Promotion Sunday

Awwww, Julia is getting so big. She promoted to the toddler room yesterday at church. I was a wee bit weary of how she would take that. Lately, she has been extremely clingy to me and super fussy. Pretty normal for her and generally this age. To my surprise she went to the worker without even a whimper. When I returned to pick her up, she was sound asleep on a small little bean bag. The workers said she fell asleep while they were changing her diaper, so they just laid her down and she hadn't budged since. So precious!! Once she is asleep, there is no waking her for awhile. The workers just oohed and awed over how sweet she was with them and said she never cried once. I thanked them for the positive comments and just laughed as I thought back to what we were dealing with a year ago. Most of you know that Julia was NOT an easy baby by any means whatsoever!!!!! She cried, well let me say SCREAMED for what seems like forever and getting her to sleep was a nightmare. Now here she is sound asleep in the middle of a nursery. Miracles do happen!!

Shopping for shoes

I took the kids shoe shopping today. Both need new shoes for the fall. I, of course, was looking for the plain, less expensive, go with more outfits shoes. The kids had different ideas! First on the agenda was finding Julia some plain white tennis shoes. Most little girl shoes have more glitter and sparkles than I can stomach. We successfully found some white Keds with a few charms, but not over the top. As I continued to look for some brown dress shoes, Julia picked out a few shoes to try on. The first she brought to me were the Wizard of Oz red sparkly Dorthy shoes. I have to admit she looked pretty cute in those!! Next she insisted on the black shiny with leopard print. Not my style, but she could make anything cute. Last but not least, she wanted the black and pink glitter shoes. She wore those all over the shoe department!! What a diva!! I inconspicuously returned all the "fun" shoes and settled on the sensible shoes for Julia. Gotta make the dollar stretch as much as possible!!! By the way, while Julia was playing dress up with her shoes, Isaac was walking around with little girl pink heals on his very little boy feet!! HA! Wish I could have gotten a picture of that!

So then we were off to find Isaac some shoes. Again, Mom wants sensible, Isaac wants Lightning McQueen light up shoes. After a conference call to Gabe I finally gave in and said yes to the light up shoes. Side note - Isaac acted very big in the store and did not throw a fit to get the shoes. He said it would be okay to get the others, but he really liked the lights. He is finally to that age that he likes to pick things to wear and it really means something to him. Bonus - they were on sale and only a few dollars more than the plain, or I guess you can say boring, no light tennis shoes. Where is Julia all this time Isaac and I are picking shoes?....... She is dumping no less than 6 to 7 boxes of shoes on the floor and making a huge mess. She brought a pair of Thomas the Tank Engine shoes to me while saying quite loudly, "CHOOOO CHOOOO". Who would have thought buying shoes with a 3 (almost 4) year old and a 16 month old could be so much fun!!!!

Dinner with Friends

What is this? Another night out with the girls?!! No kids! No offense guys, but JUST THE GIRLS! Glorious! I had a lovely evening with some friends from my church and playgroup last night. We met at Macaroni Grill and most likely annoyed our waitress by "camping" at her table for way too long. What can I say, women like to talk!

We started this group late last spring. Total there are 5 moms, 8 kids, and two on the way. We are quite a crew when we go places together. It has been so much fun getting to know each of these ladies better. The kids truly play well together and it is so wonderful to watch them form friendships as well. Throughout the summer, we have met almost every week, but will have to cut that down to twice a month starting in September.

Being a stay at home mother is wonderful, but can get lonely without friendships. God has blessed me greatly through these friendships. It is wonderful to have women around me that not only understand this time of life, but uplift and encourage me in the Lord.

**By the way, excuse the picture. I know it is not the best (caught Clarie blinking and me in the middle of saying, "just keep pushing the button down...") I wanted a picture of our night together and I always regret not taking more pictures at our play dates. So I brought along my camera last night. Right now my camera has a huge lens on it. The regular one is currently broken. So when I handed the camera to the waitress, she had to keep backing up and backing up just to get us to fit in the frame. It was quite an ordeal. So needless to say, I was not about to ask her to try again. Starting from the left it is me, Amanda, Jill, Kelly, and Clarie.

Isaac and Julia - Summer 2007

Julia Ann Elizabeth Coleman Chatham

Quite a name huh?! For quite a lady. My Julia is named for Gabe's great-grandmother, Julia Ann Elizabeth Coleman Chatham. I just read a beautiful blog written by my mother-in-law, Betty. Take a peak to learn more about the wonderful woman Julia is named after.

http://chattythoughts.blogspot.com/

Ladies Night Out!

The FUSION (college/early career) ladies and I finished our summer Bible study last week (Believing God by Beth Moore), so we decided to celebrate by having a "Ladies Night Out". We were also saying good-bye to Dani (heading back to college)and Happy Birthday to Megan(turned 23 last week)! We had a wonderful time and laughed a lot (great ab workout)! We were one hat too short last night, so I stuck a frilly bow in my hair. What can I say, they bring my silly side out!! Yeah, that is an excuse. I am pretty much a nerd all the time!! Wouldn't you agree, Gabe?!!
We plan to take a month to study the Book of Ruth, then in late September we will begin a study called Becoming a Woman of Purpose by Cynthia Heald. I know I have said it before, and I will say it again...it is such a privilege and blessing to know these ladies. It is exciting to see what God is doing in each of their lives. Dani, Megan, Sara, and Jenny -- I had a wonderful time with each of you last night. Love you!

P.S. Didn't I mention that we laughed a lot?! This is why......

Pigtails!

How cute is she?! I know I have a very biased opinion, but Julia is darling! These are her first pigtails and she didn't seem to mind a bit. As I was taking these pictures, it amazed me how she is starting to look more and more like a little girl and less and less like a baby. I tell her the same thing I tell Isaac, no matter how big she gets she will always be my baby.

Lincoln Logs 101

The other day I was summoned by Isaac to help with his Lincoln Log house he wanted built over his railroad track. The night before, Gabe built this great tunnel house for the trains to go through. It was safe through the night until morning when"Julie-zilla" attacked!! So I said, "Sure no problem. I will rebuild the house for you." HA - easier said than done! I am a fairly well educated person, but for some strange reason I was unable to figure out the Lincoln Logs. The walls kept falling over and how does that roof stay on there anyway?! I got frustrated and had a "2 year old moment"!! I said with a huff "I can't do this" as I put the Lincoln Logs down a bit rough. Isaac in his wisdom of 3 1/2 years said rather calmly as he patted my leg, "It's okay Mama, you just need to keep trying." And so I did! I got that silly little house built, over the railroad track! I was rather proud that it was actually still standing. However, a few minutes into his play, Isaac called out for help. I went into his room to discover my Lincoln Log house leaning quite a bit to one side. Just enough so the trains could not go through. I just laughed and told him I would try to help again later. He gave up on me then, and just knocked the house down. "Never mind Mama", he said. My sister and I were joking as I was telling her this story. We laughed as we said that I should make Isaac a deal. I will teach him to read if he will teach me how to build with Lincoln Logs! Lincoln Logs 101 !!

Nerd Neck

It is an official diagnosis...... Gabe has Nerd Neck!!! After too many hours perched in front of the computer Gabe has developed a serious case of Nerd Neck. He had more knots in his back than you would think is possible. His back was completely locked up. In fact, yesterday he was in so much pain he could barely walk, sit, stand, or lay down. That pretty much covers every possible position doesn't it! Well, while he recuperated I did the unthinkable....... I mowed the lawn for the first time in my life and I have proof ----So for those of you who while away the hours in front of the computer (aka: nerds ) Sit up straight - NO SLOUCHING!!

Growing Up Fast

Isaac and Julia are growing up way too fast. Time flies!!! I know most parents say that about their own children, but it is especially true when you have two. I will start home schooling Isaac in September. It is hard for me to believe that he is the same age as the students I used to teach. He proudly announces that he is in Pre-K. He has no idea what that means, but he does know that he is getting bigger. He thinks he is super big now that Gabe let him get up in the attic with him the other day. Now every time the attic door is open, Isaac wants to "help" in the attic. Julia amazes me with her language explosion. This shouldn't surprise me though, she has quite a talker for a big brother. Her favorite words right now are boo, book, water(she learned this one in the two days I was in Fort Worth -- now I know how Gabe feels when he comes home to something new the kids are doing), please, bear, baby, and even poo poo (yes.... she pats her back side and says poo poo -- this in only cute when you are a 1 year old!!) Her favorite by far is "go". She will stand at the door and repeat the word until someone hears her. And this is how she looks when the answer to "go" is "no"!! Of course at this age, most babies don't like to be told "no". Oh yeah, that is another of her new words. She wrinkles up her nose and dramatically proclaims "no".Isaac and Julia are finally getting to where they are able to "play together" better. I use that term loosely. In reality, they are usually screaming because the other just took their toy. Just the other day, they had been screaming for this very reason for most of the day. I was in my room when I heard Isaac scream out. I was on my way to investigate when I saw Julia run out of his room as fast as her little 15 month old legs could go, holding a fire truck, and giggling with delight. I just had to laugh. After all those months of Isaac aggravating Julia when she could not defend herself, she is now up and ready to retaliate. The struggle between them is a daily battle but they do have some sweet and peaceful moments. Like when Isaac lovingly served Julia at their little tea party.
The other day I caught Isaac putting his arm protectively around Julia at the grocery store. She took it as an assault, but it was plain to see that he was loving on her. And there are times when Isaac is upset, that Julia consoles him with a hug and kiss. They look out for each other, that is for sure. I can only hope and pray that their sibling bond will be deepened daily and made unbreakable. I look at how Gabe and his brothers interact. They love and respect each other deeply. From stories told, it was no easy battle won. They fought constantly and almost "killed" each other on occasion. But they stand today on the same side and would do anything for each other. Don and Betty -- kudos to you! So I will continue to guide Isaac and Julia through their sibling battles and pray that God will only bless their relationship.