Milestone Update

During James' first year of life, we did a really good job of highlighting his milestones each month along with a photo to see just how much he was growing both physically and mentally.  After his first birthday, the ritual ended, but the growing didn't so we thought it would be fun to update you on where James is now that he is just a little over a year and a half old (what?!?!).

Our little baby boy is gone and has been replaced with a thriving toddler who loves to run, climb, explore and play.  He continues to be a happy kid who seems to enjoy life and loves to laugh.  Unless he is in the middle of a melt down that is.  Like most toddlers, the kid knows how to throw a tantrum and boy does he do it up!  Mr. Drama King is his nickname sometimes.  And so are "Destructor" and "Jaws".  The books do not lie.  Terrible Two's do exist and they start somewhere around 16 months.  That's the fun fact that they leave out. :)

Milestone: Talking

The kid has become a bit of a chatterbox lately and its not all jibber jabber anymore. There are real words coming out of his mouth and it seems like he has a new one every day.  I think we are up to 14 words and because I know you are on the edge of your seat to know what they are, here is a list: Car, Truck, Shoes, Banb (Banana), Duck, Ball, Apple, Mama, Dada, Up, Hop, Moo, Cat, Dog.  Now of course, his diction is not 100% so strangers may not know what the heck he is saying, but Mommy and Daddy do. :)

Milestone: Comprehension

James amazes us with the amount of stuff that he understands.  When in the bath tub, if you ask him to hand you the duck, he gives you the rubber duckie.  If you say, "James - go get Mommy the ball," he comes back with a ball in his hands.  When you start singing "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" he is touching each body part as you sing.  Just last night I asked him what sound a monkey makes and he started making the "oo-oo-oo" sound and put his hands up to his armpits to look like a monkey. It's incredible! We LOVE to see his little brain at work.  He is truly learning something new every single day.

Milestone: Affection

This kid knows how to hug!!  Now that he is a little man, when you ask him for a hug, he comes running into your arms and gives you a big bear hug.  Same goes for a kiss.  You ask for one and he is slobbering all over you.  Not only does he dole out the love to us, he is also showing love for some of his stuffed buddies in the house.  Every morning and every night, we have to give Maurice the Giraffe a hug.  Same goes for Pretty Kitty - his stuffed cat given to him by Grandma Mangiaracina the day he was born.  We love seeing that softer, loving side of him.  Makes us see that he is going to be not only strong and tough, but also sweet and nurturing.

James is an amazing kid and we thank God every day that he is ours.  We are so blessed to have him and are grateful everyday that we are his parents and get to see him grow up.  It's hard to believe that in a few short months, James will be 2 years old.  Time truly flies and we are appreciating every bit of it.

Doggie Paddle

As Labor Day approached, so did the Annual Doggie Swim at the Little Rocky Run pool.  We have forced Lucy into this horrifying fun event for the past two years and it was time once again to get her doggie swim on.  Poor Lucy prayed for thunder and lightening all day so that she could skip it this year, but luck was not on her side. :)

We headed over to the pool after dinner and were greeted by many four legged friends.  Ed wasted no time and got Lucy in the pool before she could run and hide in the locker room.  As much as she hates swimming, she is really good at it!  She keeps up with the big dogs and is much braver than dogs three times her size!

James and his friend Noelle were there to cheer Lucy on, but James was less than enthused about the entire thing.  I think he was turned off when the big black Lab continued to get him wet as he shook.  He did get a kick out of seeing his Lucy girl running around like a crazy woman with her little friends.

To keep James entertained, I thought it would be a good idea to take some selfies with him.  Again, not so enthused.

All in all, Lucy did great.  She now has lots of time to take a break and start worrying about next year. 

End of (Summer) Days

I can't even believe that it has been over a month since I last posted on Being Mangiaracina.  Don't worry...I've slapped my own hands.  :)  To be honest, life has been going about 100 miles an hour lately so I have been just too exhausted to get online and put it all out there.  Even with this post my head is not totally in the game, but I vowed to jump start the blogging again so here we go.

Our summer was jammed packed with activities - always a good thing when you have a very active toddler.  I thought I would share quick recap using a photo montage of our end of summer days.

Weekend in Richmond
We decided to take a weekend road trip down to our state capital to check things out.  We had heard that the Richmond Children's Museum was a "must see" and we felt compelled to check out the Carytown Watermelon Festival.  Neither disappointed!

Burke Lake Park

We happened to get lucky with some awesome weather one weekend so we decided to take advantage and hit Burke Lake Park to "hike" the trail.  Lucy joined in on the fun and only had to be held 15 minutes of the 2+ hour walk.  James had a blast looking at all the trees and the ducks and riding in his car.  We ended the journey with a picnic in the car.

Neighborhood Fun

We always try to make sure we have a plan to keep James busy and entertained during the weekend and that typically takes us outside the house (which is a good thing since he is likes to tear the place apart!).  We took lots of walks (kid is obsessed with trees and will point every single one out!), clocked lots of hours at the playground and made some fun new friends at Toys R Us and Old Navy!

Pool Days

We learned this summer that our little guy is a bit of a guppie - he LOVES the pool!  We took advantage whenever we could and invited Grandma and Grandpa to join in on the fun.

Before we knew it, Labor Day was here, the kiddos were going back to school and life was a little bit more back to normal.  There is lots more to tell - especially since it is already mid-September so stay tuned.  I'm just getting started. :)