Julianne Christmas 2007

Look at how much I have changed in 1 year! My other favorite thing to say lately is: "I'll do eet." I am so independent these days.

Last year at this time

Julianne has grown so much since last Christmas. This picture was taken a few weeks before Christmas last year. I cannot believe she is almost 2! Her latest words are, "Love Wuu Mommy", "Awesome" and screaming "OK!" very enthusiastically. She visited Santa at the Mall, but was too scared to sit in his lap. She did yell, "Merry Christmas, Santa" at him though. Everytime we go to the Mall, we have to ride the Merry -go-Round which is fun. Julianne is understanding more about Christmas and Baby Jesus this year. We sing happy birthday to Jesus. I want to make sure Santa does not steal the holiday and the true meaning, so we are being careful about that. That is not to say she did not get lots of gifts from Santa already. We had Christmas with the Williams side on Saturday after the Deloitte party which was Friday night. Fun times and more fun to come in W-burg and Athens! Will post more pictures soon.

Julianne makes Stuffing

Julianne helped Mimi make the stuffing this year - cornbread stuffing of course. She is quite the little chef. She looks forward to cooking with Gramma in Williamsburg for Christmas!

Other highlights of Thanksgiving:

*Tree Lighting at Market Street with Christmas Carols
*Having tons of help with Julianne all week
*Playing Jenny's Wii and getting reaquainted with Mario Brothers and Castlevania and learning how to play Guitar Hero
*Dad being home all week - Julianne bonding with him
*Seeing my cousin's new twin babies and just marveling that we now have 6 kids on this side of the family
*Eating my favorite dish - Curried Hot Fruit
*Going to see August Rush - a cheesy fairytale, but really sweet
*Spending time with both of my sisters at the same time which almost never happens
*Watching Jules help decorate our Christmas tree

We all look forward to Christmas in VA with Gramma, Gramps, Neal, Liser, and Noelle.

Playing House

We hosted Cousin Ashley and her husband Karl along with baby Parker (6 months) for a few weeks and we got to play house together. We all cooked, cleaned, and got along quite well together! Julianne has been looking for the Bledsoe's all day today asking if they are "up stairs?"

Thankgiving Feast

The Thanksgiving holidays started out with a Feast for the Toddler Class at Julianne's school. Each mom made something to contribute (okay, I bought Mac and Cheese at Luby's), but it was a big hit! The kids made paper turkeys with multi-colored feathers and they also helped paint the centerpieces which were pumpkins with real candles (not lit). Julianne had the biggest fan club with Mimi, Papa, Karl, Ashley, and Parker along for the ride. Daddy could not get out of work, but he had lots of good bonding time with Julianne the next week.

Mom's Birthday

Turning 32 is not exciting, but we did celebrate by going to dinner at PF Changs - yum. I mainly posted this picture with Justin, Julianne, and Aunt Lauren because Julianne's face looks hilarious. She has many different smiles, but this has to be one of the cutest.

Julianne the Ladybug

Julianne the Ladybug. Julianne flapped her wings as she trick or treated for the first time. It sounded more like "Tick or Teat", but thankfully no one gave her either one of those. This picture was taken at her school party that was held at a park near our house. Halloween night was spent with neighbors and we had a great time.

Life is so busy right now that I don't really have time to write much, but we will be home for Thanksgiving and in Virginia for Christmas. Our bathroom renovation project is nearing completion after 3 weeks of major construction. I have coordinated with tile/granite people, plumbers, electricians, painters, glass people, etc and it has been quite interesting. We will post some pics soon. Julianne has been up the past 2 nights so I am dead tired.

I Want

Julianne's latest word trick is saying, "I want_______." It comes out sort of fast and slurred like, "Iuuuunt" Lelo (for Leo), baby, bunnies, cookies, ice, etc. Cara told me that this stage is most likely about Julianne discovering that she has some control over her world and what we do. Therefore saying "I want" about 100 times a day is just her trying to exert some control over her little world and her surroundings. I find myself saying, "Settle down - you don't have to have something every single second of every single day." I am struggling a bit with how often to give in to her demands. I want her to know I am in control, but I also want her to feel independent from me so she can grow and learn to make her own choices, etc. Speaking of independence, on Friday of this past week I walked Julianne into her classroom and we were the first ones there (unusual for us) and so I was visiting with her teachers. About 3 mintues later Julianne came at me from behind at a decent clip with a fairly forceful push and yelled, "GO!" I took this to mean she really enjoys having her own special place to go without mom and dad. I do admit it hurt my feelings a bit. So off I went only to return to find her not at all ready to be reunited with me. She threw an absolute fit because she did not want to leave school and she actually laid down in the hall way on her back and would not get up. I pretended to leave without her which only made her more upset. When I finally wrestled her off the ground we made up and went the Chick-Fil-A where she proceeded to sing "Happy Day" to some kid who was having a birthday party there. The rest of the day she sang, "Happy Day...to you."

A Visit from Longview Friends

We had a fun visit with the Carliles 2 weekends ago. Grant is 8 months old and shares my birthday month of February. Cam and Les are doing great as new parents and have not slowed down one bit. I enjoyed playing with the "beebee" and was very jealous of his cool hat. This pic was taken at a "pumpkin patch" where it was way too hot and too crowded, but what can you do. We really enjoyed having our old friends at our house.

Backpacks

I was told to get a backpack for school. My mom did not know any better and so she bought me a normal size backpack - not realizing I would really wear it! Check it out!

School Days

Julianne started pre-school this Fall and goes every Friday from 9-1. The school is called The Children of The Woodlands and is not affiliated with our church, but happens to be held at our church. It works out great because she is familiar with the building and absolutely loves going there. It is so cute to see her wear a little backpack and go into a setting where she is learning and surrounded by other kids her age. I know lots of kids go to daycare/school every day of the week, but this was a pretty big step for us and she has adjusted so well. I think next year I will sign her up to go twice or maybe even 3 times a week. The have music class, play outside, have centers, story time, snack time, lunch, etc. She is one of the only kids who does not eat her lunch because she is so excited to just be there. It makes me think she has been bored out of her mind all this time at home. Oh Well. Julianne is imitating almost everything and putting words together to make very short sentences like, "Want Goldfish" or "Bye Mama" or "Go Night Night" and she is also jumping which is fun to see. We spend a lot of time outside doing bubbles and sidewalk chalk which is fun.

I finally got my camera cord and camera back so we can post again. In the meantime, I got this email called The Station that I thought I would post:

The Station

Tucked away in our subconscious is an idyllic vision. We see ourselves on a long trip that spans the continent. We are traveling by train. Out the windows, we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing, of cattle grazing on a distant hillside, of steam pouring from a power plant, of row upon row of corn and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hillsides, of skylines and village halls.

But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day at a certain hour, we will pull into the station. Bands will be playing and flags waving. Once we get there, so many wonderful dreams will come true and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a completed jigsaw puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles, damning the minutes for loitering – waiting, waiting for the station.

“When we reach the station, that will be it.” We cry. “When I’m 18.” “When I buy a new 450 SL Mercedes Benz!” “When I put the last kid through college,” “When I have paid off the mortgage!” “When I get a promotion.” “When I reach the age of retirement, I shall live happily ever after!”

Sooner or later, we must realize there is no station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly out-distances us.

“Relish the moment” is a good motto, especially when coupled with Psalm 118:24: “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” It isn’t the burdens of today that drive men mad. It is the regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today.

So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot more often, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more, cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. The station will come soon enough.”

Robert Hastings

Julianne and Leo - Best Friends

Long Time

Well, it has been a long time since I have posted. We seem to have misplaced our camera cord that connects the camera to the computer, so I have not been able to download any new pictures. All is well and we have been staying very busy. We went to Austin over Labor Day to visit Chad and Judee and their girls, Elle and Lyla. The next weekend we saw Alan Jackson and Brooks and Dunn in concert which was amazing and went to a Texans game on Sunday. This past weekend, Justin had Man Trip and I took Julianne to Dallas. We have been very busy getting our house ready for some renovations (mainly bathroom renovation) so that will be a relief to have behind us.

Julianne started pre-school one day a week to get some socialization with other kids her age. I will post pictures of that soon, but the room is set up in centers so they have a kitchen area, a painting area, a discovery box where they have something different every time (sand, water, outmeal), a reading area, a slide, etc. They also play outside twice and have music class. As she gets older she will go more days during the week. She is running and jumping and stepping down stairs by herself. She can pretty much attempt to say anything you want her too and sometimes it comes out right and sometimes not. The first time we asked her to say please, she said "sack," but now she can say please pretty well. She is demanding every hour she is awake and even into the night still. We were up 3 times a night in Dallas, but everyone keeps saying we will luck out with a good sleeper with the next baby. We will see about that!

Gram

This is Julianne's Great Grandmother, Anne Young. Gram is a very special woman with about as pure a heart as you can get. She has suffered a stroke and pneumonia and is 93 years old. This picture was taken at the Atlanta Aquariam last November which was a wonderful treat from Aunt Lisa and Uncle Neal. Julianne zoomed around on Gram's lap and had a great time. We are going to see Gram in Pennsylvania this weekend to let her know how much we love her and to very possibly say goodbye. She has surprised us before and may do so again, so we will see. She has lived a wonderful life so far and has touched many lives for the better.

This blog post is for Ashley's husband and Parker's father, Karl. Karl, I just wanted to let you know that Parker was in the hands of very responsible people while in Houston.

Cousin Parker

Last weekend or was it 2 weekends ago?!?... my 2nd cousin, Parker was in town to visit. She and her mom came from Oakland (NOT San FRAN) to stay with us. We had a baby shower for our other cousin who is having twin girls in October. Parker is a precious, sweet, happy baby. She eats more than any other baby I have ever seen, but I think she was thirsty because of the heat down here in the swamplands. We are excited to see her again in November for Thanksgiving.

Aunt Je Ni and Aunt La La

We had a very busy weekend with Cousin Ashley and her new baby, Parker, coming to stay with us. We had a baby shower for our other cousin who is having twins, a wedding, and a birthday celebration for Mom and Dad. It was a whirlwind, but we had a great time. Aunt Lauren and Uncle Andrew gave Julianne this cute brown and blue shirt that she looks very cute in. Julianne's Aunts are crazy for her, but does she prefer the uncles?!? She made eyes at Ryan and Andrew the entire weekend.

Ms. D

This is Ms. D who keeps Julianne on Tuesdays. She is keeping her for 3 weeks while her grandparents are in Alaska, Vancouver, Victoria, and Seattle. We are sad that Gramma Babs cannot come, but we are saying prayers for Pops who is in the hospital getting some tests done on his heart.

Ms. D is a character and tells great stories of growing up in Galveston and of her husband, Willy, who is no longer with us. Julianne's favorite activity with Ms. D is having pillow fights and dancing.

Here is a bit of an update on Julianne. Julianne is nearing her 18 month mark. She is getting more and more active every day. She runs everywhere, but it looks more like floating because she tip toes while running. She is a high energy girl and does not require much sleep. She might nap for an hour to an hour and a half, but that is about it. She is enjoying her summer chasing Leo, going to the pool, and experiencing new foods now that her molars are coming in. Popcicles are a new favorite and when I say the word - she runs to the freezer. She understands pretty much everything we say and has some new words that include, Wow, Up, Jesus, Please, Thank You, etc. She is sweet natured and kisses and hugs her babies while feeding them bottles and trying to change their diaper. She does get very frustated when she cannot do something like putting the key in the lock, or putting on her own shoes. She is known to throw things across the room and scream when she is not able to complete a task. We think this comes from her father who is a highly frustrated person in general. HaHa. Her mother tends to have her moments too, so the apple does not fall far from the tree.

Justin's Aunt Donna sent me this poem recently and it hit home. I tend to get really stressed out about a lot of little things that literally don't mean anything in the big picture of life. So, I like the thoughts written below and wanted to share:

Just for this morning, I am going to step over the laundry, and pick you up and take you to the park to play.

Just for this morning, I will leave the dishes in the sink, and let you teach me how to put that puzzle of yours together.

Just for this afternoon, I will unplug the telephone and keep the computer off, and sit with you in the backyard and blow bubbles.

Just for this afternoon, I will not yell once, not even a tiny grumble when you scream and whine for the ice cream truck and I will buy you one if he comes by.

Just for this afternoon, I won't worry about what you are going to be when you grow up, or second guess every decision I have made where you are concerned.

Just for this afternoon, I will let you help me bake cookies, and I won't stand over you trying to fix them.

Just for this afternoon, I will take us to McDonald's and buy us both a Happy Meal so you can have both toys.

Just for this evening, I will hold you in my arms and tell you a story about how you were born and how much I love you.

Just for this evening, I will let you splash in the tub and not rush you to finish.

Just for this evening, I will let you stay up late while we sit on the porch and count all the stars.

Just for this evening, I will snuggle beside you for hours, and miss my favorite TV shows.

Just for this evening when I run my finger through your hair as you pray, I will simply be grateful that GOD has given me the greatest gift ever given.

I will think about the mothers and fathers who are searching for their missing children, the mothers and fathers who are visiting their children's graves instead of their bedrooms, and mothers and fathers who are in hospital rooms watching their children suffer senselessly, and screaming inside that they can't handle it anymore.

And when I kiss you good night I will hold you a little tighter, a little longer. It is then, that I will thank GOD for you, and ask Him for nothing, except one more day.............

Gramps, Jules, and Babs enjoying being outside. Jules had a yummy lemonade.

Mom and Jules on the beach. There were tons of Naval fighter pilots flying above head, but I still managed to nap while Dad held my ear shut for 45 minutes.

Julianne had a great time in Virginia for the 4th of July complete with a cook out overlooking the James River on the actual 4th, a trip to VA Beach for her first beach experience, a walk in old town Williamsburg, lots of pool time, and good bonding time with Gramps and Gramma Chatigny. Here is a picture of Dad and Jules at a restaurant where we had drinks overlooking the river as well as a ship graveyard where WWII ships are floating out in the distance.

Julianne had her first experience with a Hibachi Grill dinner at one of our local Japanese restaurants. She mainly ate crackers and raisins, but she enjoyed the enertainment. Angie and Jason from Indo were in town and we loved seeing them. We want them to move back to The Woodlands for good!

Market Street

This is my good friend Kendall Mills. We go up to Market Street and play on the field and in the water fountain. A grilled cheese and fries at Johnny Rockets are also a big hit. Kendall's mom, Kristie, is a photographer and she takes great pictures. Check out my latest at http://www.kristiemillsphotography.com/ and go to Recent Cuties and scroll down to Julianne. At the end of the posts there are some new pictures of me smiling and showing off my curls.

Grammy and Papa's House

Summer has arrived and I have a sandbox, a pool, and a water table at Grammy and Papa's house. Of couse someday I will have to share them with cousins, but for now they are ALL MINE. I know they are enjoying keeping me, but they are taking off for a 3 week trip to Alaska soon. Mom and Dad just joined the YMCA and we go swimming their at least 3 times a week. I think I will take after my dad and be a great swimmer.

The things mom let's me do

Mom let's me play with the big jar of beans. I like to scoop them and pour them and get them all over the kitchen floor. We have to be careful because I also like to put them in my mouth and run from mom. My latest tricks are running as fast as I can to get away from my parents whenever they are trying to put me in my high chair or my car seat. I am fast!

Aunt Jenny Gives Me Sunglasses!

Our Little Senorita

We brought this Mexican dress back for our little Julianne. She was so excited to see mom and dad come home. We got huge hugs and kisses for days! I don't know how to turn this picture right side up.

We had a wonderful trip to Puerto Vallarta, MX with our good friends (old and new). For anyone interested in checking out the place we stayed, go to: http://www.casatresvidas.com/We highly recommend it! We had lots of fun dinners, watched the sunsets, relaxed by the pool, and just enjoyed being free of the little ones for a few days (although we missed them terribly!)

Welcome

Hello Everyone - Welcome to my attempt at being technical and hip. I am copying the idea of a blog from my sister-in-law, Lisa Chatigny. This blog will be mostly dedicated to keeping family and friends up to date with Julianne's latest tricks and family developments. In keeping with tradition we will call this blog, The Julianne Chatigny Experience (though there may be occasional updates about her lowly servants, Suzanne, Justin, and Leo). God bless Cliff - where ever he may be.

The first pictures are from Justin's 31st birthday back in April.

Good night, good luck, be well, and do good work.

Helping Dad celebrate his 31st



A variation on my first and favorite trick - Sooooo big - the one-armed Soooooo big!



Hoarding my toys - Cookie, baby, bear, and quack-quack



I love water.