i feel good...

Whoa-oa-oa! I feel good, I knew that I would, now

I feel good, I knew that I would, now
So good, so good, I got you
Whoa! I feel nice, like sugar and spice
I feel nice, like sugar and spice
So nice, so nice, I got you

james brown.  i used this song at my wedding during my bouquet toss.  i love this song.  it makes me feel good.  it brings a smile to my face.  and you know what?  i've had a good day.  now, this might not be a good saturday to you but to me it was great. 
so, i'm going to tell you about it.  i have not put on any makeup.  all day.  not that you really care but you're reading my blog so you'll have to deal with my stories as they come.  plus, it's a birthday party blog break bc my next post will be about james' whale party but you can get a peek at the photos on andrea's blog.  anyway back to my day - i woke up next to my favorite boys. 

well, this is an old picture. before time change.  when it was light out.  i crawled out of bed at 4:52 am.  i even set the wrong alarm but woke up naturally.  it was dark outside and cold in my bedroom.  perfect sleeping conditions.  regardless, i went and ran at 5:45 with my group.  it was hot.  i was sweaty.  no need to go into deal except for it was hard and i did it.  i felt good afterwards.  i feel stronger.  except for my two blisters.  running topped off with starbucks makes for a great saturday morning.  ben took james to the farmer's market and so when we all got home james took a nap.  i got to relax and take a long shower, drink my coffee and talk to my husband all without interruption.  then james woke up in the best mood so we ate breakfast and played and laughed and had a big time. 

start the car,

defensive driving,

and have fun!

this was followed by a trip to mr. hale's parents house to play in the pool.  it's hot outside.  too hot for a baby, obviously, but definitely too hot for me.  i melt.  i'm a sweater.  my husband loves me in spite of it.  when we got there grandma bought james some new toys.  the ones that light up, make tons of noise and are big enough for james to pull up and sit/fall down over and over again so he wanted to play inside with grandma after we got some quality family pool time.  while i got to lay out.  on a floatie.  just lay in the pool!  kick my feet up, drink a lime bevie and relax.  bliss.  after several hours and a turkey sandwich later we came home.  james fell alseep and so i snuggled up next to him and watched chic tv.  i couldn't fall asleep but it was just nice getting some cuddle time before dinner. 

dinner time is always fun.  we have a juggling act on who gets to spend an hour trying to cook dinner, feed james "big boy" foods and then end up polishing it off with baby food and a semi warm meal.  we've gotten good at it.  it's messy too.  my dogs love it.  james usually ends the meal with his sippy cup of water and a big smile.  this leads to play time.  tonight his favorite toy was this big bouncy ball with glitter inside.  he would throw it, roll it and follow after while screaming, clapping and having an independent blast.  i got to take off my chipped polish and repaint my nails.  i painted my finger nails this so-so color of pink.  i don't hate it but the only reason i didn't remove it is because i know it will last less than a week anyway.  then james was so stinkin' cute that i had to get on the dining room floor and played until bath time.  i messed up my nails but it was worth it.

after bath time, i feed james his night time bottle and rocked him to sleep.  i love cuddle time.  i started a lifetime movie and opened a bottle of vino.  the boys are in bed and i'm sipping watching a movie.

i had no plans today.  it turned out perfect.  i got up and worked on my self esteem, got some sun, had quality time with the fam AND got to have some wine and watch a movie.  i love today.  not as much as i love my james or mr. h but i love today.

i hope you're having a good saturday as well. 

happy birthday {cup}cake.....in pictures

raising hale

james p. sunshine is obviously happy to be 1 year old and getting a photo shoot first thing in the morning.

mom, i will not sit here.  if you don't hurry i will get off this bench all by myself.  it may or may not be pretty.

29.3 pounds

31 1/2 inches tall

7 teeth and all smiles

i started to take monthly pictures but i made a critical mistake - i decided that they had to be in the same position which required me to rearrange my dining room and wait for the light to be just right so that the french doors didn't produce a ton of shadows.  i only made it through 6 months and am regretting it today but i still couldn't resist taking one more for his year to see how much james has grown.

12 lbs. 7 oz.

16 lbs. 1 oz.

20 lbs. 6 oz.

23 lbs. 5 oz.

29.3 pounds

BIG boy. 

my little squirt...

i CANNOT believe that my son is 1 year and 5 days old!  i was pregnant for what seemed like f--o-r-e-v-e-r and now the past year has flown by in what seems like a blink of an eye.  i've loved every single minute of it and i'm looking forward to all the fun years ahead. 

of course james will have several birthday celebrations but his whale party was the big one.  the one that i spent months planning.  the one that included family and his 30 closest friends.  it was THE big day!!  even the 112+ degree heat index didn't stop us from having a good time. 

above is the invitation that i had designed just for james on etsy.  i love how it turned out and think it had a good representation to the bright colored fun that lay ahead.  i will have more posts on his birthday as i upload pictures and when i get them from andrea, who was kind enough to come and sweat to death capture this special day for the hale family.

i love planning parties and i loved planning this one.  i'm already thinking up my "theme" for next years big bash.  james' bash, of course.....even though i'll be the big 3-0.