off the spoon...not to mention the tasteless-ness of the food! I could not bring myself to buy him any veggies...who wants to eat brownish peas!?
Last week Elsie and I pealed carrots, sliced them up and steamed them...then we used our nifty little grinder to mash them all up...and froze them all in ice-cube trays. Now when the little guy is ready for dinner we can just take a cube or two out and warm it up in a little pan. Perfect and easy...and it makes me feel so good to serve him a healthy meal!

We have Peas, Carrots and Sweet Potatoes all frozen and waiting!

Growing Boy...

James has a new snack food to love...Rice Krispies! James gets so excited when we put a little handful of Rice Krispies down on his tray...he kicks his little legs and gives us huge smiles! He then devours them all up...and he seems to get everywhere...stuck all over his face, fingers and the floor! I cannot wait until all those teeth (5 already!) come all the way in so we can give him some Perky O's...much easier to pick up than the little tiny Rice Krispies!
Last week James has his 6 month well baby check...and he is a big boy! He is now 20lbs and about 27" long...the 85th and 88th percentile...he has come a long ways from that little 6 lbs baby!

6 months has been a month full of discovery and milestones for James...he has learned to crawl, sit up unassisted and now get into a sitting up position from a crawling position! He is crawling and getting into everything now...sometimes it is a bit scary! He likes to crawl over to his sister's bedside table and put both his hands up on the top...I sincerely hope he will wait a good long time before figuring out how to pull himself up on things!

Everyday I think we see more and more of his personality emerge...he is getting a sense of humor...he laughs at his sister all the time! And he loves rough play with his sister...sometimes they "wrestle" on the floor and he loves it...giggling the whole time! Such a fun little guy!Besides his sister his other love is for food! He is a very good eater and loves it all...every time I give him a new food I keep the camera close by for the classic picture of tasting something new...but he just gobbles everything up like he has had it for years! He has quite a pallate so far, Applesause, Bananas, Sweet Potatoes, Peas, Carrots, Avocados and Pears...but his favorites are still his mum-mum crackers and those Rice Krispies!

A Little Mother...

Our camera lens broke last week...at first it was just stuck at 55mm...then something broke on the inside making it entirely un-usable! We use the camera daily...it is not unusual to take 50 pix in just one day...so not having my camera to grab several times a day is driving me crazy! So until the new lens arrives...sometime before the 1st of Feb!...I must be contented to use the Droid and Jon's Nikon point and-shoot...which I hate with a passion! The pictures in this post were taken with the Droid...using the Retro Camera app...love that app!
Elsie has always been so good with keeping herself entertained...she will play for hours on end with her doll and stroller...and few good accessories...like glasses, fancy shoes and jewelery...and always a cell phone because a girl just has to make a call or two!

This is such a common site at our house...Elsie playing house! Elsie tells me everyday that she is going to a mommy when she grows up...a mommy with 7 or 13 children! I hope her dreams come true...nothing is better than being a mommy! And I wouldn't mind having 7 or 13 grandchildren one bit!

Pirate Boy...

I have a thing for clothing...maybe because I am a girl! When we first found out James was a boy my greatest fear was "How will I dress a BOY!" I would wander around the stores...but always found myself back in the pink department...after awhile I began to get more and more comfortable with all the little boy clothes. I have discovered that pastels and most anything with the colour blue is just not an option...James has a big more of a "punk" style...skull and crossbones, orange, logo t-shirts with thermals under them, jeans with faded knees and don't forget the camo!
I have a chunk of fabric with the skull and crossbones design...I was planning on making a bib out it...but we are not a fan of bibs around here...so we have decided it makes the perfect skull cap for the little guy! Elsie and I were just playing around one day and put it on his head...does look cute and he kept it on for a while! I think I see more skull caps this summer in this little pirate boy's future...

Embrace the Camera...

Thursday again...Embrace the Camera! This week's pictures are from New Years day...Daddy and Elsie painting...James was napping and I was about to leave for an afternoon of shopping with my sisters...

Elsie takes her artwork very seriously...and a brush for each colour is a must!

Elsie loves to use oodles and oodles and colour on every painting...I think we need to buy more paint...again!

When I got home from shopping they had all the paintings laying on the table to dry...they did lots of paintings...my favorite was one of Daddy and Elsie's handprints together...I should have taken a picture of it but I haven't yet...now all the paintings are hanging under the windows in the kitchen...

Cold?

We are from Minnesota...so when the high temp of the day is 1' we treat it like a heat wave and just have to get out and get some of that fresh air! I am not joking at all about the temps...we have had ice on the roads for the last several weeks because it just doesn't warm up at all to melt it! But the freezing cold weather doesn't keep us in...just makes us bundle up a bit more before we go out!
Elsie has a need for fresh air...a few days ago the high was about 10' and Elsie had to stand outside for a minute and breathe in some fresh air...and she was wearing just her jeans, shirt and winter boots! What can I say...she is a girl from the north!

As cold as it is and as tired of winter that everyone it getting...it is hard to look outside and not smile. It is simply BEAUTIFUL! I cannot believe how long all the snow has been sticking to the trees...it looks so magical...

This is the view of our back yard a few weeks ago...how can you not find it lovely to look at? That said Jon, Elsie and I have been dreaming of summer...the slip and slide, trips to the beach, picnics, GREEN grass, flip-flops...I think I have just talked myself into really, really, really wanting summer to come RIGHT NOW!!

Headband Holder...

Elsie and I both love to wear headbands...and they were taking up a lot of room in the bathroom closet...We have a fun little ribbon hanging on the inside of the bathroom closet door for clipping hair ribbons to...and now we have this hook for headbands. I found an un-used curtain hook in the junk drawer...we had Jon screw it in place...
The hook on the front works perfect to hold all the headbands in place...

Now all the clippies and the headband have a place to be kept...so far it works good...that is when Elsie remembers to actually put the headbands where they belong!

Play-Doh Fun...

We had some new and colourful play-doh calling our names a couple days ago...nothing is better than fresh and squishy play-doh...The vibrant colours never last long at our house though...they all get mixed together into the "blah" brown colour...
This was the first time James was able to sit up to the table and play...he didn't really get any play-doh...he just got to try out his sisters old booster chair and play with cookie cutters...he had fun...He loves being part of whatever is going on...he hates being left out so this new little chair is perfect for him!

Remember these red cowboy boots...since it is winter and slippery-snowy weather and cowboy boots do not mix well these have become indoor only boots...and she still manages to wear them almost every day...

Happy girl...I love her happy smile and little giggle...

Love this picture...my two babies playing together...James is just getting too big! I think this is the first of many pictures of the two of them crafting and creating together...so special...

Elsie created this funky Birthday cake...with spatula candles! We even had to sing Happy Birthday before dramatically blowing out those spatula candles...

James...chewing on a spoon...I did let him hold some play-doh and squish it between his fingers...he tried SO hard to reach for some and was getting SO frustrated! Plus I figured that being able to squish a new texture was a good think! It was all fine until he tried eating it...then the play-doh was taken away and replaced with a spoon...it tasted better to James, anyhow!