My baby girl

There are many little reminders everyday that tell me my baby girl is becoming less and less of a baby. It is a little bittersweet. It's exciting to hit milestones like buying pretty panties (which she has yet to keep dry, but we're working on it) and having her help me make cookies. We also realized yesterday that she recognizes her name when we spell it or write it. But I still love the times she falls asleep in the car and I have to carry her into the house with her little face buried into my neck. She is so snugly when she is sleeping!

Sometimes I wonder if we are getting anywhere with potty training. Julia continues to do well at day care, but progress at home seems slow. Mom suggested buying her special panties to wear at home, in the hopes that her love of clothes would motivate her to go to the bathroom-no luck with that yet. But yesterday seemed to be a bit of a break through. After cleaning up another puddle, I was ready to start putting her in diapers again and then she went from 11AM to bedtime (8PM) with a dry pull-up. Today hasn't been quite as monumental, but yesterday gives me hope.

I think one of my favorite things to see as Julia grows up is an increased awareness of God. We've been reading through the creation story in the Bible at night. She loves reviewing what was created on each day. And Julia loves praying before meals and at bedtime. I can't wait for the day when she chooses to place her trust in God!

We've also really been enjoying the kisses that don't leave us completely slimed (although I do kind of miss those), the "I love you, too's", and the big hugs. Last weekend Justin got to hear, numerous times, "Happy Birthday my Father's Day!" It's amazing to see how Julia-and everyone else's kids-have been growing so fast! I'm working hard to remember and treasure these special times. I'm sure you all with kids are doing the same. Have a great week!

More Busyness

Justin wanted me to to add another "Julia-ism":
"Hey, Dad, you going be optomitrist?"

Anyway, lots has been going on at our house. Since my last post, Julia had another case of hand-foot-mouth disease. It looks like she has now had 3 of the 9 known viruses that cause those nasty little blisters-so six more rounds to go? I hope not! We had to cancel our trip to Grants Farm. During her illness, I borrowed "We Are the Laurie Berkner Band" DVD from the library. It will probably be added to our collection at some point-she was so sad about taking it back to the library, we went back and got it a second time on Monday!

The day Julia went back to day care, I started training for my summer job. The Cupcakery is now scheduled to open on Wednesday. We had a booth at a local arts/food fest the weekend of June 8-10. It gave us a good feel for how the grand opening will be! We could not keep the cupcakes on the table! I ended up working a 14 hour shift on Saturday. Much of my day was spent frosting cupcakes (I learned I can box and frost 48 cupcakes in under 10 minutes) and driving them from the Cakery to the Cupcakery booth. Everytime I arrived there was a line, and about an hour after I left they had sold out of the 2-4 boxes I had taken them (with 48 cupcakes in a box). They had to quit 2 hours early each day because they just couldn't make more! A baker quit at the Cakery so I have been working the past two weeks mixing up batter (usually in 40-pound batches), baking, leveling, and making massive amounts of buttercream. I am having the most fun I have ever had at any job in my life! I am also excited to say that I have learned to make a heart using frothed milk in the top of a latte.




We have also been enjoying some of the free activites in St. Louis. In particular, the amazing zoo, some neat parks (Julia's new favorite is the Turtle Park), and the Shakespeare festival. We got to see a western version of "Much Ado About Nothing", which is my favorite Shakespeare play. The pictures in this post are from our last trip to the zoo and Julia's adventure at the Turtle Park. Hope you all are doing well!

Out of the mouth of babes.

It never ceases to amaze me what our daughter comes up with. Because she is so verbal, we get a fun glimpse into how her mind works. I am most amazed by how much she remembers and understands. I would have to say the most precious thing she does is kneel next to her toddler bed and pray with Justin and I every night. Her prayers usually include events and friends from day care along with thank yous for grandparents, uncles, aunt, and, occasionally, mommy and daddy. Along with some updated pictures, I've included some of my favorite "Julia-isms". I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
1. "I Julia Danielle Crowe."
2. "I wear graduate hat like Uncle Andy."
3. "I like billy billy/chocabilly!" (That's vanilla pudding/chocolate pudding.)
4. "I drive now!"
5. "I talk God on my knees."
6. "Hey Justin/Sarah/Buddy!" (This is followed by "What do you get to call me?")
7. "I fly big airplane, see Grandma Alice!"
8. "No worries."
9. "What's going on, Buddy?"
10. "You-you-you-you O.K., Mommy/Daddy?"
11. "I need chocolate!"
And my personal favorite, which really caught me off guard:
"Hey, Mom-mom, I need tiny baby at my house!" I told her we'd see-in about 3 years!



At Justin's cousin's wedding. Laughing with mommy. Planting sunflowers.