The Smaller Smiths

Captain America!!!

2011-11-22T17:36:00.001-08:00

Douglas' birthday party was last weekend, and he LOVES Captain America. So Uncle Patrick got him a Captain America bicycle for his birthday, and of course, he LOVES his new bike!

As you can see, if you are Captain America, riding a bike is serious business!

Really serious!

I think he's having fun! Thanks Uncle Papri!

Douglas had a great party last weekend! This was his first present for his third birthday, and his "fabrit" - favorite for those of you who don't speak Douglas! I though it deserved it's own post. I am super traumatized by the fact that my "baby" will be 3 on the 28th! It's so fun watching the kiddos grow up, but it is so hard at the same time!

The Fire!!!

2011-10-12T18:15:00.000-07:00

Julia and Douglas have been begging to build a fire! If you live anywhere in the south, you know that a fire is the last thing you need! This weekend was the first camping trip with Doug and I that it was remotely cool enough to build a fire!

This is the beginnings of a great fire! Julia and Douglas rode their gator around picking up firewood. So if you are 4 and almost 3, firewood consists of lots and lots and lots of pinecones and several very small twigs! They had so much fun gathering their loot!

As you can see, this was INTENSE!!!

So with Daddy's help, the fire got a few sticks to give it a little staying power. There's Boss Hog telling Doug how to light the fire since she has built so many!

Who says pine cones don't build fires? Julia and Douglas were super pumped about their monster fire! Stay tuned ... weinie roasting coming soon!

The Merry Go Round

2011-10-12T17:40:00.000-07:00

Maybe I haven't been to enough playgrounds, but it is very rare to see a real merry-go-round! We went camping last weekend at Lake Lincoln, and we found one! This is the first time Julia and Douglas have ever been on a merry-go-round. It was so funny! Julia immediately went to it and asked what it was. Douglas immediately jumped on!

Although he wasn't sure what to do, he knew it was something to play on. Doug and I showed them how it worked, and they took off.

Of course, Douglas pushed the queen bee; and of course, the queen bee had to have full control of the situation. That is why her feet are barely hovering above the ground - just in case she needs to stop the merry-go-round! Julia is so lucky to have such a sweet brother!

And...Douglas is so lucky to have such a bossy sister! No joke! It will be good for him one day. His wife will be thrilled!

I have been so proud of them lately, though. Julia and Douglas have been playing so well together - even if she is always the teacher and he always the student (@Sarah Bell).

Needless to say, Julia and Douglas LOVED the merry-go-round! Our little family is having so much fun camping! It's just a little time out of this crazy life that we get to have together - just us and our kiddos.

Sticker Pumpkins

2011-10-11T18:05:00.000-07:00

Julia and Douglas LOVE to put stickers on anything and everything. So anytime I see anything that can be decorated with stickers, we grab it up. It provides hours of entertainment for several days. It's crazy because Douglas jumps from activity to activity normally, but "projects" captivate him! He works on everything we own, and he constantly talked about how he was "fixing" the pumpkin's face!

(By the way, I am fully aware that Julia is wearing a very low cut leotard! She insisted that this was the front when they helped her get dressed for dance at school. So I have now educated her on "tag in the back" to prevent future peep shows!)

The stickers came with lots of face options! Of course, Julia's first choice was a "mad" face! She is such a drama queen! I wish I could have videoed her narration of the whole sticker event, but I was taking advantage of the busy time to cook supper. She talked in a "mad" voice the whole time smiling like crazy for pictures!

The finished products were beautiful! Who wouldn't want eyebrows for cheeks and several sets of glasses?!

Blue Bubbles

2011-09-27T14:53:00.000-07:00

While shopping at Target one day, I found colored bubbles. I made sure they were washable, and gave them to Douglas today as a treat for being a good boy at school this week so far. He was thrilled to get "boo bubbles"!

They were really BLUE! I had no idea that the bubbles were going to be this blue or this messy!

Douglas had so much fun, and I had an even better time washing these blue clothes! By the way, I'm not sure why Douglas is wearing the helmet! He was not riding his bike, but Douglas is really into dressing himself these days. He even let Julia join in the fun!

Dotsy!!!

2011-09-27T14:42:00.000-07:00

Julia always begs Doug and I to let her play "Dotsy", more traditionally called Yahtzee! It is so funny because Julia is very well spoken, but for some reason she likes Dotsy and Ponopoly. It's a big deal in our house to handle the dice because Doug is terrified that they will get lost. I know it sounds crazy since a pack of dice cost $0.99, but he really gets territorial over the dice! After much convincing, Julia convinced Doug that she was ready for "Dotsy". So on Labor Day, she got to play for the first time!

Not only did he let her play, they decided to make teams. Of course Julia and Doug were on a team, and Douglas and I were on a team. My teammate quickly found something much more interesting to do. They beat me pretty badly, and high-fived the whole game. So, if Julia is a poor sport and rubs it in if she ever beats your child at anything, blame Doug! He encouraged the whole thing!

After they beat me 5 games in a row, Julia decided to be a trader! She told Doug that it wasn't fair that I lost "all the time" so she wanted to help me!

Traditions

2011-04-30T06:32:00.001-07:00

We have an unfortunate tradition in the Smith household that anytime portraits are to be made, someone must have a cut, scratch, or bruise on their face! Unfortunately, this has been the case for EVERY portrait we have ever taken that required a professional photographer and a fee!
So this time, the bruiser is ...

DOUGLAS!!!

And since he is no slacker, Douglas made sure he had all three - cuts, scratches, and bruises!
We are so glad he is not seriously injured! He fell while playing outside riding his bike. Julia swears she had no part in this so we will see if this remains the story!

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Dancing in the French Quarter

2011-04-28T07:11:00.000-07:00

Although Doug and I were on the brink of a nervous breakdown - not really , the kids were having a blast listening to all of the great music in the French Quarter in New Orleans. Douglas has some really funny moves!

Just like a man!!!

They had so much fun hanging out listening to music. We walked around, and they were really tired of sitting in the stroller. So we finally found a spot where there were no cars! Traffic is crazy in the French Quarter, and it was impossible to let them out of the stroller!

The Smith's Great River Road Adventure

2011-04-26T15:02:00.000-07:00

I think Doug and I were just as amazed at all of these trees as the kids were. Doug and I took the kids to New Orleans for the weekend to see the zoo, aquarium, and children's museum. On the way, we drove the River Road and made a few stops. Our first stop was at Houmas House. It was the perfect place for the kids to get out and run around after riding in the car.

There were so many pathways to roam and beautiful trees everywhere. I had to catch them on the run, but I was able to get a few shots of the kiddos.

They loved the sugar kettles. Julia kept saying they were witch pots!

This could have been a great shot without the Capri Suns!

This was the house! It was gorgeous! We did attempt the tour, but our 80 year old tour guide was too boring for Julia and Douglas. Douglas was just about to remove the plaster from the foyer so I took that as our cue to leave!

Easter on the Riverfront

2011-04-26T14:41:00.000-07:00

Julia, Douglas, and I met MawMaw, PawPaw, Heather, and Russel at the riverfront a couple of weekends ago to enjoy the newest festival in Vidalia. The kids immediately saw this Thomas the Train ride that DARE put on. After waiting in line twice, we finally got a seat. What do you know? We got a seat just in time for the drivers 30 minute lunch break! Thankfully, the boys were okay with just sitting in the seat, and Julia was too chicken to ride anyway! So Douglas, puppy, and Russel hung out for a few minutes in the seat!

This is Douglas, not with the Easter Bunny, but with the Shoney's bear! He was terrified of the Easter Bunny and refused to even get near him.

Shockingly, my little scaredy cat loved the Easter Bunny! I was so glad she had her picture made with the bunny. She even went back several times.

The cousins! I'm not sure if MawMaw had to hold them in or if Julia wouldn't let go of her hand!

I hope everyone had a great Easter!

Aggravating Daddy!

2011-04-26T14:22:00.000-07:00

I LOVE this picture of my sweet little angel attempting to pout her way into getting the bat! Seriously, I don't think that's going to work on Mr. Brent seeing how he will be in grave danger if she gets the bat before it's time.
Anyway, there are 2 things Julia loves about t-ball - dirt and dirt! However, in some rare instances she does enjoy batting; and for such a small girl, Julia can hit the ball pretty well. But as I said earlier, dirt is her favorite part about t-ball! Doug gave up all coaching responsibility of Julia to Brent because he cannot handle the DIRT!!! I, on the other hand, laugh in the dugout at her love of dirt. She even pours the dirt from her glove into her hair because she says it's "pixie dust". I'm hoping the magical powers will "poof" her into minding her daddy during t-ball before he blows a gasket!
And if you know anything about Doug and his relationship with Julia, you know that it takes a WHOLE LOT for him to lose it with Julia. She knows how to work her daddy, which is why I love to see her aggravating him since she has long ago perfected aggravating me!

REDEMPTION! She has saved herself from the dirt catastrophe by getting on base. By the way, she is not just on base, Julia is on 2nd base! All is well with Daddy again!
On a serious note, Doug and I are loving t-ball and helping coach. The girls are doing a great job, and we are having a blast!

T-Ball

2011-03-31T16:50:00.001-07:00

So, I am assuming you can see by the pictures that Julia may need to focus on her dancing and cheering skills! She is not nearly as into t-ball as Mommy and Daddy are! We are very proud of her, though. She did hit really well for a little peanut! She is so funny!
After hitting, she just thought she would continue to run the bases! She was "exercising"!

I think this may be the theme of our T-Ball album! Thankfully, or sadly, she is undeterred by the constant call of her name to "get ready" or "catch the ball"! It's going to be a LONG season!!!

Disney Day Four Afternoon

2010-12-27T12:50:00.000-08:00

On Day Four, we spent our afternoon at Animal Kingdom. Since we are going backwards I have to withhold info from our morning! I really don't know why I started the backwards madness because it is really getting confusing for me!
It was so much fun being at Disney during Christmas! All of the parks had several trees that were decked out in the theme of that particular area. I attempted to get pictures of the kids in front of as many as they would allow, but as you can see, I rarely got a "good" picture! I loved the whole Photo Pass thing, but that is for children who actually stay still where the photographer wishes to take the pictures. We took several action Photo Pass pics during our stay! It is a super great idea, though, and we will use it when we return (in 10 years if I can convince Doug to board another airplane with the kids - Just kidding. We had a blast!)
So here they are in front of the Animal Kingdom tree:

Our first stop in Animal Kingdom was Dino Land. The kids rode the one ride they were old enough to ride about 5 times! Doug and I took turns riding the dinosaur with the kids. It's amazing how much fun these rides are for adults, too. They really do go pretty fast! We lucked up because the day had been rainy and there were very few people in the park. Since it was raining a little, Doug and Julia decided to ride the rapids ride. Doug and I rode this ride 7 years ago, and we didn't get wet. So we thought it would be fun for Julia, and there was a great spot for Douglas and I to watch.

I mentioned before that Doug and I had ridden this ride years ago and did not get wet. However, I failed to mention that a nice man from Japan was on our boat, and he was soaked. He got so wet that Doug and I were crying we were laughing so hard. It just seemed like the water just kept getting him! Hindsight is 20/20, and Doug now regrets laughing at this man even though it was not meant to be ugly - just funny. Apparently Doug and Julia sat in that same seat!!!

Wow! Douglas and I got such a good laugh out of their misfortune! We laughed so hard because they were both bragging about going on this super cool ride. Julia still thought it was super cool, but Doug changed his opinion really fast! The best part was that Douglas and I were lucky enough to see one of the drenchings!
We had a great afternoon at Animal Kingdom and really got a good head start on our last day!

Julia's Christmas Party

2010-12-20T14:04:00.000-08:00

Julia's 3-year-old kindergarten class had their Christmas party this morning. Mrs. Jodi and Mrs. Deborah had them make a Christmas tree with an ice cream cone, icing, and candies for the decorations. They all turned out so cute!
The kids really enjoyed it, too. Julia was very intent on decorating her tree - for about 2 minutes.

Then, she realized that the icing tasted pretty good! She ate and ate as much icing as she could shovel into that tiny little mouth! It was so funny! She ate so much icing that she started getting extremely hyper!

Yep, she was still eating the icing! Thankfully, no one allowed her to have a second icing helping!Then Santa came to visit and hand out the gifts the kids had brought for each other. They drew names and brought a book for the child whose name they had drawn. It was really a good idea!

Then, all the parents left and went to save seats for the program. This is when the meltdown started!!! Julia began crying in her classroom, but I thought she would be fine as soon as I left. Absolutely not! Mrs. Jodi came and got me to come back to her class. I walked with her on the stage, but when I went to sit down (on the floor as close as I could get) she started crying hysterically! Of course, being the drama queen that she is, there was no way she was coming off that stage! She stayed up there on Mrs. Deborah's shoulder until the very last song. Then she was cured! She belted out We Wish You A Merry Christmas with all her might!

Last Day of Disney

2010-12-20T12:00:00.000-08:00

Well, on our last day of our Disney vacation, last Monday, Douglas was thrilled to be coming home! He asked EVERY night if he could "peez seep in him bed all by mysef"! It was so cute. Douglas really loves his alone time, and he especially loves to sleep sideways in his bed. So he wasn't really into sleeping with Julia or sharing a room with all of us!
Since we had been staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, Douglas had been looking at the animals all week. He couldn't wait to see them closer so we made a beeline for the safari. It was awesome! We saw lions, rhinos, birds, hippos, cheetahs, giraffes, and tons of deer like animals that I couldn't tell you the names of!
We sang "Lions and tigers and bears - Oh my" halfway through the safari. I'm sure we annoyed everyone else on the safari, but Julia softened their hearts when she hollered, "There's a white-tail deer! What's he doing in the jungle?".

We also had a character breakfast with Donald Duck and friends. As you can see, Douglas was loving Daffy Duck!
The character breakfasts are so much fun for the kiddos, but it can be extremely overwhelming for the kids, too. The characters come to each table and autograph their books and have a picture made. Being the psycho-Mom that I am, I scheduled a character meal DAILY! Doug was so grateful!
Did I mention that it was in the 30s that morning? They were serving complimentary hot chocolate outside of the restaurant where you had to wait. While Julia and I went to the bathroom, Doug decided to try it out. Of course, he didn't think to cool it off so he immediately scalded his tongue and the roof of his mouth! Needless to say, breakfast wasn't very fun for him Monday!
It was such a fun day for all of us! We ended up spending a half day at Animal Kingdom and returned to Magic Kingdom for one last hoorah before we left!

The Greatest Place on Earth - Disney World

2010-12-17T17:14:00.000-08:00

Disney World was a blast!!! The kids had a great time, and Doug and I did, too. Of course, there were a few bumps along the way as expected on any vacay with a 2 and 3-year old.
We will go from the end to the beginning since we like to do things backwards! By the way, this will be several posts since I can't fit it all in one without writing a book!
So, I just thought I downloaded ALL of our Disney pics onto the computer. Thought is the key word, since I just discovered that I lost ALL of our Disney pics. Yes, I said ALL. So this post will be pictureless! I am devastated, but we will move along.
Since we're going from end-beginning, I will continue with the plane ride home. This ride started out pretty well. They changed our gate 10 minutes before the flight left; but other than that, we made it one time and boarded easily. Then the "rain" began! You will understand what I mean shortly! Julia needed to potty right after we were at our cruising altitude; however, the pilot had not turned off the fasten seatbelt sign. So the stewardess told us she absolutely could not get up even though we were seated across from the restroom. So, I tell her to hold it. Five minutes later she says she can't hold it! Doug asks again if we can potty. The answer again is NO!
You can probably figure out where this is going - straight to a pond of pee!!! Yes, that's right. She promptly wets her pants, my shirt, and the seatbelt! Did I mention that I am sitting alone in between Julia and Douglas? Doug had a seat across the aisle and back a row!
So when she asks me to hold her hand that I perceive is sweaty, I am shocked to learn that my shirt is wet. Then I notice that her shirt and pants are wet. When I ask her if she spilled her water, she says "No, I just wet my pants, BIG!".
SO, I IMMEDIATELY SUMMONS THE SWEET STEWARDESS THAT REFUSED US TOILETING PRIVLEDGES! She, being a grandmother, is very gracious and brings a felt blanket to soak up the urine! I, being the planner that I am, am certain that I had planned for such an occassion - ON THE WAY TO DISNEY, but knew for a fact that I packed the emergency change of clothing for both children ON THE WAY HOME!
So, to make a disastrous story short, I stripped my child down in front of all of the passengers of Delta flight 2807, gave her a wipey bath, and dressed her in 2 hoodies - one on top and one on bottom. I took a pic, but you won't get to see that since I deleted them! It was priceless. She had a hood hanging between her legs with her legs in the sleeves. Nice!

Egg Hunt

2010-03-28T12:46:00.001-07:00

Well, if you can turn your computer sideways, this is a really cute picture of Julia! I'm not very savvy with computers so I didn't know how to rotate this picture.
Anyway, Julia knew exactly what to do this year at the Egg Hunt. She was shy at first, but then she took off like a bolt of lightening.
It didn't take Douglas very long to get the game plan either. He didn't get to go last year, but he was ready this year. Doug had a hard time getting him to give the eggs up, though.
It's rare that I get them in a picture together, but they were side by side for a moment today. Reet came to the hunt to help us, and thank goodness she did. I would never have pictures if we didn't have Reet. The kids always want to go in opposite directions, so we have to make a run for it everywhere we go!
One last photo of our little man on his first Egg Hunt. He and Julia had a good time today! Now Julia wants to know when the bunny is bringing her grocery bags and baggies!

Another Gardener

2010-03-25T17:09:00.000-07:00

Well, here's our other little gardener. Julia begged for days to plant her seeds, and we finally had a moment to plant. We had to plant in shifts, but they both had a blast!

Gardening

2010-03-24T14:54:00.000-07:00

On a recent trip to Lowe's, I decided an indoor garden would be a fun thing for the kids to plant. As you can see, Douglas really isn't into gardening! He enjoyed starting at the camera, though.

That's right. He enjoyed STARING at the camera, not to be confused with smiling at the camera! He is such a funny boy. I was excited that he didn't dump the dirt and seeds out, though. I think he enjoyed the process, but the camera was too distracting!

So, it's been a while, huh? Sorry, I haven't posted since November!
Douglas has now surpassed his first year and is quickly on his way to being 2. He is quite the little athlete, too. Douglas loves to run, climb, and as Julia calls it, destroy everything! I have to admit little boys are very different from little girls.
Julia just turned 3 a few weeks ago, although I wonder if she's 3 or 13! She is the mouth of the south, and I never know what she might say. It's a scary thing in public! I have to stay on guard to catch her before she comments.
We are having a blast, though. Life is super busy, but it's just as fun as it is busy! Both of the kids are at a fun age, and they finally like each other in their own little way.

How Bout Them Cowgirls!

2009-10-27T12:44:00.000-07:00

This was our attempt at a western themed costume for the Halloween Carnival at Claiborne Academy. Jack, Julia, Douglas, and Brett all got gussied up in their best cowboy attire and headed to the carnival. Clearly, we never got a good picture of them together.

In fact, we never even got a shot of Douglas and Brett. Julia had a draining ear so she didn't want to wear her hat, and Jack was trying so hard to pose Julia which proved impossible. Douglas and Brett were sleeping! Weren't they lucky!

Poor Jack! This is only the beginning of his long life of waiting on women!

Playing with Russel

2009-10-11T06:27:00.000-07:00

Julia was so excited to see her cousin, Russel, from Utah. Trey, Heather, and Russel arrived from Utah Friday night, and Julia was ready to go!

Douglas had fun, too. He just loves to watch his big sister play.

It's a race to the top! Julia and Russel climbed up that wall too many times to count!

Oatmeal - Enough Said!

2009-10-03T12:41:00.000-07:00

Yes, that is oatmeal all over Douglas! Since he can do everything all by himself (like his sister), Douglas wouldn't let me feed him his oatmeal last Sunday morning. So I decided to let it get sticky and put it on his tray in little balls.

He absolutely loved it! The funny thing is that my dad made Sarah and I oatmeal daily when we were kids. He always said, "Girls, this is what the Roman soldiers used to eat". I never understood how that applied to my life hundreds of years later as an American, but I guess I'll pass on the tradition!
Poppie, it looks like you've got a Roman soldier!

Decorating Pumpkins

2009-09-29T13:08:00.000-07:00

Although we didn't give Douglas any stickers to decorate his pumpkin, he had just as much fun as Julia! We laughed watching him chase his pumpkin all over the kitchen.

Luckily the pumpkin didn't fall apart on us. Douglas plays pretty rough sometimes, but that smile is irresistible!

Julia was too focused to even look at me while I was taking her pictures. She loves stickers and any activity involving them, too. She decorated 2 pumpkins with tons of stickers.

What a look! I guess she's fed up with me taking her picture. Hopefully she will return to hogging the camera soon because these looks don't make for very exciting blog entries!

Vacation Fun!

2009-09-19T13:14:00.000-07:00

Julia really enjoys feeding fish anywhere they are available! Thankfully, the fish food container was not working so we didn't have to get our hands nasty, but she had a blast watching them while we were at our resort.

Here's Douglas enjoying his vacay in the old stroller. Poor guy! He was still running quite a temperature at this point so he pretty much stayed in the stroller while Julia explored her surroundings.

I'm not sure who enjoyed putt-putt golf more - Julia or Doug. He had so much fun teaching her to play. I kept reminding him that she's only 2, and Julia quickly reminded me that she is 2 1/2!
We had a ball in Sandestin! That will probably be our family vacation destination for years to come.

Beach Babies

2009-09-07T15:10:00.000-07:00

Julia and Douglas loved the beach! Julia was so excited she could hardly contain herself. She would run into the water and then run right back out to Doug. The water was freezing cold.

Douglas and I played in the sand while Doug and Julia played in the water. Of course, Douglas was sick so I was afraid to let him get too wet. It would be so unlike our kids to both be well for vacation. Julia was diagnosed with an ear infection in both ears the day before we left, and Douglas started running fever the night we arrived! It was still so much fun, and both of the kids were awesome!
I love this picture of him with his big smile and waving his hand!

The little risk taker strikes again! Julia played in the water for at least an hour fighting the waves. It was so cute. She kept telling everybody that she was on her "vacay", her word for vacation. It was adorable. I think she stayed on go the entire trip.

This is the face we saw repeatedly after Douglas continued to eat sand! Everytime I looked away, he put some in his mouth. Finally, he caught on that sand does not taste good! He was such a good sport, though. He tried to help Julia and Daddy make a sand castle, but he was mainly just the wrecking crew.

Mommy, are you kidding me?

2009-09-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

Poor Doug-a-las! He is being pursued by his big sister and cousin Jack! They chased him everywhere he went at Dodie and Poppie's. IT was pretty funny at times, but I must say I felt sorry for the poor guy.

One day Douglas will love all of this crazy attention he's getting!

Just a Swinging!

2009-09-02T17:48:00.000-07:00

I know this looks like a mad face, but it's really a smile! Douglas loves to swing. He especially loves to have his feet tickled when you give him a push. I am so glad both of my babies love the outdoors!

Julia likes to swing on her "big girl" swing these days. She decides which swing is the big girl swing on a daily basis. Doug is trying to teach her to "pump" herself. She can do it every now and then, but she's a big fan of being pushed.

The CAR was the best Christmas present ever, thank you Patrick and Stephanie. Julia got this for her first Christmas, and we have really gotten some use out of it. Both of the kids love to ride in the car. If you want a good workout, come push them around the playground. It is killer!

She looks and ACTS like Daddy! Who would have known she would already be addicted to golf? It's crazy, but it sure makes her daddy happy!

Julia's Worst Nightmare

2009-08-07T12:53:00.000-07:00

That's right, Douglas is mobile! He gets so excited over just about anything, but he loves to walk behind his push toys. It is so funny, too! He just walkes and bounces squealing all the way!

Look how big Douglas is! He will catch up to Julia in no time. That's Doug's leg in the background so you can tell how tall Douglas really is. He is such a happy boy!

But his sister is not a happy girl at the moment! This will be the story of Julia's life and the soundtrack to mine! "No Doug-a-was! Stop following me! Mommy, he keeps coming." Yep, it has already begun. Julia does not like Douglas following her, but he loves it. The best part is that he knows it aggravates her. The more she screams, the faster he goes!

"Mommy! Tell him stop, right now. Otay, Mommy, right now." What is the old saying? You reap what you sow. Julia will be paid back tenfold for all the sorrow she put her baby brother through! Fun times at the Smith house.

A Day at the Park

2009-08-07T12:42:00.000-07:00

The kids and I decided to go to the park a few Friday's ago after a very rare lunch with Daddy. Doug never takes a lunch break, but he called while we were exercising on the bluff in Natchez. Sweaty as we could be, we took him up on La Fiesta! Then we decided to burn off chips and energy at Duncan Park afterwards.

I love this picture of Julia! It really shows her curious nature and fun personality. I cannot tell you how many times she crawled through this tunnel (really a barrel)! Douglas loved the tunnel just as much as Julia did, even though he never touched it. He loved watching her. It was so cute. I never could get a good picture of it, but Douglas clapped and squealed everytime Julia came out.

Doesn't he look so patient? Well, looks can be deceiving! My laid back little boy has become quite the demanding child. Douglas wants what he wants when he wants it! I guess he learned from the best.

This about sums up our day at the park - running! Julia ran from playground to playground while Douglas and I tried to keep up. Pushing a double stroller in pea gravel is quite an ordeal. We were always 3 steps behind Julia everywhere she went! It was such a fun day.

Jack's Birthday Party

2009-07-16T13:52:00.000-07:00

Julia is such a girl! She does almost everything on her "tippy toes" as she calls them. She had a blast at Jack's birthday party before the other kids arrived. Then, surprisingly, she became very shy and clingy.

She loves this flying turtle toy! Julia insists on doing everything by herself these days. She thinks she's 20, but she's only 2!

She and Jack decided to take a spin!

Douglas is so ready to ride! He is all boy. You can tell by the bruises on his forehead! Douglas loves to climb and test the waters. He has been crawling for about a month and a half now, but he has just decided he can pull up on everything. If that gets too boring, he just climbs on top of it! Scares the fool out of me. Julia did not climb anything!

Poppie and the kids!

2009-06-17T19:06:00.000-07:00

Wow! I couldn't resist posting this picture of the kids with Poppie. I know it's been a while, but Julia's hair explains my life these days - WILD!!! Look at that unbelievably crazy hair! How funny! I'm sure at some point in her life she will really appreciate these pictures.
And, Douglas, his face says it all! He is the happiest baby I know, thankfully. That smile stays on his face most of the day unless
he is busy concentrating on what to chew on next. He is crawling all over the place and getting into EVERYTHING.

Water Babies

2009-05-11T18:02:00.000-07:00

Yes, there's Douglas riding around in his little boat in the swimming pool. This was his first time to get in the pool, and I wasn't sure we would get him out! Things have been so crazy at our house lately, we all needed a pool day. Not to mention that the water made two unhappy babies really happy!

What a great Daddy! Doug pulled both of the kids around the pool for almost an hour. I was thrilled at the thought of lounging while they swam.

Douglas is so curious about everything big sister does. I love to watch him watch her. He is such a happy baby! Unfortunately, he will be getting tubes this Friday. Maybe it will end the ear infections for him. Keep us in your prayers.

The Fun Part of Julia's T&A!

2009-05-11T17:56:00.000-07:00

This is Julia's before mug shot! She had quite an accident the day before she was to have her tonsils and adnoids removed and more tubes put in. She took a spill at the campground, but no broken bones! She just looks a little haggard! However, Julia was perfectly happy hanging out at a hospital at 6:00 a.m. in McComb. She only asked for juice twice, thankfully!

This is Julia hallucinating after the baby Valium. She kept trying to catch bugs! It was really funny.

Julia was so giggly until she went back for surgery. Everything went really well. The recovery has just been tiring for us all.

Brett Clayton Bell

2009-04-13T16:51:00.000-07:00

Julia and Douglas would like to introduce their new cousin,
BRETT CLAYTON BELL,
to all of our friends!
Brett arrived this morning weighing 6 pounds 8 ounces and is 18 and a half inches long.

Big brother, Jack, was very unsure of the situation at first. He did not know how close he could get to his new baby! Jack was such a good big brother all morning, though.

Brett stayed in the nursery for a little while so Sarah could recover. Baby and mother are both doing well!
We are so excited about our newest family member! Isn't he precious?

Jealousy?!

2009-04-09T15:32:00.000-07:00

As I tried to show Douglas a little attention in his exersaucer, big sis showed up trying to steal the show. She was determined that I would not get a picture of just Douglas.

So I thought it would be really cute for Julia to hug her little brother.

Then I started feeling sorry for Douglas because Julia enjoyed the hugs so much she began to maul her brother! I would say she is still a little jealous, wouldn't you? She is so funny, though. Douglas wants nothing more than to touch her, and she runs every time he gets close! One day he will be hot on her tail, and it won't be long. Douglas can already army crawl a little bit!

Finally, he's thinking, a little peace! I love to watch Douglas play with his exersaucer. He is becoming so aware of everything around him now. He loves this particular toy because he can spin the wheels.

Easter Diva

2009-04-09T15:25:00.000-07:00

Julia could not wait to grab those Easter eggs. Although she had been awake since 3 in the morning complaining of an ear ache, she was raring to go. It's amazing what a little Motrin can do.

I think she was a little unsure of the Easter Bunny (Patsy Galler). She did sit there with no complaint, though.

Reet is a wonderful egg hunting partner. She kept telling Julia it was time to get "down and dirty" when they started hunting. She is hilarious. I have to give her credit. Julia did win a prize egg, and she was on the front page of the newspaper!

Enough egg hunting! It's play time, Easter Diva!

The Little Mermaid!

2009-04-07T16:58:00.000-07:00

Patrick and Stephanie got Julia this sprinkler ball for her birthday. She was driving us insane asking to play with the ball so we decided to let it rip one Sunday afternoon! As you can see, there was a little hesitation at first.

Julia squealed so loudly as she ran through the water! Doug and I took our turn, too. Julia insisted that we all run through it.

Once she got comfortable with the sprinkler, she didn't want to leave it alone!

Douglas got to have his play time in the house later while wild child slept. He has found his hands and his feet. It's so much fun to watch him!

Family Day!

2009-03-21T16:54:00.000-07:00

Julia was so happy riding the pig in MawMaw's flower bed. All the boys were in Monterey to visit with MawMaw and PawPaw Thompson.

Doesn't Douglas look so grown up? MawMaw Thompson was taking her turn holding Douglas for a little while. He came home a little spoiled!

This is Trey's son Russel. He and Julia are almost exactly one year apart. They had a good time playing together. We thought Russel might walk while they were here trying to chase Julia, but he didn't.

How cute is my boy! He loves to play in his exersaucer. They just grow up too fast. He is not even 4 months old, and he just plays like he's all grown up!

Taking a Breather!

2009-03-11T18:13:00.000-07:00

Dodie and Poppie could not have come at a better time! Douglas and Julia were so sick last week. Pam , Doug, and I were completely exhausted. Pam kept the kids all week for us. What a lifesaver!

Dodie and Poppie were on Xoeponex duty last Friday night! Douglas was not too fond of his breathing treatments, but Julia convinced him it would help him breathe!

Poppie looks like he has taken all the spit-up and drool he can stand! Julia and Douglas are so fortunate to have two wonderful sets of grandparents. MawMaw and PawPaw are on the job pretty often; and thankfully, Dodie and Poppie enjoy helping, too.

Julia is 2!

2009-03-11T18:07:00.000-07:00

"Oh my doodness!" Julia was just in awe of her ice cream cake on her birthday. She loves to eat ice cream with Doug so we thought it would be appropriate to get her an ice cream cake on her actual birthday. She was very unsure of the candle, and I hate I do not have pictures of her blowing it out. It took both of us to convince her not to pick it up!

She finally got to pick the candle up, but she decided to eat it! I thought she was just licking the ice cream, but Doug said she ate some wax!

Now she is for sure eating the ice cream - and loving it!

Wild Thing!

2009-03-11T18:01:00.000-07:00

While Jack rode on the tractor, Julia decided to kick up a little dirt. She loves to get dirty for some reason and is usually a dare devil.

Wow! We have our hands full! Julia decided to lift her shirt up and scream to Mr. Morris Ray, Mrs. Pam, and Barrett.

This is her windblown look!

Meanwhile, Douglas sat with Mrs. Pam and watched all the excitement.

"I no want be farmer"

2009-03-11T17:45:00.000-07:00

Jack and Brannon are off to work! Jack was so excited to ride on the tractor. He even told Brannon he was 5! I think it is so funny how he is just walking so big like Brannon! Watch out Jack, you may find yourself a summer job!

On the other hand, little miss priss decided she "no want be farmer" and got out of the tractor. She wouldn't even ride with "Kissy"!

It was a stretch to even get a quick shot in the tire for Julia! Jack felt right at home, though. I think we may have a little farmer on our hands.

Birthday Party!

2009-03-11T17:40:00.000-07:00

We should all believe in fairy Godmothers after seeing Reet with Julia! What a great fairy Godmother, and who knew she was right across the street all this time? Julia loves, loves, loves her Reet! Everyday she says "I want Reet!".

Whose birthday is it? Julia became bored with opening and ran to the playground. I guess she briefly returned to check the progress on the gifts while Charlie opened.

The Cake! I was so pleased with this cake! Linda McClure made it of Deseret Designs, and she did an outstanding job. She even watched Alice in Wonderland to get the colors just right. Apparently, Jack decided he would cut the cake. Once again, Julia is totally oblivious to the whole party scene.

My Very Own Blog!

2009-03-08T13:47:00.000-07:00

Douglas rarely, if ever, gets any time alone with Dodie, but today he got to play with Dodie for a little while. He has been a very sick little boy, but today has been a great day. I think we are on the road to being well!

Douglas is such a talker! He was telling Mom and I all about his day. I am sure you can see the medicine stains on his clothes. Unlike Julia, Douglas refuses medicine. Julia asks for it!

Just one more cute shot of my little boy! Look at those cheeks!

Twins!

2009-03-07T08:42:00.000-08:00

Julia and Doug love to eat popcorn - in the bed! This was last Sunday afternoon. Doug took her to our room to watch a movie after church. She loves her Daddy!

Perfect timing!

This really helps get her down for nap time!

The Cookie Monster Strikes Again

2009-02-16T14:43:00.000-08:00

Julia loves to make cookies and decorate them so we made Daddy a Valentine's treat. Douglas got to observe this time.

This time was much cleaner than last if you can believe that!

I was pretty impressed with the finished project.

Geaux Tigers!

2009-02-16T14:40:00.000-08:00

Our little linebacker is getting ready for football season a couple of months early. Douglas is growing so fast! He is 10 weeks old in this picture. Doug and I are so blessed to have two healthy, beautiful children.

Already?

2009-02-16T14:37:00.000-08:00

Call me crazy, but I had no idea the obsession with talking on the telephone started before 2! Julia loves to talk on the phone to anyone. We have to call Dodie and Poppie daily, and she always wants to talk to MawMaw when she calls.

I am pretty sure she is talking to Patrick in this picture. It is hilarious!

Apparently the conversation is getting dull. They grow up too fast, don't they?

Senior Moment

2009-02-16T14:32:00.000-08:00

No, my car did not get repo'd! I had a senior moment and lost my keys. That's right. Just FYI, if you have a GM vehicle and lose your keys; you will have to have the car towed to the dealership to get new ones! After Doug, my mom, Kristy, and I turned our house upside down looking for the keys, Doug finally gave in and let me have the car towed. As I'm sure you can imagine it was very traumatic for my Jewish (tight) husband. Not only did we have to pay for the tow, the key, and the clicker, but we also had to pay to have them program it!

Not even a week later, you guessed it, I found the keys! The best part is that they were in Douglas' diaper bag that we all looked in numerous times. Doug was less than thrilled! He decided I needed to hurriedly return to work because I was getting too expensive being at home.
I advise everyone to have a spare key, not on their spouse's key ring! By the way, the old keys don't work! You read that correctly. They have to be reprogrammed!

Dreams Can Come True!

2009-02-02T12:46:00.000-08:00

I know what you are thinking. Why is Julia on a mattress on the floor? The most important thing is that she is asleep, and she is not in our bed! She actually said she loves her new bed!
Here's the story:
Julia slept in a cradle in our room until she was 8 months old. Julia always had trouble breathing, and in October of 2007, she was diagnosed with asthma. Because Doug and I were so afraid we would not hear her struggling for air, we put her in our bed. Julia has been there since then. We have made several attempts to get her to sleep elsewhere, but she would always wake up at about 1:00 in the morning screaming. She hates baby beds so I tried to convert her bed into a toodler bed. It was very unsuccessful (and unsteady). So I decided to try her on a mattress on the floor in our room. It worked! She slept like a log after school today for about an hour and a half. I will let everyone know if it works tonight.

A Little Late!

2009-01-30T12:56:00.000-08:00

This just happens to be the day Julia and Jack took pictures with Santa Claus. I am a little behind on blogging, but I had to put these pics up because they are so cute!

The Santa line was so long that Dodie and Sarah took the kids to ride the carousel. They both loved it!

Jack thought something was hilarious, and I think Julia thought Jack was hilarious. They had a great time playing together that day.

Cheesing with Daddy!

2009-01-20T10:19:00.000-08:00

Doug is so proud of his babies, and they love their Daddy! Julia and Doug have a special bond. It's so cute to watch him play with her. He is such a kid himself! They have similar personalities so I can't wait to see what Douglas' personality is like. We are such a blessed family! God is so good!

Our Little Frog!

2009-01-20T10:14:00.000-08:00

Douglas has just started liking his bath time. A friend gave us this cool little frog cover-up to use during his bath. What a neat idea! My mom always made me cover his belly with a washcloth, so she was really thrilled with this invention!

Douglas is so relaxed! He really only fusses for food, and he LOVES food!

I am hoping his eyes may stay light gray or blue. They are beautiful! Julia's quickly turned a dark navy color before turning dark brown. Maybe there's hope!

Good morning Douglas!

2009-01-09T07:49:00.000-08:00

Julia took time out of her busy schedule to pose with Douglas. She has been doing so well with her little brother. Julia read him several books last night, and she loves to help with his bath.
Douglas is doing great, too. He weighs 11 lbs. 8 oz. now. What a chunk! He is already outgrowing his 3 month clothes.

Julia loves to play her piano in the morning. If possible, she likes to play it to wake Douglas up! She also sings with her playing! She is quite the musician! Watch out Beyonce; our little Diva is coming through!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T13:08:00.000-08:00

Doesn't Douglas look cute on his very first Christmas? He slept through the majority of it, but his outfit was precious!

Little Miss America, however, enjoyed every moment it! On her final walk down the runway, she sang Happy Birthday to Jesus! It was eally impressive actually. Doug and I have been telling her that Christmas was Jesus' birthday, but she put the pieces together and sang Him Happy Birthday! I must say it brought a tear to our eyes.

Rocking away in her new rocker from Santa!

I think you can all tell what the favorite toy was! She loves her power wheels! Julia has Walker Probst to thank for this gift. Doug and I didn't even know a small Power Wheels existed until his birthday party. She would not get off of his, so Santa brought her one. It was a last minute addition to her list! I must note that she also got a tricycle that she appeared to equally love. Julia is just so little that her feet barely touch the peddles.

Bonding

2008-12-25T12:54:00.000-08:00

MISCHIEVIOUS! Julia decided to have a seat by Douglas as he stretched on a blanket. That look clearly states, "I am up to no good!".

She then decided whatever she was up to was not going to work out since Doug and I were watching closely.

So , she tried one more time, and then...

decided Douglas was extremely boring. She decided to exercise instead of terrorizing her brother! Great choice, Jules. Exercising, by the way, is one of her favorite games to play with Mommy. I wish I enjoyed the game as much as she did!

Bravery or peer pressure?

2008-12-25T12:46:00.000-08:00

Julia wanted to sit in Santa Claus' lap at Barrett and Bryce's Christmas party, but she refused to look at Santa or talk to him! It was hilarious. She was chomping at the bits to get in line, but when it was her turn, this is all she did.

Notice she is moving further away. It was great! She had so much fun at the party, though. Julia decorated a gingerbread man, and she even went on a trolley ride. Doug got stuck on the trolley! The look on his face was priceless when the trolley returned.

Exhaustion!

2008-12-15T07:26:00.000-08:00

We have had several sleepless nights around the Smith household lately. Doug and Douglas have been sick so Julia and I have been very busy girls! Julia had finally had enough and conked out in Douglas' seat. We call it her recliner. I guess it's a blessing that she's still so small. She can fit in all of her baby toys!

Such a priss-pot even in her sleep!

I'm not sure how this happened. I was in the bathroom with Douglas and a vaporizer while Doug was watching Julia. Looks like she decided her recliner wasn't comfy enough.

Yes, that's Douglas at 2 weeks old under a tent with the vaporizer! Hopefully this will be our one and only bout with a cold this season. It's quite scary to have a newborn that is having difficulty breathing. We are much better now, though. He is breathing easier, and we are all sleeping better! Thanks for everyone's prayers. We still need them!
Having 2 under 2 is such an adventure and a blessing! They are so much fun! Doug and I are very grateful to have friends and family that help us out. We couldn't survive (with our sanity) without them.

Coloring Queen!

2008-12-07T16:08:00.000-08:00

Julia loves to color! She colors every night to calm down.

I am so glad Julia enjoys coloring. That was one of my favorite things to do as a child. My mom joked and said someone should develop adult coloring books for big kids like me!

Julia colors at the coffee table sitting on a stool. She has to test the limits every now and then by climbing on the table!

Douglas Day-By-Day

2008-12-07T16:02:00.000-08:00

This is Douglas the day after we came home from the hospital. He looks so small even though he's not. Douglas is such a good baby. I had such high hopes of breast feeding. It went really well for the first three days, but then all milk production stopped. He got a little off his sleep schedule for a few days, but he's back on track now! He and Julia alternated getting up Friday night at ALL hours!

This is Douglas a week later. Oh how he has changed! It is amazing how quickly they grow. He and Julia are still getting to know each other, but things are getting better. Everyone has been so great to give Julia special attention. She is throwing fewer fits, and they don't last as long! Keep praying for her, though. It has been an adventure!
Doug babysat Friday night so I could go to an all girls Christmas party. We laughed as he dropped me off at the party becuase we just discovered we're not "cool" anymore. I was being dropped off to a party with spit-up on my blue jeans and cheese balls all over the back of my shirt by my husband who was wearing long johns and a t-shirt with the sleeves cut off! We looked at each other and just died laughing. My how times have changed.

Cookies!

2008-12-04T06:45:00.000-08:00

Bare with me! I don't know that much about blogging, but I didn't get all the cookie pictures up. Julia sprinkled EVERYTHING! I swept so many sprinkles off the floor and washed them out of all of our hair! She loved sprinkling.

Can you believe she actually slept that night after all of that sugar? She ate so much icing and cookie dough.

Isn't this the cutest picture?

Julia Adjusting!

2008-12-04T06:39:00.000-08:00

This is Julia's first meeting with her brother! She was not sure what to think, but Kristy and Stephanie were great with her. She spent Douglas' birthday with Kristy, and they talked a lot about her new brother. She did so well at the hospital. Douglas had a present there waiting on her, and she loved it!

This is Julia's rendition of the baby! She was showing Dodie what the baby does. When she woke up from her nap, she decided to take part in the portrait session.

Mommy, Daddy, and Julia baked cookies to give out at Jefferson Street to celebrate being a big sister. She loved playing with the cookie dough. It was fun to watch her dig in it, and then stare. She ate so much cookie dough, we thought she might pop!

Mommy and Daddy have been trying to give Julia extra attention. She is having a hard time understanding what's going on around her house these days. Julia loves Douglas, but she's not so sure about him living here with her Mommy and Daddy. It has been an interesting experience for all of us. We have been surviving on prayers and help from friends and family! Everyday is a better day for Julia.

Wild Night!

2008-12-01T14:26:00.000-08:00

I had to share Julia's beautiful "hair do" this morning! She woke up looking wild and crazy. Julia was still able to devour her raisins.

Unbelievably Cute!

2008-12-01T14:00:00.000-08:00

Our little tiger is so precious! Dodie, Mommy, and Daddy made these pictures of Douglas while Julia napped this afternoon. He is such a great baby and cooperated very well.

He sleeps through the night with only one feeding around 1:00 or 1:30 a.m. Julia woke up the first night we were home when Douglas woke up. She said, "Baby!", and then she immediately went back to sleep. It was pretty cute! She is adjusting slowly to Douglas. Today has been a very good day for her. She went with Mommy and Dodie to run errands, and Daddy took her to McDonald's for lunch. She has to have lots of special attention right now, but she loves her little brother.

There are just no words to explain how cute these pictures are!

Check out the wrinkles on Douglas' arms and legs! He weighs 8 pounds, but looks so skinny!

Douglas' Debut

2008-11-30T13:51:00.000-08:00

Finally! Douglas has arrived! He was born November 28th at 1:30 p.m. weighing 8 pounds even. Douglas is 20 inches long!

Don't let that huge mouth deceive you! He rarely cries. He mainly cries when he's hungry, but that's about it. We are so blessed to have such a great family!

Mommy and Douglas got to come home yesterday. We are all doing well and enjoying watching Julia bond with Douglas. She has been really great so far with only a few attention getting outbursts!

Julia and Daddy

2008-11-30T13:02:00.000-08:00

Julia loves to rough house with her Daddy! They had so much fun Thanksgiving afternoon playing in the yard. We were all so anxious waiting on Douglas so we decided to get out of the house and play!

Does anyone know when we can start taking gymnastics? Julia thinks she is an acrobat for some reason! She loves to flip upside down.

Tuckered out! After lots of playing (and eating), Julia and her Daddy took a break.

A Flicker of Christmas Joy!

2008-11-27T09:17:00.000-08:00

Julia was so excited about all the Christmas lights Doug and I put up! She helped all Sunday afternoon, but she had no idea what the finished product would be. When Doug flicked the switch, she shrieked and said "Woa!". It was hilarious!

She finally calmed down a little bit after exploring all the lights. It was hard to get her to sleep that night!

Julia especially enjoyed the snowman, presents, and tree. She said "peasants" over and over. I think she's catching on! We've been reading a book about the real meaning of Christmas. She gets so happy at the end and says "Jesus"!

Nightmare on Guillory Street!

2008-11-15T15:03:00.000-08:00

"Are you kidding me?" Doug was less than thrilled with the million parts for Julia's swing set. Dodie and Poppie brought it in 2 boxes. Doug said the shipping company packed those boxes to the limits! I was very proud of Doug, though. He diligently took all the parts out and organized them. Doug started the project on his own, and Patrick came to help later.
Look at our little rat! Julia kept climbing the ladder and standing in the playhouse while Doug and Patrick put her slide together. It's freezing cold today, but she insisted on going outside. She had so much fun playing!
Look how high this swing is! Patrick picked on Doug so much over this swing. Doug put it up on the highest notch, and Patrick told him he had the shortest kid in Vidalia! It has since been adjusted to fit our short child!
The finished product! Doug, Julia, and Patrick admired their hard work! It looks so good in her playground! She has so much fun on her toys outside!

Our Little Daredevil!

2008-11-14T16:08:00.000-08:00

Julia loves to slide! She is such a little climber, too. Daddy and Uncle Patrick are building her a swing set that Dodie and Poppie bought her for Christmas. Daddy decided to go ahead and put it together just in case we are missing any pieces. Besides, Dodie isn't big on Christmas surprises. She always sneaks to look at her gifts!

Look at that smile! We can't wait for Julia's swing set to be finished. Because it gets dark so early, Daddy and Uncle Patrick are slowly getting it together. When we were deciding which one to choose, Doug insisted that it have a fast slide. He also said the slide could not be "wimpy"! Needless to say Julia, may slide into the neighbors yard; but she will not have a "wimpy" slide!

Trick or Treat!

2008-11-02T05:56:00.000-08:00

Julia loved trick or treating! She had to look in her bucket after each house to see what exactly she got. It was so much fun! Doug pulled her in her little red wagon. She would attempt climbing out at each house (with a little help from Daddy). She learned how to say her own version of trick or treat - tik a te. It was so cute!

She continued to "tik a te" at home yesterday. Once she realized candy was involved, she was dedicated to the cause! Doug asked her for some Skittles, and she quickly moved her bucket! However, she did offer him a sucker later!

Julia is turning into a camera hog! I told her I needed to take her picture and she immediately tilted her head up and started posing. I never could get the perfect shot, but she was a fairy pumpkin. This was her costume for last year, too; but she didn't get to go anywhere last year. Julia had just been diagnosed with asthma so she missed her first Halloween. Miraculously, the costume still fit this year, and she loved it! Julia wore her costume for about 2 hours before we left. I couldn't get it off of her!

2008-10-27T15:40:00.000-07:00

Cheers! Jack and Julia enjoy a Capri Sun balloon race weekend in Julia's play yard. Dodie and Poppie brought Jack to watch the balloons. He and Julia had a great time playing together. Lots of monkey see, monkey do going on!

They loved playing in the play house together. I think they enjoyed opening the door and telling each other "bye" the most. Then to re-enter, each time they had to ring the doorbell!

I'm not sure his mother would approve, but Jack was attempting to fly on top of the picnic table. For some reason, it is much more fun on top of the table than it is sitting on
the sides.

Dirt Pile

2008-10-27T15:27:00.000-07:00

Yes, that is dirt on Julia's mouth. She just had to try it out! Julia got a new playground at home about a month ago. She absolutely loves it! MawMaw and PawPaw built it for her, and Dodie and Poppie brought the wood to us. Julia loves to play outside, and this way she can't run towards the road. During the construction, there were several mounds of dirt for her to enjoy. I just stripped her down and let her go for it! Who knew dirt was so much fun?

When Doug got home, he planted shrubs all around the outside. Julia was thrilled since that meant more dirt! She finally decided to take a break from digging and rest a while!

Balloon Glow

2008-10-21T17:46:00.000-07:00

We spent most of balloon races at the campground this year. Pam & Buddy had their camper there which made it so easy for the kids. Friday night a balloon set up right in front of us for the glow! Julia was so excited! She just cackled and squealed every time the fire shot up. It was hilarious. Doug must have stayed over there with her for an hour! She was not leaving until the balloon went down.

Russel was there, too! Julia had lots of fun with her little cousin last week. Russel is about 6 months old and the best baby I have ever been around! It's amazing. He NEVER cries unless he is hungry. He enjoyed the balloons, too.

Dodie, Poppie, and Jack came to the campground later Friday night for the fireworks. Julia and Jack had so much fun just running in circles around Dodie. I don't know that they watched the fireworks at all, but they definetly played hard.

It was a fun weekend for everybody. Balloon races are much more fun with the kids. They were exploding with excitement the whole weekend!

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-20T18:34:00.001-07:00

Julia had a ball at the pumpkin patch with Dodie and I. The preschool Julia attends has a pumpkin patch as a fundraiser so Dodie and I went to take a few pictures and buy pumpkins. We definetly got our money's worth! Julia ran wide open from pumpkin to pumpkin squealing and laughing. It was so funny! She is such a happy little girl, and her laugh is amazing.

New Blogger

2008-10-20T18:29:00.000-07:00

I finally decided to start a blog! Hopefully, I will keep this up. I am pretty illiterate when it comes to computer stuff so please be patient!
As you may be able to deduce from the title, this is a blog about Julia and her new brother Douglas (coming soon). Julia is the only person in this house who gets her picture made these days, and everything Doug and I do or say involves her. So here's a glimpse of her life as a little princess.