Ella Starts Pre-School

Get a load of the smile on this kid's face. Think she's excited?
WHAT HAPPENED TO MY BABY!?

Happy 3rd Birthday, Ella!

Our Ella, now three years old--it is just unbelievable!
You have such an amazing personality--
either 100% princess of 100% imp!
Your giggle, your smile, the way you bat your eyelashes at your daddy,
the hugs you give your brother--always his little shadow and into everything he is.
You tell everyone what to do--I think sometimes you are a little drill sergeant--
and yet each night before bed when I am rocking you to sleep
you are the sweetest thing in all the world.
You have our hearts, always,
and we wish you every happiness for every birthday to come.

Love you baby girl--
xoxo
Mommy, Daddy and James

No Seriously, I'm Back

Maybe.

That is, if this new life of full-time work, drive the kids back and forth to school, squeeze in laundry and grocery shopping, and oh maybe kiss my hubby once in a while doesn't grind the life outta me.

Well that was cheerful! Aren't you glad you checked in?

Naw, its not that bad. Really its not. The newness has worn off of it though, and while I do still love my job I guess I would say that the bloom is officially off the rose. My company is filled with amazing people doing amazing things but all of that amazingness is REALLY.HARD.WORK.

And it should be, of course. I am working my ASS off. Am I using caps too much, do you think?

Anyhow, now that I have belabored how hard the work thing is, let's talk about home. The kids are doing well. Other than the fact that Ella hurt her arm this weekend and I had to take her to the Doc first thing this morning and he looked at me and said "Do you swing her around by one arm a lot?" At which point I beat him over the head with my bag, grabbed Ella and went screaming from the room. Well, that is what rolled through my head, but instead I calmly answered "No, I do not." Turns out she basically just about dislocated her elbow at some point over the weekend when she fell off of her trike three times and bounced like a madwoman in the bouncy house all weekend long. The actual condition is called "Nursemaid's Elbow." And she is fine. Thank goodness.

James is also doing great--well, except for that he had a fever for three days last week and I tried sending him to school all doped up with Motrin for one of them because I had a REALLY IMPORTANT MEETING which is I am sure exactly how he got sick in the first place, from some other mother saying "Oh honey, here, you're fine, suck down this Motrin and I'll pick you up at 1 when your fever magically appears. " I know. I STINK. Anyhoo. He's fine now, and had a great weekend.

BTW, did you know we have a pool this year? I have never had one and I am so totally and unabashedly psyched about it! Plus, I get to watch Chris be the pool boy and pretend I am sipping a Mojito and my address is Wisteria Lane. He opened it this weekend and it should be all ready to go this Saturday which is his birthday!

Alright, I better stop now, or else you will call the police and ask who took over my body because the Allison you know does NOT write like this on her blog. Let me clue you in--I do, sometimes. It feels darn good, too.

Maybe I'll do it again sometime.

PS Ella fell asleep in my arms tonight while I rocked her and sang her favorite good night song. If I am lucky enough to hold on to those moments in my mind forever I will be happy. I want to be 90 years old, surrounded by my family and remembering the moments when I rocked Ella to sleep and hugged James goodnight and he says "You are the best Mom, Mom, EVER." Truly amazing. My heart is full.

Goodnight.

XOXO

Allison

My Little Star Twinkles

My little girl singing "Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star."



She makes my heart melt!

A Grab Bag Assortment of Photos and Thoughts

Hello? Is anyone out there still reading? I haven't posted for ten days, so if I have lost all of my Bloggy friends I won't be too surprised!

I have been back to work for two weeks now and I have to say, it is thrilling and disconcerting all at the same time. Dropping my little ones at school at 7 in the morning is tough--but when they literally RUN into school and start laughing and playing I have to feel pretty good.

We had some bumps in the road last week--not the least of which was the call I received around 12:30 on Friday letting me know that James had a temp of almost 102. I raced out of work to get him and got to see nap time in full swing for the first time. The kids were all on cozy costs with their special blankies and lovies and favorite stuffed toys from home, backs being rubbed by the teachers--it was a sweet scene. My heart broke a little when I saw my boy, passed out from his fever--but I collected him and then Ella and brought him home and made him comfortable. In times like those it is good to know that you have loving professionals who can take great care of your children!

So work is great for me--I am turning my space at work into the "Un-corporate office" and am filling it up with vintage everything! Books, artwork, even a great repro birdcage that Dad brought down last weekend. I will post pics when I have it completed!

On to the photos of the kids . . . ENJOY! (And hopefully it won't be ten days until I post a again!) xoxo Allison

Ella Bella Schmella

That's what James calls Ella, and I love it.


I had the brains to grab my camera tonight, and was snapping pics of my girl since she was being extra-special silly.


This week has not been so hard so much as new. New routines, packing lunches the night before, rousing the kids out of bed at 6 (I never had to do THAT before I started working!). I actually sang both of them to sleep tonite and they were doing this crazy thing--I think its called "yawning." I don;t know because that has never happened in this house before!


I am glad to see that all of the NEW has not changed my little sweetheart. She is still funny, and bossy, and just shining so brightly. Now it just seems that more people get to see that.


Yesterday her teacher told me that when James' class came through to go downstairs and play in the gym, each and every one of the kids in the class stopped to hug my little peanut.


No wonder she knows how to shine for the camera. She has her own little paparazzi!

Decorating the Tree

This post is short and sweet! Just pics--I have to run back to getting ready for Saturday! ;-)

Ella Trims Her Very Own Christmas Tree

Of course it's pink!!!


I found these little tinsel trees at the dollar store! The kids picked out their own color of tree (Ella pink, James green) and they also picked out ornaments.


I should have expected that Ella would want to decorate her tree herself. And she did!


The look of concentration is priceless.


She was so busy I think when I snapped this shot she had actually forgotten that I was sitting there.


This is a classic Ella look--this is the expression we see constantly now, especially when she is putting on ALL of her own clothes.


Look at these milky white hands!


"All done, Mommy!!! It's BEAUTIFUL!!!!" Yes it is, honey. And so are you.


Here is James' tree!! The cutest thing was that at the store they were fighting over the one ornament that was left that said Grandpa. I have to find another one!


Every visitor we have had to the house has been immediately dragged by the hand by Ella, to see her tree and James'. These are the moments that I love to remember.

We are getting our real tomorrow. I can't wait! It is going to be a 9 footer!!!!

Enjoy the weekend!

A Silly Goose

My girl is such a ham. It must be a great feeling to be able to crack yourself up on a regular basis. I was reading yesterday on my bed and she came and wanted up. She then proceeded to start rolling around the bed, giggling and shrieking.


The light was so beautiful that I had to grab my camera.


I love that I have had a part in bringing this silly, crazy girl into the world. What a gift she is!

Let's Read

Reading is a FAVORITE pastime around here. James gets up every morning about 6am and reads in his room until it is time to head downstairs at 7. I don't know why it still surprises me every morning, but it still does.

After lunch he has quiet time in his room (this used to be his nap time) and reads.

We read before bed, too.

Here he is the other night reading one of the harder Thomas books his Grandpa gave him.


I get a little sad when I think about how I read to him almost every night from the time he was just a baby until he started to read on his own, and now he reads to me! That means that he is no longer my little baby boy anymore!

Here is Ella getting in on the reading action. She wouldn't let me even show here a book until a few months ago. In fact, if I put her on my lap with a book, she would SCREAM!!!! They are so different!



Here are my munchkins "reading" together!!!


OK, the truth is, Ella had just hopped up on the chair with her book when James abruptly left. He doesn't much like to share his reading with her!!

Too funny!

Smooch!!!

Here's a kiss for my Grandpa and my Auntie Amy!
See you in a couple of weeks!
XOXO
Ella

Swing!

Ella started using the big swing this past weekend!

One last time in the baby swing before it came down; now we have two big swings!

Such a big girl! (Is my heart supposed to be this happy and hurting this much at the same time?)