we had a WHALE of a time...

sunday, the 18th was james' actual birthday party. i posted the invitation in a previous post. he had a small celebration with just mr. h and myself on his actual birthday and another one with family. i think he's loving all the attention cake. but back to the whale party. i think the party came together just how i imagined. bright, colorful balloons (like 90 of them!) were set out to greet the guests - that is until they popped in the heat - along with dozens of beach balls, a giant whale was floating fun in the pool accompanied by every cute whale i could find.  july around here tends to be pretty hot but people we had a heat wave!! so temperatures with the heat index felt like 115! this is oklahoma where we get a heat wave and a side of humidity. fortunately we were generously offered a pool to cool down and celebrate my little squirt. james even had his own whale pool so he could tolerate the heat in style.

i have a ton (TON!!) of pictures i'd love to post but i'll just post a few of my favorites.

birthday boy!

stinker face!

james' personal VIP whale pool and whale squirts

if you know me, you know i love sweets.  if you saw my birthday cupcake post, you know that my boy loves sweets too.  i was SO excited for his smash cake i thought that we'd set it down and he would go-to-town.  i envisioned cake flying and a happy baby clappy and squeeling with delight.  i was wrong. 

pre-cake pose

ready...set...GO!

fumble!!

we all gathered around to sing happy birthday, per my request, and james looked scared.  or shocked. or scared and shocked.  as soon as we finished and people clapped - he just lost it.  through his tears he tried to crawl to me and kicked the cake over.  then the real melt down began as captured in the image above.  of course i couldn't just stand by so i leaped to his side and tried to make it all better.

it worked!  mommy and daddy know how to calm this kid down.  good thing he didn't realize that all the smiles, laughs and chuckles were at his expense.  it was so sad but so incredibly cute all at the same time.  finally he ate cake.  yummy cake.

the before:

and after:

after being covered in cake, it was time to cool down in the pool.  yes, both of us were covered in cake and both were in much need of "bath".  since the formal part of the birthday party was over, we could swim, relax and enjoy the company of our guests.  our friends and family are so generous.  auntie beebs (aka sugar momma from this point forward) made all the sugars, the hancocks opened their house and pool without hesitation and andrea came to capture these priceless moments from behind her lens.  (she posted several collage pictures that really show off the details that made the whale theme a success.)  i'm so grateful that so many family members and friends were able to endure the heat and celebrate james first year of life with us.  we're one lucky family. 

happy first birthday james p. sunshine!  you make me happier every single day.  i feel so honored to be your momma and be able to raise you around so much love and support.  my wheels are already spinning for your big boy 2nd birthday shindig.  happy first birthday!

i feel good...

Whoa-oa-oa! I feel good, I knew that I would, now

I feel good, I knew that I would, now
So good, so good, I got you
Whoa! I feel nice, like sugar and spice
I feel nice, like sugar and spice
So nice, so nice, I got you

james brown.  i used this song at my wedding during my bouquet toss.  i love this song.  it makes me feel good.  it brings a smile to my face.  and you know what?  i've had a good day.  now, this might not be a good saturday to you but to me it was great. 
so, i'm going to tell you about it.  i have not put on any makeup.  all day.  not that you really care but you're reading my blog so you'll have to deal with my stories as they come.  plus, it's a birthday party blog break bc my next post will be about james' whale party but you can get a peek at the photos on andrea's blog.  anyway back to my day - i woke up next to my favorite boys. 

well, this is an old picture. before time change.  when it was light out.  i crawled out of bed at 4:52 am.  i even set the wrong alarm but woke up naturally.  it was dark outside and cold in my bedroom.  perfect sleeping conditions.  regardless, i went and ran at 5:45 with my group.  it was hot.  i was sweaty.  no need to go into deal except for it was hard and i did it.  i felt good afterwards.  i feel stronger.  except for my two blisters.  running topped off with starbucks makes for a great saturday morning.  ben took james to the farmer's market and so when we all got home james took a nap.  i got to relax and take a long shower, drink my coffee and talk to my husband all without interruption.  then james woke up in the best mood so we ate breakfast and played and laughed and had a big time. 

start the car,

defensive driving,

and have fun!

this was followed by a trip to mr. hale's parents house to play in the pool.  it's hot outside.  too hot for a baby, obviously, but definitely too hot for me.  i melt.  i'm a sweater.  my husband loves me in spite of it.  when we got there grandma bought james some new toys.  the ones that light up, make tons of noise and are big enough for james to pull up and sit/fall down over and over again so he wanted to play inside with grandma after we got some quality family pool time.  while i got to lay out.  on a floatie.  just lay in the pool!  kick my feet up, drink a lime bevie and relax.  bliss.  after several hours and a turkey sandwich later we came home.  james fell alseep and so i snuggled up next to him and watched chic tv.  i couldn't fall asleep but it was just nice getting some cuddle time before dinner. 

dinner time is always fun.  we have a juggling act on who gets to spend an hour trying to cook dinner, feed james "big boy" foods and then end up polishing it off with baby food and a semi warm meal.  we've gotten good at it.  it's messy too.  my dogs love it.  james usually ends the meal with his sippy cup of water and a big smile.  this leads to play time.  tonight his favorite toy was this big bouncy ball with glitter inside.  he would throw it, roll it and follow after while screaming, clapping and having an independent blast.  i got to take off my chipped polish and repaint my nails.  i painted my finger nails this so-so color of pink.  i don't hate it but the only reason i didn't remove it is because i know it will last less than a week anyway.  then james was so stinkin' cute that i had to get on the dining room floor and played until bath time.  i messed up my nails but it was worth it.

after bath time, i feed james his night time bottle and rocked him to sleep.  i love cuddle time.  i started a lifetime movie and opened a bottle of vino.  the boys are in bed and i'm sipping watching a movie.

i had no plans today.  it turned out perfect.  i got up and worked on my self esteem, got some sun, had quality time with the fam AND got to have some wine and watch a movie.  i love today.  not as much as i love my james or mr. h but i love today.

i hope you're having a good saturday as well. 

happy birthday {cup}cake.....in pictures

raising hale

james p. sunshine is obviously happy to be 1 year old and getting a photo shoot first thing in the morning.

mom, i will not sit here.  if you don't hurry i will get off this bench all by myself.  it may or may not be pretty.

29.3 pounds

31 1/2 inches tall

7 teeth and all smiles

i started to take monthly pictures but i made a critical mistake - i decided that they had to be in the same position which required me to rearrange my dining room and wait for the light to be just right so that the french doors didn't produce a ton of shadows.  i only made it through 6 months and am regretting it today but i still couldn't resist taking one more for his year to see how much james has grown.

12 lbs. 7 oz.

16 lbs. 1 oz.

20 lbs. 6 oz.

23 lbs. 5 oz.

29.3 pounds

BIG boy. 

my little squirt...

i CANNOT believe that my son is 1 year and 5 days old!  i was pregnant for what seemed like f--o-r-e-v-e-r and now the past year has flown by in what seems like a blink of an eye.  i've loved every single minute of it and i'm looking forward to all the fun years ahead. 

of course james will have several birthday celebrations but his whale party was the big one.  the one that i spent months planning.  the one that included family and his 30 closest friends.  it was THE big day!!  even the 112+ degree heat index didn't stop us from having a good time. 

above is the invitation that i had designed just for james on etsy.  i love how it turned out and think it had a good representation to the bright colored fun that lay ahead.  i will have more posts on his birthday as i upload pictures and when i get them from andrea, who was kind enough to come and sweat to death capture this special day for the hale family.

i love planning parties and i loved planning this one.  i'm already thinking up my "theme" for next years big bash.  james' bash, of course.....even though i'll be the big 3-0. 

vroom vroom...

james is ready to go drag boston place in his royal blue ride.  it is tricked out with 4 inch wheels and has two horses feet under the hood.

at first this speed racer was a bit intimidating.  james didn't know what to think.  it moves - and it moves fast.  it is also missing a seat belt so it is quite easy to topple off to the side.  he can handle the spills unless he bonks his head.  then game over.  but he'll just sit next to it and admire his new ride with a few proud slaps of endearment. 

we live in oklahoma so we've obviously taken in off road.  no, dad doesn't think it's near as cool but i think james likes it.  the speed racer moves at a much slower pace on the grass.  regardless i cannot believe that my baby boy is big enough for a big boy toy.  he'll be able to race around the house, run over the dogs and eventually walk behind it. 

what happened to this little guy?

this was right before his very first car ride.

before i know it he will be driving a real car.  tear.

captain james p. sunshine...

this past weekend was the kick off to lake season, memorial day weekend. this would also mark the first time james would ride on a boat or play in the lake. last summer james was just too small. my theory was that if he was too small to take tylenol, he was too small to play in keystone lake. if you've been to keystone, you understand.

as you can tell the water is not blue or crystal clear BUT the lake is still fun none the less. plus, you can't beat a 20 minute car ride for a trip to the lake.

before when i've gone to the lake i've had to remember the essential items but i knew if i forgot something everything would be okay. someone would have it or i wouldn't need it that bad. well, this year was different. taking a baby anywhere doubles (or maybe even triples) the load and i didn't want to forget anything. thank heavens for the carts to help you carry all your items down to the boat.

i did not take a picture of all the items we brought but overall i don't think i over packed nor under packed.  score!  first time out and i nailed it.  phew!  thank goodness i have a big, strong husband to help carry everything.  BUT there was one certain item that was absolutely necessary but james did not like it nor want anything to do with it....his life jacket!  the royal blue, top rated, i had to pay $20 extra in shipping to get it here in time life jacket.

this is one of the few pictures taken bc james would cry and need some special attention to calm him down.  the kind of attention only momma can give - otherwise known as a bottle and some snuggle time.  now if he even sees the adorable little, blue, duckie jacket he starts to throw a fit.  hopefully he'll get used to it so he can go on the boat more in the summer days to come.

as soon as we started to talk about going to the lake, mr. hale would tell buster that he could drive the boat.  oh boy did james ever love driving. standing in daddy's lap and holding onto the steering wheel gave captain jp sunshine a big smile but honestly i don't know who enjoyed it more.  i know mr. hale loved having his best friend helping him.  it really was so sweet.  melt your heart sweet - not melt bc it's oklahoma and it's going to be a hot, hot summer but that will melt your heart too.

after many hours of fun in the sun james finally took a nap.  this kid was not going to miss a beat.  he loved all the attention from the ladies and the water.  this one and only nap did not last long - not near as long as i thought it would but he didn't even wake up a grumpy mess.  he was ready to swim and splash again.  regardless it was time to head home for our normal, nightly routine.  my baby doesn't skip and meal and he definitely wasn't going to skip a bath - no matter what.  i am positive sand in the diaper can't be comfortable.

all aboard!!  take us in captain sunshine....

(cutest farmer's tan i've ever seen!)

i hope everyone had a safe and wonderful memorial day weekend too. thank you to our military friends and family who protect and serve our country.  we are forever grateful.

house divided.

osu 2 : ou 1



we win!!!

happy first mother's day.

yesterday was my first mother's day and it was perfect. (last year i was 36 weeks pregnant and claimed mother's day but this year it was official.) my husband and son spoiled me rotten. i liked it. i won't lie. i love being a mother. i'm honored to be james' mother.

the follow conversation was held with mr. hale yesterday:

me: i'm so lucky james made me his mommy.

mr. h: i made you a mommy.

me: no, you got me pregnant. james made me a mommy.

we both giggled and talked about how lucky we are to have such a special baby boy.



thank you james for being my sunshine. my soulshine. my everything-shine.

okc memorial marathon.

"you better lose yourself in the music, the moment
you own it, you better never let it go go
you only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
this opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo"

6:30 am - the gun goes off. the crowd starts to move and we wait in anticipation for our turn. then scrambling, a woman is frantically searching the ground for something. her earring? her earbud? something important?? we look at the ground not knowing whether to run or help until we realize it is our turn and we carefully make our way around her. luckily, she found it. it meaning her tooth! no, i'm not lying. i couldn't make that up. so now we will forever wonder if she ran toothless and smiled or simply decided this wasn't her year to run the memorial marathon.

"You better take it from me, that boy is like a disease.
You're running, you're trying, your trying to hide and you're wondering why you can't get free"

someone told me that the OKC run was relatively flat. they were flat out wrong! this made the run much more challenging but worth seeing the the 2 story gorilla and cruising down the back side of the slopes. i love declines.

bum bum bum ba ba bum
bum bum bum ba ba bum
"pressure pressing down on me - under pressure
that burns a building down splits a family in two puts people on streets"

good call on whoever put vanilla ice - skinner
no vanilla ice. this is david bowie. vanilla ice got sued for ripping off the cords from this song. - me

i made a playlist for me and my gang to listen to while we ran 13.1 miles. i asked them to pick 13 of their favorite running tunes and then i would mix them together in one playlist to get us through our bricktown stroll. i thought it would be neat to all have the same music playing at the same time. to have the same beat and tempo while cruising along. i love this idea. i am glad that we could experience the same songs together and enjoy some new music on our ipods. lord knows i needed some new tunes.

"i see a red door and i want it painted black
no colors anymore i want them to turn black
and i see the girls walk by dressed in thier summer clothes
and i have to turn my head until my darkness goes"

my goal time was 2:15. "paint it black" was supposed to be my ending song. the fast beat was supposed to carry me across the finish line under my goal where i could breath and then enjoy "i gotta a feeling" and "i got you (i feel good)". i would be doing my victory dance and thinking about lunch. unfortunately, "paint it black" came and went. i was still running. i was in the home stretch but still running. my official finish time was 2:19:23. so, i blew my goal by 4 minutes. 4 minutes is a long time while running. 4 minutes is almost half a mile. 4 stupid minutes.

BUT here's the deal. i could be depressed, down on myself or not feel success but that just wouldn't be right. i completed my main goal: to finish this half marathon 9 months after james was born. and i did it! i'm going to go ahead and toot my own horn. i had a goal. i trained and i did it. a little bruised ego and three big blisters later - i'm happy. i'm not going to let anything get me down. oh no! i've got to keep a movin'.

crossing the finish line to baby james was awesome.

the time spent training away from james was hard but obviously he thinks the medal was worth it too.

this is not my last run. i will reach my 2:15 goal. i will blog about it.