Merry Christmas 2008

Always it's rush, rush, rush trying to get everywhere that we needed to and still have time to spend at our house. This year, we went to mom and dad's house on Saturday, December 20th to celebrate Christmas with them. The boys had a good time getting to see their cousins since they don't get to see them much. They had a great time playing with all their new goods too.

Christmas Eve we went to Grandmother's house. Aunt Brenda's and Aunt Linda's families were all there too. We had a wonderful meal cooked by grandmother and had a blast visiting with family and opening presents.

As you can tell, Santa found our house. I hope he found yours. Santa along with family was very good to all of us this year. We hope you have all had a Very Merry CHRISTmas and we wish you a Safe Happy New Year!!

Tanner and Hopper

Boy have we been busy since my last post. Terrell and Jordan went camping with the Boy Scouts at Talladega. They really had a great time and the weather was just perfect for them. While they were in Talladega, Tanner and I had the weekend to ourselves, well we had the "class frog" Hopper with us for the weekend.

On Friday we went to Christmas Village and had a good time seeing all of our friends that we always visit while there. When you are the lucky person to bring Hopper home, you have to take pictures and tell the class what you did with him. We were lucky to have Mrs. Janice pose with Tanner and Hopper for a picture. Of course it just wouldn't be the same if Hopper didn't have his own set of headphones for the ride and watching a movie. We really had a great time just the Tan Man, Hopper and I.

Tanner visits Will

Well, lucky for the James house, I have lost my voice. It was very funny. Tanner was in the bathroom and Terrell was assisting him earlier today. I heard him whispering and he said "I have lost my voice just like mommy". We ALL know that hasn't happened. I think he is louder so that I can hear him. Something about loosing your voice makes people think you can hear either. Well, I guess I can't hear can I??? We had a great time last night Trick or Treating with some of our friends. Thanks Karen for having us over.

I received a phone call this afternoon from my sweet friend Terah. Will, her 3 year old, decided he would have a macadamia nut cookie last night. Well, after several sick episodes she had to rush him to Children's Hospital. It was very serious and they admitted him to ICU. He was put into a private room LATER TODAY so Tanner and I went to see his little buddy and took him a new toy and books to read. Tanner was a very big boy all checking up on his "buddy" Will this evening. Praise God that everything is ok and he should come home tomorrow.

Trunk or Treat

Tonight was Trunk or Treat at Hunter Street. It was a lot of fun and the boys seemed to really enjoy themselves. As you can see we had a Pirate and a Marshall, aka Sherrif, aka anything else he wanted to refer to himself as. The church fed everyone hotdogs and corndogs and then it was time for the Trunk or Treating. All the adult SS classes really went all out this year as they have in the years past. It is a great outreach to the others in the community as well. Tanner even had his picture made with Little Red Riding Hood and two of the Three Little Pigs!!! Jordan actually ran into another Pirate. There for a while we had a little fight on our hands but then we realized it was his buddy Colton. We hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween.

Hook 'Em Horns

Yes, I know that we live in the state of Alabama, home of the #2 Crimson Tide and yes I know that my children are decked out in #1 Texas Longhorn t-shirts. My dad was born and raised in West Texas and is a long time Longhorn fan. He just returned from Austin after being there for a month with FEMA. This was his surprise for my boys from Granddaddy.

This post is not only for my dad but for my sweet friends, Billy and Emily Gazzaway. (Kadin and Avery's parents). They are also HUGH Longhorn fans. Terrell wanted to know if we were going to get to sit by Billy and Emily at the BCS National Championship game :)

Please let me introduce you to one of the newest members of the Academic Honors Club @ Helena Intermediate School! :)

Terrell and I were out of town last week for Terrell's national meeting. We really had a great time. I am so thankful to have such good friends that took such good care of my children while we were gone. I never worried one time that they were not taken good care of. My worries now are that Jordan will want to go back to Mrs. Terah's house and Tanner will want to go back to Mrs. Mary's house to stay!!

My mom came and stayed with Jordan on Thursday night. She called and left me a message that Jordan was being inducted in the Academic Honors Club at school Friday afternoon. Since I didn't have cell service on the island, I didn't get the message in time to change my flight so that I could be there. I was so upset but Blammie filled in the gap and went for me. I am so proud of Jordan and his accomplishments. He maintained a 95 or above average during his entire 4th grade year as well as the first 9 weeks this year. In case you are wondering, he gets it all from me!!!

The Grande 'Ole Pumpkin Patch

We met Blammie and went to Clanton to the Grande 'Ole Pumpkin Patch. It was a lot of fun and Tanner got to ride in the helicopter. He mentioned something about Disney while we were in the air and the pilot took us for an extra ride so that he could talk to us some more about our trip because he was wanting to take his family. It was a lot of fun. We also met up with some of Blammie's friends from Prattville. There wasn't one piece of ground that we didn't cover while there. We were even lucky enough to get to ride the John Deere Gator from the pumpkin patch to the barn. Tanner had an allergic reaction while picking his pumpkin so we had to get out of there fast. Jordan didn't go with us on this trip. I think he has had his share of the pumpkin patch over the years.

Heading Home Thursday Sept. 17, 2008

This was our last day to be at Disney. After we checked out, we walked over to Epcot to get in some last minute fun. Jordan wanted Terrell to do some things with him and Tanner and I shopped. We couldn't come home without some new "Disney Kitty" food bowls for Hershey. He and I did take in one last flight on Soarin’. When we joined back up with Terrell and Jordan, we all rode the Fast Track which was really fun. We got the boys some lunch and then headed back to the hotel to catch the bus to the airport for a very tired flight home. It was so much fun that I could go back tomorrow. Our children were so good on this trip. I was so very proud of them. Too bad our money tree died during this trip!!

Wednesday Sept. 16, 2008

Blammie, Granddaddy and Caleb had to leave on Wednesday so they could drive back home and get Caleb back to school. This was our morning for Chef Mickey’s Breakfast. We rode the bus to Magic Kingdom and then the monorail to The Contemporary for breakfast. It was of course yummy to our tummy’s. Since the rest of our group had already left, we took the time to revisit some of the parks and redo some of our favorites. Not to mention do some things that Tanner and Terrell didn’t get to do while napping. We revisited Magic Kingdom and really had a lot of fun with just the 4 of us. After we were all about to drop, we headed back to the hotel and the boys (including Terrell) went to the “Big” pool to swim. It was enormous; there was a large pirate ship that was a water slide. After swimming we headed in for baths and bed!

Chef Mickey's Wednesday Sept. 17, 2008

Epcot Tuesday Sept. 16, 2008

Epcot Day. This was the official day for Epcot even though the 4 of us had a sneak peak on Friday night. Blammie has always wanted to “Fly”, (not in an airplane) Tanner led her to his favorite, Soarin’. It was really fun again and again and again!! We jumped on the boat at Living with the Land and went through it again with them. When the ride was over, as we were getting out of the boat, there were cast members standing there with passes. They gave us “VIP” passes to the viewing of Illuminations (which is the fireworks show at Epcot) as part of the “Year of a Million Dreams”. This was now two things that we were given on this trip! We all hung out in Epcot and after lunch, you guessed it, the nappers went for their daily routine and the others stayed and played. The nappers met back up with us for dinner and the Illuminations show. After the show it was back to the hotel for some much needed sleep!

Animal Kingdom Monday Sept. 15, 2008

Animal Kingdom Day. This is the park that has Jordan’s favorite ride, Expedition Everest. Terrell and I rode it first with the big boys and then they wanted to ride it again. I was the lucky one to get to go with them. . . again. It wasn’t too bad. We caught back up with the others and went to some shows. We all really enjoyed the Flights of Wonder show of the birds. You never know what children get out of shows like that until they start repeating what went on in the show. . . the next day! Tanner was mocking what one of the birds was doing. We had lunch at the Tusker House and we talked Granddaddy into going on the Kali River Rapids. I believe I remember Jordan saying “You don’t get that wet”. Well, I think Terrell, Blammie and Granddaddy took all of the water out of the rapids with us! Of course “Festival of the Lion King” was a favorite but “Finding Nemo-The Musical” was my favorite this time around. Tanner, Terrell, Granddaddy and I sat and watched the parade while Blammie and the other boys went to DinoLand. This was the one day that I didn’t let “Tanner” go for a nap. The park closes early and he just had to hang with us. After the Nemo Musical we all headed back to the hotel and the guys went out for a swim before bathing and heading to bed.

Magic Kingdom Sunday Sept. 14, 2008

Magic Kingdom Day. Up and at ‘em again. This park was full of tons of things to do. After seeing Jiminy Cricket, we headed over to Tomorrow Land. I’m not sure who’s bright idea it was to go to “Stitches’ Great Escape” but it was disgusting. I thought I was going to lose it all. By the way, the term disgusting came straight from Tanner. I do not recommend going to this. After all, I think the line was really short and that is why we went. . . hum, we need to be a little more observant next time. Granddaddy took Tanner on the Transit Authority while the others rode some rides that he was too small for. After that we all rode the Indy Speedway with Tanner so that he thought he was part of the big kids. It was then lunch time as we headed over to eat with Pooh and Friends. This was lots of fun. After lunch, then it was nap time for the nappers. Yes, per Tanner’s request. (I think the bigger nappers may have been sliding Tanner some cash without us knowing or at least a toy) You guessed it, the rest of us stayed and ended up meeting the others back at the hotel later that night.

Hollywood Studios Saturday Sept. 13, 2008

Hollywood Studios Day. We all got up and headed to the ferry boat for a ride over to the Studios. This was lots of fun as well. For those of you who do not know, Jordan is a HUGE Star Wars fan and there was a ton of Star Wars memorabilia there. He even had his picture taken to look like Anakin Skywalker. He really had the look perfected too. We saw some Power Rangers, the Green Soldiers from Toy Story, and Terrell’s favorite, The Muppets, plus lots more. After lunch, Tanner decided it was time for him, daddy and granddaddy to go take a nap. Blammie, the big boys and I stayed and saw some more shows as well as some rides too. The “nappers” joined us for dinner and then the WONDERFUL Fantasmic show. It was just as it says. . . FANTASMIC.

We Made It!!

Friday, Sept. 12, 2008 After arriving in Disney, we took the ferry over to The Boardwalk to get something to eat at ESPN Zone. Yum yum, we were all pretty hungry. We decide to take the ferry boat over to Epcot and try to get a few rides in before Blammie, Granddaddy and Caleb (my nephew) arrived. Grandparents coming was a surprise to the boys as well. We checked out “The Land Pavillion”. This was sponsored by Nestle so we had to see what it was all about since daddy works for “Nestle Purina” This is where Tanner’s favorite ride, Soarin’ was. After all of that, it was about time for the fireworks so we saw a few of them before Blammie called to say they were waiting for us back at the hotel. We took the ferry back and surprised the boys once again with Blammie and Granddaddy being there.

We're going to Disney World

~~SEPTEMBER 12, 2008~~We surprised the boys and we all went to Disney World on September 12th. I tricked them and told them that we were taking daddy to the airport, not a lie daddy did go to the airport! I had them a little goodie bag with Disney items in it. When we were about to get on the plane, I pulled out the camera and asked if they wanted to go with daddy. I gave them their bag and once they saw the Pal Mickey plush, they knew. Tanner started running circles in the airport saying "We're going to Disney World" over and over and over. I got away with this because mom and dad, aka Blammie and Granddaddy, drove down and took our luggage. As you can see, Jordan and Tanner was invited to sit in the cockpit. They really thought they were hot stuff. I think the biggest surprise was the night before we left. We received a phone call from Disney Travel Club and we were chosen as part of the "Year of a Million Dreams". Disney upgraded us to the Yacht Club for the week. It was so nice and now we are spoiled. Not only did we get the upgrade, mom and dad did too since we were traveling together!!!
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Welcome to our family blog!

Well, this is all new to me. I have so many friends with blogs that I had to create one myself so I can share the many funny things that go on at the James household. This picture was taken when we were in Destin in June. I thought I would put in on since it is one of my many favorites. Stay tuned, there's more to come!