Holla

Got a couple of videos to post. One is of Juliet breaking it down during the dance part of "Ellen" and the other is just of the kids talking. Cuteness.



Things are going well this May, except for the quick sale of our house. It's been nearly four weeks since it went on the market, and nothing serious has happened. Well, the most seriousness is how clean our house is. All of the time. I'm ready to go back to being semi-clean. Hopefully, it will sell in the next couple of weeks. That's having my chin up HIGH.

Cooper: He's been a toot for the past two or three weeks. I'm thinking some of it is a little rage because of the move, switching preschool talk, etc. He loves to talk back, say rude things to get our attention, and demand to be served without thanks. Whew. I think we're starting to see a calm in this storm, because we've begun to ignore him and the problem, which really hacks him off. We'll see if that changes.

Luke and Cooper went last Friday to the Statesman Auto Show at the convention center. Needless to say, Cooper was in heaven. They had an awesome time getting in EVERY SINGLE CAR at the show. If you don't know Cooper, this is his dream. He loves to get it cars, play with keys, hold keys, pretend driving, and memorize the names of cars on the road. To the point of obsession. We'll see what this turns into. Luke, of course, loves it. :)

Juliet: She's ABOUT to crawl. I'm excited because it will make her happier, but not ready to put the stair gates back up. She's almost there.

The cuteness factor is really high with her at the moment. She can clearly say "dada" and "mama" and says "kuh, kuh" for cat and "guh duh" for dog. I know that doesn't mean she's saying those words, but I know what she's talking about, which is all that matters. :) She can almost clap, and puts her hands together (sorta) for "more" in sign language when we're eating. Such a smart little girl. She loves to pick up books and look at them (my girl) and she's getting awesome at SLEEPING. I love this phase. But, she does tend to throw a fit when something is taken from her, to the point that she starts to grunt and then hold her breath for a second. Oh dear. Flash forward to 15 years old, and imagine the possibilities.

We're getting ready to go on a beach trip soon, and to the lake. Cooper's last school day is tomorrow. NO! Summer is a love/hate for me. Mostly love.

Funny

Here are the kids - Cooper playing Batman. Juliet doesn't seem to like it.

More stuff they do

I thought I'd give a quick kid update. I'm doing this on my iPhone because it's the fastest thing right now, and I'd rather have something than nothing!

Juliet's six month checkup (this us just for record's sake, since she's 7.5 months old and has grown like a weed) was pretty boring, which was good. She weighed 16 lbs and three ounces (45th per) and 24 1/2 inches (90th per). Very tall! Since then, she's begun to eat meats and tried to eat a few "real" foods - avocados, bananas, puffs, bread - and she's not really loving it. She's getting used to it more and more each day, so that's all we could ask. Juliet enjoys drinking water from a sippy cup, and I think she finally really learned how to do it correctly tonight. It shocked her at first, but then liked it! Mmmmm, water.

She is also pushing up all the way with her arms when she's on her tummy, and trying to rock back and forth on her knees. Crawling will come soon. I'm not ready! Waving is her newest talent. She loves to wave at daddy and say "dadada". "Mama" is only usually said when she's sad, so dad loves that. :) The cat and dog are fun for her to look at now. She's just getting so big! We love her new personality starting to come out.

And Cooper - what a fun kid. He's lately loving to play by himself with phones and keys. I'll often ask who he's talking to, and he'll say "Mom, I'm not talking to you." Yikes! He's serious when it comes to play. We're trying to keep him from watching too much tv, but Phineas and Ferb are pretty darn funny. The weather is awesome, so we're trying to get out more. He's learning to write his numbers, and reading "The Mouse and the Motorcycle" each night with dad. I remember reading it when I was in elementary school. He's a story lover, and I love that about him.

Well, that's my "baby book" entry for now. Will update again soon. Hopefully not from my phone because, well, my thumb hurts. :)

Seven month slideshow - Juliet

Okay, these are more like family pics, but it's Juliet's six (turned into seven) month shoot with Tanya Warpula of Cozy Impressions Photography here in Austin. She did an awesome job! It was FREEZING and windy on March 21, but we made it through. Enjoy!

Juliet Seven Month Slide Show

We went to Disneyland!

In the past month, we've had rodeo day at Cooper's preschool (super cute), Disneyland, and the Austin Rodeo. Pretty chaotic for me around here, but we're managing. Luke hasn't been traveling as much this year, which is great. He enjoys his job a lot, and we couldn't ask for a better life. We're glad to have him around more.

Juliet is starting to sit up on her own (I need to get more pics of that) and say "mamamama," "dadadada" and "yahyahyahyah" all of the time. I really do think she's saying "mama" because it's when I'm not paying attention to her. She uses it to get my attention, and it works! Cooper is reading more, and practicing letters on the shower door. He is SO stubborn and opinionated (I'm not sure at all where he gets that), but super inquisitive and smart. He remembers everything. I mean, EVERYTHING. Even stuff from when he was two, like, specific events and people. Blows my mind.

Cooper got to dress up as a cowboy for Rodeo day at school. Everyone looked so cute! The teachers had a little rodeo roundup (aka the chicken dance) before it started, and they had little activities to do in the afternoon. Of course, my son was less interested in the actual horse they had there to pet, and WAY more interested in the big truck and horse trailer they brought it in. :) He looked so handsome in his boots and jeans.

Luke had a trade show/convention at the Disneyland Hotel in sunny CA last week, so we tagged along as a family. The hotel was great - super close to the park, and to an area called Downtown Disney where they have fun restaurants, stores, and cool Disney apparel. I've never been to a place so populated with children and strollers. Nor have I seen a hotel/park more catered to children's wants and needs. We went the first morning to something called "Goofy's Kitchen" buffet breakfast and were shocked (and a little excited) to find every food a kid could ever want at this breakfast. I mean, eggs, bacon, omelettes, mac and cheese, ice cream, cobbler, cupcakes, eggs benedict, jello, Mickey pancakes and waffles ... you name it. It was awesome. Of course, my son wanted one pancake, jello and chocolate milk. I, on the other hand, couldn't contain myself. Yum. Also at the breakfast were Goofy, Chip and Dale, Princess Jasmine, Balou, and Pluto. They came to our table!

We had a four-day pass to the park, so we did a lot of walking. Juliet really enjoyed sitting up in the stroller (we borrowed a sit 'n' stand - thanks Collins fam) and Cooper was a trooper. He loved the Toontown area of the park where Mickey Mouse and all of his friends "live." It was a great area for younger kids. We did ride "It's a Small World" and were thoroughly annoyed by it, and Luke and Cooper saw a Mickey parade and rode the carousel. We got to see fireworks on Friday and Saturday night outside our hotel room window, which was amazing. And loud. Juliet was so tired, she didn't even budge. Hotel rooms with a baby can be stressful, but we did it!

Luke's cousin, Bethany, lives about 20 minutes away from the park, so meeting up with her and her daughter, Samantha, was a lot of fun. The kids and I went to the beach one afternoon with them and had a ball. We ate at a place called "Woody's" the looked a lot like Cooper's room at home on the inside. YUMMY avocado omelette, and a great burger for Cooper. Speaking of food, we also went to the Rainforest Cafe' with Preston, since he happened to be in town, and ESPN Zone. Yum. We did not go hungry.

We had such a great time, but after the long flight home, time difference, and time CHANGE on the same day, we were pooped. It'll be fun to go back when they're a few years older, and maybe DisneyWORLD instead.

Wednesday, we went to the Austin Rodeo with Charis and her two boys. It's a little boy's wonderland, with the golf carts, cars and tractors to sit and play on. Cows? Ho hum. I had to pry Cooper off of a Dodge pickup and out the exit to leave. He loves to pretend to drive. And, Juliet, loves to watch. :)

It's been a great month or so! Cooper is nearly 4 1/2 and Juliet turned six months on Sunday, Feb. 21. They're both getting so big. Juliet is sitting up on her own, almost. Give it a week or two. She eats all kids of baby food, and loves it. Cooper loves school and is pumped about Cowboy/Texas day tomorrow. He gets to wear his boots!

Here's Coop taking a pic of himself. He's totally obsessed, still, with all things electronic or having to do with keys.



Preschool Valentine's party.



Snow in Cleburne. It snowed in Austin ALL DAY yesterday, but we didn't play in it as much. Craziness with the snow here in Texas this month!




The girls playing inside.



Cooper, Nonnie and Daddy building a snowman.



Cooper and Poppie, and new dog Chloe.



Me and Juliet watching intently.



On Feb. 10, my niece Haley turned ONE. What a crazy year it's been for them. Glad they are all happy and healthy. She's a cutie.



Us eating stuff.




SNOW IN AUSTIN.

A new year, a new post!

Happy New Year to everyone! Well, seeing at it's almost February that phrase is a little weird now.

It's been a great month so far for the Hejl fam. Juliet is five months old, and cuter than EVER. She's eating rice cereal and oatmeal, and has thus far tried peas, green beans and sweet potatoes. She seems to like the sweet potatoes the most, but who doesn't. Peas are just NASTY to me, but Cooper and Juliet love them. I have no excuse.

Cooper is growing like a weed, and learning about/questioning everything. We've had a lot of death in the family lately - Granddaddy, uncle Harold, and yes, my parents' dog, Clovis - so Coop's been asking about Heaven a lot. It's pretty hard to explain death and Heaven to a four year old. Right now, he doesn't really want to go to Heaven because that's far away from everything he knows on this earth. He's coming around though, since we explained to him that Harold is now in Heaven with his mom and dad. He did pray once, "Dear God, thank you for Granddaddy and Harold. Help Harold to have a good time with his mom and dad in Heaven." Well said. Last night he mentioned to Luke, "I have two dads!" We were all, um okay. He then said, "God and Daddy. God is our Heavenly Father." How sweet is that? I love me some Cooper. So strong-willed yet sensitive and all-ears.

Because I haven't updated since Christmasish, here are a bunch of fun and random pics.

Four month stats, Christmas, etc.

Hope everyone had a great holiday. Now it's back to the grind. Cooper starts back preschool on Wednesday, and I couldn't be more excited. He couldn't be either. Luke will be traveling to Salt Lake City, some other place, and POLAND this month, so it should be interesting for us all.

Juliet had her four month appointment a couple of weeks ago. She was 13 pounds, 14 ounces (50th percentile), and doing well. She was almost 25 inches long, which puts her in the 90th percentile for height. A tall one. The doc said she was grasping at things at a six month-old level, so even if she was just saying that, it made me feel good that we already have a genius on our hands. :) She's talking a lot more, sleeping better during the day and at night, grabbing her feet with her hands, and really chewing on everything she can get her hands on - quite a drooler, too. She started last week on some rice cereal, and LOVES it. We're eating it every night now, and are about to start with it twice a day. Gives me a little feeding break - not so constant. We love her so much, and are so grateful for this blessing in our lives. Super cute.

Cooper is playing more and more with his little sister. I asked him outside today: "Cooper, do you remember when it was just me, you and Daddy ... No Juliet?" He replied, "Yes, that was fun. Babies are hard to take care of and cry. But, I'm glad we have her now. I love her." Made me tear up a little. He is the sweetest little boy in the world - smart, funny, compassionate, loves to run around at full speed, and is always seeking knowledge. He wants to know about EVERYTHING, and is slowly starting to try and read a few books. He wants you to follow the words with your finger, and spell things. SO great. We bought him the TAG reader for Christmas and he uses it a lot. Mix anything with technology and he's rarin' to go. Much like his daddy. Oh, and there's still the car and phone obsessions. Show him a car, and he'll tell you the make and model. Not kidding.

We had a fantastic holiday this year. Always, a holiday with an infant doesn't really feel much like a holiday, but who needs sleep and time to one's self? Not me. We stayed in Austin for Luke's parents' Christmas, came to our house for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning, and then were off to my parents' Christmas Day. After some good quality time with family (and an Old 97s concert for good measure), we crammed everything in our suburban and came home, only to cram it all in our house. Needless to say, we're blessed beyond measure, and had a great holiday.

More to come. Upcoming events: Photo Card Cafe' yearly company meeting, our huddle retreat, running the Austin half marathon (Luke is too, but I'm actually running with my friend Jillian), judging Sing Song at ACU, and Disneyland in March. Whew!

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!