Christmas (part 1)

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were a little crazy...in a good way of course! The weather forecast called for a huge storm and travel was not advisable for Christmas Day, so the entire Ruden clan did a quick change of plans and ended up coming Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day as originally planned. Tom and I were really worried that we were going to have to spend Christmas by ourselves so we were really relieved that our company could still make it, and I think the extra day was really the way to go. Everyone could just relax and kickback knowing they wouldn't have to worry about traveling again for awhile. Paul, Cathy, Grandma, Andy, Billie, and Gillian (or for those of you who don't know the Rudens-Tom's dad, mom, grandma, brother, sister-in-law, and our 3 year-old niece) all made the trek to Des Moines. We had a nice afternoon on Christmas Eve, went to Hope's awesome Christmas Eve service, and then Tom and I headed over to my parents' house to fondue. It amazes me every year that we can fondue without burning the house down, but this year it really seemed smoother than usual. I don't even think there were any minor burns, and if you know the crew that was there (Craig, Karla, Dennis, Amy, Hannah, Joe, Bill, Jane, and of course me, Tom, and James), you know that's saying a lot because we don't always follow safety instructions!
Christmas Eve also brought the excitement of me and Tom traipsing through the neighborhood looking for Foxy. Tom and my dad had the bright idea to let her run home from my parents' house without a leash on. I realize they just live down the street, but Foxy isn't the most reliable dog. She tries to be good, but if there's a squirrel she just can't control herself. Sure enough, as soon as Tom let her go, she took off. So Tom and I spent a very scary 30 minutes following her tracks in the snow and yelling for her. I'm sure people in the neighborhood loved having weird people right outside their windows at 1:00 in the morning, but I'll do anything for my Foxy. Thank goodness we left James asleep with my parents otherwise I'm not sure how we would have chased Foxy for so long.
Christmas Day was a really nice, laidback day. We opened presents, watched Gillian and James play with their new stuff (Gillian really liked Jamesie's toys and James was really impressed with her stuff-neither seemed very interested in their own presents), talked, ate, and just had a really nice day.
The bad news is I kept misplacing my camera so I don't have very good pictures of Christmas morning. I'm hoping people will take pity on me and e-mail the pictures they took and then I can post a Christmas (part 2) blog. So here are a few Christmas pictures (and some others that are cute too)...

I'm so big with my sippy cup...

I can even take it with me when I'm on the move.

Enjoying his new tub toys...this is Jamesie's first time in the real bathtub and this picture was taken about 10 seconds before he burst into tears. Poor little guy screamed until we got him out, I guess maybe he's not ready for a real bath but he's getting too big for the sink. He might have to be the smelly kid for awhile :).

Don't let this picture fool you...he was not having fun!

These 2 had fun!!! James thought Gillian was pretty cool and he really loved having someone crawl around with him.

James "The Situation" Ruden

Yeah, I stood up all by myself-no big deal.

Helping wrap presents...I don't know how I would have gotten it all done without him.

Jamesie with his stick (it's his very favorite thing).

Can't catch me!

Presents? Who needs presents? I have my stick.

He's really ripping into those presents now!

Having a very important discussion with Great Grandma Wrobel

Opening presents makes a guy really hungry!

This one is a keeper!

Back by Popular Demand...

I've had several people ask me about this video. Here it is for those of you who missed it on Facebook. If you aren't sure what I'm talking about just click the blue writing below and it will take you to a video of Jamesie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bujEeZX4bg&feature=channel

And we're off!

It's official! James is crawling. Well actually he's been crawling for over a week, but it's very difficult to get pictures of a moving target :). Life is very different now that James is mobile, but nobody has been affected by this change quite like Foxy. She's still trying to figure out why her food is hidden away behind a table in the dining room and why she has to share her bones all of a sudden. Jamesie just seems to prefer her food and toys to his, what's wrong with that? Simple household chores have become much more complicated in the last week as well. Now when we vacuum we have to deal with Foxy running away from the vacuum and James chasing it. It's a major feat not to run over anyone's fingers, toes, or paws while making sure the cord doesn't wrap around anyone either. While I'm sure someday soon I'm going to long for the days when I set James on the floor and he stayed there, right now I'm loving this stage! It's so interesting to see which toys he chooses now that he finally gets a choice and it's great when he decides to come see me for a little hug before he gets back to the major work of playing.

Notice the white door in the background? The one that is always open? Not anymore! James would love to get through that door to explore the bathroom, but so far he hasn't had a chance.

New teeth and a runny nose are keeping slobber at an all time high.

Too bad the poor guy doesn't have any toys...

Watch out Fox! He's coming to getcha!

Say Cheese!

Yesterday Tom and I took James to have his 6 month picture taken. He's 7 1/2 months now so we're a little late, but better late than never. I wasn't as thrilled with these pictures as I was with his 3 month ones but that's probably because he wasn't the best model this time. There was a red dot on the carpet he was supposed to sit on, but sitting just isn't in his vocabulary these days. He wanted to MOVE! I think the photographer was happy to see us leave. Here is a sneak peak at some of the pictures.

Cabin Fever

After being stuck inside all day yesterday I decided to venture out this morning. Tom gave me the job of moving firewood from the edge of our yard to our garage because he didn't think I could handle the more strenous job of clearing the mountain the snowplow left at the end of our driveway. Foxy and I set out to tackle the firewood project, but we got bored pretty quickly. Foxy is a wimp and can't handle the cold weather and since there is only one path in our backyard she kept plowing into me as she hot-rodded around. I decided Tom didn't know what he was talking about and I would clear the edge of the driveway just to prove a point. 15 minutes later I was sure I was having a heart attack and I went inside to admit my defeat. Tom and James were at the window watching and laughing the entire time. I guess that's what I get for trying to prove a point.

I'm sad to say it but I think we'll all be back at work and school tomorrow. The snowplow has been through and the blizzard of 2009 is officially over. I've really enjoyed being snowed in, and so have Tom and James, but I think Foxy is ready for everyone to leave her alone for awhile. She's been upstairs sleeping in the guest bedroom ever since our snow adventure this morning.

James has become very mobile during our little break. He can't crawl forward yet, but he can go backwards really fast! He even found Foxy's food bowl this morning. Foxy was not happy.

Snow days are so funny!

This poor Bert and Ernie doll was a casualty of the Blizzard of '09. Yesterday when I saw that school was canceled again today I did a celebratory dance that made Foxy so excited she took off with this ball in her mouth. Bert and Ernie used to laugh and vibrate, that is no longer the case.

Cute boy.

Love it!

I <3 Snow Days!

In celebration of James's 1st snow day we stayed in our pajamas and played all day. Tom even got a halfway snow day because Bed Bath and Beyond opened at 12 and closed at 4. It was too cold to play outside, but I can tell James is itching to get out and play in the snow. Ok, maybe I'm just itching to see James try out his sled, but I'm sure once he tries it he'll like it.

My snow day bums.

So close to crawling.

I like my little friend. Thanks Lora and Josh!

Foxy's funny, Mom with the camera-not so funny.

Fallen Soldier

Poor Foxy has taken ill. She ripped off her toenail last night when she was running outside. It's still kind of attached but it's upside down and stuck in the bottom of her foot. Tom is taking her to the vet in the morning, but until then we've fashioned a homemade cast to keep her from chewing on it. She is limping all over the house and I feel so bad for her, but James thinks she's even more hilarious!Notice how the sock is looped through her collar. This is the new and improved cast. Her first one included a t-shirt and duct tape.

Marshmallow Boy and "Tis The Season

This weekend was the first truly cold weekend of the year. James doesn't really have a warm winter coat so we had to bundle him in his snowsuit when we ventured out Friday night. He didn't really mind at first, but when he tried to sit down and fell right over he got pretty crabby.

Humpty Dumpty getting ready for his great fall. He's definitely wobbling right now.

And he's down!

Saturday Tom and I went to get our Christmas tree. We had planned on taking James and pulling him through the snow on his sled, but since there was no snow and it was super cold he had to stay home with Grandma instead. Foxy got to come though and we had a good time tromping around the tree lot looking for the perfect tree. Tom and I were both trying really hard to pick a tree that wasn't too big, but somehow we ended up with the HUGEST Christmas tree ever.

Jamesie in front of the giant tree.

Tom working hard on the lights.

Foxy and James were not much help.

Still missing ornaments, but very pretty lights.

I guess my sweatshirt string was much more interesting than the tree.

A Hodge Podge of Pictures

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Welcome back! I was ready to throw in the towel on this whole blog thing but I've received so many guilt trips from faithful readers in the past week I've decided to give it another shot. I was sure you all had given up on me, but Connie and Robin-this is for you! No more Pepsi cup when you check.

It's been a really busy week...casserole night, Thanksgiving #1, James's 1st fever, Thanksgiving #2, 3 new teeth popping through, a flying leap from the Bumbo chair (James has to eat in his high chair now), and a birthday party.

Here are somethings James thinks you should know about him now that he's 7 months old:

• Foxy is his very best friend. They are always together and James thinks everything Foxy does is HILARIOUS. James likes to grab Foxy's hair and tail and Foxy is very patient about letting him. Lately James has decided he should chew on Foxy's bones because they're much more fun than his toys.
• James REALLY wants to walk. He loves standing and jumping and is thinking about skipping crawling and going straight to walking.
• Veggies are this boy's fave. He will gobble down green beans, peas, squash, and sweet potatoes but don't even think about giving him fruit. He really hates bananas and will only eats pears if he has to.
• Napping=no thanks! There are way more important things to do than take a nap so don't even try.
• Jamesie is social and likes to be around a lot of people-as long as his mom and dad are nearby! He's starting to get a little nervous around new people and even cried at daycare a few times when I leave.
• Yes, that is a picture with pink pajamas. James did sleep in pink jammies one night when he was at his grandma's house and desperate! It's really hard being the only boy in the family and desperate times call for desperate measures.
• Glasses? Earrings? Necklace? Hair? Watch out, if you have it, he'll grab it!