Fall into Winter...

It has been a while since I have posted, but we have been busy busy busy! Below are some pictures of fun, fall,Thanksgiving, parades, and decorating the tree!

Pretty girl eating her yummy dinner

The cousins eating their Thanksgiving dinner

Mommy and Sophia

Charlie Rockin out

Sophia's 8 month Photo

(it's getting much harder to get her to stay still for a photo. It's pretty hilarious)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Waiting for Santa at the parade!

Daddy and Sophia playing in the leaves

Fun in the leaves

Trick-or-Treat!

We had a great time trick-or-treating on Halloween! Charlie was so excited! After each house he kept saying "Can I open it mommy, can I?". He was hilarious! In case you were wondering... Charlie is a ghost and Sophia is a pea pod (Just like Charlie was at 6 months... my sweet pea).

Life after Summer

As much as I hate it... life goes on even after the death of a loved one. And our lives have been very busy. I am back to work full time, taking a class towards my Masters degree (I am two classes away from being done) and spending time with my family. Since I have posted last there have been many changes in our house: Charlie is talking in complete sentences, asking questions, counting to 14, saying his ABCs, making jokes and singing songs. Sophia is almost crawling (dragging herself all over the house on her belly), pushing herself up to sitting, eating solid food and sleeping through the night! She is also starting to babble (da da, ma ma, ba ba) and wave! Though we have not posted doesn't mean we have not been capturing our life through photos..... here is what we have been up to for the last few months..

At the end of the summer Charlie went to his first Cubs baseball game.. He loved the train ride, but the game was not as interesting. I spent most of the game chasing him up and down the ramps, while Dave spent most of the game in line at the concession stand
Sophia's 4 month photo

5 Month Photo

6 month photo

Yummy cereal

Two babies in the bath!

Doing a bridge at 4 and a half months old!

I got a hammock for my birthday!

James Family (and we are all looking at the camera)
Look at that sweet face

Mommy and daughter

Our babies

Beautiful Sophia

My Little Pumpkins

Pumpkin Charlie

pumpkin Sophia

Tractor ride!

Daddy's Girl

My Dad

When someone close to you dies you go through many phases of grieving: shock, denial, anger, guilt and for me this process keeps repeating itself. You never know when someone you love so dearly will leave you forever...that is why death is so hard to understand. For now I am trying to take it one day at a time and be thankful for the times my dad and I shared and all that he taught me. He would not want me to be sad or feel guilty or cry. He would say, "Mis, Stop! Don't feel guilty! You have other things to worry about." That was my dad...putting himself last. In the end that is why he is not here.

I will remember him as a person who struggled his entire life with addiction, relationships, stability and parenthood. A person who overcame so many obstacles and made a great life for himself. As I watched over two hundred people pass by his casket, I realized how many people's lives he impacted...and I was truly proud of him. I hope he knows how much I love him.

And in the end, the love we take is equal to the love we make.
The Beatles

Summer Fun

Since my last post there have been many new developments in the James household... Dave turned 32, we celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary, Sophia is laughing and NOW eating cereal (well when it makes it into her mouth) and Charlie is talking more than ever... and most of what he says is very funny:) He has begun to use adjectives. Some of his favorites are "these chips are delicious" (my sisters taught him that) and "mommy sings a pretty song". I sing to him every night before bed. "BOOYA" has been a multipurpose word for all occasions! Below are some photos of our ever-changing silly family...

Glowing Sophia and her giraffe (also named Sophie)

Daddy teaching Charlie to ride his first bike (two wheeler with training wheels)

Pretty in a bow

Rainy day fort (that sleepy Bolan invaded)

Our Beautiful babies

Charlie's 1st ice cream cone

Looks like fun doesn't it?

About 3 seconds after this picture was taken (and the horse began moving) Charlie decided he did not want to ride it. So I had to hold him and the pole as it went up and down!

Charlie and Daddy at the air show

Charlie's 1st experience at a Carnie!

Waving bye-bye to daddy!

Yikes! My mommy is squeezing me!

Cooling off with Kendall

3 month diaper shot