Here are a few pictures so you can see what we have been up to. I hope you all had a great Christmas and Happy New Year!

Is there such a thing as too much snow? I think so and I think we past it about 10" before this picture was taken.

Sometimes you could hardly tell the dogs were out there.

He wasn't quite sure what to think about the Christmas tree. They made quick friends.

Oh Christmas Tree.

Ain't he cute?

His Christmas outfit.What a little man!

I couldn't leave this picture out.

I made red velvet cake for Christmas. I probably won't make it again, but I will search for a good Christmas dessert next year.

He was so proud of himself for lining all this up. All I saw was this until I walked around the corner and realized that wasn't all he lined up.

Can you say OCD? Ok not really it is kind of funny.

My half decorated Christmas tree.

We all love Uncle David, especially Gavin.

He didn't understand the wrapping paper but the gift bag he got. Thanks Grandma and Papa Bruce.

We had some very big icicles.

I sure love that goofy kid and he is goofy it seems more so everyday.

He will only eat things now that come off the plate we are eating from. If it came from our plate he will eat almost anything. He was really excited to use Daddy's fork.

One last toothy grin.

I didn't think I would post this many pictures but there you have it
Christmas through the New Year.

Merry Christmas to All!

Twas the night before Christmas,
and all through the house a creature was stirring, he wasn't a mouse;
the stockings were hung all willy nilly everywhere,
In the hopes that no one would notice they hardly made it there;
Too excited our child was not nestled quietly anywhere not even his bed,
Once he was there visions of sippy cups poured through his head;
Dadda in his plaid PJ bottoms and I in my spit up stained PJ's,
had just settled in for a long Christmas nap (because that's all you get)!


Our Christmas this year was last minute and rushed. My family waiting until the last minute to see if they could brave the roads while a winter storm warning was out. Finally they felt like they could leave so I scurried around to plan dinner, clean and wrap presents. Why wait you ask? Well to be honest I was so depressed about the whole situation I couldn't bring myself to do anything but watch Lifetime, ABC Family and Hallmark channel Christmas movies and yes I loved them all. Now I wait for my family to wake while I watch the ever busy, into everything, drive you crazy toddler version of Gavin. I love him even when I look at my Christmas tree which isn't decorated on the bottom half, even while he pulls every magazine from my beautifully piled stack and throws them on the floor all while pretending to not understand the phrase "don't touch that!" This isn't the Christmas I imagined and I know that it isn't for some of you out there the snow, among other things, threw a curve ball to our Christmas and some of us struck out. I am thinking of all of you this morning as I hustle to put Christmas dinner together. I pray we all make the most of whatever Christmas is this year and hope for a better Christmas next year.

To our health, happiness and abundant blessings in the New Year!
God bless you all!

The James Family

This was Gavin with Santa, a little creepy,
Gavin made the weirdest faces and this was the best one.
Still handsome I think.

P.S. Maybe I'll send out New Year's Cards?

Home again Home again!

After 10 wonderful days in Maui we are home. We had a great time seeing family and hanging out with our friends. Gavin loved the beach, especially the sand. I loved the sunshine and warm weather. Thankfully this time it wasn't as humid as it can be there. Mike I think just enjoyed not working and being somewhere tropical. Other than the fact that the airline broke our stroller (which we never needed anyway thanks to the wonderful ergo baby carrier, have I mentioned that I love that thing and if you don't have one and you have a baby between 0-3 and under 40lbs you should have one) we didn't have anything eventful happen. We whale watched, went to a luau, ate everything from Italian to Vietnamese food and everything in between and loved it! I had the chance to visit my Grandmothers grave twice. The first time I was untouched I felt nothing. I thought that it was strange. The second time it hit me and I bawled like the little girl I am deep inside. We had a great time but I have to say after 10 days I missed my bed. We were welcomed home by single digit weather and a day or two later lots and lots of snow. The kind of snow that breaks every record that we had previously had kind of snow.

I hope you all are safe and warm!

Laziness has settled into a deep corner of my being. I can't shake it. I made a list which almost always motivates me. We leave for our trip at 4:30am day after tomorrow. I am excited, but usually about now I am flittering around the house cleaning and packing and when all is done that can be done I start inventing new things to do. This time though I am not flittering or inventing I am not even cooking myself dinner. Mike left town yesterday afternoon for Missoula and will be back tomorrow and I can't say I have fixed one meal for myself. What is wrong with me? I have had a little cold, Gavin has the beginnings of an ear infection and has been a little clingy but really whats gotten into me. I walked past a sink full of dishes a dozen times today and while a friend of mines voice played in my head "I can't even leave one dish in the sink I have to clean it" I just kept walking. Usually I am awaiting the time that Gavin will go down for a nap or will be eating in his high chair so I can get those dishes clean. Toys are places in my house that only a toddler could put them, yet I don't pick them up. Two enormous suit cases lay half packed on the dining room table (and yes Mom and Auntie your gift for Auntie Lorraine did manage to make it in nestled nicely between swim diapers) and normally I would be putting anything and everything that I could possibly live without for the next day or two in them but I don't. I can't find Gavin's shoes anywhere! He went to his doctors appointment today without shoes. For those concerned he wore a thick hooded jacket and thick socks but no shoes and yes he walked around the doctors office in his socks, I am sorry I couldn't find any shoes anywhere. Usually I hate losing things I freak out and I can't stop thinking about the lost item until it is found or replaced but hopefully found. You know I didn't think twice about my shoeless child today.

I have been in a funk for about a week I can't figure it out. I could speculate and analize but again too lazy or would apathetic be a better word. The only thing I can figure is I need a vacation. Sunshine, my husband, Gavin, family and friends. I hope that I will come back to blogland in about 2 weeks (with lots of pictures) and be back to myself. I will come home and buy and decorate the tree that I don't trust my brother enough to water while we are gone. I will open and nicely display the Snowman collection my Mom and Auntie Liz so nicely gave me a couple days ago (sorry I have no excuse just an explanation and your reading it), I will make Mike hang the lights outside I will go buy the wreath I have been eyeing at Costco (the wreath hanger has been on my door without a wreath since well probably last Christmas if I am honest), I will plan my Christmas shopping (nope not done not even started, lazy remember) and dig out Christmas dinner recipes and all will be right in my world. Yes, a vacation is what I need!

I will be back in more than one sense! Back from Maui and back to myself I just need a vacation or at least that is what I am telling myself. So long for now! I'll be back to blogland soon!

Hugs!
Laura

I should get the boy a back pack for our trip
he was loving this one at Sharon's.
I woke up one day and baby was a toddler.
Everyone says it happens fast and it does!

So right about now you are expecting to see pictures from Thanksgiving Day. Maybe Gavin eating some turkey or maybe a beautiful picture of the delicious holiday fixings. Sorry you are out of luck unfortunately I was too busy stuffing my face with food. We had a great day and we hope all of you did as well. Thank you friends for opening your home to us we had a great time and the food was outstanding.

Here is a family photo from Gavin's first Thanksgiving. I just realized that Gavin's second Thanksgiving will also be his second birthday how exciting next year will be.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It is easy to forget what the concept of Thanksgiving is when you start thinking about all the yummy food and get caught up in packing and traveling, even if it isn't far. I am guilty of forgetting. Not until I sat down to write this blog and wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving did I really think about it. I must admit that this month has been a stressful one for our finances. Between a $400 brake repair, Gavin's birthday and our anniversary our money was stretched to the breaking point. And while I have been very successful in my weight loss efforts I am 5lbs away from where I wanted to be when we leave for Maui which is only next week. Gavin hasn't slept well the last week and is a phone call away from having tubes put in which I know is what is best and shouldn't be a big deal but still am not excited about. All of these things have put me in a funny semi-stressed out mood. I haven't felt like myself all week. Yet as I sit hear and realize that tomorrow is Gavin's birthday and the day after that is Thanksgiving I have so much to be thankful for. We have great family and friends all of whom are happy and healthy. I have been able to spend my time at home with Gavin without having to work and I realize what a blessing that is. Our cars are running and now $400 dollars later stopping too. We are going to Maui! Even if I am 5lbs heavier than planned I am 5lbs lighter than when I got pregnant. I am also thankful that I get to keep up with all my friends and family here on this blog and I am thankful for each and every person who stops by to see what we are up to. There is a lot to be thankful for and to look forward to with Christmas and a brand new year just around the corner.

Tomorrow we are traveling down to Lewiston for a Thanksgiving brunch with my family. My Mom and Aunt have to work that afternoon making a dinner difficult so we decided on a brunch. Then we are traveling back up to Moscow to have Thanksgiving dinner with our good friends. My brother has selflessly volunteered to watch our dogs since all other alternatives fell through. He wasn't all that excited about a rushed Thanksgiving brunch and didn't mind staying here with the dogs, it doesn't hurt that we paid him in food and cash. Let's face it he is way cheaper than a kennel or doggy daycare.

So eat lots of turkey, it has lots of protein and you will sleep really well, and don't forget to be thankful! Happy Thanksgiving!

A picture of Gavin stuffing his face seemed appropriate for Thanksgiving!

Happy 1st Birthday Gavin!

This year Gavin's birthday lands the day before Thanksgiving. Next year Gavin's birthday will be on Thanksgiving and I will always be thankful for Gavin no matter what day his birthday is and no matter what day we have to celebrate. This year it we celebrated on November 15th. I went back and forth over where to have the party. There are not a lot of options for winter one year old birthday parties. I happened to find that McDonald's was an excellent option. It includes set up, take down, a birthday cake and ice cream as well as happy meals and party favors for the kids. What more could you want as a mom. The kids all had a great time and all we had to do was show up. Gavin ate the majority of a very large piece of birthday cake. Everyone said "oh he will just smear it everywhere they never really eat it." Oh he ate it and then he ate some more he was generous enough to offer a handful to his friend Alyssa who is 6 and saw this half chewed piece of chocolate cake extended to her and politely declined it. He had great friends, great food and great fun! I would call it a success. He now has so many toys that I don't intend to buy him much if anything for Christmas since he won't remember or know the difference. He received a very cute toddler 4 wheeler from his Aunt, Uncle and Great-Grandpa that he has taken too quite nicely. At first he didn't know how to drive it but then one day I was just sitting in the living room and he came zipping past with a very large smile on his face. So cute! The only bummer of the party was that I, the planner, forgot of all things to charge the batteries in my camera and video camera we got a lot of footage but we missed some of the cake. If you are out there with any photos of this please send them my way.