Trout fishing with Daddy

 Even though this morning only reached the lower 40s we decided that it was time we showed James a fresh caught trout.  Last night when James a protesting going to bed I told him that "tomorrow we are going to go fishing with daddy and catch a fish" but he had to sleep first and he got very excited and said loudly to me "bye!" which meant that he needed to left alone to go to sleep so that tomorrow would come sooner.

 This morning he had forgotten about our plans until after breakfast I reminded him what we were going to do.  During his pre-outing diaper change we were talking about it and I asked him what we were going to catch and he said "puffer fish" then "maybe octopus" then some other ocean life I can't recall at the moment.  And I said probably not any of those but most likely we would catch a trout.  He was equally happy with that idea. (again, this is his smiling face when asked to smile for a picture.)

 It took me a while to get us packed up as I wasn't sure how long it would take to catch the much anticipated fish- so diapers, warmth, snacks and other diversions all had to be taken into account.

 Wonderfully within 5 minutes of fishing Tim hooked a rainbow trout and James and I rushed over to take a look. (my angle with the camera wasn't so great as I had James in one arm.)

 He did a bit of exploring of Helton Creeks banks- finding the biggest leaves he could spy.

 I think I am going to be said when those toddler cheeks finally thin out!

 He also loved going through Tim's fly box- asking the names of the individual flies (some I knew, some I told him incorrectly- but it is quite funny to hear him point to a fly and say Y2K, Hellgrammite, junk fly, marauder, etc.

 He would also turn around and say "Daddy, maybe pink one, maybe white one" trying to suggest which fly Tim should try next.

 I was thankful he was willing to listen to my instruction about not removing the flies from their 'home' as the hooks might poke him.

 One happy boy, one worn out momma (I'll post at some point why this is so).

Oh, mouse, how I love you!

The farm may not have the roaches of Atlanta, but it has it's own pests....mice.  And it seems when we are away they come on full force to eat up any forgotten tidbits.

Out comes the rat zapper and pretty much every time we bait it and turn it on within 12 hours there is yet another tiny dead mouse.

James was quite excited when I told him daddy would show him a mouse a few mornings ago.

Tim put it in a ziploc to throw away and let James look at it for a few minutes.

He was fascinated by it.

He showed it to Elsa who looked on with interest but not so much as to hold it.

James stared and stared, turning the baggie this way and that to look at every angle.

And when Tim said it was time to throw it away while opening up the trash James rushed over and pushed the trash drawer closed saying "no!"  He wanted to keep the mouse.  Eventually we got it away and said we'd catch another one for him to see.  We have caught several since but as it was a bit of an ordeal to get that first mouse away we haven't yet shown him the rest.

First time with Play Dough

Today James played with Play Dough for the first time.  I had waited to introduce him to this classic because of his insatiable desire to put almost everything in his mouth.  Lately though he has been refraining from chewing on something if you tell him beforehand that it is just to look at, play with, etc but NOT for his mouth.

This morning as I ran errands in town (with Christi and Avie) Tim, James, Jarrett and Elsa broke out the new set of dough and implements I purchased for this trip and tried their hand(s) at crafting shapes.  James was pretty happy that the enclosed dough cookie cutters had aquatic animal shapes. 

Elsa rolling her yellow dough.

You crack me up, James!

These days James' language skills are growing by leaps and bounds.  His vocabulary is huge- several hundred words (though of course I have to be his interpreter for others) and he speaks 4-5 word sentences routinely.

This made our 6.5hour road trip to the farm yesterday quite enjoyable.  James is now able to chat with us, initiate 'conversations', and make jokes.

A couple of examples from yesterday:

- when he woke up from his nap in the backseat I turned around to say hi and he saw that I had glasses on (which I rarely wear) and he was disturbed by his momma looking different.  He said "momma, glasses off." I told him I was wearing them to help me see so I would be leaving them on a few more minutes.  He repeated "glasses off!", then I repeated 'not right now' and then as he was becoming more insistent and as I was willing to pick that fight when we are all locked in a truck cabin for a few more hours I gave in and took them off...then I heard from me behind me "thank you!"

-As we were coming around a bend on the Blue Ridge Parkway in the dark and fog Tim put on the brakes a bit harder than normal and I said "oooooo, curve!" and then James from behind said "crash! boom! BANG!"  Thankfully we didn't crash, boom, bang.

- Also on the Blue Ridge when James was getting antsy I tried to direct his attention to looking for bear and deer instead of repeatedly asking for more books even though it was pitch dark.  He looked for those animals for a while and then said "let's look for ladybugs and wasps" (two critters he has found in our front yard the day before).

All in all he is becoming more and more fun to chat with and see the world through his eyes.

Future snowboarder?

Recently it has been chilly enough that James has needed to wear a hat and wasn't wanting to wear the darling owl hat I knit him so I gave him the option of choosing between his hat and mine and he has been choosing to wear my blue beanie. Yesterday even though it was pleasantly warm James tracked down my hat and plopped it on his head.  He looked so totally rad and gnarly.  Something about the fit and his blond curl peeping out the back reminds me of those adventurous young men who careen down steep hillsides on snowboards.

Momma's helper

 James has watched me wash dishes his whole life of course, and eventually he would play in the water next to me.

 Today I decided time for his play to become productive so he got to use the soapy sponge to wash a pot lid.

 And was that lid ever squeaky clean!  He did not want to stop washing even though everything was soaked- him, the counter, the floor...

Again, his strange "smile" when I ask him to smile at the camera.

Leaves!

 Today James and I raked the front yard.

 James absolutely loved sitting in the finished pile.

 And then laying down.

 But the son was in his eyes.

 Solved the wanting to lay down- sun in the eyes problem by going tummy first.

 "Helping" me rake...umm, sort of anti-helping as he was actually pulling leaves out of the pile.

 Finally he lay down away from the sun and I could not resist covering him up.

 This is the face James made when I asked him to smile at the camera!