Lost Generation

I saw this on a friend's blog.  I really liked it.  Thanks, Brittani!

Baggies

James was in the kitchen. It was really quite, so I went to check on him. This is what I found.

He had pulled every baggie out of the box!

Gabber, Gabber, Gabber

James has been gabbering almost nonstop for a few weeks now. I finally caught some of it on video. Enjoy!

He talks like this just about all day long.

"Snowmageddon"

At least that is what they are calling it in Washington D.C.

Last week, all our snow had melted.  It was sad!  Then on Friday night, it snowed a lot.  I would say we got somewhere between 4-6 inches over night.  Yesterday, it snowed all day.  We were at a "Level 2 Snow Emergency" when I went to bed last night and when I woke up this morning.

Here are some pictures I have taken since yesterday morning.  February 9, 9:36 a.m. 

February 9, 3:31 p.m. 

February 9, 5:53 p.m. 

February 10, 8:05 a.m. 

Snow depth on our balcony, February 10, 8:05 a.m.

Last night after James was in bed, Jon and I went out (in our pjs) to clean the snow off our cars.  We learned that it you leave snow on the car too long here, it gets really icy and hard to clean off.  It was just to make it easier to clean off when we might need our cars.  We got in a mini snow fight (the snow would not pack well enough for it to be a snowball fight).  Then we made snow angels, and came in to warm up.  It was fun to play in the snow a little.

Chocolate

James LOVES chocolate!  He will chose the chocolate over anything else.  Here he is after eating a chocolate graham cracker,

which is a new favorite of his.

Cooking

James loves this cupboard in the kitchen (maybe because it is the only one he can get open).  He pulled out a frying pan and was putting his toys in it. 

Fried Lightening McQueen Ala James anyone?

Empty the Movies

Like most kids, James loves to empty the DVDs out of the bookcase. Here is a picture of him caught in the act.

In this video, he is unstacking a pile of DVDs (and watching golf).

Also seen in the video is Sally, who has gone missing. He still likes to play with a car even if he is doing something else too.

Reflection

James loves to watch his reflection. He has always loved seeing himself in the mirror. Recently he has discovered his reflection in the oven door. He loves to watch himself there. In this video, he is bouncing on his knees.

You will also be able to hear his scream that he loves recently, too.

Funny Boy

James was doing this the other day and I managed to catch is on video. It was really funny!

Reading

James loves books! He will sit and look at them for hours. One of his favorites is The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

I think he really likes the hole in the pages, because they are just the right sizes for his fingers.

Here is a video of him reading this book.

He also recently borrowed a book from his friend Robby. He really likes it too, because it has a mirror and flaps with things hiding behind them. He is doing really well so far about being gentle and not ripping the flaps off. He also has not tried to bite a chunk out of Robby's book yet. I hope he keeps it up. (Most of his books have bites taken out of them.)

"Here's the Mail. It Never Fails."

James loves to wrinkle and wave envelopes. I think he really likes the clear plastic that covers the mailing address. It makes a fun sound. Here is a little video of him playing with an envelope.

Sorry for the bad quality. I zoomed in to get him without him seeing that I was filming him. At the end, he sees his dad, which is why he smiles.

"Bang! Bang! Bang on the..."

Love the B52s!

James has discovered the joys of making lots of loud noise. He loves to bang things on different surfaces to see what makes the most noise. His hand on the metal chairs at church. His cars on the glass TV screen (he does this when he wants to watch something on TV). His wooden rings on the wooden kitchen chair as seen here.

Close up of the results of this loud banging.

I am glad these were not expensive chairs (about $20 at IKEA). Those are some pretty impressive dents. He has stopped the banging on the chairs, because he knows his toy will be taken away if he does.

Toledo, Ohio (again)

Yesterday, James and I went to the Toledo 2 Ward Conference, while Jon was on call at hospital.  James did okay, but was really tired and very whiney before everything was done.

I spent the second half of Sacrament Meeting in the Relief Society Room.  I turned the speaker on so I could listen while James was able to move around, make noise, and not disturb anyone.  The talks were really good.  Two of them were based on our stake scripture for this year.  Doctrine and Covenants 68:6, "Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come."  Brother Hamilton (the high council speaker) said that if we (as the people in the Toledo Ohio Stake) worked at being temple worthy, then we would be able to fulfill all of the stake goals.

After sacrament meeting, I spent a few minutes in the nursery.  James really wanted to play in there for a while and they only have two little girls.  Then, I went to Young Women's and James played in there.  He was loud, but I hope he was not to disruptive.

James got a new white shirt and tie to wear to church. 

I think he looks snazzy in it. 

He loves the buttons.

After church and meetings, James and I went to dinner with some friends.  Thanks so much for a yummy dinner, Jenni!  James loved playing with Steve, Weston, Maria, and Robby too. 

I am glad the day is over now.  Just four more months before James can stay in nursery without mommy!

More in the Kitchen

One of James' favorite places to play is the kitchen. I put safety lock on most of the cabinets, except this one because it is just a few pans and cutting boards.

The first thing James does upon entering the kitchen is pull the towel off the oven door to the floor.

James has also discovered the fridge and magnets.

I need to get him some of those letter or number ones, so he does not just have a State Farm 2008 calendar and an "American Express" to play with. A few days ago, he also figured out how to open the fridge. He was also found one day with a box of baggies, pulling them out one at a time. No more unsupervised playing in the kitchen for this boy.