Hi. My name is Kelly. I love to write about my fun family, but for some reason have taken a two month hiatus. For anyone who enjoys reading the blog I promise to never go that long without a post again! For the entire month of March I've decided to just do a catch up
On March 3rd my Dad celebrated his 50th birthday. Yay!! But I'll be honest, he doesn't look a day over 40! I remember when I was younger I would sometimes be embarrased when just the two of us would be out together. Sometimes when I was in college he would meet me in Bowling Green for lunch, and I always felt like we got weird looks. He looked too old to be my date, but not old enough to be my dad! My mom also looks young...I hope I have those genes!
Mom organized a great surprise for his birthday. We made up a lie and told him that we wouldn't be able to come to Scottsville his birthday weekend and that we would celebrate in Louisville the weekend after his birthday. Mom had to do that part, because I'm the worst liar in the entire world. No joke, worst in the world. I'm terrible. Don't ever ask me to lie for you, it's not gonna happen, even if it's for a good cause like a surprise birthday party. It's a combination of me having an incredibly guilty conscience and also a problem of bursting into hysterical giggles when saying anything that isn't true. I think overall it's a good thing?? Mom rented a cabin at the Barren River State Park and our crew, Travis and Jamie went the night before the party to get settled and decorate. The next day mom told dad they were going to eat lunch at the Lodge at the State Park, then took a detour and took him to the cabin. He was surprised to see us, along with Laura, Tim, Charlie, Peyton, Mema and Ma. Though he admitted that he wondered if something was up when mom wanted to take him to the Lodge...the food's good but it's not "special birthday lunch" good. Laura and her crew had picked up some barbeque from a place in Glasgow and I had brought a cookie cake (because my dad is half human/half cookie monster). We had a great time and mom surprised him with really special photo book she had made. It warmed up enough for us to take the kids to play at the park and then we spent another night in the cabin. It was a great weekend to celebrate a great man!
The week of March 10-17, Ronnie went on his first medical mission trip. He spent a week in Haiti working with the Haitian Christian Outreach. In the few days before his trip he was like a little kid anticipating Christmas. This was the reason he went into medicine - to travel to underserved countries and help people both physically and spiritually. He went with a great group of people, including our good friends Jason and Susan, and had an amazing experience. Ronnie has a few days off this week and my goal for him is to do his own post on the blog about his trip. We'll post pictures at that time.
We also traded in our Honda Pilot in March. It was a day of mixed emotions. I adored the Pilot...absolutely adored it and thought it was the best vehicle ever. But, it wouldn't pull the boat. So we got a Nissan Armada. Don't get me wrong, the Armada is nice and it's much roomier, but it took me a week or so to adjust. And it's not a Honda, which was hard to part with. But the extra room is definitely nice. Someone can now comfortably fit between the girls carseats instead of sitting sideways with no seatbelt. And I can sorta park it now. Most of the time.
I guess those were the most exciting things we experienced in March. We were super excited to go see The Hunger Games when it came to the theatres and thought the movie was excellent. We both read the entire book series last summer (it took us both about a week to read all three books!). I ran the Papa John's 10 miler on the last day of March. It was a great run with my good friend Toni...personal bests for both of us. I beat last year's time by 38 seconds so I was happy with that! Kendall became potty trained the week Ronnie was in Haiti. She's a rockstar! She'd been doing well with the potty, but I literally stuck her in panties one day and that was the end of diapers. People keep telling me how awesome it is that I potty trained her before she turned 2, but I seriously didn't do anything. She potty trained herself...had to do everything big sis Ella did! Ella is still loving her ballet/tap class. Also during the week Ronnie was in Haiti, they had a special "parents get to watch" week during her ballet class. It was so fun to get to see her dance! I got tons of video and pictures.
For some reason my camera's memory card and my computer don't want to cooperate today, so I will have pics to go with this post tomorrow hopefully!
Monday, April 16, 2012
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Target's Dr. Seuss Storytime
The girls and I had a nice little surprise at Target today. We were out of the house this morning to take Jamie to work, then I had decided to take the girls to Saturday morning storytime at Barnes & Noble. This isn't something we've ever done before, but I was trying to think of a different activity for us to do and thought this would be fun.
We had about an hour to waste, so I debated between taking the girls to breakfast at Panera Bread (I was craving a cinnamon crunch bagel) and going to Target. I left it up to Ella, who ultimately decided on Target. Why, you ask? Because she knows that Target has Starbucks, and she wanted a rice krispy treat. So to Target we went. I enjoyed a hot chocolate and the girls split a rice krispy treat. So we walked around for a little while, and made it over to the book section. I saw in the weekly ad that Target had Dr. Seuss books on sale and I wanted to get a copy of The Lorax for us to read before the movie comes to theatres next weekend. We were walking past the toy section towards the outdoorsy section when I could see a bunch of chairs set up and it looked like some type of storytime was about to begin. Turns out they were having Dr. Seuss Storytime and participating in Read Across America. What was the featured book? The Lorax! Both of the girls received adorable Lorax bags that contained a coloring page, crayons, stickers, fruit snacks, animal crackers and a Lorax mustache. It was great! They read two books before reading The Lorax...Green Eggs & Ham and Go, Dog, Go. Unfortunately, Kendall's attention span isn't quite long enough for Dr. Seuss books, so she was pretty much done before they started The Lorax. She and I walked off to the side to not disrupt the other listeners, and Ella stayed in her chair to hear the Lorax.
We had about an hour to waste, so I debated between taking the girls to breakfast at Panera Bread (I was craving a cinnamon crunch bagel) and going to Target. I left it up to Ella, who ultimately decided on Target. Why, you ask? Because she knows that Target has Starbucks, and she wanted a rice krispy treat. So to Target we went. I enjoyed a hot chocolate and the girls split a rice krispy treat. So we walked around for a little while, and made it over to the book section. I saw in the weekly ad that Target had Dr. Seuss books on sale and I wanted to get a copy of The Lorax for us to read before the movie comes to theatres next weekend. We were walking past the toy section towards the outdoorsy section when I could see a bunch of chairs set up and it looked like some type of storytime was about to begin. Turns out they were having Dr. Seuss Storytime and participating in Read Across America. What was the featured book? The Lorax! Both of the girls received adorable Lorax bags that contained a coloring page, crayons, stickers, fruit snacks, animal crackers and a Lorax mustache. It was great! They read two books before reading The Lorax...Green Eggs & Ham and Go, Dog, Go. Unfortunately, Kendall's attention span isn't quite long enough for Dr. Seuss books, so she was pretty much done before they started The Lorax. She and I walked off to the side to not disrupt the other listeners, and Ella stayed in her chair to hear the Lorax.
We ended up not making it to Barnes & Noble, but this worked out even better! As if I needed another reason to love Target!
Ella with her Lorax mustache
Ella with her Lorax mustache
Kendall showing off our new reusable bags!
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Happy Valentine's Day!
We hope that everyone had a great Valentine's Day like we did! Ours spread out over a few days, which made it twice as fun!
On Friday, our playgroup friends came over for a little Valentine's Day party complete with heart shaped pizza from Papa Murphy's, cupcake decorating, and valentine exchanging. The kids had a great time! Ella and I had fun making homemade valentines...the idea of course came from Pinterest. :)
On Monday night, Jamie watched the girls so Ronnie and I could go out on a date. (For those of you who didn't know, Jamie's Peace Corps service ended early and she moved in with us a couple of weeks ago...fun!!) Ronnie and I hadn't been out to dinner and a movie in a really long time, so we were really excited! And the girls were excited to have a movie night with Aunt JJ. We decided to go eat at Olive Garden. It was soooooo good. After dinner we headed to Meijer to get some movie theatre candy and then went to Tinsletown to see "Safe House" with Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds. It was really good. If you like intense CIA-type movies then we would recommend it!
On Valentine's Day the girls, Jamie and I headed to the Kentucky Gymnastics Association for open gym. We used to go there pretty frequently but it had been awhile, so the girls, especially Ella, were so excited! It was so fun watching them play. Ella is now one of the "big kids" there, running around doing all the big stuff without assistance, and Kendall of course wants to do whatever Ella is doing so she requires pretty close supervision! Both these girls have no fear! Toni mets us at KGA with Grace and the little boy she watches, so the girls also had fun "playing" with the babies when they weren't running around crazy. After open gym we all had lunch at McAlisters...3 adults, 4 kids, lots of noise. But it was a blast! Ella and Kendall love McAlisters. Ella suggested it over Chick-Fil-A (gasp!) and as soon as we walk in the door Kendall starts yelling "Pizza!! Pizza!" She loves their cheese pita pizza. After lunch Ella insisted that Grace come over to see her new Princess Closet that she got for Christmas, so we had fun hanging out into the afternoon!
That afternoon we exchanged presents. We gave the girls books and some candy, and mom and dad had sent some candy and the movie "Horton Hears a Who". Ronnie and I decided to set a small price limit for Valentine's Day this year, since we will be the proud owners of a boat within the next couple of days. I was very excited to receive a new Willow Tree figurine...this one entitled You & Me...which is very fitting since the Lifehouse song "You & Me" is our song. I appropriately gave him a new (and super sweet) pair of swimming trunks since he will spend a lot of time on the lake this summer because of the boat.
Here are a few pics!
Going on a date! I don't think we've had an actual "Valentine's" date since the girls were born!
On Friday, our playgroup friends came over for a little Valentine's Day party complete with heart shaped pizza from Papa Murphy's, cupcake decorating, and valentine exchanging. The kids had a great time! Ella and I had fun making homemade valentines...the idea of course came from Pinterest. :)
On Monday night, Jamie watched the girls so Ronnie and I could go out on a date. (For those of you who didn't know, Jamie's Peace Corps service ended early and she moved in with us a couple of weeks ago...fun!!) Ronnie and I hadn't been out to dinner and a movie in a really long time, so we were really excited! And the girls were excited to have a movie night with Aunt JJ. We decided to go eat at Olive Garden. It was soooooo good. After dinner we headed to Meijer to get some movie theatre candy and then went to Tinsletown to see "Safe House" with Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds. It was really good. If you like intense CIA-type movies then we would recommend it!
On Valentine's Day the girls, Jamie and I headed to the Kentucky Gymnastics Association for open gym. We used to go there pretty frequently but it had been awhile, so the girls, especially Ella, were so excited! It was so fun watching them play. Ella is now one of the "big kids" there, running around doing all the big stuff without assistance, and Kendall of course wants to do whatever Ella is doing so she requires pretty close supervision! Both these girls have no fear! Toni mets us at KGA with Grace and the little boy she watches, so the girls also had fun "playing" with the babies when they weren't running around crazy. After open gym we all had lunch at McAlisters...3 adults, 4 kids, lots of noise. But it was a blast! Ella and Kendall love McAlisters. Ella suggested it over Chick-Fil-A (gasp!) and as soon as we walk in the door Kendall starts yelling "Pizza!! Pizza!" She loves their cheese pita pizza. After lunch Ella insisted that Grace come over to see her new Princess Closet that she got for Christmas, so we had fun hanging out into the afternoon!
That afternoon we exchanged presents. We gave the girls books and some candy, and mom and dad had sent some candy and the movie "Horton Hears a Who". Ronnie and I decided to set a small price limit for Valentine's Day this year, since we will be the proud owners of a boat within the next couple of days. I was very excited to receive a new Willow Tree figurine...this one entitled You & Me...which is very fitting since the Lifehouse song "You & Me" is our song. I appropriately gave him a new (and super sweet) pair of swimming trunks since he will spend a lot of time on the lake this summer because of the boat.
Here are a few pics!
Going on a date! I don't think we've had an actual "Valentine's" date since the girls were born!
Ella can swing forever!
Hang on, Kendall!
Elmo ABC's for Kendall!
Fancy Nancy for Ella!
Ella and Grace
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Another Year, Another Checkup
Today was Ella's 4 year checkup with her pediatrician, Dr. Bindner. Last night I told Ella that she had a checkup with Dr. Bindner the next day, and of course the first thing out of her mouth was, "Do I have to get a shot?" I wasn't going to lie to her, so I told her she would have to get one. "Only one?" I'm not sure... Then Ella said, "Can I get the nose spray, instead?" I cracked up. The last time she got a "shot" at the pediatrician's office was at Kendall's 18 month checkup, and both girls received their flu shots. At the last minute I decided to let Ella have the nasal mist, so she was hoping she could get that again in place of the shot. What a memory!
So we arrived at her appointment and after a few minutes (and a trip to the bathroom, where I am certain Ella lost at least 1 lb), the nurse called Ella back. As we were walking to the scale Ella said to the nurse, "Can you tell Dr. Bindner that I only want one shot?" The nurse cracked up and said, "I've never heard that before!" I explained that Ella was an allergy shot kid, and since March she has been getting allergy injections, one in each arm, once or twice a week. So to Ella, getting only one shot sounds fantastic! She was weighed (30.4 lbs...would have been 31.4 if she hadn't made that trip to the bathroom!) and her height was measured (40 inches), and during that whole time Ella NEVER stopped talking about the shots. We dropped our stuff off in the exam room and then went into the hall for the eye exam. I was interested to see how this went. Ronnie and I both have bad vision. Ronnie's is bad...well, it was until he got Lasik, and mine is terrible. So its only a matter of time before Ella and Kendall are rocking some super snazzy glasses. Not the huge ones I rocked back in the day. (Thanks, Mom.) The other day, Ronnie gave her an unofficial eye exam with an eye chart app on his iphone, and she did ok, but we weren't sure how accurate it was. Today they said she came out at 20/30. Dr. Bindner said anything between 20/20 and 20/40 was fine for her age. Yay!
We went back in the exam room and the shot talk continued. Anyone who has been around Ella very much knows that she talks...a lot. But this was even a lot for her. That poor nurse (who was excellent, by the way) answered probably 50 questions in the 10 minutes she spent with Ella. She mentioned that they had to do a finger prick. Sheesh. I hate those! Bring on the shots, but don't prick my finger! Ella didn't understand what this was...so by golly she started asking questions about it! "What are you going to do with that? Is it going to hurt? Is it going to bleed? What does that do? Where does that go? Why are you going to use my finger with the orange polish?" She pricked her finger (oooh I hate even watching that! It's like popping a can of crescent rolls, even though I know it's coming it makes me jump every time) and Ella had a stunned look on her face. As soon as the nurse started to squeeze blood into the little tube, Ella was mesmerized. "Can I squeeze the blood in there?" she asked. She watched in awe as the blood came out of her finger into the tube. It wasn't until the very end that she started going "oww...owww...Owwwww...OWWWWW!" She was a trooper! Then, we were back to the shot talk. "Tell Dr. Bindner I only want one shot. How many shots do I have to have? Are the shots in my arms or in my legs? I don't want to get shots today. Can I get the nose spray?" The nurse was checking things off her chart, asking me about her sleeping and eating habits. Then she laughed and said, "She definitely doesn't have trouble speaking clearly," as she marked something off on her chart. Then the nurse started asking Ella basic questions. Her answers were hilarious. Correct, intelligent, but hilarious. Do you go to school? Ella: "No, I'm only 4. I'm not 5." Ella do you know where you live? Ella: "Louisville....I mean...Kentucky." I asked her if she could tell the nurse our address and she quickly rattled it off. Then she asked Ella if she could tell her her name. Instead of saying it, Ella spelled it, "E...L...L...A." The nurse cracked up and said, "You are definitely my best patient today...I'm not even going to ask you about colors!" And...we're back to shots.
The nurse left and as we waited for Dr. Bindner Ella immediately wanted to take the bandaid off her pricked finger and wanted to wash it off. So we washed her bloodied finger until Dr. Bindner walked in. Poor Dr. Bindner, the second Ella walked in the door she got slammed with 50 questions just like the nurse. Dr. Bindner reminded her that the shots will keep her healthy and keep her from getting sick, and Mommy and Daddy love her very much and want her to stay healthy. I just love our pediatrician! She said that Ella looked great and was very healthy. I was a little concerned since she has gained very little weight in the last 6 months (for the record, she was 27.6 lbs at her 3 year checkup, so almost a 3 lb gain...would have been more if Ella had held off on the poop!). Dr. Bindner said that her height and weight were both around 50th percentile, and that this is an age when weight gain usually slows down a lot. Ella is a great eater so I wasn't really all that concerned.
Then Dr. Bindner left and it was time to wait for the shots. Poor Ella burst into tears. With her allergy shot regimine, the poor girl is just exhausted with shots. As my aunt said today, since March she has basically been a little pin cushion. Thank goodness we are only a few shots away from beginning maintenance, where we go only once every 2 weeks. Woo hoo! I often feel guilty for putting her through this. But then I think back to my childhood, packing tissues with me everywhere, constantly having a runny nose, and if this will help ease her misery for the rest of her life then I know it will be worth it. The nurse came in and we got the shots over with as fast as we could. Every person in the office park knew Ella was getting shots. I haven't heard her scream and cry like that in a long time. It was tough! Today she got MMR, Dtap, Polio & Chickenpox. Two shots in each little thigh. :( Thankfully she calmed down pretty quickly and didn't seem too fussy or upset about them tonight. She did have a nice long nap, though. The best part of the checkup...I found out that Ella is completely finished with vaccinations until she is 11. Woo hoo!!
Ella as she helped squeeze the blood into the tube.
So we arrived at her appointment and after a few minutes (and a trip to the bathroom, where I am certain Ella lost at least 1 lb), the nurse called Ella back. As we were walking to the scale Ella said to the nurse, "Can you tell Dr. Bindner that I only want one shot?" The nurse cracked up and said, "I've never heard that before!" I explained that Ella was an allergy shot kid, and since March she has been getting allergy injections, one in each arm, once or twice a week. So to Ella, getting only one shot sounds fantastic! She was weighed (30.4 lbs...would have been 31.4 if she hadn't made that trip to the bathroom!) and her height was measured (40 inches), and during that whole time Ella NEVER stopped talking about the shots. We dropped our stuff off in the exam room and then went into the hall for the eye exam. I was interested to see how this went. Ronnie and I both have bad vision. Ronnie's is bad...well, it was until he got Lasik, and mine is terrible. So its only a matter of time before Ella and Kendall are rocking some super snazzy glasses. Not the huge ones I rocked back in the day. (Thanks, Mom.) The other day, Ronnie gave her an unofficial eye exam with an eye chart app on his iphone, and she did ok, but we weren't sure how accurate it was. Today they said she came out at 20/30. Dr. Bindner said anything between 20/20 and 20/40 was fine for her age. Yay!
We went back in the exam room and the shot talk continued. Anyone who has been around Ella very much knows that she talks...a lot. But this was even a lot for her. That poor nurse (who was excellent, by the way) answered probably 50 questions in the 10 minutes she spent with Ella. She mentioned that they had to do a finger prick. Sheesh. I hate those! Bring on the shots, but don't prick my finger! Ella didn't understand what this was...so by golly she started asking questions about it! "What are you going to do with that? Is it going to hurt? Is it going to bleed? What does that do? Where does that go? Why are you going to use my finger with the orange polish?" She pricked her finger (oooh I hate even watching that! It's like popping a can of crescent rolls, even though I know it's coming it makes me jump every time) and Ella had a stunned look on her face. As soon as the nurse started to squeeze blood into the little tube, Ella was mesmerized. "Can I squeeze the blood in there?" she asked. She watched in awe as the blood came out of her finger into the tube. It wasn't until the very end that she started going "oww...owww...Owwwww...OWWWWW!" She was a trooper! Then, we were back to the shot talk. "Tell Dr. Bindner I only want one shot. How many shots do I have to have? Are the shots in my arms or in my legs? I don't want to get shots today. Can I get the nose spray?" The nurse was checking things off her chart, asking me about her sleeping and eating habits. Then she laughed and said, "She definitely doesn't have trouble speaking clearly," as she marked something off on her chart. Then the nurse started asking Ella basic questions. Her answers were hilarious. Correct, intelligent, but hilarious. Do you go to school? Ella: "No, I'm only 4. I'm not 5." Ella do you know where you live? Ella: "Louisville....I mean...Kentucky." I asked her if she could tell the nurse our address and she quickly rattled it off. Then she asked Ella if she could tell her her name. Instead of saying it, Ella spelled it, "E...L...L...A." The nurse cracked up and said, "You are definitely my best patient today...I'm not even going to ask you about colors!" And...we're back to shots.
The nurse left and as we waited for Dr. Bindner Ella immediately wanted to take the bandaid off her pricked finger and wanted to wash it off. So we washed her bloodied finger until Dr. Bindner walked in. Poor Dr. Bindner, the second Ella walked in the door she got slammed with 50 questions just like the nurse. Dr. Bindner reminded her that the shots will keep her healthy and keep her from getting sick, and Mommy and Daddy love her very much and want her to stay healthy. I just love our pediatrician! She said that Ella looked great and was very healthy. I was a little concerned since she has gained very little weight in the last 6 months (for the record, she was 27.6 lbs at her 3 year checkup, so almost a 3 lb gain...would have been more if Ella had held off on the poop!). Dr. Bindner said that her height and weight were both around 50th percentile, and that this is an age when weight gain usually slows down a lot. Ella is a great eater so I wasn't really all that concerned.
Then Dr. Bindner left and it was time to wait for the shots. Poor Ella burst into tears. With her allergy shot regimine, the poor girl is just exhausted with shots. As my aunt said today, since March she has basically been a little pin cushion. Thank goodness we are only a few shots away from beginning maintenance, where we go only once every 2 weeks. Woo hoo! I often feel guilty for putting her through this. But then I think back to my childhood, packing tissues with me everywhere, constantly having a runny nose, and if this will help ease her misery for the rest of her life then I know it will be worth it. The nurse came in and we got the shots over with as fast as we could. Every person in the office park knew Ella was getting shots. I haven't heard her scream and cry like that in a long time. It was tough! Today she got MMR, Dtap, Polio & Chickenpox. Two shots in each little thigh. :( Thankfully she calmed down pretty quickly and didn't seem too fussy or upset about them tonight. She did have a nice long nap, though. The best part of the checkup...I found out that Ella is completely finished with vaccinations until she is 11. Woo hoo!!
Ella as she helped squeeze the blood into the tube.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Ella is the big 4!
I already mentioned my "20 Questions" interview with Ella, but I've yet to talk about our celebrations for her 4th birthday party. It's been the birthday that has lasted forever! With two parties, a visit from Grandma and Grandpa, and another birthday package arriving today, it seems to be going and going!
We first celebrated her birthday at our house on Saturday, January 14 with family. We are so glad that Mammaw, Tara, Daniel, Hannah, Laura, Tim, Charlie, Peyton and Mark were able to celebrate with us. Ella had told me a long time ago that she wanted a "Tangled" birthday party, so we got a few Tangled decorations and she fittingly wore her new Tangled dress for her party. I had planned to be really creative and make a Tangled tower out of rice krispy treats (since Ella doesn't like cake), but decided that was going to be too much on top of getting the house clean and getting other food prepared for the party. I ended up ordering a cake from Wal-Mart. (Yes, my Wal-Mart boycot has ended...though I still RARELY set foot in that store.) But I have to say, it was the best cake I've ever had, and everyone at the party agreed! The whipped icing they have is amazing! I usually get cake from Sam's Club, which is of course the same company, but I have to say that this was actually better. Ella didn't really care. She preferred to much on cucumbers and bell peppers (I long to be the healthy eater she is!). Ella racked up some pretty cool presents. The Rhea's gave her the gray Fur Real cat that she has been begging for since she saw it at Kohl's the week after Christmas. Tara made her an amazing Tangled braid for her hair. Mammaw gave her a set that includes a Barbie-sized Rapunzel, Flynn Rider and Maximus the horse (LOVE Maximus!). She also received what I can only describe as a pink Barbie blackberry (her first crackberry!!) from Mark and Kendall gave her a Cinderella doll. Ella gave Kendall the coordinating Belle doll for Christmas and they have been fighting over it ever since. Problem solved. :)
The morning of her birthday I had her present from me and Ronnie set up in the living room. It is a Melissa & Doug easel. One side is dry erase, the other side is chalkboard. She was excited when she saw it and she and Kendall instantly attacked it! Ella is doing a great job at writing letters, and she's been doing more of it since getting the easel. It's more fun to draw on an easel than on paper, right?! I cooked her pigs in a blanket for breakfast...healthy, right? I decided it was no worse than bacon or sausage with biscuits. She ate a ton of them at her birthday party, and she isn't much of a breakfast eater, so it was the best thing I could think of that she would actually enjoy. We went to the Y, then let her choose where to eat lunch. Of course, she chose Chick-Fil-A. By the time we got home it was nap time. Well, Ella was too excited to sleep, and we had to wake Kendall up early to head to Ella's birthday party with her friends at Kazoing! The kids had an hour to play in the massive room full of bouncies, and they had a blast! I think Ronnie had as much fun as anyone! Thanks Gavin, Graham, Reagan, Caroline, Laken, Jayleigh, Story, Heidi, Quinn, Colby, Avery and Rafe for celebrating with Ella! We had 30 minutes to eat pizza and cake, and unfortunately by the time we all finished eating it was time to go. I purchased another, bigger, Wal-Mart Tangled cake for the party, and everyone had the same reaction. It's delicious! Seriously. I do NOT encourage Wal-Mart shopping, but the cake with whipped icing is amazing! Then came the only negative part of the party. Ella was very disappointed that she had to open her presents at home, and many of her friends were disappointed that they didn't get to watch her open her presents. Once we got home Ella was ready to tear into them. Thanks for the gifts, everyone, she loved all of them!
Friday night we decided to go shopping at the mall. Mema had sent Ella some money for her birthday. Usually money gifts go straight into her savings account, but Ella literally grew out of all of her clothes overnight, and I had some GymBucks from Gymboree, so we decided to do a little shopping. We found her some cute stuff and hopefully we can get through winter now! Thanks, Mema! My dad had emergency gallbladder surgery three days before her family birthday party, so they weren't able to come up for the party. But they spent the day with us on Saturday and we had a great time celebrating once again! Ella was especially excited to get a new pink car for her Barbies, and a new Tinkerbell costume! If we've been at home, she's been Tinkerbell! Today Ella received what I believe will be her last birthday present in the mail. The 4th birthday is coming to an end. Thanks so much, Uncle Jimmie and Aunt Judy, for the Tangled nightgown! She loves it!
Thanks so much to all of our friends and family who made my sweet girl feel special on (and around!) her birthday. We are so thankful that God placed such a sweet girl in our care and enjoyed celebrating her birthday with each of you!
I'm sorry I don't have pics up yet...I will try to add them in the next day or two! :)
We first celebrated her birthday at our house on Saturday, January 14 with family. We are so glad that Mammaw, Tara, Daniel, Hannah, Laura, Tim, Charlie, Peyton and Mark were able to celebrate with us. Ella had told me a long time ago that she wanted a "Tangled" birthday party, so we got a few Tangled decorations and she fittingly wore her new Tangled dress for her party. I had planned to be really creative and make a Tangled tower out of rice krispy treats (since Ella doesn't like cake), but decided that was going to be too much on top of getting the house clean and getting other food prepared for the party. I ended up ordering a cake from Wal-Mart. (Yes, my Wal-Mart boycot has ended...though I still RARELY set foot in that store.) But I have to say, it was the best cake I've ever had, and everyone at the party agreed! The whipped icing they have is amazing! I usually get cake from Sam's Club, which is of course the same company, but I have to say that this was actually better. Ella didn't really care. She preferred to much on cucumbers and bell peppers (I long to be the healthy eater she is!). Ella racked up some pretty cool presents. The Rhea's gave her the gray Fur Real cat that she has been begging for since she saw it at Kohl's the week after Christmas. Tara made her an amazing Tangled braid for her hair. Mammaw gave her a set that includes a Barbie-sized Rapunzel, Flynn Rider and Maximus the horse (LOVE Maximus!). She also received what I can only describe as a pink Barbie blackberry (her first crackberry!!) from Mark and Kendall gave her a Cinderella doll. Ella gave Kendall the coordinating Belle doll for Christmas and they have been fighting over it ever since. Problem solved. :)
The morning of her birthday I had her present from me and Ronnie set up in the living room. It is a Melissa & Doug easel. One side is dry erase, the other side is chalkboard. She was excited when she saw it and she and Kendall instantly attacked it! Ella is doing a great job at writing letters, and she's been doing more of it since getting the easel. It's more fun to draw on an easel than on paper, right?! I cooked her pigs in a blanket for breakfast...healthy, right? I decided it was no worse than bacon or sausage with biscuits. She ate a ton of them at her birthday party, and she isn't much of a breakfast eater, so it was the best thing I could think of that she would actually enjoy. We went to the Y, then let her choose where to eat lunch. Of course, she chose Chick-Fil-A. By the time we got home it was nap time. Well, Ella was too excited to sleep, and we had to wake Kendall up early to head to Ella's birthday party with her friends at Kazoing! The kids had an hour to play in the massive room full of bouncies, and they had a blast! I think Ronnie had as much fun as anyone! Thanks Gavin, Graham, Reagan, Caroline, Laken, Jayleigh, Story, Heidi, Quinn, Colby, Avery and Rafe for celebrating with Ella! We had 30 minutes to eat pizza and cake, and unfortunately by the time we all finished eating it was time to go. I purchased another, bigger, Wal-Mart Tangled cake for the party, and everyone had the same reaction. It's delicious! Seriously. I do NOT encourage Wal-Mart shopping, but the cake with whipped icing is amazing! Then came the only negative part of the party. Ella was very disappointed that she had to open her presents at home, and many of her friends were disappointed that they didn't get to watch her open her presents. Once we got home Ella was ready to tear into them. Thanks for the gifts, everyone, she loved all of them!
Friday night we decided to go shopping at the mall. Mema had sent Ella some money for her birthday. Usually money gifts go straight into her savings account, but Ella literally grew out of all of her clothes overnight, and I had some GymBucks from Gymboree, so we decided to do a little shopping. We found her some cute stuff and hopefully we can get through winter now! Thanks, Mema! My dad had emergency gallbladder surgery three days before her family birthday party, so they weren't able to come up for the party. But they spent the day with us on Saturday and we had a great time celebrating once again! Ella was especially excited to get a new pink car for her Barbies, and a new Tinkerbell costume! If we've been at home, she's been Tinkerbell! Today Ella received what I believe will be her last birthday present in the mail. The 4th birthday is coming to an end. Thanks so much, Uncle Jimmie and Aunt Judy, for the Tangled nightgown! She loves it!
Thanks so much to all of our friends and family who made my sweet girl feel special on (and around!) her birthday. We are so thankful that God placed such a sweet girl in our care and enjoyed celebrating her birthday with each of you!
I'm sorry I don't have pics up yet...I will try to add them in the next day or two! :)
Monday, January 16, 2012
20 Questions with Ella
Today was Ella's 4th birthday. I can't believe my big girl is 4! It really seems like it was just yesterday when she came into our lives, a perfect, tiny, screaming baby girl. Now she is taking ballet, helping her little sister use the potty, using big words in complex sentences, putting on a brave face to get allergy shots twice a week, working Ronnie's ipad better than me, and growing into a beautiful, intelligent young lady. I saw an idea on Pinterest (which has taken over my life) that I have been so excited to start, and today was the day! I saw where someone had asked their child 20 questions every year on their birthday and made it into a book to give to the child when they were older. Here is the link if you want to check it out. I changed a few of the questions that they used, and of course you could ask whatever you want. I had Ronnie video tape it, so we would also have a live version of the questions. I am really glad we did because hearing her elaborate on some of the questions was really funny. Here is the short answer version of our interview...
1. First I had her tell me her name and address (cute for the video, and to see where we live at what age)
2. What is your favorite color? Pink and orange
3. What is your favorite food? Pizza
4. What is your favorite fruit? Pineapple
5. What is your favorite vegetable? Carrots
6. What is your favorite toy? My new gray cat
7. Who is your best friend? Gavin and Graham and Reagan and Caroline and Story
8. What is your favorite animal? Cat
9. What is your favorite book? My Ariel book (The Little Mermaid)
10. What is your favorite song? Mary Had a Little Lamb
11. What is your favorite game? Candy Land
12. What is your favorite thing to wear? All of the princess clothes in my princess closet
13. What is your favorite drink? Strawberry lemonade
14. Where is your favorite place to go eat? Chick-Fil-A and McAlisters
15. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Somersaults
16. What is your favorite holiday? Halloween and Christmas
17. What is your favorite TV show? Curious George, Martha Speaks, Arthur
18. What is your favorite movie? The Grinch, The Little Mermaid
19. Where is your favorite place to go? Kazoing
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? A Mommy and a Firefighter
We had a lot of fun doing this. Some of her answers surprised me. I think on some of the questions she answered the first thing that popped in her head, instead of her actual favorites. I had no idea she had ever seen the show Arthur...Ronnie told me after the interview that he has watched it with her a few times. And she does have a Little Mermaid book, but we rarely read it. I don't think she would have answered Kazoing as her favorite place to go, but we had just returned home from her birthday party there. And actually, she was quite frustrated with Kazoing when we left. Our party time ran out before she had a chance to open her gifts, and she was a little upset that she had to open them at home and not at her party. In the car on our way home she said, "I'm going to go home, open my presents, and NOT have my party at Kazoing!!" I think the last question made us crack up more than anything. After telling us for a very long time that she wants to be a doctor like Daddy, she very much elaborated on how she does not want to be a doctor or a nurse because she doesn't want to get sick. Love my goofy girl!
1. First I had her tell me her name and address (cute for the video, and to see where we live at what age)
2. What is your favorite color? Pink and orange
3. What is your favorite food? Pizza
4. What is your favorite fruit? Pineapple
5. What is your favorite vegetable? Carrots
6. What is your favorite toy? My new gray cat
7. Who is your best friend? Gavin and Graham and Reagan and Caroline and Story
8. What is your favorite animal? Cat
9. What is your favorite book? My Ariel book (The Little Mermaid)
10. What is your favorite song? Mary Had a Little Lamb
11. What is your favorite game? Candy Land
12. What is your favorite thing to wear? All of the princess clothes in my princess closet
13. What is your favorite drink? Strawberry lemonade
14. Where is your favorite place to go eat? Chick-Fil-A and McAlisters
15. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Somersaults
16. What is your favorite holiday? Halloween and Christmas
17. What is your favorite TV show? Curious George, Martha Speaks, Arthur
18. What is your favorite movie? The Grinch, The Little Mermaid
19. Where is your favorite place to go? Kazoing
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? A Mommy and a Firefighter
We had a lot of fun doing this. Some of her answers surprised me. I think on some of the questions she answered the first thing that popped in her head, instead of her actual favorites. I had no idea she had ever seen the show Arthur...Ronnie told me after the interview that he has watched it with her a few times. And she does have a Little Mermaid book, but we rarely read it. I don't think she would have answered Kazoing as her favorite place to go, but we had just returned home from her birthday party there. And actually, she was quite frustrated with Kazoing when we left. Our party time ran out before she had a chance to open her gifts, and she was a little upset that she had to open them at home and not at her party. In the car on our way home she said, "I'm going to go home, open my presents, and NOT have my party at Kazoing!!" I think the last question made us crack up more than anything. After telling us for a very long time that she wants to be a doctor like Daddy, she very much elaborated on how she does not want to be a doctor or a nurse because she doesn't want to get sick. Love my goofy girl!
Here is the birthday girl this morning, she came downstairs to find her present from Mommy and Daddy, an easel!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Aunt JJ is back!
I initially wrote this post on December 14, the day Jamie returned from Tonga. Right before I posted it the computer I was working on decided to shut down, and I thought all was lost. I just went back to re-write about this and found that a draft was saved. Yay! So here ya go...
Today was a big day that our family had been anticipating for a long time...Jamie is back in the States! It's been just over 14 months since we dropped her off at the airport to begin her 27 months of Peace Corps service on the Pacific island Tonga, so to say we were ecstatic to see her would be a huge understatement!
Yesterday the girls and I drove to Scottsville and today we were all up bright and early to go pick her up at the Nashville airport. We arrived at the airport around the time her plane was set to land and tried to figure out where to park and where to go. I'll avoid the frustrating details around our parking, but let's just say the security guard working near the 10 minute parking area we were in was extremely frustrating and in full rent-a-cop mode! When Jamie came down the escalator where we were waiting, Mom and the girls were the only ones inside (because Dad had I had been asked to drive our cars around the airport circle and re-park...seriously) but sweet Ella was crouched down at the bottom of the escalator holding one half of a "Welcome Home Aunt JJ" sign, and Jamie said she wished she could freeze that moment when they first saw each other and Ella whispered "that's JJ!" to Mom. When Jamie left last October Kendall was 6 months old and Ella was 3 months shy of 3 years old, so they have changed a lot since she left! I made it inside soon and we all exchanged lots of hugs. Then another security guard made me go back outside with my unattended car, since Dad standing next to it with his car wasn't enough. I'll go on and mention that I greatly dislike the Nashville airport! Ella was so excited to see Jamie, and kept saying "Can JJ ride in our car? I missed JJ. I like JJ's suitcase." ha ha.
We went to a nearby Dairy Queen for breakfast since Jamie had insisted on her "first meal" being a Blizzard. Unfortunately her stomach was upset from ice cream at the LA airport the day before, so she stuck with biscuits and gravy. From there to mom and dad's house she rode with us. Ella talked a million miles a minute, and Jamie was cracking me up as she readjusted to the country. When we drove by the Sonic in Scottsville she said, "Oh my gosh SONIC!!" I said, "Do you want me to stop and get something?" She said, "No, I just FORGOT about it! Ahhhh I can't wait to get a cranberry limeade!" ha ha! Oh the little things! Tonight mom made her favorite, meatloaf, and lots of veggies, and I thought Jamie was actually going to lick her plate clean.
Ella hasn't left Jamie's side since we got to mom and dad's house. Poor Jamie is so jet-lagged. She flew to Fiji and had a 12 hour layover, then to LA with a 12 hour layover, then to Chicago for a 2 hour layover before finally arriving in Nashville. So Jamie is exhausted but Ella has been glued to her hip. She is currently sleeping in her bed with her. As you can see in the pictures below, Ella is holding her hand. Ella usually insists on sleeping on a little cot we make in Travis's room, but tonight she wanted to sleep with Aunt JJ. I initially told her no, because Jamie needs a good night's sleep and Ella is a crazy, toss and turn sleeper, but she started bawling and Jamie insisted it was ok.
Today was a big day that our family had been anticipating for a long time...Jamie is back in the States! It's been just over 14 months since we dropped her off at the airport to begin her 27 months of Peace Corps service on the Pacific island Tonga, so to say we were ecstatic to see her would be a huge understatement!
Yesterday the girls and I drove to Scottsville and today we were all up bright and early to go pick her up at the Nashville airport. We arrived at the airport around the time her plane was set to land and tried to figure out where to park and where to go. I'll avoid the frustrating details around our parking, but let's just say the security guard working near the 10 minute parking area we were in was extremely frustrating and in full rent-a-cop mode! When Jamie came down the escalator where we were waiting, Mom and the girls were the only ones inside (because Dad had I had been asked to drive our cars around the airport circle and re-park...seriously) but sweet Ella was crouched down at the bottom of the escalator holding one half of a "Welcome Home Aunt JJ" sign, and Jamie said she wished she could freeze that moment when they first saw each other and Ella whispered "that's JJ!" to Mom. When Jamie left last October Kendall was 6 months old and Ella was 3 months shy of 3 years old, so they have changed a lot since she left! I made it inside soon and we all exchanged lots of hugs. Then another security guard made me go back outside with my unattended car, since Dad standing next to it with his car wasn't enough. I'll go on and mention that I greatly dislike the Nashville airport! Ella was so excited to see Jamie, and kept saying "Can JJ ride in our car? I missed JJ. I like JJ's suitcase." ha ha.
We went to a nearby Dairy Queen for breakfast since Jamie had insisted on her "first meal" being a Blizzard. Unfortunately her stomach was upset from ice cream at the LA airport the day before, so she stuck with biscuits and gravy. From there to mom and dad's house she rode with us. Ella talked a million miles a minute, and Jamie was cracking me up as she readjusted to the country. When we drove by the Sonic in Scottsville she said, "Oh my gosh SONIC!!" I said, "Do you want me to stop and get something?" She said, "No, I just FORGOT about it! Ahhhh I can't wait to get a cranberry limeade!" ha ha! Oh the little things! Tonight mom made her favorite, meatloaf, and lots of veggies, and I thought Jamie was actually going to lick her plate clean.
Ella hasn't left Jamie's side since we got to mom and dad's house. Poor Jamie is so jet-lagged. She flew to Fiji and had a 12 hour layover, then to LA with a 12 hour layover, then to Chicago for a 2 hour layover before finally arriving in Nashville. So Jamie is exhausted but Ella has been glued to her hip. She is currently sleeping in her bed with her. As you can see in the pictures below, Ella is holding her hand. Ella usually insists on sleeping on a little cot we make in Travis's room, but tonight she wanted to sleep with Aunt JJ. I initially told her no, because Jamie needs a good night's sleep and Ella is a crazy, toss and turn sleeper, but she started bawling and Jamie insisted it was ok.
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