How busy life with 2 can be

Hi all,
So I think I am starting to get the hang of two babies. Not that Julia is a baby anymore. I can't believe she is about to be 2. People always told me that your children grow up fast - now I really understand what they mean.

I know that I have not been good about posting in recent months - let's just say things got crazy and didn't seem to slow down any. There were just some things I had to let go for a bit. But hopefully things are settling down. After chairing a community event for the Junior League in July I resigned from that deciding that I didn't want my evenings filled with meetings, committees, etc. when I really just wanted to spend time with Jody and the kids or just sleep... :) That was keeping me busy for a while along with family visits so everyone could meet JOhn Thomas.

Jody and I are adjusting to having two - it's amazing how quickly you forget how time consuming the new baby stage is. But we love it. The first day I was at home with both kids by myself afer all the family had left - they started crying at the same time as we were trying to get out the door. Not sure what to do, I just started to sing 'My Favorite Things' which is one of Julia's favorites. Somehow I managed to get to the store with both kids in tow - my first outing with both. It seemed like a formidable task at the time to go to the store with both - now I cannot recall why I was making such an issue about it. I've pretty much decided that if there was ever a time 'to go with the flow' it is when you have two kids under 2. Plans shouldn't be made and if they are expect them to be broken. Don't make phone calls when they are both awake b/c someone will start screaming and don't even think about taking a shower in peace...and I've determined that 5:30 is the hour when everyone decided to fall apart b/c they are all hungry at the same time.
And don't ever think baby#2 will have an uninteruptted meal. I don;t think John Thomas has had more than a handful of nursing times go uninterrupted. But at the end of the day I would not trade this time for anything. I am very fortunate that I can be at home with them and enjoy this time that goes too quickly.

Julia is being a great big sister. She likes to give 'Johnny' (as she calls him) his paci and cover him with blankets when he is upset if I cannot get to him quickly. She really seems to enjoy having him around - we still try to ensure that she has one on one time with Mommy and Daddy too though. She is in swimming lessons and still goes to a gymnastics class on Saturday - some great time with Daddy.
This summer she has been enjoying spending time with her friends at the park and in the backyards...running around and getting tan. One of her friends - Holden - moved to Denver in May - she misses her - and I think the mommies miss each other - I know I miss my Chick fil A breakfasts with the moms - but we try to get together at least once every couple weeks by taking a little trip up the road. Jules still gets to see her friend Emily alot though. We are going to be having their 2nd b-day party together in the next couple weeks.


John Thomas is getting big - 3 months now - smiling at us and starting to coo and make all kinds of noises. He is a pretty good sleeper at night and I am working towards getting both kids on the same nap schedule. I am grateful that I can get them both to bed at about the same time. John Thomas seems happiest when he is naked as a bird - coos and giggles and kicks his feet. I think he'd prefer to stay that way if possible. Oh, the simple things that make babies happy.

We took a trip up to Frisco in July for a quick little get away. I am thankful that we are so close to the mountains and can enjoy a few days away like that - we relaxed and took some hikes. Just enjoyed the change of scenery.

I promise to be better about keeping up with the posts. Love to everyone!

John Thomas

Hi everyone! Well it really has been awhile since I posted last. To be honest it's hard to sit down at the computer with a toddler running around and then at night after she goes to bed it is honestly the last thing I want to do.
But, I wanted to share the 3D pics of John Thomas in a slideshow. There were 45 pictures so it is easiest to post this way. The umbilical cord was in his face so it was hard to get a good picture but I think we got some clear ones. It's funny, when we saw the 3D of Julia I knew from the moment that she looked like Jody. I am having a little more difficulty deciding about baby boy although he does have chubby cheeks like his daddy. Hope you enjoy! I promise to post more later!

It's Been A While...

Hi everyone! It's been a while since I updated this - sorry! We've been busy. If you paid attention to the last entry in September, you know that we are expecting baby #2 in May. I am about 10 weeks along and feeling good. It was a little rough for a bit there - the first few weeks I was pretty wiped out, but am starting to get my energy back now.
We've been busy though. Jules friend Emily had her first birthday to celebrate. Jules took swimming lessons recently. She did really well and enjoyed it. She learned to kick and paddle and go under the water. We had a little boy in our class who was over 2 and absolutely terrified of the water - it defintely pays to start early. Julia is still going to her gymnastics class and loves it!
Aunt Carolyn came to visit and we enjoyed the time spent with her. Jules actually took her first steps when Carolyn was here - big moment. She is trying hard to walk - she has figured out how to stand on her own and takes a couple steps but then sits. We're sure it's going to be any day now - then she can keep up with Holden and Emily.
Jules and I took a trip to Breckenridge with daddy recently - he had to work and we thought we'd tag along. It was nice to get away for a bit.
This past weekend we took a trip to a Pumpkin Patch with Holden and Emily. It had been beautiful all week, but of course the day we decide to go it is cold and foggy. It was still a good trip though. The girls got to see a petting zoo with goats and go through a hay maze. We got a few pumpkin pictures before heading for the warmth of the car.
Enjoy the pictures!

BIG NEWS!

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We Can't Believe She's 1!

Wow! Everyone told us time would fly and it truly does. Julia is officially one year old and we celebrated in style. Helen's mom and Jody's parents came to visit their grandbaby to help her celebrate. We had a small birthday celebration on the 19th for her birthday with her grandparents and her friends Holden and Emily (whose birthday is next). We had spaghetti, monkey cupcakes, and monkey cookies. It is interesting trying to plan the birthday treats for a little one with dairy allergies, but you get creative. She opened some presents that night and a fun time was had. On Saturday we had the official birthday party and a great turn out. Julia's friends came and brought her all kinds of fun goodies. She received some great toys and clothes! We gave out monkey sugar cookies and bubble stuff as party favors. Adn had yummy BBQ for lunch. A great day, and definitely a time to cherish.

Other news - Julia is growing but she's a tiny one. She is moving all around and finding so much of her environment amusing. She thinks the dogs are funny, especially when they sneeze and she head butts them if they are in her way. Thankfully, her canine buddies are tolerating this well. She's been cruising on the furniture since July and she's getting brave and starting to move from one piece to another if they are close together. She figured out how to climb the stairs and after watching her friend Emily she can go down as well. She has a push toy that she likes to use to walk around the den - she's able to get up on it on her own and loves it. She's getting more teeth on the top and they are sharp. She figured out that she can bite my shoulder when I am holding her - we definitely put an end to that quickly. Julia can walk pretty far if she's holding onto mine or Jody's hands - we call it her 'marching' phase. She is still going to gymnastics and loves it. She is not afraid to flip upside down - the coaches enjoy the fact that they can try just about anything with her.
We will continue to keep everyone updated on her development. She keeps us busy! Never knew such a little person could make you so tired by the end of the day. Late nights are unheard of these days. Love to everyone!

Vacation-MOAB, UT

For vacation we took a trip to Moab, UT. We had heard so much about it from people here we decided we had to check it out. It is a desert area with beautiful scenery, but it is HOT. We are so spoiled by the weather here in Colorado.

Julia did very well considering we spent 6 hours in the car. But we stopped at different points and let her crawl around to release some energy.

Moab has some wonderful parks which we took advantage of while we there. We went to one called Arches Nat'l Park - beautiful red rock formations and did some hiking. We spent a day hiking behind the condo where we stayed and playng in a stream to keep cool. Julia loved that. We went to a lake one day to swim and Jule's was more infatuated with the rocky beach area. Who knew rocks could be so mcuh fun to sit and crawl on...?!?

Julia seemed to enjoy her first vacation. Looking forward to many more... she plans to be a world traveler... :)

UPDATES

Wow! It's been a busy summer and it seems it's almost over. Julia had been growing by leaps and bounds. We are having so much fun with her and feel so blessed that she is part of our lives. Julia and I took a trip to Columbus, GA for cousin Robert's wedding in June. She got to meet some family she hasn't met before and attend her first wedding. Being a little crawler does not make for an easy flight, but we did it. She so wants to move around now that I had to put her down at the wedding reception and follow her everywhere ensuring that no one stepped on her. We've been enjoying going to parks and playing with our friends this summer. We've been to several baseball games here in The Springs with her friend Emily.
After Julia's BUGS graduation, she started the next level class which is BIRDS. She LOVES going to the gym on Saturday mornings. She gets so excited and starts babbling as soon as we walk in the door. We think her favorite part of the class are the bells and the balls.
It's hard to believe that she is 11 months going on 1 year. We are making plans already for this momentous birthday. I swear it seems like yesterday that we brought her home. I look at bewborn pictures and it's hard to remember that she was that small and helpless.
Since she started crawling it has made life interesting - but wonderful. After many attempts we finally have baby gates that keep her away from the stairs. She recently learned to crawl up the stairs, but now we need to learn how to go down. Maybe she can learn that from her friend Emily who is a pro :). Right now Jules wants to go headfirst down the steps which doesn't work too well.
Hope everyone is having a fabulous summer!
We had a great 4th of July and hope everyone else did too.