'I want to see the elephants!'- Julia [about a hundred times at the zoo this past Sunday]
Happy Tuesday everyone! Fall is just around the corner...can you feel the cool nip in the air? Not yet? Me neither, but that hasn't stopped me from purchasing a few fall scented candles from Yankee Candle (I love that store) and hanging a few fall themed decorations. 
What can I say, I love fall!! Apples, pumpkins, Halloween, Thanksgiving, cool weather...it's my favorite time of year!
This past weekend was very active for the Houston Yamo's. J.D. and the bean went to a local farmers market early Saturday morning (and brought ho
me some delicious baked goods, veggies and plants), then we went to gymnastics, shopping for a big girl bed (Julia is currently sleeping in a toddler bed which we need to convert back into a crib for baby bean) and out to dinner.
Sunday was also action packed. We went to the Houston Zoo for the first time and had a FANTASTIC time!! We went early to avoid the heat (we were pleased to discover most of the walkways were shaded so there was limited sun exposure) and saw tons of animals and exhibits. But the only animals our little bean was interested in were the elephants. 
We went back to the elephant section 3 or 4 times....it didn't matter what else we were doing-checking out the monkeys, lions, bears, etc..she wanted to see the elephants again! Later that day, our neighbor Sarah came over to play for a little while, and then we went to the Radford's for a bbq where Julia and Hannah had a fun time playing. Overall-fab weekend!
Also-I haven't had a phone since Saturday morning. A sippy cup leaked in my purse and destroyed it. It's a work phone and the earliest they could get me a loaner was today, so I apologize if you have been trying to call me. I haven't been ignoring any of you on purpose! It's very odd not to have a phone, I felt almost naked the last few days!
Oh-for those of you interested in Julia's new morning routine:
*she wakes up at 6am every morning (on the dot) and comes into our room
*she climbs into our bed, might lie down for a few minutes, then climbs down to snuggle with Amelia on the dog bed (she is all about Amelia recently and is constantly trying to snuggle with her, I LOVE it!)
*she grabs her new Ann Taylor purse (birthday present from uncles Chris & Anthony) then tells us she wants to put on makeup (no joke..she has chapstick and a face power thing that she calls makeup...I don't even know where she learned the word 'makeup' since I don't wear any, but it is adorable)
"Happy Birthday Julia. How old are you?" - "Two old!" she says...too cute! We celebrated our little bean's 2nd birthday party this past Saturday and it was a blast. We had a good turnout with seven kids plus parents. Everyone chowed down on pizza and a delicious butterfly cake (thanks Tammy!). 
We did a butterfly theme and the kids had a great time decorating wings, headbands and playing with balloons (they also had fun chasing Amelia around the house trying to put antennae on her head..poor thing couldn't get away from the kids, she was a trooper. I think she was more tired from the party than most of the kids!).
Of course, no party is complete without presents, and our little bean had fun tearing into every gift. She loved all her gifts, especially the pretty cupcake quilt from Nonni, a sand/water table from Grammy, ABC Elmo from Grandpa and a cookie playset from the Cook cousins. 
She also received another baby doll (she is really into dolls these days), adorable clothes, alphabet magnets and a bunch of other fun gifts. Thank you to everyone for helping make her day so special!
In baby bean news, he is due to arrive in just over 7 weeks. It is hard to believe it is just around the corner! This pregnancy has been tough (Julia was so easy...nausea the first few months but that was it). I had an appointment today and while I'm not on bed rest "per say", I'm not supposed to lift anything heavier than 10lb and I'm supposed to limit physical movement. I'm already up at night every 2 hours due to severe back/pelvic pain so I guess this is natures way of getting me used to sleep deprivation early!
I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend (was it hot where you are? It was the hottest weekend of the year here...110 both days with the heat index, yikes!). Here are some more birthday photos for your viewing pleasure:
Sand/Water Table
Decorating Wings
Amelia - just one of the kids
The bean tearing open a present!
Decorating for the party - Jules tried to help with balloons!
Happy Birthday to our little Julia Bean-we love you beanie baby!
Hello bean fans. We've had quite a week! Let's jump right in...Becky, Scott and 10 week old Henry flew into Houston last week for a quick visit before they move back to Bangladesh. Yes, you read that correctly, they are moving BACK to Bangladesh. Becky never thought she'd go back to that fabulous country (*cough*cough) but Scott was offered his dream job and they couldn't pass up the opportunity. Luckily for me, Scott is from Houston so whenever they come in to see his parents, I get to see them too! The trio stopped by last Thursday and it was great catching up. Well, Becky and I talk all the time so it would be more appropriate to say it was great actually 'seeing' her and of course, meeting Henry for the first time! He is simply adorable and such a good baby. 
I got out the swing and activity mat for him (as I was setting everything up, Amelia looked at me as if asking: Really mom? Again?) and he enjoyed playing with both. It was surreal being around an infant again...I forgot how immobile they are. They can't run away when you try to change their diaper and if you need to sit down to eat, you can just lay them on a blanket!
On Friday, the bean and I went to her new friend Iris' house for a play date and dinner. The girls had a great time together and Iris is a great food influence on Julia. Julia has become a very picky eater recently (she only wants yogurt, teddy grahams, pasta, pizza or mac 'n cheese) but when she saw Iris eating her veggies, she chowed down on hers too. I was very happy to see her have multiple helpings of corn and green beans!
On Saturday, after a fantastic gymnastics class, Julia and I drove out to Sugarland (the suburb where Scott's parents live, which is about an hour drive from our house) for a bbq. Julia had a GREAT time playing with a pair of wild 3 year old boys. She also bonded with baby Henry and Becky. Sunday was a more relaxing day, with some family shopping and a trip to the pool.
Unfortunately, our little bean has come down with a horrible head cold and an ear infection. I took her to the doctor today and she is on antibiotics. She had a dose this morning and already seems to be feeling better. I hope she is 100% for her party this weekend!
Here are a few pics of my adorable niece and nephew on their recent beach vacation. Enjoy!
Jules and I traveled to Florida last week and we had a great trip. I was very nervous about managing her in the airports (let's just say this pregnancy has been challenging) but she did pretty well. We were on a 100% full Southwest flight to Jacksonville and sat next to a 300lb woman who was halfway in our seat (we had the window seat and the bean was in my lap; we literally couldn't move the whole time) but Jules behaved very well. 
She was pretty wild at JAX (running away from me in baggage claim while I was getting the keys to our rental) but we eventually got situated and made the trek to Gainesville (she was great in the car). Work-wise, I had a great, productive, trip and Jules had an AMAZING time playing with Julia. They were so cute together. Unfortunately, we didn't get any photos because they were constantly on the go. 
And I'd need to give a special thanks to Jill for being such a great friend. She volunteered to watch Jules while I was working-when she has her own 2 yr old AND she is 8 months pregnant. That is true friendship!Our flight home was relatively uneventful and my fabulous hubby surprised me by cleaning the house AND painting our bedroom while we were away. Thanks babe!! Otherwise, we had a fab weekend. The bean had fun at gymnastics, made a double chocolate cake with daddy and had a playdate with Hannah. 
At one point the girls put on dinosaur masks and were 'roaring' around the playroom-so cute! They also danced for us 'on stage' and Hannah (who has a great imagination) read to Jules 'who was sick and needed to go to bed.' Yesterday, we had a relaxing day playing at home and going to the pool. 
The bean did a mini-swim lesson with daddy (she practiced kicking on the noodle!) and had a great time jumping into the pool (she loves jumping and bouncing). During adult swim (there is a TX law, I'm not joking, where every pool has to have 10min of adult swim every hour) we went to the baby pool where she had fun watching a few older girls blow water out of their swim noodles (she tried to do it as well, it was adorable!). Until next time-have a great week!
'I want to see the elephants!'- Julia [about a hundred times at the zoo this past Sunday]
What can I say, I love fall!! Apples, pumpkins, Halloween, Thanksgiving, cool weather...it's my favorite time of year!
me some delicious baked goods, veggies and plants), then we went to gymnastics, shopping for a big girl bed (Julia is currently sleeping in a toddler bed which we need to convert back into a crib for baby bean) and out to dinner.
We went back to the elephant section 3 or 4 times....it didn't matter what else we were doing-checking out the monkeys, lions, bears, etc..she wanted to see the elephants again! Later that day, our neighbor Sarah came over to play for a little while, and then we went to the Radford's for a bbq where Julia and Hannah had a fun time playing. Overall-fab weekend!
