Christmas 2010

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas this year. Santa went a little overboard at our house! But what can I say? It's so fun to buy for little ones! It was after all Julianna's first Christmas.



Christmas Eve we went to church and barely made it through the 30 minutes service! Good thing it was VERY kid friendly. Julianna likes to sing along and she is loud! Jake, well, he can't sit still for that long so we had a screamer and a squirmer. Kind of funny looking back...not so much sitting in church. But at least they looked good in their Christmas attire.


Christmas morning Julianna blessed us by sleeping in until 8:00! Jake, of course was up with the sun but had to quietly watch TV upstairs until Julianna woke up. Finally it was time to open presents and Jake was overwhelmed. He got a Woody action figure and after that wasn't very interested. Until he got Buzz Lightyear. Obviously he is very into Toy Story.


Julianna didn't really get what was going on. She got a bunch of new toys, I tried to buy "girlie" things so she doesn't have to play with Jake's truck and ball. My parents gave Jake a new basketball hoop. Of course, Julianna LOVES the basketball. It's funny the things that entertain her. Here is a short clip of Jake playing basketball.


Brian asked Jake what his very favorite present was...he replied "MY TOYS." What an amazing day we had! Jake and Julianna have blessed our lives and made the holiday season truly special. Please have a safe and happy new year!

I know I don't post a lot of video of Julianna so here is some footage I took while at the Children's Museum. She was playing on the waterbed, she loves to roll around and try to keep her balance. At this particular time there was a music show going on so she was also trying to sing along.

Crazy Saturday

Today was another crazy day in the McNeely household. Brian was in Nashville for my brother's bachelor party...yes the wedding is now 3 weeks away. So Jake, Julianna and I ran some errands and quickly came home for a short nap. Boy would Jake need that nap!

The afternoon started with a birthday party. Jake's friend Davis turned 3! I can't believe it. He had his party at a local burger joint that conveniently sits right next to the fire house. After some (okay lots) tater tots and juice boxes we walked next door to see the fire engines.


I am sure you can imagine it was a huge success. Jake and his buddy Matty were in the truck, running around the truck, banging on the truck, checking the trucks tires and driving the truck. Craziness is the only word to describe it. It was lots of fun to see how excited they were about a fire truck! Back to the restaurant we went for cake and even more time to run around and play.


After the party, Leslie and I took the kids to a live nativity at our church. It was the first year for the event so I didn't really know what to expect. Well two crazy two year olds and 10 animals makes for a lot of work for the Mommys! They were all over the place. I think they had a good time and the day ended with cookies...what could be better?

More Video

We Wish You a Merry Christmas...



By the way Jake is the one in the red and white striped shirt (fifth from the left). The kid NOT singing.

Jake's Class Christmas Party

Julianna and I got to go to Jake's school today for his Christmas party. Jake was very excited for us to come and see his room and all the wonderful crafts he has been working on the past few weeks. His teachers, Ms. Sonya and Ms. Beth, are so creative. You should see the stuff he brings home. It is so fun to see what comes out of his little bag.


Today he made a Christmas tree out of an upside down ice cream cone, green icing and lots of decorations. He was very focused on getting the M&M's on the tree until he saw another kid eat one. That was pretty much it for decorating the tree...the rest went in his mouth.



The kids also learned two Christmas songs and sang them for us. I got both on video so here are Jingle Bells and We Wish You a Merry Christmas (in the next post).


We had a great time and it was so fun to see all his friends. He talks about them all the time. Of course that was his last day of school for 3 weeks...now what?

Seeing Santa

Last week Brian and I took the kids to see Santa. Julianna was meeting him for the first time so I wondered if she would like him. She stared at him for about a minute or two and then she cried.


Jake on the other hand had no problem sitting on Santa's knee and telling him exactly what he wanted for Christmas. Buzz Lightyear. Santa said and a scooter? Jake said "No, Buzz Lightyear." They are so easy to please at this age.


We are definitely looking forward to Santa visiting our house on the 24th!

Julianna - Lots of Firsts

Last week we went to get our Christmas tree...it will be our first Christmas with Julianna! Jake had a great time picking out our tree and pushing Julianna around in her stroller...yep pushed her right into a tree. I guess if you have a brother you need to be tough!


On Friday Julianna was 9 months old. She is, what we like to call her, our little maniac. She is pulling up on everything and trying to let go, cruising around the furniture, climbed up a few stairs. She is into everything and follows her brother everywhere!


Julianna and I went to Cincinnati this weekend for a wedding shower for my brother's fiance, Shana. It was Julianna's very first plane ride and also her first shower. She definitely enjoyed helping her Aunt Shana open the presents. It was wonderful to see everyone and we can't wait for the wedding! It even snowed while we were there so Julianna could see snow for the first time. I'm not sure she was impressed...it was cold!


This week we are very busy. Jake and Julianna get to see Santa Claus on Wednesday. Should be lots of fun. Have a great week!

Thanksgiving

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. We traveled to Sandersville to see Brian's family. Jake has been looking forward to seeing his cousin, John Payne, for weeks. And the trip did not disappoint!


The boys had a great time playing outside in the sandbox and on the huge innertube Papa bought for them. They climbed trees, jumped on beds and stayed up late watching Toy Story. Basically the kids had the run of the house and they had a ball.


Finally we decided to get a picture of the 4 granchildren together. I couldn't resist putting a few of the interesting shots for you all to see in the picasa photo album. But it did lead to a decent picture.


Now we just have to get back to normal...tomorrow should make for an interesting day. Enjoy the week!

November Fun

Well the sun has been shining down in Georgia and we have been stuck inside. Julianna has been under the weather for the past week and a half. Finally she is feeling better and the forcast said 70 degrees...in November! So off we went to the zoo.


I told Jake last night we were going to the zoo and he was very excited to see the animals. This morning when I went in to get him he said "we go to the zoo now Mommy." I told him the animals were still sleeping and we would go a little later. Brilliant right? For the next two hours all I heard was "are the animals still sleeping Mommy?" or "animals need to wake up now." It was cute...luckily a lot of animals were awake when we got to the zoo. Juilanna got to ride the train and carousel for the first time and LOVED it. She was laughing the whole time.


Brian's mom requested a picture of the kids in their christmas pajamas so we had a little photo shoot before bed tonight. I managed to get a few cute pictures. We tried a few shots in Jake's bed which led to a wrestling match (yes, Julianna can hold her own).


We are all excited to travel to Sandersville for the Thanksgiving holiday. We have so much to be thankful for this year. Jake told his teachers he was very thankful for Mommy, Daddy, Julianna, doughnuts and Auburn. What else is there right?


Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Auburn Homecoming 2010

WAR EAGLE!

Brian and I made the annual trip to Auburn for the Homecoming game. Jake and Julianna did great despite the cold. We bundled them up in hats, coats and mittens and we all had a great time.


We went to the Tiger Walk before the game and Jake waved to Aubie and the players and coaches. Then we saw some friends and went to the game. Jake said over and over "War Eagle, Hey!" and "Go Auburn." He was cute in his jersey.


Finally we stopped at the bookstore for some Auburn paraphernalia and something to eat. The LSU-Alabama game was on so, of course, we had to watch it! While we were eating Julianna decided to learn how to clap. She was so proud of herself. Her clapping looks more like a Gator chomp but its still cute. Here is a video of her clapping.

Julianna - 8 Months Old

I say this every month but I can't believe Julianna is 8 months old! She is up to 20.5 pounds and 29 inches (give or take...it's so hard to be accurate).


My sweet girl just continues to amaze me. She has started standing and is almost cruising along the furniture. She will grab your hands and try to walk to you. I doubt this little girl will wait very long to walk. I guess she feels someone needs to keep up with her brother!


Obviously she is into everything...including stairs and Mommy's tape measure. Time to get the gates out I think!

Halloween Weekend

Happy Halloween! We had a great weekend. Saturday we watched the Auburn game together. Jake had a great time yelling War Eagle every time we scored (which was a lot!) He is practicing for next Saturday when Brian and I take the kids to the Homecoming game.


Sunday afternoon we carved pumpkins. Brian carved three and I did one. I think I was a little too ambitious. My ghost in the graveyard wasn't great, but I tried.


After that we went to the neighborhood Halloween party and had pizza, and in Jake's case Cheetos. He told me they were super yummy.


The kids paraded around the tennis courts and off they went to trick or treat. Here is a video of Jake's first house.



He already knew the drill since we went to trunk or treat on Wednesday. We went to about 10-15 houses and came home. Jake kept saying "one more house Mommy." But we had to hand out candy which he loved! He would say "bye bye, good to see you," or "see you later." It was fun to watch.


Hope you all had a wonderful Halloween! Have a great week!

Trunk or Treat

Every year our church has a trunk or treat in the parking lot. So we got the kids dressed in their costumes (Buzz Lightyear and a ladybug) and took them to trick or treat.


This year it was raining so the festivities were moved indoors. We got there a little early so Jake was able to participate in the cake walk. Of course he won...so he went to the prize table and picked out a little cupcake. Thank goodness! I did not want a huge cake!


After he ate the icing off the top of the cupcake it was time to trick or treat. He got the hang of it right off the bat. He was a very polite little trick or treater saying "trick or treat" and "thank you." Now he can't wait to go again on Sunday. Just what I need more candy in the house!


Thursday Jake went to school and had an amazing day. He was the "Big Bunny" which means he was the leader that day. And they had a Halloween party with tons of crafts. When I went to pick him up, out he came wearing his spider hat. I thought he was the cutest thing! I had to take pictures!


Have a great Halloween weekend everyone and WAR EAGLE!

Julianna's Baptism

Sunday we baptized Julianna at our church. We had tons of family in town to witness the event. She was wonderful. She smiled and laughed and had the audience wrapped around her finger. It was very cute. Thank you to all our family members who flew or drove to be here. It meant a lot to see so many people who love our little girl. We are truly blessed.

Pumpkin Patch

Sunday we visited the pumpkin patch after church. Jake had a great time running around picking out pumpkins for each of us. Julianna sat with the little pumpkins for a while but was more interested in the straw than the pumpkins. But she sure did look good in her cute little dress if I do say so myself.



This weekend Julianna will be baptized. Most of our family will be here so we are all excited!

Toy Story 3

Anna and I took Jake and John Payne to see Toy Story 3 on Ice. WOW. We all had such a great time.


John Payne just watched everything and was mesmerized. While Jake was slightly more animated. He said "hi" to every characted and worried when they left the stage. He clapped, laughed and yelled "To Infinity and Beyond!"


I can't say I watched much of the show. I was so entertained just by watching Jake and the faces he made and the things he would say. I am so glad I took him and that Anna could come to town and bring John Payne.

Fall Fun

We have been having lots of fun the past few weeks. Jake had his very first preschool family picnic. Jake's school has a picnic every year with lots of fun stuff including two jumpy houses and a train ride. I am sure there was other stuff to do but we didn't get to it. As we were leaving I asked Jake if he had fun and he said "I need to go to picnic again now." Sorry Jake you have to wait until next year. Of course I forgot my camera so we have no documentation of the event but that is almost better. Sometimes I get wrapped up in taking pictures I forget to enjoy myself.


Jake and I met Payton and Jamie at the Children's Museum this week. They have a new exhibit that was all about music and let me tell you Jake was into it! He ran around playing all the instruments and singing into a microphone. It is such a neat place and he loves going there.


Today Brian went to the Auburn/Arkansas game and we stayed here and supported our Tigers from the couch. I got a really cute picture of both of them on the couch. Excuse Julianna's messy shirt...she really likes sweet potatoes and they were everywhere.



WAR EAGLE!!!

Julianna Crawling

Poppy requested some video of Julianna crawling so here she is...

Julianna is 7 months old

Our Julianna is 7 months old. She is crawling all over the place and trying to pull up. She loves eating baby food...hasn't met a food she doesn't like yet. Carrots are definitely her favorite, she can't get enough!


We have been busy. Saturday morning we went to Matty Browning's house for a playdate. Jake was in heaven since Matty has a huge train table. Then they ventured outside and literally ran for about 30 minutes...he took a great nap that afternoon.


Today Jake and I met Payton and her mom at the zoo. They really have started looking at the animals and talking about them. The playground is, of course, always the highlight of a zoo trip.

Hartwell Part 3

Here is one more video of Jake sliding. He goes down and runs to go down again.

Hartwell Part 2

On Sunday Brian took Jake back up to Hartwell to see John Payne and Kimsey Grace. They took the annual trip to the pumpkin farm and the farm added lots of fun things to do. I didn't go but I can tell from the pictures Jake had a great time. Jake played in corn, hay, and a pumpkin patch, took a hay ride, rode a bull and much more. The new slide addition was evidently a huge hit with Jake. Brian took some video of him sliding down. The slide was really steep but that didn't stop our Jake. When he got home he watched himself on video over and over.



The pictures from both trips to Hartwell are in the Hartwell album on the Picasa site...enjoy.

Kimsey Grace

Jake and Julianna have another cousin to play with! Kimsey Grace Sewell was born on September 16th.


We went to meet her on Wednesday and had a great day! John Payne is an excellent big brother. He just loves his sister.


The boys had a great time playing outside. Jake talks about John Payne all the time so its nice to go up there and let them run around together.


Julianna was crawling all over the place. I am so glad she has a little girl cousin to grow up with. Kimsey Grace is so little I cannot believe almost 7 months ago Julianna was that small. Especially since she is crawling and now has pulled herself up. I walked in to get her from her nap yesterday and there she was just standing there smiling, waiting for me. I wish I would have had my camera. I hope I never forget that sweet smile, she was so proud of herself and ready to show off her new accomplishment. I love this age.