A Few More Pics...

Brooke, the fabulous photographer and friend:o)

Ella blowing out her candle...

Eating her parfait...

Opening her Fancy Nancy doll from Granny...

Weston enjoyed the party just as much as Ella! I think we might do a dress-up fancy party for his 6th birthday:o) hahahaha!

A Few Pics From Ella's Fancy Nancy Party-April 25th

On Saturday, the 25th, we had Ella's 3rd birthday party here at the house (my favorite parties). She had a Fancy Nancy party and all the girls dressed up. We made posh purses (idea courtesy of Martha Stewart http://www.marthastewart.com/article/no-sew-fancy-kids-pocketbook) and parfaits (that's a fancy word for ice cream sundae:o). The girls had so much fun playing together and being fancy. Ironically enough, my little Ella, who wears tutus to the gym or to roll around in the dirt, refused to wear anything fancy at her party! The only thing she kept on the entire time was her dress! She was the only girl at the party not wearing her fancy accessories that i got all the girls! It just figures...Thank you, Brooke for taking such great pictures of Ella's special day!! Here is a link to view all of the pictures taken from the party: Some of the girls enjoying their party food.

Ella was tired during her party and kept going back to her "night-night" (which we cut in half on her birthday).

Brooke mangaged to capture the 5 seconds Ella actually wore her fancy attire!

Already undressing...

Cupcake bites (courtesy of Bakerella http://bakerella.blogspot.com/2008/05/cupcake-bites-made-easy.html .)

Ella's vanilla cupcakes...

All of the girls went home with a tutu, wand, wings, and a boa (not pictured). I found them all at http://www.haloheaven.com/ for an unbelievable deal!The party room...

Ella Dancing at the Wedding

Andrea's Wedding in Emporia- April 18th

This past weekend after Weston's first t-ball game (scroll down to next post for pics of that:o), we packed up the car and headed south to Emporia for Chad's cousin, Andrea's wedding. It was the most gorgeous day! The got married in a church and had their reception on the lawn of this really cool super old house that they opened up and let people tour all night. I didn't get an "official" tour, so i'm not sure why it's special, but i did take ella around it for a looksy. Chad's uncle Bobby's band played at the reception and did a great job. However, the only people that danced most of the night were all of the kids! Our kids danced the entire night until Ella danced herself to sleep! She, of course, perked right up as soon as we got back to the hotel:o) It was a fun night for all of us and the band told us at the end of the night that they really loved watching our kids dance. I'll try and post a video.

Ella's scraped up elbow. Read on to find out how it happened...

Ella breaking out some moves that Daddy taught her...

Weston gets nose bleeds about once a week when the weather is dry. Well, for whatever reason he got 1 on the way to the hotel, and 3 at the wedding!! So much for looking cute! He sported blood down the front of his shirt for half the night!

Ella all pooped out!

When we first got to the reception...

So, i wanted to get a good picture of the kids in their cute outfits before they got all sweaty and dropped food all over themselves...so i tell them to go over to this concrete bench and sit down. Ella walks over, climbs up on the bench and sits down, falls backward off the bench and scrapes her elbow! After i got her to calm down, this is her showing Weston her elbow.

Weston trying to make ella feel better with a flower he picked for her...

A little smile...

and then she remembered her elbow again:o)

Weston's First T-Ball Game!! April 18th

Coach Patrick giving them the big pep talk...

Ella wishing her Bubby good luck...

Weston's first big hit! Go Weston!

Weston played catcher first after having never practiced in this position. He had no clue what to do! On the last play of the inning when the runner was headed towards home, the coach yelled to Weston (who was holding the ball), "Tag the runner with the ball!" So, Weston, not having any idea what this means, totally chucks the ball at the runner! It was so hilarious! Everyone in the stands was dying laughing!

The wind-up...

Running to field a ball from right field...

Good game!

Coach Patrick and Coach Ashley are so great with the kids! The kids did great and even though our team is the youngest in the league (made up of all 5 year olds who have never played before), the pirates won their first game!! Go Pirates!!!

Kamryn, Weston, and Jack congratulate each other on the big win:o)

Best buds!

This is how they cuddled up to watch Curious George after lunch today. I thought it was so cute:o) They have a really sweet relationship that I hope lasts them through adulthood.

A random picture from Thursday...

A Nice Sunny Day...

Weston was supposed to have his very first T-ball game today, but despite all of the bright shiny sun this morning, the fields were still too wet to play on. So, since we were up and dressed anyway, the kids and I headed outside to enjoy the sunshine. Weston's still wearing his T-ball hat. His team is called the Pirates! Can you believe it?? His most favorite thing!

My little monkey...

Safety first!

Ella is finally tall enough to reach the pedals on her tricycle! I think she might get a "big girl" princess bike for her birthday:o) She's dying to be able to ride a bike like Bubby's!

Pictures Ella will kill me for later in life...

She thinks she's so funny:o)

So attractive!

Weston's big hole...3/16/09

Well, today is class picture day at school and Weston has really been working on 2 lose teeth the past few days. We read a book called The Tooth Story and it was about a boy who loses his tooth the day before class pictures. I told Weston his class pictures would look so cool if he was missing his tooth! He agreed that a "holey smile" would be better than a "toothy grin." So, last night after story time, Chad and Weston worked on those teeth (the loser one in particular) for about an hour. They used dental floss, a tissue, and finally thread. The thread did the trick and out the one tooth came! He was so brave throughout the whole thing and didn't even cry! He talks a little funny now, and it is so cute! I couldn't be prouder! And as it turns out, the timing is pretty great (since I still don't have a working camera) that today is picture day and they also get the option of a single picture. I'll definitely be buying that one! These are the best i could do with my phone camera:o) Now all we have to do is work on the other one!

The note from the Tooth Fairy read:

Congratulations, Weston on losing your very first tooth! I will let you keep this one because the first one is pretty special. Smile!

Love,

The Tooth Fairy

*Attached was a dollar bill and his tooth.

Me...Through My Kids' Eyes

So, here is a little survey that i stole from my sister, Erin's blog.
*I made Ella answer first so she couldn't copy Weston's answers.*
1. What is something mom always says to you?
Weston-Be a good listener.
Ella-Daddy
2. What makes mom happy?
Weston-Me being a good listener.
Ella-Waffles
3. What makes mom sad?
Weston-When i'm not a good listener.
Ella-When me sad...and poop
4. How does your mom make you laugh?
Weston-Chasing me up the stairs.
Ella-When you give me tickles and make me laugh.
5. What was your mom like as a child?
Weston-Maybe you liked cooking with Granny.
Ella-You cried and said "waaa, i want my mommy!" oh, and HAPPY!
6. How old is your mom?
Weston-28 and going to be 30, no, 29 on Saturday.
Ella-2
7. How tall is your mom?
Weston-10 feet tall (yikes!)
Ella-Big like Oscar (the Grouch) and Elmo (i can only imagine she means the size of the ones that we saw at Elmo's Green Thumb)
8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Weston-Go sledding in the snow (we have about a foot of snow on the ground right now) or swimming in the pool in the summer. Taking pictures of us playing in the snow.
Ella-play my dollhouse and make hot cocoa, watch Georgie, Elmo, and the news, have a snack, play outside in the snow...
9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Weston-Wash the dishes and clean the house (definitely my idea of a good time!:o)
Ella-Play games.
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Weston-Us (not sure how to respond to that one)
Ella-Talking (or that one!)
11. What is your mom really good at?
Weston-Doing splashy cannonballs and going on the slide (on the playground). (what???)
Ella-Talking (perhaps i should talk less)
12. What is your mom not very good at?
Weston-Being mad because sometimes we are really really good listeners (insert shocked face!)
Ella-Being ugly (that's what i say to her when she's being rotten)
13. What does your mom do for a job?
Weston-To keep the house clean.
Ella-Do the dishes, clean up the foods (great, sounds like Mommy's really the maid!)
14.What is your mom's favorite food?
Weston-Chocolate
Ella-Mud (not sure what she's seen me eating??? maybe too much chocolate;o)
15. What makes you proud of your mom?
Weston-When you help me clean my room for a little bit.
Ella-Daddy
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Weston-Tinkerbell (i love him for this one:o)5+
Ella-Kai-lan (not sure if that is actually her name or not, but that is what the kids call her)
17. What do you and your mom do together?
Weston-Do puzzles--sometimes! We dress up as pirates.
Ella-Play my dollhouse, drink hot cocoa, go the gym, go to MOPS, go to church, and play with Mommy
18. How are you and your mom the same?
Weston-Because we like to play together. I know the right answer for you and Ella. You're both "girrs!"
Ella-We like to play with my dollhouse (can you tell she loves her dollhouse?)
19. How are you and your mom different?
Weston-Because I'm a boy and you're a "gir."
Ella-Being ugly (??)
20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Weston-Because you be nice to us.
Ella-CARROTS! (i think she has tourett's!)
21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
Weston-You like to play games with him.
Ella-Hug him and kiss him.
22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Weston-To a chocolate factory (do my kids know me or what?)
Ella-Go run! (good answer:o)

Wow! What have i learned from my kids this morning?? I guess i need to stop eating so much chocolate and clean the house less:o) Now, we're off to go play in the snow before it all melts and then head to the gym (my real favorite place to go) and run off some of the calories from those chocolate cupcakes that i made yesterday. i guess my kids really do know me afterall!

Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k Count Down

Oops, I did it again!

So, a few months ago, i accidentally dropped my "good" camera (kodak easyshare with the 10x zoom) that i got after weston was born. it fell from the counter to the floor and now it no longer works. i was pretty upset, but thankfully chad bought me a cybershot last christmas (to throw in my purse), so i could still take pictures of the kids. well, valentine's day night after returning from the tobacco company with our dinner club, i stepped out of the suburban with my purse in hand and heard an all too familiar sound...oh yes, that was my sony cybershot hitting the pavement! i quickly scooped it up before chad noticed and casually walked inside. since the battery died at dinner, i would have to wait until morning to assess the damage. cut to sunday morning before church...after charging the battery all night, i anxiously inserted it into my camera and turned it on. a flashing E:61:10 message flashed on the screen and everything was out of focus. button to take picture does not work. taking battery out and in does not work. turning on and off does not work. read the manual. initialize camera. does not work. google error message and problem with camera. several people with this problem suggest banging the crap out of it until the error message goes away and it starts to work properly again. i bang with all my might for half an hour turning on and off in between bangs. nothing is working!! i am so sad:o(!!!! will try and take it to best buy tomorrow. i'll keep you posted...

The First Snow of the Year!

Today we got our first snow of the year! They cancelled school, so we headed outside to soak up the fun! i was really glad to find out that the snowsuit i bought ella last year and never got to use, still fit her. she also fit in her light up princess boots from grandma bo that she scored on clearance last winter for $5.00! great deal, grandma! anyway, as you can see, we all had a blast even though it snowed the whole time we were outside. what a fun way to spend a tuesday!!

Ella throwing her first snowball.

Poor girl looked like the kid from A Christmas Story!

so, we couldn't find our sleds (i think they might still be at daniel and beth's from like 3 winters ago), so i went up in granny's attic looking for some. and guess what i found??? oh yes, girls, big green! this was the sled we always fought over as young girls because it had the "oh so cool" handbrakes! ella and weston fought over it as well today and weston even mastered the art of braking at the end of the hill to spin out. thanks gran!

SNOWWWWWWWW!!!!!

Landon breaking the sled with his big booty!

Ready, set, go!

WINNER! Mom's such a daredevil! She beat weston 3 times!

We tried pushing Landon down the hill in the baby sled, but he was too fat! it just stuck in the snow!

Poor Ella's hands got so cold! I ran in to get her more gloves, but when i came back, she was in tears!

Snow bunnies!

Mom and ella flying down the hill!

Mom let Landon crawl around in the snow...

He loved it!