Long time no Talk...

Well life has been a bit nutso around here.  We are in the final throws of our move back to Houston which means... packing packing packing.  Throw in Thanksgiving in Houston... an early Christmas in Lufkin with Polar Express and now a baby with a cold.  The movers come on Monday the 19th and unload us into our old/new house on the 21st.  So to say that life has been a bit of a whirlwind is an understatement. 

I will eventually catch up with the rest of our fabulous Disney trip and Thanksgiving and Polar Express though.  :-) 

 My two little elves.  :-) 

Jocelyn is 7 month's and sitting up.  I don't know how much she weighs but she's definitely chunking up a bit.  Her personality continues to be sweet and a small bit feisty.  She ADORES her big brother and it seems the feeling is quite mutual.  (help me remind them when they are teenagers). 

She is eating solids now on a regular basis and really seems to love green beans. 

Joe is too funny these days.  He is writing his name on a consistent basis and is honing his comedian skills.  He loves trains (as always) and always negotiating so that he gets his way. 

More to come.  :-)

Walt Disney World... Arrival and Animal Kingdom

We have been planning this trip for about a year.  We were traveling with Danielle and Todd and her parents and her Grandma.  And my parents were traveling with us as well.  

Our plane left on Saturday at 7:00 am which meant we had to be up and at em REALLY early in the morning...  but we were there and we were EXCITED!  We had decided last minute to purchase a double maclaren umbrella stroller off of craigslist and it was truly the smartest idea we've had.  

We got our rental car (a minivan) and headed toward our condo.  We met up with the Lenihan/Kunkels and ran to get a bite to eat.  

This was the first time the girls got to meet.  

They really didn't care.  :-}

LOOK Kylie... it's a coaster

Hey Jocelyn... you have a big fluffy thing on your head!  SO DO YOU!  

We went back to the condo, got unpacked and went to Downtown Disney for dinner.  None of us were terribly hungry but it was a nice night out and what we did eat was DELICIOUS.  The server was SO good to Joe.  He brought him a special drink.  He treated him like he was a prince.  

The next morning we headed to Animal Kingdom.  

 

 The first of many train rides. 

 We went on a safari. 

 Saw a lazy Hippo

 not sure what this is

 Gosh I love Giraffe's

 this was a mama and a baby elephant

 what's a safari without a monkey's butt?

 a brief meet with Lilo and Stitch

 a wee bit of rain

 a wet ride upon the dragons

 Joe wore himself plum out.  THIS is why the double maclaren was so great. 

 a picture by the tree of life. 

 what an exquisite carving

after the rain it turned out to be beautiful!

 Jason hiding in the tree of life

 a pretty butterfly

 Joe got to meet the characters. 

such a loving boy!  

Joy and Peacefully Happy

So, I was having a discussion with some dear friends recently... I don't really know what brought it up.  We were at the beginning of our Disney World trip (another blog post) and I was saying how excited I was to see the "Magic" of Disney through Joe's eyes. 

You see, I love Walt Disney World.  I love everything about it.  I love the creativity.  I love the hospitality.  I love the rides and the Mickey shaped waffles.  I love, quite simply, the magic of it all.  Adults and kids can go and wear silly ears, in fact...  if you don't, you feel silly.  I grew up with these amazing memories and I couldn't wait to see it through my sons eyes. 

So as we were talking... I realized that if I had only ONE word to describe my son... it would be Joy!  Everything he sees, he sees with joy.   He has this love of life...  this zest...  this ability to be joyful.  I know this is partially because he's a kid.  But, I so very  much want to treasure all that joy in him and cultivate it.  Because Joy...  joy is catching to all that it surrounds.  Joy can overcome so many obstacles and make the darkest day bearable. 

So, then I got to thinking about Jocelyn.  I know she is young and her personality is still developing but I think she is just Happy.  And by being happy she brings an air of peace too.  (Okay Okay... I know, this is two adjectives but cut me a break, k?)  Everyone who looks at her... she smiles at.  It is absolutely IMpossible not to feel all warm and glowy when she gives you that smile. 

So, I am the most blessed woman in the entire world.  I have both Joy and Happiness living in my world. 

Revised Jocelyn 6 Month's

So...  it's been so long that I feel a whole new 6 month post is in order.  :)  It's actually 6 month's two weeks.  Wow!  She's just growing so fast.  

Stats:  

Weight:  14 lbs 8 oz (16th percentile)

Height:  26 3/4 inches long (79th Percentile)

Head:  17 1/4 inches (82nd percentile)

She sits up and rolls EVERYwhere.  In fact she tracks something and then rolls to it.  She can quite literally roll everywhere in the room, even changing directions.  

She knows her people and can look for them in the room.  

She LOVES her jungle jumperoo and has started launching herself up and down at breakneck speed.  I will have to catch this on video because it is so adorable.  

Her brother continues to adore her and sing to her EVERY day.  She is such a happy baby that seems to feel such joy.  

 Not necessarily cooperating...  :-)

 One sock on... one sock off. 

"Big Brother... mom wants a picture."

Jocelyn: 6 Month's Old

I cannot believe that 6 month's ago, my life changed again.  I cannot believe that these precious moments have gone by so fast!  She is growing so fast and changing by the second and I am trying to savor each and every second of it.

We leave for Disney tomorrow so I am holding off on her six month appointment until we get back.  But she is sitting up now and eating a minimal amount of real food.  I tried her on avocado and SO not a fan.  I am doing a bit of what they call "baby led weaning" which means you give them "chip" size soft food in a high chair and let them play with it and fiddle with it, learn it's texture and start to eat it.

She doesn't really get it...  but plays with it.  I gave her some banana though and she LOVED that.  :)

We took her to a pumpkin patch last weekend.  She sat up pretty well but finally decided the hay up her back side was ENOUGH!  ha! I'll update more after her appointment.  

Joe the Fireman

So, Joe goes through a series of obsessions with tv shows as well as motorized vehicles.  He has loved forklifts as long as he could walk and it quickly moved on to trains and firetrucks.  His current obsession is firetrucks and with luck...  a firetruck came to his school for Fire Prevention Week.  

He was enamored!  

The pictures kind of speak for themselves.  :-)