Ella's First Haircut

Ella went in for her first real haircut recently. I have been trimming her bangs of course for the last year or so, but this was the first time for her long hair to be cut. It was not a major cut...just a little trim to clean it up a bit. She was a little apprehensive about going when I first mentioned it, but I told her it would be a fun place. On the way over in the car she asked me if it would hurt. I reassured her it wouldn't and compared it to cutting paper to give her some perspective. The place we went was definitely fun and she got a sucker while her hair was being cut. She asked to hold my hand a few times, but otherwise, she loved it. I got a little teary-eyed watching her at one point. And of course, I saved a little bit of her hair.

Doing Nothing but Important Things

I think the last time I visited a general practitioner, I was in high school. But, I came down with something this week that got me bad enough that I went in. Come to find out I had Influenza A. Fortunately, the kids are all well...they had the flu shot. So, I had a rough week health wise. But, it was nice in that we stayed around the house a little more than usual this week. Sometimes the fast pace of lives these days, makes it feel like I always need to be going here or there or doing such and such, or getting something done, etc. I do think kids enjoy getting out of the house and doing things, but there is so much value in having quiet days at home. Days when you don't have to rush your kids to get dressed and get out of the door.....days you can really take time with them, do things that they enjoy and be silly. We like finding fun and different things to do around the house, doing crafts and just playing on the back porch outside with bubbles and chalk and swinging and singing on the porch swing. Not in a hurry to go or get anywhere, just being together. Here are a few pictures of the kids this week on one of our lazy days outside.

Baby to Little Boy!

Over dinner one night last week, Caleb informed us all..."I am not a baby anymore...I am a little boy. And Ella is a girl." Well, I guess there you have it!.... I didn't realize little boys of 18mo could say all those words at one time. We are starting to think or (worry) that he is going to be more talkative than Ella!

7 Prayers A Day for Your Children

I ran across this blog today and found a wonderful way to remember to pray for your children throughout the day. She takes some of the routine things her children do throughout the day and uses that as a reminder to pray for them. I thought I would share it with you if you are interested.

http://audreycaroline.blogspot.com/2008/11/seven-prayers-day.html

Ella is 3!!!

Hard to believe our little girl is 3! She is a delightful and fun little 3yr. old and very talkative and expressive. She loves books, wearing dress-up clothes and dancing, taking care of her babies, having picnics or tea parties and doing fun arts and craft projects, which I enjoy planning and doing with her. She enjoys collecting things like rocks and loves to give them to us as presents. She already has a tender heart to Jesus and is very compassionate in nature as she often wants to pray for others who are sick. She is a joy to spend my day with.
Ella turned three earlier this month and we had a small family celebration on her birthday. I asked Ella what kind of cake she would like for her birthday and she said a pink princess cake. I had a suspicion she had in her mind something she had seen at the bakery at HEB - a pink castle cake, so when I started to plan what I was going to make, I knew I had to go vertical. I only had to use one cake box mix, but definitely two containers of icing. It was fun to make!



Here is her face when she first saw her cake!























A week or so later, we had a triple birthday party for Ella and her two dear friends Brynna and Adeline. They were all born a day after each other and have been friends since they were about 6mo old. This is the third birthday party we have all done together, but second large party where we invited their friends. It was a fun time!



We borrowed a bouncy house from a generous neighbor and this is Adeline's stuffed horse she brought over.







Ella - Adeline - Brynna

A Christmas of singing and other things

When I look back at the Christmas holiday this year with the kids, much of what I remember is Ella singing. If she wasn't sleeping or eating, she was most likely singing Christmas carols. A few of her favorites were "Away In A Manger" and "Silent Night". Her regular request every evening would be to go look at Christmas lights, which we did very often in our neighborhood and at various displays around town. Ella was very excited this year, like last year, about snowmen. The kids learned from grandma that when they see Santa and how he often has him arm up like he is waving, he is saying "Praise the Lord". So, we heard "praise the Lord!" very often over the holidays, which was a wonderful sound. On extra cold evenings, the kids loved to help daddy put kindling in the fireplace and "assist" with making a fire and then snuggling up and reading in front of the fire. They both loved seeing nativity displays and baby Jesus was the "star" of the season in their little eyes and hearts, which we are so happy about. Ella really was able to understand so much more this year about Christmas and what it is all about. We did many things around the house over the holidays to involve them. We started an Advent Wreath this year, made homemade ornaments for their own little tree, filled a Christmas box for Operation Christmas Child and decorated Christmas cookies. We spent the majority of the Christmas holiday up in the Dallas area visiting my family. Here are some various pictures throughout the month of December.



























Riding grandma and grandpa's horse!








Riding grandma and grandpa's trikes.


























Christmas at Mom and Martin's with my sister and brother and their families.







Christmas at my Dad and Dee's with my sister, brother and step-brother and their families.

...how does she think of that.

So Ella is showing that tendency to remember peculiar things at some interesting times.

...this past weekend, I went for my first long run in quite some time and came back really winded. Ella asked what was wrong and I said "I'm just a fatso, Ella, and can't run very far any more."

fast forward a few days....

....I'm putting Ella to bed last night and she's being extra whiny and emotional. So I tell her I'm sorry she's feeling bad, but its time to stop whining.....

DAD: ...if you want to read a book tonight or sing a song, you're going to have to stop whining and demanding everything. It's not kind to mommy and daddy and I'm not going to respond to you if you continue.

....pause....

...pause....

ELLA: You're a fatso.

I wasn't really sure what to say....I just sucked in my gut and sang a song.