My baby James is one

I can't believe he is that big...but then he does things that remind me that he is definitely a one year old. Today alone James has been standing for longer periods of time than he ever has before, he climbed into the bathtub twice (scary), he rolled all the way down the stairs (scarier), and he has been climbing up anything he can get on (which happens every day).

We celebrated in Salt Lake with cupcakes and James was in heaven with his giant cupcake. He also loved the birthday song and laughed every time we sang (which was probably 5 times in the end because he loved it so much). We tried to celebrate with the Martins as well, but James and Thatcher were completely at the end of their rope and we went home before we were able to sing and eat cupcakes with them. James got some fun presents from his grandparents and I hope he felt loved.














Yesterday we went to the doctor for his 1-year appointment and he did great. He throws a fit every time I try to get him to hold still for a diaper change, but he was perfectly still every time the doctor or nurse was measuring or examining him. I was in total shock. He has jumped on the charts for both weight (82%) and height (88%) and as usual his head is off the charts. I love my chubby big-headed boy. I love watching him play. He watches Thatcher and really tries to imitate everything Thatcher does. He loves to play peek-a-boo, is hilarious with his cars, he loves throwing balls, loves riding his rocking horse, has discovered an ability for clapping which he loves, and is just busy exploring all the time.

Oh...and James has a new nickname thanks to his uncle Ryan. Minion (from the movie 'Megamind'. With James's three jagged bottom teeth and huge round eyes, I have to agree with Ryan, and I like the name minion anyway...so Minion it is.

The aftermath

Since Christmas the boys have had a lot of fun with their toys. Thatcher plays his guitar constantly and is more than happy to serenade anyone who makes a request. His best song so far was one about 'buzz flying to infinity and beyond in the movie'. Thatcher is having a rough time understanding that he won't get to see Santa until next Christmas. He asks about seeing Santa every day...I guess seeing Santa three days in a row led Thatcher to believe that it was normal to just see him around.

Kelly is the sweetest aunt and two of my favorite memories of her with my boys happened after Christmas...Kelly had a tea party with James and her friends. She just played with James while two of her friends were over and took such good care of him. I don't think that is a normal thing for a 12-year-old. She is so great. Also, the night before we left Salt Lake, Ty and I were gone so Kelly snuggled in bed with Thatcher to help him fall asleep. Thatcher tickled her back and put her arm around him so she would snuggle. They are so cute together.

My personal highlights after Christmas where when I got to spend some time with Emily Mitarai and Tori's Christmas dinner for our high school girlfriends. It was spectacular to say the least. The food was amazing and it was a fun night.

Here are some random pics of our time in Salt Lake...





Drive home...
On our drive home we stopped in Kanab at a church to let Thatcher run around for a minute. There was a nativity set up outside and a camel big enough that Thatcher could ride it. When he was riding it I told him that he was a wise man and that wise men give presents to baby Jesus. Thatcher was holding his beloved Big Buzz and Big Woody and went right over to baby Jesus and laid his two gifts on the manger. Then he looked at us like he was ready to go. I think he would have left them there too if Ty hadn't picked them up. I thought that was so sweet. There was no question about making that sacrifice. I love his heart. It makes me want to be a better person every day.

A funny Thatcher-ism that Thatcher came up with on the way home was the phrase "That's so much cool." Ty thought it was pretty funny so of course Thatcher repeated is over and over again.

Since we have been home... the boys have been super happy to be back. Thatcher asks to go to Nanny and Pop's and Nana and Papa's, but he is still happy here. Thatcher told us that he missed Josh the night that we got home and yesterday when Thatcher heard dad was talking to Kelly (Marsden) he insisted on talking to her thinking it was his Kelly. We have played with (and found homes for) all of their new toys, built trains, and taken a bunch of colored baths. Thatcher has taken a number of pretend naps in his tent and in his bed. A new game Thatcher plays is he will usually say, "Thatcher going to sleep, Mom/Dad wake up me with a roar!" and then he pretends to sleep and we say, "roar" and he 'wakes up' laughing hysterically.

It has been snowing like crazy which has kept us indoors except for a treacherous trip to the doctor's and a freezing snow-shoeveling experience outside with Thatcher. We had fun, but it is definitely cold when Thatcher (who never wants to go in) said it was too cold.

So..it is good to be back, but my kids sure do miss their loved ones in Utah. I am excited and hopeful about this next year (and really really nervous too). I think it is going to be a good one. I hope we can make good decisions and good goals and stay focused on what is most important for our family. I haven't written out my resolutions but there are a few Thatcher issues that need some tackling in 2011 (among others):
Fear of dogs...I am a little concerned about that. If we are in a real house by June I think we are going to seriously consider getting a dog. I don't know if I am ready for that, but I want Thatcher to love animals and I think that will be the best way to get comfortable.
Potty training setbacks...Thatcher is so great at going on the potty most of the time. He even will get up on a normal toilet seat all by himself and go. But he is inconsistent. He is so inconsistent that I think every day for the last week I have cleaned up at least one accident...which is usually poop on the floor or bed. He always is good about taking off his diaper (if he is napping or down for the night) or his clothes (if it is during the day) but then he will just go and it doesn't seem like he is ever rushing to the potty and just doesn't make it. I don't get it, but it is frustrating.
Sleeping issues...I am guessing this one is a result of us sleeping in the same bed for two weeks in Salt Lake, but he will not stay in his bed. This entire week we have been dealing with Thatcher for AT LEAST two hours after we out him down. It starts out funny (Thatcher will push his dump truck and use it to reach the light switch, then do dances and get out toys and do things to make baby James laugh) but it always ends up with both boys over-tired and grumpy. Then last night he woke up at 11:30 and was so hysterical that we let him sleep in our bed after he woke James up. I don't know what to do about this one, but hope we can find a solution. Typical isn't it? James is finally a great sleeper and now Thatcher isn't.

I am excited and ready for 2011 and all the changes and fun times it is going to bring.

Christmas Day

Christmas days was great, even though my favorite things about Christmas is all the excitement leading up to it. Thatcher was so excited Christmas morning that he had a little meltdown while waiting upstairs with Kelly and Josh. The meltdown quickly subsided when he saw what Santa had brought him...his very own tent with a tunnel. He was so excited. Then he went to his stocking. I think this was my favorite part of the whole morning because every time he pulled something out he let out a huge gasp and did a little giddy jump. Even when the last thing he pulled out was a little clementine, he gave the same reaction. He is the funniest kid and so great at reacting how every parent would hope their kids would react. It took a while to open the presents because there were a bunch, but we succeeded in the end. The boys got spoiled, but it was fun...really fun. Thatcher wanted to watch his 'Buzz movie' as soon as we were done opening presents and so that is what he did. Big Buzz, Big Woody, Big Jesse, and a bunch of 'little' members of the gang joined him.

We spent the rest of the morning and afternoon at the Martins where the boys went crazy over their wiggle cars. James was surprisingly good at maneuvering his car and we have had a blast with those things. Ty and I got sonicare toothbrushes and as boring as it may sound, we were really excited about them. We stayed at the Martins eating tons and drinking cranberry tea until our boys were on the brink of losing it and then came back to Nana's. We spent the afternoon and evening playing with toys, eating, and playing 'the game of things' which was fun.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was extra special this year (as everything was this season). The Garfields came over and we had a fabulous prime rib dinner, then we had a few musical performances where Josh played some some on the guitar,Meg and Emily took turns at the piano, Thatcher and Josh sang 'Santa Clause is Coming to Town', then Thatcher decided he liked being the center of attention and sang a few more while standing on the piano bench, and the most memorable performance (or so I thought) was Ty singing a rendition of the '12 Days of Christmas' that I wrote (and will put at the end of this post). After the performances everyone voted on our gingerbread houses and then we opened presents. Thatcher was pretty excited about his Lightning Mqueen 'flips' (slippers). After presents the kids (which included Gail and Jake who were great sports) put on the nativity. Thatcher was Joseph and took his role very seriously. The whole thing was hilarious and perfect. James was asleep by that point so he didn't get to be the baby Jesus. The night ended with banana cream pie and putting out treats and stockings for Santa and his reindeer. The whole night was fun and easy and special. I love my family, my boys and my life.











The 12 Days of Christmas
re-written by Jen Martin, Christmas 2010
1st- Carson
…a full year of nothing but vacations

2nd- Keith
…lower cholesterol
…and a silent passive wife

3rd- Ty and Jen
…4 bondage outfits
…3 brand new planners
…2 sedated boys
…and a car that starts consistently

4th- Emily
…4 lacrosse goals
…3 life sized stand-up cardboard cutouts of Shakey Smithson
…2 piano duets
…1 brand new ACL

5th- Thatcher and James
…5 hours of no injuries
…4 people to snuggle
…3 bags of marshmallows
…2 heads as big as a melons
…1 buzz Movie

6th- Kelly
… 6 kisses from Conner
… 5 thousand texts
… 4 hours of TV
… 3 hours in a mouse head
… 2 melon-headed nephews
… 1 pair of brand new pointe shoes

7th- Meg
…7 wins in tennis
…6 dates with Remmy Rem
…5 flirty glances from David Archuleta
…4 rounds of the ACT
…3 Motab performances
…2 dancing shoes
…1 shiny reparied cabriolet

8th- Ry and Mel
…8 friends like Everett
…7 designer jeans
…6 dozen craisin cookies
…5 brand new razors
…4 days without Denise
…3 gas masks for Mel
…2 new job offers
and…one house that’s not a garage

9th- Jake and Gail
…9 skiing lessons
…8 front row U game seats
…7 trips on the muss buss
...6 articles for the daily chronicle
…5 more girls for Jake
…4 trips to New York
…3 study abroads
...2 U diplomas
…and for Gail one proposal from Will

10th- Dru
…10 songs from Josh-y
…9 orders of sweet potato fries
…8 days to sleep in
…7 new bathrobes
…6 days of no cookin’
…5 days of soy chicken
…4 ambien
…3 days left of her callin’
….2 perfect grandkids
and...one year in Switzerland

11th- Mark
…11 months of skate skiing at Mountain Dell
…10 high council talks
…9 slide rock cliff jumps
…8 cross country skiing trips
…7 injury free midnight bathroom runs
…6 days a week of working out
…5 getaways with his best friend Eric Heiden
…4 debates with Kristi
…3 centuries of cabin privileges
…2 days without hormonal women gripin’
and …one full head of hair

12th- Josh
…12 non-exaggerated water polo goals
…11 constant friends
…10 guitar lessons by Roy
…9 pants that fit
…8 baseball games
…7 trophies for enthusiasm
…6 holy socks
…5 jumps of the second platform
…4 swimming medals
…3 new combs for his hair
…2 kisses from London
…for the Giants to win the world series

Christmas week

It has felt like 'Christmas week' for the last 5 weeks, but this week has been especially fun. The week before Christmas included the following:
- Sunday dinner at the Martins and getting together with freshman year roomies (with amazing chocolate cake that Martha Birk made)
- Lunch with Mike Maughan at Zupas...we hadn't had a good chat in years
- Ryan and Mel got in town on Monday. It was fun to have our whole family together.
- We woke up Tuesday to everything covered in snow and so Ryan, Nanna, and Thatcher and I went outside and made a pretty impressive snowman. Thatcher was ecstatic. I think that making the snowman put Ryan permanently on Thatcher's favorite people list. I love the picture with Ryan throwing a snowball and Thatcher hugging the snowman.





- Baby Krew was born on Tuesday but I had a cold so a real visit never happened by me (Ty was able to see him on Christmas day)
- Thatcher's imagination cracks me up. All week he was making pretend snowmen with whatever balls or balloons he could find.

One of his 'potty prizes' was a hand-me-down Mickey Mouse light saber and Thatcher decided that Mickey needed some arms...tree arms. This is how he made it happen.

Thatcher also begged to wear his Santa Costume every day. Kelly and Josh both wore this Santa costume and it was fun to watch the tradition continue. The first morning he put it on he woke up Nana with a "ho ho ho Merry Christmas". He would carry around his sleigh too and even took a nap with it once. One day he put on his snow boots and told Kelly he wanted a white beard. She came up with this which I thought was super clever. She is the best Aunt.

Here are some goofy pictures of my little ham. He will do anything he can to make me or anyone else laugh.



-Tuesday night we had a gingerbread contest which was a lot of fun. Thatcher and Kelly were one team. Thatcher contributed by eating all the candy and then when he got bored, Keith stepped in as an honorary team member.




Josh and Ry with his nasty Santa beard (that Thatcher and James were both quite fond of) were another team even though they needed a a little help from Mel.



Mel and I made up the last team. And made the best gingerbread house of course.

We had a fun night hanging out with each other and as usual, James entertained us all with his unparalleled cuteness.



-We went to see Santa at the mall on Wednesday. Thatcher was so excited and definitely let Santa know that he wanted a Buzz movie. While eating lunch in the food court, Thatcher went to the bathroom at the restroom there (the first successful public restroom experience we had...exciting, I know).

- Dad came into to town ("on an airplane..that's so cool" was what I heard all day) on Thursday and we went straight to the Martin family Christmas party. Santa came first thing and Thatcher was a sweetheart. He sat like a statue (except for his wandering hand on the thigh of the little girl sitting next to him) as Santa read two different stories, then he waited patiently while every other kid (and there were a lot of them) got called to sit on Santa's lap. Thatcher was the second to last kid who got to sit on Santa's lap and he was ecstatic. He told Santa what he wanted and then Santa handed him a present. Thatcher was convinced it was his 'Buzz movie' which made me sad, but he was very sweet when he opened up a Christmas book (especially considering another kid got 'Toy Story 3' ). Thatcher read his book a few times before dinner and then read it the entire way home that night. He told me and Ty, "I love this book" which made us both happy that he was grateful for what he got even though it wasn't what he thought it would be.





- We read the Polar Express so many times that Thatcher started to memorize certain parts of it and would 'read' it to me. Then on Christmas eve, Thatcher got to go on the Polar Express with his Dad, Seth, Redding, and Carson. They drank hot chocolate and ate cookies, saw reindeer and Santa, and had a great time going on a real train