Birthday Boy!

Here are some pictures from James' big birthday yesterday. No cake photos yet as we are waiting for Saturday to go to the aquarium with Nana, Papa and Mr. Nick and then home for birthday cake.

I'm One!

1 Year

Baby boy,

Tomorrow you are going to be one year old and I really can’t believe it. When we picked Daddy up from work today he recalled that at that same time last year he was driving home with the knowledge that I was in full blown labor and our life was about to change forever. Man was he right!

James you have changed me in ways that I cannot put into words. Just typing that sentence chokes me up and fills my eyes with tears as memories flood to mind. The Lord has used you little man to teach me patience, love and to help me see my sin and call me to repentance. I thank the Lord that he sanctifies us through our children; he is teaching me to be a better Mama to you and that I cannot do any of this without him.

Tonight when I put you to bed I cuddled you and prayed for you as I always do but I didn't stick to my normal prayers for you. I found myself thinking about your future and who you will become and praying for your wife, your kids and most importantly that you will always follow Christ.

You see James you’re dad and I don’t care if you become a doctor or a plumber. We don’t care if you travel the world or never leave your home town. We don’t care if you marry and have kids or live your life single. We don’t care about what you accomplish in your life but rather who you’re serving while you live. Our prayer for you now and always is that you will grow to be a mighty man of God who loves and serves Jesus and that you put your faith in Him.

I love you my little man and I am so amazed by who you are becoming. I am honored to be your mama and I promise I will always be here for you my son. Thank you for being my sweet boy.

Thank You

Lying on the guest bed in James room with a sleeping boy on my chest and for no discernible reason I began to cry. Overwhelmed with love for my son, tears streamed down my face and prayer and praise came out of my mouth.

Thank you Father for this boy and the amazing heart that you have given me for him; I would not be capable of this kind of love without your son Jesus who has taught it to me. Thank you Jesus for changing my heart. Thank you for teaching me patience and love. Thank you for forcing me to see my sin and my selfishness and then forgiving me daily when I fall on my knees at the foot of your cross.

The tears wouldn't stop but the boy didn't seem to notice. He breathed deeply in and out as I held him tighter and thanked my Lord for this precious gift.

Lord please prepare my heart for our new little blessing and thank you again, I love you more than anything.

Mini-Vacation

Here are some photos of our mini-vacation with the Stinson's to Leavenworth (a Bavarian village).

Leavenworth

We did it again.

It is super early to be announcing this but I don't really care, besides I love to break social rules.

Ryan and I just found out that our plan of spacing our kids by two years was foiled by our amazing and gracious Lord and instead we're going to have a baby in November.

Yep, we're pregnant! Again.

Thank you T-Mobile Man

A couple nights ago we went on a family excursion to the T-Mobile store. Ryan's phone stopped working a few days prior after James had been playing/chewing on it and it was time to bite the bullet and buy a new phone.

We're not sure what James did but we suspect that the crazy river of drool that generally flows from his mouth had something to do with the phone's malfunction. Ryan had been using my bright pink phone in the interim and I think the pink was getting to him.....and giving him grief with the guys at work.

Off to the the T-Mobile store we went to get a new phone and hope to not spend too much $. James loved the T-Mobile store, lots of bright lights, things with buttons and TVs everywhere with flashing lights and colors, awesome.

An hour or so later we walked away with two new phones (we replaced mine too since it's old and we got a deal) that do all kinds of neat things like let you listen to the radio, and all for under $35. Thank you T-Mobile. Also, the T-Mobile guy grabbed a sample phone from the back that looks just like mine and Ryan's and gave it to James, to keep! James wouldn't let go of the phone all night and the next day.

Here are some pictures of the boy and his new cell.....

Sorry

Sorry I've been so bad about posting lately. I know that there are at least two of you (grandma types) who look at this everyday and want to know the latest and greatest about the boy. So, here goes.

James loves three things lately, or at least these are the three things that keep making me smile/laugh.

1) Cuddling! James has decided that he is a cuddler with Mommy and Daddy and we love it. Out of nowhere he'll come up to one of us, crawl in our lap and cuddle. This is wonderful (pictures below).

2) Sticking his finger in his nose. Although this is disgusting it's also pretty funny. I don't think he knows that there's anything interesting in his nose but he's decided it's a great place to store his finger from time to time.

3) Calling me Dada. Ughhhh! This one is funny but also kind of frustrating. I know James knows how to say Mama but lately every time he points to me he says in a very confident voice "Dada!" to which I respond, "No, Mama" and point to myself. This goes back and forth until I give up. Each time his voice gets a little more determined and perhaps irritated as if he's saying "NO, your name is Dada you idiot!"

James and Danny

Here are some pictures of James and his friend Danny.

I walked in the room.....

Last night Ryan seemed a little stressed. Work is crazy for him right now and his days have been long and trying. He told me that he needed to get some things done after we put James down for the night, computer work and such. I understood and got myself ready for a night of doing my own stuff so Ryan could be productive.

James went to bed and had been silent for about 15 minutes. I assumed he was asleep but then I heard some little peeps and tiny cries. Lately I've been letting this go as long as possible to teach the boy to put himself back to sleep so I did nothing. After about 5 minutes of harder crying Ryan walked up to me and said "Do you mind if I go up?" I didn't.

Fastforward 45 minutes. James and Ryan had been silent upstairs for some time. I figured Ryan had got James back to sleep and was trying to put him down but it was taking a lot longer than normal. I went up. I walked into the room and this is what I saw:

He had things to do, work that needed to be done but instead he chose this. Ryan is a good Daddy.

Pillow Time

James loves pillows.

Every night after James' bath we towel him off on the guest bed in his room and as soon as we let him go he makes a bee line for the pillows. He's kind of a kamikaze so without thought or hesitation he runs to the pillows and launches himself on top of them......and sometimes he gets a little wall on the side.

Lately James has decided that he doesn't discriminate when it comes to pillows (bed pillow, couch pillow or even dog bed at his Aunt Mary and Uncle Joe's.....which is basically a huge pillow) so he's been jumping on whatever pillow he can get his hands on and sort of hugging it....which is really adorable. Here are a couple pictures that don't exactly capture the full cuteness but you get the idea.

James and the Giant Sippy Cup

James has learned how to use a sippy cup with a straw recently but even more exciting is the fact that he can hold it himself!

Filler Post

I've been told to post as much as possible so that the picture of James crying in my post from last week disapears and is no longer on the front page. So this is a filler post but will include a photo that I meant to post a long time ago and never did.

This was taken one night when James wouldn't go to bed by any normal means (e.g. nursing, rocking, singing etc.) so Ryan decided to let him roam our upstairs hall until he fell asleep on the floor.

Enjoy!