Zoey's 5th Birthday

I can't believe Zoey is five! She gets sweeter, more beautiful, smarter, & funnier each year. This year Zoey awoke to a party thrown by our elves. The kitchen was covered in streamers & balloons, party plates, cups, & napkins, & party hats & horns. She thought it was awesome. She got to open her present from Jude first thing. It was a new princess ballet leotard to wear to ballet that day. When she arrived at school everyone sang to her. It was well known that it was her birthday. She was so excited this year & counted down all month! I baked cupcakes & ate them with her class. We left school early & headed home to meet Daddy, Poppa, Grammy, & Kevin. Zoey wanted to open her gifts because she was dying to get the Merida dress. Every present she would say "I hope this is the Merida dress" so of course we made her open it last. She loved it! We watched Brave after that & then went to dinner at Lost Her Mamas aka Los Hermanos. It is Zoey's favorite restaurant. The waiters sang Happy Birthday while Zoey wore the big sombrero. She loved every minute of the attention! What a great day!

Thanksgiving 2012

We had a great Thanksgiving this year! Grammy, Aunt Christie, Evan, & Caelin came to Georgia! They got here Tuesday afternoon. The kids played outside & Grammy & Aunt Christie fought over who got to hold Jude. We had a bonfire and made s'mores after dinner. Wednesday we had our Thanksgiving meal. It was delicious & included everyone's favorite side dish. Thursday we woke up early and headed to Fort Bennington. Uncle Kevin was so happy to see us & we were very happy to see him! We ate lunch on base & then went to a hotel to hang out with Kevin for a bit. He wanted to binge on every candy you could think of! We headed home around 4:30 while Grammy stayed with Kevin. Christie & I went shopping on Friday while Joe kept all 4 kids. He is the best! We were sad when Saturday came & everyone had to go home. It was a great week!

Zoey's Thanksgiving program

Every year at OFA we have a big holiday gathering. We put round tables in the sanctuary, the kids perform, & we feast on some yummy food. Zoey was so excited to be a turkey in the Thanksgiving skit that PreK does. She was so cute! Her line was "gobble, gobble, gobble" & she said it loud & proud every time it was needed! I am thankful for her wonderful school & her amazing teacher!

Daddy date

Joe had Election Day off from work so Zoey had a Daddy day! He took her to the High Museum to look at art. She was semi interested. Daddy got her a pretty ring from the gift shop. she was so excited to show me. After that they went to the movies to see Wreck It Ralph. Joe said it was really good. I'm glad Zoey & Daddy had a fun day together!

Tootsie Roll

Jude, aka Tootsie Roll, has finally rolled over! It actually happened 2 days ago. I was in his class at school & he was laying on his belly and all of the sudden he rolled to his back. I brought him home that night so he could show Joe & Zoey. Sure enough he did it again! The cutest thing is he immediately rolls over & grabs his toes. It is such a baby thing to do & I know it won't last long so I am enjoying it every time he does it.

Girls Just Want to Have Fun!

Zoey's best friend is Katherine. They have gone to school & church together for years. They are total opposites. Zoey is the free spirited, creative, & sometimes defenseless one. Katherine is the bold, super friendly, fun one. I love how they balance each other. I've walked in their classroom at school before & seen Zoey crying because someone took her crayon & as soon as Katherine realized it she just walked over to the boy & said "that's Zoeys" & snatched it. Ha! They both love to dress up and they would play together all day. Z & K have been planning a sleepover for a year now. Well Katherine's mom & I finally decided it was time. I'm pretty sure the girls were as excited for it as much as they are excited for Christmas. Katherine came home with us Thursday night. The girls played while I made dinner. They ate dinner in princess dresses. They watched a movie in their pj's & headed to bed at 8. They talked & giggled until 9 & then fell asleep. Not bad...until they woke up at 6:30am! We had to go to school so we ate a little breakfast & they played until time to get ready. I actually got a shower & got everybody & out the door by 9:20am. All in all it was a fun time & I'm glad the girls finally had their long awaited sleepover! Check out the excitement on their faces!

Halloween 2012

I figured this year is the only year I can get away with dressing the kids together for Halloween. I found Jude's costume this summer on the sale rack at Gymboree. I saw it & thought this will be a perfect Halloween costume. Little did I know I would be praying he would still fit in it! I showed Zoey a few different things because I didn't want to force her to match Jude. Luckily she loved the idea & was very excited for me to win the bidding war for her costume on eBay! I present to you our Redskins cheerleader and football!

5 months

Jude is suffering from his first ear infection! He woke up yesterday & seemed a little off. He didn't eat well but other than a cough, which he seems to always have, he was fine. We were having family pics made around 1pm & it all went south! He would nt stop crying which is not like him. We finally told the photographer we would have to reschedule. By the time we got home he had a fever. Luckily we have a great pediatric after hours office. I took Jude in & sure enough it was an ear infection. Zoey got an ear infection every time she cut a tooth so I am hoping he will cut a tooth this week. He is better today but not his normal smiley self quite yet.
I did find out he is 19lbs 4oz at the dr yesterday. My big boy just loves people and he smiles at everyone. This month he has learned to really laugh. Like belly laugh and it is so cute!

Thomas the train

We had another fun fall outing last Saturday. We went to Cordele & rode Thomas the train! I didn't know what to expect but it was really fun. The train ride was about 25 minutes. We rode over the water & through the country. It was the perfect amount of time. After the train ride, Zoey enjoyed the bouncy house, bubble area, face paint, & tattoos. She also had her first taste of funnel cake! Jude was a trooper & people watched as usual. He missed a nap & was still sweet as could be. We definitely want to make it an annual event!

Goodbye Mema

Last week we said a bittersweet goodbye to my last living grandparent, Mema. She was 85 & lived a good,long life. It's really sad to see the end of an era in life, but I also immediately felt so happy for Mema getting to finally be in Heaven with my grandad. He has been gone for 8 years now. That is a long time to live alone. I know Mema is in the best place & she didn't suffer. Her service was wonderful. My brother spoke & did such a good job. Mema, we will miss you dearly!

Duluth Fall Festival

Joe & I are determined to do some fall family things this year. Zoey is finally at the age to really enjoy a trip to pumpkin patch, fall festivals, & corn mazes! Our first stop on the fall bucket list was the Duluth Fall Festival last weekend. We arrived about 4pm to meet Jake & Hannah. I was a little skeptical when all I saw was booths filled with country crafts & bad food. Luckily we made our way to the fair rides & I was like a kid in a candy store! There was only about 10 rides but Joe & I were fighting over who would ride with Zoey because we were both so excited! The 1st stop was the Ferris wheel. It was fun & Z loved it. Next we headed to the scrambler. I thought it might be too much but our brave girl loved it. Her choice was the swings, which she rode twice, & last was the potato sack slide. We had such a great time. We ended the evening with Zoey getting her face painted. She kept it on for church the next day! Jude loved being outside & was sweet as can be. Next stop...Corn Dawgs for a hayride & corn maze!

4 month stats

We went to the dr last Friday for Jude's 4 month checkup. When I say he is a growing boy, I truly mean he is a growing boy! He weighed in at 17.5lbs(82%), is 25.5in(67%)tall, & head circumference is 17in(68%). He is the size of a one year old! He only gets upset if he doesn't get his bottle on time. Otherwise he is a sweet, smiley boy. He is really close to rolling over . Once again he barely cried at his shots. As soon as I picked him up, he was fine. I love my chunky monkey!

Big girl hair cut

Zoey has been wanting to cut her hair for a year & we finally gave in & let her. Mostly because we trusted Aunt Hannah to do it well. It looks so cute! Zoey prays every night that Jesus will keep her hair short! Lol!

Making cookies

Zoey & I made cookies during the Redskins game on
Sunday. She has been wanting to use our cookie cutters for a while. We had so much fun rolling out the dough, cutting cookies, & making icing. Zoey really enjoys taking one for snack to school each day this week!

4 months

It's amazing how much less time you have with a second child around. I am behind on posting Jude's 4 month pics & update! I just can't say how sweet he is. He loves to cuddle with me & he gives everyone smiles all the time. He still is not rolling over but he is close. If I had to guess I would say he is 16 lbs. He is big! He talks a lot & his favorite thing is the jumperoo. We started cereal a few weeks ago. He quickly learned it would fill his tummy so naturally he loves it! Jude Everett we love you & your sweet, chubby self!

Beach Trip 2012

It's just not summer without a trip to the beach! We had to move ours back to Labor Day weekend this year since we had Baby Jude at the beginning of summer. My aunt has an amazing condo on Amelia Island & she hosted my whole family. We took a quick plane ride Friday night & arrived in time to see a full moon. We spent all day Sat, Sun, & Mon on the beach & playing in the pool. I could not get all the sand out of Zoey's swimsuit. She loves it all! We have to make her take breaks from swimming because she just wants to keep going. She learned to swim without floaties this year & she is like the energizer bunny in the pool! Jude enjoyed putting his toes in the water. It made me a little nervous to have him in the sun so his beach & pool time consisted mostly of watching everyone from the stroller. We had such a great time & now I feel like summer can officially end!