The J Crew

Playing Catch-Up

2011-05-26T18:50:00.000-05:00

I find myself putting off so many things with the excuse that I will get around to them when I'm "caught up". Maybe I'll blog when all the boxes are unpacked. Maybe I'll get around to scrapbooking when the office is done. Maybe I'll start that book after all this cleaning is done. I realize this theory is flawed. I realize now that it will never be done. I keep anxiously awaiting the day that I will be caught up. The day when I can climb in bed, having completed every unfinished project and wake up the next morning and start fresh, will never come. There will always be something I didn't do, something else I could have done. So today I choose to blog, no matter what else there is to do around me :)

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

2010-11-29T23:50:00.002-06:00

Sorry dear blog, it seems that Facebook is just all I have the time for lately! Life with two kids doesn't leave much time for writing! But, I had a thought for a post, so regardless of how late it is (and it IS late!) I am going to do this thing!

For the whole month of November I made an effort to post a status every day on Facebook of something I am thankful for. It was easy, being as blessed as I am, to come up with different things I am grateful for. But as Thanksgiving approached, I couldn't help but notice that everything I had mentioned being thankful for was something I considered a blessing. Positive things. Wonderful things. Happy things. And all those things are worth thanking God for, absolutely. But I got to thinking, those are not the only things I am thankful for.

The things in my life that have brought me the closest to God, taught me the most, matured me the most, changed me the most, have been difficult things. Challenging things. Things I didn't necessarily enjoy. And in the end, if I am honest with myself, I know I am most thankful for those things. I am thankful that God thinks enough of me to take my hand and walk me through these times in my life, the good, the bad AND the ugly, and see that I come out on the other side, better for having pressed on with Him. I couldn't be more thankful for that.

Okay God, I Get It

2010-10-12T15:16:00.003-05:00

It's been a long time, comin', I know. Transitioning from being a mother of one to a mother of two was more difficult than I imagined. I thought the difficulty would be in going from none to one, but boy was I wrong! I absolutely love it, don't get me wrong, and I wouldn't change a thing. But finding time to blog has been beyond challenging. In fact, I had given up on it altogether until very recently.

This fall I joined a MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) group with some friends from church. We meet twice a month, the kids get to participate in awesome kids programs, and us moms get some time to listen to a speaker, make a craft, eat yummy food, and spend time in small discussion groups. Last Friday, the speaker spoke on the topic of self care. She emphasized how mothers of young children need to take time to do something for themselves, besides maybe taking a shower, each day. The thing that came to mind for me was blogging. I used to love putting this blog together, posting pics, and writing to clear my head and organize my thoughts. Then when we broke off into our discussion groups, the mentor in my group mentioned what she called "sacred echoes" which is when God keeps bringing the same thing to your attention through various means, just to drive the point home. So I thought of my Grandma, and how she had told me she missed reading my blog. Then I thought of my father-in-law Tony who was giving me a hard time just the other day because he keeps checking it and seeing the same old post. And then I thought about how blogging was the first thing I thought of when the speaker was speaking. So I made a mental note that day to see about blogging again, but I proceeded to get too busy, like always. Today, though, was the icing on the cake. A friend of mine posted on Facebook that she was going to start blogging again, so I followed the link to her blog because I had never read it before. And what I found there was my story! She wrote about how she was going to MOPS and she felt God was telling her to get back to blogging, etc, etc. How's that for an echo from God? So... God, I am sorry for making you repeat yourself so many times. I get it. And a-blogging I will go! :)

Happy Easter from Santa Clause

2010-04-17T02:46:00.002-05:00

Yes, Santa Clause. Just watch the video!

Egg Oops

2010-04-17T02:33:00.002-05:00

This year the Easter Bunny almost got herself in trouble. She decided that she would bring Julia her Easter basket after Julia was in bed and before she hit the sack herself, that way she wouldn't have to be up before Julia to do it in the morning. So she waited until it had been quiet in Julia's room for a while and then set up the basket. She then decided that she would leave a trail of plastic eggs from the basket in the living room and down the hall to Julia's room. She started at the basket, setting down one egg at a time, moving toward Julia's room. As she set the last egg down right in front of the door she heard an excited little voice proclaim loudly, "EGG! I SEE A EGG!" The bunny snatched up the egg and jumped back from the door (trying not to die laughing!) and called mommy so she could go in and put Julia back in her bed.

Honestly, Julia was laying on the floor in her room, peering under the door. I can only assume this was an effort to see the Bunny that Mommy made the mistake of mentioning before bed! Too smart for her own good, my child!

Surprises

2010-04-17T02:26:00.002-05:00

Little surprises round every corner! I love the little things I come across every day. But if you happen to take your shoes off in our house, beware! That is Julia's favorite place to hide things!

Mama princess duck and baby princess duck, two of Julia's favorites.

Kissing cows!

Three Cheers for Park Weather!

2010-04-17T01:48:00.003-05:00

Having a baby in December was good in a lot of ways. It's difficult to leave the house with a newborn, especially when you have a toddler to get ready and out the door as well. So while Christmas was more than a little crazy, it worked out that those couple months that I was homebound with Jenna were January and February. Those winter months can be depressing, but not so when you have a fast-growing newborn to entertain and delight you! Learning how to adjust to being a mother of two helped pass the time. But as March dragged along, we all came down with a bad case of cabin fever! We couldn't have been more happy to be treated with gorgeous spring weather in April! Jenna is older now, and we are happy and grateful to be out of the house more!

On April 2, Kristen came over and we took the girls to the park.

"One... two... three... I come!"

(You'd better hide fast, because that's all you get when Julia counts!)

Tay tay is tricky, she hid on top of the rock wall. Julia wandered all around the playground calling for her, it was adorable.

"There she is!"

Julia was terrified of the swings that day. Even sitting on Kristen's lap, she was hanging on for dear life!

Thanks for playing with us Kristen, Julia loves you so much!

No Foolin'

2010-04-17T01:33:00.003-05:00

I love all the chubby rolls on my Jenna Hope! And I love this warm weather that allows me to see more of that chub all day long because it isn't covered up!

April 1st was such a beautiful day. The girls and I did some shopping with my mom and played at the park for a bit.

But the best part of the day was after the sun had set. My brother Brian and his wife Tiffany called and asked if they could stop by on their way home from Bible study. They gave us the news that Tiffany is pregnant! I was hesitant to believe her, being that it was April Fool's Day, but it's no lie! She just found out and she is due in December, near Jenna's birthday! We could not be happier for them! My girls will finally have a cousin! And should this cousin be a girl, she will have more clothes and "accessories" than she knows what to do with! But of course, a boy would be lots of fun, too!

Congratulations Brian and Tiffany! We love you guys, and we are praying for all three of you!

I'm Back

2010-04-17T01:29:00.003-05:00

Well, I think that like so many others, I am finding that all I can make time for are some one-liners posted on Facebook and blogging has been neglected! I do so love to blog though. So... I'm going to try to make an effort here. Catching up is probably too difficult, so how about if I just go back to the beginning of April? :) Stay tuned!

Baby & Toddler

2010-02-26T22:28:00.004-06:00

So, turns out keeping up with two kids is harder than it looks! Not that I ever believed it would be easy, but I must admit that the areas I have the most difficulty with are things I didn't see coming, while some things that I thought would be so difficult have ended up being a cakewalk. Such is life, I suppose, there is really no way to prepare yourself for children, whether they are your first, second, or 19th child, you just never know what will happen next, and you have to take it one day at a time. So that's what we do around here! We survive one day at a time, looking to the next!

It's funny, John and I were talking the other day about people's questions and expectations. As soon as you're engaged, they want to know what date you've picked. As soon as you're married, they want to know when you're having a baby, as soon as you have a baby, they want to know when you're having another. And, I've now found, as soon as you have your second, they want to know how many you plan to have. It's kind of funny, really, I would have thought I'd get asked when we'll have another. But I guess after two, most people stop assuming you will have more and just want to know whether or not you are, and how many! And that question still stumps me every time. We're taking baby steps with baby making, not daring to plan our end game too early on! I can say one thing though, as far as it depends on me, if there is a third, there will be more than a two year, three month gap this time! Whew!

So...an update on Jenna, youngest first for a change! She has passed the two month mark, and by the looks of her, seems even older! It's incredibly sad for a mommy, having her second grow up even faster than the first, literally! She turned 2 months old on the 16th of February and had her doctor's appointment the same day. She weighed 13 lbs, 10 oz, and was 24 inches long! That's a gain of 5 1/2 pounds in about 9 weeks! More than 1/2 pound a week! She is amazing, though. It is a change for me, having a chunker, because Julia is so long and lean. I absolutely love it though. I can't get enough of those chipmunk cheeks and her thighs crack me up at every diaper change with rolls upon rolls upon rolls. Adorable. And while I hesitate to speak too soon, she has still managed to keep all that dark hair! I love having one with hair so blonde and one so dark! She is all smiles and coos now. I love hearing her sweet little voice. She even sings along with me. She is such a good baby, and I am immeasurably grateful for that. She sleeps through the night, and really only cries when she is hungry, tired and fighting sleep, or bored and wanting a change of scenery. But as far as babies go, she is still pretty low maintenence. It is so wonderful to have a baby again that is at the age where all she has to do is catch sight of me and I get a big smile. She doesn"t see my flaws or failures. She doesn't expect the impossible from me. All she wants are a few basic needs to be met. And she knows I meet those needs, and she loves me for it. Smiles at me for it. There is great joy in such simplicity. Thank you, sweet baby girl! You are more of a blessing to me than I can ever describe!

Julia, Julia, Julia. Where shall I begin? That girl can both amaze and appall me in the same day! My goodness, can she wear me out! Having a newborn again has made me see how incredibly easy a baby is compared to a toddler. It is so very difficult to accurately describe this "toddler" stage. Toddler is wonderful. Toddler is awful. Toddler is stressful. Toddler makes me laugh. Toddler makes me cry. Toddler, in all things, continually drives me to my knees! Toddler is cute. Toddler is so not cute. Toddler is outrageously intelligent. Toddler is cuddly. Toddler is mean. Toddler is loving. Toddler is mischeivous! Toddler is beautiful. Toddler is whiney. Toddler is whiney some more. Toddler is still whiney! Toddler is independent. Toddler is clingy. Toddler is curious. Toddler is stubborn! Toddler is sick. Toddler is well. Toddler is all these things. Toddler can be all these things in one day! Toddler stage is extremely exhausting. So much more work than baby stage, but not without it's rewards. Toddler can do more than send a smile my way. Toddler gives me hugs. Toddler tells me she loves me. Toddler gives me kisses. Toddler tells me she is sorry. (More than I get from Husband!) Toddler says thank you, with sincerity. Yes, toddler is more work. But she is worth it. She makes me so crazy at times that I wonder if we will both make it through this stage alive. But then, quick as a flash, the tides change and she reminds me all over again how wonderful she is and why she worth all the stress. So I cling to those happy times. The times when I truly enjoy my child, and I make sure I will be able to remember them. Because just like living through "toddler" has made me see how easy "baby" was, I know that someday, when we are struggling through "teenager", I will long to relive "toddler"! Julia Faith, I love you dearly! You know you make your Mommy crazy, but you know I couldn't be more proud of you, either! However spunky and stubborn you may be, you are also brilliant, loving, and a real character! You keep me on my toes! You challenge me, girl, and as much as I may hate to admit it, that is probably a good thing for me! However young you may be, and however much I may be trying to teach you, you will always be teaching me more! Thank you for that, Sunshine! Thank you for being you!

Mommy & Me

2010-02-26T22:25:00.001-06:00

Sometimes, when you want a picture of yourself, you have to take it yourself! I still have some work to do before I'm as good at this as my sister is, but Jenna was so happy that I couldn't miss the opportunity!

Chuck E Cheese

2010-02-15T17:10:00.005-06:00

On January 28, we had a girls night at Chuck E Cheese with my mom, my sister, myself, Julia and Jenna. Jules had a blast of course!

Since she's still a little young for the games, her favorite things were the ones you ride.

Shooting like a pro, Daddy would be proud!

Tay Tay helped her get a lot of tickets!

Count 'em up!

Julia isn't the best climber, so Tay Tay helped her get up there!

Wheeee...

This is the stash of prizes. A princess crown (that she wants to wear all the time!), a curly straw, two bracelets, two mini tootsie pops, and a mini gun that lights up and makes laser noises.

Cheese! Don't you love the shirt? Nana got that for her a while back.

Jenna was wide awake for about half the time we were there so we took turns taking pics with her.

So serious.

Nana and Jenna

Tay Tay and Jenna

Mommy and Jenna Hope

Double Diaper Duty

2010-02-15T17:05:00.003-06:00

Why not take care of them both at once?

Two kids in diapers, heaven help me!

Don't get me wrong, little miss Jenna was totally a planned baby, and I wouldn't change a thing, even if I could. But two kids in diapers?! I feel like I change 100 a day!

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for...

2010-02-13T17:21:00.004-06:00

Ice Cream!

Only at Grandma and Grandpa's!

These pics don't need captions, they speak for themselves!

Made with Love

2010-02-13T16:33:00.005-06:00

These were taken on January 26. Jenna was six weeks old here. Marlene came by that afternoon after her crocheting group met to bring the girls these beautiful, blue, matching dresses she made. Julia has always looked best in blue because of her eyes, and I'm excited to say that it looks Jenna's eyes are changing from the dark, grayish-blue, newborn color to a much clearer, true blue. So it looks like they will end up with the same eyes, even if Jenna's hair stays this dark (which I hope it does!). They look so cute in these dresses that I told Marlene I think they will be perfect Easter outfits. Jenna still has room to grow in hers. Julia feels like a princess in it and she dances and twirls all over the place when she wears it.

Gaga, Jenna & Julia

Doesn't Jenna look like a doll here?
(I suppose it's fitting that she does, some days I get the feeling that I'm just playing house, that I'll wake up and this will all have been a dream, and I'm really still a teenager. But then reality sets in... This is my life. These gorgeous girls are no dream, they are actually mine, I am responsible for them, and I am so very blessed!)

I know Julia's diaper is showing, and she's almost scowling, but I like this one. Cheesy smiles are cute and all, but I think this serious face is beautiful. And Jenna, with her newfound alertness, cracks me up with all her expressions. She slept so much in her newborn days that it's almost like I'm just seeing her for the first time now that she's awake more. Her little face makes me laugh, she's so stinkin' chubby and adorable!

Couldn't miss an opportunity to photograph those bare feet!

A New Kind of Love

2010-02-04T19:11:00.004-06:00

John and I had a heart to heart the other day. (Scary, I know!) I was whining, being my usual self, complaining about what a wreck my body is after carrying two babies. After every complaint about which part of me would never be the same, my dear husband would patiently reply with a reason why that didn't matter, anyway. But, I was deep in my own depressing thoughts, hearing him, but not really listening. It was that depressing train of thought that somehow carried me from my body, and how it would never be the same, to our relationship, and how much it had changed. I talked about how much I missed the way it used to be between us. When we were teenagers, college students, newlyweds. My thought train travelled through a lot of happy times and awesome memories. To times and places that we will never be again, people that we will never be again. And it made me sad. Sadder than I already was. Because truthfully, the cliche is true. Those were some of the best days of our lives. That kind of new, passionate love that young people have for each other is something that you only experience once. The way we treated each other, the things we did for each other, and the way we felt about each other... it's all so different now. I kept getting sadder, but the thought train kept pressing on. Now it seems that we're always in a rush. Too much to do in too little time. All of our energy, especially mine, is directed at the kids. It seems that we have so little left for each other. On and on, I went, perpetuating my saddness. And then I stopped. I asked him if he saw it, too. I asked him if he missed the way I used to be, he used to be, we used to be. We were so much in love then, shouldn't he miss that, too? And ya know what... he disagreed with me. Shocking, right? Oh, he saw what I meant about how so much has changed. And he even agreed about how wonderful those days of young love were. But what he said next makes me cry even now. He said (in that simple way he has of explaining things that should be difficult) that we still have that love, it's just different now. It's a new kind of love, he said. Not a man of many words, my husband is often so right, simplifying all that I have overanalyzed. So right. Our love is no less passionate now, no less genuine. Our love is stronger, if anything, with each day that it matures. We have over a decade of shared experiences, some pleasant and some painful, but all of them drawing us closer together. And while I sometimes feel that those experiences have worn me out, made me something less than what I used to be... I realize now that the opposite is true. Those experiences made me, and us, what we are. We are husband and wife, we are parents. No, we will never be the same. Our relationship will never be what it was. It will be better. It is better. We are better. A little older, a little wiser, a little more mature. And the older, wiser, more mature love that we share is something I am learning to cherish. All thanks to my husband and his few, simple words.

Girls in Green

2010-02-04T19:03:00.004-06:00

The other day Julia saw that Jenna was wearing green and insisted that she wear her green jammies, too. She is obsessed with making sure that they are the same, or that they match at all times. If Jenna is getting a bath, Julia wants one. If Jenna is eating, Julia needs her cup. If you mention Jenna's eyes, Julia is quick to point out that hers are blue, too. Sometimes it's a jealousy thing, but mostly I think she just loves her baby sister to death and wants her to be just like her.

Daddy & Daughter

2010-02-04T19:01:00.002-06:00

Up Close and Personal

2010-02-04T16:51:00.005-06:00

I took these pictures on January 7, Jenna was three weeks old. She was sleeping so soundly that I wanted to get some close ups of her newborn features.

Those cheeks! I'll never get over them!

John made a loud noise in the kitchen that made her jump and throw her arms up like babies do. But she was in such a deep sleep that her hands just hung there in mid air!

Piano player?

This little piggy...

I saw a professional photo done like this with wedding rings. We'll always have a reference for how tiny thise toes once were!

Gulley nose!

John said I was weird for taking a picture of her ear. I say, "whatever". I'm her mother. I gave birth to her. I'll take whatever pictures I want to! :)

Itty Bitty Baptist

2010-02-04T15:20:00.004-06:00

I plopped the girls on the couch to take some pictures of them in their dresses on Jenna's first Sunday at church (January 3). Jenna kept turning her face into Julia. So Julia kissed her little forhead. Precious!

Brian and Tiffany got Jenna this onesie. Doesn't she look like a baby doll? She's about 3 weeks old here.

New Year's Eve

2010-02-04T15:06:00.004-06:00

What do two fun-loving, young couples do on New Year's Eve? They hang around the house with their new babies, of course! We paid the Mola's a visit in the afternoon and headed home early. We did stay up until midnight, though, we get credit for that!

Joshua is 6 weeks old here, and Jenna is 2 weeks.

Joshua: "This girl is giving me a headache!"

Jenna: "Hey mister, you want a nuckle sandwich?!"

I guess they both needed to scratch their heads at the same time.

Teeny toes! Both of these babies' mamas love toes!

John and Jenna

Brian and Joshua

What good Daddies they are!

Big Sister, Little Sister

2010-01-12T12:32:00.003-06:00

Okay, it is waaay harder than it should be to get good pictures of these two together. I must have taken twenty in this session alone, and one them was always looking the wrong way, or crying, or covering up the shirt, or something. These are actually the best ones, believe it or not. But oh well, I'll just keep trying!

The Many Faces of Jenna

2010-01-12T12:06:00.006-06:00

I have Kristen to thank for these first pics of Jenna wide awake. I was having a hard time getting any of her when she was awake and happy. She sleeps all the time, and when she does wake up, it's usually because she's hungry or gassy and then she's just mad! So thanks for catching her while she was in a good mood Kristen!

I took these next ones. She was sleeping sweetly, and then woke up mad about something, so I took some crying pictures. It may be mean, but I did it with Julia, too. Hey, they spend so much of their newborn time crying, why not get some pictures of it?!

Over the River and Through the Woods

2010-01-10T22:57:00.005-06:00

Or just around the corner, to Grandmother's house we go! After we did the Santa thing at home on Christmas Day, we drove around the corner to my Grandma and Grandpa Gulley's house. We had lots of yummy food and played the gift exchange game that you do for white elephants, except we buy nicer grab bag things. There was quite a bit of "stealing" this year, so it was interesting! Julia got her fair share of gifts, too! Dogs were the theme, I guess, cuz she got one from my grandparents and one from my Aunt Kathy that you program with her name and favorite things so it includes them when it talks and sings. Too cool.

Great Grandma Gulley and Jenna, her fifth great granddaughter with no boys yet!

Me, Kristen and my Mom. And Jenna is nursing there under my awesome new nursing cover. Love it! I didn't have to leave the room to feed her. This thing is going to drastically improve the next year of my life!

This is the puppy Julia got from my grandparents. It came with a carrier and lots of accessories, and she loves it. I never got a pic of the leapfrog one my Aunt Kathy gave her. I'll have to get one!

Great Grandpa Gulley and Julia

Nana and Jenna

My cousin Rachel and Jenna

Grandpa lifted us like this when we were kids. Now it's Julia's turn and he's still got the guns to do it!

A Christmas of Our Own

2010-01-10T15:22:00.005-06:00

Christmas was a tiny bit different this year. Growing families have made some changes in tradition necessary. My family has always had a big Christmas breakfast on Christmas Day, after we open our presents. But this year, my parents had a talk and they decided it was time for them to step aside and let us start our own traditions with our own families. (We still had our big Christmas breakfast together, of course, we just did it on a different day!) So, after going to our church's Christmas Eve service together, our little family of four came home to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas morning, just us. While it's a little sad to change the way it's always been, it's fun to be the Mom now, making Christmas special for my own family. And it was nice not to have more places to be than I can be in at once!

Getting cookies and milk ready for Santa. (Thanks to Gaga for the cookies. I played the "new baby" card and didn't bake anything this year! Good thing there were some leftover from our Mehok Christmas the day before.)

So excited!

Reading "The Night Before Christmas" on the night before Christmas!

Santa was good to Julia!

And he "gathered" a few things for Jenna, too!

Nice vacuum! When will she be old enough to push a real one?

Guess who suggested the tool bench to Santa? Julia is super interested in tools after seeing Papa and Daddy do all the work in the basement.

What?! The cookies are gone! The milk is gone!

Julia loves her play tent! Perfect addition to her playroom in the basement.

Playing Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with Daddy.

She loved digging in her stocking!

I get everyone a personalized ornament each year. This year, Julia's is a girl with pigtails holding a swaddled baby and it says, "Big Sister Julia"

John's has three black bears on it, one with each of our names, and it says, "Smoky Mountains" at the bottom, because our family trip this year was to the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.

I got Jenna one, too, of course, although I forgot to take a pic. Hers is a baby in a stocking and says Jenna Hope.

Jenna spent the morning sleeping in her swing, but I thought it was cute that Julia kept bringing her things from her Christmas pile and stacking them there.

Mehok Christmas

2010-01-10T15:00:00.005-06:00

John's family came to our house to celebrate Christmas on the 23rd. His brother, parents, and grandparents brought the gifts to us and we ordered pizza! I was thankful that we didn't have to get out.

Gaga, Jenna and Julia. Marlene is making up for the girls she never had with plenty of granddaughters!

Poppy, Nana, Julia and Jenna

Nana is watching all the smiling faces Jenna makes in her sleep.

Julia asked Santa for a sit n spin when she sat on his lap. I guess Gaga overheard!

A computer! Parents love learning toys, thanks Gaga and Papa!

Why open it when you when you can play with it in the box?

Julia is showing Gaga the calendar she got her with pictures of her in it!

John is the master at guessing his Christmas presents. You can't so much as let him see a wrapped present and he can tell you what it is, even down to the size or color or whatever. His Dad challenged him to guess this one. He's thinking hard, but he had nothin'.

A ginormous deep fryer! Nice. Now he can join the masses of men deep frying their turkeys on Thanksgiving! Or maybe it's a hint his Dad wants him to take over the annual fish fry?

Julia is showing Jenna her new toy.

After John put Julia's giraffe bike together the next morning, we found her with the screwdriver, "fixing it".

Daddy helping Julia peddle.

Jenna's First Week

2010-01-09T13:42:00.010-06:00

12-16 Uncle Brian came to visit us at the hospital.

12-17 Only one day old. Still amazes me how quickly they change. And it's funny, her hair only stood up like that for the two days we were at the hospital. (I suspect the nurses may have been spiking it!)

12-17 Priceless.

12-18 Dressed and ready to come home.

Welcome home, Jenna!
Notice the gorgeous crocheted blanket? That's courtesy of Gaga (John's mom), of course!

An early gift left under the tree! Not from Santa, though. This miracle came straight from God, himself!

Jenna, meet Julia!
Matching Christmas jammies, of course!

Leaning in for a kiss.

Julia adores her baby sister. During the first days we were home, she kept saying, "Jenna out the belly! Jenna out the belly!"

Swaddled and ready for our first night home, in our own beds.

(Mommy is super excited about this. Hospital beds leave much to be desired!)

12-19 It's a new day! Tay Tay came to visit today, and just about every day of her Christmas break. Thank you so much for all your help! We really enjoyed getting to spend so much time together, Julia especially.

Jenna's first bath at home. I'll let you guess how much she liked it!

Funny story: After I gave Jenna her bath, I brought her into my room where we have the changing "table" set up on my dresser to get her dressed. Kristen was helping me and taking pictures and such. In the meantime, Julia quietly got her stool from the hall bathroom, walked right past us through my bedroom, into my bathroom, and climbed up to get my toothbrush from my sink. (My toothbrush that she knows she is not supposed to have...stinker!) She was so sneaky that both Kristen and I were clueless!

My sister-in-law Tiffany made Jenna this beautiful quilt. It's super soft and warm and perfect for snuggling in on the couch!

We got dressed in Christmas outfits (Matching ones that Nana (my mom) bought!) to take a picture for my parents' Christmas card. Our first photo as a family of four!

Kristen. Julia, and Jenna. Too cute!

12-21 I love it when Daddy holds her like this. (And thanks, Roxanne, for the adorable monkey outfit! Ruffle bottoms are my favorite!)

12-22 My sweet girls.

Birth Day

2010-01-08T15:22:00.006-06:00

Here are some pictures from Jenna's big day. I'm working on typing a big long narrative of the full events of the day, which I will post with a disclaimer, should you choose to read it. We'll call this the rated G version.

One last pregnant picture, in the waiting room at the hospital.

We had to wait a couple hours to get a room. So I patienting walked the small circle in the waiting room, and even pushed John around in a wheelchair for a while. Boy, he's got it rough.

John sleeping.

John still sleeping.

Botched IV #1. There were 3 before the 4th was a charm.

John eating breakfast. (Yes, I was starving and not allowed to eat, thanks for asking)

John calling our moms at 8 am.

This picture says it all. Taken about a minute after Jenna popped out.

Jessica: Wow, it's over, and I'm not dead. Did I really just do that without any drugs? Go me!
My mom: ??? You'll have to ask her what she was thinking, but I'm sure that she was equally as grateful to be alive, that she didn't have a heart attack.

Poor Jenna. The cord was wrapped around her neck, so they took her over to her little area to check her out instead of plopping her on my chest for a minute like they did with Julia. John didn't get to cut the cord, either, the Dr did it before I had even delivered her body. John said it was pretty scary, that she looked purple. I was still having my out of body birth experience, trying with everything I had not to push her out, because they said it was dangerous until they got the cord off. So I kinda only halfway knew what was going on. But... she broke free of her chains and after they suctioned her and made sure she was breathing all right, then I got to hold her and nurse her.

My first pic with my beautiful girl. I actually had no idea how much black hair she had until I was in recovery, because they'd already put the hat on when they gave her to me.

Daddy's first pic with Jenna Hope.

Julia is pretty much a mommy's girl, despite looking so much like John. Maybe Jenna will get him wrapped around her finger!

Kisses!

I think this one is funny because it is identical to one that we took with Julia. Check out the side bar.

Here are the stats:

Jenna Hope Mehok

born on December 16, 2009 at 1:21 pm

8 pounds 1 ounce

21 inches long

December 16 is also my Grandma Hankla's birthday! Happy birthday, Grandma!

The Last Page

2010-01-07T17:45:00.003-06:00

The last page of the "Family of Three" chapter of our lives, that is. Ten days after these pics were taken, we began a new chapter as a family of four, and Julia took on her new role as a big sister, ending her days as an only child. But Julia, no matter what happens, you will always be my first, and hold a special place in my heart for that. No matter how many babies God blesses us with, I will never run out of snuggles for you! You are my Sunshine, my only Sunshine, and you'll never know how much I love you!

Looks like a sweet kandid moment, right? Too bad she's smiling because she is pinching me! Stinker. :)

Again with the pinching.

And just so you know, belly buttons that pop out expose a very sensitive bit of skin. That's okay though, I'm a mom, I'm tough, I can take it.

What secret is she telling? I can't pretend to know. But I'm sure it will not be the last time these girls plot something in secret.

John 3:16

2009-12-14T02:02:00.003-06:00

When Julia stays at Gaga and Papa's house, she always reads the Bible with Gaga. Her new goal is to learn John 3:16, and she is well on her way. (Some of my favorite words... believeth and perish.)

Jingle Bells

2009-12-14T02:00:00.002-06:00

Julia found some jingle bell ornaments when we were decorating the tree, and they are her favorites. I taught her to sing the song, so she goes around, ringing her bells and singing. Too cute.

Joshua Charles Mola

2009-11-29T17:19:00.008-06:00

For those that don't know, my best bud Christie and I were pregnant at the same time. Our due dates were only four weeks apart... she was due in mid November, and I am due in mid December. It was really awesome getting to share the experience with a friend. No, we weren't talented enough to plan it that way, it just happened.

This is the last picture of us before she had her baby. I was 35 weeks pregnant, and she was 39.

And then... after more than 24 hours of labor... and ultimately a c-section... Joshua Charles Mola was born on November 20, 2009 at 11:30 pm. He weighed... get this... 10 lbs, 6 oz, and was 22.5 inches long! I am so proud of Christie for being so strong through it all. Because of all the swine flu hype, the visitors rules are crazy at the hospital right now, so I couldn't be there, but we texted each other all day long, and Brian was able to post updates on Facebook. Thank goodness for technology! It was hard not being able to be there for her. But, we got there as soon as we could the next day and John and I both got to hold sweet Joshua, take some pictures to show everyone, and congratulate our friends. As an added bonus, I got to see the new private recovery rooms, since they aren't allowing tours through there right now.

Naturally, we were back again the next day, and I couldn't believe how much he had already changed. His skin was clearer and his color was different, as you can tell.

We introduced him to Jenna.

And while he was sleeping so soundly I took the opportunity to set him down in the boppy and unswaddle him enough to sneak a peek at those tiny fingers and toes... my favorite!

Fall Fun

2009-11-27T18:04:00.007-06:00

I took these on November 11. It was a sunny day, not too cold, and it was fun to go play in the leaves. I try to do a little photo shoot like this once each season and take a ton of pictures. It was a little too sunny, actually, I had to get her in some shade before she could even look up at the camera without being blinded. But, here are some of the better ones I got. Can't believe how big my girl is!

Her eyes are so blue in sunlight!

Can't have a photo shoot without the wrinkled nose face!

My favorite. The genuine smile.

Now that she knows how to say cheese and smile on demand when you pull the camera out, I get a lot of those fakey smiles. In this case, I believe I was dancing around like a crazy person to get her to laugh at me and smile for real!

One of the last dandelions of the year.

She kept laying down in the grass, but denied being tired of course!

Pulling apart my flowers that have gone to seed.

She was stripping them clean until she realized they were sticking to her sweater. And they were reluctant to come off!

She called these seeds berries and would have eaten them, had I not intervened.

Not too happy about having to go inside. She can put on a show, let me tell ya! Don't believe it for a second!

Pathetic. :)

Trick or Treat... We Found Nemo!

2009-11-23T21:46:00.002-06:00

Our church did a Trunk-or-Treat for the first time this year and it was a lot of fun. People parked their cars all in a row, opened the trunks, decorated them, and then passed out candy. They had some games and hot dogs, popcorn, and hot chocolate. It was perfect for Julia to trick-or-treat there because it wasn't too far to walk or dark outside yet.

Kristen dressed up like a clown.

Thank you Roxanne!

I'm rather proud of Julia's costume this year. Nemo is her favorite movie and I found this one at Once Upon a Child. $12 for a Disney Store costume! It has a hat, but Julia wanted to wear her new winter hat since she was wearing the new winter coat. I keep meaning to put the costume back on her just to get a picture without the coat underneath, but we'll add that to the list of things to do and see if it happens!

Look Mom, candy!

How to Carve a Jack-o-Lantern

2009-11-23T21:25:00.005-06:00

Step 1: Scoop the pumpkin.

Step 2: Remove the seeds and place them, one by one, in the bowl. Each seed must be removed individually, or the quality of the jack-o-lantern will be compromised!

Step 3: Hold up a handful of guts and make a face to show how disgusted you are.

Step 4: Take a lunch break. Get over how disgusted you are with the pumpkin guts and try sneaking a taste. If you like it...

Allow your aunt Kristen to feed it to you.

Step 5: Help Daddy carve a face in the pumpkin using a chunk of pumpkin.

Step 6: Pose for a picture comparing your face to the pumpkin's.

Pumpkin Pile

2009-11-23T21:12:00.003-06:00

A pile of giant pumpkins: Another one of the displays in Gatlinburg. Photo op!

Tennessee: Great Smoky Mountains National Park

2009-11-23T20:38:00.008-06:00

We spent most of our last day in Tennessee in the mountains. It was so incredibly beautiful up there. We drove as far up as we could drive, hiked up a bit more with Julia, and then John continued on even further by himself because the last mile was all uphill and this pregnant mama wasn't about to attempt it. We got some good pictures between us, though.

To be honest, I am just too tired to take the time to write captions, and too far behind on blogging as well as everything else that needs to be done. The only thing that seems to be on schedule is the growth of this unborn child of mine, whose birth is the deadline for completing all these projects that are behind schedule. And did I mention that I'm tired? :) Anyway, fill in the blanks yourself... mountains, trees, creeks, rocks, some snow... you're smart, you'll figure it out!

Julia loved the bear in the gift shop. I mean, really loved him!

This is the lookout that John hiked up to by himself.

I should also mention that John was finally able to pass his stone on this day, and it was almost twice the size of his last one, which landed him in the hospital. Good job, honey!

Tennessee: Ripley's Aquarium

2009-11-12T16:03:00.008-06:00

Without a doubt, the aquarium was one of the coolest things I've ever seen. Julia is too young to get a whole lot out of a museum, yet, but she adores all things aquatic. Her absolute favorite movie is Finding Nemo. She was on cloud nine in this place. We're going to have to try the Shedd soon.

This display was a tube that you sit underneath, or stand, if you're as short as a two-year-old.

These fish swam really fast. Couldn't tell ya how they get them to just keep swimming past like that, but it was neat.

Whoa! BIG fish! Julia doesn't look too sure about him. We was creeping ever closer, until...

He sort of charged! He swam right at her, then up and away, and she yelped and about jumped off the ledge! Good thing nana was there to assist!

Pointing out something pretty to Papa.

Petting a horseshoe crab. Julia is at that touch everything age, so all the hands-on stuff they had there was awesome. The guy working right there actually picked one up to let her pet it really well, since she had a hard time reaching in the water.

There were several of these cool tanks with smaller things like seahorses in them. They were ring shaped tanks with a hollow tube up the middle that kids could crawl underneath and stand up and feel like they were inside the tank.

Seahorses. They had longer tails than pictures usually depict, and that is how they hold onto the grass or corral or whatever they are hiding in.

The jellyfish were beautiful and awesome to watch.

We found Nemo! Along with every other character in the movie, I think.

Daddy petting a stingray.

This is Shark Lagoon. From above, it just looked like an open pool of water. But then you can go below in a tube with a moving sidewalk that makes it feel like your underwater and surrounded on all sides. They even painted clouds on the ceiling so that when you look up through the water it looks like the sky. Very cool.

Tennessee: Gatlinburg

2009-11-11T15:37:00.004-06:00

After relaxing in the cabin our whole first day there, we got up the next morning and headed for the main street in Gatlinburg where all the shops are. We split up, and since nice little shops and touch-everything two-year-olds don't mix, the three of us found some sightseeing to do. We rode on a tramway up the mountain, but I forgot to take a picture of it. It's a 70 passenger "car" with windows on all sides that hangs from a cable and carries you up the mountain to a mall of sorts. There was more shopping at the top as well as some attractions for kids. Mostly though, we went up for the views.

Julia found a mini merry-go-round to ride that must have been older than me!

We played at a park while Daddy went to stand in line for tickets to the chairlift.

Yes, I said chairlift. Call us crazy, but John and I actually took our two-year-old wild child on an old fashioned chairlift, to get even further up the mountain. It seemed like a waste to get that far and not take the next step to get the best view! The ride itself was not enjoyable, as it should have been, because I was so panic-stricken every time she squirmed, but the scenery at the top was incredible.

Pictures just don't do it justice, but I'm sure you knew that.

After spending the morning sightseeing, we headed back to the cabin to put Miss Crabby Pants down for a nap and eat some dinner. Then we spent the evening at Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg. We took these pictures at a display outside the aquarium. They had these cute little photo op spots set up all over downtown.

Then we headed inside... Next post: Ripley's Aquarium!

Tennessee: At the Cabin

2009-11-11T14:44:00.006-06:00

Last month we took a family vacation to the Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. My parents rented a cabin for us, them, Kristen, Brian and Tiffany to stay for four nights. It was so beautiful there with all the fall foliage in full "bloom". I'm going to do a series of posts to cover all the things we did there.

This is Julia on the ride down. With the incredible convenience of modern technology, the trip was a breeze because she was able to watch movies. We stopped for a potty/gas break and Nana came out with a box of Krispy Kremes. A gas station full of snacks, many of which were probably toddler friendly, and she comes out with doughnuts. And not just any doughnuts, but the creme filled, chocolate topped kind! How nice of Nana to share with Julia! (Who, by the way, is riding with Mom and Dad and not with Nana.) Only joking Mom, I love you! She actually did very well, considering, and didn't make too much of a mess. Why not, ya only live once! She's saying "cheese" in the photo, or trying to, with her mouth full.

Here's the sign for the place we stayed. We got there after dark, which was interesting to say the least! I won't go into details, just say that we made it and that's what matters! There were dozens of cabins of various sizes scattered all over the hillsides, and even at night it was a sight to behold, with all the windows lit up. We decided they must leave the lights on in all the cabins even when they aren't being rented just so it will look pretty.

Our cabin had a kitchen, living room, and one bedroom on the main level, which was where my parents stayed. On the lower level there were two more bedrooms, one for us and one for Brian and Tiffany. Then there was a game room upstairs with a pool table, big TV, arcade games, and bunk beds, which is where Kristen slept. Each level had a deck off the back, and there was a hot tub on the main level. The showers all had body jets, too. I could get used to that!

Here's Papa making breakfast on our first morning there. Mmmm...blueberry pancakes!

Julia is showing you her pancakes. She thoroughly enjoyed them!

Here's John in the hot tub on our first morning there. He missed breakfast and half the first day because he was having kidney stone troubles. How's that for timing? The pain is the worst as it passes from the kidney to the bladder. He felt a bit better in the hot tub, with cover pulled over him so all the heat wouldn't escape into the chilly air. Poor Daddy. He felt better later that day, though, and it didn't ruin his trip, thank goodness.

Pop yourself some popcorn, get under a blanket on the couch, and you have made yourself an instant friend! If you're willing to share, that is! And Tiffy did!

Playing the arcade games with Aunt Tiffy.

John playing pool.

Brian playing pool.

Papa playing pool (notice the tongue?)

Birthday Bash

2009-11-02T14:42:00.004-06:00

Three days before Julia's actual birthday, we had her second birthday party. It was considerably smaller this year, less stress on the preggo mommy! We were again blessed with a beautiful sunny day for an outdoor party, though windy. Only problem with a windy party...

lighting the candle! We tried and tried, but it wouldn't stay lit. Oh well, there's always next year! Julia wasn't so concerned about the candle anyway. Notice in the photo above that while we were all huddled around the candle, she was sneaking her little hand in with a "yoink"!

No tears for the birthday song this year.

Finally, she got her flowers. And once she did, she wouldn't let go. Of all the gifts that day, the cake decoration was her favorite thing! That's a two year old for ya. She carried them around for days, even took them to bed. Goofy girl. I'll have to make sure those find their way into a keepsake box.

She did remarkably well with her cake. I just gave her fork and let her go to town (not like she'd let me help anyway!), thinking she could get as messy as she wanted, but she was very neat and careful. Such a big girl!

Since cake isn't the kind of thing we eat at home, and she hadn't really been to any parties all summer, this was her first experience of it (that she can remember). For days after the party, she would look out onto the deck from the living room, with her arms held out, shrugging her shoulders, saying, "Where cape go?" or "Cape gone!" It was as if she expected to eat cake on the deck all the time after that!

Pile 'o presents.

The touching of the ears means she's tired. We had passed nap time at that point and it was obvious. She kept trying to squirm down away from me. We got through it without a major meltdown, though, so that was good.

Overall, she did well, and it was a fun afternoon. Thank you to everyone for all the gifts, and for coming to celebrate with us!

Family Ties

2009-11-02T12:36:00.005-06:00

I don"t know about you, but the last couple of months have been insanely busy around here. Consequently, I have lots of blogging to do! There's going to be a bit of a lull now before it gets busier than ever, so hopefully I'll get all caught up in time.

We spent September 18-20 in southern Illinois for the Hankla Family Reunion. My Mom's Dad's brothers and sisters and their families get together at a Methodist Camp that my Grandpa's brother Joe used to be the director of. We've been going there for years and it's a lot of fun. This was actually the first time that John didn't have to work and could come along. We took lots of pictures in the beautiful scenery.

Looking at all these pictures, I can't help but think that this was one of our last flings as a family of three. All too soon there will be another munchkin vying for our attention. While I know that I will be able to love as many children as God blesses us with, it has been my prayer of late that Julia will continue to feel that love when she isn't the only child anymore.

***

Julia Faith, the last two years of my life that I have gotten to spend with you have been the best I've ever had. I can never tell you how much I love you, or how much I have thanked God for you. It's hard to imagine a time when you weren't a part of my life. It has been such an awesome privilege to watch you grow and change, and I am so honored that God has trusted me to take care of you and be your Mommy. I want you to know just how much I love it when you wrap your little arms around my neck and squeeze tight ... when you kiss my cheek so tenderly with your soft lips ... when you look at me sweetly with your gorgeous blue eyes ... when you cuddle up with me on the couch to read books. You melt my heart with your honest, innocent expressions of love for me that I can't help but think I don't deserve. Thank you for that, Baby Girl. Thank you for just being you. Know that I love you and nothing will ever change that, no matter what the next two, twenty, or two hundred years may bring.

Swings, Slides & Such

2009-10-01T15:04:00.007-05:00

At this age, of course, Julia loves the park. All summer long, whenever we'd drive past one and she saw it out the window, she'd yell, "Park! Park!", waving her arms. Most mornings when I would get her up and ask, "So, what are we going to do today?", she'd say "park" of course.

So, these are a few pictures of some of the many parks we visited in the last few months.

These two were taken at Central Park on the day of the church picnic, June 28.

Julia and I almost balanced Daddy out! Course, I was only about 5 months pregnant then. :)

The next several ones were taken at a park in Wisconsin when we visited Tony and Marlene at the cabin. (July 17) It was so cold, but Julia was not to be deterred!

She actually prefers these big kid swings to the baby ones that you put your legs in the holes. I would think the ones with a seat would be less scary, but what do I know? Maybe it's because these kind are usually closer to the ground.

Slides are probably her favorite...she's pretty fearless on them.

I just like these two. Mom has a thing for the serious expressions. I love a chessy smile as much as the next guy, don't get me wrong, I just think there's more artistic beauty in ones like these.

Hugs for Gaga!

Who knows?! Sometimes ya just get the urge to stand on your head, I guess. By the time I walked around to get a picture of her looking through her legs, she had moved on.

Okay, big stuff, maybe next summer!

Thought the butt shot was cute.

This is Julia's new swing at the Mehok Homestead. Papa hung it at a perfect height for her.

Gaga took her to Central Park this time and these are some of her pictures.

Anyone that has lived in Griffith knows how long this swing has been there.

Couldn't have posed a better shot!

Another day at Gaga's house.

On the day I had some bloodwork scheduled (the yucky glucola test where you have to fast and then drink a nasty, sugary, flat pop sort of drink and then have your blood drawn an hour later), Julia wasn't feeling well at all. I think allergy season had just hit and she was a mess. She didn't want to get out of bed that morning, let alone get dressed. So, I took her to Gaga and Papa's in her jammies. They had just put up a second new swing, and in spite of not feeling well, she had to try it. It's a horse made out of tires, very cool! It cheered her up a bit, I'm sure.

After a couple days of those awful allergies flaring up, I started her on children's Claritin and it has worked wonders. Thank goodness, because the poor child would be miserable without it.

Fish Stories

2009-09-21T17:03:00.007-05:00

Everybody has a fish story, right? Well, now Julia has her first. And when you ask her to tell it, she'll gesture with arms wide to show how big Papa's fish was, saying, "Biiig!"; and hold her fingers close together to show how big Mom or Dad's fish was, saying, "Baby". Classic.

Anywho, we spent July 15-19 in Wisconsin at the cabin Tony and Marlene have rented every year since John was little. It was Julia's first trip there and we had fun. It turned out to be record cold that week, which put a damper on some activities, but we braved the weather and Julia went out on the boat once and to the park a few times. Marlene even spent time with her so John and I could go out on the boat without her and we even went to the local casino to have all you can eat crab legs one night. She wouldn't have been allowed into the buffet, so we were very grateful that Gaga, with her willing heart, stayed back with her. All in all, it was a fun mini-vaca.

Julia read some books to pass the time. She does really well in the car, I'm proud of her.

Checking out the fishing pole. Look at that concentration!

Drivin' Papa's truck.

Reading the Bible with Papa. If Julia finds a Bible, she will bring it to you and want to read. Priceless.

Feeding the fish some bread off the dock. There were lots of minnows there, and those were her favorite fish because they were so small she thought they were babies.

Practicing with the pole.

She liked to go fast and make big splashes!

Papa plucked a flower out of the water for her.

Reeling in her first fish with Papa.

She was brave enough to hold the string, at least.

She looks a little apprehensive in this one.

Marlene plopped her down on the swing and set a fish next to her to take a picture. She scooted over right away and would not take her eyes off of it to look at the camera. I love this photo.

Here I am, wearing a parka in July for cryin' out loud. Good thing Marlene had brought it with her because the heaviest thing I had was the fleece I'm wearing underneath. It was cold out on that water, and the wind could cut right through you.

At one point, we thought John had the biggest fish ever on his line. It was definitely swimming and pulling like a fish, so we knew he wasn't just caught in the weeds. We thought his line might break though, he had such a tough time getting it in.

Turns out it was an average size northern pike that had got itself caught in the weeds after it took the bait. We're still proud of you babe!

A close up of some of the teeth in a northern Tony caught.

This would be why Julia says, "Big!" when referring to Papa's fish.

John called this his "I hate scaling fish" face.

Well, we caught one as big as Julia!

In about half the pictures of her with a fish, she would stick her tongue out as if to say, "Ewww!"

Watching Nemo on the ride home. We borrowed a portable DVD player and that really helped pass the time. Shortly after that trip, we upgraded vehicles so now we have a DVD player built in. It is so nice on long trips!

Overall, we had a great time. It was a whirlwind trip, with two days spent travelling and really only 3 full days there, but it was worth it. Hopefully it will work out that we can go again next year!

Tick Tock

2009-09-14T21:51:00.002-05:00

Yipe! Has anyone else noticed how fast those tickers at the top of this page are ticking?! There must be something wrong with them, because I highly doubt that my "baby" is almost two and I'm in my third trimester. I'll have to email tech support about this problem.

You Reap What You Sow

2009-09-09T16:14:00.005-05:00

These were taken on May 2 at the Mehok Homestead. Gaga changed Julia into some play clothes she had at her house and plunked her down in the dirt. She handed her a spade and a few tomato plants and Julia went to town. Marlene told me that in the days after their planting adventure, Julia wanted to climb into the dirt and dig every time they walked by to check on the plants.

She must have gotten the green thumb from her Gaga, because it certainly isn't from me! She looks like a professional I'd say, and you can't argue with results...

Taken on August 19.

"Whoa! Look what I found on my tomato plant!"

"I've got an idea... these look an awful lot like apples, and I love apples, so maybe I'll try a bite."

"Hmm. Not bad, but something isn't right."

"Yeah, this tastes nothing like an apple! Oh well, they look pretty enough!"

Adventures with Gaga

2009-09-08T21:19:00.003-05:00

I copied pictures off of Marlene's camera again, so here are some of the August highlights.

This was taken in Marlene's sister, Lurlene's, barn. Julia is all about animals lately, and who doesn't love a cuddly little kitty, anyway? And it's funny, she even gets that high pitched voice you use for talking to babies. "Awww... tat (cat)." I thought this was the most precious picture, though. I can only hope she will be so admiring of her baby sister!

Lovin on Anya, the Mehok's dog.

Two eggs for breakfast today!

Hmmm... Julia, have you been berry picking or berry eating?! Marlene said Julia Julia could put them in her mouth about as fast as she could put them in the bucket. Then she would look in the bucket and say, "Julia, where did the berries go?", and Julia would say, "Ah know?" (which means, "I don't know", with that inflection) Silly kid.

Well, that's all for now, but I have so many tomato pictures that I want to devote an entire post to them, so keep an eye out for that soon!

Moooo Cows

2009-09-08T20:47:00.002-05:00

At the beginning of August John and I took Julia to Fair Oaks Farms to see the cows. I thought she'd be old enough to get a kick out of it, and I couldn't have been more right. John had never been there either, and it really is a neat place. If you live in the area, I highly recommend it. I think it was $10 for each of us to get in and Julia was free. Not bad. And they didn't charge more for all the extra little things there are to do like some places do. We did have to get grilled cheese sandwiches and ice cream, of course! It was a fun day. I think for the next week Julia would wake up every morning saying, "Cows" or "Harm (farm)" because she wanted to go back.

This train was right up Julia's alley. She would have ridden it all day if we let her.

Petting the fake cow. When you go through the barns to see the real cows, you stay on a bus so the cows don"t get your germs. So this was the closest she actually got to a cow. And it's funny, the dairy farm is surrounded by corn fields because they grow their own feed corn to support the cows. So Julia learned that cows eat corn and what a corn field looks like. Well, just yesterday Marlene was telling me that when she takes Julia over to her sister's house and Julia sees the corn fields, she always says, "Cows?" Marlene said she couldn't figure out why she'd be saying "cows" when they were there to see the horses. I even had to think about it for a second before I remembered the corn fields at Fair Oaks. I almost died laughing. My child is so smart.

She put these on herself, if that isn't obvious. They have a cute little 3D movie that also sprays water at you when a cow sneezes and puffs air at you when he farts, it's pretty funny. And it was short enough for Julia to sit through, so that was her first experience with a big screen.

You're looking at the cheapest souvenir in the gift shop... a $2 cow that's made like one of those squishy stress balls you're supposed to squeeze. But hey, a toddler is easy to please! She didn't put her cow down for a week, even slept with it. Goofy girl. All in all, it was a fun and educational day, what could be better?

Julia Spills the Beans

2009-08-08T13:07:00.002-05:00

I suppose I've kept you waiting long enough. The news has been spreading like wildfire. Those of you that were guessing girl (the majority) were right. We picked the name Jenna Hope, and I knew it was a keeper when I heard Julia say it the first time. So cute! Both John and I honestly would have been equally happy with a boy or a girl, so we're overjoyed.

It's nice now to be able to call her by name and plan ahead some. I daydream about my girls, both in the near future and later as they grow up. I pray that they'll grow up to be great friends, even if they fight when they're younger. And I pray that they'll grow up to be close to their dear mother who raised them, and I'll get to be an active part of my grandchildren's lives. Such fun things to dream about. I'm not oblivious to the many challenges that come with raising girls, believe me, and I also pray for the strength and wisdom to overcome in those times. But for now, I have visions of matching outfits and baby dolls, and all the fun things that come with little girls.

I've already had the awesome blessing of being able to see my dear husband interact so incredibly with our first daughter, and I can hardly believe that there was a time when I wished we'd have boys for his sake, not believing he'd be able to raise girls as well or love them the same. Shows how much I know. Also shows God's sense of humor, and how much more he has planned for us than I give him credit for. God has been softening my man for the entire 10 years I've been with him, preparing him for these daughters, and every day he shows me in a new way how God is forming him for this task. It's a sight to behold.

So, I'm looking forward to planning another girly nursery and taking a trip down memory lane as I unpack all those tiny baby girl clothes that I've been carefully tucking away all along. The summer is nearing an end already, and with only four months of pregnancy left, I know from experience that they will go even faster than the first four have. We have a second birthday to celebrate, followed by a pumpkin party, and then a time of Thanksgiving. We have preparations to make for Christmas, a basement to finish, an office to move downstairs, and a nursery to set up upstairs. (Boy, I hope that "nesting" instinct kicks into high gear soon!)

We're getting our house ready for you Jenna, even though our hearts have already welcomed you in.

Motorcycle Memories

2009-07-23T15:52:00.009-05:00

My Grandpa Gulley was able to come to the church picnic, having just gotten back in town after a motorcycle trip. He walked off with Julia to see the bike and I dashed off to grab my camera. As I caught up with them, I got this cute photo...

He said she was jabbering something incomprehensible until she spotted the motorcycle. Then she started saying "Bok! Bok!" (pronounced like Bach, the composer) That's her word for bike, motorcycle or bicycle. She absolutely loves motorcycles!

He showed her how to push the button for the horn. It scared her at first, but then she liked it. She pushed every button she could reach, and there were plenty!

She wasn't feeling very smiley, I guess. Oh, the many moods of a toddler. She was having a great time, but would not give me a smile for anything.

I remember a baby girl that would crack up if I so much as looked at her the right way.
Hmmm... I also remember putting that baby girl on Grandpa's motorcycle about this time last year...

July 4, 2008

Awww...gotta love a trip down memory lane every so often.
I just can't dwell there, otherwise I get too sad thinking about how fast the days go by. My baby is a little girl. *sigh*

Even as I sit here typing, I can feel those tiny flutters deep in my belly, reminding me that all too soon I will be starting this journey all over again with another sweet baby. I'm afraid my heart may burst. It can hardly contain the love I have for my first child, and I know I already have just as much love for the second. That must be why the tears are flowing now. Such an overflow of love has to manifest itself somehow.

Words fail me now.

Blessed.

So blessed.

I am just so inconceivably blessed.

Preaching, Praise & Picnic at the Park

2009-07-20T18:48:00.005-05:00

So I'm behind on posting, what else is new? On June 28, our church had Sunday services at Central Park. It was a beautiful day and a lot of fun. We set up some sound equipment and I heard rumors that people could hear us miles away. Scary thought, considering how incredibly difficult it was to sing with the travel set-up. Oh well, maybe now we have the kinks worked out for next year! Regardless, I know God was praised and that was the whole point, after all!

Pastor Scott

The music man himself, Rich

Julia reading my Bible during the sermon time.
She did pretty well staying quiet and still. As well as can be expected for a toddler!

When I pulled out the camera to get the picture of her reading the Bible, she leaned over and said, "Cheese!" This is that cheese face. The chipmunk cheeks are from the raisins she's snacking on. Can't expect a kid to be quiet without snacks, right?

Following the cheese face, she gave me the world's sweetest smile.

Smiles that pretty are usually reserved for when she is doing something she knows she shouldn't, so I was lucky to get one for the camera.

Feeding Gaga watermelon. I love how her mouth is open. Anyone that has ever fed a baby knows that it's nearly impossible to do so without opening your own mouth. I guess Julia is no exception.

Gaga took Julia on a walk around the park trying to get her to sleep. (Yeah right, but bless her for trying!) When she came back over, Jules had her feet kicked back, relaxing, but was still wide awake. We skipped the nap that day and went to bed early.

My child has a thing for ice. Most kids sleep with a teddy bear or blankie...Julia requires a cup of ice water to go to bed. How's that for originality? Anyway, when they started dumping the coolers, she was all over that ice. I said no a few times, then gave in. A little dirt don't hurt, I suppose. Her little hands were freezing, but she was happy, safe and occupied, the three things every mom most desires for their child!

Boy or Girl?

2009-07-10T15:05:00.001-05:00

I put a poll to the right, please vote on what you think the new baby will be!

Different, I am

2009-07-09T16:07:00.004-05:00

While so many of the entries I write on this blog concern current events for our little family, this post is a bit different. I have an issue that I simply cannot keep to myself. I suppose it's a blessing, really, and not so much an issue, but since I feel that I am so out of the ordinary in this, I must share. Here it is... I like being pregnant. I mean, I really like it. Don't get me wrong, I suffer from many of the common pregnancy ailments; fatigue, mood swings, heartburn, backaches, swelling, etc. But in spite of all that, I am just plain happier when I am pregnant than when I'm not. I am more motivated and more focused, and I honestly like the person I am when I'm pregnant better than who I am when I'm not. With my first pregnancy, I just considered myself blessed to have such a pleasant, textbook experience with no major problems and I didn't really think too much of it. I knew I was different when other women would share their horror stories and I had no such complaints. And when other expectant mothers would say how ready they were to get the baby out and just be done with it, I couldn't sympathize. Sure, I was big and swollen and uncomfortable, but there was so much I loved about having a child inside me that I knew I would miss it, and I wasn't anxious for it to end, even though I did look forward to meeting my daughter. So here we are, and I feel like round two is just beginning. Even though the halfway point of this pregnancy is fast approaching, I'm just beginning to truly feel pregnant. It's different this time, with a toddler in the house, because so much of my attention is on her instead of it all being on my changing body like it was last time. Maybe that's why it has snuck up on me this way. Regardless, I am remembering all over again just how much I enjoy this. And I can't help but wonder, does this make me weird, even a little bit? I already know it's out of the ordinary. I'm sure some medical expert out there would cite some hormonal balance/imbalance as the explanation, but I have trouble with that theory. If hormones are to blame, then that would mean most women who have balanced hormones suffer negative affects when they become pregnant and their hormones become imbalanced. So...if I feel so much better when my pregnancy hormones spike, does that mean I'm all hormonally imbalanced when I'm not pregnant? Yes, there must be something wrong with me. :) Or, I'm just reading too much into this like I tend to do most things. In any case, I feel good right now. And lucky for me I have such a down to earth, practical husband, because otherwise I'd probably end up with 18 kids and my own show on TLC, just because I want to keep these good feelings coming. Somehow though, I don't see John being willing to go that far. Hmmm...I wonder how many I can talk him into...?

Pool Fun

2009-07-02T22:30:00.003-05:00

Last Thursday we went to the Munster Pool. They have a big shallow area perfect for Julia and she had a blast. She was tired because we pushed through naptime, and you can tell in some of the pictures. Nonetheless, it was a fun afternoon and I'm sure we'll be back.

This was the "O" face she made whenever she got splashed, which happened a lot of course.

The slide was her favorite thing and I bet she went down it 20 times. It was just her size with big stairs to climb up.

It was funny to watch her walk in water shoes. Sometimes she'd forget and start walking fast and her body would get ahead of her feet and she'd nearly faceplant in the water. She took them off after a while.

But...shoes or no shoes...that girl's feet were wrinkly!

A God Thing

2009-06-25T21:34:00.003-05:00

I just had one of those moments. A moment where something so amazingly coincidental happens that you know it is anything but coincidence, but rather a glimpse of the divine plan that our awesome God has for each one of us. As I sit here in complete awe, the only thing I can think to do (aside from praising God for who He is) is blog. There are some interested readers out there, right?

I've always loved to journal. Ever since I was a young teenager, writing has been my way of sorting through thoughts and feelings. It carries over into my spiritual life, too, helping me remember things God has shown me in His Word or jot down a prayer from my heart. Just now, I opened a journal from a few years ago and found the first entry very interesting. First, I wrote 1 Samuel 1:27 (the verse I have in the column to the right, actually) "I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him." I went on say that God had pointed that verse out to me during a bible study I was doing. Then I wrote about the worries I had been having because we had been trying to get pregnant for a while and the planner in me was anxious and impatient. I wrote that when God gave me that verse, I felt he was reassuring me that our child would come, it just wouldn't be up to me when that would be. I concluded with a prayer, thanking God for the verse, putting the issue in His hands, and acknowledging that He was working his will in my life. Still not seeing the miraculous coincidence? I didn't see it at first, either. Until I noticed the date at the top...

9-30-06

Exactly one year before the day I would give birth to my beautiful daughter, September 30, 2007.

I have goosebumps. I love it when God taps me on the shoulder and says, "Hey, I'm here, I'm in control, and don't you forget it!"

Alone

2009-06-11T22:10:00.002-05:00

I'm alone.
And I don't like it one bit.
Tonight, I am so grateful that I belong to a God that promises to never leave me alone, because I'm feelin' it right now. For only the second time since Julia's birth, I am spending the night alone in my house. And after the first time it happened, (when I let Julia spend the night at Marlene's, not thinking that John would be gone working midnights) I swore I would never let it happen again. But, Kristen really wanted Julia to spend the night tonight and since she and my mom will be watching her when I work in the morning anyhow, it just made sense. Plus, I know Kristen will be gone to various places so much this summer, that I wanted to let her have fun with my child while she can. I made the sacrifice. It's just so hard for me not to be greedy, though. I can't even explain it. You wouldn't think it would make that much of a difference. If she were here, she'd just be sleeping quietly in her bed, anyway. But there's just something about knowing that she's not. And usually when someone else keeps her, it's so that John and I can spend some quality time together, in which case I am distracted from missing her. But now, I suddenly remember how much I disliked being alone in the house when John worked midnights when we were first married. And it's completely illogical to feel this way. It's not like my toddler, sleeping in her crib, is going to protect me if someone breaks in or if the house catches fire. I should be more afraid to be here with her when John is gone than to be here without her when John is gone. But...whoever said feelings were logical? I just wanted to share. It helps to share, somehow. Isn't that what blogs are for?

NooNoos

2009-06-09T19:22:00.003-05:00

Julia loves any kind of pasta, pronounced "noonoos" in Julia-speak. I pulled out the camera to get some messy face pictures and she turned the character up a notch! She smiled cheesily for this one...

and then when I tried to get a close up, she leaned in even closer and opened her mouth. Such a goof ball!

Two Pink Lines

2009-06-04T17:48:00.002-05:00

Does anyone know how to read one of these things?

For those that haven't heard it through the grapevine yet, we are expecting baby #2. I'm 11 weeks along and feeling about the same as last time. No major nausea, just so tired I hardly know what to do with myself some days. Not to mention the occational radical mood swing or emotional breakdown, but how out of the ordinary is that? I'm sure I could blog all afternoon about my "feelings", but I'll spare you all for now. No doubt I'll have to type some novels before it's all said and done, so I'll keep it short this time with a simple announcement. Our second child will be a "Christmas miracle" (as John refers to him/her) with my due date being December 22.

We'll keep you all posted, and until next time, your prayers are very much appreciated!

Lilacs & Dandelions

2009-06-04T17:17:00.003-05:00

Mowing the grass with Daddy.

If we're playing outside while Daddy is mowing the grass, Julia will protest until she gets to ride with him for a minute. I blame the grandparents! :) She gets to ride on all kinds of tractors and even a golf cart with Papa and Gaga Mehok.

She can blow, but not quite strong enough to make the seeds scatter in the wind.

I've heard that you know you're loved as a mother when your child picks you a dandelion bouquet.

Now these smell good!

My favorite photo. Love that expression.

Goofy grin.

He loves me... He loves me not... He loves me!

Who is she kidding? We all love her!

Easter Escapades

2009-05-17T16:40:00.006-05:00

Another post that's overdue, but you all know me! Honestly, I was not like this BC (before children). I made it to places on time and always turned in my homework on time. Now I'm beginning to realize that this "caught up" status I am constantly striving for is always going to be just out of my reach. Oh well, the blessings of motherhood have far outweighed the struggles...and here are some of those blessings, now!

Easter Sunday we spent at John's aunt and uncle's with his side of the family. They just moved to a really neat property on a small lake near Cedar Lake. So we did the traditional Mehok egg hunt there, and Julia had a blast. John got to be off for this holiday, so we were fortunate to have him with us. I'm feeling too tired to think up captions on all these, so use your imagination!

Mehok Memories

2009-05-02T19:00:00.011-05:00

This post is long overdue, therefore it's also outreageously long because the pictures just keep piling up. Even as I type, there are more that I need to get from Marlene and post because they're adorable. Anyway, I guess I should explain myself. A couple months ago Julia had her first sleepover at Tony and Marlene's. Naturally, I was the only one that shed any tears that night. Even at well over a year old, it was hard to spend that first night without her. She had a ball, though. Since then, it's pretty much become a weekly thing. They have all kinds of adventures and I get tons of pictures to see what they did. These are some highlights from the last few sleepovers, courtesy of Marlene and her camera.

Pulling on Papa's boots. I love the look of strain on her face.

I love this one. I think they were on the golf cart at the moment.

I wish I could adequately spell out Julia's pronunciation of the word "chicken", but I wouldn't do it any justice. It's hilarious. As soon as we pull in the driveway to visit she sees the chickens and even blows them kisses. Every day she's there, they let the chickens out and collect the eggs. Julia carries them in a little bucket. On this particular day, the egg she is showing off became breakfast the next morning.

Mmmm...

Oh! It's a rock! Isn't that the most exciting thing you've seen all day?!

Marlene has become masterful at taking pictures like these where you hold the camera out and take one of yourself. I should make a collage of all the ones she's taken of herself with Julia, there are a lot of good ones.

You'd better sit down for these next few. I swear this child eats like a horse, she's just so skinny! I wasn't there, so I can't say for sure why she's naked, but I do know that she loves to run around without clothes on. At home, whenever I strip her down for bathtime she loves to squirm away from me and get in a bit of streaking before I catch her. Apparantly she made off with an Easter basket this time.

Look at those muscles!

There's no shortage of facial expressions here!

Saying her prayers. Notice that her mouth appears to be full already. Oh well, we can't be perfect!

Marlene bought Julia a pretty dress for her visit to the Easter bunny. They took some pictures first, and it's a good thing, because...

...she screamed for the bunny! I expected as much, which was why I consented to let Grandma take her while I was at work. (I didn't have it in me to make her go to Santa when she freaked out.) She will laugh at this picture one day, right?

Yes, she is about to do what you think she's about to do.

Julia's first egg dyeing experience. Marlene changed her into an outfit she had at her house, but surprisingly enough, she told me later that it all washed out.

Her hand was only slightly blue when I picked her up.

Apparantly, she wasn't too crazy about being dyed herself. She loves baths though, and that's what followed.

The finished product. It's hard to tell, but the yellow one closest to her hand has a bite taken out of it, shell and all. I'm sure someone had fun fishing that out of her mouth!

Mmmm... Chocolate bunny kisses. If only all kisses were chocolate!

Well of course she's smiling. Wouldn't you, if someone just gave you the biggest piece of candy you've ever seen in your life? No wonder she never wants to come home!

At least she's generous!

But, it's okay to have chocolate bunny for dinner when you have corn on the cobb for dessert! Only at Grandma's.

When she spends the night at Papa and Gaga's, Julia knows that first thing in the morning Grandma sits in her chair to read her Bible. They've gotten used to doing it together.

When Julia stays the night on a Monday, sometimes she tags along with Grandma to her crocheting club on Tuesday morning. I expect she'll be making me blankets and wash clothes any day now.

Such concentration.

Unexpected Smiles

2009-04-05T16:30:00.008-05:00

Don't get me wrong. I knew before I began this whole adventure called motherhood that there would be many happy times. I expected them in fact. There have been moments on this journey that I have looked forward to with great anticipation and I've not been disappointed. As an expectant mother I anxiously awaited that first moment that I could feel the small life inside me moving, and when that moment came, I smiled to myself. I counted the days until I would get to hold her in my arms, and when I did, I smiled. And in the year and a half since Julia's arrival, the smiles haven't stopped coming. Watching her grow and play, passing all those important milestones, she has brought a smile to my face and joy to my heart, just as I had hoped she would. But... There have been many unexpected smiles along the way, too. Moments I couldn't have predicted. Things that have caught me by surprise and so tickled me that I smile to myself or even laugh out loud. So here they are, some snapshots that I carry in my mind and pull up from my memory whenever I need to remember just how much I love my job.

John and I chose to find out the sex of our baby at my first ultrasound, about halfway through the pregnancy. We were too impatient to wait for a surprise and it was nice to be able to refer to her as a "she" instead of "it", and even call her by name before she arrived. There was a downside to this knowledge, however. We are blessed with a large family, church family, and group of friends, most of which heard the word "girl" and immediately ran out to buy something pink. I will never forget the first time I laundered a load of baby clothes. When I pulled the lint trap out of the dryer, I laughed out loud. Pink. Completely pink. And even now, a year and a half later, it's just now getting to where it isn't so totally pink anymore. To be honest, I look forward to seeing the pink lint, and I smile to myself each time I do. I even enjoy folding all the tiny clothes, because I am reminded of how blessed I am to have a daughter and how fortunate we are to be able to provide for her. God is good. (All these emotions from a wad of dryer lint, tell me motherhood hasn't made me go soft!) ~

Picture this. A young mother, desperate for a moment of privacy from a daughter who is now mobile, crawling after said mother everywhere she goes to try to get some bit of housework accomplished, locks herself in the bathroom, contemplating whether it's safe to take a shower while dear daughter is roaming about the house. Thinking she has pulled one over on the child and managed to sneak away, she sits down on the toilet in the quiet bathroom to enjoy her moment alone. Lost in her thoughts, staring blankly ahead, she notices something move out of the corner of her eye. Snapping out of her trance, she turns her head quickly to the door, to the gap at the bottom of the door, where a tiny hand is moving from side to side, trying in vain to reach her. Suddenly, the moment alone isn't so important at all, and not nearly as fun as getting down on her hands and knees and pressing her face to the floor to peer at the infant on the other side of the door doing the same thing. And the look of joy on the child's face as her eyes connect with her mother's, realizing she has found what she is looking for... forever etched in my memory bank right alongside the image of the tiny hand reaching for me. ~

I'm sure, if they're honest, most people would have to admit that they sing aloud when they're alone in the car, whether or not it is a joyful noise to anyone but our dear heavenly Father! I'm guilty of this, of course, the only difference being that I'm rarely alone in the car anymore. No matter though, I sing out for my dear daughter to hear, thankful that she's still to young to tell me I sound bad or get embarrassed and ask me to stop. I will never forget the day that she did make make me stop, though, right in middle of a line, I paused to hear the most beautiful sound. My daughter was singing! Barely old enough to speak, with a vocabulary of only a few words, she showed me that you don't need words to sing, only a willing heart. And the monotone "ah's" ringing out in my child's sweet, small voice are the loveliest lyrics I've ever heard. She brought a tear to my eye that day, and a smile to my heart. ~

A Swing and a Slide

2009-03-28T00:45:00.008-05:00

More from St.Patty's Day. We played in the back yard for a while, too. Julia wasn't thrilled with the swing. She mostly whined and reached for me to take her out, but she liked to watch Kristen swing high next to her. So she'd look at me and whine, then look over at Kristen and smile, then look at me and whine, etc. What a goofball.

The slide, on the other hand, she loved. I would think that would have been scarier than the swing, but what do I know? Maybe she's a thrill-seeker, uh oh!

Remember, you can click on these to enlarge them and see the anticipation on her face as Kristen starts to pull her down.

Ready...

Set...

Go!

She would laugh the whole way down, skidding sideways, one foot stuck, or whatever, didn't matter.

Julia's most favorite thing in the back yard? You guessed it, rocks! Little pea gravel to be exact. She would get a whole handful of rocks, carry them around, throw them down the slide, get some more, on and on.
Thought process... Hmmm...I really think I'd like to play with that ball, but then I might have to let go of some of these rocks. It sure is a fun looking ball, but no, these rocks are too valuable and new and exciting to part with. Besides, they're covered in...

DIRT! And I love dirt!

It's okay because Mommy says, "God made dirt and dirt don't hurt!"

Good news... the slide is considerably cleaner!

Peep! (translation: Beep Beep!)

2009-03-27T00:22:00.002-05:00

On St.Patty's Day last week, Kristen was on spring break so she watched Julia at her house while I was at work. When I got there to pick her up, we took out somes toys that were still in my trunk from the day before when I had picked them up from my Aunt Kathy. She was cleaning out her basement and she gave us some awesome toys that her grandchildren have outgrown. (Thanks Kathy!) Julia's favorite? The car of course! She hasn't quite figured out how to move forward in it, but she can back up and spin in circles really fast, and it's fun to watch her get in and out, open and close the door, and beep the horn! When she tries to say "Beep Beep", out comes "Peep"!

An Itch

2009-03-24T22:29:00.009-05:00

I have an itch. An itch I can't scratch. It's that most dangerous sort of itch...an itch to have a newborn again.

You will not believe what I did this afternoon. I held a five pound baby girl, only a few hours old. Seriously. I'm still a little high from the experience, I must confess. There is nothing more precious to behold in this life, I'm convinced. The only natural way for me to feel, with a rambunctious toddler at home that is far beyond her newborn days...anxious to have another, of course! If only it were that easy, Jess!

Congratulations Brandon and Missy! She is absolutely gorgeous, and I wouldn't lie! Per Brandon's request, I will not post any pictures yet, but I'm not sure I would have anyway, they don't do her any justice. She's much more beautiful that any candids I got! I'm also going to refrain from sharing her name until they've decided on a spelling, because I don't want to spread the wrong info...but I must say, I love it. Cute, creative name and I can't wait to share it with the world. (Or at least, my small world of readers out there!) You're on the edge of your seats, I know!

Now, about this baby itch...what must I do to scratch it? Hmmm...

Back and Forth

2009-03-20T21:13:00.006-05:00

These were taken when we had those first few warm days at the beginning of the month. Julia was so funny. I opened the sliding door to the deck and she walked up to it with her hands out in front of her, leaned forward, and fell right outside. I don't think she knew it opened! She stands there every day, looking out the glass into the yard. I didn't even think that she'd try to lean on it like that and fall, poor kid! Anywho, once we got out there, it was as if I had just freed a caged animal. She'd "run" from one side of the deck to the other, back and forth, back and forth. We took a few toys out, so she'd push (or pull) her shopping cart, back and forth. She'd throw her ball and chase after it, back and forth. She'd sit in her little chair for three whole seconds, then get up to go bark at the neighbor dogs, back and forth. She'd find a tiny leaf or twig and have to take it to the railing and throw it in the grass, back and forth. It made me tired just watching her!

An ever so brief moment of rest.

(Probably only because she fell and had to get back up again!)

Oh! A leaf! Let me just return this to it's rightful place in the yard! (At least we won't ever have to sweep the deck!)

After playing on the deck, we took a walk as a family, thinking she would sleep in her comfy stroller since it was nap time. Thought wrong. Apparantly napping in the stroller was only cool last year. Little miss toddler Julia is beyond that now I guess. Therefore, the trip "forth" on the bike trail was fine and dandy. The trip back, on the other hand, was quite miserable. Oh, well. Live and learn.

Pigtails!

2009-02-17T18:47:00.003-06:00

Julia's first pigtails! I tried so hard to get her to look and smile for a picture, but she is just too busy anymore. If she sees or hears the camera, she splits. John saw my frustration and told me to grab her, and he took one of both of us. Good thing. The best one I ended up with was this one with drool hanging out of her mouth! Oh well, her hair looks cute!

Eskimo in the Snow!

2009-01-21T16:13:00.005-06:00

I'm ready, Mom, let's go! I can even walk in my boots!

Santa got Julia a sled for Christmas, Nana Gulley got her snow pants and boots, and Grandma Mehok got her the gloves. She thought they'd be big, which they were, but we would have been in trouble without them because none of her tiny ones are waterproof. So they had to go on the outside of the coat, oh well! Mommy thinks it's cute!

Waist deep snow!

I thought maybe she would walk where we'd packed it down with the sled, but I couldn't get her to try. Can't blame her, though. I got tired trudging through that deep stuff!

I love close-ups.

Daddy's eyelashes, lucky girl!

You couldn't be more beautiful, baby girl.

Book Worm

2009-01-21T15:59:00.003-06:00

That's my book worm! She sure does love to read. I hope it sticks with her.

Old Navy has the cutest shirts...and on the cutest kid, well, that's one adorable photo!

She loves to wear my glasses, her own sunglasses, too. I 'm sure we'll have some cute pics in shades this summer!

Note that she is reading her Bible of course, good girl! She can even say "Bible". It's the only word she knows when she sings "Jesus Loves Me", so she just says "Bih-buh, Bih-buh" in a sweet sing-song voice. Too cute!

Daddy Love

2009-01-21T15:48:00.003-06:00

When I walked into the room the other day, I found julia sitting in her chair like this, with her feet straight out. It was cute, but I thought it was weird because it couldn't be very comfortable. Then I noticed the big picture...

:) Just like Daddy! How funny is that?

Another Daddy story... I had just given Julia her bath the other night and then I mentioned it was almost bedtime. Instantly she said, "Dada, dada," shimmied away from me, went to him, climbed into his lap, snuggled in, and sat there, totally still and quiet, being absolutely as cute as possible. I think I got played.

"Master Mess Maker"

2009-01-21T15:42:00.002-06:00

I call her the master mess maker. Don't ask me why.

(Click on the pic to enlarge it and see the cheesy grin on her face.)

Julia's new favorite way to look at the world...upside down!

Touch Down!

2009-01-21T15:41:00.002-06:00

Christmas at Our House with the Mehok's

2009-01-20T15:31:00.004-06:00

I realize now, how bad I did with pictures this year. I guess just because Julia was so much more active this Christmas, compared to last, I was always busy with her instead of taking pictures of her. Oh, well.

We had all the Mehok's at our house this year, like we did a few years back, and I like hosting, so it was fun.

Is she a Mehok, or what? And touching those ears means she's tired.

John's Nana, Julia's Great Grandma. Big hug!

Grandma and Grandpa got Julia a pink princess kitchen set! See all the lovely pieces in the box? Ask John where they are now. (Or where they remain, rather!)

Christmas at Great Grandma & Grandpa Gulley's

2009-01-18T14:46:00.003-06:00

We spent most of Christmas Day at my Grandma and Grandpa Gulley's house with that side of the family. We play a white elephant kind of exchange game with our gifts (except that we buy nicer things), so that's always fun. Julia, of course, did not participate in the exchange but that doesn't mean she came away empty-handed!

My Aunt Kathy got her this zebra in tennis shoes that makes all kinds of sound effects when you bounce up and down it. It spins, too, and has toys to spin that make noise. She can climb on it by herself and has a ball.

My grandparents got her this super soft bear that is about as big as she is. She was giving him a hug and saying, "Awww" in that picture. Awww...

Christmas at Nana & Papa Gulley's

2009-01-16T21:27:00.004-06:00

We had Christmas at my parents' house on Christmas Eve this year.

Julia's favorite thing in her stocking was the phone, of course. Mommy's favorite were the colored bath soaps you see there in her lap. They have ball rollers in them and you can color on yourself or the tub. I had them when I was little! Where does my Mom find these things?

Ooo! A Jeep book from Uncle Brian and Aunt Tiffany! It even makes noise. Plus, it's a board book, which is good because that's the only kind I'm allowed to have since the "incident" with the pop-up book that no longer pops.

"Uh, has anyone seen my presents? I could have sworn they were right here a second ago."

Tickles from Auntie K. Thanks for the dress, KK, you know how good I look in blue!

Love this picture! Even though we celebrated on Christmas Eve, I still went over to my parents' house on Christmas morning. Poor John was workin' for "the man". Anywho, breakfast on Christmas morning is such a tradition, I couldn't pass it up! And Julia fully enjoyed it...scrambled eggs are one of her favorites and I think that was the first time she's had orange juice, she loves to drink from a straw! I even left her in her Christmas jammies. :)

PreChristmas

2009-01-16T15:46:00.003-06:00

Yes, I am actually so far behind on posting that these are from before Christmas, but such is life. Better late than never.

This is Julia "helping" me decorate the tree. What you can't tell from a still photo is that her idea of helping me decorate is removing the ornaments from the tree. And this helpfulness doesn't stop at the tree, Julia loves to help by removing anything from wherever it happens to be set up or put away and placing it on the floor. We're working on that.

These two photos were taken at the Welcome Center on Kennedy Ave. We went there with my immediate family and my brother's nephew to see their displays of A Christmas Story. They had a zillion trees set up, and even this big platform with a slide where you could see Santa, just like in the movie. Turns out though, when we got there, that Santa wasn't in that day.

Since Santa wasn't there and poor Tyler was totally looking forward to seeing him, we drove all the way out to Bass Pro Shop (Brian & Tiffany live out there), because they were supposed to have a nice display, too.

This was the only picture I ended up getting. Kristen took Jules up, and I stood back to take the photo, but when she went hysterical I traded Kristen the camera for the monkey baby that had such a grip on me, I swear I could have let go and she wouldn't have fallen to the ground. I was going to just stick her on his lap and take the picture anyway, crying or not, it would be a funny picture, but I literally couldn't get her off of me. Oh, well. There's always next year.

Just inside the door at Bass Pro they had a gigantic tree that was decorated with real animals. Small ones made sense, but I was impressed to see an entire bear standing inside of it on one side.

We got cozy by the fire before braving the cold again.

We went out to eat one Sunday before Christmas, my whole family, and took some group pictures for Christmas cards. (John was working the day we saw Santa) I couldn't believe how cute Julia smiled.

Kristen is always trying to teach Julia to text. If you get a message that says something like this...

fniuoea sfhdiufhgt nisueomxri feuiwbhifeui

you'll know who it's from!

Mystery Diagnosis

2008-12-20T23:26:00.005-06:00

It hasn't been a good week at all around our house. The trouble all started on Monday. When I got home from work around 2, John met me at the door with Julia, "Uh, Mommy, I think she's sick." Yeah, John doesn't ever hang out by the door in eager anticipation of my arrival, nor does he refer to me as "Mommy" unless there's something mommyish I'm supposed to take care of so he doesn't have to. (ie "Mommy, I think Julia's hungry" or "Mommy, I smell poop") In this case, caring for a sick baby was the Mommy-duty. Naturally, he hadn't taken her temperature (rectally, I don't think so!), and she did have a fever. It was nap time though, so I put her down, hoping she'd feel better when she woke up. She is cutting a molar, and that can be treacherous. There was also one other time when she had a fever for just one day, slept it off, it was normal the next morning. It was still there when she woke up so I decided that I would give it until morning and go to the doctor if it wasn't normal.

She slept late Tuesday morning and I had to wake her at 10:00 to make sure she was still alive. Her temperature was normal again and she was smiley and happy. I had plans to go to lunch with my mom and grandma for my grandma's birthday, so mom picked us up at 10:30. It was pretty much all downhill from there. Little by little she got crabbier and crabbier, and then just downright lethargic. I spent most of lunchtime walking around the gift shop of the Merrillville Tea Room, holding a hot baby that was all but asleep. Then there was a fair bit of screaming on the way home and I took her temperature the minute we got there - about 1:30. It was 103.9 degrees. How scary is that? I gave her Tylenol bacause that was all we had (from getting shots). I waited about half an hour and the Tylenol did nothing. John was working midnights so he was just getting up at this time. I called the doctor and they said to bring her in right away. So we headed out, with the snow just beginning to get heavy, all the way out to the doctor.

They gave her Motrin when we got there, her fever was 102.8. The doctor did the exam and there was nothing wrong. She had no other symptoms either. She said we'd have to wait around to see if the Motrin could bring it down and if not, they'd have to do "tests". At this point, Mommy started to panic on the inside but kept her cool. I paced with the baby who wouldn't go to John or let me put her down, for 20 minutes, thanking God that John was there with me. Then the nurse came back. 102.8 No change. Mommy's heart is beating as fast as the feverish baby's now. (Have you ever felt the heartbeat of a child with a high fever? It is terrifying.) Doctor returns. Nurse takes temp one more time for good measure. 102.8 Still no change. Mommy listens (as though underwater) as the doctor explains that they'll have to take a urine sample to check for infection and then we'll take it over to the lab and have blood work done there. Okay, remember that cool Mom was keeping before? No longer. Thank goodness the nurse was there to hold her legs while they catheterized her because I couldn't have done it. And when they were gone, I most certainly cried with my baby. John was there to take instructions while the baby and I comforted each other.

Then it was off to the hospital for blood work. This time, I was prepared. I sat with her on my lap, holding her free hand down, while they took her blood, the nicest nurses I've ever met. Somewhere through the baby screaming I heard one of them say, "Good job, Mom", and it truly gave me strength. They were angels, I'm certain. My husband, God bless him, was as far away as he could get on the other side of the room probably trying not to pass out. I couldn't have made it through any of it without him, though.

Her fever did come down, though, only with the help of Motrin and then it would creep back up as the Motrin wore off. I spent Wed and Thurs doing these Motrin cycles, keeping it down. My baby was not herself for those two days either. She was tired, slept a lot, and didn't want to get down and play. If you know my little girl, you know she doesn't like to be cuddled, but this week, I couldn't put her down. We mostly sat on the couch reading books and such, she couldn't get enough of her books. No appetite to speak of either. The test results didn't show anything. By Thurs evening, her fever is gone, and I couldn't be more relieved that the mystery disease is subsiding.

And then I noticed the rash. All over her back and a little on her belly. I called John right away in a panic, and of course he passes it off as dry skin, which I kindly explain to him is insanity.

Then I called my Mom. She says it sounds just like roseola. Roseola. Okay. Ask.com, "What is roseola?" The answer I got? An exact description of everything that has been wrong with my child for 4 days. Roseola starts with a high fever, no other symptoms, doctor may run tests to rule out infection, just as fever breaks a rash appears, first on torso then spreading to legs and arms, etc. Roseola is not treatable except to treat the fever and keep it down. It's also nearly impossible to prevent the spread of it because you're only contagious before you even get the fever.

Sigh. What a week. And it sounds so pretty, doesn't it? Roseola. Like the name of a flower. Leave it to me to conclude with such a random thought as that. (Can you tell I'm worn out?) How about this instead...the moral of the story...call your mother first, she knows everything. :)

Oh, the weather outside is frightful...

2008-12-20T23:07:00.003-06:00

( John put lights on the house for the first time this year, aren't they beautiful?!)

The ice storm a couple days ago was certainly "frightful"...not only if you were out on the roads or walking across parking lots, but also inside with flickering power for many.

Our poor trees have had it this year...first tornadic winds taking half their branches, and now heavy ice to break some more. That is one pathetic tree.

But... God in all his splendor made an awesome show of it all. Dangerous as it may have been, it also couldn't have been more beautiful.

Try clicking on this middle one to enlarge it if you can. Incredible!

Body Parts & Baby Talk

2008-12-16T22:57:00.003-06:00

These are just a few of the things my brilliant daughter knows. I must point out that when she said "Mama" she also did the sign language with it. She knows Dada, Mama, please, more, and food/eat in sign language, but she wasn't being totally cooperative at that moment. She also holds her nose for "stinky" and holds her hands out and shrugs for "gone" but those are unofficial signs! And she can say so many words now, I might have trouble counting but I'm going to try... what kind of mom would I be if I didn't? :)

Mama, Dada, bye bye, hello (phone context), hi, Nana, Papa, Mmm (for food), ball, baby, gone, shoes. Those are the words I know she knows well and I've heard lots of times. There are also some that I think she's close to, but it's hard to be sure. For example, B words are tough because there are so many that sound similar and I can't tell if she's saying it or if she's just saying the B sound because she knows it starts like that... bath, banana and book are that way.

She also understands so many words now, it's scary. The language hasn't caught up for her to repeat it all yet, but she comprehends so much that I already catch myself spelling and she's only 14 months old! Perfect example... The other day I told someone "I'll be right back" and she started fussing as if I'd just told her "bye bye" to her face.

Every day is an adventure, and it's fun to be able to communicate now. There is so much less frustration for both of us because she can tell me what she needs. It's also adding a new dimension to parenting because I can tell her what I expect (or don't expect!) of her now. She better understands right vs. wrong. Perfect example... our entire living area is baby proofed enough that just about everything she shouldn't have is always out of reach. Well just today I accidentally left a pop can on the end table unattended for a second. Usually she would get to it right away and it would be spilled in seconds. This time, when I finally notice her, she's standing by the table, inches from the can, staring at it and shaking her head, but not touching. It was hilarious. I can only hope for such luck next time.

Well that's my little language update. I'll have to do some more updates soon, there are so many things she's doing now. And when she's truly walking (more than a couple steps), you'll be the first to know!

One Year Portraits

2008-12-09T12:41:00.001-06:00

"A Ball!"

2008-12-01T17:36:00.003-06:00

Mini-Mehok-Mohawk

2008-11-26T23:28:00.003-06:00

Who loves bath time?

Julia does!

I combed her hair up in a mohawk.

A Mini-Mehok-Mohawk, to be exact.

Julia was loving bath time even more than normal on this particular day. Her puney fingers were so pruney, I had to take a picture.

Halloween

2008-11-26T23:00:00.004-06:00

Better late than never, I say. Oh well. If you can't tell, Julia was a monkey for halloween. I wanted a costume that fit her personality, and she is certainly more of a monkey than anything else.

Playing on Nana's decorations.

Lifting pumpkins is serious work! That's one strong monkey.

John gave Julia this piece of licorice when we started out and she actually ate the whole thing. Of course it was a slimy, slobbery, mess by the end of it, but she had fun.

And they're off...pink princess trick or treat bucket courtesy of Grandma Marlene. Julia spent the morning with her and they went all over the place filling her bucket.

Posing with Pebbles. Kristen took Julia with her and her friend to go trick or treating. John just took her to a few houses at 5 and then he had to go to work. So Kristen took her, without a stroller, and they were gone a long time. I couldn't believe how good she said she was.

Now, when we were kids they were called candy cigarettes. Some even had paper wrapped around them and a powdery coating that puffed like smoke when you blew on them. I suppose that's no onger appropriate because the box these came in just said "Candy Sticks". We ate them as kids and I like to think we turned out okay. I've never had a desire to try a real cigarette. Anywho, I let her have it because it was one of the softer things I knew she could eat. This photo op was too hilarious, though. If I catch her like this in 15 years, watch out!

My Growing Pumpkin

2008-11-15T00:18:00.003-06:00

October 31, 2007

October 25, 2008

My, how my little pumpkin has grown!

Oh, the Personality!

2008-11-14T23:53:00.003-06:00

My Gulley Grandparents got Julia this chair for her birthday. She loves climbing on it, it's so funny. I was out of the room the other day when she got quiet for a while. When I came in to check on her, I found her in this chair (which she got into herself), wearing all these necklaces (which she put on herself). And when I got the camera to take a picture, just one, she started making so many faces and performing acrobatics that I took ten instead! Here are a few. No doubt this child has a personality all her own.

Pumpkin Pickin'

2008-11-14T23:39:00.003-06:00

These are some pictures of the day we took Julia to Scheeringa's big pumpkin pile to pick a pumpkin. We posed on the big pile (With the sign in the background that said not to climb on the pumpkins, oops!), and then she picked a smaller one with Daddy that she didn't want to let go of!

She wouldn't smile, probably because it was freezing, but funny faces are cute, too!

My Sweetest

2008-11-11T23:49:00.006-06:00

Roof day also happened to be Sweetest Day. Now, Sweetest Day is a Hallmark holiday, that much is understood by both my husband and I. It is not something we observe. I wouldn't have even remembered it if I hadn't been at the hallmark store anyway getting a baby card and a birthday card. But since I was there, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get my man a card. I did it because I love him, but I was fully expecting nothing in return, least of all, more than I put out. But, come Friday night, in walks my husband, returning from work with yellow roses and taffy apples, two of my favorites. Needless to say, my card paled in comparison. Now, I could care less about Sweetest Day, but as for My Sweetest, I couldn't love him more.

Donut Dialogue

2008-11-07T16:19:00.004-06:00

Blaine: "Julia, would you like some donut?"

Julia: "Oh, I suppose I'll have a bite."

"Actually, maybe I should take that."

"Okay, this is better than I thought!"

"Mmm..."

Roof Day

2008-11-07T15:44:00.004-06:00

On October 18, we had a new roof put on. The Builders for Christ group from our church came and did the labor. They are a missions team that goes every June to help build churches across the country. They also do work for church members sometimes. And no, we're obviously not needy (although who isn't at least a little needy, really?), so we're donating to their cause as a thank you for all the help. And when I say "all the help", I mean all of it! They showed up at our house bright and early with more people than I could have imagined. I think there were somewhere between 25 and 30 volunteers here. It was humbling to see them all work. They had the old roof scraped off in minutes, it seemed like. Those that couldn't be up on the roof took loads to the dumpster and cleaned up nails. It was a sight to behold. Thank you so much Builders for Christ!

Julia slept through the noise at first, incredibly.

Here they are, all in row, scraping the old shingles off.

Julia kept trying to reach all the people up high. She's smart enough to know that people aren't supposed to be up there!

Kristen took this picture of John.

This contraption looks like a ladder, but it's motorized and it has a plate on it that they loaded the shingles on and then it lifted them all the way up to be unloaded.

Kristen loved being up there.

What's this? Supervisors' meeting?

All jokes aside, they could be discussing the fact that we're running out of shingles. We were just short, but John took a trip to Menards and came up with the last few we needed.

Rich, Blaine, Chris, and my Grandpa Gulley stuck around to tack down the last few. Thanks, guys, for seeing it through!

Towel Dried

2008-11-07T15:33:00.002-06:00

Too cute not to share. I think this photo captures her "wild child" personality well!

Jeep Jamboree (Last Day)

2008-11-02T23:37:00.003-06:00

Before hitting the road to home, we stopped by the Ranch where the Jamboree was held to take some pictures by the covered bridge just inside the entrance. You can't come to this part of the state and not get a picture of a covered bridge!

We're microscopic, but there! John put the camera on the bumper of the truck parked way down the road, set the timer, and ran to us before it took. Julia was cracking up. (Okay, maybe I laughed, too!)

These next photos were the kind that just sort of happen, and I absolutely love them. And since I know I'm not the world's greatest photographer, I just must have the world's cutest baby for these to look so good!

Jeep Jamboree (Day 2)

2008-11-02T23:06:00.005-06:00

Yeah, come Saturday morning, Julia was tired! Sleeping in the hotel room was rough. She's old enough now to know her own bed and bedroom and she did not enjoy sleeping elsewhere, even in bed with us. Consequently, John and I didn't sleep well either. But come dawn, or before it really, we were on the go again. Julia slept on the way to the "barn" for breakfast and most of the first leg of the trail rides. She needed it!

As you can tell, she looks a tad unhappy. Or like she's sleeping with her eyes open.

This is John's brother's Jeep. He and his girlfriend Reyna were there with us.

Hi Reyna! Say cheese! We took many pictures of each other. That's the trouble with photographing Jeep adventures, you get the best pictures of other Jeeps. I also spend a lot of time getting in and out to play photographer.

Quick family shot.

It was cool in the morning and then really warmed up that afternoon, so people were ditching there doors all over the field we parked and picnicked in. I thought it was funny to see them there. The red ones are John's of course.

Cool photo. The trees were cut in this area to lay a pipeline. We were moving from one trail to the next.

Oh, you know me and random flower pictures. They're weeds, I'm sure, but I love taking pictures of flowers away from home.

Eeek! No caption necessary.

(No Jeeps were harmed in the making of this photo)

Have I mentioned how much I love baby toes?! Especially MY baby's toes!

I'd say she looks relaxed, wouldn't you?

Jeep Jamboree (Day1)

2008-10-31T22:36:00.008-05:00

These are some pictures from our first full (non travelling) day at the Jeep Jamboree in French Lick. We were up very early with a bit of a drive from the hotel to the actual Jamboree site. We had all our meals in the "Ranch" where the trails were also, so that was nice. We had a big breakfast, wheeled for a few hours, ate a boxed lunch outside, wheeled some more, and made it back in time for dinner. All the meals are included in the fee you pay and everyone eats together. Julia was officially registered and she got the name tag with meal tickets and everything, even though she was free. It made for a cute picture, at least.

Have fun scrolling the photos, I'm feeling too lazy to do captions.

99 Balloons

2008-10-29T00:25:00.003-05:00

I don't watch Oprah. I never watch Oprah. Tonight, I stayed up late in the back room on the computer. The TV in the living room was on ABC from the last show I had watched. I could hear Oprah starting as I was finishing up and getting ready to go to bed. When I passed through the living room, I got sucked in. The show was about miracle children and I was hooked. They showed conjoined twins, a Katrina survivor, a boy with no legs. Every child overcame incredible odds to be extraordinary. It was awesome to see, but I am hard to sway. I can't remember the last time I cried over a movie or something on TV. (Excluding my pregnancy of course!) But I saw something on Oprah tonight that left me sobbing. I mean, totally beside myself. I can't even sleep now because I can't stop thinking about it, so I thought that maybe if I blog, that will help. Oprah showed a video that a viewer found on You Tube and wrote to her about. My warning...this is not for the faint of heart. You won't be the same after you see this.

This is a father reading letters he wrote to his son Eliot.