New "Toy"

I've always heard that kids love simple things- buy them an expensive gift and their favorite part will be the box it came in.  Well, James has a favorite new activity.

An old diaper box with Kona's leash tied to the front. Thanks Grandma Backman for the fun idea!

The funniest part is, he wants to stand up as daddy pulls him around the house!

This face cracks me up!!

Swim Lessons!

We signed James up for swim lessons this year, to prepare him for pool time in Arizona at Thanksgiving. 

Matt and I both had the opportunity to enjoy time in the water with him. I loved teaching our little fishy how to swim!

It took some time for him to adjust to the cold water. He got more comfortable in the pool with each lesson.

He even started 'jumping' off the side!

Mastering the back float...

Adalae was in our class too, the kids had so much fun!

James loves his daddy so much... look at that big smile!

Seattle Date Night!

James will be one year old on December 2nd, and Matt and I have yet to be away from him for an overnight. We had the opportunity to experience Teatro Zinzanni with a few of my colleagues, so we decided it was time for a date night!

James spent the night at Grandma and Grandpas and did great. Matt and I stayed at the Sheraton in downtown Seattle and had a great night out!

Teatro is SO much fun. I highly recommend it!! The show was great, the dinner was fantastic, and the company was the best! =)

 Natalie and her husband also took the opportunity to stay downtown and leave their kids with a babysitter.  A fun time!

Pool Time

This summer we got a blow up pool so that James could cool off on hot days. Matt ended up enjoying the mini pool just as much!

Adalae came over one afternoon to join in the fun. Look at these cute kiddos!

Of course, Kona wanted to join in the fun.

Adalae is so great at sharing toys with James!

Funny face!

This was just one of many pool days. James loves the water so much that we decided to do swim lessons! Pictures to come soon!

All Dressed Up

This summer we had quite a few weddings to attend, so we thought we'd invest in a suit for James. It fit perfectly, for the perfect amount of time. But he grew quickly and it has now been retired (until baby #2, perhaps).

What a cutie! (OK, both of them are pretty darn cute!)

Shades to complete the outfit...

What a stud!

Play Dates

I came across these old photos of James, Ginger and Aubrey. This was one of our very first play dates, when they were all just tiny tikes!

James and Ginger hit it off right away...

Look at those pudgy cheeks!

The threesome! I'm so glad they get to grow up together!

Matt's Hunting Trip

Every year Matt takes a hunting trip with his long time friend,  Joel.  This is a tradition that dates back to his high school days.

Last year it was just a day trip, since I was due to have James any day. This year they made it a four day weekend and headed east, Brian joined too.  They took the camper and  made it a true "man weekend".

Here are a few photos from the trip:

Brian with the day's catch.

 Such a happy guy, this is probably his favorite hobby/ sport!

Beautiful country...

 I'm so glad they keep the tradition going!