Look at that cool turtle!
After we played with the turtle for awhile, we made a big breakfast for a big boy! My dad made him scrambled egg yolks with cheese. Even though my dad didn't think it was enough, James sure did love those eggs!
Arriving at the party before all the fun stuff!
We ate a delicious lunch prepared by Gigi, Grandmother, Nana, Peep, and Lolli (I think I got everyone involved). James ate beans and chicken. I wasn't being too picky since he was about to have such a huge change in his diet with his cake! Next, we opened presents. Now I knew this would be interesting because James has never had to sit through something like this, but he did remarkably well! He was really funny. If we tore just enough of the paper for him to see what was inside, he would just start trying to play with the toy instead of opening it completely. :) That was pretty cute! Here are a some pics of all the things he received.
Monkey plates, bowl, and cup from Gigi, Pumper, and Uncle B. He loved the cup!
Carefully tearing off a piece of wrapping paper.
His face is great - okay? He received really cute outfits since he finally fits into 12 months!
Oooo! Look at those Chucks! Just like Daddy used to wear!
Those are just like Uncle B.'s - thank you!
And a Four Wheeler! Thanks Pawpaw and Nana! Look at that happy smile!
We decided cake was next, and after placing James in his Daddy's high chair - I got the cake. We sang Happy Birthday and I helped blow out the candle. James stuck his fingers in it right away but didn't know what to do...so he put it is my hands! Next, thing I knew he was putting globs of frosting into my hands. I gave him some to eat and he decided he loved it. He slowly got the hang of it and ate for about 25 minutes! Here are those awesome pictures! :)
James' 1st Birthday Cake!
Singing to him
Giving Mama the frosting - it took me by surprise!
Eating the cake...well mostly the frosting with Mama's help.
He finally got the hang of it.
The end result...a super tired, over sugared, toddler boy.
I guess that means...BATH TIME! He definitely took a bath and was mostly color free by the end. He might have had just a couple spots of pink coloring, but for the most part you couldn't even tell he indulged in cake earlier. He would not lay down for a nap even though he was exhausted...so my Mom and I went for a car ride. He slept about 45 minutes, but woke up with a little belly ache. He slowly started feeling better, and by the time trick-or-treating rolled around he was better.
Dad!!! You finally made the blog! The three of us are looking good!
After the few houses we went to, we came back to my in-laws and James played with his new toys and the rest of us just marveled at the day. James saw a cupcake later that night and started signing for eat and reaching for the cupcake! Oh no...we created a sugar monster. But I didn't give him anything except real food, and we are back on our good eating diet.
Had to ride the four wheeler some more!
James and I are so thrilled how this weekend turned out. We want to thank everyone involved in our baby's day! Without all the help and coordination, we wouldn't have had such a great party or a wonderful time with family. Family is so important to us, and we love each of you so much. Thank you for all your support and love. And thank you for James IV's birthday - it was a blast!
P.S. Awesome pictures of the step stool coming soon!
Family of 3 at Thanksgiving - 1 month old
James with his first pumpkin
Even though both grandparents reside there, we have decided due to the short amount of time there we will spend one trip at one house and the next time we will go to the other. We had a great time, we spent a lot of time just hanging out with grandparents - which was wonderful! 
Since James thinks it is time to get up around six everyday, we had a long Saturday to spend out there. We took advantage of that time and went for a very cold walk around 7:30am. We brought our new jogging stroller with us, and headed out on the farm. James was totally bundled up, but for the most part I think he enjoyed himself. We saw two horses and a donkey. James wasn't sure what to make of them...or me making those animal noises. Later that morning we were able to watch the Texas v. OU game (even though I took a nap for about half of it). Then the Razorbacks were on and we definitely got WAY too worked up for that game. It was a great game, but the results were not what we were looking for! Then another football game came on that night, but I barely watched any after the Hogs lost.
