A Date at the Zoo

Sorry I haven't been around much lately.  Those two boys of mine sure keep me busy.  Busy and tired.  Anyway, I thought I'd do a quick post tonight & share some pics from our zoo date with these two lovely ladies:

Eva & Emily

Isn't Eva adorable?  She was not a big fan of her hat, though!

Baby Talk

 I'm glad that Eva and her mom are so easy going.  Now that James is a big 2 year old, he has definite thoughts on what he does and does not want to do at the zoo.  And most of what he did not want to do was look at the live animals.  He much preferred the inanimate ones, so we spent most of our time watching him climb, hug, and pet statues.  He would have spent the whole time there with the aligator if I let him.  I guess I don't blame him, though - it was pretty hot out, and a lot of the animals were taking a siesta.

 He said that the little polar bear was Charlie, and the big one was Mama :).

We had a great time, but James was a bit cranky towards the end.  This was the only way I could get him to smile for a group picture.


And now for a couple of unrelated videos!

This one was taken a couple of weeks ago:

I love the smiling, cooing, talkative stage.  Actually, I love all the stages.  So far, anyway!

And this one was taken last weekend when some of the Books came to visit.  I think James found a new best friend in Oliver.

Fun Times with the Dunbars

 

Thanks for the fun-filled weekend, Dunbars!  We hope you come back soon!

xoxo, Matthew, Leah & James

Cousins...Then & Now

Over the weekend, we got to spend some time with our Boone cousins at my brother's wedding shower.  The last time all the little ones were together was for James's baby shower back in April of 2011, so I thought I'd share some Then & Now's.  They've changed a little :)

Last month, James also got to visit with his cousin Ambrose Kruer

I love that James has so many cousins that are so close in age.  It will be so much fun watching them grow up together :)

Playtime in Indiana

Ok, this is the last post from our trip back to the Hoosier state. As usual, we had a great time seeing family and friends, and I couldn't resist sharing a few pictures and videos of James playing.

Playing in the dirt at Pa's.

Playing on the floor at Pa's house (& munching on some Cheerios)

Playing with his soccer ball.

Post-playtime curly hair.

Playing with Jacob at Bass Pro.

Playing basketball with Pa.

Playing at the park. (Cutest. Tushie.  Ever.)

Playing on the slide with Scarlett (aka his future bride).

Yes, Beth (Scarlett's mom) & I have already started planning the wedding.

Despite all the fun playing we did in Indiana, we missed Dada :(

When we got back to Madison, James hugged three things upon our return (which I took to mean the three things he missed most):

1. Dada

2. The cats (Boo was a little more receptive to the hug than Wrigley, but they both accepted the hugs)

3. Our laptop

That's my boy!

Apple of our Eye

On Saturday, Matthew, James and I met our friends Sterling, Stephanie and Everett for some apple picking in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin.  Sorry, I just couldn't resist the corny blog post title :)

 

 

 

I'll be back (hopefully) later today with some pictures from our Sunday trip to Dubuque, Iowa.

Happy Monday!

James & Everett

On Saturday, Matthew, James, & I drove down to Chicago to see my friends Sterling and Stephanie, and to meet their son Everett, who is exactly one day older than James.  Isn't he a cutie?

Everett had an extra Bumpo chair that he kindly gave to James.  Being the confident man that he is, James didn't mind so much that it was purple.    

 

We thought it might be cute to pose the boys with Elmo, but James thought otherwise and promptly gave him a smack to the head.  Look at that mischievous grin on my boy, while Everett looks on sadly.

 

The boys hit it off, and were soon in deep conversation about their mutual love for milk and Bumpo chairs.

Everett, who is possibly the best sleeper ever (the boy started sleeping through the night at 2 months!  I'm talking 9-11 hours at a single go.  Matthew and I are just a little jealous.), went down for a nap, so James hung out in his chair alone while the adults enjoyed some yummy Korean tacos and Vietnamese sandwiches.

 

After lunch, James peed through his diaper, dinosaur onesie, and onto my leg.  Hence the outfit change.  After Everett's nap the boys hung out with their Daddies for a little bit.

 

And James, who couldn't keep his eyes off of Stephanie, got to chill with her for a little bit.

 

The little guys spent some time on their tummies together and finished their conversation.

By the end of it, they were best buds

So much so, that they decided to hold hands (they were a little shy about it)

 

And now for a few shots of Mr. Everett & his parents:

 

Sterling, Matthew, James and I went out for a little walk, and came across the "Petal Pub."  How cool is this? A bar on a bicycle!

On the way back to Wisconsin, we decided to make a detour and went to the Drive-In to see the Harry Potter movie.  Matthew & I are huge fans, and weren't sure if we'd get to see the last movie of the series in theaters with the little guy in tow.  Aside from crying during a pivotal scene towards the end, James did really well at his first trip to the Drive-In.

 

Coming soon: James's 4 month pics.  Hope everyone had a great weekend!