The James Gang

Christmas 2011

2012-01-07T21:34:00.000-08:00

We decided to spend this Christmas in Idaho and Utah.

We loaded the car and even brought the dog with us and headed out all night to Idaho.

Poor Gabby, her birthday is two days before Christmas, so we were traveling on her birthday. But Grandma pulled through and had some gifts waiting for her when we arrived in Idaho.

Gabby's favorite, lemon meringue pie.

Merry Christmas!

We did lots of fun things in Idaho. We walked around downtown one night and found N8 street.

We played basketball.

We played games (lots of games).

The men moved furniture.

We went looking for bald eagles and found one.

We went hiking in the snow to get to a hot spring (there wasn't much snow this trip).

It was a beautiful little hike, but as you can see by Nate's face we got a little surprise when we turned a corner and found some skinny dippers in the hot springs. So, we ended up hiking to the hot springs and turning back without enjoying the warmth of the water.

And of course we hung out with family.

Lots of family.

After Idaho, we headed down to Utah to visit Grandma Odie and family.

We stopped to check out a section of the Snake River.

It is very beautiful.

Of course we had to see the alpacas again.

I have a feeling this will be a regular stop for us when we visit grandma.

Back in the car.

We finally made it to Grandma's.

Scout loves babies and was excited to check out baby Milo!

We met up with Sasha and family at Temple Square. It was really crowded, which prevented us from getting a picture with all of them.

siblings

more siblings

After Temple Square we went ice skating. It was lots of fun! They even had skates that Nate was able to squeeze his feet into.

The kids were so excited to ring in the New Year with fireworks.

Though it was a struggle for him, Nate was able to stay awake until midnight (this is a rare event for him).

All good things must come to an end.

We loaded the car back up and traveled back home. The girls always seem to find ways to entertain themselves in the car.

Those awkward middle school years . . .

2011-12-19T20:23:00.000-08:00

Gabby got her braces today,

and much to her dismay, she has to continue wearing the head gear.

The Girls Singing

2011-12-04T00:49:00.001-08:00

While we were at Kathleen's wedding (a long time ago) Great Aunt Kathleen commented about how our family of five traveled in our little car. It was a long drive. It took fourteen hours to get to the wedding and sixteen and a half to get home (thanks to icy roads and Vegas traffic). Our kids do travel pretty well, probably because they have no other choice. Here is how some of them manage to pass the time.

(My favorite part is towards the end when they break into parts)

Joel was in the car too, but he isn't such a big Miley Cyrus fan.

Piano Recital

2011-11-30T20:59:00.001-08:00

Here are Miranda and Joel at their piano recital.

Miranda playing Jingle Bells.

Joel playing Ecossaises by Beethoven.

(I think his teacher gets a kick out of seeing how long of a song he can memorize!)

Trail Work

2011-11-19T18:45:00.001-08:00

Nate, Emily, Joel, and Elam did some trail work on Saturday at Crestridge park.

The boys worked hard.

Together they pruned the hedges (name that movie).

Nate working for trails.

The boys worked for soda.

It's about time

2011-11-13T20:39:00.001-08:00

After almost four years it finally happened!

Congratulations Randy and Kim!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T21:37:00.000-07:00

Jack-o-lantern pancakes.

Nate and Emily's Getaway

2011-10-26T23:20:00.000-07:00

Grandma Elly told Emily and Nate to go away for the weekend. After much twisting of arms we decided to go.

We didn't exactly know where to go. So we headed north loaded for bear. We were able to sleep in the car a couple nights which made it nice. So first we headed to Ventura for some surf. Driving around that night looking for a place to park the car and sleep we realized how many people sleep in there cars in Ventura. Nate surfed Emily slept. No pictures due to slumbering photographer.

Next stop was the southern Sierra Nevada mountains for some mountain biking.

Emily loves night riding!

On thru the booming town of Johnsondale.

The Sequoias. I think they speak for themselves.

Yes we brought our backpacking gear too. We hiked into Paradise Valley. We have no photo documentation to prove, but Emily loves night hiking too. We saw a bear the first night, which was exciting.

We hiked a little farther up trail and eventually off trail to this nice little campsite with no one around. On the way is where Nate discovered that Emily loves crossing icy cold rivers riddled with slippery moss covered boulders.

Nate not being safe.

We had a good time.

August vacation to Idaho

2011-10-25T14:45:00.000-07:00

Our family vacation this year was to Idaho. We tried to save a little on gas this year and take the small car instead of the Suburban (in hind sight not such a good idea). It was a little tight, but thanks to Nate's expert packing skills we were able to bring some toys along.

We stopped and camped at Navajo lake again on the way up.

The next stop was at Grandma Odie's, where Gabby went frog hunting with Uncle Brandon. They were successful in catching a frog.

Joel stopped at his favorite place near Grandma's, the local pump track.

After a quick stop at Grandma's it was back on the road to Idaho.

There was some excitement on the way.

We stayed in Boise with the cousins before heading up to the cabin on the lake. Nate was able to squeeze in a night ride with Ryan.

On the way up to the lake we stopped by the river to stretch our legs.

Then there was a lot of fun at the lake.

of course we had to make s'mores.

One morning we went to the Pancake House with a few of the kids.

Mmmmmm . . . cinnamon roll (yes, that is butter on the plate)!

They serve rather large quantities of food, check out the pancakes!

Back to the lake for some more fun!

Even in Idaho Nate will find a way to surf.

Nate, Emily and Ryan went and paddled up the inlet to the lake and saw a beaver swim right under Emily with a large branch and then slap his tail at us as we tried to watch him.

Nate and Ryan got some more mountain biking in.

We went river rafting on the way back to Boise.

We stopped at a gas station in the middle of no where (it was actually called, "The Middle of No Where") and we found a couple of alpacas, which are Gabby's favorite animals. She was pretty excited. She even was able to feed them!

Our last stop. We stayed in Escalante National Monument.

Taylor Swift

2011-10-24T15:21:00.000-07:00

The other night Emily, the girls, and some friends went to the Taylor Swift concert. The girls had to pay for half of their tickets, so Gabby turned into an entreprenuer. She she made and sold friendship bracelets and had earned enough money in no time!

The girls had a great time. It was by far the loudest concert I have ever been to, and not because of the music, but because of the thousands of little girls screaming!

What fun!

Light the Night 5K

2011-10-24T15:20:00.000-07:00

We did the light the night 5k again this year. Our group grew this year, Laura and the boys joined in the fun (Elam was a clown and ran the entire thing in Nate's enormous size 16 shoes!).

Happy 9th Birthday Miranda!

2011-10-23T20:02:00.001-07:00

Nerd day

2011-10-07T19:57:00.000-07:00

Gabby had nerd day this week at her school. Glad we are getting our money out of that head gear, it doubles as a costume!

It was also wig and mustache day this week, which is quite fitting for Gabby, she has been obsessed with facial hair lately.

Baby Milo

2011-08-07T18:12:00.000-07:00

Emily took the kids (and Grandma Elly) to Idaho. On the way home we stopped by to see baby Milo. Our first cousin on the James side.

He sure is cute! Congratulations Brandon and Kathleen.

Alaska

2011-07-25T10:36:00.000-07:00

My Aunt and Uncle were taking a few of their daughters and my parents fishing in Alaska for a week and they were kind enough to invite me to go with them. It was sooooooo much fun! Here are a few of the highlights from the trip.

It started by flying to Alaska in the private jet.

We landed in Dillingham and it was COLD!

from the airport we took a van, to a boat, that took us to the island that the lodge is on.

We were greeted by a very delicious steak dinner (all of the food was really good).

The view from the room that I shared with my cousin Karen.

The next morning we (my cousins, Sherri, Karen, Alisha, and I) flew out to a river to catch king salmon.

I was nicknamed the Unabomber for this look, but it was cold! OK, I can admit being from San Diego has made me a bit of a pansy when it comes to the cold.

We caught our kings!

We went for a hike on the tundra.

It was such a fun trip! And since it was a fishing trip here are some pictures of just a few of the many, many fish that I caught.

King salmon

Pike

Char

Sockeye (Karen caught this one, but I thought that it was a cool picture)

Sockeye

This Rainbow trout won me the derby for biggest rainbow - 20"

I caught it on a fly rod, it was my first time fly fishing.

Chum

Pink Salmon

Here are the results for the derby.

Rainbow - Emily; Char - Aunt Susie; Salmon - Alisha

Locks of Love

2011-06-12T21:47:00.000-07:00

The girls have been growing their hair so they can donate it to Locks of Love (they make wigs for kids who have lost their hair). We have been measuring their hair regularly. Finally, they both had the needed 10 inches.

bye-bye long hair!

It was painful to see the hair go (for Nate and Emily), but it turned out cute!

Pennsylvania

2011-05-22T17:53:00.001-07:00

Emily's grandma passed away and Emily was able to go to Pennsylvania for her funeral.

Here was one of our flying companions. The only great-grandchild that was able to make it to the funeral.

We were only able to stay a few days, which was a little disappointing because the only time Emily has been to Pennsylvania was when she was 12. Here is what she saw of Philadelphia (being a history student she was quite disappointed she wasn't able to see more of such a historical place!)

Grandma's 3 kids

Aunt Sandy and Grandpa Bob

Great-grandpa Stanton's grave

We stopped by some old cemeteries. There were people buried at the cemetery that fought in the revolutionary war.

We were staying about 20 minutes from Punxsutawney, so we had to go see Phil.

Phil sleeping

The town had statues of Phil all over.

We were also in Amish country.

Kathleen's Wedding

2011-04-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

Kathleen and Brandon were married last weekend. It was an exciting event and we all had a good time. Kathleen looked beautiful (of course). Kathleen did have some competition in the looks department. Nate. Emily and the kids had tears of laughter seeing Nate. And to quote a credit card commercial . . . Nate in a pink tux . . . priceless.

a family outing to the snow

2011-03-09T20:24:00.001-08:00

Nate spent about 10 minutes blowing up this inner tube. It popped within 10 seconds of blowing it up!

Joel

Gabby

Miranda

Nate having some fun.

Nate having some more fun.

Snowboarding

2011-01-17T20:41:00.000-08:00

Today was the most beautiful blue bird day at the local mountain here. We had a great time. We forgot the camera so here is a picture of the motley crew from the cell phone.

70 degrees in mid January--got to love Southern California!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-02T15:48:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas!

The boys got a puppy for Christmas!

Nate and Uncle Randy took some of the kids surfing on Christmas.

Everybody had a good time.

Happy 10th Birthday Gabby!

2010-12-24T20:32:00.000-08:00

For Gabby's birthday we went to night time zoo with Grandma Odie.

The kids got to ride on a mammoth

apparently he doesn't like people climbing on him.

There was even a friendly saber tooth tiger.

R.O.U.S.' they really do exists!

Miranda found someone else with crazy eyes.

Gabby even found a ride to the car.

Happy Birthday Gabby!

Team: Natrandis con Enrique de España y Joel

2010-12-21T21:59:00.000-08:00

Dawn 2 Dusk mountain bike race, Fountain Hills, AZ. Roughly a 9 hour event on a 15.5 mile loop course. Team with the most laps wins.

Nate and Randy have done this race as a two person team the past three years since the inaugural. When they went to sign up this year the two person category was sold out, however the four person category was not. Elam and Joel stepped up and helped continue the tradition. They were very excited to find that the team name had been put on the back of the event t-shirt.

Miles (our 1 man pit crew) helps with the number plates.

A little game of B.S. to relax before the next days events.

As has been the custom, Nate started the race (Randy is usually still asleep).

Getting ready for his turn.

Joel ready.

The people we camped next to had a unicycle. We all tried it with no success (so much for the circus career). That takes some serious balance.

So here is a break down of the race. Nate did the first lap. No problems. Randy followed and got two flat tires bringing in a less than desirable lap time. Then it was Elam's turn. We did not know what to expect as neither Elam (aka Enrique de España) nor Joel had ever ridden there before. Elam flew around about 30 minutes faster than we had guessed(and faster than Randy's first lap). Joel did near the same which is why we have no pictures of them actually racing (we weren't ready). Total laps for the team was 7, which was good for 22nd place out of 26 in our category(not last place, yah!). 2 laps for Nate, 2 for Randy, 2 for ELAM!, 1 for Joel (just missed the cut off for Joel to do his second lap. Next year). Very good time.I wanted to add that Joel and Elam were by far the youngest participants.

Thank you Joel and Elam.

Post race Golden Corral feast.

The morning after.

Every Arizona trip gets the standard dunes stop on the way home.

Miranda's Baptism

2010-11-29T20:42:00.000-08:00

Miranda was baptized this week. It was nice to have so many friends and family members join us for this special day.

Aliens!

2010-11-29T20:30:00.000-08:00

We took the kids to see the alien exhibit at the Air and Space Museum. It was entertaining and we were able to take pictures with aliens.

Silver Strand Half Marathon

2010-11-29T20:24:00.000-08:00

Emily ran the Silver Strand Half Marathon.

Where is Waldo (or Emily)?

Yes, she did finish.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-11T11:30:00.000-08:00

Incase you can't tell . . . a cat, a hobo, and an invisible pedestrian (Dan Akroyd SNL).

Light the Night 5K

2010-10-30T13:42:00.000-07:00

On Miranda's birthday we ran the Light the Night 5K. Some of us ran in costumes. Not sure if Uncle Randy is in costume or not?!

Joel ran the entire 5k

We all made it to the finish line.

Happy 8th Birthday Miranda!

2010-10-30T13:40:00.001-07:00

Jack Johnson Concert

2010-10-30T13:35:00.000-07:00

Sierra trip summer 2010

2010-10-30T11:35:00.000-07:00

Nate, Emily, Miranda, and Scout went on our annual Sierra trip.

We went over the river and through the woods to find a place to camp for the night

We found a lovely spot next to a small lake and just below 10,000 feet, so we were able to have a fire.

The second day was filled with fishing and napping next to the lake.

Scout really wanted a fish.

Yum, dinner.

We had a fun trip. Can't wait until next time.

The Fab Four

2010-10-13T20:50:00.000-07:00

Nate, Joel, Elam, and Miles went to the Fab Four (Beatles tribute band) concert at Humphrey's by the Bay.

Throwback Thursday at the Padres Game

2010-09-24T21:03:00.000-07:00

Thursdays are retro days at the ballgames. The Padres were wearing their 1978 uniforms. We scored some sunflower seeds from a friendly Padres vender (cousin Danny).

GO PADRES!!!

Summer Concerts

2010-09-24T20:30:00.000-07:00

Now that I finally got our vacation post up, I can move on to the other highlights of the summer.

We took advantage of a couple of the free concerts after the horse races.

Nate took Joel and Elam to see Matisyahu.

We had a nice family outing to the Weezer concert.

Miranda is that you?

Joel helped the little guys see the show.

Nate returned the favor to Joel.

GO PADRES!!!

Part IV

2010-09-23T21:40:00.001-07:00

*This came out in the wrong order, so scroll down to part I first and work your way back.

On the way home we camped at Navajo Lake, which is near Cedar Breaks. Miranda helped everyone get some protection from the bugs.

Are your eyes ok Elam?

Then, we collected firewood

and chopped firewood.

We ate dinner,

warmed up near the fire,

and relaxed.

The next morning the kids went fishing.

Then we decided to check out Bryce Canyon.

On the way back to camp it was raining and hailing.

Lucky for us the weather missed our campsite by a 1/4 mile.

A highlight for Nate was taking the older boys mt. biking around the lake (11 mile loop, which included an awesome section through the lava flows. Unfortunately he didn't take a camera with him).

We stopped by Kolob Canyon on the way home. I think the kids were getting a little restless.

Our last gas stop in Nevada (love that 42 gallon tank). The car got a little dirty on the trip.

The final stretch of the car ride.

We did eventually make it home. It was a long trip, but we had a great time. And for anyone who actually looked at this entire post it probably took you as long as our trip.

part III

2010-09-18T18:23:00.001-07:00

We had a fun time in Rocky Mountain National Park.

The time had come to be on our way. We had a date with the Rockies in Denver. On our way we stopped by Buffalo Bill Cody's grave.

After we arrived in Denver, we showered, ate, and walked to the Rockies game.

Some of us got a little bored at the game.

Here are the kids checking out the bull pen.

Colorado lost, which made Joel happy.

The next day we headed out to Utah.

Colorado sure is beautiful.

Here is one of our typical lunch stops (this one was in Fruita, CO).

The kids know how to cool off in 100+ temperature. They were able find a sprinkler at almost every rest stop.

In Fruita we went to Dinosaur Hill, which sounds more exciting then it actually is.

This guy was pretty cool (this is the closest thing to a dinosaur that we saw).

Finally, the car is in sight!

After dragging the kids through the dessert in the heat of the summer we thought they deserved something to cool them down.

Good-bye Colorado

A pronghorn.

Our new campsite.

This campsite was along the Kokopelli trail. We had the place all to ourselves.

The boys had fun putting their scouting knowledge into action.

Miles received a "hobo tool" for his birthday. It sure came in handy.

The kids had fun playing cards.

While the kids played cards Nate found the route for his morning bike ride.

We had a nice family game of cards (nothing like a family game of BS). Emily (not pictured) won.

With all of the action during the day the kids had no trouble falling asleep at night.

Good-morning!

Time to hop on the bikes.

Here are a couple of friends we made at our campsite.

The boys showed us the way out of the camp ground. They rode a couple miles to the paved road.

Off to Moab.

Moab has some awesome bike paths that go through the town, which are perfect for the kids.

Our little vultures.

It started raining while we were at Arches.

Riding the goats.

Riding the lizard.

After Arches NP we headed up to Grandma Odie's house, which we lost most of the pictures with Grandma. But on a bright note Elam had his birthday while we were out and about.

We went to IHOP and Miles was being Miles.

Balloons for everyone!

For Elam's birthday Nate took the boys to a bike track nearby. They had a lot of fun and Nate had fun playing with the camera.

All of the kids picked something that they wanted to do on our trip. Miranda wanted to go to a dinosaur museum. So that is what we did.

We had a good time.

Swimming at Aunt Kathleen's (where the camera died, thus loosing the pictures at Grandma Odie's house).

Cedar Breaks National Monument

part II

2010-09-17T20:01:00.000-07:00

The kids feel asleep in the car . . .

and before they knew it, we were in Rocky Mountain National Park!

We had some breakfast

Stretched

and set out to find our campsite.

We found a nice spot near a stream.

We set up camp.

We even had some nice neighbors.

The kids didn't waste any time getting on the bikes.

But it was pretty hot, so they decided to head down to the water instead.

After cooling off, we got back on the bikes.

A beautiful day in Rocky Mountain National Park.

summer vacation 2010 part I

2010-09-11T21:42:00.000-07:00

Getting the bikes ready

Nate packing up the car for the first of many times.

All ready to go.

Here we go.

Our first stop was Yuma.

The kids went for a swim in the Colorado river.

Then we had some lunch.

We made it to our first destination

which was Aunt Stacey's house to see the new baby . . . a girl!

finally, after 7 boy cousins we have a girl.

After a very quick visit we were back in the car and off to our next stop, which was . . .

lake Powell

The kids set up the tent

They did manage to get the thing up.

While the kids set up the tent, Emily made spaghetti for dinner and spilled the pot of boiling noodles on her leg and the ground. Don't worry the kids salvaged what they could.

The next morning we played in the lake before we hit the road again.

Bye-bye lake Powell

On the road again . . .

We went to four corners (sort of). It was closed, but I was kind of glad because they charge you $6 a person to stand there and take a picture with your own camera. So $6 x 8people= 48. $48 for a picture! I like this one better. It was free.

What is going through Nate's mind right now? Probably, "6 kids in one car for a week and a

half . . . what was I thinking?"

We stopped for dinner in Durango, Co. It is very beautiful there. We let the kids play at a park before deciding to pull an all nighter on the road.

Boxing

2010-06-27T20:39:00.001-07:00

Joel vs. Nate

Gabby vs. Nate

ouch!

No mercy.

but, look who ended up winning!

We had a lot of fun at Miles' birthday party. Thanks Miles!

Joel turns 12!

2010-04-17T19:58:00.001-07:00

For Joel's 12 birthday we did what Joel likes to do best. We went to a baseball game!

The kids had fun at the park at the park.

We love our Padres!

They made it exciting for Joel's birthday. We were down by 2 in the 9th and with 2 outs Headley hit a home run scoring us 3 runs and winning the game.

There was even fireworks after the game.

Happy Birthday Joel!