The Months Before Christmas

I know it's been a long time since I last posted something on this blog.  It saddens me that I am not documenting James' milestones and toddler years but I am going to do my best to do a quick summary of things that have been going on around year since the last time I posted.

 

James is growing into such a sweet young boy.  He can be so sweet to his mommy and loves giving me kisses and hugs, especially in the morning.  I'm trying to cherish every moment of being with him.

 

This is not to say that every moment is blissful and calm.  He is two, ya know.  And sometimes, the TWO in him comes out!  Dinner times are rough around the Wallace household most nights.  It has become something I dread.

 

 

Back to sanity...since our beach trip, we have been having so much fun exploring the world with James.  We had our two-year check up which confirmed he's a growing boy and healthy!

 

 

We also made a BIG announcement...

 

We went to the pumpkin patch to pick out our very own pumpkin!

 



 

James loved the hunt for the perfect pumpkin

 

More than that, he loved the hay ride!

 



 

After the hay ride and a much needed snack of funnel cake, James kept pointing to the ponies and saying "Ride!".  I thought we would just bring him to the ponies to he can see them and maybe even pet one, but he kept saying "RIDE!"  So, with hesitation, we put him on a pony.  He LOVED it!  The man in charge called him a "real cowboy".  Cutest cowboy I've ever seen.

 



 

We moved right before Halloween into a new house.  We chose a quick and easy costume for James, a firefighter.  He didn't want to wear the jacket, so he just looked like this.  You kind of get the idea, right?

 





 

 

Before the Thanksgiving holiday, we found out we were having a baby GIRL!  We were thrilled!

 

My very sweet and talented cousin took these pictures of our gender reveal.  Isn't she the best?

 

 

We are so excited to have a baby girl in our family!  I know she is going to be so loved and I can't wait to meet her in less than 4 months!

 

For Thanksgiving, we went down south to visit my family.  We finally got to meet my newest nephew, Joseph.  He is so sweet and such a good baby.  James loved holding him too! He would tell everyone, "My Baby!" when someone tried to take him away.  He was so sweet to Joseph!  I think he's going to be great big brother :)

 

 

When we returned from Thanksgiving vacation, we were in the Christmas spirit!  Every weekend, we have been doing activities related to Christmas.  We went to the Christmas Parade in Mountain Brook Village.  James had a great time on Daddy's shoulders.

 



 

They handed out ice cream sandwiches.  Ice cream and a cookie all in one??  James is in heaven!

 



 

He waved to Santa when he came by on the Fire Truck!

 



 

This Christmas holiday has already been so much fun with James.  He loves looking at Christmas lights and singing Christmas carols.  His favorite is of course, "Jingle Bells".  He sings it all the time!

 

I am really looking forward to Christmas day when James wakes up and sees what Santa brought him.  He is so sweet and so excited about everything.  I know this year is going to be a special one.



Beach Trip 2014

In June, we made our way to the Gulf Coast for the  2nd annual Wallace Beach Trip.  This time, we were fortunate to stay for an entire week.  This really worked out great because Nannie, Grandpa, Uncle John, Aunt Amy, and cousin Thomas were all able to come see us!

 

James had an absolute BLAST at the beach this year.  He loved every minute of it.  He loved playing in the sand, splashing in the pool, EVERYTHING!  He was completely spoiled the whole time and got to do pretty much whatever he wanted. SO much fun!

 

 

James loved the pool and beach equally this time.  He loved to splash and swim in the pool but also loved to play in the sand and chase the incoming wave at the beach.  He was one happy boy!

 

The part of the pool he loved the most was when Daddy would join him!

 

 

 

Of course, it wouldn't be a family vacation without a photo session at the beach.  We certainly were not the only ones doing it.  It's the new thing :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look at those chubby baby feet!  If only they could stay this way.

 

 

 

One morning, we went to the Pirates and Princesses breakfast at the Hangout.  I recommend this to anyone with young kids.  The food wasn't anything to write home about, but the entertainment for the kids... priceless!

 

Aaarrgh!

 

 

 

 

When Nannie and Grandpa visited, we went to the Zoo in Gulf Shores.  I wouldn't say it is the most exotic zoo I've been to, but it does the trick for a very curious 21 month old who loves to feed goats!  Tip for parents: bring lots of hand sanitizer.  The zoo has several dispensers throughout the park, but most were empty and you really NEED hand sanitizer!

 

 

 

 

Towards the end of the week, our cousin Thomas came to play! And Eat :)

 

I hope they are friends forever

 



 

Vacation for James would not be complete without.... Spaghetti!  So, we had to have his favorite meal.  Success!

 

 



 

This beach trip was truly unforgettable.  There are so many fun stories that I didn't get to share: arcades, merry-go-round, etc.  Fun at the beach has certainly changed to a different kind of fun as a parent.  Seeing everything through your child's eyes is so exciting.  It really brings back childhood memories of my own.  James enjoyed every minute of it.  Mommy and Daddy did too :)  I know James will not remember it, but we will treasure these memories forever.  Although we cannot get them back, we can only laugh from remembering them and look forward to making new memories!

Lucky to be called "Mommy!"

Yesterday was my 2nd Mother's Day.  I really reflected on the last 20 months as a Mommy and I am so thankful to be called the best thing in the world, "Mommy."  or "Mama." James has brought so much joy to my life that I just couldn't imagine a world without his smile and cuddles.  He is such a sweet boy :) 

 

Since it has been awhile since I've posted anything, I thought I would give a quick summary of what we have been up to lately. (Besides tax season, of course)

 

In February, James went to his first Mardi Gras parade with Nannie, Grandpa, Uncle John, Aunt Amy, and Thomas!  We practiced the week leading up to it so he wouldn't be in shock when beads and moonpies were being thrown at him.  I mean, who wouldn't be?? 

I believe he was in awe throughout the entire thing.  Speechless.

 

 

Once the weather started getting better and temperature outside starting warming up, we had many play dates outside, on playgrounds, and we visited the Botanical Gardens. This boy LOVES being outside!  Or "Ha Ha" like he calls it :)

 

 

Around Easter time, we went to our cousins' house to celebrate Delaney's 5th Birthday.  The kids hunted Easter eggs and had so much fun together!

 

 

These two are so cute and sweet to each other.  James loves doing whatever Sam Nolan does.  I think he feels like a "big kid" when he's with him. So sweet!

 

To keep with the spirit of Easter, we went to another Easter egg hunt in our neighborhood.  James had so much fun getting the eggs and putting them in his basket. So stinkin' cute!

 

 

On Easter, we tried so hard after church to get a good picture of James.  Nothing really worked, but here's the best we got.

 

 

 

Yum Yum!