When Mommy Finally Tries to Clean...

Needless to say the cleaning didn't last too long...

Carson ran into Ella's room while I was trying to fold her clothes. "Mommy, Mommy Ella is asleep!" I knew I had her playing in her entertainer! When I walked into the living room, I found her sound asleep standing up! My heart melted at that very second! I picked Roo up and rocked her until she woke up!!!! She's just a little spoiled! :)

An Aunt's Love

I LOVE this precious picture!

Lunch with Lizzie!

We have made it a tradition every summer to meet Aunt Lizzie at her work for lunch at least once before the new school year begins. Before eating, Lizzie walks her oh-so-precious nephew and now niece around to visit with her work friends. We then go to Sonny's for a pizza lunch. This year, however, we had a medical dilemma. Carson all of a sudden became "allergic" to pizza. He notified us after about two bites that his allergy developed because he was four years old! You have got to love little ones...

We had a nice lunch despite the depressing feeling I felt in my stomach knowing school would be starting much too soon!!!!!!!!!! Next year we will meet at the beginning of the summer! :)

A Special Visit with Nana 2

My favorite pic of Roo to date! :)

On Wednesday while Carson was at school, Ella and I paid a visit to Nana 2! We had such a fabulous time together. We enjoyed a delicious and very healthy lunch together thanks to Deb! We then visited together while Ella rolled around on the floor. Toward the end of our visit Ella got very sleepy. Deb and I were true "rednecks"! We put Ella in her carseat and put the carseat on the porch swing. It worked like magic... Roo was asleep within seconds! It was so WONDERFUL to get to spend time with Deb! We PROMISED we would do it again before school starts!

Thursday Thirteen #2

Thirteen Random Facts About Ella at 5 Months...

1. She will still only eat 4 ounces of milk every three hours.

2. She is now eating oatmeal and squash.

3. She loves to play in her Baby Einstein entertainer.

4. She lights up when her BIG BROTHER is around.

5. She makes this "coughing" noise that her Big Brother used to do for her to make her laugh.

6. She is DEFINITELY a Mommy's girl!! :)

7. She doesn't like any loud noises.

8. She is finally starting to sprout some hair! :) She may be able to wear a bow by her first birthday!

9. She responds to her daddy's "Hey Beautiful!" with aBIG smile.

10. She tolerates riding in the car much better now!

11. She still hasn't met one of her uncles.

12. She loves manipulating her passy in her hands.

13. She put her toes in her mouth for the first time yesterday!

Our Adventures in ...

On Friday afternoon, I got this bright idea that I wanted to go to Atlanta for the weekend! We haven't really gotten to do anything "fun" with Car this summer, so I thought a few days in Atlanta would be GREAT! Of course, Dad didn't have a problem with it at all knowing that he could go to a Braves game on Saturday night! I made reservations on Friday afternoon for a Saturday night stay at the Omni at CNN Center. As soon as I received confirmation from the Omni, I began planning our itinerary. (which of course included plenty of SHOPPING!)

On Saturday morning, we set out on our road trip! Both children were WONDERFUL in the car! (A MUCH DIFFERENCE EXPERIENCE THAN I HAVE BEEN USED TO!) We stopped at the outlets in Commerce. And believe it or not, the only stores I wanted to go into were Gap Outlet and the Gap Clearance Center. I was most proud of my $7.99 demin jacket bargain! I would have to say the Gap Clearance Center was a BIG disappointment! They only had a few racks of clothes!

We left Commerce in record time for me, and headed to our next destination- IKEA! My wonderful friend, Sara, has been telling me that IKEA was a fabulous store! I was blown away!! I would have to say that is my new favorite store! When we pulled up, we found a whole section of the parking lot full of Uhaul tucks. I could not figure out why moving trucks were needed at a store! Well, as soon as we walked in the door all my curiosity vanished! IKEA had EVERYTHING, I mean EVERYTHING you could ever want for a home. All the merchandise was unique! I know think much less of Target's uniqueness. Everything was so reasonably priced too! Whenever we move into a new house, we will be taking a Uhaul to IKEA! Despite the awe I was in, I have to say I was a little disappointed with them. I really wanted three items for the house- a bookshelf for Car's room, a lamp for Ella's room, and a shower curtain for the bathroom. All three items were on display several places throughout the store, but all three items were SOLD OUT! My only complaint to IKEA is that if an item is out-of-stock the display should be removed! Of course, I didn't leave IKEA empty handed!

We spent more time than planned at IKEA, so we had to rush to the hotel so the boys could make it to the Braves game. Downtown Atlanta was PACKED!!! There was some sort of festival going on, plus as we later found out the Tim McGraw and Faith Hill concert was going on that night too. The traffic was horrendous!!!! It took us forty-five minutes to make it one block! With Daddy on the edge, we finally made it to the Omni just in time for Carson to get his Braves gear on. Daddy was DETERMINED he was NOT going to drive to Turner Field in all that traffic! So, he asked the concierge how to catch a shuttle to the game. My sweet dear husband, who by the way can't follow directions, gets LOST with my four-year-old son in DOWNTOWN ATLANTA!!!!!! He said they ended up on some street that made him get knots in his stomach!!!! They ended up walking all the way to Turner Field. They arrived to the stadium just to find out that it was SOLD OUT!!!! Luckily, they were selling 10.00 standing room only tickets. The boys found great seats, and no one ever claimed them! Carson enjoyed watching the game, Daddy's knots loosened just a little in his stomach, and the Braves won!!!! Carson also enjoyed playing a little game of baseball himself in Tooner Field. They caught a shuttle back to the hotel- SAFELY! :)

On Sunday, our sweet tired family of four ventured out to the Georgia Aquarium. It was AMAZING, but there were TOO many people there. It was very difficult to see any of the exhibits because of the CROWDS! Also, every time you entered a different exhibit you had to park your strollers. I didn't think it was too BABY friendly. I wouldn't recommend going on the weekend during the summer.

After our trip to the aquarium, we made our way back to the Omni so we could head toward home again.

We had such a WONDERFUL adventurous weekend together as a FAMILY!!!! Ella was a PERFECT baby!!!!!! I don't think she even cried except when the boys came in late from the game and woke her from her beauty sleep! Carson experienced a little LIFE outside of our small town! Daddy got to see a Braves game! Mommy got to shop! Good times!!!! :)

Thursday Thirteen #1

Thirteen Things Carson Has Said Lately to Make Mommy Chuckle a Little Inside!
1. Dora speaks "Spanich".
2. "You are being a PANG." (pain)
3. "Daddy was the cracker FIEF." (thief)
4. "I have to get AGITATED to Vance's house before we go swimming."
5. "My parents are so mean!" (THIS IS STARTING WAY TOO EARLY!)
6. "I want a Weight Watchers!" (meaning one of Mommy's popsicles)
7. "Mommy is POURING milk right now."
8. "The SCIENTISTS will make the dinosaurs come to life." (about the upcoming Walk with Dinosaur show)
9. "Mommy look, I found ESPN!" (spending too much time with Daddy lately)
10. "What .COM do you want to go to?"
11. "Mommy look Ella is all grown up now!"
12. "See Mommy I have a BUNCH of money!" (while holding about five pennies and trying to persuade me to "buy" him something)
13. "It's okay Mommy!" (in response to anything that HE breaks or tears up!)

WELL MAYBE 14 today...

After I finished this post, I asked Carson what he wanted for lunch. He said, "Something really TASTY." Well, for those of you who really know me, you will now why I just had to LAUGH!!!!!!! :)

Papa's Itsy Bitsy Spider

Papa bought Ella "a spider outfit" back in December before she was born. Since December he has been asking me about her "spider outfit". Over the past several months he has been asking when Ella was going to wear her "spider outfit". Okay, spider outfits are for fall, preferably for Halloween. "Spider outfits" are most likely going to be long sleeved being that they are made for a fall holiday. Despite the long sleeved dark colored shirt that it is, we made Papa very happy tonight when we wore our "spider shirt" for our Wednesday night visit. I have to say that Roo is one cute Itsy Bitsy Spider!

To make this spidery experience even more special, Ella sat up by herself for the very first time tonight when she was wearing it as you can see in one of the pics!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She is growing up much too quickly!!!!!

Thank you Papa! We love you! And, if you are really lucky, she will still be able to wear it for HALLOWEEN! :)

Ella Turns 5 Months Old!

Wow! I can't believe our little Ella Roo is already five months old today. Time is truly flying by with her. It seems just like yesterday when she was born. The around-the-clock nursing sessions, the dirty diaper changes after each feeding, the waking up every few hours, the wobbly head, etc. all seem to have vanished much too quickly. Our little baby girl has changed so much! She is now rolling over from her belly to her back and from her back to her belly. She is tolerating oatmeal much better than rice cereal. She is grasping her toys so well. She even has a pretty tight grip on Mommy's hair! Ella loves to stand on her two very strong legs. She will balance herself pretty well with someone holding on to her little hands. It won't be too much longer before she is sitting on her own. She tries to lift her head during diaper changes. Fingers and toes continue to be her favorite "toy". She is still a "tiny" baby as I hear at least once a day. At our last doctor visit she only weighed 12 pounds 10 ounces. Hopefully by now she has topped out over 13 pounds! We thank God each day for our PERFECT baby!

On a side note, this month has been a little difficult for Mommy and Daddy (especially MOMMY!). We have had to make several "dreaded" decisions about childcare since the summer is coming to a close. We have planned for Ella to go to the same school as Carson. I am okay with that decision. I have heard nothing but great things about the "class" she will be in. The only problem with sending her to Car's school is they will not take her until October when she is eight months old. Well seeing that I have to return to my "teacher" duties in August, we didn't know what we would do about child care until then. We "interviewed" one lady, but I just didn't have a good feeling about her. She was probably a terrific person, but I just couldn't feel peace about the whole situation. After much prayer, another door opened for us. Aunt Karen called one day and offered to keep Ella in our home on the days that she was off. We are so thankful for all that she did for Ella when I first went back to work and NEVER in a million years would have asked her to do it AGAIN! I told her I would have to think about it because I didn't know how we would work out care for the days she couldn't come. Well after MUCH more prayer, another door opened! I was given a lady's name from a friend of ours. The sitter kept my friend's children in their home for several years. Rose Marie came to our home, and almost instantly I knew she was the ONE. Rose Marie will come to our home and take care of Ella when Aunt Karen can't. I am so thankful for the few more weeks that Ella Roo will be spoiled ROTTEN!

A Day in the Life of...

Well, actually just half of a day...

The second half of each day is just a repeat of the first half! :)

Mommy Time!

Carson, Ella, and Mommy all NEEDED Mommy to have some "MOMMY TIME" today! We have spent A LOT of quality time together in the house this week. Daddy was off today, so after having lunch with G.G. I escaped for a little while. I ventured out to Dillards because they were having a BIG sale. I was so excited and proud of all of the GREAT bargains I found. (Sara, you would be so proud!) After leaving the mall, I decided to go hang out at Barnes and Noble for awhile. I have this new obsession (well maybe not so new) with photography. I LOVE taking pictures of my two darlings. If you asked my daddy he would say that I take pictures of my children everyday, but that is NOT true - - - maybe just every other day! :) I have Adobe Photoshop on my computer, but I do not know how to fully use it to its potential. AND, Sabrina and I had a whole graduate level course on it at Converse, but that is a whole different story! :) I wanted to find a Photoshop Book for Dummies! I found one, but decided since I had already spent enough money at the mall I would just "take notes". I spent a couple of hours in Barnes and Noble reading photography books and taking notes! I was getting so excited while reading the books. I couldn't wait to get home and try the new techniques out! Of course, I couldn't resist making my way to the children's section once I finished with Photography for Dummies 101! I found lots of great books for my classroom, so telling myself that I would get reimbursed for the expenses, I decided to buy a few! After leaving Barnes and Noble I decided to stop at Target for a loaf of bread that my husband asked me to pick up for him. Yes, I stopped at Target to get a loaf of bread when several grocery stores were on my way home!! I just couldn't get enough shopping! When I got home I played around with some "older" pictures of Car and Ella. Hope you enjoy! I am still learning! :) FUN TIMES!

Fourth of July!

We had a very lazy July 4th! Daddy had to work of course! Carson, Ella, and I stayed in our pajamas until about five o'clock. We were true slugs! After Daddy got home from work, we went to Grammy and Papa's house for a cookout. Sarita, Phil, and G.G. joined the fun at Grammy's house. After our cookout, Daddy took Ella Roo home. Carson and I joined Kristy and Brianna for fireworks at a local fire station. It was a lot of fun! Kristy and I enjoyed a few laughs at Carson and Brianna discussing the "Grand Finale" and the "Duds"! Kids say the silliest things at times!

Too Cute Not to Post...

Let the Race Begin!!!

Carson's BIG OUTDOOR prize from the yard sale was a new Lowe's Jimmie Johnson race car!!!!!!!!!!! Grammy, G.G., Mommy, Daddy, and Ella all enjoyed "Jimmie's" first race!!!!!!!!!

A HUGE Success!!

This was Carolyn's "Clothing" Section.

Mariel, Sara, and Kristy enjoy the "shade" before there was NONE!

Yes, I did have all of Carson's clothes organized in tubs by size! And, when it was all over I made new signs for the tubs because the old ones were "too messy looking". I am so OCD!

This was Sara and Mariel's section.

This was a little bit of everyone's "stuff".

Our yard sale was a HUGE success yesterday! I have to admit it was actually kind of fun spending the entire day (well, actually from 6:00am til 2:30pm - - - AND TRUST ME THAT SEEMED LIKE ALL DAY) out in the 100 degree weather with friends! We got up around five o'clock to begin moving all of the "merchandise" from my kitchen to the outdoors! Believe it or not, we had our first customer at 6:15! The yard sale wasn't supposed to begin until 8:00! I was so excited because she was buying MY stuff!!!!!! I made a few dollars before the "sale" began! While the lady was doing her "early bird" shopping, Carolyn called me laughing so hard I couldn't understand a word she was saying. She was hysterical about the "JUNK" she was bringing to my house. It was hilarious to see her pull up in a truck full of "JUNK". Her husband tried to convince her to use the "JUNK" for firewood and to take the rest to the dump. WELL - - - her JUNK ended up making her about $70.00!!!!!!!!!!! She had some great clothes and other stuff to sale. What her husband wanted to use as firewood ended up being sold for $25.00!!!!!! I am so proud of Carolyn for NOT taking the truckload to the dump! Kristy, Sara, and Mariel also brought their goodies over to sale. It was MASSIVE!!!! Brian was a terrific husband during the day! He ran the "YARD SALE DAYCARE"! He took care of Ella, Carson, Brianna, and Eli(just for a short time while his mommy shopped)! I think he actually kind of enjoyed staying in the air-conditioned house! At the end of the sale, he loaded up many of the "unsold" goods and carried them to the Goodwill while the girls added up their profits in the air-conditioned house!

OUR COMBINED GRAND TOTAL WAS...$450.69!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On a side note, in order to convince Carson to let us sell MANY of his toys that were taking over our house, we promised him a new "outside toy" that would be purchased with the money we made from the sale. Please check back soon to see the outcome... (He was a VERY HAPPY little boy!)