The Mastrys

First Days of School

2009-08-27T10:42:00.000-07:00

In front of her classroom

Sporting her backpack

Ella started KINDERGARTEN this past Monday. It got off to a bit of a rocky start. Here's the breakdown:

Day 1 highlight: Me picking her up from school (those were her words). She had a lot to complain about...didn't like rest time, didn't like P.E. because she got sweaty, there were no fish or frogs in the classroom.

Day 2 hightlight: Getting candy...which I believe is why she announced it was a "great day"

Day 3 highlight: Nothing stood out, but I think she is starting to aclimate.

Today is day 4, so we'll see. She has made some friends, but I'm sure it will take her some time to get used to the new school. She really wants to ride the bus (I am not about to let her do that yet). She also wanted to buy lunch (that will soon wear off...I did let her buy lunch today).

Big Momma!

2009-07-21T18:35:00.000-07:00

I've been getting very sentimental lately with Ella starting Kindergarten in almost a month! I can't believe how fast she's growing up. I remember people telling us how fast it would go when she was a baby and I almost got sick of hearing the cliche phrase, but it's true...they do grow up fast and she's just starting Kindergarten.

We were at the pool this afternoon and I was watching her swim...

Me: You're getting so big Ella, what am I going to do with you? Put a brick on your head?
Ella: No!
Me: No matter what, you'll always be my little girl.
Ella: And you'll always be my BIG MOMMA. I mean my HUMONGOUS MOMMA!

At this point I was cracking up and trying to quiet her down all at the same time. I guess that's what I get for being sentimental!

Bad Hair Day(s)

2009-07-05T19:13:00.000-07:00

Well along with the other "stuff" that's been going on around here, Isaac has developed a very bad habit of pulling Macey's hair out and his own and then sucking his thumb. It sounds disgusting, and it is, but it's also a very serious problem I've come to find out. It's called Trichotillomania and is a type of anxiety disorder. Apparently, pulling his hair out is a comfort to him. We are trying to help him find other things to soothe himself with including blankets, stuffed animals, etc.

We have also gone to drastic measures to keep him from pulling Macey's hair and his own hair. He just had his second haircut in a week today. It was hard for me to see his beautiful blonde hair go, but if it helps, it's worth it. He still looks adorable with his buzz cut (at least I think so). Macey on the other hand...not so good. I was horrified when I picked her up from the groomers yesterday. They tried to warn me that when her hair grew back in it might not be as soft or could grown in a different color. I had no idea it would look this BAD!!!

Well the picture says it all...it looks like she got her head stuck in a bottle of spray on tanner and her tail...I have no words! Oh well, it's for a good cause and she seems to be much happier with her buzz cut given the Florida heat!

Before Hair Cuts

Isaac's New Do

Macey's New Do (Poor Thing)!

An update...

2009-06-24T18:03:00.000-07:00

Well, a lot has happened since I last posted. At at the end of April we joined the growing number of families who have been negatively impacted by our country's economic situation. After 8 years working for NCR, Jason was laid off. It's been a rollercoaster ride since then and I will spare you all the details, but we trust that God "is working all thing for good." Please keep us in your prayers. Jason is looking at many different avenues, so pray for clarity, opportunity, and providential relationships.

On a funny note (and totally unrelated), I thought I'd share something that Ella said the other day that gave me a good laugh.

As I was laying down with her at bedtime she kept rubbing her nose. I was trying to figure out if her allergies were bothering her or if she had something stuck up there, so I asked...

Me: "Is your nose just itchy or irritated?"
Ella: Replying in an annoyed tone, "No, my nose isn't irritated it's nositated!" She then went on to explain that irritated was when your ear itched, not your nose. (DUH!).

Photos You Should Take of Your Kids

2009-04-08T19:10:00.000-07:00

Read this on www.vocalpoint.com and wanted to share...

Page through a typical family photo album and you’ll notice the kids in a few repeating themes—special-occasion shots, vacation photos, and staged portraits. All cherished moments, no doubt. But why not add a little creativity into your picture taking? Here are some memories that could be just as photo-worthy.

1. The first time they dress themselves. Pajama pants, one fuzzy slipper, no shirt, and earmuffs. Sure, you’re not going to let them leave the house like that, but you have to appreciate their unique ability to accessorize. If you take a snapshot now, the “fashions” of their teens won’t look so bad.

2. A big mess. Your little van Gogh has painted your white walls with chocolate pudding. Before you lose it, take a picture. After the mess and tears are scrubbed, you’ll have evidence that those innocent eyes really didn’t know any better. And you can break out the photo when your child becomes a parent—to remind your child that no child (or parent) is perfect.

3. Your favorite feature. The head-to-toe shot can wait for prom or graduation. Instead, zoom in and capture the one or two details you love most about your kid. Snap that swirl of hair atop your newborn, your toddler’s chunky feet, or your 7-year-old’s two missing front teeth—they won’t stay that way forever.

4. Their favorite meals. Keep a separate album filled with pictures of your child’s favorite foods—everything from mac ’n’ cheese to chocolate-raspberry brownies to your famous breaded pork chops. That way, when you’re finally ready to ship them off to college, you can write the recipe beside each photo and give them the book. Whenever they need a taste of home cooking, you’ll be there for them.

5. How they see the world. Go ahead, hand your child the camera for a while (under appropriate supervision, of course). You’ll be amazed at what they’ll shoot without consideration for traditional rules. Fortunately, with the beauty of digital, you can instantly delete all the bad shots and save the good ones.

6. Photos with you. If you’re always the one with the camera, you won’t be in many of the photos. Put your spouse or a friend on point-and-shoot duty and tell them to start clicking. Tell them to catch you and the kids when no one is looking at the camera or during moments that capture you as a Mom—cleaning up from dinner, reading a bedtime story, or helping with homework.A moment of worry. Your child doesn’t even have to be in this photo for it to act as a powerful memory-jogger.

7. Take a picture of their first travel-bag packed for a big weekend away or the next-morning remains after a fun slumber party. You’ll have a record of when you were anxious about them—and how everything turned out okay. Now that’s a nice memory.

The Latest...

2009-03-22T18:07:00.001-07:00

Isaac is turning into a little boy very quickly. Some of his favorite words are Vroom Vroom, CCCKKKUUCC, Whoa (yes, I know these are all sounds not really words, but they count, right?). All of which he says repeatedly whenever we're in the car. Until his recent obsession with anything that moves, he hasn't been a great traveler, but he's discovered a whole new world right outside the window. We might have to make a road trip sometime soon!!!

We've been enjoying the beautiful weather and went to an Art Festival and a Garden Show this weekend. I bought Ella an African Violet today at the garden show. Was that a smart thing to do? Now I have a pot of soil resting on a plastic saucer with water sitting on my 4-year-old's dresser. How many days will it be before the soil ends up all over the carpet? That might be my next blog post!

Off to do some reading...before I hit the sack! Here are a few pics of Isaac enjoying his dump truck at the beach.

The Tradition Continues

2009-03-06T20:03:00.000-08:00

Tonight was the night Ella's been waiting for...the Daddy Daughter Dance. It ranks right up there in importance with her birthday.

She picked out her own outfit from head to toe. The past two years she's worn the same dress and I gave her the option of wearing it again (yes, it still fits) or getting a new outfit and like any girl she opted for the new outfit (why did I even ask?). Anyway, I loved her pick...wish they made it in my size ;).

This was the third year that Jason has taken her and I love that they have this tradition. Ella looks forward to it so much that she was asking me today when the next Daddy Daughter Dance was going to be.

Jason sent a few pictures from his phone from the dance. He said she spent more time eating cake than she did dancing, which would explain the crumb on her lip in the picture below...:).

My BLOG Anniversary

2009-03-02T08:09:00.000-08:00

It's been over a year now that I've been blogging. I had fun taking a trip down memory lane and looking at my old posts.

Some things have changed dramatically (like Isaac). And some things are the same (like Ella's crazy comments). Here's a sampling of both...

Isaac Then (5 Months Old)
Isaac Now (Wearing Jason's Shoes)

Last week I copied an idea from my friend Anne's blog.

Ella had fun making a winter tree and after she was finished we had this little conversation:

Me: What would you think if one morning you woke up and saw snow coming down from the sky and and every thing was covered in it?

Ella: It would FREAK ME OUT!!!

Me: Why?

Ella: Because it doesn't snow in Florida (with a DUH tone in her voice).

Hide and Go Seek

2009-02-21T18:36:00.000-08:00

Isaac loves to play the game Hide and Go Seek now. One of Ella's favorite hiding spots is under the desk in the "ploffice" (translated: playroom/office). This afternoon I walked into the ploffice find two little legs sticking out from underneath the desk. As I peeked around to see why he was hiding, I noticed he had my cell phone. So, if any of you received a random call from me, you'll know why!

LOOK AT THOSE CUTE LITTLE FEET (don't look at the dirt on the carpet or the mess beside the desk!)WHO ME???

THE AFTERMATH OF TAKING THE PHONE AWAY

The Civility Project

2009-02-18T19:04:00.000-08:00

I came across this article posted by an old coworker from The DeMoss Group in Atlanta. The owner of the PR agency I worked for in Atlanta, Mark DeMoss, has started a new "project."

Whatever your political position, I think this is a great idea. Check out the article below and the website www.thecivilityproject.com.

Odd couple wants civility in politics
By Christopher Quinn
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Mark DeMoss, a Georgia publicist with roots in the religious right, and Lanny Davis, a former Clinton White House insider, have joined forces to try to stop the political blame-fests and name calling they believe are too common in politics.
DeMoss is on a mission, if not for God, for democracy.
“What is at stake is a real disenfranchisement of average people, for whom the political process becomes so distasteful that they want to disengage from it,” said DeMoss, founder of Duluth’s DeMoss Group, which has represented evangelical groups such as the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
His odd-couple partner Davis defended former President Bill Clinton during the Lewinsky scandal and campaigned for U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton for president in 2008.
The two men launched their Civility Project on Jan. 18 after realizing they agree on two things: They have nearly nothing in common politically, and they both believe it is possible to have healthy debates or even stiff arguments without resorting to demonizing the other side.
“I’m not trying to put an end to partisanship,” DeMoss said. He is just trying to dial down the hate, like the kind of e-mails he got last year when he campaigned prominently for Mitt Romney in the Republican primary, DeMoss said. Romney is a Mormon. Mormons consider themselves Christian, but many Christians consider their denomination a cult. DeMoss has a collection of e-mails from fellow evangelicals castigating him for his association with Romney.
Later in the campaign, DeMoss noticed Davis’ professional demeanor when defending Sen. Clinton on news talk shows. Last summer he wrote Davis a letter one night, complimenting him on his behavior. The two men had never met.
The letter impressed Davis so much that he framed it and put it on his office bookshelf beside photos of himself and the Clintons.
DeMoss later called him and, at the end of 2008, the two were having lunch “in an increasingly uncivil town, Washington,” Davis said.
DeMoss pitched his idea of a Web site outlining some basic rules of civility where people check off a pledge to treat others with respect, even if disagreeing with them.
Davis, author of the book “Scandal: How Gotcha Politics is Destroying America,” said he and DeMoss are “singing out of the same hymn book.”
Argue with vigor, but stay away from insult, insinuations, and the devolved bickering that passes for debate, he said.
DeMoss said some may snicker at the idea that pledging to be more civil will have an impact.
“There’s a risk on both sides that it’s too simple to be taken seriously,” he said.
Davis pointed out the irony that it would probably get more attention if the two went at it tooth and nail.
“It’s a tough sell that we are not at each other’s throats,” he said.
Information: thecivilityproject.com

The Evolution of Strawberry Picking

2009-02-16T13:13:00.000-08:00

Today we went strawberry picking with a friend from the neighborhood. This was our third year visiting Oak Haven Farms. It's such a beautiful place and the kids love it! As I downloaded our pictures, I remembered the first year that we took Ella. I think she was more interested in playing in the dirt and eating the strawberries than she was in actually picking them. So, here are a few pictures to show how much she's "evolved" in her strawberry picking.

It was Isaac's first experience and he was much neater than Ella was, however, he did his fair share of eating the strawberries! I think he might go into Quality Control when he grows up!!!

Year One: Notice the Dirt and Strawberry Stains!

Year Two: Much Cleaner!

Year Three: Looking So Grown Up (sigh)

Isaac's a Little Strawberry Picking (and Eating Pro)

Partaking in the Fruits of Ella's Labor!

Do Dog Training Methods Work on Children? (We Hope So)

2009-02-01T17:37:00.000-08:00

Who knew we'd still be using techniques from Macey's Puppy Kindergarten class 8 years later?! Is it bad that we aren't using the discipline methods on Macey anymore, but on Isaac?

Isaac has started spitting. At first it was cute. He noticed Ella spitting out the toothpaste into the sink and started copying her by climbing up onto the stool and spitting repeatedly into the sink. We all laughed and thought it was funny.

Since he got such a great reaction from the sink spitting he decided to start spitting in people's faces...still somewhat funny. He's even started greeting guests in our home with a little spit in the face. Last week Ella had a little friend over to play, Isaac was sleeping when the boy arrived, so when he woke up he was very excited to see a new face. He walked right up to the kid and started laughing and then spit right at him. The kid, who is Ella's age, started yelling "That's disgusting," and spit back in Isaac's face. Isaac thought it was funny!

It probably doesn't help that most of the time Isaac does his little spitting routine, Jason and I are trying to keep a straight face and not laugh too. A few weeks ago when this first started he had a mouth full of raisins and started spitting. The raisins came flying out like machine gun bullets. Jason and I both about peed our pants laughing. Ella reprimanded us saying "You shouldn't laugh at him...that's GROSS!"

Apparently, we should have listened to her because here we are 3 weeks later and he's still spitting, which brings me to my dog training technique.

Jason came up with a good idea today...using the spray bottle on Isaac when he spits. We used a spray bottle on Macey when she was a puppy to keep her from pestering us at the couch. The trainer recommended we give her a squirt and give her a simple command "Go Away." It worked wonders on Macey and now we're hoping it will do the same with Isaac!

If anyone has any suggestions, we welcome them. Next we'll be trying to get Isaac to sit and stay...I wonder if he will like Macey's dog treats as much as she does :)!

It's been 3 months...

2009-01-27T18:40:00.000-08:00

Sorry, blogging friends, but life got a little crazy and I'm not even going to try and make up for lost time. So, I'll just start fresh! It's a new year, right?!

In glancing back at some of my old posts, I can't believe how big my little guy is getting. He's moved from the baby to the toddler stage. Here are a few recent pics. of both of them...

Ella and Macey

Isaac bundled up on one of our coldest days...I think the high was 50 something...cold for FL! He reminded me of the kid from Christmas Story.

Isaac doing one of his latest tricks...climbing. The only problem is, he doesn't know how to get down. I usually hear "Ma," "Mama," coming from distant parts of the house only to find him 3" up on a box looking out of the window and hanging onto the window sill for dear life.

If I had clicked this picture a second later, you would have seen him falling off the table. He was fine. I was hoping a fall might deter him from climbing...it doesn't seem to have worked.

Bye for now...look for my next post in about two months :).

A Few of My Favorite Things...

2008-11-22T21:28:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of 'Thanksgiving" I've decided to list the things I'm thankful for in my home. So often I can easily come up with a list of a hundred things I'd like to do to the house. I've been inspired by my sister's post about her favorite things in her home, so I've decided to list my top 10 favorite THINGS in my home. It was actually a fun exercise for me and I realized that it didn't matter how expensive things were or weren't, it was more about the way they made me feel and the meaning behind them. So here goes....

Top 9 Favorite Things in My Home:
(It was going to be 10, but I accidentally deleted the photo and can't find it)

My Gourds (they are some of my fall decorations about to be replace with Christmas, but I love them).

My Dollar Store glasses (aren't they cool and only $1)

Ella's name on canvases in her room.

Our family photo wall.

Pillow on our bed. I hated my wall color until this pillow came along and pulled it all together, plus I like our initials on it.

Diapering area in Isaac's room. I made the diaper holder and love it because it's especially handy. Got the starfish and sand dollars when we went to Longboat Key this summer...good memories!

Dining room table. Even though it doesn't get much use, I still love it!

Floral arrangement. Instead of flowers for Valentine's Day I told Jason that I'd rather have an old floral arrangement reworked so I could use it in this space. It's the gift that keeps on giving :).

Ella's Art Gallery. It's in her room and displays all of her latest artwork. I could probably change it out daily with the number of creations she comes up with.

Halloween Festivities

2008-10-31T18:56:00.000-07:00

Halloween has come and gone and now all we're left with is tons of candy and some fun memories. If you haven't noticed, Halloween is becoming as much of a celebration as Christmas (kind of scary, but that's for another post).

We started the week of festivities with visits to the pumpkin patches and the neighborhood Halloween party (see previous posts). Here's a picture taken of our little butterfly and duck before the Halloween party:
One of my favorites of the week was my playgroup Halloween party. There's nothing better than dressing seven unwilling, but helpless toddlers and babies in all sorts of costumes. The reaction is priceless. I took at least three of these pictures and this is probably the best of the bunch. I bribed Isaac with Goldfish to get him to stay on the couch. The back row wasn't so willing, notice the mom's ducking behind their little ones. Oh what we'll do to get a picture!

One of Ella's favorite moments was carving the pumpkin. Jason asked her to draw a few designs and then choose which one she wanted to do. After a few "revisions" this is what they came up with...it actually was pretty close to what Ella drew.

Here's the proof that we were here pictures:
Because our street is loving referred to as the retirement community, we decided to walk a few blocks this year and go to a different section of the neighborhood for Trick or Treating. I'm glad we did, because Ella had a great time running from door to door to get her candy. One of the houses had a bounce house set up for the kids and another had a Monster's Inc. playing on their garage door. There were also lots of liquid beverages for the parents...I tried a pumpkin shot...very yummy...I know, I'm getting wild and crazy!!!Here's proof that Jason was not doing a very good job watching Isaac. Can you see Jason in the background? EXACTLY!!! This is not what I call looking after our 13 month old! He kept trying to tell me he was "watching" him! I guess we have different views of what that means.

It was a fun week and now I have to get back to eating more candy :)!

Funny Cartoon (at least for a Republican)

2008-10-26T18:00:00.000-07:00

Recipe for Disaster

2008-10-24T18:37:00.000-07:00

1 Tablespoon of way too hot for costumes weather (humid and in the 80s today...yuck)

2 tsp. toddler who does not like costume or anything on his head

3 cups of todder who missed afternoon nap

1/2 cup preschooler freaked out by scary costumes

1 nut of a mom who decides to go to the neighborhood Halloween party by herself with two kids

Mix together and you get a recipe for disaster!

Went to the neighborhood Halloween party tonight, wished I hadn't wasted the $. I'm not knocking the party, just my poor judgment based on the the circumstances. Oh well, I really didn't feel like fixing dinner...next time I think I'll order take out :). The look on Isaac's face pretty much sums up the night.

BTW, it rained this morning so no pumpkin patch! One of these days I'll get the covetted pumpkin patch picture and if I don't I'll just enjoy others!

Pumpkin Patch Visit

2008-10-23T20:11:00.000-07:00

I've always loved the photos I've seen of children in pumpkin patches. I don't know what it is, maybe the colors. Ella's preschool class took a visit to the pumpkin patch today. I was hoping for a cute photo of both of them together, but it didn't happen.

Ella's really not a fun kid to take pictures of, because she either makes a really cheesy smile or pretty much refuses to have her picture taken. Her latest tactic seems to be closing her eyes. This combined with the cheesy smile makes it really annoying to get pictures of her. Why do I even try?! Getting a Christmas picture this year should be fun!

I did get one good candid of Isaac. Better luck at tomorrow's pumpkin patch visit (yes, we are going to another pumpkin patch tomorrow for the sole purpose of the covetted pumpkin patch photo...not really, but I'll give it another shot!)

I've Joined the Army!

2008-10-15T12:20:00.001-07:00

In trying to do my part to stop breast cancer, I've joined The Army! The "Army of Women", a new breast cancer organization aimed at stopping the spread of breast cancer and preventing it all together. Check out the website www.armyofwomen.com.

It's revolutionary initiative has two key goals:

To recruit one million healthy women of every age and ethnicity, including breast cancer survivors and women at high-risk for the disease, to partner with breast cancer researchers and directly participate in the research that will eradicate breast cancer once and for all.

To challenge the scientific community to expand its current focus to include breast cancer prevention research conducted on healthy women.

If you are a fellow blogger, please mention this new organization on your blog and my favorite digital scrapbooking website www.howfasttheygrow.com will dontate $25 to "Army of Women." Just email them at help@howfasttheygrow.com with your link, and they will send you confirmation of their upcoming donation on your behalf.

Thanks for doing what you can to help find a cure for breast cancer!

Painting Pumpkins

2008-10-15T07:05:00.001-07:00

Here's a little craft Ella did a few weeks ago. I bought these mini pumpkins and was planning to keep them on the table for decoration. Ella really loved them (she has a thing for anything mini). Anyway, I found her sneaking my pumpkins into her room.

So, I decided to let her paint a few...then she decided she wanted to paint all of them for her friends at school. How could I resist, so here are some pictures of her little project. They turned out to be pretty cute and we wrapped them in cellophane and tied them with a ribbon and she wrote each child's name on a label, so it was good practice for her with writing her letters. Maybe I'm more of a teacher than I thought :0!

The only bad thing was that I tried to remember all the kids from her class by memory (bad idea). We ended up forgetting one kid...how terrible is that! Ella didn't take any time letting me know we had forgotten Ryan...oops. I ended up running out that night and buying another pumpkin for him and we brought it to school the next day and of course he wasn't there...oh well!

Random Thoughts

2008-10-14T07:57:00.000-07:00

So, I'm deviating a little bit from my regular posting of photos. Mainly because I don't want to download the recent ones I've taken and even if I did, I don't think they're blog-worthy. So, here's a little something I stole from my sister's blog http://www.troxells.blogspot.com/.

I AM…ME!
I WANT… to be better about exercising.
I HAVE…everything I need.
I KEEP... having to remind myself of the things that matter most in life...God and others!
I WISH I COULD…see my sister more often.
I HATE... the evil in our world.
I FEAR... something bad happening to my children.
I HEAR... silence (Isaac is sleeping and Ella's at school).
I DON’T THINK...nearly enough :).
I REGRET... losing touch with old friends.
I LOVE…my family.
I AM NOT... tall (even though people think I am...go figure...I guess it's the long torso)
I DANCE...with my daughter whenever I can.
I SING… to kid's music.
I NEVER... eat shellfish (I'm allergic)
I RARELY… watch movies (if I do I end up falling asleep).
I CRY WHEN I WATCH… sad movies.
I AM NOT ALWAYS... right (DUH!)
I HATE THAT... I'm indecisive.
I’M CONFUSED ABOUT… the economy.
I NEED... to clean up my house.
I SHOULD… be doing 20 other things other than writing this blog.

What Kind of Ball is THIS???

2008-09-26T17:26:00.000-07:00

We had Isaac's 1st birthday party last weekend up at the pool. I had been anticipating his reaction to the cake all week. He's a kid who is SERIOUS about his food, so naturally I assummed he'd dig right into his cake and chow down. I was WRONG.

This picture says it all...

I decided to do a "ball" theme for his party, since he loves them. I had his cake made into the shape of a baseball (it turned out really cute...thanks to Super Target). Anyway, I guess he didn't like the fact that the ball got all over his hands when he tried to pick it up. He was so upset that he didn't even want to try a taste of the cake. Oh well!

Happy Birthday Baby!

2008-09-23T15:26:00.001-07:00

Our little guy turned one last Wednesday! I can't believe it. In one year, how can they go from this:

To this:

Funny Things Ella's Said Lately

2008-09-15T16:41:00.000-07:00

Ella's Learning Spanish (well maybe)

This afternoon Ella caught a cricket that I saved from drowing in the pool. She held it in captivity for hours in a water bottle. She decided to let it have a bigger place to "live" and transfered it to a large piece of my Tupperware (don't worry those of you who have received meals from me in Tupperware...we have special containers for the insects). I guess we didn't discuss the fact that crickets are really good at jumping. As I was making dinner, I heard a loud scream/cry. I ran outside to find Ella pertrified...she had seen a bee fly by (I wonder what her reaction would have been if it stung her). Anyway, in the midst of the panic attack her cricket escaped. After dinner, I told her she could go and look for the cricket and she didn't find it. She came back inside and told me this...

Ella: A maya wish
Me: You made a wish?
Ella: No, A maya wish.
Me: What did you wish for?
Ella: No, A maya wish. It means I didn't find it...in Spanish.

Now that clears things up doesn't it?!

What Ella Wants to Be When she Grows Up

When my parents were here a few weeks ago, Ella informed us that she wanted to either be a doctor, a vet, or do nails. I like how they all seem to be on level playing ground in her mind!

The Latest Happenings

2008-09-14T17:35:00.000-07:00

Well to all of my 3 readers...I'm sorry I haven't posted lately. It's been a busy few weeks with my parents moving, Ella starting school, and battling an onslaught of sickness!

Here's a recap in pictures...Jason thinks it's funny that I have a blog, since all I really do is post pictures. I guess maybe I should call it a phlog.

Ella's First Day at School

Grandpa with the grandkids on moving day!

Heather's old room

My old bedroom

The living room

Bye, Bye Fay!

2008-08-24T17:21:00.000-07:00

This past week was a doozie. Not only did we have a tropical storm that wouldn't go away, our entire house beginning with Isaac and ending with Jason ended up with a stomach "bug." It's a week I am glad to leave in the past. Here are a few pictures of the flooding on our street. This was after the water had subsided.

This coming week is a big week. Ella starts pre-K tomorrow. She's going 4 days instead of two, so it's a big jump. I am a little bit sad that she'll be gone so many mornings of the week. She's growing up so fast!

My parents are moving on Thursday and while I know it's a good thing it makes me sad too. It's hard to let go of the house I grew up in. O.K., I'm starting to depress myself, so that's it for now.

First Steps

2008-08-14T19:48:00.000-07:00

I've had this little walker out for about a week in the playroom. A few days ago, out of the corner of my eye I noticed Isaac pushing it. He took his first steps and I almost missed it!

I was so excited and so was Ella. She immediately ran to her bedroom and grabbed her pom poms and began cheering him on (notice Ella with the pom poms running behind him). It was too cute! Somedays I wish I had someone running behind me cheering me on!

New Teeth

2008-08-08T16:46:00.000-07:00

Isaac's sixth tooth started popping through this week. He's been drooling like a faucet...I'm not kidding. We're talking six outfit changes a day (he won't wear a bib). It wouldn't have been so bad, but he was also sick with the same virus that Ella came down with Sunday night (high fever and sore throat). So, I've been stuck inside with two sick kids and one who is teething for the majority of the week. I'm ready for the weekend!!!

P.S. Thanks for the break on Thursday Mom and Dad...don't know what I'd do without you!

My New Favorite Thing

2008-08-06T18:58:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I discovered the most ingenious website for scrapbooking http://www.howfasttheygrow.com/. They've featured a few of my pages in their gallery http://www.howfasttheygrow.com/index.cfm?page=content&cid=5 (how cool am I...he he).

It's so much easier than the old way of doing things. Getting out the big scrapbooking organizer, spreading my paper, pictures and other crap all over the dining room table only to have Ella ask me for the stickers, papers, scissors, etc. Not to mention that it took me over two years to complete a scrapbook of Ella's first year. I'm already half way through with Isaac's scrapbook (not that he'll ever care)!

Just thought I'd share...it's the simple things in life that bring me pleasure :).

They're Moving

2008-08-03T17:44:00.000-07:00

We'll I have some bittersweet news. My parents have sold their house of 30 years. I think it would be a lot harder to comprehend this, but they've been talking about selling it for at least the last two years, so I've had some time to digest it. Still, I know when moving day comes, I'll probably be a bit emotional. This is the house that I grew up in and we've had a lot of great memories there. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Playing kick the can in the cul de sac until dusk and all the moms starting yelling for us to come in (I still hope Ella and Isaac will get to experience good pure fun like this).

2. Waking up Christmas morning to find the little, white, fluffy puppy I had prayed for in a box under the Christmas tree.

3. My mom running around the house frantically yelling "where are my glasses? where are my glasses?" and my sister and I laughing when we told her they were on top of her head.

4. Picking roses to take to my teachers out of our rose garden.

5. Spending summers in the pool. Heather and I would wake up in the morning and put our bathing suits on and play all day with the neighbors who'd come over. We were one of the only ones with a pool, so it was more like a community pool. It had a diving board too until one of the neighbors broke it trying to do a cannon ball.

6. Picking tangerines off the tree in the backyard (the best tangerines ever) and "juicing" them on the thorns of the tree. Coming inside with sticky hands and all.

7. Swinging on the porch swing.

8. Watching my Dad fall off of my sister's bike trying to do a pop a wheelie.

9. Eating pepperoni rolls in the big rust colored recliner on Saturday mornings while watching Smurfs.

10. Turing the sprinklers on in the winter when it would freeze so we could wake up to icicles.

Tattooed and Riding a Harley!

2008-07-20T18:55:00.001-07:00

She's only 4 years old, but she took her first ride on a Harley this weekend (notice the tattoos on her arm...she fits the stereotype!!!). We had some friends over and he took her for a ride around the cul-de-sac and she LOVED it. We could hear here yelling "Whooohooo." That girl is an adrenaline junky!!!

More Evidence!

2008-07-15T06:14:00.000-07:00

Did I mention Isaac's into everything. Of course, it would probably be more effective to tell him no instead of grabbing the camera and taking a picture!

Here are his top 5 favorite things to get into:

1. Macey's Dog Food - I caught him in it the other day and he had 3 piece in his mouth...I was able to retrieve 2 1/2.

2. The Dishwasher

3. Toliet Paper

4. The Bookshelves

5. The Trash Cans

He's into EVERYTHING

2008-07-09T09:44:00.001-07:00

Literally! I was putting the silverware away this morning and Ella started yelling..."Mommy, look!" I turned around to find this...

Conversations with Ella

2008-07-01T16:37:00.000-07:00

This past week, Ella's been cracking me up. Maybe I find it funny because I'm her mom, but I thought I'd share a few of the funny things she's said. I'm kind of glad to know she's still cracking some good ones, because I was beginning to think that she was getting too old and out growing the "funny" stage. Guess I was wrong.

On Isaac...

The big news for Ella last week was that we're keeping Isaac. Yes, as funny as it sounds, I think she was truly convinced that we had checked him out from the library and he was going to be due back soon!

A few nights ago, I was giving them both a bath and they were having fun splashing around. It was a good sibling moment.

Me: Aren't you glad that you have a brother, Ella
E: Yes. Can we keep him when he gets to be my age?
Me: Can we keep him?
E: Yeah.
Me: Sure!
E: Oh GREAT! (Turning to Isaac) "Did you hear that buddy, we're going to keep you."

I thought that it ended there, but the next morning after breakfast she asked me again. Do we get to keep Isaac when he's my age? I guess for some reason she thought we were giving him back. Maybe it's because we keep telling her if she's bad we're sending her back to where she came from (just joking...I'm totally kidding...Johnny and Judy if you're reading this, I've never said that).

On Starvation...

I was going through the drive through at Boston Market last week and Ella was in the back seat telling me how hungry she was.

E: Can I have something to eat in the car?
Me: No, because everything we're getting is too messy and plus we'll be home soon.
E: (With a loud sigh) You've got to be kidding me. I'm starving!

Can we say DRAMA QUEEN?

On Praise and Worship Music...

Ella went to Vacation Bible School last week and I kept asking her what songs they were learning since they had a little program at the end of the week for the parents. She couldn't really remember anything except for a little "nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah" and waved her hands in the air.

At dinner that night, Jason asked her what she was learning at VBS. She said, "We're learning songs about God." I thought, oh she's finally remembering some of the words and knows the songs are about God. That's wonderful. Then the next thing she says is "It goes like this. Show your underpants, show your underpants." Jason and I both about spit our food across the table.

He's Crawling

2008-06-20T15:30:00.001-07:00

Here's some video of Isaac crawling. I like the end best...is it wrong to think it's funny when your child wipes out?

Isaac's 9 months old!

2008-06-20T13:52:00.000-07:00

If you're wondering why I haven't posted anything in a while it's because I'm chasing my little ones around! Ella's out of school, which has been a lot of fun and Isaac started crawling really good about a two weeks ago. He got his first tooth on Monday and turned 9 months old on Tuesday...it was a big week for our little guy!

I took them both to have professional pictures taken today, but wasn't crazy about them. So, I decided to set up a "studio" in our ploffice (playroom/office) and I thought these turned out pretty cute. Ella wasn't home, but I think I'll try getting some of the two of them next week.

An interesting combination

2008-06-06T11:54:00.000-07:00

Q: What do you get when The Incredible Hulk and a Princess get married?

For some reason, Ella was really wanting to do face painting the last day we were at the beach. During the car ride home, she kept asking us if she could do face painting when she got home. I have no idea why she was on this kick, but she was.

When we got home, Jason and I got busy unloading everything. She apparently took matters into her own hands decided to paint her face with some water colors that she found. The picture doesn't really show it, but she also painted her arms and her legs and feet. It's great to be a kid!

ALLERGIC TO THE SUN? COME ON, I LIVE IN FLORIDA!!!

2008-06-06T11:10:00.000-07:00

Poppa and the grandsons Isaac "flying"
Jason and the kiddos
Taylor and Ella (styling with Mommy's sunglasses)
Isaac and Ella with Taylor (Tyler was sleeping)

Me and Isaac
Me and Ella
The fam (this picture was taken by my 7-year-old niece...pretty impressive)

Jason and Isaac

This post isn't meant to complain about Florida. Unlike my sister, who now lives in Santa Cruz, I love Florida and even though it gets blazing hot, I'd rather have it hot than cold and dreary (not that Santa Cruz is like that).

Anyway, it's been awhile since I've posted anything because we spent a week at the beach with Jason's side of the family. We had a wonderful time and the weather was beautiful pretty much the entire time. Unfortunately, I broke out with sun poisoning the first day I was in the sun. It's not like I was doing the sun worshipping thing either. I was wearing SPF 30 and after a few hours came back inside to discover my chest was covered in red, bug-bite looking bumps. It's really attractive and not to mention incredibly itchy.

I'd like to say that this is the first time this has happened to me, but no, this has been going on for the past five years. I finally got online, like any good wanna be doctor, and found out that I am ALLERGIC TO THE SUN.

Those of you who know me well, also know that I am allergic to shellfish as well. What a great combination for a Floridian...a sun allergy and a shellfish allergy. I am obviously not a native Floridian, but a transplant who apparently belongs where the sun don't shine :)!

Budding Photographer

2008-05-15T18:01:00.000-07:00

My friend Anne's has a website called Teaching Two http://www.teachingtwo.com/. It's full of creative things to do with your kids. I used an idea from her site and let Ella take pictures of her favorite things around the house. It was fun to see what she took pictures of...

Butterflies hanging in her room

Her pony that she adores (and dresses up in all kinds of get ups)

Macey (looking less than thrilled)

I love this one. She took a picture of herself...one of her favorite things. Don't we all wish we still had the self esteem of a 4-year-old?

Our family photo wall

Ella's Birthday and the Cake Chaos

2008-05-06T19:22:00.000-07:00

Well, the day she had been waiting for all year finally arrived May "fourfh." I made the mistake of telling her that her birthday was almost here around the beginning of April, so I spent the rest of April and the beginning of May answering endless questions of "how many more days until it's my birthday." A few days before the "big day" she asked again..."how many more days until my birthday." Excitedly I replied "just two more days...not today, not tomorrow, but next day." With a loud sigh of disappointment she said, "but Mommy that's a long time and I've been waiting all year for my birthday!" (Haven't we all!)

I really tried my best to have a simple, low-key birthday party for her, but the OCD "event planner" in me just can't seem to abide by the old adage K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid). We decided to have the party up at our neighborhood pool...that part was easy, but then came the cake. I've always ordered cakes and was on track to do the same this year. Ella had been eyeing the princess or castle cakes for months. So, we went to the store to pick it out and of course she picked the most expensive option, the castle cake. I'm not sure if it was the $50 price tag for the cake that would be devoured by 4-year-olds who could care less or the fact that I can't seem to abide by the K.I.S.S. principle that made me do it. Anyway, as we're checking out I spotted the Betty Crocker Birthday Parties magazine. I scanned it and found the most adorable flip flop cake that looked "so easy." Ella really liked it and decided she wanted the flip flops instead of the castle, which surprised me.

So, I decided to give it a try! No big deal, right? No big deal if all of the ingredients are available. The flip flop straps called for Green Apple Fruit by the Foot. Didn't seem like a hard thing to find, wrong! After buying about 20 boxes of Fruit by the Foot from 5 different stores, I decided to scrap the idea and go for fondant at Michaels. Needless to say, I think I spent more on the "homemade cake" than I would have it I had ordered the "expensive" castle cake.

To top it all off, I had planned on making the cake during Ella and Isaac's naps. Ella was so excited on Friday that she couldn't see straight, so after about 50 min. of coming out of her room ever 5 min. and asking questions, I ended up telling her she didn't have to take a nap. Then all hell broke loose! She started crying about something and I then I heard Isaac wake up. I began to lose it and my poor sister was here to witness the cake making chaos! It ended up turning out cute (thanks to help from my sis) and Ella liked it, but now I'm in cake making therapy, so I'm not sure that it was worth it.

Happy Birthday, Sweetheart! I hope you enjoyed your cake, because I'm not sure I'll be making one next year.

Seriously though, it's not about the cake it's about Ella and I feel so blessed to be her Mommy. She's an amazing little girl with so much enthusiasm, intensity, and a love for life. You are a precious gift!

Isaac's New Trick and Saying Da Da

2008-04-25T18:24:00.000-07:00

I was doing something in the kitchen yesterday and Isaac was sitting in his exersaucer (thanks Matt and Bran). Anyway, I heard this smacking noise and turned around to see Isaac doing the funniest thing with this tongue...it was cracking me up, so of course, I grabbed the video camera.

Oh yeah, and he's been saying Da Da pretty much for everything, so I'm not sure if that counts or not. As a friend of mine said, he hasn't learned about "pregnancy" or "labor and delivery" or I suspect he'd be saying another word!

Redneck Beach...

2008-04-23T16:54:00.000-07:00

So we were supposed to go to the beach today with my parents, but they both ended up with colds. Instead of lugging two kids and everything that goes with them to the beach by myself I decided to stay home. Ella was bummed and shot down my offers to go to the pool or the splash park (which suprised me). Instead she decided to create her own beach and flipped the top of the sand box over to create a the "pool" and the sand of course for the beach.

Little Big Man is 7 months!

2008-04-18T17:19:00.000-07:00

I'm 7 months old
Getting a quick work out in...which way to the locker rooms?
Sitting up
Falling down

I can't believe it, Isaac turned 7 months old yesterday. He's trying to sit on his own or should I say I'm trying to get him to sit on his own. He's like one of thoses weeble wobbles. Everytime I sit him he slowly starts falling. In the last week he started doing little push ups...so cute. Maybe next month we'll have a crawler. I'm not as excited about it as I was with Ella (oops, did I say that out loud?). I guess I just know my days of laying him on the floor and knowing that he'll be close to the same spot when I return are almost gone!

Save the Trees!

2008-04-18T05:50:00.000-07:00

I wouldn't really consider myself a tree hugger, but I do really like trees. I do however dread getting 4 - 5 phonebooks and having them take up space, especially when I never use them...isn't that what the internet is for?

Anyway, if you don't want to receive all those phonebooks and you'd like to help save a tree, click here http://green-lemonade.com/who-you-gonna-call.

Off to the Races

2008-04-16T11:40:00.000-07:00

We went to see the horses again today. It was too windy to enjoy...I can't believe this weather in April! Anyway, when we got home Ella decided to make her own "carriage." She wanted her pony to be like the horses that we were watching race around the track. Of course, I was the one pulling the pony around and the stroller. It ended up being more like bumper cars than horse racing.

MOPS Spring Picnic

2008-04-12T19:47:00.000-07:00

Scary clown with Ella

Today was the MOPS Spring Picnic. We had lots of fun...it was a carnival theme (that's why I'm dressed up like a clown).

A Day with Thomas

2008-04-12T19:28:00.000-07:00

Waiting for Thomas
Riding on Thomas
Storytime...it has her on the edge of her seat!
Playing with trains
Meeting Sir Tophamhat

My dad took Ella to see Thomas on Friday. She was so excited to go and told Jason that morning before he left for work that "Thomas was real and I'm going to get to ride on him." She's a very well rounded little girl. While she loves dressing up like a princess, she is very much into Thomas the Tank Engine!

A Morning at Southern Oaks

2008-04-12T18:50:00.000-07:00

Ella loves horses and my dad found this picturesque stable and training center that's only 15 min. from our house. They train the horses for sulky racing and we went last Wednesday to watch them race...we missed the race, but Ella didn't mind. She absolutely LOVES animals and especially horses. We have a memory card game at home and any time we play she always tries to hide the horse cards so no one else will find them.

Anyway, the horses were gorgeous. We talked to an 82-year-old man who raced horses for 55 years and he was giving us all kinds of good information (he works at Costco serving food on the weekends if you're interested in learning more). Some of the horses are apparently $350,000 and it costs the owners $3,000/month to train and board them at Southern Oaks. Of course, later that evening Ella told Jason that she wanted a horse (what little girl doesn't). Somehow, I don't think we'll be selling our house to buy a horse.

Spring Break

2008-04-12T18:25:00.000-07:00

Even though Ella's only in "school" two days a week, we did enjoy our Spring Break. We went to the new Splash Park, the County Fair, the Zoo and the new spalsh park at the Zoo, and Target (which of course is always a highlight).

So many pictures, so little time

2008-04-12T18:14:00.000-07:00

So, my obssession with photography is a bit overwhelming at times. Now that I have this new camera I have about 10 times as many photos and being a mom of two I now have half the time to do anything with the photos. I guess it's better to have too many than too few!

Today was Isaac's first visit to the pool and what did I forget? The camera of course. Oh well, it wasn't that exciting, except for the triple tuck dive he did when entering the water.

Kaleidoscope

2008-04-04T18:47:00.001-07:00

I took this picture of Isaac the other day. He was laying on a quilt at my parent's house. Doesn't it look like he's in a kaleidoscope?

WARNING ABOUT: The Wand of Light

2008-04-04T18:33:00.000-07:00

Ella's become pretty crafty these days. The other day she decided to recreate "The Wand of Light" that she saw in one of her coloring books. I must warn the boys/men reading this blog of its powers. Here's what she told me:

Ella: Look Mommy, I made a wand.

Me: Wow! That's awesome.

Ella: Aren't you so "unimpressed"

Me: Yes, I'm so impressed. What do you use the wand for?

Ella: To turn boys into princesses. Then proceeding to swish the wand over Isaac's head as he's laying innocently on his playgym. Poor guy...I'm hoping the "magic" doesn't take :).

Me and My Baby

2008-03-30T18:41:00.000-07:00

I'm always the one taking the pictures, but tonight Jason caught this on "film." Isaac put his head down on my shoulder and started sucking his thumb. It was such a precious moment. He's my little cuddler...I love it!

New Fashion Trend for Babies

2008-03-29T18:32:00.000-07:00

We're starting the newest fashion trend for babies. It's called Little Homie.

One of the best things about having a 6 month old is getting to dress them up in anything and they still give you the cutest little grin. I was at my parent's last week and found this stocking with a knot tied in on the floor (my parent's use them as "bags" for the Polaris that cleans the pool). I stuck it on his head and we all got a good laugh out of it...even Isaac.

We're thinking about trying to get Isaac a modeling job with FUBU or Sean John. What do you think?

If You Feed Them, They Will Come...

2008-03-29T17:50:00.000-07:00

About two weeks ago we were at Home Depot and Ella asked to get a bird feeder. I said yes and it's been the best entertainment we've had in a long time (that tells you how easily we're entertained). Anyway, we've had tons of birds, or should I call them pigs. We just refilled the feeder this morning and they've already eaten 1/3 of the seed. I guess words spreads fast when there's food around :). We've had cardinals, blue jays, goldfinch, doves, and tons of little chickadee's. There's this really fun site that helps you identify birds (what am I 80 years old) it's called http://www.whatbird.com/.

Egg Hunt Marathon!

2008-03-23T20:32:00.001-07:00

Ella had three Easter Egg hunts this year. I thought she might be over it by the 3rd one after church today, but the excitement and intensity never wore off. It was fun to watch her at all three!

Here are some pictures:

Easter Egg Hunt #1: At Preschool (check out the bunny ears...they were hilarious)

Hunting

Counting

With friends L - R: Ella, Austin, Christopher, Cole

Easter Egg Hunt #2: In our neighborhood. I was in charge of this one. Yes, I've become Super Mom :)!

Ella and Isaac with The Barber boys

Easter Egg Hunt #3: At our church service at Lake Eola

Daddy Daughter Dance

2008-03-20T18:31:00.000-07:00

Last Friday night, Jason and Ella went to the Daddy Daughter Dance that Northland hosts every year. This was Ella's second year going and she was so excited to go with her Daddy. Last year, she kept asking to go again for weeks after the dance.

I am so thankful that my daughter has a dad who loves her the way he does, has fun with her, and shows her how a man should treat her. It's a blessing.

This will be a very special tradition for them for years to come. I think Isaac and I will be going Go Cart racing...I guess that's what little boys like to do. Iknow they definitely aren't interested in a Mommy Son Dance...wouldn't that be hilarious!

Picture Day!

2008-03-19T20:37:00.000-07:00

Today was picture day. I decided to try and get some shots of the kids up at the lake, but that didn't turn out so well. I did get some cute ones of them on the swings.

After our park adventure, we went the the mall to see the Easter bunny. It turned out to be a really fun experience. I ended up buying the CD of pictures (sucker). Really, I was just so excited that these people were able to get a picture of Ella and Isaac together smiling at the same time!

Tomorrow we embark upon the Easter Egg hunt marathon...Ella has one at school, one in our neighborhood on Saturday and one at church on Sunday. If I am not in a sugar coma, I'll post pictures of the egg hunts. There will be plenty to get pictures at!

Pure Fun

2008-03-04T17:47:00.000-08:00

Today we had a 5 min. thunderstorm (typical Florida). We happened to be out when it rained, so we pulled back into the driveway and I noticed some good puddles prime for splashing. Ella's face lit up when I suggested we go out and splash around. We had so much fun...pure fun!

I love watching her enjoy the simple things in life. It's one of the best things about being a parent...splashing in the puddles and getting to be a kid again. It does the soul good!

He's on a Roll...

2008-03-03T19:09:00.000-08:00

Isaac started rolling over last week. Here's a video of his latest trick.

Strawberry Pickin'

2008-03-03T17:40:00.000-08:00

Ella's preschool had a field trip last Friday to Oak Haven Farms for strawberry picking. It was so much fun to see her interact with her little classmates, especially her friend Christopher. She talks about him all the time and they had so much fun playing together.

Not only does Oak Haven Farms have strawberry picking, but they have a zip line, playground, hayrides, and a little shop that sells hot dogs that you can roast over an open fire and strawberry milkshakes and shortcake. We had the shortcake and it was delicious!

We had a ton of strawberries and I actually made a Strawberry Rhurbarb pie with them (Cindy Crawford's recipe). She was on Oprah a few months ago and told everyone about this amazing pie that her husband LOVES. It's definitely is a recipe I'll make again...maybe this weekend. Pie anyone?

We've Entered the 21st Century!

2008-02-25T18:34:00.000-08:00

This is my first post! I'm so excited to have entered the 21st century!

I took some great pictures of Isaac today while Ella was napping. He's really into his feet and anytime he doesn't have socks on his feet they go right into his mouth. It's amazing how quickly he's mastered sucking on his big toe! (Jason thinks the toe sucking picture is gross, but I think it's cute, so view at your own risk).

Cutie

Open Mouth Insert Foot

Success!

Here are a few pictures of Ella doing her new favorite thing...drawing. Looks like we need to pressure wash our driveway. Any volunteers?