Can I get an Amen?

James was very anxious and extremely crabby Christmas morning. We were expecting his favorite gift to be his iPod Touch or his "rectangle" TV. To our surprise his favorite gift was his remote control Dodge Ram that I picked up last minute at Walmart for $19.99. James was able to shake off his bad mood just in time to join us for church. James has only recently been able to attend church services. In the past someone would have to stay home with him because he is simply too disruptive. However, he has grown to the point where he can sit through an entire service. During the Christmas service he sang along, shouted "Amen!" and clapped aggressively where appropriate. Of course he had his less than perfect moments too like when he reached over and pulled on Mark's ear during the sermon.

 

Christmas Jitters

As Christmas nears the anxiety for James that he might not get everything on his Christmas list grows. He spent most of this past weekend interviewing every family member about his list to be sure we hadn't forgotten anything. He has already opened some of his gifts at family Christmas gatherings and has not been disappointed! On Saturday James put on his favorite tie to take some pictures in front of our parents' Christmas tree. He was bewildered by Venessa's baby bump and pushed on it to see what would happen. On Sunday night most of our family went to church for a Christmas program. James sat very well for most of the program, but our dad had to take him out early because he was getting restless. When we asked him why he left he said, "I just couldn't take it anymore."

 

It Will Never Happen Again

Grandma got Mark and I a new bathtub for Christmas so James and our mom, dad, and grandma came over to check it out. While we ate lasagna at the kitchen table, James inhaled a large pepperoni pizza on my couch. That couch has clearly become his favorite spot at my house. James kept sneaking into the kitchen to steal cheese bread, and before we knew it, it was all gone. I scolded him, and he said, "Val, it will never happen again." During this visit James was hoping to find his Christmas presents, but instead he found a back scratcher. I think everyone got their back scratched!



It's Taco John's Christmas!

When James and I stopped at Hy-Vee Friday night the song "Feliz Navidad" was playing in the store. James started dancing in the middle of the main aisle and yelled, "It's Taco John's Christmas!" At my house I overheard him repeating lines from "Tommy Boy" to himself including: "You know a lot of people go to college for seven years. I know, they're called doctors." James' constant chatter has included a lot of baby references since he learned about Venessa's pregnancy. A new one Friday night was, "Don't make the baby cry!"

James to be an Uncle!

James had something or rather someone extra special to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, his niece coming April 2012. After finding out that Jeremy and Venessa were expecting a baby girl, James and I made cupcakes to celebrate. James was hoping for a boy, but he is warming up to the idea that the baby is a girl. He told me Friday night, "Val, my niece is growing up." At Thanksgiving James ate a massive amount of ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. He has a difficult time understanding that it is inappropriate and disgusting to eat off of the serving spoon. 

    

Happy Birthday Grandma!

We celebrated our grandma's birthday yesterday by bringing lasagna and brownies over to her house. Our family finds the continually growing height difference between grandma and James amusing.

Grandma's First 3D Movie

James invited a very special guest to join us for Friday movie night. He even shared his popcorn.

Officer James Boland Reporting for Duty

James thought his steady diet of donuts, "Cops", and "World's Wildest Police Chases" had sufficiently prepared him to be a police officer, at least for Halloween. James kept those trick-or-treaters in line.

  



It Suited Him Well

James has been asking a lot of questions about grandpa and wants to travel to see him in heaven. He has asked for a map, airplane, helicopter and spaceship to meet this objective. James loves to dress up, and we thought it would be nice if James could wear one of grandpa's suits to the services. One suit fit him almost perfectly, but grandma had to take out the pants a little bit. I took James shopping to find dress shoes. It was hard for me to believe that his stinky feet are already a size 12. James was very proud to wear grandpa's suit, and I could picture grandpa getting a good chuckle out of it. During the visitation James sat and watched the slideshow of pictures. If anyone stood in front of him, he would say, "Hey! I can't see!" He behaved very well during the funeral, but I don't think he processed very much of what was going on. When we got home, he sat in his brother-in-law Jeremy's truck for awhile, without permission, of course.

   

Brother-in-laws: Jeremy, James, Mark

The Boys: Jeremy, James, James, Mark



We're Always Watching

Our beloved grandpa passed away early Friday morning after years of battling cancer and other various illnesses. Last Wednesday night our grandpa made the decision not to go to the ICU. He told our grandma, "I want to stay here. I'm not afraid." We decided to wait to tell James about grandpa's passing until he brought it up. We had no idea how he would take the news or if he would even understand. While getting ready for school Friday morning, James repeated, "I'm not scared. I'm not afraid." James stayed the night with me on Friday night. He tried to comfort me and told me, "It's okay Val." On Saturday James repeated to me, "Don't worry. Even though you can't see us, we're always watching." This is a quote from Al the Boss Angel in the movie "Angels in the Outfield." James used to love this movie, but he hasn't watched it in years. The first time James asked about grandpa was Saturday evening at our grandparents' house. He asked our mom, "Where is grandpa?" Our mom replied, "He was very sick and went to live with Jesus in heaven."

 Grandpa & James

Concern for Winter

James served as Mark's plumbing assistant for a few minutes before heading out to see "Dolphin Tale" Friday night. Our parents' sink had clogged. If there is any way a project can be done sitting down, James will find it. James has been waiting to see "Dolphin Tale" for several weeks now, and the movie seemed to meet all his expectations. When Winter, the injured dolphin, was found onshore, James said, "He is bleeding. Get him to the hospital!" James' eyes didn't leave the screen for the rest of the movie.



I'm Taking a Shortcut

James' football team won their first game last night, and no one was happier than James. He even got in for one play during the fourth quarter. Later, we found out that he wasn't supposed to be on the field. Thankfully James' teammates reacted quickly, and it all worked out. As the season has stretched on James has gotten tired of the hard practices. Recently, James' football coach caught him not completing a drill and said to James, "James, that's cheating!" James replied, "I'm taking a shortcut."
 

Fall and Football

James has been all football this fall. His free time is spent mostly in football practice, playing in football games, or watching football games. Although James has been enjoying his football-packed schedule, he has been missing his Friday night movie nights. He told our mom on Friday, "I'm missing my Valerie." I told James that he could come over after he watched the East High Varsity football game that night. When my parents dropped James off he asked to watch The Weather Channel and fell asleep shortly afterward. James likes to watch The Weather Channel before bed. Before going home the next morning James gave Mark a hand with an outdoor project.

    



Hot Feet

James had a large audience for his game against North High School last night. His oldest sister, Venessa, our mother, Venessa's best friend Courtney, and I all attended the game at North. I noticed immediately that something wasn't quite right about James' uniform. He was wearing my husband's wool winter work socks. James looked over his shoulder continuously throughout the game to ensure his fans were still there. James got very emotionally involved in the game. He jumped up and down with excitement when East was playing well and would hit his helmet when East made a bad play. The game was close all the way to the end so James did not get to play. He was upset because his team lost, and he didn't get to play. James felt like he let down his adoring fans. We told him, "You'll get to play next time." He responded, "I'm afraid there won't be a next time." This is always his response to not getting in the game. A hug from his favorite cheerleader and a strawberry shake from Wendy's went a long way to relieve James' hurt pride.