pictures of Julian

The first picture of Julian is one that I took of him as I caught him in this mess of toys. His face was saying "I didn't do it mom, I swear!". The 2nd, is of Julian by the pool. He continues to make us laugh and smile with his personality.

My destructive lil man

In the past few weeks, Eric and I have started going crazy with all the things that Julian is doing and getting in to. He can not be in a room without being destructive and making a mess. Aside from his usual taking all the books off the bookshelf, removing all of Bella's clothes from her dresser, and dumping out Sadie's food everywhere, he has really made a mess of some things in the house. Here is a little list that he has done in the last 2 weeks. I hope one day we can read back on and laugh at these things:
-he pulled the kitchen curtains off the wall (yes, he is that strong), he managed to break the hook as well
- broke the picture frame holding a picture of Eric and I
- pulled all the lint from the garbage can in the laundry room and covering himself with it
-took diapers from the trash and threw them in the toilet (all while wrapped like a mummy with toilet paper that he unrolled on himself).
- broke the shelf on the bookshelf in the playroom
- grabbed the carton of blueberries from the grocery cart and threw them on the floor all over the grocery store produce area
- got in to the garbage can in the kitchen and got spaghetti sauce all over the tile

All of these things are so funny to us (except in the moment). He drives me, Bella, and Eric insane but sure does provide constant laughter. He is nothing like Bella at this age who would sit and read and do puzzles. In reality, she is an exact replica of me , and he is his dad. He is so busy and so smart. It sure is different having a boy, but sure is fun!

Bella practicing her letters

I have kept pretty good records of Isabella on the blog of her recognizing all her letters and numbers. Since birth, she has shown such interest in print (books), letters, and numbers. I can remember her at 18 months pointing out letters at the grocery store. She now knows how to trace each letter as well as what sound each letter makes. It is amazing to me how fast she picked it up!
I have continued to research local preschools to put her in 2 days a week. The one I wanted is now full, but we are on the waiting list. In the meantime, Bernie and I work with her on preschool skills. Her fine motor skills have much improved and she loves doing work in her workbooks. She thinks its the most fun thing EVER. Such a smart cookie I have...

No more diapers at night!

For the past 3 weeks, Bella has been going to sleep in her underwear, no more diapers!! She hasn't had a single accident, I am so proud of her! I know it took me forever as a child to stop wetting the bed at night. She has been the easiest child to potty train , as she HATES being wet or messy. My baby girl is not a baby anymore :(

Bella starts dance class

Last week, Bella started her first dance class. We had planned on having her start soccer since she has such an interest in it, but she has recently expressed so much interest in dance. Every single night she asks for the dance channel on the tv and her and Julian get down :) So I did some research and asked around at my office, etc and signed her up for a combo tap,ballet, and tumbling class at Marilyn's dance studio. She had her first class last saturday and she LOVED IT!!!
She kept looking at herself in the mirror and had to be redirected by the teacher a few times, but she did such a great job. She kept making sure that I was watching her. We are looking forward to her keeping with the class and possibly becoming a dancer like my sister was.