A Day in the Life of Jim, Bekah, Ellie and Averi

2012-02-03T21:37:00.000-06:00

I realize that some people think 4D pictures of babies are kinda creepy and I admit I think they are all creepy, unless they are my own children, in which I think they are precious. You may not be able to see this sweet baby's face but it's there, on the left. The pink on the picture is a reflection of my phone case. He's not really pink. Less than 14 weeks to go!

Here's a couple other random pictures from the week. We were so lucky Jim got Monday and Tuesday off so he could get everything in order to go out of town for the month. So naturally, we played for two days. We have had the most beautiful weather so we went to the zoo.

This is Avi's new favorite position in the car. I have to say, I love it. The zoo is kind of a hike across Tulsa so she made herself comfortable.

I think the girls may love the park at the zoo just as much as they love the animals. Which is a lot.

These last two crack me up. Ellie got in trouble and had to sit in time out on my bed and was really REALLY mad about it. She was tired and cried herself to sleep in this position. Which is sad, but you should have seen the fit she was throwing. And the one of Aves, well, again with the hands behind the head. I love these crazy girls.

New Fave

2012-01-24T21:42:00.001-06:00

This is my new favorite color. Me and the girls picked it out today and I must say I'm in love. I highly recommend it. Looking at it all day has made me really happy. Not to mention the extreme sparkles and the awesome name. Love, love, love..

Happy 3rd, Ellie!!

2012-01-23T21:41:00.000-06:00

Happy third birthday to our sweet Ellie! This girl is such a star. Jim and I are both in love with her. We had a great day on her birthday. We gave her a princess scooter which she scooted around the house all day. We had the SAA playgroup at our house on Friday so Ellie could play with all her friends, which she loved. She was so sad to have them all leave. But she was SUPER excited when our family came over later for supper. Emily, Tom, TyTy and Mikey, Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Pete all came over for supper and Ellie was in heaven. And Aves walked around saying everything Ellie said, which I loved. I made pink cupcakes for the playgroup and had great plans for a cake for supper, but alas, I didn't plan very well and it looked like Belle was swimming with an innertube around her, rather than Belle with huge pink dress on. Oh well, Ellie thought it was awesome. It tasted good at least.

Here's the cape my aunt and uncle gave Elle. It came with a mask and she slept in both of them. Love it. Happy birthday to my sweet girl!

These Girls, These Girls

2012-01-23T20:42:00.000-06:00

Last week we played outside and it was pretty chilly, but regardless of the cold Ellie is wearing a spaghetti strap dress under that coat and flipflops. Ave's face is covered in stickiness, dirt, and blue chalk. Ellie said to me, "Mommy, what's on her face?", to which I laughed. I love that picture or Elle hangin' out on the porch lookin' at her headband. And then this picture of Aves riding her "cow". She thinks cows and horses are both called cow. I love these girls. They make me happy.

This Week

2012-01-08T20:37:00.000-06:00

This week was a good one because....Jim has been getting home at 3 everyday. And noon on Friday. How lucky are we this month? (Next month he'll be out in the middle-of-no-where Elk City, OK and we won't be so lucky...) so we feel like we're on vacation.Here's just a few picture highlights.

This is a terrible picture of the Ellster, but the girls have been addicted to oranges lately...we all love the Cutie clementines, but they REALLY love "sucky oranges". That's what Elle calls them. Love it.

We've had the most beautiful weather this last week. We jumped a lot and the girls, particularly Avi, LOVE it. Best investment ever. So above the girls are playing ring-around-the rosie with static hair. Also, Ellie has been dressing herself lately. She was really proud of this outfit. Don't worry, we didn't leave the house. I don't think.

I was folding a bajillion clothes on Friday and the girls were hungry so they dragged in Jim's cocoa crisps cereal, dumped it all over my floor, danced in it, ate it, and finally I gave in and we ate the remaining for lunch. They were ecstatic.

This last week, three days in a row, Ellie begged us to sleep in Avi's bed, like either of them would sleep if they did. Fourth day, Elle was mad we told her no again, and when I went to check on them before I went to bed, this is what I found. Sweet sisters.

I started my first craft of the year! I was really feeling the crafty bug and finally gave in on Friday and got some material for pillowcase dresses. The cutting and pinning are finished and sewing begins tomorrow. Excited.

And lastly, here's the first profile picture of our cute little boy. I had my 22 week checkup this week. He's due May 9th and the girls are so excited and are always wanting to pull my shirt up to talk to him. Even today in church. That was awkward. Can't wait to meet the little tyke. Ellie is certain he will be so excited to be born so he can play with her and Avi and she also thinks it's hilarious that he is naked in my tummy. What a nut. I love my sweet, funny, little family.

She Did it Again

2012-01-04T22:19:00.001-06:00

So, we LOVE our little Averi. But. She has this habit that us getting funnier every time, but cleaning up the aftermath is getting pretty old. For some reason Avi has developed this habit of pooping in the bathtub. SO GROSS. The reason it's funny is because after Ellie tells me what's happened and I yell for some backup, Avi knows she has to take a shower, which she is terrified of for some reason so she starts freaking out. She stands there frozen in the tub just crying and crying. Panicked. Hilarious. She's done it three times in the last week. Sunday Jim got sick to his stomach looking at the nasty tub while Aves cried and Ellie and I laughed and laughed. Ellie is so great about seeing humor in stressful situations, a lot like Jim. Aves did it again tonight and it was a repeat if Sunday. I am not really sure how to get her to stop. I'm not really sure how to prevent it from happening. Potty training, perhaps, but she's not even 18 months old. She will be in a couple of weeks. Any thoughts???

Merry Christmas

2011-12-28T22:37:00.000-06:00

We had a FABULOUS Christmas. Jim got the week before Christmas off so we hit the road as soon as he got home Friday afternoon. Of course, the only thing I neglected to pack was my camera. We were back at our own home on Christmas and again, forgot to take pictures. Annoying. So we spent our first weekend having a Petersen family Christmas that was a lot of fun, full of really loud kids. Our Ellie being one of the loudest. We love these weekends and the girls are always to happy to be there with cousins and everyone.

We left Saturday night to go to my parents and got to attend my cute nephew's baby blessing Sunday morning. We had a fun trip to Amarillo and it even snowed an inch or two, which stayed on the ground for over a day. Ellie said, "It's snowing! Now it can be Christmas!" Jim and I just can't get over that girl. She is absolutely hilarious. She and Jim were talking one morning while we were there and Jim said, "Ellie, that is so silly" and she said, "No Daddy, that's not silly, that is Awesome." I can't remember what they were discussing. SO funny. Aves was also hilarious. She was way more comfortable this trip than the last and every time we went to Granny's house (3 times) she got hypor and ran around the house, chatting, saying "Look!" as she held her hand behind her back, and hopping. We were thoroughly entertained.

We left my parents and drove back through Duncan where the girls ran wild and had a ball. Jim and I and Bruce went to see Sherlock Holmes one night. So good. We got home on Christmas Eve and unpacked and Ellie was so excited all day for Santa to come to our house. Christmas morning she as so excited that he came and brought her a Tangled doll and a slide and a new "sleepy" cup and toothbrush. Aves just slid down the slide over and over and didn't want to open any other present. They were crazy at church. We had Christmas lunch with some friends and then headed to Norman to Jim's sister Sonya's for dinner. The girls had a ball and Ellie even had her first sleepover in Emma and Addi's room. It only took her over an hour to stay in bed. The girls dressed her up in their nightgown and she was on cloud nine. Jim didn't have to be at work on Monday till 11 so we packed up Monday morning and came back home. Hopefully we don't have to drive anywhere anytime soon. We have hauled our girls all over the state.

Granny gave the girls these beautiful dresses for Christmas and they thought they were princess dresses.

This family picture is not a good one, but it's the only one we got. Better luck next time.

This is kind of a boring post but it is more for journal purposes than anything. This week has been a great week because Jim's been at the hospital this week and only has to be there about three hours a day. It's like he's on vacation. We've been deep cleaning, jumping on the trampoline, today we went to the zoo...the girls are loving it, I am loving it, Jim is loving it.

A Perfect Weekend

2011-12-11T21:57:00.001-06:00

We had a perfect weekend all to ourselves and everyone was so happy the entire time. Ahhh. I love it. We started it off with some Ted's Escondido. Best Mexican food in Tulsa. We sang Christmas songs and watched a Christmas movie Friday night. We went to bed around 10 and Jim let me sleep in while he took the girls to Walmart and the "Donut House" as Ellie calls it. (She also says, Pizza House, Hamburger House, Icecream House. she is hilarious.) Anyway, I slept til 9! I don't even remember the last time I've slept for that long. Incredible. I got ready in 15 minutes without kids climbing all over the cabinet and pulling everything out of drawers. Also incredible.

Once they got back we all went shopping to finish up our Christmas shopping and to go to PetSmart. They had puppies out that the girls were so excited to look at. Santa Claus walked down and isle and Ellie's mouth dropped. She said he saw her and looked at her and that she was being so good so he is going to bring her a Tangled doll and since she was happy when he looked at her, he won't bring her rocks. Just a Tangled doll. Last night when she said her prayers she said she was thankful for seeing Santa at Pet Martz. And she was thankful for Santa bringing her a Tangled doll. Love her.

We ate lunch, and Aves took a nap, and we watched Fred Claus and oh, this is funny. At lunch I told Jim if he really wanted to be romantic, he could buy me some of the lotion I got at the hotel on our honeymoon because I am almost out. Here's how the rest of the conversation went:
Jim: Okay...truthfully, and I hope this doesn't hurt your feelings, but I don't think that lotion is the best smelling thing on you. It kinda reminds me of White Diamonds.
Me: (laugh) That's cool. I don't think it was the best either. Makes me smell like an old lady.
Ellie: All the single ladies.
Jim: Yes, Ellie, like all the single ladies.
Whaaaat? We don't listen to that song very often. I promise. Jim and I laughed and laughed. She was right on cue. So awesome.

We planned on going to the Tulsa Christmas parade so Jim picked up a pizza and I bathed the girls and we got all bundled up, but when we drove past the spot for the parade, it was sooo packed we decided to skip it. But we ended up going to Rhema Bible College which was covered in lights and the girls loved it. Apparently there's over 2 million lights up and yes, we all wore Santa hats. We are really cool.

Today we had Stake Conference from 10-12, which was so great compared to our usual 1-4 church. We all got naps, got in a walk, and had chocolate chip waffles for supper. Great day. Great weekend. I love my family.

A Visit with the Petersens

2011-12-11T21:40:00.001-06:00

Last weekend we went to Norman to have a big Petersen family picture taken, followed by supper at his sister's house with everyone, followed by traveling on to Duncan to Jim's parents house. The girls were both so happy to be with everyone, which makes us so happy. Saturday morning Jim and I decided to go a walk while there was a break in the rain, and it was SO nice to walk without a stroller. However, after getting at least a half mile out, with one clap of thunder we got a torrential downpour and we ended up running back in our jeans and slip on shoes. We were completely soaked, through our coats, and we laughed the entire way back to the house. By we, I mean I. It was so fun.

We drove to a little town in the middle of nowhere to watch Uncle Ben play basketball. He's a little baller, as all the Petersen boys are. We were glad we were in town to watch him play. We finished the night with a huge win in the Bedlam game. GO POKES!!! What a great day for OSU. Here's the pictures.

Watching Uncle Tobes. These girls were crazy on the bleachers.

Momo and Papa had a cardboard house for the girls to play in and they decorated with with lights and a Christmas tree, and the girls had a ball playing in it.

Poor Ellie busted her face in our driveway two days before this. It was really dramatic and she looked so awful. It's all healed up now though, but she still talks about it.

I LOVE Avi's happy face in this picture.

Black Friday and the Big 28

2011-12-11T20:55:00.001-06:00

Oh Black Friday. I planned and researched and had a team and we were victorious. Jim had been talking about getting a big screen for months, but we really have no need for a new tv. I decided the only reasonable think to do was to spend all of his Christmas money and part of his birthday money on a tv. So, Thanksgiving night, my brother Ben and brother-in-law Scott went around 7:00 to Target and Best Buy and each stood in line while me and my sisters put our kids to bed. Hannah and I took Ben's spot at Best Buy around 9 and Katie and Sarah and their friend took Scott's place at Target across the street. Around 11:30 Best Buy handed out tickets for sale items they were out of the 42' tv for $199. We were sad, but we still had hope at Target, especially since Sar and Kate were pretty close to the front. We also felt guilty because we littered our hot chocolate cups with about a hundred other people along the wall of Best Buy. We/I felt even more guilty, when after nearly getting hit by cars crossing the street, Hannah and I approached the rest of my team at Target right as a lady in a vest (who worked there) walked past and told us no cutting. To which, both my older sisters told her we had just run to the car to get blankets. After going back and forth and having all the people in line around them telling the lady I was already in line, and throwing out the pregnant card, she asked me if I was in line... and I said yes...and it wasn't convincing...and the kid behind Sarah threw out the pregnant card again, she gave up and told us not to get out of line again. I was scared I was gonna get beat up. Anyway, a few minutes later a Target worker was handing out tickets and we scored our 40' tv for $250 ticket. However, when I went to pick it up, I was rung up for $298 and was a little confused, and then annoyed that I was going to pay that much for only 40 inches. But then, after I got the tv and was leaving, I realized it was a 46 incher. AHHHHH!!! I was so excited and felt guilty for whoever had a ticket for a 46 incher who wasn't going to get theirs. It was so awesome. I was so excited. We had to go to the main check out line to get our other purchases and we had to wait for over an hour to get out of the store. All in all it was a good experience and I didn't have to wake up at the booty crack of dawn. We got home around 2 am, and I guess since there was four of us awake, both of my girls woke up (they've both been sleeping all night for a while now) and took turns waking each other up until 6 a.m. Every time I would get one back to sleep the other would freak out when I left the room, and since I didn't want to wake the whole house, I stayed in there and it happened over and over. So, at six, I woke up Jim and he played with the girls and took them to Chick fil a while I slept til 11.

I guess all my dishonesty backfired because when we took the tv home to our house after our trip was over, Jim was freaking out and SOOOO excited, he plugged it in and the screen was shattered on the inside. We were both really bummed. But not as bummed when we met at Target on the Monday after Thanksgiving during Jim's lunch break (in Tulsa) and they didn't have any more to exchange, because it was a special black friday purchase. They didn't keep any extras. They returned our money and said if anyone returned theirs we would get a call. I was so sad. All of that time and planning was a waste. However, after work Jim called me and said he'd called all the Targets in the Tulsa area and found one in Owasso, about 20 miles away, and they had one. Jim had them pull it off the shelf and after supper we trekked up there and the guy was so nice and said they're the only store in the state that holds one hot ticket item in case of something like this. He also said right after Jim called and had him hold the tv for us, another guy called asking about the same one. What a relief. We were so glad. I know Heavenly Father probably doesn't care about tvs, but I know He cares about me and I really felt like it was a tender mercy for me for all my efforts to get Jim something for Christmas that he really wanted.

Anyway, the Sunday after Thanksgiving was my birthday and it was a great day. We went to church with my parents and I asked a question in Relief Society, which was followed by a lot of great comments from everyone, which was followed by me having a pregnant emotional crying scene that I couldn't get control of. Pretty embarrassing...Gotta love being pregnant. Anyway, my family sang me happy birthday and I wish I had a video of it, because Ellie was SO cute. She just smiled and sang and was so happy it was my big day. Gosh, I love that girl! Here's my birthday pictures:

Again, Averi with the high chair. She is so hilarious.

Thanksgiving in A-town

2011-12-11T20:38:00.001-06:00

We had a great Thanksgiving. We always go to Jim's parents for Thanksgiving but this year we decided to head home since Jim happened to get a 4 day weekend, which won't happen very often again. He did his family practice rotation last month, which is why we got so lucky/blessed. We actually ended up getting five days off because Jim had been nursing this awful cold for a week and a half and his attending told him to go to the doctor because he sounded so awful. When Jim went to the doc he found out it wasn't a cold ,but pnuemonia. Soooo, we got to leave a day early.. We've never been so happy to hear one of us was that sick. Anyway, we had lots of fun and the brothers-in-law + Ben made Thanksgiving dinner and it was a big hit. LOTS of good food and good company.

Charly and Ellie are such good friends. They're also really good friends with Katie's boys, Eliott and Max, which I somehow missed getting pictures of..They all had way too much fun playing together.

This girl was crazy. She was cutting molars, which made her pretty ornery, but she also was surrounded by people she doesn't know as well as we'd like and she was full of crusty looks and attitude. Oh, but we love her anyway. She was really excited about Mom's highchair... She figured out how to clip the buckle so she spent a LOT of time in it buckling it, throwing her hands up in the air, and saying yay, then trying to get someone to pay attention to unclip it so she could do it again. I loved it and was continuously amused by her continuous amusement.

We played outside before we had Thanksgiving dinner and had more fun.

Here's my Heisman winner

Here's the schpeel of all the food. Below is my sweet pretty niece, Julia.

I realize this is pretty late, BUT, the top things I have been thankful for this year are the following:
1) My precious sweet little family of 4.5. They have all stolen my heart.
2) My Savior, Jesus Christ, who loves me and make my life beautiful.
3) All the rest of my family and their undying love and support for me.
4) My friends from SAA (Student Advocate Association) who are all traveling the same road as me and enrich my life.
5) All of my friends all over the country whom I may not talk to regularly, but who I still think of often and am grateful for.

I think that sums it up.

Visit From the Heaths

2011-12-11T20:23:00.001-06:00

My sister Sarah and her family came to visit us the week after Grandma came. We went to the aquarium and hung out a lot and Sar and I even got to get away and go to Hobby Lobby, kid-free! Jim and Chris took the girls to the park and walmart and we all had a blast. These girls are all such good friends and Avi is obsessed with Baby Ethan. Really, all three of the girls all. What's not to love? The kid is precious!

Been a While

2011-12-11T20:12:00.001-06:00

I am a little behind on blogging but there's several posts I've been planning in my head so here they come!

Last month my grandma caught a ride to Tulsa with a friend and spent a night and day with us.. It was so great. We all love having her come. The girls love her and wanted her to do everything with them, including jumping on the trampoline, which she passed on this year, (she jumped with Ellie last year...and she's over 80. She is amazing.) Grandma volunteered to watch the girls at the park while I went to the grocery store and she played play dough with them while I cleaned. Avi was really excited about the whole thing

(in the photos below) and Ellie was really focused.. I also finished up the Christmas tree skirt I started last Christmas, thanks to Grandma teaching me and supervising my sewing. Thank you, Grandma, and come back any time! We love you!

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T21:11:00.009-05:00

Happy Halloween!! We had a great day and started it off with green blueberry monster pancakes. Really appetizing, I know.
But Aves loved 'em.

Even the Ellster ate one (she's totally NOT interested in eating these days. Don't worry, she's not starving, just look at her cheeks! Still full and healthy.)

We played outside this afternoon and the girls are obsessed with the stump from tree we had cut down.

I guess you can't tell, but that's what they're standing on.

Tonight we trick-or-treated. Ellie was Cinderella and Aves was a mouse from Cinderella, one of her little mouse friends.. Avi currently screams and writhes everytime I have to change her clothes, so when I tried to put her in her costume (that I spent a whole day making myself) and wipe her nose (caked with boogers) she was out of control. I left her in her room to roll around and cry and eventually she wandered to my closet and laid herself down and cried and whined. Jim got her to calm down by promising to take her outside and somehow got the rest of her costume on. I also tried to color her nose brown but only got a line and a half before she threatened to go into a fit again. Crazy child. How we love her.

I don't know what I did to get his picture this way but Jim and I think Elle looks like Cinderella's ghost. Spoooooky.

Pretty girl.

My successful mason jar crafts in the front window. Also spooooooky.

This is the only shot of Aves as a mouse. She's missing a bowtie thing and a tail.

Aves was so hilarious. About half way through the two streets we went down, she decided to walk and do it all by herself, (Jim and I were holding both the girls most the time. Jim held Elle the whole time. She's scared of strangers.) So, Aves would march up and stick her hand in the bowl and grab as much candy as she could and say "takeoo" and then try to grab some more. She didn't want to go home and when we got home she attacked our candy bowl. Oh we love her. Ellie was really good at saying Trick-or-treat this year. They are the best. Now Jim and I are watching Hocus Pocus and falling asleep. We're getting old. Happy Halloween!

Sing Sweet Nightingale

2011-10-01T20:32:00.005-05:00

On Wednesday morning I was in my bathroom getting ready for the day and cleaning up and when I came out I noticed a pile of unused wipeys by my bed. Aves. As I went to the living room where the girls were watching Sesame Street, I noticed two more piles of unused wipeys. Ellie and Aves. I picked them all up and was about to throw probably 20+ away, when a brilliant idea came to me. I got the girls to play Cinderella with me and we used all the wipes to "scrub" our kitchen floor. Ellie sang "sing sweet nightingale, ah ah ah ah ah....etc" the whole time, over and over, just like Cinderella. It was amazing. I love these girly girls so MUCH! Don't look too close at that one. It's really dirty...

Love those little flat buns!

"Shing shweet nightingale..."

Aves was not interested for very long. Here she's running away. Smart girl.

Both girlsare turning into the best little helpers. Avi loves to help me put pillows on my bed and Ellie loves to help me put all the silverware away. The future of my housekeeping looks good!

Fall Wreaths

2011-09-27T21:02:00.002-05:00

So I put all of my fall decor up last week and found several spots that needed something, and the crafty bug creeped in. Here's the results, that I'm really pleased with: The top one is just a plain wreath with some stuff twisted around it, add a bow, voila. The bottom one, my favorite, is one of those green styrofoam wreaths with bat ribbon wrapped around and glued. I found the black boa at Hobby Lobby for cheap and glued it to the outside edges. I inside part is one of those plain, unpainted wooden things that I painted and glittered and it happened to fit perfectly inside. I thought about gluing googly eyes to the boa to make the feathers look like bats but I think those eyes would have pushed me over the tacky line and I was really trying to not cross that line.

I love the Fall. I think there are the most crafting opportunities with this season.

I also want to note that today is Avril Lavigne's golden birthday. 27 on the 27th. I'm not the only one obsessed with golden birthdays.

Happy Birthday, Tyler!

2011-09-14T21:55:00.005-05:00

Ellie and Averi's 2nd cousin turned 3 this week so we went to visit them for the day and had tons of fun playing at the park (where Aves dove head first down every slide she could find...), feeding the ducks, and eating Cars macaroni. Our friend Nataly and Graycie came, too for a ltitle bit but I didn't get any pictures of them, which is too bad because Graycie is such a doll. Anyway, here are the pictures.

A Visit from Uncle Brad

2011-09-14T21:36:00.003-05:00

Well my brother Brad came to visit us last week for a couple short days before he moved to Scotland for the year for a masters program. The girls were in heaven and we did a lot of fun things in a really short amount of time. We went to the mall, the aquarium and the zoo and played on the trampoline a lot. Here's some of our pictures.

I'm currently obsessed with the rainforest building at the zoo. I had no idea it was there until recently. Can you believe that jaguar up at the top? SO COOL.

Elle loves the toys.

And the giraffes.

Aves was not excited about sitting on the turtle.

We love that elephant.

We cannot get enough of the tramp. Trampoline, that is.

We love you Uncle Brad! Have fun in Scotland!

How Did We Do It?

2011-08-25T18:51:00.002-05:00

Sotonight Jim is going out with a friend from school who is moving tomorrow and he won't be home til after the girls are fast asleep (or should be...) and all day I have been thinking about the last two years of school. Anytime there was a big test, which was once a week at least, we wouldn't see Jim until right before the girls went to bed, so they were able to say goodnight to him, or they wouldn't see him and he'd get home around 9 or 10. I never let it go two days in a row without getting them to him, whether it be meeting for lunch for 30 minutes at Chicfila or bringing supper to him where we ate with him for 20 minutes. Then there was the October and March of the 2nd year where Jim was at school from 6 or 7 am until midnight for a week straight (these weeks in addition to the same schedule during finals week). Sometimes we would leave town when there were going to be too many days in a row, and sometimes I just made up a bazillion projects for myself to keep us busy. Today I have been a little sad that the girls can't see Jim today (since he's doing rotations at the hospital this month we can't go visit him and don't talk to him at all during the day, except for the occasional text) and I just can't stop asking myself how we made it through the last two years. We always got to see Jim on Sundays, he always took that off from studying. He was usually exhausted and stressed about the upcoming test, and usually went to bed around 6 or 7 so he could wake up early and study, but I could always count on Sundays and I guess knowing that got me through the long weeks. Now that he's on rotations he works 12 days on, 2 days off, getting every other weekend off. So even though now I can't count on Sundays, we see him everyday and that has been so great. He eats supper with us almost every night, which hasn't happened since we started school. What I've been realizing today is that I literally took each day one at a time, because if I took anymore than that I would not have been able to handle it.
I also realized something significant recently. Last year was super hard with a new baby and this crazy schedule and during the middle of it I felt totally abondoned, especially when me and the kids were sick for months and I had pnumonia and Averi never slept all night (she is 13 months and has only slept all night twice...no, she won't cry it out. She just keeps on and keeps on). I would pray and pray and not see the answers and the help I was praying for and felt like I needed so desparately. But what I have recently discovered, is that through all of this, my marriage has stayed intact and strong, even though we literally have been on like 4 dates since we've lived here. Somehow, the Lord kept Jim and I close and hasn't let our marriage suffer in any way, but it has only been made stronger. Before we started school her I was terrified of what it would do to us, having seen way too many Grey's Anatomy and heard horror stories of divorces because of medical school (not that divorce ever was or ever will be in my thoughts about my marriage). So what I'm trying to say is, I guess if I had to choose, I'd pick my marriage over sleepless nights with a cute little baby, and I'm grateful beyond expression for this answer to an unspoken prayer. Heavenly Father truely loves us and is mindful of us. I am also so grateful for the practice of taking each day as it comes and learning how to savor and appreciate each day,because I didn't want to spend my long days wishing away my life to any extent. I'm also SO glad to be 1/2 through medical school!
If you made it to the end of this post, kudos to you and thank you for indulging me. I just needed to put these thoughts on figurative paper before I forgot them.

First Haircut

2011-08-24T20:42:00.006-05:00

Ellie finally got her first haircut yesterday. It really wasn't a cut as much as a half inch trim. She was under the impression that she could get her hair cut like Tangled's (Rapunzel's), which, contrary to what you would think, is not shoulder length. She thought it would get longer. So, our friend Bethaney just trimmed and curled it and Ellie was so pleased. All three of us girls got our hair trimmed and styled and had a great day hanging out with Bethaney and her cute little 11 month old Ava. Below, Ellie is smiling, saying cheese. I don't know where she came up with that face but I think it's hilarious.

New Toy

2011-08-15T20:31:00.005-05:00

So this trampoline may be the best toy we have ever bought or ever will buy. Our justification for buying it-early Christmas present. We bought it a week and a half ago and have played on it every day, except Sundays, for an hour, give or take. It is awesome. I always knew trampolines were great because we always had at least one growing up, sometimes two, but man. The net around this things makes it possible to play dodge ball and to have toddlers on it and not worry about them falling off the edge. We are all in love.

Ave digressed back to her bear crawl.

That trampoline in the background is one we got from my cousin Emil'y neighbor for free and as you can see the net is a little rough around the edges (literally...) and was too dangerous for adults to get on it. If anyone wants it, come and get it. I love this one below.

2011-08-01T15:07:00.003-05:00

I love this girl!

Raise the Roof

2011-07-28T22:50:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to make it publicly known how excited I am that this weekend we are finally...GETTING A NEW ROOF!!! We have had a giant hole in our roof, covered by a brown tarp nailed down, for 2 months and this weekend some people are coming to put a new one on. Let me just say, that our electric bill has been over $100 more than it usually is this time of year (our bill is literally going through the roof). Plus, in the last two months the bane of my existance has made a reappearance in full fury, to the point Jim and I have both contemplated moving. I hate ants more than anything in the world, and they have taken over my bathroom where the hole in our shower is. So, while we are away at my family reunion the ants are supposed to be taken care of as well. Hurray! (side note: I always tell Ellie to say, "Hip hip hurray!" when we're excited about something, and she says, "Pip pip hurray!" I love that girl.)

All of that brings me to the other thing I am so excited about. My family reunion. Every year since I was born or before, my dad's family gets together for 4 days and we all travel from all across the country to come. Lucky for me these days, I live in the central location of Oklahoma and only have to drive an hour to get to it. I love my family so much and miss the ones who can't come, and I am glad we still have the reunion tradition for my kids to participate in. Hurray for Lovett family reunions!! Bring on the swimming, softball, volleyball, fishing, card games, good conversation, millions of kids running around, and delicious food. I can't wait.

Picture Post

2011-07-20T22:06:00.000-05:00

These are some random pictures from our trip to A-town (not the first three, those were after our trip to A-town). Me and the girls were there for a total of 3 weeks while Jim came at teh beginning and end of those three weeks. He had to go back to study for his first set of boards, which he passed (hurray!!). Happy Father's Day!

Mowing, mowing, mowing.

Crazy girls.

Lovett grandies.

Baby J, aka Cutie Patootie.

Someone Turned One! Part 2

2011-07-20T16:16:00.026-05:00

So, here are some more pictures from Ave's birthday party. Below, Aunt Karen and Uncle Todd. We love them! Aves didn't really blow the candle out. I did. But she sorta tried to after it was already out. We'll have to practice for next year.
She ate all the frosting and threw plain pieces of cake over the side.

I love these sweet little hands!

Very focused.

Throwing cake.

This is on her actual birthday.
Everyone was tired and cranky from getting in late the night before.

Well, the crank came after breakfast. We had Ave's favorite:scrambled eggs and baby pancakes.

She made a pretty good haul.

Below is Sunday after church, after her nap, in her birthday dress.

This girl is so much fun.

And these three love to wrestle.

And the remains of her favorite supper. I love this. We had her favorite for supper: homemade macaroni and cheese. We are all so in love with this little girl. We just can't believe it's been a year since she joined us. Happy first birthday, Averi!!

Big Girl Bed

2011-07-20T15:21:00.008-05:00

Since Ellie is really good at climbing out of her crib these days, we decided to go ahead and make the switch to a toddler bed. I took off the side this morning and Ellie just took a nap in it and didn't fall off. Hopefully all goes well tonight.

Someone Turned One! Part 1

2011-07-20T14:41:00.020-05:00

Last Saturday our little Averi turned 1. We turned it into a weekend celebration because Jim had his first weekend days off since starting his internal medicine rotation at the hospital. On July 1st. That's right, he worked July 1st, had the 2nd off, and worked every day until the 16th and 17th. Anyway, this is not about that, this is about a birthday celebration. So we drove to Norman Friday night and Jim's brother Todd and his wife Karen watched our girls while we went to see Harry Potter. It was so nice of them, especially since Karen is an HP fan, and such a nice treat for us to go to the movies. Anyway, Saturday afternoon all of Jim's family met up at his sister Sonya's for a birthday party and going-away party for Bruce, who is going to BYU-I soon. It was also really nice of Sonya to host us all once again. Here's a lot of pictures: As soon as we got there Ellie found a crown.
And both girls found balloons (from a baby shower Sonya hosted earlier in the morning. Did I mention she's 7 months pregnant and a champion?)

Jim insisted on making deviled eggs to go with our salad bar and they were a hit.

Cousins blowing their party blowers (what are those things called??)

Our birthday girl and her teeth

We were all gathered to bless the food and couldn't find Ellie, so I went looking and found this. Aunt Sonya was getting her all dressed up for the party.

This girl is such a good eater.

Cousin princesses

Cake!

Avi and Momo.

Timmmmmberrrrrr

2011-07-20T13:02:00.009-05:00

So, as I mentioned in the wildfires post we had a tree fall through our roof. When I was taking these pictures the next morning I didn't realize there was a huge hole underneath the top of the tree. Thank goodness we are renting and our landlady had someone over by 5:00 the next evening to cut it down and nail a tarp down to cover the hole. It's really too bad because that was our only tree, but it was kindof dying anyway. It's a shame the live part broke off and not the dead. The day the tree was cut down, (it fell the night before at like 11 and was SO loud. We thought someone was breaking into our house) there was a ton of tornadoes and bad storms that went all across Oklahoma and came past Tulsa. We had to take cover in our bathroom and the bottom picture is of Ellie, whom we had to wake up at 8:30 at night, in the bathtub. We tried to move her and keep her asleep, but she was way too distracted by the fact that she was supposed to be sleeping in the bathtub. Thank goodness we were safe from that storm.

And we found a turtle, which you can't see, but you can see that Elle was happy about it.

Wildfires

2011-07-19T21:24:00.011-05:00

So when we were in Amarillo at the end of May, beginning of June, there were tons of wildfires all around the outside of town and on a Sunday afternoon, May 29th I think, Jim and I and the girls and my parents were at their house and Dad said, "If that wind keeps up and a fire starts, we're toast." Well, within the hour our neighbor called to tell us there was a fire in the field across the highway. So Jim and Dad went outside immediately and started water the fence and the roof. Mom and I waited for word to start packing. Within 20 minutes Mom told me to pack up all of our stuff and be ready to go. Within the hour, 6:20 or so we were told that evacuation was mandatory, so after I loaded up our stuff, Mom and I started loading up her pictures, geneology, etc. My old friend Luke was at church and saw the orange smoke and came over to help. Jim and me and the girls left to go to my sister Sarah's around 7 and when we left the sky was orange and there were policeman on every street making sure everyone was leaving, as evacuation was no lonegr an option. As we were leaving, my brother Brad, brother-in-law Scott and friend Nels pulled up tp get some of Brad's stuff. They left right behind my parents and they saw that the fire had hopped the highway and was burning in the alley behind our house, AND the house 5 houses down around the corner was burning. By the time everyone made it over to Sarah's we were all convinced my parents house of the last 18 years was lost. It was a sad sad hour. My parents were devasted and us kids did our best to keep their spirits up by pointing out all the good things of getting to rebuild with all new stuff. It was shocking and none of us could believe what was happening. Around 9 someone from church called Mom and said someone told him that she saw our house still standing. What a relief. But I was still skeptical. I wasn't going to believe it was still there till I saw it. Anyway, me and Jim and the girls and Brad stayed with Sarah and Hannah with Katie, and my parents at Granny's. Mom was up watching the news until 3 am when they said everyone could go home. The next day was Memorial day so everyone was off work. My parents went home to a thick layer of ash over EVERYTHING and smoke permeated everything. They called and said to plan on staying with Sar as the house was smokey and us aggrivating to the lung. They had to leave later because they both felt sicky after being in their house all morning. Me and the girls came back on Wednesday and it still smelled like smoke. It was shocking driving up. These pictures are like a week after the fact. Everything is dead. The orange on the street is some sort of fire repellant. Once the house down the street caught fire, the fireman went to work saving the other houses and a plane came to drop that orange stuff. We used to mow that lady's grass. There ended up being 8 houses within half a mile of our house that burned. I was kind of in shock all week. I didn't really talk much all week. I was so grateful we were taken care of and so grateful we were spared from what would have been the really horrible experience of losing a home. And I was in shock because two weeks before our tree in our front yard in Glenpool fell on our house during a great storm and put a hole in our roof (two days after the horrible tornado in Joplin (2 hours away) and the days after we had to take shelter in our bathroom for a tornado going past Tulsa). Waaay too many life threatening natural disasters for me. Anyway, here's the pictures of our neighborhood.

Have a Good Day!

2011-06-21T19:55:00.003-05:00

Today was a perfect staycation day for our family. Jim took his first set of boards last week (he will take a total of 3 before he is officially a doctor in two years) and we've been vacationing ever since. At home. So this morning we got up and went to the zoo with a stop for biscuits, per Ellie's request, from Mc D's. The zoo animals were excited to see all of us, as it had been over a month since we've been there. The monkeys are always telling Ellie hi, so she says. Averi wanted to walk everywhere and not be in her stroller, as she has been walking up to about 10 steps for the last 2 weeks. She was a little cranky, but so happy to be there none-the-less. The picture above is when we were looking at the "big-o daddy turtles". Both girls fell asleep on our way home and both took short naps. Booo. So Jim and I decided to brave the dollar theater and see Rio. It was so fun (except when Aves was squawking because she wanted to crawl down the side isles to touch the lights on the floor...) and at one point all four of us were actually watching the screen with our 3-D glasses on. And then the movie started and Aves was uninterested. But after taking turns with her in the back opf the theater Jim got her asleep. Anyway, it was fun, but I don't think Avis is ready for the full price movie theater yet. After the movie it was only 3:30 so we went to Wal-mart and then came home where I played with the girls and then bathed them while Jim cooked supper (!). It was so good. We stuffed ourselves and played a little more and now it is 8:00 and both girls are sleeping and Jim and I are settling in for some Mario cart, some Harry Potter reading and then perhaps a movie. Ahhh.

OH, but I forgot the reason for the title of this post. When we were at Wal-mart we were checking out and I started walking out with Aves while Jim was paying and as I was walking away I hear this tiny little voice say, "Have a good day!" and turned to see Ellie telling our checker to have a good day. Pretty sure all three of our hearts melted (mine, Jim's and the checker's). What a sweetie pie. Ellie also went the latter half of the day with her underwear inside out and her shorts on backwards. Ha!

Yesterday was great, too, as we did yard work, went to the mall, and played in our new blow up swimming pool in the back yard. The girls LOVE that thing. Pictures will follow soon. I'm not in the mood to post pictures.

Green Thumb

2011-05-10T20:14:00.000-05:00

I am absolutely thrilled about these plants. Last year I tried to plant flowers from seeds and out of probably 30 seeds only 2 plants came up. So this year I was a little nervous about these vegetables. But, apparently someone around here has a green thumb. Either me or Elle, I'm not sure because we planted them together and we water them together everyday. It's probably her. Anyway, I'm SO excited about them.

What, do you ask, are these beautiful plants? The tall one is some kind of a tomato. I bought that one for fifty cents and it was already a little bit grown. And I don't know what kind of tomato it will be, but that's okay because all tomatoes seem expensive to me right now.

The 2nd and 3rd ones...I forgot which one is which. Oops. One is okra and one is blackeyed peas, two of my favorite garden-fresh veggies. If this whole bucket-garden thing works, maybe next year I'll add peppers, green beans, peas, squash, etc. Delicious.

Monsters

2011-05-09T20:24:00.000-05:00

So last week Ellie cried off and on for hours at night and Jim and I kept going into her room because we didn't want her to wake up Averi. So we'd rock her and tell her there are no monsters in our house and then we'd talk about things she could think about that make her happy and that make her feel better. At the 1 a.m. wakening Ave's head popped up over the side of the crib smiling and ready to play...booooo. Anyway, for the first time in way over a year Ellie slept in bed with us and by morning all four of us were in our bed. Let's just say that's two too many. Ellie was all snuggled up to Jim and all of his pillows and when she woke up she had the most incredible rats nest of hair I've ever seen.

We went to Target and bought the girls' room a night light and haven't had any problems since. I don't really know why Ellie was so scaredof monsters. She said they were blue scary monsters. The only thing she watches on tv is Sesame Street, Cinderella and Tangled. And I don't watch anything with blue monsters in it (contrary to popular belief). I guess she just imagined them. When I told her that monsters can't come in our house, she told me only Elmo, Telly, Zoe, Abby ca dabby, etc. can come in and that those monsters "make Ellie feel better" (yes, she speaks in thrid person). Anyway, all I can say is I hope those scary blue monsters stay far away.

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T20:42:00.004-05:00

I love these girls! And I love being their mommy!

I realize I look the same in all these but the girls look so different in each of them and I like to look at them all lined up. It's like a slow movie. (a really slow movie that is really short.)

Today I got my first homemade craft from Ellie and I have to say I was really excited and she was really excited to give it to me. What a wonderful thing it is that we have mothers to love our homemade crafts. My mom is my biggest fan of all my crafts and she always gets the experimental ones I come up with and she always loves them. In fact, her room is decorated by my crafts. Thanks, Mom! She also always has a listening ear when I call her 80x/week. When Jim's not available Mom listens to my rantings and thoughts and never makes me feel bad for taking up so much of her time iwth my ramblings. Thanks for being the best mom in the world!

My fabulous mother-in-law Shelly also is always a grateful recipient to my homemade craft gifts. She is a great mother and always has a listening ear and good conversation. I'm so grateful for her and her good example and her amazing son, who is the love of my life. Thanks for raising such an incredible man!So finally I have a homemade craft and I too have become a listening ear to my chatty daughter. I love it, but I cannot believe how much this 2 year-old TALKS. ALL THE TIME. She is so funny and will go into repeat if I don't acknowledge what she's said. Oh the conversations we have. She will tell anyone anywhere about ALL the animals at the zoo and all the fish at the aquarium. Over and over again. And that is why we love this girl. She's passionate. She came up with this pose below herself. That's her big thing lately, doing things "all by herself."Then there's this little cutie pie who tries to talk all the time and likes to yell. She is the most fun-loving baby I've ever seen and we love that about her. She hasn't made me any crafts yet but she sure makes me happy with her cute hair and smile. And her penetrating eyes. Jim and I are pretty sure she stares into our souls when she looks at us, or anyone for that matter. I'm just so grateful to be the mother of these sweet little girls. I often feel overwhelmed at the task to teach them all they need to know to be successful in life and to be good virtuous girls and women, but feeling overwhelmed is a tool of Satan and Heavenly Father loves his children and is always here to help their mothers, to help me teach these beautiful babies. Thank you to all the mothers and grandmothers and sisters and women who have been an example to me of how to be a good mom, for giving me a goal to work toward!

Happy Easter!

2011-05-01T20:28:00.004-05:00

So excited to see their Easter baskets!
I love this one.

Elmo!!

Yummm.

My pretty girl.

Family photo.

This girl is a nut.

These girls love, Love, LOVE their daddy.

We stayed home for Easter this year. There's a 5k at Jim's school called the Scrub Run every year on Easter weekend and Jim was supposed to help work it and he signed me up to run it. But the morning of, he got a migraine and had to stay in bed. Luckily for me, Ben was still here so he was an absolute champion and watched our kids while I ran. There wasn't a huge turnout and the weather was kinda bad, but I had a good run and got 8th overall girl and 2nd in my age division! I was shocked. The whole day was a tender mercry of the Lord, because a) He helped me run faster than I have in a loooong time, which helped me feel really good about myself, b) Ben was still in town, allowing for child care for the race, and had he not been there I wouldn't have been able to run at all and would have been really disappointed, c) Jim got his migraine that weekend instead of finals, allowing for full recoop and no neglegnace of studying. Anyway, Jim got his friend to give him an i.v. of fluids since he'd vomited like 5 times and that made the hangover day after MUCH better. It usually takes Jim 3 days to fully return to normalcy after a migraine.

So Easter was great and the girls were so cute and Ellie was in jelly bean heaven. This last week and this next week was and will be long. Finals start tomorrow and go for 10 days. I'll be so so so glad when they're over. We've been in survival mode and are now entering ultimate survival mode. Therefore, I am now accepting visitors.

Our Most Recent Activities

2011-04-20T15:45:00.006-05:00

So Jim's been super busy with school lately and we've been missing him terribly. TERRIBLY. But we're strong girls, as I tell myself daily, whether it's true or not. These pictures of our girls make me so happy. They love each other so much and are starting to play together really well (at my feet. Neither can play without me right next to them...) A couple Sundays ago we went a morning walk with Jim and while we don't normally play outside on Sundays, well. We did. Church is at one and we have had a hard time adjusting to it. So we go on walks Sunday mornings and these first couple pictures are after our walk. Anyway, me and the girls took another trip to Amarillo because Katie finally had her 9 lb 6 oz baby girl and we had to go see her. We had a good trip and Ellie and Averi were both thrilled to be playing with cousins all day everyday, not to mention all the Nana and Grandpa time. So, without further ado, here's my pics.

They think it's so funny to both be in the car together.

It's hard to get pictures of Ellie smiling for real. She's always got her eyes closed.

We came in from our room to see this. She was looking for box drinks. And when she gets hot she takes her shirt off. What a nut.

Here she is! Julia Kate Folsom is a little doll. She has the chubbiest cheeks. See how they're saggin towards the ground? I love it.

My sister Hannah is growing up so fast. She is a great little auntie.

Sunday afternoon, enjoying the beautiful Amarillo weather.

Ellie finally discovered the microphone. She was singing her ABCs the whole week. My parents have this weird stove fireplace with a handle on it and she kept climbing up on the hearth to sing into it, like a mic. It was so cute.

I'm in love with these cute little dresses. We set up Hannah's old "princess castle" as Elle called it and the kids loved it. They played in it all week. Dad even got in it one night and read books to them. Aves is really tired in this picture.

Ellie also discovered Barbies. Big day!

I love that Hannah caught Aves face like this. I think Ellie looks so cute.

We brought my brother Ben back to Glenpool with us. These are at my parents house. Ellie was so excited to be blowing bubbles.

So it's a good thing Ben came back with us, because we're still missing Jim a ton, even though we're home. I can't wait until the semester and studying is over. It's been a tough two years.

Not a Lot...

2011-04-03T19:44:00.005-05:00

So, not a lot is going on around here, but here's some recent pictures. Averi is SUCH a happy little baby. She loves to play and wrestle and snuggle. She's so fun to play with and is always so happy to see any of us. We're so blessed to have her in our family.

These girls, these girls. Ellie loves being matchy-matchy and really loves monkeys. She loves wearing this shirt.

She's still got her sweet kissable cheekies.

Aves has been really squeaky lately. I think I caught her mid-squeal here. Again, she is so happy almost all the time. Sweet, sweet baby.

Notice her "invisible bracelets," as Aunt Karen calls them. Ave is still such a loveable chunk.

Happy to be eating.

Elle is also happy to be eating and is telling something to Avis.

Ellie is such a sweet girl. Sure, she's a little crazy, but she is really sweet and REALLY chatty. Friday morning we went for a jog to the park where she played and then we jogged back. By the time we got back it had been a long trip and Ellie said, "Proud of you, Mommy!" Talk about heart-warming and motivating. She's been telling me and Jim good job for a while, but "Proud of you!" Oh, I love it.

We went to Jim's brother's Todd house yesterday to hang out with him and his great wife, Karen. Ellie was beside herself with excitement the whole time. Todd gave her a lot of fruit snacks and Karen let her eat almost every meal on her lap. We tried to watch General Conference but our girls make things a little difficult to focus. I really miss getting a lot out of conference. Oh well, one day I will again.

Speaking of one day, my sister Katie is due to have a baby any minute. She was due last week and I can't wait to hear some good news. I will be an aunt 3 times this year. Katie is having a girl any day, Sarah is having a boy in July and Jim's sister Sonya is having a baby in September. Hurray! I'm really excited about all these babies.

So, Jim went to bed at 6 tonight to wake up and study and the girls were both in bed by 7:15. And now I dont' know what to do with myself. AND since Aves was up for an hour last night (she refuses to sleep when we're not at home) I think I will go to bed at nine. Yes. Good decision.

Rat tail.

2011-03-22T20:25:00.005-05:00

Is it rattail or rat tail? I don't know. Whatever it is, my little Averi no longer has one. My friend and hairstylist Bethaney chopped it off today. It was a much needed cut, but a little sad. Ellie hasn't even had a haircut yet. But, Bethaney assured me Aves would thank me later for cutting it off. No one deserves to have a lobsided half rat tail,especially a cute little Averi...anyway, you get the point. Here's the before and after photos. Maybe I went a little overboard with the pictures. Oh well. It's well documented.

Ellie was playing with her favorite blanket, Yellow Buddie, and she put it up on her head like this, and told her to freeze so I could get the camera. When I came back, of course, she had moved so i told her to put it back. She thought that was hilarious and put it back on and took it off again, telling me to tell her to put it back. I love this girl. She's so funny. When Ave and I were getting out hair cut today, she kept telling us to put the hair back on. Funny!

Funny.

2011-03-17T21:20:00.000-05:00

I think this picture is hilarious. This was at my parents' a couple weeks ago. Eliott is so sweet to Aves, but I'm not quite sure why she's staring at him so funny.

Delicious.

2011-03-15T21:05:00.003-05:00

I'm sort of in love with this recipe. My mom found it on one of her bank statements and it is so delicious. It's been a hit with Jim AND Ellie AND me and that's rare. So here it is:

Wild Rice Soup

1 med. onion
1 c. diced carrots
1/2 c. flour
2 c. light cream (I used milk and it worked great)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. diced celery
1/2 c. butter
4 c. chicken broth
2 c. diced chicken
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 c. cooked wild rice (1 box of Uncle Ben's Wild Rice)

Saute onion, celery, carrots, and butter until onions are clear. Reduce heat. Blend in flour and cook until bubbly. Add wild rice, cream, chicken, salt and pepper. Simmer 20 minutes.

What's a Girl to Do?

2011-03-08T15:48:00.003-06:00

This girl is so cute and so sweet and a little crazy and is absolutely wearing me out. I just want to know if it's normal for a two year-old girl to be extremely emotional ALL the time. My mom says she sounds like a teenager. HA! I just feel like I can only make her happy by giving her fruit snacks or letting her watch Sesame Street or by holding her. A girl can't live her life like that! Moreover, I can't live like that. What is a girl to do with a teenage two year-old? Someone please help me!

Valentine's Day

2011-02-27T21:15:00.005-06:00

V-day was a little different this year, since my favorite valentine had to study all night for a test. However, I did not let that get me down and we planned a Valentine party with Emily and Tyler and Mikey. Baby Mike was actually asleep the whole time so he didn't make the pictures. We made some cards and the kids played dress up and then we made mini delicious heart shaped pizzas. It was fun and I was grateful for Emily for hosting us. After naps we went on a short jog and at the last minute we met Jim at Panda Express for supper. Ellie was REALLY excited about eating fried rice and noodles and mostly about seeing Daddy. When she saw him walking up she yelled his name over and over and it was really loud. Good thing no one eats fast food Chinese food on Valentine's Day and there was only one other person in the place.

Solid Food

2011-02-27T21:03:00.002-06:00

So we finally started Aves on solid food and she loves it! Hopefully she turns out to be a good eater like Ellie was. Wait, she is a good eater. Her thighs tell no lies. (They're HUGE.)

Groundhogs Day

2011-02-07T23:14:00.001-06:00

Well, four years ago on Groundhogs Day, Jim popped the question. He asked me to marry him in my front yard by writing in the snow in John Deer green (of course-our life is like a country song). He wrote "Marry me Bekah". Four of the happiest years of my life later, I found this outside: "So glad u said yes". I'm so glad I said yes, too. Like I'd say no! He's the best husband EVER and I love him more than I ever knew or imagined I could love someone. Thank you Jim for making me the happiest girl in the world!

Poor Aves

2011-02-06T13:48:00.002-06:00

Friday night Averi was having sleeping issues (she has those a lot) and we were letting her cry and then I'd go in and calm her and let her cry some more. By the time she finally went to sleep I thought she was hoarse from crying so long. But when I was feeding her in the middle of the night I realized she was wheezing quite a bit. So, by morning Jim listened to her lungs and said there was something but he didn't think it was pnuemonia. He said he thought it was croup because she'd started coughing this nasty cough, I now know to be termed as a barking cough. It sounds like a seal. After Jim got home from school last night we took her to a pediatric urgent care and she's got croup. So, way to go Jim for figuring it out, but boo that we have somehow concocted yet another random illness. Poor baby, she sounds awful but is on steroids to reduce the inflammation of her airway so she can breathe. I AM grateful Averi doesn't have an ear infection like we thought she did. I've had about enough of those. Needless to say I'm so ready for spring. AND needless to say whoever gets us sick next might should be scared of me, because I'm walking the line of craziness and might do something drastic. And now you've been warned:)

Best Husband EVER

2011-02-05T22:26:00.000-06:00

Well, I don't wanna brag, butI pretty much have the best husband EVER. He's not around much, but when he's home, he's home and he's always doing something thoughtful. Last week he bought me an Engagement anniversary, Valentine's Day, Mothers Day, Anniversary, Memorial Day, Independance Day (you get the idea...) present. I LOVE IT. I just have to learn how to use it in all my spare time. We got 14+ inches of snow on Tuesday so we've been in the house all week, with Jim home (studying away in the back, trying to study for tests as well as all the material he would've covered in class). It's so nice just knowing we're in the same house. Anyway, as you can see from the hair below, I was getting bored. These are in reverse order, the most recent down to the least.

Look who's big enough for piggies! Actually by the looks of them, Aves could've been wearing pigtails for a while now.

It finally warmed up (in the upper teens and low 20's) so we braved the snow. Jim was so cool and made a slep out of a crib box and an old jump rope. He's basically the man. He even bundled Ellie up in a trash bag so she wouldn't get wet. He's so thoughtful. And we took turns dragging her around the front yard.

Sweet Averi.

I made the girls some pillowcase dresses this week; Elle's is a little big but you get the idea.

We had Tyler over on Monday and he and Elle are so cute these days. They were watching Sesame Street together on the ottoman. Here they are saying cheese. Really they just wanted me out of the way so they could learn about whatever Elmo was learning on Elmo's World.

I heard some little girl giggles the other morning and walked in on this, when said giggles turned to tears.
Funny!

My girls have the prettiest blue eyes, thanks to the Petersen genes. Last week I picked up Ave and said, "Hey Blue Eyes" and this morning Ellie said the same thing to her. What a nut.

Ellie's 2!

2011-02-04T21:56:00.006-06:00

My little Ellie is not so little any more. She's turned two a couple weeks ago and here's the photo from her big day. She really got into the birthday spirit and sang to herself all day. She helped me make her cake and as I frosted it she sat standby with a spoon ready to eat it. She was really mad when we made her wait. Oh! The best part of the day was that it snowed a lot so Jim's school was closed and he got to stay home all day! Of course he was studying in the back room most of the time, but he got to eat blueberry pancakes with us and watch her open presents. What a great present.Breakfast on Elmo plates.All dressed up in her party dress in her tiara and shoes from Aunt Katie.Making the cake.Being domestic with her kitchen that Jim fixed up for Christmas.We had my family-Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Pete, Emily, Tyler and Michael, and Tom's sister Christie and neice Macy, over for supper. Tyler was hilarious eating icecream. He ate it with his hands in big bites, but then it'd get cold so he'd take it out. We love that kid!

Happy birthday, sweet Ellie! We love you so much!

Not Much

2011-01-26T19:41:00.002-06:00

I don't really have much to say, except that I haven't talked to very many people today, who are adults, and feel the need to do so. (I realize I'm writing to a somewhat unknown audience, but I'm pretty sure none of them are 2 year-olds...) Ellie's been biting Averi lately and I'm not exactly sure what to do about it. I think she likes to do it because last week I pretend bit Ellie, like with my lips over my teeth . But Elle really uses her teeth on poor Ave's fingers and it really hurts her. Although Ellie gets punished and Aves is screaming, for some reason I think it's really funny that Elle shows no remorse. I never laugh in front of her though. I also find Elle on top of Aves frequently, "squishing her" as she says. AND the other day, (I realize this is discusting, but I think it's really funny-but again, Ellie doesn't know I think it's funny) I had both the girls on the bed while I was getting ready in the morning, and I heard Averi crying and squirming, and I walked in to see Elle trying to force my retainers in Averi's mouth. Oh, it was really funny. And really gross. Poor Avi. They really love each other and I love that about them. They are so funny. Ellie's getting so big and Averi's really starting to show her personality. She's become mobile and is trying so hard to crawl, but isn't quite there. She more rolls around than anything. She is the sweetest smiliest little thing. Anywho, Jim's studying late all this week and I saved all my chores for now, so I better do them. If anyone has any advice about biters, do tell. I don't wanna have "that kid" who gets kicked out of nursery for biting.

2011-01-16T20:34:00.008-06:00

Alright, so I planned on catching up on the last couple months, but I just realized it's too much. For now, I'll just put up a few randoms, and say this: Ellie Kate is potty trained. She is such a super star. I'm so proud of her and am so glad that the worst part is over. If I'd known what I was getting into I wouldn't have wanted her near the potty. But, I'll be better prepared next time. And THANK YOU to all who gave great advice. I used all if it and did a combination of everything :o)

Enough about. These faces make me happy.

This was a month or two ago.

This was yesterday. Her hair's getting so long! oops. Oh well. I love these girls.

I realize Elle's face is dirty- it was right after lunch and I wanted a picture of the girls in their matching dresses. I thought their faces were so funny.

Warming our feet by the fire.

Me and my girls, and Shayla's kiddies. We stopped by their house on our way from Amarillo to Duncan after Christmas. They were so cute!

Some of my very favorite ladies.

My cute brother Ben.

This sight is soothing to my soul. How I LOVE an Amarillo sunset.

Good ole Avis.

My cute neices and Ellie with their new princess towels from Jim's aunt. They had so much fun playing together at Jim's parents' before Christmas.

Family photo!

Ellie and Addi jumped off this couch over and over and over...etc.

This was waiting in line at Bass Pro Shop to see Santa. We were trying to get Elle all pumped up about it, and she was, but the closer we got the scareder she got and when the time came, she kicked and screamed and we laughed and laughed. I realize that sounds heartless, but it was really funny, especially contrasted with Averi who was smiling and charming the masses.

I lost my camera on Christmas so all the Christmas day pictures are on my brother's camera. Sad. I will get them eventually. We had the best break EVER with Jim and now we're back to real life, but the good news is that this is Jim's last semester of classes EVER. He'll start rotations in July and he's really excited about them, even though he'll be out of town for a minimum of 4 months out of the year. EWWW. I'll be roadtrippin', that's for sure. Anyway, Happy Sabbath.

Success

2011-01-11T13:25:00.002-06:00

I am sitting here typing this with one hand because the other hand is holding the squirmiest, happiest, smiliest baby girl around. (I forgot what it was like to have happy children who feel good...)I'm just barely coming off the high of a success with Ellie...which is weird because I never in my life up to this point would have that I could experience such euphoria over something like poop, but, I again have proved myself wrong. Yesterday was Day 1 of potty training and while we have had 0 successes with going #1, she's gone #2 twice! Once was yesterday, totally by chance, the 1st time she sat down. I say chance but really it was a tender mercy from above to give me the confidence to get Elle started. The 2nd time however was right before naptime when she actually told me she needed to go. I am so proud of her. I realize this will most likely be the only success for her today, but that is ok. She just made my day.

Another succees is that Aves is sleeping better and taking real naps instead of cat naps, thanks to baby boot camp last week. I HATE letting her cry, but it sure makes everyone happier when we're not waking up every hour all night. I still get up with her, but not before midnight. That's my rule. She's picking it up fast.

Oh the life I live. Oh the life I love.

A Stroke of Bad Luck?

2011-01-05T22:45:00.004-06:00

Well, I don't want to be the one to vent all the time on my blog, and as I'm writing this, I'm not bugged. BUT. I just want to state the facts of the past three months. I'm not even going to mention other things like car repairs or school. Just health. In the last three months:
-Ellie and I both got COLDS of Death in October
-Which actually turned out to be pneumonia for me, not a cold
-And which dragged on for weeks for Elle and eventually turned into a nasty cough
-I got mastitis for the third time since Aves was born.
-Jim got the nastiest stomach bug EVER, but somehow the rest of us were spared.
-After the three of us got well, Aves got a cold.
-Ellie cut two molars, which as we all know was a miserable experience for everyone because she is the absolute worst teether EVER. That was a solid week of lots of drool, fever, runny nose, and Cranky Pants.
-Aves caught another cold and is showing signs of being a bad teether like Sister.
-Ellie scratched her eyeball, which of course got infected.
-I've been completely sleep deprived because a certain baby thinks her cankles and thees (when thighs and knees blend together...I made that up myself) aren't big enough and demands to be awake and eat all night...leading to near insanity for all.
-And for the capstone...last week Ellie started throwing up and has been ever since. The doc said this morning said it was...a double ear infection and SALMONELLA. What the?? We took her to an urgent care last week when we were at Jim's parents, and she saw a nurse practitioner, who said she had pneumonia...who was absolutely wrong. How did she mistake salmonella for pneumonia?
-I think that's all.

Well folks, that would be why my blogging has taken a back seat. But, our spirits are high and we're on the mend. Jim's confident in his diagnostic skills (he's got a 4/5 record). He missed the salmonella, but really, who gets that? Anyway, I have high hopes for the next couple months, because I'm pretty sure we've served our time at the Dr.'s office.

On a lighter note, we had a fabulous Christmas break with our families and friends, and I will post pictures later. Next week we're potty training, this week we're sleep training Aves, and Friday Jim starts school :(. Hopefully I'll get pictures up before the potty training begins. We'll see.

Potty Training

2010-12-07T08:38:00.004-06:00

Attention all Experienced Potty Trainers (not to be confused with the potty trained...): I am preparing to train Elle after Christmas and am now taking any and all advice on how to do so. If you've got any good tips, do send them my way. Thank you. Please don't tell me to read a book. I haven't read a book in, how old is Averi? That's right. 4 1/2 months. Just summarize please. Thanks.

Pneumonia?

2010-11-14T19:35:00.003-06:00

Guess who has walking pneumonia in our little family? Oh-it's me. What the heck?? Of course this is the official diagnosis of our in-home student dr., but he's usually right. I think he's been wrong about 5 times since I married him, and I mean that with all the love possible. I really REALLY LOVE my Dr. Smarty Pants. Anyway, too bad I've been hacking up my lungs for 3 weeks now and after a pretty bad coughing spell last night Jim decided to finally listen to my lungs (with his stethascope). I'd been asking him to for over a week and he listened to Elle's several times, but someone always needed me before he got to me. SO, thankfully this explains why I haven't been able to shake this awful "cold" and why I keep feeling ill. It's so good to have answers. I just wanna know how I got it. What 26 year old gets pneumonia?...

Speaking of 26, I'll be 27 on...the 27th. I've been waiting to turn 27 on the 27th for a really long time, and while I recognize this is officially in the upper 20s (Karen-22 was a good year for me, and is definitely still young:) ) I'm excited. If I had lots of friends nearby and wasn't going to be surrounded by Jim's extended family I've only met twice (for Thanksgiving), I would throw myself a BIG party with 27s everywhere, on the 27th. We would have delicious cake, delicious drinks, and lots of chips. With balloons for the kids. I mean, this is a big birthday! But since that's not going to happen, I told Jim we could just celebrate all week, to which he laughed. I told him to call in the reserves, because he's new at the big celebrating thing. It's gonna be a great week. I can feel it.

So, tomorrow I will go to the dr. and get an antibiotic to cure me of my smoker's cough and hopefully it will get me well fast so I can be fully functioning and ready to celebrate my long awaited 27th birthday week. After this birthday, I'm not really looking forward to any in particular. Maybe 85 or 90. We'll see.

Flash Flood of Fotos

2010-10-31T15:51:00.008-05:00

So our two week roadtrip was mostly a success, although there were several hickups along the way. We started off on a Monday and stopped in Norman of visit Jim's sister Sonya. I say visit, but I really mean we stopped there to feed Averi and change diapers. It was good to see her none-the-less. A longer trip to her house will be planned in the near future. Then we headed southwest to Duncan to Jim's parents. We stayed there til Friday afternoon. While we were there I got to go running everyday by myself, which was amazing. I also got to go out for an afternoon, alone, and also very refreshing. We got to watch Ben (Tobes) play football and Ellie love love loved that. She kept yelling, "Go Pokes!" randomly. I didn't tell her to say it. It was awesome. We spent a day sewing. No- Shelly spent a day sewing, while I watched and made 2 bows. I'm absolutely in love with the little skirts she made for the girls. They turned out perfect! The night before we left Jim's dad was checking the fluids in my car and noticed there was something really wrong with the steering. So, it ended up being a really serious issue that we were able to get fixed on Friday, but it took a while and I didn't get to stop and see my friend Shayla like I planned. AND if my car didn't have to be put in the shop I would've been able to see my friend Jenny andher family at Shayla's house (she was on her way south). So that was pretty disappointing, but I was so grateful Robert helped me get my car fixed so I didn't have a wreck (apparently it was really dangerous to be driving it like I was...) Anyway here's pictures from Duncan:

You can't really tell but Ave's hair looked a triceratops. We all laughed and laughed and laughed. Sometimes pictures just can't capture the moment. Maybe the essence of the moment. I think Tobes might end up being the youngest, most successful banker who ever lived, so I guess it's okay that he's wearing a hot pink shirt :) I tried to make pumpkin sugar cookies for us to decorate but they all ran together on the cookie sheet and ended up being one massive cookie. Oh well. They were delicious!

Uncle Sam LOVES his little nieces and I think it's so cute. Actually, all the Uncles love their nieces and nephews A LOT, and vice versa.

Elle just ate the frosting and sprinkles.

Papa and Momo and the girls. I'm realizing the girls are wearing these outfits a lot, but I only brought 2 long sleeve shirts for each of them and it got chilly pretty quick.

I just love this girl! She is so easy-going and happy nearly all the time. What a doll!

Once we finally made it to my parents we had a lot of fun, also. My sister Sarah and her family were sick at one point while I was there, as was my mom. My mom was sick at the same time I got mastitis (for the THIRD time...) but my dad was great about taking Aves and getting her to sleep for me late at night. We did lots of fun things though. We went shopping one day, took the kids the play place at the mall, I took lunch to Hannah at school, went shopping with Granny another day, and took all the kids to an awesome pumpkin farm. I'm glad we got all that in since this case of mastitis was the worst I've had and I was out for 3 days. Here's some of the pics from A-town:

Charly and Ellie digging in the dirt between the sidewalk at C's cousin's soccer game.

Above was my first attempt to take pictures of the Go Pokes skirts. Obviously, not a success.

Below was at Maxwell's Pumpkin Farm. This was a cow train pulled by a tractor.

Above is the duck derby. My sisters helped Ellie and the boys race their rubber duckies.

Below is another wagon train being pulled by a bigger tractor, but unfortunately Elle insisted on my sister Sarah riding with her, so I didn't actually get to ride it...

This hill was HUGE and was so cool because once you battled your way to the tops, there were two slides to go down that went through the hill. They were really long and a lot steeper than you think! You had to sit on a gunny sack to ride, which made it that much slicker and faster. So fun. I went down with Elle on my lap and Aves in the sling. Below is Sarah with Ellie and Charly.

This is the deer corn sandbox. The kids loved it, although by the time we got here Elle was a bit of a zombie. She was so funny because she started out just standing and staring at everyone and then she sat and stared...And finally she just layed down. I really thought she was gonna go to sleep, but out of no where she suddenly heard the fiddle music (that had been playing the whole time) and stood up and started dancing. What a nut. That's why we love her!

So Jim and I decided that two weeks is way too long to be away from each other (that was the longest we've been apart since we met 4 years ago this month) and that we don't want to have to do that again, even though it was all-in-all a great trip. We probably will around the time he takes Boards, but it was relly hard! Ellie was calling all of her unlces and my dad Daddy by the time we left and within the first 3 days of our trip she had a melt-down while talking to him on the phone. She started saying "Daddy hold you" over and over and next thing I know she's on the floor sobbing, "Daddy hold you!!". It was really awful.

Anyway, we're grateful to our families for taking us in!

For those who made it to the end of this post, I thank you. To those who did not, I don't blame you:)

Halloween Weekend

2010-10-31T15:24:00.005-05:00

So we actually went to the pumpkin patch twice this week with Jim, but the first time we left late and it was too dark for pictures, so we decided to go back. Ellie was a little scared of the goats and sheep, but she was really impressed by the shetland ponies and roosters. She walked around the whole time crowing. Or is it cock-a-doodle-dooing? At any rate, she thought they were pretty special. She picked out a perfect pumkin, too.

CHEEEESE!

Record that Averi was indeed with us at the pumpkin patch.

This is yesterday afternoon. They look so enthused. In our little city of Glenpool they decided to have Halloween on Saturday night instead of Sunday night. Yay for small towns.

Here's the girls getting ready to go out. For some reason Ellie thinks smiling involves closing her eyes. Hopefully it's just a phase. She loved trick-or-treating. She kept saying, "House. One house," as is, "Just one more house!" Of course I obliged her, because that means more candy for me:)

This girl is ready to trick or treat.

I absolutely cannot get enough of Aves in this hat. I laugh my head off every time I see her in it. She has no idea how funny she looks. What a good sport.

Here's the girls in their Go Pokes skirts that Jim's mom made. I wanted to make them, but somehow I ended up just telling her what I wanted and she did it all. Without a pattern. She's the woman. I just played with the girls and made bows. She made practice ones out of camo and zebra that also turned out really cute.

I love this one. Even though it doesn't show in the pictures, Averi smiles ALL the time.

Happy Halloween!

Funny Stuff

2010-10-28T21:07:00.003-05:00

Ok, so me and the girls just got back this week from a two week lomg trip and I have tons of pictures and stories I want to post, but now's not the time, bc we're down to just Jim's computer and we wanna catch up on all the shows I missed. BUT I had to put these pictures up of tonight's halloween carnival at Jim's school. Not to brag, but my girls won Funniest Costume. Justly so, because I've been laughing about them to myself ALL day. They're flower bouquets. Who knew flower bouquets could be funny?

Uncle Ben

2010-10-01T15:49:00.002-05:00

My brother Ben came to visit me this week, for which I'm really grateful. We didn't do much but it was really nice having him here to keep me sane and to entertian Ellie. And to hold her at the grocery store. And to blow bubbles with her. And to make me cookies. And to carry Averi's carseat. The list can go on and on, and Ellie cried when he left. She wanted to go with him, "Benny, home. Ellie, home".
I think these pics are really funny! And cute.

The Escapade of Breakfast.

2010-09-18T09:24:00.004-05:00

This is the face I came back to this morning when I stepped out of the kitchen for five minutes. Averi was a little whiny, which is why I came back in from whatever I was doing, and I'm pretty sure she was trying to tell on her big sister. Below she's pointing toward Elle.
What was the crime?

Ellie stole my bowl of cereal!. The little turkey had her own bowl of made-to-order oatmeal with banana and cinnamon and she snatched my food when I wasn't looking.
And she was very pleased with herself.

I mean who wouldn't be? Who wants this?

When you can have this?

Oh wait. Both look pretty unappetizing in a picture. Needless to say I didn't ask for it back, and she was really happy about that.

Cowpokes

2010-09-10T15:43:00.000-05:00

I love these two kiddies. I love this picture. I took it two months ago while babysitting Tyler. Can life get any better than this (watching Elmo sing songs whilst lounging on the couch, in your pajamas, wearing a cowboy hat, with your buddy)?

Blessing Day

2010-09-08T14:50:00.004-05:00

This is half a smile and I'm not sure why she's wearing a blue bow instead of a white one...

We blessed Averi in church on Sunday and it was a great day. Jim's parents call events like this Parent Paydays, and I have to say baby blessings fall under this category for me. My parents and Hannah came in last Friday night and we had a fun Saturday with them. We took them up to Jim's school and gave them a tour and after Ellie's nap (and Mom and Dad's) they took us to the Aquarium. We love that place.
Saturday night Jim's brother Todd and his cute wife Karen came over and hung out with us and on Sunday all the rest of Jim's family came (plus Gabe's brother Russell and their sister Janell and hubby Dustin). The blessing was beautiful and we had a delicious lunch afterward and it was simply a fantastic day and I was sad to see everyone go.
Thanks again to everyone who came! (And to everyone who couldn't come, I still love you, but you better come see me SOON!!)

New Wheels

2010-09-07T20:53:00.002-05:00

Meet my new wheels! I'm SO excited! It's a 2003 Chevy Trailblazer. We don't have it yet, but we will tomorrow or Thursday and I can't wait. We sold our sentra last week, so I've been carless for a week, and I'm ok with that but Ellie is starting to get cabin fever. Yay for cars that fit two car seats like they're supposed to fit!

Where Have We Been?

2010-08-28T14:07:00.001-05:00

The last 6 weeks has been crazy. First there's the birth of our sweet Averi. Then when she was 11 days old we went to my family reunion in Stillwater and had a great time. We didn't stay the whole time, but did loved the time we did get to see everybody and introduce Averi to everyone. She'd only met my mom up to that point, so she was a big hit with everyone, particularly my dad. Below is a picture of them during their 2 hour nap. How come she doesn't sleep that long for me??She also got to meet her great Grandma.

After the reunion we went home to our own house for a week but since my brother Brad was coming home to Amarillo for a few weeks, we decided to go see him and everyone else we didn't see at the reunion. The drive there took almost 2 hours longer than normal and Jim and I just blared the radio, because someone was crying or whining the entire drive. Good thing we were together because had either of us been with anyone else in that same situation, someone might've died. Even though it was an eternally long day, Jim and I laughed A LOT. It was definitely a trip to remember :) Anyway, Ellie LOVES her cousins! In the picture below, Hannah was trying to get Elle and Max together, but he wasn't interested. Eliott was! They all played so well together.

Aunt Sarah was excited to meet Aves.

Cute!

While we were home we got a family picture taken and since we were all dressed up , we decided to take a sister/mom picture afterwards. We took a boy picture, too, but some child swiped and hid my camera for that one. (hint, hint- I know one of you sisters has the photo and you should put it up!)

Me and my Jim Pete (and hair in my mouth).

Me and my girls in cute matching outfits. Aves was tired of all the pics.

Ellie and Charly watching Uncle Chris doing something silly.

Averi with her Great Granny

Awake in the middle of the night...

Elle with snot dripping down her nose while swimming with Charly (Max and Eliott were swimming, too, but I missed their picture).

Love this girl!

The kids eating "pops" as Ellie calls them. Every time she eats one now, she says, "Mac, Eliott, Chawy, pop, Kagie (Katie-because Kate supplied them)"

We were in A-town for a week and came back for Jim to start school again :(
We've been having fun though. Look at the sass in that girls face!

We started walk/jogging a little bit when it's not completely blazing hot and both girls love it, as you can tell.

Cute baby!

Two days ago my brother Brad drove through on his way back to Michigan for school and he stayed a day with us. We took him to the zoo and had a ton of fun, in spite of the fact that he and I were holding one of the girls at all times, taking turns pushing the empty stroller. Awesome. I think this first picture of them is really funny because he's holding her up and she's trying to take a bite of her cucumber snack.

Cheese!

I'm a bird.

Last weekend we made a quick trip to Jim's parents to drop off Ellie for a few days. I was a little sick and really worn down already and she was so bored, so she got to go to Momo and Papa's house for 5 days and she didn't even miss me! I met Jim's mom to pick her up and when she walked in she went straight to Averi and then ran off. Oh well, at least I know she had a great time! She came back with several new outfits and 3 new sets of pajamas, compliments of Papa.
Someone's got someone wrapped around her little finger. I love it!

Jokes

2010-08-26T22:49:00.002-05:00

Here's two good jokes I found recently:
Q: How do you cut the ocean in half?
A: With a sea saw!

Q: What do you feed a disappearing cat?
A: Evaporated milk!

Last week Elle and I were eating popsicles outside and I discovered there were jokes on the sticks. THEN I had this breakthrough in which I discovered why I have such an affinity for silly jokes. When my Grandaddy was in rehab after a stroke or brain surgery (the details are foggy-I was 11 or 12) I was being homeschooled so I would often spend the night with Granny so she wasn't alone and then the next day she'd take me to sit with him while she ran errands or something. I'm not sure what she did. Anyway, we'd play games and eat popsicles and laugh at the funny jokes on the sticks. Ever since then I've loved jokes! We had so much fun and I treasure those memories. Now for all of you who may have scoffed at my jokes- now you know why I love them. :) Happy joking.
Anyone got any new ones?

My Girls

2010-08-01T14:38:00.001-05:00

Elle saying, "Cheeeeese!"
Averi deep in thought, 5 days old (I think)

Averi being held by Nana (my mom), 2 days old.

Well, we're surviving being a family of 4. Jim and I just love our 2 cute girls. Elle has been so sweet with Averi, although she's been really naughty to me and Jim. She's slowly getting better though. Averi is a pretty good baby all in all. She tends to be a little explosive, ie, when she's hungry, she's hungry; when she's wet, she's wet. There's no warning or prep time. Out of no where she lets it rip and we just hope we're in a position to feed her or change her, because her little cry is not so little. However, she really likes to snuggle so we accomidate her :)

Jim has been absolutely amazing. He wins the husband of the year award, for sure. He's been so helpful and supportive and has taken over laundry and cleaning. He's probably changed more diapers in the last 2 weeks than I have (which, as much as I hate to say it, is a drastic change from previous weeks and years...). He's the man and I love him more than anything or anyone. And, I think I just got pooped on, so I've gotta go!

2010-07-18T19:41:00.009-05:00

We are excited to welcome Averi Nell Petersen into our home. She was born yesterday (July 17th) at 7:26 a.m. It was very fast and crazy delivery. We arrived at the hospital at 6:45 a.m. We got into our room at 7:05 a.m. Bekah was wanting to push by 7:15, but we had to yell at her not to push until they could get a doctor in the room. A doctor (not our OB) got in the room around 7:20 a.m. Bekah pushed her out during the next contraction. Because we arrived at the hospital so late there was no time for epidural or pain meds. I was so proud of Bekah. We are already home from the hospital and everybody is doing great.

Here is a video of Ellie's first time to see Averi. It is pretty long, so you don't have to watch the whole thing.

Look at That Baby!

2010-07-11T14:46:00.004-05:00

Oh, wait, look at that baby in my tummy. I feel kinda guilty for not being as "into" this pregnancy as the last and this is the only prego picture I've taken (taken today, 10 days from due date). Oh well. I'm just as excited about this baby as I was with Ellie, I've just been busier. Anyway, time to come out, Little Baby!

Oh Summer, how we love you.

2010-07-08T13:52:00.001-05:00

We love the summer!

Ticking Time Bomb

2010-07-08T13:19:00.003-05:00

That's right. I am a ticking time bomb. I'm due in less than two weeks but have already progressed a lot toward labor and yesterday at my ultrasound my doctor said the baby is ready to go anytime. So, now what to do with myself? In the month of June I deep cleaned EVERYTHING, washed everything, organized Ellie's room so there's space for two in the dressers and closets, and made about 15 different casseroles, lasagnas, manicottis, enchiladas, etc. for freezing. I sewed 12 burp clothes and 3 blankets, caught up on numerous craft projects I had neglected, stocked up on stuff at Sam's Club, and made a ton of bows (mostly doubled up so Elle and baby can have matching ones). So, now with nothing but time on my hands, any suggestions of how to get this baby to come faster?? I'm definitely not trying to wish away time, but the sooner this little baby comes, the more time we have with Jim home before school starts to help Ellie adjust and that time is priceless to me. So, COME ON, BABY!!Oops, I think these are upside down. Oh well. I made matching blankets for Ellie and Baby so Elle wouldn't be tempted to steal her sister's "buddy". Ellie calls her blankest buddies and is obsessed with ALL buddies, regardless of their owner. I hope she likes it!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T20:29:00.006-05:00

Happy Father's Day! I just wanted to write a few reasons why I love my Dad:

-He takes me out on his boat (when he has one) whenever I ask.

-He's a great example to me in everything.

-He's really funny and thinks I'm even funnier.

-He loves my husband and child a lot.

-He eats really healthy.

-He never actually sits down to watch movies-if he watches one it's standing in the doorway.

-He won't sell my old truck because I once begged him not to and because I love it so much.

I could go on and on and on, but I'll stop. He's the best dad I could've asked for and I love him!

Jim's dad, Robert, is also one of the greatest dads. I have no doubt that Jim's such a great dad because he's got such a great example to look to. We love him because he LOVES ice cream (with marachino cherries) and he plays dolls with Ellie :) There's lots more reasons, but that pretty much sums it up.

Now to my other favorite dad: Jim! Ellie just figured out that Jim is Daddy and she thinks it's funny to call him Jim. We think it's funny, too. In the above picture she's giving him a kiss.

CUTE! I love these two!

Ok, but the point is, today is Father's Day and this is a tribute to the man of my life in his role as a daddy. He is the best daddy in the entire world. Here's some reasons why I love him as a dad:

-Ellie listens to everything he says and if we have to discipline her at all, he always remembers to tell her we love her and explain why she's in trouble (that's the part I always forget to do...).

-He plays with her and makes sound effects that she loves to mimick.

-He always comes home and wants to know how he can help and then plays with Elle.

-He lets Elle sleep on him during church even though she makes him sweat.

-He can't seem to ever stop saying how much he loves Ellie and how cute he thinks she is.

-He watches Elmo and Cinderella with her when I'm gone (even though he's not into princesses or weird Elmo songs...)

-He shares his cereal with her.

-He always acts surprised when she sneaks up on him to tickle him (which is really just a poke).

Again, I could go on and on and on. I just love my Jim and Ellie loves him, too. A LOT. She calls him "my Daddy". Sweet.

World Cup

2010-06-15T20:03:00.004-05:00

Well, Jim and I aren't too into soccer, but with the World Cup going on, it's hard not to be (not that we've watched much of it). Of course, I cheer for America first, but with Jim having served his mission in Brazil, somehow those are the only jerseys we have. Since Brazil played today, and won, we decided to wear our shirts in their support. Ellie inherited Uncle Sam's (Sam-Jim's 9 year old brother, not the government-Uncle-Sam, just to clarify) jersey that Jim brought him , and she was so excited to have a matching shirt with Daddy. All day she'd randomly grab her shirt and say "Shirt. Daddy." Cute.Not the greatest photo, but you get the point. (Elle and I just got back from the pool...)

One Crib or Two?

2010-06-04T11:14:00.002-05:00

Well, since I have less than 7 weeks till I'm a mommy of two, I decided I should start organizing and planning for two. Ellie will be 18 months when Baby #2 comes and while Baby #2 will sleep in our room for a couple months, Ellie will still be under 2 when we move Baby#2 to a crib. Ellie doesn't climb or even appear to be thinking about climbing, so I think she would be okay to sleep in a crib for a while longer. So my question is, should I go ahead and find a second crib, or attempt to move Ellie to a big bed when she's still so little? Any thoughts? So far I've heard a vote for each, and I can't decide. Help!

Post Finals

2010-05-30T15:31:00.000-05:00

My brother Brad drove home from college a couple weeks ago and stayed with us a couple days while Jim finished his finals. Ellie was kind of a cranky pants while he was here because she was a little sick, but she still loved playing with him. Brad's a really good house guest because he picks up after himself and he's down for anything-relaxing and hanging at the house while reading a book, going shopping, whatever. He even hung out with Tyler when we met Emily at the mall. What a champ! It was fun having him stay with us and I'm already excited for when he drives back through for the Fall term. Below Ellie and Brad are playing something, but I'm not too sure what.

I'm pretty sure Brad and Tyler rode up and down the escalator for about 15 minutes straight.

After Jim was all finished with school we took off to Amarillo. Ellie loved being at Nana's house with non-stop attention and new toys to play with.

She doesn't look too thrilled in most of these pictures, but take it from me, she had so much fun. We all did for that matter. She loves her Uncle Ben. Speaking of Ben, he got his mission call a couple weeks ago to the Brazil Interlagos mission. Yay for Benny!This car was the coveted toy of the trip. Ellie and Max (Oh I forgot to mention that Katie and her kiddies came, too, because Scott was studying for his last set of boards) couldn't figure out how to make it move forward, but they sure loved sitting in it.
Elle woke up from a nap at Granny's and snuggled with her for a while and it made me really happy. Granny's the best.I had recently been wondering when Ellie would be interested in things like kitchens and tea sets when she discovered our old dishes and such at my parents. She was in love. And she wouldn't let go of this tea pot to go to sleep, so yes, she is sleeping with a plastic tea pot and no, this is not a posed photo.Hannah and Brad played outside with Hannah for a while one night and she was in absolute heaven. She loves trampolines and we discovered she loves slides. I had no idea someone could go down a slide as many times as she did and not get tired of it.And last but not certainly not least, and I hope I'm not embarrassing Dad too much, but he was laughing with us and let us take this picture, so I think he's aware of the rarity of this dish he created. Dad has a green thumb and was asked to give a presentation on how to grow sprouts for a church meeting. So he prepared and spent days and weeks growing sprouts from every kind of bean or seed you can imagine. It was a great presentation, so I heard, but then he had tons and tons of leftover sprouts. We helped him out with eating them as much as we dared, but some of the more exotic sprouts we left for him. So Sunday morning we're eating pancakes and I looked over to see Dad tear a huge pancake in half, stuff it full of sprouts, then top it off with the other pancake half and a BUNCH of syrup. Jim and I were just staring with our mouths open and giggles slowly coming as he took a bite and said, "Hm. Tastes just like pancakes with sprouts and syrup," to which Jim and I lost it and laughed and laughed and then Dad joined in. He was determined to eat ALL of the fruits of his labor and to not let any of them go to waste. SO funny. How I love my family.

Mother's Day

2010-05-29T12:40:00.000-05:00

I had a great Mother's Day this year. Jim picked out a beautiful ring from James Avery for me that I love (it was for Mother's Day and for our anniversary, which was on the 25th) and he took care of Ellie at church and was extra helpful around the house.

I just want to say that I had no idea how much I would really love being a mommy. Next to marrying Jim, it's the BEST thing that's ever happened to me! What would I do without my Ellie? She's my little buddy and we have some good times together.

Also, thanks to my own mom and Grandma and Granny and mother-in-law Shelly for being the best examples of mothers a girl could ask for. I love you all!

A Trip to Texas

2010-05-28T13:20:00.003-05:00

During the first part of finals week Elle and I went to visit my sister Katie in Irving. It was a great trip but unfortunately I didn't get very many pictures. We went to Barnes & Noble and let the kids play with trains, went to a couple different parks, went to the Dallas Museum of Art (which was amazing in and of itself, but even more so because it was the free day of the month) . Oh, and we went to IKEA and to the mall where I bought the most adorable matching dresses for my girls for only $5 each at the Children's Place. Oh, and we played in the water. Ellie didn't really know the drill so she stayed pretty dry, but the boys had a hay day. Oh, and the best part of the trip was that Ellie and Eliott were BFF the whole time. Eliott was so nice to her and shared all his toys and in turn Elle watched and copied everything he did. It was so cute. Poor Max didn't feel well or sleep well while were there, but you wouldn't know it because he's just so sweet. Kate and I got caught up and I thoroughly enjoyed having adult conversation all day. Thanks for letting us come!!Here's Eliott and Ellie standing in the water table.

Max about to dump some water

Eliott focusing.

And Ellie, really focused on her first popsicle EVER. She loved it!

Daddy's Girl

2010-05-28T13:04:00.001-05:00

I love this picture! This was Sunday during finals, and we were all so excited for Daddy to be home.

Procrastinating...

2010-05-08T21:33:00.003-05:00

Well, today has been quite the day. It started with Jim leaving before I woke up, at 6:45, and with Ellie burning hot. Poor baby has had a fever off and on, mostly on, all day. Her little cheeks were rosy and hot but her toes were cold. Somehow we made it to the grocery store by 9, where I held her the entire time, came home at 10, and she took a nap. After her 45 minute nap I held her until she went to sleep at 7:30 this evening. Needless to say I didn't get my cookies made or my craft done, that I'd been saving for today...boo! But, it is pretty sweet getting to snuggle your normally moving-all-the-time 1 year-old. Wait, I did put her down twice to go the bathroom and once to put a cheese pizza in the oven; all three times she cried like someone died. The good news about all of this is that Jim's not coming home till midnight and I still have time to get some stuff done before bed. But, my focus is obviously lacking. OH, and the really good news is that I'm pretty sure I saw a tooth poking through at one point when she was screaming her head off. Hopefully there's more than one in there. I asked her if she had any owies, thinking maybe she had an ear infection, and she stuck her finger in her mouth and said "owie". Thank goodness she uses words. Besides the fact that I was holding a smoldering hot baby, rather than a normal temperature baby, it was a good day because all we did was sit or lay around watching Aristocats, Cinderella, and Anastastia-some of my faves. Oh, and about 20 Elmo clips on You-tube. I can't believe she sat still for all of that, but she did, and I read Breaking Dawn. So, I just swept and mopped all our floors, dusted, and cleaned the bathrooms and I should really get ready for bed and prepare my lesson for primary tomorrow, BUT, I thought I'd share my uneventful day with any poor soul who happens upon it. I have to say that I'm REALLY glad I went to Dallas this week (post on that to come) because otherwise I'd have lost it today. I think Jim's been at school everyday this week from like 5 am to midnight. CRAZY. I don't know how he does it. Last week it was 7am to midnight, and the week before it was 7-10. He's taken three tests and has three to go next week and thank goodness he takes Sundays off. And thank goodness it's almost summer!! Hurray!! I'm so excited to have a husband again! Ok, back to work. I have 3 baskets of laundry to fold. I just remembered those. Boo.

Spinach Manicotti or Shells

2010-05-07T12:18:00.003-05:00

Thank you all who contributed to my last post. What great friends I have! I've been out of town this week, visiting my sister (who needs to give me her yummy spinach enchilada recipe...) and now I'm back, excited to try out some new recipes.

Here's a recipe I got from my mother-in-law recently that's really good and really easy. Jim and Ellie loved it!

Jumbo shells or manicotti, cooked (I used half a box of shells)
15 oz. cottage cheese
1 1/2 cup Italian cheese blend (I just used mozzarella)
1/4 cup half & half (I didn't have any so I used milk)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. salt
10 oz. package of frozen spinach (thawed, drained, squeezed)
1 egg

Sauce:
1 26 oz. can of spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup half&half
*set aside 1 cup of sauce
**If you wanted to add meat, you could. Jim's sister sometimes uses leftover spaghetti sauce with sausage in it, or I'm sure you could use ground beef or ground turkey if you're into meaty sauce. I think it's good either way.

Put 1 cup of sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Stuff cooked shells with filling and place in pan. Cover stuffed noodles with remaining sauce. Cover pan with foil and cook at 350 for about 30 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle more cheese over the top and bake until cheese is all melted, about 10 minutes.

A Call For New Recipes

2010-04-29T22:26:00.003-05:00

Just like my title says, this is a call for new recipes. I've been in a cooking slump lately because I'm tired of cooking all the same stuff. So if anyone has any relatively inexpensive, relatively healthy meals, please share! You could email me, or post it on your blog and tell me it's there so I can look. Here's one I took from my friend Marci's blog (which probably isn't that healthy, but if you eat only one, which is enough, then it should be okay every once in a while):

Delicious Chicken Rolls

3/4 cup dry herb-seasoned stuffing, crushed
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
2 (3 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
4 T butter, softened
1/8 t pepper
2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 T chopped green onion
1 T minced fresh parsley
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 t garlic powder
2/3 cup chopped mushrooms
2 (8 oz) cans refrigerated crescent rolls
2 T butter, melted
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream

Mix stuffing with nuts and set aside. In a large bowl mix together cream cheese, the 4 T softened butter, and pepper. Add chicken, green onions, parsley, and mushrooms. Set aside. Separate crescent rolls to form 8 rectangles; press seams securely. Place 1/2 cup of chicken mixture in the center of each rectangle and fold up ends to cover filling. Seal edges securely. Dip each roll into melted butter and then roll into stuffing. Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve with a sauce made by warming cream of chicken soup with sour cream and stirring until well incorporated. Makes 8 servings. This recipe is really good with mashed potatoes.

Bane of My Existance

2010-04-21T20:25:00.002-05:00

Alright, the bane of my existance, whom I REALLY hoped would leave me in peace, is plaguing me and my home once again. If you guessed ants, you're right. I hate ants more than anything in the entire world (no, I'm not kidding or exaggerating in any way). Last year our house on Duck St. had so many of them Jim almost made me go see a professional because I was obsessed with them. This year they're not living in our house (THANK GOODNESS) but occasionally they sneak in and I happily assassinate them. BUT they do have us surrounded on the perimeter and I need backup.

Does anyone have a solution to annihilating my 6 legged enemy? There are far too many for me to handle on my own and I want them gone. They're in my flower beds and along all the outside wall, looking for a way in, I'm sure. Please help! Send your back-up! Give me ideas to take them out!

P.S. I haven't reached crazy yet, but I might by the end of April if something is not done soon.

Latest Crafties

2010-04-13T12:57:00.003-05:00

In order to keep myself sane and to not think about how much I miss Jim, I've been getting crafty. These pictures and post are mostly for Mom and sisters.

Mom found this chair that sorta compliments our other chairs, but it needed a seat cover and some touching up. It still looks pretty scuffed, but it'll just have to stay like that. I'm still not too sure about the black patent leather, but I liked the design and since we're putting Elle's chair on it, it should keep clean and be easy to wipe off.

My parents also gave me this mirror. Why didn't I take before pictures of anything? Oh well. They had four of these huge mirrors in their house when we moved in and they were all gold. So since they're remodeling their bathroom I volunteered to take on off their hands and I spray painted it black. I love it!

I'm pretty sure Hobby Lobby stole my idea because after I made this I noticed there's tons of them there! That's just rude, and I'm pretty sure I should get some kind of royalties for the idea I thought I came up with all by myself. Craft stores are always doing that stuff to me. Anyway, it's a 12x12 canvas. I painted the edges, that you can't see, black. Then I modge podged a 12x12 piece of scrapbook paper on top and went over all of it with more modge podge. I like it way more than I thought I would. Okay okay, I love it,too!

Here's the view from the front door looking in.

This isn't crafty but I finally got my graduation picture! I graduated from BYU almost 3 years ago this month and my parents gave me this print of Christ at the Waters of Bethesda, by Karl Bloch. After an eventful 3 years we finally have and Jim and Chris and Ben hung it for me.

A Few Randoms

2010-04-13T12:46:00.003-05:00

Last weekend Sarah, Chris, Charly, and Ben came to visit us. Well the boys really came to go to a HUGE gun show at the fairgrounds, and it happened to be we live in the area. Sarah and I took the girls to the zoo on Saturday and had tons of fun. Unfortunately my batteries died before we got very far. (Hint hint Sarah-I'd love to see those pictures...)

Sunday afternoon we were getting ready to go to Stillwater to see Cody and Nataly's beautiful new baby, Graycie, and we found Ellie in the living room like this:

This is her old high chair, the kind that clips onto the table, and we had it out while Charly was here. Ellie loves to sit in it, as long as it's not attached to the table. She also loves her oatmeal. She eats it every morning. You'd think she was trying to tell us something, even though she'd just eaten lunch and had already eaten oatmeal for breakfast...

This was yesterday at Wal-Mart. She loves fishies! Why didn't I think to she her the fish there before?

Love of Jackets

2010-04-13T12:42:00.002-05:00

My little Ellie is obsessed with her jackets and it makes us laugh. It doesn't have to be cold for her to wear them. In these pictures she just woke up from her nap and found them both and insisted on eating her snacks with them. What a nut!

Easter Week

2010-04-13T09:02:00.010-05:00

This post will have a lot of pictures.

So we got home from Vegas on a Monday, and Elle and I left on Saturday to go to my parents. We would've left earlier, but we stayed to go to Stillwater for our friend Nataly's baby shower, which was so fun and I was so glad we got to go and see everyone. Plus I got my hair cut from another good friend and now I have bangs. Wierd! I haven't had bangs since the 1st grade. Yes Beth, I know, I know, you were telling me to get bangs like 5 years ago and it's taken me this long to do it. Now they're probably out of style, but oh well. I needed a little change :) Anyway, we left because Jim was only coming home to sleep and we'd had enough of that. My brother Brad was in town for his spring break, so it was perfect timing. Well almost, we just missed Katie and her kiddos, which I was very sad about. (Don't worry Kate, we're hitting your house next month!)So, after we stayed in Amarillo for about 6 days we came back to our own home, slept a night and hit the road the next morning, with Jim in tow, to head to his parents in Duncan for Easter. It was fun to see so much family in such a short amount of time. With all of that being said, here's a ton of pictures!

Maybe I shouldn't give in to all of Ellie's wants, but how can I not when she looks this cute? She loves this headband and she loves her "goggies"even more, and the combination makes a pretty funny sight. So with headband and sunglasses on, along with her favorite jacket, we hit the road for A-town.

We went to Granny's Sunday afternoon and Elle put on quite the show, performing all of her tricks, eating cake, and wearing Aunt Hannah's hat. Notice how far the drool goes down on her dress. She drooled like that ALL week. Little did I know she was getting 2 more molars.

Ellie loved Nana's flowers. They are always so pretty and well maintained. Someday I hope to have beautiful flower beds like my mom's.

And beautiful fruit trees like my dad's.

Wow my legs are pasty. We spent a lot of time outside because the weather was absolutely gorgeous and there was no humidity (LOVE it). Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of us jumping on the trampoline with Charly. Those two girls ADORE their Uncle Brad. (Ok, Elle really loves all her uncles, and she has a lot.) They sat or jumped on the tramp the entire time he mowed the backyard and waved and called his name and gave a zillion cheesy smiles. It was so cute and he's such a good sport.

Elle's ready for our next trip.

She found my fish p.j.'s in the closet and carried them around all morning making a fish face.

In contrast to our first trip, Elle was wiped out before we hit the highway.

One of the things we've noticed that she loves about Momo and Papa's house is the constant basketball game going on. Here she is watching Jim bust his moves.

Slam dunk! Yes, the goal is lower than usual...but he's got the moves. He used to dunk all the time on a normal goal...pre-mission...

When we got into town we got to watch Sam run in his track meet. While we were waiting for his events, I looked over and zoomed in A LOT and caught this. I'm sure Elle is playing with rocks, with Momo being a good sport watching her. Jim went to check on them because they'd been gone a while.

Here's Sam at the finish line, finishing strong. And I have no idea who this other guy is who stepped in front of my camera. Sam really liked this picture because it made him look ripped. What a stud.

Saturday morning we had an Easter egg hunt and Elle was in heaven. She loved finding all the "eggies"

Helping with the eggs.

Above, Elle LOVES her uncles. Here she is with Uncle Sam. They're pretty fond of her, too.
Easter Morning below. Elle got a bunch of little sports balls, a necklace and bracelet (that I got a loooong time ago-probably in an Easter basket) and some my little pony fruit snacks. Oh, and some new socks.

She didn't really ever figure out there was something in every egg.

Exploring her spoils.

Happy Easter! It was really windy and Elle was not interested in photos.

This is in our backyard. Too bad she's standing in weeds and not pretty spring wild flowers!

Phew! That's the end. No more road trips for a while. But we had a great time and Ellie misses all of her uncles and aunts and cousins and grandparents already!

A Little Late

2010-03-26T22:02:00.002-05:00

This picture is from September or October I think. Emily and I went to Lowe's to buy some wood or something for one of our crafts and Tyler and Ellie had tons of fun driving the cart. I think I just finished doing donuts with them in the lawn and garden section. I just found this picture on Jim's computer and thought I'd share :)

Spring Break in Pictures

2010-03-25T09:25:00.010-05:00

So here's our spring break pictures. We had a great trip once we got past Ellie being sick. Here we are during the sick week. And warning, this is a really long post with lots of pictures.

Her hair was an absolute nest.

We went to Jim's parents for a few days before we left so Elle wouldn't be traumatized when we left her, and while we were there we went to Orschlin's to see the baby chicks, bunnies, and ducklings. She loved 'em, even though her face is pretty expressionless. She was saying "quack" by the time we left.

Jim and I had a short layover in Salt Lake so our friend Drew picked us up and drove us to Cafe Rio. We were really excited about both. It was good to see old friends!

My belly looks a little fake in this picture...but I thought the gondolas were cool. We got to stay in the Palazzo Hotel, which is connected to the Venetian where these gondolas were. It was awesome.

I thought the flamingos were pretty sweet at the Flamingo. Mostly, we both enjoyed a break from the CRAZY St. Patricks Day celebrations going on outside on the strip. Oh, and did I mention that apparently I'm allergic to the city of Las Vegas? Well I wasn't aware until I went outside and sneezed continuously til I went back inside. AWESOME.

Jim's standing in front of a pond with really big coi. He was pretty impressed by their size.

Here we are in front of a romantic waterfall in the flamingo place.

We tried to see the lin feeding at the MGM but for some reason they didn't do it but we still saw the lions and some really cute little cubs (which made me miss Ellie...by the time we left I noticed every baby or toddler that we passed and it made me miss her more and more).

This is in the M&M store, which was pretty cool.

We only went to one buffet, the lunch buffet at Circus Circus, but it was enough for Jim to be completely in heaven. We went over lunch when it was serving lunch AND breakfast. It was pretty delicious, and in the above picture you tell how happy Jim is :)

Ok, we were both pretty happy afterwards.

One of my very favorite parts-the fountains at the Bellagio. We watched the show twice.

This is in the casino in our hotel. Jim was really hopin' for big winnings

I, on the other hand, had no luck. (just for clarification, these pictures were staged and there wasn't actually any $ in the machines.)

Just kidding. I won!!

Last one, favorite one, from our window on the 20th floor. You can't see anything, but it overlooked the strip and we could see the volcano at the Mirage going off. It was awesome.
If you can't tell, we didn't do a lot but walk and eat, but Jim was in his conference most of the time so that's really all we had time (or money) to do. I took lots of naps, read a whole book (which is an accomplishment for me), watched tv, and walked around window shopping. It was a great break! It took us a while to get back home because of all the snow but but the time we did I was aching to see my Ellie. It was so good to see her healthy and happy!

Spring Break

2010-03-16T10:03:00.002-05:00

Hurrah! We made it to Spring Break! Last week I thought it would never come but it finally did and I couldn't be more relieved. Almost 3 weeks ago Jim came down with a sore throat/cold, which I caught and had 2 weeks ago, which Ellie caught last week right as she was getting in 2 bottom molars. All of that=mental and physical exhaustion. For everyone. Poor Ellie does not teeth well and when you combine that with her first molars combined with nasty congestion...well, let's just say we didn't go anywhere between Wednesday afternoon to Sunday morning. I just held Elle most of the time and she fevered off and on and didn't want to eat anything but cold grapes and it was pretty miserable for her. Frankly I enjoyed her snuggliness, but thank goodness spring break started because by Friday afternoon when Jim came home I was ready for a break. He basically waited on us hand and foot for 2 days. Ahhh. How nice it is to have a husband again. We've been visiting Jim's family since Sunday, and tomorrow...WE'RE GOIN' TO VEGAS!! And we're leaving Ellie in Oklahoma :( Jim has a conference in Vegas that is paid for because he's president on the family med club, so all we have to pay for is my ticket and some food. We're so excited, but I'm really sad to leave my Elle, seeing as I've never even spent a day away from her, let alone 5. She's in good hands though, and after the last month we can both use the vacation. I'll post pictures next week so stay tuned!

Happy Birthday Jim!

2010-03-06T10:59:00.002-06:00

Today is Jim's 25th birthday. Hurrah! Too bad he's at school all day studying for a test...I was looking through some pictures of the last year and here's a few of my favorites of my Jim.

Father's Day. He's the best dad in the world.

Before the Alan Jackson concert in OKC. He won us tickets on the radio and it was awesome.

Being a good sport at the Lovett family reunion. Notice all the drool on his hand from our little fire hydrant.

Above and below are the last day of new student orientation. He's really serious about what he does.

Last day as the church bus driver in Stillwater. Probably the most random church calling he'll ever have.

And lastly, in front of the OSU cowboy in front of Galager Iba in Stillwater. Oh how we miss that place! (Stillwater, not the basketball arena or stadium-I'm not sure what you call it...)

Jim is the greatest person in the world and I'm so glad he found me! I love you so much Jim!

My Two Favorite People

2010-03-02T16:41:00.003-06:00

I can't tell you how much I love this picture! I took it on my phone so it's a little fuzzy, but it totally embodies Ellie and Jim's relationship. She LOVES her daddy! She just got out of her bath (that's why her hair is kinda crazy) and was trying to "get" Jim. How I love those two!

I've been trying to teach Elle how to say "I love you" for a long time, and yesterday after watching my mouth for a long time when I was repeating "love" over and over, she started saying "lalalala" with her tongue all the way out of her mouth, which is huge because she's figured out the L sound. Since then when I tell her I love her, she responds with "lalalala". I think that means she loves me, too :)

A Day at the Aquarium

2010-02-23T12:52:00.002-06:00

Today we went to the Oklahoma Aquarium with our playgroup of kids and wives of students in Jim's class. It was really fun as usual and I was really hoping Elle would get into everything and be excited about the fish, otters, beaver, sharks, etc. But alas, she had the exact same expression on her face the entire time we were there. Maybe next time...

My Little Bookworm

2010-02-23T12:47:00.002-06:00

Ellie loves her books. Not all books, but a select few. She wants me read them over and over and she never gets tired of them. There's about ten of them, and she doesn't like new ones; it's the same ten everyday. And these pictures capture the excitement of the first read of the day.

Whaaaat??

2010-02-23T12:43:00.004-06:00

Is this picture a little bit out of the ordinary to anyone else?
What 1 year-old eats spinach leaves??

100% Girl

2010-02-10T13:42:00.002-06:00

Is this girl all girl or what? Lip gloss and purple shades? Elle got these awesome sunglasses for her birthday from Aunt Katie and Uncle Scott and Eliott and Max. It's taken her a few weeks to put them on and now she won't take them off!

It's A....

2010-02-03T16:54:00.001-06:00

We're having another little girl!! The due date is July 21st (a little bit off what I thought. Ok-4 weeks off) and we are so excited!! Hurray for baby girls!

Little Rascal

2010-02-01T15:39:00.005-06:00

This is what I saw at lunch when I stepped out to switch the laundry in the garage (yes, our washer and dryer are in the garage, but it's better than being in the kitchen like at our old house.) Notice there's plenty of pineapple on her placemat to last for 2 minutes while I'm gone.

This is what I saw when I came back in...

She really likes her pineapple.

Happy Birthday Ellie Kate!

2010-01-24T19:58:00.007-06:00

Last Wednesday, the 20th, was Elle's 1st birthday! I can't believe she's a year old. What a great year it's been! I don't think either Jim or I had any idea what we were getting into when we decided to start our family, but let me be the first to say-this has been the best year EVER! Little Ellie brings us so much joy with her sweet, happy, silly, loving personality. Her birthday was a great day and you might notice a pattern with her smiles. It's the exact same smile! Her scrunchy face is her happy face, so I'm glad to see she was enjoying everything. Oh, and many thanks to Granny for the cute outfit :)

Warning:this will be a long post, followed up in a few days by yet another long post. Lots of photos, as usual.

We started the day with some blueberry pancakes, with a side of blueberries-a favorite. You can tell she enjoyed it.

Next, played and took a nap and then had lunch: spaghetti! We both love spaghetti A LOT.Also, thoroughly enjoyed.
I'm really proud of myself for eating so neatly.

This girl loves to eat spaghetti by herself.

And she loves to rub her hands all over her head. Silly.

After lunch we went to the grocery store and then had an afternoon nap.

When she woke up Cousin Tyler came over and they played with bubbles, which were a HUGE hit. They were both really excited about them and did a lot of squealing.
I think Ty was a little intimidated by Elle, because she was FREAKING out. So happy.

After supper when Daddy got home, we had some cupcakes. She was pretty interested in them and it was pretty cute.I love the above picture of Jim and Elle.
We were really proud of our girl because she blew out the candle!

She's had lots of practice because we blow on our food when it's hot,

and when Jim's starting a fire in the fireplace, she always helps blow on it.

And she loves the cake!

Elle was really really excited about this present from my mom. She opened it and said, "wow".
And here it is all put together.And my favorite photo of the day, of my two favorite people:
We love you Ellie!!