James is a Puppy!

James loves water!  Ever since he was born he loved spending time in the shower and the bathtub.  It was one of our summer goals to spend the summer working on swimming so James would feel safe in the water and Mommy could spend a little less time having panic attacks since we live close to a pool.  The first time we were in the water (earlier post) it was FREEZING so this time we made sure it was nice and warm.

James was hesitant at first and had no interest in swimming.  He was fine with the water, and he didn't mind floating around and long as I was hugging him tight, but he wasn't interested in learning how to swim.  Matt isn't a huge swimmer, so he was sitting on the edge of the pool. We tried to get James to hold on to the side of the pool in front of Daddy and float on his own, but James wanted nothing to do with it!

After a little bit we realized that James had no intention of swimming unless his Daddy got in the water to prove that it was safe.  We have recently entered into a "scared" phase, and if his Daddy and Mommy won't both do something it must be scary!  Daddy earned himself a million brownie points by jumping into the water to join us!  Did I mention that Matt really hates to swim? 

Once Daddy got into the water James was very willing to swim around.  And, we hit a milestone... James learned to "doggy paddle!"  Daddy and I stood about four feet apart from one another.  We would push James out and he would "doggy paddle" between the two of us.  He would even lift his head in and out of the water when he needed to breathe.  His favorite part was that he learned to splash his Mommy and Daddy!  

We had lots of fun swimming together as a family and we wore our self out!  It was home for bath time, dinner and bedtime. We can't wait to see what next weekend brings!  

I Love to See the Temple...

I am the Personal Progress leader for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon).  The church has a program that is similar to an Eagle Scout where the girls in the Church from 12-18 years have an opportunity to earn their Young Women Recognition Award by completing several small goal activities and eight 10 hour projects .  This past week I was in charge of a Personal Progress Night for the Young Women.  Ever since the age was lowered for female missionaries can serve, lots of the Young Women have shown a sincere interest in serving a mission for the Mormon Church.  I thought it would be a good idea for each of them to get an opportunity to sit down with several of the sister missionaries in the area and hear about their experience and their advice. Matt & James came to join us for the evening.

For once in a long time we were running early to the program, so we decided to spend an hour walking around the temple and seeing the new activities and art exhibit in the Temple Visitors Center.  It was a wonderful start to the evening!

The beautiful Young Women of the Derwood Maryland Ward 

Daddy Daycare

Our original plan for this summer was to have Matt continue in school, but the classes that were available and the schedule wasn't a great match for his degree. So, we decided that it would be a good summer for Daddy Daycare.  Matt will be doing internships starting next summer, and this means that the next few summers will be spent living away from us.  This was our chance to have Daddy and James get to spend lots of time together!  Plus, I'm torturing Matt through 21 credit hours come fall, so he may be a little unavailable for playtime...

Who do you think is in charge at Daddy Daycare? 

(and any other time)

Classic Sesame Street morning...
In case you couldn't tell, James is determined to take over our house with toys! 

Mommy asked Daddy to take James outside so he could get lots of vitamin D.  James wasn't so happy about it, but he did learn to dribble the ball!

Mommy came to Daddy Daycare on a Friday and her boys serenaded her to
"My Girl"

"No, pants are not required at Daddy Daycare, and even if they were I've become a pro at taking off my own pants!"

Oh, What Do We Do In The Summertime...

Matt and I have made a dedicated effort to make sure our weekends are spent as a family.  As everyone knows, the week goes by so quickly and is full of "stuff" so it is hard to spend time together.  As part of this renewed effort, we've made it a goal to try new things.  Last weekend our "new item" for the week was a trip to Hadley Park!  The park is very hard to do with a toddler who isn't quite to the walking stage because they get so dirty rolling around in the bark chips and dirt, but Hadley park has rubber mats on the floor of the park making it much better and easier to play on.  We were excited because that meant that James could cruise around on his own. It didn't quite go as we planned...

Daddy carried James from the car to the park.  As we were walking towards the playground, Daddy said to James "We get to go to the playground and play on all the fun toys!"  James response was the spitting knows that typically means "No way, Jose!"  We probably should have taken that as a sign and turned around right then. 

The only smile we got the whole day! 

 James usually LOVES the swing, but not today.  By looking at this picture you would think the swing wasn't very supportive, but that is not the case at all.  This was like the ultimate La-Z-Boy swing! Instead, this is James personal statement telling us "OK, I'm DONE!  You've gone too far!  I may not be able to get out of this swing, but I'm going to make sure you know that I'm NOT happy!"  

This was the point at which we decided we ought to go home... 

In Honor of Fathers

I've officially decided that men must get a Daddy Book to tell them all of the fun songs and games they can play with their kids.  Every time Matt comes up with a new game or activity, I think of my Dad doing the exact same activity with me.  Matt will play airplane with James and I remember my Dad lying on the ground with both Liz and me up on his legs flying around like airplanes.  I listen to Matt sing music to James and I think of my Dad tucking me in at night to a song. Matt teaches James how to pray and I think of the many hours spent in devotionals and prayers with my Dad.  I know I didn't get a Mom book, however I got some great examples, but there must be a Daddy Book...  

We are grateful to all of the Dad's in our life and the many men we know who are honorable examples of fathers. Thank you for your example and your love!  We are most grateful for those men who have a special role in our life and James' life and wish them the Happiest Father's Day.  

James and his Poppy

James and Grandpa

 

Happy Father's Day

I really do believe that being a parent brings out some of our best traits, and this has been the case for Matt ever since we found out we were pregnant.  Matt has always been caring and kind, but his kindness rose to an even higher level as he told James stories, read the scriptures and sang him songs while I was pregnant and once he was born.  Even when I was pregnant, if Matt didn't sing James to bed at night, James would kick my stomach as hard as he could until Matt finally "tucked him in."  Matt is very protective, but having James helped him to acknowledge his role as a provider and protector and renew his dedication to our family.  He's always known he had a significant role as a Priesthood holder and Patriarch, but he fully embraced those roles as soon as James was born.  He's always been patient, but his level of patients has been magnified as he watches James grow.

Matt and James have an exceptional relationship where they are Daddy and son, but also Best Buddies.  They listen to 70's rock music together and sway to the music.  They both hate Country music, much to my chagrin.  There are several nights where I check on both of them in the middle of the night and they are sleeping in the exact same position; hands behind their head, one knee bent up in the air.  They constantly read stories together and laugh together.  They tickle one another and build block towers and castles.  They sing together and sit on the balcony together to watch the leaves blow.  When James was born, he immediately started crying and screaming his dislike of the circumstances, but Matt walked close to him and said "James, it's Daddy" and just the sound of his voice caused James to go quiet and stare in Matt's direction.  From that moment, they were inseparably connected as Daddy and son.

 James and I wanted to show Daddy how much he meant to us, so "we" colored several Potato Head coloring pages with examples of things Daddy does for us that makes us happy. After we colored them, we taped them up all over the dining room so Daddy would see 30 things that made him the Best Dad Ever!

Daddy decided this summer that he wanted to focus on eating healthy, so James and I got him some "healthier" goodies to enjoy!  We got him his favorite dried pineapple, cranberry granola, Bosco pears and smoked almonds.  To make him feel extra special, we got him a copy of Bethesda Magazine so he could read the local restaurant reviews in the greater DC area.  Ironically, this hobby started in the doctor's office when we were pregnant with James because it was the only magazine that didn't include "girly gossip."  We also got Daddy a recipe magazine of several summer crock-pot recipes.  Daddy is learning to love the crock-pot lately, so this gives him a new set of recipes to jazz up.  It also might have been a bit of a selfish present for us! 

We spent the day cuddling and watching all of Daddy's favorite Superhero movies.  We started with Iron Man, moved on to The Avengers, watched the Batman Begins movies and then threw in a twist with Enchanted (which isn't really a superhero movie).  It was so much fun to cuddle and relax while we showed Daddy how important he is to us.  

Happy Father's Day 

Happy Anniversary!

Matt & I celebrated our second wedding anniversary on May 21st.  Because there was so much going on in May, we decided to postpone our anniversary celebration until after the chaos had finished.  We typically take our little one with us wherever we go, so we thought it might be a nice celebration to go away to a bed and breakfast in Hershey, PA for a couple days.  It turned out to be a brilliant idea! 

Westwynd Farms was an incredible Bed & Breakfast.  The minute we pulled into the area we opened our windows and it smelled like TREES! I was also really surprised by how dark it was when we were driving at night, but it suddenly dawned on me that there aren't any streets at home without lights.  I frequently forget that we do actually live in a city!

This was our incredibly amazing room!  The double jacuzzi was the most phenomenal thing we have ever used!  My dream house is definitely going to have a double jacuzzi in it, althought that may mean I never get anything done. 

There was a wrap around porch with rocking chairs and porch swings all around the house.  We enjoyed relaxing in the rocking chairs by the waterfall and eating our yummy farmers market food, bread, and jams!

Matt has always had "Go to Hershey Chocolate World" and "Make your own Candy bar" on his bucket list, and this trip we got to check it off!  We visited Hershey Chocolate World, ate at the Hershey Pantry, ate at a Dutch PA Amish buffet, visited the Hershey Pantry bread store, and drove around Hershey, PA.  There is lots of construction in Hershey right now, so navigating was a little trickier than we originally expected.  We got lost at one point by the real Hershey factory, and we started to laugh because there is a drainage stream of some sort surrounding one side of the factory, but it is so dirty that it literally looks like a dark chocolate moat! 

Hershey Chocolate World had a "Haunted Mansion" type ride where you sit in moving cars and it "drives" you through the pretend Hershey's Factory.  All the online reviews said they thought it was cheesy, but we LOVED it!  I guess we really are kids at heart!

And now on to the adventures of year three!

A Puppy Birthday Paw-ty!

 

James LOVES puppy dogs, so when it came time to decide on a birthday party theme for his first birthday it didn't take much thought.  We took over the pavilion at Blueberry Hill Park in Derwood, MD.  Because the playground was under construction, we brought kites, frisbees, balls, sky rockets, a pinata, and lunch fit for a pack of puppies!  Thanks to all of our friends and family who joined us for James' special day.

 







 Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate James' Special Day!

 






  A Special Thanks to James' Gamma Vicki and Auntie Kendra!  They drove all the way from North Carolina to come to James' birthday party for a couple hours.  At the end of their trip they had driven through six states and for 21 hours in one day! 

Thank you for making such a sacrifice for James! 





Happy Graduation Hailey!

The Snider family moved to Ohio in 1992 and joined the Middletown Ward (congregation in the Mormon Church).  One of the first callings (church service opportunities) my mom was given was the Homemaking Leader (plans enrichment activities) in the Relief Society (women's organization).  She was assigned to work under Susan Bahr, and they instantly became fast friends!  I believe the fact that they were craft fanatics, chocolate-a-holics and night owls strongly contributed to the relationship.  As usually happens, when moms become friends, so do their families.  And along with Susan came her husband Kelly, and her little girl Megan (who happened to be my doppelganger).  

Well, 19 years ago Susan was pregnant with a little girl.  I remember trying to convince Susan to name her little girl Candice Bahr because I thought it was beautiful.  Susan, in her infinite wisdom, told me she thought "Candy Bahr" might open her daughter up to future bullying.  This is why you don't take advice from an 11-year-old.  I also remember babysitting Megan while Hailey was being born, and bringing Megan to the hospital to see her new little sister.  While we were sitting in the hospital, we could hear Hailey crying on the other side of the door.  Fast forward 18 years and now it's me crying at Hailey's High School Graduation Party with my one-year-old son!  Time flies by way too quickly! 

Hailey Bahr Graduation Party

June 1, 2013











What a difference a year makes...

James Matthew Estes

2012-2013

Say Cheese

Sometimes you just can't resist a candid shot...




Dinner time!



James really liked his birthday party
invitation- The mouth is always the
true test!



How do Mom & Dad get this to sing
and flash?  I'm sure I'll get it!



Dad's got a camera! 



Dinner! Dinner!  Dinner!



Batman and his little Bat Mite




Looking snazzy for his birthday party!







James & his Best Buddy Asher!





Trying out chairs... We decided we like the floor best!  



Saving the day, one Toys R Us at a time!

I don't want gold fish!  I want OUT!

May 30, 2013- James is One!

Happy Birthday to You! Happy Birthday to You!

Happy Birthday dear JAMES!

Happy Birthday to You! 



For James 1st Birthday we decided to spend the day doing his favorite things...

First Birthday Balloons

Lake Forest Mall Playground



Dinner at Golden Corral- James favorite place to eat!




James wasn't interested in birthday cake, so we had birthday
watermelon instead- It's his party!

  



Lots of people at Golden Corral shared a
birthday with James, so every time
the staff came and sang the
birthday song, James was certain
it was just for him!



Present Time!



James LOVES to play music, and he misses his instruments from
school, so Mommy & Daddy got him a band with maracas, symbols,
music blocks, rhythm sticks, and a tamborine.




James got a Puppy House full of Puppies from his Aunt Susie,
Uncle Mark, and cousins Esther, Jayson & Lizzie!  He couldn't have
been happier!  There were five puppies, and he tried with all
his might to hold everyone of them in his hands at once. Unfortunatley
for him, little hands can only hold so many puppies! 



James got Shagbark, his puppy, when he was born so
Mommy & Daddy thought it would be appropriate for him
to get Shagbark's baby, Pip, for his first birthday!



Goodnight Birthday Boy!