Such a blessing...

Julie brought home a wrapped present from Minnieland. She said that it was for all of the Blankenships...and that we needed to open it. So, we did just that. We opened gift after gift after gift after gift...at least 10 times! And this is what we opened! Hearing her say... "It's our family!" totally warmed my heart!!

Stinky hands....

I can't actually say what happened here...but the title will definitely help me to remember what happened! Never a dull moment in the Blankenship household!

Back during the summer...

I told Julie to go to the potty for some reason whether it was that we were going outside, it was naptime, etc. She didn't know that I was watching from the hallway, but I literally stood there and watched her go into the bathroom, flush the toilet, then turn around and surprise, mommy was watching.

And there has been many times when I have told her to go to the potty and within a couple minutes, she returns. She will tell me that she didn't flush. So, if she's telling me that she didn't flush, there should be pee-pee in that potty, right? Funny girl, this momma isn't stupid!

More easy pumpkins!

Why carve when you can have happy, busy kids!?

Helping mom

It totally warmed my heart that Julie just sat right down beside me and the overflowing laundry basket. Two weeks in a row, when she helped, she stood up to "shake out the sprinkles". Too cute...thanks baby girl!

Gayton Baptist fall festival

A great time was had by all!

a walking accident

Montessori Builds a City!

 

Easy pumpkins!

Pumpkin-ing with Daddy

i can't belive that she likes these....

Nick Jr

Kid has gone bonkers about watching tv...Nick Jr in particular! She's loves watching LaLaloopsy, Bubble Guppies, Dora, Diego, etc. She doesn't mind watching reruns. One night, she was telling me about "Pink Foot". She kept telling me not to make s'mores on a full moon night. I finally caught on to what she was referring to, because I too, had seen this particular episode of Bubble Guppies. The characters were talking around campfire about the scary Pink Foot, who ended up joining in the campfire circle because he wanted s'mores too!

Julie's best guy friend...Aaron Keeler

Julie said that the drawing is of her and Aaron, that they were holding hands and getting married!

Doesn't mind getting dirty...that's my kinda girl!

Writing...

The bus stop

Julie joined us at the bus stop this week. She absolutely loves seeing big brother get on the bus each morning. It's one of the first things that she asks each morning after getting out of bed...if she can see Jesse get on the bus stop! :)

Fly away

So, Minnieland was taking a field trip to the Aviation Museum over at the airport. I told Julie that she would be seeing airplanes that day and she immediately asked if she needed to take her suitcase!

Julie's best gal

Random Julie

Julie hangs right in there...at Jesse's birthday sleepover

Cruise vacation 2013

Jesse & Julie flew in an airplane for the first time. They were both great...and said some pretty great things along the way! After we luckily see the Statue of Liberty flying into the New Jersey airport, Jesse asked if we just passed Short Pump Elementary. He then said, "wow, New Jersey has a lot of trees!" As we were flying out of New Jersey, Julie looks out the airplane window and says "I see Minnieland!"

Julie was so excited to be going to Camp Carnival. She knew and saw that Jesse had gone the night before and got his face painted. She told us with lots of sas, "I'm going to Camp Carnival to do... (looks at me and asks), what am I going to do mom?

We spent Julie's fourth birthday in Jamaica! I can't believe my sweet girl is growing up so fast! I am just hoping that some of the whine was left in Jamaica...

Board games....

Julie enjoys all of us playing Candy Land, Memory, and Hi Ho Cherry-O. Jesse recently purchased Trouble at a yard sale...and Julie seems to understands this one. I am sorry hat we didn't let you play Monopoly with us, but I just hope that you one day understand that it wasn't fair to hold Jesse back from playing
those games that he's ready for!

Do you believe in magic?

The kids have discovered Nick Jr and watch the silly shows on there often. One show must have been about magic... Jesse and Julie were both performing the world's greatest disappearing tricks! I caught them on video since they were so good!! And they made me laugh!

Another Minnieland Q & U wedding...

Julie was so excited about being able to participate and she knew her lines for the letter "G" the first day she brought them home, and did an outstanding job at publicly saying the lines during the ceremony! Mom and Dad are very proud of how well she spoke, especially when some of her classmates were in tears.

Julie is enjoying having big brother around as a playmate. I have noticed that when he's not home, she has a hard time figuring out what she should do. When they are together, she's right there with him dressing up like super heroes, being the "bad" guy, and collecting bugs for their collection. Even though she does all these things with him, she still enjoys tagging along behind mommy from time to time. She helps fold laundry, is always asking to use the Swiffer on the kitchen floor, vacuuming when I vacuum, helps with watering the flowers in the backyard and is always asking to help cook. We have made a pizza together and Jello.

Sharpie no no's

Julie used a red sharpie when I told her not to use it.

She told me that she had used a crayon to complete the hand writing worksheet. BS! I picked up the worksheet and because she had used the sharpie, it had leaked through the paper onto the table. She stared down at it for a while…and she said that she was sorry. I could tell that she really meant what she said…

ok, this was out of the blue...

I had been excercising upstairs while the kids were downstairs watching tv with daddy. The kids were totally interested in joining me once I came down for excercises on the stability ball. I finished my set, then shared the ball with them. As I was doing a floor exercise, Julie blurts out, "Mommy, I want a baby in your tummy". And Jesse immediately says, "Yeah, we'll take good care of it!"

Yes kiddos, that is sweet, but this momma is done having babies (at least that is my plan)!!

That's such a big bed!

Yes, my baby is in her big girl bed! We found a beautiful comforter that matches the theme that we have going on in her room. "Flowers". Such a pretty comforter, shams and bedskirt. The first sheets that were put on the bed were fairies. However, this week, we put brother's Lightning McQueen sheets on...and she likes those too!

And she writes!

Holy cow, did I flip when 3.5 year old Julie wrote her name at church!! She started out with the "J", then said she was going to finish writing her name. I was truly amazed!

Ms Ashlee said that they have been working hard at Minnieland to do this!

The word college

Whenever Longwood College is mentioned, Julie starts singing the fight song that her daddy wrote for the college. "Hail to Longwood U!" is pretty much the only words that she knows!

New pencil sharpener

Julie has taken to Daddy's new electric pencil sharpener. She collects several pencils to "sharp them up".

It's the little things...that are entertaining!

The toddler bed...

Julie comes down one night after we have put her to bed and says "there are too many people in my bed!"

Julie loves to have many things with her in the bed...books, stuffed animals, toys, etc.

Helping out around the house...

Sometimes Julie sets the table for dinner. She wasn't asked to help, but just started doing it. I am guessing that they were doing this in her Montessori class. Mommy thought it was super sweet to do it without being asked!