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Monday, July 31, 2006

Camping Pictures


James and Auntie Rachel


Jeff and James playing around

Jeff, Phil and Nate conducting a bug experiment

Sunday, July 30, 2006

At last!

Well, folks, James is finally getting some more teeth. His two top chompers are coming in which will complete a set of four!


More James news: he has learned to climb! First, he saw a toy he wanted in the bathtub. So, he decided to climb in and get it. Unfortunately, he's not so good on the descent part. After 'mastering' his new skill, he ventured off to climb the stairs. He is quite proficient and can climb the entire flight of stairs with minimal help. Needless to say we are now the proud owners of a safety gate!

Our Camping Adventure


Here are a few pics of our Cheyney family camping trip. Yes, we were crazy enough to take our baby camping. It was fun! Mom, Dad, Nate, Rachel and Phil all came along...the first time we've all been camping since our California days. We mostly just sat around and yapped all day long. We also enjoyed some of Chef Dad's delicious Dutch oven cooking and Jeff's famous and only culinary specialty: French Toast. Yum! Several of us also got brave and took a dip in the creek, right below the 125+ year old covered bridge. James took great interest in all the goings-on and certainly got a lot of attention from the family! One of the funniest moments of the weekend was hearing Phil yell all the way across the campground when he found a giant wolf spider in the outhouse. Ugh!! But despite the disgusting spiders, we all had a great time!

Friday, July 21, 2006

James the Circus Performer

James just turned ten months old last week, and he’s on a roll. Within the last three or four weeks, he has learned to pull himself up, and subsequently walk all around the furniture. He has learned to wave ‘bye-bye.’ He has learned to play peek-a-boo, or in our house “Where’s James?? There he is!!!” Next he will be applying for college or something. Yikes! He is just becoming so independent, comparatively speaking anyway. Laying on the floor looking at a toy is just plain boring; he’s got to be on the move. With his newfound independence, he can now follow me (Mom) wherever I go. He ‘helps’ me (un)fold the laundry, keeps my feet company as I try to cook, and even tries to help me empty the dishwasher. He makes a bee-line for the laundry room anytime I leave the door open and has found a way to navigate down the step. Then he looks back at me like “See what I did, Mom? Now try to catch me!” It is so fun to watch him do all his new ‘tricks.’ I was trying to get him to wave this morning and he wouldn’t do it. Jeff said, on behalf of James, “I’m not a circus, Mom!” He’s right. James is more fun than any circus we’ve ever seen. We’d take watching his antics over a juggling unicyclist any day!

Thursday, July 20, 2006

James Goes to Jim's



At the end of May, our friends Mike and Erin came to visit from Grand Junction. Of course, we had to take them to get one of Jim's famous Philly Cheese Steaks. As usual, the line was out the door and we were greeted by the greasy and delicous smell of fried steak and onions. Mmmmm! Just as good as we remembered. We probably clogged an artery or two, but we had a great time. Tums, anyone?!

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

James Pics



Here he is...James thinks he's pretty grown up sitting in Grandpa's chair all by himself!

Friday, July 07, 2006

The World is My Chew Toy

Life with a teething baby can be somewhat hazardous. Nothing is sacred. We are finding this out first-hand. James has two cute little chompers already, but it appears that he is working on a few more. He chews on everything: rubber ducks, blocks, shoes (gross!), paper (he would make an excellent paper shredder), and any unsuspecting appendage you might unintentionally leave vulnerable. He especially likes knees and arms, which can lead to some nasty bruises. Yet despite the bruises and soggy papers, it is still amazing to see James go thru another babyhood 'rite of passage.' Everyday I pry open his drooly jaws and check to see if anything has happened. So far, zilch. But I will keep checking, and one of these days maybe I'll find something.