Monday, June 21, 2010

My favorite things...

Jorja's favorite thing.....to eat! The girl can eat - and eat - and eat! She is so funny too, when you put her in her high chair, you better have the food ready - cause otherwise the screams are coming! As soon as the food hits the tray she is ready. She doesn't eat much baby food anymore, I give her a jar here and there and applesauce or yogurt. But for the most part she feeds herself. I could list out what she likes, but so far I haven't given her anything she didn't like! She loves mac n cheese, which is good since that is one of the foods my picky 3 year old will eat and she got some of dad's lasagna tonight. Fruit and veggies are her fav's and she gets blueberry waffles every morning for breakfast. She LOVES cereal bars and when she sees it coming she can barely contain herself....as soon as I put it down, she pushed my hand out of the way so she can get to it! She recently discovered Goldfish (thanks to Jerra) and she goes crazy for those too! She makes us laugh!

mmmm.....peaches!



Thursday, June 17, 2010

Happy Birthday Hailey!

Happy Birthday to Hailey Kate Lux who was born yesterday in the early hours of the morning. And Congrats to her proud mommy and daddy - April and Jeff. My little brother is a daddy! wow! We can't wait to meet her!

I only have 2 pictures so far of her, Jeff said he will send more on soon!


The nurses just told her she is a "Lux"! LOL!

Thursday, May 13, 2010

10 months

Jorja turned 10 months on May 9th. She is so much fun. She laughs and laughs at us, especially at her big sister. She will watch Jerra and be entertained for so long. She loves to blow raspberries. She eats most of her food by herself now, we still occassionally give her 'baby food' - mostly yogurt, applesauce and sweet potatoes...but she has mostly finger foods for her meals. She loves beans, carrots, cheese, green beans, peas, toast, waffles, pears and peaches. She has mastered the sippy cup and we are almost completely done with bottles. She only gets one a day, when I am at work anyway, and she doesn't really drink it all, so I am thinking we will stop the bottles by monday. She still sleeps good - going down around 7pm and sleeping til 7am with 1-2 wakings for feedings at night. She has been crawling all over the place for a while now and she is pulling up on everything she can. She 'dances' to music when its playing and gets super excited to see the dogs.

She is just such a joy and we feel so completely blessed to have her.

Chef Jerra

Jerra went to one of her little school friends birthday parties this past weekend. They made their own pizzas at the party and check out the super cool party favor that went with it! We made cupcakes the next day and she wore it again.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Why should I choose organic foods for my child?

Why should I choose organic foods for my child?

Organic fruits and vegetables are grown without the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Organic packaged foods, like HAPPYBABY meals, are made with organic ingredients and are packaged in facilities that are certified to meet strict USDA organic standards.

Reason #1: It's the best for Baby
The long-term health effects of pesticide exposure are not fully known. What we do know is that children who eat organically grown foods are exposed to fewer pesticides than children who do not. And children are small, so even low levels of pesticides will concentrate more highly in their bodies than in adults. Many experts therefore agree that children are among those who benefit most from eating organic foods.

Certain fruits and vegetables are consistently shown to be more contaminated with pesticides than other produce. This list is sometimes referred to as the Dirty Dozen. The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit environmental research organization, recommends buying only organic:

The Dirty Dozen
• Apples • Grapes • Potatoes
• Bell peppers • Nectarines • Raspberries
• Celery • Peaches • Spinach
• Cherries • Pears • Strawberries

Not only do organically grown foods provide the benefit of ingesting fewer pesticides, they may even be more nutritious! Several studies have shown that organic fruits and vegetables have higher levels of antioxidants than conventionally grown produce. In some cases, organic samples had 2 to 3 times more antioxidants or vitamins.

If the safety and nutritional value of organic foods isn't enough, consider this: organic foods taste better! We know that taste preferences are mostly learned, and begin forming in early childhood. Giving your child fresh and delicious unadulterated foods will help baby learn to enjoy healthy eating now and in the future.

Reason #2: It's the best for our environment
To many people, the main reason to eat organically grown and processed food is to support sustainable farming methods that are more friendly to the earth. Organic methods include crop rotation, composting, and use of insects and natural substances to control pests that may otherwise damage crops. Organic farms have less top-soil loss and generate less pollution than conventional farms.

Saturday, May 08, 2010

Our Michigan trip

Back in February we flew up to Novi, Michigan to visit with Geoff's sister and family - Tim, Gavin and Murphy. (Gavin is 7 weeks older than Jorja and Murphy is their Golden Retriever.) Jerra was so excited to go and visit Aunt "Bebe." When our plane landed and we were taxing into the gate she yelled out - "I'm coming to you aunt bebe!" It was so funny and most everyone on the plane got a laugh out of it. We had a great visit with them - it snowed and we played everyday in the snow, we went ice skating, sledding, and had a great time just being with them. We always wish we lived closer, but since we don't we just have to make the most of our visits....

I love this picture - Gavin is looking at Jorja's bow like "what the heck is on your head!?"

The family together!


Jerra's 1st time ice skating! Gavin got a new hair style!
the girls watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse together
Gavin was baptised

Cute cousins!

Sledding!


making a snow man with Uncle Tim and Murphy
all bundled up for the snow!
Murphy
loves the bouncer!

playing in the snow for the 1st time!

Thursday, May 06, 2010

nashville floods



Thought I would post this here, since the media won't talk about it, at least a few people can see this here. I think its horrible that the mainstream media is not doing more to help these people. Apparently it just doesn't fit into their agenda since there is no rioting/looting going on. I suppose somehow this is Bush's fault too, right?! It sure as hell would have been if he was still President. Oh - and that horrific oil spill in the gulf! that too! How in the world is Obama getting away with all of this!!!???

(pause the music at the bottom of page before watching video)

Friday, April 30, 2010

Jorja Lynn - March

On March 9th, Jorja turned 8 months....She also popped out her bottom 2 teeth that day! here are some photos of her at 8 months throughout March....

The girl likes to eat! - cheerios, pears and cheese
mmmm.....

bananas too!

She likes to play in the ball pit

She LOVES to bounce!

And we've discovered she loves the swings at the park as much as her sister!

Here are 2 pictures I took of her on her 8 month b-day!


By the end of this month Jorja was crawling, eating more and more finger foods on her own, weighed close to 17 pounds, sleeping from 7pm-7am - waking once usually sometime between 11pm and 1am, and still the most smiley/happy baby I've ever known! She goes to a Mother's Day Out program on Mon/Wed from 9am-1pm at a local church and her teachers there say she is the happiest/most laid back baby they have had there. They just adore her - and of course, we do too!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Updates....

So, I figured I am still behind in updating our lives (still need to post Feb and March)....but I don't want too get to far behind! I will go back and cover our last 2 months...but here are some updates from April.

Here is just a little bit of our April:

Jorja is pulling herself up and standing on her own...


Jerra tried on my wedding dress. She says she is going to marry daddy.


Our family on Easter Sunday


Jorja with her eggs

Grandma spent the week before Easter with us and Grandpa came down on Saturday just in time for the egg hunt!
More to come!

Monday, April 19, 2010

It would be awesome....

My husband NEVER forwards on political emails. So, when I got this one in my inbox I was surprised to see it was from him. We agree with most things, I may lean farther right than he does(!), but for the most part we share similar feelings...I decided to copy the email onto here, since 1) he never forwards these things and 2) I thought it was a pretty good one. Instead of forwarding it on myself (I have pretty much stopped sending on political emails, seems to ruffle too many feathers and it can quickly turn into overkill - but this is MY blog, so I can post what I want! LOL!). So, for all your righties - enjoy. For all you lefties -...just come back to the blog when I post another family update! ;-) Which I will try and make soon! LOVE to all!!!!


WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT TO TURN ON THE TV AND HEAR ANY U.S. PRESIDENT, DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN GIVE THE FOLLOWING SPEECH?

"My Fellow Americans: As you all know, the defeat of the Iraq regime has been completed.

Since congress does not want to spend any more money on this war, our mission in Iraq is complete.

This morning I gave the order for a complete removal of all American forces from Iraq This action will be complete within 30 days. It is now time to begin the reckoning.


Before me, I have two lists. One list contains the names of countries which have stood by our side during the Iraq conflict. This list is short . The United Kingdom , Spain , Bulgaria , Australia , and Poland are some of the countries listed there.

The other list contains every one not on the first list. Most of the world's nations are on that list.. My press secretary will be distributing copies of both lists later this evening.

Let me start by saying that effective immediately, foreign aid to those nations on List 2 ceases immediately and indefinitely. The money saved during the first year alone will pretty much pay for the costs of the Iraqi war. THEN EVERY YEAR THERE AFTER IT'll GO TO OUR SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM SO IT WONT GO BROKE IN 20 YEARS.

The American people are no longer going to pour money into third world Hell holes and watch those government leaders grow fat on corruption.

Need help with a famine ? Wrestling with an epidemic? Call France .

In the future, together with Congress, I will work to redirect this money toward solving the vexing social problems we still have at home . On that note, a word to terrorist organizations. Screw with us and we will hunt you down and eliminate you and all your friends from the face of the earth..

Thirsting for a gutsy country to terrorize? Try France or maybe China .

I am ordering the immediate severing of diplomatic relations with France , Germany , and Russia .. Thanks for all your help, comrades. We are retiring from NATO as well. Bonne chance, mezamies.

I have instructed the Mayor of New York City to begin towing the many UN diplomatic vehicles located in Manhattan with more than two unpaid parking tickets to sites where those vehicles will be stripped, shredded and crushed. I don't care about whatever treaty pertains to this. You creeps have tens of thousands of unpaid tickets. Pay those tickets tomorrow or watch your precious Benzes, Beamers and limos be turned over to some of the finest chop shops in the world. I love New York

A special note to our neighbors. Canada is on List 2. Since we are likely to be seeing a lot more of each other, you folks might want to try not pissing us off for a change.

Mexico is also on List 2 its president and his entire corrupt government really need an attitude adjustment. I will have a couple extra thousand tanks and infantry divisions sitting around. Guess where I am going to put 'em? Yep, border security.

Oh, by the way, the United States is abrogating the NAFTA treaty - starting now.

We are tired of the one-way highway. Immediately, we'll be drilling for oil in Alaska- which will take care of this country's oil needs for decades to come. If you're an environmentalist who opposes this decision, I refer you to List 2 above: pick a country and move there.

It is time for America to focus on its own welfare and its own citizens. Some will accuse us of isolationism. I answer them by saying, 'darn tootin.'

Nearly a century of trying to help folks live a decent life around the world has only earned us the undying enmity of just about everyone on the planet. It is time to eliminate hunger in America It is time to eliminate homelessness in America . To the nations on List 1, a final thought. Thank you guys. We owe you and we won't forget.

To the nations on List 2, a final thought: You might want to learn to speak Arabic.

God bless America .. Thank you and good night."

If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you are reading it in English, thank a soldier.

Monday, April 05, 2010

Bluebonnets

SO, I know I promised our Michigan trip pictures next - and they will be coming still, and now I have Easter! - But I wanted to throw our Spring Bluebonnet picts out here this morning! We had them taken last week with the amazing Sarah from Butterfly Chaser Photography and she posted a "sneak peak" on her Facebook page this morning. She has taken our family pictures in the past and does great work. Jerra really responds well to her (unlike when I take her picture). We had some done of the whole family, so those will be coming soon when I get the rest of the pictures. But for now, enjoy these of my girls....

(And for those that don't live here in Texas - its a wide spread tradition for people to take pictures in the bluebonnets every Spring....you see moms out with their kids on the side of the road all the time. The wildflowers here are so beautiful, I really love the whole 2 weeks of Spring we get here in Texas - just wished it lasted longer!)






Check out Sarah's website: http://butterflychaserphotography.com/

Sunday, March 14, 2010

February!

so excited to finally be catching up on our blog. We had a pretty low key February except for a very fun trip up to Michigan to visit Kristin, Tim and Gavin. (that will be its own post).

Jorja had puffs for the 1st time and is now a pro at eating them!


Jerra got a wonderful surprise in the mail - a snow white dress from grandma. she has been asking for this dress for months now. she was so excited. she has worn it everyday since....and we even have to address her as 'snow white' when its on! such drama!we had a tea party on a cold day!
we made cookies...jerra loves to decorate them...
jerra of course did lots of coloring and painting...
our princess!