She's going to crawl soon....

Chris and I are leaving Thursday bright and early for a 5 day vacation to Mexico. I'm excited to get to spend some MUCH needed time with my hubby ALONE, but I'm REALLY REALLY going to miss my babies! Chris and I took Nick to Disney World last summer and when we got back Ella was walking. I'm afraid when we return this time Olivia will be crawling, and might even have her first tooth. I know 5 days doesn't seem that long, but now that I spend almost every second with them 5 days it A LONG TIME!

We can't believe how fast our baby is growing up, and can't believe even more that she is going to be crawling soon. This makes me so sad. I wish she would just stop. I want her to stay little for a long long long time. We love you baby girl!!!

Easter:Part 2

We had another wonderful Easter spending time with our family this year. We were greeted at the door of my grandparents house in Mooreland with a Styrofoam box with "Ducks and Kids only stay little for a little while..." written on it. Hhhhmmmm, I thought surely there is not a duck in there. Leave it to my parents to get the kids a duck for Easter. This isn't the first time we have made it home with a new pet. So far they have generously gave the kids a fish and a bunny (without running the ideas past us first), and I'm afraid this won't be the last pet Nana and Papa will give. I think this will be a running joke in our family for awhile...what pet will we have next? All joking aside, I know these memories will be this things that will stick with our kids forever and will be able to tell their kids about some day.

I love visiting my grandparents house for Easter, or really any holiday. This is where so many of my childhood memories are and it's so neat to see my kids now enjoying the same traditions as I did when I was young. We had so much fun coloring eggs, going to church, and of course eating my grandma's most delicious Easter dinner!


Ella, Olivia, and Nicolas Easter morning

Family picture with all 5 (make that 6 with the duck)

Olivia LOVED little ducky Mo Mo (thanks Nick for the creative name)

Precious little Ella

Nick and his best Easter friend

Proud Nana and Papa. The kids love them so much.

Easter morning

Ella and Nick checking out what the Easter bunny left

Ella showing Nana and Papa how to do it....

With a little soap and water (and comet) it did come off


She was REALLY into coloring and decorating her eggs -too cute!

Livi loved her eggs too

Nick was very creative with the invisible crayon this year. On one of his eggs he wrote "MOM, I LOVE YOU".

Checking out the duck

They loved their Easter present from Nana and Papa!

Little bunny Livi and her Papa Jim

Play Date with Lucy LuLu

Oh these two....they are just so much fun. Ella woke up super excited that "Luuucee" was coming over to play with her, and Nick was secretly excited too! These girls played hard and had so much fun together. Lucy is such a sweetie and her and Ella play so great together, which I'm thankful for because I love her mommy and that would just be horrible if they didn't get along! Lucy was so sweet to include Olivia today too. She kept wanting to hold the baby and give her her pluggie! I know this is something I will worry about when the girls get older, and I just hope they find friends that can get along and play with both girls. It seems like all my pictures lately have been of the kids on the trampoline, but this is their favorite thing right now. They love getting the water hose out and getting sprayed while jumping - real safe, right? I loved having them over and I know Ella loved it too- the 3 1/2 hour nap proved it!

Easter: Part One

Ella and Olivia checking out the egg stuffers

This daddy LOVES these kids

Olivia really enjoyed these 'bright colored things'

Ella caught on and LOVED hunting for the yellow eggs

Ella's eggs

Silly Nick

Nick and Mimi

Adorable cousins Jacy and Hudson

Jacy and Nick are best buddies!

Love this girl

Olivia's first Easter egg hunt

Mimi, Nana, Chris and the kids


We celebrated Easter early with the Easley family this year. This was Ella's first time to actually get to hunt Easter eggs and she had a blast. Olivia loved playing with the eggs and Nick had so much fun with his cousin Jacy. Jacy and Hudson are the cutest brother and sister and so sweet to each other. It's neat that Ella and Nick will get to grow up with cousins so close in age and get to do all these fun family get togethers with them. Mimi (Chris's mom) and Oma (Jacy and Hundson's grandma) did a great job with the egg stuffers and hiding all the eggs. They color coded the eggs for each kid so each would get the same things - great idea! Ella did a great job picking up her yellow eggs but did get one green one (close enough - right?)

2 year old tantrums (great)

Here is Ella's mad face (the real one)

Ella fits usually end up flattened out on the floor kicking and crying!

So Ella has been testing the water a LOT lately! She is constantly challenging us to see just what she can get away with. Many have advised us to "pick your battles", but I feel like everything is a worthy battle to pick. If I turn my head on one thing it seems like she is scheming up the next to get a reaction from me. I just feel VERY helpless right now and need some parenting advise or books on 2 year olds!

Today might have sparked my frustration because we have gymnastics on Tuesday mornings. It's been hell (sorry that's how I need to describe it) the past two weeks trying to hold Olivia and keep her content while chasing around an independent 20 month old doing everything her teachers wants her NOT to do. Her gymnastics coach is great - she expects them to sit and listen, take turns, ect... - but Ella again is testing EVERYTHING. Why can't she just do what the other kids are doing and SIT STILL? I do have to note that she got moved up to the older 2-3 year old class because they thought she was getting bored with the kids her age. She is very advanced in the things her little body can do and the 4 year old coach today said (hopefully jokingly) "Can we just fast track her to my class since she can already almost do chin up pull overs on the bar". I just laughed, there is NO WAY. She has to learn to listen, sit still, and be able to take directions well; oh and there better be a "Yes Ma'am or Sir at the end of that"- ha. I love this child but it's going to be a very trying time for me over the next few months - please pray for me.

As challenging as this might seem, I know I'm going to look back some day and miss these days. Chris was a monitor for the 3rd grade class at Nick's school today for IOWA testing and he just reminded me to enjoy these days, because "they are going to be all grown up 3rd graders sitting still and quiet at their desk with a pencil in their hand reading things you and I can read.'' I just keep telling myself "Embrace this time, these challenges, and know some day you will be begging for this time back".





I just want to document these days to look back on some day and hopefully laugh about. Here is a typical fit from the wonderfully dramatic Ella Claire:
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Nick's Tricks

Nick has been practicing a "flip in the air" for a few months now and has just recently mustarded up the courage to do it! He is growing up so much and I can't look at him as a little boy anymore. He is daring and loves doing new tricks and his favorite phrase is "Watch this", which, as you can imagine, is followed by a 20 month old repeating her older brother...."mom, Watch this!" These two had so much fun playing in the water today, and YES I did Ella WT it and go in her diaper, which later became just going nude. I love these kids, and love days like this!

Happy 5 months Olivia

Our baby is already 5 months old, and I CAN NOT believe how fast it has flown by. Olivia is very alert this month and wants to be a part of anything and everything her big brother and sister are doing. She is sweet, easy going, and loves her mommy and daddy! Her little eyes and sweet smile melt my heart everyday. I am so blessed to get to watch this little girl grow up every day. Here are some of the highlights for the month:

15 pounds
24 inches
Started baby food - so far sweet potatoes are her fav
Nursing every 3-4 hours
Loves playing with her toes
Has the absolute cutest smile - which she "uses" all the time
Loves being held in your arm
Rolls over (both ways) and scoot backwards
Had roseola
Teething (loves her rasberry teething pacifier)
Goes to sleep around 7:30
Still wakes up at 3AM to eat
Size 2 diapers
In 6-9 month clothes
Has the prettiest eyelashes (they have really grown)
Stayed over night away from us for the first time


We LOVE you so much O!! Can't wait to see what a sweet little girl you will be.

No More Monkeys...

Ella LOVES singing! Here is her version of Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed!

A Day in the Sun

What a fun day! I got to start my day with a trip to the salon- wahoo! Funny a couple months ago I probably would have been dreading getting my hair done and spending 3 hours of my day sitting in a chair. Now it's heaven! My sweet sister came up to watch the girls so I could get a little TLC before our Mexico trip (3 more weeks-Yay). I came home to a sleeping 19 month old and a quiet little 4 month old ready to see her momma. It was nice to get a few minutes in a quiet house! When Ella woke up I knew we would have a busy afternoon - it was too beautiful not to.

I just love watching Ella play. She is very animated and a little dramatic sometimes, but oh so cute. She just walks around singing and doing her usual babble with a few words I can comprehend in between. She loves the trampoline and the new play set, so I'm thinking we might as well put her crib out back because this girl would live out there if we let her. Poor Olivia, on the other hand, doesn't work very well with the outdoors. She has the absolute WORST allergies! Her pediatrician already has her on a daily allergy medicine and has prescribed a steroid cream for her skin. Most days her skin is a blotchy red and white color that she itches until it bleeds - literally. I am constantly fighting her to keep her hands from scratching- it's the saddest thing I've ever seen. I wish all the time that it was me battling this - not my sweet little baby. Her eyes are watery and red and her nose is constantly running. She is such a trooper though. She gives it her best, even though I know she's miserable, and keeps a smile on her face nearly all the time. She is such an amazing baby, so sweet, so quiet, and so stinking cute. She just melts my heart!

She wasn't quit sure of the water at first
But loved it shortly after
Then she decided she wanted to jump on the trampoline - she's a great jumper!
She's in heaven! This girls loves to swing.
Yes, she was posing!
Snack time.

Poor Olivia! She is battling some allergies right now. You can see it in her eyes!