Juliana's Birthday Party

Juliana had her 6yr old birthday party on Saturday! Maw-Maw & Pop-Pop have their own "private park" and were kind enough to let us throw the party there, which worked out fantastically! It was quite the party, Juliana was so excited to have all her friends & family together, she could hardly sit still. She & all of her friends played pin the tail on the donkey, went on a hayride, ran around like crazy in the yard & on the swing set, and knocked the candy out of the pinata! Juliana is now able to add about 50 more items to her Hannah Montana collection and couldn't be happier about it. I had a great time and I know all the kids did as well, it was non-stop FUN!


Jessica, Juliana, Alyssa, & Ayden


Me & My 6yr Old Birthday Girl


Getting Ready for Hayride


Jude, Angelle, Sebastian, Ayden, Jessica, Juliana


Happy Birthday to Juliana!!!



Ivan was my helper when baking the cupcakes.

Halloween Party

On Friday, October 24, Kendall & I went to our 1st Halloween Party dressed as a vampire couple. It was so much fun, I think I laughed almost the whole time because it was hilarious to see everyone in costume, even acting in character. Jenny had her house decorated with Halloween scares in every room, both the front & back porch, and the garage. Each guest was asked to bring party food but it had to fit into the Halloween theme. Kendall & I brought a cheeseball that I had shaped into a pumpkin and a pecan pie with a chocolate iced spider web drawn onto it. There were snickers bar critters, ghost cookies, mummy sandwiches, and lots more. We had a great time, it was done really well.

Kendall & I (Vampires)

Me, Jenny T (femal Peter Pan), & Jennie B (witch)


Kendall showing off his "fangs"


Colleen (Cleopatra), Jennie B, & Kristi Boos (Haunted Zombie)

Chris Jones (Uncle Fester), Claude Jones (Big Baby), & Brian (Gladiator)

"Mini" Beach Vacation

We had a wonderful time on our mini vacation to Panama City Beach with MiMi & Pops. The ride was the usual ride with a five year old and an 11 month old, but it was well worth it. The weather was beautiful and the water was crystal clear. We stayed in a beautiful condo with plenty of room for Ivan to crawl around and Juliana had a good choice of beds to sleep in. She slept with Pops in the top bunk the 1st night, with me in my room the 2nd night, and with MiMi in the bottom bunk the last night. She makes sure to share herself with everyone, very considerate. Ivan wasn't too impressed with the ocean but he did enjoy playing in the sand and swimming in the pool. He actually got a little sun this go around. Juliana loved all of it; the sand, the pool, and the ocean. She looks like a little indian once again, I guess she'll be nicely tanned for the winter season.

Ivan checking out the sand.


Juliana looking off the balcony at the sunset.


Juliana playing a cocktail waitress with margarita like candles. MiMi, Pops, & I were served "drinks" multiples times each day.


"Grandparent Heaven"


Pops, and his 24hr. sidekick, had a LLOOONNGG day. They fell asleep on the floor before relocating to the top bunk of the bunkbed.



Beach Fun


Playtime in the pool, where there was a lot of laughter and splashing.


My two (very different) babies. Juliana couldn't wait to get outside and just looking at Ivan's face here I think we can tell what he was thinking. lol

Play, Play, Play

In order to encourage Ivan to crawl a little more & to sit up a little longer we bought him new toys, thankfully, it has worked! He spends much more time sitting up beating on the toys to watch them light up and sing and crawling to the next "thrill."


One of Ivan's favorite things to do is open and close doors/cabinets or anything that flaps back and forth. We hit the bulls eye when we found this toy, he gets so excited when he spots it that his whole body rocks and bounces while he makes happy baby noises.


My little man LOVES fudge bars! He insists I share every other bite with him!


Ivan's New Ride.... and of course, his "Chauffeur."


Getting Ready for Bath Time



Mrs. Thing says tying your sweater around your waist is "cool."

Saints Game w/MiMi & Pops

Our last visit to MiMi & Pops house was during the Saints game. Juliana & Ivan were dressed properly for the game; however, they were not the least bit interested in watching it. I hope MiMi & Pops weren't too interested either, they really weren't given much choice. Juliana demands Pops attention whether it be a game of hide-and-seek, Go Fish, or being stuck in the barn. Ivan isn't very demanding but he loves to "flirt" with MiMi. He makes sure she's watching him and gives her frequent smiles accompanied with eyebrow raises. Every now and again Pops will get his hands on Ivan and fly him through the air or clap (loudly) in his face while saying "IIIIVAAAAAAN", I guess he thinks that maybe one day Ivan may actually enjoy this. MiMi tries getting her time in with JuJu but with Pops around its almost impossible. The little time she does get usually ends up being MiMi and "the boss." Juliana lets her know the correct way to play games and the correct words to songs that are no longer allowed to be sung b/t the two of them b/c MiMi is wrong.

Back Home & Ready To Play

There is truly no place like home! It was wonderful to come home to find the place just as we left it. Kendall got busy cleaning up the yard, I got busy unpacking our suitcases, and Juliana & Ivan got busy doing what they do best, playing!

Juliana helping Daddy blow leaves off the deck.



Ivan doesn't find it necessary to cry when waking up from his naps, he just kicks the wall! When my house sounds like a construction zone I know my little man has awoken.


Ivan has ventured out of the living room, he's on to bigger and better toys!


JuJu taking a break from outdoor play, checking out PBS Kids online.

Gustav Evacuees

With the threat of Hurricane Gustav coming our way, we evacuated to Uncle Alex's house just outside of Jackson, MS. Juliana has had a fear of losing everything again since Hurricane Katrina, which I'm sure is devastating and hard to understand as a 3-5yr old. Because of this fear, Kendall & I promised her that if we ever had another storm coming this way we would 1st pack up everything she owns, with the exception of furniture, and bring it to higher ground (aka- MiMi & Pops). This was a painful promise to keep when we finally decided it was time to go. We didn't want to leave too early because we didn't want to waste our time if Gustav turned another direction and we didn't want to leave too late because we didn't want to be in the car 9 hrs when only going about 3 hrs away. I believe it was 12 hrs later when we had important items and all of Juliana's things packed up and brought into Aunt Ginger's upstairs bedroom. Thankfully, we made it to Uncle Alex's without too much traffic, only about an extra 30 min on the road. Also evacuating to Uncle Alex's was Aunt Kim, Alyssa, Brooke, and their two dogs Lexy & Lacy. Uncle Dave could not go because he had to stay and protect the city. Uncle Alex went from a nice spacious 2 bedroom home with peace and quiet to a chaotic home filled with toys and luggage, four noisy children, three adults (two of which were a little stressed), and three dogs! He was an amazing host, giving up his bedroom for my family and the guest bedroom for Aunt Kim's family. He slept on a love seat in the living area and was woken up extra early by three high pitched little girls ready to play with him. He says he loved every minute of it but I bet he was ready for us to go when we did, 5 days later!


Brooke, Juliana, & Alyssa goofing off on the bed.



Alyssa & Juliana playing in the rain.



Girls dancing & singing with Hannah Montana.



About to get real muddy!



Dinner time, as usual Ivan was scared to death.