{this moment} Preschool Graduation

A Little News

Julia is going to be a super big sister!

 

New baby arriving, October 2015!

 

 

The kids have been so cute and I am really surprised by how interested they are in the baby and seem to understand what is happening (although the reality of it will surely be a shock to the system)!

 

We took them to a doctor's appointment. After meeting with three people, and having many conversations about the baby and doing an ultrasound in their presence, we decided to break the news.

 

Andy Holding up an ultrasound picture of the baby: Do you know what this is?

Philip: A space ship!

Andy: What about you, Julia?

Julia: A froggie.

Me: Do you think Mommy swallowed a space ship or a froggie?

Both nod heads

Andy: It's a baby! Mommy is going to have a baby.

Philip: Face palm

 

Me: What do you think we should name the baby if it is a girl?

Philip: Miss Gen's baby (Miss Gen is a close friend who recently had a baby).

Me: Hmmm, that may be a little confusing for people. What else do you think?

Philip: Flower pot.

Me: And what do you think we should name the baby if it is a boy?

Philip: Seed.

 

Me: What do you think we should name the baby if it is a girl?

Julia: Daddy.

Me: And what do you think we should name the baby if it is a boy?

Julia: Daddy.

 

So, they aren't too helpful with the name suggestions yet!

 

Philip was hoping for a brother and Julia was hoping for a sister. Luckily, Philip took the news pretty well when he found out it was another sister.

 

 

Julia loves to check on the baby each day. She lifts up my shirt to give kisses and hugs while saying, "Where is that silly little baby? Oh, the baby is so cute!" They both like to give raspberries on my belly, so hopefully the baby will have a good sense of humor. They have lots of questions, and are particularly concerned with how exactly the baby will get out!

 

We had our big ultrasound on Thursday and kept our tradition of asking the sonographer to write the gender down on a piece of paper. On Saturday night we went out to dinner to open the envelope they gave us. We brought these home for the kids to find when they woke up Sunday morning.

 

 

The baby is looking great - growing perfectly and healthy. We are so thankful for this amazing blessing.

Amazing April

The weather was nicer this month, so our family came out of hiding!

April started with Philip's spring break. We went to the park with friends, had an Easter Egg Hunt with the Mom's Club, participated in a sports class that we usually can't get to during the school year, and had lots of other fun. The week went by fast!

On Good Friday, we made a trip to the National Shrine of Elizabeth Ann Seton and Mount Saint Mary's. Philip was especially eager to get to "St. Mary's." They had lots of fun playing outside.

 

Such a pious boy!

On Easter Sunday, we enjoyed Mass, a backyard Easter Egg hunt, and visiting friends for the day.

This month, we also visited the children's museum,

and the fire station,

A huge hit with both kids

 

dyed Easter Eggs (some people chose not to use the egg dippers provided in the box),

 

spent a day at the zoo with friends,

No good pics that day - we'll just pretend this is from the zoo

 

and visited college friends to celebrate our goddaughter's First Holy Communion.

Isn't she beautiful?

 

We registered Philip for Kindergarten sniff sniff. He is slowly warming up to the idea of going to the "big school" next year, but would much rather stay home with Mommy. He got our family's first case of pink eye and Julia joined him a week later. Luckily we were able to catch it early with her and it wasn't as bad as it was for poor Philip. He has gotten onto a bird watching kick and he loves to take a little notebook outside and tally up all the birds that fly by. Andy was super excited to get Philip an Audobon guidebook to birds. He has officially worn holes in all of the jeans we got him this summer - I guess we have reached that stage of rough and tumble boy!

 

 

 

Julia has the cutest little run/prance. So cute to see her run - it is just so girly! She also walks on her tiptoes a bit - perhaps a future dancer? She goes to sleep surrounded by about ten stuffed "ani-mules" and with a stack of books by her side. Andy has his own made up words and expressions that he uses and Julia totally buys into it and uses those words too. She loves to pretend that we are different animals - she will be the baby cat and I will be the Mommy - next thing I know, we are being baby chicks or an arctic fox - such an imagination!

 

 

Both kids love to show off how well they can balance - it is a big deal! They always want to play chase. We often play gingerbread man/fox with the fox chasing whoever is the gingerbread man. Or sometimes Julia will be a lion and I make sure to ask her to roar while she chases me because it is just the cutest thing! Philip is a super fast runner - I have to sprint to keep up with him - if I can even do that! He has so much fun chasing the other boys around on the playground at school. Both kids love to play outside and bounce on the bed or jump off the couch. When they do, they tell me, "I want to do my energy" (get my energy out).

 

Showing off her balancing skills

 

 

That's all the news from here!

Julia's Jokes IV

"I don't have lots of legs. I just have two."

After hearing footsteps upstairs:
Me: Sounds like your big brother is awake.
Julia: And my big brother Daddy is at work.

"I'm praying for Mommy. Are you a person?" "You're a Daddy. You're not a person." "Is Philip a person? Am I a person?"

Playing hide and seek, Julia lifts up a box that her brother is hiding under.
"Who lives under here? Oh, a smoky jellyfish!"

"Daddy will never find me here?"

Julia: I don't feel good.
Me: What doesn't feel good?
Julia: You're not reading me stories.

Wearing a skirt with no tights or leggings for the first time this spring:
"Why do I get to have naked legs today?

Philip is on a bird counting kick. One day when he wasn't seeing many birds:
Me: Maybe you should count all the different bird sounds you hear instead.
Julia: Yeah! I hear an eagle and a Chihuahua bird.

"Daddy will never know I've been eating whipped cream."

After visiting some friends who have a large family.
Me: How many siblings do you want?
Philip: Two
Andy: How about you, Julia
Julia: Ummm, eleven.

While at dinner one night, Julia told Andy and I:
"You guys are real crunchy to eat."



"It is so prettiful outside today."

Kicking off our bedtime prayers:
"Bless us O Lord, and these thy gifts...through Christ our Lord. Amen. Ready or not, here I come!"

"Small cars don't go fast. Because small cars be slow...worms be slow, too!"

"You know I need to go potty since Christmas."