The Day We Waited 11 Years For...
5 years ago
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Ellie's Haircut!
Ellie had a major haircut about a month ago the day before we left for Louisiana. What was I thinking? I have no idea but she was in dire need of a cut! Here is the before and after.
Julia's Recent "Firsts"
Julia has had several "firsts" in the past month and I thought I'd post a little something about 'em.
First Movie!
Julia had her very first movie theater experience at our awesome dollar theater. On a whim, Dan and I decided to take the girls to see the movie ??????? Julia basically sat on my lap for 40 minutes and then on Dan's lap for 40 minutes. It was a stretch to get her to stay seated for that long but she was totally fascinated by the BIG screen for a good portion of the time, then by her snacks, and then by jumping around on her Dad's lap/legs.
First time to wash dishes
At first I couldn't believe I haven't let her wash dishes before she was almost 20 months old. Then once she began washing them, my fears of a soaking wet child and a wet kitchen floor reminded me of why I didn't let her wash them in the first place. But the child had FUN.
First fingernail painting
Ellie decided it was high time to paint her nails a few weeks ago, and not to be outdone by her older sister, Julia made the same declaration. She watched Ellie have her nails done first, and then she let me paint her pointer finger before escaping and running off. Once I corralled her and stuck her on the couch, she rather enjoyed having her toenails "done," but opted out of having any more fingernails painted. She was ecstatic and showed her feet to everyone who could figure out what she was showing them. We had to wear her Tevas for the next week so her nails were visible. :)
First Movie!
Julia had her very first movie theater experience at our awesome dollar theater. On a whim, Dan and I decided to take the girls to see the movie ??????? Julia basically sat on my lap for 40 minutes and then on Dan's lap for 40 minutes. It was a stretch to get her to stay seated for that long but she was totally fascinated by the BIG screen for a good portion of the time, then by her snacks, and then by jumping around on her Dad's lap/legs.
First time to wash dishes
At first I couldn't believe I haven't let her wash dishes before she was almost 20 months old. Then once she began washing them, my fears of a soaking wet child and a wet kitchen floor reminded me of why I didn't let her wash them in the first place. But the child had FUN.
First fingernail painting
Ellie decided it was high time to paint her nails a few weeks ago, and not to be outdone by her older sister, Julia made the same declaration. She watched Ellie have her nails done first, and then she let me paint her pointer finger before escaping and running off. Once I corralled her and stuck her on the couch, she rather enjoyed having her toenails "done," but opted out of having any more fingernails painted. She was ecstatic and showed her feet to everyone who could figure out what she was showing them. We had to wear her Tevas for the next week so her nails were visible. :)
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Why I've Been Slient
As my readers all know (all 15 of you, haha), I usually put off posting when we've taken a trip because I always return with a plethora of pictures to share with you. By the time I feel up to posting, I've already forgotten most of what we did while we were gone. Do I have memory issues? Most definitely! Do I have a birthday party to be planning right now? Oh yes! Am I moving in the next two and a half months? Absolutely! So forgive me when I say I'm scattered and just don't feel like making a comprehensive posting about our trip. ;) But if I don't do it now, then I never will, so here is the short version of our trip to Louisiana three weeks ago:
Dan and I met Oma & Opa in Little Rock so they could pick up our girls and take them home. Then Dan and I headed north to Fayetteville, where we'll be moving soon. The intent was to relax (which we did), see some houses (which we also did), and enjoy being without children (which we did!).
Wednesday - We headed back to Louisiana where I got to see my friend Julie for a day - she drove all the way from Dallas to my parents house with her two kids. We had an awesome time until I caught some sort of virus and felt horrible.
Thursday - The next day was Dan's 30th birthday and I was still fighting off this virus and slept straight through lunch (which I intended on taking him out for - he's such a gem and was SO understanding). I had the girls at my parents visiting Julie and Dan had spent the night with his parents. They took him on a date which he thoroughly enjoyed and treated him to golf the next morning. Oma/Vicki did ALL of the prep for Dan's party because, once again, I was sleeping until after lunch. Thanks to the miracles of advil, I felt better as the afternoon went on and was feeling pretty peachy for Dan's par-tay. We had a cornhole tournament, sushi, stir-fry veggies with peanut sauce, ginger glaze chicken, a mini keg, and a Pitch tournament. Good times!
Friday - This was my day to take Mom/Tudi to Shreveport for the day in celebration of her 60th birthday. (What a week, right? Two crazy-big birthdays to celebrate!) Our little trip to Shreveport was also to distract her from the fact that there was a slew of people to descend upon her house shortly after we left to prepare for her surprise birthday party that evening. We went fabric shopping, ate Greek for lunch, I got my haircut, we got coffee, looked for an iPad for Dan, and finally showed up for her party an hour (fashionably) late. A good time was had by all.
Saturday - I honestly can't remember what we did on Saturday. I think we were at my parents house for a little while and then went to eat lunch with the sibling-in-laws and then I can't remember after that. :)
Sunday - we went home!
Whew! Are you tired from reading that? Because it doesn't stop there!
About 3 days later, Pop & Tudi drove up to see us. They had a "class" to take at a local bourbon academy and wanted to see us for a bit first. We just paled around for the time they were here, eating some yummy food at our local places, a little shopping, and mostly hanging out at our house. They left on Sunday and went to Gatlinburg for a relaxing week of vacation, while we returned to "normal" here.
THEN, when the week ended, our little fam met them at their cabin in Gatlinburg for some more family fun, food, and good times. We even brought Levi the dog! We all went hiking, had a pizza night, did a little outlet mall shopping, and Dan and I even got a date night out of the deal. While Dan and I were on our date, Pop and Tudi took the girls to get ice cream. We headed out the next morning (Sunday).
And every trip should have a fun story to tell, right? I'll make this one brief. On Saturday, Ellie had been running a fever during lunch but after her nap and a snack she was peppy. So we thought it would be fun for her & J to go with Pop & Tudi to get ice cream. She picked out some electric blue rainbow flavor and ate her entire serving. That night, after she had just been put to bed, she got back out of bed and walked up the stairs and threw up all of that lovely electric blue stuff on the carpeted stairs. Yeaaah. Pop & Tudi just thought they were done with puke when my brother and I became adults. Hah! Dan and I returned about an hour later and we got a tad longer version of this story. Ellie recovered a few days later!
Now, we're home and not going anywhere at least for the rest of the month. The month of May will be a bit crazy for us with some traveling involved. Dan is officially done with his residency at the end of June, so if we don't sell our house (prayers in that regard would be nice!) we'll all be here through June!
I will be posting pictures SOON!
Dan and I met Oma & Opa in Little Rock so they could pick up our girls and take them home. Then Dan and I headed north to Fayetteville, where we'll be moving soon. The intent was to relax (which we did), see some houses (which we also did), and enjoy being without children (which we did!).
Wednesday - We headed back to Louisiana where I got to see my friend Julie for a day - she drove all the way from Dallas to my parents house with her two kids. We had an awesome time until I caught some sort of virus and felt horrible.
Thursday - The next day was Dan's 30th birthday and I was still fighting off this virus and slept straight through lunch (which I intended on taking him out for - he's such a gem and was SO understanding). I had the girls at my parents visiting Julie and Dan had spent the night with his parents. They took him on a date which he thoroughly enjoyed and treated him to golf the next morning. Oma/Vicki did ALL of the prep for Dan's party because, once again, I was sleeping until after lunch. Thanks to the miracles of advil, I felt better as the afternoon went on and was feeling pretty peachy for Dan's par-tay. We had a cornhole tournament, sushi, stir-fry veggies with peanut sauce, ginger glaze chicken, a mini keg, and a Pitch tournament. Good times!
Friday - This was my day to take Mom/Tudi to Shreveport for the day in celebration of her 60th birthday. (What a week, right? Two crazy-big birthdays to celebrate!) Our little trip to Shreveport was also to distract her from the fact that there was a slew of people to descend upon her house shortly after we left to prepare for her surprise birthday party that evening. We went fabric shopping, ate Greek for lunch, I got my haircut, we got coffee, looked for an iPad for Dan, and finally showed up for her party an hour (fashionably) late. A good time was had by all.
Saturday - I honestly can't remember what we did on Saturday. I think we were at my parents house for a little while and then went to eat lunch with the sibling-in-laws and then I can't remember after that. :)
Sunday - we went home!
Whew! Are you tired from reading that? Because it doesn't stop there!
About 3 days later, Pop & Tudi drove up to see us. They had a "class" to take at a local bourbon academy and wanted to see us for a bit first. We just paled around for the time they were here, eating some yummy food at our local places, a little shopping, and mostly hanging out at our house. They left on Sunday and went to Gatlinburg for a relaxing week of vacation, while we returned to "normal" here.
THEN, when the week ended, our little fam met them at their cabin in Gatlinburg for some more family fun, food, and good times. We even brought Levi the dog! We all went hiking, had a pizza night, did a little outlet mall shopping, and Dan and I even got a date night out of the deal. While Dan and I were on our date, Pop and Tudi took the girls to get ice cream. We headed out the next morning (Sunday).
And every trip should have a fun story to tell, right? I'll make this one brief. On Saturday, Ellie had been running a fever during lunch but after her nap and a snack she was peppy. So we thought it would be fun for her & J to go with Pop & Tudi to get ice cream. She picked out some electric blue rainbow flavor and ate her entire serving. That night, after she had just been put to bed, she got back out of bed and walked up the stairs and threw up all of that lovely electric blue stuff on the carpeted stairs. Yeaaah. Pop & Tudi just thought they were done with puke when my brother and I became adults. Hah! Dan and I returned about an hour later and we got a tad longer version of this story. Ellie recovered a few days later!
Now, we're home and not going anywhere at least for the rest of the month. The month of May will be a bit crazy for us with some traveling involved. Dan is officially done with his residency at the end of June, so if we don't sell our house (prayers in that regard would be nice!) we'll all be here through June!
I will be posting pictures SOON!
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Easter Meanings
I've been looking for a few ways to incorporate some meaning into Easter this year for Ellie. Her cognitive development has improved greatly, and she soaks up new information. We totally missed the boat on the Lent concept, which would be lost on her at this age anyway. But we've been talking about Easter Sunday here and there. I've wrestled with exactly what we want to "do" in our celebrating such a significant time for us as Christians. Eggs? Baskets? Crosses? Death? Live? SO much. We've done a few things, but none of them seemed like they have been enough, considering... well, it's Easter!
I sorta feel like it's a stretch, but we've talked about how eggs represent "new life" and that Easter is about how Jesus' new life (about as simple as I could break that down for Ellie).
We talked about how we hunt for eggs just like God hunts for us (once again, simple).
Our memory verse is: "He has risen" from Matthew 28:6
I'd like to say that we've read our Easter book, but it's been misplaced it and I need to find it!
We've spent very little time talking about the Easter Bunny, though he will be bringing a basket with minimal candy.
But I have never even thought once about making an Easter garden as a constant reminder throughout the season. Take a look at this blog post, I love love this idea.
http://www.aholyexperience.com/2011/04/how-to-make-an-easter-garden-christian-easter-activity/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+HolyExperience+%28Holy+Experience%29
I sorta feel like it's a stretch, but we've talked about how eggs represent "new life" and that Easter is about how Jesus' new life (about as simple as I could break that down for Ellie).
We talked about how we hunt for eggs just like God hunts for us (once again, simple).
Our memory verse is: "He has risen" from Matthew 28:6
I'd like to say that we've read our Easter book, but it's been misplaced it and I need to find it!
We've spent very little time talking about the Easter Bunny, though he will be bringing a basket with minimal candy.
But I have never even thought once about making an Easter garden as a constant reminder throughout the season. Take a look at this blog post, I love love this idea.
http://www.aholyexperience.com/2011/04/how-to-make-an-easter-garden-christian-easter-activity/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+HolyExperience+%28Holy+Experience%29
Friday, April 15, 2011
Horsey Fun
The Spring weather has been beautiful the past few days. Yesterday we went to visit the horses (Julia's first time), ate our lunch in the back yard, and then ate our dinner out there too. I even felt so inclined to run and push the girls in the double jogger - and I got a little sunburn. Ah, the signs of warmer weather.
As mentioned, this was Julia's very first time to ever visit and feed the horses (which we call "horsey's"). This was old stuff for Ellie and she was pretty excited to head one block over and get to see her old pals again. Julia, on the other hand, was NOT too thrilled to be standing next to something that weighed as much as a car. After I fed him the apple pieces we brought with us - since no one else was brave enough to :) - Julia warmed up to the horse. Ellie handed her some grass which she shoved in his face and he ate! It was all over after that. She let me put her down and proceeded to run along side the fence, pointing at all the other horses, saying "nay nay," and even trying to get inside the fence. Ellie grew tired of the horses and began gathering grass and sticks to bring home with us as her treasure. Then we got the idea that since it was such a nice day, we would picnic outside. Since all parties were hungry, we left the horses behind and walked home for a nice picnic lunch in our back yard.
But today we have just been playin' and swinging and playin' and swinging. Ellie enjoys throwing her head back and watching the sky as she swings and Julia delights in swinging with her beloved baby. As I write this it is beginning to rain and shouldn't stop until sometime tomorrow (when we have an easter egg hunt scheduled, hmmm).
Happy Spring!
As mentioned, this was Julia's very first time to ever visit and feed the horses (which we call "horsey's"). This was old stuff for Ellie and she was pretty excited to head one block over and get to see her old pals again. Julia, on the other hand, was NOT too thrilled to be standing next to something that weighed as much as a car. After I fed him the apple pieces we brought with us - since no one else was brave enough to :) - Julia warmed up to the horse. Ellie handed her some grass which she shoved in his face and he ate! It was all over after that. She let me put her down and proceeded to run along side the fence, pointing at all the other horses, saying "nay nay," and even trying to get inside the fence. Ellie grew tired of the horses and began gathering grass and sticks to bring home with us as her treasure. Then we got the idea that since it was such a nice day, we would picnic outside. Since all parties were hungry, we left the horses behind and walked home for a nice picnic lunch in our back yard.
But today we have just been playin' and swinging and playin' and swinging. Ellie enjoys throwing her head back and watching the sky as she swings and Julia delights in swinging with her beloved baby. As I write this it is beginning to rain and shouldn't stop until sometime tomorrow (when we have an easter egg hunt scheduled, hmmm).
Happy Spring!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Liquid Gold
Did any of you know that until very recently you could donate your breastmilk to a hospital? Better yet, did you know you could sell it on ebay? I was digging through my freezer a few weeks ago and found the remains of Julia's milk stash. I stared at it for a while not knowing what to do with it, and then looked at the dates (from 2009!) and decided it was time to pitch it. Oh the agony of all that wasted milk! It was better than how much I had for Ellie that she wouldn't touch... more than 475 oz of it in my deep freeze at one time. Live and learn. I didn't waste time pumping for Julia and nor did she take a bottle.
Fashionista
Ellie has been putting outfits together lately that are completely awesome. Unfortunately, if I make any sort of reaction and say I'm going to get my camera, she dashes off and disrobes. These are the two pictures I managed to get. We love color around here! On average, Ellie changes clothes a few times a day, which I hear is on the low side for her age :). Mostly, she likes wearing a dress-up costume until we leave the house or eat and she has to wear "normal" non-princess clothing. Phooey.
Egg Cooker
Ellie asked to make eggs one morning about a month ago and since Julia wasn't up yet (and wanting to participate), I let her go for it. She cracked all of the eggs by herself and scrambled them, almost completely before I had to finish things off. I was SUPER-impressed!
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