first bike ride {sort of}

a few days this week were actually nice.  by "nice" i mean that the temperature was in the 90s and it felt like fall day versus the 100+ temps with a heat index of 115.  so, mr. h and i decided that it was time for james to go on a bike ride.  for this to happen, with such a short time span after work, we needed to act quick.  we made a plan and went to work.  i was in charge of fighting the downtown traffic to pick up james' first bike helmet.  well, first helmet of any kind to be exact.

cute.  right?  so, i zoomed downtown and came home.  i eagerly fed james while mr. h went to get air in our bicycle tires.  did you know if you don't ride your bike for...say 2 summers...your tires will be flatter than a pancake?  yes, it's true.  i love(d) to ride my bike but in the spring/summer of 2009 i was pretty big and pregnant.  have you seen a pregnant woman riding a bike?  no, i didn't think so.  even after james was born i still couldn't exactly jump on and go bc my flower had to heal james was too small to join.  anyway, back to the game plan - mr. h went to the closest gas station to fill our tires and hurry home to put the toddler bike seat on his bike.  we opted for one that extends off the back of the bike versus a pull behind, at this point.  this is the crucial point where mr. h realized that his back tire was flat.  i don't mean just needs more air flat.  i mean he needs a new tube flat.  dang!  we were running out of time and the once neighborhood bike shop moved downtown.  what to do?  the excitement, anticipation and hard work were done.  we were ready.  we wanted to put on the helmet and give james a spin.  so, what do you think mr. h would do?  exactly!  still ride.  strap the kid in regardless and go for a few circles out in front of the house.  duh.

the first few minutes james would not move his hands down.  at first he was trying to remove his helmet (thank you baby jesus for the chin strap) but then i think he was just mesmerized and left his hands up there.

overall it was a small success.  james seemed to enjoy it.  he didn't scream or cry.  he didn't really let out a peep actually BUT he was unhappy when ben stopped.  so, biker james had his first real bike ride the following day.  i can say that that family outing was a complete success and make me look forward to fall and future family bike rides ahead.

antibacterial addiction.

i wish i could get a lifetime supply of wet ones.  if there were a contest, i'd enter.  i'd make mr. h and my mom enter too.  and make them give them to me if they won. these beauties have been a heaven send since james was born.  i cannot stand a messy face or sticky hands.  james is the typical one year old and gets into everything, creating a tornado in his path, and learning how to feed himself big boy foods.  therefore, we constantly have a messy face and sticky hands...but not for long.  i'll even take time during a meal to freshen him up. it makes me feel better.  i'm sure it does him too.  right?

me:  i got two more containers of wet ones while i was at wal-mart.

mr. h:  good.  you can't ever have too many.  where did you put them?

me:  i know, right?  on top of the fridge.

mr. h:  i wonder if you can buy them at sam's.  they would make a great present for someone.

too cute.  i think that is officially a daddy moment and can rank up there in phrases i'd never thought i'd hear mr. h say.  regardless, we are going to see if we can buy these antibacterial bad boys in bulk.

motor boat...

can you hear him?  he makes the motor boat sound all the time.  it is also the truck sound, the speed racer sound, his red car sound and it is similar to the airplane sound.  bbb-b-b-b-b-b is a universal sound, right??

father's day.

this year was mr. h's first father's day so i wanted to get him something special.  something sentimental.  this is hard.  i can buy gift for my hubs with no problems.  he likes anything that has to do with the great outdoors.  our first valentine's day i got him a bamboo longboard and i got a camelbak.  i know some ladies would be disappointed but you know what?  i use that baby blue camelbak and it is a gift i probably wouldn't have purchased for myself so overall it was a successful commercial holiday.  for our anniversary i wanted a watch.  he wanted a patagonia coat.  of equal value.  done deal.  win win.  both happy.  well, back to my point - i didn't just want to get him some wicking boxers or an arc'teryx something just to fill the void and know that i'm a cool wife who got the hubs a cool gift.  my mother's day present was special and something i'll wear and remember forever.  i wanted a gift with equal sentimental value. 
mr. h loves to be outside.  we he has a garden out back and is always tinkering outside so my train of thought was in that department when bam! it hit me.  a garden stone.  a homemade garden stone to be exact.  i went to michael's and picked out the kit.  it came with cement, a cement mixer and colored glass.  i also purchased some stamp letters bc i know i would be unhappy with my own handwriting. 
i left it in my car so it would be a surprise.  i had envisioned this wonderful mommy son day making daddy's perfect present.  then reality set in and i needed a large bucket and time.  time with daddy away and time for it to dry.  in a secret location.  hummm.  probably not going to happen.  so, it became a family affair.  ben got opened the cards and box and we made it together.  it was so much fun.  i will admit that it was more fun with him involved than it would have been if i were doing it solo.
father's day was spent with family - as it should.  i woke up with james and took him to get daddy breakfast.  why? bc mr. h is the cook around our household and bc this will give him some peace and quiet while were gone.  we return food in hand to have a jolly morning and start the project.  mr. h mixed the concrete and poured it in the form.  i promptly came outside to supervise but it was hot (hot!) so i went back inside with james for a few minutes until i felt it was time to check the concrete again.  i spent way too much time smoothing down the top. i felt it needed to be perfect.  this will only prove to be a waste of time once we try to get james to stand on the wet concrete.  this is the part where i'm clearly insane for thinking i could do it on my own. my son is heavy.  daddy picked him up and held james above the wet concrete while i held his feet and tried to get him to leave a flat impression without kicking the entire mold over.  first attempt - fail.  second attempt - better than the first but still fail.  james stood on the mix but when we went pick him up he would flick his toes in the concrete messing up the footprint.  third attempt - both sweating.  both hot.  both laughing but still really hot.  james goes up, plants feet, mom gives the go to hoist him up and there those curious toes go again BUT we didn't care.  it was funny, hilarious actually, and the whole process made for an amazing memory that we still talk about to this day.  on frequent occasion. 

see the feet?  see the blobs?  see the smeared toe marks?  they are perfect.  they are priceless.

the perfect father's day memory garden stone now has a royal place on our dining room table. we brought it inside to show company and there it sits.  so, it is clean and shows no sign of dirt or wear and is now used as conversation piece.  hopefully mr. h will find the perfect place for it outside soon.  then i will take a picture of the finished product and james.  we intend to do this next year and the next year and for as many years as we see fit.  hopefully with the practice and time, we'll get to be better garden stone makers and james will be more cooperative while lending us his feet for the design.  happy father's day!  thank you for being so good to your little family.

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.