Can you stand it?

How cute is this boy? Do you think he knows it?

Apparently, leftovers suck

So yesterday was a Mommy and The Boy kinda day (Daddy was working), and we sat down together to have a late lunch. James took one look at his plate, and said, "another 'gain"? (another again). I said, "what's that, James? What's again?", he replied, "chicken pot pie, Mommy... again?". I guess he's too good for leftovers.

A real sense of entitlement

Some people just think you're made of money! James has actually been overdue for a haircut for a few weeks now (although I'm sure Honey and Grandaddy would disagree vehemently). And mind you, he LIKES to get his hair cut (it has nothing to do with the free lollipops). So, as we drove past Great Clips on the way home from daycare the other day, he sad, "Mommy, I'm sad. I'm sad, Mommy". And I asked, "why are you sad, James?"
James: I want a haircut
Mommy: Well, sweetie, Mommy doesn't have any money with her.. it costs money to get a haircut
James: Daddy has money...

Seriously, the little bugger just KNOWs that one us will give in to his demands if he just points out that we're perfectly equipped to do so..

Mommy: James, Daddy's at work.
James: DADDY HAS MONEY
Mommy: Yes, sweetie, I know Daddy has money, but Daddy's not HERE.. he's at work
James: I'm sad. I'm crying, Mommy. I'm crying.

*sniff*... now I'm tearing up again... oh, the sadness, the humanity!

Technicolor Yawn

I think I've given birth to a perpetual motion machine. There are times when I'm standing there trying to talk to him, and he will... not... stop... MOVING! Seriously, he jumps, spins, bounces, and if I watch him for too long too close (he's a close-talker) it honestly makes me want to throw up. It's like watching a spazzier version of the Blair Witch Project. That's all.

Snow day!

We got snow today! For those of you readers who are out-of-towners, we don't get that much here. Normally, Raleigh exists in a weird little meteorological bubble that forces snowstorms around us, even though ever town around Raleigh gets hit. Not today! We got about 2 inches of fluffy white goodness that looked nice, but didn't stick to the roads. James LOVED seeing snow for the first time since he's been old enough to realize what it is! Here are some pics of the snow, and James bundling up to weather it!

Christmas pics (finally) posted!

In the photo collection.. enjoy!

Videos!

So we're trying something new here.. there's a link right below the photo collection to our new Putfile homepage, where we can post videos. The resolution is not so fab, but we'll see how it goes. For now, there's one video of James doing his puppy impersonation. Enjoy!

The holiday spirit dwindles....

Well, the decorations are coming down, the trees are getting stashed, and the house is being restored to its pre-holiday state... as are we. James is "helping" us with the cleaning, and Daddy has offered to pass on his wisdom in the form of this little light-hearted barb, "James, come watch Daddy mop so that I won't be the only one who knows how to do this in the house". ... to which Mommy replied, "and then you can come hang out with Mommy to learn tolerance and tact, so that *I* won't be the only one in the house who knows THAT". hehe... even the king of tact had to chuckle at that one... ZING!

To sleep, perchance to dream....

Ah, there's the rub. People are always asking you when you kid sleeps through the night, as if once you reach that magical milestone it's all downhill and sleep problems never arise again. Not true. Granted, once he's down, he's *typically* down, but sometimes it's a bit of a tussle getting there.

This weekend he walked into our room (his visits are always preceeded / announced the the "thud" of 32 lbs hitting the floor on two little feet with the sound of more like 100lbs of lead), and said, "mommy, daddy, I'm in the swamp!" Both of us "what?"-ed for a few minutes before we actually realized what he was saying. I finally told him, "well then, swim back to bed and go to sleep". He said ok, and did just that. No idea what was going through his mind that night.

Tonight he just didn't want to go. After popping back into our room about 4 or 5 times, Sterling put up the gate. James stood there whimpering (VERY pitifully), then said in what I'm sure he *thought* was a pitiful voice, "I'm cryyying. I'm saaaaad. I want Moooommy". He did this for a few minutes while we buried our faces in the pillow laughing, and then he broke out the big guns and just started WAILING. At that point, Daddy closed our door. Well, James (as stubborn as his Daddy) just reached over the gate, turned the knob and pushed our door back open. So the door was locked, the sobbing continued, and finally ended with a breather, a quick rock, and then into bed with nary a peep. I guess sometimes you just need that extra magical snuggle to call it a night. And now I'm going to go call it a night.

Things a man can only get away with saying when he's 2

There are some things that men can only pull off when they're still toddlers and amazingly cute to boot. Here's a small sample, and all of them directed to me...

• "Those are your shoes... your shoes are BIG!"
• (In response to, "I love you, James"): "yep"
• "You have some nuts.. have some nuts, Mommy" (he and Daddy were sharing some mixed nuts, watching TV. I guess he felt like I was being left out ..he physically took my hand and was pulling it over to the jar to make sure that I got some)

Must-have kitchen gadgets for '07

If you don't have one, you are missing out! The hot new item for '07 kitchens is "the Cooking Chair". So dubbed by James, the Cooking Chair is a multitasking furniture piece which doubles as a place for toddlers to stand while they watch mommy cooking/baking in the kitchen. James likes to take the chair closest to the little counter peninsula, push it up to the counter, and stand and watch and "help". Granted, his help typically comes in the form of adding ingredients to both the bowl *and* counter, licking the aforementioned counter, and then trying to maneuver his way into licking the bowl and/or spoon. All made possible by that culinary wonder - the Cooking Chair.

Cheeky Monkey

Last night I was (attempting to) sing "Thomas and his Friends" to James. There's a line that says "Thomas... he's the cheeky one", and I inserted, "James... he's the cheeky one!". His reply was, "I AM the cheeky one, mommy!". You are indeed, my little bug!

Spooooookey Newkie!

Ya know how cats' eyes get when they're in shadow and the light hits them and they seem to glow? James didn't know that, but was AMAZED when he discovered it! He came downstairs to demonstrate Newkie's "spooky eyes" to me.. here's what it looked like:

Oh yeah, he likes to chat on the phone, too. Here he is telling GrandmaSis what a good boy he's been, and what he wants Santa to bring him for Christmas (it's candy canes, "Cars" the movie, and money).

Blogging Backlog

I took the time this week to do a data dump of the entire blog to-date, to save it to disk for posterity and stuff. In doing so, I revisted alot of good memories that I can't believe had already slipped my mind! I also realize how slack I've become, yet again, in posting! There was a time, not so long ago, that I posted *at least* once per week, if not a smidge more. My not-yet-New-Year's resolution is to pick it back up again. Most of my holiday shopping is done, so I think I can spare the time again!

So what's new in WoodruffWorld? James continues to surprise and amuse us at every turn.

• He's become very opinionated. He likes to let you know what he will/won't do and wear. I let the poor boy run around in public wearing something stylishly questionable because that's all he would wear... he was quite insistent! "no, mommy, I want the BLUE shirt!"
• He can express his emotions. He'll tell you, "I'm sad... I miss my Becky".
  
• He's become VERY attached to the animals. In the morning, he looks for "his" Becky, and loves to slip Newkie treats when we're not looking.
• He likes to chat in the car. He'll say "Mommy, I don't know where we are? Where are we doing? Can we go that way?"
• He's just so verbose, social, observant... just so EVERYTHING! He's fun to hang out with and chat with.

Sterling and I are just pooped. Other than, nothing really new with us. :-)

Little doughboys

Yesterday was the first (what I hope will be annual) Mommy/Kid cookie baking day (and I promise to come up with something catchier in the future). It was just us Woodruffs, Stacy and Keaton, and Karey (along with her soon-to-be-baby). We had a ton of fun! The boys probably ate the equivalent of about a pound of sugar each, but you couldn't tell the difference. There were cookies, mommies had wine, and we all left with goodies. What a nice way to start a holiday tradition!

Bed Head

This is now the background on our home PC, and I laugh every time I look at it... hope you do, too!

Thanksgiving vacation comes to a close...

Ah, Sunday! The one day each week when we all get to sleep in together and hang out. Our morning started out quite rudely in its usual fashion.. when James "crept" into bed with us... and we realized that the hallway was lighter than normal. Upon investigation, Daddy noticed that James had made a pit stop to turn on the Christmas tree in the family room before joining us in bed!
So we all snuggled down in the now-dark-again room, Sterling snuggled up against James who whispered "swhwwsshhpp". Sterling said, "what?". James whispered again, "swhwpssshwwswh". Sterling pulled out his paci (James'), and said, "what did you say?", and James whispered, "get off me.". I nearly peed in the bed laughing.

So the day wore on, it was the Cooley/Pyne/DeMauro delayed Thanksgiving (and ya'll, I cooked my transplanted butt off better than most Southern-born-and-bred girls... give it UP!). For some reason, the pies didn't vanish as I thought they would, and we were left with ALOT of pie (it was damned good.. that was NOT the reason it was left over). James has acquired a taste for pumpkin pie, so he had a slice in the early evening after things had calmed down and we were cleaning up. Sterling was doing dishes, I was straightening up other stuff, so neither of us immediately noticed that James had stood up in his seat, reached over and grabbed the entire pie plate (because he'd finished his), pulled off the foil, and was chin-deep in the whole pie, LICKING it up like a dog! Good lord! He was so proud of himself, and really, how can you get mad at a cute kid like that with half a slice of pie hanging off of his chin? All in all, a good day.

His modesty knows no bounds

The Woodruffs (the GPs, not these Woodruffs) have bought young James a new robe. It's quite awesome, and goes all the way down to his ankles. He looks so dignified and grown-up in it, and when I told him, "James, you look so handsome", he replied, "yes, I *AM* handsome!". His response has been very similar to, "James, you're so silly / cute / sweet". All met with acknowledgements that I am correct in my assessment. Glad he's honest, if not humble.

Etiquette Police

James joined us in bed again this morning for the 5 minute snuggle between when wakes up and when Sterling's alarm clock does (notice how many stories start off this way...?). I said, "good morning, James", and he said, "good morning, Mommy". Sterling said, "hey, James", and not missing a beat, James replied, "no, Daddy, not 'hey'... 'Good Morning'". Well!