December pictures

It's been a while since I have posted pictures and people have been asking for them so get a blanket and your coffee because here are some pictures...
Isn't my little boy so precious!!!

James loves to pull his socks off when he isn't wearing shoes. Often times this is followed by sucking on his big toe! Very cute! This particular day we were doing some Christmas shopping at the mall and James learned how fun it is to pull the clothes off the rack (including at Victoria's Secret)! Uh-oh!

James and I often join our friends, Colleen and Isa, for lunch on Tuesdays. The kiddos enjoy sharing their food. This was them saying hi to each other one day. So sweet!

James loves to stand at his changing table and "help Mommy with spring cleaning"! Oh my but sometimes it is the only way to keep him stationary so I can get him dressed.

Josh and I were doing some yardwork one afternoon so we put a huge sheet on the grass for James to play on. Unfortunately, James did not get the memo that he was supposed to stay on the sheet so he would immediately crawl off it and start helping with the leaves (i.e. eat the leaves off the grass). This ended up being the only way to keep him stationary and allow me to rake some leaves.

James was practicing opening presents for Christmas!

James and Daddy reading a book. I think this picture is so cute!

James tries to reach over the cradle to get to his toys. Just today he learned that he can pull some of them out between the rungs. It's really cute because he will go up onto his tippie toes to try to reach.

James and I waited for almost two hours to see Santa Claus at the Roseville Galleria. After a while he started to get tired of sitting in his stroller and tired in general so I rocked him and sang him Christmas carols. That resulted in him falling asleep on my shoulder with one person left in front of us in line. Luckily, when I set him on Santa's lap, he woke up and smiled for the camera. Such a good boy!

James had a good time playing with his cousins, Johanna and Dagbjort in Livermore.

He also enjoyed visiting with Great Grandma Jost though he wasn't a huge fan of sitting still on her lap. He much prefered cruising around the house and seeing what he could get into!

So cute in his Nike outfit from Grandpa Dave.

So excited about his HUGE present from Auntie Michellie and Uncle Gary!!! Auntie Michellie even made him a HUGE stocking. Does that mean she will help us fill it every year???

Auntie Michellie put me in a grocery bag!!!!

Funny story... Dad got Mom a nice set of dishes for the cabin for Christmas. The dishes were delivered to our house in Folsom for Michelle, Gary, Douglas, and I to wrap and bring up to Arnold for Christmas with the instructions "Have a good time with it!" The dishes came in 3 BIG boxes which we opened to find 14 medium boxes and a few extras (napkins, table runners, dish towels, etc.). We then opened all those boxes to get 56 little boxes. We decided to individually wrap each of these 56 boxes and label them to Mom from a wide variety of people. Then on Christmas, we saved all the dishes until the end and slowly started giving them to Mom. When she requested that there were still a lot of presents left under the tree and that someone else open a present, we piled all 56 boxes on her lap for her to open!!!! It was great fun and hilarious to see the look on her face! The hit of Christmas evening I think!!! Anyway, James was "very helpful" with wrapping presents so we tried to corral him in a box. Didn't work!

The big box from Auntie Michellie and Uncle Gary was a wagon!!!! So much fun!!!

Christmas morning in Folsom!

Stockings for all! I think I need to have Michelle make me a big one too!

James was very excited about his music table from Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Whichard. Thank you!!!

James's stocking was almost as tall as he was.

Daddy helping James open a book from Santa.

James helping Mommy open her presents.

James trying on his new hat. James doesn't love hats anymore but will thankfully tolerate them usually when he is outside. This one has a strap to help out!

While in Arnold, we drove up to Bear Valley to do some cross country skiing and snow shoeing. James got his very own sled to stay bundled up in and Josh pulled him along while snow shoeing. James was not a fan unless he was moving and quickly fell asleep. Here we are enjoying a little break and some lunch.

James and I supporting the Beavs!!! Go Beavs!!!!

I don't have many pictures from Arnold because most of the pictures were taken on Mom's camera so I will try to get my hands on those sometime soon to share.

I hope everyone is having a great 2011!!! Love to all!!!