Pumpkin Patch

Today we took Juliann to pick out her first pumpkin. Our friends Stephanie and Brad came with us to the Ashland Berry Farm. We enjoyed the gorgeous fall day by taking a hayride out to the pumpkin patch and then walking around looking for just the right pumpkin. Unfortunately, we waited until the weekend before Halloween to go so there weren't many good pumpkins left. After searching for about an hour, we had collected a few decent pumpkins. We found a baby pumpkin for Jules, a nice looking pumpkin for myself and David found, in his words "a butt pumpkin." The Berry Farm had a deal where for $20 you could keep as many pumpkins as you could carry for 3 steps. David loaded up his arms with all the pumpkins we found and we walked out of there with 7 pumpkins! Before we left we walked over to the small petting zoo area where there were a bunch of billy goats and pigs. Jules loved seeing the animals, as you can see from the pictures below. We all had a fun time and it topped off a great weekend-including another win for the Hoos! :)

our little pumpkin

heading out to the pumpkin patch

hayride back with our pumpkins

a little billy goat at the Berry Farm

Football Weekend

This past weekend was the UVa-UNC football game. Since it was a 3:30 game we decided to take Jules with us for her first football game. We tailgated with David's aunt and uncle, as well as his cousin and his cousin's girlfriend. Although it was a little cold, we had a great time and were looking forward to the game. Jules seemed to really enjoy all the people, but did take a little nap during the game! I couldn't believe that she slept through all the cheering and screaming but was grateful she was getting a little sleep since she hadn't slept since our car ride down at 11. We almost left early because Jules was hungry and tired, but UVa tied the game with 2 minutes to go. They ended up winning in overtime and we were very glad we stayed! It was a great weekend, topped off by David's birthday on Monday. We took lots of pictures so enjoy!

Kristen, Patrick and Jules
Jules and Mom

Jules and Dad

Susan and Jules

at the game

final score

Teeth and More

Juliann officially has 4 teeth now! Two on the bottom and two more up top. While most people love her pearly whites, I'm not such a huge fan of them right now. This newest top tooth has been the worst. Jules has been cranky and chewing on EVERYTHING. Especially things that are not meant to be bitten. :( They look cute, but are so deceiving! Isn't there a saying that goes something like "don't bite the hand that feeds you"?!? Apparently Juliann hasn't heard of it!

This morning Juliann and I didn't get to sleep in. Neither of us were very happy to wake up and start our day at 6:30 for the 4th day in a row. On the days I don't work I usually nurse her and then she goes back to sleep for another hour or two, PLUS takes another morning and then an afternoon nap. But today we had to be in the west end by 9:30 because she had an appointment for her flu shot. For all the time it took us to get ready, drive down there, and wait to be seen, it was a huge time waster. They seriously pricked her, stuck a band-aid on her little leg, and pushed us out the door. Jules was a trooper though! One small little cry when the nurse gave her the shot and that was it! We then stopped by David's office for a quick visit and then ran by the mall to buy her some new socks and a pair of shoes. She's coming with us to the game tomorrow so I don't want her little feet to freeze!

When we got home I did some of her laundry. Juliann decided to help me fold her clean clothes. It was too cute not to share!

I swear she's doing something new every time we turn around. This week alone she started saying dada, which made David VERY happy! And she's also testing the waters with pulling and standing up. Yesterday she was holding on to the couch and let go with one hand to turn and look at me! Once she really figures out the whole pulling up thing on a regular basis we're going to be in trouble. Because it only leads to one thing: walking. And I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet.

Crazy Week

So last week was a busy one. I started my new job as an SOL coach on Tuesday, which meant Jules went to Ms. Jenny's. It was a good first day, but I missed being home with Juliann and I think she felt the same way. She had a really hard time when I left her and apparently cried (screamed liked she was being harmed) for much of the morning. Then David went out of town for work on Wednesday and Thursday, meaning I was pulling single mom duty for the next 2 days. Trying to get Jules and myself ready for work was not so much fun. Going back to work is turning out to be quite a bit different than I expected, and not in a good way. :( By Friday I was exhausted. I should have been relaxing and enjoying my birthday, but not so much! We decided to have some friends over to celebrate the porch and patio being "almost" done and the fact that it was my birthday was another reason to have some fun. This meant that we spent Friday cleaning the house and getting ready for guests. However, we had a great time Friday evening and it was the perfect way to spend my birthday. We had planned to go to the game on Saturday morning but that meant getting up early to head down to C'ville for the 12:00 game. We decided to forgo the game and sleep in. At the time it was a great decision, but the Cavs ended up beating ECU and in retrospect, we both wish we had made it down there to see the game. Jules and I spent the rest of the weekend visiting with my family in Amherst. I'd like to say that this week has gotten off to a smoother start, but I'd be lying! Bring on the craziness!

Fall Happenings

I love the fall! It is my favorite season and I'm excited to share it with Juliann. There are so many things to enjoy during the fall: the leaves changing; the beautiful, crisp weather; football games; apple cider; sitting by a fire-this list could go on and on. A few weekends ago we took Jules apple picking at Carter's Mountain Orchard in Charlottesville. We met up with the ed school girls and their families for a little fun. Although the weather didn't cooperate initially (we're talking pouring rain at one point) the sun did come out and we came home with yummy apples at a great price! I'm planning on using some of them to make Jules applesauce. I wish I had pictures to share, but none of us brought our cameras!

The weather last Thursday morning was beautiful and I decided to take Jules on a walk around the neighborhood. I knew if I was a little chilly that she'd be downright cold, so I put her in the warmest sleeper she has, wrapped her in the bundle me meant for her car seat, put on an adorable hat, and we were ready to go!

She was so content and cozy that half way through our walk, she fell asleep! After her nap, I dressed her and decided to experiment with her hair. We don't have any hair ties yet but did have some clips. This was my attempt at giving her pig tails! Adorable!!!

We went to the UVa game this past weekend. David's parents met us in C'ville and took Jules up to Wintergreen so we could go to the 7pm game. Surprisingly, the Hoos won 31-0 against Maryland! We had a great time and spent Sunday walking around Wintergreen and enjoying the wonderful fall weather!

8 Months Old!

How is it possible that our little girl is already 8 months old?!? She is growing up so fast! She just cut her third tooth (this one is on top) and is going for a weight check on Friday. We think she's about 15 pounds now. It's hard to believe that in just 4 short months she will be a year old. Where has the time gone?!?

Some things she is doing now:
saying "mama"-promise there's no coaching!
drinking from the sippy cup on her own
crying to be held or when mom walks out of the room :(
crawling all over the place
pulling up-and falling down
walking with support

pulling up for the first time on Wednesday, September 24th