Fun times

I mentioned previously that my cousin got married, well here is a pic of all the girl cousins.We all had a good time that night!

Here is Julia sporting her new bike helmet. I think she looks so cute in it!

The girls went with me to Maize High School to watch my cousin Chelsey perform at the pep rally. They had a great time and thought they were such big stuff!

The other morning Jeff and I thought we heard Natalie yelling at us from her bed. To see what all the noise was about I turned on the monitor and heard her singing Away in a Manger. We got it on video, not much to watch, but pretty entertaining to listen to.

Emily came to get Natalie to play the other day and Julia had to stay behind. She was so upset. It might have been mean to get it on video, but it was so sweet.

My mom bought the girls this witches hat that sings and moves and Julia just thinks it is hilarious. 

Pa Pa James is coming next week, so we are looking forward to a fun and busy week. We are also going to the pumpkin patch next weekend. I can't believe that time of year is already here!!

Catching up, yet again!

Things have just been nonstop since Jeff got back from Cleveland and Natalie and Julia started their fall activities. So, here is what we have been up to - in no particular order!

My cousin got married. Jeff stayed with the kiddos and I went solo. They had a photo booth instead of a guest book and since I didn't have a "date" I decided a photo with my brother would be OK.

 

 

Of course we still get donuts. Julia has milk free ones that I bring from home.

We still love to go to the zoo. Here the girls are waiting for the train. One of Natalie's favorite things to do there.

And here she is on the train.

Julia and Ethan at the zoo.

Natalie started gymnastics. She is in the same class as Emily. Here they are getting ready to head in for their first class!

Everyone is always asking us what we eat with all the food allergies in the house. With a little more shopping at the health food store and a lot of substitution, we come up with some pretty tasty things!

Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Meat and Vegetable Pizza with Cheeze made from vegetable protien

Harvest Chili

The weather has been so nice that we have been playing outside a lot. Some days the girls even get to wear their super cute new jackets.

Natalie got these braids as a party favor and she just loves them! This day she wore them to Target.

Julia got to attend her first music class and Natalie was happy to be back. Here they are playing the drum. That is Chloe, in between my two girls.

Julia loves little chairs and anywhere she can find one she tries it out, even if it is in the middle of music class.

Finding their own beat.

Natalie went to gymnastics class again.

She does really well on the balance beam. Here is a little video of her trying to do a back bend.

To get out and enjoy the great weather we got a bike trailer for the girls. Now, Jeff put it on my bike and after just 20 minutes my legs were burning! I think we are going to have to work up slowly.

Natalie has gotten really good at riding her bike. I am so proud of her!!

With the weather being so nice we have had many picnics on the deck.

Here are some new sounds from Julia.

She Talks!

Julia has been saying very few words. She loves to say words that begin with "B", but they really all sound the same. The past couple of days she has been saying a lot more. She will even say Da Da now when asked! Also, note the way she gets in the chair. As always, doing things her own way!




I never dreamed I would be nursing a baby this long. It has been funny to see how an older baby acts. Julia was following me around tonight with the boppy. I tried to get her on video, but missed. She does however point at the boppy and the rocking chair.

Cleveland

The day was finally here. It was time to head to Cleveland for Don's valve repair. This was the first time that Julia would fly and I was pretty nervous about it. It ended up being OK and she did great.

Here we are before we left Wichita.

Here is little Ms. just waiting.

Of course Julia had to be silly while we waited for our flight. At least she was good entertainment!

And still waiting for our flight.

Finally on our way!

Julia did great on the flight. This is her in the car on the way to the hotel. We actually got there at almost the same time as Don and Jeff. I think we beat them by 15 minutes.

Here is a photo of the clinic. It really was amazing.

Monday was filled with a day of tests. Here we are just waiting!

After our day of tests we decided to head out for dinner. We let Don pick and ended up at a tavern. I think it was just what the doctor ordered!

Julia just hanging out.

Julia checking out the menu.

And then she decided to clean my pork chop bone. She is a meat and potatoes kind of girl!

My silly goose.

Julia loves to help clean up. Here she is helping me clean up after I got her ready for bed. Everything went back into the drawer. Even the dirty diaper.

And now here we are on the way to the clinic for surgery.

While we were waiting they brought a dog in for us to pet, I am assuming to help relieve stress. It was so neat.

Instead of just waiting in the waiting room, the clinic gives you these pagers. They page you with updates and when they need to speak with you in person. It was great. We could walk around, go back to the hotel or even eat without feeling like we were missing something!

Because the day of surgery was so long, Desi brought Julia up to spend some time with us. Here she is hauling my purse around. Such a mini me.

The clinic also has a rooftop terrace. You can see the skyline in the back and just hang out and enjoy the sunshine.

Here Julia is enjoying a snack on the terrace.

The time came to quick for Julia and I to head home. Here she is enjoying a little lunch before we headed out.

On the way to the airport Jeff sent me this photo. Don was moved from ICU into his own room. Yea!

Julia's nap schedule was pretty bad while we were there, so she caught some zzz's in the car on the way to the hospital. Unfortunately, she didn't sleep at all the rest of the trip home!

To kill some time in the Chicago airport we hung out in the Children's Museum. It was a child's take on an airport and was really cute.

And here we are, finally loaded up and headed home.

Friday was Natalie's first day of Preschool this year. She didn't want to go and we had a little separation anxiety when we got there, but I am sure it will get better with time!