The Watney Family

Summer Days

2012-08-12T14:42:00.001-07:00

This has been by far the best summer vacation we have had in a long while. It has been such a rich time of fellowship for our family to really enjoy time with each other and love one another! One of the reasons we have had such wonderful time together is because this is the first summer mommy has not been working, so we were able to take advantage of our weekends, which we did... big time!!!

In June we traveled to Manhattan Beach to visit Josh's little sister, it was a fun fast weekend! The following week, Josh and I got away for a night to San Francisco and of course watched a bit of the US Open! After that, Josh organized a father/son camping trip with some other friends, they had so.much.fun being boys, shooting guns and using their knives to carve sticks and things :) This may be an annual thing!

Finally a weekend off after the 4th of July. However, I was busy packing for a week long trip to San Diego to visit my family. This was our official vacation, and it was awesome!! My parents are blessed to have a resort like backyard where we dine alfresco for most meals. This is my absolute most favorite thing to do when we visit...a warm cup of coffee on the deck in the morning, lunch poolside, happy hour and dinner in the cool SD air at night. We went to the beach, swam, got some 'girl time' in with my mom and sister, went to Sea World and generally relaxed the week away enjoying every minute! We also got some good time in with my nephew Jonah and his soon to be little sister Rubi :)

We got back from SD late Monday night and left for camping on Thur afternoon. Needless to say, those two days were buys unpacking and repacking. We had a blast camping with friends up near Dinkey Creek, "dry camping" with our tent trailer and exploring all that was to offer in the beautiful mountains...the kids loved shooting bow/arrows, guns, and playing with friends!

Home and back to packing for another really quick trip to SD, this time it was to celebrate Josh's grandparents 60th wedding anniversary! Sixty years, how awesome is that, a fun large family gathering where almost all of the members of the family were there, pretty special!

We made it back to Clovis and again started packing for another small camping trip with the Watney family. Our kids love their cousins, we had to squeeze in a trip for all 6 of them to run, get dirty, swim, explore, bike, roast s'mores, sleep in tents, and simply play together in God's wonderful playground!

Well, that put us into August and we enjoyed a week, although VERY hot at home. Tonight Josh and James and some friends are going down to LA to watch a Galaxy Soccer game, a highlight for all as soccer season is upon us!!

When we were not traveling, we spent days at Wild Water Park, having friends over to play, swimming at Granny's pool, having tennis lessons, sports camp, gymnastics and a bit of down time as well.

School will start in a week and I am not ready. James will be in 2nd grade, Julie kinder and Jacob preschool 2 mornings a week. Thinking of this actually brings tears to my eyes, I will miss them so much while they are at school.

I've been praying for their teachers, the friends they will make, and all they will learn (the good and the bad) and know that though they are out of my care, they are never out of God's reach. Lord use this year to strengthen my children and draw them closer to you. Give them courage to stand strong in their beliefs and confidence to share your love and grace with other kids. Let them be a light for you Lord.

So thankful for this summer, for the time and the experiences our family was blessed to have. Excited to see what this coming school year will bring :)

new again

2011-10-30T16:34:00.001-07:00

i am a bit of a thrifty girl, partly because i have to be and partly because i love the challenge of finding a piece and bringing it back life. i have been on the hunt for an olf buffet or sideboard to transform into a tv console. you know the kind...lots of character, all wood, something that will really stand out. well, wouldn't you know it, my mil (mother-in-law) had just the piece and was willing to part with it....score!!

here she is before, i love the doors and the harware and it is perfect for our small room off of our kitchen...just needs some love to be beautiful again! this was my biggest project yet and i was a bit nervous, so i went to my trusty guide for some diy instruction...pinterest. seriously if you

have not checked it out yet, you need to!

i started by sanding the top. i planned to keep the top wood but darken the stain quite a bit. next step, primer. i love spray primer...much much faster. i primed the inside and outside because i was painting both, it only took 2 cans of spray :) did i mention fast dry time as well!

while the primer was drying, i spray painted all the harware a beautiful oil rubbed bronze. seriously they make all kinds of things in spray paint and it is so much easier and faster!! a good tip, i stuck all the screws into the cardboard box so they wouldn't roll around :)

prior to paint

next step, paint. since we have done many projects, we own a paint sprayer...a must if you plan to do several projects and save lots of time. here is my sweet husband helping with this part (did i mention he does not like projects as much as me) and doing such a great job :) we did two coats to make sure all was covered and let it dry. i also sprayed a second coat on the harware. stain time...a small can goes a long way. i went with a beautiful ebony stain. i used an old clean rag to apply the stain and then another clean cloth to rub it off. i did this several times and ended up with a nice deep color. if you want it lighter, less coats are needed, or it can be darker if you do not rub the stain off...whatever you prefer!

late that night once all was dry i distressed the piece and focused mostly on the door fronts. this is the prep for the glaze and can be done with sandpaper as little or as much as you like :) day one complete!

i have never glazed anything before, so this last step made me rather nervous...again pinterest to the rescue. i bought clear glaze from lowes and added some black craft paint.

a little goes a long way so i have lots left over for other projects (don't worry josh, none too soon). my goal was to get it in the cracks and around the frames of the doors. with a brush and none to nicely, i squished it into the areas i wanted. with a damp cloth, wipe off the excess and wallah, you get an antique look. check out the difference, door on left is with glaze, on right just distressed.

i wanted to keep the wood top nice for many years so i went ahead and used polycrylic to protect it. i chose this instead of polyurethane because it has a very low odor and does not yellow white paint over time. this also come in a spray paint but is rather pricy so i opted to brush it on.

this took me one and a half days to complete, not too bad for the savings of doing it myself. since the piece was given to us, the entire project cost about $25 to redo...WOW, that is a good deal!!

i absolutely love this piece, it is prefect for our little room and a great storage for the kids homework items, games and plenty of things! i think it was worth it, don't you?

blogland

2011-10-30T16:15:00.000-07:00

i have been enjoying so many blogs over the past months being inspired and challenged and realizing i have not done mine justice. i mean really, who wants to read about my happenings and projects and silly things going on...okay, probably my parents and extended family that we don't get to see often enough! it made me think, who am i writing this for? i guess my blog is a good way for me to express myself and share a little bit about my life and if you gleam some inspiration from it...fabulous!

i have been very busy with home projects and decorating on a small budget that i wanted to share. so here's a project we recently finished...i have really wanted to frame our gigantic mirror in the hall bathroom...it is literally the entire length of the wall, if you wanted to hide, not going to happen in this room :)

so, here's the before...one big mirror!

i went to lowes to get materials... 3 12 foot sections of baseboard (measure for your size), i went for the 5" since the mirror is so big. some black spray paint (i love spray paint...my neighbor's could tell you), liquid nails for MIRRORS (made a small mistake the first try...oops). we already had the caulking gun but bought a small miter box that came with a saw to make the 45 degree angle cuts.

paint the boards and let dry...it's important to paint a little of the back side since you will see it in the reflection :) time to hang, generously apply the liguid nails, not too close to the inside or again the reflection will show! align just right and stick on. we used thick masking tape to hold in place so we could attach the other pieces and let it dry over night before removing the tape.

so, what do you think? i love the way it turned out and can not wait to finish decorating this room, but that's a whole other project!

all in all this project cost about $40 which includes the miter box and saw that i now own for other priojects, and extra materials for framing our master bath mirrors!!

can't wait to show you all my biggest furniture redo i just finished...coming soon!

rejoice!

2011-04-19T18:45:00.000-07:00

it is the eve of my son's 6th birthday, the day he was born into this world for me to love, raise, train up, and cherish, learn patience from, and simply stand in awe of His perfect creation in him. tonight we get to celebrate a different kind of birth for our oldest son. this day i have prayed for since i found out i was going to be a mom...

we get to celebrate james' spiritual birth!!!

james had been talking for a while about Jesus and what He did for all of us on the cross. this afternoon he decided to ask Jesus into his heart, a decision that will forever impact his life in the greatest possible way. it was such a privilege for me to be part of such a wonderful time in his life. thank you Lord for allowing me to be the mommy of such an amazing boy, and for giving us a savior in which to place our hope and love.

happy double birthday buddy, i love you!

artists

2011-03-30T14:17:00.000-07:00

several weeks back james and julie became legitimate artists. not the kind with crayons or markers, but artists with many brushes, paint colors and their own canvases to create their masterpieces.

saying they were excited was a huge understatement...the kitchen table became our art table and we soon began mixing colors to make them just perfect. we talked about these paintings being hung in their rooms and what they wanted them to look like.

james decided to paint a fire house with a burning building next door complete with fire truck and men spraying water on the fire. it was so fun to watch him, you could literally see him thinking of what he would do next. he has never really been interested in coloring, just wasn't one to sit still for that long...we have have found a creative outlet for him in painting however!

it was no big surprise that julie wanted flowers. after some discussion, we decided to include a sun, grass and butterflies along with the flowers to make it a more complete piece :) james added some ladybugs and helped decorate a bit, what a great brother he is! can you see the joy on her face, she loved every minute...this is right up her ally!

we hung the paintings as soon as they were dry and when people come over it's one of the first thing they show off. i think they did an amazing job, don't you?

flowers and butterflies

2011-02-19T20:46:00.000-08:00

big changes have come about in the watney home. for a while now I have know that we would not have a playroom for much longer. the kids absolutely loved rooming together, it created some of the sweetest moments and bonding that i will be forever grateful for. but alas, the time came for there to be a girl room and a boys room.

a couple months ago i started the process of switching everything around, wow was that a big ongoing job :) i have had a lot of fun planning what to do in julie's room, we decided on a garden room. it is still not totally finished, but i just love how things are going so far. it is of course pink, a little darker shade behind her bed. the cute bedding has flowers and butterflies to carry out the garden theme. i am in love with vinyl decals that you literally 'stick' on the wall. so much easier than painting everything and pretty reasonably priced on etsy. julie's name and all of the flowers and butterflies are just that, stickers :) i think they make the room and i can't wait to finish putting them throughout the room. I ordered one section of vinyl fencing to act as her headboard and have the flowers coming from behind the fence, makes for a nice 3D effect as well :)

a rug and new window treatments will be the next step in pulling this room together. i also want to get some art canvases and let julie paint her own garden on them. i think it will give her some ownership of her room while decorating the empty wall above her bookcase. oh yeah, i bought that bookcase at a garage sale and painted it to match her bed. i will paint her night stand and dresser the same color, just have to find the time :)

with julie is her own room, it has allowed me to think of how to decorate a now all boys room.

for many years now james has had a deep love for all things fireman, so there was no other decor he wanted than a fire room. jacob of course is so easy going and wants to do just what his big brother does, so a fire room it is. so far all the planning is still in my head, there are some great vinyls i will be purchasing soon with firetrucks that have the boys names in them along with some other fun 'fire' type sings i've found on ebay. i want to go to a firehouse and take pictures of the boys dressed up in their fire gear, hopefully on the truck. i have 2 big picture frames that i think will work well to have those photos blown up and displayed in. can't wait to put this room together, i will post pics as soon as i get working on it! i did however opt out of the fire pole that james wanted to get down from his bunkbed, a good idea i think! :)

Wedding Weekend

2011-01-07T08:58:00.000-08:00

Last October we attended an amazing family wedding at Pebble Beach, really it was more of a wedding weekend! It was by far the most beauitful, luxurious event we have ever been to. It was made even better by some very generous people who allowed us to stay in their gorgeous home in Carmel, half a block from the beach!! If you know my kids, they were in heaven playing, building and destroying their sand castles and I couldn't get enough of the ocean air and sounds of the waves.

Josh and James were both in the wedding party along with our niece Emma. It was so fun to see them dressed up looking so great and so excited to do their 'job'. James said he was nervous but you would not have noticed, he smiled and stood up front during the ceremony, showing how he is maturing into a young man. I still want to hold onto the young part for a while :)

Cousins

Love!

Seriously, he is adorable!

Cocktail hour on the patio.

This was our table!

A warm fire in the banquet hall.

We were fortunate enough to have two wonderful girls I work with come over to be with the kids while Josh and I attended the reception, a decision that was well worth it. Josh and I were able to have a great evening with adults, amazing food, drinks, dancing and lots of laughter as we celebrated the new couple into the night. The next morning there was a send off brunch at a monster of a house. These pictures show the grounds where the kids played while we enjoyed some more time with family. What a wonderful way to keep celebrating!

Looking up at the house.

Nice view!

Wow, it really was a fantastic weekend, one that we are sure not to forget. I can not wait to see the professional photos!! Thanks and congrats to the happy couple!

Busy time of life

2010-11-13T16:31:00.001-08:00

No excuses, it's been way too many months since I last posted anything. So, I am going to start slow and just post a couple of pics at a time of what we are doing at the moment!

Here's the quick run down of the kiddos:

James: Doing fantastic at school, reading and writing already in kinder, still loves all things fire trucks and anything to do with army guys. Is an incredible older brother and doesn't hesitate to let you know something is bothering him :).

Julie: Loving preschool and learning to use her voice (since big brother isn't there to do it for her), is addicted to monkey bars and riding her bike or any adventure without fear of any kind, a sweet kind hearted love!

Jacob: Running like crazy, quiet trouble, a follower of anything his older siblings are doing, loves playing ball, a very sensitive little soul.

Hoping to keep up with this so much better in the future, what can I say, I'm a busy mommy :)

Whirlwind April

2010-04-11T13:52:00.001-07:00

Yikes, just realized how many pictures I posted, sorry. Guess that explains our busy month so far! Lots of bike riding, birthday parties, visits from family, Easter and much more.

We were blessed to celebrate our risen Lord on a chilly day with family. We managed to get in our egg hunt before the rain! James and Julie have got it down and Jacob seemed to enjoy his first Easter, even found one egg! What a great day it was.

Tara (my sister) came for a visit for several days during her spring break. We all spent a wonderful day at our local zoo and had a great time playing throughout the week. The kids love when she comes and they excitedly call her "fun Aunt Tara"!

Tara was also here to celebrate James' 5th birthday. We had a party at The Home Depot with many of his friends from church and preschool. Wow, what a cool party!! We provided hard hats for each child and Home Depot gave each one an orange tool apron. The kids, with parent help, then each built a project. This month it was a butterfly house. So fun to see all those kids hammering away and building. James had the best time and will remember this experience for years to come!

His actual birthday is on the 20th so I am sure we will celebrate again with family. Still can't beleive he is 5, wow!

Looking forward to a trip to my parents soon. The kids miss their Nana and Papa and ask daily when we will visit again. They love going to their house! Can't wait to meet my nephew Jonah who will already be 2 months when we see him.

The Highlights:

James (5): flies on a 2 wheeler, hits a baseball out of the air, reads and writes many words, great golf swing, high energy

Julie (2): rides a big girl bike with training wheels, no fear, quite the ballerina, first golf blister, loving heart

Jacob (8mo): crawls, pulls up, cruises, stands alone, shy, million smiles, happy heart

Enjoy this spring weather!!

2010-02-10T10:03:00.000-08:00

Josh and I were fortunate enough to get away for a night to beautiful Monterey for our 10th anniversary. What a wonderful time we had hanging out at the lovely resorts in Pebble Beach. It was so nice to look back on ten years of marriage and realize what a good thing we've got going! We were able to sit with a beautiful sunset and "dream" of our future. What great things lie ahead, I can't wait. :)

January was busy. Our anninversary trip, an afternoon in the 11 ft of fresh powder snow, an awesome trip to my parents for the weekend, golf tournament included (go nick!), lots of play dates, and my personal favorite, the start of dance and gymnastics every week!!! I now feel like one of "those moms" who stay home full time but am rarely home. We do a lot of living in the car.

Point and flex

Jump!

In preparation to register James for Kindergarten in a month, we had our first trip to the dentist. Xrays and all, James did perfectly, no whining or complaining. What a great boy I have!!

I'm totally relaxed!

Julie's teeth were checked as well. The dentist quickly noticed she sucks her thumb, a habit we have been trying to break for several months now. In an effort to "encourage" her to stop, the dentist told Julie she will end up with "horse teeth" instead of a pretty smile. So now every time James sees her sucking he says "horse teeth" and she quickly takes her thumb out!! Isn't it nice of him to help his little sister :).

a visual always helps, right?

Jacob is up on all 4's reaching and scooting. He "talks" a lot, my favorite of course in ma ma!! Can't believe he's only 6 months. The boy loves to eat and is just so very happy in any situation. What a wonderful gift he is to our family.

Love those rosy cheeks!

Well, Jacob is waking from his nap, and big surprise Julie is still hungry, (the girl eats non stop and is still so skinny), guess I better go. Must get something done before picking up James in an hour. Love and hugs to you all.

Happy Valentine's Day!

a new year, a new chapter

2010-01-02T13:13:00.000-08:00

it always seems as though christmas comes and goes so quickly. we were able to enjoy our holiday richly this year. daddy was home our entire break. a first for us since, well since before we were married. after our year the Lord knew we needed many days to be together without any plans, to do what we wanted and just enjoy time as a family while we celebrate Him. we decided to protect our family time this year. not to feel the pressure to go to every gathering, to buy big gifts, to go crazy with ligths and decorations, or prepare huge meals. we literally talked, played, cleaned, and simply had a wonderful uninterrupted time together. this was the greatest gift for us this year. 2010 promises to be a full year. in a couple of weeks, we will celebrate 10 years together. wow, i truely can't believe it. i am so grateful and blessed for my husband and kids. can't wait to see what the Lord brings us in this next decade.

james continues to thrive in preschool. he is reading many words now and writes them as well. i love teaching him and watching the excitement on his face. he looks forward to baseball in the spring, and continues to "build" everything he can using all materails and tools available. hard to believe i will send him off to kindergarten in august.
julie is quickly turning into a girly girl. she loves taking care of her babies and always has their needs in her mind. she must have blankets, bottles, and pacis for them at all times and when they are taking a nap we are told "sshhh, my baby is sleeping". she has such a kind heart and looks after both her brothers with such love. she has no fear and attempts all things big brother does which makes mommy really nervous. we hope to start her in gymnastics soon so she can do her "tricks" without as she says "cracking my head open". jacob is 5 months now and just the happiest thing ever. he has his 2 front teeth and continues to amaze me. he is sitting by himself, eating some solids and scooting all over the place. he loves to hold things and of course put them in his mouth and drool gallons. he uses his left hand a lot, maybe another south paw in the family? he still looks like james as a baby, except with longer hair. i can't wait to see if they will look the same as older boys. fun times ahead as he reaches many development marks!
yep, we are settling into life with 3 kids so close in age. many people ask us how's it going or what's it like? our response is usually the same, we love it, but it's reeaaallllly busy. so grateful and appreciative for what God has entrusted to us. hope to make memories with you all in 2010. happy new year!

Fun Thanksgiving

2009-12-12T13:17:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed a busy but fun November. The highlight was our trip to Nana and Papa's house in San Diego for Thanksgiving. It was our first long trip with Jacob. He did great!! My children generally don't like to be strapped in their seats for any period of time, they are all movers, so 7 hours in the car is a challenge. Movies, snacks, books, and car games seem to help a bit, I think I will invest in some ear plugs however for our next trip!!

We have made some big changes lately that we hope will improve our families quality time. For the first time since having kids I am not working at all. That's right, I am now a FULL TIME mom, whew hew!!! I miss my job at our church, especially the people I worked with, but being home with the kids has been incredible. It is the hardest, most frustrating, selfless, funniest, most rewarding time. Being the one and only care provider is exhausting work, but one that God commissioned me to do and I gladly accept. Lord God, give me patience and wisdom to train up these kids in the way they should go.

We are preparing for the changes that lie ahead. Losing an income, no matter what size brings change. Please pray we keep our eyes on the One who provides and our ears ready to listen and act on His word.

Daily life in our home is well, life lived. Loud, wild and crazy, toys everywhere, laundry always waiting to be folded and put away, dishes never ending, running, laughing, and having fun. Come join us if you get the chance, we'd love to have you!

Fall is in the Air

2009-10-24T19:08:00.000-07:00

loving the cool weather, riding bikes, playing at the park, and spending time outdoors with friends. james has decided soccer is not for him and really wants to play football, yikes! julie wants to get earrings like mommies except she wants pink. jacob is already sitting up in a seat (thanks Cherie for the loan) and playing in his exersaucer. please, please someone make them stop growing so fast!! enjoy the pics of our sweet kiddos!

Fun Family Times

2009-09-16T14:58:00.000-07:00

The end of summer brought a new family member, a camping trip, new skills, and lots of new possibilities. We are enjoying life so much with baby jacob and are trying to cherish every moment together.

James started his 2nd year of preschool and is doing very well. He is very interested in learning how to read and Mommy is all to happy to teach him! He also is participating in his first organized sports team playing soccer. What fun it is to see him chase after the ball and try to make a goal. Though he enjoys it, he is much better at golf so far. This summer brought James another first, fishing!! He, caught his first fish while we were camping over Labor Day. It was some good eats! The most recent, as of last night, James is now riding his bike free of training wheels. Wow, he has had a good year so far!

Julie girl is just the most fun. She is rough and tough because she needs to be, but also so sweet and loving. So loving that I can't leave Jacob alone with her for fear that she might smother him with love. She too has learned to ride her tricycle this summer and has become quite a mommy to her babies. She is talking very well now and will let you know what she wants! We hope to start her in dance class soon as she sways and prances around the house, so cute. She insists on having pigtails each morning and has to pick out her bows to go with her outfit. I don't know where she gets that. What a sweet little girl God gave us.

Jacob is a great baby!! He is almost 7 weeks now and is smiling like crazy. I just can't get enough of him. He is a tank at over 12 pounds already and so long, he might be a basketball player. He sleeps great and wakes happy. Truely a blessing to have him in our lives. He did great on his first camping trip and loves being with his brother and sister. We just love that little guy!

Josh and I are busy with work and our ministries at church. We can't believe that we are coming up on our 10th anniversary already. What a life we have been given. So thankful for our many blessings!

Baby Jacob has arrived!

2009-08-08T18:48:00.001-07:00

We are now a family of 5, wow!

Jacob Dean Watney was born August 1st at 3:20am

All 3 of our kiddos weighed in exactly the same, 8lbs 1oz, how crazy is that? Jacob is the longest by an inch measuring 21 1/2 inches.

He looks just like big brother James and has the sweetest temperment so far. He eats like a champ and I think will rival James as our family "Michelin Baby". Julie just loves her new baby and always wants to hold and kiss him. She is a great little mommy!

We are loving every moment with our little man and are learning how to run a "zone" defense as parents who are now out numbered! We are truely amazed and blessed beyond measure.

2009-04-30T15:11:00.000-07:00

No need to say it... I stink at this blogging thing.

Read below for family updates.

James is now 4. He has been anticipating his birthday for months now. He and Julie will share a build your own pizza party on the 9th, can't wait. He still loves all trucks and cars, but fire engines seem to be his favorite. He practices putting on his "fireman" clothes daily and races around the house with anything that could be used as a hose to put out the fire. So far he's used a rope, my bath robe tie, a golf club grip, daddy's belts. He will be getting a play fire extinguisher from us at his party!! He enacts many animals and loves to pretend play. James is our spirited child. :)

Julie will be 2 on the 27th and my what a roudy, loud, and oh so loving and sweet girl we have. She is talking up a storm, and is very particular about where things go. She will find a piece of lent or something tiny on the floor and say "oh no mommy" and quickly go throw it away. Can you say, future helper!! She has learned to like her "babies" and all stuffed animals, but still just loves playing cars with James. With a baby brother on the way, she'll have to play with the boys.
Josh is currently studying for his insurance license. He has been offered a position at New York Life and God willing he will start there full time in June. He works so hard to provide for our family. He has lots of golf tournaments upcoming this month and continues to lead a ministry team at our church. Can you say all star!?

I am doing good, well I guess I am more surviving. I have been working 2 part time jobs while caring for 2 kids, keeping up with the houeshold duties and growing a new life. Needless to say, I am ready to relax and I can't wait to rejoin the land of the living!!! I look forward to days at the park, coloring, playing hide 'n seek, building forts, helping in James' class and anything else I can squeeze into the day with my kids.

Our biggest news of course is the anticpiated arrival of our third child,

Jacob Dean Watney.

We finally settled on a name. In fact, James has been calling the baby Jake since he found out we would be a family of five. We all can't wait to meet him later this summer!

Happy Fall!!

2008-11-06T15:31:00.000-08:00

Hi all,
We are all doing well and loving this fall weather. Enjoy the pics!

Fun at theFresno Fair!

Pumpkin picking time!!

Our little fireman and ladybug!

We had a great time trick-or-treating in our neighborhood with Aunt Tara. She dressed up too! Take a look....

Thanks Tara, love you!

It's a new year!

2008-08-27T13:26:00.000-07:00

Things are changing again for the Watney family. Dad is searching for a new job, mom got a new job, James entered pre-school and Julie is talking with several words. Read below for the highlights!

James-

Yes, its' true, I was fighting back tears as I watched my little boy walk from his table to the rug to listen to a story read by his teacher Mrs. Jackie! James' first day of pre-school was on the 26th of Aug. and it went very well. All of the parents stayed in class for the first 30 minutes and then were asked to leave to attend the parent orientation meeting. James took a look around to find me and as is our tradition, we blew each other kisses and said our I love you's and off I went. It was a huge relief to me for James to be so comfortable in his class! Though he didn't talk or play with any other kids on the first day, I know it will only be a matter of time before he makes some new friends! He loves school and can't wait to go again.

Julie-
It's apparent that she is going to be a tom-boy. Though she has dolls and girlie toys, they rarely get touched. She much prefers to play with cars, tools and copy anything her brother does. She absolutely loves to dance, did I mention she rarely sits still. I have yet to get through reading one book to her because she just does not stop moving! She loves to give kisses and blow on your tummy and she is addicted to shoes. She wants them on at all times and will even bring me my shoes from the basket so I can wear them too! She says several real words now and continues to "talk" all the time even though much of it is undecipherable. It won't be long now!

Josh and Shannon-

We are experiencing something new, job changes!! Josh is searching for a job that can provide financially for our family but one that allows him to be with us a bit more. Please pray for the right place for him!! I accepted a job at our church, The Well. With such rapid growth, we are launching several multi-site locations. The teaching will be through video but everything else will be live, so..... I am the new Kids Connection (nursery-6th grade) Coordinator for one of our sites. That means I organize all of the volunteers, do the scheduling and make sure all of the curriculum/materials/etc are ready each Sunday. The best part of my job is I can do all of this from home!!!! No more babysitters, lots of tears and being missed. God is sooooo good!

Summer Fun

2008-07-16T15:55:00.000-07:00

We have had a whirl wind of a spring and summer so far. We started by celebrating three birthdays three months in a row with parties for each. James had a car party in April which was so fun!! My friend Lisa made Lightning McQueen and Mater cakes which were awesome, check out the pictures. Then Miss Julie turned 1 at the end of May with a huge pool party. She wasn't interested at all in eating her cake or making a good mess of it. Then of course the 30th not-so surprise party for Josh in June. I feel like I need a vacation from all the party planning!!

With two camping trips under our belts so far this year, we can say that our kiddos love the great ourdoors. Who wouldn't like to play in the dirt and climb some rocks? We are looking forward to a trip to San Diego in a couple of weeks to see my fam and spend time with Shamu! Enjoy the pics and the update on the kids!

James- What can you say. He has a strong will and an independent mind. His favorite expression lately is " I can do it by myself", which most of the time he can. He is proving to be his daddy's son with frequent trips to the golf course where he practices his swing and his favorite part of the game, chipping! While his infatuation with all 4-wheeled vehicles is apparent, his love for cars is a strong front runner. He tells me to look for his "steam" as he revs up his engine and races through the house. He is so excited to go to preschool this August. He will be in a 2 day a week class, yipee. We're hoping this will bring him out of his shell a bit and not be so shy around other people. He is our sweet, rowdy, full of energy BOY!

Julie- She is 14 months now and just blowing our minds every day. She loves to run after her "racing" brother and oh my goodness, what a climber! Many a time I have found her standing up on a chair just to watch her very slowly lower one of her legs down to the floor and step off. What a graceful girl we have! She is beginning to use some words, her favorite being, "up"! She can sign, more, all done, please, and thank you. She loves to take everything out of the toy box, drawer, basket, you name it, but then she carefully puts it all back. In our house we call that being "particular", she must get that from her mommy. She is definately understadns what we are saying to her which is so cool. I ask her to do something and most of the time she does it! It is rare when you don't see a smile on her face.

She is our oh so sweet Julie Girl!

I'm a blogger, I think!

2008-04-02T21:32:00.000-07:00

Wow, well here I am trying to figure this whole thing out. I'm sure it will take a while but here it goes.

The Watney family is doing well. James will be 3 this month and is quite the character. In one word, he is extreme. He is of course a very active boy who can't sit still for a second. His favorite things right now are all cars and trucks. He especially enjoys crashing all of them into each other while making the destruction sounds! If you're looking for a quiet place, our house is not a good choice. His favorite time of day is playing golf in the backyard with Daddy. James naturally has his own set of "real" clubs as he calls them and can, with a full swing, sail the ball across the yard and onto the putting green. He follows that up with a "nice shot"! Watch out Tiger! He is also developing quite a healthy love and protection for his sister, Julie.

Oh Julie girl. What can I say. One look at her and you heart just melts. She is really establishing her personality and coming into her own. Although with her brother as her mentor, she is becoming rather "wild" herself. She is a fast crawler and can "chase" after James around the house which she loves. The two of them laughing together is a great sound! She is rather particular however. When crawling on carpet she will stay down on her knees, but when she moves onto the wood floors, her knees come up and she starts walking on her feet with her hands still on the ground. It makes me think if a stinker bug with her bum bum in the air. Just a matter of time before she will be running down the hall, yikes! You might think we don't feed this girl enough since she is so little, that is until you see her eat. She literally uses both hands and one after the other puts food into her mouth. I'm not even sure she chews it! She's our bottomless pit.

Josh and I have had a busy year. We celebrated our 8th anniversary this past January! Wow, that old saying is true, time really does fly. Josh is doing well in his job. He earned "top dog" this past December in his region. He is so good! Last fall Josh was asked to lead a big ministry at our church. We call it "First Touch", all of the greeters, ushers, people with the bulletins and all the answers to questions of guests. With our church growing at such a quick rate (we're up to 6 services), you can imagine how many people are on this ministry team. Josh does an amazing job of organizing, communicating, motivating and leading all of these people. God is using him in a great way!

As for me, I am just trying to keep up. My teaching job will be finished in April, yipee!! I will be able to focus on the things I love, my husband and kiddos! God is so good as He continues to bless us and provide for us in ways we never would have imagined.