Julia's Blog

Fourth of July 2009

Posted in: on Sunday, July 5, 2009 at at 12:21 PM 1 comments

Andrew has been on vacation the last 2 weeks, and we have had a lot of fun doing things around town. We decided to do a "staycation" this year. We've had a nice mix of relaxing days as well as days where we've gone and done fun summer things.

I've particularly enjoyed watching Alyssa experience many "firsts"...like...
...first time in a big swimming pool
...first time at the lake
...first trip to the zoo
...first time to Chisholm Park Aquatic Center
...first time playing in the sand
...first time meeting Great Grandma Bennett

Here are a few pictures of the fun times we've had.

We've been playing outside almost every morning. Alyssa particularly enjoys swinging on the swing that her Grandpa Bennett made her.

Alyssa likes her sand and water toy.

Splashing in the water is fun!

Look at all this sand on my hand!

Now I have the sand all over my face!

One day we drove out to Lake Mineral Wells State Park. It was fun! We had a picnic dinner overlooking the lake...Andrew fished...and then we went swimming in the lake. It was very hot!

Time to go home. All tuckered out.

More swimming...this time at Grandma and Grandpa Bennett's while Andrew and I went out on a date! Dinner, bowling, air hockey and snow cones...so much fun!

Summer reading club...ok, not really, but she does love her books.

We went swimming at Grammy and Papa's pool with Aunt Allison. 1st time in a big swimming pool! She LOVES the water!

At the Zoo! It was again, really, really, really hot, but we still had a good time. Alyssa's favorite parts were the aviary, where Andrew took her out of the stroller and the birds were all flying around...and the aquariums.

Andrew's Grandmother just moved to town. She had been living in Arkansas, so we enjoyed going to visit her and also letting Alyssa meet her for the first time.

Well, it has been a fun couple of weeks. it's sad that tomorrow is Andrew's last day off before he goes back to work. We are thankful for his job, and also thankful for the time off.

Posted in: on Sunday, June 28, 2009 at at 8:25 PM 2 comments

Fun in the Sun

This week, our little play group enjoyed splashing around in a kiddie pool at my friend's home. It was Alyssa's first time in the pool. She was most interested in hanging over the side of the pool and playing with the grass...oh well. : ) Here's my little bathing beauty...

In other news, today was our last week to teach Sunday School for the semester. We get a wonderful 12 week break! We really enjoyed serving this year with our team of teachers and all the kids in the class. We had a little pizza party with the teachers to celebrate. It's amazing to see how God works in the lives of the kids throughout the year. We look forward to what is in store for the class next year!

Andrew started a 2 week vacation today...so should have some fun posts coming up about what we end up doing. We've decided to stay in town and enjoy things locally this year. We haven't decided exactly what we are going to do yet...so I guess we'll see!

Posted in: on Sunday, June 14, 2009 at at 2:53 PM 1 comments

Road Trip to Colorado

Last week, my sister, Allison, Alyssa and I took a road trip to Colorado to visit my parents who are living there for the summer. We had a great time. It was about a 12 hour drive, so I wasn't so sure how Alyssa would do in the car...but she did great! We got to see some friends, and mostly enjoyed relaxing around the cabin.

Here are a few pictures...

Posted in: on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 at at 11:20 AM 1 comments

Scooting Video

For those who like to see Alyssa in action...here is a short video of her scooting around. (Not exactly crawling yet, but she is getting closer every day.) Chasing after the dogs and going towards books and the remote control are what get her moving the fastest.

Posted in: on Saturday, April 18, 2009 at at 10:53 PM 1 comments

Alyssa and the Pups

So...Alyssa and the dogs are starting a new part of their relationship and it is pretty cute to watch. Now that she can scoot around and is starting to pick up speed, they are learning that she can come and get them (grab their tails, hit their backs, etc.). We have always tried to play rough with them somewhat to help them to be gentle around kids. It seems to have worked because they are both great with her. Kaylee loves to bring Alyssa her toys, hoping that Alyssa will throw them for her (someday she will...but for now she just tries to eat them...gross!) (Let's just say that Kaylee has only "supervised" play time with her toys for the time being). : )

I heard that it was raining tonight and when I looked out the window I realized that it was hailing. Not too much...about pea size. So what did Kaylee do???...she ran right out into the yard and started trying to fetch the hail. Crazy dog! It was pretty funny to watch her look all around. It seemed like she didn't know where to start! There were thousands of little "balls" calling for her attention. We called her in pretty quickly...but it was a good laugh.

I finally got up the courage to take Alyssa and both dogs on a walk by myself the other day. It went great! The dogs were very well behaved (better than normal even!). It was a beautiful day and we all had a great time. While I might have managed a walk with all of them...I did not manage to get a picture while we were out, so this was the scene once we arrived back home. It was kind of cute. They were all worn out and were laying together on the kitchen floor.

...and for your viewing pleasure...here is the first time that Alyssa crawled over to the dog bowls. Oh my...here we go.... : ) (I know...one of those moments that I should be dealing with the situation instead of grabbing my camera, but you know...) : )