every captive thought

We celebrated Brad's birthday some more today after church with lunch at Mom and Dad's. I've mentioned before that my sweet Mom makes us the meal and dessert of our choice for our birthday. Brad chose hamburgers, hot dogs, and homemade vanilla ice cream. It was a fun day of cooking out and enjoying the beautiful weather. Then tonight James snuggled in bed with us. I love when he snuggles. ~~~~~ Yesterday, James helped Brad put new tires on his bike. James asked questions... And Brad explained the importance of bicycle safety. After that, we took James to the big pool for the first time. We thought he would LOVE it because he loves his bath so much, he loves the baby pool so much...and because Brad was an incredibly talented competitive swimmer. Wellllll......turns out....not so much. Nice Mommies shouldn't laugh at their children. I should remember that next time I'm holding the video camera. But he got a little more used to the pool. I bet next time will b

Today is Brad's birthday! We will be celebrating all weekend. Today was the actual day though. We started off by opening presents. With Jamesie's help, of course. He showed Daddy the card he picked out for him. Naturally, it had a blue puppy on it. I usually make Brad a zucotto for his birthday but this year he wanted something different and he wanted me to surprise him. So I made him toffee cheesecake bars. They were yummy. We had breakfast with Nana & Papa at Calico. Yum! Then Brad went for an extra-long work out while James and I napped. After nap time Jamesie got to go to Nana & Papa's while Brad and I ran some errands and went on a birthday date. James was super pumped to go to Nana & Papa's because they got him a pool! He got Puppy, his sippy, and was ready to go. He is getting so good at going down the stairs. Nana got him all slathered up in sunscreen and they headed for the pool. She said he loved it! He splashed! I think Nana was pr

James had to go back to the doctor yesterday. Turns out he got a virus on top of his ear infection and tonsillitis. Although he loves his beautiful Dr. H, he HATES when she listens to his heart with the stethoscope...much less looking in his throat or ears. It is a traumatic event for James, Dr. H and myself. And the stronger he gets, the harder it gets for the two of us to hold him down. So she suggested that I get him a doctor kit and let him bring it to the next appointment. Great idea! So off we went to the store to find just the right one. He loves it. Puppy has been his main patient...although Brad and I have had a few exams too. He really loves giving shots. But he still is a little confused about the blood pressure cuff. He's got this one down though. It is a good thing I made an appointment first thing in the morning though. As I was getting ready, James got my comb to comb his hair with...or so I thought. A few seconds later I heard him choking and gagging. That

Today we took James to the zoo for the first time. It was the perfect day for it. First we saw a great big stinky turtle. Then some buffaloes. They were stinky too. These monkeys were fighting over a lizard or frog or something. I can't really tell what it is. If you look closely you can see that the monkey on the right is holding it. I said, "Look! That monkey is about to eat an iguana!" and Brad said, "No, that's a frog." So whatever...it's an froguana. This goat looked really sad. I think it's a goat. Not sure. I need to brush up on some animal identification skills. A longhorn? Really? In Texas? Why is this so odd that we must display it in a zoo? I mean....gosh...what will they think of next? A horse? Yep...they had those too. Why would they have horses at the zoo in Amarillo, Texas? I seriously see them in the parking lot at the Dairy Queen on a regular basis. Now that's what I'm talking about. A scary cat looking thi