J Crew Collection

Only 3 days after the snow...

2009-01-23T20:58:00.004-05:00

...all of it is melted and it was 60 degrees outside!!!
We spent the entire afternoon outdoors doing some yard work and the girls were playing tball and just enjoying the weather! It was great to shake off some of the cold weather blahs!

We decided to hit the park for some more fun and here is Jula on the slide like a big girl!!!

Snow Day!

2009-01-20T12:52:00.004-05:00

We had a Snow Day today! Of course the kids were just thrilled so we went out to play before breakfast. Here the snow does NOT stay around for long and it's almost completely melted on the grass so we know we have to go out 1st thing or else it'll be gone!

Jula found my boots and decided she wanted to wear them...

Ready to play!

Jula was having a blast running around in the snow!
This is her first official time playing in the snow!

Had to attempt a snow angel!

Tackle!

Merry Christmas to all!

2008-12-25T00:00:00.003-05:00

It's beginning to look a LOT like Christmas!

2008-12-18T20:35:00.004-05:00

The J Crew house is all aglow with twinkling lights tonight.

the front of our house...

the side view...

the front door...

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
How lovely are your new LED bulbs!

Santa

2008-12-18T10:45:00.003-05:00

He's real, isn't he?

My girls who are 6 and 5 know that Santa is not real. Are we bad parents because of this? Some may think so but it's not a huge deal to us.

A few years back when they started to take in all things Christmas, etc. we tried to tell them about Santa but since I didn't grow up believing it was hard for me to "play along".
Also, we had a hard time giving Santa all the credit for all the presents so we said "everything in your stocking is from Santa" and that seemed to satisfy everyone. Well, one year our oldest figured it out...she was opening the items in her stocking and she said "Santa does NOT shop at the Disney store" and for that I had no answer. The cover was blown...Santa is not real. Now that they are older and in school it's becoming a little crazy because they are probably the only ones in their class that know he's not real!

I tell you this to share a cute story...
Jada, who is 5, boldly stated yesterday to one of her little friends "Santa is NOT real" and her friend replied "Yes he is and if you don't believe in him then you won't get any presents". Jada said "Yes I will get presents because I asked my Daddy if I would still get presents and he said I would even if I thought Santa wasn't real. AND my Daddy knows because he is the smartest guy in the WORLD"

Awwwwwww! The love of little girls for their Daddy's! It just melted my heart.

*************************************************************************

Even though she doesn't believe he brings her all the presents Jada still loves Santa!!

Christmas Cookies

2008-12-17T13:15:00.003-05:00

I was hoping to have this beautiful blog about the bunches of Christmas cookies that I was baking this glorious holiday season but it has not gone as planned.
I tried, tried very hard to plan...it's hard to spend all day baking with 3 kids but I was determined.
I forewarned my dear husband early last week saying "I will be baking ALLLLLL weekend, so be prepared" He said "Fine"..I think he's used to it because this is what I do every year but I was trying to increase what I bake. I had visions of getting up Saturday morning, showering, putting on bummy clothes, enjoying my coffee and planning my baking schedule; after all, I had ALL DAY!

Well, Thursday night I get a call about this birthday party my oldest was invited to...when was it? Saturday at 3pm! NO! It couldn't be - I could strangle last minute planners - what a kink that would put in my plan - how dare they?! Well, I had to take her, right? It was at the Obnoxious land of Libby Lu and she was begging to go...ok, I'll take her!

Back to cookies: I had most of the ingredients, made a list for more and we took a trip to the store. I was prepared! I was excited! It would be a cookie baking experience to top all cookie baking experiences and I was ready.

Well, Saturday came and I woke up later than I wanted and there was too much prep work to be done so I didn't start actually making the dough until 11am! Eeek! I HAD to get the Peanut Butter ones done 1st since I was sending a bunch to my dad for Christmas. I whipped up 4x the recipe, baked a bunch and saved the rest. Then, I started on the Chocolate Chip ones...2pm rolls around and I have to wash my hair, get myself and daughter ready for the party! Eeek! I only had 2 flavors of dough made! I left it all, begged Julian to put it away and rushed to the party. We were there for 2hrs and she had a blast (pics to come later) so it was worth it but geesh when would I get to those cookies?!

By this time it was 5pm...time for dinner so I took us out (after all the kitchen was overtaken by cookies). We had a nice dinner at one of our favorite places and when we arrived home I had no more ambition to bake so I said "it'll wait until Sunday".

Sunday I made more progress - made more dough and actually baked the 2 new recipes that I was trying this year but I ran out of time to bake more!!! So I said "it'll wait until Monday night after work". Then my throat started hurting, my head was pounding and I realized I was getting the dreadful cold my kids have...GREAT!

Monday night came and went...I had no energy to bake so I said "Tuesday".

Tuesday came, the cold was still there but when I got home I dove right in...Then it all went to hell in a hand basket!!!!!

My chocolate chip cookie dough BOMBED! Literally. The dough didn't firm up like it usually does in the fridge so instead of nice fluffy cookies I got flat almost burnt cookies. In fact, I did burn the first batch but caught the next before it burned. I think I mixed the dough for too long...I was super ambitious and tried to do it all at once - I made 4x the recipe and I don't think you can do that LOL!
So, after that disaster I tried the Snickerdoodle dough. The dough felt great, I made the balls and rolled in the cinnamon and sugar mix and started to bake them. THEY BURNED! I could NOT believe it! I baked another batch and they were SO much better; almost perfect!! I thought I was making progress BUT the next batch BURNED again. I could not believe it. I've never botched cookies this bad. I'm a good baker...or at least that's what I've been told.

So.

I fired myself.

For the time being.

I have spritz cookie dough waiting to be baked. If I burn those I think I'll hang up my mixing bowls.

Libby Lu Time!

2008-12-14T12:10:00.004-05:00

Janea was invited to her first birthday party at Libby Lu's! We decided a long time ago to avoid that place like the plague because it presented a whole world we didn't want the girls involved with yet but I had to make an exception for the birthday party!

Janea had a blast and was super spoiled!! Here are some pictures of her makeover and friends!

The before pic

The start of the makeover...
Outfit change

New Hair style

Then eyes, lips and nails done!

Janea and the Birthday girl!

Striking a pose on the catwalk

The after pic of the superstars!

Thankfully Club Libby Lu is closing down at the end of January 2009! It was fun while it lasted ;-)

Janea the Cheerleader!

2008-12-06T16:01:00.005-05:00

Janea has been in cheerleading class for the past 8weeks....she's had a blast and really enjoyed herself. I, on the other hand, am very happy that it's finally over (shhhh! don't tell Janea!)

Today was her final performance and in my rush to get there ON TIME I forgot the camera! Thank goodness for cell phones! Below are pics that Julian took from him phone and even brief video of one of the cheers.

READY!

EXPLODE!

IGNITE!

COME ON TEAM LETS FIGHT!

Group pictures

Another tooth gone!

2008-11-30T18:29:00.003-05:00

Janea lost #6 tonight....at least the top ones are growing in so you don't really notice it much....

We were fooled!

2008-11-27T21:00:00.003-05:00

As you all may know we were geared up for snow when we were traveling to Buffalo. Prepared for awful driving conditions, etc., anticipating delays, etc.
Well, we were fooled! We definitely saw snow, had some falling while we were driving but once we got into Buffalo there was NO SNOW! The kids were all excited to play in the snow but were so disappointed when they saw green grass.
Below are pics I took while we were driving. I was tempted to have Julian pull over but I knew he'd think I was crazy so I just clicked away hoping to get a few I could use. I was pleasantly surprised to get a few good ones of the scenery...we want to add it to our collection of scenic pics that we are displaying in our bedroom.

Snow on the drive (probably somewhere around Pittsburg, PA)

Below are the infamous Bisons that we see just outside of Buffalo.

The skies were cloudy but NO SNOW on the ground!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T09:00:00.003-05:00

Snow Pics

2008-11-26T22:00:00.003-05:00

Snow on 11/25

Snow this morning 11/26 when we woke up

Close-up of the cars...

Snow on the drive to Buffalo

More pictures to come tomorrow!

Tempting the Fates

2008-11-25T13:43:00.002-05:00

We used to have a rule "No travel to Buffalo between October and March". Last year we had to ignore it because we had a wedding in November. This year I thought we were sticking to it. Well, my wonderful Mother-In-Law begged us to make the trip this year. So, after much discussion we decided to go.
Last week the weather channel had awful predictions about snow, especially lake effect snow and we almost cancelled. Over the weekend we monitored what we could, checked every forecast available and finally decided to go for it!
We left our warm, sunny home this morning and are driving 6hrs to our 1/2 way point. It has been an uneventful trip so far and I hope that it remains that way! Tomorrow morning may bring a few surprises, especially as we get further North. Right now we are seeing a lot of snow on the sides of the roads but the roads remain clear. A few flurries in the skies but nothing major. Poor JMan is driving and the wind is horrible in some spots...I'm sure he'll have calluses on his hands tonight! The girls are SO EXCITED seeing the snow and just can't wait to play in it.

Of course I'll update regularly with pictures when I can!

A day of baking

2008-11-23T17:05:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday I fell victim to a real life chain letter type thing. A friend gave me a bag with "Friendship bread" inside so I said thank you and took it without looking inside. Imagine my surprise when I opened it later and I found not only the bread but also instructions with a starter bag to continue the insanity. Of course I called her to share my thanks for such a lovely thing (please note the extreme sarcasm). The bread was yummy so I was ready to embark on my mission of friendship.
For 10 flipping DAYS I had to do something with the bag...oh, day 1 was simple because it said to do nothing but every other day I had to "mash the bag". Day 5 I had to add some ingredients to it. Fun, fun. Then mash the bag days 6-9.
Today was day 10. I added ingredients, mixed it up and separated out 4 starter bags for the next unsuspecting victims! Then, with the remaining batter I added a bunch of stuff, mixed it up and baked up 3 loaves. Below is a picture of what friendship looks like LOL!!

Then I continued baking and made my 1st ever Sweet Potato Pie(s)! My mother in-law usually makes them and uses a family recipe but since we live so far away my husband usually whips up a few around the holidays. Well, he's been dying to pass the duty on to me. So, today I took on the challenge because our dear neighbor was longing for the pies with Thanksgiving approaching....her Mom used to make them for the holidays but she passed a few years back. I couldn't help myself so I told her I'd make them for her! I think they look good...who knows because I don't eat them! Julian said it was great and even Jula ate some!

I think I'm warmed up for the holidays now!!! I am a baking machine once December hits!

Confessions of an addict...

2008-11-20T22:33:00.003-05:00

OK, I know I usually post about my girls and all things JCrew but I had to take a moment to confess my addiction.

Hi, my name is Jennifer and I'm addicted to anything Nine West. I have no control. When I see a Nine West product I run, not walk, towards it. The better the deal/bargain the better I feel about my addiction.
We have 2 Nine West stores in the area and one Nine West Outlet. I love to go in and browse although I rarely buy from them directly. The reason why is because I have to get a bargain on whatever I buy...if it's over a certain price I just can't bring myself to purchase it. Lately, though, I have made an exception to this rule...I keep saying "well it's only a few dollars more, I'll love it SOOoooo much so it'll be worth it, right?" Hey, whatever gets me that Nine West item!
I made the mistake of "just wanting to browse" this past weekend because I stumbled upon a pair of MUST HAVE shoes. They are SO must have that I MUST HAVE in every color. Imagine my surprise when the store manager informed me of a "Ladies Night from 7-9pm" that they were having next Thursday and how I could receive 15% off my purchase. I told her "I'll be back, don't you worry". The shoes I must have AND I can save some $$ - perfection!
Thursday arrived...so much to do...so many things to juggle before I could go to "Ladies Night". I had a prior engagement but was determined to be done with it by 7 so I could rush to Nine West. Well, I wasn't done by 7...instead 7:45 so I rushed over to the mall and below is the reason why it was all worth it...below is the reason for my addition.

Ah.....
Sweet, sweet success
Sweet, sweet beautiful Nine West shoes
COME TO MAMA!

High School Musical 3

2008-11-18T21:26:00.002-05:00

Janea LOVES High School Musical! She has both movies on DVD so of course we had to go see HSM3! A few weekends ago I decided to make it a girls day out which started with happy meals at McDonalds, then a quick trip to the mall and finally the big finale was the movie! The theater had a HSM display so of course I had to snap a pic. Look how TINY my babies are compared to these kids LOL!

The movie was cute but I'm sooooo glad that HSM is finally over! LOL Hopefully there won't be a College Musical - I think I'll have to draw the line at that one!

Our little escape artist

2008-11-15T15:03:00.004-05:00

Jula is our little escape artist! At first she showed us she could escape from her bed...she throws her leg up and pulls herself right over the edge and then slides down to the floor - easy does it! This presented an issue at nap time because she would climb right out. A few days of tears and fighting she seemed to get the fact that she has to stay in. Crisis solved or so we thought!

The new escape tactic is escaping from her clothes!!! I am not going to psychoanalyze her behavior because she is only 1 1/2 years old and I personally believe that she thinks it's FUN! It's also kinda funny to see after a nap or when she wakes up in the morning. WELL IT WAS NOT FUNNY FRIDAY morning when she woke up completely nude without a diaper! We think she took everything off and slept that way all night long! Poor baby, we're sure she froze and sleeping in pee could not be fun!

So, Julian has come up with a very creative idea to keep her clothed! We took one of the sleepers she's outgrown, cut the feet off and put it on her backwards! I wasn't convinced it would work but here she is AFTER her nap:

Yep - she looks hilarious but it worked like a charm! 3 nights later and dressing her backwards is still working! Thank goodness for creative parenting!

Too busy, too busy, too busy...

2008-11-05T21:37:00.003-05:00

just too flipping busy to blog!

Ah, the joys of being a Mom of 3 and working full time, right?

Well, we're still here...we survived Halloween, the election of a new president and now we just need to get through this next weekend! Hopefully I can get through the backlog and share some pictures next week...that's if I can remember what actually happened LOL!!!

Smooches xoxoxo

JCrew Halloween 2008

2008-10-31T21:23:00.004-04:00

We had a great time Halloween night! All the girls were witches and Julian was "The Executioner". The JCrew went Trick or Treating with our friends Kyra and Kiersten and we heard over and over again "WOW sooooo many witches" (if they only knew the half of it LOL!) The kids were loaded down with candy and were so exhausted by the end of the night! Here are the pictures...

Jen & Kyra

Julian, Jula & Jen

All the witches (minus Jula)

Party Princess Style

2008-10-25T21:17:00.003-04:00

Jada wanted a Princess themed party with her favorite princess Sleeping Beauty. Here's a slideshow of the festivities:

Jada's 5 today!

2008-10-25T11:58:00.003-04:00

I can't believe my little bundle of joy is 5 today!

It's always a very emotional day for me because I remember what we went through to get Jada here safe and sound. Every year it does get a little easier, especially when I see that she is a healthy, happy little girl that loves Sleepy Beauty!!

Happy 5th Birthday Jada Bean! We love you!!!

Princess Jada

From curly to straight!

2008-10-21T21:26:00.003-04:00

I caved to daughter pressure and straightened her hair. I was amazed at how long it has gotten...you can never tell with all her curls!
It's a royal PAIN to keep up with but it makes her VERY happy! How can I resist?
Tonight I had to do Jada's...I'll get a picture of her tomorrow to share. Her hair texture is different from Janea's and I was surprised at how great it turned out...now, the million dollar question is "how long will it last?"

NC is soooo humid which is not good for curly hair! Humidity=frizz!

Family Pictures - the Slideshow!

2008-10-19T13:18:00.003-04:00

I finally organized the pics and here's the slideshow of the best shots!

Today was family picture day!

2008-10-18T19:35:00.004-04:00

Well, we've been planning this day for months! Every year we do a family picture, usually in the fall so that we can send out with our holiday cards. I start planning WAY in advance because I have to coordinate everyones outfit to make sure they match perfectly. Last year I drove my co-worker crazy by asking her opinion on the different sweaters I found LOL! This year I got started super early because I found these adorable dresses in the Easter collection...well turns out they didn't have in everyones size so I bought one for Jada and decided to work around it. I went back and forth with the colors but we finally decided on Black and White. One weekend we were at a local mall and I found a black dress for Janea and a white one for Jula. The next store I found a black and white one for me! PERFECTION! I was so excited!!

So, I scheduled the appointment for today at 2:30pm to work around Jula's nap. We figured she'd be in a semi-nice mood in the afternoon and hopes for a semi-nice picture!

We spent the morning prepping for pics which means washing hair and ironing clothes. In the midst of it all Jula falls and hits the side of her face leaving a bruise...we tried SO hard to keep that from happening all week! Then Jula goes down for her nap around 10am. About 10:45am we hear her still playing and I start to wonder if she'll ever go to sleep. A few minutes later she knocked on the door...WHAT?! She knocked? As in, she climbed out of her bed?! YES! She got out of her bed. We put her back in and she immediately threw her foot up, pushed off the other and turned over the side like a little pro!

After that, getting her to take a nap was a HUGE fight! I was so aggravated because I knew if she didn't sleep she would be a complete monster later. I think she finally settled down around 12! Julian was ironing her dress and found a big huge spot on it! I was ready to lose it...nothing was going as planned and at this rate I didn't expect a picture at all!

Miraculously we got everyone out the door at 2pm and arrived on time at 2:30. When we got there it was crowded but we only waited for a few minutes and then they took us. Sure enough Jula was a monster. Since I couldn't drink I just sat there and laughed! We also bribed with tons of cookies and it worked as much as it could. The thing about Jula is that if she doesn't want to do it she won't, no matter what. The girls who were working busted their asses to get a few good shots and I have to admit they succeeded which is why I'm a returning customer!

Thankfully we only do this once a year!!!! In my opinion all the pain was worth it! We look great in pictures! LOL!

Here are some of the outtakes LOL!!! Enjoy!

Ready for Fall!

2008-10-14T22:14:00.006-04:00

Saturday the JCrew took the annual pilgrimage to the local Farmers Market to pick out pumpkins. Tradition is that everyone wears black or a Halloween shirt, then the girls pose in the middle of the pumpkins and we beg for a nice picture. It's always a challenge and we did have a few meltdowns but below are the pictures we took.

Amber - thanks for the AWESOME BOW! I love it!!!

I went a little overboard with everything but I was happy with the end result (check out the little pumpkins and our baby birch tree!). We are definitely ready for the season! Now if the weather would get cooler we'll be set! Below are pics of the outside of the house...I am so happy with my fall mums!

Breakfast for Dinner!

2008-10-10T15:27:00.003-04:00

Imagine the kids surprise when they learned we were having Breakfast for Dinner! Waffles and Bacon - yum, yum! I even took it a step further and treated them to strawberry syrup, chocolate syrup and whip cream! Of course the cooking took forever since I only have a 2 slot waffle maker LOL but it was completely worth it.

When I finally sat down to eat I had the bartender whip me up an OJ special...ah, it was lovely!!

I knew this would happen!

2008-10-08T22:19:00.002-04:00

This is my exact fear come true. My fear was that life would get too hectic, too crazy for me to blog! I tried so hard to stay on top of it but I swear there are not enough hours in the day!

So here's a recap of the latest JCrew events:

Janea started Cheerleading class and I forgot the camera at home. Hopefully we'll take pics this weekend.
Last weekend we got in way over our heads when I was determined to find a tree and plant it. That project took ALL of Sunday to complete!
We are getting ready for FALL, Jada's 5th Birthday, Halloween, Jen's weekend away and the holidays!! SO MUCH FUN!
This is for Pam: I wore a SKIRT to work yesterday!!!! I thought about you and laughed to myself. I meant to take a picture but I didn't get home until 6pm and it slipped my mind.
Work has been super crazy for me and I have no time to do anything other than work LOL! So not fair! I am "working from home" the next 2 days and I have so many projects lined up but I don't know if I'll get to them since I really have to work! I won't complain too much...it's exciting stuff!

Hopefully I'll be back in a few days to share some more JCrew excitement!

Another Tooth for the Tooth Fairy!

2008-09-28T12:35:00.004-04:00

Janea had a loose tooth and wanted it to come out so I thought I'd help her with it....

JUST JOKING PEOPLE!!!!

She was actually making fun of my "rooster look" when I clipped my bangs up so I threatened to show her "The Wrath of Mommy"!

#5 came out with a little bit of help from Daddy...it's the one on the bottom.

Jen's comments and thoughts about another space in the mouth....
If you don't know it already, Janea is a very vain little girl. She loves to dress in what she considers awesome clothes, loves the compliments she receives, in fact she wrote a story about her "Fabulous clothes" last year. Even though we know losing a tooth is a normal process in every kids life I don't know how she'll deal with it; especially when we get our family pictures done in a few weeks! I think she'll be very self conscious when she sees them.

Hopefully the top one will break the skin soon so that she won't have a snaggle mouth for too long...at least it'll fit in with the Halloween theme this year LMAO!!! She's going to be a witch - perfect!

Festival in the Park!

2008-09-24T12:03:00.003-04:00

This past weekend we stumbled upon a local event that is practically in our own backyard! Unbeknownst to us, this has been an annual event since 1964! I read about it in the paper and because it highlighted art I decided we would venture out for some fun! You can read more about it here: http://www.festivalinthepark.org/
We got there when it opened at 10am and the day was just perfect. It started out as a breezy, cool, clear morning but it warmed up nicely. It was just great to be out in less than 80 degree/non-humid weather and we were happy with that alone.
Then, I stumbled upon the ultimate treasure!!! I found an artist that did Japanese art and I am trying to commission him to do a few pieces for us. I've been trying to find the "perfect" art for our bedroom and I think this could be it - simple and completely perfect! I could have went home satisfied right then and there but I'm glad we stayed!
We had a blast stuffing our faces with chicken on a stick, funnel cake, fresh lemonade, the best kettle corn ever and greasy french fried chips! The girls rode rides and enjoyed the sites. By 2pm the park was so crowed and everyone was exhausted. We had so much fun that we plan to go every year!

Below are some pictures....

Bubbles!

Face painting!

More face painting!

Look, Jada is a Princess!

Roller coaster YAY!

Big, huge Slide!

This is GREAT!

Weeeeeeeeeeeee!

Look at Jada go!

Janea is struggling...Jada took off!

Jada is the WINNER!

YES! We love this ride!

We still love this ride....we think...

It's NOT fun anymore! STOP THE RIDE!

Jen & Jada switched places. Jen had so much fun!

Jen survived the Flying Dragon!

My poor exhausted girls!

Ooops! We forgot sunscreen and got sunburned! Poor Jula!

Can I just spend my life with you

2008-09-23T08:00:00.005-04:00

I never knew such a day could come
And I never knew such a love could be inside of one
And I never knew what my life was for but now that you're here I know for sure
I never knew till I looked in your eyes
I was incomplete till the day you walked into my life
And I never knew that my heart could feel so precious and pure, one love so real

Can I just see you every morning when I open my eyes
Can I just feel your heart beating beside me every night
Can we just feel this way together till the end of all time
Can I just spend my life with you

Now baby the days and the weeks and the years will roll by
But nothing will change the love inside of you and I
And baby I'll never find any words that could explain
Just how much my heart, my life, my soul you've changed

Can you run to these open arms when no one else understands
Can we tell God and the whole world I'm your woman, and you're my man
Can't you just feel how much I love you with one touch of my hand
Can I just spend my life with you

Can I just see you every morning when I open my eyes
Can I just feel your heart beating beside me every night
Can we just feel this way together till the end of all time
Can I just spend my life with you

This was our wedding song and I wanted to post the lyrics because it is exactly my feelings for Julian. He is one amazing man and I am just so lucky to have him in my life! Thank you baby for 9 wonderful years. Today, I celebrate you because without you there would be no me. You complete me.

Our little Picasso!

2008-09-20T19:28:00.004-04:00

Jula never ceases to amaze us. With 2 older sisters she hasn't really been into the typical baby toys; she plays with everything they have instead.

Lately she's been fixated on the Magna Doodle. The other morning she brought it into the kitchen, put it on the floor, layed down beside it and started drawing. I was stunned! Of course I had to take pictures because she was just so stinkin' cute!

I scream. You scream.

2008-09-19T17:24:00.005-04:00

We ALL scream for ICE CREAM!

These days NO one is allowed to eat ice cream unless Jula can have some too so we put a little into a cone and let her have at it. Words cannot do it justice so I'll let the pictures tell the story!

STOP taking pictures Daddy!

I cleaned it up Mommy!

Even 6yr olds get messy faces when eating Ice Cream!

Jada likes to have it in a bowl instead of cone.
She does NOT know what she's missing!

Movie Night!

2008-09-15T22:13:00.003-04:00

We decided to have a family movie night this past Saturday but all the girls couldn't stay awake for it: Jada has been fighting a cold and was exhausted, Jula wouldn't last 5 minutes, so Janea had Mom & Dad all to herself!!! I popped some popcorn on the stove (mom's speciality) and we watched Nim's Island. It was cute and definitely kid friendly.

Julian tested out the timer on the camera and got a picture of us all with our hands in the popcorn!! LOL!

Bows!

2008-09-12T15:34:00.004-04:00

Jula was excited when we got a small package yesterday. I opened it and she saw her new bows and couldn't wait to wear them!!! I do have to say that they look just darling on her. I ordered a pink one (of course) and a few from the Halloween collection that I can't wait to put in her hair. Fall - hurry up and get to NC!!!

I also have to plug the lady behind the bows! Here's her blog and you can check out the Bow Slide show! http://2girlsandlotsofbows.blogspot.com/ She's just starting out but is doing a FABULOUS job. I love accessories for my girls!!! (Amber, get to making some head wraps girl!)

She was happier when Mommy agreed to take a picture with her!

Shoes SHOES shoes!

2008-09-08T20:45:00.006-04:00

Jula takes after Mommy with her LOVE of shoes! She loves to steal everyone's shoes and wears them all around the house.
So I found these cute little flip flops that she can wear around the house. She LOVES them and won't stop wearing them. She's getting better at keeping them on her feet and is just so proud of herself!

Here's a pic of her wearing Mommy's heels (at least someone gets to wear them these days!)!

And then there was 1...

2008-09-03T13:25:00.001-04:00

Jada had her 1st day of PreK last week and tomorrow starts her 1st official day of school! Here's a pic of her in front of her very own cubby! She's so excited to be in school!

Guess who's excited to be the ONLY ONE left at home?! Jula won't know what to do with herself! Here's a few pictures of her being silly! So happy to have ALL of the attention!

STEP by STEP

2008-09-02T18:58:00.003-04:00

I still can't believe NKOTB is back! I rushed out a few weeks ago to get their greatest hits CD and I put my family through the torture of reliving my teenage years! HAHAHA! I loved hearing those songs again and it brought back so many memories (too bad I couldn't play it over and over and over again like I used to; it was pretty painful but I loved it!!!!!!).

Today they released their new album and I'm so excited! I bought the deluxe edition for the 4 extra songs and I am loading it to my ipod now! WHOOT!

So...who was your favorite?

NKOTB FOREVER!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-08-27T19:32:00.001-04:00

Only a very COOL Dad...

2008-08-26T15:36:00.000-04:00

...can admit to having a favorite Jonas Brothers song! LMAO!

Imagine my surprise when we were in the car the other day and Jada proudly announced that "Daddy has a favorite Jonas Brothers song"! I didn't believe it at all. He tried to deny it but then he played it and was rocking out! I am still shocked! LOL!

So, here's to teeny bopper music and Dad's that are cool enough to listen to it!

We love you Daddy!!!

1st Day of school!

2008-08-25T13:34:00.006-04:00

Today is the 1st day of 2nd grade for Janea!!!! Yes, I said that right: 2nd grade! Last year we worked with her teacher and school principal to get Janea into a class that would continue to challenge Janea and they determined she should skip 1st grade. We thought long and hard about the decision but in the end agreed and gave our approval.
I can't believe my baby is so grown up! Her book bag was loaded down with so many school supplies include 4-5 subject notebooks (what will they do with those?).

First day of school!

Jen & her big baby girl!

Getting on the bus and not even looking back!

Our 2nd baby is also growing up and leaving the nest! Jada starts preschool with a staggered entry day this Friday. She'll go daily from 8am - 2pm. We are so excited for her! Today her teachers came for a home visit (they do this with the pre-k class so that the kids feel comfortable and have a chance to get to know the teachers on their own turf).

Jada

Mrs. Johnson, Jada & Ms. Cooper

These were Janea's pre-k teachers in 2006-2007. We requested them for Jada because we think they are wonderful teachers and they have helped to build a strong educational foundation for our girls.

Just think...Jula will hopefully go to the same school and have the same teachers in 2011-2012 school year!!! Eeeeeek!

Sick - day 2

2008-08-17T19:19:00.003-04:00

Jula still isn't feeling great but she hasn't had a fever since 11am today...hopefully that's a good sign. I'm trying not to freak out about her barely eating and barely drinking. Being a Mom is HARD especially when you watch a child suffer and you can't fix it!

Here's my poor sugar muffin just laying on the couch! Awwwwww!

P.S. I'm lucky that she had her index finger up for this picture...she's actually been flipping everyone off pretty regular the past few days! I think she's super pissed she's sick...she wants to run and play with her sisters!

Sick Babies!

2008-08-16T11:31:00.003-04:00

I hate when my babies get sick...it just hurts my heart! My little Jula is running a pretty high temp and is just pathetic. I cancelled all of our plans today so we could just hang out and make sure she's better.
I didn't realize it before but she's rarely sick like this and rarely runs a temp to the point where she just lays there. What a complete 360 from an active toddler! I TOTALLY took advantage of it and snuggled her real good...love the cuddles. Her sisters are SO concerned about her and are walking around looking sad and pathetic too!
And I wonder why she's a brat LOL! She has 4 people who want to take care of her every whim! She's definitely spoiled and I know she'll always be the baby.

Thank God for Motrin! It's helped the fever come down for now. She's sitting on the couch with daddy, watching the Olympics, enjoying being spoiled and sharing a bowl of cereal with Daddy. At least she's eating and drinking for us; what a relief!

One of my favorite spots

2008-08-13T11:45:00.001-04:00

Day 7

Believe it or not, Buffalo has some beautiful spots. Of course you have to go at the right time of year (NOT in the winter months). Since we were there early August the weather was just perfect, there was a wonderful breeze coming off the water and it was a beautiful day so I made everyone go to the Waterfront and Marina. Growing up I lived very close to the Waterfront and used to visit it regularly and enjoy the water. I forgot how relaxing a stroll could be!

Janea at the Marina

Jada at the Marina

Jula too!

How will I ever get a perfect shot with a 1yr old?!?!?!

I made them pose by this statue of a Buffalo! I thought it was only appropriate HAHAHA!

After all the walking I couldn't help but treat them to a hot dog by the water. We attempted to eat outside BUT we were literally attacked by seagulls (I guess they have gotten VERY aggressive)! Jada set her hot dog down on the table, not far from her hand and a few minutes later a seagull swooped down and stole it! Then, the stupid bird dropped it and decided to scream at us either in anger or for more! I was shocked...they always begged for food but never got that close to you so we took the rest of the food inside.

After the hot dog I couldn't resist some ice cream! Ah, Mom is such a sucker sometimes! We indulged in some very yummy custard! It was so worth the calories!!

NKOTB!!!!

2008-08-12T08:58:00.001-04:00

Are you a fan?

Can you prove you're a fan?

Are you getting the CD today? You probably didn't even know it's available, did you?

Nah, you're not a fan!

But if you want to start being a fan today, you can get the Greatest Hits CD from Target! Hey, you gotta start somewhere, right?

On the Road AGAIN!

2008-08-10T09:22:00.003-04:00

Last Day of vacation

We're on the road again but this time we are headed HOME! YAY! It's our last official day of vacation HAHAHAHA (technically vacation ended yesterday) driving for 10+hrs is NOT vacation!!! Especially NOT for Mom and Dad LOL! If you're reading this send us "good kid vibes" - the girls will need it!

I have tons more pictures to share and a few days to fill in with what we did but I was having issues uploading pics to blogger :( So, next week look for more vacation updates!

Niagara Falls

2008-08-08T21:21:00.004-04:00

Day 6
Growing up we had easy access to Niagara Falls so, of course, we took it for granted. Now that we live 700 miles away we were excited to go see it and also to show the kids one of the greatest wonders of the world!
The girls weren't very impressed at first. I made them walk from the top of the rapids (past Goat Island) to the end of the falls. They thought it was cool but Jada kept asking to "do something fun" LOL! So, we went out onto the overlook and they were kinda impressed, we went all the way to the bottom and it still wasn't a big deal. I talked Daddy into taking them on the walkway where you can walk up to the middle of the falls and get soaked. By the time they came back down they LOVED it and Jada was finally having fun!

The girls near the rapids

A nice shot of the falls - see the stairs near the bottom (look for blue raincoats)?
That's where Julian took them!

There they are at the 1st turn on the stairs

Look how close they are to the falls! SO COOL! They got completely soaked!

Thanks to a wonderful volunteer we have a shot of the fabulous JCrew!

DeWayne is O-N-E!

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

Day 5

We remember it clearly...we came to Buffalo at the same time last year and we hoped to be here for the birth of Julian's nephew. We arrived in town and Carlee was in labor and we were SO excited! She went to L&D but since it was early labor they sent her home and she labored all night long. The next morning Julian took her back to L&D and they finally admitted her.

On August 5 at 12:11pm DeWayne arrived into the world!!! We were so excited to meet him. He was so tiny but so cute and precious! Uncle Julian was so proud to meet his new nephew and loves that DeWayne is using his middle name!

Our main reason for visiting this week is so we can share in the joyus celebration of him turning O-N-E! We love you DeWayne!

DeWayne - 2 days old

DeWayne & Mommy

DeWayne & Uncle Julian

**************************************************************************

The Birthday Boy is O-N-E!!

Mommy & DeWayne

Uncle Julian & DeWayne

We love you DeWayne!!!

Fun with Friends

2008-08-04T20:51:00.004-04:00

Day 3

Growing up my BFF was Pam. Pam and I were inseperable since the age of 3. Life changed and our parents moved so it was hard to see each other but we tried to call as often as we could. Then we became young adults and I moved away and we lost touch.
Turns out that Pam still lives in the area and in 2005 I looked her up and we reconnected. We were amazed at the similarities in our lives, separate but not far apart - we got married the same year, same month and we had baby girls very close to each other, etc. Well after we reconnected our girls have followed in our foot steps and have quickly became BFF's.
When we are in town it's tradition to get together and we try to squeeze in a sleepover if possible. Pam is a saint for taking all the kids - Janea, Jada and her 2 Kayleigh and Hayden.
Yesterday we met at the park and the kids wore themselves out before they went to Pam's for a exciting evening of dressup, movies and a sleepover!

BFF's: Jada, Kayleigh & Janea

Silly girls

Playing together

On the swings

It's time to leave and go to Pam's! YAY!

Though we may be miles apart, you are always close in our Hearts!

We love you Pam & Kayleigh!

We made it!

2008-08-02T21:42:00.002-04:00

We arrived in town and were greeted by rain! Here's the sign that we see when we first get in:

About 5yrs ago they added these to the side of the road and we get a good laugh every time we see them!

After the rain we noticed the beautiful rainbow and were very surprised by a 2nd rainbow that appeared. I'm not sure if the pic will be big enough for you to see it but the 2nd one is above the 1st one. I think Buffalo is happy that we are here LOL!!

Shuffle off...continued

2008-08-02T10:41:00.003-04:00

We got to the hotel safe and sound, although it was way later than I had planned but we weren't rushing since we have no time restrictions. It ended up being a little crazy especially when we tried to get dinner. The power went out for a few minutes and the restaurants around us were out of commission for a while.
So, in the meantime we got the kids bathed and ready for bed. The room looked huge until we all piled into it - 3 adults, 2 babies and 2 big kids - which means 2 Queen beds and 2 pack 'n plays LOL!

Jula is ready for bed! She would NOT go to sleep until all the lights were out and then she finally passed out.

About 1am we got hit with horrible thunderstorms that woke the older girls up. I was SO shocked the babies slept through it all. Janea was crying and scared so she piled into bed with Carlee. Then Jada woke up screeching and practically flew into our bed. After she calmed down I had her pile in with Janea and Carlee. Eventually everyone settled down and went to sleep. I knew I didn't need to set an alarm because Dewayne woke us all up at 1am! Ahhhh the joys of having a baby around!

Here's part of the crew ready to leave the hotel!

Day 2

We are back on the road and hope to make it to Buffalo by 3pm!

Shuffle off..

2008-08-01T13:44:00.003-04:00

...to Buffalo!

Day 1
The van is loaded and we're ready to go. I still can't believe we got everything packed, loaded and still have room for people! Thank goodness we bought a big van that holds 7 people and luggage! Mom, Dad, Janea, Jada, Jula, Carlee & Dewey all fit!
The first leg of our trip is just 6 hours and then we'll stop tonight to rest. Tomorrow it's another 6 hours and then we'll be in Buffalo!

Ready to go!

In the car

YAY CHICKEN!

Days with the Family Part 1

2008-07-28T12:05:00.005-04:00

Starting in July we planned for family to come to our house for a visit. Needless to say, it's been very busy at our house!
First Carlee and Dewayne came to visit on July 9th and we've been having TONS of fun with them. Since visiting baby Dewayne has learned to drink from a cup and I think we can officially say he's walking! Pretty soon he won't be a baby anymore! He turns 1 soon and is growing up way too quickly!

Then last week my parents arrived for a short visit. The girls had so much fun jumping on Grandpa, learning new silly games and watching movies. Jula didn't participate in the games, instead she watched safely from the sidelines.
My dad had a plastic ball that he would pretend to throw. It confused the girls for a few seconds but then they realized the trick. I was amazed at how fully entertained they were!

Then my dad got on the floor and boy he didn't realize what he was in for! 2 little girls weighing about 100lbs total dove on him. He took it for about 10 minutes and then we had to pull them off.

Of course when he sat up the fun had to continue!

I was able to catch a quick impromptu picture of everyone!

Now we are packing for the next segment of our "Days with the Family"! Stay tuned....

PAR-TAY JCrew Style!

2008-07-27T12:22:00.003-04:00

We promised the girls we would all watch the Hannah Montana 3D concert when it premiered on the Disney Channel and even though it was painful we followed through!
We picked up 3D glasses for everyone, I made a spinach artichoke dip and lots of other fattening finger foods! I set up the food in the living room, we ate dinner LATE and in front of the TV. The girls had a GREAT time and in the end it was great family bonding time!

Date Night!

2008-07-21T14:05:00.003-04:00

I don't know about you but "Date Night" (for Mama & Daddy) is a very foreign concept in our house. We never have a babysitter so we never go out alone.
My wonderful Sister-in-law is visiting with us for a few weeks and she kindly agreed to watch the kids so we could catch a movie. Last week we had TWO nights that we got out. This week I think we'll get out 1 night and hopefully we can squeeze 1 more night in before she heads home.

Of course we had to get a pic or 2 of the HOT Mama & Daddy (check out my SHOES!)!

Cheesy things!

2008-07-17T09:10:00.003-04:00

What kind of cheesy things do you do when it comes to your family/kids/spouse, etc? Don't you find yourself doing some really corny/cheesy things and wondering why you're doing them? I find myself doing it all the time!!!! Someone came up with the whole "JCrew" tag for our family and then I became "Jgirlsmama" and it's stuck ever since! Now, when we talk about our family we say "Jgirls/JCrew" and my oldest loves to say "she's the JGirlsMama" LOL!

We are adding a NEW layer to the cheese. I just ordered this today....

Special collage

2008-07-15T12:10:00.003-04:00

One day I realized that I have a picture of my dad holding each of the girls when they were babies. So, I was on a mission to find each picture and put them together in a collage. I also thought it would be cute to add a recent picture of them to it. I ended up running WAY behind to do this done for Father's Day so now it will be a "Just Because" gift.

Here's the final product:

New Dress!

2008-07-15T09:46:00.003-04:00

Jula received a super cute dress for her birthday from Auntie Amber and SweetPea Lauren. I tried it on her again the other day and it fits perfect now plus I think she looks just darling in it and I wanted to show it off.
I had to share all 3 pictures because I couldn't decide which picture I liked the most. She just won't stay still or smile once she sees the camera so we were chasing her around the house, thus the different backgrounds LOL!

Kitchen -- Before and After

2008-07-13T10:48:00.003-04:00

Before - blah!

After! YAY! (Please ignore the mess)

Silly Babies!

2008-07-11T11:14:00.003-04:00

I have some great video(s) to share! The first one is of my silly Jula dancing one night. Unfortunately you'll have to turn your head to view since I don't know how to rotate the video. I thought about trying to get new video filmed the correct way but I don't think we'll get this great of a repeat performance! Enjoy and I hope you laugh as much as we did!

The next silly baby video is from last night. Our nephew, DeWayne aka Dewey, is visiting and we are having so much fun with him!!!! He does silly baby things that our "toddler" doesn't do anymore and we are taking full advantage of it!

(yes, I know he probably isn't really saying JEN but come on, humor me a little and let me revel in the moment LOL)

Home alone

2008-07-09T10:34:00.002-04:00

My family is on the road headed to Raleigh to pick up my wonderful sister-in-law and I am home alone. I can't remember the last time I was home alone! Eeeeek what to do, what to do LOL! I do actually have a major project to tackle and I should be starting that but look at me - I'm blogging!!!!

The project is to get the kitchen wall painted. 1 wall only. Major project right? Well, it's going to take long since I'm working alone...I have to tape, paint, paint again and possibly paint again - since it's orange it might taken THREE coats! Fun, Fun! Hopefully I'll have it done before 3pm when the gang arrives. It better be done - not only will my sister-in-law be here but my 11 month old nephew too! Another baby in the house for 3wks...interesting to say the least!

I'll edit the post to add a bright orange picture! Say a few prayers for me LOL!

The Evolution of a Garden

2008-07-07T15:36:00.004-04:00

Since moving into our house in January I planned to plant some flowers come spring. In late March it started to warm up just enough to start, so I made the girls help me get the ground ready. I didn't know what we had in store for us! We found lots of 'treasures' including glass, rocks, nails and other misc building materials. We got out as much as possible and then planted some flowers. I rushed at first because I wanted to get them in before the rain came...the rain came and almost ruined the flowers! I salvaged what I could and then started to expand the flower bed and then decided to relocate some of the bushes. I thrive on consistency and it made me happy to have all alike bushes together! Unfortunately the entire left side of the house isn't consistent - it's a hodgepodge of plants including one very strange one - lets just say we'll soon enjoy the "fruits" of our labor LOL!!!

So, here's the slideshow of all our hard work. It really was a team-effort; even Julian got dirty digging up the clay so that I could get the flowers in. We are getting lots of compliments from those that pass by and it's nice to hear. I can't wait to do further work come fall...our hot season came on strong and fast and I think adding anything else will just be pointless.

Starting out!

2008-07-07T10:24:00.003-04:00

I can't believe I'm doing this blogging thing but here I am! Life is all about change right? And to maintain you have to change so I'm changing - slowly and painfully.

We'll see how it works out - hopefully I'll remember to update and if not someone remind me!

Here's to change! WHOOT!