"James do it!"

"James do it, James do it!" is what he said over and over as he reached up towards the plate for this New Year's Eve cupcake treat before bedtime. We are hearing a lot of "James do it" these days (wanting to do things he sees Mama or Daddy doing or wanting to do things on his own), and I guess we will probably hear those words a lot more in this coming year. Each new stage with him brings new fun, excitement, and adventure -- I love them all!

Excited about (and ready for) a new year (a fresh start, a clean slate) and what it will bring!

Science Center Fun!

We had a fun morning at the science center a few days after Christmas. James especially loved the model train exhibit, the bubble exhibit with huge bubble wands, the giant light bright, and the fish and shark tanks. The shark tank exhibit actually allowed visitors to touch the sharks and stingrays. James watched for a long time as other people reached in to touch the sharks. Stephen eventually touched one that swam by, and then James said "Mama do it." I wasn't too excited about touching a shark, but I knew if James wanted me to then I had to do it. I knew that he wanted to know if I thought it really was okay to touch a shark. I reached in and touched one (trying not to act scared), and then James said "James do it." We tried to help him get his hand near but in the end he was a little too apprehensive. But he kept saying afterwards, "James touched a shark!" which made us laugh and laugh (especially since he didn't actually touch one). This was also after we went to the park a few days before and out of nowhere he reached his arms up into the sky and said "I catch a bird." He has also started telling us lately that there is a bee in his ear. The things he says and comes up with these days are so funny! He keeps us laughing. :)

Here are some pictures of our fun day:

 Daddy and James maneuvering one of the model trains.

 Giant Light Bright!

 Ice Fishing!

 Giant Blocks!

We loved the fish!

Christmas Morning 2011

We had planned to have Stephen make James a train table for Christmas because he loves trains so much (also because he had inherited his Daddy's Brio tracks and trains and has also started collecting some trains of his own too!), but we ended up finding a really great deal on a table already made that we could not pass up. James got a few other smaller gifts for Christmas from us and Santa, but the train table was such a hit with him! He will be playing with it for a long, long time I think. :)

 Capturing Stephen on his first Christmas Eve toy assembly - he was excited about it! :)

 He loves clocks and shapes!

 Taking a break for puzzles!

 Opening his Busy Bee James train (his "Bee Choo Choo"). After he opened it, he immediately asked for "tracks?" which was perfect timing for us to pull the blanket off his new train table!

Our little conductor! 

Can't believe it's already my second Christmas with our sweet boy!

Christmas with the Lakes Family!

Watching Granddaddy's doggies!

Excited about his first Thomas choo choo!

A tired boy after all his Christmas fun and traveling...

Christmas with Grandma and Megan!

The choo choo train that he asked for our whole drive to South Carolina! (He doesn't forget a thing!)

Everyone cheering for James!

And his first time bowling too...!

Christmas in Birmingham!

Fun with cousin Jonathan

and Samuel too!

Happy about his wheelie ramps!

Matching Pajama Fun!

As the Mama of a boy (and I guess just as a Mama) I never knew that I would...

- try and entice him to eat cheerios and pretzels by putting them in the cargo car attached to his train.

- know all the words to the Thomas and Friends songs and have them playing in my head at all times never knowing when I will burst into song.

- memorize the names of the engines from Thomas and Friends and Chuggington (and there are a lot!) just so I could talk to him about them.

- look for grasshoppers and lizards daily and be genuinely disappointed on days that we never found any.

- kiss, rock, and give milk to toy dinosaurs, plastic ants, and various modes of transportation.

- say "thank you" for handing me his gift of pebbles found on top of the sewer cover!

- laugh when he learned the word "booger" (let alone, even say "booger" or "poop")

- cheer about "pee pee" and "poo poo" and give high fives for potty attempts.

- make noises like animals, trains, and fire trucks.

- be relieved that he ate bacon bits because he had some form of "meat" for that day...

- use the word "tender" daily and not in reference to anything sentimental or food related.

- ask him to "just wipe it on Mama's pants..."

- catch throw up in my hands and be glad I did just so I didn't have to wash the sheets one. more. time.

- double as an airplane and horsie daily.

- think a slobbery kiss was the sweetest thing.

- eat food that had been licked or fallen on the floor just so I didn't have as much to clean up.

- become such an avid golfer or football player.

I didn't know...but, boy, do I love it all. I'm so thankful for the little boy that tugs on his Mama's heart with every word and giggle.

James withOUT Santa :)

When I was a little girl, my Mom would take my sister and I to get our picture made with Santa every year. It was a fun tradition that we had for quite a few years. We would dress up in matching Christmas outfits, go out to lunch, and then go see Santa Claus. My Mom kept the pictures in a little red album that she would pull out every Christmas when we decorated the house. I used to love to look through that album and look at those pictures of us as little girls - and I still do! In fact, I can't wait to get my hands on that album in about a week and reminisce about those times and those memories together. I guess I've just always been sentimental like that! :)

When Stephen and I got married, we started a red album of our own. The first few pictures in the album are the Christmas cards that Stephen made for us each Christmas during our first few years together - just the two of us. And then last year on James' first Christmas, we added his first picture with Santa to the album. I thought it would be fun to continue that same tradition that I had enjoyed so much as a little girl with our children!

Well, If you've been reading the blog for a while now you might recall James' first picture with Santa. He was 10 months old and already struggling severely with separation anxiety. I can't believe now that we thought that he would react any differently than this to this red, bearded stranger...

 Poor, Sweet Baby!

Well, Friday afternoon we were going to attempt to go see "Santa Uh-Claus" (uh-claus is what James very cutely adds if you just say Santa) for his second ever picture with Santa Claus. We had high hopes this year because he can say "Santa" and "Ho Ho Ho" and whenever we'd ask if he wanted to go see Santa and sit on his lap he would say "yeeeah" and pat the seat of my chair with his hand. Friday afternoon he even told me "Mama, socks, shoes, go" when I mentioned Santa Uh-Claus. He was all about Santa until ... he took one step into Santa's Winter Wonderland and spotted Santa and he immediately began crying and holding on to Mama for dear life! Not even a bag of cookies from Santa could change his mind, although, for the record, he did get close enough to grab the cookies from his hand before telling him "bye -bye" through tears on the way out.

I had just about accepted that James would not be taking a picture with Santa this year when we drove by Santa's gazebo on Sunday night on our way to church and noticed that everything was there except for Santa. Perfect! James was excited that Santa was "hidey" (James' word for hiding, which is what he thinks anyone that's not around when mentioned is doing) and we were excited to get some adorable and free (thank you, James!) pictures of him in Santa's chair withOUT Santa for our album. I think they'll make for a fun story one day too (or at the least, a sentimental Mama flipping through a red album of sweet memories)!

"It's so nice in here when Santa Uh-Claus is hidey!"

"Now is jumping in Santa's chair defined as naughty?"

"So glad that me and Santa could work out this little deal to have him be mysteriously missing...but don't tell Mama!"

The Good Shepherd

We have been having the best time making ornaments for our Jesse Tree and adding to our Names of Jesus chain each day (that I mentioned in a previous post) with James. I will have to post some pictures of him with his beloved markers coloring his ornaments soon! I have found that not only is this (I'm praying) a good activity for him but it's been good for my Mama heart too - good to better understand the lineage of Jesus through the Jesse Tree, good for me to try and tell these old, familiar stories in a way that's easy for a child to understand (but is helping me to let the truth of these stories sink into my heart so that I better understand too), good for me to read the Bible each day and thank God for who Scripture says that Jesus is - Alpha and Omega, Wonderful Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father .... and so many more!

Today we added the name: Good Shepherd. "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep." John 10:11

This fit perfectly with this post, Shepherd Mothers, from feminagirls.com today! I love it when that happens! I am so thankful for who Jesus is. I am thankful that he is the good shepherd. I am so thankful that He knows me and guides me, and for His sacrifice, and that I have a Shepherd that can show me how to best shepherd my little flock.

Master, Savior, Jesus!

James is 22 months old now and saying and repeating everything! I am literally laughing out loud all day long from the things he repeats or just says spontaneously! But I had to share about a sweet, sweet thing he did last night.

During James' early days and especially during his first year of life, there was a medley of songs and hymns (and even a little song that I made up with his name in it) that God placed in my heart from the beginning of his life that I would sing to him over and over again when he was crying or I was rocking him to sleep. One of those songs was There's Just Something About that Name. Every time I would sing that song to him as a baby, he would immediately calm down and stop crying.

Well, the last few nights he has been having a lot of trouble falling asleep (I think because of 2 more teeth) and we've really been struggling at nights with him (there have been lots of tears!). So for the last few nights I've been singing my Little James Medley of songs to him until he falls asleep. Last night when I was singing he sat straight up in the middle of There's Just Something About that Name and sang "Maaaaster, Saaavior, Jeeesus...."! I could have cried! It was so precious! It was just one of those moments that makes parenting so rewarding - to hear my little boy sing the name of Jesus! Praying that one day soon he will come to know and love his Master, Savior, Jesus and serve him all the days of his life!

Frustrated...

My Sweet James,

Today the frustration of your broken fire truck that was up on the counter with glue drying, and the sucker that was red instead of blue, and what Mama knew was you really just needing to get some lunch in your belly (because we got lost in playing and lost track of time) quickly turned into big, frustrated, toddler tears. And as you melted into a puddle on the floor, I sure felt so helpless and frustrated in that moment too. Maybe I should have been more firm and hard when you pushed away the plate of lunch that I made you, and maybe I should have just put you to bed knowing that the sleep would do you good. But in the midst of your frustration, I caught a little glimpse of myself and I thought about the many times that my sweet Father has dealt graciously with me in spite of my awful display. 

I got a plate and we sat on the floor together eating cheese, and crackers, and banana. You climbed up on my lap and let me stroke your blonde hair while you told me, in between bites, about "Maisy Dog" and about "Big Jet" and the "choo choo" on Little Einstein's. In no time at all you, were calm and happy with a belly full of food and acting like my sweet boy again. You told me it was time for "night night" and I held you close, so thankful that you are mine, before putting you down for your nap. 

James, these toddler days are so tough, and they are challenging me in many ways. It's hard to find the balance between the law and grace (and I know both are needed). Sometimes it's just hard to know what you need, and I just have to ask the Lord to help me and show me the way. Being a Mama makes me depend on Him so much more, because I long to do it "right." I long to please Him in my parenting, and for my parenting to make you look to Him too. 

I know there will be more frustration along the way for us both, and more days of tears and "time outs." But I am thankful today for our picnic on the floor. I want you to know that I love you, and I am so thankful that you are mine. I treasure my time with you, James. I treasure it all. I am just soaking it all in....every single picnic on the floor. And to know that you (and I) have a Father that loves you even more than that! He loves you and He is the perfect parent. Trust Him and His love. 

I love you, 

Mama

Preparing and (hopefully) Simplifying...

I can't believe it's already December 1st, but the Christmas season is officially here and we are preparing for our 5th Christmas together (we got engaged on December 8, 2006!) and our 2nd Christmas with James. We took this picture on Sunday before church. James' Nana is responsible (in a completely good way!) for this adorable outfit above and all of his personalized holiday outfits that you've been seeing/will be seeing on the blog.

And as Christmas approaches (a time of the year that I love so much), we are also simultaneously in the middle of a sort of difficult stripping away, refining period and season of our lives, our marriage, and our walk with the Lord. I don't mean that in a super spiritual way. Because believe me, I have not accepted some of the circumstances that the Lord has allowed into my life lately as a gift to refine me and make me more like Jesus. It has been quite the opposite on most days, and I have made it look like an ugly, crying, snotty, toddler tantrum and wrestling with the Lord through much of this stripping away (for lack of better words) process. But as the Lord patiently deals with me and loves me through some difficulties right now, I am seeing Him work and fulfill His good purposes even in difficult days. Anyway, as a result, I am really just longing for a simplified Christmas this year that does not detract from focusing on what this holiday is truly all about. So we are going to be forgoing (or at least trying) some of the frills that this season often brings and just trying our best to focus on Jesus.

We put up a tiny tree (very Charlie Brown-esque) this year that we are going to decorate in the next few days with the kind of ornaments that James can enjoy (and take off, and put on, and take off and put on....ha!) that won't cause me to get bent out of shape over him enjoying them to the fullest extent that a toddler boy can! He has already been playing with all of the advent decorations, snow globes, and nativity sets and they are scattered all over the floor at the moment which is hard for a Type A Mama like me (and I know that the advent decorations might not display the correct countdown the whole season because of all of his playing), but I truly want him to be able to enjoy them (because it really is just stuff)! We are making most of our gifts this year for our family members and trying to make the gifts very personal and meaningful (I have gotten tons of DIY gift ideas from pinterest!) We are going to be giving James 3 gifts to symbolize the 3 gifts that the wisemen gave Jesus, and I would also love to make a birthday cake for Jesus with him this year if I get the chance. I also found a couple of great ideas for helping your child understand the true meaning of the Christmas and so we are making a Jesse Tree and The Names of Jesus Advent Chain with him. I am still on the lookout for other ideas or would love suggestions of meaningful traditions for celebrating Christmas that your families have adopted that you could share. :)

So many Christmases have passed in my life since becoming a Christian when I, for one reason or another, hardly had/took time to focus on the true gift. I'm not saying we wont eat Christmas cookies or visit Santa this year (because we will), but I am saying that I don't want to let Christmas pass without reflecting on Jesus. I don't want this to just be another hollow celebration and I don't want to lose sight of Christ in all of the hustle and bustle of Christmas. I don't want to waste what He is doing in me... So as we are preparing for Christmas in our house, I pray that we are hopefully simplifying and shifting our focus to Him.

Isaiah 9:6

⁶ For to us a child is born, 

   to us a son is given, 

   and the government will be on his shoulders. 

And he will be called 

   Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

Thanksgiving Snapshots