Mimi & Poppy's

After we spent Christmas morning with Grammy, we headed to Mimi & Poppy's house. 

Uncle Trae gave James his old cell phone ( and charger) so that he would finally have a phone of his own. He did not put it down all day. James quickly got the hang of opening gifts and helped everyone open their gifts.

Clothes?! What were you thinking Mimi?!

James decided he did not want any pie, he just went straight to the good stuff. 

Christmas Morning

James got this cool police helmet and motorcycle handle bars from his Aunt Claire & Uncle Trae. He liked it, but I think he liked laughing at Daddy with it on even more. 

James loved his new tennis shoes from his Grammy. Not sure if it was because of the color, the lights, or both. We had to put them on immediately so he could clop around the house in them (they are currently one size too big) and watch his feet light up.

Saying that James loved his kitchen is an understatement. And to say that he was thrilled that it came with a phone is the understatement of the year. 

JJ received a new leather jacket from his mom. It is awesome because it is reversible, which is perfect for rainy days on the car lot. 

We learned very quickly a trick about wrapping gifts for little ones. Remove as much packaging as possible before wrapping. He was very impatient about having to wait to get all the twistys and cardboard off. 

And of course, he loved his giant Mickey Mouse. He carries him around the house giggling with excitement. 

Christmas Eve

I was determined to do better this year about taking Christmas pictures. I totally failed last year! We were so wrapped up in getting James' first Christmas on video, that we did not even get a single family picture last year! And because I was concentrating on taking pictures this year, we forgot to use the video camera! UUUGGHH! Maybe next year we will get this right!

Just before church. 

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Enjoying Santa's cookies before bed with Daddy.

Christmas in Dallas

We finally got to meet Audrey Lynn! I think if we had had to wait any longer, JJ would have had a fit. She is as sweet as can be, and very good natured. It is so strange being around little ones though, it makes you realize how much your own has grown in such a short amount of time. 

Uncle JJ with Audrey.

James wasn't real sure about Audrey, he steered clear most of the time. He did poke her in the eye twice though.

Daddy & Audrey pictured below. Unfortunately, I did not get any pictures with Rachael or Dan, and I was very disappointed. They will hopefully get some time to come visit us in February though, so we will more than make up for not having Christmas pictures. 

Christmas in Natchitoches

We spent Christmas with the Hayes side of the family in Natchitoches again.

Can you believe these two are only 5 weeks apart in age? One has rolls, one has ears.

James received this LOVELY lawn mower from Aunt Sheryl & Uncle Travis. He loves it of course, and it is very loud. 

All 10 great grandkids together with Momo Francis.

James with Santa

Tonight was the Christmas Fellowship Dinner at our church, and Santa Claus was there for the kids. As you can see, James did not think he was cool. I even tried distracting him with my cell phone, that didn't work either. 

Spill Proof? Not for my kid!

Ok...So I decided to try these snack bowls that are supposedly 'spill proof' so that James doesn't always have to be in his high chair to have his snacks. He used them for the first time this afternoon, and within MINUTES- I am not kidding- MINUTES- he figured out how to dump his Fruity Cheerios all over the living room floor! This did not involve him taking the lid off either. He stuck his finger in, held down one of the flaps, and dumped them on the floor. My kid is way too smart!

My Little Chef

Mommy forgot to lock the cabinet with the pots & pans. Not that this is a dangerous cabinet to be left open, I just prefer not to clean up this mess every day. He loves to pull them all out and 'cook' with me while I am making dinner. One of the many Santas in his life has bought him a kitchen for Christmas, and we cannot wait to see his reaction!

Mr. Cool

Evenings with Daddy

When Daylight Savings ends every year, the Honda dealership where JJ works closes at 7 for the rest of the winter. This means that JJ is home an earlier every night and gets to spend some time with James before he goes to bed. James loves it, and squeals and screams every night when he hears JJ's keys unlocking the front door. 

This One's for You Grandpa...

...Camo (of any kind), no pants, rain boots, and chocolate on his face. Need I say more?

Oh, and this is from Thanksgiving #2. Also very appropriate for Grandpa!

Here She Is!!!

Tori & Jimmy, 

I know that we all say things like this when a child is born, but I am going to say it anyway. JJ & I cannot express how truly happy we are for the two of you. We know that Audrey Lynn is truly a gift from God, and she is truly beautiful!!! We cannot wait to see her and hold her and love her and kiss her all up!

Congrats Tori & Jimmy!

Audrey Lynn was born at 6:47 am, at 8 pounds 2 ounces! Both mother & baby are doing wonderful! Congrats to you both! We love you all and cannot wait to see her in person! (As soon as I get pics in my email, I will post). According to Jimmy & JJ, Audrey is our future daughter in law!

Thanksgiving #1

Football IN the house. He was throwing it to Poppy across the room, with Daddy's help of course. 

After lunch...3 generations of Jarzabek men napping. James sat up as soon as he saw the camera. 

New Recipe

First let me say, yes I sometimes do cook from cook books and recipes, and yes we do eat 'regular' food on most days. I think everyone expects us to eat gourmet meals every night, but that is not really practical when on a budget. I love finding new inspiration, especially for soups, which are my absolute favorite type of food to cook. Cooking dinner at least 4 or 5 nights a week, and on a budget can prove difficult when you haven't had any new inspiration in a while. Anyway, I found this one in a Paula Dean's cook book (I love her!), and thought I would share it. JJ & James both loved it, and JJ doesn't really care for mushrooms too much. 

Sausage & Rice Casserole

One 6-ounce box rice (I used beef flavored)

1 pound ground sausage

1 onion

1 garlic clove

8 ounces fresh sliced mushrooms

one can cream of mushroom soup

4 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 350.

Cook rice according to directions on box. Over medium heat, brown sausage, remove to drain. Sweat onions and garlic in sausage fat, add mushrooms and saute. (You can sub. with one 4 ounce can of mushrooms if you don't have fresh, and then you don't have to saute them). Combine all ingredients except butter in casserole dish. Dot top with butter. Bake until bubbly, about 25 minutes. 

Let me know if you try it and what you think! It's a good 'Mama Food' recipe, (as Cindy would say).

One Little Indian

James has really come to enjoy his rocking horse lately. As he was riding this morning, the thought occured to me that he has his indian feathers that he brought home from MDO last week. He also has a cowboy hat, but I thought the feathers were more Thanksgiving appropriate. And besides...I knew this would make his Paw Paw (my grandfather) very proud, as he is 1/2 Indian.

I also had some good shots with the camera long ways (sorry Misti & Kristi, I don't know the term) where you could see the entire horse, but I couldn't get them to rotate so they would have been sideways. 

I love the 3 snaggly little teeth!

What I Miss About Home

Fall is one of my favorite times to go home to the Hill Country, and we will not be able to this year until January. I took these pictures from Misti's blog. 

This is what I miss the most. Driving anywhere in the Hill Country, even on the interstate, and this is your view.