tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2193656932831700882024-03-13T14:14:51.119-07:00The Yin and Her Yanghilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13510128651434906374noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219365693283170088.post-72479764260600376052015-06-14T20:57:00.001-07:002015-06-14T20:57:54.091-07:00Family Pictures Nov 2014So I know I haven't updated this blog in over a year, but I have good reason! That reason no longer exists so hopefully we get back to at least quarterly =) But I thought I should start by updating our family pictures. We took them at the very beginning of November 2014. Originally they were scheduled for October - the colors were SO pretty this year - but the very morning of our photo shoot, I pinched a nerve in my back and quite literally, sat on the couch the next two days. Aside from being humbling and quite painful, we missed the colors. I was bummed. However, my friend Melissa did such an amazing job it basically made up for no colors. Don't be deceived, we don't really look like models -- we just happen to in these. In following posts, you'll see how I really am looking these days. Of course, the boys are always beautiful, so their representation is very legitimate. I definitely get the better end of the deal -- I get to look at them all day long. And they...love me for me =)<br />
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I get asked fairly regularly if they are twins -- and I've figured out that it is when they are sitting down together and you can't see the height difference because here it is pretty clear.<br />
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This is one of my all-time favorite pictures -- these boys are so delicious and Jon Jon really does laugh much of the time!<br />
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I love this picture -- James really is a very loving, protective brother.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was our Christmas card pick</td></tr>
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<br />hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13510128651434906374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219365693283170088.post-51426011939954706282014-05-05T20:18:00.000-07:002014-05-05T20:18:20.934-07:00And He Made It - Jonathan Porter!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<em>Jonathan Porter 1 day old Jared, Hilary and James (18 months)</em></div>
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Well...to state the obvious this post is a long time coming. I put the initial pictures together several months ago but figuring out how make things work with two kids completely preoccupied my time. Looking on the bright side, better late than never right? And better something than nothing, which I've had to learn since having kids. My bar for my projects has come down oh so slightly =) So, here he is, now 11 months old my giggling ray of sunshine. I can't imagine life without him. None of us can. He and Little Man are best buddies and he smiles more than any baby I've ever met. But more on that later. These are his first few days of life...</div>
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So after I'd been overdue for a week, my doctor was afraid the baby would get too big and I reluctantly scheduled an induction for the next morning, June 4th. I was emotional anyway (it comes with the territory), and was disappointed to be marching into the hospital to give birth if my baby wasn't done cooking. However, it turned out to be a very positive experience. The senior resident who had been assigned to me didn't believe in starving anyone so here I am, eating my little heart out during the early stages of Pitocin. Food and I have always been buddies so that was a great start. Labor was only six hours (as opposed to 24 with Little Man James) and I had the epidural 45 minutes before Jonathan was born. I like to think I could have done it naturally but let's be honest, I was VERY happy to see that blessed anesthesiologist. </div>
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He was beautiful and so perfect! I got to hold him right away. He was not small - 8 lbs 14 ozs - I hate to think of what would have happened had it been two weeks later. How do people always look so perfect right after giving birth? I like to think I keep it real. Everything went really well and the recovery was much quicker and smoother the second time.</div>
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At first he looked a lot like James, but very quickly began do develop his own look. </div>
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He was born at 6:00pm on the dot. My wonderful Mom flew in but the baby was here before she landed! Sweet J went home and brought them back the next morning.</div>
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I was a little nervous of how James would react to him, but it was awesome - he loved his baby immediately and I knew they'd be best buddies. </div>
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We tried the whole 'look-what-the-baby-brought-you' tactic, but for now it turns out that Jonathan himself was enough for James. We were glad.</div>
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James loved his time with angelic Grandma. They spent hours reading books, doing stickers, and taking walks.</div>
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A few days later we went downtown to the art festival. Like I said, this recovery was a LOT faster.</div>
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This sweet boy has an angelic face as you can see. <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IQUJ0KZkKoM/UiKo8g26OfI/AAAAAAAABNA/CVAL_G0rqvY/s1600/DSC_0291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IQUJ0KZkKoM/UiKo8g26OfI/AAAAAAAABNA/CVAL_G0rqvY/s320/DSC_0291.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a><br />
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A few days later J's fantastic parents arrived. They were so sweet with James and he loved his time with them too.</div>
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He was introduced to CARS -- </div>
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Grandma and Grandpa took Farmer James down to the farm store and bought him his dream tractor.</div>
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You can't tell from the picture but he LOVES his tractor.</div>
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It's a good thing we live in Iowa where there are tractors a plenty to be seen from the road.</div>
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Here James is watching a New Testament video with Grandpa and folding his arms because he is just that reverent.</div>
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Our sweet angelic Jonathan.</div>
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So beautiful.</div>
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He liked practicing karate in his sleep - the Asian pull is strong in this one...</div>
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Off the bat he was smiley,</div>
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sweet faced,</div>
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playful,</div>
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pleasant, </div>
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peaceful and snuggly. We couldn't ask for a better baby.</div>
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James willingly modeled tummy time.</div>
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Daddy carried on our sleeping tradition</div>
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James continued to be a great helper-</div>
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inspecting the stairs, </div>
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washing the cars, </div>
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modeling church attire,</div>
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helping unload the dishwasher - see those dishes in the sink? Yes, they all used to be in the dishwasher.</div>
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So there you have it, 11 months later, our first few months with our new baby. If we're really lucky, I'll document his 1st birthday with current pictures.</div>
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hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13510128651434906374noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219365693283170088.post-55454256872144368582013-05-29T20:24:00.000-07:002013-05-29T20:24:17.518-07:00Happy Labor Day to Me! - Our Spring UpdateToday is my due date, and I am still...here - as in, not at the hospital. But regardless of how excited and anxious we are to meet this little man, he'll come when he comes and he'll be worth the wait, I am sure. <br />
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However, it may be a good thing he's taking his time, so I can 'catch up' (what a loose term) on my blog.<br />
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This has been a weird spring for Iowa. It has been cold until May, which made our visits to sunny LV and Kansas even better, but strange nonetheless. It was sad to come home and realize it was still winter here. And then it rained, a lot. I didn't really realize how long it is to be indoors for an extended winter until you have an active toddler who thrives on sunshine.<br />
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It was great to see both of our parents! Las Vegas was, as always, full of some of our favorite people, great weather, and lots of love. We are always surprised at how quickly the time goes, but nice to know we'll be seeing them again soon when #2 decides to make an appearance. <br />
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We spent Easter in Kansas and it was so much fun to see Little Man hunt eggs. Once he got the hang of it he was all over it! It's always hard to leave but so nice to be so close!<br />
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Happily, J finished with one of his worst rotations of the program and we are SO glad. The getting up at 3:30am and getting home at 6-7 with going to bed at 8:00 six days a weeks was tough. It made the 'we never see him' phrase take on a whole new meaning. The people that actually work that department and those hours have my full appreciation and respect! So now that he is back on a normal schedule of 7ish-6ish sprinkled with a few days of call, we are feeling good about Daddy time. Especially since Little Man has been doing things like getting up before 6, meaning he gets to see Daddy sometimes in the morning <em>and</em> at night - <br />
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My wonderful parents got to come up for Mother's Day and listen to my community orchestra concert. I felt like a kid again - in a good way - having my parents come to my recital and it was so much fun to have them here. <br />
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So there you have it - our spring in a nutshell! Hopefully the next post will be announcing a perfect baby who has decided to sleep all night long within a week of being home from the hospital =) But if that is not the case, I am sure he will be wonderful.<br />
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Some pictures of our adventures:<br />
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Happy to be with Grandma in the sun!<br />
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Like any good grandson, we did vehicle inspection to make sure Grandpa's truck was working well<br />
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Found a friend at the zoo- he was just a few months older than Little Man and they started at each other for quite a while - it was super cute.<br />
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Heading to the buffalos with Grandma - we loved the zoo!<br />
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When he's not riding Little Man prefers to help me push the stroller which is so fun for both of us! Yes, I am seven months pregnant here. It kind of shocked me to see this picture - you forget sometimes how you look from that angle...<br />
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Just taking it all in...<br />
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Flamingos of course!<br />
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I love his face in this picture - it pretty much defines his entire zoo experience - he loved the animals but it was a little bit of a shock to see them up close and personal.<br />
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The construction behind our house was heaven for this true boy! We went over and sat on the tractor pretty often until it left =( It was and sometimes still is the first thing he asks for in the morning since we could see it from his window. He LOVES tractors, diggers, cars - things that move...<br />
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When they first started he would stand out on our deck for 20 minutes by himself just watching the diggers. It was so fun to see how excited he was.<br />
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Easter with his best cousin, Jack, only a six months younger. As you can see, James's feelings of waiting for his food are clear...<br />
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Did we mention it has rained a LOT? This is the field behind our house. There is a creek that runs to the left of our building and it overflowed, obviously. I think we got 8 inches in 24 hours or something to that effect. Oh my. Yes, we were flooded in half the day since it is not a through street, but amazingly, everything was clear by the time J came home. <br />
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This poor person tried to keep going and got stuck.<br />
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And yes, we finally got our garden in! This is Little Man checking on our seedlings we started. They were so beautiful! Until they got blown off the porch by our monster strong winds here and fell two stories. There were no tomato survivors =( Maybe next year. In the meantime, we bought some at the store - twice - since the late frost got some and animals got others. It's been a rough go. I think we're finally on our way, if only the sun will start to shine more.<br />
hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13510128651434906374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219365693283170088.post-19339017087646094392013-02-26T15:15:00.001-08:002013-02-26T15:15:10.276-08:00Big Brother<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So our friend Allison took some pictures for us and we had to share! Little is getting so big that it makes me kind of sad. But that's life - we try to just soak up the moment and not worry about the has beens.<br />
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Daddy secretly taught me this face...Blue Steel anyone?<br />
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This chair all for me?<br />
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Hark! Do I hear a cry for help? (Think Peter Parker)<br />
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I'm on my way!<br />
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Coming....I'm coming!<br />
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Okay, now where are we going?<br />
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#1, I like that!<br />
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#2, we'll have to see what he's like.<br />
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From what I can tell so far, he's pretty squishy and makes reading books with Mommy kind of tough.... </div>
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Definitely not matching bellies....<br />
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But we love what it means is coming...<br />
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More love for all of us... </div>
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<br />hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13510128651434906374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219365693283170088.post-85924630864584791222013-02-23T20:03:00.003-08:002013-02-24T17:41:10.127-08:00Little and ....Little LittleI wouldn't be surprised if no one except my in-laws, parents, siblings and a few friends read this blog anymore - I am probably one of the worst bloggers ever! But, on a bright note, that means only the really important people read this...aww...thanks guys.<br />
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So if you haven't heard yet (although we are in regular contact with all the above mentioned people reading this blog...) James is going to be a big brother! We are expecting another delicious boy in May and are sooo excited! We waited until Christmas to break the news but it was kind of hard to keep a true secret since I was sporting a noticeable baby bump after announcing in my Christmas letter I was back to pre-pregnancy weight.<br />
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27 weeks<br />
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Since we call James 'Little' we've started calling the baby 'Little Little' since he, as of yet, has no name. If things go the way they went last time, it may be a while (as in, in the delivery room) before he officially has one. <br />
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Jared decided to practice holding two babies at the same time when we babysat for our friends - as you can tell, he wears all his true emotions on his face...<br />
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So there you have it - our wonderful news, Jared's true look of joy, and my belly.<br />
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An update on us the last couple months:<br />
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Christmas was wonderful - <br />
Little discovered the magic of Christmas lights. (We left the tree pretty undecorated, expecting the tipping over to be a regular thing, but it never happened! Ah well, less to pack away.)<br />
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We saw the famous Nativity in Cedar Rapids. After it was damaged in the 2009 flood, the church was approached and offered it on condition it was restored and displayed - the members restored it through hours and hours of work and now display it every year opened to the public with over 400 other nativities (smaller ones) and live music - it was a beautiful and cool Christmas experience and set the tone for the season. (We like to say that Little Little was with us here since I'm four months pregnant, can't you tell? I definitely could since I was VERY emotional - I stopped crying ten minutes before we left - we were there for 40...)<br />
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We went to my home for Christmas where James was the littlest shepherd in the Nativity we act out every year--<br />
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The littlest shepherd had a watchful dad...<br />
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...and of course was best friends with the shepherd dog...<br />
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...on so many levels...<br />
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... he visited Grandpa in an unscheduled off hours visit in his office for a foot exam - passed with flying colors even with his shoes on....<br />
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...and had his heart checked out by his cute cousin Brooklyn, the aspiring doctor herself.</div>
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My amazing mom and dad - <br />
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Not everyone rolled in until later, so this is just a few of us after church in the foyer -<br />
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Church was a rough one for Little Man - another little boy accidentally tripped him and he fell into the corner of the pew - he took it like a champ though, crying less than a minute--Little Rocky...</div>
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It's really fun to be with my siblings and their kids of similar ages...I can't believe we're so grown up!</div>
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After the holidays we got down to business and bought him a bigger car seat. It came in a nice big box and Jared cut a hole in it so it could be his car. (He LOVES cars, like any true boy - 'car!' 'car!' as we drive anywhere). As you can see, someone else seems to be waaay more excited about it than James who seems slightly perplexed as to why he's stuck in a box...</div>
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And while I'm on the topic, James updates: He became our little coal miner - seriously, he<em> loves</em> wearing it on his head and is unafraid to venture under the stairs with me...<br />
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...and since both J and I wear glasses, he naturally wants to be part of the team but this is as far as he gets with them...<br />
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...and I obviously talk on my phone <em>way</em> too much around him - he has full on conversations with pauses and nods, "Yup!" on anything - my hairdryer, the remote...<br />
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...and sometimes he doesn't stop even while getting ready for bed ...<br />
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Right after Christmas he started doing a scruchy smile which surprised me - I don't know why, it just did...</div>
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and he has six adorable teeth...<br />
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which we brush daily (he asks every time we go into the bathroom, 'teeth!' 'teeth!') but we've found the only real way to let us do the brushing instead of him, is to let him brush our teeth as well...he's pretty good...<br />
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...he loves spending time with his daddy, which is less on this current rotation, but he still managed to help him make my birthday cake...<br />
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...and we've been lucky enough to have a lot of snow and below 20 F days here this winter - so far our Little Man has been tolerant of it (although today it was warmer and he really loved it!)</div>
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...and he is the best peek-a-booer you've ever seen.<br />
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So in a nutshell, we're doing great! I mean, look at that face, how could we not?</div>
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hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13510128651434906374noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219365693283170088.post-88628829730204079632013-02-23T18:27:00.000-08:002013-02-24T17:32:12.610-08:00The Gravediggers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Our oh-so-impressive field with such beautifully dug holes</div>
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So my lovely J is on our HOA board this year and is actively involved in maximizing our property value before we sell in two years. The proposed idea of adding trees to the beautiful grassy lot behind our home was approved and guess who made it happen? Uh huh! So this summer we ordered 20 trees from the Arbor Day Foundation for $20.00. What a whale of a deal right? Then we kind of forgot about them until they came in late November (apparently you're supposed to plant them while they're dormant). There they were, at $1 each, most were about the length of two one dollar bills end to end not even kidding! A few were longer but they were tiny! J was working long hours, not getting home until 7 or 8 at night, and when the sun goes down at 5:30 and temperature is in the 20's the last thing you want to do is go dig holes. Our poor little trees sat in the garagage for a week or so; I was worried they would die, so one day during Little's nap when it was in the upper 30's, I went out and dug the holes J had marked. It wasn't too bad - the sun was shining and once you got going it was warm. Several days later J put the trees in after work. I had gone to a meeting and when I got home he was still working (Little was in bed before I left) so I went out to help him. It was dark and cold but the moon and stars were out. He had a flashlight and a head lamp and it was warmer - low 30's. Cars slowed as they passed us and I couldn't place how I felt until suddenly a scene flashed into my mind - Huck Finn coming across the illegal grave diggers. I started laughing. "Do you feel a little like grave digger?" I asked J. He replied that he'd had the same thought several times that night. So the rest of the night we joked about being grave diggers. It was actually a lot of fun to work under the stars in the fresh air - cold but fun.<br />
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Our efforts were not in vain and our little trees made it into the ground. Later there was an HOA fencing project that fenced in our tiny trees with stakes and chicken wire. Hopefully they grow. If not, at least we got to be grave digger for one night!hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13510128651434906374noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219365693283170088.post-73756794437560118492013-02-23T18:13:00.002-08:002013-02-24T17:29:56.483-08:00Happy First Birthday Little Man!(I promise this was written in 2012 - the same year of this November birthday, but bogger has been tricky for pictures and I'm just now getting it posted--ah, so sorry!)<br />
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Happy Birthday Little Man!! It's incredible - one year of life already and he is still happy, alive and progressing! (A nickname, Little Man has become simply, 'Little'.) We feel so so so blessed to have him for our son. Always brimming with curiosity and cheer, this boy has transformed and transfixed us in so many ways. <br />
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And we celebrated in STYLE...kind of. Okay okay, my sisters set a darn high bar and we don't really do that kind of thing over here, so our style was a little less formal. But it did include:<br />
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Cake - a turtle one of course, which I'm sure is what he would have asked for if he could talk.<br />
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A daddy to tease him...<br />
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a mommy to squeeze him...<br />
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and cake to be eaten, not just looked at...<br />
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There were some gifts that he enjoyed immensely - especially the wrapping paper that they came in.</div>
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His favorite part was when we sang to him. The cake really didn't seem to make any kind of an impact, at which we were kind of surprised since he has not yet had sugar, but then again, there isn't anything he doesn't like to eat - our child for sure =)</div>
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Happy Birthday Sweet Son of Ours, and Many More...</div>
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hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13510128651434906374noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219365693283170088.post-10583563398849847412012-11-15T19:07:00.002-08:002012-11-15T19:07:54.643-08:00And...We're OFF!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's offical...Little Man is WALKING! On his own, without holding onto anything, and without our urging. I just happened to catch the first step on camera - when am I <em>not </em>taking pictures of him - and it was sooo exciting! </div>
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Step One: Balance</div>
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Step Two: Go Go Go!<br />
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At first it was just one step at a time and then back down, back up and balance. (And of course lots of walking around the furniture and with his walker.) Last week were the first steps (Nov. 8th) but this week he's just taken off. Today after breakfast we did a little video of him showing his stuff but even by the end of the day he'd improved so much from this morning. He spent more time on his feet than on his hands and knees and often as I was standing cooking or folding laundry, he would walk around and around my legs like my little electron. It is endearing and SO fun to see him progress into a little person.<br />
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We're so proud of you Little Love Bug!!</div>
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hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13510128651434906374noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219365693283170088.post-59901925141274385672012-11-15T19:06:00.000-08:002012-11-15T19:11:38.147-08:00Happy Halloween<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Boo! It was our first family Halloween and who better to have as your trophy than an adorable little pumpkin?</div>
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Although he had no love for the camera at the church Halloween party, he was still the cutest pumpkin I have ever seen in my life! My favorite were his chunky little striped legs...<br />
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We posed for a scary family photo - a random assortment of Lance Armstrong (I am covering his arm IV with a tube of blood), a gypsy (who forgot part of her costume) and of course, our little pumpkin.<br />
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Daddy and Little Man doing the cake walk. (Crawl...)<br />
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The cake I made for the cake walk was SO super fun to make. It is a witch's cauldron with wormy soup spilling over the edges and a tootsie roll ladle sticking out the back. When J got home I excitedly asked him what he thought of it. He studied it and then said, "Give me a clue..." I was crushed, but chalked it up to him being a man put on the spot. When my neighbor, Catherine, came over just a few minutes later, I showed her. She studied it and then said, "Give me a clue..." THE SAME PHRASE! Maybe that is why it didn't win any prizes and got beat out by a cake made out of rice crispies - aka not even a cake!</div>
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Ah well, I had lots of fun making it and I'm sure it was delicious, so that is all that matters anyway.<br />
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My little pumpkin at his first trunk-or-treat. Since our ward is a student ward and only has a large Sunbeam class, it was over in less than ten minutes and we had to take all the leftover candy home. Since we had zero trick-or-treaters, guess who's been eating it all? Yep. Good thing I know someone who's good with teeth!</div>
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<span id="goog_1472357012"></span><span id="goog_1472357013"></span><br />hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13510128651434906374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219365693283170088.post-32053861592768126762012-11-14T08:51:00.001-08:002012-11-14T08:51:22.540-08:00An Iowa Fall and J's Birthday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We LOVE fall!! It is by far our very favorite season for so many reasons. The crisp, cool weather, the brilliant fall colors, the yummy soups, the cozy sweaters, and it's the beginning of all kinds of seasons - the holiday season, football season, and of course a new school year. (I still can't resist buying myself some new school supplies - it's so exciting!)</div>
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Iowa boasts it's own display of gorgeousness.</div>
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But for us it was made even more beautiful this year with all our visitors!</div>
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My FABULOUS mom and dad surprised us with an overnighter. Due to weather, their weekend plans were ruined, so they zipped up for a quick 20 hour visit. It was the BEST suprise of the week! If only the weather helped that happen more often...</div>
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Then, my little sister came down from Chicago for a few days of girl time - along with cute little Lucy in tow. One day she playing in the back field with Lucy and Little Man without me when our neighbor girl came over to say hi and chat. The next time I saw her (neighbor girl) she asked where my new dog was...not realizing that the someone she'd talked to before wasn't me...oh to be ten again. The compliment was definitely in my favor, wouldn't you say?<br />
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Then, J's FANTASTIC parents came and stayed for an entire week - it was SO much fun! I think I may have had the most fun of anybody since it is normally just Little and I all day every day and to be around people we love was just the best. J took the week off and we visited the Amana Colonies, Brucemore in Cedar Rapids, out to eat for J's birthday, date for J's bday, movies, games and lots and lots of eating. I gained some weight that week...</div>
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Cute Grandma spoiled us rotten taking us shopping and shopping - new clothes and books for Little Man and Costco treats for Mommy. And of course, she was the best sitter during dates. Little loved having them here! (I think sometimes he gets bored with me...)</div>
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He learned all kinds of new tricks and sounds from Grandma and Grandpa which have become part of his daily babblings...</div>
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And of course, Grandpa couldn't wait to teach Little how to work his birthday motorcycle from Grandma. </div>
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Just wait until Grandpa takes him on the road and teaches him for real...<br />
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And of course our Big Little's birthday. He's so grown up, and we're so proud!</div>
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There were gifts, really, we just can't see them here.<br />
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THANK YOU EVERYONE for coming to see us in Iowa!! We love you all!hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13510128651434906374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219365693283170088.post-16121857744778190202012-11-08T19:00:00.001-08:002012-11-08T19:00:13.317-08:00Little Man's First Party<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong>Little's First Party</strong></div>
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In August it was time for our first party! Our friend, Oakley, was turing one. We tried to get a picture of all the party goers together, but it was kind of like photographing adorable puppies, as you can see - this is the best we could do.<br />
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Our little man joined in the exodus, until he was anchored in place by a spell-casting balloon.<br />
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Sometimes, I think he gets confused on who his mother is. There was another Asian girl - he crawled right over and tried to nurse! It was lunch time and he was only seven months, so we have to give him the benefit of the doubt...right?...<br />
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All in all, I'd say it was a pretty successful first party.<br />
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Afterwards we<em> tried</em> to do a photo shoot, but our hand just tasted waaayyy too good...<br />
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Do I talk on my phone too much around him?<br />
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Oh that delicious boy!<br />
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So we thought we'd take a run instead. On our way back we checked our garden and found our FIRST zucchini!! <br />
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This has nothing to do with our party, but we are Daddy's best buddies!<br />
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We love Iowa!</div>
hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13510128651434906374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219365693283170088.post-79694041920470718332012-11-08T18:40:00.001-08:002012-11-08T18:40:29.804-08:00Our Summer Weddings by Jamesie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I went to two weddings this summer and let me tell you, it was a LOT of work! For two months in a row my parents hauled me around the country.</div>
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In April I went to Aunt Mimi's wedding - Being the most cuddily ewok ever with Aunt Hannah - bummer that it will be too small for Halloween! (5 months)</div>
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Blueberry twins with Grandpa J! (5 months)</div>
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We love when Grandpa sings to us...<br />
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And we be loved on by Grandma J...<br />
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How do we always seem to match Grandpa? It must be in the blood...<br />
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This tends to be Mom's new favorite angle in pictures. I'm not sure why.</div>
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My delicious, delicious thumb!<br />
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Oh Grandpa, are you sure?<br />
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I've just been voted Best Centerpiece in the house!<br />
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I sure like this seat!<br />
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Carrots anyone?</div>
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Grandpa D, you are the best foot eater ever!<br />
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How fun to wait in the lobby while these two lovely people got married!<br />
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Um, Aunt Jen? My lunch?<br />
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Ah, there we go...<br />
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Grandma, you surprise me with the best toys!<br />
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What? I have to go home?<br />
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Grandpa, let me stay longer, please? I'll make googly eyes at you...<br />
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Well, I guess if we can be early morning pals, that's good enough.</div>
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Then Mom and I headed off to Yellowstone, but that is another adventure all together...</div>
hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13510128651434906374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219365693283170088.post-73120268357344438552012-09-18T11:01:00.002-07:002012-09-19T08:14:06.636-07:00Family Pictures Summer 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This summer we did some traveling including two sibling weddings! Super fun. As if that wasn't treat enough, my adorable sister-in-law was kind enough to share her wedding photographer with the family for individual family pictures. Here are some of our favorites:<br />
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This hat was a lifesaver for our fair skinned boy in the Vegas sun...<br />
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... I wonder if that is why so many people tell me SHE is so pretty!<br />
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No smiles from our little man on this shoot and I can't say that I blame him...it was HOT.<br />
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But have you ever seen a basket full of such deliciousness just sitting in a bush of rosemary?<br />
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Then Daddy decided to have someone take the wheel, shall we say, a little early...hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13510128651434906374noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219365693283170088.post-30353669458200761752012-07-18T19:23:00.000-07:002012-07-19T08:31:02.858-07:00When You Miss Three Months...Hypothetically...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I don't claim to know everything. But, I am betting that when you don't blog for three months (aka nearly half of your seven-month-old baby's life),<em> hypothetically speaking</em> you would miss documenting such milestones as, oh let's say... <br />
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rolling over,<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lMcg1sxIuh8/UAW2NWBPdHI/AAAAAAAAAjw/m-NL9hQoBU4/s1600/April+2012+375.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lMcg1sxIuh8/UAW2NWBPdHI/AAAAAAAAAjw/m-NL9hQoBU4/s320/April+2012+375.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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or getting up on all fours and rocking,<br />
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and then getting so good at scooting backwards that the baby would get stuck in all sorts of places like...say under a bed? (Crib, chair etc.)</div>
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Hypothetically, he might have found his feet,<br />
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and have learned to LOVE eating solid foods (as in, lunge for the spoon), </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r01j8GhPVsg/UAYedayUwgI/AAAAAAAAAn0/4rCplXFAUg0/s1600/Jared's+Little+Camera+June+2012+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r01j8GhPVsg/UAYedayUwgI/AAAAAAAAAn0/4rCplXFAUg0/s320/Jared's+Little+Camera+June+2012+010.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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and have developed muscles so strong that he could have pulled the not-so-light basket of toys and books off the fireplace hearth and look astounded at his own strength,<br />
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but feel so tickled pink that it had moved he would have continued to expertly drive his music center into the great unknown;<br />
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and most definitely would have perfected the merman pose as he sat up,</div>
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and send out heart-melting smiles while doing it.<br />
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You would probably have missed the first time wearing a big boy tie, kind of similar to Dad's, (except that it really didn't stay on at all, even for the picture, as you can see...hypothetically...)</div>
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and you would have for sure missed the whole teething experience in which he would have perfected delicately sampling just about everything within tiny arm's reach/scoot,<br />
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and the cutest little pearly white that you ever did see (bottom right - tooth P for all those tooth- minded fellows) and whose mama would have adored brushing his single tooth every night.<br />
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Chances are good that the first family mall expedition might have been lost in time,<br />
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along with the his first Fourth of July parade,</div>
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and the first time he donned shoes that made him look SO grown up;</div>
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and the very first pool party,</div>
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and most certainly the second swim party where he would have been wild and crazy staying up past his bedtime</div>
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and would have bonded with Daddy</div>
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and his new friend (while Daddy and friend's daddy talked about things that cause their facial muscles to contort) .<br />
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And yet another pool party,<br />
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where he would still be unsure of how he felt about taking a long bath instead of sleeping.<br />
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And of course when the real legitimate crawling would finally start, it would have been videoed and photographed ...</div>
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along with the kisses and the clapping and the million other things that he would have done in those missed three months. Hypothetically, of course...<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--8s1v-NEXKs/UAYgtfLSKBI/AAAAAAAAAo4/1WzI_oIpiec/s1600/DSC_0123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--8s1v-NEXKs/UAYgtfLSKBI/AAAAAAAAAo4/1WzI_oIpiec/s320/DSC_0123.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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But nothing is hypotheical about how much we LOVE this little man, no matter how many blogs we miss!hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13510128651434906374noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219365693283170088.post-86274701003549448692012-07-18T19:15:00.001-07:002012-07-18T19:15:23.493-07:00Made in America<div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HTnIWCutoBY/UAYtbsTEcgI/AAAAAAAAApc/yRl0dvZcNBg/s1600/April+2012+384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HTnIWCutoBY/UAYtbsTEcgI/AAAAAAAAApc/yRl0dvZcNBg/s320/April+2012+384.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I recently read an article about things made in America...or, more specifically not American-made. It made me think, so the next time I was in the store I checked the tags of everything I looked at. Sure enough, it was difficult to find the Made in America stamp. (I am a huge fan of Asia, but I am eternally grateful and proud to be American.) Then, ta-da- I found one! Granted, it was an over-priced, rough, unfinished wooden peg board, but I bought it anyway since I'm now all about supporting the American-made. This led to me being artsy for the first time in ages...<br />
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...a green peg board for the baby bibs...<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--Cr0inLvEuo/UAYthl6XxaI/AAAAAAAAApk/yM7adoCu7vA/s1600/April+2012+385.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--Cr0inLvEuo/UAYthl6XxaI/AAAAAAAAApk/yM7adoCu7vA/s320/April+2012+385.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I was so proud of myself! And then since I'd spent so much time but had so much fun, I decided to keep going. Using old cereal boxes, I cut out and painted his name to match as decor for the nursery. The artistic gene in my family is, shall we say, slightly recessive in me, but I still enjoy art very much.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vJ_tZcFD_Y4/UAYtuTROrVI/AAAAAAAAAps/TI2H4G-2ceQ/s1600/April+2012+382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vJ_tZcFD_Y4/UAYtuTROrVI/AAAAAAAAAps/TI2H4G-2ceQ/s320/April+2012+382.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />And how did Little Man feel about the new additions to his room? He didn't seem to notice one bit. But that didn't stop him from being a brave boy when it was time for four month shots and <em>loving</em> his baths.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--4Q3NL1sPUc/UAYt0f2NOEI/AAAAAAAAAp0/7NCps_g2TYE/s1600/April+2012+349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--4Q3NL1sPUc/UAYt0f2NOEI/AAAAAAAAAp0/7NCps_g2TYE/s320/April+2012+349.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /><em>Why yes Mother, I'd love a bar of soap.</em><br />
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Or putting up with my photo shoots -<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1xQhdsm3uJw/UAYt7diu_iI/AAAAAAAAAqA/D-UiNrGqtZI/s1600/April+2012+300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1xQhdsm3uJw/UAYt7diu_iI/AAAAAAAAAqA/D-UiNrGqtZI/s320/April+2012+300.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<em>Oh we get to do this again Mom? Nice!</em><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9ARrdG5bfFk/UAYuCndbBMI/AAAAAAAAAqI/P2ZCddqXFZQ/s1600/April+2012+309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9ARrdG5bfFk/UAYuCndbBMI/AAAAAAAAAqI/P2ZCddqXFZQ/s320/April+2012+309.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<em>Uh wait...this is starting to feel familiar and I don't remember if I like them..</em><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QrLg92M2UBU/UAYuJgDBsjI/AAAAAAAAAqQ/C_VTd6SZkXg/s1600/April+2012+311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><em><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QrLg92M2UBU/UAYuJgDBsjI/AAAAAAAAAqQ/C_VTd6SZkXg/s320/April+2012+311.JPG" width="320" /></em></a></div>
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<em>I remembered..I don't... </em> </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lqCbxEkSrPs/UAYuXtvGVZI/AAAAAAAAAqc/y2tt7fc-_uA/s1600/April+2012+314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lqCbxEkSrPs/UAYuXtvGVZI/AAAAAAAAAqc/y2tt7fc-_uA/s320/April+2012+314.JPG" width="320" /></a><br /><em>How do you get your face to</em> do <em>that?</em></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JDHXooyNBhw/UAYuf-9ZP6I/AAAAAAAAAqk/KdV5BGV_Z-A/s1600/April+2012+316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JDHXooyNBhw/UAYuf-9ZP6I/AAAAAAAAAqk/KdV5BGV_Z-A/s320/April+2012+316.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /><em>I refuse to smile..refuse...watch me...</em><br />
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<em>Oh okay, you are pretty funny. I'll humor you.</em><br />
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Happy First Easter Jamesiepie!<br />
<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iE4IRlLFNx8/UAYuvBA9RcI/AAAAAAAAAq4/3qSRVEax40Y/s1600/April+2012+391.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iE4IRlLFNx8/UAYuvBA9RcI/AAAAAAAAAq4/3qSRVEax40Y/s320/April+2012+391.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UbypRiygGoE/UAYu23Tu8CI/AAAAAAAAArA/DfzfC0od56I/s1600/April+2012+393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UbypRiygGoE/UAYu23Tu8CI/AAAAAAAAArA/DfzfC0od56I/s320/April+2012+393.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13510128651434906374noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219365693283170088.post-6996769110867360712012-07-18T18:29:00.002-07:002012-07-18T18:29:43.798-07:00True Love<div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5kVJaYm_IIk/UAdgjuz-TqI/AAAAAAAAAr0/B7SXpU0QrPM/s1600/April+2012+329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5kVJaYm_IIk/UAdgjuz-TqI/AAAAAAAAAr0/B7SXpU0QrPM/s320/April+2012+329.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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What is true love? The other day I did a green mask. I'd forgotten about it until Jamesie had awoken from his nap and I was at the door. I was a little worried that I'd scare him, but when I leaned over his crib he greeted me with a giant grin of delight<em>...he didn't care that my face was green!!!</em></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rou30KWjiAU/UAdfMRn9DWI/AAAAAAAAArQ/xv9LigClPnc/s1600/April+2012+399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rou30KWjiAU/UAdfMRn9DWI/AAAAAAAAArQ/xv9LigClPnc/s320/April+2012+399.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
A reenactment of the grin.<br />
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This, my friends, is true love. I mean really? Hello Halloween.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bYe8R2NMyes/UAdfibZ_yMI/AAAAAAAAArg/fnhvwzTKiLg/s1600/April+2012+332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bYe8R2NMyes/UAdfibZ_yMI/AAAAAAAAArg/fnhvwzTKiLg/s320/April+2012+332.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13510128651434906374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219365693283170088.post-37965577367989626662012-03-22T18:35:00.009-07:002012-03-22T19:28:02.088-07:00Me and My Dad<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_M0sHpo83so/T2vcSrCRwiI/AAAAAAAAAeo/CuKIe8_lpGg/s1600/March%2B22%2B2012%2B320.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722909964852380194" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_M0sHpo83so/T2vcSrCRwiI/AAAAAAAAAeo/CuKIe8_lpGg/s320/March%2B22%2B2012%2B320.JPG" /></a>This is me and my dad. My dad works <em>a lot</em> so I don't get to see him very much, but when I do, we have a great time! We do all sorts of things.<br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MYyb30BSsGk/T2vcSRhdeOI/AAAAAAAAAec/8MgR8eDF040/s1600/DSC_3030.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722909958003849442" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MYyb30BSsGk/T2vcSRhdeOI/AAAAAAAAAec/8MgR8eDF040/s320/DSC_3030.JPG" /></a>I usually show him all of my new tricks I've figured out that day. (Mom explains them if he doesn't get them the first few times.)<br /><div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z0jb5U8B5-Y/T2vamf9j4-I/AAAAAAAAAeE/Q1x93wrHAGY/s1600/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B169.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722908106453935074" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z0jb5U8B5-Y/T2vamf9j4-I/AAAAAAAAAeE/Q1x93wrHAGY/s320/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B169.JPG" /></a>Then he cuddles me and tells me how proud he is of my great advancements in the world.<br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FwOIMiL2htU/T2val19DwBI/AAAAAAAAAd4/tsfvVJH6o50/s1600/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B170.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722908095177539602" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FwOIMiL2htU/T2val19DwBI/AAAAAAAAAd4/tsfvVJH6o50/s320/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B170.JPG" /></a>My dad has a cool guy way of telling me that he loves me...<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TMltywmIeq4/T2vaEY1cE6I/AAAAAAAAAds/xpi51oz9jbY/s1600/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B169.JPG"></a><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WW3uizJxQ-8/T2vaD3X6ROI/AAAAAAAAAdg/5Ewfnk0LTLs/s1600/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B175.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 240px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722907511443047650" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WW3uizJxQ-8/T2vaD3X6ROI/AAAAAAAAAdg/5Ewfnk0LTLs/s320/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B175.JPG" /></a>... he likes pretends to eat me and scares Mom. (Even though she is the one that nibbles on me constantly.)<br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zk9_MJJDfaY/T2vaDhzdYtI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/MBYm5QF8LYs/s1600/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B174.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 240px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722907505653015250" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zk9_MJJDfaY/T2vaDhzdYtI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/MBYm5QF8LYs/s320/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B174.JPG" /></a>But he laughs to make sure she knows he is kidding. I take it without a flinch, just like the strong boy I am.<br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uPBp-t1AUzM/T2vaC57zXBI/AAAAAAAAAdI/TTaNFN6B3jE/s1600/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B035.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722907494950591506" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uPBp-t1AUzM/T2vaC57zXBI/AAAAAAAAAdI/TTaNFN6B3jE/s320/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B035.JPG" /></a>But our favorite activity to do is sleep.<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qTg_AS8Dls0/T2vaCpCH8gI/AAAAAAAAAc8/yK-L-YCBsck/s1600/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B055.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 240px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722907490413703682" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qTg_AS8Dls0/T2vaCpCH8gI/AAAAAAAAAc8/yK-L-YCBsck/s320/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B055.JPG" /></a>I'm not sure why, but we seem to make a habit of it.<br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dZSqNAvQvJk/T2vV0o9CS4I/AAAAAAAAAcw/k6lXA4OOSEg/s1600/Nov-Dec%2B2011%2B045.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 214px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722902851827682178" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dZSqNAvQvJk/T2vV0o9CS4I/AAAAAAAAAcw/k6lXA4OOSEg/s320/Nov-Dec%2B2011%2B045.JPG" /></a>When Dad babysits me I guess we both have worked so hard that it's easy to just zonk out.<br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CO1TA_Z1SP8/T2vV0S_aVjI/AAAAAAAAAck/Hp1DI0c2hdQ/s1600/Nov-Dec%2B2011%2B055.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722902845932066354" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CO1TA_Z1SP8/T2vV0S_aVjI/AAAAAAAAAck/Hp1DI0c2hdQ/s320/Nov-Dec%2B2011%2B055.JPG" /></a>Sometimes Mom finds us at scary angels; it's good I don't roll over yet.<br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JUdrB58uNv0/T2vVzzLV9II/AAAAAAAAAcU/RzMO0V5jgoA/s1600/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B012.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722902837392176258" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JUdrB58uNv0/T2vVzzLV9II/AAAAAAAAAcU/RzMO0V5jgoA/s320/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B012.JPG" /></a>But most of the time we are just like two peas in a pod.<br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--3PoGN6Ez0c/T2vVzig4rxI/AAAAAAAAAcM/FTz-vs8xUxw/s1600/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B098.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 240px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722902832919129874" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--3PoGN6Ez0c/T2vVzig4rxI/AAAAAAAAAcM/FTz-vs8xUxw/s320/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B098.JPG" /></a>Yeah, it's nice we can just chill, me and my dad. We're resting up for some big adventures.<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IZ5O_SWh3lE/T2vUcjCTpTI/AAAAAAAAAcA/y6oaqbGbnfs/s1600/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B098.JPG"></a><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xev9zT_DnLM/T2vUcNiqvFI/AAAAAAAAAb0/sexOrpx6abI/s1600/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B054.JPG"></a><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L4WIrFNS3YQ/T2vUbjWqfjI/AAAAAAAAAbo/E0iA6LdB7HA/s1600/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B035.JPG"></a><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XYICWnkfhOs/T2vUbN5Gq1I/AAAAAAAAAbc/2dPop-sYjoE/s1600/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B012.JPG"></a><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uS4Y9rdbcwk/T2vUa-HS9QI/AAAAAAAAAbQ/4TfIjCBgPnA/s1600/Nov-Dec%2B2011%2B045.JPG"></a><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13510128651434906374noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219365693283170088.post-79036617041557956582012-03-14T11:51:00.009-07:002012-03-23T10:52:38.350-07:00March Madness<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CdyRfPo1Dac/T2vhUJQq2lI/AAAAAAAAAf8/10UALb-GFbM/s1600/March%2B22%2B2012%2B275.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722915487703816786" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CdyRfPo1Dac/T2vhUJQq2lI/AAAAAAAAAf8/10UALb-GFbM/s320/March%2B22%2B2012%2B275.JPG" /></a>I knew it would happen - I totally outblogged myself in February! Five posts in four weeks when previously I'd managed one per month (<em>barely) </em>was too much for my blog brain; here we are, the middle of March and not a single post. Well, in a nutshell:<br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gOGEo0BFmoE/T2vhCuLdOsI/AAAAAAAAAfw/MM_bbDSkWD4/s1600/March%2B22%2B2012%2B322.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722915188376419010" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gOGEo0BFmoE/T2vhCuLdOsI/AAAAAAAAAfw/MM_bbDSkWD4/s320/March%2B22%2B2012%2B322.JPG" /></a>Oh my festiveness! In an effort to start our own little family traditions we observed the holiday with a yummy St. Patrick's Day feast of corned beef and cabbage! I even had green sparkly toenails (although to be honest, they'd been like that for a few weeks.)<br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ao9MURK8_vc/T2vgzgdNsnI/AAAAAAAAAfk/jufQcS3A_Lk/s1600/March%2B22%2B2012%2B325.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722914926994764402" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ao9MURK8_vc/T2vgzgdNsnI/AAAAAAAAAfk/jufQcS3A_Lk/s320/March%2B22%2B2012%2B325.JPG" /></a>We dyed our milk green - always exciting.<br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-85rwBKKrVlY/T2vgy1Z0bjI/AAAAAAAAAfY/h7lnQXI9bP0/s1600/March%2B22%2B2012%2B292.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722914915437801010" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-85rwBKKrVlY/T2vgy1Z0bjI/AAAAAAAAAfY/h7lnQXI9bP0/s320/March%2B22%2B2012%2B292.JPG" /></a>And Little Man continues to get bigger and cuter daily! But the best part is...he's so <em>squishy!! I can't resist him! </em>I noticed one day that his cheeks were looking a little chapped. I thought that was odd since the rest of him was perfectly fine. Then I realized - <em>I was kissing his cheeks dry;</em> oh the mommy guilt! A few applications of vaseline later, all is well, but oh my...<br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V-WxQ8odmro/T2vgyaibFxI/AAAAAAAAAfM/kXZATj5fLRM/s1600/March%2B22%2B2012%2B278.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 240px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722914908226131730" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V-WxQ8odmro/T2vgyaibFxI/AAAAAAAAAfM/kXZATj5fLRM/s320/March%2B22%2B2012%2B278.JPG" /></a>Okay, let me explain this picture - he has a new habit of sucking his lower lip totally in and doing funny things with his eyebrow at the same time. I couldn't quite capture it with the camera, but it made me laugh out loud. What a crack up!<br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TTkI0Fa1kds/T2vgxnDkWyI/AAAAAAAAAfA/SfgYvZ9ZBpM/s1600/March%2B22%2B2012%2B283.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 240px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722914894406507298" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TTkI0Fa1kds/T2vgxnDkWyI/AAAAAAAAAfA/SfgYvZ9ZBpM/s320/March%2B22%2B2012%2B283.JPG" /></a>He's also friends with Curious George and they are now the same size! The last time Little Man was weighed (a few weeks ago), he topped the scale off at 14 lbs 7 oz. Not too shabby since he's not quite four months. Then again, he does take after us - he likes his food...<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZdoOQD_Ucr0/T2vgwEa9sUI/AAAAAAAAAe0/VNpvkmX3LgI/s1600/March%2B22%2B2012%2B306.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 240px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722914867929526594" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZdoOQD_Ucr0/T2vgwEa9sUI/AAAAAAAAAe0/VNpvkmX3LgI/s320/March%2B22%2B2012%2B306.JPG" /></a><br /><div><div>And that is all for now from Iowa!</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13510128651434906374noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219365693283170088.post-46131642323667103202012-02-28T11:33:00.010-08:002012-02-28T19:45:16.210-08:00Pregnancy Brain Anyone?<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8TATtpZx0nk/T01AiwHjZLI/AAAAAAAAAbE/Db0oHqhMBjE/s1600/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B147.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714294467979338930" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8TATtpZx0nk/T01AiwHjZLI/AAAAAAAAAbE/Db0oHqhMBjE/s320/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B147.JPG" /></a> A few days ago I was in the spice section of the grocery store and for the life of me, I couldn't find the curry powder. I was focused and attentive but still all of the names kind of swam together. Finally, after what seemed forever (although I'm sure it was only a minute or two), I asked a friendly looking fellow shopper if she could see curry powder anywhere. She quickly picked an innocent looking bottle off the shelf and handed it to me with a smile. Ah yes, the spices just happened to be in alphabetical order. I sheepishly thanked her and tacted on a lame sounding, "I like to blame pregnancy brain still..." She laughed, "Oh that lasts for years. My oldest is 13 and I still claim it!"<br /><br />Now lest you think me completely absent-minded, let me say that with all the talents my darling shnookims came with, sleeping for long stretches at a time was not one of them. He still has yet to sleep longer than three and a half hours at a time (generally it ends up being 2-3) which means Mama doesn't sleep longer than that either. Thus pregnancy brain, I've decided, might have just as much to do with sleep deprivation as with the extra hormones. 'Sleep when the baby sleeps' is much harder than it sounds! (How is it possible to not fall asleep when so tired?) Maybe I'm the only one who really notices because when I went in for an appointment about a month after the baby was born, the nurse said, "Wow, he must be sleeping well- you look so fresh and rested!" All I have to say is, make-up can work wonders! =)<br /><br />However, I wouldn't trade him for 190,000 hours of sleep! He's truly my sunshine and I'm so lucky. He's extremely healthy, so <em>good</em>, and delights me daily. Yes, he can reach for things, scoot himself on his back and laughs when he thinks things are funny.<br /><br />And since we know he's the main reason for this blog..the update: (Captions below)<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yoRG-G0w1cA/T01AD7hmNZI/AAAAAAAAAa4/qt_lOOzS8ZA/s1600/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B195.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714293938465420690" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yoRG-G0w1cA/T01AD7hmNZI/AAAAAAAAAa4/qt_lOOzS8ZA/s320/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B195.JPG" /></a>Oh hello Mr. Snail...you do tummy time too?<br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T2EweiS85pM/T01ADPawXrI/AAAAAAAAAas/UNFi2JerM2Q/s1600/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B190.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 240px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714293926625566386" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T2EweiS85pM/T01ADPawXrI/AAAAAAAAAas/UNFi2JerM2Q/s320/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B190.JPG" /></a>This is one of my favorite ways to see the world. (This picture makes him look huge, but he's really not quite that big yet...)<br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yW53ehekFPE/T01AC70rRZI/AAAAAAAAAag/rypX9J4XxmM/s1600/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B191.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 240px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714293921365575058" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yW53ehekFPE/T01AC70rRZI/AAAAAAAAAag/rypX9J4XxmM/s320/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B191.JPG" /></a>I supervise Mom's cooking.<br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p7UnQe2oj-0/T00_XeKAULI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/Te5iZjk1MSE/s1600/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B096.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 240px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714293174667595954" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p7UnQe2oj-0/T00_XeKAULI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/Te5iZjk1MSE/s320/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B096.JPG" /></a>Pilot James ready for take-off!<br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GXvcJDWspIU/T00_XF8SKzI/AAAAAAAAAaE/Iksu8Un71go/s1600/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B149.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714293168167594802" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GXvcJDWspIU/T00_XF8SKzI/AAAAAAAAAaE/Iksu8Un71go/s320/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B149.JPG" /></a>I'm sorry, what's that you say?<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s2jPhIrMfrg/T00_Ww48G0I/AAAAAAAAAZ4/mo0YR_4HyAw/s1600/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B150.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714293162516421442" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s2jPhIrMfrg/T00_Ww48G0I/AAAAAAAAAZ4/mo0YR_4HyAw/s320/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B150.JPG" /></a>Oh you said smile? Okay, ...<em>smiling!!!</em><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3h0LSrBSzCg/T00_WpiVIMI/AAAAAAAAAZs/-CU3KcSaw8Q/s1600/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B151.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714293160542544066" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3h0LSrBSzCg/T00_WpiVIMI/AAAAAAAAAZs/-CU3KcSaw8Q/s320/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B151.JPG" /></a>Oh sorry, maybe that was too much- this is a much cooler smile...<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pZ6X6uS2KFI/T00_WajmY5I/AAAAAAAAAZk/_vt-bgrnnl8/s1600/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B152.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714293156521337746" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pZ6X6uS2KFI/T00_WajmY5I/AAAAAAAAAZk/_vt-bgrnnl8/s320/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B152.JPG" /></a>I have a secret I'll tell if you promise not to say anything...<br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0ce1LiHX8VU/T00-wg7DgxI/AAAAAAAAAZY/gLV6ifV0JFA/s1600/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B153.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714292505395299090" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0ce1LiHX8VU/T00-wg7DgxI/AAAAAAAAAZY/gLV6ifV0JFA/s320/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B153.JPG" /></a>I'M ADDICTED TO EATING MY HANDS!<br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YgTd1jIdgsc/T00-wEeZAgI/AAAAAAAAAZM/1g35_p9oOlk/s1600/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B165.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 240px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714292497758880258" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YgTd1jIdgsc/T00-wEeZAgI/AAAAAAAAAZM/1g35_p9oOlk/s320/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B165.JPG" /></a>Oh, where did these come from? They look familiar.<br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RSbTIEe3m3g/T00-v1UrwSI/AAAAAAAAAY8/Jm4-NOsjKAI/s1600/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B164.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 240px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714292493691633954" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RSbTIEe3m3g/T00-v1UrwSI/AAAAAAAAAY8/Jm4-NOsjKAI/s320/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B164.JPG" /></a>Oh blast, did I drip again?<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E5NYT_dJVzI/T00-vnJhwmI/AAAAAAAAAYw/F0PAni__KH4/s1600/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B126.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714292489886745186" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E5NYT_dJVzI/T00-vnJhwmI/AAAAAAAAAYw/F0PAni__KH4/s320/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B126.JPG" /></a>Me and my Eskimo suit (as Dad calls it).<br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-79L06azSEM4/T00-vd0pIkI/AAAAAAAAAYo/rWZgqfzqkGI/s1600/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B192.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714292487383228994" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-79L06azSEM4/T00-vd0pIkI/AAAAAAAAAYo/rWZgqfzqkGI/s320/feb%2B24%2B2012%2B192.JPG" /></a>My friend Mr. Snail. (His shell comes off)<br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13510128651434906374noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219365693283170088.post-30163339696933243052012-02-15T19:39:00.003-08:002012-03-02T08:41:51.068-08:00Just Another Day of Being Cute - A James Update<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HAEQSbZd56E/Tzx9ulLN3FI/AAAAAAAAAYc/DguPIlWfTYs/s1600/DSC_3135.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 214px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709576666805558354" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HAEQSbZd56E/Tzx9ulLN3FI/AAAAAAAAAYc/DguPIlWfTYs/s320/DSC_3135.JPG" /></a>Be forewarned that this post is dedicated to a Jamesiepie update! As you can see, we had another photo shoot that I can't resist sharing.<br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6pFIcwePOPA/Tzx9uL4jeHI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/DLefjKBOekE/s1600/DSC_3053.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709576660016396402" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6pFIcwePOPA/Tzx9uL4jeHI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/DLefjKBOekE/s320/DSC_3053.JPG" /></a>Although tummy time is getting better (he's actually very good at it) this face tells me, "I may have to do it, but I don't have to like it!"<br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nMfuorLgGZs/Tzx8u8pqYyI/AAAAAAAAAYE/8toBLGoUf8M/s1600/DSC_3056.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709575573595644706" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nMfuorLgGZs/Tzx8u8pqYyI/AAAAAAAAAYE/8toBLGoUf8M/s320/DSC_3056.JPG" /></a>My angel<br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mi50fCY1w6E/Tzx8uXPZndI/AAAAAAAAAX4/gGJUdvEl8JM/s1600/DSC_3063.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709575563553381842" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mi50fCY1w6E/Tzx8uXPZndI/AAAAAAAAAX4/gGJUdvEl8JM/s320/DSC_3063.JPG" /></a>He is the cutest with his hands which he has recently discovered; I find him staring cross-eyed fairly often. Much of the time (especially while nursing) he keeps them clasped like this. It makes him seems so....mannerly? ("Please sir, may I have some more"...think <em>Oliver Twist)</em><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qoVLRtvFj58/Tzx8uPnzoXI/AAAAAAAAAXs/NyDCrzFYFmw/s1600/DSC_3069.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709575561508266354" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qoVLRtvFj58/Tzx8uPnzoXI/AAAAAAAAAXs/NyDCrzFYFmw/s320/DSC_3069.JPG" /></a>He looks less like a baby and more like a little boy all the time!<br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TKnpRR-Psyw/Tzx8tBLBN_I/AAAAAAAAAXg/VYZepHtRfn4/s1600/DSC_3071.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709575540449556466" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TKnpRR-Psyw/Tzx8tBLBN_I/AAAAAAAAAXg/VYZepHtRfn4/s320/DSC_3071.JPG" /></a>Okay, is it just me or do those lips not drive you <em>crazy?!?</em><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R2QQXxZbwB4/Tzx8swhh6NI/AAAAAAAAAXU/RrboIKjWvSw/s1600/DSC_3127.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709575535980570834" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R2QQXxZbwB4/Tzx8swhh6NI/AAAAAAAAAXU/RrboIKjWvSw/s320/DSC_3127.JPG" /></a>Our friend, who is an excellent seamstress, made him this darling bowtie, vest and shoes. He looked so handsome that after church we had to try to take some pictures. He got a little nervous, as you can see...pressure you know =)<br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nSQmhWarWwU/Tzx7r7Q8y1I/AAAAAAAAAXI/a3NAzLwEeAs/s1600/DSC_3108.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709574422172322642" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nSQmhWarWwU/Tzx7r7Q8y1I/AAAAAAAAAXI/a3NAzLwEeAs/s320/DSC_3108.JPG" /></a>So we are not great with the self timer - this is the best we could do. Ah well, just look at those shoes!<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vQ27sLAwGbY/Tzx7rTBDEwI/AAAAAAAAAW8/sX-FTOyAla8/s1600/DSC_3120.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 214px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709574411368207106" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vQ27sLAwGbY/Tzx7rTBDEwI/AAAAAAAAAW8/sX-FTOyAla8/s320/DSC_3120.JPG" /></a>Me and my little guy.<br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m3f-4RYvjbo/Tzx7q7HbzGI/AAAAAAAAAWw/xquk98_ErDM/s1600/DSC_3105.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 214px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709574404952542306" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m3f-4RYvjbo/Tzx7q7HbzGI/AAAAAAAAAWw/xquk98_ErDM/s320/DSC_3105.JPG" /></a>My handsome boys...who needs a lollypop when you have a bowtie?<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jI-AB0IjirA/Tzx7qrf-6pI/AAAAAAAAAWk/VObVg8LXR2A/s1600/DSC_3100.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709574400760539794" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jI-AB0IjirA/Tzx7qrf-6pI/AAAAAAAAAWk/VObVg8LXR2A/s320/DSC_3100.JPG" /></a>The look<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5oomle79SWs/Tzx7qBf45zI/AAAAAAAAAWY/0oai-J9S0Qc/s1600/DSC_3134.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 214px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709574389485856562" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5oomle79SWs/Tzx7qBf45zI/AAAAAAAAAWY/0oai-J9S0Qc/s320/DSC_3134.JPG" /></a>Our sunshine.</div><div> </div><div>'Til next time!! =)<br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13510128651434906374noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219365693283170088.post-18774094130324843482012-02-14T09:53:00.002-08:002012-02-16T12:40:12.225-08:00I Want to be a Grandma<div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0238chi0xQs/TzqgSH0jv3I/AAAAAAAAAWM/K2CGyPa_vNc/s1600/DSC_2565.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709051710843109234" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0238chi0xQs/TzqgSH0jv3I/AAAAAAAAAWM/K2CGyPa_vNc/s320/DSC_2565.JPG" /></a><br /><div>I don't mean that I am ready for Jamesiepie to run off and get married so I can have grandkids. I mean, I hope that someday I can be like all the grandmas I know and love; grandmas work magic!</div><div> </div><div>Example: A few Sundays ago I was in a bishop's interview and Jared had James in the foyer. Our hungry James was wailing to let everyone know how he felt. After several minutes of Jared trying to soothe him, he was balancing the baby while navigating the diaper bag for a binkie, our friend's mother offered to hold the baby. Before Jared could work his binkie trick, she had calmed James, and rocked him to sleep. As she handed a peacefully snoozing baby back to an amazed Jared she said with a grin, "I'm kind of like a baby whisperer...I'm a grandma!"</div><div> </div><div>And seriously, most grandma's I know (real grandmas) are just that incredible! My own darling mother and Jared's sweet mom both rock James to sleep in minutes. They make everything better and when you get older, they still have magic, just for different uses. When I was an insanely busy college student living in the same town as my grandparents (after living several states away my entire life), I would try to visit or at least telephone them once a week. (More often when occasion permited or dictated - dramatic breakups, holidays etc.) They always made me feel like a million bucks and I would come away confident and loved, ready to face the craziness again. </div><div> </div><div>In discussing this subject, my friend and I concluded that it is the love that grandmas (and many grandpas) radiate - they are unflustered by the little things that young moms are sometimes consumed with, and they have refined their loving skills until it just pours from them. Everyone, especially little ones, respond to love.</div><div> </div><div>So on the day of love, here's to all the amazing grandmas and grandpas of the world who have refined the art of true love! Someday, I hope I am like you!</div></div></div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13510128651434906374noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219365693283170088.post-41562370055525086112012-02-05T13:27:00.000-08:002012-02-05T14:42:16.694-08:00Dental Problems, Shots and Sneezes<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YHANScR76vQ/Ty777sztOgI/AAAAAAAAAWE/fumloaeO6Ho/s1600/DSC_3043.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705774780983884290" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YHANScR76vQ/Ty777sztOgI/AAAAAAAAAWE/fumloaeO6Ho/s320/DSC_3043.JPG" /></a>No, James doesn't have dental problems, I do. I mean, look at that face! How can you not grit your teeth with the urge to eat him?! I struggle daily and often. <br /><br />Aside from the desire to chomp those cubby cheeks, all is well here. We got some snow and it finally felt like winter. One of our favorite methods of travel is the front pack. (Sometimes we even wear it around the house if he wants to be held but I need my hands.) There is nothing better than to feel his warm little self cuddled up next to me and I know that no one can steal him if I'm <em>wearing</em> him.<br /><br />James also got his first round of immunizations this last week. I'd been warned by friends. I'd mentally prepared. I failed. Badly. At first it seemed like it'd be fine. The nurse advised me to dip my finger in sugar and let him suck. (Who knew? Sugar helps with pain...but only up to six months of age. Bummer for the rest of us. Can you imagine? "Oh my head hurts...better have a pixie stick!") But since he'd never sucked anything with granules on it, he was confused by the texture and hadn't even started to suck when she stuck him. His response was immediate and more animated than I'd ever seen him. He screamed and then started to cry so hard he couldn't breath for several seconds, during which she swiftly finished her work. His little body went rigid and red and he looked at me with betrayal swimming in his eyes. I snatched him up and cuddled him to me, barely letting the nurse get out of the room before my flood gates blew. All in all he cried for only 30-45 seconds. I was still crying when Jared called 10 minutes later. It was <em>awful</em>. I told Jared that he could take James in for the next round. I know that it's good for him in the long run, but in the short run it's pretty hard on Mama!<br /><br />Our life lately, according to our photo shoots: (Captions below the pictures.)<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o9RhYHVUVqA/Ty777QVFENI/AAAAAAAAAV0/MmPskhbHcrg/s1600/DSC_3027.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 214px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705774773339230418" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o9RhYHVUVqA/Ty777QVFENI/AAAAAAAAAV0/MmPskhbHcrg/s320/DSC_3027.JPG" /></a>Just another walk with Mommy. <br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W5QOGi62IOo/Ty77kSaytaI/AAAAAAAAAVk/D9ntowqllts/s1600/DSC_3029.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 214px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705774378763072930" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W5QOGi62IOo/Ty77kSaytaI/AAAAAAAAAVk/D9ntowqllts/s320/DSC_3029.JPG" /></a>Oooo that FACE!<br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-klflH6fJLYw/Ty77jT_2FxI/AAAAAAAAAVc/kochBglXl0E/s1600/DSC_3024.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705774362007050002" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-klflH6fJLYw/Ty77jT_2FxI/AAAAAAAAAVc/kochBglXl0E/s320/DSC_3024.JPG" /></a>The Sneeze: A Triology </div><div>PART I: Minding My Own Buisness as a Mini CEO (Check out that hair!)<br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OdYGtZ1lJso/Ty77jOEtfgI/AAAAAAAAAVI/_N42dIS8D3A/s1600/DSC_3020.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705774360416845314" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OdYGtZ1lJso/Ty77jOEtfgI/AAAAAAAAAVI/_N42dIS8D3A/s320/DSC_3020.JPG" /></a>PART II: Ah-CHEW<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-57Sw9886OIk/Ty77iwOXttI/AAAAAAAAAVA/kNIdu9U0H1U/s1600/DSC_3021.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705774352404297426" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-57Sw9886OIk/Ty77iwOXttI/AAAAAAAAAVA/kNIdu9U0H1U/s320/DSC_3021.JPG" /></a>Part III: Pardon Me, Might You Have a Hankie?<br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YC8jdZbt2Nc/Ty77iqDJLWI/AAAAAAAAAU0/dqF4JqZhEKk/s1600/DSC_3035.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705774350746594658" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YC8jdZbt2Nc/Ty77iqDJLWI/AAAAAAAAAU0/dqF4JqZhEKk/s320/DSC_3035.JPG" /></a>His eye are so wise...<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H3GcmsIw4mw/Ty76MrH4c6I/AAAAAAAAAUo/1h1EdYcDMiA/s1600/DSC_3036.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705772873566155682" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H3GcmsIw4mw/Ty76MrH4c6I/AAAAAAAAAUo/1h1EdYcDMiA/s320/DSC_3036.JPG" /></a>I haven't been able to get a good pictures of his eyelashes, but they are LONG.<br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q9yZ77UhTU8/Ty76MBYLi-I/AAAAAAAAAUc/N8qXO7rnCiA/s1600/DSC_3039.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705772862360226786" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q9yZ77UhTU8/Ty76MBYLi-I/AAAAAAAAAUc/N8qXO7rnCiA/s320/DSC_3039.JPG" /></a>Shots in both legs...poor little guy guy!<br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ee-G9ULK2h4/Ty76L_CguAI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/OfvonpnbrSc/s1600/DSC_3041.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705772861732468738" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ee-G9ULK2h4/Ty76L_CguAI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/OfvonpnbrSc/s320/DSC_3041.JPG" /></a>James and Mommy (Don't mind that Momma is ready for bed - that's when I'm the cutest!)<br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fKALOSD3xZU/Ty76LL_EiZI/AAAAAAAAAUE/p4oa2HQnaeY/s1600/photo%2B2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705772848027830674" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fKALOSD3xZU/Ty76LL_EiZI/AAAAAAAAAUE/p4oa2HQnaeY/s320/photo%2B2.JPG" /></a>It was my birthday and the boys surprised me with a cake and candles at the institute dinner! (As you can tell from the cake, I am now 21 :))<br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H1bF9-U8X_Y/Ty76KzFIDQI/AAAAAAAAAT4/XG9gjxPjuAc/s1600/DSC_3045.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705772841342340354" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H1bF9-U8X_Y/Ty76KzFIDQI/AAAAAAAAAT4/XG9gjxPjuAc/s320/DSC_3045.JPG" /></a></div><div> </div><div>One more smile from James ... that's all from Iowa!<br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13510128651434906374noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219365693283170088.post-9570643317806311162012-02-02T19:10:00.000-08:002012-02-05T13:24:59.974-08:00Our First Holidays<div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R36WbsyMULs/TytX16dSItI/AAAAAAAAATg/3DR-b_J7gDo/s1600/Nov-Dec%2B2011%2B054.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704749936731628242" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R36WbsyMULs/TytX16dSItI/AAAAAAAAATg/3DR-b_J7gDo/s320/Nov-Dec%2B2011%2B054.JPG" /></a>(Even though it is February and I'm just now getting pictures of our Christmas up, I like to think of it as I have enjoyed the memories this whole time! =))</div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Our first Christmas rolled around with James not quite a month old. It was quiet- just the three of us. On Christmas Eve Jared made ham chowder and we dined on Grandma Dye's Japanese china. We read the Christmas story and sang Christmas carols and went to bed. The next day we went to church, came home and opened presents, talked to our families and took our first family walk with our new stroller. It was nice; very unlike the nostalgic days of Christmases past, but magical in a new sense - less self-absorbed and more reflective of our new parenthood and more focused on this future chapter.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Throughout the Christmas season I thought often of Mary, the mother of Christ. Although we are nothing alike and our circumstances are incredibly different, I felt a kinship with her, especially having a brand newborn baby boy. (Still in the recovery stages myself, I hoped that Joseph had let her rest a good six weeks before taking her home <em>on the back of a donkey.</em>)</div><div><em></em> </div><div> </div><div>Later when James was blessed (January 1, 2012, New Years!) I reflected again on the beautiful gift of baby at this time of year - so beautiful, so innocent, so wonderful. Perspective really does change - I now see everything differently: all mothers, my parents, other people, the scriptures and of course, myself. We were so lucky to have both of our wonderful parents here for this short but special time. In a brief but lovely weekend, all of my worlds combined. I am so blessed.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div>So that, in a nutshell, was our holiday season. To all whom we love but could not be with, know that we thought of you fondly!</div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> (Captions below the pictures.)</div><div> </div><div><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ObAKMi0cRCY/TytX1WZl_SI/AAAAAAAAATU/S84U9gr-wDM/s1600/Nov-Dec%2B2011%2B008.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704749927052475682" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ObAKMi0cRCY/TytX1WZl_SI/AAAAAAAAATU/S84U9gr-wDM/s320/Nov-Dec%2B2011%2B008.JPG" /></a>Our best Christmas gift.<br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4Z1maxkK6kk/TytW7GUs9LI/AAAAAAAAATI/fALBz_FWIq4/s1600/Nov-Dec%2B2011%2B106.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704748926304580786" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4Z1maxkK6kk/TytW7GUs9LI/AAAAAAAAATI/fALBz_FWIq4/s320/Nov-Dec%2B2011%2B106.JPG" /></a>More tummy time by the light of the twinkling tree.<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y00EEImznzQ/TytW6R5sjfI/AAAAAAAAATA/fut9gjOCIkw/s1600/Nov-Dec%2B2011%2B101.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 214px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704748912232664562" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y00EEImznzQ/TytW6R5sjfI/AAAAAAAAATA/fut9gjOCIkw/s320/Nov-Dec%2B2011%2B101.JPG" /></a>My growing boy.<br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--Qo2tuotq7U/TytW6K4fl4I/AAAAAAAAASw/u-GcjKg2wn8/s1600/Nov-Dec%2B2011%2B114.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704748910348572546" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--Qo2tuotq7U/TytW6K4fl4I/AAAAAAAAASw/u-GcjKg2wn8/s320/Nov-Dec%2B2011%2B114.JPG" /></a>My forehead wrinkles exactly like Daddy's!<br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i63RTq2OKPw/TytW5vcd6lI/AAAAAAAAASk/gKLEKfMw2ao/s1600/Nov-Dec%2B2011%2B125.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704748902983264850" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i63RTq2OKPw/TytW5vcd6lI/AAAAAAAAASk/gKLEKfMw2ao/s320/Nov-Dec%2B2011%2B125.JPG" /></a>Amazingly, no snow this Iowa Christmas so we broke out our stroller for the maiden voyage.<br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GYc88qsHWzU/TytW5Den1MI/AAAAAAAAASY/f7XCmkVRwQo/s1600/Nov-Dec%2B2011%2B127.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 214px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704748891181143234" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GYc88qsHWzU/TytW5Den1MI/AAAAAAAAASY/f7XCmkVRwQo/s320/Nov-Dec%2B2011%2B127.JPG" /></a>James Pearson is in there... somewhere!<br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ufe7VknhBSY/TytTlNur_3I/AAAAAAAAASM/2cqJOK_VvWQ/s1600/Nov-Dec%2B2011%2B133.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704745251800612722" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ufe7VknhBSY/TytTlNur_3I/AAAAAAAAASM/2cqJOK_VvWQ/s320/Nov-Dec%2B2011%2B133.JPG" /></a>Aunt Mimi's shoulder tastes soooo yummy!<br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DKkMtfmPGPE/TytTkemFoBI/AAAAAAAAASA/3K6I3U-jBRc/s1600/Nov-Dec%2B2011%2B147.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 214px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704745239148077074" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DKkMtfmPGPE/TytTkemFoBI/AAAAAAAAASA/3K6I3U-jBRc/s320/Nov-Dec%2B2011%2B147.JPG" /></a>Grandma I promise I like you!!<br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y5ux3CRppFg/TytTjisCt8I/AAAAAAAAAR0/7vHyxHFoHGU/s1600/Nov-Dec%2B2011%2B143.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704745223066924994" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y5ux3CRppFg/TytTjisCt8I/AAAAAAAAAR0/7vHyxHFoHGU/s320/Nov-Dec%2B2011%2B143.JPG" /></a>My parents, little sister and brother and Jared's parents after the baby blessing. James isn't feeling much love for the camera right then..<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f5sSKM0KlHU/TytTjVJYDdI/AAAAAAAAARo/lx6AOOj3LJw/s1600/Nov-Dec%2B2011%2B145.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704745219431861714" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f5sSKM0KlHU/TytTjVJYDdI/AAAAAAAAARo/lx6AOOj3LJw/s320/Nov-Dec%2B2011%2B145.JPG" /></a>Our little family.<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-crPaL6L2SM0/TytTjEmlmuI/AAAAAAAAARc/Bm9-d2p7oDk/s1600/Nov-Dec%2B2011%2B150.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 214px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704745214990981858" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-crPaL6L2SM0/TytTjEmlmuI/AAAAAAAAARc/Bm9-d2p7oDk/s320/Nov-Dec%2B2011%2B150.JPG" /></a><br /><div> </div><div>Our handsome little guy...</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13510128651434906374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219365693283170088.post-25418689960820537582012-01-07T17:07:00.000-08:002012-02-02T19:09:20.043-08:00Time Flies - Six Weeks Already?<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eJ4dkQ0kVfs/Tyi16YFtCYI/AAAAAAAAARQ/Xj90MJQr-wU/s1600/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B028.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704008942568147330" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eJ4dkQ0kVfs/Tyi16YFtCYI/AAAAAAAAARQ/Xj90MJQr-wU/s320/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B028.JPG" /></a><br />I feel as though time should have stopped, or at least slowed down (I'm sure that all new parents feel the same) but instead it speeds up and by the time I vaguely hear about an election roaring round Iowa or the New Years festivities, I find I am much more interested in the subject of my last 500+ pictures, my last 20,000 kisses, and his outgrown newborn sleepers. It is hard to believe it has been six weeks, but oh my goodness what a magical six weeks! The picture at the top is my favorite - he was smiling at me!!<br /><br />For your viewing pleasure, the results of the rest of the photo shoot - I couldn't stop! James Pearson has more expressions in two minutes that most people have in two hours: (Captions below the pictures of what he's saying...yes, we communicate well!)<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LTmpLcB7Sbc/Tyi16HMsRKI/AAAAAAAAARA/cixpsVEiFQs/s1600/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B027.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 240px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704008938034054306" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LTmpLcB7Sbc/Tyi16HMsRKI/AAAAAAAAARA/cixpsVEiFQs/s320/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B027.JPG" /></a>Oh no! Mom's camera found me... again!<br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fgw8md_WCvI/Tyi159krYVI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/btr5rB2sr5A/s1600/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B029.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704008935450304850" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fgw8md_WCvI/Tyi159krYVI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/btr5rB2sr5A/s320/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B029.JPG" /></a>Oh fine, I know it makes you happy...snap away...<br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EwcAI__mzrk/Tyi15bTlFYI/AAAAAAAAAQs/TebW1CLBOPE/s1600/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B040.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704008926251783554" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EwcAI__mzrk/Tyi15bTlFYI/AAAAAAAAAQs/TebW1CLBOPE/s320/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B040.JPG" /></a>I'll laugh, just for you.<br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7Dn5PmOCGX0/Tyi15Icp-zI/AAAAAAAAAQg/HzSpzigXxbo/s1600/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B033.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704008921189579570" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7Dn5PmOCGX0/Tyi15Icp-zI/AAAAAAAAAQg/HzSpzigXxbo/s320/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B033.JPG" /></a>Hey, this isn't so bad! Are you my mother?<br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rytulXi_SvI/Tyi1Q38TsYI/AAAAAAAAAQU/hhHCTvc9J38/s1600/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B032.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704008229564166530" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rytulXi_SvI/Tyi1Q38TsYI/AAAAAAAAAQU/hhHCTvc9J38/s320/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B032.JPG" /></a>Then I'll show you my dimple, because you keep making that funny face.<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M5fso7pnjzU/Tyi1QivicOI/AAAAAAAAAQE/EPxooSU6c9o/s1600/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B026.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 240px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704008223873462498" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M5fso7pnjzU/Tyi1QivicOI/AAAAAAAAAQE/EPxooSU6c9o/s320/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B026.JPG" /></a>Wow, is this really what makes you so happy? Maybe you need to get out more...<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JzAx480z2Fs/Tyi1QbLPIgI/AAAAAAAAAP8/1eXK0y4hb-4/s1600/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B039.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704008221842153986" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JzAx480z2Fs/Tyi1QbLPIgI/AAAAAAAAAP8/1eXK0y4hb-4/s320/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B039.JPG" /></a>Hmm, I'll just think about that for a minute...<br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oqirkn2WuUU/Tyi1PhGRGUI/AAAAAAAAAPw/hdmcllv4oHw/s1600/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B036.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704008206252054850" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oqirkn2WuUU/Tyi1PhGRGUI/AAAAAAAAAPw/hdmcllv4oHw/s320/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B036.JPG" /></a>Well, I've actually decided I like having you here...you look kind of like me...<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q5NxVq8vLyQ/Tyi1PR07jJI/AAAAAAAAAPk/xMipNT2Soxg/s1600/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B071.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 240px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704008202152807570" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q5NxVq8vLyQ/Tyi1PR07jJI/AAAAAAAAAPk/xMipNT2Soxg/s320/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B071.JPG" /></a>Tummy time!! I am getting so strong!<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XmsnkTL5C7Q/Tyi0ZpeaHdI/AAAAAAAAAPc/UVmXj7-gCRo/s1600/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B071.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704007280787856850" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XmsnkTL5C7Q/Tyi0ZpeaHdI/AAAAAAAAAPc/UVmXj7-gCRo/s320/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B071.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ISZjskigFZA/Tyi0ZgAj1BI/AAAAAAAAAPI/MOCJ4xEmL-c/s1600/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B010.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704007278246745106" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ISZjskigFZA/Tyi0ZgAj1BI/AAAAAAAAAPI/MOCJ4xEmL-c/s320/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B010.JPG" /></a>I finally learned how to take a binky and keep it in...most of the time...<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_1aF59zEj9M/Tyi0ZSKf_-I/AAAAAAAAAPA/6jm3iOuotVY/s1600/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B013.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 240px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704007274530340834" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_1aF59zEj9M/Tyi0ZSKf_-I/AAAAAAAAAPA/6jm3iOuotVY/s320/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B013.JPG" /></a>I love my new sweater - I feel so manly...<br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1jAAE2P5Drg/TyizyXqMB4I/AAAAAAAAAO4/-buyLIiMa44/s1600/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B065.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704006605990528898" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1jAAE2P5Drg/TyizyXqMB4I/AAAAAAAAAO4/-buyLIiMa44/s320/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B065.JPG" /></a>I'm a little young to suntan Mom...<br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qw50oSEI9-0/TyizyLsDBzI/AAAAAAAAAOo/9B8c7KdFSXA/s1600/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B009.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 240px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704006602777102130" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qw50oSEI9-0/TyizyLsDBzI/AAAAAAAAAOo/9B8c7KdFSXA/s320/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B009.JPG" /></a>Kisses for the sweet....me and my dad....<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LCh-XvViWkw/TyizxYZvRXI/AAAAAAAAAOg/uGcQivQ8naQ/s1600/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B008.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 240px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704006589010101618" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LCh-XvViWkw/TyizxYZvRXI/AAAAAAAAAOg/uGcQivQ8naQ/s320/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B008.JPG" /></a>My daddy makes me feel so safe...and my fist is delicious!<br /><div><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704006578517127010" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oOcD-uBUg8s/TyizwxUBL2I/AAAAAAAAAOQ/YyeltrbzE38/s320/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B059.JPG" />This is how my mom spends most of her day...<br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DV7Z5N50wvs/Tyizwr6PXaI/AAAAAAAAAOE/y228Wmigp_A/s1600/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B061.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704006577066827170" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DV7Z5N50wvs/Tyizwr6PXaI/AAAAAAAAAOE/y228Wmigp_A/s320/Jan%2B7%2B2012%2B061.JPG" /></a>Yeah, we're pretty good friends...me and my mommy.</div><div> </div><div>I didn't realize how big he was until I saw a two-week old at church...wow, they weren't kidding when they said it goes fast.<br /><div><div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13510128651434906374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219365693283170088.post-26251445454586455112011-12-03T11:51:00.000-08:002011-12-04T21:03:10.968-08:00The Stork Has Landed!!<div style="font-weight: bold;">The Stork Has Landed....<br /><br /></div>and brought the most beautiful baby in the whole world!!! It is said that pictures are worth a thousand words - but I don't think there are words or pictures enough to describe this baby. Pictures just don't do his cuteness justice (as confirmed by my mom =) and words just fail. However, since it's the best we can do for now, just look and imagine "100 times cuter" and you'll be in the ball park.<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PC10lNYAPPA/TtvOgwd8MiI/AAAAAAAAANI/c2ETZn16K4U/s1600/James%2BPearson%2BDye%2B%2BNov%2B27%2B2011%2B103.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PC10lNYAPPA/TtvOgwd8MiI/AAAAAAAAANI/c2ETZn16K4U/s320/James%2BPearson%2BDye%2B%2BNov%2B27%2B2011%2B103.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682362417019630114" border="0" /></a><br />James Pearson was born Sunday, November 27, 2011 at 10:41pm. He was beautiful from the getgo with tons of black hair and dark bluish-grey eyes (that we think will probably turn brown). Weighing in at a healthy 8 lbs, 1.4 oz, he passed his first tests with flying colors. Everything regarding the labor and delivery went as smoothly as it possibly could with our doctor declaring me 'an OB's dream!' (although I wondered if he says that to every laboring woman) and no complications. The hospital staff was nothing short of fantastic and we felt so well cared for. I was pleasantly surprised that he looked liked me with Jared's nose and lips! Most of my nieces and nephews seem to look more like their other parent, so I was truly surprised, but so excited!<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vjZQohWLDWM/TtvOgv9_oBI/AAAAAAAAANA/wVSczfg8Bno/s1600/James%2BPearson%2BDye%2B%2BNov%2B27%2B2011%2B136.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vjZQohWLDWM/TtvOgv9_oBI/AAAAAAAAANA/wVSczfg8Bno/s320/James%2BPearson%2BDye%2B%2BNov%2B27%2B2011%2B136.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682362416885637138" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cAtXjjpFlKI/TtvOgNynLXI/AAAAAAAAAM4/h5smLdBNtT4/s1600/James%2BPearson%2BDye%2B%2BNov%2B27%2B2011%2B137.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cAtXjjpFlKI/TtvOgNynLXI/AAAAAAAAAM4/h5smLdBNtT4/s320/James%2BPearson%2BDye%2B%2BNov%2B27%2B2011%2B137.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682362407711092082" border="0" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YUIrnCmSdvQ/TtvOhDswYOI/AAAAAAAAANQ/XHYJfxmCFx4/s1600/James%2BPearson%2BDye%2B%2BNov%2B27%2B2011%2B039.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YUIrnCmSdvQ/TtvOhDswYOI/AAAAAAAAANQ/XHYJfxmCFx4/s320/James%2BPearson%2BDye%2B%2BNov%2B27%2B2011%2B039.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682362422182043874" border="0" /></a>My original due date was Tuesday, November 22nd. When that day came and then went uneventfully, it turned out to to be a great blessing because I could thoroughly enjoy my utterly amazing and wonderful parents who came up for Thanksgiving/baby time. We lucked out with the gorgeous weather and went for a pre-dinner hike before turkeying it up!<br /><br />A few days later (Saturday) I called the nurse just to ask about a few things and she recommended us coming in just to check things out - I was sure I'd be home in my own bed by 11:00pm. Lo and behold I was in LABOR and ended up staying. Then, ta-da! A baby! Jared was a fabulous support - he was exhausted afterwards! I can't imagine why...<br /><br />Here is our week in a nutshell:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">My sweet boy.<br /></div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nN1J56OrcK8/TtvL_4o5NPI/AAAAAAAAALw/6WKIyMeDsu4/s1600/James%2BPearson%2BDye%2B%2BNov%2B27%2B2011%2B146.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nN1J56OrcK8/TtvL_4o5NPI/AAAAAAAAALw/6WKIyMeDsu4/s320/James%2BPearson%2BDye%2B%2BNov%2B27%2B2011%2B146.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682359653254116594" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">On his way home from the hospital.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lG8qMCkMY5A/TtvL_QUYDlI/AAAAAAAAALk/t3nmOOpv20Q/s1600/James%2BPearson%2BDye%2B%2BNov%2B27%2B2011%2B140.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lG8qMCkMY5A/TtvL_QUYDlI/AAAAAAAAALk/t3nmOOpv20Q/s320/James%2BPearson%2BDye%2B%2BNov%2B27%2B2011%2B140.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682359642430639698" border="0" /></a>He is very content with Grandma.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qx8D8knHv3M/TtvL-J4JcnI/AAAAAAAAALY/O1IQlKqn7pc/s1600/IMG_1589.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qx8D8knHv3M/TtvL-J4JcnI/AAAAAAAAALY/O1IQlKqn7pc/s320/IMG_1589.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682359623521759858" border="0" /></a><br />Reading the Ensign with Dad at family scriptures.<br /><br /></div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BloIv2d6EDQ/TtvL9107YsI/AAAAAAAAALM/rDOZL9ivnts/s1600/IMG_1573.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BloIv2d6EDQ/TtvL9107YsI/AAAAAAAAALM/rDOZL9ivnts/s320/IMG_1573.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682359618139546306" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">His faces are the SADDEST but they make me laugh they are so cute! There is one we call the 'the angry elf' and 'the turtle' - this one is 'the saddest boy in the world'.<br /></div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d9zjTvkUWvA/TtvKuY73reI/AAAAAAAAAKw/uB3VTIB6AGc/s1600/IMG_1581.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d9zjTvkUWvA/TtvKuY73reI/AAAAAAAAAKw/uB3VTIB6AGc/s320/IMG_1581.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682358253174369762" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Recognize those lips anyone?<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D8lkBNl4quo/TtvKtbiXhWI/AAAAAAAAAKk/gVAUNmEzpss/s1600/IMG_1567.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D8lkBNl4quo/TtvKtbiXhWI/AAAAAAAAAKk/gVAUNmEzpss/s320/IMG_1567.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682358236692841826" border="0" /></a><br />Two days old!<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MR1VJGiUF_8/TtvKs9a6MTI/AAAAAAAAAKY/akI6vSIquD0/s1600/IMG_1555.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MR1VJGiUF_8/TtvKs9a6MTI/AAAAAAAAAKY/akI6vSIquD0/s320/IMG_1555.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682358228608495922" border="0" /></a>It is hard to believe I'm this tiny person's mother.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Iz__WVyKO08/TtvKsvOafqI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/1cm9HGo5pT8/s1600/IMG_1561.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Iz__WVyKO08/TtvKsvOafqI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/1cm9HGo5pT8/s320/IMG_1561.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682358224797990562" border="0" /></a>He's so delicious I could eat him!<br />Five days old.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jZoIuphTYUk/TtvKu9UMrwI/AAAAAAAAAK4/jkDWPXTxC3s/s1600/IMG_1580.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jZoIuphTYUk/TtvKu9UMrwI/AAAAAAAAAK4/jkDWPXTxC3s/s320/IMG_1580.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682358262940086018" border="0" /></a><br />Three days old.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U_1tblI_Bqc/TtvJmeQYuKI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/TDY3ef24jsI/s1600/James%2BPearson%2BDye%2B%2BNov%2B27%2B2011%2B155.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U_1tblI_Bqc/TtvJmeQYuKI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/TDY3ef24jsI/s320/James%2BPearson%2BDye%2B%2BNov%2B27%2B2011%2B155.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682357017652017314" border="0" /></a><br />My angel mother! There is truly nobody like your mom.<br /><br /></div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CP5yYv5I4hc/TtvJlzZ9LrI/AAAAAAAAAJo/awkBd-CopzQ/s1600/James%2BPearson%2BDye%2B%2BNov%2B27%2B2011%2B169.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CP5yYv5I4hc/TtvJlzZ9LrI/AAAAAAAAAJo/awkBd-CopzQ/s320/James%2BPearson%2BDye%2B%2BNov%2B27%2B2011%2B169.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682357006149430962" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Our first family pictures.<br />Six days old<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BVcI_ICyVH4/TtvJk31-BGI/AAAAAAAAAJg/OHrMVHooP6g/s1600/82116566-C01.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 256px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BVcI_ICyVH4/TtvJk31-BGI/AAAAAAAAAJg/OHrMVHooP6g/s320/82116566-C01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682356990160798818" border="0" /></a><br />His little hands are my favorite!<br /><br /></div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gd8a9w8bZSg/TtvJkvD-PEI/AAAAAAAAAJU/Dp6hPQk8nJM/s1600/82116566-C06.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gd8a9w8bZSg/TtvJkvD-PEI/AAAAAAAAAJU/Dp6hPQk8nJM/s320/82116566-C06.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682356987803614274" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">I know, cheesy but who really cares? It was the photographer's idea and we loved it. Don't mind that I'm still in maternity clothes...<br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DDL8ypEwzRA/TtvIHNqwocI/AAAAAAAAAI4/uanxDiwUeX0/s1600/82116566-C24.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 256px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DDL8ypEwzRA/TtvIHNqwocI/AAAAAAAAAI4/uanxDiwUeX0/s320/82116566-C24.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682355381111660994" border="0" /></a><br />He is our angel but we left his diaper on for a reason.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nmE_ZorOmHM/TtvIFA8volI/AAAAAAAAAIs/10BA8S2cAws/s1600/82116566-C36.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nmE_ZorOmHM/TtvIFA8volI/AAAAAAAAAIs/10BA8S2cAws/s320/82116566-C36.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682355343337693778" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Aq1tD15XWJ4/TtvIE9c3agI/AAAAAAAAAIg/NgooQKR414k/s1600/82116566-C50.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 256px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Aq1tD15XWJ4/TtvIE9c3agI/AAAAAAAAAIg/NgooQKR414k/s320/82116566-C50.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682355342398679554" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fSxRGE73hWI/TtvIDpJHreI/AAAAAAAAAIY/3nk6xx7SJmI/s1600/82116566-C52.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fSxRGE73hWI/TtvIDpJHreI/AAAAAAAAAIY/3nk6xx7SJmI/s320/82116566-C52.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682355319767281122" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dCJ5DbKRyig/TtvIH7M9uOI/AAAAAAAAAJE/_XCDQaSZJcw/s1600/82116566-C15.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dCJ5DbKRyig/TtvIH7M9uOI/AAAAAAAAAJE/_XCDQaSZJcw/s320/82116566-C15.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682355393334720738" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><br />I wish you could see how he smiles in his sleep, the dimples in each cheek, hear his coos and feel his impossibly silky smooth skin. I love this little person and feel like Christmas has come early this year. It's hard to imagine him as a sassy teenager or anything besides a darling sweet boy, but hopefully we can be good parents and he grows up as perfectly as we imagine. But for now, I'll just enjoy every minute of his babyhood.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div>hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13510128651434906374noreply@blogger.com15