Merry Christmas Season to Everyone!

Hello Everyone! It's been a few weeks, well maybe a little over a month. But, we have been very busy! I am going to post a couple of different posts today that will show you all what we have been doing! Here are a few pictures from this week: Julia Kate and I have been trying to decorate for Christmas! Of course, really I get items out and she has to play with them. She is mesmerized by the snow globe. It's a little heavy for her to when it stops she knows that Mama will shake it up so she can watch it over and over and over and...........Of course it doesn't take long to move on to something else........note the toys, who knows what Santa should bring?Then, it's just too much!I have started dressing her in footed pajamas at night with the hopes that she will stay nice and warm since she has a tendency to throw her blanket off and wake up! This is one pair, she wouldn't model for me, you can see her Daddy's toes in the picture and I'm sure they were having a very important discussion since she is very serious looking! Then, this is a new MK original. I had to try it on her Tuesday night. Well, Tuesday Julia Kate also received 6 shots! Bless her heart, two in each thigh and one in each arm. But, she was a trooper and allowed me to play dress-up anyway. When I was taking these pictures, I noticed her upper lip on the left side looked funny and sure enough it was swollen. She looked so pitiful - we still aren't sure exactly what happened, it was ok by morning.
She says a few words, mostly "Mama", "Dada", and "ball". However, I can say, "Where is (in this case) the teddybear?" and she has that little finger pointing! Or flipping pages, she loves to "read" her books and flip the pages!

The Birthday Party!!

We celebrated with her friend, MaKenzie on October 30th at "Miss" Betty's. When I got here, Betty had their high-chairs sitting together and they were ready to party! I brought cupcakes and we sang Happy Birthday and then blew bubbles. I even took balloons! We absolutely LOVE our Mrs. Betty. Now when we turn in her driveway Julia Kate squeals from the backseat! This is our Mrs. Betty.....I couldn't get JK to look at the camera, but this was still such a sweet picture.When we got home on the 30th Jason was working on her swingset, so she got an early birthday present and Daddy let her try it out! I will post more pics later, she loves her swing! Jason pushes her really high and she loves it!Then for party night: We had our family over and Jason grilled hamburgers. Since I wasn't the one taking pictures, all that I have are her opening presents and eating! But, really what else is there? I made regular yellow cupcakes with both cream cheese and chocolate icing. Our precious friend Mr. Todd insisted on Julia Kate eating some chocolate. Well, at first she ate it one finger at a time..........But then, she savored every bite! I can't believe we had her very first birthday party. The entire time surrounded by our family and those special friends which I include when I say family, it was surreal. God has shared this special blessing with us for these years and we are eternally grateful to call her our baby girl.

Happy Birthday Julia Kate!!!!

Today we celebrate Julia Kate's first birthday! I can't believe she is one, it seems like yesterday we were anxiously awaiting her arrival. Here are a few pictures from the past year, she is growing too fast. They aren't in any particular order - they were random pictures I had on my computer here at the office. We are having family over tonight for a special birthday celebration. Jason is going to grill hamburgers and we are having special birthday cupcakes.

My trusty old camera died last week and I just got the new one in Wednesday, thus the reason for no posts. I will try and post some maybe this weekend. JK dressed up Wednesday night for trunk-or-treat at church, she was a flower, the cutest flower you have ever seen!

Happy Halloween to everyone -- Happy Julia Kate's Birthday to everyone!! She is the absolute joy of mine and Jason's hearts. Thank you all for your support and love to our family over this first year of many exciting things, here's to many more!! Nora

The Pumpkin Patch!

Friday afternoon - MK, Julia Kate and I made a trip to West Monroe to the pumpkin patch. I have around 150 pictures from our 30 minute visit, but I have chosen a few to share. Julia Kate is a people watcher - it was hard for her to focus on smiling for the camera because there was so much to see! I hope you enjoy these pictures. She loved the pumpkins, the two we came home with are outside our backdoor and she stands and points at them. We are loving fall!


In the picture below she is focused on I-20, all of the traffic was mesmerizing!

Candy Corns......

Here are a few pictures from last Sunday, Julia Kate was wearing her new MK original: Candy Corns. For some reason she didn't want to look at me, there was something more interested in the back yard. I love sharing pictures!

She is also learning to point. I think this one was just, "No pictures Mom, just fix my lunch!"

11 1/2 months!

Julia Kate is 11 1/2 months today! It was one year ago tomorrow that I went to the doctor and we scheduled the induction. It seems like last week. I was looking through some old pictures and I can't believe how fast she is growing. We are trying to learn the spoon, she does really good for a minute. But then, we all know it's so much fun to just use your fingers! We are weaning from the bottle, she has done great. She loves her sippy cup and thank goodness she never took a paci - one less thing to worry about.

She is paying more attention now to her "babies", but everyone once in a while you will catche her just trying to eat their nose! Yesterday she started saying, "Uh-oh", it's hilarious. (of course she does it on her Daddy's cue)

I am planning her birthday party: hamburger cook-out with family. We have been swingset shopping, she loves to swing and bless her little heart, she deserves her own!

Happy Wednesday to everyone!
Nora

Is it already October?

First of all let me apologize for the month of NO posts! I can't believe September is over and October is here. Fall is shaping up to be a busy time for us. Julia Kate is pulling up on everything and last week I bought her a little walk behind baby stroller that she pushes. I know it won't be long and she will be everywhere. I have posted some pictures from the last month, she has discovered the "baby" in the mirror and loves to talk. She also enjoys watching the wind blow out the window. You will grin at the dum-dum pic, she came home from the babysitter's with pigtails and her first dum-dum! Her personality is so funny, I can't believe it has been 11 months since I became her Mom!
Giving kisses - she is learning to blow kisses. Pretty sweet.

This is her new ladybug dress from MK - she is growing up so fast. Happy October everyone! nora

Where did time go?

Well, I am trying to figure out where the last 3 weeks have gone? I have intended to post new pictures every day but work has been crazy and life after work, well I know you understand...
I am going to try and post new pictures Friday night. Julia Kate is pulling up on EVERYTHING! It seems like yesterday she started crawling!

It has been cool here the last few mornings which signifies that maybe Fall is arriving, I can't wait! I will post as soon as I can, thanks for your understanding!

Love, Nora and JK

My definition of "vacation"

When I think of the word vacation I think: sleeping late, eating good food and doing absolutely whatever we want whenever we want to do it! Well, today captured that. We ALL slept until around 7:30 (which is late at our house), we relaxed this morning inside and then went out for a great lunch. After lunch we put on our swimsuits and headed for the beach. Julia Kate also wore her "sun hat" courtesy of her good friend Mr. Todd. (this is the only hat she does not immediately try and pull off) She loved goofing off and people watching. This week we have laughed I don't know how many times at how she loves to people watch! Everyone tells us what a quiet baby we have and we respond with, "It's only because she's so nosey!" (maybe I should say curious?)

Before coming back from lunch we made a special trip to Dollar General to purchase a sand castle building kit. JK's dad was so sweet to go down to the water and get the "good" sand and bring it back to build the princess a castle right at her feet.
Well, I haven't figured out how to crop these pictures before uploading them, but this was the sweetest! Jason carried her out to the water and then they sat and watched the waves come in. She would sit and as they came in do her hands up and down in excitement. She enjoyed the water.
Then, she had enough. She and I walked down the beach to watch Jason catch crabs and she just gave it up. She laid on the towel for 45 minutes and just slept. The wind was blowing, the waves were crashing and it was very peaceful.

After three days of phone calls, Jason was finally able to book us a dolphin cruise. We rode for about 45 minutes looking for dolphins and we finally found 2! We all three enjoyed the boat ride. If you look about 1/2 inch above the date to the left you can see a gray strip, that is the dolphin. That is how we saw them live, too. Everyone would yell, "There's one, there's one!", but by the time you looked it was gone.

Jason's crabbing: At first this afternoon he started out with the sand castle shaped bucket dipping crabs, but then he made a run to the neighboring souvenir shop and came back with a shell net! He did catch two blue crabs which was fun. You can see them here, he had a great time and Julia Kate and I had fun watching!
THE CATCH!!!
I have tons of pictures, but these have been fun to share. We leave tomorrow headed home, but we have had a great time getting away. Julia Kate has been so much fun and Jason and I are so blessed to be able to watch her grow each day. Thank you for allowing us to share her with you, she is our heart! See you back in Louisiana........nora