June 21 - Happy Father's Day

To all the fabulous dad's out there, happy father's day!! To make J.D.'s first father's day special, Julia and I surprised him with professional photos of Jules. He has been asking me for awhile to get some professional photos taken and this was the perfect opportunity. While he was fishing on Saturday, we went to Sears and Julia had her first photo shoot. She did GREAT-the little munchkin smiled for the camera and seemed to love it! A lot of the photos came out nice and I ordered some 5x7's (don't worry grandparents, you'll be getting a copy at some point).

We also braved the summer heat and went to the park yesterday afternoon. Julia had a great time on the swings and slide, she loves playing with her daddy!

June 21 - Densley Reunion

My senior year of college I lived in a house on Densley Drive with 5 other girls. We had a great time and made some memories that will last a lifetime. I could go into details...but my college years alone could easily fill a whole other blog! On Sunday, a few of the girls were in the Jacksonville area for a wedding and we all met for lunch. I brought Jules and we all had a great time. After chowing down on burritos, we went to Sheela's hotel and played around with Julia. It was fabulous seeing everyone again!

Sheela (in town from London) and Julia. Sheela and I were partners in crime in terms of food...we were big fans of Totino's party pizzas and Wendy's french fries dipped in cheese..mmm, memories!

Maura (in town from NYC) and Julia. Maura's b-day was a few days earlier so happy belated b-day Maura!!

Ruchi (in town from NYC) teaching Julia a new dance. Ruchi is probably the only person I know who loves dancing as much as me...shake it girlfriend!

Becky (also known as Guinness's mom, in town from Baltimore) had a fabulous time with little Jules. She was crawling all over the floor with her and couldn't believe how much Julia changed since she saw her 2 months ago!

June 20 - Surviving the Heat

Today was a hot day in north central Florida. I think we were pushing 100 in the early afternoon with close to 100% humidity. I don't remember it being this hot, this early, in prior years.

J.D. went to Tampa this weekend for a fishing trip with the guys so it is just me and the girls. We had a productive day today-We took 2 long walks, Jules helped me with laundry (6 loads!) and we had a fun time playing with Amelia. Julia also loves playing with an empty diaper box..we set it up like a little tunnel and she loves crawling through it. It is so cute, she crawls through it and then claps for herself!

In walking news, she has only taken one more step. She is now pushing her little stroller though quite often and one handed.

June 16 - First Steps

Big development everyone! Jules took 2 steps yesterday. Granted, she took them and then fell into Amelia (who was sleeping on the floor and wasn't too happy about being disturbed), but she went for it! Great job bean, we're proud of you!

June 15 - Happy Girl

Once again, happy Monday everyone! We had a nice weekend here in hot (98 degrees!) Gainesville. On Saturday, we played around the house and took a family trip to Toys R Us. I think daddy had the most fun of all..he loved all the toys!! We were looking for a water and sand table (our niece has one and loves it) but they didn't carry it. Jules loved a talking Elmo doll (he said something like 'Elmo loves you') and although we didn't buy anything this time around, we certainly have ideas for her birthday and Christmas!

Yesterday, Julia and I met my friend Cara at a restaurant in Ocala and we had a great time. It was a 45min drive each way and I was a tad worried about Julia in the car, but she did GREAT. We sang songs the whole way down and she slept most of the way back. She hasn't seen Cara since she was pretty small but seemed to remember her (or at least..stranger anxiety hasn't set in yet) and she did great! She ate all sorts of new foods (black olives, feta cheese, lettuce) and it was really fun. After we got home, we dropped off some pumpkin bread to Jill and Julia and the girls played together for a little while (they had a lot of fun with a water bottle...I don't know what it is about water bottles and dogs/kids, they love them!).

June 10 - Mas Aqua Por Favor

Dimples? - check

Fabulous hair? - check

Infectious smile? - check

Michelin tires/adorable hams? - check

Stylish wardrobe? - check

Healthy appetite? - check

Love for the great outdoors? - check

Affinity for water? - BIG CHECK!

Anyone following the blog knows Julia was a little fish during swim lessons (which are sadly over already). She also loves to help J.D. water the garden in the backyard (she sticks her hands in the water stream) and now, she crawls right into the shower while the water is running! This morning, J.D. was in the shower and I was getting ready for work and the little bean just crawled right into the shower! She didn't seem to mind that she got all wet, she just wanted to play in the water! We definitley seem to have a future swimmer, diver, surfer or water polo player on our hands!

(it is hard to see in the photo, but she is sporting 3 ponytails..very 1988, I love it!)

June 8 - Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot

Happy Monday everyone! We hope you all had a great weekend. Ours was fun yet hot-our ac went out Saturday afternoon and the handyman who looked at it yesterday said we need a new unit. One should be coming today...I hope there are no delays! I think it was 90 degrees in the house yesterday!

Grandma and Aunt Katherine came up for a quick visit and it was fabulous seeing them. As always, they came bearing gifts and Julia LOVES her new stroller (one to push, not to sit in) and all of her adorable new outfits! (I especially love the pj's with ice cream cones, I'll post photos when she wears them for the firs time). We went out for a nice lunch on Saturday at a local caribbean restaurant (Jules helped me eat my blackened chicken and mac n cheese...she couldn't get enough). Yesterday, Grandma and Aunt Katherine left early (wish you could have stayed longer!) and J.D. went out of town for a computer job, so Jules and I had a fun girls day. We made our trip to Sam's to stock up on diapers, wipes and formula, went on a few long walks with Amelia and played all over the house. The little bean is crawling and climbing up on everything. She pulls up now and lets go and tries to stand on her own. She also tries to get in the fridge whenever possible and loves to crawl on the bottom shelf of our island!

June 1 - Mohawk

As many of you know, Julia was born with a fabulous mohawk. In recent days, it has really taken a life of its own and it looks amazing-look at all that body! She'll be wishing for this much volume when she is older! I know a lot of mom's (especially those of girls) love the perfectly styled hair, but I love the wild and crazy. She's a baby and can pull it off..so why not?! That isn't to say we don't ever have her styled nice, but a little variety is good for the soul!

In other news, we had a busy last few days. On Friday, Julia had water day at school (where they went swimming), swimming lessons (where we experienced beautiful weather for the first time in weeks) and we met her new teacher, Rene. Her new class (Caterpillars) has 12 kids ages 9-18months with 3 full-time teachers and 2 student volunteers. So..5 to 12, once again a great ratio! There is much more structured playing, as well as playing outside for we expect to pickup a tired baby tonight!

Saturday, we went to a local farmers market in town and then to Poe Springs for my company's annual picnic. The weather was gorgeous! Jules was a hit at the picnic, everyone loved her green dress! (the sunglasses, while adorable, didn't' make it to the picnic, she took them off too quickly).

Yesterday, our little stinker refused to take any naps so I ended up driving with her to the historic town of Mycanopy (2nd oldest city in the US) and we walked around the little downtown area. They have really cute antique stores, ice cream shops and books stores.