catching up

I haven't been on here much this week, so I'll try to get caught up on posting new info about the girls. Ava can roll both ways now, she's reaching and grabbing at things like crazy, and she can even hold her own bottle when we give her one. She's going to be a jokester!! She's so funny and she already knows it! Ava is 5 months old now and loves to eat. At her 4 month check up, she was 16 lb. 4 oz (97th%) and 27 3/4 in (WAY off the top of the chart). I feel like Ava's mouth is always open - she's either smiling, talking, or eating! :-)

Ellie loves going to "school" (mother's morning out)...but hasn't wanted to go the last 3 times, so I'm working on figuring out why. Her dance recital is in June and we're trying to let her hair grow out because they are supposed to wear dog ears and all the other little girls have long straight hair...and Ellie's is all different lengths and so curly. It can go in dog ears and that's how she wears it most days because it stays out of her face better, but it's not a nice, neat ponytail, so I'm trying to let it grow as much as possible. Ellie has turned in to a terrific eater - she used to be picky, but we would still make her at least try things. It was always such a struggle at the dinner table, but she has picked up some great eating habits lately and it's been such a blessing! Much less stressful at the table! She's also drinking from a regular cup all the time now (except in the van). I went to a training and they said that sippy cups don't always allow the muscles in your mouth to develop correctly, which could cause speech issues. She could drink from a regular cup, but we would use sippy just so we didn't have to clean up spills. She has done great, though! Instead of saying, "it's a good thing we put our coats on", Ellie says, "good idea we put our coats on"! She loves to quote the commercial where the lady is getting her hair done and says, "quick question about my hair". Ellie walks around saying, "Uh...I'm on the phone!" and she has attitude when she says it. It's so funny!

I got my hair cut - it's a mom cut, but a fun one. It's just an angle, but I can do the back normal or spike it, like it is in the picture. I've tried several times lately to get this cut and finally got a good one Thursday night.

We went to a USI basketball game and of course, had to wear cheerleading outfits. :-) Ellie also got to go to Chuck E. Cheese with a friend from dance class.

virus

Do not click on the stinkin' comments left on my blog if you can't see the message. If it says click here and here is a link, they are trying to plant a virus. It's driving me crazy!!!!!

When I'm down...

...all I have to do is look at a picture like this and realize how blessed I am.

Happies and Crappies

My friend, Emily, posted "Thankful Thursday" on her blog and I thought I'd do the same. Only, once I thought about it, I thought I'd do what our life group at church does. We do happies and crappies. What was the best part of the week, what was the worst part/prayer requests.

My happies for the week: my girls.

I'm so blessed with such wonderful girls and I've really paid attention to that this week. I don't like to compare them to other kids, but I do like to think about typical kid behavior and see if my kids are doing the same developmentally and socially. Ellie has an earlier bed time and has done so much better - not so whiny, not pushing my buttons as much, and just happier all around. Ava is such an amazing baby! She's fairly advanced in her development and she's just a great kid! People warned me that the second born would be a handful, but she has proven them wrong so far (aside from the month when she was about 2 months old when we thought she had food allergies - and by the way, I think I've figured it out - BANANAS, of all things!!)

I kept my nieces over the weekend and we had a blast! All 4 girls went to get their picture taken and it turned out great! It's so nice to spend time with family.

Jeff broke out his guitar tonight and played around with it and I played my keyboard for a little while. We don't do that very often, but our kids love it when we do. Ellie likes to learn to play along and Ava loves to listen.

We were able to spend time with our neighbors today, which we haven't done in a very long time! We had a good time and it was good to do something out of the ordinary.

My cousin, Landy, turned 25 today!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EFFIE! :-)

Also, I've been reading my Bible every night for the past week. I've never done that consistently in my entire life, so it was a big accomplishment, although I still have lots to learn.


My crappies/prayer requests:
~Ellie was sick this week - tonsils were swollen, puss pockets on throat, fever, runny nose, cough...I took her to the dr., but her dr. was out and the one we saw said she was fine - to just take her home and let her rest...?!?? At least it wasn't strep.
~Ava has had a runny nose and has been fussy today. She's not a fussy baby at all, so we know she doesn't feel well.
~Normal, everyday strains in our marriage. We've just been in a funk lately and need to get out of it. I think the weather is making it worse because we can't do so many of our favorite things.
~Friends. I don't feel like I have many close ones here. Most of my best friends live several hours away and it's hard to meet people and/or spend time to develop relationships when we're iced in.
~ICE. We have it again. Jeff actually slipped on it today and has some pretty good bruises. He'll probably end up at the chiropractor because his shoulder is really bothering him.

Praying for my girls

I've been thinking a lot lately about what I want for my girls. These are the top 3 things I've been praying for quite a while now. What do you pray/have you prayed for your kids?

1. That if they are ever sick, whether it be a cold, the flu, cancer...whatever, that I get it instead of them.

2. That they are better/smarter/more Godly than me.

3. They they are a blessing to those around them.

Cabin Fever

My friend Sandy is probably laughing at us for thinking that we have so much snow, because compared to Chicago, this is nothing. We were snowed in though, and had major cabin fever. Jeff and Ellie went out to play, but it was so icy, they couldn't do much. We don't have a sled, so I decided to try a make-shift one. I tied clothesline to a laundry basket...and it was a huge hit! Ellie loved it outside - and both of the girls enjoyed it inside! :-)

as big as Texas

One time, when Ellie pooped, she said, "I pooped as big as Texas!" It was pretty funny.

The snow is what was as big as Texas today. I don't think I've ever seen flakes as big as the ones that were coming down earlier.

I don't know how Ava opens her eyes so wide, but she does it all the time! :-)

Red

This is a tribute to my Grand-daddy, who most people knew as "Red" because of his red hair. He passed away Wednesday night. He was 80 years old and had battled cancer for the past 2 1/2 years, so he fought hard, but was just tired. He had a hole in his intestines, which proved to be too much for his body and although they said surgery might fix it, he probably wouldn't have survived the surgery, so my Nannie loved him enough to let him go peacefully and not hurt any more.

He was pretty well non-responsive Wednesday in the hospital. They told us that it would only be another hour or two, so we were able to say our goodbyes. I told him to be good (he was a stinker!!) and I told him Ellie sure wanted to see him, but they wouldn't let her back there since she was so young. They did, though...and it was precious. As soon as she said, "Hi, Grand-daddy!", his eyes opened and he looked right at her. When she waved and told him bye, he raised his arm trying to wave back. It was the hardest, but best goodbye we Ellie, Jeff, and I could have asked for.

One of my favorite memories of him was right before our wedding. Jeff and I got married in Nannie and Grand-daddy's yard, just like my parents did. My dad built a gazebo in their yard for one of their anniversaries, so we were repainting that one day. I had told Grand-daddy that for my wedding gift, I wanted him to play his harmonica for me, but he hadn't played in several years because of his false teeth. He came out to the gazebo that day and just sat there while Nannie, Jeff, and I painted. I wondered if he was up to something...but he just sat there. Without saying a word, he pulled out his harmonica and started playing, even with his false teeth. It was priceless.

We loved Grand-daddy and have such great memories of him. He was a stinker (as you can see in the picture - he would never pose because he was acting so silly), but he loved all of his grandkids and great-grandkids dearly - and we knew it! He was a Christian, so there is no doubt that he is at home with our Savior now and that he is suffering no more. We will be together tomorrow for his visitation, then the funeral will be Saturday. Please pray for our family, especially my Nannie.

new stuff

1. Ava rolled over last night from her back to her belly!

2. Ellie woke up crying 3 times last night - she said she didn't want me to leave her (not just her bedroom, everywhere). Now I'm paranoid something is going to happen to me?!?

3. We took the girls to the park yesterday and it was SO nice! It was Ava's first time to swing in a big girl swing. I'll have pictures and videos on here soon.

4. Our life group has challenged each other to read the Bible daily - and there are rewards involved, just to encourage us to keep it up.

5. Ellie has finally started going to bed earlier...but that means she's getting up earlier, too. She's a night owl and it's been hard to break her from staying up late...because she would fuss and cry if we tried to put her to bed too early and I got to where I dreaded bedtime because I knew she would fight us and it was getting so old trying to be so strong and stick to our guns. This week has been much different, though. Come bed time, she's ready! It's so much nicer than having to fight with her about going to sleep. Now they are both asleep by at least 9:00'ish and up between 7:30 and 8:00 (which is way more normal for kids their age anyway).

6. Ava eats rice cereal twice a day now - and does it like a pro! She likes to eat!! :-)

7. Jeff's hair is long enough to donate, but he doesn't want to cut it yet. He's afraid he'll miss it!

Land of the Living

We all woke up this morning!!! (My previous post will explain why that is so exciting.) And, we're all feeling much better. I think poor Ellie had 2 things going on - sore throat with fever AND vomiting. Jeff just had the stomach stuff and I just had the throat stuff. Ava's been spitting up more, but not really vomiting, but I think we are all better today!

Sick feeling...

Okay, so tonight was one of those nights where you get that uncontrollable sick feelings and it just won't go away, so I probably won't sleep well tonight. Ellie got upset at bed time tonight and ended up falling asleep in my arms. She said she didn't want to go to sleep. Now, don't get me wrong, she says that a lot, but tonight was different. I asked her what was wrong and she said she didn't want to go to sleep because God told her He didn't want her here. I was confused and asked what she meant. She said God told her He didn't want her here any more and that He wanted her in Heaven with Him. I asked when and she said right now. We've tried to explain that if we love God and do what He wants us to do, we'll live with Him one day. I still have that horrible feeling in my stomach, though. I know, that sounds bad and I shouldn't say that I want anything other than for her to spend eternity in Heaven...but I'm not sure if I'm quite ready for that yet. I guess this is a reality check for me. I've always wondered if we would raise a child who might want to serve overseas as a missionary and I've prepared myself to be supportive if that be the case someday, although I would be so sad to be so far away from my child. I want to support my kids in whatever they do, if they are following where God is leading them. In my head, I feel like God has so much more for Ellie (and Ava) to accomplish and that He's not done with her here on earth...at least, that is my selfish prayer tonight.

Tossin' Cookies

Well, that about sums up our house right now. Ellie woke up yesterday morning and threw up for about 6 hours straight?!? We finally got hers under control and she slept for 14 hours last night. However, Jeff was up all night tossin' his own cookies, so our house reeks right now, even though I've been going behind everybody cleaning every chance I get. My mom came to help yesterday, which was a huge blessing!!! Thankfully, Ava had some big spit ups, but nothing more...and I've just had pains in my stomach, but no actual sickness, so hopefully we'll both stay well. We were planning on leaving Ava over night with my parents for the first time tonight and taking Ellie skiing for the first time tomorrow, but I'm not sure if that's the best idea...we'll see.

Ellie had her first trip to the emergency room last Thursday night, too. Some friends were over at our house and one of the guys picked her up by the arm and pulled her elbow out of place. OOPS!

I know things could be MUCH worse, but hopefully the next week will be a better one for us.

Books

So, I have some new books that I'm attempting to read and want suggestions for more after I'm finished with these. (Although, it will take me a while. I'm a slow reader and I don't read as often as I would like to.) I just finished "Stepping Heavenward", which I loved! Here is my list of "nexts":

.Baby Wise (book 2 / 5-15 months)
.Live Life on Purpose
.Why Christian Kids Rebel
.Mommy Teach Me

Any other suggestions?

Look alikes

I have lots of pictures where Ellie and Ava look like me, but Ellie and Jeff look alike in this one. He used to like to put round things on his fingers...which is what Ellie does with olives! :-) Ricki, Jeff's mom's twin sister, just sent these to me and I couldn't help but post them!

picture update

I know, it's sideways, but it's a cute one. Aunt Jenny gave them "Baby Legs" for Christmas and we love them!
Ava's hands are her best friend right now. They are always in her mouth, or she's holding her own hand like in this picture.
Ellie's first day at "school". (It's Mother's Morning Out, but she thinks she's going to school!)
Jeff's 31st birthday - my Nannie made the Colts cake and our babysitter, Megan made the Superman one.

Jeff's birthday party with his sister (Aunt Jenny), Ellie, and Luke - they are only 9 days apart.
Couldn't resist another baby legs picture.
OOWWWMMMMM........we're teaching her baby meditation. (not really)
Our happy girls in matching jammies.

Ava Laughing

This is one of my favorite things: to see my baby laugh out loud! It was so fun when Ellie was little and she started laughing - now she's the one who usually gets Ava to laugh. Ava has been laughing out loud for several weeks now, but by the time I would leave the room to get the camera, it wasn't funny when I got back. I finally got it on video today. :-)

Typical

Okay, so I need to vent a little. This is pretty typical of how my days have gone lately. So, last week, I was cooking 3 or 4 meals for my parents because my mom had to have surgery. (By the way, she does NOT have breast cancer...huge praise!)Anyway, I asked Jeff to help me finish one of the meals. He was supposed to put shredded cheddar cheese on top of some chicken enchiladas. Well, the cheese had been in the freezer and he was having to break it apart...and he dropped a big glob and several individual pieces on the floor. He honestly looked at me and said, "Uh, how do I clean that up?" ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?

Happy New Year!

Cousins

Ellie loves her cousins. I don't have a recent picture of just the kids on Jeff's side of the family, but here is a great one of my girls with my brother's girls. Ellie is crazy about her "Diz" (Elizabeth) and "Issy" (Isabelle). These were taken at Isabelle's first Christmas program at school.

Christmas Tour of Homes

Although I may not have the official site linked, I decided to give my "viewers" a tour of my home decorated for Christmas. As you come to our front door, we hope you'll experience the JOY of the season.

Our tree, which may not be as fancy as some, but is full of ornaments with wonderful memories and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Our nativity, to remind us of the reason for the season.
Our dining room table...Believe in the magic of Christmas...in Santa and our Savior.
My favorite year-round decoration, my Dress-Me-Up Plate.
Santa's cookie plate is waiting on the kitchen counter.
Some of our favorite Christmas books are displayed in Ellie's room.
And of course, our favorite Christmas decorations and gifts, our sweet girls.
We hope you have a very Merry Christmas!

another cute Christmas picture

My aunt and my cousin gave the girls these matching dresses...they are SO cute on them! They have little scottie dogs on the front.

Christmas Pictures

My Granma and Granpa from Florida sent the girls matching Christmas dresses, so we played dress up before church today and took their pictures. These are our favorites.

good news!

Ava is FINE. She does NOT have spina bifida, she just has an extra hole in her crack! :-)

Food Allergies

So, Ava went to the allergist this morning and we got some great news. She does not have any life threatening food allergies!!! Not a single one. She is lactose intolerant, though, but I don't have to be nearly as picky with my diet. I can't sit down and have a big glass of milk or a cup of yogurt, but I can eat bread with a little butter on it and things with milk in the ingredients. She goes back in September and they'll do a few tests again - especially with milk before she is introduced to cow's milk because she could still grow out of this. She does have a slight allergy to shellfish, but it is nothing life threatening. WOOHOO! Jeff is on the phone right now trying to find out about her spina bifida test, so I'll write more about that as soon as we know something. Thanks for praying!!!

Doctor visit

So, if you don't know, I was very nervous about our doctor visit today. After talking with the nurse about Ava and not getting any support, I was ready to switch doctors. However, the visit was good. Jeff did a great job of standing up and initiating the conversation about the nurse's answers and at the end of the visit, the doctor said it shouldn't have happened that way and that if anything like that ever happens again or if I don't feel like I get my questions answered, to ask to specifically talk to her, not the nurse. That made me feel much better. She said that when the nurse told her I called the first time, the nurse wrote down "fussy baby, hoarse voice". The whole story was that Ava had been fussing for like a week and a half straight and seemed to be crying in pain and had cried so much that she had completely lost her voice. The doctor was surprised to hear that it was such a different story. Anyway, she even said the allergy thing seems legit and that she wants a full report sent to her so that she knows specifics after we see the allergist. Long story short, she was very supportive and apologetic of how the nurse handled the phone conversations.

The girls are both in about the 50th percentile for their weight and 95th percentile for their height. How we have such tall girls, I'll never know, but I'm glad! :-)

Pray for Ava and us. Along with what we think is food allergies, she has a dimple in the crack of her butt that they want to check. We knew she did at her 1 week check-up, but the doctor said she could see the end of the hole and it was nothing to worry about. However, this time she couldn't see the end of the hole in the dimple, so we have to go in sometime in the next couple of weeks for an ultrasound of it. The danger is that it can be an indicator of spina bifida, but the doctor said everything is probably fine she just wants to be safe and make sure.

more pics

getting ready for Christmas

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Ellie didn't care much about decorating the big tree, but she loved fixing her own! Her friend was here and helped some with both trees, but I found her last night in the dark beneath her tree playing with her nativity scene. She then slept with Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus! Ava loves the lights!

Recipes...

So, Ava is having a really hard time digesting cow's milk...I've done all of the research on my own because the phone nurse was no help and I knew something was wrong. Her answer was to check and see if there was a hair wrapped around Ava's toe?!? I knew it was more than that. I don't think babies are technically lactose intolerant, but same difference. Anyway, I have had to completely change my diet and if any of you know me very well, I could live on milk, so it's been rough - especially at Thanksgiving. It's worth it, though. I am having a hard time finding support from people...although my life group from church has been amazing - a couple girls who are becoming some of my best friends are changing their diets with me?!? So here's the deal. I need recipes. Probably vegetarian (although I still eat lots of meat). I can't have milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, eggs, whey...anything dairy. If anyone has good recipes, good ideas, and/or web sites, please pass them on.

Our sweet girls...

ELLIE IS 3 AND AVA IS 6 WEEKS!