That's How I Roll...

This is what James looked like before I ran upstairs to change clothes this morning:



This is what he looked like afterwards:




Any Questions?

*Yes, this is a reenactment. That's not even my house and although James is very talented he can not make a blanket disappear. I don't have any pictures from the actual event because the little sneak decided to roll over for the very first time when he was alone.

Holy cow, where did the time go?!?

James is 3 months old today. My cousin Brooke had the idea to take a picture every month and I thought it was a good one, so I stole it. Here are pictures of James at 1 month, 2 months, and today. I can't believe how big he is!

James the Model

My mom and I took James to get his pictures taken yesterday. I think he has a modeling career in his future. He definitely hammed it up for the camera. I definitely went a little overboard ordering pictures so everyone can expect to see lots of pictures heading your way in the near future. In 48 hours you can check out all of his pictures online (look for an email from me with the link) but until then, here's a preview of what's to come.


James was kind of over having his pictures taken by the time we got to his red outfit. Can you tell?

On the road again

Last weekend we packed up the car and headed to Muscatine. And when I say packed I mean PACKED! Tom's car was filled to the brim with enough stuff to last us a month including a very irritated Pepper. She just couldn't understand why she had to be stuck in the very back of the Trailblazer instead of sitting in the front seat like usual. As soon as we got on the interstate Pepper decided she didn't belong in the way back and tried to jump over the seat right into James's carseat. Tom and I both yelled but it just scared her and then she was dangling between the seats shaking with fear. Finally I crawled into the backseat and gave her a push. After that eventful beginning the trip was really smooth. James slept the whole way which was a relief because he usually screams in his carseat and Pepper pouted in the back.

Once we got to Muscatine we had a really nice relaxing day. The weather was beautiful so we spent most of our time there sitting on the deck. Billie and Andy came over from Iowa City for the day so James got to play with his cousin Gillian. We got to see pictures from Julie's wedding in the Virgin Islands and it looked beautiful. We were very jealous! James slept really well Saturday night (must be all that fresh air) and after a huge pancake breakfast Sunday we headed back home.

Check out that sweatshirt! It felt more like fall than July.

James and Gillian with their Great Grandma.

Gillian didn't mind sharing her mom as long as she was the one holding James.

James got in trouble with his Grandma Ruden so she spanked his bottom.

Technical Difficulties

Don't worry faithful readers (all 3 of you), I'm still here. Unfortunately Tom broke our camera so I can't post any new pictures. The good news is that I've ordered the cord I need from Ebay and it should be here soon. Here are some cute pictures to hold you over until it arrives.

Valley Junction farmer's market

So big in his jean shorts!

Smile James! Tom and I definitely like the Bumbo chair more than James does. We just keep putting him in it, but he's just not that into it. Maybe one of these days...

Cracking himself up

P.S. Tom didn't really break our camera-it's just fun to blame that sort of thing on him :).

The Many Names of James

Things we call James:

• Jimmy Jam
• Monkey Man
• Binkmaster Junior
• Toot Ruden
  
• Little Boy Blue (Go Blow Your Horn)
• Monkman Millionaire
• JT Moneymaker
  
• Little (not to be confused with Widdle-that's Foxy)
• Burrito Boy
  
• Jamesie Baby
• Mr. James
  
• Little Malochos/Balochos (Tom is bilingual, didn't you know?)
  

The poor kid must be very confused!

Rub A Dub Dub James in the Tub

Sorry Jamesie! Not only does your mom take bathtub pictures, she also posts them on the internet for everyone to see. How embarrassing!

Love my baths!

Give me that washcloth Mom! I can do it myself!

That washcloth didn't taste very good!

Mom thought she wouldn't have to wash my mouth out with soap until I was a teenager.

Big stretch!

So clean and handsome in my Bumbo chair.

Going to the Zoo Zoo Zoo

James made his first trip to the zoo this week. We were just hanging out when one of my coworkers called to invite us. She called at 9:15 to say she was meeting two of my other coworkers at the zoo at 10:00 and she was sorry for the short notice. I told her it was no problem and that we could definitely make it by 10:00-I lied! I totally forgot how much time it takes to get anywhere these days. I changed my clothes, took James out of his pajamas, fed James, packed the diaper bag, forced Foxy outside, let Foxy back in, gave Foxy a peanut butter bone (she gets sad when we leave), put sunscreen on James, sat on the tube of sunscreen while it was open, changed my shorts, went to Target ($58 for an umbrella stroller??? I don't think so!), went to Wal-Mart, assembled an umbrella stroller in the Wal-Mart parking lot, missed my exit and went all the way to Bevington on the interstate, and finally pulled into the zoo at 10:50.

Once we got to the zoo it was a very fun day. The last time I was at the zoo was with Maria and Christina when they were little and the time before that was with a big group of middle schoolers. Maria and Christina were just a little too young to enjoy the zoo when we went, and the middle schoolers were not impressed because middle schoolers are too cool to be impressed with anything. This time our little group included a 5th grader, 1st grader, five year old, three year old, one year old, and little Jimmy Jam. The kids were really excited about the animals, and since it was a cool day the animals were really active and fun to watch. James slept through most of the zoo, but he did wake up at lunch time (he never misses an opportunity to eat-he definitely takes after his mother!).

James ready to do the zoo.

So excited for his first train ride!

Getting a little nervous...does this ride go fast?

The zoo is really exhausting.

And we're off...

Ok I did it. I finally took the plunge and started a blog. I'm a little nervous because I've never been very good at keeping things like this updated, but I'm really hoping this time will be different. My hope comes from a very special motivation: my sweet baby James. He's growing up so fast and changing so much I feel like I need a way to keep everyone informed on what's happening in his life (and maybe what's happening with me and Tom too, but let's face it most people are only interested in James). So, here goes nothin'!

I, Kelly Lynn Ruden, do solemnly swear to try my best to keep this blog current. If I go too long without updating I am prepared to accept complaints and hostility from friends and family members. I acknowledge the frustration that comes from checking an outdated blog and I vow not to become one of those sites.