Weekend Update

Just a little update from our little family.  We had such a nice weekend, I thought I'd share!

We started out with the babies much delayed Bubble Guppies Birthday party.  Having Christmas birthdays is such a tough thing and I haven't quite settled on the best way to navigate this.  A week earlier is Dan's birthday, so that makes an early party tough.  We've considered celebrating summer "half birthdays" but that doesn't sit right either.  It's tough for them to have to share a birthday - and then it be right on top of the holiday.  But despite, we thought we'd celebrate this year in February once all the other business and seasonal flu had cleared and we could focus our attention on throwing a fun party.  We'll be doing a whole post about our party details, but here's a sneak preview!

Saturday gave us a nice opportunity to enjoy Phipps Conservatory during their "We Love Our Members" free event for members of reciprocating museums.  While it was quite a bit crowded, it was an awesome day to spend indoors - while still allowing the beautiful sun and blue skies to shine down on us.  Look out for a post about our trip for an upcoming Field Trip Friday post!

Coming home from the conservatory, we decided to pull ourselves together and try to make it to church for the six o'clock service.  While Dan and I have been visiting this church for about a month and am loving almost everything about it, this was the very first time we'd be bringing the kids.  It is HUGE, and while it means we haven't had the opportunity to develop many personal relationships with other members, it means that there are fantastic children's programs, and lots of opportunities for fellowship and learning.  So I was terribly anxious - how would they react?  They've never been in anyone else's care other than family and a few specially chosen babysitters.  I prayed the whole way there that they'd handle it well.

At this point in my life, I should really have learned to stop "worrying" so much and trust that He always takes care of our needs.  Too many times I panic and become consumed by anxiety - only for God to come through and remind me that my worrying was all for nothing.  Saturday was no different.  We checked the kids in with their kiosks and headed to the 2-year-old room.  They opened the half door - and off my kids ran.  Straight to the train table, without looking back.  What an awesome blessing to avoid tears of separation.  We kept watching, but their numbers never came across the screens to alert us that they needed us.  They'd had their first successful church experience, and seemed to have really enjoyed it!  What a great experience and we're looking forward to many more.

So to end our update, I'll leave you with a few "Julie-isms."  Her words are just pouring out and we couldn't be happier.  I can't even list all the ones she uses, since she pop ups every day with new ones!  Here's a few things that have made me smile lately.

• Julie got a new princess dress - with "uh-punul" (Rapunzel) on it.  She is so stinking adorable in this dress, which Brayden likes to bring me to put on his sister.  I loved seeing the look in Dan's eyes when he came home from work and saw her wearing it (over her sleeper) for the first time.  She really looks like a little girl and no longer our baby.
• I just can't get enough of her little phrases - like "ah-hoo" which I believe is her word for "woo-hoo."  Whenever she's having a great time or riding her Rody Horse, she'll say "ah-hoo ah-hoo" and you know she's having a great time.  Interestingly - this is also the word she uses when pretending to sneeze.
• Finally, this little doll is loving to pretend to go to sleep - pulling the covers to her shoulders and "snoring." I just have to smile as I have distinct memories of doing the same as a kid.  I love seeing her discover and grow into this incredible little girl.