Cute Little Boy

James did pretty well for a while in front of the camera last week. He's not sitting up without help, but Mommy sure got some good giggles out of him for the picture.

And Claire was a big help too!

MM Comes for a Quick Visit

Pops and MM have sold their house in Murrells Inlet and will be moving into their new home in Cleveland, TN very soon. On the way up to Tennessee, MM stopped by for a quick visit and Claire was very pleased with the surprise. Claire showed MM her new felt sandwich set (she has a lot of fun making odd combinations of sandwich fixin's and feeding them to James)

Resemblance Part II (kinda)

Part of the reason for getting some new pictures of James in my old Michigan onesie was that my parents actually have two photography sessions of me taken several months apart but wearing the same thing (not just a bigger version - it was the exact same outfit). We got a lot of compliments on the first James photo because he looks so much like his daddy:

James on the left at a few weeks -- Matt on the right about the same

So I figured that at a few months later, I'd photograph him again and do the same side-by-side comparison with the same "he looks so much like his daddy" outcome. This is what I got...

 James on the left at 3.5 months -- Matt on the right at... I dunno

Nothing like me!

Now, there are a lot of things going on here:

1) James is chubbier in the cheeks... and everywhere else; it apparently took me a little while to get my full chub on but I eventually got there (see more photos below)

2) My face is looking directly at the camera so it appears as though my eyes are larger when in fact James is just leaning back and his cheeks obscure the view

3) Notice that the sleeves are being worn much higher on James' arm, which means he's already larger than I was at the time of the photo. Since I don't know the exact date it was taken it's possible that I was a month younger than he is now

On #1, here's proof that I eventually got my chub

On #2, James really does have some big eyes of his own

On #3, this is the only picture I have that might match closer to James' current age

But wait, here's the best part - if James doesn't look exactly like Daddy, at least he looks a lot like his Mommy!

James' Nursery

James' nursery was done a few weeks before he arrived, but there were a few finishing touches that we always meant to do before posting the photos (actually, I just had to mount the toy hanger but we were never quite certain how or where to put it up).  The theme is argyle.  The curtains were improved with some additional fabric and MM's excellent sewing skills. The shelves are handmade 3D diamonds, which was a fun project and I taught myself a few new tricks. The furniture is from the same store we got Claire's set from, and has the same expansion set.

Videos

Here is Claire being cute and staying back while I open the oven door.



Did you know Claire can spell?



Now a few videos of my favorite thing in the world right now--watching my babies interact.  Notice how James loves to watch Claire. 

INK Museum

Last week we visited the INK Museum in Gainesville, GA (Interactive Neighborhood for Kids) and we had a wonderful time (Claire had a blast, we enjoyed watching). The museum contains a series of rooms furnished as various commercial/public centers (restaurant, doctor's office, school, courtroom, dentist, bank, music room, etc.) as well as an antique fire truck, a hollowed airplane, a modern police car, a fiberglass cow with working udders, and much more. There were also several private birthday party rooms.

This was the perfect childrens' museum for kids that might be a tad too young for bigger ones like the Atlanta Children's Museum. We'd never seen anything like it and we look forward to visiting again.

Still learning how to wield the toy knife... it's effective but thank goodness for rubber

The apron was too long but the chef's hat was just right

"I diyd eit!"

Checking labels for preservatives and processed ingredients

Claire picked up plenty of veggies in the store - and not one cookie

Empty boxes can be confusing

Claire also found plenty of fruits that she likes to eat

Unfortunately, plastic cheese looks more real than plastic pineapple

The teeny tiny shopping carts are adorable

James had a pretty good view in the baby carrier

The no-sand sandbox was a favorite; I'm guessing because of the ducks

A fiberglass cow with rubber udders that squirt white water into foam in a bucket... who thought of that?

She looks so grown up!

A working choo-choo with gadgets that activate with a doorbell button - cool!

Claire read daddy a story

Claire knows this scale and the doctor's office from her Max the Monkey game

We hoped that this practice might help avoid a tantrum next time at the doctor's office

Paging Doctor Claire

She actually wore the stethoscope

Doctor Claire gives Daddy a checkup

 No early fantasies about our children becoming doctors... she just looks really cute

Man and Woman doctor puppets; the woman was Dr. Alli... obviously

Mommy shows Dr. Claire how to take care of baby

James enjoyed his naps that day, and was thankful he didn't have to play the patient

Claire practices brushing teeth

Say aaaaaaaahhhhhhh....

...and eeeeeeeeeeeeee

At the bank, there was an ATM and a desk. Claire knew exactly what to do.

(if you look really close, you notice that it's a computer mouse)

A tea party set! She knew exactly what to do with that.

Near the end of the day, why not unwind with some books

James had two naps, two snacks and a lot of cuddly time in Mommy's arms

Peek-a-boo!