This and That

So, it's been a while since we've done a monthly or bi-monthly update and the entries have been more of a what we've been doing rather than what James has been into or James has been doing. I kept finding myself saying, I need to remember to write that down ... and then never doing it. So, here's a quick and not inclusive summary of James so far this summer.

There are two fire boats that are docked in the harbor and we've got a great view of them. James loves to watch these boats and walk over the bridge to see them. But, sometimes they test the hoses and James just sits at the window and watches. It is pretty cool to see.

Speaking of firemen and fire trucks, there are three fire houses that we drive by frequently and anytime we do, I roll down the windows in the car so James can see them better. We love to guess if the doors will be open so we can see the trucks and the ambulances and the fireman. James LOVES this. I found out that the trucks for all the surrounding stations get their gas tanks filled on Wednesdays at 11am at our station ... so after music class, I take the streets home and we just happen to drive by the station so we can see all the cool trucks with their lights on and flashing. The one we see most often is the #13 engine. This is a special number because it's actually the same number engine of mom's great-grand father who was fire captain in the Bronx for engine 13.

Also in fireman related news, James' fireman rain boots came today. James wanted to open them up in the elevator. I was able to convince him to wait until we were inside our apartment. He immediately put them on (all by himself!) and had them on until Dad came home. James couldn't wait to show Daddy :)

Oh the beach. Or "B" as James refers to this lovely piece of land. We do get down there though. But, honestly, I'm not a huge fan. It's not the cleanest beach and there's also the reality of being completely covered in sand upon our return home. However, we do frequent it a lot. It's hard to say no to James :)

We've been taking advantage of the nice days we've  been getting in-between the rain. Some days it's in the 70s and others its in the 90s. This is our 'spring/summer opening' in Chicago :)

James has been recounting events for us. He's in storytelling mode. He'll talk about the time we went to the zoo with Auntie E, or ordering Volare over the phone with Liddy, or hearing the garbage trucks back up and beep, or when they ran out of crackers at snack time. Anything, he just loves to tell the stories. It's really cute.

There's a building across the street from us and we can see their loading dock. James would sit all day at his window to watch the door open and the garbage trucks go in and out. He loves it. He even holds Tiny and Bear up to the window to watch. The garbage trucks and other big trucks beep when they go in reverse and now when James walks backwards, he beeps.

A funny but unnerving thing is how James says good-bye. He says, "die." Yep. So you hear this little voice saying, "Diiiiiiiieeee!" And it's weird because it's this really cute little voice and it's in a very happy tone too. But, there it is - die. I always explain to people that this is how he says Good-bye and they just stare at me. Oh well. We're working on it. It is kind of funny though.

And finally, there is the sound Mom makes when she's frustrated. Not sure how to type it - it's like a deep breath uuuuuuuuuuuuggggghhhhhhhhh - like the sound of complete frustration if that helps. James does this anytime we see a post office, a postal vehicle or a postman or postwoman. Why the association? Oh, our mail kept getting returned to us and also is late or never comes. Nice. It's been horrible. I was on the phone with and James heard my conversations with not only our local post office but the BIG USPS office in D.C. I suppose I kept making that noise over and over again....So the current situation is this: our mail still comes late, our magazines come ripped, Doug sends out our mail from his office and anytime we see anything post office related James says, "Mom uuuuuuuuuuuuugggggggghhhhh!" If you send anything to us, I hope it comes! And if you don't hear from us, this is why!

Anyway, let us end on a happy note. It's one of the most heartwarming things. When we're all home as a family, James just walks through the house singing, "Mom, Daddy, J - Mom, Daddy, J" and it just makes your whole body smile. And then there are those very special times when we're just playing or sitting around reading and then James comes barreling toward you and almost knocks you down with a huge bear hug and a big kiss. We love this. A lot. We love James. A lot.