James Family Blog

2009-03-05T18:21:00.000-08:00

Fall into Winter...

2008-12-11T18:46:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-01T18:25:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-16T19:12:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-07T12:42:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-21T12:46:00.000-07:00

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

A Reunion to Remember...

2008-06-25T12:23:00.000-07:00

I had been counting the days until my sisters and mom came to visit for an impromptu Mikesell family reunion (my mom has four brothers and four sisters); dying to share our beautiful children and catch up on their lives, but time went so fast I feel as though I need another visit already. My sisters and mom absolutely adore Charlie and he has so much fun when they are around! He didn't have one dull moment... they brought him to the park (which was right across the street from the house we rented), to see the boats on the channel, to see the submarine and to the beach! There were times when I would sit and watch them play with him and laugh with him and walk with him and care for him with such love that tears would roll down my cheeks. Here are some of the moments that did just that...

Stir Crazy

2008-06-08T09:58:00.000-07:00

Because of this nasty weather (tornado producing thunderstorms and temperatures near 90) I have been spending a lot of time in the house. Of course I am not alone... I have a two-year-old who needs to get out and burn off some of this energy and a dog who needs to be walked (both of whom drive me near crazy all day). The culprit to our "stir craziness" is the one and only Sophia! I have attempted outings to the park, walks, Target, the library, out to lunch....but she absolutely, positively hates her car seat. What baby hates the car seat? She must be the first. And when I say hates... I mean screams and cries until she is out, and then sometimes she is so worked up, taking her out doesn't even work!

So I have been trying to come up with indoor and outdoor activities to challenge little Charlie's brain and body. So far I have not succeeded. How do I know this? Well... when I put him down for his nap (which I will continue to do until he is 7:) he takes 2 hours to fall asleep....

Here are some things we have been doing with all our spare time...

2 month diaper shot!

2008-06-02T19:07:00.000-07:00

Some fun and not-so-fun events!

2008-06-02T18:31:00.000-07:00

Beautiful baby girl after a bath (that she loved!)

Mommy and her "nakie butt" (the game Charlie named for running around the house full speed without clothes on)

Charlies first time finger painting (with messy hair)

Here is Sophia air drumming and hanging out with her daddy!

Sophia had her 2 month check up today and I was amazed to hear how much she has grown. I mean... I know she is definately not the little 7 pounder I gave birth to, but she has really grown! She weighs 11 pounds 4 ounces and is 24 inches long (she was 19.5 when she was born). She is in the 90th percentile for her height.... which is pretty exciting coming from her somewhat short mommy! She had her dreaded shots (for those of you who really know me... know I still hate shots!) and we both cried together. I thought it would be easier for me because I went through it with Charlie, but it was as equally awful!

In other news...Charlie is counting to 10!

Trying to keep up...

2008-05-30T12:37:00.000-07:00

ok. So when you have two children you really have NO TIME! I constantly feel like I am trying to catch up. Catch up with emails, catch up with blog posts (note... this is my second REAL post), catch up on cleaning the house, catch up on sleep (ha!). It really never ends and I am starting to come to the realization that it never will. Here are some pictures of the adventures we have had the last few weeks...

Visit with Sadie.... Silly faces... Attack of the SpongeBOB

First blog

2008-03-30T14:17:00.000-07:00

Hello all...

We felt out of the loop and decided to create a blog... now you can all check in on our ever growing family and all the craziness that happens in our household from day to day!