Visit With Santa! ...."You'd better watch out, You'd better not cry"

James' visit with Santa this year in 2009 was a little more dramatic than his first encounter last year. Then, he slept through the entire photo shoot. This year he was freaked out by a white-bearded stranger on whom I trusted my son to sit. The pictures say it all.

James is walking!

On Thanksgiving James took his first steps (that were witnessed by someone other than Mom)... a whole houseful of people saw it at Alexis and Mark's house. Some people were sooo happy for James!

And here in this video we actually caught him walking across the room!

Pardon my workout gear ;)

Happy Halloween! A bit belated...

Great recipes from Thanksgiving

This was the first Thanksgiving dinner that I attended where I brought critical dishes! It was a fun opportunity to find some great ones that I will save here for the next holiday.

Herbed Shallot Stuffing: 

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Herbed-Shallot-Stuffing-104260

OR Apple-Pecan Cornbread Stuffing (not good for "traditional palates"): 

http://flavordiva.com/2009/11/24/apple-pecan-cornbread-dressing/

The Ultimate Pumpkin Pie: 

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/The-Ultimate-Pumpkin-Pie-826

Roasted Brussels Sprouts: 

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Baby-Brussels-Sprouts-with-Buttered-Pecans-236381

Other good additions are: 

Roasted Acorn Squash

Smashed Sweet Potatoes

Bon Appetit!

Fetch with James and Lucy

Now James and Lucy can entertain each other! Watch the video to see what I mean...

James and Lucy open James' 1st Birthday present

Family pictures - James at 11.5 months!

Family Pictures - James at 11.75 months

Visit this site to see our Family Photos and mostly pictures of James!

http://phoebejoyphotography.com/blog/family/

James uses Lucy as a Jungle Gym

James loves his doggie Lucy! And we are so relieved that Lucy is gentle and patient with him, even as he grabs fistfuls of her skin and ears... and as he gives her lots of kisses on her head! He's very sweet to her, too. 

James is 10.5 months old here - time is flying by!

Yosemite Pennie - Sept 2009

The Pennie family hiked Yosemite this week! Our first hiking trip to this fabulous national treasure. No Yosemite Sam anywhere - but Yosemite James was having a ball!

We had wonderful weather and had a blast together! James did really well being carted around in the Ergo carrier and BOB stroller. And even Lucy did well at keeping up (but she came down with brochitus when we got back!). Here are some pictures of Half Dome, El Capitan and Glacier Point views. We're all smiles because we were having a fabulous time!

And HAPPY 10 MONTH BIRTHDAY, BABY JAMES!