Update, catch up, whatever you want to call it.

Hey hey. Yes, I still have a blog. Yes, I know I'm behind. Here is a catch-up blog.

Over the past month, we've been to Puerto Rico as a family (for Luke's work), had a great Thanksgiving, and begun the Christmas experience with lights, tree, etc. Here are some fun pics! Oh, and Juliet is 3.5 months old now, and getting cuter (and more stubborn) by the day. Naps are the low-light of the day because she's already fighting it, but she sleeps great at night. I can't complain. Enjoy!

You be the judge.

This pic is a little old of Juliet, but here are my children at the same ages. They are definitely brother and sister!

Stats

I'm back. Just finished up a HUGE post that I will put up later, but I wanted to post everyone's stats before I forgot.

Cooper went to the doc today for his four-year checkup. All is well. He got three shots today and didn't even wince. What a trooper. We went to Sonic after that one. He weighs about 37.6 pounds, is 42 inches tall and has a BMI of 15. 50th, 75th (tall) and 25th percentile, respectively. Hearing and vision are AOK.

Juliet went last month for her two-month appt, and I never posted anything! Ugh, bad mom. She weighed 11 pounds, 10 ounces (50th percentile - a whole pound more than Cooper at this age) and was 24 inches tall. (99th percentile - tall!) Everything is looking great with her. She's so much bigger than that now. She's talking a lot, holding her head up, really noticing her brother (hard not to notice) and filling out a lot. I can't wait until her next appt!

Happy Halloween!

Juliet = 10 weeks, Cooper = four years and two weeks. Cutest ballerina/ninja combo ever.

Where do I start?

I have a lot of catching up to do when it comes to this blog. One kid = lots of time to update. Two kids = zero time to do anything, much less sit at my computer. Don't get me wrong ... My kids are the most wonderful things on the planet, but they don't let up for anything. :)

Let's see. First let's talk about the elementary school dedication/naming for my pepaw, W. A. Martin. The new Martin Elementary School in Crandall, TX is brand new and super awesome. That it's now named after my pepaw is just the coolest. He is a great, Godly man with many life accomplishments - preacher, teacher, principal, drivers' ed instructor, community servant, entire-Bible-memorizer, and family man. So, it was fitting (and about time) to name a school after him. We got to see a DVD of a lot of old pictures of the him and our family, and hear his life's story. A proud day for the Martin family.








Also, it was great to see my daddy looking a lot better (and about half the size eh was before) after his jaunt in the hospital the past few weeks. He's doing well, and we're so grateful for all of the prayers. Thank you God! He's getting better every day, and seems to have a new lease on life. Love it.

A couple of weeks after that, we went to visit the Wattersons in Sara's hometown of Emory, TX. That's right, Farmtown, USA. It was extremely refreshing to visit such a quiet little town, and to stay in an old house across the pasture from Sara's parents. Yeah, you heard me. We ate a lot, watched the kids play, rode four wheelers, watched TV and relaxed. We even got a night out without kids (except Juliet) and went to the Juan Pablos in Sulphur Springs (I think that's where we were). Good times, and great chips and queso.




That following Monday, we went to the U2 concert in Dallas. It. Was. Epic. Best concert I've ever been to, by far. We had amazing seats (17th row on the side/back)and had a fabulous time with Sara and Preston. It was a bittersweet day, however, because right before the concert we learned that my granddaddy passed away. He was my mom's dad, Earl Senter, and he was a great Christian man. It was a good funeral (as good as a funeral can be) because of his confidence in his salvation. We all knew where he was, smiling down on us, finally back with Grandmother. He was a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps, so he had a 21-gun salute, flag on the casket ... The whole nine yards. Got some great photos. He would have been "tickled" at it all.







THEN, Cooper had a great FOURTH birthday party. Lots of his friends came out to our park to play and eat cake and snacks. I attempted to make a monster truck cake this year, but I can't say it was my best work. Nevertheless, it tasted really good. He had a great time, and still enjoys the gifts and memories.









I have much more to blog about in my next posts. I still have to do Puerto Rico (which we just came back from) and other stuff. It'll come, eventually. :) Here are some more cute Halloween pics with the cousins, and a few of Juliet as she's grown.

Just to tide you over.

Since I'm working on a massive blog post about the past couple of months. This is funny.

I have a four year-old? What?

Cooper, my oldest, is four years old today. It's blowing my mind a little bit, since four years seems like a really long time ago to me. I have a little letter to Cooper that I'm writing that I'll publish soon. We've been out this week with the death of my granddaddy, which was difficult, but a good thing, ultimately. But for now, happy birthday my boogie boy! We love you so much. Can't wait for the year ahead! More to come.

Cute videos

One is of Cooper at McDonald's (nasty) saying some funny stuff. The other is Juliet at six weeks, just talking to mama. Cuteness.

Juliet - five weeks

Here she is, pretty stinkin' cute at five weeks. She is definitely smiling at us, and cooing a lot more. Her noises are hilarious. When she sneezes, she goes "Ah-CHOO" and then goes "Ahhh ..." So cute.



Cooper is being a really sweet big brother as well. He's acting up a lot more lately, but I think we're on the downhill. It's been a stressful few weeks here at the Hejl household - filled with a new baby, Luke's new job, me trying to work at all, and Cooper's school and play schedule. Whew. Hopefully, it will slow down a bit more once Juliet gets on a schedule. Otherwise, it's such an adventure. I love my family.