James at 4 months

James passed the four month milestone while we were away so this post is a little delayed. Keeping with the big boy trend, James weighed in at a whopping 18.2 pounds and 26.5 inches at his doctor visit. Both are the 95th percentile so he's come down a teeny tiny bit from the 98th percentile at his two month appointment. In the last month James has really started talking and is trying REALLY hard to roll over. He continues to be an easygoing guy who only gets feisty if you delay a feeding - hey, he's growing! James is very smiley and giggles a lot, but, for some reason I can't capture many of those smiles on camera. As soon as the camera comes out, his brow furrows and he concentrates on the camera and loses the smile. We'll keep at it, though. Anna says to me often, "Mommy, I'm so glad we got our baby. He's the best baby." We couldn't agree more. We love you James!

Tiny Dancer

I thought one item from our recent vacation deserved a special call out. One evening while we were out to dinner, we were seated near a singer at the restaurant. The guy was great - he took requests from the crowd and could play pretty much anything. Anna was transfixed on the music from the moment we sat down. After about five minutes of sitting (somewhat) patiently, she asked if she could dance. We said sure (funny enough the song she initially started dancing to was "Tiny Dancer"). And, dance she did - for about 45 minutes much to our and the other restaurant patrons' delight. She only stopped for a quick bite or drink here and there, but never sat down for the rest of the time we were there. It was great to see her dance with such joy and complete abandonment - a good reminder of how we should stop and enjoy the small things in life.

Ahh, Vacation

Over the 4th of July we took a somewhat impromptu trip to Hilton Head.  We planned the trip only three weeks in advance and were lucky to end up on a great beach considering we pretty much threw a dart at a map when deciding where to go.  We logged lots and lots of beach and pool time, and just enjoyed relaxing together for a full week.  There's not much to say - the pics will fill in the gaps.

The view from our condo - we saw lots and lots of dolphins.

Heading out to see fireworks (and experimenting with the timer on the camera).

Waiting for fireworks.

Red, white, & blue cuties ready for some beach time.

Rockin' in Harbour Town.

We played Candy Land.  Lots and lots of Candy Land.

Why does James look concerned in every picture with Anna?

Photo by Anna...

Sweet girl.

The girls.

The boys.

The girls again...

Watching A Bug's Life after a day at the beach.

Pool time.

Crafts on the beach - what could be better?

Frolicking at the shore.

Anna and I swam a lot in the ocean - she was fearless.

James taking his daily 1.5-2 hour nap on the beach.  Easiest. Baby. Ever.

Fun at the Harbour Town playground.

We had lots and lots of ice cream.  This particular flavor was "Cookie Monster" - blue vanilla ice cream with cookie dough and pieces of Oreos.



Still Splashing

Hands down the best money we spent this summer went to Anna's swim lessons. Her confidence in the water has grown by leaps and bounds and she is getting braver with each trip to the pool. As evidenced by the videos below...at our neighborhood pool Anna can go down the slide solo (a big yay! from me and Jason on that). The second shows her jumping from a diving board at a friend's house.