Legos Galore

We have lots of different lego sets and both Julia and Andrew love playing with them.  We use them everyday and sometimes build what the legos were intended for but mostly we use our imagination and build all kinds of cool things.  I must admit legos are one of my favorite toys we have in addition to the American Girl doll stuff.  Right now legos are a big hit at our house and looks like they will be for a while.  

Webb Bridge Park

Last week we met Julia's friend Grace at Webb Bridge Park.  I came prepared with a change of clothes for both kids, swimsuits and lunch.  Webb Bridge Park has a huge sand area and a creek with fresh water flowing which is turned on and off throughout the day along with a typical playground. Everyone spent most of the day in the sand and water and a little time on the swings.  The best part is it's mostly shaded which is great in the hot Georgia sun.

I guess I should have changed him into his bathing immediately.  He squatted down to play in the water and of course his bum got all wet.

Julia loved playing in the sand and water and literally spent most of her time there.  She's going to absolutely love the beach again this year.

Andrew had fun playing in the sand too.

Julia and Grace enjoying their lunch on the park bench.  Such sweet girls!

A photo of Julia in her glory..she LOVES the sand.

Andrew loved standing in the creek which made me a little nervous that he would fall and of course he didn't want me to hold him as he said, 'I do it myself.'  Look at that silly expression!

Andrew had fun sitting here and pretending he was riding a choo choo train.  Amazingly we were at the park for 4 hours and Andrew was fast asleep on the way home...it totally wore him out!

Letter Writing

I had to post another entry of Julia and her letter writing.  She is doing fantastic!  We're really working on being able to write both the uppercase and lowercase letters without any help and also knowing the proper placement on the lines.  She's so proud of herself and after I tell her the letter she says, 'I don't need help and don't peek.'  It's so cute and I'm so proud of how well she's doing.

Then she wanted to add a few of her own letters on the bottom row.

Ready for Bed with the Thumbuster

Ever since Julia was about 3 months old she has sucked her thumb and I must say it's been something I've always disliked...mostly because of the germs and what it can do to your teeth and your speech as well.  I guess it was a little cute when she was a baby but as she got older it wasn't cute and it seemed like she would suck her thumb often...while I would get ready, watching TV, in the car, reading books, going to bed, or if someone wasn't playing with her.  Once she was old enough to understand we tackled one area of the day at a time to put a stop to thumb sucking and started with the TV.  If she sucked her thumb when the TV was one I would turn it off.  Accidentally she would start sucking her thumb while watching Sesame Street and I would stick to what I said and turn it off.  Of course she would cry and scream but those were the rules...If you want to watch a show then no thumb sucking.  I think I only had to turn it off a few times and she learned not to do it while watching TV.  Next we gave Julia tickets if she didn't suck her thumb in the car (taking the positive approach) and she could use the tickets to buy something and then moved onto no thumb sucking while reading books.  She loves to read books and she did great with just listening and stopping to talk about the story instead.  For a while she's just been sucking her thumb to fall asleep at night or in the morning before she gets out of bed.  We've always talked about when she wanted to stop we would help her and one night I went to check on her and she said she was trying to fall asleep without sucking her thumb.  I asked if she wanted help and she said yes so I lied in bed with her and stayed until she fell asleep which took a while.  For the next week or two Thomas and I took turns staying with her until she feel asleep.  It usually took her a while but she would fall asleep without sucking her thumb so we did it even though it was hard on us and not realistic.  So many times I would fall asleep too because I was tired.  We decided that wasn't really working and she was pretty tired because it would take so long for her to fall asleep that we said let's give it a rest and try again later with another plan.  After our Disney trip we decided it was about time to try again so one day I looked on Amazon and ordered the Thumbuster and thought we would give it a try.  As you can see in the picture it covers her thumb and you velcro it around her wrist and it's made out of a soft silky material and the best part, it's pink...definitely a huge plus.  The day it came in the mail she was super excited and wanted to wear it right then but we waited until bedtime since that's the only time she sucked her thumb.  When bedtime came it was a different story and she cried and cried for a while and wanted us to take it off.  Keep in mind she could have easily taken it off but with her personality she didn't...she can be such a rule follower at times which is great.  She would ask us to take it off but we told her we weren't going to take it off and it took her a while to fall asleep.  We'd check on her and calm her down and reassure her that she could do it and remind her about the times she'd fall asleep without sucking her thumb.  She even told me that God made her to suck her thumb. We stuck with it and each night got a little easier and it's now been 14 nights that she's fallen asleep without sucking her thumb...actually it's been 14 days and nights without her thumb in her mouth at all.  Habits are hard to break and we let her know that everyone has something that is hard for them to do and we would talk about how for some kids learning the ABC's is hard but it was quite easy for Julia.  At times she was so sad and felt like she was alone, one of the first few nights she was crying so hard that she fell asleep on me as I was holding her to calm her down.  It made me so sad to see her so upset but knew it was for the best.  I must say she has done great and I think thumb sucking is a thing of the past but we'll continue to wear the Thumbuster at night as a reminder.  We're so proud of her and will be letting her pick out a special toy for doing such a great job.  Way to go Julia...we knew you could do it!

The Bathroom Stool

Lately Andrew uses the bathroom stool to get things that are out of reach.  It's so cute to see him run to the bathroom to get the stool and run back and put it down and get what he wanted that was out of reach.  He's always on a mission running to get the stool.  He's very much at the stage where he says, 'I do it myself;' hence the stool becomes quite handy.  

He even gets on his tip toes to turn on and off the lights and the fans which he thinks is funny.  Ever since he started moving and kicking before he was born I had a feeling he would be a boy and an active one too and he definitely is a boy on the move who happens to make us laugh and smile with the things he says and does.

12 years

Thomas and I celebrated our 12 year anniversary and I couldn't be happier that I met him all those years ago in downtown Syracuse at Clark's Ale House.  So glad everything worked out the way it did and wouldn't change anything.  I feel so blessed to have a great husband as well as great kids too.  I haven't tried on my wedding dress since the day I got married and ever since I had a girl I though it would be fun to try it on and let Julia try it on too.  Who knows maybe someday she'll want to wear mine..after all it's very classic and basic so I don't think it will go out of style for quite a while.  If we got married today I would still pick the same dress...12 years later and I love it as much as the day I picked it out.

Julia had fun trying it on but of course she said it was too big.  Doesn't she look cute?  I can only imagine how beautiful she'll look on her wedding day.

Glad it still fit 12 years later.  I didn't attach the train or the veil but we had fun dressing up as princesses.

 Thomas joined in on the fun and tried on his tux as well.

Julia enjoys using the camera and taking pictures so she snapped one of us.  Happy Anniversary Thomas!  We were going to go to Chattanooga for the weekend but Thomas had a sore throat and wasn't feeling good on Friday so we stayed home instead and decided to go for a weekend getaway at a later point.

For dinner we went to Ichiban at The Avenues for Hibachi.  Julia and Andrew loved watching them make our dinner and enjoyed the fire and the tricks as well.

 Eating at Ichiban is more than just dinner...it's entertainment as well.

Such a fun dinner and so glad we enjoyed it as a family.

First Movie at the Fox Theatre

Today Julia and I headed downtown to the Fox Theatre to see the movie Finding Nemo.  I get weekly emails about things going on around Atlanta and in one of them I saw how the Fox Theatre has movies during the summer and the first one was Finding Nemo.  While at Disney World we saw a Finding Nemo show at Animal Kingdom and Julia loved it.  We've never seen the actual movie or any movie in a theatre before so I thought this would be perfect as her 'first movie' in a theatre.  Julia got a little scared at a few different parts in the movie and I asked her if she wanted to leave but she insisted on staying.  After the movie she said she loved it and her favorite part was when Nemo and his dad got back together.

 

 Checking out the beautiful theatre...very fancy indeed.

Gotta love how off centered this photo is of Julia and myself but that's what you get when you ask a random person to take a photo.  I decided not to crop it since I think it's kinda funny.  We had such a fun time together enjoying her first movie on the big screen.

 The famous Fox Theatre downtown is where Julia saw her first movie in a theatre.

 Had to get a photo of Julia and the Fox Theatre sign.

After our movie we stopped at The Varsity to share a chocolate ice cream.  I love having Mommy and daughter dates with my sweet girl...always a good time.

Final Swim Class

Today Julia finished up her first session of swim lessons at the Cumming Aquatic Center and she absolutely loved it!  I'm probably going to sign her up for another session with the next level up.

 I love this one of her swimming with her face under water.

It was nice to meet another girl who appears to be very much like Julia in many ways.  From talking with her mom during the lessons we learned that Julia and Kaitlyn were born on the same day at the same hospital and delivered by the same doctor (Dr. Jenny Jo) and we think they were in the same NICU for a little while with only being born about 2 hours apart.  It looks like they were destined to be friends.  Looking forward to a play date in the near future with Kaitlyn.

Julia showing off her certificate!  Way to go love bug!

2 Year Old Andrew

Last week we had Andrew's two year check up and I thought I would write a bit more about what he's up to these days.  At his check up he weighed 26.4 pounds (25th-50th %) and he's 33 3/4 inches tall (under 50th %) and his head was 51 cm.  Andrew's had a few different reactions when he's had peanut butter so we had some blood drawn at his check up to test for an allergy to peanuts.  He did great and didn't even flinch when the nurse was taking his blood...I couldn't believe it.  The results show he is allergic to peanuts and even walnuts so we now have an epipen just in case we ever need to use it but hopefully not.

- He's eating much better these days by eating chicken, ham, steak, pork but still won't go near any kind of seafood.  He LOVES all kinds of fruits but isn't a fan of vegetables so he drinks one juice a day that's made with fruit and vegetables and he'll eat the fruit and vegetable pouches.  I made him a smoothie the other day with lots of fruit, yogurt and spinach and he loved it so we'll be having those more often.
- Andrew drinks a lot and his favorite drink of choice is orange juice (watered down) but he also drinks milk and water.
- Wears size 4 diapers during the day and size 5 diapers at night.
- Loves to do and say the things that Julia does and lucky for us most of the time Julia is setting a good example so it's been working out great.
- Very good at saying thank you but forgets to say please.  So impressed with how much he says thank you at his age...it's very sweet.
- He sleeps about 10 hours at night with one nap in the afternoon that is usually around 2-3 hours.
- Sleeps with his lovey that Julia got him when he was born.
- Absolutely LOVES Thomas...I guess it's a guy thing.  Not that he doesn't love me but if we're both around he seems to prefer Thomas.  It's okay I get it...I'm with him most of the time so he wants Thomas more when he's around...makes total sense.  
- Talks a ton!  His communication skills and his vocabulary are amazing at his age.
- Tends to get into everything...need to be careful about what you leave out and within his reach.
- Has the cutest giggle ever.  He just laughs and laughs.
- Uses the stool in the bathroom to help him get things out of reach.
- Loves playing outside.
- Folds his hands and says our blessing at dinner...so cute.
- Loves to run around and he's very active.
- Sometimes we find him sitting and looking through a pile of books.
- Enjoys puzzles.
- Enjoys any TV show that Julia does even if it's about princesses.
- Still likes to be held and cuddled for a while when he wakes up from nap but not so much first thing in the morning.
- Loves the water and isn't at all afraid of it.
- Prefers climbing and going down the slide while at the playground and only likes to stay in the swing for a little bit.
- Prefers to walk as compared to being in a stroller or a shopping cart.
- Likes to do things himself and we often hear, 'I do it myself.'
- Likes to play with balls, legos, cars, trucks and even Julia's dolls.

I'm sure there are some big things I'm missing but that's all I can think of for right now. He's such a happy and fun kid who likes to participate in whatever is going on.

Happy Father's Day

Today we celebrated Father's Day by going for a hike at Sawnee Mountain and enjoying some time at home.  We're all so lucky to have Thomas in our lives and as Julia and Andrew get older they will realize just how lucky they are to call him their dad.

 Julia and Andrew loved walking on the trail and jumping off the rocks and over the tree roots.

After our hike we played on the playground a bit.  Thanks Thomas for being such an wonderful dad.  We love you!

Julia and I made Daddy a present this year that I saw on Pinterest!  I had to use some tools I've never used before and even asked my neighbor for help with cutting the wood but we managed to get it done.  Julia was able to help a bunch with picking out the paper and ribbon, gluing, staining and using her tiny fingers to pull the ribbon through the small holes I had to drill.  Overall it was a successful project and it came out quite good...I think.

At the last minute I decided to add their hand prints on the back because they aren't going to be this small forever.  

Best Dressed Biker

We just adjusted the training wheels on Julia's bike and it's much more steady and she feels more comfortable riding it.  Hopefully we'll be able to take daily rides down to the stop sign so she gets some practice riding her bike.  I think she's going to love riding it once she gets a little better at it.  Regardless, she's one cute bike rider in her pink tutu.  Looking forward to bringing our bike to the beach in a few weeks.

 Looking cute as ever all in pink!

 Working hard at peddling.

Daddy helping Julia a little as we went for a ride down the street.  We don't really need to hold her but we know if she falls off she probably won't get back on it for a while.

Car Legos

Thanks to Nana Farrell for the car legos for Andrew's birthday...he loves them and so does Julia. Here he is ready to give Julia's tow truck some gas.  Lots of fun things to build with legos and we love them all.

Looks like Julia's tow truck is getting filled up and ready to go.

Puzzles

Andrew got a fun vehicle puzzle for his birthday and he had so much fun putting it together.  Of course I had to tell him where the pieces went but he put them together himself.

He's so proud of himself and so are we!  He loved finding the dump truck the most.