So I sing the song of love for Julia . . .

We would like to say . . .

Caroline's First Day of Preschool

Caroline is going to The Primer School, a small preschool that's actually in a little house in a nearby neighborhood. There are three classes of 8 four-year-olds in the little house, and they attend 3 days a week. I was afraid that she would not want to go when the first day came because her previous school experience (the school she attended when I used to work at the courthouse) was not a positive one for her, but when I dropped her off at Primer, she hopped out and didn't look back. And I was excited for her to start on her new adventure!


Little sister managed to rouse herself out of bed to see big sister off, too.

Random bits and pieces

- I know I need to put birthday pictures up here . . . it's just that I was so busy during the party that I didn't take any. My mom put some up on Shutterfly, but my technically challenged self does not know how to save them to my computer in a way that will look any good. I think my neighbor has some, so I need to get a disc and get her to copy them for me. Hopefully soon!

- Julia figured out how to click her tongue Wednesday. It is so funny. She just crawls all around making that clicking noise the whole way.

- This one is for you, Amy TK and Gretch: Julia LOVES the Dell "Lollipop" commercial. We can be engrossed in blocks or whatever with our backs completely turned toward the TV, but upon the first couple notes of that commercial (you know ... "Lollipop, lollipop, oh lolly lollipop"), she whips her little head around so fast to see those laptops! Last night we kept rewinding the DVR to see her do it again and again. Easily entertained, yes we are.

- Our MANY hours spent at Chick-fil-a are paying off in the manners department, at least. When I tell Caroline, "Thank you," she has started to respond, "My pleasure." It's hilarious to hear a four-year-old say that. And since no one really says that in real life, I know she learned it at Chick-fil-a. Just another entry on a long list of reasons why I love that place.

Randoms over for today -- hope to return to your regularly scheduled postings soon!

What was I thinking?

I'm going to have to go off the grid for a bit while I make twelve tutus for Caroline's birthday party. I thought it would take about 30 minutes each -- HAHAHAHAHA! More like 3 hours each. So you know what I'll be doing in all my spare time the next 13 days. This would be what you might call "biting off more than I can chew."

To sleep, perchance to dream?

Julia really is a fairly good sleeper. Well, all I have to compare her to is Caroline, who quite possibly might have been the worst sleeper ever. She had to be rocked or swung to sleep every night, and we usually got her to take naps by driving her around in the car. Julia, on the other hand, can go to sleep on her own and doesn't like to be rocked to sleep. She fusses for a little bit, rubs her face into the bed, usually scooches her head into a corner of the crib, and then goes to sleep. (After which I go into her room, scoot her back into the middle of the crib, and turn her head a little bit to the side . . . makes me feel a little better knowing there is some space for her to get some air!) She can nap for a good long while except, if I leave her door unattended, I find this:



Caught in the act! Of course I have tried to explain to Caroline that JuJu cannot sleep if she climbs into the crib too, and I have told her to stay out of the baby's room while she's napping, but you can see what good that does. So now, if Caroline even takes a step in the direction of Julia's room, I immediately start with the "Do not go into your sister's room!" To which Caroline innocently replies, "I'll not get into the crib, Mama." (Yes, she really says "I'll not" -- I have no idea why she says that instead of "I won't," and I don't know where she heard it, but it's cute to hear that come out of a three-year-old's mouth.) She continues, "I'm just going to check on the baby." Yeah right kid, I'm not as dumb as I look. But who can resist some sisterly love:


As for Caroline herself these days, she still has a hard time going to sleep most nights. Now she's queen of procrastination ("Wait! I need some water! Please just one more little story? Come open my door just a little more!") Usually Jason handles the bedtime for her b/c I'm feeding Julia. But when it's up to me, I just tell her that she can talk to her animals as much as she wants as long as she does not come out of her room. I know that she'll go to sleep eventually. You can lead a horse to the bed but you can't make him go to sleep, so to speak. Anyway, my philosophy led to this scene one night:

At least Bobo the sheep, Dora, Winnie the Pooh, and her baby are comfortable. Apparently no one requires a pillow or covers. Hey, it's a hot summer this year.

Julia - Seven and a half months (yeah, yeah, I missed the seven-month mark)

So June had lots going on for us and was such a crazy month I missed taking that seven-month picture. I was a little sad that I didn't get it accomplished, but we are all happier when we have a busy schedule (every morning Caroline asks me, "Where are we goin' today, Mommy?") and I try to enjoy the moments as they come and impress them on my heart, even if I don't get as many pictures as I would like. So here are some pictures of Julia at seven and a half months:

I put this last one in because that's the way Jujy rolls now -- not ever in one place for long, always ready to crawl off! She made a few tentative crawling moves at 7 months 1 week old, and in the last week or so she has really figured out how to move! She is really good about entertaining herself now (if she is not hungry or tired) -- one afternoon she played happily on the floor with her toys for a whole hour and a half. But once I stepped out of the room to put some laundry in the dryer and start a new load in the washing machine, she started crawling off down the hallway looking for me. She wants to be where the action is, I guess!

I also just love her little shoes that she's wearing. I like Robeez because they are so flexible (good for little feet that are learning to stand and walk), nearly impossible to kick off, washable, and just so darn cute! I almost got her some with a little brunette princess on them (like her), but I could not resist these butterfly ones. I remember her big sister in Robeez too and cannot believe how fast time flies.

Julia's had a busy time since she turned seven months old. She started to get to a sitting position on her own (without the tripod for support), went to her first Vacation Bible School, went down the slide at the park for the first time, and started to crawl! She laughs and squeals and just observes things all the time. I think it might be a little hard on Caroline because she has started to talk baby talk quite a bit, and she's quick to say "Look at me!" if Julia gets cheered for something. Sometimes she feels generous and shares with Julia, but more often if she sees Julia holding something of hers, she runs over and takes it away. I am trying hard to give her attention and recognize the things she does too, but I think these are the beginnings of some natural sibling rivalry that I won't be able to praise away. Oh well, my sister & I once had a swordfight with hot curling irons, so I know a thing or two about sibling rivalry. And we turned out fine.