memorial day fun with the fam-bam

memorial day has come and gone...which means it is unofficially summer. officially, unofficially summer.  how to celebrate this long weekend which is meant to honor our fallen service men and women - thank you very much for your sacrifice - and annual milestone? we chose to spend the entire 3 days together as a little family as well as good friends. we grilled, we lounged in the sun, we went for a couple runs around the lake... bought baby a little "city pool" for our yard, did some lawn work, organizing, moved winter clothes OUT and summer clothes IN... it was a productive weekend and quite enjoyable!

I am very thankful for the time our family was able to spend together - no place to be, no set expectations other than enjoy each other and each day. success!

fridge - stocked! something for everyone!

baby james in his cool pool. he loved it!

TV on...world tuned out. like some one else I know...?

cute pic though.

Nash was maxin' the relaxin'

taadaaaa! little man, just being his happy little self. :)

the temps were fabulous all weekend and perfect for plopping bb in the pool, letting him chill outside for a lit while (sans pool), and for catching some (much needed) rays and enjoying a couple cold adult bevies. wonderful weekend - i wish we could spend every weekend this way!

well, wait...why can't we! :)

more fun pics from the weekend:

bb j was doing this funny thing where he had to pull down EVERY pillow from the head of the bed down to his feet. all of these pillows were nicely placed at the headboard, and HE moved them ALL, all by himself (!!), down below his feet. this is one of his "new things." its goofy but pretty funny. We have a pillow wrestler on our hands!

he grabs them with his hands, overhead, 

then pulls them all the way down the length of his body 

with his feet and kicks them down some more. goofy!

more pool fun!

"mom, i dig the shorts but this hat is awful!

 stop trying to make me look like a DORK!"

yes, that hat is hideous, but it serves a purpose. sorry little buddy!

almost a crawler!

i just noticed this...looks like REAL snow coming down!! this pic was taken in January, i believe, and that is my darling boss walking down Nicollet Mall. it was taken by me from the skyway between Target and the US Bank building. awesome pic!

anyway....hello friday.

someone is moving closer and closer to be a CRAWLER! 

we need to baby proof the house!

the boys (bb and Nash) and I went on a run this morning...

stopped by Jill's house but she was not home 

so we thought we'd take this pic in her yard. 

normal, right? 

both Nash and bb have been excellent running (riding) buddies! I am so very, very thankful that they seem to enjoy the runs, as they do... otherwise I would be super bummed out. I would probably not be running so much if one of them decided to be uncooperative. luckily bb typically falls asleep during the run and nash just frolics beside me. when we get home nash passes out and bb usually enjoys a bottle and then some play time. everyone wins!

time for the weekend! 

mo days, mo pics

another day, another roll of pics of my bb. yep, i am that mom! 'that mom' i never knew i would be but am happy with the fact that I AM. baby james pretty much makes me happier than I ever knew i could or wanted to be, even at 2 am. and again at 3 am. and at 4 am when he has a fistful of my hair. yes - all those times and more! i've included some silly candid pics from the last 2-3 days... 

busted! playing with his drawstrings

ruling the living room rug 

my new runners - how'd that get in there!? (PS they are awesome)

this morning he decided to hang out, 

standing up (almost) by himself...

just putting out the vibe!

the weather has been fairly nice lately which has enabled us to go for a few runs around Lake Harriet. Dearest Jill has been a great running buddy for us and has definitely made our lake adventures more enjoyable! Hopefully we keep up the good habit!

you hear me, Jilly??

also: happy birthday to miss Jilly Bean, the Yogi Queen!! so happy to have you as a great part of my family's life!!

(Husby Rick and Jill on their wedding day....obvi)

family fun!

Happy Mothers Day 2014! my darling parents and the grand babies! We had brunch at Stella's Fish Cafe...pretty delicious food. Can't say how healthy it was, but it tasted yummy and was a fun treat. Add great company, and you can call it a WONDERFUL DAY!

Nan, Jimmy, Olivia, Poppa, Grace

too cool! new shades

not sure if this video will display or not, but it's a video clip of baby james watching his favorite flick, Toy Story. It's the opening scene with Mr. Potato Head as the bank robber and then Woody comes to save the day. James's first big grin is when Mr. Potato Head is kissing the money from the piggy bank, and his second big grin and excitement is when the camera shows Woody's grand entrance. It is simply too cute to watch and the best thing is that bb gets this excited EVERY time he watched the movie (which is at least once a day...even if it's just he first 15 minutes). It's to die for. :)

love it!

springing ahead!

So far Spring has proven to be quite a busy season. And of course, it is flying by. Time does fly when you're having more fun! we have been having a great time introducing baby james to "solid" food, which basically means a rice cereal and pureed fruits and veggies. This boy LOVES to eat. I know I sound like Captain Obvious with that statement, but even though he does not particularly care for, say, mashed peas, he still wants to EAT them. He loves the fact that he is eating food like WE eat! He still takes a bottle, but now gets the rice and fruit/veggie combo 2 to 3 times a day. I think his favorite is rice and sweet potatoes, but I think mango is a close second. it's amazing how my outlook and daily highlights have changed from just 12-16 months ago. :) it IS a whole new life!

baby J watching me while I get ready in the morning

Kentucky Derby Day at our favorite, Brits!

me, Kristin G, Kristin W, Kenny (my dad!), Karin and James

May 3rd was the 140th Kentucky Derby...Derby Day is easily one of James' and mine's favorite days of the year! People really go 'all out' for this FUN day with hats, fascinators,  and seersucker suits galore! Next year we are going to make the hats/fascinators a requirement for the ladies in our group. IF you've never watched the Derby, I highly recommend it! It truly is the most exciting 2 minutes, ever!! We just casually pick a horse as they are prancing to the starting gates (on TV) and then BOOM! They're off!! Of course we have a couple Mint Juleps to get us fired up :) Hey, it's tradition!!

baby J loves watching Toy Story!! LOVE it!

Nash is so wonderfully tempered and patient! 

He just hangs out while baby J learns how to pet him nicely :) 

We are very lucky!!

"ahhhhhhhhhh!" sing the angels! 

This photo op was too perfect to pass up!