Going Bonkers

Tonight we took Julia to a new play gym called Going Bonkers. The place was packed so I think we were the last family in DFW learn of its greatness. Hope you enjoy the video.

Train ride with Daddy

On Saturday we went to Northpark Center with Mimi, Pops, Aunt Jamie, Uncle Sam, Lily, Cooper and Aunt Kim. Pops, Jeff and Sam took the girls on the train to get to Northpark while the rest of drove the cars. Julia liked riding the train, but Jeff said she like getting on and off the best. She really liked watching the train come into the station.

A Fun Week at School

Julia had a great week. Each day at school was a different theme. She only had to go to school 3 days this week, which made it even better.
Tuesday was jogging suit day.

Wednesday was Christmas shirt day.
Thursday was Santa hat day. Her teacher said she did not take the hat off all day, even during nap time.

The Christmas Season is Here

The Christmas season beginning is always marked with the Grapevine Christmas Parade! We attended the parade on Thursday evening and Julia loved it. She braved the 40 degree weather . . . . she clapped, waved and yelled "Merry Christmas.

I took Friday and Monday off work. On Friday we met Renee, Grandma and Valerie at the mall to see Santa and take pictures. Julia was a little shy, but took a great picture.

On Saturday we headed down to Corsicana to see Mimi and Pops. Julia loved their house decorated for Christmas, she counted all the Santa's that Mimi has. We attend another parade. This parade was a little different it had 350 entries and all threw candy. On Sunday, Grandma took Julia to see Santa Clause is Coming to Town at Casa Manana. Julia loved it, she got to wear her new Christmas dress that she calls a ball gown.

Then today, I enjoyed a quite morning while Julia slept until 8:15 a.m. I think her weekend activities wore her out. This evening we headed to the Gaylord to see more sparkly lights as Julia calls them. She loved seeing the Christmas tree that spun in circles and all the trains.

Our Trip to the State Fair

We had a great day at the State Fair. Julia's favorite part was riding the Ferris Wheel.

It's October

My Sweet Pumpkin

 

Happy October!

Super Fun!

We had a really fun weekend . . . for having no plans. First it started with an event with our Connection Class at church. We went on a group scavenger hunt. I was tired and really did not want to go, but ended up having a great time. We had a list of items to take pictures with and items we had to collect, all were worth different point values. Our group was awesome and we gathered everything on both lists or so we thought. Half way through dinner Jeff realized that he forgot to put the $2 bill from his wallet into the collected items bag . . . it was worth 5 points. We tried to sneak it in our bag with little luck. When the winners were announced our team lost by 3 points. Ooops!
Here I am with a radio station bumper sticker.
Here is Jeff with a historical marker.
On Saturday Julia and I set out to run some errands. When we turned into the Party City parking lot we noticed Lowes was having a community event with a real fire truck. Well we had to check it out. Julia got a firetruck hat, badge and was able to make her very own fire truck with a real hammer. This was certainly a time when I wished Jeff was with us. Wood, nails, hammers, instructions . . . definitely a Daddy job. Even though I put the bottom of the firetruck together wrong and we could not fit the wheels through, we still managed and Julia had a blast.
The weekend ended with Julia and Jeff planting flowers in the backyard. She was so excited she got to pat the soil and water the plants. She exclaimed "I do good job!"

Happy Birthday . . . OOPS!

To finish out our vacation we attended Lily's birthday party. Julia loves to sing Happy Birthday, she sang the whole song and did not miss a beat. Only at the end she pretends to blow out the candles except it worked and she blew out one of Lily's candles. The first picture is her finishing the song and the second picture is her and my reaction! Lily excalimed, "Julia you blew out one and I blew out 2, tee-hee!" Shhhewww.

Bath Tub Hide-And-Go-Seek

During Julia's bath tonight she played a game of Bath Tub hide and go seek. She covered up her foot with a towel, covered her eyes and counted to 10. After counting she stated "Ready or not I come". The called "Piggies are you?" looked around and said "Piggies hiding in Tub Bub."

Vacation - Wednesday

Today we had a day packed full of fun. We started out at Krispy Kreme for breakfast. Julia wore a Krispy Kreme hat and ate a very messy donut. Then we went to Little Gym and learned how to do all kinds of neat tricks. After Julia's nap we went to visit Gran Gran in Fort Worth. Julia loved playing with Gran Gran's toys. She had a great time and when she waved goodbye said "That's my Gran Gran."

A Dinner Party for EVERYONE

2 months ago we were hosting a party for friends at church. I was getting everything ready. I left the kitchen for 2 seconds to come back and see my Type A daughter (Who do you thing she takes after?) setting the table. I guess she expected a lot of people to come to dinner!

Vacation - Tuesday

Today Jeff and I took Julia to Burger's Lake. Julia looked at me and said, "It fun Mommy, it fun!" She had the best time making sandcastles and swimming. Later today we took her to dinner, she handed her Daddy the coloring sheet and crayon, she said, "Here Daddy for you, don't eat crayon!"

Vacation - Monday

Today was the first day of vacation. Julia and I went to the Children's Museum. She was everywhere, keeping up with her was a workout. She jumped up on the play stage with a tamborine, started singing the alphabet and dancing, she finished off the performace with a girly bow! Who taught her that?? After her nap, we made cookies. She was amazed by the cookie process, loved putting all the ingredients in the bowl and licking the spoon.

Prayer

I have been thinking about several people I have not seen in a very long time. They cross my mind several times a day for no reason. I believe when this happens that I am meant to pray for these people, so I do. Prayer is an amazing tool that we have in life. I can know nothing about what is going on in someones world or might not be able to help them in any way, but I can pray for them. Kind of blows my mind. This happened to me last week . . . I was really thinking about my friends Chuck and Amanda. So I prayed for them. Turns out 2 days ago I found out they are pregnant. Awesome news, but they have a life changing event that requires serious prayer. I am thankful that I have an avenue to communicate with my creator. I would be lost without it.

Mommy, Julia & Miki

I will do anything for my daughter and that includes holding "Miki the Monkey". I did not realize that Mommyhood included Monkey holding. Yikes!

Heels or Flats?

Can I be a super Mom and career woman in $14 heels? Well the answer is no, because the heels pinched my feet and I asked my Mom to return them for me because I did not have time. Now TIME is something I could use more of. I am currently running on about 5 hours of sleep a night, because Julia is more fun than sleep, looking through cookbooks is more fun than sleep, blogging is more fun than sleep. This is a problem. I have decided this week that I want to write a book. Is that weird? I read all the time, but starting and finishing a book is different. I have been playing with the idea for years, but recently can not get it out of my head. The only question is, what in the world would I write about and when would I find the time. My life is not dramatic enough for a memoir and I don't think I am inventive enough to write the next Twilight series. Since God put this idea in my head, I am praying (literally) that he will provide the inspiration.

Julia Claire Hall

2 years, 3 months

No Nap Makes for a Long Day

This is a tired child who has not had a nap. She fought sleep all afternoon, fell asleep in the car after throwing pennies in the fountain at Southlake Town Center at 5 p.m. Then she slept on the couch while I mad tons of noise in the kitchen cooking dinner. Check out the headband, it is a new hair-do. She actually left in alone!

Lorrie's Blog

Check out my Mom's Blog at http://www.lorrie-b.blogspot.com/.
It is super cute and filled with pictures of my sweet daughter!

Big Decisions!

In September Jeff and I will have been married for 5 years. It has been 5 awesome years, filled with a ton of fun, vacations, starting a family, buying our first home and so on. Never in these 5 years have we been faced with any large trials until 2 months ago. On May 9 Jeff's company decided to close his entire office and everyone was laid off. We were not totally shocked by the announcement, but when he called to tell me the tears that rolled down my face were a shock to me. It wasn't my job or my career, yet I was just as upset as he was. In the weeks following, I have never seen someone look so hard to find a job. He did everything needed . . . great resume, listings on all the social networking sites, networking groups, etc. At the end of 2 months we made a decision that is one of the scarriest yet exciting decisions we have made as a married couple.

Jeff has decided to open his own business and start his own Farmer's Insurance Agency. I was so relieved when we made the decision and the next night has the first full nights rest in 2 months. The announcement to our friends and family was an odd one. It is not like you can run into a room and say "Jeff found a job and starting next week we will have a salary, benefits, vacation and stability." Nope we said "Yea! We made a decision and we will let you know how it goes." Kind of different.

I truly believe that this is the path God wants us to take. I believe he has chosen this carrer for Jeff and this is our time to sieze the opportunity. Wish us luck, the next 5 years are going to be INTERESTING!

4th of July Fun

So the 4th of July was a blur of activity. Swimming, Lunch, Nap, Play with Toys, Head to Grapevine Lake, Dinner, Playground, Learn to build a Sandcastle then Fireworks. Julia had the best day. She is getting better at swimming by the day, but she still holds on to your fingers with a Ninja grips that cuts off the blood flow. Her cousin Lauren, was sweet enough to be patient and teach her how to build a sandcastle. Lauren would show her and Julia would knock it down . . . rinse and repeat . . . rinse and repeat. Lauren never got mad, just kept letting her build and knock it down. At the end of the lesson, Julia's 4th of July dress was the color of mud and she took a shower with the water hose. Finally came the fireworks. Julia likes the sparkly ones and calls them "sparky." She clapped and "ohhhed and ahhhhed" her way thorough the show. It was a great day that had a bonus on Sunday, when she slept until 7:25 a.m. Success!