Art Show

Posted on September 26, 2007 by Julie

Alyssa had her first art show at school this week. It was so cool. They had done some really good stuff and even helped hang it all on the wall. One picture is of her by her flowers. They were told to cut out the pieces, could not draw out anything, then assembled them all together by herself. I was impressed with that artwork. She also had a family picture. I love that Megan still has hair that stands up – like it did when she was younger, and that Noah is always in the sky with brown hair. It was a fun occasion to see what she does at school and meet her infamous friend, Keely.

The Party

Posted on September 24, 2007 by Julie

We flew to Houston to celebrate Megan’s birthday. We wanted all her friends and family to be able to share in this special day with us. We decorated and baked and iced to get ready, and everything was great. Megan’s cake was delicious. I made Alyssa’s first cake, so I felt it only fair to do the same for Megan. Oma baked the cake, Nana made the icing and I decorated. It was a great team effort! Megan enjoyed her cake and ate every bite that her friend Dawson didn’t take from her. However, she would not use her hands. Not sure why, but dove in face first for each bite. Thank you to those who drove a little farther to celebrate with us. It felt like planning a small wedding or something…I am glad to be back home with nothing but Halloween costumes on my plate. And maybe the living room, dining and office curtains.

One already?

Posted on September 21, 2007 by Julie

It is true. At least the calendar says so. I am amazed each day as I look at my girls and realize how big they are getting. I mean Alyssa looks like a 10 yr old to me in her Gap, Stretch-flare jeans. And then I watch her walk into school all by herself and she looks so little. Megan has grown up too. She can stand like a champ and cruise around the furniture, but has only taken one or two steps. She can “oooooh” at anything and say “ma-ma” and “da-da”, but doesn’t have much desire to talk either. So while I cannot believe she is actually one year old, in some ways she is still my baby. She likes to explore a lot more than her sister and does a good job entertaining herself. Not so much with toys, but that is okay. She has begun some separation anxiety and likes to ride on my hip most of the time. She has started drinking better out of the cup and has been eating all table foods for awhile. And I regret to say that her party will not be her first taste of sweets.

She loves her sister. She loves to swing. She loves to crawl in and out of places, especially cabinets. She loves to get next to my bookshelf and look at me and shake her head “no”. She smiles, but does not giggle much. She does this thing where she sucks air in and makes this squeaking noise instead. She kicks her legs when she is excited, like when Daddy comes home. She is wonderful. Thank you Lord for this year with our daughter. Thank you for blessing our lives with another child of yours. Grant us many more years to enjoy these gifts.

Happy 1st Birthday
(Megaty Meg, Megster, Meggie, Meg Meg) Megan

A Year of Photos

Bible Stories with Alyssa

Posted on September 11, 2007 by Julie

There is a video of Alyssa telling her bible stories.
This is an 11mb file and runs 7 minutes. But very cute and worth watching to see how much kids really listen. Thanks to her Daddy who reads her Bible stories all the time.

Another try at soccer

Posted on September 8, 2007 by Julie

That was the best way to explain soccer last year.

But this year, was a different. I knew going to the game today that things were different. It is amazing how much Alyssa has changed and matured in a year. There was a big difference in my 3 yr old and my 4 yr old. She did great today. She ran and followed and kicked and smiled. I could not have asked for a better day. Check out the video and pics. Alyssa is in orange with the white shoes 🙂

Missing pictures

Posted on September 4, 2007 by Julie

I am still taking pictures, but somehow they don’t make it to the blog. I have uploaded some new ones to the gallery. Everything from bike riding to spaghetti. Enjoy.

My new phone

Posted on August 28, 2007 by Julie

Okay, so I know this is not a new thing, but I got a new phone that has a camera on it. My old phone was pre-Alyssa and was actually still black and white. Needless to say, I am loving the camera. So I have created an album just to show you some fun stuff I am taking pics of. If you would like to be added to my email list, I can randomly send you pics of what we are doing. I am sure I look like a dork to others, but I am loving this. Click to see the album.

Back to School*

Posted on August 28, 2007 by Julie

Today is Alyssa’s first day of her last year of preschool. She was so excited she woke up at 6:30 asking me to help get her pajama shirt off so she could get dressed. After she was dressed we laid in her bed and read “Froggy Goes to School.” This morning was very pleasant and she was really looking forward to school. We had breakfast and Daddy went with us to drop her off. Today was Alyssa’s first day, but it is actually the third week of school for everyone else. It was nice that everything was routine for everyone and not a lot of crying kids. We followed her down the stairs to her green classroom. When I drop her off in the morning, they will open the door for her and she walks down to her class by herself. She walked in and greeted her other 5 classmates. Ha. Yes, five. Ms. Carmen showed her where she could put her stuff and it just so happened to have Noah’s name on the space. How cool is that. She did great. Gave us all hugs and kisses and went to play.

Mom: “How was your first day?”

Alyssa: Good. We learned about Noah’s Ark, but “I already knew all that.” We talked about the color red, the circle and the letter C. I even learned how to do a C in sign language. (With only 6 kids, they each get a special job each day.) I got to pass out the napkins for snack time. We had cheese and crackers, but the cheese was yucky. Keely said she liked it though, but I didn’t. I sat by Keely (the only other girl in her class) most of the day. During music time, they played the Veggie Tales, Noah and the ark song and I knew that one. But they sang other songs that I didn’t know. And we didn’t get to go outside because it was too hot.

At least she didn’t just say “Fine.”

Was it real?

Posted on August 22, 2007 by Julie

Tonight, as I surf from one blog to another and click on someone’s blog that someone else knows, I find this little boy, Bennett (or go here). I do not know all the details about him, but I saw his picture and that was enough to pull me in. A picture that I know all to well. A picture that will never be anything but personal to me, no matter who the baby is. So tonight, I prayed over this baby’s picture. I prayed for healing. For God to show His power through Bennett by a miracle. For God to give Bennett the life that Noah did not have. For God to bless his parents, Travis and Kelly, by letting them watch Bennett grow up. I do not know this family, but my heart will forever be drawn to families who suffer like I did.

But the reason for my title… After looking at the picture of Bennett, I went back to my picture of Noah. First thought: He sure was cute. Next thought: Is that my child? Was that real? Did I actually give birth to a baby that is not here anymore? For me now, so much of Noah is a memory, a feeling, an emotion. Noah is in my heart, he is in my mind, but he is not something visual to me. I can remember touching him, kissing him, holding him. But until I see the pictures, until I watch the video, I forget how real it all was. Let me tell you how much those can bring him back to me. And now 2 years later, in a new house, a new city, I still wish he were here. We continue to miss your presence Noah Allen Whaley.

Summer Fun

Posted on August 12, 2007 by Julie

With no swimming pool around, we had to enjoy a whole new kind of fun. Believe it or not, this was a first for Alyssa. She was a bit timid at first, but a few practice runs with mommy and she got the hang of it quick. Oh – and the thing I am sitting on is a horse shoe pit. Can’t wait to use that in our horse shoe competitions.