I swear I don't abuse my kid.

I really, really don't. But James does have a broken foot. And it is my fault.

Here's what happened: So after lunch today, James and I were playing and being pretty cute (if I do say so myself). I was holding him and rocking him and telling him what a beautiful, darling baby he was. :) It was pretty fun. I think having a baby in the house who gets all of that fussy sort of attention and being "to big for it" is hard. It was fun to be silly and lovey with my "big boy" for a change.

Anyway, holding him in a cradled position was fun for him but also unnerving. James is (and always has been, even as a wee thing) totally scared of heights and frights (not sure of a better word). Jolie, however, is a total adrenaline junkie. :) For instance, Jolie loves being tossed in the air. James has always hated it and clung for dear life onto our arms when we've tried. So cradling him was scary for him. He was super nervous that he would fall and/or I would drop him. No bueno, right?

So, being the good mommy I am and sensing a good teachable moment, I tried to explain to him how I would never ever have him do something that would hurt him. Then I explained that falling isn't all that scary, really, because Heavenly Father gave us really wonderful bodies that could help us fall safely. I then broke into song ("I'm all made of hinges, cause everything bends..."). I showed him how you can land squatted, bending your knee-hinges, and using your hands so you don't get hurt... blah, blah. He jumped a couple of times to practice landing.

Then I held him with my arms strait out (I'm 5'4" people... that's not high!) and dropped him. He caught himself and landed just fine. He was shocked and proud that he wasn't hurt- it wasn't even scary! He wanted to try it again. This time, I held him out again but tossed him up a little bit (his feet were maybe a foot off the ground). Perhaps not the best move on my part. Apparently when you land funny on your foot, you discover that your foot bones do NOT have great hinges and might- in fact- crack.

Apparently his did.

It's his left foot, on the outside bone. We didn't know if it was broken and assumed it probably wasn't. I mean, he was hardly off the ground and didn't kaboom or anything! It was naptime immediately after, so we put him down and hoped a nap would help him feel better. It did a little, but post-nap his foot was really swollen. And he wouldn't put weight on it... and it still hurt. So we got ready and went in to Instacare. They x-rayed it, and sure enough- there's a little fracture. Poor boy. (Crappy mom.)

Luckily, James thinks it's pretty cool. They don't do casts there, so he has a hard splint thing (like a half cast) wrapped with an ace bandage... which is then wrapped with blue sticky-wrap stuff, purely for the sake of giving him a "blue boot" (as requested). He doesn't seem to mind wearing it but cannot walk on it. He'll likely get a real cast on Monday when we meet with a podiatrist. But until then, I think we'll be watching a good deal of movies around here. And eating picnics in the living room. And probably having some delicious snacks as well. Yeah, not too shabby from a three-year-old's perspective. Maybe it won't be too bad after all. Let's hope.

So there's the story. James's first broken bone. Thank goodness I taught him so thoroughly about how falling isn't scary... FAIL!

Jolie's Impromptu Photo Shoot

Saturday morning, I had just finished feeding the kids breakfast. I was still messy-haired, stinky-breathed and bra-less. I probably should have hopped in the shower. Instead, I called my friend/next-door-neighbor, Aubrey, and asked, "Hey, you wanna come over and take some pictures of my kid?" She said yes and came right over (I was able to fix the teeth and bra issues before she showed up; worry not). These delightful photos were the results:

Isn't that one hilarious?? :)

Aren't they fantastic? My goodness, that little girl is gorgeous! Thank you, Aub. I LOVE them!!

PS. Aubrey's photography blog is http://beposhphotography.blogspot.com/ if you're interested (of course you are). :)

Mommy + 2 Teenie Weenies + Travel = Interesting (to say the least)

So it seems that Santa DID get the memo about our spending Christmas in New Mexico. In fact, he even met us at the airport so that we'd feel entirely reassured! :) Check it:

Well, we survived the flight (though only just- ugh) and are currently safe and moderately sound in the Land of Enchantment. We've enjoyed our time here so far, though we miss our "daddy" quite a lot.

Because I'm too lazy to post more of our time here thus far, I'll just leave you with a few more pictures of our probably-as-good-as-it-gets-but-still-fairly-sucky day of travel. ;)

Here are my sweet kiddos in Phoenix.

Jolie finally decided to nap during our layover- all 20 minutes of it!

And please disregard the coat- it was WARM!

Also in Phoenix- with the pilot!! Pretty sweet, huh?

PS. This was the smallest airplane I've ever been on-

and the hottest, ugh. That poor pilot must have just died!

James and Jolie - This is how we felt initially about flying.

James and Jolie again - Jolie's demonstrating how we felt

about flying by the time we were done.

Nah, it really wasn't a bad trip. Just exhausting. I had thought Jolie would sleep most of the time, but instead she stayed wide awake and grabbed at everything (and anyone) in sight. Not naughty, really, just a lot of work. James was a really good boy, super helpful and very obedient. I never worried that he'd run off and/or get kidnapped. And people (employees and civilians alike) were very sweet to us- understanding, helpful, and complimentary (seriously- I know my kids are beautiful, but it sure is fun to hear them admired so much by strangers).

There's something about flying alone with kids that restores your faith in humanity. If you're feeling up to it, I'd say it just might be worth the exhaustion. :)

Santa Claus is coming ...

... to town. And we're not going to be here. Hopefully he gets the memo to deposit our toys when he's down in New Mexico. I think he knows; he's a pretty smart fellow.

Here are a few pictures of our visit to "Santa's Pole." :) James is convinced that the North Pole is in the mall. We've tried explaining that he is simply visiting, but it's useless. I suppose it doesn't matter in the end.

James was so excited to see Santa. When we saw the room he was in, Santa waved at us- and James took off running! :) It was very cute. James hopped right up onto Santa's lap and immediately said, "I want a submarine!" lol. I think we may have prepped him too much. He chatted with Santa for a while. Then we sat Jolie up there with him. She was mostly trying to crane her neck around to get a look at him - beyond that bushy beard. She wasn't really happy but didn't cry- though she started to get there toward the end. Overall, I think the visit was a success.

When we left, James was kind of upset and wanted to know where his toy was. lol. Again, we had to explain. My goodness, December is long for a little kid! :)

Tonight we're leaving. Derek will stay. We will miss him oh-so-much. Those of you in town, take care of our "daddy." And Derek- please know that all I want for Christmas is YOU! See you soon. xo

Nakey Nakey and the Tall Old Lady

Jolie pooped tonight. No news there; she's a bit of a poop machine. But it got up on her shirt. So I stripped her of her clothes, changed her diaper, cleaned her off, then ran the dirty diaper outside to the trash. My hands were gross, so I left her on her changing pad (on the floor- fyi) and washed up. When I came back- literally seconds later, this is what I found!

She had crawled her little naked self all the way out of her room and into the hall. Silly girl! (And the cutest little nudist I've ever seen, don't you agree? Mmm... those darling little fat rolls!) :)

Also tonight...

James found Derek's old clipboard and some printer paper and told me that he wanted to color- with a pen. I tried to convince him that crayons would be better, as there were more colors to choose from. But he was insistent about the pen. So I let him.

He's done this before. Pens- since they are generally reserved for mommies and daddies- are totally cool, and he loves being able to color with them. But this was a first time for something...

Look at the below picture and tell me what you see.**

I walked by James as he was coloring, and he told me the following: "Momma, I'm trying to draw a tall lady."

??!

He's never tried to draw ANYTHING- just a bunch of lines and scribbles and such. I've not pushed him about the "What's that a picture of?" sort of thing, as I'd heard it is too pressure-filled and they do not draw pictures, really, at this age. But apparently he does now. And I'm so excited for him!

Look at the picture again (click on it to blow it up if you want... and please disregard my awesome paint skills).

Here is how James explained it to me:

[1] is the head (Can you see it?)

[2] the hand (There is only one.)

[3] the body ("The swirly 'hings are the body, a course.")

[4] a foot

[5] another foot ("It's like a crunchy shark tooth 'hing... but it's not reawy (really) a shark 'hing... it's jussa foot.") lol.

He then proceeded to tell me that it wasn't me, but a different lady. One he's "ne'er seen afore." An old lady, "a course." :) Of course.

Can you see it? Or her, rather? Fun, right?? :)

Very cool. I tell you, I am totally entranced by these two. My children are ingenious. Or, you know, nudists at the very least. ;)

** (I didn't see it, either. Shh!) :)

What I Saw Last Night

{Quick tangent: So my title reminds me of a fantastic book I recently read- "What I Saw and How I Lied" by Judy Blundell. It's really very good. You should read it. You won't regret it. Okay, on with the post...}

Last night Derek put Jolie to bed, and I put James to bed. Afterward, Derek played World of Warcraft in our bedroom/office, and I read Moonraker's Bride {by Madeleine Brent -- this is my third time reading this book. THIRD! I rarely re-read books, but this one is Just.That.Good. Mmm... Thank you, Bonnie!} on the couch, by the light(s) of our Christmas tree.

Anyway, I heard Jolie start to fuss. I ignored her, hoping she'd get herself back to sleep... and if not, that Derek would get her. Then I heard her cry escalate a bit. Dang. I thought about going to get her, but then I heard it stop. I assumed Derek had gone in with her. But soon after the silence, I heard her giggling hysterically. What? I got up to see what the heck they were up to. As I peered into her room, this is what I saw...

James had gotten up, gone out of his room, opened her door and turned on the light... and gotten into her crib! :) Her giggles were a result of either his silliness or just the silliness of the situation- the fact that instead of sleeping, she was playing with her brother. :) Naughty children.

I must admit, it was about the cutest thing I've ever seen. It's the reason I want them to share a room someday... so they can giggle and whisper and conspire against us... you know - bond as siblings. Apparently they don't need to share a room to do that.

I sure love these kiddos. And I quite adore how much they love one another!

Ghost-ez

I've been meaning to journal about a bunch of things lately but just can't get the time or motivation to do it. (I tend to write way too much, too slowly, and go off on a bazillion tangents when I write. Surprising, I know.) So instead of journaling, I'll blog about it. Ultimately, my goal is to print all these online ramblings off and bind them up in journal fashion. So hopefully it all counts as equal in the end.

One day (a couple of weeks ago?), the kids and I were sitting at the table eating lunch. Jolie was in her high chair; I was sitting at the table next to her, and James was next to me. Jolie was busy eating, but James (as is usual) was jibber-jabbering away instead. On this particular day, I had a post-it note and a pencil on the table as well. And it's a good thing I did, because James was spouting off all sorts of funny stuff, and for once- I wrote it down so I could document it. Here are a few conversations he and I had. It's fascinating to me the way his little brain works...

James: Mom, where do ghost-ez (plural of ghosts) sleep?

Me: In haunted houses, I guess. In beds. Or maybe on the ceiling!

James: When it's Christmastime, what do ghost-ez hang up?

Me: (Confused... then catching on.) I don't know. Do you think they put up a Christmas tree?

James: YEAH!

A few minutes later... after asking him if he wanted some of my almond milk (which, PS. is super duper yummy... buy the Silk brand, vanilla almond milk. Mmm... you won't regret it) and telling him that it tastes like ice cream.

James: This smells like ice cream!

Me: Yeah, it smells yummy, huh?

James: Yeah. And your toes FEEL like ice cream!

(He was touching my feet with his; my feet were cold.)

And again, a few minutes later...

James: Mommy, can you help me eat more?

Me: Sure, just a sec.

James: You're a good mommy. You help erry-hing I want.

:) Aw... so cute. He is (generally) a super sweet boy. And apparently I'm a good mommy because I help him with everything he wants. lol. Well, whatever it takes, I suppose.

James has also been really into Hide and Seek lately. He's wanted Derek and I to play with him, and since that sort of play is actually enjoyable, we've been doing it. And let me tell you, it's been TONS of fun! My very favorite part is when James hides with me (when Derek seeks). It's awesome because James will giggle and giggle and be SO excited. Not surprisingly, we are easily found. But really, it's worth it to see him so happy.

Once recently, I was seeking... and Derek, Jolie and James were hiding. James was in his room (behind his rocking chair, probably; it's a favorite spot for him), but I was trying to find Derek and Jolie first. I was walking around the house calling, "Daddy!" when I heard a teeny voice say, "Daddy!" in return. :) It was soooo cute! It was Jolie! So I kept calling, "Daddy!" and hearing "Daddy!" in return, sort of in Marco Polo style. Finally I found them... in the hall closet! Derek says I cheated, but really- with a little voice that cute calling back, how could I resist? :) It was lots of fun.

More on Jolie's talking... she now says "ha" (hi), "ba" (bye), "dad," "daddy" and "mama" (though mostly when she's whining, go figure). Once I was getting her out of her bed in the morning, and James came into the room. She got all excited and started bouncing up and down (she seriously adores that boy) and said, "ha jay!" (Hi, James!) It was adorable, and I really think she meant it. So yes, our little girl is growing up way too fast. And talking. And screaming (who taught her how to protest?), too, unfortunately. She's still a very good, pretty chill little girl. She's just not okay being ignored anymore. It's probably better. You know, self survival and all.

Jolie's eating tons of real foods (among them: gingerbread cookies and banana bread... tell no one) nowadays. She especially likes diced up bananas, diced yams and diced apples. She especially hates most vegetable purees and acts like she's being mercilessly tortured when we try to feed them to her. (Don't worry. When it comes to power struggles, I always win. lol)

She's also been getting tons of new teeth. And by "tons" I really mean tons. James was very by-the-book with his teething. He got the bottom two middles, then the top two middles, then the sides... Jolie got the bottom two in one day, then a third bottom tooth. Now she's getting FOUR top teeth - all at once. It's awful. For her and, in turn, for all of us. But I think she's past the worst part (hooray) because - minus the veggie puree incidents - we've got our sweet little girl back. :)

Oh! And she crawls. Like for realz, yo. Up off the tummy and all that jazz. I'm so proud of her. She is pretty proud of her, too. :)

It's crazy up in here... but really, quite fun.