James | the paquettes

Archive for the 'James' Category

May

ten years

Categories: James and Julie

Happy 10 year anniversary to my best friend! Some days it feels like yesterday that we were 22, and walking down the aisle after being pronounced husband and wife, and other days…not so much. 😉 We are perfect for each other though, (in a sinful nature kind of way 🙂 ), and it is more apparent every day. To think back in these last 10 years, and to see all that God has accomplished in our union….just so thankful and blessed. Here are 10 random things that I just thought of real quick that I love about my man.

1. Loves Jesus first in his life. More than me or the kids, and that’s the way it should be.

2. Cleans the house way better than I do.

3. Plays with the kids so well that he would be mistaken for a kid if he wasn’t 6 feet tall.

4. Knows what fills me up (spiritually/emotionally) and gives me time to pursue it.

5. Watches the Bachelor (and sometimes E! News) with me.

6. Goes to every important event in the kid’s lives. His rule: If it’s important to my child, then it’s important to me.

7. Let’s me sleep in…a lot.

8. Let’s me pick what we do on most of our dates. So we go shopping and probably to Olive Garden. 🙂

9. He has so many GOOD friends. It reminds me daily of what others see in him.

10. He is still fine. ♥

our wedding party

We are going to celebrate in Kauai, Hawaii in 2 weeks!!!

May

flashback friday-wedding edition

By Julie P. Leave a Comment

Categories: Ella, James, Julie and Rilyn

Today is my brother’s 5 year anniversary to his bride, Becca! I thought it would be fun to show some pictures of his wedding for flashback Friday!

Rilyn was the flower girl at 23 months old. She never made it down the aisle (she cried), despite James’ parents waiting on the front row with a chocolate shake from McDonalds. Rookie mistake: she still got the shake at the back of the church because Papaw couldn’t resist her sweet tears, and she spilled it all over her dress. Needless to say James’ parents took her home after the pictures were taken in the church. No reception for her.

love this pic of her soon-to-be aunt Becca!

I was a bridesmaid and James was a groomsman.

Ella was only 5 months old, and I had to pump in the public restroom during the reception. I’m sure there were strange looks when ladies came in and heard the noises coming from the stall…

only picture I have with Ella in it (these are my cousins, aunt, uncle, and grandpa)…I had my hands full with Rilyn that day!!

Apr

flashback friday-modeling edition

By Julie P. 1 Comment

Categories: James

Back in James’ early teen years, he did a little modeling! His dear mom kindly brought me some of the papers where he was featured in the “Trends” section of the Fort Worth Star Telegram in June 1992. Get ready to see some pretty cool t-shirt modeling! 😉

the scan cut the words off but James is modeling a “casper-creature” t-shirt. I think it looks like a hip-hop Pillsbury Dough Boy!

What’s up ladies? 😉

I’m sure no one had to tell him how to do this pose!

such a natural! 😉

Then these shots were in his “portfolio”

I can appreciate the lighting technique in this photo!

Mar

a little nostalgia

By Julie P. 1 Comment

Categories: Asher, Ella, James, Julie, photography and Rilyn
Tags: Texas A&M campus

James took a couple days off and we went to College Station to take the kids to the Texas A&M campus. James and I walked the kids around and we showed them where we lived, our classes, our first kiss…it was so fun and a beautiful day!

First stop, to visit the Bonfire Memorial.

Both James and I had never been to the Memorial, but we both were in school

when it collapsed on Nov. 18, 1999

We went to the southside where we showed them my dorm:

and daddy’s dorm across the way

southside commons

Dunn

Then we went inside to the Commons lobby and showed the kids something very important to James and I-the ping pong tables. These tables are where our relationship started…long talks were held in this very room, getting to know each other…

James showing the kids how he played ping pong and lost to mommy a lot! 😉

class of 2026

class of 2028

class of 2030

No campus tour is complete without visiting Heldenfels. We both took classes in there and James was an supplemental instructor (SI) for many Chem 101 classes. We went inside the classroom to show the kids what college is really like. Rilyn asked if my teacher would remember me. 😉

pretending to be students in class

We walked this route many times…

Academic building in background

I did the best I could with this picture…it was waaaaay sunny and the fountain was drained, but here is Fish Pond, the site of James and I’s first kiss.

All Faiths Chapel, where we went to Upstream every Thursday night. Many lifetime friendships were formed here, the Spirit moving in ways we could have never imagined…

Kyle field

This is new in front of the “ring building”

future Aggie ring wearers

Ella took this picture-not too bad!

class of 2001

Mar

flashback friday-spring break style

By Julie P. 1 Comment

Categories: James and Julie

In honor of spring break, here are some of our spring breaks of the past!

In 2000, we went to southern California with some college friends and checked out Disneyland, my home town, and Big Bear. Here we are at Huntington Beach, my “home beach” growing up.

only one person in this photo that we don’t keep up with-not too bad!

Becca, Scott, Matthew, James, Julie, Noel, Carson

This is spring break 2002. We went to Las Vegas. This is us on top of the Stratosphere!

Halim, Jen, me, James, Noel, and Carson (by the way, Carson is now moving to

Austin, so that makes 5 out of 6 in this picture living next to each other!)

This is spring break 2005. We went to Colorado to go skiing. We all stayed in one huge cabin, it was a lot of fun and this was the first time we left Rilyn for so long!

my brother Jeff, Noel (who sprained his arm on the trip), Dean, Halim, Carson

James, Kim, Angela and me (Ryan is taking the picture and the Richardson’s were

there, they just brought newborn Cole and weren’t “available” much!

Spring break 2007-we moved to Manor from Houston! I can’t believe it has been 4 years now! James looks thrilled here.

getting ready to load the truck

While James was doing “the moving thing” and preparing our house in Manor for us, the girls and I were living with my parents for 3 weeks!

I can’t believe they were so young when we moved here!

Mar

photo booth!

By Julie P. Leave a Comment

Categories: James and Julie

Just found these pictures from the Austin Stone staff Christmas party “photo booth” last year. So funny! (Why I thought that hat would be a good idea to wear, I don’t know. And James? His “outfit” is just creepy!)

And with some of our best friends that we’ve known for almost 14 years!

the Suhs and Paquettes

And just for fun and because I like looking back at old pictures…

Halim and newborn Rilyn (July 2004)

pre digital picture days, so forgive the cut out (it’s from my scrapbook)

one of Rilyn’s baby showers (April 2004) Angela in the center (Kim, Becca, Katie,

Casey, Angela, Yuna, Jen)

Jan

God’s perfect timing

By Julie P. 1 Comment

Categories: Asher, Ella, James, Julie, photography and Rilyn

Today started out pretty rough.

Being a Saturday, and James not being home all day, meant I was planning on going to Temple to spend the day with my parents and the kids. Well, Rilyn got an ear infection on Friday and as it turns out, the probiotic she started using (with her antibiotic) made her sick to her stomach and she started vomiting 5 minutes before we were about to drive away this morning. Blessing for sure, because she got sick three more times, and if I was driving in the car with her, and with the way she was screaming how she was going to die, (she is a little dramatic if you don’t know her), I probably would of had a panic attack on I-35. But God knows just what I can handle, and I am so thankful we were not in the car! And so I called my mom to cancel our trip, and sat on the couch with a barfing bowl for Rilyn as I looked out the window at the crappy weather (cold, wet, rainy) and thought about how James was going to be gone ALL day, and it was a Saturday (Saturday for me means James is home to help me with the kids!) Yes, I was having a major pity party for myself.

Then I remembered that the photographer who took our portraits in December told me she mailed our photo CD on Thursday. I literally pleaded with God that if it’s His will, I would really love to get that CD in the mail today!! (Because ya know, photography=happiness in my book and God knows I needed something positive today!) And so, I opened our mail box, and there it was!!!! I praised God for His perfect timing! I think I even had tears of joy in my eyes. And then I spent the afternoon going through the photo CD! (And Rilyn felt 100% better in the afternoon! I even felt so good, that I put Asher in underwear for the first time- DURING HIS NAP TIME! That’s right, I felt so good, that I didn’t care if I had to wash all his sheets if he peed through his new Cars Underoos! (And he looked sooo cute in them!) He woke up dry too, so it was another added blessing from God!

I’ve mentioned before on my blog, but the photographer was Jennifer McKinney, or MckMama, as she is known in the blogging world. She is from Minnesota, and has such a fan following that she is able to travel the States doing photography! Here is a picture of me and Jennifer in mid-December when she took our portraits.

MckMama!

Okay, here are “a few” of my favorites from the 20 minute shoot at the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens! 😉

I’m getting this one on canvas!

Rilyn 6 1/2 years old

A girl without freckles is like a night without stars!

married 9 1/2 years…

Rilyn and Asher, our two look-alikes

I think it’s safe to say Asher will have more than enough kisses in his life!

more kisses!

Asher just being Asher!

gotta love the gap!

Asher looks thrilled

Dec

flashback friday-old school christmas pics

By Julie P. Leave a Comment

Categories: James and Julie

Here I am Christmas 1981. The best thing about this picture is what my dad is wearing. He did not want to leave the 70’s fashion behind! (I’m about the same age as Asher is in this picture.)

my mom is pregnant with Jeff in this pic

Here is James with his brother and sister, (James is holding Mandy.) Christmas 1985

awwwww

Nov

Aggie weekend

By Julie P. Leave a Comment

Categories: James and Julie

James and I got to spend the weekend in College Station while my mom took the kids. My dad was with us too. It was so nice to sleep in on Saturday, especially at the peaceful octahouse (my parent’s ‘gameday house’). We got to go to a GREAT Aggie football game too! And I must say, it was really nice to go back to College Station where everyone loves the Aggies like we do!

Octahouse in College Station

Ceiling of the octahouse.
Beautiful beams to support the octagon shape.

My dad ‘going green’ by buying a fake fireplace. Seriously, it blows hot air at you

when you turn the screen on.

our firepit (still need to make benches!)

the forest behind the house

The Brazos river that our land runs up to.

college sweethearts

Whoop!

We invited Noel to go with us! After the game, the boys

just had to go on the field to take a picture with the

Jumbo Tron behind them showing the score of how we

beat OU!

Oct

32!

By Julie P. Leave a Comment

Categories: James

James was such a good sport on his birthday! Having 3 kids, (2 of which are in extracurricular activities), means busy weekends. And when your birthday falls on a Saturday, well, you can just assume the day won’t be all about you, (like I wish it was!) After Rilyn’s game, we took a little time out to have daddy eat some of his favorite Jello cheesecake and open some presents!