James Ivan

Fortress

noreply@blogger.com (James Ivan) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:58:00 +0000

I lost a laundry basket.

He gained a fort.

Trick Arrrrr Treat

noreply@blogger.com (James Ivan) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:29:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (James Ivan) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:27:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (James Ivan) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:55:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (James Ivan) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:07:00 +0000

Another milestone reached *sniff*

The next Swayze?

noreply@blogger.com (James Ivan) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 18:35:00 +0000

Just some video of James and his mad skilz.

He really is a silly little kid.

Helpenen Daddy

noreply@blogger.com (James Ivan) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 22:10:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (James Ivan) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 21:08:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (James Ivan) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 20:28:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (James Ivan) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 19:42:00 +0000

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'

noreply@blogger.com (James Ivan) — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 20:52:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (James Ivan) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 01:34:00 +0000

He washes his own hands.

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

A Day at the Beach

noreply@blogger.com (James Ivan) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:17:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (James Ivan) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:32:00 +0000

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!

Cool Dude

noreply@blogger.com (James Ivan) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 11:15:00 +0000

Even cool dudes need a nap.

July 4th

noreply@blogger.com (James Ivan) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:55:00 +0000

Facing a day full of possibilities!

After Dad G. and Andy spent a full afternoon weeding.

The dogs enjoying the breeze in their ears.

Taking a pontoon ride around the lake.

July 4th

noreply@blogger.com (James Ivan) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:32:00 +0000

Tending to the beans on the campfire. Everybody's a cook!

Solving the world's problems.

I would like it known he dressed himself. Which is why he's wearing his shirt backwards AND inside out.

The firework preparations at the end of the lake.

This is how James tried to watch fireworks. Until he got so scared he had to go into the cottage.

Go Cubs!

noreply@blogger.com (James Ivan) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 22:14:00 +0000

We spent a fun afternoon watching the Cubs win - in only 13 innings! Turns out that was about 7 innings too long for a 2 year old boy :)

The view of Wrigley Field after we got out of the cab. James got his first cab ride - he was a little scared! It was one of the best cab rides we've had in Chicago, though.

Andy, James and Uncle Buck in front of the Harry Caray statue at the field.

We had really nice seats, close to the field, but in the shade. AND on an aisle so a temperamental two year old could be taken for walks.

This may have been the only time he was watching the game.

Enjoying the hat from "Hat Day" at the field. Thanks Culver's!

Hogback Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (James Ivan) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 01:17:00 +0000

James and the dogs hit the water.

A nice photo of James and Mom on the boat, looking for fishies. Actually, Andy was taking a picture of the DOG and didn't zoom in closely enough so he got us in the photo. Yeah, he's a peach.

James and Papa Garn on a boat ride.

Even Kitty had a nice weekend!

Hope Springs Eternal

noreply@blogger.com (James Ivan) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 01:35:00 +0000

The dogs remain hopeful that a food molecule will reach the floor.

Sleeping Beauty

noreply@blogger.com (James Ivan) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:43:00 +0000

Throwing a major tantrum is hard work.

All this exhaustion over a banana.

John Ball Zoo

noreply@blogger.com (James Ivan) — Sun, 31 May 2009 18:31:00 +0000

We took advantage of the nice weather and the family zoo membership we got from Sara & Tom this morning.

We learned something: James loves to pretend to be a bear. But when he actually sees one, he totally freaks out.

Fish are more his style.

This was supposed to be a photo of James and Andy with a lion in the background. Unfortunately, James took off yelling "Lion, all done! Lion, all done!" He feels the same way about bears and sheep.

This is the "lion, all done" face.

A happier moment.

Monkeys (and baby ducks in the pond) were happier times.

Spaghetti Eating Technique

noreply@blogger.com (James Ivan) — Fri, 22 May 2009 18:51:00 +0000

Step 1 - Forget the Fork.

Step 2 - Plunge your face directly into the plate.

Step 3 - Slurp up the stragglers.

Step 4 - Talk with your mouth full.

Step 5 - Open wide and show your food.

Yes, he is being raised by wolves. Thanks for asking.

Bubbles!!

noreply@blogger.com (James Ivan) — Thu, 14 May 2009 22:04:00 +0000

Remember when a bottle of bubbles was a wonderful thing? Add a battery operated bubble gun and it gets better!

An Evening with James

noreply@blogger.com (James Ivan) — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:38:00 +0000

An evening with James.

Here I stop to smell the flowers.
Now I say "Whhyyyyy???" here after Mom tells me to stop picking (ripping out) flowers.

After trying to pick every flower in the garden, I try to smoosh ants.

With my plastic garden rake.

Then I dig in the dirt in front of Daddy's barn.

After I get bored with that, I jump off stumps.