The Corn Maze

Well hello. Yes it's me, the blogging failure. June 26? Was that really that last time I made a new post?
Anyway, I thought I would share our latest adventure. My friend, Jessie, introduced us to the Oakes Corn Maze last year. There were a lot of activities in which to participate. However, because we were short on time and James was a little small at five months old, we didn't do too much. Ryan had fall break this week, so we decided to make a return visit. Can I just say that we had a blast? James loved it! There were a few activities he wasn't too sure about. He was terrified of the farm animals (yes, even the bunnies). He was scared of the sand pit and the trough of corn, but we found plenty to keep us entertained. 

The slides were one of  James' favorites. He did take a bit of a rough tumble when Dad tried to send him down alone...

 James trying to run away from a goat.

 This was a giant air balloon thing. James was a little nervous at first, but really liked it after he got used to it. It was a bit tricky to run on though:

 The corn maze. James has a pretty good sense of direction. He got us out.

 The corn was pretty cool as long as we didn't try to put him in it.

 James was the one doing all the work.

 

 Ryan liked the pedal tractors. James thought it was pretty fun too.

 Ryan would kill me if he knew I was posting this...

 Yes, that pumpkin behind us is real. 1050 lbs baby!

James got to choose his very own pumpkin to bring home. He likes to put stickers on it. We're trying to decide if we're going to get more adventurous in decorating it.
Well, that's all folks!

Summer Fun

Now that it's warm outside (hot, actually), we've been having some adventures in the great outdoors. James loves to be outside. He loves to eat dirt, runaway, and find any sort of trouble that he can get into. Here are some of our adventures:

On one of Dad's days off, we got to go on a picnic at our favorite park. James ate enough grapes to make anyone sick. We enjoyed relaxing and even fed some squirrels (of which there are a great abundance in Tennessee).

  

  
Some of the ladies in my ward organized a play group for the summer. We meet once a week at a park or pool. James loves bath time but isn't quite sure what to think of water in larger quantities. He was brave enough to get close (but not in) the water at the splash pad the first time we went. The second time, he wouldn't even go near it. He does love to climb up the big toy that is next to the splash pad. I'm always afraid that he is going to get run over by the older kids. When we went to the pool, James was really afraid at first. Then he decided it was okay as long as Mom was near and nobody splashed him.
         

James' first chocolate chip cookie (Thanks, Lindsey...)

Those who know me know that I LOVE soccer. Below is a picture of James watching the European championships with me. I've got to start brainwashing him young so he doesn't grow up to be a basketball player like his dad wants...

And finally, here is a picture of our trip to get some ice cream. James love ice cream, but he hasn't quite gotten the concept of an ice cream cone yet. I ended up pinching the ice cream and feeding it to him. Talk about a sticky mess. Next time I'll ask for a cup and spoon.

Our little boy is still growing too fast. He is so much fun, but is lots of work too. I always feel pretty exhausted by the end of the day. He loves to climb. If there is something to get on top of, he will. If he can't climb it, he cries until Mom lifts him up. He's getting to be a pretty fast runner. He got away from me outside the other day while I was carrying groceries. I never would have caught him if he hadn't tripped. 

James spends his days running around making messes EVERYWHERE. He has gotten three new teeth in the last week (making eleven), and more seem to be coming in. It is nice to know that he's been ornery for a reason.

Anyway, I'll stop rambling now. Good for you if you made it through :)

James and His Fan Club

I can't believe it, but my little guy is already a year old. His birthday was May 16, but we celebrated it a little early because part of his fan club was in town. My parents and sisters made the long journey from Utah to spend time with us. They claim that they came to see all three of us, but we all know that the biggest reason they came was to see James. I guess there are special privileges when you are the only grandchild in the family.

I made a panda bear cake with a little help from my friend, Lindsey. James thought the frosting was pretty good, but he wasn't too impressed with the actual cake. I think that his favorite part was finger painting in the frosting. James just enjoyed playing in the cake until he lifted the plate up and it fell off. He found this really scary for some reason and then wanted to be done with the cake. 

                      

He got lots of fun presents from his family. You can see some of the pictures below (I promise that I don't beat my child. His bruised shins result from a love of climbing.).

                                     

                                  

We had a lot of fun with family here. However, like all good things, the visit came to an end. We did have  some fun adventures. We went to downtown Knoxville, on a steamboat ride, to an aquarium, and to a Titanic museum (Alyssa's choice). I'll let pictures tell the story:

                                

                          

                          

Yes, Ryan tried to feed James to a shark... 

Well, now we're back to real life. James thinks that I need to be constantly paying attention to him because his fan club isn't here to entertain him. Ryan is getting ready to teach a calculus class for the summer and is studying for his prelim exam in August. And I'm trying to keep up with my boys. 

Baby Steps

It happened... James can walk! Well, he's been walking for a couple of weeks now, but I'm really bad at blogging. In fact, he's become quite an expert. Last night he was walking all around the living room, dodging toys, and turning in circles... all while shaking the rattle in his hand. And yes, he does like to get into EVERYTHING. One of these videos is from the second night of walking, and the other was a couple weeks later. It is hard to catch him walking on camera though because all he can focus on is getting the camera. Pardon the funny "Mommy voice", and sorry that the second video is sideways.




We've put gates at the bottom of the stairs and at the entrance to the kitchen. He gets pretty upset when he can't get through them. He typically stands there and shakes them ferociously. I've had to rearrange a lot of our apartment. Anything that's in his reach is not safe. So, the bottom shelves of the bookcase and the desk are now empty.
James' favorite time of day is when Daddy comes home. James loves to be chased, so as soon as Daddy walks in the door he either hurries to say hello or hurries to run away. Mornings are getting hard though. James started to cry the other day when Ryan walked out of the door.
We love Tennessee, but we're missing our family. We really wish that grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, and cousin (yes, only one) were closer. We also miss old friends, but we love our new ones.
Well, that's all folks... until next time.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Well, we're just getting settled back into real life. Ryan started a new semester today, and James is keeping me busy as usual (thank goodness for the occasional nap). We had a great holiday break. We visited my family in Utah and Ryan's family in Wyoming. As expected, James was pretty spoiled by his grandparents. And his parents both gained a few pounds...
James got lots of fun new toys and some cute clothes, but his favorite part of the trip was all of the attention. He loved having grandparents, aunts, uncles, and even a cousin to play with. Here is some pictorial evidence:





In case you can't read his shirt... It says "there is an exothermic reaction in my diaper". I think it's pretty fantastic. Amber is the chemistry nerd who gave it to him :)

Someday I really need to figure out a better way to organize pictures on Blogger...

James has learned lots of new tricks. He can sit up very well, crawl on his hands and knees (although he usually just scoots on his belly), and pull up on anything and everything. The downside, however, is that he has been falling and bonking his head a lot. James is a VERY fast runner if he can get someone to hold his hands. He also has three teeth!

James' favorite discoveries of the trip:
His cousin Ann's car

Soccer with a beach ball (Ryan is mourning because he wanted a basketball player)

And a jumper my cousin Tanele let us borrow (He also got his very own from Mom and Dad for Christmas)