Julia at 9 months

Julia at 9 months:



-Crawling everywhere...and fast
-Babbling and saying "mama" :)
-Pulling up on furniture and cruising
-Eating anything we put in front of her
-Has 4 teeth with 2 more on the way
-weighs almost 19 lbs. and 28 in. tall
-looks like Mommy
-loves bathtime but hates getting dressed
-can play "peek-a-boo", clap her hands and wave bye-bye (if she's in the mood!)
-has a sunny disposition but crys when we tell her no
-wants to be right in the center of everything!!

The reality of 1st grade....homework!

One this is for sure about 1st grade..more homework. In Griffin's words, the kindergarten homework was "baby stuff" but this year there is more work to do. He got in the car on Monday afternoon and said, "I have good news and bad news, I'm gonna give you the bad news first. We HAVE homework. Now the good news is... it's easy!!" I sure hope it stays that way for a while! At least he has all week to work on it before it's due.

While he was working on some of the math homework, he started writing some of his numbers backwards. I said to him, "You're a little rusty on writing your numbers arent' you?" and he replied, "Yeah, I haven't written ANYTHING in 77 days!! I'm still getting used to it!"

Oh my....

LEGO STORE grand opening

This summer we heard that a LEGO STORE was coming to Concord Mills. This had Griffin totally excited, especially after visiting the one at Disney! We thought that it was opening in October but found out on Sunday that it actually just opened and during opening weekend, all visitors could help build an 8 ft. tall R2D2!! So, after Sunday School, we decided to make a trip up to check it out and get in on all the opening weekend festivities! Griffin did get to build a brick that was part of the Star Wars sculpture and check out the store too. It was definitely a mad house but lots of fun to be there on opening weekend! Surprise, surprise, Griffin wants to do his birthday party there this year!!

So stinkin' cute!!

Girl, you are going to get away with sooooooooo much because you are so stinkin' cute!!

The world outside my window

Julia finally found the front window in our dining room a few weeks ago. She stood there for a long time, looking in amazement! It's the perfect height for her to look out, hold on to the ledge and lean up against the glass. She is growing so fast..I know that one day soon, it will be me leaning up against the glass watching her back down the driveway...



































But for now, I am happy to be the one outside the window that leaves and comes back to smiles and hugs and cuddles from my baby!

Snuggle time

It makes me so happy when Griffin comes downstairs in the morning and asks if he can snuggle with Julia in the bed! He loves her so much and is so attentive and patient with her. He has even gotten brave enough to pick her up when she wanders off and bring her "back to safety"!! This morning, Julia and I were up before Griffin so we decided to surprise him for a change...my two little bed bugs!

Julia's 1st trip to the beach

Julia had her first real beach experience over Memorial Day weekend. We took the boat to a little beach near Kiawah island and had a wonderful time. The only thing missing was Griffin! He was spending the week (9 days actually) with his Papaw and Mamaw in Kentucky! Julia loves the water and the boat so much..I think these photos really capture her personality so well! She is definitely the child who likes to explore and try everything, including eating the sand!

Co-Captain...falling down on the job!

This has definitely been the summer of the boat! Thank goodness for the Baby Bjorn.. Kenny doesn't even mind strapping Julia in while he is cruising around. She loves the wind in her face and helping him steer!


Unfortunately, she's not a very reliable co-captain as she falls asleep when we are going fast!

Standing up!

This photo pretty much sums up what Julia does any time we put her on the floor.. she crawls right over to the bar stools and pulls up to standing. She thinks she is hot stuff now that she can get around by herself and pull up on all the furniture. And did I mention that she is fast as lightning? There have been a few times that she has made it into another room while I have had my back turned..she is going to be a girl on the move!

And the Bear snores on....

So Kenny, it must be nice, huh?

Julia's first day at the pool!

Too cute in her suit!





Just as we suspected, Julia loved the pool. Soon she will be swimming laps around Griffin.

Field Day - The HOTTEST school day of the year!

And the best part is getting a bucket of water dumped on you after the relay race!

The Highchair Adventures

So.... Julia is the messiest eater on the planet! I think more food gets on her face than in her mouth. I would worry about this but all the fat rolls have me convinced that she is getting just enough!

Koellner Family photo

Koellner's, Newmans, a Henderson and a Goldberg all in the same place...What a great photo!

Cousins in the AM

We LOVE cousin Sadie!!

These photos just make me smile. When I see Griffin and Julia together, I realize just how complete our family is now. Each morning, the first thing Griffin wants to know is "where's Julia?" He loves to get in our bed with her and cuddle. And of course she just eats it up. On this particular morning, Julia was up before her "bubby" so we went up to wake him up and I couldn't resist snapping a few sleepy-eyed photos of my babies! I hope they always love each other this much!

Mother's Day 2009

This Mother's Day was especially sentimental because it was my first one with Baby Julia. I am so blessed to have my sweet Griffin and now having Julia has really just completed me. I am so lucky to have such wonderful, healthy, happy children and a husband who loves me!





So, going on the boat with my kids was not really my perfect idea of a relaxing Mother's Day but the weather was just too nice not to. Kenny gave my arms a break and strapped on the Baby Bjorn so I could take a nap on the back bench.. Julia loved being in the Captain's Seat with her Daddy taking in all the sites on the lake!
Thanks Kenny!

Griffin's tee ball experience

This year we decided to move Griffin up to the next level in baseball so that he could play with his buddies, Ryan and Robbie. We were not sure if this was going to be a good idea or not because this move would make Griffin the youngest kid on the team. It was definitely a learning experience as there was no tee...only Coach's pitch. Griffin actually did a great job and probably learned more being with the older kids than he would have staying with his actual age group. The team really worked together and by the end of the season they did a great job. Here are some of the photo highlights of the season!

Tuckered out

Last weekend was Julia's first time going to the swimming pool. She loves being outside and bath time so we knew that she was going to LOVE the pool. We stayed for a few hours before coming home to grill out and eat on the deck (Kenny's favorite summertime activity). We usually just bring out her bouncy seat or even the high chair but for some reason Kenny decided to bring out her Jumper. She loves playing in it all the time and spins around checking out all the toys. Well, we started eating supper and she got really quiet. While I was clearing the dishes, I noticed she was starting to nod off and this is the video clip that we got of her. Kenny and I were so tickled by the way she would start to drift off and the jumper would bounce and startle her. I am guessing we need to have better time management for getting her in bed earlier.. but it's just so darn cute!!

May 17th...Julia's Baptism Isn't she a doll baby? Such a precious dress and cap..and of course such a precious baby!

The new boat...

appropriately named (by a previous owner) the Dog House!!!!

As many of you know, Kenny has been pining for a new boat for about 2 years now. I held firm in my hesitation as long as I could (thanks to Julia, it was a lot longer than I originally thought I would be able to put up a protest). So, in a weak moment, I surrendered and now we are the proud owners of a 24 ft. Scout Abaco appropriately named the Dog House!! Ha! Ha! Actually, I am a big fan of the new boat.. it is much better for many reasons, namely the cabin where we can lay a sleeping Julia while we enjoy being on the water!

Anyone is welcome to join us as we spend most of the summer on the boat!!

A Koellner and A Farnum

So... I constantly compare Griffin and Julia and try to place their features with different sides of our family. As the days pass, Julia really is continuing to favor me as her eyes slowly begin to turn brown and her brown hair is finally starting to grow. Griffin was pretty much a mini-Kenny from birth (with the exception of my lips..he's all Koellner once he smiles, though) and I thought that Julia was a mini-Rose but when I look at this photo.. Griffin and Julia look almost identical in the nose/mouth area. I can't wait to see how they favor each other as Julia continues to grow.. each day is a guessing game!!

1st baseball game of the season

Go Astros!!

Coach Kenny and #7 Outfielder Griffin

Can someone get me a spoon?

I could just eat her up!!!!

Who is that kid??

This snapshot of Griffin on Easter morning fills me with such a wide range of emotions. First of all, I am filled with joy that he is growing into such a handsome, sweet, smart, caring and funny young man. Second of all, I am filled with delight as I witness the ways he embraces Julia as his sister and a member of our family. But I must admit that this photo also fills me with a sense of sadness...simply a mother's selfishness that her sweet baby boy can't stay little forever. The glasses, the missing front teeth, the thinning face...all reminders that time marches on no matter how hard we try to stop it. Age 6 has been such an eventful year...and it's not even halfway finished. But as sad I am that Griffin is growing way too fast, I know that we have so many wonderful things to look forward to in his bright future!

Easter 2009 family photo

This may very well be the first official family photo that we have of the four of us. Wow!!

The Easter Bunny's helper!!

Kenny's mom gave Julia these cute rabbit ears for Easter this year and I can't stand how cute she looks!

Brotherly Love

I don't know if there was ever a brother who loved his baby sister so much!!!

1st tie

Grandad took Griffin shopping for some new church clothes a few months ago and bought him (among many other nice things) 2 new REAL ties! His previous tie has been a clip on so Kenny had to brush up on his tying skills to help Griffin get dressed. How proud Griffin was to look so grown up!!