Passing Down the Sarcasm Gene

(Derek and Ella sitting in the chair)

Ella: "I'm sweating."
Derek: "So take off your sweatshirt."
Ella: "But my head is sweating."
Derek: "Quit thinkin' so hard."
Ella: "But I cant though."

They May Look Innocent...

Don't let this picture fool you. They may look sweet and innocent, but these are two VERY contagious little stinkers. Derek is slowly getting over his flu, and now I've picked it up!

Tree Hunting Pictures

Trista & Erin (dressed for a blizzard) ready to tree hunt!

Grandpa Mike & Ella ready to tree hunt!

Erin seemed much more comfortable in the truck with the heater on high. :)

This picture makes me laugh.... Erin always looks so worried!

The grand finale... Santa!!

Santa

Today, we went to pick out our Christmas tree! It is a fun tradition and although it was a little cold, it is always exciting. Both girls had a great time.

Inside their little tree farm shack, Erin sat on Santa's lap. Ella was (as usual) very hesitant to get near a stranger. She finally got close enough to snap a photo but would not warm up to Santa one bit! A few minutes later, we were in another room drinking hot cocoa when Derek kneeled down beside her.

Derek: "Ella, you need to go talk to Santa. You need to tell him what you want for Christmas!"
Ella: "No. I want YOU to tell him."

Sometimes, I think Ella is going to be my little politician. She has no troubles delegating things to other people. She also likes to make rules and enforce rules ..... but doesn't want to follow them herself.

She (our policitian), paired up with Erin (our concerned citizen) will make quite a pair.

Thanksgiving

We enjoyed Thanksgiving at our house on Thursday with the Cozarts. There was a TON of great food, the kids were so fun to be with, and it was so nice outside!

Later that night, Ella and I were sitting at the dinner table snacking on leftovers. I must've mistaken our talk as an adult conversation, but she quickly brought me back to toddler-land!

Me: "Did you have a good Thanksgiving?"
Ella: "Whats Thanksgiving?"
Me: "Ya know... when everyone came over to eat."
Ella: "Oh..."
Me: "Thanksgiving is a holiday. Where you are thankful for what you have."
Ella: "What's a holiday?"
Me: "A very special day."
Ella: "Like a flower?"
Me: "..............................................yep."

Update on Er-Bear

In the last 10 days, Erin has been VERY busy:

November 11th - got baptized
November 13th - got her first tooth
November 17th - turned 6 mos old
November 17th - got her first flu :(
November 19th - learned how to give kisses on demand!
November 20th - got her second tooth! :) :) :)

Thankful for Good Health

Well... I think we are turning the corner with this flu. Derek and Ella stayed home sick today and rested while Erin went to the babysitter's and I returned to work. Tonight was the closest thing to "normal" I've seen in about 5 days! If I dodge this bullet, it'll be a miracle!!

Poor Ellers.

Shoo, flu!

We are one very sick household. Erin got the flu, Ella followed, and now Derek has it. I am mildly irritated because Ella and I both got the flu shot, and Erin has been too young to get it.

We are a very tired, crabby, sweaty, snotty, sickly bunch.

Last night putting Ella to bed:

Me: "Ok. You gotta go to bed now cuz Erin's cryin. She doesn't feel good either. Mommy needs to go get her."
Ella: "Is Erin sweating too?"
Me: "Yep. You're both sweating."

Shapes!

On the learning agenda this week.... shapes! Ella is such a sponge right now, she is having so much fun learning new things. I think she'll love being in school next year.

Weekend Update

What a busy weekend! Not only did we enjoy having Jada over this weekend, we also celebrated Erin's baptism! It was a lot of fun. By the time Sunday afternoon rolled around, we were whooped.

 

They are becoming quite the trio...(I bet Erin is growling in this picture)

 

3 little monkeys...

 

After being woken up from a splash of Holy Water, Erin needed to scope out her sponsors!

 

 

Pastor Ron had his hands full today. :)

 



Swingin Away

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnAphJM1-lM&feature=channel&list=UL

A recent video of Erin. :)

Where is the Pause Button?

I am sitting here with the sweetest baby on Earth asleep in my arms... looking in the other recliner at my husband with both our happy toddler and our sleeping kitty on his lap, Around me is the sound of our Veggie Tales movie playing and a rhythmic pattern of Erin's sleepy breaths. The house is a total disaster covered in children's toys and dirty dishes, It smells like a mix of spaghetti sauce, baby powder, and a maybe a hint of dirty diaper in here. :)

To quote one of my favorite songs: "For a moment, all the world was right."

A Better Day

Both girls have been sick all week. Ella started the week with a cold but was able to push through it pretty well. Erin, on the other hand, picked it up around Wednesday. This, in addition to peak teething problems, has made her miserable. She's had a hard time eating, sleeping, and has been extremely unpleasant even with a pain reliever.

This morning, I think I'm starting to see the horizon. Both girls woke up in pleasant, playful moods and sat on Daddy's lap with smiles on their faces...still coughing away. Equally important, Derek and I's first words to each other after an uninterrupted night's sleep (excluding one feeding) were:

"Is this what it feels like to be rested?"
"Is this what it feels like to not walk around comatose?"

I hope my little peanuts are back to 100% very soon!

Little Fibber

Me (reading): "W is for walrus, X is for Xray, Y is for  yak..."
Ella: "I saw a yak last night!"
Me: "Really?"
Ella: "Yeah. He was in the mud."
Me: "Oh...ok...." (Trailing back to the book)
Ella: "I was on my way to work."

New Pastor

We are very excited to not only get to know our new pastor, but also see him in action for Erin's upcoming baptism. He is young, married, with 3 small kids. Ella and I unknowingly trotted behind them all night trick-or-treating, too! Tonight, we had our official meeting with him and enjoyed the visit.

To say our pastor "gets us" is an understatement. In an effort to salvage his white robe, he suggested using a code word during the baptism in the event of a blowout situation.

If that's not down-to-Earth, I don't know what is.