Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween!

Halloween has always been such a fun holiday for me. We're doing the usual tonight and hosting the neighborhood hot dog and marshmallow roast. I hope you all enjoy the time spent with your family today! Yay for candy! :)

<a href="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc06013-copy.jpg"><img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc06013edit.jpg" alt="she's a sassy little witch" /></a>

<a href="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc06038-copy.jpg"><img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc06038edit.jpg" alt="goofing off with Pap" /></a>

<a href="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc06042-copy.jpg"><img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc06042edit.jpg" alt="in the Pumpkin Patch at "The Pumpkin Church"" /></a>

<a href="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc06047-copy.jpg"><img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc06047edit.jpg" alt="Maple Springs UMC - The Pumpkin Church" /></a>

<a href="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc06057-copy.jpg"><img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc06057edit.jpg" alt="Jules trying to sit on a big pumpkin" /></a>

<a href="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc06059-copy.jpg"><img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc06059edit.jpg" alt="silly girl sitting on a pumpkin" /></a>

<a href="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc06064-copy.jpg"><img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc06064edit.jpg" alt="sitting in time out for biting Pap" /></a>

Thursday, October 30, 2008

stories

Chapter 1:

The other night we heard Julianna moving around a lot in bed shortly after Jonathan put her down, but we knew she wasn't out of bed so we just thought she might be trying harder than usual to get comfy. Then when we went upstairs ourselves Jonathan went in to check on her as usual. Turns out she had taken off her pajamas and laid them beside her and he found her soun asleep and naked except for her pull-up with the covers tucked gently under her arms. It was so precious, yet enough-to-hurt-your-side-funny at the same time.


Chapter 2:

Jules, like a hundred and fifty thousand million other little girls, is going to dress up like Cinderella for Halloween this year. Jonathan's mother sent her one of those singing cards the other day and it's a Cinderella Halloween card that sings Bippity Boppity Boo when yopu open it. Well, she's carried that thing with her everywhere since. Anyway, on the way home today she had it in the car and was playing it over and over again and then she started recounting the events of the entire movie to me.

At one point she asked, "Why that big black cat chase those mouses?" and I told her that that's just what cats like to do. She of course followed that up with another, "Why?" I said, "Cats like to eat mice, just like that horse we saw the other day likes to eat carrots. And you know how we were talking about how bears like to eat honey? Well, cats just like to eat mice." Without missing a beat she answered with, "And people like to eat hamburgers."


Chapter 3:

Because we all like to eat so many hamburgers around here, we went to McDonald's the other day for lunch. We sat down to eat our Happy Meals and Jules and I sat on the same side of the booth looking out into the rest of the restaurant. There were several Hispanic men sitting across from us at another booth and one of them had a bandana on his head. Julianna caught his eye and pointed at him. Then she took a deep breath and said really loudly, "Look Mommy! It's a pirate!" Fortunately, he (and the rest of the people in the building who overheard) just smiled kindly.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

thirty one months

<img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc06090-copy.jpg" alt="1" />

Dear Julianna,

My big, beautiful, brown-eyed girl. Another month has gone by and you're another month closer to turning three. This year you've said you want to have a dog on your cake so I guess a dog it will be.

The other day at school your class went to what they call "Storybook Theater." The actors there were doing a preschool rendition of Beauty and the Beast. I wasn't there but when I picked you up your teacher said you'd had a bad day. She expained how terrified you were of the Beast and how badly you wanted to leave. She said that she was able to convince you to sit on her lap in the back of the room. It hurt my heart to hear how afraid you were. It broke my heart even more that I wasn't there to comfort you - but I know this was just one of the many times you'll be scared in your life and you'll eventually learn to deal with fear.

As I write the first draft of this letter you're sitting in time out because you hit M (one of the little boys I keep each day). You've been pretty good dealing with quickly going from an only child to one of three but you do have your moments and you certainly struggle with sharing.

<img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc06099-copy.jpg" alt="2" />

Today your Aunt Whitney is getting married and Uncle Seth will officially become your Uncle Seth. You're going to be such a beautiful little flower girl and I'm sure I'll have pictures to prove it. You seem to have a good understanding of what you're supposed to do - whether or not you'll do it remains to be seen.

This month you've ridden a horse for the first time. You rode a train for the first time and you rode the rides at the fair for the first time. As you get older, I'm suprised to see that the firsts really don't end as I thought they would; they just change a little in nature and that's fun too.

<img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc06101-copy.jpg" alt="3" />

You're hair has gotten so long. Even so, it is still blonde and we still get the same question all the time: "Where does she get her blonde hair?" I'm sure it will change since mine had already started changing by the time I was two, but it hasn't yet.

These days you love to show people your "Chucks" and you're starting to want to pick out your own clothes. I dread the day where we fight over what to wear every morning. You also love to talk about the train table that Santa is bringing you for Christmas. It's so funny how I simply suggested that you ask Santa to bring you one (a train table) one day when you were asking me for one at your house and somehow you solidified the idea in your head that he was most certainly giving you one this year. Somehow I won't be able to deny that.

<img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc06103-copy.jpg" alt="4" />

I ran a 5k earlier this month and you were supposed to stay with Nanna but instead you insisted on coming. You rode in the jogger, but you wanted so badly to get out and run with me. It was FREEZING! You kept saying, "I a big girl! I want to run with you!" I hope you do run with me some day, but please note that the next time you're riding in the jogger as I kill myself trying to get up one more dadblame hill, I WILL let go of it and send you off without me if you say one more time, "I tired Mama."

Jules, you still LOVE to sing. You will entertain yourself for a good while by just singing song after song. The funniest is when you decide to entertain us (usually when we have company over) and you get up on the fireplace and sing whatever song comes to mind. You sing it loudly until you get a laugh. If only you can stay so confident for the rest of your life.

You are such a smartie; you regularly read letters you see on the TV and in books. You're learning the lowercase letters now as you've known all the big ones fo quite some time. It won't be long before you are learning the words too.

Doodle, after all the fun and running around we've done this month I can only imagine what the next couple of months will bring. I'm looking forward to seeing what's in store for us next. Be good.

Love,
Mama

<img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc06094-copy.jpg" alt="5" />

Friday, October 24, 2008

rain, rain go away

We've been getting ready for wedding festivities tonight and tomorrow and we just paused to take a lunch break and a little rest on the couch for a bit before trying to get more done. Jules is sitting beside me and she just picked up some of the Christmas catalogs that have started coming in the mail. She is so adorable just looking through them and ohhhhh-ing and aahhhhhh-ing at all the toys. She keeps pointing out ones she wants and ones that she knows other people already have. It's the first time she's been so aware of the materialistic nature of our society's Christmas and while it's super annoying, it's also great fun to watch her be so excited.

So anyway, I'm sorry I've been so MIA over the past month or so. Hopefully after tomorrow I will have a life again and will return to the blog more regularly. In the meantime, cross your fingers that it stops raining here soon and just for fun, go pick out some Christmas presents like a child again!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

…it’s either a dog or a pony!

Yesterday we went to <a href="http://www.cashlovellstables.com/">Cash Lovell Stables</a> with my mom's group. The kind ladies there gave us a tour of the place and then let the kiddos take a short ride on "Mr. Buttons" one of their gentle horses. They also got to brush one of the other horses named Jesse James.

Julianna surprised me by really taking a liking to the entire place. She was not afraid at all and she thoroughly enjoyed herself. We had to divide into two groups since there were so many of us there at one time. Our group was all boys except for Jules and she really, really loved brushing Jesse James. The rest of them brushed him once and then were pretty much ready to move on and see what's next. Well, not Jules. She had to get out each and every brush and try it out on him. She would have happily stayed in that stall all day brushing that horse.

Anyway, then when it was time to actually get on one of the horses I figured she would shy away from it since she has been going through a pretty "afraid of everything" phase, but I was wrong. She ran right up and grabbed a helmet and got in line to be the first one on the horse. She let the lady put her right up on Mr. Buttons and she did everything she was told to do. She was all ready to go and she didn't even look back to find out where I was during all of this. As I said, I was shocked. I was also very proud. She is a brave, brave girl when she wants to be.

Click the picture below to see all of the photos from our morning.


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Tuesday, October 21, 2008

we just might have to get her a puppy…

The two little boys that I keep in the afternoons had a weeklong visit from their grandparents a couple of weeks ago. They came from Alabama with their two dogs and nine puppies. Julianna was in awe (as was I regarding them traveling seven hours in a car with eleven dogs). Anyway, she loved those little puppies and cared for them so easily. She would help carry them to their food and she would hold them timidly while she pet their soft fur. She loved playing with the gate to their makeshift pen and she's asked about them plenty since they've been gone. Here are a few pics that I got of her playing with the puppies.

<a href="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc05987-copy.jpg"><img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc05987edit.jpg" alt="three sleeping puppies" /></a>

<a href="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc05989-copy.jpg"><img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc05989edit.jpg" alt="Julianna is pouting because I told her she couldn't hold the puppies if she didn't listen" /></a>

<a href="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc05994-copy.jpg"><img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc05994edit.jpg" alt="a pile of sleeping puppies" /></a>

<a href="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc05999-copy.jpg"><img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc05999edit.jpg" alt="a cool cat holding a sweet pup" /></a>

<a href="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc06001-copy.jpg"><img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc06001edit.jpg" alt="she loved holding that puppy" /></a>

<a href="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc06002-copy.jpg"><img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc06002edit.jpg" alt="trying not to drop the puppy" /></a>

Now she's been asking for a dog daily. Hopefully, we won't have to get a dog too soon. :)

Monday, October 20, 2008

at the fair

A week or so ago we went to the Dixie Classic Fair for a couple of hours. We've had a really busy month so it was one of the fastest trips I've ever taken to fair before, but I'm still thankful I got to go. Hopeully next year we'll get to stay longer and enjoy it more. This was Julianna's first year of riding the rides. She had a blast and has asked to go back many times since.

<a href="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc05887-copy.jpg"><img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc05887edit.jpg" alt="Daddy and Jules about to ride the Ferris Wheel" /></a>
We all got to ride together on the Ferris Wheel. It had been many years since I had been on it and it was nice to experience the awesome views from the top again.

<a href="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc05891-copy.jpg"><img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc05891edit.jpg" alt="View from the top" /></a>
<a href="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc05892-copy.jpg"><img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc05892edit.jpg" alt="another view from the top" /></a>

<a href="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc05895-copy.jpg"><img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc05895edit.jpg" alt="Daddy and Jules looking out over the fairgrounds" /></a>

<a href="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc05899-copy.jpg"><img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc05899edit.jpg" alt="the Winston-Salem skyline" /></a>

<a href="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc05907-copy.jpg"><img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc05907edit.jpg" alt="Julianna and I take in the sights" /></a>

<a href="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc05908-copy.jpg"><img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc05908edit.jpg" alt="another view from the top of the Ferris Wheel" /></a>

We bought a book of tickets and let Julianna decide what she wanted to ride in the Kiddieland area. Of course, the first ride she picked was the motorcycle one. I'm not so sure she enjoyed it though because she kept a stoic look on her face the entire time and she was too afraid to take her hands off the handlebars to wave.
<a href="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc05927-copy.jpg"><img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc05927edit.jpg" alt="Julianna on the motorcycle ride" /></a>

She also rode some airplanes and drove a truck full of other people's kids. She wanted to go down the big slide but she wasn't tall enough.
<a href="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc05943-copy.jpg"><img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc05943edit.jpg" alt="Julianna drove the kiddos around in her truck" /></a>

This ride was supposed to be a fire truck that went up in the air and around in circles vertically. Jules called it a red bus ride and Daddy got to go on it with her. If you look closely you can see her hand sticking out too wave out of the back of the truck.
<a href="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc05964-copy.jpg"><img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dsc05964edit.jpg" alt="Daddy and Julianna on the "bus" ride" /></a>

We had a great time. I'll just make sure that next year I have enough time to see the big pumpkin and at least get a funnel cake.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

five little pumpkins

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate;
The first one said, "Oh my it's getting late."
The second one said, "There are witches in the air."
The third one said, "But I don't care."
The fourth one said, "I'm ready for some fun!"
The fifth one said, "Let's run and run and run."
"Wooooooo" went the wind,
And out went the lights.
And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.


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Thursday, October 16, 2008

when the moon hits your eyes like a big pizza pie

We were looking at the moon coming up earlier tonight as we were coming home from mailing our taxes (Whew! Finally!) and Julianna and I were purely fascinated with it's beauty. It was huge and a gorgeous orange-y color. She starts talking about wanting to go into space and Jonathan starts talking to her about being an astronaut one day. He's telling her how she really could do it if she wanted to and she's all, "I want to wear space pants and I want to go up to the moon and I'M GONNA GET A STICKER!"

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

yeah and don’t scratch your bottom either

<strong>Me: </strong>Julianna, please take your finger out of your nose.
<strong>Her:</strong> Why?
<strong>Me:</strong> Because it's gross.
<strong>Her: </strong>Why?
<strong>Me:</strong> It's dirty and it's not polite.
<strong>Her: </strong>It's disgusting?
<strong>Me: </strong>Yes, it's disgusting.
<strong>Her: </strong>My name is disgusting. Julianna Disgusting.
<strong>Me: </strong>It's nice to meet you Julianna Disgusting.
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