James wants to say...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KAITIE!

30 Weeks

Left is a picture of me at 30 weeks.  On the right is me at 30 weeks with James.

 

Two weeks ago I had an appointment, things looked good in the ultrasound.  I also had my glucose test at the time and it came back normal!  So glad for that!  I also had an appointment earlier this week with my doctor.  This baby boy is currently 4 pounds, 79th percentile, slightly smaller than James was at this time.  He seems to be developing well except that he appears to be getting anemic.  The doctor said it could be a false positive, and not to panic yet.  I am still waiting to hear the results of blood work to see if my antibody levels have changed.  The doctor said I would hear the results the next day, but it has been 3 days now.  I called this morning, but the nurse will call me back.

I will go back in a week and see how things are going then.  At that point, we can discuss options.  He did tell us what those options would be if things are the same next week, but we will see what happens before we tell all of you what those entail. 

More Make Shift Funiture

Since our front room currently does not have any where to sit, we have gotten a little creative.  We use our camp chairs some times, and now James uses the stroller.  Here he is watching a movie on the iTouch while chillin' in his stroller.

"Say Cheese!"

We are getting closer to buying a couch, but decided we will have to get a bed first since ours seems to have broken in the move.

New Table

No we have not bought a new table, but James has found a new place he likes to eat.

He will be so sad when we get these boxes unpacked.

Kitchen

James loves to help me when I am cooking.  Some of the cupboards and drawers have locks on them, but the ones that do not, he empties and "cooks."  Sometimes I have to search the house to find what I need, like measuring cups and spoons.

He really likes the silverware drawer.  Here is is lining up the spoons.

I have since convinced him to put them on the table instead of the floor.  Jon caught James doing this with the baby spoons.

At least he is finding ways to entertain himself while I am making dinner.

He also likes to take the lids, bowls, and pitcher out of the cupboards.  I love to watch his imagination work as he discovers different things through out the house.

James wants to say...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ETHAN!

Backyard

James has really enjoyed having his own "park" right out the back door.  We have spent a lot of time out there, but not much recently since it has been really hot and humid.  Here are a bunch of pictures from playing in the back yard.

James loves the slide, but still asks for help going down since the first time he went down he flew off the end.

He likes to put his toys down.

Also notice the chalk drawings on the slide.

He has even tried climbing the slide.

Without much success.

He also puts his toys on the swings.  He does not like to swing since he inherited his parent's motion sickness.

He tired climbing the ladder to the monkey bars, but until he is a little taller, he thinks it does not go anywhere.

One day he started picking leaves off the tree.

Then he started ripping the leaves in to pieces.

Until nothing is left.

We have also blown bubbles, popped them, decorated the driveway and front step with chalk, and planted some flower seeds, which I do not think are going to come up.  It has been fun to spend more time outside, but it is also nice to have a finished basement to play in when it is really hot out.

James wants to say...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, STARLEY!

Books

James has discovered that if he asks for a book he can put off going to bed at night.  It only lasts through a few books though now.  Here is James reading one of his favorite books.

I also used to let him take a book to bed with him, but he started ripping pages out and chewing on them.  No more book in bed if I can help it.

James wants to say...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GIDEON!

Pajamas

James has been asking recently to wear his shirt from the day to bed at night.  This is a picture of him really mad because I took off his green shirt.  He was trying to put it on over his pajamas. 

He had worn that shirt for 3 days straight, so I was trying to make him wear a clean shirt the next day.  Now, I just let him wear his shirt to bed.  Then, I try and make sure he has a green shirt clean, because that is a sure way to get him to happily change his shirt in the morning.

James wants to say...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TAYLOR!

James wants to say...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KATIE!

Michigan So Far

Here is what we have been doing the last month or so since we moved to Michigan.  I decided to put all of this in one post so it will be really long.  Our first night, we found this frog on our deck. 

He came back again yesterday and perched on the edge of my watering can.  Later, I found him inside the watering can, so I tipped it over so he could get out.

Strawberry picking at Krupp Farms. 

James loved it! 

Especially, when he found out he could eat the strawberries as he picked them.

Then, he was more interested in a "stick" he found.

It was part of a strawberry plant he picked.  We had a good time, and we picked eight and a half pounds of strawberries. 

I made some jam and froze some for smoothies.

Most of Jon's residency class got together for a barbecue right before they officially started work.  James was the only kid there, but made some friends anyway.  There were a few dogs, which he was mostly afraid of and ran from.  He also took there frisbees away.

Since Jon's class is pediatrics, everyone was good with James.  Some even played catch with a frisbee until it started to rain.

It was fun to see some of the faces of the people that Jon works with all day.  There was also some good food.  Maybe at the next one some of the other kids will be able to come, like the triplets.

On the Fourth, we made a trip to the beach.  The weather was really nice, and it was fun to see Lake Michigan again and play in the sand.  We will likely make more trips out there.  Walking to the beach.

The view as we walked to the beach.

James loved playing in the sand.

He avoided the water mostly.  He has been a little anti-water recently.  I have not even been able to get him to take baths without him screaming and just standing there while I wash him as fast as possible.  Hopefully his love of water will come back soon!

It was a good thing all James's new friends brought so many fun beach toys.  We also enjoyed lunch at McDonalds.  That evening we went to a barbecue around the corner.  James loved all the time outside playing.  Jon and I were exhausted from the sun at the beach, but it was nice to hang out with others in our neighborhood and ward.  We did not stay for fireworks.  We took James home and put him to bed, then fell asleep ourselves before the fireworks started on TV.  It was a good Fourth though!

Cherry Picking (not in sports) at Robinette's Apple Haus.

James enjoyed picking cherries out of the trees.

Since I did not want as many cherries as strawberries, I mostly just let James pick them.

We walked around until we found ripe ones low enough for him to pick.

I knew James was done when he was more interested in picking the flowers.

We picked about two pounds of cherries.  We enjoyed eating them, and I made some into pancakes, which James loved!

That is all I have pictures for, and therefore is all I can remember right now.  I was hoping to go pick some raspberries too, but it has been way too hot recently.  I am afraid that raspberry season will be over when it cools off a little.  Oh well, I guess we can try for next year.

Another Potter Related Post

Found this article today and really wanted to share it.

Emma Watson on Modesty

July 19, 2011 — ldsphilosopher
Source: millennialstar.org

Emma Watson, the actor who plays Hermione in the all-too-popular Harry Potter films, is on record as an advocate for modesty. Here’s the quote:

I find the whole concept of being ‘sexy’ embarrassing and confusing. If I do an interview with photographs people desperately want to change me – dye my hair blonder, pluck my eyebrows, give me a fringe. Then there’s the choice of clothes. I know everyone wants a picture of me in a mini-skirt. But that’s not me. I feel uncomfortable. I’d never go out in a mini-skirt. It’s nothing to do with protecting the Hermione image. I wouldn’t do that. Personally, I don’t actually think it’s even that sexy. What’s sexy about saying, ‘I’m here with my boobs out and a short skirt, have a look at everything I’ve got?’ My idea of sexy is that less is more. The less you reveal the more people can wonder.

Of course, Emma Watson’s attire wouldn’t always be modeled in the New Era, and she hasn’t always been a good example of modesty, but she is often more modest than Hollywood actors typically are.

New Favorite

James has a new favorite food. 

He calls them, "red strawberries." 

Daddy taught him to put them on his fingers. 

Raspberries are my favorite fruit too.

Move

I know it was more than a month ago that we moved, but I am still trying to get caught up, and I am loosing the battle.  Our move went pretty well, except that we did not get out of Toledo even closed to when we wanted to get on the road.  Here is most of our boxes stacked in the front room of our apartment.

Jon ordered the 16 foot truck.  Others who were also moving told us we would never fit everything in that small of a truck, and Jon was a little worried after helping others to move too.  I assured him that we do have less stuff than all of them, but Jon, having the engineering mind that he does, decided to "map" it out.  He measured everything we own even the boxes (most of our boxes were the same three sizes).  Then he drew the truck to scale and put things in where he wanted them in the truck.  According to this we would have tons of room in a 16 foot truck.

We packed the truck on Monday.  That morning, Jon and I organized things.  We put all the furniture in the order Jon wanted it brought out, and the boxes were ordered by weight and size.  This made it really easy for those who helped us to bring things out in the order that Jon wanted them.  Jon and I also carried our orange couch (minus the cushions which we kept) to the dumpster.  It broke in our move to Toledo and we did not want to take it on another move.  Jon felt bad that his pregnant wife was helping him, but it was not too bad with the two of us.  I would have told him if I could not do it.

Our friends the Carters came over in the early afternoon.  While Jon and Weston went to get the truck (and James was napping), Maria and I (mostly Maria) disconnected the dryer and washer and pulled them out of the laundry room.  A few days before, Maria and Weston helped us figure out how we would get the dryer out since we had to take the back off the dryer to get it in to the laundry room.  It ended up being easier to get it out.

We loaded the truck.  I carried the light boxes out until James woke up.  Then I entertained him and brought cold drinks as needed.  When everything was done, we had lots of room to spare.  The 16 foot truck was plenty big. 

The Tollers came and brought dinner to barbecue (which the barbecues at Heather Hills did not cooperate).  Dinner was still excellent.  It was nice to spend some time with our friends one last time and enjoy some good food.

That night we slept in the front room on an air matrice and James slept in the pack a play, which is really too small for him, but worked for one night.  The next morning, we cleaned, which took longer than expected since I was doing most of it by myself, but Jenni and Robby came by and helped.  It made things go much faster.  Jon got breakfast at McDonald's and loaded our cars. 

When I got to Grand Rapids,  the bishop was waiting.  he did not get the message that we were way behind schedule, but he said it was nice to get a nice long nap.  Sadly, Jon didn't get there with the truck for about another 30 minutes (or more).  I needed to unload my car  there was food in it, but there was not anywhere close to our house (the drive way was full) to park it, and then I was chasing James everywhere with not help and I was exhausted!  When Jon got there, we had lots of help unloading and with James.  It only took an hour.  Thanks Richmond Family and Bishop Robinaugh!  Here is the front room

and the kitchen with boxes. 

It sure looked like more stuff when it was spread out on three floors.

Wish I could say that we were all settled in.  It has been a month, but Jon started work the next day.  I have been doing most of it by myself with James's help.  Being now 7 months pregnant, I find I get tired really quickly.  I know lame excuse.  We will likely not be totally unpacked until well after this baby is born.  When things are finally unpacked, I will try to get some more pictures of our house.

Potter-mania

No, we haven't seen the new Harry Potter yet. Hopefully in the next few weeks, when I have some more time, we will get the chance.

I came across this video today and since I can't say that much good has come out of BYU since I left (of course I'm kidding, maybe), I figured I needed to share this. The apartments/parking garages it was shot in were places Keriann and I either lived, or served in the bishopric. Enjoy!

James wants to say...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, UNCLE ISAAC!

Dutch Oven Cookouts

We had some great dinners before we left Toledo.  We got together with the Carters and Tollers and tried out some meals for girls camp.  The food was good and we enjoyed hanging out with our friends.  After eating "Trash," a taco casserole in the dutch oven. 

We also did some breakfast burritos in the dutch oven the next night.  Both were really tasty!  James and Robby (with the help of Jenni) feed the duck that were hanging around.

James and Robby were trying to get right up to the duck to give it the bread, but of coarse this scared the ducks.  This duck is trying to get away as fast as it can waddle.

James went and played on the toy for a little while.

He loves to slide.  James and Robby went to play at a picnic table not too far away. 

It was fun to watch them play with each other.  Cannot get both of them to smile at the same time.

Then there was a live concert in the park.  It was fun to sit and listen to the music. 

James and Robby danced,

threw grass,

and enjoyed cookies (and bread) while we listened to the music.

Good food and friends to share it with.  We enjoyed it a lot!  James really misses his friend Robby.  He asks to play with him almost every day.