James is growing up so, so fast... and he's getting to be an absolute BLAST! He recently learned how to "hug." He squeezes up his whole little body around you. It's very endearing, and needless to say, we love it.

Last Wednesday, Derek had the day off and was playing a little World of Warcraft while multitaskingly (of course that's a real word... ahem...) taking care of James. James decided to eat/hug Derek's head, and the result was hilarious.

We love our little monkey. He's the best thing that ever happened to us... and to Derek's hair!

Derek and James have been washing dishes.

James has been chillin' with Mr. Bear.

The Indians have been uprising against the Pilgrims.

James has been contemplating his opinion of snow.

And we have been shopping, decorating, and becoming totally stoked for our oh-so-favorite holiday... CHRISTMAS!

When I was pregnant with James, I was really scared that once he came we wouldn't have any fun at all, that our lives as we knew them would be over. (I had PRE-partum depression, I think...seriously.) Derek and I have always had a blast together, with laughter being a key ingredient in our relationship. I was scared that a baby, a child, would turn us into middle-aged, uptight, far-too-serious, somber and cranky parents. What the heck were we thinking, having a baby???

When James was born, all fears dissipated. He was everything I could hope for and more. I was absolutely in love, and that hasn't changed a bit. He has always been such a sweet little boy, only crying when there's something legitimately wrong or needed, radiating so much love you can't help but love him back. He has always had a pleasant, endearing personality. And lately, he's developed a sense of humor. He's such a funny little kid. He smiles like crazy, giggles, laughs, and lately... squeals.

Here is a video that Derek took of James and me playing. My little piggy is ticklish, apparently.

James ate (term used loosely) REAL food last night! We fed him rice cereal, the only semi-solid thing he's ever tried. It wasn't really what I'd call a success, considering the fact that pretty much none of it ended up in his belly (settling instead for his face/bib). But he didn't hate it. He was interested, just a little confused.

James' first Halloween was a fun one, at least for us. The night before Halloween (All Hallows Eve Eve?), we carved pumpkins. Before making the oh-so-fantastic jack-o-lantern faces, however, we chopped off the top of one, cut two holes in the bottom, and stuffed our kid inside! We thought he might like it (lie). And we thought it would make a cute picture (truth). It did.... but he didn't. Apparently freezing cold pumpkin guts aren't the most comfortable environ. He screamed and screamed... and we just kept snapping shots. We're jerks. But he survived... and got a nice, warm bath afterward (which he LOVES), so all was well in the end.




On Halloween day, I decided to try out my domestic side. I made cookies (sugar cookies that were cookie-cut out to look like pumpkins) and orange frosting... both FROM SCRATCH! Generally my idea of "from scratch" is to scratch my head (or butt, let's be honest) while I look at the instructions on the box/package. Needless to say, I was pretty impressed with myself. And somehow miraculously, they turned out pretty dang yummy. I made up a few plates and took them to our neighbors. I also digitally scrapbooked a little note to go with them. Overall, it was a success.

Then- on actual Halloween night (the actual "Eve"), we dressed up our little pea in his pod and went "trick or treating" to Shawn and Mindy's house. The whole famn damily was there (minus Kurt and his Bonnie Lass) to show off costumes and hang out a bit. James wasn't entirely pleasant, since he was coming down with a little cold and was therefore on edge, but it was still fun. Disclaimer: The following video is pretty lame (I am NOT an awesome videographer), but it shows his costume the best.

What a happy, happy Halloween!

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The past few days have been fairly eventful for us.

On Friday, Derek got to come home from work around noon...just because. That alone makes for a fantastic day. On top of that, it was a gorgeous fall day, with the crisp air that smells sweetly like falling leaves. Mmm... We decided to run errands together-- getting our car inspected, the title transferred at long last, the oil changed, groceries shopped (can you say that in the passive tense?), etc. Sounds lame, but it was probably the best, HAPPIEST day in James' entire life... literally. He was soooo smiley and giggly all day long, which is even more monumental given the fact that car rides generally suck with him. It was so much fun! While our car got inspected, we went to lunch at The Olive Garden. Yum. No further comment necessary. Then that night, we hung out with Kurt and Bonnie and Julie.... Sauerkraut Festival (sounds cooler than it was, though the company was great) and The Village. Fun, fun day-- from beginning to end.

Saturday was a pretty lazy day. Derek and Kurt had a World of Warcraft LAN party. Being the supportive and self-sacrificing wife that I am, I made them breakfast before and didn't whine TOO much during. That evening wasn't very fun, however, as we took James in to get his three-month pictures. I could have killed someone. It was stressful, emotional (for James, unless pissed off is an emotion, then for me too), and awful. Luckily, though, we got some great pictures. Good thing our boy is so stinkin' handsome! :) [The pictures take a couple of weeks to come back... so you'll have to keep checking to see them officially blogged.]

Sunday was our Stake Conference. It was good, inspiring, and ultimately: fun... with the fun and yummy dinner at our friend's (Micah and Brittney's) house included in the experience. We hung out with them that whole day... until James fussed too much due to lack-o-nap that we had to get him to bed.

THEN (I warned you... It's a novel!) yesterday. Yesterday was our little buddy Tai's 1st birthday. We partied all night long, ate good food, hung out with TONS of family that really we are part of regardless of genetics, and had a blast. With our cupcake hangovers and our happy hearts, we came home and crashed.

Needless to say, James and I are having a very low-key, very structured and ordinary day today. Naps are DEFINITELY on the agenda.

** The following video was taken Saturday morning. Derek was playing with James, and at least at the beginning-- he was giggling in reply (a new skill of his, they used to be wide-mouthed yet silent). True to form, once the camera was on, the fun died down a bit. But you can still see a glimpse of our happy, adorable boy (and his happy, adorable daddy).

PS. If you can't hear (and/or are still confused about the title of this post), Derek is chanting: "Here comes a little mouse creeping up to James' house!" Hence the title. You're welcome.

Women are complicated. This we all know. It seems to be an international truth, and no one denies it- even women. However, surpassing any form of male simplicity is a complex, difficult-to-understand aspect of the XY-chromosomed species: male bonding.

Some men bond with their sons by playing ball. Some take their sons fishing. Others restore an old car. My husband... well, you'll see.

I'm not sure where I was at the time of this male bonding experience, but I wasn't around to witness the photo shoot. I discovered these pictures, smiled, loved them... but realized that male bonding is something I very truly do not understand.

Last night we went to the Pumpkin Walk with a bunch of friends. It was our first holiday experience as a family. We loved it and very much enjoyed ourselves. James was way too excited, deciding to look around and play instead of nap (resulting in 6+ hours of non-stop awake action). Luckily, though, he was super happy and fun, not fussy at all. There were all sorts of awesome displays put together by various community groups/families. Here, along with several photos of all of us, are a few of our favorites. Enjoy.

This weekend was fun. It was lounging around on soft couches. It was pajamas and yummy food. It was family. It was cozy. It was Conference.

For those of you who don't know, the Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-Day Saints (aka: the Mormon church, of which Derek and I are members... James an intern) holds a General Conference twice a year. In said conferences, the Prophet and other church leaders speak to the members, offering encouragement, guidance and inspiration. [For more information, go to http://www.mormon.org/ or http://www.lds.org/] This weekend was exactly that, and I loved it. The talks were great, but more importantly -- the Spirit that entered our home as a result was wonderful, refreshing. Although actually going to church is nice, there's just something fun about watching church on tv... in your pjs.

My mother-in-law watched Saturday morning conference with me, since Derek had ditched us to go to a ROCK CONCERT (yeah, he's a sinner). Then the afternoon session, we watched at her house with the rest of the Anderson clan. Sunday we stayed home all day, just the three of us... the Anderson Trio.

For those of you who think I'm a good, sweet, loving mommy... think again. While Derek (aka: Daddy) is off working hard to bring home the bacon, I (aka: Mommy) sit at home and torture* my son. Call this a confession if you will. The funny thing is: he loves it! Here are a couple of examples of the torture and cruelty I put my son through:


1. While sorting/hanging up/folding laundry, I come across James' clothes, etc. I hold them up, say in an exasperated/silly voice, "This one's yours!" and gently toss it onto his body, saying (again in an obnoxious voice), "bonk!" Again, another article is found: "This one's yours... bonk!" Eventually, he ends up buried in clothes and burp rags... and giggling. Then I proceed to play the age-old game of "Where's the baby?" He's not yet old enough to understand peek-a-boo, but somehow (perhaps it's the voices I use) he is quite entertained.

2. A friend of mine sent us a Bumbo seat when James was born. The seat is intended to help kids practice sitting up once they are old enough to hold up their head. Well, James can sort of hold his up, so I figured we'd give it a try. Instead of sitting peacefully, he acts as if he's riding a bucking bronco. It's really amusing for me, but probably not so much for him. Like I said, torture. During this particular torture session, James began by sitting upright but slowly tipped and tipped until he ended up in a rather funky position. He thought it was pretty funny, and I did too. Hence the photo. Enjoy.

*I don't actually harm him in any way. How could I? He's such a sweet boy...

September 19th is International Talk Like a Pirate Day (fer those o' yer scallywags who aren't be knowin'). Generally in this household, it is a highly-celebrated holiday, religiously followed to a T. However, somehow (TRAGICALLY) this year it was overlooked. Perhaps to commemorate the sadly-missed holiday, or perhaps just because it was fun, Derek found himself in the possession of a rather adorable looking shoulder parrot. Polly does not yet want a cracker, but you've gotta admit... he's pretty dang cute.

So I was uploading pictures from our camera today, and I came across this funny little video we recorded on Saturday, Sept. 8th. If you've seen The Simpson's Movie, you'll understand. Derek is unfortunately inspired by Homer Simpson, but luckily this inspiration seeps no further into his life than in the form of silly antics (i.e. he hasn't yet become fat, bald, lazy, no-good... you get the idea). Our little James is getting so strong, and so proud of himself! We biasely think he's the cutest thing ever. Seriously, though, he really is.

It's as splotchy of a home video as they come (don't expect Spielberg), but I thought you all might be interested in a little glimpse of a typical Saturday in the Anderson home...