Picture Perfect! :)

We finally made it to have Ella's 6 month pictures made today! She is finally old enough to have pictures made with her BIG BROTHER without looking too silly. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them all!!! This is just a few! I love my little BRAVE BABIES!!! :)

Thursday Thirteen #6

With the first week of school behind me, I could find nothing more fitting than this post!

Thirteen Stresses Mommy Has Had This Week

1. Trying to plan day-by-day for the first week of school (For those of you who know me, I have to have a very DETAILED plan of what I am teaching on the Wednesday before the new week begins)

2. Getting up at 5:00 each morning to guarantee that I could get out of the door by 6:40

3. Flying out of the house at 6:40 to drive for at least 50 minutes before arriving to school

4. Trying to read as much as I can about Writers' Notebooks and plan for my students' notebooks

5. Having to wait until 3:00 everyday to do my "mommy" duty and knowing that Ella may soon have to go to formula exclusively :( (I have reached and exceeded my goal though! This is just another OBSESSION of mine!!!!)

6. Meeting, Meeting, and Meeting about when to meet again

7. Flying out of school everyday in tears because my "work" is not exactly like I have wanted, but with TWO children now I have DOUBLE obligations at home

8. Arriving to Car's school each day to find him playing outside in the 100 degree weather

9. Arriving to Car's school to find him sitting out and to hear his teacher tell me he has had a BAD day

10. Bringing tons of work home each night

11. Having Ella go to bed each night around 7:00 - - - allowing no time for us to spend together

12. Trying to find something that looks decent to wear each day

13. Knowing that my new Weight Watchers kit has arrived and the DIET must begin

On a side note, I do have an AMAZING class this year! My children couldn't be more perfect!!!!!!! :) I can't wait to share in their many successes! I just have to be able to balance my two "jobs" in life!!! :)

Thursday Thirteen #5

Thirteen Reasons Why Carson and Ella Haven't Seen Their Mommy in a Week!

(And why this post is um...2 days late!)

Ready or not...HERE THEY COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our Little Roo is 6 Months Old!

This picture makes Mommy and Aunt Lizzie smile!!

Wow! I sit in awe when I think about how fast time is flying with Ella. I can't believe she is already six months old. I am wanting to hold on to every second of "baby" time!!!!!! Ella is just perfect! I have been so blessed to be able to stay home with her the past several months and see her grow and change without someone else having to tell me about it! During this past month Ella has really taken to picking up objects with her hands and then playing with them. She continues to eat the same amount of food! I don't know if we will ever graduate to more than four ounces of milk at a time! The most exciting change this month is present in the pictures above. I am finally able to put a little hair bow in her hair without the aid of toothpaste or tape! :) Her hair is really starting to sprout! The funniest change this month involves Ella's little smile! She holds both of her little tiny lips in and looks too cute! She looks like a little Cabbage Patch doll!

When Carson Gets Out His Scissors...

This is not the first time Carson has decided it was time for him to have a haircut! This occurred sometime between after his surgery on Wednesday and this morning! I am guessing it probably occurred with his daddy watching him yesterday!!!! He has now officially lost all scissor privileges. Snip-Its Here We Come!!!

Thursday Thirteen #4

Okay, I am one day late on this post... Kelli suggested that I post 13 reasons why my Thursday Thirteen is late... So here goes!

1. I had to be at the dentist at 8:00 for them to re-do a brand new crown that was just put on several weeks ago! For those of you who KNOW me you KNOW how I felt about having to go to the dentist AGAIN! The appointment only lasted one hour and forty minutes!!!!

2. I had LOTS of gas at the dentist so my brain could not possibly think of thirteen things for awhile! :)

3. As soon as I left the dentist, I had to go to the doctor! I have been having yucky headaches and sinus issues. Sure enough, I didn't need a doctor! I knew what was wrong. So five minutes with the doctor and three prescriptions later I was off...

4. I had to go to Publix to get my THREE prescriptions hoping that my antibiotic would be on the "free" antibiotic list. NOPE, I had to pay for it.

5. FINALLY, I was on my way home - - - No time for blogging in the car! :(

6. I was so "out of it" from the gas, trip to the doctor, wait in Publix, and the HEAT I had to take a nap- a two hour nap!!!!

7. I had three missed calls on my cell phone that I had to return! No conversation with me could be short! :) No way I could blog and talk at the same time!

8. I had to pump milk for Ella, all worried the entire time about the two medicines I had already taken! According to the doctor and pharmacist, the only side effects might be a sleepy baby or an irritable baby! NO PROBLEM! Everyone wants an irritable baby when they are SICK!

9. I debated whether or not I should go work in my classroom. I knew this would be the last chance I had to work without my two children! If only I cared as much about the way my house looked...

10. I decided to go out in the 100 degree weather to spray paint "telephones" my dear husband made for my classroom! NOT the best idea for someone who had LOTS of meds in her!

11. I had to fight with Carson about spray painting the telephones! He was adament that he was going to help me spray paint! I could only imagine the outcome of a four year old who was also on medicine trying to spray paint in the scorching HEAT!

12. I finally decided I would go work as long as I didn't have to drive up there. My dear friend Sara picked me up!

13. LAST, but certainly not LEAST I stayed in my school and worked until 10:30 last night and had a 30 minute drive back home. Exhausted and had to pump milk again!

What a Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, today has been extremely eventful for our family! Carson was scheduled for a cystoscopy and meatotomy at 7:30. We had to get up extremely too early. For some crazy reason, I thought we had to be at the Surgicenter at 7:15, so we got there at 7:00 - - - 30 minutes early! For a nervous Mommy and little boy, that thirty minutes would seem like a lifetime!!!! Since we were so early, we decided to take a little walk at a park that was across the street. Carson was at ease racing his daddy. We arrived at the Surgicenter right at 7:30 to find another four year old having a procedure too. That made Car feel a little more at ease. After sitting in the waiting room for about fifteen minutes, they called us back for pre-op. Carson changed into his little gown and "silly" socks as he called them. The nurses came in took his vitals and gave him some meds in his bottom to make him feel at ease. A sweet little lady then brought him some paper and car stickers to play with. He soon became very drowsy. His papa came to visit him. It was so sweet to hear Car say, "Hey Pops!" When he was almost asleep the urologist came to get him. She was so WONDERFUL with Carson. She even offered to carry him to the O.R. Papa, Daddy, and I made our way back to the waiting room and waited patiently with G.G. After about thirty minutes Dr. Bozeman came back out and spoke with us. She assured us that we made the right decision about having the procedure done because Carson's bladder did show signs of stress where he had been straining for so long to use the restroom. She said because of his age that it would self-correct. She provided us with follow-up care instructions and led us to Carson. Wow!!! A HUGE SURPRISE!! Carson was SCREAMING uncontrollably! He was complaining of his head hurting. Nothing would soothe him. He didn't seem to calm down much until we made it to the car. He was very very very very cranky! The crankiness continued until he used the bathroom for the first time. He played throughout the day, but it was an ordeal each time he had to potty. Hopefully tomorrow will not be as eventful as today...

Carson's First Day of School!

Carson started his first day of K4 on Monday. He is in Mrs. Turner's class and really seemed to love it. I asked him if who he liked better- his last year teacher or this year's teacher. He was precious! He said, "I like Mrs. Cathy and Mrs. Turner!" I asked him which one was nicer and he said, "Mrs. Cathy and Mrs. Turner"!

This was a milestone day for Mommy. This was the first time in all of Carson's four almost five years of life that I have had the strength to take him to school on the "FIRST DAY"! It was a huge accomplishment for me! I knew how excited Car was about seeing his friends again and being in Mrs. Turner's class. He walked straight in, joined his friends on the carpet, and DIDN'T even HUG me goodbye! I have one BIG BOY now! Last year the teacher had to pull Car off of his dad's legs screaming, and when I picked him up that day I saw him standing on the fence alone "counting cars"! We feel so blessed to have Carson is such a FANTASTIC school! :)

A Visit with Charlene!

My dear friend Charlene is recovering from recent open-heart surgery! Ella, Carolyn, and I visited her on Tuesday! It was such a nice visit! Ella enjoyed spending time with Mrs. Charlene, even if she did just get to play a little beside her. After playing for awhile, Ella took a little nap in the rocking chair!

Where's Our Smallest Baseball Fan?

It amazes me how BIG Carson's hat looks in comparison to Ella!

Daddy, Carson, and The Panthers!

Carson and his daddy had "Carson-Daddy Day" on Carson's last Friday before school started! They went to Wofford to enjoy a Panther's practice session! As soon as they got there Daddy spotted Jake Delhomme! Carson tried to argue with his daddy that it wasn't Jake Delhomme because he had on a red jersey! He soon learned that it was Jake Delhomme! He got the opportunity to meet him. Jake Delhomme said, "Hey Little Man!" and signed Car's football! After watching the team practice for awhile in the scorching heat, Carson tackled the obstacle course. They had a blast together! Carson is so excited about the upcoming football season. We will have to make the transition from baseball to football! :)

Thursday Thirteen #3

13, Well Maybe 14 Must-Haves For Ella!

Thanks to Mommy's "milk machine" and to Aunt Karen, Ella has been able to be Mommy-Fed for almost six months! :)


Ella has soft, wonderful smelling clothes daily to wear without fear of irritation! :) The second baby gets the least expensive baby detergent!


The bottle warmer is definitely a MUST HAVE! Ella does have frequent complaints about the amount of time it takes to heat a bottle.

Yes, Ella has a $12.00 passy string!! I get slack about it quite often from my dear friend Carolyn!!!!! Well I guess the money I save on the "cheaper" detergent can be used for something! I LOVE LOVE LOVE her "expensive" string, and she does wear it DAILY!
This bottle sterilizer saves Mommy a lot of time!

Ella would be one FUSSY baby without these gas drops!

After trying three different things that three different doctors suggested to get rid of cradle cap, this product was the KEY and it was what I bought to start off with!

We have to supplement, so this is what has worked best with Roo. The doctor says it really doesn't make sense that this formula works better than the milk-based products because it is totally different from breast-milk. It works though...

Ella loves to play in her entertainer. She has even been caught napping in it while Mommy tries to clean! :) The BEST thing about this toy was that we found it on clearance at Sears for 30.00 thanks to Kelli! :) It is still 80.00 at Target.

Yes, we have used a co-sleeper. Ella didn't enjoy her bassinet very much. This contraption worked MIRACLES for her. All you have to do is put her down and she will fall asleep. This is a much different story than we had with Car.


Our Bumbo with our new Bumbo tray is remarkable! It can be easily transported from place to place and Ella can join us just about anywhere! :)



Ella enjoys the same Nuk passy as her BIG BROTHER. She does prefer a pinkish color though!

This swing has without a doubt been Ella's favorite! We bought it for our nephew. Aunt Karen let us borrow it with Ella. After two children, the motor burned out. Aunt Lizzie was kind enough to go out the same night Mommy was in a panic to buy Ella a new one.


Ella loves her space-saver high chair! It is so practical and comfy!!!! Thank you Grammy for this!!! :)