Team Isaacson

let the birthday's begin!

2012-02-09T10:56:00.000-08:00

This time of year we get the birthday train going and it doesnt stop... my sister has hers in the beginning of January, mine is the end of January, Travis' is the beginning of February, and then we have Grandpa Steve's mid February, the new baby will be March (yes, I am having a baby NEXT month!), Ellie and Papa Wes in April, Alex in May... there are many more throughout the year of course but these are the ones that seem to make us feel like non stop partiers! It's fun, don't get me wrong! Alex is really into birthdays and keeping track of who's is next and when...sadly, he is one of the last on the list which is really hard for an almost 4 year old who already made a birthday present wish list.

So, when I reminded him that it was my birthday the morning of, he so kindly put on his best pouty sad face and said "but its not my birthday....and I wont get any presents" Thanks kid. Love ya too :) I have to remind myself that complete and udder selfishness is typical of this age. (please say yes)

I had a wonderful couple of birthday celebrations.

I will even go back as far as when I went to lunch with my mom and sister for her birthday. A special fancy lunch with the girls. It was so nice to chat and relax and reconnect. I will take that as a birthday lunch for me, as well as sis. :)

For my real birthday...we had dinner at Fuddruckers (a Skeeters favorite) with my family. The kids had fun with all the video games and we all (well, minus those on "kid duty") got to chat it up- so much so that we were there for a record breaking 3 hours or something crazy like that!

(and I just realized that Ellie is wearing the same shirt for both events. oops! we do have other clothes)

"no no papa. no more tickling."

The best part was that Travis and the kids made me a cake, delicious and adorable...
AND they went shopping for my gift that afternoon. Seriously cute and I got time to myself at home that day to do what I wanted. Double gift! Picture this for a second...Travis took both kids to Target to buy a card and then to James Avery to get me a charm pendant. Not that its some fancy gift or anything but I get all sentimental just thinking about him with the kids in a silent jewelry store looking in the glass cases. Travis said they had a "meeting" about being good/quiet before they went in and that they both did really well. He said that Alex was actually really intrigued by the whole thing- kept listening in on sales ladies helping others and looking at what they were looking at very seriously. Shockingly, he also kept the secret. I didn't know he could do that and was very impressed. I know it took every bone in his body to hold it in. He was so excited for me to open it and I think very proud of himself too.

I love my beautiful key charm (he says bc I am the key to their success-a common phrase Travis uses to tell me I need to get up early and get ready for the day if we want to be on time) BUT I love the whole idea behind it even more. I adore that Travis wanted to include the kids, teach them to love on me a little that day, because, lets face it, mommy so often gets a little overlooked being the one with them all the time. Thank you Daddy, from the bottom of my heart, for a very special birthday.

My actually birthday day was a Monday and so it was quite typical as a weekday goes. We did have plans to meet up with my moms group from church at a play place. Great chatting with the moms and the kids both had a great time! and then for dinner we ordered pizza- always nice to not cook! And of course I had another piece of cake. Well, maybe more ;) Here is my 33 week belly with my 31 years self.

The next celebration was Travis' birthday. It fell on a Saturday so we got to spend the day with him. I did give him a break and took Alex "shopping" for a bit during Ellie's nap so he would also get his coveted free time. The kids and I made a cake for him. Alex was adamant that it needed to be a Cars cake. We made do with what we had and the cars toppers that Holly gave us the previous day. Good timing yes indeed. We had gone shopping for his gifts earlier in the week and Alex was super excited to have Daddy open them because they were a little bit for both Alex and Travis. I am weak and its hard to reason with him when he is soooo sure that Daddy wanted a new football. I will add that he also tried to talk me into returning the shirt we got him and getting him Cars. We may have a problem.

Ellie was a huge fan of the card. Rocky theme song...I can't blame her, its so catchy. Video soon!
Honey came over for the "party" and then stayed to babysit the kids so we could go out to dinner and a movie. She IS a rockstar! Thanks Honey!! It was so nice to have a long fun date night with my amazing husband. Happy Birthday to you! I love you!!

whew...now thats a lot of celebrating already! Cant wait to have a new birthday to celebrate next month though!

Fun FotoS Friday

2012-02-03T08:00:00.000-08:00

A little recap of fun times in January...

Ellie needs a cape too
we love a picnic lunch on the patio
oh, I am loving my new lens
diaper box races, poor Ellie on her turn to push
who thinks they love Star Wars?!
she wants to be just like you
beauty shop- my hair has never looked better
and she has never looked so beautiful ;)

we loved having daddy home at New Years

chasing
lunch in the front of the TV and wrestling on the couch- I cant compete somebody wants to be a big girl
I have no words for this silly boy
fun with friends

btw, can I get a what! what! for being back on the blog!? maybe its more that I am putting off anything remotely physical :)

Painting

2012-02-02T12:10:00.001-08:00

Honey and Grandpa Steve came over to help us paint Alex's room. Ellie will be joining him soon and we felt like it would be nice to change the bright blue to something a little more neutral and calming...hope the kids get that memo! and if we need to put the house on the market, its a better idea too! so beige it is...I will have to post the final product soon when we get Ellie's bed set up.
Honey is a master painter. Seriously. Ellie was very concerned about her "dirty" pants though.

Grandpa was on kid duty and he always does a great job. Ellie really likes him and his beard :)

I was feeling bored the other day and decided to do some valentine painting with Ellie while Alex was in school. I guess I was feeling brave too. I kinda just busted all the stuff out and didn't really prepare for a mess. She LOVED it!

Family Photos and Lost Pines

2012-01-31T11:59:00.000-08:00

So we have to back up a bit...I was so anxious to get caught up that I totally skipped a very fun and eventful weekend back before Thanksgiving. Yes, maybe that would be more than backing up just a bit.
It was Honey's birthday- 60th I might add!! So as a family we decided her gift would be family pictures. It took some work but we got everyone dressed and on board. The photographer suggested the location and it was beautiful. Unfortunately, the weather was horrible! Humid and hot! The girls complained of droopy or frizzy hair and the kids were way less than cooperative. And being mid pregnancy is not an ideal to take pictures I might add. One of the few things that did go my way is that Ellie agreed to wear a bow! I was in heaven on that note! It really is a miracle we got anything! Serious miracle- maybe some photoshop miracles. Thanks to Pixie Dust Photography! I do love the memories and these sweet faces that we love so much!

and our Christmas card... truly miracle pictures

After the session we grabbed brunch at The Cheesecake Factory...

and then headed out for a fun night at Lost Pines Resort. Oh how I love this place.

Like I said the weather was oddly hot and humid but it didn't stop the fun. And what better occasion than to celebrate Honey!

The Day After

2012-01-24T13:13:00.000-08:00

The day after Christmas we headed over to my parents' house for Christmas #2.

I know you are sick of seeing Ellie in this outfit but come on :) the girls are matching! so fun!
you wouldn't believe how hard it is to get these 3 to look and sit still and smile...come on Ellie, we are making memories (right rebekah?! haha)

again, the girls are less than thrilled but Nani looks beautiful
Alex by far got the biggest gift. He was pretty pumped about the size and a little less pumped to find out it was not a race track but a picnic table. one that surprisingly has been lots of fun since its been so warm in January this year!

I LOVE this one of the girls in Kalyns new wagon
everybody wants a ride!
we got Kalyn the same beauty set that we got Ellie... Kalyn is quite the beauty pro multi-tasking already with hairdryer and nail polish
Ellie got a lot of accessories to her doll house. We LOVE the mini van that plays music!
this was later that night trying out our new remote control Cars movie cars. Daddy might be more into them than Alex right now but thats ok. Auntie Jo was smart enough to get the 2 pack
and a random funny...Joseph, Mary, and Baby Jesus wish you a very Christmas!

Christmas 2011

2012-01-23T12:35:00.000-08:00

To post this as quick and as painless as possible, I will focus on pictures (mainly highlights bc there are so many!) and not so many words. We had the best Christmas and as always, feel so blessed. The kids make it so fun!! I love it! This year was at Travis' parents house. We went over for Christmas Eve and stayed the night and all day.

Christmas Eve
we live to torture uncle matt

After Church

I dont know those children who are smiling and sitting so pretty for a TIMER!

one present!

Batman!

Goldschlager shot tradition...I keep getting out of this somehow ;)
Christmas COOKIES!
I made some pretty snowflakes, if I say so myself :)

Christmas morning...Santa came! Ellie needed some direction. It was kinda overwhelming with an audience first thing in the morning.

you gotta test drive around the kitchen
Stockings! Santa delivered as asked!

On to the other gifts!
shark ship- VERY cool toy for boys! I highly recommend it- props to Honey for finding this one

peek a boo, I see you

babies babies babies

Ellie is obsessed with the Ipad

Big Hugs for Honey- such a sweet girl

so pretty Grandpawet cold weather did not stop this boy. I will never forget how happy he was riding around the cul-de-sac singing Santa Clause Is Coming To Town

Ellie chose drier conditions in the garage

and the feast before much needed naptime!It might look like my kids were ready to eat but thats an illusion. Pretty sure they survived off pretzels and desserts the whole holiday. They just didn't want to be bothered with such silliness as eating. Go figure bc that was number one on my list!

We interupt this Christmas programming to bring you Belly News

2012-01-16T20:18:00.000-08:00

I am tired of Christmas, so I thought I would do a maternity post...since I have NEVER done one. Poor Baby 3. Already getting the shaft. I love you none the less sweetheart!
This has been overall a very good pregnancy. The first trimester almost killed me but the rest of it has been very mild and at times I would forget I was pregnant...it helps that my life is so hectic that I don't have time to think. But growth has been good and everything has been on track. I have 2 months to go and am just now starting to have a lot more of the aches and pains, trouble getting up and down easy, heartburn, trouble sleeping because baby thinks my bedtime is the best time to practice karate.. you know, the usual. The braxton hicks contractions are strong and get me often now. Poor Ellie is getting less and less of a lap to sit on at music class but she keeps fighting back.
We don't have names picked out officially, but the list is getting short and we keep letting a few names sit and stew. It would be nice to narrow it down to either a boy or girl name but really this is the only decision we are making so I guess I can handle it. Not knowing the sex has been a little harder for mom than dad. He is the rock in that decision. I would just want to know. But I keep telling myself that its fun. its fun. its fun. :) and I know it will be. No guesses from me. Honestly, I cannot say that it "feels" like one way or the other and I have had no dreams or senses about it.
I have been wanting to eat ALL the time up until lately. I think its getting full in there ;) Mostly I have loved fruit, salads, and desserts! They weigh themselves out right?!
The kids are excited to meet you lil one! Alex especially! Although, when Papa asked him yesterday if he would help change your diaper he said "No! I would get my hands dirty!" And we have gone through a list of Cars2 name ideas such as Finn McIsaacson, Miles Axlerod Isaacson, and Lightning Isaacson. (note that girls names weren't discussed only bc of the lack of girl characters) And he has decided that you can sleep in the living room. Thats a nice gesture since Papa suggested the attic. He also has starting making sweet comments about how my "belly sure is getting bigger!" :) Ellie just likes to rub, well, sometimes its more of a drum, on the belly. And she always wants to see it with no covering so she can mess with my belly button. (oh joy, haha)

We are getting ready for you! We have been cleaning out and working hard to make space for you and all the gear. Alex and Ellie are going to bunk up and they are really excited about it. I on the other hand, have anxiety attacks...but I am sure it will all work out!
I am so looking forward to meeting this new addition to our family and can't wait to know all about him/her! It is starting to sink in that it could be soon (6 weeks or so if you count on coming early, which I always like to) and it only makes me all the more giddy!

Holiday Fun (part 3)

2012-01-16T12:58:00.000-08:00

One more shot at Christmas tree pics. This time with Alex too. I don't know why I torture myself.

they really do love each other

New Christmas PJ night

Reindeer ears- trying to get them to just stay still for a minute.

and ultimately the kids thought a wrestling match would be fun, almost taking out the tree, but having lots of laughs

Ellie helped me make Christmas Cookies

and it can't be all fun and games. I put those kids to work! My collection of grocery sacks was OUT OF CONTROL!!!

and lastly, we had a gingerbread house night with our friends the Loopers! Everyone had a lot of fun! Especially the candy monster, Ellie, who pretty much contributed by stuffing as much candy in her mouth as possible the whole time.

I have never made a gingerbread house and it was really easy with this graham cracker template. We used some simple candy decorations that we had most of left over from Halloween :) and canned icing.

The girls with our pregnant bellies!

and the final results...Love the Loopers and their cute lil love shack- Donna doesn't mess around when it comes to this stuff. Let's just say Lance was very sweet to let her be the team captain :)

Holiday Fun (part 2)

2012-01-10T18:33:00.001-08:00

Warning- this is Christmas overload! and there will be a part 3 before I even get to actual Christmas! yikes!

Alex had a school performance...adorable of course! This year was so different from last- he did great and was really excited about it! He had been singing the songs (Away in a Manger, Jingle Bells, Up on the Housetop, to name a few) at home on his own for several weeks. I was so impressed! He was thrilled to see Nani, Papa Wes, Honey, Daddy, Ellie, and me all in the audience beaming back at him! I am so mad at myself for not bringing the long lens!!! Next year, remind me! Love that our friend Madison is in the front row, center, in her precious bright green and striped tights ;) Alex is in the front row, next to the kid in plaid, with a red shirt and brown pants.

then at the end they did a few more songs with all the classes and Alex is smushed there in the middle

I think he is waving to Papa in the balcony who is videoing

This is a picture of his teachers taking them out of sanctuary. Alex is mouthing to me that he wants snack...what else is new?!

Ellie LOVED the show and cheering Alex on

After the show I wanted to get some pictures of Ellie in her cute Christmas outfit. The big lollipop was a mistake. Love and admiration at first...

but I couldn't get the girl to sit still for long. And it made a MESS!
switch to smaller lolli and outside :)

Our Church puts on an amazing event called Walk Through Bethlehem.

Everyone LOVED the camel and needed a camel picture :)

Alex was really scared at first, but warmed up :)

my sweet friend was Mary at the time we went and that is one of her sweet baby boys (she has twins) Aren't they perfect for the job! :) As expected, Ellie was a fanAlex said his favorite part was the soldiers AND the camel. I have to admit it was all pretty cool!
And for some "extras" of the month....

Ellie in her winter wear, loving her boots! :) and busted pulling ornaments off the tree... and thats why we have soft ones at the bottom!
We had a fire and "hot cocoa" one night. More like warm chocolate soy milk :) I hate this picture of me looking scrubby but I want to include it bc it is me. a rare shot. and I think its funny that I am totally using the belly as a coffee table
Our Elf came back again this year- Alex named him Elfie. The kids BOTH LOVED finding him everyday and would revisit him and laugh throughout the day. Best is showing him to Daddy when he gets home from work.

pirate Elfie was huge hit- argh

and the kids just had a lot of fun together! They love playing together and this day, it was making the one seater, a two seater. And Ellie held on all by herself. She is getting so grown up! *note Alex's "summer wear"- pretty sure it was not appropriate but he was going through a huge anti-warm clothes phase. Still prefers shorts and tshirts but has not been fighting it like he did at the beginning of the season

Holiday Fun (part 1)

2012-01-10T10:09:00.001-08:00

We had a great time this year celebrating all month long! The kids were really into it and it makes it so fun!

decorating the tree- We let the kids help and do the decorating this year, with thoughts that I would go back and fix it and add the breakables up high, and it never happened but I kinda liked it that way

and the angel on top!
yes, our tree is a beast...thats what happens when you get your tree in a huge warehouse that throws off your sense of proportion

Alex was thrilled about all the ornaments and he couldn't stop checking them all out
opening up all of my snow globe collection was like opening up gifts to the kids. THEY LOVED IT! and the snow globes had to be one of Ellie's favorite things this year. Sadly, when I didn't want to wind them all up for her I had to tell her they were sleeping and this only kept the whining away half of the time. :)

we topped off our day of decorating with a candlelight dinner...another family favorite!

We went to visit Santa up at our church (It was easy and cheap and I knew it wouldn't go well anyway)

Ellie seemed very interested from a distance! Alex was very anxious for our turn but was very patient.

as expected, lil one was NOT having it. Alex went ahead and told Santa that he wanted toy helicopters.

mean momma made her do it anyway

and then Alex got his time not worried about sister

one more try, and its still a no-go

this helped the pain go away

Thanksgiving

2011-12-05T18:56:00.001-08:00

Not sure if anyone follows me anymore because its been WAY too long since my last post, but I will keep posting! and I WILL catch up! Its my New Years Resolution! Pick it back up, and be better about staying current! With the baby coming in just a few short months, I really want to be back on the ball. The holidays have always been hard for me to blog but being largely preggo, with 2 kids, and the holidays...it was just too much! Enough excuses though...so I will start with the big things and may have to go back on some of the things I am missing.

Thanksgiving was at my parents house this year! Always a day full of blessings and reminders of how thankful we are. The hard and sad part was that my brother couldn't make it- he was struggling through a kidney stone in San Antonio. Nothing could be worse- not only was he missed dearly, but knowing he was in pain was very tough on all of us.

ducks!

cousins!

so thankful for his Daddy! and the candy bribes he was getting all day to take pictures...dont let the cooperative model fool you :)

the whole gang, including Vinnie's parents and Gigi

my adorable parents
so thankful for them!

my sweet sweet boy and baby to be! about 24 weeks along

pretty girls

us girls have to get in our ad shopping! start em early!

Alex got this Aggie football outfit from Daddy who couldn't pass it up...to say Alex was super excited about it was is an understatement- WHOOP! But for record, it was not a win this year, lets not talk about it :(
That weekend we also met up with my Dad's side of the family in Waco to celebrate my cousin Amy's 40th!

Alex, Me and Ellie, Amy, Jo and Kalyn, KellieAnne and her two girls Annsley and Grace

Aunt Barbara is so sweet and brought treats for the kids :)

Happy Birthday Amy! I can only hope to look as great as you at 40!

It was so great seeing everyone and catching up a little- it was a quick day trip. Only wish we got together more often!

Halloween

2011-12-05T13:12:00.000-08:00

Ellie dressed up for music class a few days before Halloween...even kitty cats need to brush :)

Our little Cat Woman was quite mesmerized by all the costumes out already...what is going on?!

Our SUPER duo

Alex was pretty persistent that Daddy needed a super hero costume too...I got sick the days before so our homemade Robin costume didn't happen and Captain America tshirt from Target was an answered prayer :)

Gibson, Evan, Brennan, and Alex
these boys have too much fun together! we are so blessed to have them on our street

Ella Kate, lil miss Tinkerbell, was ready to roll. The girls really do love to see each other :)

Ellie was a pro trick or treater and really did well keeping up with all the big kids

Ellie LOVES our neighbors sweet baby girl, Kensington

best buds and crime fighting duo
It was hard to keep up with these two! They were running from house to house and on a mission!

our sweet neighbor, Mrs. Sue

Cousin Kalyn and Auntie Jo, in their awesome pirate garb, came by at the end of the night
It was a fun crazy night and WORE ME OUT! We went all around the big circle of our neighborhood and then partied a little more when we got back. The kids got a ton of candy that I gladly took care of...oh the few joys of food allergies.

Fall Fun

2011-11-29T11:08:00.001-08:00

We had our 3rd annual pumpkin patch visit and I think it keeps getting better every year!

Alex liked the bumpy ones...yuck

Best we could do for a sibling shot...I think they have conspired against me

My cousin Kayla joined us for the day of fun!

The boys hunted down the perfect pumpkin

And family makes it all the more fun!

And then right before Halloween, we carved our perfect pumpkin. I say we, but really mean, Travis. The kids "help" for like 2 minutes.

18 months Eliana

2011-11-11T11:36:00.000-08:00

Ellie is 1 1/2! aka 18 months! Can't believe it, yet sometimes it seems like she has been here forever! Since it took me about a month to get this post written, some of the following info came about in the last month. Just for the record ;)

Your little personality is really coming out and you are quite the cutie patootie. Love to be silly and make brother laugh. You have a solid fake laugh. On the other hand when you are sad or crying, Bubba likes to make you smile with a silly face. Nothing sweeter. It works too. You adore him. You have even begun to enjoy wrestling with him. Blows my mind, but I can appreciate you just wanting to do anything he wants to do just to be with him.
(On a sidenote: I also love it when he tries to "teach" you things- like when walking into the library and I had just gone over the "rules" with him in the car and he decided to go over them with you. "Now Ellie, you have to be very quiet in the library." Yesterday he got down on her level, took her hands, and said "Ellie you did a great job with Honey today." As serious as can be. I have no idea where that came from since she always does great with Honey and he was at school the whole time too.)
On the other hand, she has started to stand up for herself. There is nothing funnier than when she gets really mad at Alex and starts "yelling" at him. She will go off! and has started hitting him and holding on to what she wants tighter. It's not really funny, but I am proud of her. It has taken Alex by surprise and he is quickly learning how he has to treat her with respect or she is gonna "give it to him". (Don't worry, she gets her talking to too)

this is what happens if I try to take a picture of them together

Miss thang is showing her "tude" more and more. Does a really good whining fit...often in front of the pantry in which she is begging for food. I swear we feed her but the girl is ridiculous about snacks and wants to eat all day long :) She gets it from her momma I am afraid. Girlfriend canNOT handle it if Alex gets something that she doesn't- i.e. dessert

I love your excitement for reading books. You will grab one and back yourself into my lap and make it clear that you want me to read the book. You could read all day if I let you. Favorite book is probably Goodnight Gorilla. Alex always loved it too.
Ellie, I love that you eat your bananas monkey style, poke the raisins out of your raisin bread, lick the icing out of the oreo and toss the cookie, gobble muffins whole (Alex said you look like a warthog), lick the butter off your toast, and prefer to eat your yogurt by yourself and make a huge mess (although you are really good with a spoon).

Sadly, we know that you also love popcorn, fruit snacks, and skittles (on occasion). Oh this girl is spoiled and poor Alex was so deprived.

You play babies for forever...hold, rock, lay on blanket, move, lay on blanket, hold and rock...you get the idea. She also loves to talk her sweet jibber jabber to them in the highest of voices.

Recently obsessed with the wagon and stroller and ALWAYS wants a ride!
LOVES to do puzzles and over the last month you have gotten pretty good.
LOVES to rock! You are supposed to bounce on this turtle but she makes it rock somehow and she gets the biggest smile and big eyes while doing it! She is crazy!

Serious about pouring water from cup to "cup" in the bath tub. We haven't got the heart to tell her that she is pouring into the open bottom boat.

mohawk night by daddy

Likes to move the chairs around and will tote her stool to anywhere in the house. Alex always says "Ellie frong! (strong)"
Really good at going through drawers and bringing us random trinkets from around the house.

Learned how to climb into the kitchen chairs and then follows with up onto the table. Its super.
Would go to the other room for a millisecond and come back to find you digging for "treasures" on the table!
And so Daddy got the booster out while I was gone and decided you needed to graduate to sitting at the table, out of the high chair. (tear) You are quite proud.

Loves to shake her head yes or no. My favorite is the yes. Its slow and big and you know she means it! Not to mention that it's so nice to communicate with you! You started the "where is it??" hands and expression. You make cute little grunts when you think something is hard to open or heavy to pick up. (You probably get this from me as I get bigger in the belly and moan and groan as I do the daily pick ups)

Will give a pretty good try at words you ask her to say- amazes me daily! Her main words include - Momma, Dadda, Alex (Ahlah), Ellie (cutest E-yee) Baby, Uh OH, water (wa-wa), Bye!, Hi!, thank you (ank ou)Set into a good nap routine of 1-3 (or longer) on non school days and 12-2 on Tues/Th.

Never posted about all our iron deficiency issues and drama (it was a lot of drama for the momma) but at the time I didn't want to rehash it all out. Anyway, when going back in at 18 mo, she was lower than at 15. Oops. So, we are really on the iron "juice" now and the administration/cooperation is going much better than the first go round. We've been doing a big push over the last month and hope to see some major progress next week. Cross your fingers.

Her stats from the doc- weight: 19lbs 4 oz (less than 5%)
height: 31 1/2 in (25-50%)

Our big secret, still on bottle at nap and bed. Geeze louise we gotta go cold turkey one of these days but it aint gonna be pretty.

Learned how to give real round the neck tight hugs! Nothing better!! Along with loving holding my hand when we walk. Oh how I treasure those lil hands wrapped around mine.

Love you sweet girl!!

Fun on The Farm

2011-10-16T12:23:00.000-07:00

We headed out to Crowe's Nest Farm with the MOMS group at my church last week. It was sooo fun and I highly recommend it! Both kids loved it and we were all WORN out (Alex even took a nap that day when we got home)! With Alex being slightly obsessed with animals right now, this trip couldn't have come at a better time!

hayride out to see the buffalo and ostriches

these amazing beasts run with the tractor because they know the foods coming :) really cool!

couldn't take his eyes off them he was so excited

(we had just learned about buffalo because he got one in his animal cookies, so this was too perfect! and cool!) down to the ostriches and Ellie was still concerned about those buffalo

showing the egg while the big birds chow down

on to check out the other animals, including this beauty lama lama ;)

some BIG pigspriceless

on to the chicken coops

and dont forget to milk the cow!

This preggo momma had our moms group all feeling quite sympathetic.

It was a beautiful day to get to know new friends and spend some time with the animals!

Soccer!!

2011-10-10T12:19:00.000-07:00

Go Avalanche!

Alex is doing YMCA soccer this fall and is loving it so far! He has been waiting for this for a while and couldn't have been more excited! Dad decided to coach and relive a little of his high school glory days :) Well, at least he thought he would use soccer skills. 3 and 4 yr old soccer is not alot of skill. These kids just run around after the ball and kick it wherever...if they are even paying attention and not playing in the dirt or waving at mom on the sideline. Quite entertaining and seriously cute. But Travis has done a GREAT job with the little ones and really enjoys seeing them succeed and be so proud of themselves. He is putting a lot of time (and patience) into it, so I am really proud of him! I love the precious moments father and son are getting together too.

Alex is doing well but has really had to warm up to the idea of games. He is little and young compared to a lot of the other kids so its kind of intimidating and can get rough. I know he will get his goal by the end of the season! He has had some great kicks on the ball and has had some good defensive moments- my favorite move is arms and legs out like he is totally blocking all that he can.

mom can coach a little too- "you want to go that way"

end of game cheer tunnel run! maybe Alex's favorite part?

Here are some of the details...
Practice every Monday night and games every Saturday (ours our at 9).
They don't keep score and its all about fun.
Travis stays on the field the whole time to help.
They play 4 on 4 and there is no goalie.
The kids get subbed out often to keep it fresh and give everyone a chance.
Our team name is Avalanche and NO Travis did not come up with that, it was assigned. please. :)

We are loving our team and have great participation! The kids are just adorable!! We especially love that Evan S., our good buddy, is on our team! And his Dad is helping Travis out by assistant coaching!

We have quite the cheering section...with all the family in town there is always someone (or many) to cheer Alex on! He is so lucky and doesn't have a clue.

this cutie was a good cheerleader
and the biggest fan and Alex's favorite Ellie shockingly stays in her chair most of the time!

First Practice!

It was HOT! So glad its cooling down a bit!

This was just a day that he wanted to wear my headband while playing soccer in the backyard...said it helped him. As cute as he is, glad it wasn't a trend that stuck.

flashback friday

2011-10-07T13:41:00.000-07:00

me and my dad, I just see Ellie! poor girl got her mommas bad (and lack of) hair

Back to School!

2011-09-22T08:16:00.000-07:00

We are off to a great start this year! Alex is loving his new school! We switched him to the preschool at our church to better make it our home. He did great on the first day with no tears! 100% improvement from last year!
He was most excited about using his new nap mat. (Old school didn't take naps) This is crazy talk since he doesnt nap. I think he realized after the first day.
The second day he was a little more hesitant and we had some tears but not anything that lasted longer than a minute after I was out the door.

my attempt at a sibling shot...its all love here

Ellie and I have been enjoying our one on one time! We went shoe shopping the second day and had fun!

I have been so enjoying picking Alex up everyday and hearing all about it! He is so much better about remembering and verbalizing what happened at school. He is signing songs he learned there even! He was VERY proud that he knew his teachers names- Miss Sharon and Miss Susan. I think they worked on it a lot the second day. (They happen to be twin sisters.) He does seem to be doing the art and writing too! I will have to post some of the cute stuff coming home in his folder.

our first homework assignment. mommy was pleased with her work

The other day he says on the way home- Does Ellie want to play guns? Me- No I dont think so. Why? A- Cause my teacher says we have to play guns at home.
Great. I have that kid. I swear we don't promote guns here!

This was Ellie on her "first day of school"- I have decided to do the Moms group at the church and so Ellie went to her "class" that day. She did great and I was so proud of her! and really, could she be any cuter! She wanted to wear her backpack!

Since those early days Alex has not been a fan of going to school really. He is such a homebody and still hates to get ready in the morning. BUT everyday when I pick him up he says that school was FUN! and has a smile on his face! Well, all but Tuesday when I was like a minute late and he was worried about me coming to get him! :( oops! Mom of the year I tell you!

summer fun with Alex

2011-09-20T09:39:00.000-07:00

I have not forgotten about you bubba...we have had a fun fun summer and I just need to throw a few random pics up about it all!

First Movie Theater Experience- Cars2. You were timid but super excited and did really great! This event was followed up by another trip to Cars2 with Papa and then a trip with Daddy to see Pooh. (Sweet part was that they tried to see Rio and it was sold out and Alex cried. Not bratty cry but sad cry. So Travis took him to see Pooh at the other theater. I mean, really, just broke your heart. He told me all about it when he got home- Momma, they sold out. No more tickets.)

lots of trips to HEB...this was the day I stupidly got you the car cart like you wanted. never again. but yall were cute! (this is sooo old! I can tell bc ellie has NO hair!)

whataburger!

You love the pool. Hands down fav summer activity. Loved your goggles and this day decided that you would prepare by eating lunch in them. :) I love ya!

We went bowling for the first time! with some new friends- his daddy is an old friend of mine from middle school! If you know Andy Boerckel, you know this is his boy! :) Anyway, it was so fun! and you loved it once you got the hang of the ramp. I should have known since you love all sports!

We did some baking...you are really into it now and LOVE to lick the spoon, bowl, and everything you can get your grubby lil fingers on. One benefit of dairy and egg free baking is there is no worry with this! and its encouraged you to try new things including chocolate- which you have learned that you like! yay!

We went to the circus! Met up with our good friend the Stacers before the show! It was all fun! and only doubled your interest in animals! (BTW, I was really impressed with the show! They couldn't be more right with the slogan- a show for all ages!) Ellie did...okay....the people behind us probably hated us. She liked it all but it was so much it was a little bit of overload. Just tried to shove food and drink in her most of the time.

Totatlly stole these pics from Kathryn.

Alex wasn't in the mood for pictures that day. He was way more interested in the 25$ spinner souvenirs.

Most mornings you could find us cruisin' the hood since Alex learned that he could go all around our neighborhood circle on his bike! It was great to get out before it was too hot and let him get some energy out.

your love for sports is incredible really. you love to read sports illustrated at the table just like Daddy. And you get excited when the new one comes!

we did a lot of indoor baseball, among other sports, and you are pretty good too. yes, this is why my house is so boring decor wise. we live in a gym I tell you.

we got a super fun package from the fam in California that included this large zoo animals. The kids were in love at first sight! Alex has since been obsessed with them and plays with them daily. He also has adopted "lion and cheetah" to be his posse going everywhere with us and to bed with him every night. He has been asking to go to the zoo a lot lately and I assure him we will be there soon (as soon as it cools off just a little more).

You started wanting me to take your picture if you think you look funny or cute or I dont know...but I will take it! Then you always want to see what you look like and you smile the biggest smile!

You are my best buddy and I love ya to pieces lil one. I wouldn't trade hanging out with you all day for anything!

Brush Brush Brush Your Teeth

2011-09-09T13:23:00.000-07:00

good thing I have a baby coming cause my baby is getting too big :(

underwear, its what you wear under there

2011-09-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

or outta there...Ellie LOVES Alex's underwear and went through a phase of insisting that we put it on her. No harm no fowl, and I can feel that this girl is going to want to potty train EARLY! woo hoo!!
you can see Ellie running to get more!
the question is...is Daddy wearing his underwear on the outside? ;) haha

Ellie Love

2011-09-04T06:31:00.000-07:00

since I cant keep up with the monthly posts I will just forget the title and consider this an update :)

Ellie will be 17 months next week. This was her 16 month picture (Aggie to celebrate school and football starting! Whoop!)

I am annoyed because this is my second time to write this seeing as the first time it got deleted. Don't they know I don't have time for this.

Here is some video I took last month. Most of it is old news, stuff she has been doing for a while, but I am horrible at remembering what to ask. Maybe I should plan it next time before I turn the camera on. What a concept. Still, I think she is cuter than pie no matter what she says.

A few notes-

- doing really well on words. I was a little worried after her 15 mo. appointment because she really wasnt talking consistently. I asked the dr if animal sounds counted as words- eek! :) so we started to focus on it and she has just taken off...loves to be a little parrot! nothing sweeter than her soft wittle voice. the big difference in her and Alex is that she will try- maybe not even close but she is trying to talk so much more than he did at this age

- going vertical. climbing on the couch and its driving me mad!! It started with climbing on their lil chairs...those get locked up often now. Alex is a horrible example and is egging her on. They are starting to team up on me....get my room ready at the loony bin. She also loves to climb into Alex's bed. Its a pretty cool spot to read!

-obsessed with standing on the stool. Had to get her her own this month. She loves brushing teeth and looking at herself in the mirror...so happy she dances and sings! (Lots of precious pics of this to come!) Its also a good way to get her to eat. She thought she was stealing off the counter but we set it up for her.

- likes to break and pull apart her food before eating it. think it's a copy mommy thing. and all of a sudden, you will get a big melt down if you try to feed her- she is all about miss independent

- still on two naps a day really, until she decides to rebel and throw me for a loop for the day, then we have one cranky baby girl at dinner

- its been so fun that you can follow simple directions, and so cute that you are so proud of yourself. you strut with your head held high and a huge grin! and you love to go show "stuff" to people. I mean, adorable.

- more and more copying Alex. including pretending to lean and pee on the back of the house with him, wants to wear his underwear and shoes (pics to come!), raising her hand when we ask "who wants to ____?!", playing with all his "boy" toys of cars, police men, dinos, and pirates

-always pulling things out of drawers and making a mess...my lil tornado. loves to get the band aides out

-Alex is her best bud. They really have fun together now and miss each other when they are gone.

-loves to read books and is very opinionated about which ones. She will shake her head no and shove the book out of the way if it is not the one she wants you to read. The whole "shaking head no" is a new thing, cute as can be, but could be trouble. I love it when she grabs a book and backs up into my lap for me to read to her.

- she is a good eater most of the time! Eats more than Alex really! They get the same plate and I have to tell Alex that Ellie is going to beat him to get him to eat, and its true! Faster and more!

- not afraid to get dirty (Unlike brother who said, and I quote, "no, I don't want to get my hair dirty" oh dear.) What is summer without a good mud pie?!

Party of ....five!

2011-09-01T00:05:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have noticed a lack in blogging lately... ok a complete halt in blogging. Its pitiful. Not sure if anyone will even ever read this since I am sure I have lost all followers. :)
well, (like I announced on facebook, and most of you know)

we are expecting Baby #3 March 19th!
The kids will be 23 months apart (both sets) with birthdays in March, Ellie in April, and Alex in May. Alex and Ellie both are on the 13th and there is a good chance that this one could be too. Crazy!! The engineer husband loves it. Its his perfect organized world. ;)

The range of emotions I/we have been having is wide.
Of course we are excited!! We did plan this. We wanted 3 kids. And we are just soooo blessed to be given what we want SO easily. I do know this and Thank The Lord.
I am scared. Really scared. I am the one home all day and juggling them to make it places all week. It's tough with two, and now to add another to the mix seems impossible. It will be a zoo, thats for sure. I have my doubts but I know that people do it (both of us come from families of 5) so that is reassuring. We kind of figure we just want to get through this tough baby/toddler phase as fast as possible (yet, savoring the moments we love, don't get me wrong).
It will be fun! There will never be a dull moment and the kids will have a blast with each other. I see that with Alex and Ellie already.

Seeing this precious baby on the Ultrasound really made me emotional. Its just so amazing and you can instantly feel so much more connected. The tech said it was a cute lil heartbeat and I couldn't agree more with tears in my eyes. I wondered if by this time around if it would start to be a little humdrum but it was the furthest thing. I still got the same emotions of love and excitement just like when I saw Alex for the first time on that TV screen. It was just what I needed after feeling such fear and doubt and horrible sickness. I just cannot wait to meet this precious soul that will complete our family.

I am 10 weeks along (when I started this post) and it has been one heck of a start! I have felt the worst I have ever felt. Sooo tired, like I've been drinking Benedryl and can't keep my eyes open! Taking two naps a day (with Ellie) and still ready for bed early! I was sooo nauseous, like I just want to throw up all the time, but thankfully have not. The worst is at meal times of course, when feeding the kids really. Nothing sounds good but I have to eat to prevent the sickness- its horrible. I don't wish it on anyone. Thank goodness this is my last one- really! I don't think I could do this again! and it was one of the main reasons I was hesitant to get pregnant again.

Travis has been my hero. He has really stepped up to help out and take over when he is home. The dishes alone have nearly killed him (anyone else feel the daily pain of the never ending dishes! ahh, brutal! and the more kids the more dishes!!) and he is even my dish man. Along with him, my parents and in-laws have been such angels helping me out! I really don't think I could have signed up for this without knowing I have so much help. Alex has been the hardest just because he has the energy of a crazy person and wants to play sports all day long...a lazy mom on the couch is just not acceptable for the "team". I laugh at the silly games Alex and I played in my bed to keep him occupied so I could stay in bed. He also may have rotted his brain a little on tv. Just a little. :)
Alex is excited about the new baby and brings it up every once in a while. He thinks its a pretty good idea considering he loves Ellie and what could be better than one more! More playmates! :) He says he would like a boy when you ask him. He also thinks we could name it Alex. That's what he names everything. Ellie has no clue but her love for babies will surely come in handy.

So in regards to that....we will not find out the sex. We figure, we have it all (lord, we have it ALL!) and I am not even planning a nursery. We were blessed with a boy and a girl so either one would be great! This is the perfect time to just wait and be surprised! Should be fun, although I know I will be dying! It is VERY out of character for me to agree to this!

And, to answer the nursery question- those of you that have been to our cozy lil house know that we do not really have room for this next peanut. The plan is to keep it in our room for a while like normal, and then we will take it from there. We may shack up Alex and Ellie, or we may move. We don't want to move right now and may want to even wait another year. We are really just going to see how it goes. In the meantime, we will have some major cleaning, purging, and organizing going on to make this work better for us. This is another decision that I have surprised myself with. Even though its tight here, we LOVE this house and are very attached to it.

Since starting this post that has dragged out over weeks...I am feeling so much better! Napping way less and not really nauseous anymore. Thank the Lord! It was getting REALLY old! Now I am on to cravings...salads (specifically Ranch) got me through the beginning, candy, fries and hamburgers, pudding, peanut butter and jelly, strawberries, salty chips...looks like we are off to a great start! ha! One of the hard things about food this time is not eating things that Alex can't have (in front of him) when I really crave it. I am starting to sneak foods and have hidden stashes around the house :)

We are taking suggestions for nicknames for this lil one...we need to call it something in the meantime. Things like Skittles, Peanut, Lil Bit, etc. ?? (On a side note I called Alex "peanut" the other day and he said- no! no mommy! I allergic to peanuts! I cant have them and Ellie can't have them.- And thats why I have always stayed away from the nickname :)

Lake Reunion

2011-08-18T11:33:00.000-07:00

Back in June (before Colorado, promise this is the last of the catch up!) we had Travis' family reunion at Lake LBJ. It's always a great time and we love the lake, family, and fun! This year they brought back their long time tradition of an ice cream freeze off, complete with skits to introduce the flavor. All I can say, is now I know. :) Really fun stuff!

This crazy heat hadn't fully kicked in yet and most of the day was comfortable except for the late afternoon (which is when we did skits) and Alex just got too hot and too worn down...led to him getting sick and throwing up on us in bed that night. But besides that and the roughness of just being away from home and all sleeping in one room....we had a blast :) for real....look at these smiles! btw, I take way too many pictures!

Ellie LOVED the porch swing and Grandpa was always nice enough to oblige.

elfert islandthe porch and yard were perfect for hanging out

good cuz time...Alex has really never seen a "gaming device" so this was a big wow moment for him

early morn fishing practice...he was a little excited to use the buzz lightyear glowing fishing rod. just a little.

some pool swimming

some got sucked into a puzzle with Zachary

that went on into the late night to finish

Alex could have played with the big kids all day...and wore himself right out

Ellie found out she LOVES corn on the cob

skits...the audience is ready

Whataburger...ice cream just how you like it! Sundaes by the Scotts

Swamp People by the other half of the Scotts...hilarious! Skit winners actually! and they made Gator Green Ice Cream (Pistachio)

Uncle Mikes Pot o Gold...Irish Creme Ice Cream that was so good it won the contest!

The Yankees came in their RV and did a little yankee doodle number with their blue bell cheater...really, they are adorable!

The People Of Walmart...Holly and Rita....Really. Tooooooo funny! Brave ones of the group

Holly went all out...really. ALL hanging out :)

and us....the pirates of lake LBJ and our Golden Booty ice cream that for being milk free was pretty good if you ask me. We put in Golden Oreos seeing as it is "captain hook's" favorite. :)

look at this tough grandpa! lil pinkie pirate was the cutest if you ask me and she gave the ice cream a thumbs up

and the voting...place your chips in the cups of your choice

these two have too much fun really

and fishing with daddy (and Uncle Mike)- something Alex had been looking forward to for a long time!

He caught several fish and loved every minute of it!

We also got the special treat of meeting our newest "cousin" Madeline Scott...she is a doll baby!

14, 15, and almost 16 months

2011-08-02T13:46:00.000-07:00

you get a combo deal, and yes, 16 months is around the corner so I might as well add that in there too...I think I may need to give up on these! Summer has just been too crazy!

14 months

loves big brother!

loves her babies!

Still taking two naps on most days but can be pushed to one every once in a while.

one day after nap, we found her like this

my ellie girl

never got it on camera but she started giving the stink eye this month. started on our Colorado trip. It is HILARIOUS. Serious stink eye for no reason. Here I think she was just eyeing Alex's oreo.

she will come and sit with you if you sit anywhere

loves to wake him up

15 months pic- she LOVED the turtle dress and cried when I took it off. and loved showing Daddy the turtles (pointing and looking down then smiles up at Daddy)

taking ya way back

2011-08-02T09:43:00.000-07:00

so I want to fill in some gaps...

we went to the Waco Zoo back on Memorial Day weekend (yes, I said WAY back)

LOVED it! GREAT zoo! It was starting to get hot but the morning was bearable. Glad we went when we did. Alex really took in the animals and still talks about them in connections.

the best part about the zoo is how close you get to all the animals

yes, the cheetah is RIGHT there! crazy!
Ellie is off to see more!

Alex was in love with his lizard juice
I liked the elephant best! We were so close and had him all to ourselves!

The boys went to the Round Rock Express Game with my dad that weekend too. Great time!
Alex got this "indoor" baseball set. He immediately became pro and obsessed. It is actually pretty good for in the house and great to beat the summer heat. Because, by the way, its an inferno out there now.

Ellie and I hung out and had a lil photo shoot of her cute red, white, and blue. Yes, you saw it again on the 4th with Alex's matching shorts.

Fish Creek Falls Day and homeward bound!

2011-07-25T18:54:00.001-07:00

On a side note, Ellie was so good about playing around in the condo during our down times...she LOVES to play baby...we are working on her mothering skills....she is also modeling what I like to call the pj cape- its all the rage in Colorado ;)

Fish Creek falls is just right there in Steamboat and it was just what we wanted to do in Colorado.
Classic beauty. Being a natural park made it so nice for us to be able to "hike" and be safe and comfortable.We were ready for some falls!

Alex loved that we saw a chipmunk up close and personal on the short hike down to the river.

It was amazing! and so powerful! It was actually really cold down there and there was a good mist over the bridge. Super mom left Alex's hoodie in the car! :) So we forced him to wear Travis' shirt.
That was some raging water and I was so timid to get too close to the edge! Scary stuff!

gotta love the camera timer on the rock

Alex wanted his picture taken with this little waterfall...ok!

up the mountain to get a better view of the falls

my happy hiker

Snack break! Why can I never get a decent picture of the two of them? Classic Ellie- cracker in each hand

Anyone else thinking fat albert guy? :)

He is an awesome God.

there were tons of sweet white poppies

Again, poor girl was forced to nap on the go...this time with a little privacy ;)Didn't even mind getting transitioned into the car

We headed home for lunch and naps...it was raining so we just hung out in the condo and had some quality time tossing rubber chickens. (Great game Milan and Courtney ;)) That afternoon Ellie and I went to do a little shopping and Alex and Travis headed to the Hot Springs! It was so cool and Alex loved it! It's set up like a little water park and was perfect even though it was cold and rainy.

(picture off the website- cause we don't take pics in the rain)

We headed home the next morning. Alex was a little "off" in the poop dept. the whole trip so we had to make an emergency "try" as we were down the road a little and Travis couldn't resist the photo opp. Unfortunately, the view did not help Alex and his tummy. :(

This was the golden hour....the only time he slept in the 4 days of car trips...two hours from home! The poor kid was wiped out! and had fought it long and hard...after a major meltdown in the gas station we all knew that it was time.

He woke up as we were coming into town and Alex was SUPER excited to be driving in to Round Rock! It was hysterical how fast he changed his mood. What a trip. Unforgettable, thats for sure!

And thats a wrap! Whew! back to regular blogging! yay!! :)

On to Steamboat

2011-07-19T09:01:00.000-07:00

Well, before we got to Steamboat we had lunch in Silverthorne at the perfect spot- could not have asked for it to go better! Stunning view, gorgeous weather, private covered picnic benches, and then a hunter brought his dogs to fetch in the lake for some after lunch entertainment!Alex was more than thrilled to reach the condo...let's face it, we all were! :) Travis has some VERY generous friends that he knows through work that very graciously let us stay at their condo. It was perfect! In a prime spot right at the bottom of the mountain and right next to the walmart and grocery store! We spent that first afternoon checking out the precious town of Steamboat, getting groceries, and getting settled in the condo. Grabbed some delicious local pizza for dinner and we were all ready for bed.

Alex was even more excited about the condo when he realized that their little boy had the coolest lego motorcycles and matchbox cars! It was his dream come true and I don't know what we would have done with out them the whole time we were there!

The next day we headed up the mountain on the gondola. It was perfect weather (a little overcast) and just gorgeous. Apparently everyone else sleeps in so we had the place to ourselves too!
We wanted to do the simple hike around the top of the mountain. Made it to the first lookout, about 5 min in- can still see the ski house, I am getting the camera out, and Alex slips on the big rocks into the gravel and skins his knee pretty bad. crying hysterically. Are you kidding me?

Back to the ski house for first aid and then we were back on track...although he was crying and couldn't walk so I put him on my shoulders...tough with a full backpack on too.
Finally, he was distracted enough to walk again but I had already switched with Travis and was carrying Ellie in the pack...I am so tough :)

super excited about making and throwing a snowball. It was a main goal of his on this trip.

my little silly boy photo shoot

back down we go

After naps we headed to the park on the river

ellie needed a photo shoot too...I could eat her up

This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship

2011-07-16T13:00:00.000-07:00

Wanted to throw up some pics of the kids from the last few weeks since we got back from the trip. (I will finish the trip! and work back through the events I missed from before that! dont worry)

happy 4th of july!

it was so cute that the kids set these chairs up all by themselves

they now love to eat breakfast together at the little table

can you see the pain in her eyes?

she wants to do everything big brother does! including hockey...

and the weed eater

seriously not set up....rare moment caught on camera... it was not a wrestling hold but a true embrace. they love each other sooo much and its been so fun to see them grow closer over the last few weeks. I think the trip really helped them bond.

Colorado Springs

2011-07-13T12:35:00.001-07:00

little did Alex know the fun that awaited him in Colorado Springs! We stayed with my cousin and her crew and their house is like a boy wonderland of toys! I have never seen so many different cars and trucks and nerf guns and trains and just coolness :)

Brie was lucky enough to get my grandmothers organ. I have such fond memories of playing this every time we visited her and it was fun to play on it with my kids.
he fell in love with this lacross stick (we are now the proud owners of our own set and mommy can be found playing lacross in the street most mornings thank you very much)

Needless to say he had so much fun with Jaryn (3) and Brayden (7). Brayden was very sweet to play with Alex a lot! and Alex totally wanted to do everything he did.

Swimming in the cold hot tub- Isn't their view amazing!

Jaryn was very interested in Ellie....he loved talking sweet to her and giving her things to hold. He is going to be a great big brother to his new sister coming in the fall!

Brayden is excited too.

Alex was completly anti- pictures (thats how he gets when he is exhausted) Him and Jaryn both actually. They were like two lil peas in a pod and even look a like! Picture me saying "get together!"

brayden was eager to pose :)We decided to keep the events low key and just be together...we went to the Focus on the Family center which reminded me of a small childrens museum.

the boys put on quite the puppet show

dance party on stage!

What cracks me up about this picture is that Alex helped to get Jaryn to smile by shockingly showing his booty! It may have just gotten them their Christmas card though! I do NOT know who taught him that!?!

and after, we hit up a nearby park. We really enjoyed the weather- can't do this at 2 in the afternoon in Texas!

woodchip birthday cake anyone? Ellie wants some!

that night Brie's brothers (my other cousins), Preston and Reagan, came over and Preston put on a little show for us. He spins poi and was really good if you ask me. The kids LOVED it! Here is the wiki on that for your info :) Think glowsticks on strings to techno music but Preston would be so offended if he heard that explanation :) I am sad I didn't get a picture with them! It was fun to hang out and see them!!
We also loved getting to hang out with Brie and Jonathon and stayed up till midnight both nights chatting and laughing! It was a great visit overall, too much fun for everyone, and we are so thankful to the Hendrys for hosting us!! Btw, I soo need a basement! :)

On the Road

2011-07-13T11:46:00.000-07:00

I promise that my posts wont be like this the whole trip recap but some said they wanted details on how to survive such a trip with young kids so I felt like I should tell details
So we packed up half the house and hit the road (a little after our goal time due to a turn around go back for the pack n play we forgot to get out of the closet! jeeze louise was putting it nicely) Our plan was to make it to Amarillo for the first night and then drive up to Colorado Springs the next day. It was a long first day in the car and we were all getting used to the idea. It wasn't that bad really, just a lot of work to keep the kids happy and a long day. We didn't pull in to the hotel till pretty late (and we were all exhausted! Because well, Alex you see, has this thing against sleeping in the car....he doesnt. He is like an animal. Its really crazy! And Ellie was a champ as sleeping but her naps where short because of noise or stopping in small town traffic lights (that you just curse and curse!) We turned her around because it just didn't seem fair to exclude her from the movies and the family fun. (She is now rear facing again just fyi)

first stop for lunch

drive baby drive!

sleeping beauty

I did get Alex a few things for the trip to keep him busy...one of which this color wonder travel set. See him using the marker like a rocket. Yeah, you can imagine how long he wanted to color.
but the case did make for a good lap table (something I would recommend for a car trip like this) later we decided to open it up so that there would be a lip preventing fall out. okay so my new big idea is a tray that attaches to the car seat- why don't they make these already?!?! like sell them with the car seat! Alex watched a ton of movies- the best one was Land Before Time (not the movie but the cartoon shows- he was glued!! and pretty sure it was like 5$ at Walmart) It was the best way to keep him happy and quiet.
That and shoving snacks in his face. I decided that the trip was not a time to worry about what he was eating and such. I let it all go! Anything was fair game! Brace yourself...even candy in the morning. I know. He is now a fan of starbursts and ring pops! who wouldn't be!? Good thing we went to the dentist right before we left. ;)

Only a few short hours in he kept saying he wanted to go home. nice. He wanted to play cars on our couch. really?!

Some other things that were in the bag 'o fun....
this quiet book- my dream was to make one but I realized that maybe this would have to do since I got as far as a stack of paper ideas for mine. someday though! because I know it would be soo great to have. he really liked it!

toy boats, toy cars, toy motorcycle with guy, new book (that lasted a millisecond!), rubber snake- this was a good idea actually! really fun), some manipulatives from the target dollar spot, construction site stickers/scene, and a mini farm set- Alex really liked this! One big hit with both of them was this set of finger puppets from IKEA! soo cute, cheap, and fun for the whole family!
I really didn't do a good job of preparing for this though and should have put more thought and time into it. Things went quickly and I even had to buy some of this stuff for the way home in Colorado! I know I know....he is ridiculous. We thought he might sleep at least a little! But now I have thought of things I even had that I wished I had taken- magnet scenes, magnet dress up doll (we have the boy one) books with "window" pop ups. I realized now that they even have a brain quest for kids his age! Next time I will be more prepared!

Notice I havent talked much about Ellie's entertainment. Well, thats because she didn't need much. And most of the stuff I just passed over to her after Alex was done with it. She did love her baby and books. She liked the new word book I got her that has pictures of real things in it. She watched some videos but not for long. I think her favorite was one of Alex's favorites at this age too- Sesame Street- its soooo good! I need a new copy actually cause we have worn ours out!

* One thing I loved having for her was a leash for the sippy cup and leash on her pacifier! Key!! and well worth the money!!

We did also just have good clean family fun...talking, playing word games, good ole simon says, looking at things out the window- enjoying the sites (yes west Texas does have a few things like trains and windmills, Colorado was great for this- more on that later), singing and listening to music. With an all out dance party with late night sillies. Ellie loves a good dance party. Good times, good times.

But now you see what I mean about work! With our new car there is no where for me to sit in the back so I did lots of interesting back bends and reaches. It was not pretty. and when Travis did switch with me for a little while we decided we would be best to stick to our predetermined rolls. :)

After 10 hours in the car, a completely trashed out car, lots of nothing out the window, brutal heat, lots of potty stops, two meals of wrestling cranky kids, a little bit of "redirection", we were ready to crash....that is after some good running and screaming down the halls of the hotel.

The next day was better- we really did learn a lot about traveling and how to be more organized and prepared. and it was only a few hours (7!!) to Colorado Springs and we could finally say to Alex that we made it to Colorado! We were excited to get out of the car and even more excited to see family!!

fyi- We learned for the ride home that the best use of time would be to stop at Kmart and play a little then eat meals in the car (since they aren't good at eating anyway!) Worked much better! but Alex did have a hard time letting go of this baseball helmet.

I guess what I want to say too, is that you can do it! It's hard but dooable...and I have lots of special memories now that I wouldn't trade for anything. I may even do it again some day. wow.

we survived

2011-07-06T19:13:00.000-07:00

WE SURVIVED our massive road trip to Steamboat, Colorado and still love each other...its shocking! It will be a while till I sign up for that one again. BUT... LOVED Colorado!! the friends and family we got to hug and hang out with!! and being together for a whole week!! Details soon- here is a sneak peek!

My Dad is Awesome!

2011-06-21T12:51:00.000-07:00

this went downhill fast. but Alex watched the video after making it and laughed at himself so hard. he thinks this "pa pa" junk is hilarious.
Alex and Daddy have read this book about a million times before bed (one of Travis' nightly daddy duties) and therefore Alex has memorized it.

My Dad is Awesome from Cassie Isaacson on Vimeo.

Happy Fathers Day Travis!! We love you!!
and we think you ARE awesome!! You are strong like a gorilla, fast like a cheetah, you can sing like a rockstar, you tell the funniest jokes in the world, you are great at fixing things, you are never scared, you play "babies" like a pro, you make the everyday fun, and put your family and kids first!

Florida or Bust

2011-06-20T15:40:00.000-07:00

The weekend after Alex's birthday, Travis and I headed to Marco Island Florida for a little weekend getaway.
Top 10 things I learned

1. Marco Island is beautiful. A shell beach- covered in the coolest shells! Big and little! Hurts the feet but so fun to hunt!

2. If you are thinking of taking a "weening complete trip" be sure and actually complete weening. It is no fun to leave the beach to pump.

3. If your kids get a fever the week of your vacation, you will get it ON vacation. And its no fun to have a fever on the beach.

4. The upside of being sick on vacation- no kids to take care of. The downside- the airport and airplane are not places to cuddle up and sleep.

5. No matter what, I LOVE being with my husband. We have so much fun together! and I LOVED getting to talk with him and be with him and laugh with him.

6. Bridesmaids was a funny movie. Very funny.

7. The weekend was long enough to make me cry (when Alex says "I want you Momma" on the phone) and really miss my kids but oh so not long enough.

8. Apparently Marco Island is "Babymoon" central- I have never seen so many pregnant women at one resort!

9. A spray tan is awesome. Having to give your kids a bath with rubber gloves on that night so that you don't ruin it, but ruining it anyway (in weird spots)- not awesome. And then getting to the beach and you realize you have weird patches, not awesome. And thinking you were tan but realizing you still look pale, not awesome.

10. The day is sooo long when you sit around all day and do nothing! It is fantastic.

sunset dinner night #1

dinner and a movie night #2

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

laughing at Ellie putting turkey on her head

helping make muffins

and I think Alex fell in love with Hockey all over again watching it with Grandpa Steve! and then playing it all day!

The kiddos could not have had more fun! and everyone survived!! :) Thank you for making this truly happen Honey and Grandpa Steve!

he keeps me laughing

2011-06-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

This is a list of thing Alex says that I have been adding to every once in a while.

he was crying and crying one day for no good reason. it got hysterical. he stopped after a while and said "why I crying again?"

he said "lets hurry to buy Finn McMissle before the other children buy them all!" We were in the parking lot pulling in. this was his prize for filling in a sticker chart.

new cars2 character Holly Shiftwell- toddler pronunciation "holly shitwell" (Really Disney?! You knew what you were doing?! )

Travis talking about the girls he saw walking around in Vegas. Travis says "I just kept thinking what is she wearing?!" Alex says "maybe she was wearing underwear pants!" and laughing hysterically!

he told me one night fighting bedtime " but I dont know how to close my eyes"
and often he will say " I can't. I don't have hands." when I ask him to do something bc he hears me say that I can't carry things because I dont have the hands for it. my hands are full.

he told honey (while we were gone on vacation) "dont be ridiculous. I want my prize!" (for earning a sticker on the sticker chart but it wasn't full).
He tends to tell me this too- "your ridiculous!" along with "I'm tired of this!" and "its not a choice" Of course none in correct context. but wow. didn't realize how much I said those phrases.

on the way to church Ellie was crying hysterically in the car seat (which is unheard of). Alex said "her being crazy!" and laughs really hard

"isn't Ellie a-dor-able?!" (took me a while to figure that BIG word out)

"mom, that cars movie surfboard sure is tool (cool). it sure is!" (it was a boogie board that the big boys at the pool had, love the way he says tool for cool)

"Ellie fall and I wins." (guess who learned about pushing to get ahead in the race)

"that was so nice of honey to come over. right momma?!"

"you go to the grocery store!" (his way of cussing at me when he is mad)

at HEB "there's the broccoli for the mommies and daddies!"

at the lake, Matt complaining about sleeping on the couch. we were discussing the other options of where he could sleep. "I know! why don't you sleep on the boat!? that's a great idea!"

momma's car

2011-06-15T12:37:00.000-07:00

A: where's momma's car?
me: we are in it. what do you mean?
A: no, the black and white one?
me: oh, our old car? well, when we got the new car, we left the other car at the car store. we did a trade. and this is our new car.
A: well, lets go get it.
me: we cant bubba. we had to say bye bye to it. we can't have it back.
A: Noooo. But momma, I LOVED that car!
me: I know. I loved it too. But I like our new car. Don't you?!
A: no. lets go get it back. I really liked the old car!
me: the new car has movies. the old car didn't have movies.
A: yeah. the new car has movies. the old car didnt have em.
quiet.

this was after a month of having the new car.

13 Months

2011-06-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

Really, it is almost time for me to write the next month so this is way way late! Not sure if I remember much about that exact month and not things that she has done this month but I will try and be as accurate as I can. I will make up for it with my next one!

I know one thing....she has taken off! Walking everywhere! It was like one day she just decided she wanted to go! and off she went! Seriously, she went down the street and never looked back.

this is classic Ellie smile. love it. You can really picture the "Frankenstein" walk here. It doesn't look pretty but she can get where she wants to go.

You can often hear me say "where's Ellie?!" as I seem to loose her in the house all the time! She is a little explorer! I love it...its nice that we are out of the "attached to mommy's leg" phase.

You can kinda see the shoes in her hands- she picks up all our shoes and carries them around the house! Plus she is in my fav pjs ;)
We started weaning....didn't go so well. She wasn't really into soy milk as I had hoped. So here we are trying a straw cup (since we tried them all!) and it worked for a little while. She looks so big though right?!

What she really likes are Alex's cups! Its like forbidden fruit! I went and got her cute pink cups and she really liked Alex's boy cups....so, you do what you gotta do, and I let her. I even would have Alex drink a sip and then pretend like she was taking his. Here we are double fistin' it... with a ghetto one leg up and one leg down...thats how we roll. There may be milk in those cups, maybe gin and juice??She likes to "talk". Its more like "dat dat dat" aka. I want that! that! that!

so pretty and so cautious

This is my favorite stage...I love it! She is getting to be so independent, yet still like a baby just sweet and cute as a button!

Patio Party for Papa

2011-06-06T12:04:00.000-07:00

Like I mentioned, Alex had to go through several other birthday's before his own. Including Papa Wes! We celebrated with hamburgers on their new patio! It was a fun lil night!

Race! Come on girls!

Happy Birthday Papa! We love you!

(this was from a while back but I never got around to posting it and thought it was cute)

News Flash

2011-06-05T18:44:00.000-07:00

I just want to have some things on record that have been big in the news!

The Wedding of Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton....love the classic love story! It was truly amazing to watch the wedding and think about the history that was happening. As a side note- we were looking through People magazine at the wedding photos and telling Alex about the Princes and Princesses. Out of all the guys he pointed at a guy in an ice cream cone add and said that it looked like Daddy. And it kinda did. But Travis, you are a prince to me! :)

I must add that Osama Bin Laden was killed. What a relief.

there was the final Oprah Winfrey Show. You may be laughing but its a big deal. I love this woman and have watched her show since I was a teen. I think she is a true role model, inspiration, and wise wise woman. And I thought so in 6th grade too when I did a biography report on her. :)

and most importantly... Travis Isaacson received a Federal Highway Administration Award (this is national recognition) for his engineering work on Toll 130 (the project he has worked on for the last 3 years). Officially titled-2011 Excellence in Utility Relocation and Accommodation Awards Program. The ceremony took place at the Arc in St. Louis.

We could not be more proud of you babe! Way to go!!

Calling all Space Rangers!

2011-06-04T14:18:00.000-07:00

We had Alex's party at a jumpy house place and it turned out perfect! Super fun and easy! I think everyone had a great time! Especially Alex....which I was kinda worried about since he sometimes refuses to go in jumpy houses and sometimes he loves them. He was timid but warmed up after a few trips down the slide with Daddy, Papa, and Uncle Chad.

We decided on a Toy Story party because Alex, at the time of planning, was obsessed with Buzz Lightyear. He still loves him, don't get me wrong, but for a while there it was Buzz Mania. It was great to just go to the store and get the party stuff right off the shelf and be done! Including the invites! No fancy shmancyness. :)

So I made a spaceship cake...fancy right?! :) Haha, I know it looks completely kindergarten made but that's the way cakes are supposed to be right?! I learned a lot and I think next years cake will be way better! I had fun with the idea and totally stole it off the internet down to the sparkler candles (that were all hype and not much show, btw) and finished this baby the morning of! whew! :) The red outline is licorice, star sprinkles, and ice cream cone boosters. The Stars are store bought cupcake toppers.

I promised myself (and Travis) to not do any craftiness on this party. Just to keep the stress level to a minimum. So all I did was the name tags on the gift bags. They were easy and I think turned out cute. The bags had fun toy story stuff- the water gun was actually from the dollar store! Score! and bath book from Target dollar spot! love it! mini Slinky dog toy, fruit snacks, and some lollipops.

Alex refused to look at the camera. But these shots are the boys coming out of the pirate ship slide. They all jumped their lil hearts out!

Party peeps

the boys. we invited girls but none could come, so it worked out in the end.a little goodbye group hug. such sweet friends.
Alex really got some REALLY great gifts and he loved them ALL! but his favorite has to be this really cool weed eater. He is really into yard work! Seriously. The key to good weed eating is a wide stance ;)

I love this shot of all the kids, including Ellie, totally checking it out!
Alex loves Uncle Chad so much!

Alex is 3!!

2011-06-03T13:54:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Baby Boy! :)
You have made it through everyone elses birthday and FINALLY it was YOUR birthday!

You keep reminding me "I'm big!" and "I getting bigger!" ...and as much as I say "yes! you are big!" enthusiastically, a part of me is so sad that you are growing up so quickly. But I know there is so much to look forward to...2 and a half was rough (to say it nicely), and so far I am loving 3! You are fun, funny, sweet, inquisitive, and love life. Dont get me wrong you are sweet one minute and sour the next like any other toddler, making day to day always interesting. (Shelby put it so well)

But I will focus on the positive. I love your sweet head on my shoulder, wrap your legs around my waist, hugs and little quick kisses. I love to hear you say I love you. I love the way you share with Ellie, and even sometimes Daddy and me. I love your laugh and your precious real big smile. You are my silly coo coo bird.

You are potty trained! Yay!! You can hold it for forever so we sometimes still have arguments about when to "go" but you seem to always make it in the nick of time! You even wake up in the middle of the night to go. Not so fun for mom but really great.

You have been through more phases this year than we can keep up with. Its been a year of Cars Movie, to Toy Story, to drums, to Hockey, to Baseball, to pirates, to spaceships. And when you like something, you obsess about it. Its fun to encourage and live up each phase before you are on to the next one! Thankfully, you are back to Cars currently because of Cars2 coming out soon. I love this because you will play cars on the couch for hours. Mommy bliss. ;)

You learned how to pedal your tricycle. Pretty sure you learned this at school because you could do it all of a sudden one day. So stinkin' cute to watch you love to "ride your bike" around the block. Here is a link to our school friend Evan S.' blog where she posted about Dessert with Daddy night. She has a clip of the boys on the tricycle merri go round thingy (thats the official name by the way)

Speaking of school. This year has been huge for you in the school department. It taught you to be away from Mom which is probably the biggest accomplishment. You have learned your ABCs, numbers, colors, and so much more. I realized recently that we need to work on shapes. ;) You must have been absent those days. Your speech took off and now we cant get you to stop! Overall, I think you really enjoyed school. Although you are loving summer and not having to go. :)

You hate to get dressed. You hate to brush teeth. You hate to have your hair combed. You hate to put on shoes. Makes for a fun morning.

When you potty trained you learned to undress. It was funny because I would turn around for a minute and you would strip down before I could turn back. You fully undress yourself every night for bath and you are so proud. Getting dressed is a little tricky. But you would choose to do it yourself if you could. You suddenly have a strong opinion about what you wear. And you recently decided that you hate pants and long sleeves- fine for summer but there were a few cold snaps there where you would have frozen in shorts. You make us roll your pajama pants up. (I had just bought him new pajamas before he shared this new info with us)

You keep us laughing with the things that come out of your mouth. Seriously funny stuff. Sometimes on purpose and sometimes because you mispronounce things and sometimes because you just don't understand things. I am keeping track of your best stuff and will be posting that soon. You went through a stage a few months ago I like to call the "why?" days. It was brutal. Why this and why that! ALL DAY LONG. No kidding they could hire you to torture prisoners and I am sure you could make the toughest crumble like a cookie. Here is a sample of what I am talking about.
Driving home from school...
A- see that yard guy
Me- yeah, he is mowing the grass
A- why?
Me- because the grass was getting long
A-why?
Me- because the grass grows after it rains
A- why?
you get the idea. I shut it down with a super long summary of how God made the rain and the rain causes the grass to grow and we cut it with the lawn mower so that it wont itch our legs when we walk there and it seemed to finally suffice him and I gave a silent hoo raw. Thankfully your "whys" are a little more reasonable now days.

You are very good at well...."just one more show." "just one more tiny cookie." "just one more book."

Your Stats from the doc-
weight- 29 lbs (25%)
height- 37 1/2 in (50%)

My interview with you....
favorite color- green. NO! blue.

favorite food- yellow cookies (Golden Oreos)
I will add bean and "cheese" tacos, fruit snacks, and cinnamon toast crunch. I know you are shocked that carrots and broccoli are not on the list.

best friend- Ellie (I mean really. Does it get any better?!) Then when we went to the Doctor and she asked him he said Evan. (okay, maybe he was trying to get more yellow cookies with the sister answer)

favorite place to go out to eat- Whataburger (maybe because thats the only place we take him, sorry kid. he does think that he likes Chuys too. But kid can spot a whataburger a mile away! and he plays pretend they always go to Whataburger. Today the orange trash truck was the Whataburger. Anything orange is "kinda like Whataburger")

favorite tv show- Curious George (this is another thing that changes with the wind)

buzz or woody- BUZZ

favorite toy to play with- new spaceship
funny story bout that....for months now he has wanted this spaceship because he saw it at the toy store. constantly thinking that it would be a prize or a gift for someone else. we told him that maybe he could have it for his birthday. the sad thing is that I knew he wouldn't really play with it but there was so much hype, we HAD to get it for him. and as much as he loves it, he really doesnt play with it that much. funny kid.

Your birthday DAY...
It was a great day! Woke up to balloons in your room and wanted them in your bed!

Then you rolled around in them, kicked them, and played with them for a good while (returning later in the day to play more).

Waffles with a side of ice cream for breakfast please!

Water balloons while Ellie took her nap.
You can see where this was going.

Daddy came home at lunch from his work trip to St. Louis. Fun in itself but he also brought home these sticks. Really? great idea Daddy.

Present time! Closing his eyes- he loves this and it was his idea

Ellie was super jealous

THE spaceship!!!!!!!!!!

We had one happy three year old!

The day ended with a birthday dinner at where else but...Whataburger. Happy Birthday Buddy! We love you!!

lets get pinning!

2011-05-26T13:31:00.000-07:00

You know how you go through blogs (and sometimes get going on blog to blog to blog link)! and you see all these cool things but you are thinking to yourself, I cant bookmark the world! and I will probably not remember this when it comes time to needing it! well.....your answer is pinterest!
I love it! check it out!! sign up!! its so cool! and easy! and you will be hooked in no time! I need to work on my page bc I just started! I have found that its also a good way to search for cool things- let others do the hunting! Like when I needed a teacher gift the week of and saw this super cute idea, stole it, and threw it together, like wow! :)

and just a quick note, this is a follow up on the previous summer learning post....this is another site that found and like- www.makinglearningfun.com Just sharing in case you wanted to know :) I like the magnet sheets. They go with the alphabet or books. Really easy to find what you want. Seems to be a ton of good stuff!

and yes I went to Florida last weekend and yes I will be posting about it and yes my child turned three and yes I will be posting about it! :) all in good time, all in good time

Barnyard Birthday Bash for Two!

2011-05-24T13:25:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to help celebrate Madison turning three and lil bro Tyler turning 1 recently. (hopefully I can still say recently since I am WAY behind on blogging) Well, Miss Shelby outdid herself with a backyard farm themed party (check it out) like out of a magazine...complete with petting zoo, bouncy house, bubbles, and tables and decorations cuter than a...I dont know, a pig in mud?

Alex really LOVED the petting zoo. Normally he isn't quite into them but this one was really good (which Shelby knew and was why she booked them). They have mostly babies... bunnies, goats, chickens, and even the cutest lil piggie! Alex was so intrigued.

chasing the piggie

getting a close look at those bunnies. he may or may not have been poking them in the eye. lets hope and pray not.

cant believe I let him do this considering its milk. didnt think twice at the time. but all was fine and he loved helping!
Ellie was scared and clung tight to daddy. but did like to point at the bunny. she has been in to pointing at oh, only, everything.

all the "babies", couldn't believe how well this one went!

The girls ganging up on Evan ;) too funny

Happy Birthday sweet friends!
I want to add this because it was a big deal- after the party I hit 35 up to Dallas to celebrate my sweet long time friend Vaughanie's 30th Birthday with a girls night! It was my first night away from miss Ellie! We BOTH did great and I am so glad that I went! Ellie was a champ for Daddy and even slept through the night. I got to see some very special girls and get in some all important mommy girl talk into the wee hours of the night. I didn't take any pictures but here is one I stole that I love.
Vaughanie you are so beautiful and getting more beautiful with every year. It was SO fun to celebrate with you!

what to do today?

2011-05-11T10:00:00.000-07:00

that is the question I am often asking myself when I have put Eliana down for nap in the morning and I look at the crazy guy who is running in circles in the living room. I decided I needed some help coming up with some ideas. He is NOT into art at all so I would have to get creative. I came across this blog and I have loved it! She has boys and at similar ages. She home pre-schools them so she has way more ideas than I need right now, but its good to pick and choose. I really like the fine motor skills activities. We have tried tweezers (that I found at the dollar store in a bug kit, they also have "toaster tongs" at a kitchen store that are a good size, and IKEA has a real good kid tong in the child kitchen tools set), dot paint letters (I just made some quickly in Word so let me know if you want the files), sticker pictures, hammering in golf tees in the dirt, sidewalk chalk obstacle course, car colors, and marbles (decorative from the dollar store). The marbles have been a HUGE hit. I mean, he asks to play with them everyday! I told him they are just for him and only when Ellie is napping and I think that he likes that even more. I gave him an old wrapping paper tube and he loves shooting them down like a ramp. I also gave lots of different sized spoons to work on transferring them. It's been great! But really, ALL the activites I have tried so far have been hits! It makes me excited like a teacher again. I think I will have to step it up here for the summer since he will home all week- yikes!

so a big thanks to this lady! all props to her! check her out- Little Hands Big Work

any other sites I need to know about? any other good ideas? please share! :)

these are the days, hot days

2011-05-10T09:29:00.000-07:00

I love these early summer days (don't ask me in July when I am dying of heat)

in the backyard

(showing off her big girl teeth!)

getting wet to stay cool

living in swimsuits, or less :)

sharing snacks

getting Popsicle all over ya

with no agenda. just fun. I wouldn't trade it!

slip n slide

2011-05-10T09:09:00.000-07:00

this was one of the first water days of the season (back a month ago)...in my opinion it was still way to cold, but I am the official weenie when it comes to cold water.

Alex wasn't getting the concept of Slip n Slide until Daddy showed him how its done.
I just warned him that he is not as young as he once was ;) and how sad would it be to get hurt doing this

Ellie was a good cheerleader. Yay Daddy!

Alex had too much fun even though he has a lot to learn as far as slip n slide skills go.

Easter

2011-05-09T18:28:00.001-07:00

So it started with an egg hunt at school on Thursday. Alex was totally not into it because he had an allergic reaction to something (? dont know but maybe just pollen) like RIGHT before the hunt. His face and eye was totally swollen and itchy. Poor guy. But he totally didn't get the whole picking up eggs thing. People had to give us eggs at the end to make it fair. Alex didn't seem to mind. He was stoked about the candy "O"- lifesaver- he found in one of the eggs. Saturday we headed out to Honey and Grandpa Steves neighborhood egg hunt "extravaganza". It was a really great event!
Ellie spotted those eggs and had to have em! I had to hold her back!

waiting so patiently

So, the fire truck comes to blow the siren to start the hunt....should have prepared us for that one! Alex was totally caught off guard and wouldn't go for the eggs after that and the mad rush of people going after eggs! Seriously, it was quite crazy!

Alex getting the hang of it with some help from Honey.

not bad little one. not bad.

driving the fire truck..."let me see. how do I back this thing up?"

picture with the Easter Bunny! surprisingly enough both kids where into it!

a little high five action

Ellie loved watching him!

a little petting zoo action...we we happy to stay on this side of the fence. especially miss E.

and some park action

Easter Morning
a funny tidbit- I told Alex that the Easter bunny was coming the night before and he did give me some odd looks. He ended up crying hard in the middle of the night, saying he didn't want the Easter Bunny to come to his house, and sleeping in bed with us he was so scared. oops. Maybe he was picturing the slightly weird bunny man from the park coming in his house and I can't blame him. Although, when he realized there was a basket of treats involved I think he forgot all about the drama.

a little breakfast with daddy before church

checking out the loot

and a sibling shot was not in the cards. okay.

After Church we headed to my sisters house for lunch and an egg hunt. This time Alex got it! I think he needed a less competitive environment to feel comfortable....although Kalyn gave him a run for his money. Ellie, not so much. She was content taking the eggs out of the basket that I nicely tried to put in there to help a sista out.

Kalyns playhouse is the coolest. Ellie can't get enough in and out, close the door.
he claims he likes jelly beans but don't be fooled. he sucks on them for all of 2 seconds and then spits them out making a huge mess and says he doesn't like that one....and goes in for a new color. awesome.

Welcome Home Dadda

2011-05-06T14:00:00.000-07:00

the kids love to bombard Travis when he pulls in the driveway....they love him and they really love the truck! He is so patient with them even though I know he is ready to get out.

Ellie likes to drive and bounce in the seat. Alex likes to touch and mess with everything!

Here he is playing Whataburger drive through :)

our new members to the team

2011-05-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

meet Floppiana and Rocket...Daddy may or may not have influenced the choice here, hmmm

Alex refused to let Ellie have her picture with Floppiana aloneand then Eliana wouldn't sit still and stop climbing the chair so Alex decided to take matters into his own hands. hold her down. turned out to be sweet though

The birthday day

2011-05-04T19:49:00.000-07:00

For your actual birthday we had a fun day at the mall. Daddy had to go out of town for work that night so he came home to go with us. Honey met us there too (and she came home to help me for the night while Daddy was gone). We had ChickFilA- you realized that french fries taste way better than baby food. We rode the train. You seemed to really like it. Daddy and I squeezed in and felt quite cheesy. Thank goodness it was a weekday and the mall was dead. And we made a build a bear! Thanks to the Scully's for the gift card! It was a great way to spend your special day!

12 months

2011-04-28T13:20:00.001-07:00

I know yall are like "enough with the birthday" but I am trying to be fair. I am just dragging it out to torture myself. :) but I will use this to catch up and post all the random shots I have of her over the month that I never got around to posting.

Happy Birthday Sweet Eliana!I cannot seem to grasp that my baby girl is one! That it was a year ago that you entered our lives and warmed our hearts. I really can't imagine life without you and I love you dearly. I say that with my whole heart, body, and soul.
You are so special. You are so unique. You are so beautiful. You light up a room when you enter and (as Nani put it) your big blue eyes dance when you smile. You are so precious. You are my baby girl and always will be.

This is my favorite age because you really start to see personality. You love to laugh and think that everything is funny! You really want to join in on the fun that everyone else is having so even though you don't understand, you will laugh too.

You are cutting your four top teeth here at the same time! Wowsers is right! I think they were growing by the minute too! I swear they grew over nap time!

You are still not walking on your own. A few steps here and there but you like to hold on to something. (To be fair this didn't happen till after her birthday)

You love to play peek a boo with a big grin.
When you are beside someone or in their arms, You love to stick your face around in front of them and look closely at them until they look at you. This is a favorite of Daddy's. There really is nothing cuter that you checking something out with full curiosity.
You love to lay your sweet head in my lap. melt. my. heart. I love it.
You like to mimic and do it well. One night at dinner recently, we all tried to snap our fingers, you included. You like to "comb your hair" and "talk on the phone".

You are a good eater! You love to take control and feed yourself. I figured out that you ate much better this way. You LOVE pasta! peaches and green beans! It was hard for me to let go and let you get messy but its been so worth it. I think you will be a much better eater than Alex.
You also will take baby food straight out of the pouch nozzle- its great! Easy, clean, and you are eating good stuff! yea!! And you really seem to eat most everything we give you. For a while you were doing this chipmunk thing where you would shove food in your mouth and keep it in your cheeks. You would keep your lips lock tight and not let us in to get it out. Thankfully this only lasted a few weeks (maybe since you have more teeth now its getting better).

you were in an extra good mood that day

You love to play with brother and he LOVES it! recently, the game of choice is to crawl around and under the kitchen table. You love bath time but just decided that you were done with the bath seat. I mean, screaming fit done! and all you want to do is stand. Your independence came to surprise us all

You love to be outside and play in the climber house. You go in and out and close the door behind you. You just started raising your hand up in the sky while outside too- not sure if you are feeling the wind or what. It sure is cute though!

You have the sweetest lil curl coming in! yay!!
Your stats-
weight: 17 lbs 4.5 oz- less than 5th %...tiny lil bird
Height: 28.5 in- 35th %...you are a few inches shorter than Alex at this age
head: 65th %...big heads run in the fam, sorry hun

our measure board official birthday marking

trying to cheat huh ;)

Kalyn!!

the hair, she is always eying the hair :)this reminded me so much of Alex who also loved to get into the pantry

a typical site for me

and thats a wrap lil stinker butt

because

2011-04-25T20:39:00.000-07:00

I cant seem to get my real postings done

travis said just put some pictures up

and they are just so darn cute watching tv together

he cracks me up and hates me for ithe wants to be like daddy

have a terrific tuesday!

walker! texas ranger

2011-04-22T14:45:00.000-07:00

Ellie is a walker! from Cassie Isaacson on Vimeo.

someday I will catch up on all the blogging I need to do! until then here is a quick one!

Recipes

2011-04-18T11:11:00.001-07:00

So, my goal for the party was for it to be completely safe for my kiddos- no egg, dairy, or peanuts. Not that Alex would eat it all (I did know that both kids would be eating cake) but it is nice to know that its all safe no matter what they get into and that there would be no accidents. I also wanted it to be well rounded with food everyone would want to eat! It needs to taste good! :)

So I set out to make dairy free ranch dip... and guys, it was sooo good! Everyone seemed to love it and I think they would have never known if I hadn't had it labeled and told them. It was super easy too!

Dairy Free Egg Free Ranch Dip
1 cup Vegenaise (see below)
1/4 cup soy or rice milk
1 pkt generic hill country fare ranch dip (if you dont have HEB, check the generic version at your local store, or follow this recipe and be fancy with putting in the real herbs and spices)

Mix altogether and chill.
I actually split (roughly) the recipe and it was plenty for our party.
yes, I know what you are thinking. sounds weird. gross. but really, it tastes like real mayo and makes for some good ranch. the only downside is the price. its a pretty penny.

I also put some of this out to dip in too. This is one of my favorite dressings and it is also dairy and egg free! LOVE it!! Alex won't go near it. :(

What had to be egg and dairy free was the cake. Alex is in to cake now and of course Ellie was going to have cake. The days of separate cakes is over. Its too much work and not worth it. Alex wants what we are all having.
I had read that you could add Sprite to a box mix and that it would turn out, but I was hesitant. Well, low and behold it is true and it is delicious!
I found that Duncan Hines Moist deluxe cake mixes are dairy free (all except the vanilla, go figure, so Strawberry it is!)
Add 10 oz. of 7Up or Sprite and I added a small cup of applesauce to help it stick together a little better. Mix and bake according to box. I mean, it doesn't get easier than that!
I topped it with Pillsbury Strawberry Icing!

I am so not winning any baker of the year prizes or my own cooking show on the Food Network but I dont care. This is how I do cakes!
and I hope yall know that I am sharing not to get kudos or anything but to help others who may be in my shoes.