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.