Two Years Together

New blog

Just wanted to point out to everyone my new blog called
To Buy or Not to Buy?
I'll review products I use and let you know whether they are worth your money to buy! Feel free to add your review of the product if you've used it too in the comments section. Have suggestions for products you want me to review? Just send me an email and I'll see what I can do! Hope you like it!

Happy Birthday Emery!!

Emery really wanted to wear his new shoes! I got them yesterday to go with his Birthday Suit! Ha ha! I'm funny. No? Oh well. No really, this is his new suit he got for his birthday. He's not my baby anymore! He is a handsome litte man.
Happy Birthday Emery! Mom and Dad love you so much! It's been 2 crazy years, but we wouldn't trade it for anything :)

Mom the Builder...

Mom the Builder, Can she build it? Mom the Builder, YES she can!!

(If you have little kids who watch Bob the Builder, that might make more sense to you)

Who knew that to get your child a play kitchen for thier birthday would require 2 HOURS of "adult assembly".

Here I am working away on it!

Ta da! The finished product.

(I'm guessing part of the reason it required so much assembly is because I got one of the cheaper options for play kitchens. I really think the wood kind and the Step 2 kind are super cool. But at prices ranging from $150-$500 it wasn't going to happen! But I think Emery will pay with this $50 version just as much as he'd play with the others!! -Hopefully..)

100 posts!!

Happy Birthday to my blog with 100 posts!

Thanks for all you who tune in, and those who leave comments too -makes my day :)

Boo in the Zoo

On Monday we went to Boo in the Zoo and did some Trick-or-Treating. Emery was good and didn't mind wearing his doctor costume (when I got it last month he screamed as I tried to put it on him) and loaded up with some candy and prizes. Emery loves spending time with Dad, since he doesn't always get very much. Joel is so busy finishing up his thesis but also so close to being done!
All the kids dressed up made for one mesmerized kid.
After being hearded like cattle, Emery thought he'd take a little break.
He was very pleased with his bag by the time we left.

(It was funny, each time he'd get a piece and we'd start moving on, he'd say "More?"

Saturday Somersaults

I think Emery is ready for a gymnastic class! Just kidding. But he really does like to jump and roll and do tricks on his bed. Or sometimes onto the floor (ouch!)

"Great for Toddlers"

Cheerios came up with this cool design that only lets 1 cheerio out at a time. Which would be awesome except...

for those that know how to unscrew the lid!!

This is the covered playground right outside the zoo. Notice the shade :) Makes me so happy

Plus it really is a nice set up. Emery really likes these chimes and also driving the bus.

So, even though it only takes an hour to go through the zoo, we usally spend at least another hour here playing in the shade. Ahh.

I got gas

Ewe, not that kind! Why would I blog about that?

Today I filled up my car for $2.79 in Simpsonville, SC. Let's just say I was in amazement! It was only last week I was hoping gas prices would come down to $3.50. And only a few days before that they were sneaking toward $4.00 and I was just hoping I could find a gas station that HAD ANY gas!! Needless to say I'm glad prices have come back down so fast! How much are you paying for gas now? Let's compare cities!

*Shoot! I should have waited. I saw gas for $2.71 on Friday!*

24 Things

In honor of my 24th birthday last Saturday the 11th, here are 24 things about me...

1. I met Joel when I was 18
2. We started dating when I was 19
3. We got married when I was 20
4. I got pregnant when I was 21
5. I had Emery James when I was 22
6. I grew up in Utah
7. We lived in Atlanta, GA for 2 years while Joel went to Georgia Tech for his masters
8. We now live in Simpsonville, SC
9. My favorite food is potatoes (baked, mashed, scalloped, french fried, chips etc)
10. I love making things (sewing, crocheting, and crafting)
11. I enjoy photography
12. My favorite book (and movie) is Pride and Prejudice
13. I love shopping (probably too much; I'm working on it!)
14. I love spending time with family in Utah and Nevada
15. I enjoy reading, watching tv, and movies
16. I love animals, especially cats
17. I spoke at my high school graduation (fyi: Joel spoke at his too!)
18. I majored in Marriage, Family, and Human Development at BYU
19. I used to be really good at hula hooping
20. I love naps
21. My favorite desert is cream puffs
22. I USED to be good at math
23. I like to get my nails done (sometimes)
24. My husband is perfect for me, we complement each other in so many ways (I'm so lucky!!)

Well there you have it. Julie in a nut shell. he he

Don't cry over spilt milk

I get out of the shower yesterday to find this...

I think he couldn't find his sippy cup of milk in the refrigerator so he proceeded to try and drink straight from the carton. I guess that bad habit starts young.
I saw this idea on another blog. Use a cupcake tin to provide a variety of healthy options for a picky toddler.
Yesterday he had tomatoes, goldfish crackers, apples, corn, cheese toast, and chicken. He didn't finish it all, but I just saved it for the next meal.
Kohls is having some sales on womens clothing. I dropped by and found 2 silky skirts in the Simply Vera Wang collection for 90% off! At only $5.40 each, I think that's one of the best deals I've gotten all year!

Sorry for the poor picture quality. It's hard to get a good picture when the flash is reflecting in the mirror. They are the same skrit in navy and multi color. They even have pockets :) I don't know what I'd put in a silky pocket, maybe a tissue.And while you are at Kohls check out the stuffed animal display at the register. They have Curious George (and also hippos, penguins, and dalmation dogs) stuffed animals for $5. And as a bonus all the proceeds go to some children's charity. I swear I got Emery a curious george stuffed animal about a quarter that size at Barnes and Noble last year and it cost like $10 at least!

A real MOM!

I stole this from a friend's blog and I love it

A REAL MOM
A real mom uses baby wipes to clean more than dirty bottoms.
A real mom uses her shirt sleeves as napkins and Kleenex.
A real mom allows others to see that she doesn't 'have it all together.'
A real mom picks her kids' noses.
A real mom puts dirty socks on her kids when the clean ones run out.
A real mom has moments when she wishes she wasn't a mom.
A real mom goes potty with an audience.
A real mom sometimes wears makeup, and when she does, her kids say, 'Wow! Mom, you look different!'
A real mom counts chasing a toddler around the house as exercise.
A real mom thinks that occasionally the television makes a wonderful babysitter!
A real mom sometimes feeds her kids cookies for breakfast.
A real mom makes mistakes on a daily basis but keeps on chugging along, trying to get better.
A real mom feeds her children lollipops (or just about anything) so she can complete a phone conversation.
A real mom realizes that she learns as much from her children as her children learn from her.
A real mom knows that childhood passes so quickly- but not quick enough some days.
A real mom needs other real moms.

Greenville Zoo

I decided I really wanted to get a membership to the Greenville Zoo. It is a smaller zoo, but since the weather is nice more of the year here (compared to Utah!) I thought it would be something we could do to keep busy! And since it's smaller there are less people and the price is lower! Bonus!

We went to the Atlanta zoo a few times as well as Hoogle Zoo in Utah, but now that Emery is a little older I think he's liking it more. At the Elephants he was trying to make a elephant noise and also keeping saying "Woow!"

I liked the giraffes. They are so pretty!

They have a little kids play area inside that was ok. But then right outside the zoo, there is a spectacular playground. (I'll take pictures next time I go). It had 4 areas to play. Half was for older kids and the other half for younger. And part of both the areas was covered, and so nice and shaddy! Ingenious! Seriously, they need to put covers over more outside playgrounds! They get so hot in the summer!

We had a fun time and I'm excited to go back. I only wish it was a little closer. I mean, it's only about 15 minutes or so, but with gas prices crazy and Emery not being a fan of car rides it could be better. One more reason to move a little closer to Greenville in the future I guess!