Sticker Fun

Some kids put stickers on paper. Or walls. Not ours.

He's surprisingly good at lining them up on his face!

Done with the photos. Can you tell?

Snow!

Total snowfall as of noon.

James running through the snow.

Stopping to say "cheese".

It's hard to get a candid shot - he'd stop and "cheese" every time I lifted the camera!

Yet more smiling.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving gave us a chance to spend time with the Garn family. James and Nathan hit it off immediately.

Here they are showing off their turkey hats.

Cousins don't shake hands, cousins gotta HUG! (my apologies to "Tommy Boy")

James also learned a very important skill from his cousin - how to hang a spoon off his nose. The dinner table rule became "your nose, your spoon." Never a quiet moment with boys!

Fortress

I lost a laundry basket.

He gained a fort.

Trick Arrrrr Treat

Arrr! Prepare to walk the plank!

Diego and the Scurvy Dog. Preparing for Halloween loot!

Evan, the cutest little sea turtle ever!

The family setting out for the candy journey.

Licking his lips in anticipation of his bucket of candy!

Great Orange Gobs

Of Greasy Slimy Pumpkin Guts!

We carved a pumpkin tonight.

The start of the process. He's smiling, not rabid.

He made an attempt to clean the guts out. Then started dry heaving.

I asked him to draw a face.

The finished product.

All lit up!

Boy in a Box

We have a store worth of toys in this house. What does he love? An old cardboard box. He sat in in and pretended he was on a ship, it was a trailer, and he was mowing the yard. Then pulled the bottom open and it became a tunnel. He really has an imagination!

The Next Step

Another milestone reached *sniff*

The next Swayze?

Just some video of James and his mad skilz.

He really is a silly little kid.

Helpenen Daddy

Andy cleaned the master bathroom today.

James helpenen him.

James' idea of "help" is different than Andy's idea of "help".

He does love to helpenen.

New Toy

A package arrived in the mail for James today.

This is what was in there. He won't take it off.

Future spelunker, perhaps?

Manton Harvest Festival 2009

We spent Labor Day weekend in Manton.

A shot of James looking cute in his Hawaiian shirt, in front of Grandma Garn's flowers.

James was introduced to cotton candy at the carnival.

Do you think he likes it?

He was not a fan of the parade, however.

Beating the Heat

Summer has arrived in Michigan. It's enough to make a person melt. Good thing we have a pool!

Getting cheesy smiles with Mom. Yes, he's wearing a hat in the pool. He's two. He does weird things.

Big grin with Nana Garn.

Learning how to "swim". He was getting good at kicking his feet!

James' favorite part of playing in the pool - jumping in!

And being caught by Nana. He's not hitting the water by himself - he's not crazy!

Four Wheelin'

We took advantage of a very beautiful day, and played outside.

James hit the trails. Kind of.

He pretty much just drove up and down the driveway.

Wind in his hair, throttle under his thumb...

Some video I captured of him rollin' on the open road. Or driveway.

I wash hands

He washes his own hands.

He just starts from the top and works his way down...

A Day at the Beach

It was a beautiful day to spend at camp. James and daddy took a walk up the beach to the pier.

I don't know if we should go in. How cold do you think it is?

We're not turning blue, so...

Yay, James!

Then it was on to Calumet Waterworks. James learned that it's a GREAT place to throw rocks!

Pioneer Days 2009

James and his cousins, Joshua and Evan, had an up close and personal view while waiting for the parade to begin.

Turns out that James didn't think that was a real great idea once the parade began. Sitting farther back and in Papa's lap seemed like a much safer idea.

Joshua, being a year older, knew just EXACTLY what had to be done to score candy!

Did we mention that Joshua shared ALL the candy he scored?

Later, at Nana and Papa's house, there were more visits with family. Aunt Nicole even brought silly string to play with.

Yeah. The boys thought it was a great idea. Maybe not so much Uncle Buck. James mostly just carried his can around.

Finally, a stop to visit more family at Mehl Lake and then it was up to the Keweenaw!