Julia is 4 Months! :)

YIKES!... 4 Months creeped up on us and we just now took her blanket picture! She turned 4 months 2 weeks ago! :/ I was reminded because she had her 4 month check-up today with our Pediatrician, and I thought about taking off her little shot band-aids (or as we call them at our house, "Shot Stickers") but decided to leave them on because I didn't want to risk upsetting a baby who has just had 4 stinkin' shots. Funny thing was that once I started snapping pictures of her she completely came to LIFE! She was SO precious and did not look like a typical fussy baby who just had shots. What a champ! Gotta love Jules... she's a trooper.

Rice-n-Roll

Sounds like Chinese take-out, right??... I'm actually referring to the two major milestones reached last week at the Poage house! Julia is now an avid rice cereal gobbler and learned to roll to her tummy! (Although the video at the bottom doesn't show her best work...)

Saturday afternoon, Collin and I were playing with Avery in her play room and Julia was in the living room on her back. At some point I turned around and saw that Julia was on her tummy!! I screamed, "Oh my gosh!!" and Collin thought it was a bug or something, but I said, "She rolled over!" We cheered!! ...but we were sad that we missed the big moment. No big deal, though. She gladly shows off her new trick to anyone who watches her for more than 5 consecutive seconds. She's an active one!... It's funny how I can already see distinct differences in the girls' personalities. Julia is our "socialite." She always wants to be where the action is and she doesn't want to stay in one spot for very long. Avery is just fine wandering off to her bedroom to read her books in the peace & quiet. It's cute... they'll balance each other well.

Here are some videos and pictures of our little rice-eating, rolling champ!

Now and Then...

August. I love the month. Not so much for the heat, but more for the memories.

August is the month that my wonderful Collin was born, and it's also the month that he asked me to be his girlfriend. He really did!.. On his 21st birthday as we were walking to my sorority house for skit night he said, "I was wondering... if you would be my girlfriend." HA! I'll never forget it. What a cutie. And here we are, 9 years and two kids later... Crazy.

I love you, CPoage!! Thanks for the fun memories!

Then... (Pictures taken within the first few months of dating. I especially like my awesome late-90's red silk blouse and my even cooler black & gold Brighton belt! ...no making fun now that I've already done that myself...)

And now...

Park, Picasso's ...and more Pig Tails!

Last Saturday afternoon we decided that the weather was so nice we needed to be out in it! For the past month or so, the park on our street corner has been under construction so it had been way too long since Avery had the opportunity to do what she loves most... To swing. So we loaded up and headed to the nearest park for some fun. Avery was tons of fun to watch! She's really becoming a lot more independent, and that in itself is entertaining for me and Collin to observe.

After we built up our appetite we went for pizza at Picasso's. What a fun evening... and all within a half-mile radius of our house! :) Gotta love supporting local. Makes me even more ready for the Lake Highlands Town Center across the street from us to open!

Sure is a fun phase of life! I can't believe how fast they're growing...

OH!-- AND, Thanks to Courtney & Mollie, Avery now has two sets of matching bows especially for pig tails! She's modeling the blue bows here, but they also gave us some lime green ones! Now she will always have "pretty" pig tails! :) Thanks, guys! We love them!!

Where I'm From

It's a question commonly asked, but uncommonly answered in more than a few words. Since it's important to know where you're from in order to know where you're going, I thought I'd take a second to really think about where I'm from.

I am from the hill country and from tree-covered rocky cliffs with exposed layers of the past. From feeding the ducks in Lake Austin and water skiing on Lake Travis. I am from Easy Cheese on Ritz crackers, a freezer full of Blue Bell ice cream, and a handful of dry roasted peanuts. From sunny Summer days spent swimming until sunset, and from frosted winter mornings with scattered flurries of snow and high hopes of school cancellation.

I am from the cozy white-washed brick house with tan wood trim that sits shaded by a canopy of Live Oak trees, whose door welcomed me home as a newborn and then wished me well as a high school graduate headed off to college, and whose front yard bears a tree just perfect for climbing.

I am from the blossoms of the Mountain Laurel and the Magnolia.

I am from a hot bowl of chili on Christmas Eve with the Peanut gang wishing Charlie Brown a Merry Christmas, and from fried chicken and Summer musicals on a grassy hillside. From Taco Bell after swim meets, Underwood's Cafe on the way to Lubbock, and Luby's cafeteria after church each Sunday. I am from Hazel and Ralph, Margaret and Tut, Ethel and John. From proper etiquette and creative thinking. From calloused hands, daredevils, hotheads and social butterflies.

I am from hours spent searching for whole sand dollars, authentic arrowheads, and the perfect formal dress. From strong coffee and rich desserts. From "A hundred years from now it won't make any difference" and "Shut the door... We're not trying to air condition the whole neighborhood."

I am from a great number of volunteer Sunday School teachers, Vacation Bible School and GA leaders, camp counselors, Chapel Choir sponsors and church Ministers who took time to invest in my faith and prayed that it would grow, and from the Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, John & Ethel.

I'm from the "weirdest" city in Texas and the plains near the panhandle. From Native America, Ireland and Great Britain. From Bisquick waffles on Saturday mornings and Little Caesars Pizza on Sunday nights. From guacamole tubular tacos split two ways, sausage dip and turtle cake. I am from giggling on Grammaw's knee as she bounced me singing, "Ride-a-Horsey" and from sitting quietly with her in the nursing home while my Mom brushed and fixed her hair after her mind fell captive to dementia. From Aunt Bobbie who served me chocolate pecan pie on her fancy china for a Christmas Day treat, and from Uncle Ralph who made ice cream from fresh snow I gathered in his front yard. From Aunt Carole who passed on to me her love for coffee and let me play in her green bathroom for hours, and from Uncle George who never grew impatient when teaching me to ski and always rewarded a good try with a plate of fried cheese at Sneaky Pete's. From Mom who never missed an opportunity to take a meal to a family in a time of need, and from Dad who taught me from an early age that every living thing should be treated with kindness.

I am from albums full of faded photos and boxes spilling over with captured memories of dance recitals and family vacations, moments frozen in time. From a hall lined with framed images of a family who loves deeply, wholeheartedly and hilariously, and who stands firm on the foundation of Christ Jesus as the author and perfecter of our Faith.

Want to write your own "Where I'm From" poem? Find the format here.

Pouty Pig-tails

So I tried a new hairstyle this week. Found out a couple of things: (1) Avery is much more attached to her "bow-holding-up-the-bangs" hairstyle than I realized, and (2) she actually cares about her appearance! ...Scary... I mean, I knew that this day would inevitably come, I just didn't think it would come before her 2nd Birthday!

Usually when I do her hair for the day I let her choose which bow she wants to wear, (we have about 10 different colors) set her on-top of her dresser so we can look in the mirror, brush it all out, pull up one side, clip it with the bow and say, "Pretty!" Somewhere along the way she picked up on the word "pretty" (oops!) and began saying it before I did as I clipped the bow in. SO-- you can imagine her dismay when we did NOT choose a bow that day, but instead pulled out two little rubber bands and I began pulling her hair up into pig tails! ...the frown began... She did not like what she was seeing in the mirror and she did NOT say, "Pretty."

I should be awarded a medal of honor for not busting out laughing during the pig tail/pouty face in the mirror process. Hardest thing I've ever done. But I knew if I laughed she would probably start crying, so I just smiled really big and said (with gumption) "Pretty!!" ...she wasn't convinced, but she went along with it.

I, of course, kept the camera snapping and caught some cute moments with the girls. Her spirits lifted eventually and she forgot all about her not-so-pretty pig-tails. I guess I should mark this down as the first time we've had a Mother/Daughter disconnect on what's stylish and what's not. Sigh... girls. :)

Wedding Weekend!

Last weekend we had so much fun getting to go to the Buffalo Ranch in Denton, TX, to watch my cousin Karissa become Mrs. Will Rennels! She was a beautiful bride and the wedding was so wonderful.

We had a blast with family, and all the babies did SO well! Avery loved being dressed up and fancy and had fun dancing the night away! Drew & Julia were a little more mellow, but they each made their way to the dance floor a time or two with their Mommies & Daddies. It was a great night of family and fun.

Congratulations, Karissa & Will! We love you!

Playdate with Tate!

We had SO much fun having Tate over to play again!


Tate is the daughter of my college friend, roommate, sorority sister & bridesmaid, Lea Arnold. (...and her husband, Donny.) Avery and Tate are about to have one more thing in common, too, as Tate will become a big sister in a few short months! Lea & Donny are expecting their second kiddo (a BOY) in October.






Come back anytime, Arnolds! We love playing with you! :)

"Hay," Baby!!

Collin & Julia watching the olympics...

Almost rolling!! :)

Julia is trying to learn to roll!

She's got the strength, she just needs to figure out exactly how to make her little body do it and she'll be spending a lot more time on her tummy. Poor kiddo is finally getting more floor time now that Avery has learned not to smother her with kisses the whole time. Here is a fun video and a few snapshots of her almost roll. :) ...Time is flying... I feel like I JUST gave birth to her and here she is about to roll. Crazy.