A Day Out With Thomas!

James received a musical "Thomas the Tank" book as a shower gift and it has been a favorite - he always points to it when it's sitting on a shelf.  He bounces up and down to the little tunes and like to push the sound effect buttons as we read the story.  Because of James' affinity for Thomas the Tank, when we heard he was coming into town we thought it would be a fun family activity to enjoy together.  So we headed out to Lakeville to ride on Thomas and explore the railyards.  The afternoon started with a ride on Thomas which happened to be a old Northwestern Line commuter rail car.  We watched the countryside in the distance and even saw cows in pastures.  At the end of the train ride James got a certificate to show that he is a Junior Engineer!

James receieved a Ride Along Thomas toy for his birthday from Grandma and Grandpa Kamrath and he is having lots of fun pushing all the buttons and making lots of noise.  He has discovered he can stand next to it and push it a long a bit but hasn't longed to walk behind it just yet - he'll get there soon!

We're guessing this won't be the end of James' train affection - and Dad's okay with that!

12-month Stats

James visited the doctor a week or so ago and flirted with the nurses and doctor until it came time to actually be examined and have his shots and blood drawn.  But he remained very brave and even got a sticker when he was done which he was pretty excited about. 

James now weighs about 23 lbs and is about 30 inches tall - he's right on track at about the 50th percentile. 

We got the green light to start milk as well and he's loving it!

He continues to learn new things each and every day and we still can't believe he's already 12-months old!

At birth:

At 12-months:

Happy 1st Birthday James!!

Mom and Dad can hardly believe that our little peanut is already 1-year old!  We celebrated this past weekend by having a little party with family and friends and of course that made for some great picture taking opportunities.

James enjoyed seeing everyone, tearing paper and of course his favorite was eating his cake.  I think he ate mostly frosting (blue frosting in particular), but that was beside the point.  Needless to say he had a great day.

It's hard to believe that this little guy has been in our lives for a year already as it's already hard to remember what life was like without him.  We are so blessed to have him in our lives and he makes each day brighter (regardless of the day he's had!)! 

Happy Birthday Peanut - we can't wait to see how you change and grow in the next year!

Auntie Mal's Wedding

Auntie Mal got married on July 16 and it was a busy weekend catching up with family.

James met Great Grandpa Ehmann and Great Grandma Jean for the first time at the rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding and enjoyed getting to know them and can't wait to see them again in a few weeks!

 

For the wedding James dressed in his best duds for the festivities.  He was a little excited and couldn't sit still or be quiet for the ceremony so Mom and James ended up watching it from inside, but he had a great time socializing with family and hanging out at the reception until Grandma and Grandpa Bragg took him home for the night so Mom and Dad could enjoy the evening.

Here is James tasting one of Grandpa Clark's gingersnap cookies for the first time at the reception.  I think he likes 'em!

Congratulations Auntie Mal!