Josie's Prayer

Josie and I have a routine to pray together after communion. This usually consists of me prompting her with a few questions and then she takes off. Here was today's prayer:

Josie: God bless Popo, Grandma, Great Grandma, Logan, Tanner, Tye, Daddy, Sissy, Mommy, Josie, Grammy, Grandpapa, Uncle Mike and Uncle Brent.

Me: Anything you want to thank God for?

Josie: Thank you God for Bryce.

Update, Update!

That is right - I have finally updated the blog. And, yes, I am OCD enough that I went back and back-dated several posts that I added tonight so they would all be in chronological order. So, if you are reading this, be sure and scroll down if you have time because there is a lot of new stuff added below. Enjoy and its good to be back!

We're Walking, We're Walking

Yes, that is right - Evelyn is taking some steps. After weeks of her walking with us holding our hand - first 2 hands and then just 1, Evelyn has started taking steps between Kevin and me. She started last night and tonight we took a few pictures and some video. We are so happy that she is so close to being able to walk. I know, why would I say that? But, all the girl wants to do is walk and unless you are holding her hand helping her around, she yells at you. :) So, yeah to a new freedom for Evelyn and here's to many more steps and firsts!

Walking towards Momma!

I may be guilty of giving her the, "must stick out my tongue while I concentrate" trait. But in my defense, I get it from my Daddy. :)

Fredericksburg

I had a meeting this past weekend in Fredericksburg so we decided to make a family trip of it. Kevin and the girls spent Saturday playing on the local playscape and then we had a yummy dinner that night at the Fredericksburg Brewery. Kevin got to drink some yummy beer too. I told him the next time he is pregnant, I am gonna take him to a microbrewery. :) We had a fun weekend. Unfortunately, we took no pictures except for this one first thing Saturday morning just before we hit the streets for a little shopping.

Halloween 2009

Josie had what any 2 and a half year old would call the absolute perfect weekend. We had a friend's wedding in Castroville so Josie got to stay with Aunt Jecka (Jessica), Uncle Oyce (Royce) and her cool cousins for the weekend. She literally squealed with delight when I told her of these plans earlier in the week. I don't think she missed us at all...not even a little bit. They had quite a day that ended with trick or treating and two parties.

When I went to pick up Josie on Sunday, I especially enjoyed hearing the stories of the weekend. The first thing Royce told me was, "We just thought Lane had a sweet tooth, we had no idea that Josie was such a sweet eater." As it turns out, here is how they discovered Josie's love of chocolate and candy. The group went trick or treating and each kid dutifully had their baskets full of goodies when they loaded up in the car to go to the party. Josie rode in the back seat since Lance, Lane and Maci's car seats were all in the second seat. They did not hear a peep out of her on the way to the party, which is about a 10 minute drive. Well, much to their surprise when they arrived, they went to get her out of the back seat and her entire bucket of candy was gone, eaten, bowl licked clean. The girl had wrappers, chocolate and remnants of halloween all over her and their car and she then looks at Royce and says, "More Candy." Yup, she wanted more!

It was as a I said, the perfect weekend for a toddler. All you can eat candy, stay up late partying, eating pizza, constant play companion....I'm sure Josie can not wait for us go somewhere again.

Who knows what they are talking about here, but it seems serious. :)

Pumpkin pizzas - Yummy!!!

The fearless group lookin good.

Jess said this is what their car looked like after the party. Ha!

A close up of the sleeping ballerina complete with chocolate on the face and all. Thank you Jess for taking this picture - its a favorite! And thank you so much to Royce and Jess for taking care of Josie and showing her such a good time.

Dress Rehearsal

Since Kevin and I are gonna be gone Halloween weekend, I really wanted to see Josie in her Halloween costume so I convinced her to put it all on tonight for a little practice run. She looked adorable!!! Thanks so much to Meghan (of the Gregory Family - see blog link on the right) for making us this 'to die for' tutu. Josie loves her "ballerina skirt." She is such a poser for the camera - it makes me laugh.

Pumpkin Patch

The girls and I visited a local pumpkin patch to pick out that perfect pumpkin for our house. Of course, the little pumpkins were especially popular (I guess because they could hold them). Here are a few pics of our little trip.

Our Little Reader

Josie is reading now - yes, she is that smart. :) Ok - so maybe she is going off of memory, but still, it is quite humorous to hear her read her books. Here are 2 videos of her reading "No David," a cute little story about a boy who is always being told no and always getting into trouble. It's one of Josie's favorite books - I highly recommend it if it is not part of your library already.

A Little Rhyme

It appears we are behind
because we missed 2009.
After all, Josie came in 2007,
a little slice of heaven.
And Evelyn came in 2008,
boy does she keep us straight.
But no worries,
God has a plan because in May 2010
We are doing it again!

A Dinner Conversation

Monday night, Kevin was out of town so I was flying solo preparing the dinner for the girls and me. Josie was hungy (in her words) and here is how our conversation went:

Josie: I want special snack
Me: We can't eat your special snack now because we are about to eat dinner. Your special snack is for the afternoon after nap.
Josie: I just hungy
Me: You can have chicken pot pie, ravioli, or wait for the pasta I'm making. What does Josie want?
Josie: Ummmm, tater tots

Playhouse Disney Live! on Tour

Playhouse Disney was in College Station on Friday and if you've read any of this blog, you know we are BIG fans of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Handy Manny, and lately Kevin and I have taken a liking to Shaun the Sheep (which is a whole separate post in itself). Anyway, Josie and I caught the 4:00 show on Friday and it was AWESOME! I will never forget the smile that crept onto Josie's face when Mickey Mouse appeared on stage right there in front of her. I think before that point, she was really unsure of what or where her crazy mother had taken her. But after Mickey showed up, she was glued to the stage.

At intermission, we got popcorn and a Dr. Pepper, both HUGE treats in Josie's world. After we sat down to enjoy the rest of the show, we were sharing the popcorn and you know what she said to me...."Don't eat it all Momma." Boy does she know me. The show ended with a big finale of all the characters on the stage. Oh and I almost forgot about Toodles - Josie thought that he was especially cool (as did most of the other kids). The production had a spotlight that looked like Toodles so when they called him, Toodles literally was flying all over the arena onto the seats, the floor, and on top of the kids. I'm so glad we went!

Playhouse Disney Live! on Tour

Little Einsteins were first on the stage. Josie loved to 'pat, pat, pat' to help make the rocket go.


Next came Winnie the Pooh, Tigger and their friend (I can't remember her name)

Next came the Handy Manny gang. I took a picture of Mr. Lopart just because he had the combover in the Live! on Tour production just like he does in the show.

And of course, Handy Manny and his tools were there.

The Mickey Mouse Gang

The grand finale with all the characters sharing their music at Mickey's Music Party

A picture of us at intermission before I was admonished for eating popcorn.

Our final picture before we left. After the show, we went up to the stage and I wanted to take Josie's picture in front of the big inflatable glove on stage, but Josie wanted her picture on the stage steps so that is what we did. I think it turned out really good her way.

The Father of the Green Revolution

I was saddened Sunday morning to read that Norman Borlaug died Saturday, September 12, 2009. I had the pleasure to hear him speak several times during my days as an Agronomy student. And although I did not realize it the first time I saw him, I now know what an amazing man he was and how many people live because he lived. I read his article/obituary last night and another tribute article this morning. Educated through the 8th grade in a one-room school house in Iowa, this man went on to save what some estimate to be more than 1 billion lives. As a crop breeder, he developed varieties that were disease resistant and shorter to prevent lodging. He helped feed the world - a true humanitarian. I provided links below to the 2 articles I read if you are interested. And here a few snippets that I took from them. May he rest in peace.

His successes in the 1960s came just as books like The Population Bomb were warning readers that mass starvation was inevitable. "Three or four decades ago, when we were trying to move technology into India, Pakistan and China, they said nothing could be done to save these people, that the population had to die off," he said in 2004. Borlaug often said wheat was only a vehicle for his real interest, which was to improve people's lives."We must recognize the fact that adequate food is only the first requisite for life," he said in his Nobel acceptance speech. "For a decent and humane life we must also provide an opportunity for good education, remunerative employment, comfortable housing, good clothing and effective and compassionate medical care."

In 1960, the world produced 692 million tons of grain for 2.2 billion people. By 1992, largely as a result of Borlaug's pioneering techniques, it was producing 1.9 billion tons for 5.6 billion people -- using only 1 percent more land.

He remained active well into his 90s, campaigning for the use of biotechnology to fight hunger and working on a project to fight poverty and starvation in Africa by teaching new drought-resistant farming methods.

Nobel winner Borlaug dies at home in Dallas

Borlaug remembered for his inspiration, dedication

Weekend Wrap-up

We went to Brownwood for Labor Day weekend and had a great time with the grandparents, Uncle Mike, Aunt Kristie, Hayden and Jenna. The guys took all the kids (except Evelyn) fishing on Saturday at Uncle Norman's place. Unfortunately, they did not have much luck with the fish and fortunately, supper was not depending on their catch. Rubert, instead, made us his famous brats. Because we don't have Labor Day off, we had to cut the weekend short and come home on Sunday, but it was a great weekend and long overdue.

Evelyn and Aunt Kristie

Rubert and Kevin cooking the brats (yum!)

Grammy, Kevin and Evelyn

Josie actually got up the nerve to drive the tractor. Grandpapa had to push the pedal for her, but she at least was not scared of it.

Magic Words and other Josieisms

You have to be a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse fan to appreciate this post, but the other day, I was getting Josie in the car and she asked for her cheerios. I told her she had to say the magic words to which she replied, "Meeshka, Mooshka." Some background for you nonmickey watchers (you poor folks with empty lives). At the beginning of every episode, Mickey Mouse comes on and says, "to make the clubhouse appear, we have to say the magic words," to which everyone then replies, "Meeshka Mooshka, Mickey Mouse."

This got me to thinking about all of the other cute little phrases and words that Josie uses so I thought I'd try to write some of them down and share them with y'all.
Her happy = this used to mean her Paci, although she now calls it a Paci
Iss too working = usually means something is not working for her
Alligator = an elevator
Puppets = Evelyn's snack, Puffs
Biper = Diaper (obviously)
I get M&Ms if I go potty = a phrase we hear at least 10 times a day

Our Little Puppy Dog

Those of you who know us well, know that Kevin and I skipped the 'get a dog' phase and went straight to having children so no, this post does not mean we are getting a dog. Rather, its our little pet name for Evelyn because she has this strange habit of putting things in her mouth and crawling around with them. I've been cataloging through photos the various items she has "carried" so efficiently as she crawls. Here are a few of the snapshots.

Evelyn carrying a pretend potato chip from Josie's play kitchen and holding a toy chicken just so it won't get away. Ironically, the potato chip is by far her favorite item to carry around in her mouth. She comes by that love honestly.

Here she has a puzzle piece and a baby doll from Josie's doll house.

And here she is with a paci. Yes, I know I've complained that she won't 'take a paci,' but for what its worth, this is how she typically uses her pacis - more as a teething tool than a pacifier.

Cousins and Grandparents

The birthday parties also brought family here so we were blessed to have Grandma and Popo stay with us and Nikki and Emily visit. Josie LOVED having them here. In fact, anytime this week when we tell her we are going to see somebody or someone is gonna come see her, she always guesses its gonna be Popo, Nikki, Emily or Grandma. I guess they spoiled her.

Emily, Josie and Nikki

Grandma reading to Josie and Evelyn (Can you see the smirk on Evelyn's face? She never gets to play with this book because you have to be real careful with it.) Josie's words, not mine.

Evelyn, Popo, Josie and Grandma all dressed up for church.

Birthdays, Birthdays!

We had a fun-filled day of Birthday parties on Saturday to celebrate Maci (our neice) turning 1 and Lance (our nephew) turning 6. The morning started with a visit to the Tanglewood Splash Pad for Maci's party and while it took Josie sometime to warm up to the water, she eventually was running free. Evelyn only enjoyed it a little bit. And then after naps, we went to Grand Station for Lance's party, which included glow-in-the dark mini-golf and arcade. Josie played the mini-golf with her cousin Nikki. The progression of Josie's game was so much fun to watch. At first, Nikki started out helping her put the ball from the starting spot (I guess that is called the tee?). And then Josie would put it towards the hole while Nikki used her foot to stop the ball closer and closer to the hole. Once it was close enough (at the hole's edge), Josie was able to put it in, which usually resulted in my cheering and clapping for her. So, after 2 holes of starting at the tee, my quick Josie realized what a waste of time it was to start all the way back at the tee and it was a much easier game if you just put your ball next to the hole. So, holes 3 thru 18 consisted of Josie setting her ball right next to the hole and then putting it in sometimes with her putter and sometimes with her foot and if it seemed to be a particularly difficult hole, she just dropped her ball straight in the hole. We didn't get any pictures of the golfing and arcade (I was too busy trying to keep up with her), but we did snap a few pictures of the splashpad party.

The Birthday Girl enjoying the splash pad.

The Birthday Girl's brother, Lane, also enjoyed the water.

Josie having fun.

Evelyn getting a taste of it too (literally).

Cowboy Capital of the World

We just can't be stopped. Kevin had another meeting out of town this week and this time it was in Bandera - the Cowboy Capital of the World. He was gone from Sunday through Friday and the girls and I drove out and joined him on Thursday evening. First, let me just say, hats off to all of you single moms or to those of you who have husbands that travel a lot. The girls and I did our best to survive without Daddy, but for those of you who know Kevin well, know that he is a very big help and does more than half of his share to help out with the girls. We were missing him to say the least. The girls were really good for me on the drive and I even stopped in San Antonio to see Aunt Anna. Bonnie and Matthew met us so that was a nice break in the trip. And then it was just a mere hour to the Mayan Dude Ranch. This is Kevin's fourth time to host a training at the ranch so believe me, I have heard a lot about the place, especially about the great food and the complimentary wine, beer and sodas from 11 AM to 10 PM every day. I have to say the place lived up to its name and more. The pool had an entire end that was just 2' deep where Josie became really comfortable with walking around on her own. She even told me to 'stay back Momma,' a few times. We also took a hayride on Friday morning down to the Medina River where we ate a campfire breakfast. The deer were like cattle following us on the hayride, which Josie especially enjoyed. I would highly recommend the Mayan Dude Ranch to anyone looking for a fun family get away or a meeting location.

The pool had these horses with bikinis on the fence. Josie loved them so we had to take a picture of them with her. She was convinced that the horses go swimming after we all leave the pool.

This statue was in our room and Josie called it Jesus.

Viva la Valley

We had a great opportunity to take the entire family South for a little mini-vacation as Kevin had a conference in McAllen and I had meetings in Weslaco. We had a rough start on Sunday as we had to stop twice before we even got to Schulenburg. Kevin and I were a little worried because what should have taken us 2 hours was pushing 3. Fortunately though, the girls got whatever it was out of their system and we only had to stop one more time before arriving in McAllen. We enjoyed ourselves with lots of hotel pool time, a little shopping, and some great food and friends. Perhaps our greatest adventure was on Monday afternoon to South Padre Island...a first for all the girls in our family. When we told her we were going to swim in the ocean, Josie asked, "with the sharks?" The weather was great, the ocean was actually cool and we found us a perfect little spot next to another family that had a little girl Josie's age. It took Josie a bit to warm up to the waves, but after she did, the ocean was a hit. Although, she never really liked all of the sand on her and despite our best efforts to collect seashells, she kept throwing them out of her bucket. Her favorite thing was running out into the water with Daddy and Mommy.

Weekend Wrap-up

Jessica and I finally went out and did what we have been wanting to do for a long time. I'm sure many of you are guessing, have an uninterrupted sleep, but no, that's not it. Pebble Creek had its annual neighborhood-wide garage sale so we loaded up on Saturday morning in search for treasures. We really struck out the whole morning until our very last stop where we found a clothing jackpot for Josie, Maci and Evelyn! Jess and I then proceeded to dig thru the numerous bins of clothing, shoes, tights and bloomers (many of which were still in the packaging or had tags on them) and stuffed our bags full to the rim. Sweet Maci bared with us and along the way, made a friend in "Murray," one of the Wiggle dolls. This little guy sings songs when barely touched and Maci found an odd comfort in the jingle and she even fell asleep on Jess's shoulder clutching Murray. It was so sweet that I had to get a picture of Maci and Murray. And even though this was the start of a crazy weekend, I'm so glad we did it 'cause Jess and I had some great laughs and despite the lack of new found treasures, we made some memories we'll treasure.