OFFICIAL Christmas Newsletter

Okay, so I'm such a slacker this year! Normally I send out a Christmas Newsletter along with my Christmas cards, but this year I dreaded printing out, folding and stuffing well over 75 pieces of paper. So, I decided to post my newsletter here this year (although I'd be curious how many people actually read my silly blog entries).

This year has been an amazing year for our little family of 4. Griffin is no longer a baby and has blossomed into a rambunctious, yet sweet toddler. He's a spitting image of Ryan, both physically and emotionally. He's stubborn and mischievous, yet a big cuddly teddy bear at heart. He's lost much of his baby fat, only gaining a few pounds this year, but is super tall for his age and solid. His hands and feet are officially bigger than Morgan's....a true James. His vocabulary has really bloomed over the past couple months. He literally went from saying only a few words, to full-blown toddler talk over night. It's certainly bitter-sweet watching my baby growing so quickly!

Morgan is also growing up way too fast. She thinks she is 3 going on 13, and is 100% pure sass. But oh, what a great kid! She's super smart, funny as heck, and so kind. This year was the big potty training year for all of us. We finally got the task done, and as a reward we enrolled Morgan in a dance class. She is loving every minute of it. Morgan is into anything girly, princess, or fairy, so it's very fitting for her.

Ryan continues to work at Les Schwab. I believe this is going on his 9th year there. Although it's a great job, it very wearing on his body. And, believe it or not, he's actually brainstorming possible opportunities that he may pursue in the next couple years. His ideal situation would be to be his own boss. The wheels are starting to turn, and we wish he could follow through sooner rather than later, but as we all know it's not the best economy to be trying to start your own business. :)

As for me, a big wish came true this past year. I'm finally working from home! I have my own online marketing biz, and do contract work for a great company out of CA. The situation couldn't be better. It allows me to spend more time with the kids, which has been my priority since Morgan was born. I also enjoy being able to work in my jammies. Needless to say, I probably won't be going back to a corporate office job ever again. I'm too spoiled.

We hope that everyone has a great Christmas and New Year, and please stay in touch! We love to hear from family and friends from afar.
Love always,
Andrea, Ryan, Morgan & Griffin James

WhoooHooo, She Did It!

Yesterday (Saturday 12/6), Morgan had her first dance recital, held at the Festival of Trees at the Medford Armory. She did so great! I was very nervous about the whole thing. The last 2 weeks of dance class Morgan was very shy and didn't want to participate. Her exact words were, "I don't want to do dance class anymore...it's too cold and boring". I'm really not sure where that came from, all though come to think about it, perhaps she was nervous about the recital b/c she didn't know exactly what it was. All she knew was that something big was going to happen (typical Morgan).
Anyway, before we went to the Armory, I made a deal with her. I told her I would buy her a strawberry smoothie with whip cream on top, and a set of markers (which she has been asking for lately b/c all we have here at the house are crayons and those are "for babies"). That got her a little excited. Then once we got there, we went up front toward the stage and she was completely enthralled with the other dancers. When it came time for her to perform, she didn't even seem to care that there were literally hundreds of people in the audience. She got up there like a trooper and did her routine. She even threw in a few moves of her own. You'll see in the video that as all the girl's were lining up on stage Morgan held her arms in a circle in front of her, just like a ballerina would do. Two seconds before the end of the performance, Morgan looked down and realized her ribbon came undone, so she ran off the stage to find me (typical Morgan). I quickly tucked it back in her leotard and told her to go back out there to take her bow. After the performance Morgan was disappointed because she wanted to go back out there and do more. I think she got the "bug". Watch out Taylor Swift!
She did so great, and I was so proud of her. Talk about cuteness. Here's the video and some pictures. In case you can't tell, the songs they sang were, "I'm a Little Teapot", "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star", and "Rudolph the Red Nose Raindeer":

Traditions

Yesterday was the start of a tradition that I plan on carrying out for a long time. We packed the kids in and drove into the mountains to find our own Christmas tree. Both kids loved being outside, as usual, and surprisingly so, it was warm up passed the fog line. I think the only thing we'll do different next go around is bring a chili or hot dog lunch to eat while we're up there. After naptime the kids and I decorated the tree. Well, Griffin mostly made a mess, but Morgan and I actually put the ornaments on the tree. She even got to put the star on.
What a great day!
Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/redneckfamily

The Girl's Got Talent

As a mother, I really can't talk enough about how great my kids are. It just comes natural. Call me biased, but I really do think that my Morgan is crazy smart and ultra talented. She's not even 3 1/2 yet and everyday she does something that makes me think "is she really only 3?"

First of all, I don't know exactly what age kids are supposed to be able to draw, so perhaps she really is "right on track". My only frame of reference is what I see other kids her age doing.

Anyway, the other night, Morgan was drawing on her Magna-Doodle. Lately she's been into drawing fish, and people with really large heads. But this time she came up with something different. Her exact words were, "Mommy look, I drew a Rhino for you!". Granted it's missing ears and two legs, but hey, a 3 year old drew it.

Here's her masterpiece, you be the judge:

HALLOWEEN

Had a blast on Halloween this year. The kids are getting big enough that they are truly enjoying it. Griffin was a pirate and Morgan was a mermaid. She initially started out to be Ariel from the Little Mermaid, but the red wig was "too itchy", so we ditched it early on.
This year, we made our typical rounds to visit Grandma Sharon at Bear Creek, and then over to Great Grandma Anne's house to show off their cuteness. At lunch time we went to a party at the Yeaman's house, which was great. The weather was just warm enough that the kids could play outside without jackets on. They engorged on cupcakes and other sugar snacks...great for the teeth! After nap time, we decided to go to Grandma and Grandpa Georgiana's house. We hung out there for a bit while Morgan and Griffin handed out candy to the trick or treaters, only getting scared a few times by the scary masks. Then we decided to attempt trick or treating ourselves for the first time. And actually the kids thought it was great when they discovered they get candy from all the houses with porch lights on. Too cute. The next few hours were spent watching Morgan cracked out on her 4 pieces of candy she had throughout the evening. Needless to say they slept like rocks that night. I uploaded some pics at the photo gallery: http://picasaweb.google.com/redneckfamily

The Pumpkin Patch

Had a VERY busy past couple days, ending with yesterday going the Pumpkin Patch with some friends. All of us had a blast! Both kids rode a pony, we went on a wagon ride, got Morgan's face painted, got lost in a corn maze, and of course, picked out the perfect pumpkins to carve. I posted some pictures in our photo album: http://picasaweb.google.com/redneckfamily

Also, I posted some pics of Morgan at her Dance class, which she is loving so much. Enjoy!

Another Cake

Had some fun this weekend making a friend a perverse Bachelorette Party cake. She sent me a picture of what she wanted, but I improvised a bit. Lotsa fun! The writing on the cakes says, "Welcome to the Ol' Balls-n-Chain".


NOTE: Rated R - Pictures are NOT orthodox and NOT appropriate for youngsters. :)