Big, Fat Reality Check

Usually, I prepare myself for a reality check on my way home from work. I try to clear my head from work and start planning dinner and things I want to do with my girls. Sometimes they're nothing but smiles when I walk in the door, and sometimes there are a lot of tears and hunger and exhaustion.

Today, I walked in and set down about 8 bags of groceries. I turn around and Ella bursts in the kitchen at about 60 mph from the toy room. I immediately notice the apron she's wearing. She stops abruptly, puts her hands in the air, and shouts, "I NEED A BIG FAT PAN!"

When I'm not Looking

Tonight, i asked for 10 minutes of peace in the kitchen while I cleaned up the madness after supper. The girls and Derek agreed to play on the porch for a bit. Not more than 5 minutes later, I glance out there and this is what I see:

Ella running around.
Derek, laying on the deck, facing the opposite direction looking up at the sky and daydreaming.
Erin, not only crawling on top of the patio table, but was also standing on top of it, unbeknownst to Derek.

.......are you kidding me?

Bathroom Update

Dad and Derek have made a lot of progress with the bathroom this week... first the air conditioning, then the electricity, and now most of the floor is done! Here is a sneak peak:

 

 

Flooring with curtains

Pick-Me-Up

 

Parenthood:

 



 

(Note to artist: this cartoon would be more accurate if the littlest one was rolling out 50 ft of toilet paper)

Preschool

Ella has a big week coming up at preschool. The topic of the week is fall related: apples! Different kinds, different tastes, how they grow, etc. Her class will also visit their "reading buddies" (1st graders) to be read a book, and take a walk to the library.

Halloween Ideas

Something tells me Erin would make a great statue of liberty for Halloween!!

Another Concerned Citizen

Ella: "I don't want to call the cops because they'll come and take Erin and I really like Erin."

~Ella's response when I told Erin to stop getting into trouble.

Er-Bear - 16 months

A part of me feels like Ella has been stealing the show lately, between her birthday and starting school. Here's how Erin is doing!

• Age: 16 months
• Favorite food: She loves snacks. All kinds. Crackers, raisins, dry cereal, smarties, anything she can have in a bowl!
• Typical night's sleep: Bedtime around  7:30,  up at 6:30, 7 days a week :) 
• Favorite Activities: Hide and seek, chase the cat (her best friend), climb on the couch, pretend to talk on the phone, ride the four-wheeler with Sissy.
• Clothes: 24 mo
• Dislikes: Getting her arms wrapped in a towel, waiting for supper, sharing her Mommy, being told "No," being denied a snack.
• Things I don't understand: She NEVER has a blanket on her at night when I check on her. No matter how many times I cover her up again.
• Words: Baba, Dada, Mama, Ella, Lala, Up, Tickle, Kitty, Holly, Hi, Guck, Nana, Papa, Pop,
• Nicknames: Peanut, Er-Bear
• Weight: 28 lbs
• Teeth: All except her eye-teeth and 2 year molars
• Favorite Trait: Her laugh is absolutely awesome. It is really rare her hear her laugh so hard, but when she does it, the whole room stops and smiles. And of course her legs and her dimple.
• Favorite toy: A dolly
• Latest shenanigan: At Ella's birthday party, Ella was busy opening up her gifts. All of her friends were right there with her, checking out all of the cool stuff. Everyone else watched and enjoyed the show while the birthday girl soaked up the attention. Everyone except Erin! Erin could've cared less about presents! She snuck behind all of us and got into someone's chocolate cupcake that they left on the table. After a few quiet minutes back there with no one noticing, she waddled back to the middle of the circle, where everyone noticed her beaming with delight holding a half eaten cupcake with a messy face. Hilarious!! 

Eating Out

Me: "Now Ella. This is a very nice restaurant, and it's really important we act good if we want to go to more restaurants. What does it mean to act good?"

Ella: "Dont act crazy."

Me: "Bingo."

Things Dont Last Long Around Here

Not more than 30 minutes after coming home from preschool, Erin totally destroyed a picture Ella created with paper and glue:

Ella: *GASP!!!* Mom, we need to call Ms Rachel*! NOW. Erin RUINED my picture!!!"

*Ms Rachel = preschool teacher

Funny Conversations

Me: "Ella, what did you learn in school today?"

Ella: "Um...... SHARING GERMS! If you have germs, GET RID OF THEM!"

Ella Bella Turns 4

 I can't believe our little sweetie, Ella, is 4!!

She had a very busy weekend celebrating! We started Sunday morning with candles on her cinnamon roll singing to her and she opened her presents from us. Jada came over, one of her most favorite people ever, and we took off for town! We did a little shopping, and Ella got her ears pierced!! After that, we rewarded her bravery with a ride on a merry-go-round in the mall. We finished the night painting pictures, watching a movie, and eating pizza. The next day, we spent the day in Clear Lake on Gpa Tom's boat!! Tuesday, she took purple cupcakes to school to celebrate again, where she was serenaded by her class. :)