A Halloween treat

Here she is -- the cutest ladybug ever...

Julia wore her costume to Kindermusik last week since mama has to work on Halloween. Here she is trying to catch bubbles, which is her favorite part of the 45-minute session. I'm not sure what she thought of wearing a costume, but everyone else sure thought she was cute. Too bad I never got around to making her a little headband with antenna...

And here, even a ladybug gets tuckered out...

And while we're on the topic of fall festivities, the Cherry family ventured out to a pumpkin patch this weekend. We picked a few to decorate and took some pictures. And while it looks like a lovely fall day, with all the pumpkins and the hay and whatnot, I have to tell you, it was 87 freaking degrees that day with glaring sun, so we were in and out of there in 10 minutes! That's Florida for you. Mike even took a dip in the pool Sunday. I'm beginning to wonder if it will ever cool down.

Those of you from WV are probably wondering what the heck I'm complaining about considering all the whining I did there about how cold it was and how much I hated scraping ice off my windshield at 5:30 in the morning so I could get to the Daily Mail on time...

Birthday girl

What a fun birthday party we had for Miss Julia this weekend. We had friends, family, food, flowers and yes, even a cupcake in the face.

The highlight of the party may have been when Julia yanked a bottle right out of baby Jake's mouth. I think it may have been her diva moment.

Julia was spoiled rotten with presents! So many cute outfits, books and toys...

I'm still sad that my baby is a year old, but enjoy the pics anyway... Some are from her party on Saturday, some from her actual birthday.

One year ago today...

we welcomed Julia Grace Cherry into the world and our family. I can not believe my sweet girl is one. I can't imagine life without her -- her sweet little smile, her chubby cheeks, her hysterical laughter, her soft little body, her silly noises, her quirky personality...
How funny it is that such a tiny little being can turn your world on its head.

One year ago today,

*I weighed more than my husband.

*Epidural became my favorite word.

*We finally got to see the face of the little creature that had been kicking the crap out of me for the past several months. And what a precious face it is ...

*I never knew it was possible to be so in love with someone in just a matter of seconds.

*I didn't regularly use words like Boppy, Bumbo, sippy cup, Diaper Genie, cutie patootie, sweetie peatie... Now they are part of my vocabulary.

*We regularly had bottles of wine in the house. Now we have baby bottles.

*I used to sleep in until 9 or so. Now I'm up at 7, greeted by Miss Julia bouncing up and down in her crib because she's happy to see me. What a fabulous way to start the day.

*My house used to be spotless but now there are piles of books, toys, napkins, bibs, whatever Julia can get her hands on all over the floor.

*I didn't kiss other people's toes, but now I can't get enough of that girl's sweet little feet. I just want to eat her with a spoon!

*I wasn't one to say a lot of prayers but now I thank God every night for giving me this most precious gift and asking for help so that I won't mess up too badly.

Some pics of our baby from her first year of life.

Happy Birthday, sweet girl!

Blue jean baby

Look at that face! Too cute.

And look at those jeans. Aren't they adorable? A gift from Aunt Sue a few months ago. Thanks, Aunt Sue. She's just now fitting in them and we love them. They're covered in tiny pink flowers.

And next month when it gets a little cooler, Julia will be sporting a blue jean dress from Aunt Lisa. And you can count on pictures of that too!

And I just have to share these photos. For the past year, I have refrained from putting little ribbons or headbands in Julia's hair because I just thought they were silly. But today, I thought I'd give them a try And OH MY, isn't this sooo funny? Mike came home and declared she looked like Pebbles Flintstone...

By the way, we're under one week until Julia's big day...

Happy fall

So, I've been feeling really homesick lately, because I love autumns back home. The chill in the air, the beautiful yellows, reds and oranges, wearing sweaters, baking pumpkin bread, pumpkin ice cream from Ellen's....


But I'm starting to appreciate Florida "falls" too. There aren't pretty leaves or anything, but it is the time of year when we can actually enjoy the outdoors. The temperatures are out of the 90s, the stifling heat gone, and some days, there's even a cool breeze. So I made myself some pumpkin muffins, bought a pumpkin candle and headed outside. Julia and I have been laying in the hammock, taking lots of walks, going out to lunch at outdoor restaurants, hanging out on the patio with Nana -- all the stuff it's too hot to do in the summer months.


So it's not the same, but it's not soooo bad....