James' First Birthday Party

Click Title above to View Pictures

Memorial Day (05/26/08) marked James first Birthday and thus his first ever Birthday Party. We had an intimate affair with Great Grandma (awake - nice), Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Christine and his two cousins Alex and Jack, Aunt Amy and Uncle Tim, Aunt Danielle and Uncle Jamie and Mom and Dad. The weather was nice for the days events and we had a good full day of Birthday activities - started with breakfast, some play time and then we started to open some of the Birthday cards James received.

James took a nice long nap and then the guests arrived. Everyone had a bit of time to socialize and of course play with the host of honor for a bit. We cooked hot dogs and burgers on the grill and had some time to eat, and then it was time for the main event - gifts and cake. We went for the cake first and as can be seen by the pictures, James had a ball. Laughter was heard all around as he went to town with both hands! I am editing a video to post so stay tuned.

I have pasted a few pictures on the website, but will be adding more as I receive them from some of the other attendees. Presents was good for the first two, but James wanted to play with the toys he received instead of help daddy open the rest.

I want to say thank you to all of the family members that came for this special day!!! James loves his new toys and seems to have trouble with which one to play with the most. He even loves the pink dress doll aunt Christine gave him (he goes to sleep with it every night) and seems to enjoy the barn that Aunt Amy gave him the most; even more than the car walkabout toy Daddy picked out :o( - Thanks again everyone!!!

Rochester's Public Market Visit

Click Title Above to View Pictures

Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa and James visited Rochester's Public Market. The public market offers all types of goos such as produce and flowers. It is a nice place to visit and get some fresh home grown vegetables and different types of flowers and herbs. James enjoyed all of the items to view as he looked like a bobble head. We purchased some additional vegetable plants for our garden. Grandma and Grandpa had a fun time as well. When we left the market we went to a nice breakfast and then to one of the areas greatest craft stores. Excellent day!

Visit Daddy at Work

Click Title Above for Pictures

James came to the office to visit and meet the office family. He had a nice visit and then it was off to visit with Uncle TJ and Aunt Chritina. Mom and Dad have kept me busy running around and meeting new people and seeing new things. We have a lot of fun!

First Campfire

Click Title Above for Pictures

We had the pleasure to visit with Uncle Bill and Aunt Diane at a family gathering in Bloomfield. Many new people to meet, a fun game of kickball and a great campfire in the eve. We had a good time meeting all the new people!

Grandma and Great Grandma Visit

Click Title Above for Pictures

Great Grandma is out of the hospital after a few weeks of misfortune. A bad spill down a concrete set of steps and then to follow up a small stroke put her out of commission for a few weeks. Feeling much better and not being to bad for the wear, she and Grandma came to visit.

James loves his Grandma's and appreciate every minute he gets to spend with them. Great Grandma had the pleasure of feeding James during her visit and took a little nap - haha

1st Mother's Day!

Click Title Above For Pictures

Michelle had her first Mothers day, and it was perfect. Rochester has a festival every year to celebrate the Lilac trees in highland park. The festival attracts people from all around. Some information about the lilacs is below. The link to the website for additional information is also below.

Each year Michelle and I go the the festival. This year was extra special as we had James and it was Mother's Day. We went early to avoid the giant crowds, but it seemed many people had the same idea. None the less we had a full day of Lilac viewing, eating and even watched one of the concerts for a little bit - James Danced!

I have posted some pictures for everyone to see some of the trees and a few pictures of Michelle, James and I.

Lilacs - http://www.lilacfestival.com/

Each May, the Lilac Festival signals spring as Highland Park's 1,200 lilac bushes display a floral rainbow of more than 500 varieties, from deepest purple to purest white, from lightly scented to irresistibly aromatic. They cover 22 of Highland Park's 155 acres.

John Dunbar planted the first lilacs at Highland Park in 1892. During his years as park horticulturist, he gradually expanded the collection and introduced more than 30 new varieties to the trade. Dunbar's successor, Bernard H. Slavin, built Highland Park's Lilac Collection into the largest in the world.

Many of the park's varieties were developed in Rochester and exported to other areas of the country. The deep sky-blue "President Lincoln," a 1916 Dunbar introduction, is still considered to be the best of the blue lilacs. "Rochester," a creamy white variety introduced in 1963, commemorates the city that has become synonymous with lilacs.

Click Here for Pictures

Some new pictures of our adventures in Guatemala and since being home. It has been almost 3 weeks since returning and learning has been the focus. Learning James habits and he is learning ours. We continue to learn everyday. We like to read our books and play with toys. James is crawling at light speeds and can walk if holding on to Mommy or Daddy. He is very vocal although most phrases are gibberish at this point. He does repeat certain phrases and is copying motions such as hand clapping and waving. Many new adventures to be had in the weeks to come.