The Neal Family

Portrait Time

2009-11-12T09:55:00.000-08:00

We went in for our annual family portrait the other day. I try to take the girls more frequently because they grow and change so much. Here are the pictures we chose.

Reality of Roseola

2009-09-10T10:09:00.000-07:00

My poor baby has come down with a case of Roseola...or some other viral rash. Took her into the doctor just to make sure if wasn't something more serious. Here are the pictures...

Back to Blogging

2009-08-19T10:01:00.001-07:00

Ok, so over the weekend, I had a few friends remind me of what a bad blogger I am. Mea culpa. So here are a few of the events that have happened since my last post. Keira turned 1, started walking and is working on talking. Julia is now singing along with and acting out DVDs and has started taking a dance class. The girls are really developing a relationship with each other, which is great. It is the best thing to see them giving each other a hug and kiss for no reason other than they just plain love each other.

I'm putting up one or two pictures from different times over the past few months as a sort of catch up. Soon to follow, some pics from our visit to Ohio.

While visiting Uncle Tim and Aunt Tab in NC in April, we went to Discovery Place. They had a great kid area!

Julia playing with the water table at Discovery Place.

Dying Easter eggs for the Easter Bunny to use.

The Easter Bunny was here!

Getting ready for Church on Easter morning.

Keira turns 1!

Julia helped blow out the candle after singing "Happy Birthday" to Keira.

Happy 4th of July!

Julia and Olivia steal a page (or a hat) from Uncle Sam.

Summertime at the Jersey Shore...need I say more?

Julia wanted a hole to sit in.

Playing in the 'water hole'.

Billy Joel and Elton John - Face 2 Face. Hands down, BEST. CONCERT. EVER.

Keira in desperate need of her first haircut.

My little cutie pie with her new hairdo.

Hello, Again...

2009-02-03T15:07:00.000-08:00

So it's been so long since I last did a blog that I can't even remember all that I should have been blogging about. So, I'm starting fresh. Here are updates and pictures.

Julia is knocking our socks off with her smarts these days. She has just recently started singing the ABC's. Pretty impressive when you consider I didn't really start singing it for her very much until about two weeks ago. She sings "A, B, C, D, E, F, G, ah blah la la, Q, R, S, T, V, V, W, X, Y and Z. Now my ABC's. Next time with me." She is also jumping around the house saying "hop, hop, hop...brinca, brinca as well as jump, jump, jump...salta, salta" She is also using the Spanish words for climb, up, down, yes, and any number from 1-10. She LOVES snow and can't wait to get outside whenever the white stuff is coming down. Her new favorite thing...her sister. She gets super excited whenever Keira wakes up and runs in their room screaming "Baby Keira Wake Up, Mom!" They are really cute when they play together.

As for Keira, she is getting so big, so fast. She is up to 20 lbs already! She got her ears pierced about a month ago. She sits up very well, and scoots around on her butt. She has been on hands and knees for weeks, but can't coordinate herself enough to move forward. She mostly slides back. She is also clapping her hands and laughing a lot. She just recently started pulling herself up on the furniture. I'm not sure, but I think she might skip crawling and go straight to walking. She has also cut some new teeth, bringing her total to four. Keira absolutely adores her big sister and smiles and laughs whenever Julia is around.

Growing a sisterly bond.

Julia's chosen artistic medium.

B.F.F.

Splashing in the tub.

Keira loves bath time. She gets so pissed when she gets taken out before Julia.

Even Daddy enjoys tubby time!

Snow Day!

check it out

2009-01-29T18:01:00.003-08:00

Ok, so I've been slacking. I'll try to work on a new blog soon. But for now, check out Jason's new blog at...

http://everybodysacomedian.blogspot.com

Happy Birthday Julia!

2008-12-21T06:43:00.000-08:00

Julia turned two this past Thursday. She got to go out for lunch with Mommy and Grammy and she decided that she wanted ice cream...so we took a trip to Friendly's. She opened one present from Mommy and Daddy (a digital camera) and one from Uncle Tim and Aunt Tab ( A Dora interactive learning globe). The rest had to wait until her party on Saturday. Here is a recap of the party. Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Look at 'em grow!

2008-12-16T07:16:00.000-08:00

My oh my they are growing quickly. Julia turns 2 this week - I'll follow up with another blog and more pictures. The kids also have to go in for checkups later this week - Julia's 2 year and Keira's 6 month. I can't believe they are that old already. So here are the updates...

Julia is using full sentences regularly and refining her word choices. Instead of just "some" and a point at whatever she wants, she now says it like this - "I want some coffee....please." And yes, she does actually say that. She is still as adventurous as ever. Her grandfather showed her how to climb a ladder this week and since he could do it, she would be darned if she couldn't. Can I tell you how fast my pulse was watching my 2 year old climb up and over a 6 ft ladder. Yikes! And she is so loving with her sister. She brings her toys, "check her" when she's crying, and even let her borrow her favorite blanket (pink nah-nah) for a nap.

Keira is growing so quickly now. She is sitting up on her own for short stretches, eating well (or she was before her teething hit full force), babbling oohs and aahs, and has cut her first tooth. The second tooth is right behind it and should be through the gums in the next day or so. When Keira smiles her whole face lights up and it is just the sweetest thing to see. And she loves her family...she gets so excited to see the dogs, and when Julia comes into the room she can't keep her eyes off her. Mommy and Daddy are pretty ok too in her eyes.

Finally some pictures of them together.

Chewing her fingers instead of her teether.

Playing Peek-a-Boo with her "Doggy's House"

Just fooling around

Holding her own bottle now.

Sitting up on her own.

Best Friends.

O Christmas Tree

2008-12-15T15:47:00.000-08:00

This year we decided the time was right for Julia to start helping decorate the Christmas Tree. We don't have any fun adventures of going to pick it out and cut it down because quite simply, it lives in a box in the basement. First because of my allergies, and also because we are doing our part to "go green" when we can. Anyway, it went like this...I would take the ornaments out of their storage boxes and make sure there were hooks on them. Then I would give the non-breakables to Julia and she would pass them off to Daddy. Without instruction, she started telling him where to put them. As she got better at her job, she got faster. So fast that at one point I think Jason had an ornament hanging off each finger and couldn't get them on the tree fast enough. Now, she comes into the family room and points to the tree and shouts

"Kiss-miss Tee !" Then she immediately follows up with "I help Daddy!"

The first ornament this year.

Giving another ornament to Daddy.

"It goes right there!"

"Right here?"

Julia tells me to "turn it, Ba" when she wants it turned on.

Keira spent the afternoon teething. =(

Ok, I'm tired of this.

Checking out her work the next day.

Playing with a snowman.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree...How lovely are thy branches.

Holidays are Here

2008-11-29T09:52:00.000-08:00

We had a nice Thanksgiving at Mom's this year with plenty to eat and good times shared by all. The kids did very well, too. Hope that you all had a nice day as well. Now that the holiday season has arrived, it is time to decorate. We knew this year was going to be fun when Julia started getting very excited seeing lights on other homes. We started our decorating and she was so excited to see the deer in the front yard that she cried when she had to come in. I can't wait to see her reaction to the Christmas tree! Keira has made some big leaps in the past few weeks. She is now sitting on her own for longer stretches of time each day. She is also starting to understand the concept of eating solids. She opens her mouth now when the spoon approaches and even swallows whole mouthfuls at a time. Much improved from the clamped shut mouth and spitting! She is even starting to fall into her own routine...if only we could move up her bedtime! It's hard when the kids share a room to let one cry and risk waking the other up. Oh well, it will come in time.

If you look VERY closely, you can see some of the first snowflakes of the year.

Julia outside playing in the "snow".

Keira and Grammy playing.

Julia helped Daddy decorate!

These are bases to the small light up trees, but all I can think of .... Julia Scissorhands

Getting ready to come inside from the cold.

After a long day of being cranky, she finally gave in and fell asleep.

Two is Terrible!

2008-11-18T04:39:00.001-08:00

Ok, so we are now a mere month from Julia's second birthday. And let me tell you ,the "Terrible Twos" have arrived! My sweet little girl has been replaced by a bratty, 'tudey little snot in her times of rage. It seems the simple instructions or slightest reprimand send her into a frenzy of hitting, kicking, throwing, screaming and crying. But then two minutes later she is back to normal. I'm exhausted by her moods alone. All in all, Julia is still a very good kid, but good grief I hope this stage doesn't last an entire year...and man am I scared of when she becomes a teenager.

As for Keira, she is such a happy little thing. She does not like to eat, however. We are working on feeding her solids now, but she is not so interested. The funniest part is when she starts sticking her thumb in her mouth so you can't get the spoon in. She is also rolling over very well now and we often find her on her belly in her crib in the morning. And mostly, Keira simply adores her sister. She watches her like a hawk, and if Julia so much as looks in her direction...huge smiles! It's so cute.

Angry that the camera was out.

Eating prunes...and none too happy about it.

Not eating anything except her thumb.

More tantrums.

Two minutes later...happily playing drums with the Christmas boxes.

False teething...note the drool spot on Jason's shoulder.

Sitting up (while supported)

Attempting to take pictures for the Christmas card

We'll try one more time, but you might see this one on the card.

Keira's Baptism

2008-11-04T06:17:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, Keira was baptized into the Roman Catholic faith. The ceremony includes baptism with water and anointing with oils. Her Aunt Tabitha and my good friend Angie are her godmothers. She is a very loved and blessed little girl, and we are all blessed to have her with us.

Here is the priest making the sign of the cross on her head.

The water was cold and she didn't even cry.

Draped in her baptismal "gown"

The light of the candle symbolizes life.

Keira with her Godmothers

Uncle Tim, Aunt Tab, Keira, Angie (and baby Marshall) and Marshall

Parents and Godparents

Keira with her Godmothers and Great-Grandparents

The Family

A Visit from Uncle Tim and Aunt Tab

2008-11-01T08:30:00.000-07:00

My brother and sister-in-law came up this weekend for Halloween and Keira's baptism. Julia has had a difficult time accepting these people into her home. She is "scared". And I guess we can understand since it's been almost a year since she'd seen them. But we are doing our best to get over the fear and enjoy our time together. Keira on the other hand, has finally figured out that someone other than mommy or daddy can hold her and she will be fine.

playing with the baby

Julia avoiding her aunt and uncle

Uncle Tim playing with Keira

Uncle Tim holds the baby while Aunt Tab builds block towers for Julia to knock down.

Shiny, happy people holding hands!

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T08:15:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween everyone! Here are a few shots from our night of tricks and treats! Julia dressed as Dora (of course) and Keira was a chicken/duck (chuck?). You decide.

Dora - back view

Dora - front view

Keira as chuck.

Aunt Tab with the girls

Dora exploring the front steps

Dora giving out candy to the trick-or-treaters

Me, Jules and Mom

The Day to Day

2008-10-26T06:43:00.000-07:00

Nothing too new or exciting in the Neal house this week. Just our regular old routine. Big things are coming though, what with Halloween and Keira's Baptism right around the corner.

Indian summer afternoons playing in the yard

Keira enjoying the new patio

Jason has said that he wants a boy to play sports or go fishing with. I say, when a kid is ready, willing, and able to get this dirty, gender doesn't matter.

That dirt is ground in!

Isn't she cute?

Expert thumb sucker!

The girls playing together in the living room.

Julia has become a very good "little mommy". She imitates everything I do with Keira so rather than having her swipe a half full bottle, she got one of her own to feed her baby.

Apparently she has also been "feeding" the dogs by taking all of their food from the food bowls and putting it in the water bowl. What fun. Remember Gravy Train?

The girls had their first bath together. Keira was not pleased!

The Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-20T06:45:00.000-07:00

We went to the pumpkin patch this weekend and had a great time. Keira fell asleep when we got to Playland and stayed asleep until we were on our way home. Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Welcome Fall!

2008-10-12T19:05:00.001-07:00

Fall is here! Hooray! The leaves are starting to change color and it was time to decorate the house. I managed to go out, get the stuff, and decorate all while Julia was napping. What a surprise when she got up! We went outside to draw with the sidewalk chalk and look-ey what she found!

Getting a feel for the mums.

Love this picture! It's classic Jules!

We'll add pumpkins after next week's trip to the pumpkin patch.

Keira was very interesting in what Julia was doing.

Julia showing Keira the flowers.

Julia's sidewalk art.

Mommy's sidewalk art.

She was loving touching the flowers!

Julia and her friend, Olivia, at Olivia's house.

I've been tagged

2008-10-12T18:50:00.000-07:00

This one is for Miss Jack at Spyrou Chronicles. Unfortunately, I don't know too many bloggers out there as I'm still exploring the wide world of blog. Pretty much it's just you (Miss Jack), A., and T. Ross. A. just did this last month too so I'll spare her and for some reason I have trouble commenting on Ben and Katie's place. So I'll fill it out and make a request to all (any?) readers out there. Feel free to add it to your blogs (and send me the links by the way).

The rules: Each player answers the question themselves. At the end of the post the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment letting them know that they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person that tagged you know when you’ve answered the questions on your blog.

10 years ago I was:
1. 20 years old
2. In my junior year at Beaver College
3. Laughing (and crying) with my roommate, Angie, about how VERY loud our deaf neighbor's answering machine message was.
4. Driving around in my 1988 Ford Tempo, Betty.
5. Totally broke.

5 things on today’s to-do list:
1. Laundry
2. Decorate for fall
3. Put clean sheets on the beds (I borrowed this one, but it's true)
4. Write a post for the blog (This one too)
5. Go to the grocery store.

5 snacks I enjoy:
1. Anything chocolate
2. yogurt covered raisins
3. apples, which I can't eat because I'm allergic so I settle for cider
4. graham crackers
5. grapes

5 things I would do if I were a millionaire: (I’m changing this to be Billionaire)
1. pay off my student loans
2. pay off my mortgage
3. put more money in the kids 529 accts
4. buy a house in Aruba so we could go whenever we wanted!
5. take mom, bill, tim, & tab on a british isles cruise.

5 places I have lived:
1. Easthampton, MA
2. Stevens, PA
3. West Windsor, NJ
4. Mercerville, NJ
5. Mt Royal, NJ

5 jobs I have had:
1. Being a mom
2. Purchasing clerk for a military export company
3. QC Chemist (did a little microbio too)
4. Receptionist
5. Cashier and Deli clerk

Neal Goings-on

2008-10-12T16:49:00.001-07:00

So I asked Jason to take the kids outside (play in the yard or go for a walk, whatever) so I could clean the family room without interruption. About 30 minutes later I went outside and this is how I found Julia. Her clothes were white when she went out there. Nothing like leaving it to Daddy to double Mommy's workload!

Keira got her first taste of bananas the other day. Now I remember how much I hated teaching Julia to eat/chew. She did ok for her first time, but she definitely wasn't sold on the idea.

There are some battles that just aren't worth fighting. Shortly after getting Julia dressed today, she came upon a Dora bathing suit in the hand-me-downs from our neighbor. She wanted to wear it...needed to wear it. We weren't going anywhere so what the heck. Here is the end result.

Jules also managed to find her way into the storage area. My mom and I recently bought some wrapping paper, bags and bows for the upcoming Christmas season. Our goal is to stay ahead of the game. Last year we had all of our gifts bought and wrapped before Thanksgiving. Julia was in love with the bows. Maybe she'll take after Mommy in that regard and become a Christmas nut in her own rite.

Playtime

2008-10-08T15:42:00.000-07:00

Keira is starting to really enjoy all the different things to look at on the exersaucer.

Julia has become quite the little mommy herself. She tells her baby "I love you" and gives her kisses all the time.

Not sure where this pose came from, but all I can think of is Home Alone.

Julia was helping Keira play by pushing the buttons that turn on the music.

Keira and Winky playing.

Keira's 4 month checkup

2008-10-06T16:58:00.000-07:00

Keira had her 4 month checkup last week and so far so good. She is up to 15.2 lbs (90%) and 25.9 inches (95%) so she is an all around big kid for her age, but proportionately so. We did find out that she has an ear infection in her left ear but it was asymptomatic so we had no way of knowing it was there. It is most likely due to the fact that she has allergies and fluid was just sitting there in her head. Yuck! Anyway, she's now on antibiotics and allergy medicine in addition to her reflux medicine...none of which she takes very easily. She also had her next round of vaccinations so she is 85% immune those diseases. Next round is at 6 months and then she will be 98% immune and we can get her ears pierced! Julia went along as well but only needed a flu shot. She did surprisingly well. She didn't even cry. Wow. My babies are growing up too fast!

Big Shoes to Fill

2008-10-01T11:37:00.000-07:00

I did a terrible, but in my world necessary, Mommy thing today. Keira fell asleep in her swing and so I put on Dora for Julia. I can see the family room from the kitchen so it freed up 24 minutes for me to clean the kitchen and keep an eye on her. Half way through I went down to check on her. I found her like this. She had taken off one sock and one shoe and stuck both of her feet into my sneakers. Even the foot that still had her shoe on was jammed in.

She paraded around this way for about 5 minutes and then took one of my sneakers off. The other one was stuck (the one with the jammed in 2nd sneaker of course) so she called out for "help, Ba!"

Oh How Quickly They Grow

2008-09-30T15:52:00.000-07:00

As I got the girls loaded into the stroller this afternoon, I stood in awe. It's not that this is an unusual event, we take an evening walk around the neighborhood several times a week. It was just that I had the opportunity to look at my kids from a different perspective. It was like a third party looking in. I simply cannot believe how much they've grown. It shocks me still that I have two kids. Not two babies...Julia isn't really a baby anymore. She's definitely graduated to kid. Keira is still a baby but at this rate, not for long. Where is this time going?

"So tell me how to stop the years from racing. Is there a secret someone knows? I'll never catch all the memories I'm chasing. I'll never be ready to let go." -Lyrics from Angel's Lullaby

Gone Mad

2008-09-24T14:54:00.000-07:00

Ok so I think I'm losing it...I've gone mad. Here is a glimpse into my yesterday. The kids are cranky. Julia is cutting 4 teeth at once and has turned into my shadow. I swear she would crawl back inside my body if there was a way. And she's whining...a lot! I think Keira has a bug or has begun early teething much like Julia did. So I have Keira in her swing and Julia playing in the family room. Run to kitchen to make bottle...come down to find that Jules has climbed onto the coffee table and is sitting dead center watching tv. Time out. Lots of cranky coming my way. Now trying to feed Keira who is hungry but wont eat. Julia goes to kitchen. Call three times, then go on the hunt. I find her in the back yard...thank God for the fence. Must find a way to get the screen door fixed so we can lock that exit. Time out. Lots of cranky coming my way. Nap time...yippee! Whoops, not for long. Here comes the trash truck. Wakes kids. Dammit! Lots of cranky coming my way. Downstairs for lunch. Change Keira and turn around to find that Jules has gone into the kitchen, climbed onto the table, collected all the placemats into a pile, sat on pile and started eating her snack.

Time out. Lots of cranky coming my way. Time to attempt feeding Keir again. Jules escapes to kitchen and 30 seconds later...choking/coughing sounds. Whirl around worried and find Julia holding bottle of dish soap. Dammit! Read label for poison control info and mentally kick self for forgetting to put soap away. Luckily only need to drink water to dilute soap. Skip ahead a couple hours...after Daddy got home, I took 45 minutes to get control of my mind again. Come downstairs and start unloading dishwasher. Man, it stinks down here. Jason takes Keir up for a diaper change...thank God. Need to call mom, looking for phone in family room where Julia is sitting on the couch watching Dora. She tells me "Ba, poop." Ahh so that's why it still stinks. Ok, Julia, let's go change your pants. Help her to get up, and that's when I see the puddle of poop on my couch. Oh man, what a day! Warn Jason about couch...ask for help getting that cleaned up...and rush Julia to bathtub. Pray for no more explosions. Stupid Mommy, stupid soap! Feed dinner to Julia and get her off to bed. Keira, too. Nope, she's up again. Try another feeding with very little success. Order take out. Veg in front of tv. Put Keira to bed. This time it works. Sleep.

Personali-tude

2008-09-20T17:26:00.000-07:00

I had a thought the other day about how special the little things are in life. Not to say that the big milestones are any less great, but sometimes it's the small moments that make me look at my children in amazement and with such maternal love. For instance, the other day Julia was eating Mac & Cheese for lunch. More than half of it was landing on her bib and not in her mouth. The look in her eyes when she noticed the noodles there and the way she smiled when she picked them up and ate them just made my day.It was like she'd found a lost treasure. Sappy Mommy.

Anyway, I was talking with some friends of mine about kids and their personalities. I can't speak first hand in regard to little boys, but some of my friends have at least one of each and we are in agreement that little girls have WAY more 'tude! What is with that? I swear there are times when Julia gives me looks that should be coming from a pre-menstrual teenager. Ok, that being said...look at the imagination and acting ability on this kid. Woah.

"A hat"

Maybe a house for her and the baby?

Go Buckeyes!

My flower child

In order to get ready for Keira's baptism, we had to try on the gown. It's the same one I wore, my brother wore, Julia wore....it's too small for Keira. I can't snap the top closed and we are still several weeks away from the baptism. However, she is quite a bit older than we all were at the age when we were baptized...even Julia.

...and since we were checking out sizes to make sure things fit...here is a sneak peek of Keira's Halloween costume. I'm not too sure if it's a chick or a duck...so I'm calling it "chuck"

Julia looks at me and says "Ba, that baby is a duck"

I just can't take any more!

Can we talk?

Stupid Government!

2008-09-08T10:21:00.000-07:00

WARNING - VENTING AHEAD!!

Ok, so let me start at the beginning. Back on May 31st, as I was in labor and filling out forms between contractions, I checked a little box marked yes right next to this question: Would you like to apply for a social security number for your child. Easy, right? WRONG! Ok, so the paperwork they send you home with says it could take 13-14 weeks to receive your card in the mail, but everyone knows that's BS and it usually takes about a month. So about 6 weeks later I had to go back to the hospital for several reasons and decided to stop by birth records to see why we hadn't gotten Keira's card. The woman gives me the whole 13-14 weeks thing but then sees Keira, who is clearly over 1 month old. After confirming her age, she decides to call her contact at the state to see what is going on. The woman there tells her that "hmm, that's weird. Normally we make a notation when we send out the information to SSA but there isn't any note here. I guess we didn't do it." Nice! So the birth records lady tells me that I have to get Keira's birth certificate and go apply on my own. Yippee! So I go home and order her birth certificate and $50 and 1 week later, it comes in the mail. So I go online and print out the forms and gather up all my ID and her birth certificate and off we go to the SS office. So we get there, get a number and wait. And of course, they call the number after us first and then say that our number didn't show in the system. Hunh! So they take us in and look at the application and check my ID and then ask for Keira's ID. I gave them her birth certificate and the woman says "no, this is her birth certificate. where's her identification?" What?! I explained the whole deal to her and she says ok, but she still needs ID. I was like...she's 8 weeks old for heaven's sake. She didn't think it was very funny when I asked her if she'd like to see her driver's license. I mean, isn't her SSN going to be her ID. Now I need ID to get her ID? So I ended up having to get a letter from her doctor with her name and birth date and the fact that she is a current patient, blah, blah, blah. So then, I go back again. I have everything I need, but this time they say that because Keira is under 1 year old, they have to verify her birth with the state. Ok, so then why did I need to pay $50 for a rush certified copy of her birth certificate with the raised seal and all??? Anyway, they give me a letter stating that I've filed the application and a reference number. It should take about 2 weeks, but could take up to 4. So 4 weeks comes and goes. Now I start calling but can't get through. And when I finally do, I spend 25 minutes on hold before giving up. I try again today....same deal, except now I've been on hold for 82 minutes! I tried the regular 1-800 number...the federal one...and they can't help me because she doesn't have a SSN!!!!! Oh my god! I'm gonna flip. I asked the guy if I could file a complaint that the field office isn't answering their phones and he says yes...all you have to do is either drive or write to the field office and file the complaint there. It's a good thing they put a big sign on the door saying that you aren't allowed to bring firearms into the building or else I just might. Darn rules. So look out Mr. Arthur Weathersby, Field Office Manager. I'm a comin'...and it ain't gonna be pretty!