January 22 - Curious George & The Pig

You know my daughter who doesn't really like tv that much or sweets? She's a thing of the past it seems. Over the last few weeks Julia has taken quite an interest in cartoons (as well as football, no joke). We definitely limit her tv time and she has a few new favorite shows. She is all about 'Curious George' (mommy-Curious George is making a messy!) and just this week 'the pig' (which is 'Olivia'). She can actually follow the story lines now and has commentary whiles she is watching. It is very cute.

Julia is still an avid reader (there are probably 10 books on her bed at all times) and her current favorites are the Pinkalicious books, Tinka (dog books) and Frosty the Snowman. I'm not joking when I say I've probably sang 'Frosty' a couple hundred times over the last month. Grandpa got her the book for her first Christmas and I'm glad she is enjoying it.

In other fun news, Julia best friend, Emma, had her 3rd birthday party at The Jumping Jungle last weekend. The Jumping Jungle is a bouncy house place where each party has it's own room with about 4 inflatable bouncy things. It was a ton of fun! There were a lot of kids and everyone had a great time. Julia already told us she wants her 3rd birthday party there.

Luke is doing great-he's been rolling over the last few days and is just a smiley little man. He is doing much better sleeping in his crib and doesn't need to be held so much. He's still super snugly too!

OH-GREAT news. Amelia has lost 5 lbs!!!! Woo hoo!! She's been overweight for awhile (she's technically still a little larger than most female labs but she's big boned). However, she does have a wart thing on her back leg that we are getting removed and biopsied so keep your fingers crossed that it is just a benign growth.

As for me, I am absolutely invigorated by the cold weather we've been experiencing, while my warm blooded hubby continues to look forward to spring. I'm also psyched because I have a book club meeting tonight-I'm looking forward to meeting new women in town and this will be my first night "out" since I had Luke. Granted, he'll be going with me, but I'll still be out of the house after 6pm. Exciting!

Well-time to get ready for gymnastics with my little bean. Have a fabulous Saturday everyone!

January 13 - Brr..It's Cold In Here

"Brr..It's Cold In Here! There must be some Toros in the atmosphere!" Fans of the movie 'Bring It On' are probably familiar with that cheer..okay, I'll wager most of you haven't seen this classic movie about high school cheerleaders and their choreography woes..but it's pure campy fun (you can catch it on TNT or TBS almost any given week). Anyhoo-it is chilly here in sunny Houston, at least by our standards. It is 30 right now! Amelia and I are LOVING it, Julia seems to like the cooler weather (so far she hasn't fought putting on her hat and mittens the last few days) while J.D., my warm blooded hubby is anxiously awaiting the return of spring/summer. I know the northeast is being hit by a big storm right now and hopefully you are all staying warm...and planning to take advantage of the powder by planning some ski adventures! Well-this is my first post of 2011 so let me wish you all a very Happy New Year! A few people have asked what kind of party we went to. Well...we have a newborn and a toddler so our celebration was pretty tame . To be honest-J.D. passed out on the couch around 9:30pm and I forgot it was New Years eve until I was walking the dog and thought "wow, a lot of people are having parties tonight." It wasn't until some fireworks went off that I remembered...pathetic, i know! So far, 2011 has been good to us. Julia is back at gymnastics on the weekends and enjoying every minute of it. She LOVES school and doesn't want to come home most days. It is a struggle to get her to stop playing and get in the car. J.D. and I had a parent/teacher conference the other day and she is doing great. Amazingly-she has never been in time-out there and plays with everyone. Occasionally she chit chats with her best buddy Lincoln during circle time and they have to be separated, but she always listens to the teacher. Developmentally, she is on target for her age and she's a "pleasure to have in class." Yay! In Luke news, our little man is becoming more independent. He will lay on his activity mat for about 20min and occasionally enjoys the swing. Sleeping is still a challenge but he does sleep in his crib for a few hours every night now-which is a huge improvement over a month ago. He loves to put his hands in his mouth (I think he might be teething) and has "found" his hands. He coos and makes noises all the time, it is adorable! He is also super smiley. Oh-fun, fun. Jill (one of my best friends from Gainesville) came to visit last weekend. It was a quick trip but it was fabulous seeing her and hanging out. We had a great time! As I type this I realize we didn't get any photos...darn it! Jill-if you are reading this, you'll just have to come out again to visit! :)

Here are some more fun photos - enjoy!

Just Call Her Tink

Our Little Super Hero!