You have to start them early....

Pretty sure she has observed me cleaning a few too many times. 

She wants to "wash" all the time now! 

Escape artist

About 20 minutes after I posted my last blog post last night Ella escaped AGAIN! This time she said, "Daddy" and found Adam. As if he wasn't going to put her back to bed. Of course mean mommy did. She was not happy, but she went to sleep. Pray for us please:) 

That's my girl!

Ella has definitely been keeping me on my toes lately. This past Sunday Ella laid down for her nap around 1:00, just like any other day. Ella always plays in her bed for about 30-45 minutes and goes to sleep. I was doing my usual cleaning routine during nap time on Sunday. I was walking out of our bedroom when I hear Ella's door opening, and Ella come walking out. She took one look at me and took off running. I wish I had a picture of my face, because I don't think I have ever been so shocked in my life. I put her back to bed, and she got out AGAIN! This time she told me, "all done." I took the bumper out so she didn't have anything to stand on and back to bed she went. This time she stayed in. 

Today I was sitting on the couch relaxing when I hear her door opening. I just sat there to see what she was going to do. She opened her door and shut it behind her. She came walking in the living room with a huge smile on her face. She acted as if nap time was over, but I put her right back to bed. She went to sleep without a problem. 

As frustrating as this is I can't help but find a little humor in it. She tries to be so quiet about it, and then she tries to act so cute when she comes to find me. I do have a feeling though that once we change her crib into a toddler bed she will be one of those kids that gets out of bed about 20 times before she goes to sleep. Let's hope she proves me wrong on that;)  

ABC's of Ella- 26 months

Ella is 26 months old today! I thought I would mix things up and do the ABC's of Ella since there are 26 letters in the alphabet! 

Adamant- Just try to change her mind when she wants something. 

Beautiful- I am of course bias but just look at her. 

Choosy- Seriously, have you watched this girl eat?

Determined- She is determined to do what she wants and get what she wants. Not sure if this is going to be good or bad as she grows up;) 

Endearing- She is lovable and affectionate. 

Fearless- especially when it comes to climbing. She has climbed on just about everything in this house. 

Girly- and always will be;) 

Happy- Just look at her smile!

Impatient- She got that from her momma. 

Jovial- She is usually in a good mood unless she doesn't get her required amount of sleep!

Kindhearted- So sweet to others, and I hope she is always like this! 

Lovable- It's easy to love that face! 

Memorable- How could you ever forget this face?

Naughty- She's an angel most of the time though;) 

Obsessed- with Elmo, balls, Dora, and babies

Precious- Again, just look at that smile:) 

Quick- in movement and learning

Resilient- She always bounces back pretty quickly when she gets hurt. She's a tough girl.

Stubborn- have you ever tried to get her to do something she doesn't want to? Not happening!

Talkative- Doesn't stop from the time she wakes up until the time she goes to bed.

Unique- She is definitely one of a kind!

Vocal-when Ella wants something she tells us and says it over and over and over...

Wild- She runs around like a crazy woman most of the time. 

X- please leave me a comment if you can think of one for X, because I can't;) 

Young- I wish she could stay young forever! 

Zany- She is a character and keeps us entertained. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Birthday Brody!

Today is Brody's 4th Birthday! Brody is such a sweet dog. We got him on a whim so Elliott would have a friend. He was such a great addition to our family. He is VERY laid back. He sleeps 23 out of the 24 hours in a day. 

He is very independent but also loves to be close to us. Brody is always very sweet to Ella. She has irritated him quite a bit, and he just takes it. Brody is such a great dog, and we love him very much!! 

In preparation for Valentine's Day...

The boys got groomed today, and the groomer took their pictures. Aren't they sweet!? :) 

Nashville Trip

We had such a fun, relaxing weekend in Nashville. We stayed at the Opryland Hotel.

 I LOVE that hotel. I think it is one of my favorite places. It's so relaxing. We didn't leave but one time to run to Target. I'll explain why here shortly. 

For weeks I have been worried about leaving Ella. I wasn't so much worried about her. I was worried about my parents and the possibility that Ella may not sleep. I am happy to say that she slept all night Friday night, took a nap on Saturday, AND slept all night Saturday night. They said she was really good all weekend. I was able to breath a little easier knowing that they were not dead tired. I know Ella had a fun time, because she wasn't even that excited to see us when we got home. She acted as if we never left! I hope my parents know how grateful we are to them for staying with Ella over the weekend so we could go have some fun! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! 

Friday night we got to Nashville around 7:30. We got a room with a balcony. We both love the balconies. You can hear running water. We got lucky, and there was a waterfall to the left of us. 

Adam and I on our five year anniversary! 

Saturday morning we get up and realize that Adam's boxers, socks, and t-shirts are missing from the suitcase. Come to find out that ELLA had taken them out of the suitcase. She has an obsession with Adam's clothing. I remembered that I noticed some of his stuff in the hamper, and I thought it was weird because I did all the laundry before we left. She took it out of the suitcase and put it in the hamper. She is so funny! We had to make a trip to Target. I wasn't complaining either. I. LOVE. TARGET. If there was a Target shoppers anonymous I would be going. Target is my weakness, and I could lose all control in there (don't tell Adam but sometimes I do). I was pleasantly surprised when I saw a whole grocery section. I have never been to a Target that has a full grocery store in it. I was in heaven. I came out with some spices, kosher salt, wooden spoons, and pesto. Walking to our car I realized that I was slowly turning into my mother. The highlight of my mom's vacations is going to the grocery store. I used to hit up a mall for clothes, shoes, or a new purse on a trip. Now I settle for groceries:) 

Saturday afternoon we relaxed on the balcony and ate lunch. They have a really good burger place called Stax. It was probably my favorite meal of the whole trip.

My mouth is watering just looking at this picture. YUM! 

We walked around after lunch. The hotel is beautiful, and there is a lot to look at.

The flowers are just gorgeous. I always love taking pictures of them! 

Adam's way of relaxing. He was in heaven:) 

Thank goodness for the self timer. I wanted to try to get one good picture before we went out to eat. It was actually really dark right here. Thank goodness for photoshop. 

We ate at a Mexican restaurant called, "Solario." I thought it was excellent! The margarita was REALLY YUMMY! 

We headed out this morning. I think we were both ready to get back. It was a great trip. It was nice to relax, and not have to worry about a schedule. We both missed Ella and the boys greatly, but it's nice to get away from them every once in awhile too. Looking back it's been a great five years. It FLEW by. I still can't believe we have been married five years. In those five years we bought a house, got two dogs, had a baby, I quit my job to stay at home with Ella, and Adam switched jobs five times (HAHA). Minus me getting sick we have had pretty good luck. Hopefully the next five years will be just as great! 

5 years ago today....

I still remember this day like it was yesterday. Somehow in 5 years that flew by we went from just Adam and I to a family of 5:) 

We are headed to Nashville this weekend to stay at the Opryland Hotel and enjoy some freedom! I am sure we will miss our babies though! 

Thinking of having kids?

I found this on another blog and thought it was really funny.  For those of you who have kids you will understand why this is so funny.  For those of you who don't, you will find out why one of these days;) 

11 Step Program for Those Thinking of Having Kids

Lesson 1

1. Go to the grocery store.
2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home.
4. Pick up the paper.
5. Read it for the last time.

Lesson 2

Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their...
1. Methods of discipline.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.
4. Allowing their children to run wild.
5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breastfeeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior.
Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.

Lesson 3

A really good way to discover how the nights might feel...
1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)
2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.
3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.
4. Set the alarm for 3AM.
5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.
6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.
7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.
8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.
9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)

Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.

Lesson 4

Can you stand the mess children make? T o find out...
1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.
2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.
4. Then rub them on the clean walls.
5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.
6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?

Lesson 5

Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.
1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.

Time allowed for this - all morning.

Lesson 6

Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.
1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment.
Leave it there.
2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.
3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.
4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Lesson 7

Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 8

1. Hollow out a melon.
2. Make a small hole in the side.
3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.

You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.

Lesson 9

Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you're thinking What's 'Noggin'?) Exactly the point.

Lesson 10

Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 11

Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from Lesson 10 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

This is all very tongue in cheek; anyone who is parent will say 'it's all worth it!' Share it with your friends, both those who do and don't have kids. I guarantee they'll get a chuckle out of it. Remember, a sense of humor is one of the most important things you'll need when you become a parent!

Her new loves....

Powdered sugar donuts

Playing in the sink! This girl loves water...