Fun times at the lake!

Friday, August 26 was a very important day for our family. It was the girls first trip out on the lake! Ronnie would rather be out on the lake than anywhere else in the world, and I quite enjoy it too. He is literally counting down the months (weeks?) until he buys a boat…there will definitely be one around next summer…but this past weekend one of his coworkers was kind enough to let us use his boat out on Taylorsville Lake. We took advantage of the opportunity!
Nic, Toni and baby Grace were able to go out on Friday so we were excited to get to spend the day with friends. A few days before we went out, Ronnie went to Dick’s to get Kendall an infant life jacket. We had already purchased some boat “accessories” that were 50% off – life jackets for the girls and Ronnie for next summer, but Kendall isn’t quite big enough for it hers yet so she needed one that fit. While he was there he found a really nice tube that was half off. Perfect!

Unfortunately, Ella woke up the night before with a 102 degree fever. It was at least 102…she had her mouth open the majority of the time that I was taking her temperature, so who knows how high it really was. I was expecting to have to stay home with the girls while Ronnie went out on the lake, but the next morning she seemed to be feeling much better and was anxious to go out on the boat, so we all went!

We had a great time…well, everyone but Ella! Poor thing, after splashing around in the water for awhile, she became very quiet and actually ended up falling asleep on the boat. Anyone who is around Ella very often knows this is NOT the norm for her…she usually doesn’t sleep anywhere except her bed or occasionally the car. She went out on the tube once and had no expression whatsoever. No cries, but no smiles. I felt so bad for her, she had been so excited! The girls and I only ended up staying out a couple of hours, then I took them home. Ella woke up when we went to put gas in the boat and she was begging to go home, and at that point Kendall was desperate for a nap. When we got home I realized that Ella's temperature was very high again, and she ended up falling asleep curled up in a chair in the living room. I hate seeing my girls sick!

We still had a great time on the lake, and it was a nice little taste of many fun times to be had in the future! Both the girls were able to splash around a little in the water and got to ride on the tube with Ronnie. Toni and I were able to ride on the tube together. And of course Nic and Ronnie enjoyed throwing each other off the tube and the knee board!


Ronnie and the girls sitting on the tube

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Toni and Grace

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Kendall getting ready to tube with Daddy...she isn't nearly as excited as he is!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Poor Ella...

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ella and Daddy on the tube

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Me and the girls...poor Ella is sound asleep.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Daddy and the girls

 
 

Ella's first trip to the movie theatre!

Sunday was a big day for Ella...it was her first trip to a movie theatre!! We have been anxious to take her since Cars 2 and Winnie the Pooh came out. For the last few months we thought she was ready and able to sit still for a movie, but we were waiting for something appropriate to come out. We still haven't taken her to see Cars 2, but after church and lunch on Sunday Ronnie and Ella had a daddy-daughter date and he took her to Tinsletown to see Winnie the Pooh.

I'm not sure which she was more excited about - the movie or the popcorn! That girl can throw down some popcorn. Ronnie bought a large tub and it sat in her little lap the entire time. Ronnie said she ate double-fisted, non-stop until it was all gone. Ronnie swears she ate more than half the tub and said he was just waiting for her to throw up all over the movie theatre. She did great during the movie. Ronnie said she sat still and may have said five words the whole time the movie was on. Winnie the Pooh was just over an hour long, so it was a perfect first-time movie experience.

Ronnie and I both love movies...if he isn't working then we most always watch a movie after the kids go to bed. I'm glad Ella is mature enough that she can enjoy trips to the movie theatre now...and we will anxiously await Kendall being old enough to go so the whole family can go!

My camera is broken (which means I will soon be buying the camera I have been eyeing for months!! I've never been so happy for an electronic device to break!!) but Ronnie got a few on his iphone. Unfortunately I can not get them to upload on here correctly...hopefully I can get it figured out soon!

The Red Guy and the Purple Guy!

On July 25, Ella and I went to see the Louisville Bats play with Laura, Tim, Charlie & Peyton. The Bats play at Louisville Slugger Field and are a Triple-A team affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds. This was Ella's first Bats game and the first one I'd been to in a few years. It was the Greater Louisville WKU Alumni night and before the game Charlie was recognized for a scholarship he received. Big Red was at the game and I was so excited when Ella was able to see him! She wasn't quite so excited, and was a little intimidated! But she liked looking at him...the "Red Guy"...and also liked seeing Buddy the Bat..."the Purple Guy".

Before the game she and I had dinner at McAlisters (kids eat free Monday-Thursday!) and shortly after arriving at the park Ella was ready for popcorn. She loves popcorn and I had promised her earlier in the day that we would get popcorn at the ball game. She was great at the game and enjoyed yelling at the ball players every time a foul ball was hit near us..."Hey! Throw it to me!" Unfortunately no one ever threw one to us! Aside from the popcorn, she also enjoyed two "blue" Gatorades and some cotton candy.

A few innings into the game she wanted to go check out the playground and merry-go-round. It's a really great set up, because parents can still see the game while the kids play in the fenced in playgrounds. The only bad part of the evening occurred at the playground, when a yellow jacket stung the holy crap out of my leg. I hadn't been stung by a bee in a long time...I forgot how much that hurt!

We had a great time at the game and a great time hanging out with the Rhea's. I think there will be many more Bats games in our future!

Ella checking out the field

Meeting Big Red

Pretty girl!

Cotton Candy!

Having fun!

VBS!

"I love you more than money or fame, I love you more than ice cream!!" These are the lyrics Ella has been singing since our church held Vacation Bible School July 17-21. I love VBS. It's such a great way to get kids (and their families) in church to learn about Jesus in a fun way that's on their level. I think my most cherished memory of Ella thus far came after last year's VBS. She was only two and a half but participated in the 3-5 year old preschool class. On the last night as I was buckling her into her car seat I asked what she had learned that night and, without hesitation, said, "God has a plan for me." I can't imagine my children knowing anything more important than that.

This year the theme for our Bible School was "Big Apple Adventure." I helped with the snacks, and the theme gave us some great stuff to work with. We made taxi cabs out of Zingers, stoplights out of sugar wafers and M&M's and we decorated the snack area to look like Central Park. The kids really seemed to enjoy the food!

Ella loved being in the preschool class. She had excellent teachers who really give the kids great information while making it fun. One evening after VBS I was putting her into bed and asked what she had learned and she told me nearly the entire story of Peter walking on the water. The big line that she learned this year..."Jesus loves me." It was a great five nights and I'm so glad Ella had so much fun learning more about Jesus!

Here are a few pictures from VBS...none of them were taken by me. :)

Here is Ella doing crafts. This might be my favorite picture of Ella, ever. Thanks Jenny Winstead. :)

Ella eating in "Central Park" with her preschool class

Kendall muching on a brownie. Seth being Seth. :)

Ella and her preschool class dancing to their song on the final night. Thanks for taking pics, Chelsea!

Wee-Ballin'!!

Today Ella had her second "wee ball" game. Think tee ball for three year olds. It's a hoot. And I have to say it has me and Ronnie pretty excited. We both grew up playing sports. My entire childhood was basically spend playing softball. So getting up on Saturday mornings and piling into the car to go watch our child play ball is pretty fun!

So here is how wee ball works...they play with foam bats and tennis balls. Each child hits off the tee once each inning, and each hit is a homerun. While the kids run around the bases (believe me, it can take awhile: run the wrong direction, turn around, pause to walk awhile, run again, can I have a snack, woops wrong direction, turn around, stop to sniff some flowers, run some more, hey there's a bird, homerun!) the coach of the other teams rolls more balls into the field so each child has a ball to throw in. There are three innings, so the games are short, pefect for three year old attention spans.

Ella actually missed her first game because it was the day of Tara's wedding. The next Saturday we woke up to a monsoon, so that game was cancelled. So last week was the actual first game she was able to play in. We weren't sure how it would go. She seemed excited about wee ball, but you never know how she will react in the moment. She did great! They practice 20 minutes before each game. This gave her a chance to swing the bat a few times and figure out how to run around the bases (sort of). Before each game the kids repeat a pledge. I can't remember how it goes, but it's all about good sportsmanship. You get the idea. Then it was game time. Ella did really well! She hit the ball well and made huge progress running the bases from her first hit to her last. The first hit we basically had to guide her the entire way. By her last hit she ran fast around the bases by herself, and actually skipped over 2nd base but went back to touch it when she realized what she had done! Way to go! The funniest part was her fielding. When she would get a ball she would throw it back to the coach with this crazy wind up, underhand, fast pitch throw. We had never seen her do anything like that before, she had always thrown a ball the normal way, but for some reason she did this every single time. It was hilarious. When I tell people they usually say something about her being like Aunt Jamie...but Ella has never seen Jamie play softball or pitch! She was a baby Jamie's last softball season. I have no idea where this came from!

Today was her second game. She had the early game this morning and we actually had to wake her up to go. We literally put her in her clothes and put her in the car with a cup of water and a bag of cheerios. She did really well today. You could tell she hadn't been up long. Her patience in the field was definitely tried today, but she was tough and stayed out there. The team they played had more players than normal, so they spent more time in the field than they usually do. She did a good job throwing today, and after a little practice before the game she was back to throwing over handed again.

For the kids the best part of the games are the post-game snacks. We have a parent snack rotation for the games and the kids look forward to it throughout the game.  It's what I use to keep Ella going, "Bat two more times and then you can have your snack!" I should also mention that I really like Ella's coach. She does a great job with the kids. She tries to show them the right way to do things but keeps it at a three year old level. Here are some pictures and a video!

About to play in her first wee ball game!

Run Ella Run!

Ella up to bat!

Fielding

Here is a video of Ella's last at-bat today! Check out the practice swing before the real swing!



Kendall's 15 month checkup, Ella allergy update

There are still several events from June that I want to post about, but I thought I would go on and mention that today is Kendall's 15 month birthday, and talk about her checkup this morning.
We will go chronologically through the day. Before we headed to Kendall's checkup we took Ella for an allergy shot. She started getting shots in late-March, and I can't put into words what a difference they, along with her new medication, have already made. Compared to this time last year, she is a different kid. Last summer we spent very little time outside because her nose would pour constantly and her eyes would swell up, but I can't even remember the last time she had a reaction like that. Today she finished up her second vial...there are ten vials before we start "maintenance"...when we can start spacing out the injections a little more. Right now we are going at least once a week...usually twice a week. The more we do now, the sooner we can start maintenance and the sooner she will reap the full benefits. She's already improved so much that I'm hoping we can drop some of her medication soon - she is currently taking Claritin, Singulair and Nasonex daily.
Ella is so tough when it comes time to get a shot. The first few were rough, but once we got used to it, and once she saw several other tough kids get shots without crying, she stopped crying and took the shots like a champ. Ronnie took her for the first time a few weeks ago and he couldn't believe how brave she was. He got home and said, "She just sat there and took it...she never even flinched!" Today they called her name and she hopped into my lap and had her arms ready. The nurse always asks me to verify her birthday and vial number. When she asked her birthday, Ella pipped in "January 16th!" before I even had time to answer. Since it was the last dose of the vial, today was a pretty big dose, but she never flinched or squirmed or anything. We are so proud of her for being so brave!
After her allergy shots we took Kendall to see Dr. Bindner. Kendall was in a grumpy mood this morning. She is cutting her bottom molars and also has a cold, so she's been a little grumpy for the last couple of weeks, but this morning she was especially out of sorts. So today she wasn't too excited to have a nurse poking at her and measuring her. She weighed in at 23 lbs (50th%) and was 30.5 inches (50th%). Her big old melon head still came in at 97th%. :) When Dr. Bindner came in I asked about a couple of things that I was worried about. First, she took a pretty hard fall right on the middle of her forehead a few weeks ago. You can still feel the vertical knot going down her forehead. She said that was fine and would go away soon. Then I told her I was a little worried about Kendall's vocabulary. She isn't saying very many words, and usually doesn't say any words unless she is encouraged to do so...."Kendall, say 'bird' now Kendall, say 'Ella!'"  And the words that she does say, it's usually just the first sound of the word that she will make. After we talked about it Dr. Bindner assured me that her vocabulary is average for her age. I recently watched a video we have of Ella at this age, and she was talking so much more, that is what made me kind of worried. But, Ella had a very extensive vocabulary at a very young age, so it isn't really fair for me to compare them. Kendall does other things very well. She can identify a lot of body parts and she understands commands very well. One of my favorite things that she does is bring me the right book when I ask for a specific one.
Ella absolutely cracked me up during Kendall's checkup. When the nurse was getting all of Kendall's measurements and asking me questions about her progression, Ella kept trying to talk to the nurse. Then she asked Ella how old she was. Ella held up three fingers and said, "Three." Then she said, "When will you be four?" Ella matter-of-factly said, "At my next birthday." The nurse laughed and asked when that was and Ella told her January 16. After the nurse left Ella was pretending to write on a book and asked me questions about Kendall..." how old is she?...can she put her clothes on by herself?...can she ride a bike by herself?" It was quite funny listening to Nurse Ella's assessment!
Then, unfortunately it was time for shots. Today Kendall received the MMR and the Pentacel vaccines. Of course she wasn't quite as brave as Ella, so there was some screaming and there were some tears! But we survived and will anxiously await the next checkup. I'm sure the next 3 months will fly by as quickly as the last 3 did. Next checkup will be at 18 months in October!

Here is Kendall on the 4th of July :) Such a little sweetie pie!

Ronnie is DONE!

Ronnie’s residency is officially OVER. After 4 years of undergrad at Georgetown College, 4 years of Medical School at the University of Louisville, and 3 years of residency at the University of Louisville hospital, where he specialized in Emergency Medicine, he is finished! On Saturday, June 18 Ronnie’s residency program had a dinner for the graduating residents. It was held at Dr. Danzl’s house, one of the attendings who Ronnie often refers to as the smartest man he’s ever known. He has a beautiful home on a farm, with a dock over a huge pond. They had a delicious catered dinner and everyone chipped in and brought a huge assortment of appetizers and desserts.

Soon after we arrived Ella discovered some kids playing in a big sand pile by a slide near the pond. Soon her buddy Gary arrived. Gary’s mom is one of the graduating residents. They hadn’t seen each other since Ella’s birthday party in January but they were instant friends and had a blast playing together! Kendall also had a lot of fun…she always wants to do whatever the big kids are doing! I spent most of the evening chasing her as she ran around in circles!

When the residents were recognized they gave away a few awards, and Ronnie received the Pediatric Emergency Medicine award. I was so excited for him! He really enjoys working with children in the ER and throughout his residency he went back and forth about doing a fellowship in pediatrics. His gift was a set of very nice bookends with his name inscribed on them. After the awards each resident was recognized and received very nice gifts. One gift was a wine cooler from Louisville Stoneware – one side says “University of Louisville Emergency Medicine 2011” and the other side has the fleur de lis (which his part of Louisville’s seal). We aren’t wine drinkers, but it’s a very nice, decorative piece! The other gift is something Ronnie has been anticipating since his first year of residency. One of the ER attendings takes lots of pictures in the ER and puts together an amazing personalized book for each graduating resident. It contains lots of “action” shots of Ronnie at work in the ER, and is actually quite graphic! I have had so much fun looking through it. I always tell Ronnie that I wish I could see him at work, but obviously you can’t just go hang out in the U of L ER! This may be as close as I get! It’s a beautiful book and a fantastic keepsake. If you ever come to our house please ask to see this book!

When Ronnie was recognized and received his gifts, Ella walked up with Ronnie. Dr. Mallory, one of the attendings, said something about Ella being "the next Dr. Pridemore" and put her on the spot and showed off some of her medical knowledge. In front of everyone, she asked Ella what Daddy uses to check people's hearts. Ella immediately replied with, "a stethescope!" Then she asked her what her skin is called...Ella said, "Epidermis!" Then she asked what her fingers and toes are called..."Phalanges!" It was really funny and everyone got a kick out of her.

Later that night Dr. Danzl brought out one of his horses. Ella was so excited when she saw it! Dr. Danzl put her on the horse and she was so excited! I keep using the word excited…if you only had seen her you would understand! He kept moving his legs around because bugs were biting him, and every time Ella would say, “oooh he almost walked!” or “ooooooh he almost jumped!”

We had a great night and it was nice to spend time with the other residents and their families. It was also great to see Ronnie and the other residents recognized for their hard work. The girls absolutely had a blast. They were both asleep in the car long before we got home!

Ronnie has some time off before he starts his next job. In mid-July he will have his first shift at Clark Memorial Hospital in Jeffersonville. It’s been really nice to have him around! The girls have turned into “Daddy’s girls” and we’ve had a lot of fun doing things together! We are excited to get used to this, since he won’t be working nearly as often at his new job as he did in residency. It’s a wonderful new chapter in our lives and we are so happy and proud of Ronnie!

Ella & Gary playing on the hammock

Ronnie receiving the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Award

Ronnie getting his gifts and Ella getting quizzed!

Ella was so excited to sit on the horse!