Christmas at Coon Creek

We had a great time celebrating Christmas over New Year's weekend with Scott's side of the family. Here are the 3 granddaughters...I love how A and J are looking at each other. L is such a little mom to all the cousins! :)

Here are the two little girls in their matching coats from Aunt Rachel...and matching outfits from Honey. :)

My three favorite people.














J and L truly have a special kinship....It makes me happy that they have each other....and a little worried about the trouble they are going to get into together in a few years.











Here is J in his Batman mask from Gumble Dave and Aunt Ana....isn't is scary?!

One of Rachel's friends came and took professional family photos of us all, and the lighting was so great that I took a bunch of shots myself.  Here is a really cute one of W walking A around.  He is so sweet with the little girls.

My precious kiddos.....

All the James girls...

J is 5, and Mommy is emotional

Three days after Christmas and 2 days after my birthday we get to celebrate our first little miracle.  He was born against even greater odds than we knew at the time....and it makes us very thankful for his strong-will that he was fighting from the very beginning. :)  We always have a pretty low-key birthday, as we celebrate with both families during Christmas and then have a friend birthday party some other day.  I'll admit, his turning 5 has been a little difficult on me.  I can't help but think about all the things that will happen this year.  I have such a little bit of time with him left at home, and I'm so sad to think about how fast it went.  We are so blessed to have this tender, funny, strong-willed, all-boy, crazy, loving, loyal little boy in our lives.  Thank you, Lord!

Ever since he turned 5, he refers to himself as "the five year old"....as in "come here, sissy, and give some love to the five year old," and "mommy, now that i'm a five year old i need 5 pieces of candy, not 4."  J constantly makes us laugh!

Here is J with his Star Wars Snuggie...it's hilarious!

When he woke up we had all his presents from us and a sign for him...he hung it on his door! :)  Please notice his hair...he has great bed-head in the mornings!

Jonah loves Transformers...here he is in a Bumblebee helmet, gun and PJ's.

And for breakfast:  a blue number 5!

We love you, J--more than you will ever know (or at least until you have a son of your own!)

White Christmas

We had a great Christmas this year...complete with snow! The kids (and adults!) were SO excited.  It started snowing as we came home from Christmas Eve service, and nothing could have made it feel more like Christmas!  We put reindeer food out, and by morning it was buried.  Here is J trying to catch a flake on his tongue. :)

Here are Daddy and Jonah making snow angels and sledding....

This year was definitely the year of the superhero for J....all gifts revolved around Star Wars, Transformers, Batman or the like.  I love this picture....doesn't he look great?!  I know these are the type of pictures that will still melt my heart when I'm 90....

We let Jonah open one present on Christmas Eve...my favorite gift was a new camera lens that lets me get great shots like this :)

J did ask Santa to bring A a Tinkerbell costume, however, so that was sweet. :)  We had a good laugh, because A is not quite as "dainty" as her costume....we joked that it was kind of like a bull in a party dress!!  Here she is pushing her new stroller.

And here is Tinkerbell again with Dad G!

We went to visit Mama Lee in the rehab hospital...and J and A loved for Grammy to take them on rides in the wheelchair.  A very funny site, believe me!  Here is A with Grammy...

We also had a great visit with Mimmy...here she is with J, A and Gordy and Char's kids....

We had a wonderful time with my side of the family in Arkansas.  J even said to KK (on our last night there), "KK, isn't it crazy how the time flies so fast? Tomorrow I have to go home!"

A fell in love with Lucy the bulldog, and she really took off walking on my birthday!  Here we are before all going to dinner to celebrate my 29th birthday (and holding!) ;)

New Year's Resolution

I've decided, despite past thoughts on blogging, that this is the year I will join the masses. Please know I'm doing this only to chronicle (for myself and for my kids to read someday) the story of our lives. I was doing so good making scrapbooks for each year, and then a second child came along....and well, we still don't have 2008, much less 2009, books. Most people who blog have quick wit, a great talent of writing, or much more exciting lives than I. Don't expect any of that here. You can expect some funny one-liners from J, however....and probably lots of stories of A doing "firsts." And for sure a lot of pictures....b/c I fully intend to print this in book format at the end of the year and count that as our yearly book. Two birds with one stone and all that.

So, here's to 2010 and keeping up with the Jameses. Hope you enjoy.