Room for Dessert

Nourish

2011-08-02T15:30:00.000-05:00

I'm sure you are all shocked! I am blogging because my sister, Leigh, has started an amazing personal chef business called Nourish. Leigh is an awesome cook and she loves doing it too! She is having a give-away on her blog. Go on over, check it out and enter to win!

http://nourishpc.blogspot.com/2011/08/supper-giveaway.html

Happy 2nd Birthday, Juliet!!

2011-02-10T23:36:00.001-06:00

We celebrated Juliet’s second birthday the weekend after her birthday. It was a perfect Saturday for having a party outdoors! It was beautiful. We kept it small and invited 2 families from church (the Moore’s and the Wright’s) and neighbors across the street (the Campbell’s) all with kids around Juliet’s age. The theme was from the Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. Target had cute invitations, plates and napkins and I took it from there.

The cake was from Publix. I took them an invitation and asked them to match the colors. It was yummy!

The jar was filled with Skittles and everyone scooped them into their buckets to take home.

Favors: Each of the polka-dot buckets had multi colored stickers, bug silly bands tied to them (see pic below), and a bouncing butterfly (b/c the caterpillar turns into a butterfly at the end of the story).

The mailbox marked the party house and a wreath, I made at Christmas, was perfect for the party too!

We served hot dogs (with all the fixins’), baked beans and potato salad. Along with cake and ice cream, of course.

We opened the double doors to the back porch and everyone enjoyed the sunshine and Juliet’s new swing set! Everyone had so much fun and didn’t want to stop for cake and ice cream!

We put Lucy in our neighbor’s back yard and she couldn’t stand not being part of the party and dug under the fence!!

Blowing out her candle…she’s a pro!

Present time!! Shepherd was a great assistant!

Everyone was leaving, but Juliet was serious about her Skittles!

The girls at her party: Kylie, Juliet and Lily.

After a great nap, we played with all her new goodies!

It was a wonderful day!!

Thanksgiving 2010

2011-02-10T22:47:00.001-06:00

We had a great Thanksgiving in Tallahassee with Grandma and Papa and all the crew minus one (Cole). We met new family members!! (Viv, Elijah, Caleb, Savannah, Luke) and a future family member! (Kyle)

Fellows fellowshipping on the porch

Papa and Justin

Kyle and Richardo

Leigh, Viv and Juliet

Juliet in her Thanksgiving glory

The spread…it was wonderful!! Everyone contributed, but Aunt Becky was the master cook!

Leigh and Rachel dressed the tables

Grandma, Mama and Aunt Sister

Papa, Viv and Aunt Sister

The Crew!

Our family plus Rach and Aunt Becky

**Since I am so behind, I’m just trying to get the information out here! Thanks to Audra for the hint about Windows Live Writer; I just did this post in less than 5 minutes!!!! Awesome

2010 Christmas Card

2010-12-25T08:05:00.001-06:00

Dotty And Nice Christmas Card

Shop Shutterfly.com for elegant Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

A few things @ 23 months

2010-11-22T13:07:00.000-06:00

Juliet is so near two! I can't believe it. She is so funny and smart. There are a few things I wanted to document and not forget about what she is doing and saying right now:

When she sees anything Christmas related, she says, "Ho, ho, Kimmy trees!"
The other day we were laying down for a nap and she was restless. I told her she needed to rest because it was church night. I reminded her that Shepherd would be there. And she responded, "Who else, Mama? Who else?" I would name a few more people and she would say, "who else?" Finally, I said that was enough and we needed to stop talking. We bedded down and she whispered, "Who else, Mama? Who else?"
She has a new love for Sesame Street characters even though we don't watch it. She's found her love through a few books we have. Right now she loves a Thanksgiving book about Cookie Monster. We read it multiple times every day. She is thrilled about Big Bird.
When the door bell rings or she hears the door open she says, "Who's dat?"
The first sentence in the Curious George book is "this is George..." Today she opened the book and said, "This is George!"
We ran out of toilet paper in the bathroom and she went and got some out all by herself! It was under the counter and in the packing too.
If you ask her what time it is she says, "Nine-a cock." It's always nine-a cock.
If she is comfortable with a place, such as the church building or WM, she is a ham and a show-off. But if she is somewhere that she's not familiar with, she's shy. She's comfortable with certain parts of the library and the post office.
We pulled into the Publix parking lot and she said, "Cookie!"
She tells us to go faster in the car and run when we push her in the buggy.
She can buckle herself into her carseat. 2 buckles and a tightening strap.
She's telling us, "stop that!" Funny, but we're going to have to stop laughing.
She is singing with us now! Jesus Loves Me is her favorite song to sing. She also requests "ibby-siba" (itsy-bitsy spider) and "hipopas" for the Hippopotamus song.
She loves to "call" Deda. She says, "Hi Deda! Wha-cha doin'? fine. fine. Walmart, diapers, uh-huh. uh-huh. Ok. bye-bye Deda." She hugs and kisses the phone. Of course on real conversations she says nothing.
For the first time she said she was getting milk and cottage cheese and bread at WM instead of diapers.
She eats a ton of tomatoes dipped in ranch.
Chalky-milk = chocolate milk
She is into imaginative play! She told me she was hungry in the car one day. So I opened a bag of imaginary chips and she was thrilled! I gave her one at a time and I had to have some too!
She's sleeping with a lot of stuffed animals now. They play with us a lot too. Baby Ellen helps put the puzzle pieces in. Juliet will hold Ellen's hand in her hand and put the piece of the puzzle in. Puppy rode with us to the library and on the way she showed Puppy everything! From the ducks, to the "pool", to the dump truck.

Already learning to multi-task!

Camping: she loved the dogs, she's chasing after them here.

Fell asleep on the 4-wheeler twice!

Shutterfly Christmas Cards

2010-11-10T16:09:00.000-06:00

I am crazy about Christmas cards. I LOVE receiving them in the mail and I love sending them out too; especially now that we have someone really cute to go on them:) I guess why I like them so much is not only because of the updates, but because someone thought enough about you to send it. There is nothing better than receiving a letter in the mail.

Since we've moved multiple times, our list is quite long (at least 100) and we just moved this summer, no doubt more will be added to the list. Sending out cards can get expensive, especially postage. So, when I saw this amazing deal with Shutterfly, I had to jump on the opportunity! Shutterfly’s Holiday Card promotion: 50 free cards for blogging about it! If you would like to participate follow this link.

They have a great collection of cards! Here are three of my favs:

Fa LaLa Holiday. I really like this one and it isn't traditional green and red. Usually I'm 100% traditional, but this one seems fun. That's what's fun about Christmas cards, picking a design every year!

Confetti Flowers. This is a fun card too. I like that it's vertical. I like vertical family pictures the best. You can fill up the picture with more people and less background. When I get pictures, I like to really see the people.

Elegant Wishes. Okay, now this is more of my traditional tastes shining through. I really like everything about this one.

Ultimately, the picture we, who am I kidding, I choose will determine what card I go with. There are so many great choices. And I have no idea what picture I'm going to use! That is the most stressful part. Juliet isn't a fan of the camera. She only wants to see the pictures or play with the camera. Although, I am able to reason with her, sometimes. "You can see the picture, after I take one of you! Say cheese!" Wish me luck!

Happy Halloween

2010-11-01T10:43:00.000-05:00

First Halloween Activity, Pumpkin Carving on Tuesday.

Granddaddy was with us all week on business, so we had an extra set of hands and a babysitter! Thanks, Daddy!
We had a crazy busy weekend with church activities. First Justin and I attended a costume party as an Oreo and glass of milk:

Then we had a Fall Festival, Men's chili cook-off, Women's dessert competition, and Truck-or-Treat.

Finally we had our 5th Sunday Fellowship Meal (we were cooking fools this weekend) and closed the day with Trick-or-Treating with our neighbors. Juliet did really good. About half way around the neighborhood, she was tired of walking and then on the home stretch all she wanted to do was sit in the middle of the road and pick up rocks. We were out for about 2 hours! She was really happy walking around on her own and for the first time, she sang all on her own! She told me "Jet singing!" And then she told me it was Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. She also got the concept of trick-or-treating, after we left one house she would say, "Next house!" Most of the door bells were too high, but she did say trick-or-treat a few times and Happy Halloween! Throughout the night she would sit down where ever and dig into her candy. So as soon as we got home, she dumped the loot and got busy! When I would start picking up all the candy she would say, "No mama! Candy out!" She cried when I took it all away.

Thankfully puzzles and her baby doll made it possible to function again. She didn't really want to go to bed, but she wanted to rock baby Ellen, so we rocked together and I sang. When I thought she was asleep I stopped singing and she whispered, "Mama, sing."

A few videos

2010-10-29T12:26:00.000-05:00

Juliet singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" for us 9/21:

Justin and Juliet playing with Lucy last night 10/28:

This one is a little bit longer but I like hearing her talk. She says frog with a "s" sound. She is not afraid of animals. She touched the frog right away, but didn't like it b/c Lucy drooled all over it! Justin handed her a lizard yesterday and she held it like it was nothing! Yuck.

What A Busy Time!

2010-10-29T09:56:00.001-05:00

I have a few quite moments this morning to post about Juliet. She has changed so much since this summer. Her height, hair, behavior, skills, communication have all changed. Really, she seems like such a big girl. For speed, I'll do a list. Date are for record sake.

1. This girls loves to "match." I used a site to print out pictures from Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do you See? and she matches the front of the animal with the back of the animal. She was obsessed at the beginning of the summer. She would wake up and say, "Match, Mama!" (August/September)

2. When stacking her blocks, she understands that smaller blocks cannot support the bigger blocks. So if she gets one out of order, she'll take it off and put the correct one on instead. And AS SOON as she completes the tower, it's knocked over with great force. (10/25)

3. Yesterday she picked up Dr. Seuss' ABC Book and while turning the pages said, "ABC, ABC, ABC." (10/29)

4. She "reads" her new favorite book Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats to me, sitting in her glider in her room. She says while turning pages, "Will-we, doggie! Pete-ta, dizzy! pocket, shadow, hide, hat," tries to whistle. (September) Of course if you don't know the book, you probably can't appreciate. If she can't find the books she says, "Where Will-we go?" (9/5) Books are still her favorite!

5. Picked up her Creation Cards (large index cards with pictures of water, rocks, trees, nuts, stars, etc.) and when she came to the moon said, "Day wa-un, Mama!" And held up her finger. Just a few days off, but progress, she's listening!! (10/28)

6. She loves Lucy, "Wee-cee!" (May) She says a lot of "Wee-cee, No! No!" "Back" "Excuse Me, Wee-cee." She also growls her name. Too funny. She also likes to throw her toys and says, "I fro it!"

7. She loves being outside! We have a great yard. We been collecting a lot of acorns in her bucket and rocks. She tries to pick up a rock everywhere we go.

8. Obsessed with dump trucks, diggers, tractors, choo-choos, garbage trucks. We have construction on our road, so she sees them almost everyday. For a while she called tractor-trailers, choo-choos.

9. When she says, "ook, Mama!" I better be ready to respond. It indicates 98% of the time that she has done something not good. One day I was in the office working and I had left her in the kitchen coloring at her table and I heard, "Ook, Mama!" I went into the kitchen and she was sitting in my chair at the table reading her library book...not so bad, then she said, "ook, Mama, otion!" (say it ocean) Sitting on the table was hair gel Justin had just bought the day before. I hadn't made it to the bathroom yet. She was covered head to toe in "otion" aka "lotion." We went straight to the bath. The next day I picked those clothes up off the floor and they stuck! Of course she didn't get in trouble because she did think it was lotion. (October) Which she still likes to eat, by-the-way.

10. Prefers not to be near us during church. She has three favorite ladies, Ms. Julie, Ms. Karen, and Ms. Chesley. She goes to them immediately and is finished with us. One Sunday she would not let us take her to class, sit with her in church, or even come home! They had to bring her to the car.

11. She LOVES church. Her new buddy is Shepherd. She calls him, "Shep-herd." At church we meet before bible class and when the kids are dismissed she says with great joy, "Bible Cass!!!"

12. She loves her Bible and you can tell. "Taste and see that the Lord is good." On the way to church last night she sang, "B-I-B-I." She hugs, rocks and pats it too. (10/27)

13. Sometimes she's good, sometimes she's terrible. We have seen the terrible twos!

14. Passy was taken away 10-24. Justin cut the nipple in half, long-ways. At first she was showing it off, saying, "Passy broken." When she would put it in her mouth, she would spit it out like it tasted bad. Then when nap time rolled around, she was upset. "Passy broken, Mama. Fig it." Oh, that was so sad. It made my heart hurt. She's been great without and didn't ask for it again until Thursday. She didn't cry about it though. I told her it was broken and she said, "Oh-whoa [other] passy, Mama!" Smart cookie!

15. She's very tall for her age, and most people think, due to height and her developed speech, she's at least 2 1/2.

16. All colors are green, pronounced "gee-en".

17. All numbers are 2. When counting 1, 2, 3 she says 2, 2, 2!!!

18. Vacuum is pronounced "vac-e-room."

Maybe I'll get around to some pictures and videos later.

Bonjour Fairhope!

2010-09-03T19:16:00.000-05:00

We made it! The packing up was killer, but the move went smoothly. Packing by yourself with an 18 month old was not an ideal situation (Justin went to work a week before we arrived). We really appreciate Pops, Granddaddy and Leigh for helping us move. It would have been WAY harder/terrible without all of you.

We are enjoying our new house here in South Alabama. An additional bedroom, bathroom and real closets are always a plus:) Lucy is fenced in, so she's not tied up. She dug out within the first week, probably because of the week of rain (and thunder). Justin put up a barricade, so now she's fine. I think she really enjoys the grass and the screen in back porch that has a fan:) We've met one neighbor, who has a little girl that's a few months older than Juliet. They had a blast playing the other night. Other than that, we've met no other neighbors, but we have received a letter from the neighborhood association to move some of our junk! ha! A fine welcome.

Justin is loving his job and I am enjoying staying a home. There are a ton of cool shops in downtown, so plenty to do. Also, we love the library. It's been really good. There is a church we've been visiting that is super nice, but we still want to look around. We are also involved in homeschool group that meets at the church each Tuesday. They have a pre-school class and said Juliet could join! We start that next week. I really think she'll love it. I'll be helping out in her class.

Sorry this was brief, but I've gotta run. It'll be a while before I post again. Mama is having a lung biopsy on Tuesday, so I'll be with her. Please pray!!

A quick shot of the front of the house.

Sunset last Sunday night at the town square on the bay...yes, we live here:)

(taken with Justin's cell phone!)

Au Revoir Montgomery

2010-08-10T08:55:00.000-05:00

The lack of posts has a great explanation, we're moving! This Saturday we will be headed down to Fairhope. Justin has accepted a position there with a landscape company. Our house is still on the market, but we have rented a home down in Fairhope. This move comes with mixed feelings, but the Lord has paved the way!

Before we left, I wanted to document our time in Montgomery, so Robyn took pictures of us. Also, Juliet has changed so much since her first year portraits. Click over to Robyn's blog and check out our pictures!

My Little Fish

2010-07-14T13:38:00.001-05:00

Last week we, Juliet and I, had a great trip with Mama and Daddy at the Bay Point Resort in Panama City Beach. We went with them last year too. What a difference a year makes! This year we spent all our time at the kiddie pool with the zero entry. Juliet LOVED it. We would play in it all day long. She was so brave and would walk all the way in up to her chin and walk back to the shallows. She did some kicking and rowing, went under water and even jumped off the side into the water! She had a blast with the fountain jets and her toys and floats as well.

Her obsession was goggles though...

The last day we spent the entire day at the pool. Juliet opted not to take a nap until 6:00. She was worn out; she gave it all she had and finally she had no more to give :)

I knew that Juliet was friendly, but this week it really was visible. She really wanted to play with the other kids, but most were just in their own world or Juliet didn't know how to play with them. It was so funny, she wanted to hold one kid's hand so bad, but they were not willing. On our last night she finally found her buddies. Two little foreign girls and they would hug up a storm and kiss. It was hilarious! Juliet and the little girls would giggle and giggle. It was really cute.

We ate at some great places! Mama and Daddy's favorite is Uncle Ernie's. Their Key Lime Pie did not disappoint again this year. Here are a few picture that were taken in generally the same place as last year. Also, Juliet was over Uncle Ernie's before we got there...

We had a wonderful time. It was a treat...just like this chocolate covered banana!

Family in South Florida

2010-07-05T09:00:00.001-05:00

Since Mama is from Clearwater, FL (just a few miles from where we were on the beach) we were very near her old "stomping grounds." There is still a lot of her family that live down there. But most exciting, was that the day before we arrived, Ainsley, my cousin, had her second baby! We were able to visit with them while we were down there. Aleida (her 1st born) and Juliet are only 6 months apart. We were anxious to have Aleida over for a playdate with Juliet. Richardo (Ainsley's hubby) brought Aleida over for a dip in the Gulf and for dinner. Juliet and Aleida had a great time playing together. They are soooooooooooooo cute.

Later in the week we all went over to meet the new addition!

Viven Del Carmen Nobara!

Juliet and Aleida had a great time playing again! Aleida was so sweet and shared all her toys so well! She's going to be a great big sister:)

Beach Baby, Beach Baby!

2010-07-02T12:26:00.000-05:00

We had a great time on our vacation, as soon as the A/C worked. That is quite a tale, but I'd rather not relive it. Let's just think about the good times :)

Juliet really loved the pool. Granddaddy bought her a battery operated fish that swam around the pool; she loved it!

The beach at Indian Rocks (close to Tampa) is beautiful! The water was a beautiful green/aqua and so clear you could see your feet! It was warm, but the breeze actually made you cool. More than one time I had chill bumps in the water.

The view from our condo:

Most days we woke up late (except Justin...he likes to get up and go fishing), enjoyed coffee on the balcony, lathered ourselves in sunscreen and headed out. Juliet loved getting ready to go out. One morning she and Granddaddy got up early and she said, "wa-wa ow-sigh." She wanted to be outside in the water. Who can resist a precious 17 month old asking to go out to the beach at 7 am? Not Grandaddy. When I woke up, I played detective and noticed pjs lying around, sunscreen, remnants of breakfast, an overnight diaper, no baby so I quickly popped out on the balcony. Here's what I saw...

Granddaddy and Juliet were attached at the hip all week. Justin and I really had a vacation, because Granddaddy and Deda took care of almost everything, Juliet even slept in their room!

This next set of pictures is long, but I love it! So cute. I couldn't believe that Juliet pulled her wagon full of sand toys all the way from the condo to the beach. In the pic where she is looking back, she is making sure I'm coming along...too sweet :)

That was tough work; time to rehydrate!

Juliet liked being in the water if she was held. She wasn't crazy about her shaded float, but I bought her a small star-shaped intertube and she liked hanging in it. I was surprised, but she would hang on all by herself! She wasn't too crazy about the sand. Justin and I tried to get her to help build a sandcastle, but she wasn't too interested. I guess she takes that from me. I've never been a fan of the sand. But this time I actually sat in the sand! And I helped build the sand castle:) I was able to get her to help pick up some shells, but she really just wanted to eat crackers :) Justin was the main contributor...

She liked watching and chasing the seagulls. But her favorite was sleeping on the beach!

On Granddaddy:

After eating crackers:

On Daddy:

Precious little sandy feet and ruffled bottom:

We had a wonderful time! Thanks Mama and Daddy!!!

Indian Rocks Beach, FL 2010

2010-06-30T10:30:00.000-05:00

Juliet's 2nd vacation beach photo shoot:

(remember Juliet's first beach photo shoot?)

Look at her hair! Beautiful :)

"Daddy's jumping over me...that's the only reason I'm smiling!"

One of my favorites:

Post photo shoot:

Oh so Big

2010-06-16T16:06:00.000-05:00

Well little miss Juliet is 17 months now; I think it's time for an update! We went to the doctor last week and she is 22 lbs.! We have finally made it above the 5th percentile and into the 20th. She is in the 75-90th percentile for height @ 32 1/2". So, as the doc said, she'll be a slim-jim. For her sake, I hope so.

Juliet is talking a lot. Somethings are quite clear while other things are something "only a mother could understand." She mimics everything, so many times I am able to understand what she's saying because she says words with the same intonation as me. It is so funny. One of my favorites is counting. Her favorite number is 2. She says 2 for all numbers! When I count "1-2-3", I have a certain intonation. She has the same intonation, but she only says "two." Love it! Her latest word is "swimsuit." She's heavy on the "s" sound.

Juliet eating quite well, feeding herself with 85% making it into the mouth. Although her choices are particular, they are healthy. She LOVES cottage cheese and asks for it up to 5 times a day. Since she is feeding herself and it's so messy, I try to stick to meal times for "cheese." And bananas are favs too, "nan-na." She says "beeans!!!" with great enthusiasm; this includes most any bean: green, red, black, lima, baked and says "pees!!!" too. Here are a few of the foods she says:

"a bob-lee" = broccoli

"a tear its" = carrots

"i sorries" = strawberries

"go-got" w/ the a head bob = yogurt

"a-milts" = milk

"wa wa" = water

"ah ta-ta" = cracker

She says goldfish, but I don't even know how to spell it :) She loves to dip her food, especially ketchup and says, "dips." Also if she wants to taste anything you are eating she says, "a-taste?" Many times if you take off the "a" and "s" you can have better luck understanding her! She loves toast too. If we go down the bread aisle in the grocery she says, "toast?!" She's not too crazy about sweets and when given the choice of chocolate shake or a peach shake, she'll choose peach! She'll eat ice cream, but when it's all gone, she's fine with it being "all done." Last night I gave her a bite of chocolate chip cookie and she said, "UMMM!!" She is very vocal about her likes in food. Broccoli even gets an "UMMM!!" If she doesn't like it or she's had enough, she'll spit it out by raking her tongue over her teeth.

Since we are on the subject of words, she has a bit of a lisp. I don't know if she'll grow out of it or if it will stay...we'll see. She is good to use her words when we ask her. Most of the time when I say, "use your words, please." She responds with, "please!" Books and blocks are favorites and she says those well. Good Night Moon is still a favorite and she points to the mouse and says mouse every time. Even when I forget where he is or my finger is covering the mouse, she knows where he is. She will say, "hush" too. She also has a tea set and she will say "T!!" The one that took the longest to figure out was color. The only reason I figured it out was I finally asked her to show me what she wanted and she took me right to the crayons and coloring books. I think she saw me put it there once...super good memory! She says, "toulor," as in color with a "t". We have mostly stopped eating the crayons and are now coloring. I say mostly because I left her to color in her high chair and came back and she had chewed up the green crayon and spit it all down her white shirt. Thank goodness for washable crayons.

The high chair is another issue. She decided that she didn't want in it anymore. Not good. But thankfully I figured out what it was. She wants to sit at the table. Our wonderful high chair can be adjusted for height as well as the arms moved out of the way, so she can belly up to the table. She likes it and now it's not an issue. Although sometimes she says, "sits" and proceeds to sit in the kitchen floor to eat or so she thinks. Sometimes mama doesn't want to fight that battle.

She loves bath and shower time. She'll drop anything for that. She'll march to her dresser, open the drawer, pull out a towel and washcloth, march back to the bathroom, and open to the door. She loves it. If only her diaper is on, she takes it off too. She has shown an interest in the toilet, so I bought her one. She says, "TT" every time she sees it and wants to sit for a spell. Although she has not soiled her new potty, we are just getting comfortable with the idea right now. She loves to wipe though! I give her a square of toilet paper and she is thrilled, does her paperwork and tosses it in the big potty. ha! She loves to brush her teeth too! "If you so much as open the cabinet with the toothbrushes in it and she is within hearing, "a-teeth!!" The girl loves to brush her teeth, but not with help. She more like gnaws on her brush and sucks off the bubblegum flavored toothpaste.

Juliet is a good sleeper!!!!! Nap time is good most of the time. She can be out for 3 hours, usually in the morning around 10. But sometimes it's just one nap around noon. Sometimes we can squeeze in two! Not much for schedules here. Example from this week: Monday- 45 minute nap around noon, Tuesday- 1 hr. nap around noon and 2 1/2 hour nap from 4:30-7, Wednesday- 11:30-??? it's 3:45 right now and she's still sleeping! But, it is unusual for her to wake during the night! We aim for 8:30 but it is so hard to get to that point! She wakes sometime between 7 and 9. Nursing has ended. It was bittersweet, but I'm glad that she doesn't have to have me to go to sleep. Justin enjoys putting her to bed too! Although she does prefer me :) She says her prayers and if I forget she says, "p-rAY?" She claps her little hands together with her fingers intertwined and squeezes her eyes shut for a second and pops them back open. Sometimes she gets distracted while we pray, but most of the time she sits quietly.

She is also pretty good about mealtime prayers. She hold our hands and sometimes if she can't wait she'll steal a bite! She loves Sunday school and Wednesday night Bible class and LOVES her Bible, which she can say. Now worship service is a totally different issue. Let's just say, it's during nap time and Justin and I are both exhausted afterwards. It's all about survival. It's: throwing passy into the aisle, throwing a ball (that Daddy mistakenly packed in the church bag that a friend caught 3 pews up), screaming, trying to tear the songbooks up or licking the last of the grape juice out of the cup (that we somehow missed moving out of harms way), always an adventure! Although this past Sunday we made it through!! And the Sunday before that she made it through, but there was a grandparent variable involved.

We love our little Juliet sometimes she's challenging, throwing a fit and banging her head on the floor, but most of the time she is so CUTE!!!! Justin has adopted granddaddy's saying of "sweetest thing in the whole-wide world." It's so true :) She makes us smile, she makes us laugh. We love her.

The end for now. I'm sure there is something I left out.

Reading with Aint Leigh (whom she calls "EEE!!!")

Eating at the great grandparent's in Tallahassee. Papa used this high chair as well as my mama and me!

Playing in the rain puddle. I played in the same puddle as a little girl!

Thank you for the fairy costume, Aunt Sister!

(we are at Grandma and Papa's house)

I love Daddy's little pink, frilly fairy!!!

Fairies get thirsty too!

Mommy's little helper. Juliet loves doing laundry. She makes sure all the clothes are in the basket, not an arm hanging over! She likes putting clothes in the washer and helping carry the basket to the bedroom. She put down her purse and book to help out :)

A First

2010-06-10T13:11:00.001-05:00

Memorial Day weekend, Juliet and I were separated for the very first time. It really was last minute too. I would think something this monumental would be planned WAY in advance, but I called mom on Friday and she jokingly said, "Why don't you bring her to us?" It sounded completely reasonable to me. It was around noon and Juliet was packed and we were on the road to meet Deda and Granddaddy by 5:00 the same day! I expected her to do very well. She is CRAZY about Grandaddy and of course, the feeling is mutual. Juliet pretty much ignores me and Justin (and everyone else) when Granddaddy is around. That's why I wasn't too worried about her. Justin and I were feeling foot loose and fancy free! We went to the movies, out to eat and cleaned up the house, ready to put it on the market on Tuesday! Juliet had a great time! She didn't call for us once and if she saw a picture of me, she would say "Mama" and go on about her business. Juliet is now weaned due to this event, which is good. She's getting a mouth full of teeth! I was anxious to see her by Sunday night. Monday I couldn't wait until time to leave. We all met half way again and she was happy to see us, but she would still hang with Granddaddy!

"bye-bye"

riding the pig

LOVE the face...it was nap time!

taking back custody of our own child....daddy told people that he didn't know when she was going home, her parents were going to come visit her :)

On the Market

2010-06-08T08:58:00.000-05:00

As of June 1 our first home is on the market! We had our first showing this weekend and on Monday the 7th, we had our first offer! Isn't God AMAZING?!?!!!!!!!!!!!

We gave a counter-offer, so we'll see how it goes. We'll keep you posted.

Let Summertime Begin!

2010-06-03T15:09:00.000-05:00

There is no better mix than summertime and water! That's what we've been doing and Juliet wants to go "ow-sigh" all the time to play in the "wa-wa" or ride in her "wah-wah" (wagon).

Two weeks ago Juliet and Wynn played in the backyard with a large washtub of water, cups and toys. They had a blast. Juliet was finished after about 20 minutes of play, but Wynn could have stayed all day!

Two Saturdays ago we headed to Lake Lurleen to meet CeCe and Pops and to celebrate Pop's birthday. We had a great time. It was HOT, but the water was COLD, so it made the day just right. It was tough to get wet, but once we did it was super refreshing and kept us at a perfect temp the rest of the day. Juliet had a great time! She talked the whole way to the park (2 1/2 hrs); it was funny! And she didn't take a nap the entire day, so she slept all the way home and thru the night!

Really. y'all.

2010-05-18T15:15:00.000-05:00

Where has the time gone? I cannot not believe how Juliet has grown. I just happened to flip back through some "old" photos...

3 days old

4 days old

This Sunday

May 18, 2009

May 18, 2010

Yesterday she was happy to put on her sunglasses! Then that evening she not only put on her shoes all by herself!, she paired all her shoes together from her shoe drawer!

Mother's Day 2010

2010-05-14T13:54:00.000-05:00

My second Mother's Day! I cannot believe how much Juliet has grown up! Last year we were celebrating in GA with family at Bone Fish Grill. A few things I still remember about that day: (1) Leigh, Justin, Daddy and Juliet prepared a beautiful breakfast for me and mama, (2) I ate Pow Pow Shrimp and loved it...which is huge since I hate anything in water, (3) I ate my first Lindor Truffle dark chocolate...it was heavenly, (4) Juliet had a major spit up, on Justin, in a most inconvenient spot, in the shape of Africa...her spit ups were huge and not unusual.

This year we spent Mother's Day at home. Mama and Daddy came for the weekend. We had a great, but short time to visit. There are a few things that I'll remember about my 2nd Mother's Day: (1) Juliet had her first allergic reaction, to wild flowers, I think. Her lip swelled up big and red and after Benedryl, she had a little blister, (2) Juliet was teething and in a FINE mood, (3) Juliet slept through dinner and Justin gifted me sans Juliet, (4) no mother daughter pictures. But we did have a wonderful dinner prepared by Daddy, Justin and Leigh! Thank you for giving us the royal treatment!!!

Juliet and Granddaddy play in the tunnel.

Thanks Deda and Granddaddy for my new chair! I'm ready for summertime sittin'.

For our mothers on this fine day, I made fabric flower pins that are all the rage. I combined a few tutorials and came up with these. I think they came out great!!

They look great pinned on your shirt:

Or on a bag. I knew Mama would prefer the bag option, so I made her one. The bag was really easy to make. I used a Heather Bailey pattern as my guide.

About Christmas

2010-05-05T23:15:00.004-05:00

Since I posted what I made for Christmas gifts, I had another project with a Christmas deadline: a stocking for Juliet. I had been on the hunt for the perfect stocking but with no luck, surprise, surprise. I did see one that had a great bow, but it was to rustic looking. I gave it a good look-over and thought, "I could make this." Oh, what a dangerous and silly thought. Nothing is as simple as it seems. Other than my issues with beginning a project and never finishing them (if you never finish, you never fail), it was more complicated than I anticipated. Thankfully Mama was on the scene (3 days before Christmas) and some of the skills I learned making the coffee cuffs made the stocking a reality. It didn't turn out quite as planned, but Juliet had a stocking none-the-less. My big plans were to make Justin and I, as well as all subsequent children, these style of stocking...I'll tackle that in my FREE TIME! hahahahahaha.

Christmas in May?! I'm only beating Hobby Lobby by 2 months...

Okay, since we are on Christmas 2009, here are some of my favorite photos. There are a lot more, but I can't load them all! We spent Christmas Day in Georgia with Mama, Daddy, Leigh and many of our aunts, uncles, and cousins on both sides. There were 21 people! A few days later we traveled to Mississippi to celebrate with Justin's family! We had a great Christmas!

At our house...

We put our Christmas tree in the sunroom (it has doors) so we could keep Juliet out and not fight that fight with her.

In Georgia...

Juliet's first Christmas morning & sight of the gifts!

Looking back, Juliet is so little and she wasn't walking then either! She just liked using your finger for balance.

Justin and I started a tradition of giving three gifts like the Magi gave Jesus. We know that Jesus was not born on Christmas Day and some studies (The Star of Bethlehem) find December 25th is the day the Magi arrived to see Jesus, not in a manger, but as a child with his mother in a house. Matthew 2:11.

Anyways, Juliet had three gifts representing gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Gold: a precious treasure in any society, so it's something she really wants (although she didn't express it in words), a ball.

Myrrh: used for medicinal purposes, so something for the body, a monogrammed sweater.

Frankincense: used in worship as incense, so something for spiritual growth, a book about Creation.

Some things were hard to buy for her at this age. It will be more meaningful as she gets older and understands the concept. We are excited about this tradition and helps keep our focus on spiritual matters, rather than just a day to get and give gifts. And it gives us a limit on the number of items to buy. It's hard becuase you think it would be fun for them to have this and this and this!

We also are going to do Santa, but he only brings one gift, which partially answers the question about getting a ton a gifts for millions of children in one sleigh. From Santa she got ABC stacking blocks.

Deda and Granddaddy got Juliet her first doll. A baby Hugums'. We call her Ellen.

Juliet made a handprint ornament for her Daddy.

A toothbrush in her stocking!

A shopping cart from Aint Leigh!

First Christmas as a family of three!

My cousin Cole (He's a medic in the Marines) and Juliet; their first time meeting.

Some of the family @ mom and dad's

...and some more!

See Mama's hair? Not hers.

Aunt Sister decided to bring the hat and if you said "Christmas" you had to wear it. It really was hilarious!

GiGi, Juliet, Daddy/Granddaddy and Aunt Becky

Rachel, Cole and Juliet opening gifts. Rachel and Juliet were buddies. Rachel got Juliet her first coffee mug.

Juliet and Aleida bless the family with a little Christmas music!

GiGi and Juliet reading.

In Mississippi...

Juliet was good at opening gifts by then!

Yea! Somewhere to eat my table food!

CeCe, Snuggie, Juliet.

Aunt Kama, Juliet, Mamaw, Justin.

Group photo!

The girls...

Aunt Kama, Juliet and Stew!

Perfectly Imperfect

2010-05-05T08:12:00.000-05:00

One of my college friends, Shaunna, has a furniture remodeling business. Follow her furniture adventures and her attic remodel on her blog. It's a fun one to track! I am so amazed by her work and proud of her too! Go to her blog today and enter to win a chandelier!

Picnic in the Park

2010-05-04T10:43:00.000-05:00

Friday we had a playdate with friends, Michelle & Morgan, Robyn & Ian, and Aint Leigh. (check their blogs for other great pictures.) Juliet, Wynn and Morgan had a great time together. The tunnel and wagon were big hits, but Ian was a big attraction! It was also our first time to meet Mr. Ian and he is so precious!! His smile is just wonderful! He makes you forget where you are and what you're doing, all you can see his him and his adorable smile! Juliet whined a little bit when I first held him, but Aint Leigh was able to distract her. The girls did really well together. We even "played" Ring-Around-the-Rosey; it was really cute how they all held hands. The best part was they screamed instead of falling down. We had a great time! I'm looking forward to more summertime get-togethers!

So, I've been crafty...

2010-05-02T21:52:00.000-05:00

I haven't been posting what I've been working on, but I've been into projects here and there. There are a few that I have to finish up before I post, but I wanted to share one.

I made for everyone on my list for Christmas...Coffee Cuffs! (that's what Leigh calls them)

They were really easy to make and the fabrics are so fun to pick out. They are great for the coffee lovers in your life (or the Vivanno drinkers in your life - my Daddy and Juliet). They are perfect for both men and women.

I followed the tutorial on House On Hill Road. Here is the link: http://houseonhillroad.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/01/a-new-years-gif.html

the dark brown ones are corduroy, for the guys.

Now that I'm uploading pictures,

I realize that I don't have any pictures showing the function of the cuff,

except on my phone.

Oh, well. You know how they work.

Pickle

2010-04-29T14:44:00.002-05:00

Might Be My Favorite Video

2010-04-24T10:07:00.000-05:00

I love the excitement she has every time she pops out.
I love her expressions.
I love her that her bow won't stay in her hair because she doesn't duck when she goes inside the tent.
I love her silouette in the tent.
I love that baby Ellen is along for the ride.
I love that she stands still in the tent waiting on me.
I love that she grunts when she's ready for me to say "where's Juliet?"
I love that she gets tired of waiting on me.
I love when she falls down.
I love when she says no she's not eating the tent.
I love when she says "peek-a-boo!"
I love her smocked bubble.
I love Juliet!
These are just a few things that I love about her...

B-R-O-C-C-O-L-I

2010-04-23T09:22:00.000-05:00

Daddy Daycare is a funny movie that Justin and I have enjoyed on more than one occassion. We've watched it so many times that it must have sunk into Juliet in utero! (She hasn't watched the movie with her own eyes; there are attitudes I wouldn't want her to espouse;) But, here's the part of the movie I sing to her. Juliet might be the one and only consumer of Veggie-Os!

Thankfully Juliet loves her carrots (in yogurt) and broccoli!! This is her first time eating by herself with a spoon. I think she did quite well for a first timer!

Me and My Friend Wynn

2010-04-16T13:52:00.000-05:00

Can little girls get anymore Southern than seersucker and bows? I think not.

Take a look at these cuties at the park today. They would only sit still for graham crackers.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-05T09:30:00.000-05:00

We had such a fun time with Juliet this year! She was really into hunting eggs. We practiced on Saturday morning in the house, so Sunday afternoon she was ready to roll! Really, she is so adorable!! Juliet wore a bonnet, a true southern tradition. Deda (my mama) made the bonnet for Leigh when she was two! I've worn it and now Juliet is too. She also wore my pearl necklace that I have from my Aunt Deda. Her outfit was very special! Easter dinner was at Leigh's and as always, it was beautiful and delicious! We had the traditional fare. It was sooooooo good! Deda, Granddaddy and my cousin Rachel joined us to celebrate Easter. I'll let the pictures to the rest of the talking...

Started out Easter on Friday dying eggs with the Simmons (Nathan, Leslie and Jamie is in the oven!)

Juliet helping mommy dye her egg.

Peter Cotton Tail arrived!

Our Easter table, beautiful!

Juliet slept through dinner, but we saved her a place.

"Big kids" hunt while Juliet naps.

After dinner entertainment. Leigh the Latino serenading Rachel. I do have video footage.

Oh! All the goodies!!

Out to hunt eggs!

Determined hunter!

Yum! I love jelly bellies!

Eating my bunny ears!

leftover bunny

taking tea with mommy

Serving Granddaddy tea

Juliet This Week

2010-04-02T14:35:00.000-05:00

Juliet started out this week with strep throat; her first real sickness and first antibiotic. She was pitiful, but within 12 hours she was better. She didn't get her appetite back until Wednesday though. I am so ready for the anitbiotic to be over, so many dirty diapers. Example: today every diaper has been dirty! I'm over that (I know she is too).

first pig tails!

beautiful weather for playing outside!!

getting excited about Easter! She calls bunnies "hop hop".

Our cherry trees and daffodils have been beautiful! I took the picture a few days too late, but the cherry tree was a perfect puff and I had enough daffodils for a bouquet!

First Zoo Trip

2010-03-16T14:54:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was Juliet's first trip to the zoo! We had a great time with Wynn and Jan. Wynn and Juliet are the best of friends. They liked holding hands. It was really cute! The video is on the way to see the elephants. Wynn is talking excitedly about the elephants while Juliet makes her elephant noise and laughs at the end.

It was cool and cloudy, but we were dressed properly so it wasn't bad. Thankfully Juliet likes her hat and mittens. Juliet enjoyed the animals, but walking around is a pretty big hit right now. A few of the animals were hiding, Jan and I spotted a few, but trying to get the girls to find them was too hard. I was most impressed with the cougar and the giraffes! We saw elephants, bears, deer, storks, flamingos, eagles, tons of other birds, otters, alligator, bison, rhinos, elk, apes, monkeys, gazelles, ducks, geese, roosters, zebras and a bunch of other animals I can't think of...the Montgomery Zoo is surprisingly good and it is so close to our house!

what's a trip to the zoo without a crying picture?

My favorite were the giraffes!

So tired she was asleep before we were in the car one minute!

Celebrating Justin

2010-02-23T09:39:00.000-06:00

Since I am so behind on blogging, I wanted to go back and share pictures from Justin's birthday (12/16). This was Justin's first time celebrating with Juliet. Last year we were expecting her at ANY time. I remember that I had a special dinner planned. I made a chocolate pie at his request and worked on a pasta dish. I was so tired by the end that I didn't have the energy to cook the chicken that went along with the pasta!

But this year was different, I had a busy little girl crusing around. Juliet had not started walking on her own, but she loved holding a finger and taking off! Chocolate pie was on the menu this time too. It was special to celebrate Justin as a Daddy this year. He is an outstanding Daddy too! This month (December) Juliet was really getting into Justin, and needless to say, Justin was loving that! They are so fun together. Justin is always very helpful and doesn't shy away from a dirty diaper. The attention and care he shows both Juliet and I is stellar.

This was the year of clothing: sweater, jeans, blazer, tie, slacks, button down shirt.

Justin loves a specific type of sock, so he was thrilled to recieve multiple pairs.

Juliet likes Daddy's socks too.

Justin is opening Juliet's card; she's excited!

She loves her teddy bear card to Daddy too!

We are so blessed to have such a wonderful father and husband.

We couldn't ask for one more loving, giving or hardworking!! We love you, Justin!

SNOW!

2010-02-12T23:09:00.000-06:00

How fun it was to wake up to snow! When Juliet and I got up, there was already a pretty good dusting. This afternoon we ventured out and played. Most of the time she just stood there, not knowing what to do. Then once it was time to go in, she took off down the sidewalk to play with the other kids. Enjoy the pictures! (My faborite is the 4th shot.)

This evening before bed, Juliet was being so silly. She is really into putting things on, jackets, socks, shoes, pants, and especially hats, necklaces and gloves. (Her face is shiney from the stuff I put on her face. She had rosey cheeks and nose.)

Current Fun

2010-02-11T11:14:00.000-06:00

While I am sewing rompers, creating valentine cards and painting clothes pins, Juliet is having a blast. (and we are having fun too!) At the end is a long video of Juliet walking around pulling her airplane. This is a favorite. She walked around for about 30-45 minutes and then again after dinner. It was so funny. She's figured how to turn it on too!

Last week we went for her first year check up and she still is under 19 pounds! She is in the 10th percentile, which is good, considering at 9 months she was below the 5th percentile and since then she has become fully moblie. She is in the 95th percentile for height. We have a long and lean little girl! We will be heading to the doctor this afternoon. She has been fussy since the end of last week and yesterday was pretty rough. Thank goodness Justin was here. She wanted him to hold her like crazy. The only things that kept her happy were going outside, the airplane and somebody holding her, preferably Justin. At one point she wouldn't eat for me, but Justin gave it a shot and there was no resistance! What a little stinker! Anyways, I thought she was teething, but after some council from ladies at church, I think it might be an ear infection. She doesn't want to take naps, she isn't nursing well, so fussy (which is so unlike her) and come to think of it she leans her head to one side. So if so, it will be her first and I'm so sad that I didn't catch it sooner.

Here is Juliet helping me with a Valentine's Day project.

Video: btw, what about her pot-belly??!!

Christmas Card 2009

2010-02-04T14:26:00.000-06:00

I've got so much catching up to do, it's ridiculous. So far behind, I've even considered stopping altogether. But then a few of my lady mentors at church encouraged us young moms and shared with us how wonderful it was that we recorded everything...so here I am!

Here is our Christmas card from this year. I am so fortunate to have a sister for a graphic designer! I found a picture of a card I liked and she created it; awesome and talented sister!

Instead of trying to find time (haha) to take a family picture, I used one from the fall that I really liked.

First Year Portraits

2010-01-27T09:27:00.000-06:00

So I am totally in love with these shots Robyn took. I am having such a hard time deciding which one to frame (big, over the mantle) but, I think this one captures the look I was hoping for. It looks like a painting!

These are also more favorites, although all that were posted on the photography blog are favorites too!

Welcome to Blogland, Justin!

2010-01-24T18:55:00.000-06:00

Justin has started a blog!! Tales of a Treeman. Check it out, well, tell your husbands to check it out;) If you know someone who likes to climb or is interested in saws and climbing gear, it will be right up their alley.

http://talesofatreeman.blogspot.com/

FIRST YEAR PHOTOS ARE UP!!!

2010-01-21T14:48:00.000-06:00

http://studiobphotos.blogspot.com/2010/01/such-beautiful-one-year-old.html

Baby Blues

2010-01-21T11:08:00.000-06:00

Here's Juliet this past Sunday in her beautiful blue, smocked corduroy dress I had made for her (by Justin's "Aunt" Peggie). And now that she is walking, pctures are very difficult!

Our little Baby Blues has been sick all week...a first :( I am pretty sure she has the fever virus. A fever, fussy and no other symptoms. She doesn't like for me to be out of sight, so we have played A LOT and ALL over the house! It's actually really fun playing with her. I just hate that she has a fever. I know when I have one, my skin is sensitive and light hurts my eyes. The doc said to wait it out, unless she has more symptoms or her fever reaches 103. She has only had a temp as high as 102. Thankfully, since I'm still nursing her, she is getting plenty of fluids.

Girly Girl

2010-01-17T20:07:00.000-06:00

Love this! Juliet got two purses from Aint Leigh today...oh the fun!! She is taking them all over the house. When she sits in your lap, the purses come too. And when it was time for bed, she cried because the purses were put away.

We Have A Walker!

2010-01-15T11:05:00.000-06:00

Miss Juliet finally decided to walk and she decided on her birthday! From reading Juliet's "signs of readiness to walk," we thought we would have a "toddler" by Thanksgiving...nope. Then we thought for sure, Christmas, nope. She did began to step out more a few days after Christmas at CeCe and Pops. I have some video of that. And I have some video of her making the decision to become a full time walker and I have some footage from today. Juliet was content walking with a finger. At first our backs were killing us, but between Thanksgiving and Christmas she grew taller, so it wasn't as bad. She wasn't using our finger for anything, but she wasn't confident of her skills yet. At Christmas she would get quite upset if she wanted to walk, but you didn't. Thankfully Granddaddy was there to offer a finger when ever she wanted it. The day before her birthday she tried walking a few steps, but on Tuesday January 5th, she took the plunge! At church the next day we walked from one side of the church to the other looking for Daddy. Once we got to the fellowship hall, she started yelling, "Da-Da, Da-Da !" To cute and a first. By Saturday (the day of her party) she was squatting to pick up toys without falling over! Really I can't say it enough, babies are amazing!!

Pictures of Juliet's Birthday Party

2010-01-12T16:06:00.001-06:00

Our Precious Little ONE

2010-01-05T10:16:00.004-06:00

Happy first Birthday, sweet Juliet!

I cannot believe today was the day you were born! What an exciting day it was! So much anticipation. You were supposed to be here December 28th and then the doctor thought you might come early. Ah, the waiting! I was worried what it would be like going from just the two of us, to three. When you arrived, a peace and calm came over me. You were a natural addition to our family. We "clicked" immediately!

Your Daddy and I have thoroughly enjoyed you. You have brought us so much joy! And you are such a good girl! From your very first days, you were a good baby. You only cried when you were wet or hungry. You certainly did not like a wet diaper. In this first year, we have only had 2 all nighters! How fortunate we were!

Not only do you bring your Daddy and I joy, but all those around you. Especially your grandparents and aunts! I still can't believe how ga-ga your grandparents are over you! You will have such a special relationship with them all your life. Grandparents are a treasure! You are often complemented on how beautiful you are. Your bright blue eyes and your sweet blond hair. Of course we think you are perfect.

I treasure our time when I'm nursing you. I love our alone time and the fact that I am the only one you need! I love studying you then. Your feet are my favorite. I cannot count the number of times I have kissed your precious toes. They are even a little stinky, but I love that stink!! Your stinky feet you get from your Daddy! But pretty much, everything is your Daddy's! Your mouth, your long torso, your legs, your toes, narrow feet, cubby fingers, your eyes. Most everyone thinks you look just like him! You have do have my nose though. You might have my chin, the jury is still out on that one. You are so beautiful and God created you perfectly!

Now as we are entering your toddler years, we are excited about your developments. Will you have a little raspy, low voice when you talk? Will you be more reserved like your Mama or mischievous like your Daddy? Right now is seems as though you aren't really a risk taker, but sometimes I see a mischievous gleam in your eye! Will your hair be curly? I have envisioned your hair as cute little blond bob with a huge bow, but last night after your bath and your hair brushed, a curl popped up on the back of your head! Will you be a Daddy's girl, wanting to help outside? Will your love of music continue? Will you sing well? So many questions! And we look forward to finding the answers.

The most important thing is that your Daddy and I teach you to love the Lord. We pray for that every night. The best way for us to teach you is through our example and we are working hard to be a good example! You love Bible class already and you love to sing about God. We pray that will always be the case!

Happy Birthday to our little girl! We love you so,

Mommy

Our one year old on this cold, cold day:

Juliet's First Thanksgiving

2009-12-08T10:12:00.001-06:00

Juliet spent her first Thanksgiving with CeCe and Pops in Tupelo. We had a great time! Juliet and I spent lots of time with CeCe, while Justin and Pops trimmed and cut down trees. Juliet was actually sick while we were there...her first time for a major runny nose, congestion and quite fussy. She was so stuffed up that she wouldn't even nurse! Fortunatly I take a pump every time we go out-of-town, so she did take a bottle. CeCe was a big help (even though she has a cast on) and encouraged me through the rough spots with Juliet. Now I know that she didn't have a cold, but she was cutting her eye teeth...ouch. Despite Juliet's fussiness, we still had a great time. Grandparents are impervious to fussy babies...at least both sets of Juliet's grandparents are! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving meal and were joined by good friends of CeCe and Pops. We had good food and fellowship!

This year we are so thankful for family. Our new family. Our parents who love our little one so much. And the knowledge of how much our parents love us!

Love this picture! Daddy's little girl!

The tallest tree pictured is the one of the trees Justin and Pops felled! It is the biggest tree Justin has felled; it was at least 75-80 feet tall. By-the-way, this is Justin's new hobby...yikes.

Hanging with the Laney's

2009-12-07T09:55:00.001-06:00

It had been since May since we had seen the Laney's. Juliet wasn't sitting up on her own yet and Drew was just taking his first steps. So since we were in Mississippi for Thanksgiving, we went a few days early to spend some quality time with our best friends! We made cookies, played cards, talked until 3:15 in the morning, ate, and played with our children. It was perfect!! Every time we get together we plan how we can be next door neighbors! We miss them so.

We tried a little photo session with Drew and Juliet. Drew is SUCH a great picture taker, Juliet on the other hand, struggles a bit in that area. Juliet is not into sitting still for a photo. We did get some cute ones with them on the train. It was surreal. Taking pictures of our children together. I am so excited about our growing families and look forward to our get-togethers in the future. They are only going to get better and better! Thank you for having us, we LOVED it. And Drew, Juliet appreciates you sharing your toys; you did such a good job! We love you Audra, Andrew and Drew!!!!!!!!

10 Months

2009-12-05T11:06:00.000-06:00

Before she reaches 11 months tomorrow, I better post this! Well, this was supposed to go up yesterday...

Juliet is so much fun! Especially for her Daddy! She likes going to him now and gets so excited when he comes in the door. Who wouldn't like that? She is very social and really loves watching other kids.

Juliet is weighing more since solid foods began. She's eating bananas, peas, avocado, yogurt, whole grain cereal, carrots, sweet potato, plums. Almost every day I make a mixture of banana, avocado, yogurt and cereal. It's her favorite. She also likes drinking water from her sippy cup. She's started throwing it down when she's done. I guess the gravity game has begun! When she is full she'll either raise her hands to her mouth or she'll pooch out her lips and let you touch the spoon to her mouth, but she won't open up!

Sleeping has gotten better. We grew weary and one night we realized, hey, she doesn't want us to rock her! So we put her in the crib and she liked in for a few minutes and then that was it. I tried, Justin tired, I tired again and we let her play. Then when she was past tired I tired again with no luck. So...since both of us were frustrated, we decided to let her cry it out for 30 minutes. After 10 minutes of solid crying, she stopped. For the next 20 minutes she would let out a cry and stop. Finally she fell asleep and slept through the night! Since then she has been going down so easy! And most nights she is sleeping through the night (7:30pm-ish to 5:00am-ish). We'll get her pjs on, sometimes read and then kiss her night and lay her down with her blanket and passy, and she is ready to sleep! Yea!!

Juliet is playing more and more by herself. She is a quiet player and unlike me (according to mama and my sister) if I was quiet, I was up to no good. She is really good! There are a few things she cannot resist eating: shoes, magazines, paper, cell phones. Of course everything is still in the mouth, but not everything can go there! She still loves the touch and feel books and knows them by heart. Books are really her favorite toy.

She'll turn the pages over and over again.

She is still crawling and I talked about her "walking" in the previous posts. She likes walking so much that when you stop helping, she cries. One night she was so tired, but kept walking and walking with the push toy. Finally I tried to take her away and of course she started wailing! I stood her back up and she continued to walk, but couldn't stop crying. She was so tired!

This month her church behavior has changed. We have been so lucky that she has been sleeping through most of the service. She is usually out by the Lord's Supper. This month she is still making through services, but not asleep. Yikes! We still have not had to deposit her in the nursery. I'm sure this luck can't last forever!

This parenting thing is fun! We haven't reached the independence or tantrum stage yet though!;)

Y'all, Blogger is being SO difficult, sorry for the messy post. I don't have time to continue to waste! Also, sorry for the misspellings, I cannot find spell check anymore.

She Did It!

2009-11-19T09:18:00.000-06:00

Soon after I wrote yesterday's post, Juliet took her first step! We were outside playing and she let go of my leg and took a steady step to the wall. It was different from the other steps because there was no falling involved, it was a real step! Of course I didn't get a video, but I did run in and get the camera to mark the event.

Juliet is very interested in Lucy these days. We will chase Lucy together and Juliet will laugh and laugh. She also wants to pet her. She's working on her dog sound too! I'm pretty sure she knows that Lucy and dog and the same. When we are in the kitchen and talk about Lucy she looks out the kitchen door where Lucy usually is!

This is Juliet's latest face...she likes to make this face often :)

Just About

2009-11-18T10:38:00.000-06:00

Juliet is just about to walk! She is testing her skills more and more! She loves walking around with assistance. Most of the time she still wants two fingers, but she can walk with one and prefers that you hold her right hand. She will adjust her grip on your finger until it's just right. She walks so fast too! If you stop when she isn't ready, she cries! She is letting go sometimes to grab onto the couch or transfer hands. She has taken a step out, but I has there to catch her. Otherwise she would have just done a face plant Juliet is a walking machine. She walked all the way to Leigh's house (three doors down) and back. She also loves the little push toy. She hasn't figured out how to turn it around and waits or whines until you can turn it around for her. In this picture she is wearing some beads I gave her while I was packing for our trip to Tallahassee. She LOVED them! She wouldn't do anything without them. Justin took them away and set them on the couch, so she could walk better, but she stopped walking and crawled right over to the couch, pulled herself up and reached for the beads. It was so funny! She also loves taking them on and off, on and off. Of course this is a "toy" that needs constant supervision.

SCROLL DOWN FOR 2 MORE POSTS!!!

Family Time

2009-11-18T10:15:00.000-06:00

This month Juliet has been and will be able to spend some quality time with her grandparents and great-grandparents! The month began with a visit from Granddaddy. He has business in town and spent lunch, afternoons and evenings with us for 4 days. Juliet had a ball with Granddaddy. They played CONSTANTLY. Really, it was non-stop! I know that Granddaddy didn't want to leave Juliet, but I'm sure he needed the rest (especially his back)! Granddaddy was able to get Juliet to laugh really good. I was able to get a video of the last part of the laughing session. She had been going for quite some time and in this she is starting to get tired.

This past weekend we went to Tallahassee with Deda and Granddaddy to visit Grandma and Papa and to celebrate Papa's 85th birthday! We had a great time! Juliet really enjoyed being there. She even sat with Papa quite a bit and went to him on her own. On Monday morning she sat with Grandma a long time while Papa played the guitar and they all three sang! Sweet memories!

Juliet ate in the high chair that has now seated 4 generations! Papa sat in it, Mama, me and now Juliet. She liked propping her feet up, as you can see. She also started signaling "touchdown" this weekend. Juliet's buddy Wynn, who stays with us on week days, taught Juliet. While watching the Alabama v. MSU game this weekend, when AL scored the commentator said, "Touchdown!" The ref signaled touchdown and Juliet threw her hands up in the air! Granddaddy and Grandma witrnessed it. So while she was eating, she thought it was fun. Most of the time it is just a one-armed touchdown.

We are looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with CeCe and Pops and visiting with the Laney's this month too!

9 Months

2009-11-18T09:45:00.000-06:00

Here I am again, posting really late. I keep on waiting for the right time (free time), the right outfit, Juliet to be in a good mood and someone to help with the photo shoot so those things don't line up too often. And then the photo shoot was a flop, but that's the way it goes. Justin and I got ONE picture.

Juliet went to the doctor this month for her 9 month check up. The doc was pleased with everything except her weight. She only weighed 14 lbs. 15 oz. I'm sure it is due to the fact that she is mobile now, so she's burning more calories, but she is in the 2nd percentile for weight. Since she could see her ribs, the doc suggested we begin supplementing with solids. Believe it or not, I was fine with that news. Since supplementing only means adding solid food to her normal feeding schedule, it's not that big of a deal. So I decided to jump in with bananas! I had just started reading Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron the week before, so I was somewhat familiar with how and what I wanted to start with. You already saw the video of the first "meal." She is doing great with it and has now eaten mashed potatoes and yogurt. When I gave her the yogurt she shuddered, but wanted more! Juliet has also learned to use a sippy cup (water). I am also giving her water from a regular cup after she finishes eating. These are all things in the Super Baby Food book.

Ahhh...sleeping. Unfortunately, Juliet is not pacificed with Justin anymore. She'll fuss until he brings her into me to eat. So now we're back to where we were :(. Oh well, this too shall pass.

She is loving to walk with assistance. The swivel hips are gone and she is walking with more confidence. She is so proud of herself when she's walking. She has a huge smile on her face and makes sure you are looking. If you hold her fingers and don't move, she gets mad! And she walks fast!

Juliet still loves the touch and feel books. She is not sitting to read as long as she was. She is more squirmy. Juliet also loves the plastic shapes. She is taking one in each hand and clapping them together. Soon she'll be clapping! She is in the stage of taking everything out. It is so funny. She loves to take things out and toss them over she shoulder and lightening speed. Laundry baskets full of clothes are a favorite! Once she tosses them behind her, she'll turn around and toss them again!

She has six teeth, although they are not easy to see. She hates showing them off. The best chance at seeing them is on the changing table or leaning her back causing her to laugh. The front two teeth look huge compared to the babies on the bottom. There are two more that have just cut through beside her two top front teeth, one on each side.

Juliet is still a super baby. We are enjoying her more and more!

Tiny Prints Giveaway!

2009-11-09T20:59:00.000-06:00

Win a $100 gift certificate to Tiny Prints!!

Little Clapper

2009-11-04T13:48:00.000-06:00

Last week Juliet started clapping on her own. It is so precious. I love it! She's gaining a little weight, so her hands have dimples on them and they are the best!! I love staying at home, I knew exactly when she clapped for the first time. Praise God I can stay home and thank you to my super hardworking hubby who brings home the bacon. Justin's the best.

Touch and Feel Book

2009-11-04T13:40:00.001-06:00

I finally completed a touch and feel book for Juliet. I like how it turned out. She is playing with it a little, but I know that I'll be able to use it more and more. It will come in handy when she is learning her colors and sorting into color groups.

I went to Hobby Lobby to find all the pieces of fabric except for the felt.

Pink: rosettes

Blue: satin

Orange: tulle tied in knots (by Justin)

Red: velvet ribbon

Green: sequin material

Yellow: ruffles

Purple: shiny, slick material

It Was A Good Crop This Year

2009-10-29T10:04:00.000-05:00

Sunday night Juliet attended her first Fall Festival at church! She was a precious little flower, 'little blossom' to be exact! Justin was the farmer and quite proud of the little blossom from his garden :) Juliet made it through the night with no candy! She didn't even get a taste of the frosting on our cupcake. She did get to go on the big, blow up slide and she got her first balloon. It was a big hit! Once we got home she figured out if she bounced her arm, the balloon would bounce too! She loved it! We won't be going trick-or-treating this year, but maybe she'll be ready in 2010. We had a little photo shoot before we left at Leigh's house with Deda and Granddaddy. Since it's been up in the 80's, our pumpkins are rotting-yuck.

Power Tool Pumpkin Carving

2009-10-21T18:23:00.001-05:00

With our pumpkin from Burt's ready to be carved, we set up shop in the front yard for Juliet's first pumpkin carving experience. It looked promising, but Juliet was asleep. We parked her out front and took pictures so she would remember. I began stabbing the pumpkin and realized this booger was thick. Justin very casually mentioned he had some power tools. Well I took him up on the offer. He had that pumpkin popped open in no time! Most excellent. I began digging out the seeds when little one decided she wanted to participate after all...after she ate. So Justin takes over and I go in to wash. Juliet and I set up in the lawn chair in the front yard and a few minutes later, she is a new little lady. Justin nor I had any sketches or even ideas for the jack-o-lantern. Justin said he would pre-drill the eye holes and with that, the pumpkin evolved. The easiest pumpkin we've ever carved (especially for me since I watched)! It turned out super!!

A mini photo shoot evolved too...not once could I get her and the camera to cooperate in a shot with her looking at me.

Fall Fling

2009-10-20T21:20:00.000-05:00

We spent a long weekend with Deda and Granddaddy weekend before last. Since my family moved to North Georgia in the 90's, we have a tradition of going apple "picking" in Ellijay, the apple capitol of Georgia. I don't think I've missed a year. It never gets old! Selecting your apples, eating fried apple pies, apple fritters, apple donuts and sipping apple cider is just the beginning. Fall leaves, mountain scenery and cool weather to go along with the apples makes it a perfect celebration. (Although this year the leaves were just beginning to change and it wasn't cool.) The apple tour ends with a visit to Burt's Pumpkin Patch. A truly yuppy joint, but who cares!! I love it! Last year it was fun to think about having a little one with us. Juliet wasn't too sure about the large orange things and didn't want her picture made with them alone. Maybe next year will be more fun for her. She did enjoy strolling around in the pumpkins though.

We also celebrated Deda's birthday while we were there...Birthday Diaster Weekend 2009. (inside joke)

My Granny, Juliet's Gigi, recently moved to North Georgia, so we were able to go visit her while we were there too! Gigi hadn't seen Juliet since she was born! What a change!! She was also able to visit with her great aunt and uncle and cousin. Gigi, Aunt Ann and Neal were able to make a trip over to Calhoun for church on Sunday, so we got to visit more!

Juliet was soooo tired. She did not want to take a picture. Neal couldn't get enough of her ear lobes, just like Leigh! We were so glad we were able to spend time with the fam!!

Juliet::the past few days

2009-10-19T13:06:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pictures of Juliet (who else?) over the past week. She is such fun!!

Playing with Daddy's helmet.

She fell asleep holding on!

Juliet wore a vintage light pink sweater and bonnet to church Sunday. She looked like a doll! Leigh and I both wore the sweater and bonnet! At first she was mad that we made her wear it!

A Few Videos

2009-10-14T14:46:00.002-05:00

A few fun videos of Juliet.

Climbing the stairs at Deda and Granddaddy's. She had no problem figuring it out. Glad we don't have any at our house! She liked walking up the steps even better. Holding her fingers, she would pick her foot up high and step up. If only she had balance!

Justin and Juliet having some homemade fun! By the end she was giggling like crazy. He stopped and took her out and she cried. He put her back in and she stopped crying immediately. I guess that means she likes it!

Little Camper

2009-10-07T09:44:00.006-05:00

Much to Justin's joy (and mine), Juliet is a good camper! This weekend we went to Lake Lurleen State Park for our first camping trip as a family (Lucy included). I was a little anxious since Juliet had been teething all week, which resulted in multiple dirty diapers daily and crankiness. But she took a break from teething just in time! We chose Lake Lurleen because it is half way between CeCe and Pops and us. They met us there on Saturday to visit with Juliet.

Our friends Amy and Florence (6 weeks) went with us. Amy's hubby was out on business and wanted to get out in this beautiful weather, so we invited them to come along. Florence is also a great camper! Really, going camping with a baby, especially when baby is breastfed and a non-walker, is not bad at all! Amy provided a super dinner, girl scout style. We had ground beef patties and veggies wrapped in foil packets, laid in the red hot coals. The packets had onions, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, potatoes, winter squash, and tomatoes! With a little olive oil and the juices from the meat, it was perfect. They turned out wonderful! This meal is a keeper for camping trips!

Juliet loved watching the fire and even feel asleep easily, watching the flames dance. She slept very well. I had her in warm footie pajamas (with socks underneath), a fuzzy jacket and matching hat. She did pretty good about keeping the hat on. It did get chilly early, early in the morning, but she did just fine sleeping on Justin's chest, underneath a sub-zero sleeping bag. Juliet woke at her usual time between 6 and 6:30, ready to play, after eating of course. Justin got the fire started again and began to prepare breakfast. Florence had a nice night only to be awakened at 7:30 by the ROTC's air horn! It was orienteering day. The menu for breakfast was bacon, eggs and toast in the skillet, nothing better!! Espresso too.

CeCe and Pops arrived at 9:00. They played and played. Juliet got her first noisy toy. (We are now wondering if CeCe and Pops love us or not - just kidding). CeCe prepared a super lunch and by 4:00 it was check out time. Juliet was asleep before we even left the park!

We had a great time camping with Amy and Florence. Hopefully we can all go camping again before it gets too cold. My dad, Granddaddy, was super excited that Juliet was a good camper. I'm sure he is already planning a trip for the future! I hope she continues to like to camp. Justin and I both have great childhood memories of camping and fishing.

Showing off my teeth!

First Food!

2009-10-06T19:41:00.002-05:00

I'll write more in Juliet's 9 month update, but the doc wanted us to start solid foods. So, Juliet's first food is banana! She likes it too. Here is video of the deed!

Happy Birthday Leigh!

2009-09-29T09:44:00.004-05:00

Today is Leigh's birthday! We celebrated with Mama and Daddy this weekend in Birmingham at the Hot and Hot Fish Club. Oh, boy was it good!! I highly recommend it. The tomato salad was simply amazing. Of course tomatoes are my favorite food, but really, this was over the top. I wanted to buy the $35 cook book just for that recipe (which had 3 different sauces, which took 2 days to make). Leigh asked, "would you really make it?" Ummm, yes I think I would. It was divine. The better question is "do you have time to make it?" Ummm, no. For my main course I had the pork plate, that's what I'll call it. It had a much fancier name...Fudge Farm Pork Trio. The slender, rectangular plate held three cuts of pork with a complementing vegetable. First was Leg in Hoisin sauce (Asian) with wilted greens (aka cooked collards), second was Belly meat (not the actual stomach) with roasted brussel sprouts and apples and lastly Loin with mashed sweet potatoes. They were all excellent! My favorite cut was the loin, it was seasoned to perfection, but the belly meat with the apples and brussel sprouts had the best taste together. Oh, my, brussel sprouts and apples, delicious!! For dessert I had a chocolate souffle. The more I ate of it, the better and better it was. But we all had dessert envy over Leigh's pecan truffle. Yum-o! It sounds like a lot of food, but it wasn't really. I was not stuffed when I left, which is nice. The portions were great.

Juliet went too. I was a little worried about her behavior. She likes getting down now and likes to test out the volume of her vocal cords. I know our family wouldn't mind it one bit, but I can remember just a few years back when I would have. Justin and I go out for a nice dinner and we're lucky enough to sit next to a screaming kid. Great. She did well and only let out a few screams. She was restless, but only grabbed my steak knife twice. I wish I had a picture of Mama and Leigh's eyes when she did. The funniest thing that she did was when Mama was holding her. Mama took a sip of water and Juliet went straight to her mouth, like a little birdie, asking for ice. This little habit we started at home. And was unexpected when she went for it in public! Mama is definitely whooped, she gave her ice, just like she wanted. If it was us when we were little...no way!! Of course, Juliet hollers if you don't give it to her....ooops.

See the lady in the back!

It was so cold (seriously cold) in the restaurant, that the camera fogged up outside, but this was the best pic)

Getin' My Sew On

2009-09-23T21:55:00.001-05:00

So I decided that I could make Juliet some cute outfits. I think I bought 6 patterns and borrowed one from a friend. I completed two. Grandma, Mama and Leigh have taught me what I know. I sewed some in high school, but wasn't really interested. Now I am and some times a phone call just doesn't work. So, when Mama is in town, I ask away.

This is the first outfit I made, yellow seersucker. Nothing says Southern Summer like seersucker. I turned out really great, but it is too big. She'll probably be able to wear it next summer! The bows are too big and ended up soaked (in her mouth all the time). And the bloomers I made too small...the pattern made them HUGE and I cut them down, so I'll have to remake those.

(the bloomers should peep out from behind)

Outfit #2:

This outfit was WAY above my skill level, but I figured it out. I love the ruffles!!!

Right now I am working on a touch and feel book for Juliet. Creating as I go. I'll post pics once it's finished. I'm hoping to sew some this winter for next summer. We'll see.

8 Months

2009-09-22T19:48:00.006-05:00

A wee bit behind, but here's the update. Juliet breezed into her 8th month. I cannot believe how quickly she is developing. She's trying to walk and only born 8 months ago for Pete's sake! Babies are amazing!

Juliet now weighs 15 pounds. We are so proud of her weight gain. She is definitely filling out and is most evident in her cheeks. They are so cute and really show up when she's smiling. It makes her eyes curve into half moons. I love it! Justin loves "eating" her cheeks and she thinks it is so funny. She is still eating every three hours during the day like clock work. Sometimes it is difficult for her to keep on task. She gets so distracted! Public feedings are much more difficult due to this. She doesn't like her head covered and she likes to look at what is going on. Thankfully, feeding her doesn't take too long and we can slip off somewhere and fill her tummy. You think she's starving when I sit her in my lap. She is very impatient for me to get read for her to eat!

Juliet is becoming more and more vocal. She is continuing with "ba", "ma" and "da." And now they are a bit louder as she plays with her volume control. The other day she was sitting in the floor by her self babbling and all of a sudden is yelled "DA-DA!" Justin and I were both so proud. "Ba" is her favorite and repeats it over and over (see pic above). Thankfully we love hearing it; it never gets old. She has really discovered her nose and uses it often. She crinkles up her nose, sticks out her bottom jaw and breathes out of it loudly. It is so cute. She does it often, especially when she is excited. Sometimes she'll snort, so cute! (see pic below)

She is playing more on her own with toys. She likes handling toys a little bit more although they are still headed towards the mouth eventually. Ice is a favorite toy. We use it a lot at meal time. It is great for developing her hand skills. Even though ice is hard to handle, she is great and gets it to her mouth every time! Of course, she soaked by the time dinner is over, unless a bib is involved and she still gets wet. She also loves eating ice. We can chomp some up in our mouth and give it to her. She makes such a funny face and holds her finger up to her mouth like she's thinking. As soon as that piece is melted, she is ready for another!

Thankfully Juliet is off of her tummy and crawling on one knee and one foot. She is fast too! Now that she is off her tummy, her clothes are getting so dirty which is wonderful. She is also loving to walk with assistance. It is so funny because she walks loudly and not on her toes. Juliet is so proud of herself. Juliet has let go once to take and step and I caught her mid face plant. She has a signature move that really gets everyone tickled, she will spin in a circle. It is so funny. While sitting on her bottom, she will use her heals to push herself around. She will make a full circle at least once, if not twice. It seems to go with the excited snorting, which makes it even better! This month also brought her first fall...off our bed. It was so sad. She came away unhurt, but now we cannot leave her on the bed. She was sleeping so soundly moments before it happened. We had just taken pictures of her too, we heard the fall and lots of crying. She was more scared than anything else. Her head had a few red marks, but were gone by that evening.

We are trying a new technique for sleeping which is working better. Justin is going in to sooth her at night if she cries. If she smells me, she must eat. So far it is working well and Justin is able to get her back to sleep easily. Most nights she is only waking once. Napping is another issue. She does not like to sleep alone. Many times she'll fall asleep on my chest when I lay down with her. Sometimes I can put her down once she's asleep. Other times it wakes her up and she gets mad.

Juliet still loves to read and is still crazy about touch and feel books. She likes "The Very Busy Spider" and the web the spider spins is raised. I showed her once that she could feel it and now she feels it every time. She also loves the book "Look At Me!" (see pic below). This book has different animal faces you can hold up. She LOVES this book. It provided happy times for this photo shoot. Cradle Roll is a favorite time for her too. She has yet to cry when I leave her in there (knock on wood). The Cradle Roll teachers tell me about how excited she gets over Winkie Bear. Thankfully I teach her on Wednesday nights, so I get to see it first hand. She starts kicking her legs and breathing out her nose when Winkie appears. He is a very simple bear puppet that has probably been around for years. Juliet always wants to hug and "kiss" Winkie.

Juliet is truly a joy. Everybody loves her! It is so funny now when we go into restaurants, if the waitress does not make a comment about Juliet or doesn't interact with her, she's not a good waitress. Ha! I am constantly saying to Justin, "Did you see that?" "Did you hear that?" "Justin, look!" She is such a cutie. Once again, I cannot thank God enough for Him blessing us with sweet Juliet.

DISCLAIMER: this part might cause tears, make your heart ache or make your tummy hurt. (AKA-Mama, don't read)

The other night Justin and I watched a Christian movie, "Faith Like Potatoes," and a little boy dies in the movie. Of course I was crying. I told Justin if anything happened to Juliet, I would die, the Lord might as well take me too. I could not go on. She woke up a bit later and I went to nurse her and I cried, kissed her and prayed. I can truly sing with conviction, "Come Lord Jesus Come." Oh, for the time when there will be NO pain or suffering. Now when Juliet is crying or wanting to be held or wearing me out, I thank God for these times. I want to take none of them for granted.

Mo 'bility

2009-09-21T16:10:00.002-05:00

Either way you look at it, more ability or mobility, that's what Juliet is up to...

Silly Face

2009-08-31T20:34:00.002-05:00

Stand Up!

2009-08-27T20:44:00.005-05:00

Juliet is standing up in her crib like a pro! She did it for the first time about a month ago, but now it's normal for me to come into the room and see her standing in the crib. (She likes to gnaw on it too.)

Well Tuesday she kicked it up a notch, she pulled up on a chair in the kitchen! Of course I didn't have my camera or my phone handy, so I didn't get a picture. But I did get on later that day.

Now she's pulling up on me, toys and chairs she can grip (she can't get a grip on the couch yet). It is so funny because once she is up, she doesn't know how to get down. She'll start whining and then cry until we help her or until she falls-ungracefully. It is quite funny. She'll lay on her back and kick her arms and legs until you pick her up. Apparently the fall causes her to forget how to roll over and sit up. She looks like a turtle on it's back. A special cry comes with the fall too. It is a scared cry, poor thing. Aint Leigh even thinks it's funny. She was taking pictures of Juliet standing and just as she was taking the picture, Juliet fell. It is a great documentation of Juliet's learning curve.

Today while standing, she let go of both hands for a brief moment. I got the back of her doing this:

In no time she'll be cruising furniture and then taking steps on her own. Juliet's "baby" is fading, but thankfully there is still a lot of "baby" left. Below is a video of her new move. I'm so happy we have the ability to record this, pictures don't do it justice...although the one of her falling captures the mood. She also says "ma-ma," blows raspberries and fake coughs [love. it.]. Enjoy!

Isn't she the cutest?!! I could just eat her up!

Lake Lurleen

2009-08-27T12:31:00.005-05:00

We made a day trip to Lake Lurleen outside of Northport, AL to meet CeCe and Pops so they could have some Juliet time. It is a half way spot between us. The forecast looked really hot, but thankfully down by the lake we had shade and a breeze! We spent most of the day there, had a picnic, and played with Juliet. She spent the majority of her day in just her diaper. Juliet and Justin took a dip in the water while it was so hot. Lucy came along too and enjoyed splashing in the water. It was a great trip for us all. Juliet was asleep before we even left the park on the way home!

Our Time in Tally

2009-08-25T21:24:00.009-05:00

Following our fun trip to Panama City with Deda and Granddaddy, we headed for a 10 day stay with Grandma and Papa (Deda and Granddaddy were there too). We hadn't seen them since Easter, Juliet has changed so much. Of course, if you miss a day, you get behind. Deda and Grandma spent 99.9% of their time tending to Juliet, while I read and read. It was great to relax and let the experts take over. Juliet enjoyed her time with Deda, Granddaddy, Grandma and Papa. Juliet especially loved Papa's "pickin'." Grandma became quite the expert in getting Juliet down for the night. And Deda read to her a bunch!

While we were there, Juliet attended her first VBS! She had perfect attendance. I learned more about her personality too. I knew she was very busy, but she is gregarious. She loves other kids. It is so cute. She just lights up and smiles so big at other kids. She is also a little bit aggressive. If she wants a toy, or in this case, a Bible, she'll take it! I also discovered a love for stuffed animals. I don't know what the attraction is, but she's crazy about them. When she sees one, she must have it and she grabs it fiercely and smashes her face in it. Her attention span was great and I was really impressed how well she did every night, considering it was late. How neat is it that her teacher was Jennifer Butts, one of my suite mates from college!
(Miss Suzie and Mr. Chris, VBS Directors)

Leigh and Justin came down to pick us up. We had not seen them for 14 days! I was a bit afraid of Juliet's reaction to Justin. Unfortunately, she did cry when she saw him. I on the other hand, did not. I was so happy to see him. We haven't been apart that long ever! That Sunday was our 6th anniversary(July 19th...I'm still playing catch up). We celebrated on Saturday at a local restaurant, Cyprus and went to the movies to see Harry Potter! So romantic, I know. There are like a TON of pictures, so bear with me!

Bay Point Resort

2009-08-20T11:56:00.004-05:00

Mama and Daddy invited Juliet and I to accompany them to Panama City for a business trip. I decided that I better take them up on this offer because once Juliet doesn't need me for food, it'll be "adios Hilary!" Just Kidding, Mama.

We had a great time lying in the shade and swimming in the pool. Thankfully, Juliet likes to swim now. And even though we tried to keep her in the shade and covered in sunscreen, she got a bit of sun. Her cheeks were rosie, but she didn't burn. She actually tanned a wee bit!

Thanks to Mama and Daddy for the delicious meals on the coast and the wonderful time we shared with you both!