Father's Day Weekend

On Friday evening, Grammy and Papa joined us as we ate at Bridges restaurant at the golf course and then the guys went to the driving range. All in prep for Jarret's Father's Day golf outing he enjoyed on Saturday morning.

Julia liked playing with Grammy's ankle brace, then clung to her leg as she tried to stand up. If you didn't know though, it just looked like she was sweetly clinging to Grammy.

On Staurday night, the Eubanks clan celebrated Father's Day with a group trip to the Mesquite Rodeo:

Julia enjoyed the pony rides, and didn't even try to scoot off once.

I was pretty shocked she sat so still and patient.


Just checking everything out.

Enjoying the rodeo atmosphere.

First night to have cotton candy! As you can clearly tell, she liked it. She practically dive bombed every bite we put in front of her.

On Saturday morning, we celebrated my dad with a huge breakfast at Cracker Barrel. It was wonderful!





Sunday afternoon was the best though: We enjoyed our own private pool, sipped margaritas by the palm trees, enjoyed the soft sound of trickling water...

Okay, so the private pool was an inflatable kiddie pool, the margaritas were On the Border mix, the palm trees were also inflatable, and the water trickled out of the pink dolphin. But hey, it was actually really fun and relaxing!

This was Julia's final birthday present that we simply hadn't gotten a chance to reveal to her yet, due to crazy schedules the last couple of weekends. She really enjoyed the pool, as did we. After the pool, she and daddy swung together for a bit. Our trees provided awesome shade for the early afternoon sun, which meant we were able to have a long time together outside having family fun.

Sunday night, we had some goofy fun. Jarret kept putting his hat on Julia, and she thought it was really fun to play the game of pulling it off. We also thought this green halter dress was simply adorable on her (thanks Grammy!).

Making Major Love History

"You are...making major love history!" That's a quote from the uber-cheesy KLTY radio morning show hosts whenever they're announcing wedding anniversaries of couples who've been together a long time. Well, this one's for you Bev & Lar (aka Jarret's parents)!!

They began dating in middle school, got married in college, and celebrated their 40th Anniversary a couple weeks ago. As a fun family event in honor of their amazing history, we headed out to Lake Lavon Sunday night for some family swimming, boating, dining, and relaxing. It was a wonderful time, and Miss Julia did AWESOME. She didn't fuss one bit in her life jacket, or getting in the cold lake, or staying up til past 9pm!

Gran & Poppy and their 4 grandkiddos: Jacob, Kendall, Julia, and Caden

Julia driving the boat

And now, trying to drive with her feet

She thought it was funny to move the steering wheel with her feet

I love you Julia, but you look ridiculous!

Jarret & his dad getting things ready for wakeboard time

Caden's turn to wakeboard! With his dad and Poppy's assistance

He got up every single time and never gave up. We're so proud of you!

How Julia spent her time while Caden and then Daddy wakeboarded. She sat in Gran's lap and never moved an inch the whole time. It was like she was a statue!

Gran with Jewels

Me with Kendall

Erin and her three cutie pies

Just chillin' like everyone else

Swim Time!

Julia loved hanging out on the swim deck. When she stood, she liked stomping on the water that lapped up on the platform. When she sat, she'd kick her legs in the water or jump off to mommy or daddy.

And she even loved being in the cold lake water and splashing around. No fear (yet, at least), which is exactly what we were hoping for with swim lessons. Yea!!!! That meant the whole group was able to have a great time swimming together. What a fun night!

Julia Turns One!

Our baby girl turned the Big 1 on May 30th. This past year has brought its ups and downs as we adjust to parenthood, but one thing is for sure: Julia, you have your daddy and I wrapped around your little finger! Though you were quite mellow for the first 6 - 8 months of your life, your personality has burst through with constant smiles, talking, laughing, and squealing. You bring us such joy. We love your curiosity, your snuggles, your wet kisses, the sound of your voice, your gorgeous blue eyes, the little curls at the nape of your neck, and well pretty much every other thing about you. You make us smile and laugh all the time, and we are so proud of you. You are such a precious gift from our Lord!

From our perspective, there are only a few things that are still little about Julia. One of those is her tiny precious feet. She's just now in a Size 3 sneaker-style shoe, but her sandals are still a wee Size 2 with room to spare! But for the most part, she seems like such a big girl to us. She:

• Walks like a champ


• Points to everything in sight


• Wants nothing to do with jar food


• Often demands to feed herself the table food


• Loves to eat with a fork, and enjoys sharing with others:
  
  
  


• "Swims" underwater for 5-6 seconds (she actually does kick her legs - like a frog):

• Absolutely loves being in the pool


• Enjoys crawling up the stairs


• Remains fascinated with books. You can put a bucket of books in front of her and it will keep her entertained for a solid 20 minutes as she flips through them. When mommy or daddy sits down with some books, she comes running for us to read to her:
  
  



• Dances as soon as she hears music (even a store's background music that Jarret and I don't initially notice)


• Is ticklish under her arms and will try to hold them down so you can't get her:

• Loves kicking balls and is actually pretty good at it


• Tries to get to the toilet paper roll when we're not looking or if we forget to close the door:
  
  



• Has discovered how to throw a tantrum


• Squeals and tries to run away when daddy gets her, but absolutely delights in this little game. This is so sweet for me (Katie) because she dives into my chest if I'm sitting or attaches herself to my legs if I'm standing. It was also particularly funny when she was younger, as in the following video, because she wasn't quite good at standing up or running away though she was trying so hard!:

• Loves pushing the button to open/close the garage


• Is mesmerized by the occasional Baby Einstein video we play for her


• Explores every possible cabinet and drawer.

In celebration of the big day, we threw Julia a party at the park with her family and friends. We are so blessed by everyone in her life who has loved, encouraged, and helped us so greatly over this past year-plus.

Julia in her new ride:




Next up: Cake smashing! Well not really. She was quite gentle with it at first, picking off the icing bit by bit. But after a good 10 minutes, the whole cupcake had made it to either her belly or her lap. Suffice it to say the girl enjoyed her sweet treat, and she thoroughly enjoyed being the center of attention as everyone sang to her and clapped for her!

The first bite:

Clapping with everyone else whenever they clapped for her:


Hooray-ing for herself:

It tastes better if you rub it together in your hands really well:

Smash it in there girl!:

The grandmothers cleaning her off:

The After Party (family came to the house to open gifts):

"Hooray for presents for me!"

Diggin' in

Excited over the new walking shoes mommy and daddy bought her, or simply high on all the sugar from the cupcake?

Happy Birthday Baby Girl. You are DEARLY loved.