JAMES FAMILY

2012-02-13T17:09:00.000-08:00

2012-02-07T17:44:00.000-08:00

Sledding and Playing outside!

2012-01-25T12:56:00.000-08:00

2012-01-25T12:53:00.000-08:00

Jax playing some music while Kylie dances

Kylie's 3rd Birthday!!!

2012-01-11T18:05:00.000-08:00

We can't believe that our baby girl turned 3 on January 10th!!! Time has flown by and it's hard to believe that she isn't really our "baby" anymore...She is an amazing sister to Jaxon and is definitely a spit-fire! She LOVES babies, music, dancing, puppies, kitties, and eating :) Her favorite characters are Hello Kitty and Strawberry Shortcake. She is definitely our girly girl and likes her nails painted, hair preferably in a braid, and sparkly shoes. She started swimming lessons this year and so far strongly dislikes it. She also started dance lessons and spent the first one on my lap.

For her birthday, she had a breakfast complete with a candle in french toast and then went to daycare and shared her cupcakes. Due to our crazy schedules, we planned to celebrate her birthday a day late. We went to the Mall of America and had lunch at the American Girl Bistro, went on some rides at Nickelodean Universe, and went to Sea Life. We finished the evening with a Hello Kitty cake and presents.

Christmas 2011

2012-01-01T13:46:00.000-08:00

After a long and stressful school semester, Christmas finally came!! The holidays were filled with family, food, and lots of presents!! It is our first Christmas in our new home, so we had fun decorating the house and tree! The kids and I with the help from Auntie Ri (home from NYU) made lots of cookies and a gingerbread house. Then Christmas Eve was celebrated with Mimi's (Murphys) side of the family and then Mormor's (Henry's) side. The kids had fun with their cousins and enjoyed the Henry traditions of dancing around the Christmas tree, finding the nut in a dessert (Kylie won), and Santa coming for a visit...Then Christmas morning came and the kids had mounds of presents to open and managed to do them all before 9am! (Which was convenient because I had just come off of a night shift) In the evening, we spent some time at Mormor and Papa's house for dinner and more gifts! Then on the day after Christmas we made the trek down to Indiana to visit the James side...When we arrived, we had yet another Christmas celebration with an amazing meal prepared by Greg's mom! We had a great time throughout the week playing with cousins and family...And after all of that, we still have two more Christmas celebrations to come!! We are truly fortunate and a little spoiled :) We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas season!!

Love~
The Minnesota James Fam

Jaxon's Birthday party

2011-12-06T11:24:00.000-08:00

Jaxon's 5th birthday

2011-12-06T11:01:00.001-08:00

2011-12-06T10:48:00.000-08:00

Lake Waconia

2011-12-03T19:13:00.000-08:00

Snow!

2011-11-19T12:41:00.000-08:00

First snow of the year!!

2011-11-19T12:38:00.000-08:00

Some hot chocolate to warm up

Happy Halloween

2011-11-01T15:46:00.000-07:00

2011-10-05T18:52:00.000-07:00

MN Arboretum

2011-10-05T18:44:00.001-07:00

Fall Pics

2011-10-03T19:23:00.000-07:00

Annual Apple Orchard trip with family

2011-10-01T19:08:00.000-07:00

2011-09-24T17:03:00.000-07:00

Sibling Love

2011-09-24T16:57:00.000-07:00

Book Worms

2011-09-22T17:35:00.000-07:00

2011-09-09T18:26:00.000-07:00

MN State Fair 2011

2011-08-25T15:02:00.000-07:00

We decided to battle the heat and crowds and go to the MN State Fair today on opening day!! It was super crowded, but we had some great food (our favorite being the deep fried apple pie!!) Jaxon loved the rides...Kylie, not so much! Kylie loved the food...Jaxon, not so much :) A great start to our visit with Grandma and Grandpa James!

Wild Horse Sanctuary

2011-08-19T11:59:00.000-07:00

While in South Dakota for work I was able to visit the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary just outside of Hot springs. Home to over 600 Wild horses it's one of the few places in the U.S. of it's kind.

Carver County Fair

2011-08-14T13:25:00.000-07:00

2011-08-13T12:33:00.000-07:00

Trip to Aspen, Colorado to go camping and hiking. We were in the Maroon Bells area which has 3 of the top 10 14ers in Colorado. The last picture is of North Maroon Bells which took our group 9 enduring hours to complete.

Brainerd/Lutsen!!

2011-08-01T19:59:00.000-07:00

Up north with Bria's side of the family...(Bria had to stay home to work & study). The kids had a blast at both cabins playing and being with the family!!

Arizona

2011-07-23T12:14:00.000-07:00

I made a trip to Arizona for work and was able to sneak away for a day to see Brother in Law David at his Summer job in Lake Powell. I also visited the Grand Canyon and Antelope Canyon.

Fathers Day (A little late)

2011-07-22T15:57:00.000-07:00

2011-07-17T10:02:00.000-07:00

Abby and Christian got married this past weekend. It was a great weekend that ended with a reception at Gayle Woods Farm. The kids did great and had a blast all weekend. This is a video of Jaxon showing off some dance moves he learned from mom. He literally danced for a good hour and put on quite a show!

Slugger

2011-06-11T13:57:00.000-07:00

T Ball

2011-06-04T12:27:00.000-07:00

Jaxon started his first T-Ball Game this Saturday. His team, the Red Lions, pulled out a victory in the bottom of the 9th with Jaxon hitting a walk off home run!! OK.....none of that happened, but Jaxon did great and can't wait till the next game.

Kids playing outside

2011-06-04T12:13:00.000-07:00

2011-05-22T16:00:00.000-07:00

Kids

2011-05-22T08:31:00.000-07:00

2011-05-15T06:27:00.000-07:00

Kylie

2011-05-15T06:24:00.000-07:00

Sunglasses Day!

2011-05-12T06:59:00.000-07:00

2011-05-07T17:26:00.000-07:00

AnnMarie's Senior Prom

2011-05-07T16:48:00.000-07:00

Baby Girl

2011-05-02T18:36:00.000-07:00

ZOO Trip

2011-04-29T13:34:00.001-07:00

Easter 2011

2011-04-24T12:01:00.000-07:00

This Easter season has definitely been busy!! It started with making jell-o eggs and Easter cards...Then the kids had fun coloring eggs and then finding their hidden baskets at Mormor and Papa's house...Then on Easter day the kids found their hidden baskets from the Easter bunny and then we went to a family get together for brunch and an egg hunt.

Big Girl Bed

2011-04-12T12:14:00.000-07:00

We finally moved Kylie into a big girl bed!! Crazy and sad to believe she is already big enough for one!! She did a great job on her first night...Only woke up once, but went right back to sleep and also fell out of bed once but didn't even wake up!! :) We hope the rest of her nights and naps are just as easy! :)...and she did a good job picking out her kitty and puppy bedding...

Spring Break

2011-04-02T12:17:00.000-07:00

Greg and the kids made a trip to Indiana for some quality family time.

Indiana trip

2011-04-01T16:16:00.000-07:00

3 Bears Resort

2011-03-27T17:24:00.000-07:00

This weekend we made a trip to 3 Bears resort in WI with Bria's side of the family. The kids really enjoyed the family time.

Kylie's 1st Movie: Gnomeo & Juliet

2011-03-15T17:01:00.001-07:00

More Florida pix

2011-03-10T13:07:00.000-08:00

Here are some more pix from Disney! These were taken by Sonny and we forgot to add them last time! :)

Baby Everett

2011-03-06T10:12:00.000-08:00

My Brother and his wife, Eric and Karrie, recently welcomed Everett Claude James into their family. I was able to meet him last week on a work trip to Chicago. At 2 weeks he seems to be a great baby and has already rolled over a few time....could mean trouble!! We're glad to have him in the family and Jaxon and Kylie are excited to meet him.

Orlando Florida 2011

2011-02-27T17:46:00.000-08:00

This past week, we took a trip down to Orlando to visit Disney World and the beach! It was quite an interesting trip...
HIGHLIGHTS: We saw Grandpa and Grandma James, went to Magic Kingdom & Animal Kingdom, spent a day at the beach, and saw the last launch of the Discovery Shuttle from Cocoa Beach.
But...there were some hiccups as well...Our luggage didn't make it there with us. We received one a few days into trip and one is still lost in space, we had to wait in horribly long lines with toddlers (I guess that's expected), and we spent about 5 hours in the car to get home from beach due to record attendance at the Discovery launch and a 50 mile car back-up...
But overall...it was nice to get away and the kids especially had a great time!! Here are our highlighted pics...

Bathtime!

2011-02-19T06:59:00.000-08:00

Valentines

2011-02-16T14:52:00.001-08:00

Build a Bear

2011-02-16T13:31:00.001-08:00

The kids were finally able to go to Build a Bear. It was a Christmas gift from Mor Mor. They had a great time!

2011-02-12T10:26:00.000-08:00

Jaxon has spent a lot of time using his imagination lately. Here is a few of his creations!

We R Alive! A few updates!

2011-01-31T13:47:00.000-08:00

We have been busy busy busy!! Greg is still traveling most weeks, Bria just finished J-term and is starting the next semester this week! Life is flying by! The kids have been enjoying school, playing at home, and playing in the snow. The pictures are of Jaxon's masterpiece (?architect in the future??), playing with Bart the Bear (Bria's childhood stuffed animal), playing in the snow, and Kylie being silly with her raspberries. February is going to bring a lot of the same chaos, but we are looking forward to our family trip to Orlando, FL to bring the kids to Disney World and mom to the beach at the end of the month!!

Kylie staying warm

2011-01-13T07:00:00.000-08:00

Kylie turned 2!!!

2011-01-10T14:19:00.000-08:00

It is Kylie's birthday today!!! We had a party last evening for her with some of the family. As usual she was spoiled rotten and got a lot of great gifts!! She had a good time opening presents...and had a lot of help from Jaxon! Today has been a little more low key and she is battling a pretty good cold. Hopefully she feels better soon!

All American Girl

2011-01-07T05:52:00.000-08:00

Here is Kylie with one of her Christmas presents from Gpa and Gma James!! An American Girl Bitty Baby with matching PJs...Very cute!! Thank you Sonny & Marsha!!

James Visit

2010-12-31T11:44:00.000-08:00

A visit from Tim, Jacqueline, Olivia, and Lorelai!! They have played in the snow, went to the Mall of America, and bowling!! More pics to come

Christmas 2010

2010-12-28T06:47:00.000-08:00

It has been a busy Christmas season...First we went to Macy's 8th floor to see "A day in the life of an Elf". The kids loved it! Then there are pictures from the Welch family Xmas, Xmas Eve with the Henry family, and Xmas morning!! The kids loved opening all of the gifts and were spoiled rotten! Jaxon liked to tear through the presents one after another, and Kylie liked to open one at a time and play with it!! Very cute...

Christmas Eve

Bears vs Vikes 2010

2010-12-20T15:24:00.000-08:00

Greg and the kids are ready for the Bears vs Vikes game! It is being played at the TCF Stadium (MN Gophers stadium) because the Dome collapsed with all of the snow we have gotten...

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

2010-12-18T16:15:00.000-08:00

We have been hibernating a little...first due to the amount of snow we have gotten over the last week (around 20") and also because of Kylie's surgery...The first picture is of the kids playing on our new piano(a Christmas gift from my parents)!! The other pics are of Jax and I playing in the snow. There is actually too much snow to sled down our hill because we just get stuck...so I improvised and tried giving him a ride on the shovel...then I put him in a snow hole...We love our snow!!

Kylie's T&A

2010-12-15T10:19:00.000-08:00

Kylie had her T & A on Tuesday...Everything went extremely well! I was with her when she was first put to sleep and then we were with her again afterwards. She was really groggy the whole day, so she napped well. She also amazingly drank a lot considering what her throat must feel like and wanted pancakes for dinner (and 3 popsicles)!! That night also went well and she only woke up for her meds. In the morning she was a whole new lady and was downing apple juice, so we were able to come home. So far at home, she is acting normal and wanting to play. Drinking and taking meds well and eating some. Hopefully her road to recovery will continue like this...but we would be shocked!

Gingerbread House

2010-12-11T18:36:00.000-08:00

During our blizzard...Greg and the kids made a gingerbread house! They had a good time and Kylie was a little sneaky with the candy.

Outlaws Wanted

2010-12-11T13:36:00.000-08:00

More birthday pics!!

2010-12-06T13:27:00.000-08:00

Jaxon had quite the birthday celebrations this year! First we celebrated in Indiana over Thanksgiving with the James family...Jaxon helped decorate and had an amazing cake made by Gma and Gpa James. We had a little party for him where he was spoiled with gifts...Then on his actual bday, he went to the local community center with some of the family (while mom slept) and got to play and have a pizza lunch...Then we had the family over for dinner and another celebration where he was spoiled again! Thank you everyone for being apart of his special day and the great gifts!!

Birthday Boy!!

2010-12-05T06:59:00.000-08:00

Our little boy turns 4 today. Mommy stopped and got Jaxon a birthday doughnut on her way home from work. We also let Jaxon open 1 present.....A night Fury from how to train your Dragon!!! Plenty more birthday pictures to follow.

More Winter Pics

2010-12-03T16:22:00.000-08:00

Kylie being an exhibitionist inside while the boys played outside in the snow!

Winter Fun!!

2010-12-03T16:20:00.000-08:00

We got a little snow this afternoon, so we took advantage and are trying to train Dudley to do a little work around here! :)

November Sunset in Waconia

2010-11-28T18:41:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-28T16:07:00.001-08:00

For Thanksgiving, we traveled to Indiana to celebrate with the James Family!! It was a lot of fun to see everyone, especially the newest edition, Lorelai, whom we hadn't even met yet!! The kids loved playing with all of their cousins!! The kids traveled VERY well both ways. While were were there, we also celebrated Jaxon's 4th birthday (pictures to come!)

2010-11-21T05:17:00.000-08:00

First snow of the winter!!

2010-11-15T07:44:00.000-08:00

Trick or Treating!

2010-11-06T06:50:00.001-07:00

Pumpkin carving

2010-11-06T06:42:00.000-07:00

Halloween Party

2010-11-06T06:36:00.000-07:00

Vegetable Pumpkin and Kitty Litter cake that Bria made....yes I said kitty litter!

Sunrise in Minnesota

2010-11-06T06:34:00.000-07:00

2010-10-26T11:31:00.000-07:00

Jaxon and Mom came up with a great idea to make Spooky Ghosts to hang up outside. Jaxon enjoyed watching them fly in the wind.

2010-10-26T10:25:00.000-07:00

Halloween preview!

2010-10-23T18:59:00.001-07:00

Here are the kiddos in their Halloween costumes!! So cute!! We dressed them up today and brought them to play games and win candy sponsored by our local girlscouts

The Fall...

2010-10-20T09:59:00.000-07:00

The first pic is the kids playing in their "car." They sit under here and pretend to be in a car. It even has a TV because I hear that Dora is on a lot! Its fun and funny to see them actually playing something together and both understanding how to play with each other. Then there are some pics of the kids playing in the leaves and some of the recent Murphy (Mary's side) trip to the Apple Orchard...

Football kids

2010-10-14T08:03:00.001-07:00

Here are some more pics of the kids playing outside.

MN Arboretum

2010-10-13T17:58:00.000-07:00

Fall

2010-10-13T17:35:00.000-07:00