2015 Beginnings

For New Years, we visited our friends JP & Lisa, and decided to stay over along with our friends Rob & Christina too. Our last New Years that we stayed over was a couple years ago, and let’s just say we didn’t want to repeat it any time soon. Jameson was up early, we had little sleep, and we were dead on our feet the whole next day.

A couple years later, and it didn’t seem as bad. And it actually wasn’t! The kids did a ton of snacking. I think that’s all we did was snack. I had Coraline’s hair up in these cute little tails, which is challenging because it’s hard enough getting one in, let alone two.

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P.S. Coraline totally growls better than the boys do.

We always exchange a little Christmas gift too with the kids. I think next year it might be less, but we set a $5 limit this year (2 kids each, and two families, so that’s $40 in kid gifts right there so $5 seemed to work at first til I tallied it up!)

Christina made a gift for the older boys this year, which were a huge hit. Super hero capes! Jameson got a batman one.

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Coraline got a cute little farm animal little people tractor set and book, which is always a win.

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I tried to get the kids to sit on the couch for a photo, but that was not really working. Lots of hyper giggles!

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We even practiced counting down to the New Year, but that also ended in hilarities. Jonathan came around to give everyone their New Years kiss!

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To settle the kids down, we put on Frozen. The boys got into it, singing “Let It Go”. We also went ahead and put on the Madagascar “New Years Eve party” episode to celebrate the New Year a little early. This worked out pretty well, with the kids in bed at a decent hour.

The boys all slept in Jonathan’s room in new sleeping bags. Coraline slept in the pack and play upstairs with us. We were shocked, but she actually was really excited to get to sleep in it. She was a much better sleeper than Jameson was a couple years ago.

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The next morning, we had breakfast and felt (relatively) rested. We stayed up too late and drank and played games, so even with good sleepers we were a little tired. It wouldn’t be New Years otherwise though, would it!?

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Christmas Finale

This is it! We’re finally done with Christmas. Mostly, anyway. We still have a live wreath on the front door as of today, which looks surprisingly well. It’s probably smothered in preservatives.

After naptime, we headed over to see Grandma, Poppa and Aunt Melissa.

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Melissa had some air filled bags for Jameson to pop, and Coraline wanted to try. She got right into it and tried to jump and fell right on her butt. Hilarious!

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Jameson got a Pink Floyd shirt from Aunt Melissa that he adores. However, it’s not washing very well unfortunately. It’s pretty much see-through when it’s not on him, now.

And as usual, boxes are also a hit!

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Brian and Melissa exchange some kind of gag gift. Mostly it’s Brian gifting to Melissa, but then it typically comes back around. This time, he got her grasshoppers from the pet food store. We had to open them… Jameson (and all) were pretty disgusted.

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Another favorite: Jameson got a transforming helicopter/dinosaur that makes all kinds of sounds. He loves it!

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Coraline also got this cute little book with her little face showing on every page.

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It was wonderful to be able to spend time with family and have a lot of vacation time from work to do so. We didn’t get to go see Great-Grandma this year though because of various illnesses, so that was the end of our 2014 Christmas season.

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Christmas Day

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Jameson and I made cookies for Santa when we arrived home Christmas Eve. He insisted that Santa should use a real glass cup for milk, but that he might be too messy, so we wrote a note. Jameson then said the note would get too messy next to the cookies and milk, so he posted it on a wall for Santa to see when he came in.

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He was so excited to see if Santa came the next morning! Coraline had to have some yogurt first though so we made him wait. He wondered how Santa knew he wanted a shark (he didn’t, that was from mom and dad)! There is still some mix up about which gifts are from Santa and which are from everyone else, but that’s okay.

After some time, he declared that he was too tired to open more Christmas gifts (and Coraline gave up after just three), but we made them do it anyway. They’re not pros yet, obviously. Coraline is a little over one and a half and Jameson is 4 years old.

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As usual from Santa, Jameson and Coraline got something to read, something to wear and something to play with. Jameson got Pixar Bedtime Stories, and Coraline got a classic Madeline board book. Jameson also got his one wish, a new lawn mower for Christmas like Jonathan and Lily’s. Coraline got a play dough molding and cutting set which also came with new play dough. She immediately wanted to play with it.

To wear, Jameson received new fuzzy socks and a Superman hat that fits much better than the little caps he had been wearing. Coraline got a new sweater with a little fox on it.

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 Kids Opening Christmas Gifts Video

Jameson and Brian went out and picked out a gift for Coraline from Jameson. He picked a little pound puppy which she carried around with her everywhere for a while. The kids together got a lot of new playfood, since I was very interested in replacing some of the less-than-healthy plastic food they had. I didn’t throw all the food out that they had, but supplemented and replaced what I could for now. Coraline really loved her tea set, which we actually bought for her the year prior and saved.

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Jameson got a new spider man sleeping bag, which he brings out to sleep or lay in every chance he gets (literally every weekend). He got to use it at Jonathan’s house when we slept over for New Years Eve. It’s very loved. Coraline got a little remote control vehicle and Hape stringing/lacing beads as well.

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In their stockings, Santa brought special holiday goldfish, lots more socks, tooth brushes and toothpaste, and Coraline got a new necklace that’s actually for teething and made of food-safe silicone beads since she’s still a chewer. Jameson got a paint-your-own-snowman, too.

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One of Jameson’s favorite gifts was the truck he got, a log hauler I picked up from TJ Maxx. It’s by a great company making better plastic toys, Bruder trucks. He also got Legos, which we’ve made together. He loves the little swords the little men carry.

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It was a fun-filled morning, after which we brought out the new play dough, had some breakfast sweet rolls, a nap (Coraline did anyway) and headed over to Grandma and Poppa’s for our Christmas dinner.

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Christmas Lights & Family

I really enjoy Christmas lights. I think we should have Christmas lights up all winter long! We do take ours down when the weather permits, but I really wouldn’t mind if they were up until April. The past couple years, when we’ve gone down to Meemaw and Grandpa’s for Christmas, we’ve also visited the local neighborhood light show at the rec center. This year was much less muddy than last years.

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You pay to get in, but they have free rides when you’re inside. The kids rode this flying Santa ride. Coraline leaned over and stared out the side the whole time.

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Then they did this mini coaster, and Coraline lost her hat on this ride. It was very jerky around the corners! The operator rescued her hat before it hit the rails. She was very concerned by the end of this one and almost crying. I’m sure she’d do it again though if Jameson wanted to!

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It was actually on Meemaw’s birthday that we went. Happy birthday Meemaw!

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We also celebrated all the December birthdays with Uncle Tyler. Meemaw got her gifts from all of us, but Uncle Tyler came to visit from Florida and had gifts for Aunt Holly’s early December birthday and Jameson’s too.

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Jameson got binoculars, which we brought to the park later to see the birds.

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Coraline knows Aunt Holly, Meemaw and Grandpa, of course, but she wasn’t sure who Uncle Tyler was at first. She doesn’t have some of the shyness though that I had observed in Jameson when he was little.

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We had Christmas at Meemaw’s on the 23rd. We were leaving on Christmas Eve and wanted to give the kiddo’s an opportunity to play with their gifts before we had to leave.

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Coraline enjoyed showing off her gifts. The cups were a big hit! Jameson loves his Jake and the Neverland Pirates pajamas.

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We really had a lot of fun seeing my side of the family, and I enjoyed the Christmas cookies and Christmas dinner maybe more than I should’ve!

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We were lucky to see Meemaw and Grandpa three times from Thanksgiving to Christmas, but especially enjoyed seeing Uncle Tyler and his pup, Athena, who we usually only see once a year.

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4 Years Old

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Jameson insisted on stacking his blocks and blanket himself for photos. I can recall when he didn’t want to take photos (like Coraline is now), so I am really enjoying his excitement. Soon, that chair will be moving out of Coraline’s room though so our yearly photos will have a new background to them. But we’ll continue to take them for as long as they like. I love it.

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Toward the end of this last year, he has started to write letters. First his name, which he writes without needing to trace letters now, and things like “yes” “no” and short words he is still tracing from worksheets at school. Sometimes he still gets colors mixed up, so I’m not convinced that there’s not a little color blindness there. He doesn’t like to draw much or color, but he loved the science kit we did the other day and enjoyed watercolors, and likes activities that involve physical movement (soccer, gym, wrestling with daddy), which I think is usual for a little boy his age.

He doesn’t share much about his days at school except that he plays in the gym or plays with friends. Since his best buddy Nathan stopped going, he had to make new friends, so we’re not sure who his best bud is anymore, if anyone. He’s more outgoing now than he used to be, though he’s still shy around people he doesn’t know.

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He is almost potty trained at night time now, which we know is a subconscious control he doesn’t quite have yet though he’s been day trained since he was two. We are going through an occasional fibbing stage where he likes to tell one or the other that “mommy said I could do or have this”, or “daddy said I could do or have this”. Sometimes it works, most times it doesn’t now that we’ve caught on. He likes to get out of bed now several times before settling down for the night, and hasn’t napped at home except a handful of times since Coraline was born. Though, surprisingly, he naps at school great now! Once he’s asleep, he stays asleep.

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What Jameson is Wearing:

  • Size 3T pants for length, though I had to sew in all the waists since he doesn’t like jeans which had the cinching straps.
  • 3T shirts
  • Soft pants and swishy pants, and clothes with Pink Floyd, superheros, or Ninja Turtles on them
  • Pull ups at night, but sometimes big boy underwear

Jameson, describing the grippers on his new socks: “They’re sparkles, I love sparkles! Let me feel them. Ooh they sound crunchy.” Yes indeed, we bought socks with crunchy sounding sparkles (never mind the dinosaurs on them)
– Friday, January 3, 2014

What Jameson is Eating:

  • Meatballs, chicken nugget, hot dog, and most any meat he can eat with ketchup or ranch
  • Cucumbers with ranch or without. He’ll eat a whole one straight up like a pickle. Also tomatoes.
  • Regular and “special” yogurt. He likes regular yogurt again now because that’s what mommy and daddy eat. Still doesn’t like eggs.
  • Candy of course
  • Potatoes most any way
  • Strawberries and berries.
  • He’s become much better about trying his food, but counting the number of bites and negotiating for more of what he really likes is still an almost nightly occurrence.

I’ve got to use my looking eyes! (Looking for strawberries)

Mommy! I like your underwear! Is it new?

What Jameson is Saying:

  • Jameson likes to ask us about how our work day was, and insists that we answer his questions first before he answers (minimally) about his day at school
  • This year, Jameson learned about where we live, cities and streets. He also knows where Grandma and Poppa live and Aunt Melissa, streets and city.
  • For several months, Jameson couldn’t say hamburger properly, saying “hangaber” instead (He could says cheeseburger just fine). He finally says it correct now, which is kind of sad.
  • We have experienced a lot of “never” (instead of “no”, so at least he’s creative). We also get to enjoy defiant stares and complete withdrawal from participation.

Me: Jameson, did you know mommy got a new job at the mattress factory? [extreme simplification for the 3 year old]
J: Oh, I’d love to go there. Just like Corduroy! [corduroy the bear tries to get a button off a mattress in his book]
Me: That’s right!
J: You look beautiful today mommy!
Me: Why thank you, Jameson!
J: You have all your clothes on!
– Friday, April 18, 2014

What Jameson Likes These Days:

  • He really loves to watch TV, any show or movie TV now and all the time. We’re working on this. This year along with the usual favorites we’ve also watched Batman, Rescue Bots, and Ninja Turtles.
  • Jameson enjoys reading about super heroes. He was playing super hero at school and told me he was Captain America and Wolverine so I’m guessing those are the favorites.
  • Wearing his favorite clothes.
  • Duffy the little teddy bear and his soft brown blanket, as well as a dog pillow that he became attached to after Sasha passed away.
  • Swimming lessons and soccer. He loved his new soccer class this time around!
  • Listening to “his” songs, kid music. He also requests kid Christmas songs randomly any time of year.
  • The ipad, but now he only really gets it when traveling so he doesn’t ask for it as much
  • Frozen book and movie (but not the live ice show apparently, it terrified him…)
  • Wrestling with daddy
  • His dogs Sasha, Mayzie and Shiloh, and now Zoe. This year we lost two of them, and he’s stopped asking for a new one since meeting Zoe the puppy. He loves them though and always asked to see Meemaw and Grandpa’s dogs on the iPad during FaceTime

Jameson, what did I tell you about throwing!?
….But I was just catching mommy!
– Tuesday, May 27, 2014

I’m not scribble scrabbing, I’m coloring.
– Sunday, August 17, 2014

What Jameson Doesn’t Like These Days:

  • Napping or resting at home.
  • Sitting still to eat.
  • Being told what to do “right now” or “hurry up”. He really doesn’t like being rushed or forced and becomes very obstinate, refusing completely. We’ve found that using a visual timer works for many arguments and time outs.
  • Cold baths. He had one once when his tantrum was out of control at bathtime.
  • Toilets… in particular, overflowing toilets. He only has specific ones at home, school and Meemaw and Grandpa’s house that he will go in. He’s finally getting over some of it, from an incident that occurred when I let the downstairs toilet overflow. My fault!

I need my chapstick on because I burned my face! Then he rubs it all over his nose and forehead. Sometime between winter and summer, he got confused.
– Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Why did you break Coraline’s pajamas? (the first time Coraline was in two piece)

What Jameson is Doing:

  • Writing his name
  • Asking how things work, or making up how they work on his own. Today he told me the humidifier keeps Coraline warm, so I had to correct him but I love this mechanical kind of imagination. I’ve also described how hot air rises to make the ceiling fan move.
  • Playing with the little Playmobil or Lego guns and toy swords.
  • He dresses himself, identifies letters and loves stories, and likes to make pretend coffee with any stream of water.

Jameson is pretending to swim in the tub.
Me: Jameson would you like to take swimming lessons soon?
J: I don’t want to jump in the pool
Me: Why not?
J: Are there sharks in there!?
Me: No, sharks live in ocean. Only people swim in pools.
J: Oh with the fishes?
– Thursday, March 20, 2014

What We Are Working On:

  • Nighttime potty training
  • Cleaning up and putting things away when we are done with them.
  • Sitting still to eat.
  • Mommy and daddy are figuring out good ways to reward good behavior so more of it comes without being told.

Jameson is singing “do you know the muffin man”
Brian: I don’t know the muffin man, who is he?
J: he’s the caker
Brian: who’s the caker?
J: he makes cakes!
– Saturday, September 6, 2014

We also did our 4 year interview! Like last year, he got distracted after just a couple questions so we didn’t get to ask them all. His answers were a lot more coherent this year, but still very focused in the now, like what is around him. His favorite movie is still Lion King, though I thought he’d say Frozen!


What is your name? Grameson… Jameson (He was nervous about the interview at first I think)
How old are you? 4
What is your favorite color? Blue and orange
What is your favorite animal? A lion and a bear
What is your favorite book? My Superhero ones… on your ipad! (He has a set of Marvel Superhero books, but just the other night I showed him the bonus ebook on the ipad that came with the set for the first time, and he loved it. It was our very first kids ebook experience)
What is your favorite TV show? It is Jake (Jake and the Neverland Pirates)
What is your favorite movie? Lion King
What is your favorite song? Old McDonald
What is your favorite food? It isssss a bun. (It’s true he usually requests a bun to eat with his hot dog so he can eat it by itself)
What food do you not like? Pork chops and pork.
What is your favorite drink? It’s water and milk and juice and apple juice and and and apple juice and orange juice and apple juice and orange juice and milk and water.
What is your favorite snack? It is grahams… it is teddies! (as in Teddy Grahams)
What makes you laugh? Pictures. hahahahaha Fake laugh
What is your favorite thing to wear? Mickey Mouse and my Mickey Mouse socks (That was what he’s wearing in the video; he loves swishy pants and his Ninja Turtles shirt. I asked him for more, and he told me that I needed to buy him a sword shirt, like his new toy sword.)
What is your favorite game? The game over there. (Chutes and Ladders, which we’ve recently been playing after Coraline goes to bed.)
What is your favorite toy? My sword
Who is your best friend? Trip and MJ
What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Duffy and and Bobby Bear and my baby Rudolf (Plus the doggy pillow and soft brown blanket and a billion other “guys” every night)
Where is your favorite place to go? To see the sound of the owls… with Aunt Melissa (I am so surprised he said this, since he got impatient to go home while we were waiting to hear the owls. It was a cool night hike really meant for older kids and Aunt Melissa came with us; it must have really made an impression.)
Where do you want to go on vacation? Accidentally skipped over this
What do you like to do with your family? Accidentally skipped over this
What do you want to be when you grow up? I wanna… I want to be umm… I don’t know

Upon arriving home today, Jameson said “when I grow up, I’m gonna drive… In my own car… And you’re gonna sit there!” (Pointing to passenger seat)
– January 30, 2014

What did you do when you were little? I was putting things in the toilet. When I was a weeeee little baby.
What do you like to do now that you are big? I don’t put my toys in the toilet and I get new toys.
What is your favorite thing to learn in school? I like to play music. (I paused for a few minutes here since he was really distracted with his camera. Then he got confused and thought I asked what he liked and began listing things in front of him like his rocking chair and the Elmo rocker)
What is your favorite thing to remember? Didn’t get to ask this
What do you want to buy with your money? With the three little circles with the money I want the money. More more more money. (We’ve never asked him this before, he doesn’t really understand how money works yet)
What is the thing you do the most awesomely? Didn’t get to ask this

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One Year

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Two Years

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Three Years

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Trimming the Tree

Well it’s almost the end of January, and I think I could use a little reminder about the holiday season. This time of the year is so dark, I miss the lights on the trees and outside. In past years, I’ve used a sun light at my office desk to counteract that, but this year I work at a place that means I can drive to work in the morning light (or overcast as the case may be). I don’t feel the wintertime blues quite as much as in previous years.

It was rainy and wet this year, so we picked out our tree at Home Depot instead of going to the tree farm. The tree did just fine, and actually had some good sturdy branches, which was important since Jameson tried to put all the ornaments in one spot.

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On the way home with the tree, Brian told Jameson told hold onto the string to keep the tree from falling off, which was pretty hilarious. Jameson took his job seriously.

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Look there’s me trimming the tree too! We put on the lights, and this year we used the multicolored LED star lights. I really don’t like them that much. They are pretty in person, but don’t come out as nice in photos (maybe it’s the LED flicker?). The kids really enjoyed them though. I also got to bring out the wooden cranberry bead garland like I had growing up that my mom bought for me last year.

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Then it was time to decorate! As usual, the kids wanted to decorate with all the breakable ornaments. Coraline did actually break one, my tennis racket ornament from high school. It didn’t shatter though, so I was happy there wasn’t clean up. She wasn’t super great at hanging them up, and was much better at taking them down.

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Brian helped Jameson reach way up high!

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When it was time to take down the tree, I tugged at the garland, one of the strands untied, and a bunch of wooden berries unstrung. I was picking those off the tree and floor for a while (I found most). I love the lights and Christmas time, but there’s something of a relief that happens when the space is cleared up and uncluttered. Ready to fill back up with new toys, of course.

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Last Minute Party

We weren’t going to have a big party for Jameson’s 4th birthday, but when we sent out invitation via email about a week and a half before the party, we got a surprising response. Most guests RSVPed yes, and the small party became a bit of a big one!

Meemaw and Grandpa came up to visit, and we FaceTimed with Aunt Holly while Jameson opened her gifts the day before his party.

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Jameson loved his Ninja Turtles shirt from Aunt Holly and immediately wanted to put it on with the new swishy pants from Meemaw and Grandpa. They got him a soccer outfit and a net which we put up when it was relatively warm a couple weeks later. He was really loving kicking his new soccer ball into the net!

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Coraline wanted to put on the swishy pants too.

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Along with a lot of our friends, Brian’s cousin Griffin also came to the party. Every time Jameson sees him, he loves watching him play video games, following him around and playing with what he wants to play with. Jameson really seems to look up to him, and Griffin is so friendly and plays with him.

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Jameson was not happy that Coraline was sitting on his gifts.

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Jameson’s big gift was a pirate ship by Playmobil. It has lots of small parts, and we’ve already lost a few. Oops! He hasn’t really been into playing with it other than shooting the cannons, which seems typical boy.

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He also got a Pete the Cat book and stuffed toy from Aunt Melissa, which Coraline immediately grabbed saying “my meow”. She’s since given it up but it was pretty hilarious.

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The highlight of the party though was the gift from Uncle Mike, cousin Gabrielle and Griffin: the remote control car which flips every which way. The kids were fascinated with it! Even though Jameson is very into doing things himself, he was happy to let Griffin show him how to use it first.

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For a cake, he said he wanted chocolate and vanilla (like I made for him when he was three, apparently he remembered), so I decided on a Neapolitan cake I made from scratch. The bottom was actually brownie, a classic vanilla cake, and then strawberry made with handpicked strawberries we froze from the summer on top. Then he wanted orange icing on it, and I decided to go crazy and we put candy eyeballs on it. It was pretty funny looking, but the kids loved the eyeballs and it tasted excellent so that’s all the matters, right?

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It was a great party, and Jameson loved seeing all his friends. Even Nathan was able to come! We loved showing off our new basement (which they were working on right up until that morning!) and we invited people to bring dog toys, treats, food and cleaning supplies for the local shelter rather than gifts for Jameson.

We finally dropped all that off a couple weekends ago, and it was so nice to know we were helping the shelter. It was Jameson’s first experience giving to people animals in need. Luckily, there weren’t too many dogs to see in the cages, and it was tough answering Jameson’s question if people leave their dogs in the cages. (People leave dogs here for all kind of reasons, and then they stay here until they can find new homes)

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On his actual birthday, Grandma and Poppa came over with his gifts to open, a cool construction set. Jameson is driving his little motorcycle over his gifts.

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I can’t believe this little guy is 4 years old, and yet at the same time, I can believe it because he’s changed so much in the past year.

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Zoe

It was so nice for the kids that we were introduced to Zoe, Aunt Melissa’s new puppy, after Sasha passed away. Coraline was uncertain at first about the excitement which was very different from Sasha’s low key tolerance and occasional lip. Zoe jumped and licked, and Coraline kept going back for more.

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Aunt Melissa has a kitty as well, and the cat toys are a hit with all the kids, furry or not.

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Jameson was actually a little less enthusiastic about Zoe than I thought he would be. He likes to talk about Zoe and loves her, but when it came down to it the jumping and puppy behavior was more than he was used to. He asked if we could put Zoe in the cage when he was done playing with her, so had to talk about taking the time to teach her the right things to do.

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In the end, he found a better way to play with Zoe: running back and forth in Aunt Melissa’s basement.

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Thanksgiving Throwback

I hope you’ll forgive me going backwards in time for a bit, all the way to Thanksgiving. Just extending that holiday feeling for a bit more! We visited Meemaw and Grandpa for Thanksgiving this year.

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I was a little concerned about how Jameson would take Mayzie being gone, but he was surprisingly chill. It almost was as if he expected it. We didn’t tell him ahead of time, so Meemaw told him when we arrived that night. The only tough part was figuring out how he could walk Shiloh! It was easy to give him Mayzie’s leash, since she didn’t go far or fast. But Shiloh needs more restraining, so we took walks with two leashes attached to her collar.

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Coraline liked putting olives on her fingers after I showed her how. It’s a Thanksgiving requirement. We had a great meal with potatoes and green bean casserole, turkey of course and stuffing. We all enjoyed the time away from home for a bit.

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Black Friday, I had to go through all the ads. The kids wanted to help, of course. The only place I ended up really going out for though was Jo-Ann, in order to get flannel to make the kids flannel pajama pants. Mom and I walked around the mall, and it was fun to see all the new stores in place! It really had been years since I was last there.

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We did a lot of relaxing, snacking and playing with things that aren’t toys. Likes boxes and pianos.

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On Friday, we visited with Marky, who is the same age as Jameson. Coraline found a playmate in Finley, now that they are a bit older. Finley’s several months older and taught Coraline how to go up and down the stairs.

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All the kiddos enjoyed playtime. Jameson asks to visit Marky every time we visit, and comes home with new things he loves. Last time, it was Ninja Turtle. This time, we were introduced to Rescue Bots.

We had a wonderful visit for Thanksgiving, a nearly 5 days visiting with Meemaw and Grandpa and Aunt Holly all together with Brian able to come as well. It was of course bittersweet that we were able to all make the trip without Sasha waiting for us at home.

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Drama Queen

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Coraline turned 21 months old in December. I’ve been trying a new app to help me track milestones, moments, and quotes, because I’m so far behind here and my phone is on me more often. It’s called Day One, and while I don’t write in it everyday, it is definitely a keeper. Here are some moments that occurred with Miss Coraline this month.

Coraline is 21 months going on 21 years. Just kidding, it’s closer probably to 12 or 13. A dramatic teenager, maybe. Getting to the bathroom first to wash hands is always a race, but Coraline in particular throws a little fit when she loses. The day this photo was taken was complete with hitting the floor and Jameson.

In addition, most injuries, minor or otherwise, require a boo boo kiss and at least a little cry (and if the injury involves hands and feet, both appendages require a kiss). I kind of love it.

Getting to the bathroom first to wash hands is always a race, but Coraline in particular throws a little fit when she loses. Today was complete with hitting the floor and Jameson.

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Coraline explored her first snowfalls (that she remembers, since last year doesn’t count in her mind) in November. It actually didn’t snow in December much if at all, but just before Thanksgiving we had a heavy snowfall perfect for making a snow man. I also tried making the kids an igloo which didn’t work out so good, so I just sat them on top of the enormous ball where they were trapped for some photos. She really hated it. This is a very fake smile which involved tears both before and after.

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Of course, we also rode the Polar Express, which was delightful, but not as delightful as these matching pajamas. Coraline is already almost outgrowing hers. She’s a great eater; she frequently consumes more than Jameson does, and has a fun little food cackle when something is super yummy or exciting. We are getting that laugh a little less frequently, and I’m bummed it’s going away.

Before we eat, she’s learning how to pray with us. She folds her hands (when she’s not screaming for her food because she’s starving mom!), and at the end says “We eat!” with Jameson. Her hair is getting longer and crazier, like a little mop on her head, which I also adore. She’s been trying to jump (unsuccessfully), and slide downstairs on her butt (almost had an injury with that one once, we definitely still watch her going down the steps though she’s a pro going up). Coraline also tries to put on her own clothes (or Jameson’s, or anyone’s), also unsuccessfully. Jameson helped her put on his underwear over her pants one day, which was hilarious.

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She likes to pretend to sleep for half a second, and when we wake her in the morning. Coraline is definitely slower to wake than Jameson ever was. She’s got a wonderful, cheerful demeanor almost every second of the day unless she’s hungry or tired (see above). One day when I picked her up from school, three teachers who hadn’t seen her in a long while all stopped us to try and get hugs from her. She’s definitely a little darling at school, though we continue to struggle with rashes.

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Another big moment was that she peed in the potty for the first time! Followed by absolutely no peeing in the potty since. It was a fluke for sure, and she had no idea she did it. But she loves to sit on it, wash her hands, and brush her teeth. She loves our bedtime routine.

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Coraline often tries to speak in full sentences and we have no idea what she’s saying. It involves lots of singing as well, and we do recognize some of those songs, including ABCs, Twinkle Twinkle, and our favorite Rain Rain Go Away. The past couple months have been a treasure, though we definitely are seeing that drama queen which should add excitement to our little soon-to-be two year old’s life. And ours. I’m assuming at some point the tantrums will be less funny and more annoying, but not yet 🙂

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