The Johnson Family

Happy New Year!!

2011-01-02T17:15:00.001-06:00

Christmas 2010

2011-01-02T16:42:00.003-06:00

We had a great Christmas! Julie really got into Santa this year and had been looking forward to checking out what he brought her Christmas morning. We opened gifts, had a delicious Christmas dinner and really enjoyed our time together.

Here are the kiddos waiting patiently at the top of the stairs to come down and see what Santa left for them. Corbin, Robin and Chris, and April and Jacob came over for Christmas morning with us. Of course they are super cute in their matching pjs.
Here is Aaron checking out one of his gifts. The kids got so many wonderful new toys, they couldn't even wait to get them out of the boxes before playing with them!

Julie is all about princess anything right now. And she is fixed up! Here she is with her princess sleeping bag, princess pillow, and princess headband.
Aaron and Corbin got a couple of riding toys and now all three of them love to race down the hall.
Julie got a hair salon and it has been a center of playtime for her and her bro since Christmas day. She loves it! Here she is fixing bro's hair while wearing her new princess dress, which she has worn everyday since Christmas morning.

And of course every princess needs a castle. Aaron and Corbin love to play in it too but I'm pretty sure to them it's a fort or something and not a princess castle. : )
Here's the cutest little Santa you'll ever see. Sorry for the sideways picture, I couldn't get it corrected. But believe me, it's worth turning your head to see the little Corbin guy as Santa. He is such a cutie!! I'm a lucky Aunt to have this little guy for a nephew!!
And this isn't a new Christmas toy but what Christmas wouldn't be complete without a 4-wheeler ride outside, right? They seem to be having a great time!!

And we're back!!

2010-12-05T19:23:00.005-06:00

Let's see, what all has happened since my last post.....Julie turned 3 in March... We moved from Memphis, TN to Benton, AR in May... Ben started his new job in May, then quit that job and started his new new job in October.... We had a summer full of swimming, trips to the zoo and park, and my sister April's wedding.... We made our Thanksgiving trip to Texas to visit with family... Aaron turned 1 in October... Julie started gymnastics and day school this fall.... And I think that about covers it!! We are really enjoying being back in Benton with family and it is working out really well so far. Here are a few recent pictures of the kiddos, some are from late summer, some from a trip to the pumpkin patch, some from Halloween.... just a sampling for all of our friends and family!!

Welcome little Corbin!

2010-03-01T13:52:00.000-06:00

My sister Robin and her husband Chris had their first baby last week! Corbin Lee Humes was born on Thursday, Feb. 25th. He was 8lbs 1oz and 21 inches long. And he's such a cutie! We spent last weekend over in Benton with everyone and are going back this weekend. We can't get enough of the little guy! : )

Julie and Aaron had a blast getting to know their newest little cousin. These kiddos are going to have such a great time together when they get a little older.

And here's a little picture of Julie "fishing" in the creek at my parents' house. She has discovered the woods and loves playing outside, now that it's warm enough to do so! She's going to have so much fun playing in that creek as she grows up, just like my sisters and I did!

Aaron and his balloon game

2010-01-27T21:20:00.002-06:00

My cute kiddos

2010-01-27T21:16:00.001-06:00

Snow angel video

2010-01-12T17:15:00.002-06:00

Christmas, New Year's and a little snow

2010-01-12T16:35:00.008-06:00

We spent Christmas in Benton with my family and had such a good time. Here are just a few pictures of the very many that we took while we were there. We put together a gingerbread house and made Christmas cookies together. Julie was so excited for Santa to come and still talks about "when Santa came to Papaw's house and brought her a kitchen." Too cute. Aaron slept through most of it but that's alright, he wasn't left out, we opened his gifts for him. : )

Over the New Year's Eve long weekend, Ben's brothers Paul and Dan and their families came over for a short visit. Julie REALLY enjoyed having her cousins over to play. Claire slept in Julie's room with her while they were here and the girls had a blast together. I think there was more giggling than sleeping taking place but it was just precious to hear them having a good time together. I hope we have many many more opportunities for these cousins to be together. While they were here we went to Chuck-E-Cheese and had a great time too. What a good weekend!

We got a little bit of snow last week and the temps stayed low enough for it to stick around for a day or two. Julie loved it! Ben stayed home from work for a hour or so in the morning to play with Julie outside. They made snow angels and a little snowman. Ben put the snowman on the table in the back yard right outside our dining room window so Julie could see him whenever she wanted to. She has checked on him everyday, a couple times a day to see if he has melted yet. Today he started to melt and fell over. She was a little disappointed but I think she understands that snowmen don't hang around too long around here. Here's a couple pictures of our snow day.

Getting ready for Christmas

2009-12-21T13:40:00.000-06:00

We are getting ready for Christmas and having fun doing it! A few weekends ago we went to the Children's Museum of Memphis to take part in their special Christmas activities. Julie got to see Santa, make a few little Christmas crafts and, her favorite part, get a purple butterfly balloon. She was quite timid at first at the thought of sitting on Santa's lap but then he gave her a gift and they were good friends.

We were invited to a cookie decorating/exchange party that was this past Sunday. It was so much fun! Julie and I made some Christmas sugar cookies to take with us and then she got to decorate a few cookies while we were there with the other kiddos. We had such a good time that we just might have to do this ourselves in the future!

In non-Christmas related news, Aaron has begun smiling! He smiled at Julie and I for the first time on Dec. 4th. How exciting! He smiles everyday and is such a cute little guy.
Here's a picture I took of the two of them this morning in front of the tree. I finally got around to wrapping some gifts this weekend so it's beginning to look like Christmas around here! I still have to wrap all of Julie's and Aaron's gifts so I'm looking for a chance when they are both asleep today to do that. I am just so excited about Christmas this year. Having little ones to celebrate Christmas with is so much fun!!

Merry Christmas everyone!!

How are we doing?

2009-12-11T17:09:00.000-06:00

So, how are we doing as a family of four these days? We're adjusting, but loving it. Ben and I both have talked about how having two kiddos just feels right to us. We're tired, sleep-deprived, and busier than ever. It's going well so far. Julie is LOVING being a big sister. She loves on him and tells him that he is so sweet. She sings to him still, and is always concerned about whether he is awake or not, because if he is, she wants to "see" him, meaning be in his face all excited about him. It's cute.

We decided to take the big trip to Texas over Thanksgiving after all to visit with family and introduce Aaron to everyone. It was quite an undertaking with a 5 week old but we did it and are happy to have gone. Everyone loved meeting the little guy and we were excited to see them again as well. Julie rode down with my parents and stayed with them at the hotel so that helped a ton just to be able to have both Ben and I caring for Aaron most of the time so we could try to get some rest along the way as well. Here are a few pictures from our trip:

In Gorman, TX, visiting my Grandma, Aunt JR, Uncle Mike and Cousins:

In Mansfield, TX, visiting with my Aunt Doris and Uncle Larry:

Back in Benton on the way back to Memphis, Julie playing with her Aunt April on the porch:

Ben and I used to skip the Christmas tree at the house since we would be at my parents' house for Christmas. Of course now that we have kiddos, it's lots of fun to have a tree. Julie has really gotten into the whole Christmas thing this year, the tree, ornaments, gifts and of course Santa. I feel as excited about Christmas as I did when I was a kid, thanks to Julie. : )

Julie putting the first ornament on the tree here at home:

What a good big sister!

2009-11-20T15:01:00.002-06:00

Happy Halloween!!

2009-10-31T19:23:00.002-05:00

Halloween

2009-10-31T18:01:00.000-05:00

Today we carved our pumpkin to make a "nice, not scary" (as Julie described it) jack-o-lantern. It was a lot of fun watching Julie help Daddy with the pumpkin. Aaron and I watched mostly but it won't be long before he's in the middle of the action as well. After the jack-o-lantern was complete, Ben and Julie made a pumpkin pie. We haven't gotten into it yet, but it sure smells yummy! Hope you all had a Happy Halloween as well!

More Baby Aaron Pictures

2009-10-24T22:01:00.006-05:00

Here are some pictures of our new family addition! We are so thankful that he is here and we are all doing well. Julie is a great big sister already and she loves her little brother.

Photos from the summer

2009-10-24T21:54:00.001-05:00

Here are a few pictures from the summer, since I haven't updated the blog since July. : )

Playing at the My Big Backyard at Memphis Botanic Gardens.

Having a picnic at a local park.

Julie's first big girl haircut.

Daddy and Julie reading a book at bedtime.

Julie having some cuddle time with Mugo.

My friend Monica had a beautiful shower for me and baby Aaron in September.

Julie helped Daddy blow out his candles on his birthday cake.

Daddy and Julie "playing a band".

Flying her Thomas kite at Shelby Farms.

Picking out a pumpkin at the pumpkin patch last weekend.

Having fun being a pink piggy at Zoo Boo last weekend.

Thank for all the support, y'all!

2009-10-23T11:04:00.004-05:00

Double-A Ron

2009-10-22T15:03:00.002-05:00

Aaron David Johnson
Born 2:09 PM CST
8 lbs
21.25 in

Let the Pitocin Party Begin!

2009-10-22T07:21:00.002-05:00

Our early morning at Baptist Hospital is thankfully going very well. The IV was smooth and relatively painless (last time, horror story).

Julie is still sleeping off a late night with Papaw and Grandma. She's got her "Big Sis" shirt all ready to go.

Thanks to all for the thoughts and prayers.

- Ben

Hawaii

2009-07-13T21:40:00.001-05:00

On Sunday we got back home from a wonderful vacation with my family in Maui, Hawaii. It was such a great week and we had so much fun together. The house we stayed in was AMAZING. It had the most beautiful, fun pool that I have ever seen. It also had such a great view of the ocean and the beautiful sunsets. We did so much. Between the 8 of us, we went boogie boarding, snorkling, scuba diving, for a submarine ride, to a luau, zipline-ing, to the aquarium, drove to Hana, swimming in the pool and at the beach, and lots of sand castle building. I, of course, being almost 6 months pregnant now, didn't do the more adventurous stuff but I did enjoy the snorkling and swimming and the luau. I tried the boogie boarding but am terrible at it, even though it was a lot of fun. Julie just loved Hawaii and has said "Hawaii is fun!" many times in the last week. She loved the pool at the house and it was difficult keeping her dry! She also loved the sand at the beach but wasn't a fan of getting in the ocean. She said that the water was too loud. She really enjoyed the submarine ride and was such a trooper during the many shopping trips we took. And she was so great on the plane rides. I was a little worried since it is such a long trip out there and back but she was so excited about being on the plane and riding in the clouds. And of course it helped that Papaw, Grandma, April, Robin and Chris were there as well. We had the best vacation ever, and can't wait to go back! : ) We took over 300 pictures while we were there so here is a sample of our photo collection from Maui 2009.

This one's for April......

2009-05-26T11:39:00.002-05:00

The other night after dinner Julie was still a little hungry and was looking in the fridge for something to eat. I asked her if she wanted more dinner and she said "Pickles!" and reached for the pickle jar. I gave her a pickle and she enjoyed the whole thing. I, of course, knew that April would appreciate this, so this one's for you Aunt April! You are teaching her well! : )

The Zoo!

2009-05-26T11:36:00.000-05:00

For Julie's birthday, her Grandma and Papaw renewed our membership to the zoo for another year and we have already enjoyed a few visits to see the animals this spring. We all went together yesterday while Ben had the day off of work and we had a great time. There is a new exhibit this summer where you are able to feed birds and Julie loved it. She loved getting so close to the cute birds. Her favorite animal is still the monkeys but lately she's been looking forward to seeing the giraffes and hippos too. We brought a picnic with us and ate under some threatening rain clouds but didn't get wet. It was a really good day. Her new favorite part of the zoo is the choo-choo train so we ride it everytime we go to the zoo these days. Thanks Grandma and Papaw for the fun zoo trips, we will have many more this summer!

It's tough being two

2009-05-26T11:18:00.000-05:00

Even two year olds need a break now and then and Julie loves swinging in the hammock in the back yard to relax with her daddy.

Cute things by Julie

2009-05-22T13:36:00.004-05:00

In addition to the Julie-isms post a while ago, here are a few more cute things Julie has said or done recently.

Julie has started saying "Oh, yeah" when she means yes. Julie, would you like an apple? "Oh yeah!" Julie, are you ready for bathtime? "Oh yeah!" It's quite funny.

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The other day Julie and Ben were in the yard playing and she brought me some pretty purple flowers they had trimmed from the flower garden. Julie was very sweet about it, saying "Flowers, Mommy!". It was so sweet. And then yesterday they were out again and she came to the door with two more flowers in hand and got a couple feet away from me and threw them at me, saying "Here Mommy!". I had to laugh. I guess it was sweet the first time but the second she was just too busy to be bothered with giving mommy flowers. : )

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This morning I was making toast with some leftover hot dog buns and I forgot about them and they burned to a crisp. So I started over with a couple more and when I returned to the living room Julie asked "Toast ready?" when I told her no, that I had burned the toast and had to start over she put a hand to her cheek, smiled and said "Oh, no!" dramatically. And then she looked at me kindly and said "It happens." She cracks me up!

Horses!!

2009-05-16T20:03:00.003-05:00

Those who know us well know that we are horse racing fans. So of course we watched the Preakness this afternoon. We were telling Julie about how we were going to see the ponies run really fast and she said "Ye-haw!" and went and got her pony to ride in middle of the living room while we were waiting on the race to begin. She was just too cute. She really made her Mommy (and her aunts, I'm sure!) proud. : )

Mother's Day Out Program

2009-05-16T19:56:00.003-05:00

Last Tuesday was the end of the year program for the Mother's Day Out and Preschool that Julie attended this year. Each class performed a song and dance routine for the crowd. Julie did so well! She had such a good time. In the last two pictures, she is in the middle dancing and singing. The first is a picture taken just after the program was over. We were so proud of her!!

Julie's first pigtails

2009-05-16T19:54:00.002-05:00

Julie-isms

2009-05-14T09:57:00.003-05:00

I email Ben almost daily with cute little things that Julie says during the day and I thought maybe others would get a smile out of some Julie-isms as well. So here goes:

We have three cats in our family. They are Tate, Fraidy and Mugo. Tate and Fraidy are brothers from the same litter and Mugo is a sweet girl kitty we got a year before the boys. Julie has picked up on the fact that the boys are a pair of sorts and so when she refers to the kitties, she calls them "Mugo and the Tates".

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Just this morning when I was taking her to Mother's Day Out she asked me if I was going to stay with her today and I told her no, that I was going to go back home and I'd pick her up this afternoon and she said "oh, I'm sorry Momma". I guess she was sad for me to miss out on the fun. : ) What a sweetie!

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One night several weeks back we were putting Julie to bed and she loudly passed gas as we were putting her in her bed. She looked up in surprise at Ben and said "Daddy, I burped in my pants! Loud, Daddy!" We were able to hold it together until we got her down and the door shut and then we lost it. It was hilarious.

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A couple of weekends ago, my parents kept Julie for us for an evening so Ben and I could go out. Then every night since, when it's been time to get Julie ready for her bath she has requested a "water bath, no bubbles". We had always been giving her a bubble bath but apparently when my parents bathed her they did not and she definitely prefers to have a bath Grandma and Papaw style. When we fill up the bath tub with water, no bubbles, she gets very excited and says "Hi water bath!". She enjoys the simple things in life. : )

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There are so many more, I could go on and on. Maybe another post of Julie-isms is in our future. Hope you smile today! I know I will!! : )

Easter Pictures

2009-04-21T14:23:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pictures from our Easter weekend in Benton. Julie had a lot of fun dyeing eggs, making a bunny cake with Grandma, playing Wii bowling with Papaw and hunting her eggs in the front yard. And of course the Easter treats the Easter bunny left for her were a big hit. We had a wonderful Easter weekend, even if it did rain all day Sunday. We got up early enough for a round of egg hunting before the rain started. And we're still eating candy!

Julie's 2nd Birthday Party

2009-03-29T19:18:00.001-05:00

Julie's 2nd birthday is Tuesday, March 31st, and we celebrated with a party on Saturday afternoon. The theme this year was Little Einsteins, one of Julie's favorite cartoons. We told her a while back that she was going to have a Rocket cake for her birthday and she got so excited that anytime anyone asked her about her birthday she said "Rocket cake!". The cake itself was a lot of work and took both Ben and I working on it to get it right but it was all worth it when we saw how happy she was when she finally saw her Rocket cake. We had some family and a few friends over and it was a very fun afternoon. Julie of course was spoiled rotten, but that's what birthday parties are for! : ) She got a lot of little baby doll toys, some Little Einsteins toys, a princess dress and lots more. She had a terrific time.

Here she is anxiously awaiting the arrival of her party guests.

The cake itself.

Opening presents with Daddy.

Julie was great at blowing out her candle. I had thought she might need some coaching but I was wrong, she's a pro!

The kiddos enjoying playing with the Mrs. Potato Head (and it's 40 pieces!) that Julie got from her aunt April.

Julie loves her friend Ryland!

It was a bit cold but they had a good time playing in the back yard, even if it was only for a few minutes.

Here's Julie taking turns playing in her Elmo chair with her friend Jackson.

What good buddies!

Julie's Papaw and Grandma gave Julie a baby care center where she can bathe and feed her baby doll and put her baby doll down for a nap. She loves it!!

Thank you to each of you that came to the party and all those that blessed her with birthday gifts. She received some birthday money in the mail last week so we are planning on taking her to the store on her actual birthday Tuesday to let her pick out a little something. Let the party continue!!

We have been blessed beyond the limits of our imaginations having this little girl in our lives. She is such a joy. We are so very thankful for her and although we wish the time wouldn't go by so fast we do look forward to experiencing the rest of life with her. These past two years have been amazing and have taught us so much. We love our Julie girl!!

The BEST Daddy ever!

2009-03-23T20:51:00.000-05:00

I have several pairs of fuzzy cuddly socks that I wear around the house when Julie and I stay in. Today I was wearing a pink pair and Julie asked for pink socks too. I went to get her some from her drawer but she insisted that she wear a pair of my fuzzy socks. So we've been wearing pink socks together all day. And when Ben got home she showed him our pink socks and said that Daddy needed some too. So he went and got a pair of my socks to wear to match us. It made Julie really happy. What a Daddy!! He's the best!!

New toy

2009-03-23T20:31:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago my parents came over for a visit and while they were here they gave Julie a Barbie four wheeler toy. She loves to ride on it, but hasn't quite figured out how to steer it. We are working on it. : )

Short Video

2009-02-22T21:41:00.000-06:00

Every night we read Julie books, give her a drink of water, say prayers and put her to bed. Well, this video was taken a little while ago when I noticed that Julie was doing her bedtime routine for her baby doll. She gave the baby a bottle, put the baby in her bed, then climbed in bed with her to read her a book and then decided to say prayers with her baby. I thought it was too cute not to share. We especially like the last part in her prayer where she pauses to think if there is anything more she'd like to add before saying amen. So sweet.

Finally! A new post!

2009-02-22T21:03:00.000-06:00

It's been forever, but here it is, a new update from the Johnsons. : ) We had a great Christmas and New Year's complete with family visits. Since then, we have gone back to visit my family a few times and my parents have come to visit us. We've also been visited by Ben's brothers and their families. Ben went out of town a couple of times so Julie and I were lucky to have my family to keep us company on those weekends while he was gone. Julie has been back at Mother's Day Out and continues to really enjoy it, as do I. : ) She also keeps us on our toes these days since she is very much into repeating everything she hears. She talks like a "big" person now, in sentences and everything, and continues to amaze us with how grown up she is, for an almost two year old. That's right, she'll be turning two at the end of next month. The time has literally flown by.
Here are a few pictures of the last couple of months.

This is Julie cheesing it up for a picture at her MDO Valentine's Day party.

She loves helping out with whatever I am doing and here she is vacuuming for me.

On one of our visits home she went for a walk around my parents land and had a really good time playing in the creek with my Dad.

Yes, we got some snow this year. Twice!

We spent an afternoon with my parents feeding the geese at Shelby Farms one weekend. I'm not sure who ate more of the bread, the geese or Julie. She would throw a piece and then say "Julie bite!" and proceed to eat the rest of the bread in her hands.

The park is always a favorite place of Julie's and here she is racing Uncle Dan down the slide.

Julie had such a good time with her cousins Claire and Ethan. She loves her family!!

New house coat!

2008-12-31T21:02:00.000-06:00

My aunt and uncle, Doris and Larry, came up to have Christmas with us. And they gave Julie the cutest little sock monkey house slippers and a red house coat with the little monkey on the inside. Julie is so super cute in it. Thanks so much Doris and Larry! We had a great time visiting with you, and are so glad you were able to make the trip up. : )

Christmas Pictures

2008-12-31T20:52:00.000-06:00

We had a wonderful Christmas. Ben, Julie and I had a little Christmas morning together on Christmas Eve morning just the three of us and then we headed to visit my family that afternoon for the long holiday weekend. Santa brought Julie an easel this Christmas and she really enjoys it. She loves the chalk board side. She'll ask me to draw something so she can erase it, and then she exclaims "Gone!". We had a great time with our family as well. We hung out at the house, shopped a little, played Wii alot and went bowling together. We of course ate too much and got some great rest. Here are a few pictures from our weekend.

Here is Julie finishing off the cookie that she left for Santa the night before that he didn't finish.

Here's Julie getting a first look at her Elmo chair that she loves.

And she played tea set with her new set that her Grandma gave to her with her aunts and uncle.

Julie's first Christmas tree

2008-12-23T15:54:00.000-06:00

We didn't do a Christmas tree last year, or the few Christmases before, but this year we decided to since Julie is a little bigger now and can enjoy it. And she really does. She had a lot of fun putting ornaments on the tree, even if she did try to put them all in the same spot. : )

And then the next day she pulled her rocking chair up to the tree to have a closer inspection of the tree and it's decorations.

She says "Hi Tree!" and "Hi Lights!" to the tree (and lights) each day and she tells them bye at night before she goes to bed. She also gets to turn the lights on in the morning and off at night, which she seems to really enjoy. Yesterday she even turned the lights off at her naptime, because the tree needed to take a nap too. : ) I just love her innocent enthusiasm.

Presents? What presents?

2008-12-23T15:22:00.000-06:00

Julie and I went to the post office this morning to pick up a package sent to us from Ben's parents. We brought it home and opened it up to put the gifts under the tree. I don't think Julie even saw the presents, all wrapped in colorful paper. She went straight for the packing peanuts!

She has really enjoyed the packing peanuts all afternoon long. I think as I am writing this that she has emptied and refilled that box with those peanuts at least three or four times. Maybe that's what we should have gotten her for Christmas!

Thanks Grama and Grampa J, for the gifts we will open tomorrow and for the peanuts that Julie is enjoying today! : )

Are we sure she's my daughter?

2008-12-10T15:32:00.002-06:00

Today when asked what she would like for a snack, Julie didn't respond with "ne-ne" or "m-e-ups" like I assumed she would. No, she didn't ask for candy or M&M's, she asked for peas and corn. She loves her veggies!!

Life Group Christmas Party

2008-12-10T13:36:00.000-06:00

Last Sunday night our Life Group had it's Christmas party. We had lots of fun party food and a gift exchange. The kiddos really enjoyed opening their gifts and playing with each other.

Here's Julie and her friends having a yummy dinner together.

Julie really enjoyed her iced sugar cookie! She didn't even get up to play while she focused intently on finishing that cookie.

Ben helped Julie open her present. She got a Winnie the Pooh bath toy that she loves and has played with in her bath every night since.

Little Video of Ben and Julie in the leaves

2008-12-06T21:08:00.000-06:00

Fall leaves

2008-12-06T20:48:00.000-06:00

Today Ben took on the leaves in the yard. He raked up a couple of big piles of leaves and then let Julie have at it. She was a little hesitant at first but quickly got the hang of it and had a blast. Here are a few pictures of us playing in the leaves.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-06T20:03:00.000-06:00

We drove to Texas to visit family over the Thanksgiving holiday. It was a long trip in the car but Julie did really well. My parents got a portable DVD player for Julie as an early Christmas gift so we took it with us and she made good use of it in the car. It helped the time go by for little Julie, and the rest of us. : )

We stopped in Rockwall, TX on the way to visit with our good friends, the Allens. We got to meet their precious little baby girl for the first time. It was a very short visit but we really loved getting to see them in person again and look forward to getting together with them again!

Here is a picture of all of our family sitting at tables in my aunt and uncle's back yard for our Thanksgiving meal. There were a lot of us there but even more food. And it was super yummy. I believe that my aunt's turkey and dressing is the best in the whole world. We look forward to it all year.

Here is Julie sitting with her great-Grandma, my Dad's mom.

All four generations, me, Julie, my dad, and my grandma. What a cute bunch, huh?

We spent the night at my other aunt and uncle's house on the way back home, in Mansfield, TX. Every time we get together at their house, we take a stair-step picture of everyone. When we got there Julie remembered taking the picture with everyone last time and she directed everyone to sit on the stairs for another picture. It was really funny to see her position everyone where she wanted them to be in the picture. She was content to let Daddy take the picture and not sit down with everyone. She just clapped and "yay-ed" after the picture was taken, so proud. : )

Sunday photos

2008-11-18T18:54:00.000-06:00

We had our Thanksgiving meal with our Life group on Sunday night, a little early but with several of us traveling out of town in the next couple of weeks it was the best timing for all of us. We had a great meal and the kiddos wore themselves out playing together.

I made some cupcakes (yes, with sprinkles) Sunday afternoon and Julie got a warm one from the oven as I was preparing them. She shared with her Curious George while watching, you guessed it, Curious George on TV.

Here's Julie with her friends at the kids' table during dinner. I think this was captured during the 5 seconds that they were all seated at the same time.

And here's what they did to work up an appetite before dinner. Julie loves playing with her little friends. We are really fortunate that she has such good little friends to play with at this stage.

Short video

2008-11-18T18:25:00.000-06:00

Here's a little video of Julie playing with Tate in the front yard during our photo shoot. : )

Fall photo fun

2008-11-18T17:57:00.000-06:00

On Sunday afternoon we decided to take a few pictures of Julie in the front yard playing in the leaves. She liked throwing them in the air and then asking Da-da to pick them up again and hand them to her to throw. She also enjoyed kicking the leaves into the air. And, of course, chasing the cat around the yard. : )

My sweet girl

2008-11-18T17:02:00.002-06:00

Here's a few pictures from the last couple of weeks around the house.

In this picture Julie and I are wearing matching aprons that my mom gave to us. I keep them hanging in the kitchen and Julie will tug on mine saying "mama, mama!" and when I put it on she pats her belly, wanting to wear hers too.

Julie is such a girlie girl. She carries this basket around the house like a purse. On this particular day, she combined the sunglasses with her "purse", bracelet, and, although not in this picture, her cell phone. She walked around the living room saying "Bye!" and waving back to me. Once she walked to the door, turned around, said bye and then added "keys?". When did she become 16 years old all of a sudden??

She has recently decided that one paci is just not enough. If she can get her hands on two at a time, she wants to have both in her mouth at the same time. Boy are we in trouble when we decide to break her of her "be-be" habit.

New Patio

2008-11-18T17:00:00.000-06:00

A few weekends back we went to my parents' house to help them lay down a stone patio in the back yard. It took the whole crew of us working together for most of the day to put it down, and we had a good time working together.

Here's some of us working hard...

And Julie "helping", of course.

And the finished product. Looks good, huh?

Party video

2008-10-30T22:12:00.000-05:00

As mentioned in the previous post, at Julie's costume parade this morning, the older kids performed a little show while the little ones sat and watched. Well, I have shared with you Julie's love of dancing before and today she just couldn't help but participate even while watching. She really makes me smile.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-30T21:48:00.000-05:00

Today Julie's Mother's Day Out class had a Halloween party and costume parade. So I dropped her off in her classroom and went to the gym to watch the parade, then back to the classroom to join in the party with her. It was super cute. Julie enjoyed wearing her lion costume again. After they paraded into the gym, the bigger kids put on a little show with a few songs they learned to sing for us parents while the little kids sat and watched. After the little show, we went back for her party where the kids got to have some snacks, go trick-or-treating, and play a pin the nose on the pumpkin game. Julie had a great time and I really enjoyed watching her have so much fun. Here are a few pictures from our morning.

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-27T20:42:00.000-05:00

We went to Benton this past weekend to visit and to take Julie to a pumpkin patch so she could pick out her Halloween pumpkin. On Friday, Julie had a lot of fun with her Aunt Robin at a park in Downtown Little Rock. Then on Saturday we hung out at the house and went to another park in the afternoon. Julie played so hard she wore herself out. Sunday we went to church and then to the pumpkin patch. We got to check out all of the pumpkins, feed some farm animals, watch a pig race, and go on a hay ride. A fun day indeed. : ) Here are a few pictures from our weekend.

A couple of weeks ago my sisters and brother-in-law went to the state fair and won three Curious George's for Julie, and she LOVES them. She played with her George's all weekend long. Thanks April, Robin and Chris!!

Here she is playing with everyone in the front yard.

Julie sure had a good time at the park with her Aunt Robin, and wore her out!

And the pumpkin patch pictures!

Zoo Boo Dance Video

2008-10-20T22:03:00.000-05:00

Here is a video of Julie dancing at the disco at the Zoo Boo the other night. She heard the music from the sidewalk and ran to the pavilion, dancing along the way. She danced and danced and had the best time. Who do you think she gets her dancing skills from? : )

Zoo Boo

2008-10-20T21:42:00.000-05:00

Last Friday night, we went to the Zoo Boo at our local zoo with some friends. We had a really good time. Little Julie is a lion this year for Halloween so we got her dressed up and took a couple pictures in the yard before we drove over to the zoo. Her costume does include a headpiece with a mane and ears but she fought it big time so we improvised and just sprayed her hair orange. We thought it turned out pretty cute. Sorry that the pictures are a bit dark, it was night after all. She got to trick-or-treat, take part in a costume contest, and dance in a disco pavilion. She ate more candy than she probably should have, but that's part of Halloween, right? She sure slept well Friday night, and for about an hour later than usual on Saturday morning. Thanks to the Whiteakers for going with us, we had a great time with you all!

Baby beds and jam sessions

2008-10-20T21:28:00.000-05:00

Ben has recently started learning kids' songs on his guitar to play and sing for Julie. And she has gotten in on the act with the little ukulele that Ben got on one of our trips to Hawaii a few years ago. And it's the perfect size for her. She loves these jam sessions with her da-da.

When we came home from visiting my family we brought back with us a baby doll bed that I played with as a child, given to me by my Grandma, and now Julie will have it to play with. Julie has played with it quite a bit in the last week, although I'm not sure if she knows it's for her baby doll. She will play with her doll in it if I put the doll in it for her, but she quickly takes the doll out to get in herself. Either way, she's enjoying the baby bed. : )

Old Fashion Day

2008-10-20T21:11:00.000-05:00

On the weekend of the 11th, we went to Benton to visit my family and to go to Old Fashion Day, a town-wide arts and crafts sale on the courthouse lawn. It was a really fun time. We all remembered bringing Julie last year and talked about how quickly the year has past and how much she has grown. We had a lot of fun.

Julie enjoyed having her juice with Aunt April outside in the nice weather.

She also really enjoyed riding the tractor with her Papaw. They did this a couple of times while we were there and Julie loved every minute of it. I think her Papaw enjoyed it as well. : )

Here are a few pictures of our time at Old Fashion Day. Julie really liked the tiny motorcycle and riding the train.

This one's for Papaw

2008-10-03T12:09:00.000-05:00

Watching George

2008-10-02T19:52:00.000-05:00

Julie loves watching the Curious George movie. I think she became familiar with this curious little monkey at the Children's Museum, where they had a traveling Curious George exhibit that she really enjoyed. She has seen the movie a few times in last couple of months but this week she has been asking for it daily. She knows which remote is for the DVD player and she will get it out of the drawer, bring it to me and say "Oooh, Oooh, Oooh", her answer to the question "what does a monkey say?", since she can't quite say monkey yet. As soon as I take the remote from her to turn it on she runs to the couch and grabs her blanket and asks me to sit with her. Today though she was watching it as I was getting dinner ready and this picture is what I saw when I peeked around the corner at her. She was playing with Ben with her baby doll and stroller and I guess baby doll wanted to watch as well. So, yes, that's Julie in her baby doll's stroller, "drinking" from her doll's bottle, with baby doll sitting in Julie's rocking chair next to her, enjoying Curious George. What a cutie, huh?

Happy Birthday Ben!!

2008-09-28T19:28:00.000-05:00

The 26th was Ben's 30th birthday!! My parents came over on Saturday afternoon and spent the night at the house with Julie while Ben and I spent the night out celebrating his birthday. It was a great time for the two of us to have together and Julie had a blast with her grandparents. They did some shopping with her and got her a stroller and diaper bag for her baby doll. She loves it!! Here are a few pictures of her with her grandparents and baby stroller. Also one of Julie and her Papaw playing in the living room fort. We are so grateful that my parents came over to watch Julie for us so we could have some time out for just the two of us. We really appreciate it!

Cute video

2008-09-28T18:43:00.000-05:00

Here is a cute video of Julie swinging at the park with her Papaw while we were in Texas.

Welcome home party

2008-09-28T17:43:00.000-05:00

On the weekend of September 20th, we went to Mansfield, TX to visit with my family and to go to a welcome home party for my cousin, Andrew, who just got back from Iraq. We are so very happy and thankful that he is finally home safe and sound. We had a really good time with everyone. It was a quick trip, and Julie did really well on the long drive. She had a good time seeing everyone and meeting new folks. We even got out to take her to a park for a little while and she really enjoying playing with her aunts, uncle and papaw at the park. Here are a few pictures from our time at my aunt and uncle's house.

Haircut, part two

2008-09-28T17:22:00.000-05:00

I finally let Ben cut Julie's hair, just a little bit. We were at my parents' house and we sat Julie up on the counter in their bathroom for the hair cut. She did really well and didn't fuss too much about it. He only cut off a tiny little bit, just enough to even up the front and back a little. It looks cute. Here are a few pictures of the experience.

Couple cute pictures

2008-09-28T17:16:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of cute pictures of Julie taken in the last couple of weeks.

Julie likes to line her "babies" up on the back of the couch and then sit up there with them. She also likes it when Ben and I sit up there with her and doesn't quite understand why that's a little harder for us to do. : ) It is pretty cute when she gets up there and pats on the back of the couch right next to her, saying "momma, momma", asking me to sit there beside her.

The other day we were playing in the living room together and she ran off into my room. When she came back into the living room, this is what she was wearing. She still loves wearing Ben's shoes and hats. What a cutie!

Julie's first trip to the lake!

2008-08-31T14:47:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we went to visit my family and we spent Saturday afternoon at the lake. It was Julie's first trip to the lake and we think she liked it. She wasn't totally crazy about the boat ride but seemed to enjoy riding on her Papaw's lap while he drove the boat. She loved playing in the rocks on the shore of a little island where we stopped to play for a little while. We met up with April, Robin and Chris and she liked walking around on Chris and Robin's party barge. We all swam for a while and had a good time. Julie fell asleep on my lap on the boat ride back to the car. I guess we wore her out! It was a great afternoon.

Wagon Friends

2008-08-08T15:24:00.001-05:00

We got this little wagon for Julie not too long ago and she loves being pulled around the house in it. She also loves to pull her little Winnie the Pooh friends around in it too. I thought it was really cute when she decided that she wanted to ride along with her friends instead of pull them around.

In case you were wondering, that smile in the third picture is the one we get when we ask Julie to say "cheese", only she says "cheezzzzzzzzzz". Super cute.

Weekend in Benton

2008-08-08T15:19:00.000-05:00

Ben had an AIGA leadership retreat last weekend in Heber Springs, AR so Julie and I headed to Benton to visit my family for the weekend. My aunt and uncle came up to visit from TX for the weekend too so it was an extra special visit. Julie and I went to the Discovery Museum in downtown Little Rock with my sister and brother-in-law on Friday afternoon and had a lot of fun. A good friend of mine from high school, Jennifer, works there and I got to see her and catch up a bit while Julie played with Aunt Robin and Uncle Chris. It was so good to see her again and I really hope to get together with her and her husband again soon. While we were in town we got to go to one of April and Robin's softball games but we didn't stay long at all because it was so hot out. Julie did get to play on the playground at the park while we were there though and we almost couldn't get her off of it to leave. We went to the Clinton Library on Saturday afternoon and out to eat that night. Ben came to pick us up Sunday morning and Julie was so happy to see her daddy again. We headed back to Memphis Sunday afternoon. This week has been a bit slower, but Julie needed the rest after her super fun week with both sets of grandparents.

Grama and Grampa J Visit

2008-08-08T15:03:00.000-05:00

Ben's parents came down for a visit from Canada last week and we had a great time. Julie loved having her Grama and Grampa J around to play with. We did a lot of fun stuff while they were here. We went to the Children's Museum, Zoo, Mud Island Riverpark, rode the trolley downtown and went out to several places to eat. We also played in the yard with the sprinkler and Julie's little pool and ate ice cream a lot. While they were here Ben's brother and his wife, Dan and Taylor, came over for a visit before driving up to Springfield, MO to visit with Paul, Amy, Claire and Ethan. We were so glad that they got to make the long trip down to visit us. Come back soon Grama J and Grampa J!!

Julie loves to share

2008-08-08T14:49:00.000-05:00

These pictures are from a couple weeks ago. We got ice cream from Baskin Robbins and brought it home to eat. We let Julie eat her own at the coffee table and Tate quickly became interested in what she was doing. He sat and watched her for a couple of minutes before she offered him a bite. And then the ice cream eating process became dip spoon in ice cream, let Tate lick spoon, then finish off whatever he didn't get off of the spoon. Of course it didn't take long for Fraidy to see what was going on and jump in on the ice cream action. Julie just loves her kitties!!

We love Sonic!

2008-08-07T21:19:00.000-05:00

Haircut

2008-07-20T20:09:00.002-05:00

We've decided it's about time to get Julie's hair cut for the first time. It makes me a little sad, but I know it's about that time. Does anyone know of a good place to take a little one to get a haircut for the first time? I'm way too scared to do it myself. Thanks for your advice!!

Julie's Vocab

2008-07-20T20:04:00.000-05:00

We are impressed every day with how quickly Julie is learning new words. We just love hearing her little voice talking to us. Here are some of her words she uses regularly:
Da-da
Momma
Papaw
Ball
Nana (banana)
Key
Eeez (cheese)
Ap-ul (apple)
Bub-ul (bubble)
Ki-Ki (kitty cat)
Hi
Ba-ul (bottle)

She also knows some animal sounds, like for a cat, monkey, cow and pig. And she can wave hello and goodbye.

She's just growing right up! : )

Family Fun

2008-07-20T19:55:00.002-05:00

Julie has really gotten into playing at the park. She loves the swings and slides and will go down the slide as many times as we let her. She is growing up so fast. We are reminded of how small she still is seeing her playing at the park with the bigger kids, but we can see the big kid in her as she tries so hard to keep up with all of them. She just laughs and laughs while going down the slides and begs to do it again. We love playing with her at the park.

Here are a few more pictures from last week. Julie figured out how to climb up onto the dining room table and it's one of her new favorite things to do. This first picture is of Julie sitting on the table with Mugo. She is all about climbing these days, on anything and everything. And of course, she still loves her daddy's shoes and tries to walk in them all of the time. The third picture is of Julie doing another one of her favorite things, emptying her dresser drawers. I like to think she's just re-organizing. : )

On Saturday, we went to the Memphis Riverpark downtown on Mud Island and visited the river museum and walked along the Mississippi River model in the park. We had a really good time. We rode the monorail back and forth and Julie got to play in the water fountain with her Daddy. It was hot, but we really enjoyed spending time outside, being tourists in our own city. In the afternoon we did a little shopping and Julie napped for a while. We went out to dinner at my favorite place, El Porton, and then even got ice cream after dinner. It was a great day together!

Vacation!!

2008-07-14T11:09:00.000-05:00

We spent last week on vacation with my family in Gulf Shores, AL and had a terrific time. It was Julie's first time to the beach, and after warming up to the sand, she had a great time. She loved getting to hang out and play with her Papaw, Grandma, Aunt April, Aunt Robin and Uncle Chris for a whole week. She was certainly spoiled by all of the attention, and we were spoiled too by a great week at the beach. What follows are a lot of pictures of Julie at the beach, playground, in the condo and at an arcade, in no particular order. We, of course, took a ton a pictures and this is a random sampling of some of the cute ones of Julie playing with her family. It's a bit lonely with just the two of us here at the house today after spending a week with everyone, but we have lots of fun memories and pictures. And we're already looking forward to doing it all again next year! : )

Peek-A-Boo!!

2008-06-26T19:41:00.000-05:00

Saturday Zoo Trip

2008-06-23T20:09:00.000-05:00

We love taking Julie to the zoo. And since we have a membership this year, Julie and I go pretty often during the week. But this week we went on Saturday so Ben could go with us and we had a great time. We sure wore Julie out, she fell asleep before we got to the monkeys, her favorite part. We packed a picnic and spent a good part of the afternoon just letting Julie wonder around the zoo. It was a great day.

More Julie Pictures

2008-06-23T19:55:00.000-05:00

Julie has recently taken interest in shoes, hers, mine, Ben's, it doesn't matter. She wants to wear them all. Here she is wearing a pair of Daddy's shoes.

Ben has a small basket on our dresser that he keeps his wallet, keys and such in when he gets home from work each day. Julie has been trying to get at it for a while now. So one day last week she decided to push her scooter toy into the bedroom and use it to get to the basket. She was so very proud of herself.

Here's Julie with her Big Dog that her grandparents gave to her. It's really soft and she loves cuddling with it. So do the cats. : )

What have we been up to lately?

2008-06-03T12:23:00.002-05:00

It's been forever since I've updated and there's been a lot going on! Julie has now TWO teeth, she's begun eating with her big girl fork, spoon and plate, she is gradually moving on from the bottle to a big girl cup, and she is becoming more and more independent each day. Ben and I went to visit his brother and his wife, Paul and Amy, over the Memorial Day weekend so we could play with our niece and meet our new nephew. Julie spent the weekend being spoiled by her grandparents and had a great time. We are enjoying the summertime weather and spend a lot of time outside these days. We're having a great time!!

Here's Julie's hairdo after Daddy gave her a bath. What a cutie!

Not a great picture of me, but I still love it.

Here she is showing off her TWO teeth!

We've put her to work! Cold drink anyone? Just kidding, of course. Anything that has a handle like this Julie loves to carry around the house.

Julie loves climbing up into and sitting in the big chairs in the back yard. She's getting so big!

Julie has recently discovered Mugo's kitty bed and she loves to sit in it with a couple Reader's Digests, just hanging out. Mugo's not too thrilled about this.

This past Saturday we spent the morning together at the zoo. Julie loves the monkeys!

In an attempt at being girlie, I finally got Julie some hair bows. I think this look is expressing Julie's concern for my hair decorating skills.

Another video

2008-06-03T11:39:00.002-05:00

March For Babies

2008-04-28T14:26:00.000-05:00

On Saturday Ben, Julie and I participated in the March of Dimes March for Babies. It was a four mile walk around Shelby Farms here in Memphis. We were a part of a team put together by a couple of our friends in memory of their twin baby girls that were unfortunately born too early and passed away too soon. They hope to raise money and support for the March of Dimes to help further research to help all babies to be born healthy someday. We had a really good time and enjoyed the walk. It was a beautiful morning, we couldn't have asked for better weather. Thank you to each of you that helped by sponsoring me for the walk!!

Here we are walking! Well, Julie is having a bottle at the moment, but she did get to walk a little bit of it, with Daddy's help.

After the walk, we had some lunch with some of the team members and then Julie got to check out the geese that are usually hanging out near the lakes at Shelby Farms. She wasn't quite sure what to think. We had some Cheerios that the kids were feeding the geese but Julie kept picking the Cheerios up off of the ground instead of letting the goose come to it to eat. She had a good time.

Short Video of Julie in the Front Yard

2008-04-21T16:33:00.002-05:00

Playing in the front yard today

2008-04-21T16:29:00.004-05:00

Shelby Farms

2008-04-19T22:15:00.000-05:00

This morning we went shopping for a bicycle for me and we found one! We have a jogging stroller that Ben uses to take Julie with him when he goes for a run and now I can join them on my bike. We went to Shelby Farms this afternoon to try it out and we had a lot of fun. It was a beautiful day, perfect weather for a bike ride/jog. We stopped at the playground for a little while to let Julie play and she had a great time. Here are a few pictures from the playground.

Visit with a new friend

2008-04-19T22:06:00.000-05:00

My best friend Diane came into town last week for a work meeting and I got to watch her little girl, Ava, on Thursday morning. Julie, Ava, and I had a great time together. It was my first adventure in watching two babies at once and I think it went pretty well. Ben came home at lunch and helped me feed the girls. Julie loved getting to know her new friend. She kept trying to hug Ava but I'm not sure that Ava appreciated it every time. They did pretty well playing together. Diane had Thursday afternoon and evening off so we hung out and had a really good time catching up together and playing with our daughters. Ben volunteered to watch both girls so Diane and I could go out to dinner together so we took him up on it! He's the best husband ever!! It was so good to see Diane again. Diane, come back anytime!!

I got Julie's bumbo out of storage so Ava could sit in it if she wanted to and Julie thought it was a brand new toy and kept getting in and out of it.

She really wanted to sit in the bumbo with her Pooh bear but couldn't quite figure it out. She sure tried hard!

Redbirds Baseball

2008-04-13T19:42:00.000-05:00

One of our favorite things to do here in Memphis is to go to watch some Redbirds baseball games downtown. Today our homegroup went together to watch the game. Some couldn't make it, but those of us that braved the cold weather had a good time. And the Redbirds won! We sat out on the bluff so the kids could play but once it started raining on us a little, we moved to some seats for the rest of the game. On Sunday afternoons, they let the little kids run the bases after the game is over so Ben took Julie out for her first run around the bases. It was cold, and a little rainy, but overall we had a good time hanging out together and watching some baseball.

April and Jackson, Ben and Monica, and the three of us watching the game.

A sweet hug between Julie and her friend Jackson.

This is a picture of Ben and Julie crossing home plate as they finished rounding the bases after the game.

Julie and Daddy posing for a picture with Rocky the Redbird.

Wonderful Green Tube

2008-04-13T19:24:00.000-05:00

Julie really has a good time playing with her green tube that she got for her birthday from her Aunt Robin and Uncle Chris. And all three kitties have been caught playing in it as well! Only Mugo plays with Julie in it though. And they have a good time chasing each other or peeking down the tube at each other. It's really cute. Here are a few pictures I've been able to snap as they have played together.

Spring Day!!

2008-04-07T20:55:00.000-05:00

Since it was such a pretty day, Julie and I spent some time this afternoon outside in the backyard playing with her slide, picking the little flowers, and playing with the kitty, Tate. It's so much fun watching her explore her world.

Checking out the little flower.

She had a good time playing with Tate too. He loves it when we are outside with him.

Having a good time!

Julie's Birthday, Again

2008-04-07T20:42:00.000-05:00

On Julie's birthday, we went to the Incredible Pizza Company to have some pizza and check out their games and rides for Julie. They had a couple of things for the little ones like her but she was still a bit small for almost everything. We did get her on a couple of little rides and of course played a couple of games of Skee Ball. She's a bit young for this sort of thing but we still had a good time as a family out for her birthday.

With Daddy close by, she rode in a froggy that played music and rocked back and forth. She really didn't know what to think about it. She didn't seem frightened, just confused and unsure.

She wasn't sure about the little carousel either but she gave it a shot.

She didn't stay on long, but at least she tried!

I'm starting early, passing on my love of Skee Ball to Julie. One day she'll thank me. : )

Look at all those tickets!!

Happy 1st Birthday Julie!!!

2008-03-30T16:57:00.001-05:00

Monday, March 31st, is Julie's first birthday! We can't believe that the year has gone by as quickly as it has. She's growing up so fast! It's been a terrific year and we have had a blast. She is such a joy and a blessing and we are super thankful that she is our little girl. We had her birthday party on Saturday afternoon and it was a lot of fun. My family came over from AR for the party and several of our friends from our homegroup at church came over to celebrate with us. Julie had a lot of fun tearing up the tissue/wrapping paper and playing with her new toys. Here are a few pictures from our day.

As I was decorating her cake, her Papaw let Julie get a taste of some chocolate frosting. That's what Papaws are for!!

The theme for her party was Candyland. And we sure did have a lot of candy!! I had a lot of fun making her cake.

Julie sure did get a lot of fun toys! She got a bubble blower, books, clothes and a stuff toy from her friends. Aunt April gave her a floaty for the lake and she got a climber/slide from her grandparents. She got a few toys to play with from mommy and daddy too. She had so much fun checking it all out.

She didn't get as messy as we expected but she had a lot of fun playing in and eating a little of her cake. We gave her a special heart cake all for herself. I think she wasn't so sure what to do with so much cake but it didn't take long for her to tear into it.

She got this green tube to crawl in and around from her Aunt Robin and Uncle Chris and she wasn't so sure about it. She liked looking in, and her friends had fun crawling in it but she didn't want to go in. She finally took the plunge and crawled in it a day later and loved it. Silly girl.

We had so much fun. Thanks to everyone who came over and celebrated with us!

Easter Weekend, Part Two

2008-03-25T16:54:00.000-05:00

Sunday morning we all went to church together. After church Julie got to get into her Easter baskets and see her goodies that the Easter Bunny brought her. And then she even got to hunt some eggs!

Easter Weekend, Part One

2008-03-25T16:45:00.000-05:00

I love Easter! It is my very favorite holiday. This Easter weekend we went to visit my family to celebrate with them. On Saturday we went to Wye Mountain in Arkansas to see all the daffodils in bloom and to take some pictures of Julie. We had a great time. It was perfect weather and the flowers were beautiful. Julie wore her dress that her Grandma gave to her for this specific occasion at our baby shower before she was born. It was a special time for all of us. We've been to Wye to see the flowers several times as a family and it was really cool to see Julie now enjoying them. Here are a few of the hundred or so pictures that I took that day. : )

Julie had a lot of fun checking out all the pretty flowers.

What a pretty flower!

My sweet, happy little girl.

She tried a couple flowers to see what they tasted like.

Children's Museum Pictures

2008-02-25T19:58:00.000-06:00

Here are a few pictures from our little adventure at the Children's Museum while Tom and Hilary were in town. Julie loved getting to know her aunt and uncle. She really took to both of them and just played and played.

We wore her out! She found this pillow and crashed!

Update!

2008-02-25T19:45:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since I've updated my blog and have had a few requests, so here goes! We've been busy the last little while. My parents have come over for a couple visits and just this last weekend we went to visit them. Ben's brother and his wife came to visit us and it was the first time that Julie got to meet her Uncle Tom and Aunt Hilary. And Julie has been growing up a storm. She seems to change everyday. She's pulling up on everything and zooming along the furniture. I'm sure she'll be taking a step or two soon. She is such a precious little part of our family and we are loving getting to know her as her little personality develops. It's wild to see her personality really starting to come out. She's a truly cheerful child, she laughs so much everyday and keeps me laughing. She does have my stubbornness, so that's interesting to deal with at times. She is super curious and loves to explore her world. She's terrific and we are having a blast with her.
Here's some pictures from our last few weeks.

Of course the more Julie is able to get around, the more she chases the kitties. She loves the kitties!!

Julie really likes riding her pony. She loves to press the buttons to make it sing.

Hanging out with Grandma and Papaw.

Here's Julie playing with her Papaw.

Here's Julie in her Happy Valentine's Day onesie that my Aunt Doris and Uncle Larry sent to her. What a cutie!!

Ben took this picture while working outside on a lock to our back door. He let Julie "help" him.

She loves books. She plays with her books more than any other toy.

Julie loves to "drink" out of Mommy's cup. She's such a big girl!

New Year's Weekend

2008-01-07T21:31:00.000-06:00

Over the New Year's weekend we went to visit with Ben's brother and his family. We had a great time! Julie just loved being with her cousin for a couple of days. She did super well on the road trip there and back. She's such a trooper! Here are a couple of pictures from our adventures in MO!

It was a little chilly in Springfield, MO. Here's Julie all bundled up with Daddy.

Julie loves to "fly" with aunt Amy!

We went to a fun little restaurant for lunch one day and had some yummy food. Julie tried a tater tot for the first time while sitting with Amy, Paul and Claire.

Here Julie is reading a book with her cousin Claire and aunt Amy. Julie just loves being around Claire. She watches her and tries to play with her as much as she can. These two are going to have a blast together when they get a little older!

We went bowling on New Year's Eve with some folks from Paul and Amy's church. It was a lot of fun. Julie was a great sport and seemed to have a good time too.

Christmas!!

2008-01-07T21:15:00.000-06:00

We had a terrific Christmas. We went to Benton to visit my family for four days and just had a great time. My aunt and uncle came up from Texas to be with us too. It was extra special to have so much family celebrating Christmas together. Julie wasn't quite sure what to think of it all at the time but she loves all of her new toys and books and clothes. Here are a few pictures of Julie's first Christmas!

What's in this one??

Here is Julie checking out her mountain of Christmas presents.

She sure loved the bows!!

This opening presents business sure can wear a baby Julie out!

Playing with a couple of her new Christmas toys.

Julie having a little nap after Christmas morning with Grandma.

New Trick

2008-01-02T16:12:00.000-06:00

In the last month Julie has been learning to pull herself up to standing and now she does it any chance she gets. She just loves standing up by herself. She gets so proud of herself when she pulls herself up. She's also starting clapping a lot. She'll stand up, then sit back down and clap for herself. She's so funny! Here's a picture of her standing up in her pack-and-play a couple of weeks ago. What a cutie!

Julie with Santa!

2007-12-01T21:53:00.000-06:00

We went to Breakfast with Santa this morning at our church and Julie got her first picture made with Santa. She did great! I was worried she would cry but she was just fascinated with his beard. I thought she wouldn't let go!

Overdue Update Pictures Continued

2007-12-01T21:50:00.000-06:00

Here are a few pictures from our Thanksgiving trip to Texas.

On our way to Gorman for our annual Thanksgiving celebration with family, we stopped for a visit with our good friends Tim and Amanda. We got to visit for just a little while but it was SO good to catch up with them and hug them again. We miss them so much! We were so happy that they got to meet Julie and she got to meet them!

Here is Julie meeting her Great-Grandma Corley for the first time. We had such a good time with my grandma and my aunt, uncle, and cousins while we were in Gorman for Thanksgiving. It was a great trip.

The whole gang at my aunt and uncle's house in Mansfield, TX. We stopped for a quick but fun visit on the way home from Gorman.

It was a long trip in the car with an 8 month old, but she did great. We had a wonderful time.

And we're back!

2007-12-01T21:39:00.000-06:00

Yes, it's been a month since I last updated you all on the happenings in the Johnson household. Well, we've visited family a couple of times, I turned the big 3-0, Julie got to meet her great-grandma for the first time and she started crawling. It's been a busy month. Here are a few pictures from our adventures.

Playing with the leaves with Papaw.

Getting into trouble already! : )

My happy family!

She still loves her swing even though she's growing out of it!

Here's Julie having a blast in her walker. She can really zoom around the house in her walker. Watch out kitties!

Happy Halloween!!

2007-10-31T19:40:00.000-05:00

Of course my little Julie is a black kitty for Halloween! She had a blast playing with her pumpkin that we got for her at the pumpkin patch a couple of weekends ago. As well as it being Halloween, it's also Julie's 7 month birthday. She's growing so fast!

Cranky lady!

2007-10-25T11:30:00.000-05:00

Julie is officially teething and is not happy about it! She's been super cranky and needy the last few days. I'm more than happy to give her extra loving care to help her through it and I am looking for tips! If any of you moms out there have any tricks that helped you and your little ones while the little teeth came in, please send your wisdom my way! It will be much appreciated!!
On a positive note, Ben has been great with Julie (and me!) while she's been a bit tougher to handle lately. He took the middle of the night duty with her last night and let me sleep all night long! And he took me to my favorite mexican restaurant for dinner last night to get us out of the house and do something fun. What a guy! : )

Weekend Fun

2007-10-15T19:15:00.000-05:00

This past weekend Ben, Julie and I went to visit my family. Julie got lots of lovin from her grandparents and aunts and uncle and loved them back! We all had a great time. We just love going to visit the fam!

On Saturday, the city had a festival they call Old Fashion Day on the courthouse square with craft booths and crazy food for sale. We walked around and checked everything out, enjoying the great weather.

On Sunday we went out to a local pumpkin patch to pick out a Halloween pumpkin for Julie. She had a great time riding around in the wagon. It was a lot of fun!

Beautiful Day

2007-10-02T14:03:00.000-05:00

We are having a beautiful day today so Julie and I spent some time in the front yard watching butterflies, the shadows of the leaves on the blanket, and a few cars drive down the street. It was great! Julie just laughed the whole time.