Julia's Happy Place

We finished the long weekend with a day at the pool. When I was growing up and I was sick or upset my Mom always had me describe my happy place to get my mind off things. I have taken the same approach with Julia and she decided when she has surgery in March that her happy place was PawPaw's pool. She was more than thrilled to spend her day at her happy place. She has an ear infection so she had to wear a funny looking ear cover all day. She did very good and only tried to take it off about 20 times. Baby steps people. Aunt Renee said she looked like a swimming snow bunny. Ha!

Adventures in Babysitting

My weekend was complete, becuase I got to babysit Valerie for 5 hours by myself. Chris and Renee had tickets to the opera. I got to stay home and be silly. We played inside, we played outside, had naptime, snack time and music time. By the time her parents got home we were singing and dancing. Hopefully I wore her out. We had a blast!
Let the fun begin!

Babysitting is not work with a face like that.

Was I not supposed to give her a bottle?!

Playing peek-a-boo under the blanket.

Snack time in Julia's big girl chair.

I put a hat on Valerie because it was sunny. Julia had to have one too. This is what she went to get.

Theme Week

This week at Julia's school was theme week.
Monday - Hat Day
Tuesday - Crazy Sock Day
Wednesday - Plaid Shorts Day
Thursday - Mix Match Day

Another First - First Rangers Game

I thought she was too young for a Rangers Game. Boy was I wrong. She yelled, she cheered, she danced and clapped. The game was Aunt Renee's idea to celebrate PawPaw's birthday. It was a blast! And can she get any more adorable in that red hat.

Good Times with Old Friends

My ADPi little sis turned 30 and her parents and best friend gave her an awesome suprise party. We drank berry mojitos and toasted the birthday girl. Happy Birthday Lindsay!

Valerie's 1st Brithday

On Saturday was Valerie's 1st birthday party. I can not even explain how cute this party was. I am super impressed with my sister, she did an awesome job. The colors were perfect and every detail planned. I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where did the weekend go?

Right after church this morning we headed to the Zoo. As if we had not already done enough this weekend. With our season passes it is so easy to pop in and out of the Zoo. It was perfect weather and we had some much needed family time.

We never leave the Zoo without feeding the birds.

"I can plant too, Daddy"

Julia is very interested in the flower beds this spring. She takes after her Dad in this subject, I am not sure I have ever planted a plant or kept one alive. Jeff bought Julia her very own planter to watch plants grow this summer. For her birthday the Zimmerers gave her all the tools she needed to be a pint sized gardener. She followed all of her Daddy's directions and in about 6 weeks we "might" have flowers.
Sheeww . . . Daddy did you have to buy such smelly dirt?

The teacher and his student.

Make a hole and drop in the seeds.

Hold the watering can with both hands.

Plants need water.

Happy Birthday & Mother's Day

Valerie turned 1 year old on Mother's Day. We had birthday and Mom day celebration at Abuelos. Even Grandma Butts came!

The Birthday Girl

"Hmmmm . . . Did Valerie Smile?," Julia thought to herself.

Smile!

Mother's Day and Clock Radios

My Grandma and Grandpa Butts always got me the best gifts at Christmas. If it was new, hot or top of the line they found it. One year when I was in middle school they gave me a Sony clock radio that played CDs. You could program several different wake up options or even pick the song on the CD that you wanted to wake up to. I LOVED it. I would decide which mood I wanted to be in the next morning and pick the song I wanted to hear first when I woke up. The clock radio sat on my bedside through high school, it went with me to Lubbock and I unpacked it in the first apartment Jeff and I shared as a married couple. The clock radio quit working a couple of weeks ago and I couldn't bring myself to buy a new one. I was surprised this morning when I opened my Mother's Day gift and inside was the MAC DADDY of all clock radios. It has all the features and instead of a CD player it now comes with an iPod dock. I will miss the old radio, it is the end of an era.


Out with the Old and in with the New

Dinner at the Oasis

We met the Hall clan at the Oasis restaurant on Joe Pool Lake for Mother's Day dinner. Julia had spent the night with Jenna and Gilbert camping on Friday night and then spent all day Saturday playing with Lily at the campground. We had a fabulous dinner and then Aunt Angela bought the girls ice cream. Cooper was a doll he giggled and laughed showing his one little bottom tooth. After dinner Jeff realized he could not find his keys, after tons of searching. Aunt Kim brought us home then Grandpa Butts saved the day by taking Jeff back to his car so Mommy and Julia could go to bed.


Dance . . . Dance . . Dance


Julia and her BFF


Happy Mother's Day Mimi


The Stocktons


Me and Baby Cooper

Beach Day

Today was Beach day at Julia's school. She wore her flip flop shirt that Grandma got her from our favorite shirt lady. And we did not forget the accessories, her sunglasses.

Julia's Music Class

This spring we took Kindermusik classes at the Methodist Church in Hurst. Julia called it music class. Even though she gets confused by her days of the week, she always knew when it was Tuesday. "Is it music class today", she would ask. She knew all the songs, the hello song, the goodbye song, the put toys away song. The teacher was impressed by her memory and rhythm. I enjoyed spending 45 minutes acting silly and singing songs. At the end of each class Ms. Bailey would give the kids a stamp. Julia routinely asked for it on her belly. I will continue to encourage music and movement. I can already tell music is something that will bring her joy for many more "music classes" to come.

Julia and her teacher Ms. Bailey


Instrument Time


Julia and Nate


We did it and have a certificate to prove it!