First Cereal

Julia had her first oatmeal and didn't really care for it. Shocker! We totally thought she was going to gobble up the stuff, but she just looked at Dan like he was crazy for giving her something so completely disgusting. We tried again a few days later, but she gave a look that said "no way suck-as" and that was that.

Snowy Fun

So it snowed on Julia's 4 month b-day (December 19, for those of you who like to know the dates) and Ellie simply could not resist getting out and playing in it. Now, I'm not sure how long you - reader - have been reading this blog, but this time last year it was snowing up a storm and we had a very white Christmas. We went for a few walks in the snow and I inevitably ended up carrying Ellie (either that or she clamored up my legs)... she was completely freaked out by the snow. What a difference a year makes! Even though this was a very small snow, she had a blast and is anxiously awaiting more.

Time is Flying

Our little jolly Julia is 4 months old! To commemorate this occasion God made it snow (her first snow), we took her to Cracker Barrel for breakfast, she did LOTS of chatting today with everyone in the house, Ellie & I made sugar cookies and Dan bought her first box of oatmeal cereal. No, she hasn't eaten it yet, but we bought it - that's special, right? Julia watches us eat so we figure the first feed won't be too far behind.

Vocal - if she does not want to be where you have set her, she most definitely will not be quiet about it. Talking, baby-yelling, staring at you, and lastly crying. I have a feeling the cat will never catch her tongue. Ever. I'll be sure to keep you updated on how this turns out.

Eyes - Julia has always had eyes that seem like they can talk. She just stares at you and then starts to jabber, it's almost as though you can understand what she is saying. It's strange and fun all at the same time.

Smile - This little girls smile is massive. She opens her mouth, squints her eyes, and offers a jolly toothless grin when you are her entertainer (or savior if she's woken up from her nap). She also sticks out her tongue when smiling, which is a new development.

Sick - This weekend Julia is just getting over her second cold. Second! She's 4 months and had two colds. I feel terrible, but just can't keep Ellie from infecting her (Ellie got sick first and generously passed it on to Julia and I).

Happy Day Julia! You are 4 months old and loving life! Chatting up a storm, rolling over, sitting pretty in a bumbo, opinionated, vocal, and smiley smiley smiley.

Shaving with Daddy

What little girl wouldn't love to shave with Daddy, eh?

Who doesn't remember doing THIS?

Santa's Helper Came!

He brought purple nail polish! In case you haven't heard, purple is the new blue. According to Ellie anyway. And almost just as good as Santas Helper coming is having Daddy paint her nails. Did any of you know Dan was so talented?

Roll with it

Today while Ellie was napping, I was visiting with Julia after a feed and a diaper change. I had her on her back on the couch and I was sitting next to her on the floor. I turned around to grab my camera off the coffee table and when I turned around she was perched on her belly very close to the edge. QUITE proud of herself, mind you, and a little uncertain as to how she got into this position (without being put there by Mom). I was so stunned that I put her back on her back and watched her do it again - this time taking pictures. So as of December 6, 2009, Julia Claire is rolling over folks!

Chew on this...

Julia's latest obsession is to see what she can get in her mouth. I know I've already been through this with Ellie, but for whatever reason I can't believe that Julia is able to grasp toys and put them in her mouth right now. Wasn't she just born? Seriously.

Santa's Helper Came!

When I was growing up, during the month of December, if you heard a knock on the door in the evening (and you weren't expecting company - and where we lived we were never really expecting company), we were being paid a visit by Santa's Helper. And oh my goodness, oh my gracious, when Santas Helper dropped off a gift at the doorstep, you would have thought it was Christmas day itself! My brother and I would immediately stop what we were doing, look at each other and say "Santas Helper came!" and both clamor to reach the door first to retrieve the gifts. They were never very big items, but we didn't care. Santas Helper had come!

Well, I'm guessing since Ellie & Julia are my decedents, they were paid a visit by Santas Helper! The 4th of December he arrived at our doorstep bearing two gift bags with green reindeer shirts. Ellie was quite excited that a gift was left for her at the front door. A little confused at first, but excited nonetheless. Julia slept through it all so we aren't really sure what her reaction would have been. The shirts were worn all day long (and even the next day, I believe).

We can't wait to see if he comes again!

Thanksgiving Vacation

Oh my goodness going home was SO much fun! Our little family of four stayed with Oma & Opa in their new house in Ruston. We really appreciate all the trouble they went to just so we could have beds to sleep in and furniture to sit on while we were there.

We were planning on driving down all day Friday. BUT, Dan got off work on Thursday morning after a 30 hour shift and felt so good that we decided to drive down if we could get packed quickly enough. Both of us were feeling up to that challenge and did laundry, cleaned the house, and packed the entire family (including the dog) in 3 hours. Whew! The drive went well and was pretty uneventful considering we traveled more than 800 miles. We drove laaaaate into the night and got to Ruston around 2am on Friday morning and collapsed into bed. Oma & Opa weren't scheduled to be there until Friday night and Ellie wanted to know where the heck they were. Try explaining this to a 2 and a half year old when it's 2:30am and you've been driving all day. Then try to explain to her that she has to sleep in a new room all by herself... that didn't work either so Dan slept with Ellie and I slept in our room with Julia. The next night (and the rest of the trip) Ellie did great and slept in the room all by herself.

I'm going to have to condense all that happened while we were in Louisiana so here goes:
- First stop was to visit Nana and let her meet Julia for the first time
- Second stop was to round up my parents and take them to (none other than) Johnny's Pizza for lunch! This was all a big surprise because we didn't tell my family we were getting there a day earlier than scheduled.
- Ellie learned how to turn a summersault
- Dan cleaned out his "memory" box and we all got a big kick out of his stuff. Well, ok, it was mostly me laughing. Especially the My Life list (predicting what his life would be like) that Dan, Ellie & I are pictured holding... Sorry to tell on you Dan, but I haven't laughed that hard in years. You were supposed to have your first million by next year. Hm... Dan actually laughed so hard he cried when he opened up a card his brother drew for Opa's birthday about 18 years ago.
- We had a surprise visit from my Aunt Claire & EA on Sunday at my parents. We were scheduled to eat dinner with the Fam, including Aunt Kay & Uncle Ken, and were delighted when Aunt Claire & EA got to stop in and visit on their way home from picking up a horse.
- Ellie had a fantastic time! She enjoyed swinging, jumping in the leaves, taking family pictures, marching, dancing, singing songs, playing with Avery & especially combing her hair, having her fingernails painted purple (the new fav color), playing with all of her Aunts, and probably most of all... having undivided attention from not one, not two, but FOUR grandparents for a week.
- Julia (our social butterfly) enjoyed charming relatives for the first time and smiled at each and every one of them, leaving puddles of melted hearts in her wake. She relished in having an endless supply of smiling faces at her disposal any time of day. For the first time she met: Nana, Uncle Luke, Aunt Katy, Avery, Great Aunt Claire, Great Uncle EA, Great Aunt Kay, & Great Uncle Ken, Steph, Ryan, Julie, Dave, Aaron, Jenna, & Jen (hope I didn't leave anyone out!).
- Dan, Julia & I all made a quick trip to Shreveport one day and got to see several friends, eat lunch, and do a tiny bit of shopping.
- Dan & I got to do pretty much whatever we wanted, thanks to an endless supply of babysitting. I got to go with all of my sister-in-laws to the mall, but we only made it to one store. haha. Then I went back to the mall by myself later in the week to find jeans since my only pair that fit me right now were ripping in the leg (got to love post-pregnancy!). I also got coffee a few times... I really do miss frequenting coffee shops. Dan got to play some golf, disc golf, ate Mexican, and I'm not really sure what else because I was shopping. ha ha
- We ate Thanksgiving dinner twice, on with Dan's family and once with mine.
- Thanksgiving morning Dan & I drove over to Shreveport and did the Turkey Trot with Dan & Jen. They all beat me, too. Not that that's surprising... I haven't exactly been running regularly lately (I blame my two kids, he he).
- Julia attended her first tea party with Oma, Aunt Carol, Aunt Joan, Aunt Katy, Ellie & I.
- Saturday night we stayed at Pop & Tudi's house (in order to get up on Sunday and drive home). We had a bonfire that rocked the house. We haven't done that in years. Ellie actually participated in the festivities, as did Dave, Julie & Olivia who drove all the way from Shreveport to bid us farewell. Aunt Katy, Uncle Luke, Avery, Pop & Tudi were all there of course, and eventually Uncle Erik came with a friend (yep, a girl folks).

We got up and drove home the next day and were seriously tired when we arrived home. Dan actually could not drive the last leg because he was falling asleep. THIS is seriously out of character for him, but I cracked open a coke and drove 'er the rest of the way home safe and sound. Surprisingly, when we got home the house smelled exactly like it did when we bought it. It made me wonder if this is what our house always smells like. I mean, have we even lived here a year and a half? I'm not exactly sure.

Ahhhhhh. It's good to be home!