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!

…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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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. :)

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.

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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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!"

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.