Jorja Mae Jones

What is up with that??

2010-04-08T14:50:00.001-05:00

So, something is going really weird with my blog - I just posted "Oh Tiddlywinks" and for some reason it will show up on my editor but not on the actual blog. If you click on the title the blog will appear but when you are on the home page there is nothing posted. SO. WEIRD. It has 2 videos in it so maybe that is why it's all jacked up?? I don't know! But, you really should see these videos - they are too cute! So, if you want to see the post, click on the title in the post below or click here: OH TIDDLYWINKS!

And yes, I have found the irony in the one post that won't work is the one that makes me want to actually say "Oh, Tiddlywinks" :)

Oh Tiddlywinks!!

2010-04-08T14:40:00.001-05:00

To continue on with our "Quote of the Day by Jorja Mae"... Jorja has just recently started using a word that she, no doubt, learned from her favorite friends at the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and I think it is the CUTEST. THING. EVER!!!

The first time she said it I did a double-take because it's just not something a normal 2 1/2 year old says. I think I make her say it about 10 times a day because it ALWAYS puts a smile on my face. Not just because she says it in her precious {still trying to learn English} voice but also because she makes the same facial expression every time and it is PRICELESS. Since simply typing about it wouldn't have near the same effect, I videoed Jorja saying the word. It may just be me but I think this is cuteness at it's core.

I couldn't decide which video was better - and by better, I mean cuter - so I posted both. ENJOY!!!

Guess How Much I Love You?

2010-04-05T15:48:00.000-05:00

So this morning at breakfast Jorja got something on her and I leaned over to wipe it off - while I was reaching over she reached out her arms to give me a giant hug and then proceeds to say:

"I love you SO much. To the moon and back"

Oh man! Be still my beating heart. I think I literally melted into a big puddle of goo right then and there. I can not tell you how much this sweet little girl melts my heart every. single. day.

I am the most blessed momma around! :)

Ready? Set. BOWL!

2010-03-05T23:58:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago our play group decided we would take the kiddos bowling. Now, I have to tell you, I was EXTREMELY excited about this because not only do I love to bowl now but my own childhood memories are chalked full of nights spent at the bowling alley! My parents were in a bowling league when I was growing up and I have many memories of hanging out at the very smokey and (ahem!) white trash Brunswick Bowling Alley in Lubbock, TX. I spent many nights in the day care and just hanging out talking with my parents friends - I learned magic tricks from their friends and I even remember some nights learning cheers from one of my parent's friends who eventually became my cheer leading coach in HS. She says I even did cartwheels down the lanes but I'm not sure I totally remember that! (wink, wink)! :) I also remember when I was in early elementary I actually joined a bowling league for the summer. The first day I was the only one who scored a... wait for it... big fat ZERO! How does someone grow up in the bowling alley and the first day of your own bowling league only throw gutter balls?!? Seriously?? That incident only scarred me for a little bit because I still have a quite a bit of white trash love for the sport of bowling! :) But, enough about me - you are here to read about Jorja...

Jorja was really excited to bowl and couldn't wait to get started. In fact, she really never even wanted to take turns with her friends - she couldn't understand why she got to bowl twice then wait forever to do it again. However, I do actually think more than the rolling the ball down the lane and knocking over the pins, she was really excited about carrying around the bowling balls. The balls we played with were 5lb balls and while it scared me the whole time that she would drop it on her foot, she did awesome picking it up and bowling with it!

Of course, in the beginning, I had to help her just a bit to share my vast knowledge of & enthusiasm for the sport but she quickly got the hang of things! ;)

Towards about the 7th frame I think Jorja was a bit over bowling and ready to go play in the game area. Therefore, I had to help her get re-focused so we could go out with a bang. So, in the 10th frame, we decided that Bear (Jorja's lovey that goes everywhere with her) should help her bowl. And would you believe that in the 10th frame Jorja got her first SPARE?!? I'm thinking Bear may be lucky! (and sure, I was in like 4th grade and only bowling gutter balls and she's 2 1/2 and bowling spares - go figure) :)

And it wouldn't be a play date if Jorja and her BFF, Cole didn't have some quality time together!
They followed each other around the game area for a while and my favorite was their motorcycle ride: I'm thinking maybe Cole was driving that motorcycle a bit too fast for Jorja?! HA!

(How adorable is Cole in this picture?? He so loves Jorja and while you can't tell from this picture, she really does love him too!) :)

And I just had to post this because I couldn't get over how stinkin adorable Jorja was in these itty bitty {not-so-little size 9} bowling shoes!!!

I'm thinking our first bowling experience was a success and I can't wait to make even more fun bowling memories but now with Jorja!

Quote of the Day by Jorja Mae

2010-02-10T23:16:00.006-06:00

So, a few friends have mentioned to me how much they LOVE hearing all the crazy, random and hilarious things Jorja says and it got me thinking about how I SO do not want to forget the things she says. So, as I'm trying to make an effort to keep up my blog I thought I would begin a section called "Quote of the Day by Jorja Mae" (see, it rhymes and everything - cute, huh?) :) At this point there are SO many things I could write down but I guess I will just start with something she said today...

PREFACE:

If you've ever seen Jorja you know she has the most BEAUTIFUL curls I've ever seen on a kid (maybe I'm biased) and we get comments on them ALL. THE. TIME! Well, those bad boys aren't the easiest thing to manage and when she wakes in the morning she has the biggest mess of tangles! So, naturally, I have to spend a good amount of time each morning wetting down the curls, spraying them with de-tangler, combing it out very gently and then topping them off with some moose and a lot of scrunching... Also, it should be noted that Jorja is OBSESSED and I mean, OBSESSED with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. She wears the shirts, plays with the toys, has the stuffed Characters, has the Characters for the bath tub, has the coloring books and markers, has the band-aids, has the fruit snacks, has the plates & cups and place mats and watches {several} episodes a day - I swear, her favorite episodes she has memorized. :) If it has anything to do with Mickey and the Sensational Six, she is ALL about it!!

SETTING:

Jorja is sitting in her booster seat and I am fixing her hair:

CONVO:

J: "Ouch, that hurts"

Me: "Oh, baby! I'm so sorry. Mommy's trying to be as gentle as I can. Your curls are just SO tangled"

J: "We probably need to get a Mousekatool to help comb it out - OH, TOODLES!"

For those of you that don't actually watch MMC I suppose I should explain that a Mousekatool is a "tool" that will help Mickey while on his various adventures and Toodles is what brings the Mousekatools to Mickey! (Toodles is in the pic w/ Mickey)

Happy Noon Year!!

2010-02-06T00:40:00.001-06:00

I know, I know! Shocker of all Shockers - I'm actually posting a blog! I won't bore you with any excuses as to why I took an unintentional hiatus nor will I promise that I'm back in full swing! :) We'll just take this one post at a time and see how it goes, okay? I am overwhelmed with all the catching up I must do so in order to help myself out, I'm just starting with the New Year and will post moving forward and when I have time, I will back track! So, here ya go:

happy NOON year

Jorja & I, along with about 20 other moms and kiddos, were invited to our first NOON year party on New Year's Eve. There was utter chaos happening in that place but it was OH. SO. FUN! I can't wait to make it a tradition every New Year's Eve. Since all of our sweet kiddos wouldn't make until midnight to ring in the New Year, we decided 12 noon would work just as great. So, we counted down and when the clock struck noon we blew our horns and partied like it was 1999. I'm pretty sure Jorja was completely oblivious as to WHY we were celebrating but any excuse for her to wear a "crown" and any excuse for me to hang out with super fun moms - we'll take it! :) Of course, ringing in the New Year just wouldn't be the same if Jorja didn't spend it with her BFF, Cole. Here are a few pics of how they rung in the New Year together...

It all started out very cordial:
(check out Cole with his hand on J's leg) :)

and very quickly turned into this:

we aren't really sure what happened to Cole but something got him VERY upset.
Which, of course, then led to
THIS:

I'm sorry - but THAT is funny!! Every time I see these pictures I CRACK. UP. LAUGHING.

And here is the best group shot I could find:

(notice Jorja has calmed down but is now sucking her thumb and holding Bear. Apparently the meltdown & all the excitement was just TOO much for her to handle on her own)

Will this bring me back to life?

2009-10-06T17:40:00.003-05:00

I realize I have been gone from the blogging world for an embarrassing amount of time. I think a lot of it has to do with my time management skills - some of it has to do with how extremely busy Jorja and I really have been and since I take pictures of EVERYTHING we do, I begin to get overwhelmed when I think about blogging - and a lot of it has to do with how frustrating Blogger can be in trying to upload pictures and what not.

I have some friends that have amazing blogs and I'm always so envious of what they do. I really do want to be better at this - especially so I won't forget ANY of this precious time I've had with Jorja. So, in order to help me out - I discovered a new blogging tool called Blogo. It is a program designed for Mac users to help make blogging simple. This is my first time to use it. Let's see how it works out for me... will this be what pulls me out of my blogging slump and bring me back to life??? We shall see... ;)

oh, and just because I need to see how easy it is to upload pics and so you can see the CUTEST girl alive... here are some pics as well...

You be the Judge

2009-06-08T14:11:00.004-05:00

Alright, people. I want to hear from you! :) You saw a "sneak peek" earlier of Jorja's portrait session with my friend Jennifer... now, you can see all of them here: Portraits by Jenn (at the bottom click the "enter site" picture - then click on "clients" at the bottom - password: jones. then click on "Jorja Easter" - although feel free to look at her others as well if you want). I am having a hard time picking which pictures I want (because, clearly, I want them ALL). So, take a look for yourself and let me know what YOUR faves are!

And just because I haven't posted a picture of my OWN in a while... here's a little sneak peek at one of the posts I'm working on...

Don't you just want to eat her up?! :)

Ridiculous

2009-06-03T23:00:00.000-05:00

Okay - so since I am RIDICULOUS and can't ever seem to post my OWN photos of Jorja... maybe this will suffice for those of you who have been bugging me for a month to POST SOMETHING NEW! :) My best friend, Jennifer {an AMAZING photographer, by the way} came and spent a few days with me and, of course, I put her to "work" while she was here and had her take some pics of Jorja in her Easter outfit. You can take a sneak peek here: Portraits by Jenn

You can also see, on Jenn's personal blog site, some really cute pics of her daughter, Hadleigh and Jorja playing together while they were here : The Lankford Family. As you can see, they are already Besties! :)

Trust me, I AM working on posts and even have some ready to publish! But for some reason I just keep thinking that I want to get ALL my posts done before I publish - which is apparently a ridiculous line of thinking since it will take me a decade to finish. {sigh} Jorja and I have been VERY busy and I have a TON to blog about... but finding the time has been difficult. Sorry friends. Updates ARE coming... and hopefully SOON! :)

The Bunny, The Bunny - Oh, I love The Bunny!

2009-04-07T13:56:00.001-05:00

Dearest Easter Bunny,

It is with great regret and sadness that I write this letter to you today as I know I have crushed your spirit and I'm willing to face the fact that you may never again hop with that extra bounce after our encounter today. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me (after all, isn't that what Easter is really all about - the forgiveness of sins?) The truth is - I love to talk about "Bunny", wave to "Bunny", look at pictures of "Bunny" and I even love to twirl when the "Bunny Song" comes on but for some reason, to see you SO large and up close and standing on two feet kind of freaked me out a little and I just couldn't bear the thought of sitting next to you all by myself. I know I made quite the scene today in the mall when we met and I realize how much it must have hurt your feelings when I put the death-grip hold on my mom and yelled over and over and over "No! No bunny"! But, despite what you think I did get all dressed up cute JUST for you and really thought we would be the best of friends! I guess I realized that I'm just not quite ready to make that step yet... but maybe next year Big Guy! Oh, and I hope you don't mind that I made my mom sit with us for our picture - luckily she showered today or the picture could have been a REAL disaster! And I'm really hoping you heard me AS SOON as we walked away from you say "Sorry Bunny, Bye Bye". I really didn't want to hurt your feelings today and I really hope you know how sorry I am. Hey, you should at least look on the bright side - I do like you better than that fat guy with the long beard and red suit...

Here's hoping you will still fill my Easter Basket full of goodies,
Jorja Mae

Top O' the Mornin to You!

2009-03-19T20:00:00.000-05:00

I think it's funny how a holiday like St. Patrick's Day was once a holiday I could care less about to now being a holiday I spent weeks trying to plan for! Jorja makes all the little things so much bigger and better! :) I searched for the most festive shirt I could find for Jorja, went to a million stores before finding a shamrock cookie cutter, made Shane help me make sugar cookies from scratch that took 2 days to make, cut & cook, made up my very own spinach dip recipe, put on my own green shirt and headed over to Playgroup full of {green} food, friends and fun! Some of the girls I met through an online playgroup have joined together to make our own Playgroup that meets EVERY Tuesday and as the luck of the Irish would have it, St. Patty's Day landed on Tuesday! Whoot Whoo! Jorja & I brought cookies for all the kids to decorate & spinach dip for everyone to eat. The kids played & the moms talked and fun was had by all - if only we would have discovered a pot of gold, now THAT would have been lucky! :)

My sweet little Lassie and her "cheese" face! Someone Kiss this girl, she IS {part} Irish!! :)

The Group in our Green! Notice all the moms are looking at the camera but all the kids are looking up at the TV screen on the wall. We had to do something to get them to all sit still! :)

I made all the kids Green Shamrock Cookies to decorate and I think it was a hit... at least with Jorja anyway! :) She loved sneaking tastes of the icing, shaking on the sprinkles and then of course eating the actual cookie! So fun!

Mom & Jorja having fun decorating cookies and celebrating St. Patty's Day!

And it wouldn't be a play date without a picture of the "love birds"! Jorja was apparently wanting to snuggle and Cole was more interested in his truck. And so it begins... Boys!

This is Jorja hanging w/ the boys - Nathan, Cole & Keagan! Sweet little Nathan was wanting to snuggle with her but I'm not sure she was all that excited about it - maybe she was still upset that Cole didn't return the snuggle first! HA!

Just wanted to show you her adorable St. Patty's Day shirt!! Deep down she knows Daddy is the ONLY guy for her! :)

I mean, seriously - how adorable is she?!?! LOVE.HER!

I'd like to thank the Academy...

2009-03-17T21:00:00.001-05:00

I hardly ever win anything so I am thrilled that I have been awarded with the Kreativ Blogger Award!! Now, I realize the 3 of you that actually read my blog are SHOCKED by this as I never seem to post blogs and when I do post them they are rarely creative - but, I am happily accepting the award nonetheless! :) I was awarded this award by my wonderful friend Katie! I know you've read many posts about Jorja and her son Cole as they are BEST BUDS - in fact, just today, I was telling Jorja we were going to play with Cole and immediately Jorja started walking around the house saying "friend Cole" in sheer anticipation of their time together! :) I feel so blessed to have Katie in my life (and Cole in Jorja's) and always look forward to our time together EVERY week! I don't know a single person that has met her that didn't instantly love her. She is a joy to be around and a great friend. I would give this award right back to her if I could! :)

Now, for the rules... List 7 things that you love and then pass the award along to 7 creative people:

Jesus is my homeboy! He is my everything and the only reason I get out of bed each morning. He saved my life in more ways than you could ever imagine and continues to change my life everyday!
Shane: I love him because he first loved me (and if you've ever heard our story you know that is the absolute truth -HA!) Best husband, friend and dad in the world. My life would suck without him for sure!
Jorja: oh my! How do I love her... let me count the gazillion ways!! I've never known love like being a mom to the most amazing little girl in the world. She simply makes life better and challenges me in ways no one ever has! I am a better (and a LOT less selfish) person because she came into my life.
My family: my family & in-laws are the.BEST.ever!!! I'm the most blessed girl in the world to have such a giving, caring, loving, godly, funny, at times a little crazy but overall wonderful family!
My friends: I am so blessed to have so many WONDERFUL friends from all seasons of my life. I have 3 friends that I have known since I was a little girl and have spent {literally} my ENTIRE life with and I know will ALWAYS be there no matter how old or crazy I become. Girlfriennnddds forever! My college friends - these girls walked with me through such a life-changing season of my life and stuck with me through it all. We have laughed together, cried together and still remain the best of friends. My WOF/Revolve friends - my goodness these girls make life SO stinkin fun and brought me so close to the Lord. They were my prayer warriors, accountability partners, comic relief, cheerleaders, & shoulders to lean on. My Mommy friends - these are all the new friends in my life and the ones I can't imagine my life without. I look forward to our kids growing up together and all that we will experience together in this season of motherhood!
Staying at home with Jorja and how each day is a new & exciting adventure: I am incredibly grateful that I am able to stay home with Jorja. I absolutely LOVE.IT! Jorja makes me laugh like no one else in the world and each day she is sure to give me a {healthy} dose of the giggles! Each day with her is a joy and I'm the luckiest girl in the world! I pray each day she finds her time with me as sweet as I do and that she will always want her Momma as her best friend!
Dr. Pepper, Fezzik & Chocolate: My addiction to Dr. Pepper is quite ridiculous - I have the most adorable Yorkie in the world and claim him as my first born - and I'm not really sure life can be lived to it's fullest without a little bit of chocolate consumed each day! (and yes, I realize I just broke "the rules" by combining these 3 into 1 - that's just how I roll).

These ladies deserve the Kreativ Blogger Award for various reasons:
(in no particular order)

This girl has been with me through the good times and the bad times and is the most loyal friend I have ever known. She is completely selfless, giving, loving and is ubber talented. I would have no {amazing} documentation of my daughters life without her. :) She is my go-to person with any questions about photography, photoshop, kids (did I mention she has 2 adopted kids that are 1 month apart in age and she's had them since they were each 10 days old?) & life in general! You must check out her family's blog as well as her business blog. JENNIFER, I don't know how you handle all that life has brought your way. You are truly Super Woman to me!
I have known this girl practically since she was born (she's a year younger than me - lol!) We have gone through so many walks of life together - puberty, high school, college, marriage and now babies! I admire what an amazing woman and momma she has turned out to be and am amazed at how she handles work, baby, husband, church, & life. You must check out her blog to read about her sweet little man, Hunter! KRISTEN, I have never known life without you and I don't ever want to!
I'm not sure I've ever been around someone that has so much wit, sarcasm and is as down right hilarious as this person. I have known her since college and we have had our ups and downs and have come out as such great friends. I always look forward to her blog updates as I know they will either make me laugh, think or stop and be amazed! She is in the {extrememly long} process of adopting from China and I can't help but think how truly blessed that little girl is going to be!! You must check out their crazy and fun-filled life and while you are at it, you must support her business as well (http://baby-bobo.com) as well so she can actually afford to bring that little girl home from China! :) Jorja's favorite blanket was made by Ashley! ASHLEY, thanks for making me laugh and I can't wait to see you at Coldplay {again}! Although, we should get together sooner! :)
This girl is another one of my college friends. We were roommates, sorority sisters, and seemed to spend every waking moment together! I don't see her near as much as I'd like now but when we do see each other it's as if no time as passed! She is BEYOND creative in EVERYTHING she does - from the way she dresses, to her photography skills, to how she decorates - she simply bleeds creativity! She just recently quit her job at the adoption agency to work on her photography business full-time! You must check her out! RACHEL, you make life so much more fun and exciting! I adore you!!
This girl I have known since college but we didn't actually attend college together. In fact, we've never even lived in the same place together! We spent one A-MAZING and LIFE CHANGING summer together in China and had an instant bond & friendship! We recently reconnected through... drum roll please... our BLOGS! And I am SO incredibly grateful to have her back in my life. We just saw each other for the first time in YEARS and it was seriously as if NO time had passed. She has always been the one person in my life that I seem to have a connection with like none other - she is my kindred spirit! Her daughters are beautiful and she's another friend that has an extremely creative side to her. You must check out her blog to hear about her life and business! BETH, I couldn't be happier that we have reconnected and only live a few short hours away from each other. Let's hang out again SOON!
This girl is someone that I wish I spent more time with because every time I'm around her she makes me want to be a better person and always has me laughing my head off! Her hubby & Shane went to Texas Tech together and I have had the pleasure of getting to know her through their relationship. Her daughter is exactly a month younger than Jorja & is A-dorable!! She is such a sweet person who is ubber creative, talented and extremely organized! She also has her own Etsy business and is putting her creativity to work! She needs to blog a little bit more (wink, wink) as I love hearing about her and her sweet Anna Claire - so you must check them out as well! JENNY, if you could just pour out an ounce of your creativity and organization into my life I would be a MUCH better person! I miss hanging with you and AC, let's get together SOON!
This girl is so precious to me! She was one of my employees for Revolve and ended up becoming one of my dearest friends. We have been through {ultimate} fire together and stuck by each other's side the whole way through and came out stronger and closer in the end! Everywhere we went people always thought we were sisters and I think in my heart we are! She has 2 beautiful boys - Jaxson is only 4 months older than Jorja and Maddox is just a little over a month old. {WOW}! She is such a fun, loving, gracious & merciful person! You must check out her life as a boy mom and all the adventures that come with that title! MORGAN, you are such a beautiful person on the inside and out and I love having you in my life. If only we lived closer I know we would be inseparable!!

There are so many others I would love to pick for this award that have impacted my life in one way or another but maybe another time... oh, and I probably should apologize for being so long winded but this is my blog and I can do whatever I want! :)

These are a few of my favorite things...

2009-03-02T14:36:00.005-06:00

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens?? Not quite Jorja's favorite things but close, I'm sure! :) My friend Jenn was having a fun little contest where we were supposed to submit pictures of our kids w/ their favorite things or doing their favorite things and here's just a FEW of Jorja's favorites that I submitted for the contest. I actually took SO many more pictures than this but I'm not all that Photoshop savvy yet and it was taking me forever to put things together so here's 5 of her favorite things in the list of MANY!

It is almost a daily occurrence that Jorja will go to the front door and look out the window and say over and over "oside" (outside). That girl loves to be outside - riding in the wagon {which I didn't put on here but she LOVES that thing}, sliding down slides, swinging, chasing Fezzik around and just running wild! Spring and summer can't get here soon enough!!

Ever since Jorja was about a month old she has been a thumb sucker. Once she discovered her thumb she would no longer take a pacifier. I thought it was so great. A self soother! Perfect. And for the first year & a half of her life it was perfect as I was able to hold her off on sucking her thumb until it was "night night" time - and night night time only. But for some reason, just within the last month, she has begun to want to suck her thumb ALL THE TIME!! I remember thinking a few months ago how I wanted her to have a "lovey" that she slept with and cuddled with and found "security" in {cause I always thought that was just so cute}... and one day she discovered "Bear" {very original name, by they way} and from then on her, bear and that thumb have been BFF & inseparable! I'm sure I should be working harder at trying to break her of this habit {especially knowing how long her mom sucked her thumb - YIKES!} but, I just think she is too adorable. She sucks her thumb and grabs on to Bear's ear with the same hand while stroking it's fur with the other hand. It's just too darn cute so for now - we are breaking all the rules!

A few years ago Shane & I went to Disney World and bought a big Mickey doll not even realizing 3 years later we would have the most precious girl in the world fall in love with him. We've already had to have Nannie sew him up as she's played with him so much his stuffing started to come out! She loves her Mickey and mom and dad are just counting down the days until she's old enough to go with us to Disney World! ;) I blame her other obsession solely on the Lankfords. Before going to visit them in January, Jorja had never even seen an episode of Sesame Street nor did she really care about Elmo and she'd never even heard of Abby. Well, she spent 4 days with Hadleigh and Isaac {who watch SS every morning and have 4 Elmo dolls} and got completely hooked. Hadleigh & Isaac gave Jorja her very own Abby doll before we left and I went around town searching for a similar Elmo doll! Now guess what we do every morning? You got it - spend time watching Jorja's new BFF's - "Elmo & Abby"!

I love that Jorja already has a love for the "arts". She loves to draw on her doodle board and the crayons and coloring books are left out all the time now that Jorja has a table & chairs to sit at and color. {Look how great she holds the crayon - she's such a big girl}. But more than her love of drawing and coloring is her love of reading. Jorja LOVES to sit in her chair or in our laps and plop down with a good book or two. She even knows all her favorite books by name. I can tell her to go get a particular book off the shelf and she will go over and get the right one every time. She's such a little smarty! Her vocabulary is OUT OF THIS WORLD and I want to thank her love of reading for it all! I should also point out that her favorite book to read is The Bible {pictured} and there isn't anything that makes me happier than to know that already God is preparing my sweet little girl to love His Word and hide it in her heart!

And to save the best and most favorite thing for last - Jorja's most favorite is her DADDY!! She can't get enough of him. She gets giddy the second she hears the garage door go up at 5:30pm cause she knows the man of her dreams is about to walk through the door. She starts bouncing up and down, running around in circles and laughing all the while saying "dada". Once he gets home she hardly wants anything to do with me and it's all about "dada". She loves to cook with him, cuddle with him, play with his hats, play with his beard, give him kisses - if Daddy is involved she wants to be a part of it. They have definitely stolen eachother's hearts and she will forever and always be Daddy's Little Girl.

Falling off the face of the earth??

2009-02-16T00:05:00.002-06:00

OKAY. WOW! I absolutely can't believe I haven't blogged in almost 2 months. I'm such a blog slacker... especially in comparison to some of the blogs that I spend way too much of my time stalking! HA! Seriously, though - I have almost 20 different sub folders of pictures & blog ideas on my computer that I've set apart specifically for the blog but somehow, life is going way too fast and I haven't had ANY time to actually sit down and write about the awesome things Jorja and I are experiencing nor have I been able to post the million pictures that I've taken! AHH!! Trust me, I'm just as frustrated as you are about the whole thing. I do realize some of you out there are probably curling up in the fetal position under your kitchen table right about now - simply because you can't go another day without an update of that precious Jorja Mae! I know. It hurts. But trust me - in a few short days {hopefully} all your worries will disappear and you will begin to come out of that comatose state of depression you have found yourself in! Posts and Pictures are on their way... stay strong, my friends, stay strong.

And in order to keep you from the straight jacket a little while longer here's a few pics:

{Note: these are taken with my new Canon EOS Rebel XSi that Shane got me for Christmas. I.AM.IN.LOVE! - and thank you to one of my dearest and bestest friends Jenn for teaching me a few tricks of the trade, although I am still a MAJOR work in progress, you rock! Check her out at portraitsbyjenn.com}

First comes love...

2009-01-08T22:39:00.004-06:00

Okay, since I'm a total blog loser and can't seem to get my act together and update this silly thing... (notice the Christmas decor still posted?!?) I have to rely on others to post fun pictures and "news" about my own daughter. You MUST check out the latest post by Katie... just click on the link below. LOVE IT!!

K-I-S-S-I-N-G

My Little Turkey!

2008-12-22T23:35:00.001-06:00

Okay - So I know I seem to be running about a month behind on my blogs and I apologize! I honestly don't see how these "super moms" keep up with posting everyday. I have NO time but, really want to find the time and make this a priority... until I can get my act together you will just have to find things out a little late! Sorry! :(

This year we decided to take a little road trip for Thanksgiving and went to Abilene to spend the holiday with Lolly & Pop (Shane's dad and step-mom). This was our very first Thanksgiving with them so I had HIGH hopes and expectations and while they were amazing and gracious hosts and welcomed us with loving and open arms... the trip wasn't quite what I was hoping and praying for. Because Lolly & Pop live about 3 1/2 hours away they don't get to see Jorja near as much as everyone would like and this was the first time for Jorja to go to their house for a visit so I wanted everything to be perfect. I wanted them to see how wonderful, fun, well-behaved, and well rested Jorja really and normally is... and unfortunately, we may have to wait for another time for them to see the "normal" side of Jorja. Now, I am probably making it sound worse than it really was because, honestly, while Jorja was {SUPPOSED} to be awake she was WONDERFUL! I had worked with her for WEEKS on their names - showing her pictures of them almost every day and teaching her who they were and she was great about recognizing them. She called them "Pop" and "Lulluhlul" (I'm sure it was Lolly - but her "L" sounds seems to run together and sound a bit Chinese! :) She even called their dog by name "Schcout" (Scout)!! She LOVED to watch Pop throw the dummy bird (they have a championship Yellow Lab that hunts) at Scout and would even try to help Pop throw it to him. She laughed and charmed her way right into the hearts of Lolly's family that was there to visit as well. She couldn't have been better... when she was {SUPPOSED} to be awake! However, when it came time for nap time and bed time I apparently did not give my {normally AMAZING} sleeper near enough Turkey full of tryptophan!! I honestly haven't had to deal with her not sleeping like that since she was literally weeks old. She was up until 4:30am and WOULD NOT take any naps... needless to say, after the first night and day of her (or anyone else) having NO sleep she wasn't quite as charming as normal. We, despite everything in me that wanted to believe she would get better, decided to cut our trip short and go ahead and come home. We arrived at the house just in time for dinner - grabbed a quick bite, put Jorja to bed at 8:00pm - we ourselves jumped into bed and were both asleep by 8:30pm and NO ONE woke up before 8:00am the next day! We were EXHAUSTED!! I am still upset about how things turned out as I wanted so badly for Jorja to show her Lolly & Pop just how much she loves them and how wonderful she can be. While I know there probably isn't a single grandparent out there who doesn't think the world of their grandkids - I still wanted their perception of her and their reality with her to be one and the same... oh, well - I'll get over it and there will be many other holiday's and gatherings to make up for our first sleepless Thanksgiving, right?

On a side note - before Thanksgiving we had a playdate to make Turkey handprint shirts and while I discovered (although I already knew it - so maybe I confirmed it even further) that I have VERY little creative and artistic ability, I think the shirts and hand towels (for all the grandparents) turned out SO stinkin cute. Obviously, since I was a wreck trying to make sure Jorja was on her best behavior at Thanksgiving - I didn't get any pictures from our trip!! uggh! Although, I know others did so when I can get them - I'll post... until then here are a few pics I took of Jorja in her "Little Turkey" shirt... boy, I shouldn't have been so quick to call her a "little turkey" as she definitely proved to be just that on Thanksgiving! HA!

Rub-a-Dub-Dub, Jorja Mae's in the Tub!

2008-12-07T16:00:00.004-06:00

I actually stole this idea from one of the blogs I stalk because I've learned from the blogging world that I am SO not a creative mom AT ALL! It has become apparent to me that if you have ever been an elementary school teacher you are the best mom ever!! And, since all I've ever done is hang out with teenagers and sold tickets - I have to try to become the best mom ever by stealing ideas from others! HA! :)

Jorja absolutely L-O-V-E-S bath time - the second she hears the water start running she immediately starts yelling "baf" over and over and will laugh and get SO excited!! So when I heard this idea I couldn't pass it up as I knew Jorja would love it! We bought some really cool Color Bath Dots from Crayola and some Alphabet letters and bath toys and had a great time learning our colors. I only put toys in the bath that matched the color of the water and we spent the whole bath time talking about & learning whatever color Jorja was splashing around in. We are still working on Jorja totally identifying the right color as she says the right name (at this point, it seems everything is either red or blue) but she's getting there. At this point, the only one she's really consistent with in identifying correctly is "Boo" (Blue). When asked to repeat she will say "red", "gree", "lello", "pupl" & "boo" however, orange is still no where to be heard! :) I love watching my sweet Jorja try to figure things out and learn new concepts! She is such a little smarty and I have no doubt after many more nights of bathing in color she will know them all by sight and name!!

~ ROY G. BIV ~

Long Overdue - Fall Festival

2008-11-30T20:52:00.001-06:00

I know, I know - we JUST celebrated Thanksgiving and I'm just NOW posting pictures of our Fall Festival. What can I say?? My sweet girl has been keeping me so busy I don't have time to update - SORRY!!! At any rate, on Tuesday Oct. 28th our church, Gateway, had it's annual Fall Festival out at Dragon Stadium in Southlake. It was A-MAZING!! They estimate almost 20,000 people came through there throughout the course of the night. UNBELIEVABLE! To say that our church goes ALL OUT would be a complete understatement. They had a petting zoo, pony rides, bounce houses GALORE - some with zip lines, some with giant slides, some large, some small - tons of games, Chick-fil-A, Cici's Pizza, BBQ, and they even had an area designated special for kiddos Jorja's age called "Tyke Town". We had SUCH a great time!! I took Jorja last year when she was only 4 months old and while she was the MOST adorable Chicken known to man (see pic below) she wasn't able to do anything but let me hold her while we walked around - and I'm pretty sure I remember her falling asleep about 30 minutes into the night. SO, needless to say I was SUPER pumped that Jorja would be able to enjoy the Festival much more than she did the year before.

However, I was a bit nervous about the costume as everytime we'd try it on at the house this was her reaction...

What it is even better is that the hood on her costume says "Bee Happy"... umm... not so much! HA!

Luckily, once we got to the stadium and she saw the Festival in all it's glory - and noticed all the other kids in their costumes - and of course, realized how many people were commenting on how cute she was - she perked right up and was all smiles the whole night!! YIPPEE!!

Here's the Queen Bee & her Drones... :)

Entering the Festival - and yes, I put a bow on her hood so people would know she was a girl!! :)

This is actually Jorja dancing to the music playing in Tyke Town - it was adorable watching her shake that big ol' belly!!

My sister and her family came to the Festival as well and we made sure to meet up with them at the gate so Evie & Jorja could hang out. We didn't know what each other had used for costumes but I think the flower & the bee go perfect with each other!! Aren't they just so SWEET & CUTE?!?!

And here is my BUSY LITTLE BEE at Tyke Town. She would hardly look up for a picture! She had SUCH a great time and so did we!!!

Unfortunately the thing Jorja had the most fun playing on I don't have any pictures of because it was too dark and we were going too fast!! What she loved most was the HUGE bounce house slide! She made me climb up that thing FOUR times (and would have gone 100 more had I not almost passed out)! I huffed & puffed climbing that slide while carrying her in one arm (remember she's 30 lbs PLUS had on that huge BEE outfit) and hanging on for dear life with the other. We'd get to the top, I'd put her in between my legs and we'd both yell "wee" all the way down. The second we stopped she'd immediately yell "'gin" (again) over and over until I climbed my happy rear up that thing AGAIN!! When I got home I had a HUGE bruise on my knee from using it for leverage as I climbed up the steep steps of that bounce house. I SO wish I had pictures so you could understand how big this thing was - and so you could see how happy it made Jorja! Oh, the things we do as mothers to make our children happy... and I'm sure I'll be doing it again next year, bruises and all!! I can't wait! :)

Jorja at Gateway's Fall Festival in 2007

Our Little Pumpkin goes to the Pumpkin Patch... A LOT!

2008-11-21T23:00:00.005-06:00

WARNING!!! This is a long post because there are A LOT of pictures on here... however, isn't that what most people want to look at anyway?? :) And, as always, you can click on any picture to make it bigger if you can't see it. I know you will be surprised by the # of pics and you'll probably wonder why I couldn't cut out some of the pictures I took - but if you only knew - these ARE the ones that have been narrowed down from the 251 pictures that I actually took... at what point do I need to be admitted into therapy??

During the month of October Jorja and I went to 3 different pumpkin patches - and actually, Jorja went to 4! While I was out of town and she stayed with my parents, they took her and her cousins to the Pumpkin Patch near their house - however I don't have pictures from that patch! :( Overall, Jorja seemed to really enjoy all the pumpkins (but not so much all the hay) and at every Pumpkin Patch there seemed to be a theme which consisted of Jorja refusing to stop and smile at the camera because all she was interested in was trying to pick up abnormally large pumpkins and move them from one place to another. After I thought she was going to give herself a hernia, I began pointing out the smaller pumpkins so she could actually lift them and move them without too much strain. :) At one Pumpkin Patch I found myself sweating like a champ and at another we got rained on for about 5 minutes! We went to one with our Mommy & Me group, one with Jorja's "boyfriend" Cole and his mom Katie, and another with my sister and her kiddos! We went on hay rides, went in bounce houses, flew down slides, petted some farm animals, and inevitably Jorja passed out not even 5 minutes after getting in the car & would sleep the whole way home. While Jorja might have been a little young to fully appreciate all the fun festivities of celebrating Fall - I have memories (and hundreds of pictures - ha!) I will cherish forever. It didn't even matter that every time we got home we would have the sniffles for a few days from all the hay - it was worth EVERY second of bonding and memories!!

The Dallas Arboretum - Oct. 13, 2008
This was definitely the prettiest of the Pumpkin Patches that we went to visit however, it was the most crowded. We went with our Mommy & Me play group on Mommy & Me Monday and wow - there were a lot of moms and kiddos there! The neatest part & biggest attraction was the House made of Pumpkins! So cool. They also had a hay maze (which we didn't go through), a petting zoo and tons of really great pumpkins and places set up for pictures. They also had a professional photographer there to take pictures. I debated if I should have her take Jorja's picture because she was a bit expensive and I didn't get to see the pics ahead of time - she just sent you the best one... but, after my husband convinced me I would regret not getting it, I decided to do it. However, I apparently decided a bit too late... see, I had dressed Jorja in this really adorable "Daddy's Little Pumpkin" shirt specifically in case I decided to get professional pics of her at the Patch (and because I knew that the millions of pics I would take would be cute too) however, before visiting the photographer we went to see the fountain full of pumpkins and Jorja was so intrigued by it that before I could stop her or realize what she was doing she had leaned over the edge to - you got it - pick up a pumpkin and got dirt and water all down the front of her shirt! UGGH! You can see the picture below of her after getting in trouble for getting dirty (so sad and cute). Luckily one of the girls I went with was prepared and brought extra clothes so I got the picture taken anyway and it turned out cute! Disaster averted! :)

My Busy Little Pumpkin - such a big girl carrying all those pumpkins! Seriously, this is ALL she wanted to do the whole time we were there!

Pumpkins on the Praire - Oct. 14, 2008
This Pumpkin Patch was the smallest patch we went to - it was basically in the field next to a church! We got rained on while we were there but they had a hayride and lots of small pumpkins for Jorja to play with so we loved it! We went to this Patch with Katie and Cole (who are quickly becoming regulars on this blog :) ) and we had a great time. We went to lunch beforehand and then to the Patch where we got some amazingly cute pics of Jorja and Cole. I definitely think their hate is quickly turning to love. One thing Jorja loved was they had these bins full of small pumpkins and she would not stop playing with all those pumpkins. Right before we left, I let her go over and pick out 2 of the pumpkins to take home - she was so picky about what she wanted and if I picked up the wrong one she would say "no" over and over until I got the right one! So cute! Again, not any real pics of Jorja smiling for the camera because she was too excited to play with all the little pumpkins but don't think for a second that stopped me from taking tons of pictures anyway! :)

Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch - Oct. 24, 2008
This Pumpkin Patch is probably the most special to me simply because I LOVE family and I LOVE traditions and last year my sister invited me to go with her and her kids so, of course, this year we decided this was a fun (albeit, a tad stressful) tradition we would do each year together!! At this Pumpkin Patch Jorja went inside a bounce house, rode down the huge bounce house slide with me - several times, went on a hay ride that she cried on the entire time, took pictures in silly cut-outs, and played with her cousin Evelyn - A LOT! And of course - you guessed it - PICKED UP PUMPKINS!! :) There was this small house that had small pumpkins sitting on the ledges and I seriously think Jorja could have stayed there all day taking pumpkins off the ledge and carrying them over to the hay bale and then back over to the ledge - then back and forth and back and forth. My niece, Evelyn, and Jorja are only about a year and 4 months apart but now that Jorja is walking and (clear my throat) the same weight and 2 inches shorter - they don't seem all that far apart in age and seem to play well together! So, my sister and I tried to let them just roam the Patch while we took pictures of them and I think we got some pretty fun pictures of them together. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship between the two of them and a fun tradition for our families!

Last Year's Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch - Oct. 25, 2007
I can't believe how much Jorja has grown and how much she has changed. What a year!

15 Months Old

2008-11-08T23:03:00.010-06:00

I feel like I say this every month, in fact, I probably say this everyday but I simply can't believe how fast my "little" girl is growing up. Right now she's 15 months and I'm sure I'll blink and she'll be 15 years. I find myself everyday trying to remember all the little details of her life. I try to find joy in every moment and take nothing for granted because I know I'll look back on this time and realize how fast it went by. I simply don't want to miss a moment of my sweet girl's life.

Because I fear this post will be super long and the only people who will probably even take the time to read it are the grandparents :) here are the stats you've all be waiting for...
WEIGHT: 29 lbs, 2 oz
HEIGHT: 33.8 inches
HEAD: 19.3 inches
She, of course, is "off the charts" and over 100% in every category. Dr. G said she gets an A+ on everything and is extremely healthy. He said she is a very big girl but doesn't seem to be worried about it - he simply said I'm lucky that she's such a great eater and to be prepared that she will probably be VERY tall. Who knows where that comes from but I'm seeing some Olympic volleyball in her future! :)

Jorja has become quite the "busy bee" (which, by the way, is what she was for the Fall Festival - pics coming soon, I promise) and her curiosity is at an all time high. She can't get enough of exploring the world around her and I just love watching her discover new things. She has such an excitement and love for life that it makes me smile so big, some days my cheeks hurt. She has definitely mastered walking (although, her walk is sometimes a bit of a waddle but it is just too cute for words) and now she's even beginning to run. It is so fun to watch her get real excited about something and try to get to it as fast as she can. She gets wide-eyed and open mouthed and just takes off full force - and if I'm not careful and I turn my back for too long she will be clear across the house before I even realize it. She is loving her new found independence and will definitely let us know when she does not want to be held or sit in the stroller and just wants to "wahk" (walk).

She still loves to read books and now knows some of them so well that if I try to skip a page or read something wrong she will stop me by saying "no" until I do it right. She also knows her favorite ones by name - I can tell her to get a certain book and she will go over to the table and literally toss all the others on the floor until she finds the one I've asked her to get. She is quite a little smarty!! :) I think one of my favorite things about her love of books is that every book must be read while seated in mine or Shane's lap - if we are sitting on the couch she will come up to us and pat our leg and say "ree" (read) "boo" (book) until we pick her up and put her in our lap and if we are sitting on the floor she will turn around and back in to us and then plop down while saying "ree". I think it is precious every time and my heart melts with every book she brings my way!! What a sweet time for us throughout the day!

We've also been working this month on eating with silverware and Jorja is doing an amazing job. I have heard horror stories of how messy this learning experience can be but luckily I have a daughter who is a very dainty and HATES to be real messy. If she gets too much stuff on her hands she will hold it out, begin to get whiny and will continue to say "why" (wipe) about a hundred times until I wipe her hands clean. And once she's clean, then she will continue to eat! It is great!! She is still having a hard time getting the food on her spoon or fork by herself but once the food is on there, she can get it to her mouth perfectly and with very little mess. She also loves to "dip" things - ketchup is the most used "dip" but she will pretty much dip any food into anything if given the chance. Refried beans, guacamole, ranch and ketchup are a few amongst the repertoire of dips. However, one time Shane & I went to a BBQ place to eat and got cobbler for dessert. We offered her a peach from the cobbler and she didn't really like it - and she'll do this thing where if she doesn't like something she'll start to chew it, realize she doesn't like it and pull it out of her mouth and hand it back to us and say "no". So she handed me the half-eaten peach and I just put it on her place mat and we kept eating the cobbler. It wasn't long after that she realized I had some chips left over and she kept asking for "chi" (chips) and when I finally gave her one she immediately started to "dip" the chip into the peach sitting on her place mat. It was hilariously adorable. I know this story isn't even doing it justice but I just don't think you understand how much Jorja loves to "dip" and how adorable it really is. She will seriously "dip" any food into anything when given the chance - even if the "dip" is a sunchip dipped into a peach or carrots dipped into ketchup! And, to top it all off, she is extremely dainty about her "dipping" which is just so stinkin cute! She will hold her pinkie out while doing it and sometimes will be so dainty about the "dip" that she doesn't even get anything on the food but because she is so excited and proud that she "dipped," it doesn't really matter nothing transferred over! It is a sight to watch and is just another thing to put on my list of things I adore about my sweet girl. She is an amazing eater and eats almost anything I put in front of her. Oh, and did I mention that 9 times out of 10, she will eat with her left hand... wonder if she'll be a lefty like her daddy?? hmm...

Little Miss Chatterbox is quickly becoming Jorja's new name. She talks ALL the time - she talks all throughout the day, sometimes she talks herself to sleep, most of the time she wakes up talking and there has even been a few times I've heard her actually talking in her sleep. She is officially a Chatterbox! I am amazed at how many words she knows and how quickly she picks up new words. I have been keeping a record of how many words she knows and uses on a very frequent basis and I've come up with about 60 so far but I know I'm forgetting some and she always learns a new one each day! I'm so proud of her! In fact, I am apparently so proud of Jorja that she's picked up on it so much that her new favorite thing to say is "goo girh" (good girl). She has now started to say it after almost everything she does - she helps put her toys away and says "goo girh" - she throws something away in the "ta" (trash) and says "goo girh" - she feeds herself with a "spo" (spoon) and says "goo girh"... okay, you get the idea! :) She is SO very smart and picks up on things so quickly. She knows most of her body parts - I ask her to point them out to me and she'll point them out and repeat the word. She knows her eyes, ears, nose, mouth, toes, foot, hair, fingers, hand and her favorite, belly button! I love whispering in her ear "go find Daddy's belly button" and watching her run over to Shane, pull up his shirt and say "beh buh"! Too cute! She is still using sign language for some words and can also speak the word as well so on those, there is no mistaking what she wants or needs! I love it! She is also becoming a bit of a singer. While rocking on her Rocking Snail she loves to sing "rocky, rocky" (rocking) which is a song my mom used to sing to me! She also loves to sing "Biba, Biba" (Bible) which is actually Jesus Loves Me but all she sings is the part of "the Bible tells me so". She'll just sing "Biba, Biba" over and over but to the right tune - it melts my heart! I love that she is becoming so verbal - it makes life so much easier when she can do something other than cry to get my attention and tell me what she wants! However, it is possible her language is one only her mom can understand! :)

There are so many more things I could say about Jorja in her 15 month... she LOVES to dance and listen to music and still charismatically "Praises the Lord" while doing it! She is becoming more and more cuddly and will give us kisses and hugs when we ask her too and she's now sleeping with a "lovey". I love to put her lovey on my shoulder when I put her down for a nap because she will immediately cuddle with me while sucking her thumb. It is so sweet! She laughs all the time and can make me laugh more than any other person I know - her laugh is the greatest sound! She loves riding in the "wag" (wagon), playing at the park, taking "bafs" (baths) and swimming in the indoor pool at our athletic club. She is starting to want to play with Fezzik more and more and it is so cute how she tries to get him to come to her by yelling "dog" as loud as she can while slapping her knee! Her hair is getting longer and curlier, she is getting a mouth full of teeth (she has 15 right now), her cheeks are more kissable every day, her eyes are an amazing shade of blue and she is just stunningly beautiful! She is becoming more and more of a Daddy's girl and often runs to the back door and yells "dada" while waiting for him to come home from work. She is the light of our lives and is a true blessing from the Lord. I can't wait to see how she continues to grow over the next few months!!

Git Yer Guns Up!! Wreck 'Em Tech!!

2008-11-04T11:19:00.002-06:00

This post is for Shane who is seriously on Cloud 9 that Tech is ranked #2 and beat Texas. He's already grooming Jorja to be a little Red Raider!

State Fair of Texas - Oct. 2 & Oct. 7, 2008!

2008-11-03T20:54:00.018-06:00

To say that we love the State Fair would be an understatement. As soon as we get in the car to leave the Fair and head home, we are already talking about next year - and will continue to talk about next year at a minimum of once a week! :) It is really unbelievable that somewhere along the way Shane & I didn't just sell all our possessions and sign up to be Carnies - we seriously LOVE the fair. Okay, so maybe we wouldn't be the best "carnies" as we actually have all of our teeth plus we don't really play any games nor do we ride any of the rides (although, next year I WILL take Jorja on the Ferris Wheel) BUT, what we love most about the Fair is the FOOD. We go there to eat and eat A LOT!! Neither Shane or I will eat all day so we can be sure and save room for all of our favorites... some of which include, but are not limited to, the FLETCHER'S CORN DOG, Spicy Beef Fajita Nachos, Darn Good Corn, Cotton Candy, Cinnamon Rolls, Homemade Root Beer, and sometimes if we are feeling frisky we'll branch out and try the latest "fried food" sensation! We actually discovered this year that we have a "route" that we take while at the Fair and eat and walk around in the exact same order every year. A little OCD never hurt anyone right? :) This year we actually went twice - and to be honest were a little disappointed we didn't get to go more than that. I know, we are nuts! This year we went once with our friends Ben & Alicia Monk and once with Shane's Mom and both times we took Jorja. However, the time with Shane's mom was more for Jorja and the one with our friends was more for us - but don't kid yourself - both times we ate till we couldn't eat anymore so maybe both times were for us! :) This year we took Jorja to see Boris III aka "Trey" - an abnormally huge pig weighing in at 1212 pounds. YIKES! And, we took her to her first "petting" zoo! She wasn't too sure what to think at first but once we let her get down and hold the feeding shovels, she was ALL about it. After about a million squirts of hand sanitizer we ate and ate and ate and yes, Jorja did try her very first Fletcher's Corn Dog and, of course, enjoyed it. While walking the Midway, we saw another "first" opportunity for Jorja and I couldn't pass it up! We took Jorja on her first Carousel ride and she L-O-V-E-D it!! She had a death grip on her pole and had her lips puckered the entire time going "ooooh". And she kept looking up at the mirrored tiles up top to see her self going up and down. She was adorable! Action shots were hard to get because our camera wasn't fast enough but you can see from the pics below she had a great time. She definitely could have ridden all night long! It was SO fun to watch her experience that for the first time. I love how she makes me enjoy all the little things in life! Here's to another wonderful State Fair experience - I'm sure I'll be dreaming of Big Tex until next year!

The Family in front of Big Tex

This is from our first trip out to the fair - Jorja and Boris III (the huge pig) and Jorja & Mommy (the one who pigged out)

Jorja enjoying her first Petting Zoo!

Poor Jorja - she doesn't realize yet her mom is crazy! :) / Sweet Jorja loving on Nannie!

Jorja enjoying her first Fletchers Corn Dog! YUMMY!!

The Carousel

Sweet Girl, all tuckered out from a wonderful night at the State Fair of Texas!!

Jorja's First Date...

2008-10-26T21:31:00.015-05:00

Okay, Okay - so, technically it wasn't a date but I had to get you interested somehow because this could be one of the funniest (and fun) play dates I've had thus far - and hopefully you will see it captured on camera below! You might remember from a previous post me talking about our friends Katie and Cole that we met through one of our "Mommy & Me" groups. Since our first meeting and play date we have been able to get together quite a bit and are having such a great time together. Katie & I have determined though that our children have a love/hate relationship with one another - and it is quite humorous for Katie & I to watch. They love to imitate each other and are always curious about what the other is doing! And while they like to get close enough to each other to make sure the other one is legit and doesn't get out of sight - they also don't want to get SO close they actually have to share! :) At any rate - one day Katie and I decided to meet up at Peter Piper Pizza. I had never been there but had heard it was pretty cheap (which I love!) AND had some fun play things for little kiddos. While not all the toys were for kids Jorja's age they did have a few "rides" that were real winners...

They had small carousel-like ride that Jorja seemed to enjoy although I was paranoid the whole time she would fall off but that is neither here nor there. :) This picture is terrible of me but Jorja is SO cute and happy on the carousel, I had to post it! :)

They also had a fun ice cream truck ride that Jorja LOVED! She turned the wheel and acted like she was driving it and had the best time as that truck went back and forth - I actually had a hard time getting her out of it. She would have played in that thing all day if I'd let her!

Because Jorja was having such a great time in the truck, Katie and I thought it would be great for Cole to get in and ride with Jorja. The second we put Cole in there (who wasn't too sure he really wanted to ride in the first place) Jorja immediately started BAWLING and PUSHING him OUT! Obviously, then Cole starting BAWLING and naturally Katie and I started LAUGHING our heads off. It was HYSTERICAL!! As you can see Jorja was LESS than thrilled about Cole infringing on her territory. (seriously, every time I look at these pictures I laugh out loud just thinking about how funny this scene really was - I wish you could have been there, oh my!)

To give the kids a break after their meltdown we took them over to another ride - the Nascar Race Car - and they both seemed to really enjoy it - especially when they rode it ALONE! :) Jorja didn't really try to "drive" this car as much as she did the ice cream truck but rather took the "cool chillin" route...

And what kind of parents would Katie & I be if we didn't at least TRY to get the kids together again? We thought since they both really enjoyed this ride that they could get in together and go on their first "car date"... And well...

as you can see, it went over like a fart in church. We had barely even set Cole in the car before Jorja started screaming her head off - which of course made Cole follow suit. See how they like to imitate each other?? HA! Once we turned the car on and it started moving they were MUCH more tolerant of each other (although if you click on the picture and look closely you can still see the tears on their faces - too funny). And actually, by the end of the "car date" Jorja had her hand on Cole's leg... and thus continues their Love/Hate Relationship! :)

Fun at the Park

2008-10-14T21:00:00.010-05:00

One of our new favorite things is to go and play at the Park. Jorja absolutely LOVES being outside and now that it is fall we are able to go and it isn't quite as scorching hot as it was in the summer. I definitely find it much more enjoyable! :) I'd found several small playgrounds near our house that I took her to a few times and then I found the mother of all parks in Frisco and I love taking her there! I know there are probably other parks that might be better but this one is SO close and SO big and SO fun! We love it!! They have a huge playground area as well as a long trail that takes you by a pond and everything. I love taking Jorja and having a picnic by the water and then heading to the play ground for some serious play time. So fun! What a blessing that I get to stay home with her and enjoys these fun fall days! :) Jorja really enjoys swinging in the toddler/infant swing and LOVES, LOVES, LOVES to slide. I still find myself pretty paranoid about her sliding because she hasn't quite learned to sit up the whole time and I'm afraid she's going to bang her head on the slide - so I stay pretty close while she slides but she enjoys it nonetheless! One night our group of friends that we spend almost every weekend with decided we would go get ice cream and play with Jorja at the park I found in Frisco. I'm not sure who had more fun - the adults pretending to be kids or the actual kid! :) We had SO much fun and I love that Jorja has some "aunts & uncles" that enjoy spending time with her as much as we do! And because I didn't have to watch Jorja's head while she slid I was actually able to get some great pics of her sliding - you will see from those pics just how much Jorja enjoys the slide! (And be sure you click on them to enlarge them so you can see her face - she is full of laughs & smiles - SO CUTE! although, I forgot to adjust the red eye. whoops!) There are a ton of pics here (and I cut out SO many more than I posted) but, we've been having so much fun it was hard to narrow them down. I hope you enjoy!

Sweet Pics w/ Mom & Dad

I love that she loves to wear her shades while playing. She's such a cutie!!

She's trying to climb up the slide - she couldn't get enough! / This is on one of our picnics - I had put my sunglasses on top of my head for just a bit so Jorja quickly put her glasses on top of her head. I love how she tries to imitate me - melts my heart that she likes to be like her momma! :)

On our picnic I kept trying to get pictures of her but she always had food in her mouth. no surprise there! :) / this was a different type of swing and it had no way to strap her in - she wasn't sure about it and neither was I because she kept leaning forward and I was fearful she'd fall out!

Jorja was a little bit small to fully enjoy the rocking horse to its full potential but she loved standing next to it and trying to ride.

This was the night we went with all our friends to the park. She's a bit more dressed up than a normal trip to the park because we had just come from Church and weren't expecting to go out and play. But, it made for cute pictures! :)

THE SLIDE!!!!

The Gang - what a great group of friends we have.

I know, I know...

2008-10-12T22:15:00.003-05:00

Yes, I know - I am WAY behind on blogging... I am so sorry. I have SEVERAL different posts I'm working on but somehow keep getting sidetracked every time I go to finish them. I'm also working on making my blog more festive and fall-like - do you like it?? Is it readable? I am also working on a cute header but I'm graphic design illiterate so it's taking me FOREVER! uggh! I might have to ask for help again, Katie! (wink, wink) At any rate - I promise there will be SEVERAL blogs coming your way very soon. Jorja and I have been VERY busy. Here's some teasers for ya... Fun in the Park - Play Dates Galore - Spoon Fed - State Fair of Texas - First Date at Peter Piper Pizza - Tower of Babble - not to mention, this week & next Jorja and I will be going to several Pumpkin Patches and I'm sure lots of fun & many pics will ensue...

So... STAY TUNED...

And since I can't post without at least one or two pics of Jorja - here's some visual stimulation to help you hang on until the next posts... enjoy! :)

Sweet Cousins

2008-10-05T15:19:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago my sister called and asked for a "huge favor"... she was shooting a video in Plano and desperately needed someone to watch her youngest daughter, Evelyn (we often call her Evie). I was thrilled to jump at the opportunity as I know Evie ADORES Jorja! And now that Jorja is walking and is a bit older I felt they might actually be able to play WITH each other and I just felt it would be a good time for Jorja to spend some time with her cousin. I actually had a great time watching Evelyn and seeing the two of them interact - Jorja definitely wasn't too sure how she felt about someone else playing with her toys or getting her mommy's attention but overall she played VERY well with Evie. What I loved, since Evie is a bit older than Jorja (1 yr & 4 months older) - she took on the "big sister" role and tried to teach Jorja how to play with her toys and do things differently - thanks to Evie, Jorja plays with that crazy ball popper ALL THE TIME! :) And what I really loved is when I was trying to take a million pictures of them and Jorja would not pay attention to me AT ALL - Evie kept telling her to "listen to your mommy, Jorja" - it was AWESOME. My sister is such an AMAZING mom and I try so hard to learn from her and watch what she does because I think the fruit of her labor is seen in her 3 precious and amazing children. Spending a day with Evie made me realize that much more just how amazing of a mom my sister really is - Evie was PERFECT!!! The girls played and rode in the wagon and had a great day together. I can't wait for them to spend more time together and be the BEST of FRIENDS!! Here are some pics from our day together - as you will see, Evie was great at posing for the camera... Jorja - not so much! :)

Fun outside in the wagon!!

Evie teaching Jorja how to really play with the Ball Popper

Jorja playing by herself w/ the Ball Popper while Evie played in the Excersauser

Jorja intently watching what Evie was doing / Evie being silly and cute!

Reading Time...

2008-09-28T21:32:00.013-05:00

One of Jorja's favorite things to do is grab one of her many books, bring it to Shane or me, turn around and then sit down in our laps while we read to her. I love that she enjoys it so much and that (most of the time) will sit still and hang on every word we say! Some of her favorites include:

Now, these are not near all of her favorites but these are high on the list... and are completely and fully memorized by mom!! At any rate... One night Jorja had just gotten out of the bath (thus the extra curly fro you see) and was getting ready to go bed and I had just finished reading to her "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and when I finished she grabbed the book, laid on her belly in the middle of the room, opened the book and proceeded to point to each of the pictures while "reading" to us! It was AWESOME! Shane & I sat there stunned and beaming with smiles. I couldn't get the camera out fast enough to catch her actually laying on her belly "reading" to us but, I did catch her once she got up and put the book on the table and continued to "read". I did discover though how I must sound when I read to her because she has a pretty good rhythm going on. I hope you enjoy the story Jorja's telling as much as we do! Oh and have I mentioned lately how smart, wonderful and adorable I think my kid is?? Ok, just checkin...

A few things we've been up to lately...

2008-09-08T23:05:00.010-05:00

Here are a few things we've been up to lately... (several posts below)

(click on pics to enlarge)

Sleeping whenever we can in the most unusual ways! Have I mentioned how much I LOVE that Jorja LOVES to sleep??

READING! It's Jorja's new favorite thing to do. I can't even begin to tell you how many children's books I have memorized now - it is crazy! The one of her and Shane is priceless - he's such a great dad! And the one of her by herself is just plain awesome. She looks like she's just cool chillin and really reading on her own. I love it!

Jorja and I went to a play date at Celebration Park - where the water shoots up from the ground and sprays. I had fun hanging with the other moms and watching the other little ones but Jorja wasn't really thrilled with it. She just doesn't like the water splashing her in the face. Maybe next summer when she's older she'll be more into it. However, one thing she is TOTALLY into is her WAGON. I think we go out for walks in that thing almost every day and if we don't go outside with it, she plays with it in the house. She simply can't get enough. SO FUN!

Apparently my daughter has become a diva and loves wearing her cool new shades.

Here are a few pics of play time. She got a drum set for her birthday and she loves smashing her face with the lid of the drum. What is awesome is she'll pick up the lid, say "mama" real loud to catch my attention and THEN press her face against it. Then we both crack up laughing. She is such a HOOT! I can't get enough of her! She also loves playing with her Rocking Snail... and cuddling with it as well as it is quite soft and furry!

I mentioned a few posts ago that I met a girl and her son, Katie & Cole, at one of our "Mommy & Me" play groups and we all just hit it off so great! (she's the one who made my blog so cute) We decided to get together outside of our scheduled "Mommy & Me" events and went and ate at Chick-fil-A then went to Katie's gorgeous house to play. We had an amazing time. Cole has SO many toys and Jorja just had a great time exploring the new toys and interacting with Cole. He is SUCH a cutie but he is definitely all boy! There were a few times he would eye Jorja's bow and you could tell all he really wanted to do was yank it out of her hair - but he didn't! :) They really did get along so great and it was cute to watch them try to figure each other out! And there was lots of hand holding... I'm not sure how I feel about that - my little innocent girl is being swept off her feet too early! HA! Katie & Cole have a very special story that you should read about when you get a chance. Katie is an AMAZING mom who carries herself with strength, peace, hope and joy. I feel SO blessed that they are in my life and can't wait to spend many more days with them and watch our little ones grow up together! :)

Labor Day Weekend Fun!!

2008-09-08T22:15:00.009-05:00

Have I mentioned before that Jorja loves to swim and play in the sand?? Well, since that is one of our favorite things to do together I decided we better get Daddy and head over to the pool before it closes until next summer. The "Beach Club" in McKinney is one of our favorite places to go and the last day it was open was Labor Day so us and Nannie headed up there for one last dip in the water! It was the first time Shane was able to go with us (since he wasn't working) and Jorja LOVED for him to be there. She just kept saying "dada" over and over to make sure he was as close to her as possible! I loved watching them play together. The pool has a fun "sprinkler" area as well and now that Jorja is walking I thought it would be fun for her to go over there and play. She wasn't too thrilled with all the water splashing her in the face but she did really enjoy the slide so we went on that SEVERAL times! It was SUCH a fun day, full of fun memories with the 3 of us together in the water for the first time!

One of my favorite pics of us - ever! I love it!

Mom & Dad with The Sweet Girl getting ready to swim!

Jorja playing "fetch" with Daddy - Mom & Jorja on the slide

I don't typically post things of just Shane and myself but since we are talking about Labor Day I thought I'd show what Shane & I did while Jorja spent some time with her grandparents. Oh, yeah - we went BOWLING with some of our closest and bestest friends!!! It was SO much fun!!

Speaking of Nannie & Papa Huey... back at the beginning of August they took Jorja and me back to "The Beach" for some fun time in the sun! I wasn't able to post the pics because quickly after this fun day is when Jorja got SO sick and I was so wrapped up in it that I forgot to post these pics. Jorja absolutely LOVES hanging with "nana" and "papa" (as she calls them since she can't quite say "nannie" and "papa huey" fully yet) and they LOVE hanging out with her. We all had a great time digging in the sand, burying Papa's feet, swimming in the turtle and trying to walk through the "sprinklers" (she couldn't really walk by this time so she needed my help). It was definitely a fun day for all! Thanks, Nannie & Papa for always being so willing to watch Jorja at the drop of a hat so Shane & I can still have date nights, hang out with friends, and just get some peace & quiet. We owe you guys BIG time!!

(click on pictures to make them bigger)

A visit to Gigi & Papa's

2008-09-08T21:15:00.009-05:00

A few weeks ago Shane went out of town for work so Jorja and I packed up our things and headed to Gigi & Papa's (my parents). We had such a great time! My parents live on a lake so one day Jorja, my mom and I headed to the beach to play in the sand and swim in the lake for a bit. It was great because we were the ONLY ones out there. We had a great time digging around in the sand and swimming out in the lake. The whole time we were playing on the beach Jorja kept pointing out to the water and saying "ba" (as you can see in one of the pics below). I realized there were these giant orange balls floating in the water so of course that was the first thing we swam to when we got in the water. Jorja had to check them out! One thing Jorja loves to do while she floats in her turtle is to throw out her toys and watch us swim out to get whatever it is she threw. The bigger deal we make of getting the toy the louder she laughs. I think my mom really enjoyed going to great lengths to make Jorja laugh...which you will see from the picture below of my mom wearing Jorja's hat! HA! My parents also have a trampoline and Jorja loved going out there and bouncing. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of it but I did film some on our video camera. Now that she has a new found skill of walking it was such a riot for her to try and walk around on that bouncy trampoline. She would fall every 2 seconds and just laugh and laugh every time she did it. It was great. We also went and had a fun playdate with my cousin's daughter (would that be Jorja's first cousin twice removed??) At any rate - Lundyn and Jorja had a great time together. Lundyn is 3 so she was a bit more advanced than Jorja but didn't have a problem trying to show Jorja "the ropes". They seemed to get along great! We really had such a fun-filled time while we were there - not only did she swim, jump on the trampoline and play with cousins but she also rode around the block with Papa in the golf cart several times & swung on the back porch swing! One major thing I noticed about Jorja while we were at my parents is she walked a lot more than she had before. Now, Jorja had already started walking by the time we went to visit my parents but it was pretty sporadic and was still dominated by crawling. My parents have hardwood floors and I think she realized there was a much easier and less painful way to get around on the hard floor than crawling. Ever since we left my parents house I haven't seen her crawl one time. We are officially a full-time walker! Thanks, Gigi and Papa for a great visit - can't wait to see you again!!

(click on pictures to make them bigger)

Our fun at the beach and swimming in the lake!

Jorja helping Papa load up the dishwasher and playing with Lundyn!

Saying bye-bye to Papa

Bow Head - Bow Monster!

2008-08-30T14:24:00.004-05:00

It has been quite the battle but I have finally WON... and now I fear I've created a monster. That's right! My daughter is now a Bow Head!! She can't get enough of her bows. In fact, it is normally the first thing she says when she wakes up and its the last thing she says before she goes to bed. And she says it perfectly and normally in multiples. It's not just "bow" but it's "bow, bow". We have now learned to spell it out if we want to mention it because just hearing the word "bow" will send Jorja into frenzy. She'll touch her head and immediately try to find the bow - she'll take it out - look at it - hand it to you - take it back - look at it - hand it back to you and this time make you put it in your hair - then demand you give it back to her - look at it - then demand you put it back in her hair all the while repeating over and over "bow, bow" and then the process starts all over. For so long it was all I could do to get her to keep her bow on her head now she won't go anywhere without a bow. I love it. I've even had to make sure I have bows that match her pjs simply because as soon as she wakes up in the morning she demands a bow and well, let's be honest, I'm not going to put a non-matching bow in her hair! What if I have to take pictures (like the one above)?? :) At any rate, here are a few fun pics of Jorja in her bow(s). We had an Olympic watching party with some friends so I wanted to make sure she was patriotic and well, she kept asking for bows so bows is what I gave her! :) (and no, I didn't actually leave her like this all night... just long enough to get some fun pics).

GO U-S-A!!!

This is actually Jorja "talking on the phone" - you can't see the play phone she has in her hand but it's there... I think she's telling someone how much she loves her bows.

Just a fun random play time with two bows in her hair

Two bows and Mommy's sunglasses - what a fashionista!

Pump it up!

2008-08-23T21:51:00.005-05:00

This week Jorja and I went to another play date with our Mommy & Me group. We had SUCH a great time. I almost didn't go because... well... because I'm somewhat of a schedule Nazi when it comes to Jorja's nap times and this play date was going to start right in the middle of her morning nap time. BUT, I really wanted to go to this particular play date so I readjusted her schedule for the day and we went and had a great time. It was at a place called Pump It Up, Jr. The whole place is full of "bounce houses" and slides especially for kids Jorja's age and size. It was great! And, our Mommy & Me group reserved a room so it wasn't crowded at all which was so nice. They had a giant slide that Jorja really seemed to enjoy going down with me - we went several times. She was a little timid in other parts of the play area so as long as I was near by she was good to go! They had a mini-slide in one of the play areas that Jorja went down by herself. She was scared at first but then after doing it a few times was all laughs as she went down. SO FUN! After playing in the bounce houses we all headed over to eat lunch. The experience wasn't near as bad as I thought it might be with 20 people and half of them being babies. :) It was pretty amazing how well behaved all the kids really were. I also met one gal and her son (who is only 9 days younger than Jorja) and we all really hit it off. Jorja and Cole seemed to really enjoy playing with each other - and imitating each other's noises... actually come to think of it, it was more Jorja imitating him - she was quite the follower at this play date I think we're gonna have to start working on her leadership skills. :) And Katie and I got along really well. In fact, I think we are gonna try and start hanging out even outside the scheduled Mommy & Me times which would be so fun! AND she is the one who helped me make my blog so incredibly CUTE!!! Unfortunately, I didn't get any pics of Jorja and Cole playing... next time I will so you guys can see how cute they are together! :) Anyway, it was such a fun play date and I'm really starting to get excited about meeting more moms and Jorja making friends!

Mom & Jorja having fun on the slide

I think Jorja was really starting to enjoy herself

or maybe not...

nope, she really did have a great time - as long as I didn't go too far out of sight :)

Mom & Jorja laughing and resting together. WHAT A FUN DAY!

My Happy, Hungry & Healthy girl is BACK!!

2008-08-19T15:14:00.003-05:00

Thank you to everyone who prayed for Jorja, called or emailed to check in and sent encouragement while she was sick. You guys are the best friends and family anyone could ask for! Jorja is doing MUCH, MUCH better. In fact, you would never know a week ago she was so sick. She is almost done with antibiotics and her knot is almost completely gone. Praise Jesus! She is back to her happy, hungry, healthy self and I love it!! Here are a few random pics from the week. Enjoy!

eating very messy ravioli.

Playing with the fireman's hat from Firehouse Subs. She LOVES that hat. We had it about an hour and it was already starting to break. Guess we'll have to go back and get a few more! :)

This week I've been going through Jorja's closet and drawers and packing up all her baby clothes (sniff, sniff) and I found her Fall Festival Outfit - THE CHICKEN!! I couldn't resist trying it on one last time before putting it away in storage. She is still pretty stinkin adorable - even though it was WAY too small. Hilarious!!

Her pain is my pain and some days being a mom is more than I can handle...

2008-08-14T20:11:00.006-05:00

We've definitely had a very rough few days at the Jones household. On Saturday Jorja woke up with a bit of a fever (101.6) and while Shane and I were taken back by it we didn't think too much about it because the Dr. told us this might be the side effect of her immunizations from a week ago. However, when we went to change her diaper we noticed a really bright red knot on the inside of her leg. And it was apparently extremely painful for Jorja - we could barely change her diaper without her screaming and it seemed painful for her to walk or crawl. Because we weren't sure if the two were related we just went on about our day as normal but knew Jorja wasn't her normal self. When she woke up from her nap that afternoon her temperature had risen to over 104. At that point we decided to call the on-call pediatrician. After speaking with them we decided to take her to the after hours pediatrician. The Dr. looked at the knot on her leg - which they called an "abscess" - and said she wanted to get the pus out but thought the opening was too sealed up at the time. (is this too much for those of you with a weak stomach??) She gave us some antibiotics and said her fever should go down and that the "abscess" should get a head on it and when it does we should take her to our normal pediatrician so they could get a sample of it and test it... and hopefully drain out the pus to give Jorja some relief. (again, too much info?) Well, the "abscess" didn't get better, in fact, we just kept seeing blood in her diaper every time we changed her and her fever wasn't going down. It was still in the 103/104 range. When I woke her Monday morning she had a fever of almost 105 and I freaked!! So, I took her to the Dr. as soon as they could get me in and they decided they needed to drain the "abscess". I had no idea what awaited me next - AHH! They then proceeded to come in and CUT HER OPEN WITH A SCALPEL to try and drain it - with VERY little numbing, I might add. I can honestly say I have NEVER heard Jorja scream like that, nor do I want to hear it again. It was all I could do to not BAWL in the room with her. (I did as soon as they left though). When they couldn't get it to drain they said it was too deep and I would have to take her to the ER to have them SEDATE her while they cut this thing out of her leg. AHHH!! Just what every mom wants to hear! We prayed over her, I called my parents and talked to my mom and she prayed for her. We absolutely didn't want them to cut her open and sedate her! And luckily, they didn't!! They decided to do an ultrasound of it first to make sure it needed to be drained or to see if they could figure out exactly what it was and I guess the results of that showed they can't drain it or cut anything out at this time. I still am not 100% sure what it is or what is going on or why they did nothing for her but put her through excruciating pain but... I'm just glad they didn't have to put her under and cut her open! Praise Jesus for that!! So, she still has that knot there but they are hoping antibiotics will kill it. They finally "diagnosed" her with Cellulitis - which is just a fancy way of saying she got a cut or bite that got infected. She is still pretty bruised up from all the cutting and poking they did but she's broken her fever and seems to be back to her happy, healthy and hungry self!

Umm... note to self. When Jorja is sick - don't try to take a picture of her! She doesn't like it much! haha - I think it's hilarious. (Also, you can't see it very well but she has her first walking bruise on her cheek from where she fell into Shane's knee - poor kid, can't catch a break).

Pictures like this are a rarity - Jorja only lays like this when she is really tired or really sick... and I would say she was pretty sick.

One Year Check Up and a Big Surprise!!

2008-08-04T11:12:00.008-05:00

Sorry I am just now getting all of the One Year pics and information up... there are about 4 blogs down below - enjoy! :)

Jorja had her one year check up on Aug. 1st. She got a great report from the Dr. He gave her an A+ and said she was very healthy. She is "off the charts" for her weight, height and head measurements. I always knew my little girl would be an over achiever! :) She weighed in at a whoppin 26lbs, 6 oz and is 31.3 inches tall. She actually grew 4 inches and gained almost 4 lbs since her 9mo check up. WHOA! The Dr. said if she keeps this up she'll be bigger and taller than me and Shane combined! ha! She did get 3 shots but handled them very well. I am so thankful to God everyday for making my sweet girl so healthy! What a blessing.

When we got home that day I guess something just sparked in Jorja. I guess she realized after her check up she was a big girl and could start doing big girl things. So that day she up and decided she was going to walk! That's right - my little baby is now WALKING. My goal was to have her walking by the time her birthday party rolled around - she, of course, decided she would wait almost exactly a week just to show me she can do things her own way on her own time. Oh well - it's been so fun to watch her learn that I don't really care when she did it. It is awesome. She does it more and more each day as she begins building up her confidence. It won't be much longer before she decides walking will be her mode of transportation over crawling. Oh my! Someone remind me again why I was in such a hurry for this to happen? :) Oh, well - maybe chasing her around will help me lose those last few baby pounds! ha!

There is a video of her walking at the bottom of the blog and here are some pics from her Dr. visit.

Jorja needed a little snack before she got her shots - he we are posing with the cheerios!

Sweet girl playing on the table/bed looking at the painting on the wall

Jorja reading up on what vaccines she was going to get that day!

me & my sweet ONE YEAR OLD!

Jorja Mae turns ONE!!!

2008-08-03T21:58:00.008-05:00

I can hardly believe how fast this year has gone by. I think this could have been one of the fastest years of my life and yet I was so hoping this would be the slowest year so I could savor every moment and relish every minute with my sweet girl. Her 1st birthday was so much fun. I wanted to start a tradition that would be special between just the two of us and had a hard time trying to figure out what that would be exactly. The night before her Big Day I was laying in bed still trying to put my finger on what tradition I could start when it hit me! Breakfast! I decided every year on Jorja's birthday, I would wake her up and just the two of us would go and have a special birthday breakfast! So, I woke Jorja up around 8:00a, changed her into her new "Little Miss Birthday" shirt and we headed to Le Peep for Funny Face Pancakes! I brought her "1" candle and some matches and put the candle in the pancakes and I sang to her very quietly (luckily it wasn't very busy or I might have cleared out the place) :) Jorja seemed to enjoy the pancakes okay - she enjoyed the parts without the whip cream the best - go figure! We came home and played for a bit and then Jorja took a long nap! Then we met Gigi (my mom) for lunch at Celebrity Cafe! It was such a fun treat to see Gigi. She brought presents and bought Jorja a bday cookie. It was so much fun! That night when Daddy came home we decided to take Jorja to her favorite place for dinner - or is it our favorite place?? Anyway, we took her to Chick-fil-A! Jorja can eat a full 4 piece kids meal there so we figure she enjoys it enough to make it part of her birthday celebration! Shane made her vanilla cupcakes with strawberry icing for dessert and we brought one along for her to enjoy while at the restaurant. She wasn't too sure about it at first but I think she warmed up to it eventually. I just think the icing really throws her off because she doesn't like her hands to get too dirty... she's a little princess! :) After dinner we took her home for a fun soak in the tub and off to bed! I had a blast on her 1st birthday, and let's be honest - isn't that what really matters since I'm the one who will remember it? :)

Our last and final birthday month picture!

Funny Face Pancakes!!

Me & Jorja with full bellies leaving Le Peep - I think this is going to be a fun tradition!

Jorja excited about her gifts at lunch

Gigi, Jorja & Me

Best pic I could get of Jorja with her cupcake

Diving in to the cupcake - YUMMY!

Self-portrait of the fam

Daddy & Jorja outside Chick-fil-A

Fun in the Tub!

The Birthday Bash!

2008-08-02T22:01:00.006-05:00

Jorja's Birthday Party took place at the McKinney Stonebridge Beach Club on Saturday, July 26th. It was about 104 degrees outside that day but luckily the swimming pool was close and cool! :) We had about 50 of some of our closest friends and family at the party and feel SO blessed by everyone that was there! I tend to have big expectations for many things in my life and was a little worried at first that the party wouldn't meet my expectations but, I think it met and exceeded them. It was wonderful! We grilled hotdogs, went swimming, had lots of cake and good conversations and opened a ton of gifts (which I still have not found a place for in my home, my goodness our house is turning into one big play room) :) All in all it was a great way to celebrate my sweet Jorja Mae turning 1. Here's a few highlights:

The Proud Parents of a One Year Old!

Birthday Princess

Jorja's Smash Cake - it was banana flavored because we were afraid she wouldn't eat it and since we know she LOVES bananas we thought it might get her to dive in...

While we sing "Happy Birthday" Jorja eyes the cake - or maybe the flame on the candle (which, by the way, she tried to put out with her fingers instead of blowing it out...yikes!)

So maybe the banana flavor didn't make a difference...

Nope, it did! She LOVES it. In fact, she ate almost the entire thing. Seriously!

Sweet Princess doing her "wave" while munching on her cake! :)

She had cake EVERYWHERE!

This picture was taken after we had eaten cake and opened presents and this is Jorja saying "Thank You" to everyone! So cute!

I just love that "little" belly! :) Here is Jorja in her new wagon that she absolutely LOVES! She's played in it everyday since she got it.

I love you, sweet Jorja Mae!

2008-08-02T10:00:00.008-05:00

Well, I feel in honor of Jorja's first birthday I should recap some of my most favorite things about my little girl and our first year together. I've been trying to figure out how many things I should recap because there are just so many - I could do 365 for every day we've been together or I could do 7,232,007 since that is her birth date - but I figure that might be a little overboard. :) At any rate, you can feel free to read or skip this particular entry as it is mainly something special for Jorja from me as a way to capture all my thoughts and feelings for her on "paper". Plus, I'm sure no matter how many or few things I try to come up with, it will be lengthy! :)

Me & Jorja the day she was born and on her 1st birthday!

Jorja Mae, my sweet baby girl - you have made my life better and brighter and shown me things about myself that I never knew existed. The love I have for you is one I have never known before and one that will never compare to another. I now have a small glimpse of how God loves us and how He must feel about us as his children. Truly Amazing! You are such a blessing from God and I can't imagine my life without you in it. I pray I will be a great mentor, teacher, confidant, friend and mom to you all the days of your life.

Here are just a FEW of the things I love about you - my sugar bear, my princess, my sweet pea, my silly girl, my little munchkin, my baby girl, my love, my Jorja Mae:

Your Laugh - it has evolved throughout the year which means you actually have about 5 different laughs depending on what is going on and what you think is funny. Your laugh can bring a smile to my face on the worst of days. It is my favorite sound!
How You Cuddle - I love when you are so sleepy you can't help but rest your head on my shoulder. Recently you just started wanting a "lovey" when you go to sleep and I love when I put your lovey on my shoulder how you immediately stick your thumb in your mouth and with your other fingers grab onto the lovey and rest your head. I could cuddle with you all day!
Your Wet Slobbery Kisses - you are very stingy with your kisses but when you do decide to give them you go all out! They are wide open mouth kisses with lots of licking and slobber. They are wet but so wonderful. I often find myself trying to figure out what makes you want to give them so I can get them all the time.
Your Love for Food - It brings me such joy to know that you love food as much as your Dad and I do. There are very few things I've put in front of you that you won't eat and it makes meal time so enjoyable for me and for you! I love how you open your mouth big and wide as soon as you see the spoon coming. There is no need to play silly games like "airplane" with you - you are ready, willing and able to eat it all! I love watching you experience a new food for the first time. I love watching you when you really like something. You get all excited and smile real big, wave your arms in the air and then you say "mmmm". Now that you are starting to eat "table foods" I think it is so cute how you always want to copy me and eat what I'm eating and you get so frustrated when I don't let you pick it up and put it in your mouth on your own. Mealtime with you is always an experience and tends to be some of my favorite times of the day.
All Your "Firsts" - I absolutely LOVE that I have had the blessing to be there for all of your "firsts". I was there the first time you smiled, the first time you laughed, the first time you rolled over, your first tooth (which definitely wasn't the funnest of your firsts), the first time you woke up in your bed on your belly, your first word (which was "Dada" but I'll get over it), the first time you sat up on your own, the first time you pulled yourself up, the first time you started to use and understand sign language, the first time you had solid foods, the first time you drank from a sippy cup on your own, the first time you drank through a straw, the first time you picked up food and fed yourself, and now your first STEPS! Being home with you was the best decision I've ever made. I can't imagine missing out on any one of those firsts and I don't want to miss out on any of the firsts that are still to come.
Our Nursing Bond - I have cried many days and nights over the fact that this time has come to an end for you and I. You weren't even an hour old the first time I nursed you and you allowed me to nurse you for at least a week after you turned one. You and I had an instant connection and we just fit together perfectly. You did everything right from the very beginning which made it so much easier on me. I can't tell you how much this time I had with you meant to me. I know you will never remember it but I always will. I was able to hold you closer than anyone else ever could. I was able to experience a bond with you that only you and I have. I loved how you would cling so tightly to me as if you knew I was your only source of life and nourishment and that I would always keep you safe and warm. Knowing, that for the first 6 months of your life at least, I was all that was keeping you alive was such a huge responsibility and yet one I accepted with great joy and delight! I will forever and always cherish the (roughly) 1,865 times I was able to nurse you to become the healthy, happy "little" girl you are now!
Your Facial Expressions and Personality - I think I love this so much because not only does it keep me laughing and entertained all day but it is the one area of your life where I really see some similarity between you and I. You look just like your daddy and often times I have a hard time seeing myself in you... until those facial expressions come out or until your bubbly and happy personality comes out and then I realize there IS a little bit of me in you and I LOVE it! You are always so sweet to smile and wave at people as they talk to you, you laugh all the time, you love hearing yourself talk so much I often hear you doing it when you are alone in your crib waking up or trying to fall asleep, I hardly ever have to wonder what you want or what you are thinking because your facial expression gives it all away - I know when you are frustrated, happy, sad, angry, hurt, sleepy or poopy! And I think it is so wonderful that God gave you the same empathy and sensitivity He gave to me. It will be both a blessing and a curse for you (and others who know you) your whole life. :) You can seriously cry at the drop of a hat if I even look at you the wrong way and you absolutely can't let anyone cry alone in your presence. I love knowing that you and I will share in our love for life and laughter and our love for people and their well-being.
Your Beauty - you are absolutely beautiful, Jorja Mae. You have the most amazing flawless porcelain skin. Your eyes are captivating and the most beautiful shade of blue. Your naturally highlighted curly cues on top of your head are simply adorable (and something I prayed for when you were in the womb). Your cheeks are so kissable and pinch-able I find my lips attached to them most of the day. Your big ol' belly and rolls on your arms and legs are just the cutest thing ever. I will take a chunky, healthy baby any day of the week. :) You have such a cute little button nose that crinkles when you laugh. And you have these cute dimples that come out when you smile. And don't even get me started on your feet. They are probably my favorite part. They are perfect! I love that when you look at the bottom of your foot your toes look like little peas and your feet are just so chunky and squishy - and they are ticklish so I can always get a giggle out of you by playing with them. You are breathtakingly beautiful and sometimes look like a little porcelain doll. I can only imagine how much your beauty will grow as you get older.
Your Sweet Voice - you have such a sweet and cute little voice. I absolutely love to hear you say "momma". It always cracks me and your dad up because when you say "momma" you say it loud and with much authority and when you say "dada" you say it so soft and sweet. I'm sure that is no reflection as to how you view the way your dad and I talk! :) One of your favorite things to say is "whoa" and you say it with such conviction and surprise - the ball goes down the slide for the 10th time and you say "whoa" - you fall down and you say "whoa" - you wake up and start talking to yourself and there is almost always going to be a "whoa" in there. I love it! You babble on and on and on all day and I love hearing your sweet voice and trying to figure out what story you are trying to tell me. And you make the most adorable animal noises ever! The Lion is definitely a crowd favorite! :) I'm just longing for the day when you can actually look at me and say in your sweet little voice "momma, I love you" - that will be the greatest day ever.
How you Praise the Lord in Everything - I try not to turn the tv on much while you are awake because I don't want you to end up like a couch potato like your dad and me. So often times I will put on Praise & Worship music while we play throughout the day. I began to notice as we would have the music playing in the background that at times a song would catch your attention and you would just start bouncing up and down and would clap and smile. So I took that opportunity to teach you how to "Praise the Lord" and taught you to raise your hands in worship as you listened to the music. Well, now - whenever you hear music of any kind whether its the ABCs or Jesus Loves Me - you bounce up and down, clap your hands and raise your hands in worship. It is priceless. Not to mention that you know as soon as I say "Let's pray" to grab onto my hands and sit still. And as soon as you hear me say "In Jesus Name" you start saying "men" for Amen. Simply awesome! God has big and wonderful plans for you, Jorja Mae. He is going to use you for His Kingdom in ways none of us imagined possible. I can't wait! You have shown me the true meaning of giving praise to the Lord in everything!

Happy First Birthday sweet girl. I love you more than words could ever express and more than my actions will ever show. I can't wait to see what this next year and the years to come will bring about for us.

Love,
Your Momma

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-13T15:18:00.005-05:00

Jorja's first 4th of July was pretty uneventful... for her at least. Unfortunately she slept through most of the really exciting parts! We went to my parents house for the 4th of July where we also met my brother and sister and their families. I always love getting together with my whole family but it is always pretty crazy. Jorja is the 9th grandchild so you can imagine that life is never dull when we are all together! :) My parents live out on a lake so this year my sister brought their boat and we went tubing and riding around the whole weekend. It was a BLAST! However, Jorja was not thrilled with the boat AT ALL! Not sure if it was the huge life jacket or the blazing heat but it took her a while to warm up to the boat - and I use the term "warm up to" very loosely. After a few minutes of riding around and her screaming, we decided maybe next year would be better for her to try out the boat! There was also a parade the morning of the 4th that unfortunately took place right in the middle of Jorja's nap time but, we were able to at least pretend she rode the float to get a picture with her and the kiddos. And, as you can already guess, Jorja was sleeping through the fireworks as well. But, her outfit was cute and patriotic so that's something! :) I have no doubt that her 2nd 4th of July will bring about a much more noteworthy blog!

Our family in front of the float!

Her shirt says "Daddy's All American Sweetie" :)

Most of the kids on the float... we are missing a few.

Getting ready to go on the boat for the first time. See how happy she was then...

Jorja looks okay here but I had just unzipped her life jacket...

Yeah, not too happy...

Eating a little watermelon to cool her off and as you can see we broke the rules and removed the life jacket... but, it made for a much happier Jorja! :) She got off the boat about 3 minutes after this picture.

Daddy's Birthday means a fun visit from Pop!

2008-07-11T15:14:00.009-05:00

Shane's birthday was a couple of weeks ago and we decided to make a weekend of it! On Friday night Shane & I had a fun date night and went to one of our favorite restaurants - Jasper's!! It is AMAZING! On Saturday Shane's dad came up from Abilene to spend the day with us. It has been a few months since he had seen Jorja and I think he was shocked at how big she had gotten. He ate up every minute with her. It was so awesome to watch how much he loves her! And of course, we loved spending some good quality time with him as well. I think Jorja had a great time with her Pop - he played "airplane" with her, read a book to her, and even let her shove a pen up his nose - it was a good time had by all! :) It meant a lot that he came to visit and we all wish we lived closer! Shane's mom also made him an amazing fondue dinner to celebrate the big day but unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of it. Sorry! We also got to see some old (and new) friends on Shane's birthday. Shane's old roommate Neil and his wife Leah just happened to be driving through town on Shane's b-day so we got to hang out with them and their son Jack for the night. We loved Jack - he is SUCH a cutie! I'm not sure how Jorja really felt about Jack though. All I do know is that when he went in to kiss her, she smooth put her hand up right in his face! That's my girl!! :) It was great to see the Mullins family and for Jorja to meet her new boyfriend! She's gonna be a heart breaker like her momma! HA!

Family pic before going out on our date

BEST dessert!

Sweet Daddy's Girl!

She's trying to show you her shirt she wore special for Dad's B-day - it says "My Daddy's the Big Kahuna"

Her first "ride" at La Hacienda

Two men Jorja has wrapped around her little finger!!

Pop and Jorja

playing "airplane"

reading a book

Jack was trying to give Jorja a hug and she lost her balance and they both fell / Jack and Jorja playing at the house

Out at dinner. Jack was so sweet trying to hold Jorja's hand but she would not have any of that!

Aww - they have the same sippy cup... they must be "meant to be" :)

Play date Mishap... turned fun!

2008-07-08T21:34:00.013-05:00

So, not too long ago I decided to bite the bullet and join a "Mommy and Me" Play group. I figured it was about time for Jorja to have someone other than me to play with and I needed a little bit more adult interaction as well. This group has several things going on throughout the week so you can just pick and choose what you want to attend. A lot of the events take place during Jorja's nap so when I finally found one that took place during lunch I jumped at the opportunity to attend. It was a "Silly Sunglasses Picnic in the Park" which sounded right up my alley! Well, I show up to the play group with my silly sunglasses and all to find NO ONE at the park... After driving around for about 30 minutes Jorja and I just decided to make the most of the play date gone bad. We pulled out the blanket, our chick-fil-a, and of course - our silly sunglasses and we had a ball with just the two of us!! Jorja LOVES being outside so she just played up a storm on the blanket and then we went for a walk around the park to see the ducks and enjoy the scenery... I really had such a great time with her and realized we definitely need to have more picnics together. I kind of went picture crazy (of course holding the camera out as best I could to capture our pictures) so, here are a few of my favorites from the day (you can click on them if you want to see a bigger view). I haven't given up on the "Mommy and Me" group - I have another play date scheduled soon... this time maybe I won't wear my obnoxious pink sunglasses so people will actually want to hang out with me... :)

Jorja trying to figure out how to get her chicken out of the box. And her in her silly sunglasses which she had on for about 2.2 seconds...

Here we are in all our silliness!!! :)

I finally found a nice lady at the park with her 2 kids who took our pictures while we were looking at the ducks! What a great day with Jorja!

11 Months Old!

2008-06-26T09:49:00.005-05:00

I think I say this every month but I simply can't believe how fast time is flying by! I am in total disbelief that my little baby girl is 11 months old. It is becoming more and more apparent that she is no longer a "baby" - especially when we shop for clothes since she's now in the toddler section! AHH! I don't know that I'm ready to have a toddler - I want my 8lb, 5 oz newborn baby back! :) Here are a few things we are experiencing now... we are starting to wean from breastfeeding. I'm down to 3 feedings a day and will be cutting down to 2 and then 1 very soon. I can hardly talk about it without crying. I have just loved having that time with her and am sad it is coming to an end. But, she is definitely letting me know she's ready. We used to spend about 30 min or so feeding... now we spend a maximum of about 5 or 6 minutes. She's become very proficient and fast! :) Because I started weaning I called the Dr. to find out what I should supplement for those feedings and he told me since she was only a month away from turning 1 that it would probably be okay to start her on whole milk. I introduced her to it yesterday. I only poured her 1 oz of it and she barely drank half of it... I don't think its quite as sweet and creamy as mommy's! But, she didn't seem to have any allergic reaction to it so that is fantastic! Jorja is getting closer and closer to walking every day. She actually stood by herself without holding on to anything yesterday for about 8 seconds. I started getting so excited and screaming which in turn made her excited and she started clapping and smiling and lost her balance and fell. It was so cute! She loves pushing things around that move and still continues to cruise the couches like it's her job! My goal is to have her walking on her own by her birthday party! We'll see if that happens! :) Since the last month update she can now proficiently sign "more" (and she actually says it while she's signing which is way cool... it sounds like "mo" but we know what she's saying.) She can also sign "please", "all done", and we are starting to get "thank you" but aren't quite there fully! In addition to "mama" and "dada" (and the lion roar) she can say "bye" and wave to you. She can also "Praise the Lord". It is actually quite funny because during the day I play praise and worship while we play and often she will stop and clap and then I'll say "Praise the Lord" and she'll raise her hands in the air and start bouncing them up and down. I LOVE IT! But, what is really funny is that now whenever she hears ANY type of music she will immediately raise her hands and bounce them up and down... I don't think she quite understands which music is Christian and which isn't... but, if my baby girls wants to praise the Lord in all things I say go right ahead! :)

Here are a few pictures from our 11 month poster photo shoot. The older she gets the harder it is to take these pictures. All she wants to do is play with that silly poster! I finally had to put her in the bumbo so I could get some pictures! Only 1 more month of making posters and taking pictures... sad!

tuckered out from a hard day with the paparazzi. :)

Happy Father's Day, Shane!

2008-06-26T09:07:00.007-05:00

I can't even begin to describe how much Shane adores and loves Jorja. It is amazing to see what such a little girl can do to a grown man! She definitely has him wrapped around her little fingers already. :) It is just priceless to watch his face light up when he gets home from work and she says "dada". It is awesome to see him go a little weak in the knees when he holds her in his arms and she rests her head on his shoulder. I think it's amazing and sweet that he cries when she's sick or hurt because he can't stand to see her in pain. I love to watch him play with her as he tries to figure out what makes her giggle so he can hear her do it over and over again. It has been such a joy and a blessing to watch Shane fall madly in love with Jorja. The relationship between a father and a daughter is one that is uncomparable to any other relationship. God definitely knew exactly what Shane needed to bring out the joy that lies deep within him - a baby girl named Jorja! You are an absolutely wonderful Daddy, Shane. Jorja is the luckiest little girl on earth! I love you and fall more in love with you each day as I watch how you love, protect and care for our precious little sugar bear! :) Happy Father's Day!

Shane's Father's Day card from Jorja

Shane went to go wake up Jorja from her nap and she wanted just a few more minutes of rest time on Daddy! So sweet!

Getting ready to go out to eat to celebrate Shane!

Jorja was actually sleeping on Shane's chest but when she heard me come in the room she woke up. But, I still think the picture turned out cute! :)

Jorja and Daddy playing on the couch together! So in love!!

Photo Shoot w/ Jenn at Studio G Photography

2008-06-18T22:58:00.005-05:00

My friend Jennifer is a WONDERFUL photographer in Kerrville and while Jorja and I were visiting her we did a few photo shoots with myself and Jorja. We actually took pictures for Jorja's First Birthday (even though it's not for another month) because we wanted to have some pics to put on our invitation to her Birthday Party! We also took some other pics with Jorja outside and a few with mommy!!! I think the pics turned out FANTASTIC! If you are any where near Kerrville and need your picture taken you better call Studio G... and I think Jenn will travel if you are are at least in Texas! :) Thanks, Jenn for a WONDERFUL time with you and your kiddos and for enduring THREE photo shoots with me and Jorja to capture the best pics. You are an amazing photographer and an even more amazing friend. I love you!

My sweet (almost) birthday girl - I can't believe she's almost ONE! AHH!!

Jorja wan't too fond of the cake at first...

But she eventually warmed up to it!
One of my favorite pics from this session. She is just so captivated by the piece of cake on the floor. TOO CUTE!

Front of the Birthday Party Invitation - a little highlight of some of my favorite pics! I LOVE IT!!

Splish Splash I was taking a bath... then all of the sudden...

2008-06-18T21:48:00.009-05:00

This week we are visiting one of my best friends, Jennifer and her family. She has 2 foster kids that she is in the process of adopting and they are C-U-T-E, cute!!! Jorja has had a little bit of a rough time adjusting to not being the only kid around to catch mommy's attention but overall we are having a BLAST! If anyone knows of any play groups we can get involved with here please let me know! Jorja MUST learn to have friends and play with others! :)

Today all the kids went swimming (which was so fun but we got zero pics because 3 babies in the water and only 2 adults was too much to handle to stop and take pics - bummer). So, when we got home we felt the kiddos needed a quick bath to get the sunscreen and chlorine off before hitting the sack. Jenn and I thought it would be fun to put Jorja and Hadleigh in the bath together and sure enough - it was quite an adventure and very fun! The girls got along GREAT and had a fun time playing with the toys. The highlight of the bath though was when Jorja decided, out of the blue, to stand up and... you got it... POOP! I didn't realize at first that was what she was doing but then she made "the face" and sure enough, I looked in the tub and there it was in all its glory. A big ol' POOPY! Jenn had left the bathroom for a brief moment so I immediately started yelling for her help as I tried to hold both the girls down so they wouldn't start playing with it. It is amazing how enticing a piece of poop can be while playing in the bathtub!! Oh, my sweet girl never ceases to amaze me. :)

Ahh! I LOVE this girl. Too cute!I LOVE Hadleigh's face in this picture. Too cute.

Sweet Happy Girls!

Playing so sweet

And this is where Jorja did "the poopy deed". :)

Hanging outside the tub while we refill it up with clean NON-poopy water! Look at those CUTE and pinchable bottoms (and rolls on Jorja) :)

I'm not real sure what they are playing with back there but they were quite enthralled with it. A little aerial view of the tub and the ADORABLE girls in it!

My Little Lion

2008-06-12T11:17:00.011-05:00

This is really one of the cutest things ever. Jorja loves the sounds that animals make and will just laugh and laugh when I make certain animal noises - a few of her favorites are the rooster, frog and duck. One day we were playing with one of her toys that makes animal sounds and all of the sudden she started to imitate one of the animals. It was the cutest thing! I was so excited that I kept making her do it over and over and now she can make the sound without hearing it first. She's a genius! :) Seriously though... I took these videos yesterday and I never made the sound before filming - I simply asked her what sound the Lion makes and she immediately did it. I filmed one and then did another because I wanted to make sure it wasn't a "fluke" that she knew what sound a lion made. And then they were both so adorable I couldn't choose a favorite. :) The first one you will see is actually the second one I filmed (I just downloaded backwards). It has a little attitude and an awesome face to go along with it and the second one is just so sweet. ADORABLE!!!

A trip to Gigi and Papa's!!

2008-06-12T10:50:00.008-05:00

Last week I went to visit my mom and dad for a few days. They live on a lake so I thought it would be fun for Jorja to visit her Gigi and Papa and have some fun on the lake. It was pretty windy the day we went so we didn't stay out there long. At first the water was VERY cold so Jorja was not happy about being there but she quickly warmed up to the water and had a great time playing with Gigi and her Momma. When we were done playing in the water she sat on the beach and played for a bit in the sand. It was her first time to really get down and dirty. She wasn't sure what to think of the sand at first. And, of course, the first thing she did was try and eat it! Silly girl! But, overall I think she really enjoyed it a lot. My mom and dad also have a trampoline in their backyard so I took Jorja and Fezzik out there and we lightly bounced. She really enjoyed trying to crawl around on the wobbly thing and when I'd stand her up and bounce she just laughed. It was so fun! We had a such good time hanging with Gigi and Papa and look forward to spending many more days there this summer jumping on the trampoline, getting dirty in the sand and swimming in the lake!!

Hanging out on the trampoline!

Our trip to the lake:

Gigi also made Jorja her first pancakes. It was made extra special with a lot of love and Jorja loved it! :)

Gigi and Jorja - all tuckered out from an eventful few days!

Looking out the window and dreaming...

2008-06-12T10:41:00.006-05:00

At least 2 or 3 times a day Jorja will either crawl herself or will want us to walk her over to the front door so she can look out the window. She will just stand there forever and look out. She will pat on the class, press her nose up against the window and I've even caught her a few times licking the glass (I prob need to make sure its a little cleaner - yikes!). I don't know why all the sudden she started doing it but now she can't get enough. She's fascinated! I guess maybe she's dreaming and thinking of the next time she gets to go outside and play... or maybe she thinks she's in prison and wants to get a glimpse of freedom - who knows! :)

Dad's Spaghetti

2008-06-11T08:41:00.005-05:00

I can't believe Jorja is actually big enough to eat the same things we eat! We've been very nervous about introducing her to table foods - mainly because I think we are in complete denial about how old and big she is... I want her to stay that little baby that only gets nutrients from her momma! But, I can't always have want I want I guess! :) Anyway, one night Shane was cooking dinner and decided to make spaghetti (one of my absolute favorites of his, by the way) because we happened to have some spiral pasta already cooked and Shane thought she might be able to eat it. So Shane tossed a few of those noodles in the sauce and put it on Jorja's tray to see if she would even eat it and well... the pictures speak for themselves. SHE LOVED IT! She couldn't get enough... we almost didn't have enough to share between the three of us. Her entire face and hands were completely orange by the time she finished. It was awesome. It was the first real "big girl" meal she had ever had and Daddy made it for her. It melted Shane's heart to know she loved what he made especially for her. It's a good thing she loves food so much cause her Daddy is the best chef around! :)

A LOT of new posts...

2008-05-27T22:40:00.005-05:00

Sorry - I haven't posted in a few weeks but, that didn't mean my picture taking and Jorja's new adventures ceased. :) So, keep scrolling down to where you left off last. I'd hate for you to miss out on anything! I know you've all been on the edge of your seat waiting to find out what Jorja has been up to lately! heehee.

10 Months Old!!

2008-05-27T21:57:00.010-05:00

I can hardly believe Jorja is already 10 months old. Where on earth is the time going? She is just the best thing that has ever happened to Shane and me. She is extremely happy and laughs all the time. She is so sweet and loving natured. She is just like her Momma in the fact that she is SUPER sensitive and already empathetic to others. If I even look at her w/ a look of disappointment or anger or if she sees someone else hurting and crying she will immediately BURST into tears. And those CHEEKS are just to die for! She LOVES to eat, and loves to crawl all over mom and dad. She still loves "cruising" the couch but has begun to branch out by grabbing on to us and making us walk her around. (see video below) She is getting the hang of crawling a little bit better but still can't get fully up on all fours. She can pull herself up almost every time by herself and has even sat up by herself while laying on her belly. Her favorite thing to say is "whoa" but throws a lot of "mama" and "dada" in there too. She loves to clap and will do it almost instantly when you sing "if you're happy and you know it". She can wave hello or bye to you and can sign "all done". When she kisses you it is a full open mouth kiss with tongue and all. :) I dare anyone to be around her for more than a minute and not fall madly in love - 1 million dollars to the person who succeeds! :) I ache when I'm not with her and I glow when I am. She is everything I prayed for and more. What an incredible 10 months of my life this has been.

Our monthly birthday pic. She's getting to where she loves to play with the poster board and won't pose with it if she can't touch it. I was lucky to get one happy pic with her next to the poster and the rest I got she was actually holding the poster. I actually think the one of her hiding behind it is awesome. She is too cute.

Jorja has upgraded the car seat to a "big girl" seat. No more carrier - which is actually better for us since that thing weighed about 100lbs with her in it. :) I think she likes the new seat... makes her feel SO BIG!

Everyday Jorja spends time playing in her play pen by herself and away from anyone. On this particular day I came to get her out and she was STANDING UP! She was so proud of herself, as you can see.

My little Rock Star

We introduced her to yogurt - messy but super yummy!

This pic has no real significance except for I think she's cute in her little blue summer dress! :)

I can't believe it but I think my little girl will be walking soon.

Fun in the Crib

2008-05-27T21:07:00.006-05:00

Lately I've begun to get into the habit of taking my camera into Jorja's room when I go to get her out of bed - I never know what I'm gonna get and it always seems to be a sight to see! Enjoy a few of my favs.

Yup - even after we lowered the bed, she has still found a way to pull herself up and stand. So far no injuries - praying we keep it that way!

At first I just heard her laughing in the monitor so I thought I would let her stay and play a bit before I went and got her up... and then I heard music. I immediately went to see what was going on and found her playing with the mobil in the crib. Needless to say, the mobile did not go back up after this.

This is one of my most favorite pics of her in her crib... A lot of the time as soon as she hears me open the door or I turn the light on she pulls up, rests her head on the bumper and looks at me through the crib slats. I often will drop to my knees and crawl over to her and peek at her through the slats as well and she will just laugh and put her hands through and try and grab my nose and touch my cheeks. We often look at and touch each other through the "jail bars" for a few minutes before I go and pick her up. It is so precious and simply awesome. I LOVE it!

Using the bumper as a pillow - like a big girl.

Not sure what she was looking for but she must have fallen asleep before finding it! ha!

Just chillin while waiting for me to come get her out of bed.

My precious Sleeping Angel.

Jorja's First SWIM!

2008-05-26T22:07:00.009-05:00

I've been dying to take Jorja to the pool because I knew she would love it... and she did!! Here's some fun pics from our day at the pool on Memorial Day! We brought "Tommy the Turtle" with us and she loved him. He kept her safe and shaded! She really loved it when I would spin him around and around and push him fast! She definitely didn't want to leave the water but after a while she would start laying her head down on the front of the turtle and start sucking her thumb. After about the 3rd time of her doing that I realized all good things must come to an end - it was nap time! Enjoy the pics and the video of her first time in the pool! Bring on the Summer-O-Fun!

Mom & Jorja creepin in the water

First time in the turtle - not sure what to think yet... plus the water was a bit chilly at first.

Now we got the hang of it - just cool chillin!

We are SO cool in our shades! (although Jorja wouldn't wear hers for more than 2 seconds)

SO happy!

She has no idea what a treat her mom really is! :)

Worn out and ready for a nap.

Our CRAZY family...

2008-05-26T15:42:00.008-05:00

Sometimes just for fun we pull out the camera and... let the world see who we really are! :) I love, love, love that Jorja played along. She is going to be just as big of a ham as we are, I'm sure. Pure awesomeness! Don't judge us - just love us in spite of our craziness. :)

My First Mother's Day

2008-05-12T20:39:00.010-05:00

I really don't have the words to describe how amazing my first Mother's Day was... in fact, it wasn't a day at all it was an entire weekend. Shane showered me with UNBELIEVABLE gifts - a fun 80's t-shirt, a James Avery bookmark with a picture frame charm on the end with a picture of Jorja AND a necklace with many small diamonds on it made into a circle. It is BEAUTIFUL!! My weekend started out Friday afternoon when Shane got off work. We got a babysitter - aka Nannie - and he took me out to the movies (one of my favorite things to do and I have only been one time since Jorja was born) and to dinner at Mi Cocina. And to top off the night we came home and he made me one of my favorite desserts (yellow cake with chocolate icing) and we watched another movie (yes, I LOVE movies) :) On Saturday we spent the day with my mom and family. We took family portraits for most of the day, went to church and out to dinner. It was definitely a fun-filled and wonderful day celebrating the woman that inspires me to be the best mom I can be. My mom is full of laughter, creativity, brilliance, love, compassion, strength, kindness, patience, selflessness, encouragement, beauty and godliness. If I can be half the mother she has been to me Jorja will be so blessed! I love you Momma! On Sunday, I was able to (for the first time since Jorja has been born) SLEEP IN!!! You heard me. I got to sleep past 7:00am! WOO HOO! My amazing hubby got up and fed Jorja and played with her and let me get some sleep. Of course, it wasn't near as long as I wanted it to be because my hearing has become super sonic hearing since Jorja came into my life and I could hear her saying "mama, mama" out in the living room and I couldn't resist getting up. But, the fact that Shane let me attempt to sleep in was priceless for me. We spent most of the day Sunday celebrating Shane's mom (Sandi). She came over and her and Shane went and hung out just the two of them for a bit then we went and drove around town and then to dinner. Shane's mom and I have a great relationship so it was great to spend the day celebrating her as well. I learn so much from her about being a mom as well - she is giving, sacrificial, selfless, caring, kind, organized, loving, intuitive, and gentle. She is a wonderful mom as well and I love her very much! While we were out and about Sandi asked me what my one favorite thing about being a mom was - and there are so many things I could list out it seems impossible to narrow down to just one. I am sure I'm not the only mom in the world to think that my kid is the best kid in the world but, I also know I'm the only one who is actually right - except for maybe my own mom! ha! :) But, it is true. Jorja is simply wonderful. However, if I have to narrow down to just one thing - my favorite thing about being a mom (thus far) would have to be, hands down, breast feeding! Everyone else in the world can experience all the wonderful and amazing things about Jorja but NO ONE else but ME gets to have the joy and pleasure of being so close to her in this way. It is indescribable. Now, I know there are many moms out there reading this who would not say this is their favorite thing but I was VERY fortunate when it came to nursing. From the very first time Jorja latched on it was true love. It never hurt. It was never uncomfortable. It was just so natural and wonderful for both of us. I am really dreading the day I will have to begin to wean her - luckily I still have about 2 1/2 more months before I have to think about it. (sigh). I love the feeling of our skin touching. I love the way she clings on so tight while she nurses. I love how sweet her face looks while she moves in so close. I love how close to her I feel while doing it - not just physically but emotionally. I love to sing to her while I hold her so close and I love how sometimes that is the only thing that gets her to really calm down. I love how, for at least the first six months, I was the only thing keeping her alive and growing strong. I love the way she looks at me and smiles when she is finished - fully satisfied and so thankful for her momma. I love the bond we have with each other because of it. I love our bedtime feeding with the lights off and the praise and worship playing lightly in the background and watching her start to doze off to sleep while clinging so close - this is my favorite time of day. I love how perfect her little body fits into mine - as if we were made for each other to do this very thing. I am truly amazed by God's perfect design for moms to be able to care for their children in such a way. I don't know how my body is producing milk and I am truly baffled at God's brilliance but what a blessing to have such a special bond with Jorja that NO ONE else in the world will ever have with her but me! Thank you, Jesus for this indescribable gift of motherhood...I don't think I'm worthy enough to carry the title of "Mom".

At the Portrait Studio - taken with our camera though...

Jorja and I playing around while we wait for our turn to take pics.

Our Family Portrait

My wonderful (and a bit crazy) family!! We did take "normal" pictures but I think this truly sums up what my family is really like. I am blessed!

Me & Jorja on Mother's Day - I believe her shirt says it all! :)

I love hugs from my sweet girl.

I can't forget my first child. Sweet Fezzik.

Me and my babies! I am the luckiest girl in the world.

(and I hope my blog wasn't TMI for some of you... or too long. I get a little long winded at times... but, hey, isn't that what blogs are for?) :)

Fun in the Sun

2008-05-06T22:24:00.001-05:00

Jorja absolutely loves the outdoors and I am getting SO excited thinking about all the fun we are going to have playing in the sun this summer. She absolutely LOVES being in the water as well so I know we are going to love splashing in the pool together ALL summer long. Huh?! Maybe this no working stuff IS all it's cracked up to be. :) Although, I am definitely gonna have to stock up on the spf as my sweet girl inherited her pale skin from both her momma and daddy! Oh dear! Anyway, here are some pics of us getting our start on our Fun in the Sun!

Trying on our shades before heading outdoors:

Nannie and Papa Huey put a swing in their backyard especially for Jorja so of course we jumped at the chance to go try it out. It was a hit for sure! She even stayed in it long enough to fall asleep! too cute!

Nannie and Jorja playing in the fountain and - you guessed it - Jorja trying to walk.

Nannie, Papa Huey and the grandkids all swing together. And, I feel a little bad that I don't have a whole blog dedicated to my sweet puppy (our first child), Fezzik so here's a little tribute to him as well! Isn't he so cute??

Often Jorja, Fezzik and I (and on weekends, Shane) will go for a walk together around the neighborhood. I will try to navigate the stroller while also holding on Fezzik's leash and Jorja will just talk up a storm as I try to point out all of God's creation to her. But one day, while we were taking our stroll, Jorja decided SHE wanted to be the one to "walk" Fezzik and now she will have it no other way! If that leash even starts to come out of her hand she will start crying immediately. It really is too cute. And don't kid yourself, she keeps Fezzik on a tight leash! Oh the "sibling" rivalry has begun! :)

Table Foods here we come...

2008-05-04T14:26:00.004-05:00

Thank you to those moms who have gone before me - I have begun to introduce Jorja to more "table foods". This afternoon we introduced her to the "cheetos" snacks made by Gerber and she couldn't seem to get enough. I think she's going to be like her parents in that she may have an unhealthy love for cheese! Plus, I think she really likes the sound and feel of using those teeth of hers to bite into the cheese puff - too cute. However, we have discovered her new favorite "table food" is the avocado chunks. She absolutely loves them. No surprise there as I could eat my weight in guacamole and she had plenty of it in the womb and through my milk, I'm sure! :) Here she is eating the avocado and also some chunks of bananas. As you can see - she is quite pleased with the transition...

Is this considered CRAWLING?? If you ask me, YES!

2008-04-28T21:48:00.004-05:00

So what's funny is that I just posted yesterday about Jorja turning 9 mos. and how I was concerned that she wasn't crawling. And to be honest, I had pretty much made up in my mind that she was going to go straight to walking but, low and behold, out of NO WHERE she starts to do this today...

Now, I don't know - some of you may not call this crawling because she isn't technically on all fours and flying across the living room but I don't really care what you think (actually, if you know me at all you know I care what everyone thinks - haha) but, I'm a proud Momma and say my girl hit another milestone today and praise the Lord I was there to see it! However, I think after watching the video you will notice that the Dr. was right - that belly is quite a hinderance - it could be a while before she lifts that thing off the floor. HA!

9 months old

2008-04-27T10:05:00.007-05:00

I can hardly believe it but my "little" girl is now 9 months old. Time is flying by WAY too quickly - I am barely able to cherish all the moments I have with her because they go by so fast. AHH! We went to the Dr. for her 9 mo check up and she is weighing in at a whoppin 23lbs, 12 oz. YIKES! The Dr. said she was "off the charts" at over 100% for her age group. What can I say? I produce straight cream and she LOVES her fruits and veggies. I'll take a good eater and chunky baby any day of the week vs the alternative! :) She hasn't grown in height all that much since our last check up. She is 27 & 3/4 inches tall which dropped her from 97% to 75% for her height... which is still pretty great! She passed all of her "skills" tests - even though she isn't crawling the Dr. said she is completely healthy and on target in her development. He said that belly of hers is probably a pretty big hinderance to her crawling but she'll get there! HA! However, she has started to pull up on things so she can do her new favorite thing - STAND! She loves standing up and she's even starting to "cruise" while holding on to the couch. If we put a toy at one end of the couch and place her standing at the other eventually (with a few falls in between) she will work her way to get the toy and when she does you would think she won the lottery. We both starts screaming and clapping and laughing - it is just so fun! I absolutely LOVE getting to watch her discover and experience new things! The Dr. also told us we need to start introducing her to "table foods" but I'm pretty nervous about how to go about doing that. I mean, what do I give her? How much do I give her? Do I let her feed herself or do I still have to spoon feed her myself or is it a mixture? Can she really eat the same food Shane and I eat? She only has 4 teeth for crying out loud - what can she possibly eat? So... for those moms out there who have gone before me in this area any advice and help is MUCH appreciated. :)

Our monthly birthday picture. You can't see all of the poster because I had to put it about 3 feet behind her because she kept trying to grab it and play with it and that was making it very difficult to get any pictures!

Standing on the couch and so excited she got the rooster!

closest we are getting to her crawling... which in reality, isn't very close.

After her failed attempts to crawl she just wanted to stand and play with her new "dance" toy!

Messy, Messy Biscuits...

2008-04-16T13:32:00.004-05:00

Jorja is really beginning to get the hang of finger foods so we bought her these crackers called Biter Biscuits. The first time she tried them she wasn't too sure about them because they are pretty hard and she had to gnaw on it for a while before she could really eat it. And after a short while she ended up giving up...

But then... we thought we would give it another try another day and WOW - maybe we should have let her give up because these are the absolute MESSIEST things EVER. She had stuff ALL over her face and hands and then of course everything she touched. It was nuts. But, she loved them and we loved watching her.

All Done...

I think one of the reasons Jorja loved those biscuits so much is because her favorite thing to do is take a bath and it was a surefire way to make sure she got one! She was so happy!!

Family Portraits by Studio G Photography

2008-04-09T13:58:00.006-05:00

I have been meaning to post these for FOREVER (sorry Jenn). Back in January Shane and I took a trip to San Antonio to visit one of my best friends in the world - Jennifer Lankford and her husband Erik and their foster (soon to be adopted - wink,wink) children, Hadleigh and Isaac. We had such a great time hanging out with them but one of the "perks" of visiting with them is that Jennifer is a professional photographer. I love having talented friends! :) After taking Jorja to the studio SEVERAL times for family portraits and walking out with ZERO pictures, I called up Jenn and told her - we MUST come see you and have you take pics of us because Jorja is just not feeling the studios in Dallas! :) And while we had quite a difficult time getting Jorja to cooperate for the pictures (she wouldn't smile and had many tears) - Jenn, and all her amazing talent, captured some of my MOST favorite pics of Jorja EVER! I couldn't be more happy with how these pictures turned out. Jenn - you are truly amazing! Everyone please check out their blog to the right - Studio G Photography!!!

My little porcelain doll - I love this picture!

Daddy's Girl!

This is probably one of my favorites too simply because it SO sums up our lives... me and Shane trying to be calm, cool, collected... Jorja absolutely not paying attention to us and in her own world playing with her dress. This is our lives on so many different levels. Oh the comedy!

So in love... BEST 7 years of my life!

These next pictures are what we had Jenn take for Valentines Day. I really can't pick a favorite because they are ALL so awesome!! She is just TOO cute.

I am so in love with her... and her arm rolls... :)

Oh, those cheeks... and you can't tell because the picture is a bit small on here but her eyes in this picture are AMAZING. So blue and beautiful.

Umm... Jorja - your prince has already come, his name is DADDY!

Well, I know you have a hard time believing this looking at all these pictures (again, Jenn did an amazing job) BUT Jorja was quite the fussy pants during the photo shoot. We were trying to get 4 pictures of Jorja with the letters L-O-V-E but she was having none of that. So, Jenn got smart and turned her around and let her cry while she still shot the letters from behind... and it turned out pretty darn cute.

Horha, You give me fever!

2008-03-31T21:52:00.009-05:00

So we just had a pretty eventful weekend and it all started when we went out to eat and Jorja was just not acting herself - which basically means she was a little fussy and wouldn't eat (and as you can see from her pictures, homegirl LOVES to eat and is so HAPPY) so we knew something was up. So I took her out of her highchair and held her and when I did she was BURNING up. Immediately Shane and I packed up all our belongings and headed home. When we got there we took Jorja's temp to discover she had a 103.1 temperature. YIKES! We, of course, freaked out. We called the after hours nurse line and she told us what to do for the night but suggested if Jorja still had a fever first thing in the morning we should go see the Dr. She was still running a temp of 102.7 so we took her in. While we were there one of the nurses came in to do a flu test and before she started she wanted to be sure to tell me a funny story...

She asked me if I remember what happened the last time we took Jorja in to get her immunizations... see, the nurse that came in to give Jorja her shots was new to the practice so the Dr. thought it would be funny to play a joke on her. When she came in to administer the shots she said "so, how is little HORHA doing?" It actually took me a second to figure out what she was saying but once I got it I said "OH! No, it's Jorja" and she freaked out and said "oh my gosh, I'm going to kill him. Dr. Guetersloh told me it was Horha" and we kind of had an uncomfortable laugh and then she made my daughter scream her head off. Then when I was checking out Dr. G came up to me and was laughing so hard about the practical joke he had played on the nurse (and, of course, told me that's what I get for trying to be crazy with the spelling of my daughter's name. ha!)... so, as the nurse reminded me of this incident she proceeded to tell me that ever since that day they bring up the story at least once a day because whenever they have a patient in their office and they don't know how to pronounce their name it is the "inside joke" to call them Horha! She told me when the Dr. told her to "take a flu test for Jorja in room 6" that she looked at him and said "like you mean, Horha, Jorja?" and he said "yes" and then she said she got SO excited because she's been dying to meet the famous Horha Jones! HA! And then she proceeded to make my daughter scream her head off...

I have actually had a lot of laughs about the first incident at the Dr.'s office but now that I know it is making Jorja legendary at the office... I think it is pure greatness! :) haha!! (and hopefully it doesn't lose anything to read this story... I wasn't real sure how to phonetically spell Horha nor was I sure I should phonetically spell Jorja as Georgia - so hopefully you got the gist!)

Oh, and just an FYI... our weekend actually ended up with us spending most of Sunday afternoon in the ER as Jorja had a temperature of 104.6! The diagnosis was bronchiolitis and the beginning of pneumonia. We also got to weigh her while we were there and she is now weighing in at a whoppin 22 lbs, 1 oz! whoa! :) She is still not 100% yet - she has thrown up a few times and still has a low grade fever BUT I can tell she is definitely getting better. She absolutely amazes me though because through it all she is still able to smile and laugh. I just adore her. Oh, and Shane thought I was CRAZY but I took pics of Jorja's first ER visit...

Greatest thing EVER

2008-03-26T15:22:00.003-05:00

I seriously have the happiest baby EVER! I am so blessed that this is my life and that I get to listen to this every day! Oh, and check out those two teeth at the bottom! My happy girl is growing up!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-25T21:00:00.009-05:00

You would think that having a daughter only 8 months old at Easter would not bring about much excitement especially since she can't even crawl... but, since I'm all about making the most of every occasion with Jorja I couldn't resist attempting to color eggs & hunt them and of course we made our visit to the Easter Bunny. I think our first Easter together was a blast! I REALLY can't wait until next year when she's more aware and can join in the fun even more. You know, I'm not real sure where the whole Easter Bunny and hunting eggs came from but it sure is fun! But, not NEAR as much fun as it is to celebrate the REAL reason for Easter - Jesus' death and resurrection. Hallelujah!

Jorja posing with her Easter Basket in her adorable Bunny outfit from Lollie and Pop (still working out the grandparent name but I think its pretty cute)!

Testing out the hard boiled egg before we dunked it in colored vinegar.

We spent the day at my sister's house coloring eggs and hunting them. Here is Jorja with her cousins Harrison, Olivia & Evelyn and of course her Gigi!

Playing with the plastic eggs

I think I had more fun than Jorja did since I was the one to color all of her eggs for her! :) But, I at least had to take her out of the high chair to at least try and help me with coloring... luckily it wasn't too disastrous.

me & Jorja getting ready to head outside for The Hunt!

We found one!

The kiddos with their baskets full of eggs - (Jorja is making a silly face here)

Me & Jorja getting ready to go to Church! Isn't she adorable in her new Easter Dress? We love the polka dots!

The Fam after Church

Our sweet little family! Too bad Jorja wouldn't look at the camera - but, she's still adorable!

Jorja's first snow

2008-03-24T21:11:00.005-05:00

Yup... I still seem to be playing catch up! Here's the pictures of Jorja's first snow on March 4th. Albeit, it was not much of a snow and I'm pretty sure about an hour after this picture the snow began to melt away! But, nonetheless Jorja and I went out there (me in my pjs) and got some cute pics of Jorja.

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-03-16T17:52:00.002-05:00