Update

Oh yeah, this is going to be a crazy LONG catchup. But I'm sick of not blogging. You wanna know the reason why I haven't blogged in so long. Because I can't find JULIA'S 8 and 9 month baby pictures! It's frustrating being a Type A personality.

I've let go and here is the catch up. When I do find the pictures, I'll post.

Johnathan: Johnathan turned 8 months old on October 4th (the day before my 36th birthday) and 9 months old on November 4th. He's growing like crazy, has 6 teeth, eats everything (hasn't eaten baby food in a long time), runs everywhere in his walker, army crawls everywhere on the floor, pulls up on anything and everything, still drools and snots, he laughs when you tickle him, claps, waves, says mama and dadda, still loves his bath and his sister, sleeps 10-12 hours at night, and we love him so so much. We couldn't imagine our lives without him.

Julia: Julia turned 2 years and 9 months old on October 4th and 2 years and 10 months old on November 4th. She's also growing like crazy, has all of her teeth (still, if she doesn't quit falling during her little toddler years!), eats everything also (except tomatoes like her dad and chunky chicken), she is pretty athletic (how do you tell at this age?), but she loves to run and kick the ball. She keeps us laughing at everything. Here are her top 10 sayings/words:

10. "Hippopatamus" (that's a hard word for a 2 1/2 year old!)
9. "Daddy's in Romania" (another one...)
8. "What did you dream about last night, Julia?" "Um, ABCs."
7. Her dinner prayer: "Thank you for mommy and daddy, Shay and Steven...Jesus Amen"
6. "Mallory's my cousin like Deego is Dora's cousin"
5. "I go poopoo - it's a heart!"
4. "Bubba just said, 'Dora!'" (does this girl love Dora or what?)
3. "Johnatin, you in time out....2 minutes!" (she thinks SHE'S his mommy)
2. "The zipper is broken! Get some batteries to fix it?" (her suggestion after I fixed one of her battery operated toys...she thinks batteries will fix anything....even zippers!)
1. "Mommy got a peeter like daddy" (in response to my new COMPUTER looking just like Jason's)

The Beginning of October: We went to see Brad's team play soccer. Mallory and Julia played together as well as Johnathan and Morgan. I made a make-shift bed for Julia in the hotel room - pushed the two chairs together and voila! a toddler bed!


















Mallory and Julia couldn't WAIT to get in BMom and Pop's car to go spend a week in Burk. And Shannon and I celebrated when they did! ((I teared up a bit, but was quickly over it on the car ride home...in peace and quiet!))

I did some projects when Miss Julia was gone for the week. I put the ball fringe around her valance and moved some things around. You know that garage sale Shannon mentioned in her blog? I got the white shelf for $2 and put some fringe around the bottom to spruce it up. I hung it up over her bed along with that "Dream" thing I bought for real cheap at Hobby Lobby.

And I (uh, Jason) even did some redecoratin' in our closet. Took down that awful globe light in our closet and put up the $12 Trades Days find. Much better!

NOTE: No babies were harmed during this making of this film: This is what happens when you turn your back on an 8 and a half month old football player. He tackles everything - including our VERY HEAVY IRON barstool! He was laughing so hard like he'd really done something magical. I guess he did in his own world.















This is Brian, Kari, Jason and I trying to be real cool in our not-so-young-anymore-ages....going out from 8 o'clock to midnight and riding EVERY scary upsy downsy ride there is at Six Flags and Jen (yeah, that would be me!), getting el' sicko after!!!














Pumpkin Patch times a million. Mom took Julia on one of her school days because I wasn't able to. Then we went with MOMs Group, then....well, I guess that's it....it just FELT like a million!














Mom, me, Sherry Samuels and her daughter, Amy Robinson went to see NEIL DIAMOND! He's mom's favorite and I grew up listening to him pretty much every Saturday when mom cleaned the house! The concert was soooooo much fun and if you ever have a chance - it's an experience! He puts on an EXCELLENT show. We had a blast!














Friends of ours, Todd & Sonnya Airhart, sent Julia a Prosper Eagles cheerleading outfit equipped with pom poms! THEN! We went and beat the Celina Bobcats (our RIVAL) after 24 straight years of losses against them. It was truly an experience! We were out late late late with the kiddos (we usually leave at half time). Johnathan was KONKED out after! Soooo much fun.















Julia teaching Johnathan to drive....there are longer videos of this, but it wouldn't let me download them. Here's a little taste....


And Julia is helping me fix BMom's Chicken and Rice that we cook ALL OF THE TIME! She is cutting the bell pepper (bell pecker in her language, though!) and Johnathan is helping cheer her on in the background.














Then we have Halloween Halloween Halloween! I was soo tired of Halloween and all the costume days, that when November 1st came, I secretly smiled.

Julia went as a Ladybug (my mom has her own little business called Ladybug Wreaths, so we thought it was fitting!) and Johnathan went as a horse. So stinkin' cute. I love that guy.

Julia goes to two different schools, so it's double this, double that during the holidays. She had two costume days, plus we had storytime for MOMs Group at the library on Halloween (see picture of a ladybug in Julia-Ladybug's hand. How ironic that a Ladybug would find a ladybug during the photo shoot!), then that night we went to a festival in Prosper (not to mention all the pumpkin patch trips). Johnathan goes to a totally different school than either one of Julia's and had his own costume day.

So again needless to say, I was really really happy to put the costumes and halloween decor away after the festivities!! More stuff for November in the next post....LOVE!

Why Why Why

• Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are almost dead?
• Why do banks charge a fee on 'insufficient funds' when they already know there is not enough money?
• Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars; but have to check when you say the paint is still wet?
• Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?
• Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?
• Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
• Whose idea was it to put an 'S' in the word 'lisp'?
• If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?
• Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?
• Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?
• Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?
• Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?
• Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end you try first?
• How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed light fixtures?
• When we are in the supermarket and someone rams our ankle with a shopping cart then apologizes for doing so, why do we say, 'It's all right?' Well, it isn't all right, so why don't we say, 'That really hurt, why don't you watch where you're going?'
• Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that's falling off the table you always manage to knock something else over?
• In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?
• How come you never hear father-in-law jokes?
• Why don't I blog when I say I'm going to blog...and then blog about nothing I wanted to blog about in the first place?

Coming to a Theater Near You

Okay, so it's been FOREVER! I promise, I have an update of our lives coming soon. Here's what you can look forward to (in order of date so be sure to read ALL posts):

Johnathan's 8 Month Birthday and Picture Comparisons
Cousin Week
Neil Diamond Concert (oh boy! for some of you!)
Ladybug Wreaths (go there NOW to check out my mom's line of wreaths!)
Julia's Driving Lesson...Teaching
Jogger Eggnogger!

Oh, just stay tuned.....and bring your popcorn and silence your cell phones. Love!

For Uncle Brad

Jason always gets us (muah and the kids) a little somein-somein from the countries he visits. Anywhere from a pair of cool sandals from Africa (still my favorite of all the things), to cool red things (red's my fav color) like pottery or candles or such.

His last trip was to Ecuador where it is COLD, well to me it would be...it's pretty much Cali weather year round. Sooo he bought me a nice gray scarf.

He has brought Julia back some really sweet Mexican dresses, shirts or purses/bags. This time he brought back these really neat pencils. I know that sounds weird, but she LOVED them. They are huge and some are in the shape of a parrot. Anyways, she loved them.

But the ABSOLUTE CUTEST THING EVER was what he brought back for Mr Johnathan! He got Johnathan a little soccer outfit. Since Uncle Brad's a soccer coach (at Mary Hardin Baylor), we thought he'd enjoy these pics and video.

Soooooo cute! Maybe one day Uncle Brad will be Johnathan's soccer coach. We're proud of all you do with your team, Brad, and we can't wait to see you in a couple of weeks.