Life in the Houts House

Charlotte is 4 months old!! And she got some Ear BLING!!

2011-03-20T17:51:00.005-06:00

Charlotte turned FOUR months old on ST. PATRICK'S DAY. She weighed in at 15 lbs 11 oz and is 26 1/4 inches long. She is the "RUNT" of all the girls. She is such a SWEET baby girl and is very mellow. She LOVES her sisters so much and loves to "talk" to them. She is rolling over in both directions and does "the worm" across the floor to get to things (or the dogs!) that she wants. Her big blue eyes and amazing eyelashes still fascinate me.

In other news, Charlotte was diagnosed with mild/moderate unilateral hearing loss. It is in her left ear. It's been a long process of tests (and there are more to come) and an emotional rollercoaster for Mom! But we have done a lot of research and have a lot of resources and support that are helping us through this process. We made the decision to get her a hearing aid to help her with her language and speech development.

This past Friday, Charlotte got fitted for her hearing aid (Ear Bling!) and she is doing soooo well with it. Adam and I see a difference already as she is trying out new sounds with her sweet little voice and is really looking around and checking things out.

ENJOY the pictures!! The big sisters LOVE their baby!

She's FINALLY here!!!!!!

2010-11-24T13:08:00.002-07:00

Our sweet Charlotte Ann was born on 11-17-10 at 3:05 am at The Baby Place, weighing in at 9 lbs. 6 oz. and 23 inches long. She really wanted to make sure she was ready before she "officially" became part of the family and those 2 weeks past my due date were full of anticipation and anxiety. But I am thrilled that I was able to have a successful VBAC and have the natural childbirth experience I have always desired (I know, I'm crazy!! But it was amazing AND intense AND, yes......a wee bit painful. But the recovery has been incredible!) I had contractions sporadically for 2 days and FINALLY and ALL of a SUDDEN, they became closer together and BAM!!!! at 1am, I was in transition and barely able to wake up Adam, call the birthing center, our neighbor and get in the car. When I got to the center, they said "It's time to push!!!" and 35 minutes later Charlotte was in my arms!!

Charlotte is an absolute doll and her big sisters adore her. Adam has been sooooo fabulous taking care of all of his girls! We are so blessed. Friends continue to bring us meals and stock our freezer and pantry. Did I mention we are so blessed?

Adeline is TWO!!!

2010-09-27T08:47:00.005-06:00

Our sweet and spunky "little" Adeline is officially TWO YEARS OLD!! That is hard to believe!! She has her own unique personality but still wants to be just like BIG SIS!

We haven't had her 2 yr. wellness appt. yet, so I'll keep you posted on her stats, but SURPRISE SURPRISE, she is getting taller and taller and taller!! And more BEAUTIFUL everyday!!

Adeline request pancakes for breakfast. She opened lots of gifts. She loved the cards the best! Ella helped her make, bake and decorate the cake! It was a fun, messy day!!

We love you PRECIOUS ADELINE MARIE!!

Our "Summer Home"

2010-09-07T22:04:00.004-06:00

We spent many, many, MANY days at our water park, Roaring Springs this summer. It's such a great way to spend the summer. The girls LOVE it and one of these years, I will be able to move beyond the kiddie pool portion of the park!! I FINALLY remembered to bring my camera the last day we went. The photos don't show all of the excitement of the entire place, but enough to see how much the girls enjoy it.

Ella's First Day of Kindergarten

2010-08-30T21:56:00.005-06:00

Ella's first day was so great. I was so worried and she did a fabulous job. She got right on the bus, the first kid on! Made a new friend right away and held her hand from the bus to their classroom. When Ella got off the bus she told me "Kindergarten is EASY!!" Adeline gave her a BIG HUG!! and then Ella pushed Adeline home in the stroller and we chatted about her first day. She told me that it "wasn't very challenging", but I assured her she would be learning more and more as the school year went on. Ella and I went to Souper Salad (her fave place to eat!) together to celebrate. We are sooooooo proud of our "baby".

WOW! It's been a while. Summer update.

2010-07-11T22:36:00.008-06:00

SO in my last blog, I said "Easter pictures will be next" and now it's July11th!!! That means I've missed blogging about: Easter, Mother's Day (Breakfast in Bed and a lovely, but cold day with my adorable family!), Ella's 5th B-day (She had 2 parties. A Flower Party with the Family and a Pirate Party with her friends. Grammy Jane was here!!), Ella's Dance Recital, My Birthday (I wasn't even sure how old I was turning, but had a great day! My mom came down for a few days, too!!), Father's Day (Adam and Ella went to Star Wars in Concert!!), Baby News (We're having another baby and pretty sure it's a girl!! But we know for sure that the baby is HEALTHY!!) and the Fourth (Grandpa Bob was here, it's a tradition!)!!! YIKES!! So, here are some photos to recap the past few months (probably not in the right order, since I can never figure that out with the photo uploads!!)

Fun and Funny times

2010-04-16T13:36:00.003-06:00

Just some fun pictures from the past few weeks. Easter ones will be next.

BAND PRACTICE

2010-03-14T16:54:00.003-06:00

We love ROCK n ROLL!!

SLASH? Is that you?

Ella loves KISS and her favorite member is Peter Criss (The Cat).

Celebration Park for Valentines Day

2010-02-19T10:52:00.004-07:00

One of our goals for 2010 is to explore Idaho more, so when we read an article in the paper about Celebration Park (located just a few towns away), we decided to check it out as a family. The weather forecast for Valentines Day was 55 and sunny, but that didn't happen; we went anyway and had a fun time being outside in the fresh air "hiking", fishing and running on the bridge (over and over again!!) It was a great way to spend the day with my adorable family!

My silly girls

2010-02-07T22:28:00.003-07:00

Our girls are just too sweet, too silly and sometimes too SASSY! We have a lot of fun.

Pretty-Pretties

2010-01-19T23:53:00.003-07:00

DRESS-UP FUN!!

Let it snow!!

2010-01-07T09:40:00.002-07:00

These girls had me out in the snow with them for hours!! Ella stayed out even longer than Adeline and me. They had soooo much fun together.

Ella the sled dog.

Christmas Time Fun

2009-12-30T12:05:00.003-07:00

The Grandparents are getting restless, so here are some pix to get your fix :)

More to come...............

"FORTUNE COOKIE"

2009-12-19T19:24:00.004-07:00

Ella had her DANCE RECITAL: The Nutcracker "Sweet" on Monday. She was one of the "FORTUNE COOKIES" (The Chinese Dancers). She loves her dance class and LOVES performing. We had such a great time watching our "Fortune Cookie"

THANKSGIVING

2009-11-27T08:24:00.003-07:00

We are so very blessed. Thank you LORD for your mercy, grace, forgiveness and love. Thank you for every blessing, big and small............every minute, good and bad.

And............the 2 most amazing blessings EVER!!!.....................

SUPER-CAT and her sidekick BUTTERFLY-BABY

2009-11-10T07:53:00.006-07:00

Cute, cute, cute. Fun times with my girls

2009-10-19T22:13:00.017-06:00

Ella has a very squishable face. I told her this and she wanted to see it. So, I took this picture to show her :)

Adeline learning to draw.

Adeline is sooooo in LOVE with her Big Sis.

Ella loves this silly old snake. She even shares her fuzzy, pink chair with him.

Ella focusing on her work for 'B' week

Adeline.............Sweet.........Silly...........Adeline

Fall is in the air...........

2009-10-04T10:27:00.007-06:00

Adam had "October Days" (2 days off of work!!!) this past Th/F and we took advantage of it and had a family day at the FARMSTEAD Pumpkin Patch/Corn Maze.

There are so many fun things to do: Cow Train, Corn Box, Duck Races, Pig Races, Mini Mazes, Pedal Carts, Slides, etc..............

Ella was chosen to "root" for one of the little pigs :)

Good seat to view the Pig Race(terrible seat for an allergy sufferer)

Growing Girls :)

Adeline is ONE!

2009-09-21T22:01:00.009-06:00

We had a wonderful WEEK celebrating Adeline turning ONE!! I still can't believe it!

She is 32 1/4" tall and weighs 24 lbs. 8 oz. (Ella was 32 1/2" and 28 lbs. 4 oz. and Mommy was the "short" one at 31 1/2" and 25 lbs.)

Crazy present from Grandpa Bob.

Adeline's first Barbie. A special gift from her big sister.

Ella helped me make a chocolate cake for Adeline's special day.

I was giving her a kiss, but it looks like I'm trying to lick frosting off of her!

This is Adeline's FREE cake from Albertson's. They did a great job.

When I tucked Ella into bed after Adeline's B-day celebration, she said to me "Mommy, today was my favorite day because I got help Adeline have a great birthday!"

Adeline LOVES cards! More than presents.

Wordless post: WA trip Aug 2009

2009-09-13T08:45:00.007-06:00

Colorado Visit

2009-08-08T06:42:00.012-06:00

Ella really wants a baby brother :)

The girls and I took a trip to Colorado to visit 3 of my wonderful friends and their families. We saw The McNeals (Annie, Damon, Chevalier-almost 5, Ciel-Nevaeh-almost 2, Tyshyn-days old), The Gilpatricks (Tennyson, T-Jay and Paige-13 mo.) and The Demeesters (Katie, Marc, Josiah-4, Jonas-2 and Ephraim-2 mo.)

It was so great to catch up with my friends (I hadn't seen them in YEARS!) and meet their beautiful children; to see their families in action. I am so blessed to have such fabulous friends. It brings tears to my eyes when I think about it. I LOVE YOU LADIES!!

THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU FOR TAKING SUCH GREAT CARE OF US WHILE WE STAYED AT YOUR HOMES!

Demeester Family:

Me, Ella and Baby Ephraim (He loved me! Lots of smiles and giggles!!)

Me and Katie and our kiddos!

Ella and Josiah (They are both 4. It was so great to see Ella playing with someone her age and height! He liked Ella's hair which made her very happy)

Katie, Marc and some of the kiddos.

Happy Mama with her sleeping baby boy!

Adeline and Marc (she loves Dads)

Gilpatrick Family:

Adeline giving T-Jay a snuggle before saying good-bye.

Me and beautiful Paige.

Adeline starting walking while in CO. Tons of motivation being around so many kids.

Two pretty girls reading books.

Me, T and our girls.

Ella on the Spiderweb. T-Jay took her to this park our first night there. He challenged and helped Ella "conquer" the web. She was quite proud.

Adeline with her friend T-Jay

Tennyson and Paige outside of the Butterfly Pavillion

Me and Ella with a giant bug! We had fun! I was even crazy enough

to hold Rosie the Tarantula!

Just one of the hundreds of butterflies we saw.

On our way to the park.

McNeal family:

Adeline with her friend, Damon.

(We had to make sure Ciel knew they were just friends. She kept saying: MY DADDY!!)

I am still amazed that Annie hosted us with her DAYS old newborn (plus her 2 older kids!)

FIVE kids!!

(Annie snuck Tyshyn in at the last second. Very impressive!

We actually got them all in the same picture!!)

The littlest ones at the park.

The biggest ones having fun!

Our FUN Fourth

2009-07-17T15:06:00.003-06:00

Grandpa Bob came to visit for the Fourth of July (it's become a tradition) and the girls had such a fun time. Adam and I enjoyed the extra set of hands and the opportunity to go on a date!

Family Vacation San Diego/Carlsbad

2009-06-21T09:47:00.010-06:00

We just got home a few days ago from our 10 day trip to San Diego to visit Adam's family. Adeline finally got to meet her cousin Janie, her Great-Grandmother Mommom, her Great Aunt Margee and Great Uncle Glenn, Uncle Alex, Uncle Matt and Tia Caro. (Adam's parents already met sweet Adeline here in Idaho, but they were there too and enjoyed special time with the girls). We also got to spend time with Adam's good friend Jack and his adorable family. We missed seeing Uncle Avery and Aunt Chrissy (they are in Wiscosin). Ella had a wonderful time with Janie. She wants to be just like her! It was so great to see everyone. The girls did great on the plane and seemed to adjust well to all the bouncing around from house to house.

Thank you Grammy Jane for the vacation, gifts and love :)

(We took hundreds of pictures, so I made slideshows of some of my favorites)

Grammy Jane's condo is basically a block from the beach, so we were able to have some lovely beach days. It was so relaxing. I was able to take Adeline on a couple of little walk/jogs in the stroller for some great naps. Ella and her cousin Janie had a blast playing together in the waves and in the sand. Adeline had fun crawling in the sand and chasing the waves.

Grammy Jane took us all to Disneyland and Ella had SOOOO much fun. She got scared on some of the rides, but recovered well. The highlight was the character breakfast and Ella's dreams came true when she met some of the Disney Princesses. Watching Ella meet the princesses was the best part for us as well. (Well, that and we saw the drummer for Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. So that was a highlight for Adam for sure!) Ella had her face painted as a cat (she has an alter-ego, SuperCat) but a lot of it was cried away when she was on the Pirates ride. We were all exhausted when the day was done and Ella snored the whole ride back to San Diego.

We were also treated to a baseball game at the beautiful Petco Park in Downtown San Diego. It was the Padres vs. Mariners (a bit of a conflict of interest for me!) The Mariners won. It was a quick, well-pitched game.........not a lot of hits. We didn't get there until the 3rd inning because Ella was so exhausted from going to Disneyland the day before that she couldn't walk (so she says). So, long story made short: Ella threw a wee bit of a fit and was refusing to walk, so we waited it out until she was done and was willing to walk. Fun times ;) Unforgettable memories!!

My Birthday happened to be while we were there. It was great. I had 3 Birthday cakes! We had lunch with Mommom on my Birthday :) Margee and Glenn hosted a great Birthday party for me :) and we stayed at their house for 2 nights, relaxing and hanging out. UG made us lattes each morning and AM made great breakfasts. Grammy Jane took me and Ella to get pedicures and spoiled all of us the entire time.

I was happy I was able to spend time with our cutie-pie niece, Janie. She is a sweet girl. Ella spent TONS of time with her, including 3 sleepovers! The 3 cousins all had their pictures taken together at the mall.

We are happy to be home again, but are so grateful for the opportunity to spend time and make memories with family.

Bike and a BBQ

2009-06-03T06:35:00.005-06:00

We had a very fun Memorial Day Weekend. I made our Indian-Inspired BBQ for the 3rd year in a row. Yummy stuff! Tandoori style wings, Curry deviled eggs, Ginger-Lime Fruit Salad, Cucumber Salad. We love it! Ella too! The Fruit Salad is too spicy for her, so I make her own with just honey and lime (no mint or ginger).

Ella got a new (to her) bike. It belonged to Lucy, the oldest daughter in the Ross Family. (THANK YOU soooooooooooo much. She LOVES it!!) She fell a few times (even with her training wheels) but was so brave. One time she actually said "I'm OK" while she was falling. She just wants to be a big kid! There was a policeman riding through our neighborhood and he stopped to say HI to Ella and commented on her helmet. She blushed :)

(pictures in reverse order, ooooops)

...............because running is fun....................

Ella's first time on a "Big-kid bike"

Gotta' ride a clean bike!

***************************************************************

Ella loves these Tandoori Wings. (Maxx would love them too, if we let him)

We had a case of the Giggles :)

Our Indian-inspired Memorial Day BBQ. Maxx really wanted some chicken.

Curry Deviled Eggs. YUM.

Ella LOVES helping.

Dermabond, Dance and a Birthday

2009-05-19T12:31:00.004-06:00

Ella had tumbled into a chair with a metal frame while she was at a Weight Watchers Meeting with me. OUCHIE!! It was pretty nasty looking and there was a lot of blood. I am so thankful they were able to use Dermabond instead of stitches. She told Daddy that she was brave but Mommy kinda acted like a little kid :)

Of course this happened right before her first Dance Recital and 4th Birthday, so we have plenty of pictures with her eye. She did such a great job at the recital. We were so very proud of her. My pictures turned out really dark and blurry, so I'm not posting them. If I ever figure out how to post a video, I will put it on here.

Party time!!

I love this picture. I love that her friend Anna is also blowing.

My friend Wendi made these adorable cupcakes.

Ella's friends Anna and Amelia were here from WA. Ella was SOOOO happy.

Our little Hula Girl.

Ella at Dress Rehearsal

My brave little girl!!

Reality :)

2009-05-03T13:25:00.004-06:00

It is so much fun to put the prettiest, most precious pictures on this blog. My girls really are pretty and precious. But.............it's not always pretty and precious at our house! So I thought it was time to put some pictures on here that reflect the reality of motherhood. Sometimes it messy, loud and crazy! But that's why I love it!! I try to embrace EVERY moment.

I love my pretty, precious, messy, loud and crazy girls.

Here are some pretty and precious pictures:

They are still pretty and precious girls, but here are some pictures of the crazy times :)

Let's Get Physcial...........Physical.................

2009-04-23T08:36:00.004-06:00

Adam cut the sleeves off of some of his T-shirts the other day and THIS is what happened:

80's MADNESS!!!

Aerobics?

Ella was having so much fun creating her outfit, dancing and posing for pictures. I was laughing so hard I nearly wet my pants. Ella enjoyed being the complete center of attention while Adeline napped and missed all of the excitement. I know Ella will LOVE these pictures when she's older!

Easter 2009

2009-04-19T16:38:00.005-06:00

We had a wonderful Easter Day. The pictures here are in reverse order from how they actually happened, but I didn't feel like doing it over.

Soooooo, anyway......here are the pictures from our fun day :)It was such a nice day, we ate dinner outside. Adeline REALLY wanted Ella's juice!
Ella loves putting her Easter bucket on Adeline's head. Silly girls!

We spent the afternoon at a local fishing pond.

Adeline loved being outside. It's been so cold here most of her life, so this day was the most time she has spent outdoors.

Enjoying presents from the Easter Bunny.

The girls in their pretty dresses. Ella wanted to wear her "wedding dress" (she wore this in her Uncle Matt-Matt's wedding). I got Adeline's dress at Other Mothers (I traded some stuff in so it only cost 48 cents!!)

Sweet pictures in front of church.

Soooooooooo tired.

Girls Trip to WA

2009-04-13T23:09:00.005-06:00

The girls and I took a trip up to Pateros to visit my parents last week. Yep, just me and the girls in the car: 460 miles. They did a great job! It was tiring, but well worth the trip. We were there for one week and we had a wonderful time spending quality time together. It was relaxing. Alta Lake is such a beautiful place. Thanks Nannie and Bubba! We miss you already!

Adeline with Ella's Burger King toy. It's her favorite and Ella was nice enough to share with her baby sister.
The Easter bunny came and brought Adeline these cute pants and a butterfly.
My friend for 30 years, Mary drove over from Spokane.

Ella and Nannie with their Easter crafts/projects.

The Easter Bunny did a practice trip a few days early.

Ella did such a great job hunting for eggs.

I think Bubba was just as tired as Adeline!

Me and my goofy girls :)

_________________________________________________
It's a tradition to take Ella to Mona's house to ride horses.

Ella riding Cody (she also got to ride Sassy, but those pics are on my mom's camera)

Ella is such a big girl. Last time she had to ride with Mona, but not this time :) She's a big girl now.

Me and my Daddy. We always take a picture this way when we're together!

Adeline is actually ON the chart this time!!!

2009-03-22T14:31:00.006-06:00

Adeline loves stroller rides.

Swinging at Settlers Park.

Me and my precious girls.

Adeline wants to walk like Ella.

Feet are fun!

My sleepy girls! I stayed in the car in the garage and read a book so they would stay asleep.

My new favorite thing. I got this at Others Mothers a few weeks ago and I'm still excited!

Not a fan of peas!

Ella is such a great Big Sis and Mommy's #1 Helper

Adeline just had her 6 month check-up and she is on the chart for length and weight!! 95th percentile. I had her doctor print it off for me to put in her baby book :) Adeline continues to be the tiniest one of us girls. She's the "petite" one!

ADELINE: 27.5 inches and 19 lbs. 7 oz.
ELLA: 28 inches and 25 lbs. 10 oz.
MOMMY: 28 3/4 inches and 21 lbs. 9 oz.

Big Brother-Big Sister

2009-03-17T22:13:00.003-06:00

I take care of my friend Emily's little guys (Charlie and Henry) on Fridays while she is working. Ella is 1 year/2 weeks older than Charlie and Henry is 2 weeks older than Adeline. Ella and Charlie are really good friends and SUPER PROUD older siblings. Henry and Adeline are becoming good buds, too. Fridays are fun. Ella and Charlie will even let me play with them (sometimes!!!). Charlie loves it when I sing the "Clean Up Song". The babies think I'm funny :) Ella is the only one who doesn't take naps, so when/if I get the other 3 sleeping at the same time, we get to have our own special time. Snuggling, playing Hello Kitty BINGO, reading books or whatever Ella chooses (that won't wake anyone up). Ella has fun with me, but asks frequently "Do you think Charlie is done sleeping now?" Charlie usually wakes up about an hour before Emily gets to the house, so the big kids get to play and have a snack before she arrives. She feeds Henry while we chat about our day and then they are on their way home. We get together about 2-3 times a week. They are great friends and we feel so blessed to have them in our lives.

Gum covers

2009-03-14T08:39:00.004-06:00

This is a local mom who was featured in the Idaho Statesman. She posts super helpful money-saving tips and does great giveaways. She made these really cute gum covers and is doing a giveaway. I think I may try them even if I don't win. If you are interested in making them, go to her website and she shows you the steps.

My local friends, you should check out the site to learn great ways to save money!

http://athriftymom.com/

Fun pictures from the past few weeks

2009-03-09T22:42:00.003-06:00

Pictures of Adeline at 6:00 am (just hanging out with Mom, waiting for Sis to wake up)

"Give me the spoon! I can feed myself!"

YUMMY SWEET POTATOES

Ella's new "Swim Suit". (What can I say? She was born in Vegas!!)

Adeline loves this Elmo car (it was from Ella's 1st B-day cake).

She gets so serious and focused trying to get to it :)

I love her dimply cheeks!! So squeezable!

Ella and her Fire Hat. We went to the Fire Station for a Car Seat Installation/Inspection and Ella got to sit in a Fire Engine and got a tour of the station.

Ella was so excited to have a RAINBOW in our backyard that she just had to take a picture.

The other side of the rainbow ended in some dark grey clouds,

but we couldn't fit the whole thing.

Kids say the darndest things............

2009-02-23T22:58:00.003-07:00

These are pictures of Ella's friend Diane from our church. She is actually a friend of the whole family, but Ella has claimed her as HER friend. Diane even invited Ella to her 18th Birthday Party. So sweet. Our church is so blessed to have Diane and many of her family and friends. They are refugees from the Congo and each one has amazingly tragic, yet uplifting life stories.

Ella and Diane are just too cute together and Ella had soooooooo much fun having her over for dinner. She has always wanted to show Diane her room and all her toys. Ella also shared with her friend EXACTLY how she came into this world. Ella was showing her a photo album from when she was a baby and said "Adeline got cut out of Mommy's belly, but I came out of her crotch. Right, Mommy?" (She had a big, proud smile on her face) All I could say was, "Yes, sweetie, you are right."

Sister comparison

2009-02-21T06:42:00.004-07:00

Ella and Adeline at 5 months old with drool on their chins.

Adeline and Ella sitting up at 5 months old.

Adeline is 5 months old

2009-02-16T21:03:00.005-07:00

Adeline turned 5 months old yesterday.
She finally rolled ALL THE WAY OVER in both directions on Thursday. Ella and I were so proud that we started cheering and dancing so much that we startled our sweet Adeline.
She can sit up unsupported for about 10 seconds.
She is sleeping in her own room.
She smiles and smiles and smiles all day long.
She loves books and helps turn the pages during our storytimes.
She drools a lot.
She likes to "draw" with Ella and wants to do everything else her Big Sister does.
She giggles when I do a very obnoxious, over-exaggerated laugh.
I squeeze her chubby cheeks a lot.
Ella sings lullabies to her.
She is growing up so fast and I am trying to take in every precious moment.

Grateful

2009-01-28T11:06:00.002-07:00

I am feeling so very grateful today. Maybe it's the blue sky that has me feeling so good. I don't know, but my heart is just filled with joy today. I am so thankful that I get to stay at home with our sweet girls. It is the most challenging and rewarding thing I've ever done. I am so blessed. It is the little things that mean so much and I often overlook. My husband has a job. We have a home. Our kids are healthy. I get to experience nearly every moment of their lives. God has truly blessed us and continues to.

Adeline: 4 months

2009-01-26T08:03:00.005-07:00

Adeline turned 4 months old on 1-15-09 and her Grandpa Bob was here. It was their first meeting and they hit it off quite well. Ella did a great job sharing him. He spoiled all of us while he was here. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Adeline at 4 months old:

26 3/4 inches long

18 lbs. 5 oz.

Off the charts (but still smaller than both me and Ella at 4 mo.)

Super smiley and giggly

Real sneezes startle her.

Fake sneezes crack her up.

She likes banana rice cereal and grabs Daddy's hand to put it in her mouth faster.

Ella's first dance class.

2009-01-11T18:56:00.003-07:00

Happy girl on her way to her first dance class.
Twirling around in her pretty tutu from her Grammy Jane.

**Don't let the pictures fool you**

Things got crazy when Ella's ballet slipper fell off. She's a sensitive little girl and got very upset. A meltdown followed. I will spare you the details :) But she LOVES the teacher and the class. It has ballet, tap and tumbling; playtime and snack. It's a laid back and relaxed environment. We look are looking forward to the rest of the classes and the recital in May.

Thanks Grammy Jane for the Christmas present!

GIRLS ONLY Sleepover Party at the Houts House

2009-01-04T13:11:00.007-07:00

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TRANSLATION: Mommy, Adeline and I had a great time at our GIRLS ONLY Sleepover Party last night. I even made a sign that said "NO BOYS ALLOWED!" (Poor Daddy). We watched ELLA ENCHANTED and BARBIE RAPUNZEL. We also had popcorn with marshmallows and raisins. We painted our nails and fixed our hair. Sugar even got to come. (Poor Maxx) Then, we snuggled up in our sleeping bags and went to sleep. (After telling scary stories with the lights out!! I used my Tinkerbell Flashlight to make scary shadows on the walls!!) We did take a little break to watch the San Diego SUPERCHARGERS win in OT.

HAPPY 2009!

2009-01-04T13:02:00.002-07:00

We usually don't do much to celebrate the New Year, but we got an invitation from our friends Wendi, Titus and Luke. Wendi prepared a fabulous dinner, made party hats and led the countdown for our "New Years at 8:00" celebration. Titus got the kids going with Sparklers before he and Adam had fun with the "real" fireworks. The rest of the pictures are on the Gilliam camera.

Snowy days (before the rain washed it away!)

2008-12-29T19:19:00.010-07:00

Adeline's first time in the snow.

Ella was too impatient to wait for more snow to make her snowman. He's so tiny :)

This is the look Ella gives before she throws a snowball in your face.

MY SNOW ANGEL!!

Grandpa Bob got Ella this sled for Christmas. She didn't waste any time putting Daddy to work. She kept telling him "MUSH, MUSH!!"

Christmas fun

2008-12-26T14:12:00.005-07:00

Daddy's Girls

Adeline and Ella with their presents.

Santa's Helpers
Me and my girls. They are so precious. I just want to squeeze them.

We had a really great Christmas. It was just the four of us. Nice and simple. Ella LOVED her presents and played the entire day. Adeline enjoyed herself, but she enjoys herself everyday. It was just another day to her. Meanwhile, Mommy was taking pictures (more than usual) like a crazy woman. Ella was so excited that Santa snuck in her room to put a giant candy cane under her tree. Adam and I enjoyed watching Ella have such a fun day full of Santa's magic. It's hard to believe it was her fourth Christmas already. She's becoming such a big kid and is starting to understand that there is more to Christmas than just Santa.

No more Ginger-Man houses............

2008-12-12T16:05:00.004-07:00

Ella called Gingerbread houses "Ginger-Man Houses" last year. But now, she's a BIG KID (she reminds me of this often) and calls them Gingerbread houses and Gingerbread men. She's growing up so fast.

Her buddies Charlie and Luke came over to our house yesterday to decorate their houses and men. It was fun and messy. Ella named all of her men and told me all about their lives. One is in the circus. Another just likes to play and wander around, he doesn't have a house. Some are in PJ's. I should've written it all down because it was a very creative story.

Just Because................

2008-12-05T14:25:00.002-07:00

...........my girls are so cute and I wanted to share some of my most favorite pictures from this past week.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-02T10:14:00.009-07:00

We had a full house for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Our friends Kate, Korey and Atticus Maas come up from California and my folks came down from Washington.

Bubba and Adeline finally got to meet each other. They fell in love with each other right away.

It was my first time meeting Atticus. He is so smiley and chunk-a-licious. It was also the Maas Family's first time meeting Adeline. We all had a great time together, just hanging out.

Ella was a big helper in the Kitchen.

Dinner was a success.

Off the charts. OF COURSE!

2008-11-17T12:56:00.002-07:00

Adeline turned 2 months on Saturday and had had her 2mo. check-up today. Surprise! Surprise! She's OFF THE CHARTS! 24 1/4 in. and 14 pounds 5 oz.

But compared to our own growth chart (me and Ella), she's average. I was 25 1/2 in. and 15 lbs. 13 oz. and Ella was 24 in. and 17 lbs. 14 oz. The shortest and the heaviest of the 3 of us girls at 2 months old!!

LONG BABY!

Snuggle Time with Daddy.

Chubby Cheeks and a dimple!

Daddy-Daughter Date

2008-11-15T10:27:00.002-07:00

Ella before the show. She was excited the entire day, asking "Is it time for Disney on Ice NOW?"

Ella's face when she first saw the show.

Ella wanted Daddy to lift her up high, just like the princesses.

So, of course he did!!

Big Sister=Big Helper

2008-11-08T12:19:00.003-07:00

Adam's mom got Adeline taking Mommy's Milk from a bottle when she was here and after she left, we needed a new helper. Ella loves feeding Adeline her bottle. Adeline loves it too. Ella is such a big helper. She holds, rocks and plays with her baby. She opens her diaper so I can change it. She brings me anything I need (wipes, diaper, pacifier, my water). She sings lullabies to Adeline. Ella loves to get herself dressed in the morning and helps me make meals. She ROCKS!!

Halloween Fun

2008-11-05T15:35:00.001-07:00

Halloween is almost here!

2008-10-26T18:44:00.003-06:00

Ella having fun at a costume party!

Preschool Field Trip at the Pumpkin Patch

The Hay Maze

Hay Ride

We have been having a lot of fun preparing for Halloween. Ella has been to the Pumpkin Patch with Daddy and again, to a different one with her Preschool class. She attended a Costume Party and a Pumpkin Carving Party. Her Preschool Halloween Party is this Wednesday. Grammy Jane will be here tomorrow and her Birthday is on Halloween, so we have a lot more fun coming our way!!

2008-10-18T18:04:00.001-06:00

Adeline starting smiling!!! I was able to capture some of her smiley moments on camera. She is growing up so fast!!

4 weeks old!

2008-10-13T17:21:00.002-06:00

My kid loves vegetables!!

2008-10-02T10:45:00.001-06:00

Close-ups of our cutie

2008-10-01T13:48:00.001-06:00

Me and my girls

2008-10-01T13:39:00.005-06:00

Just a few pictures of me and my girls :)

We are doing well. Ella is such a great big sister.

We've been having fun going on stroller rides, sleeping and snuggling.

Adeline's Bath

2008-09-25T14:02:00.003-06:00

Adeline had her first "bath" at home last night. Ella was my big helper.

Adeline still has some jaundice, so we take daily trips to the lab to draw blood. Poor baby.

We are all doing well. Just a little bit sleepy.

ADELINE MARIE

2008-09-21T17:37:00.004-06:00

She's here!! Born Mon. 9-15-08 at 7:59 am. 8 lbs. 8 oz. 20 1/4 inches. We came home on Thurs. YIPPEE!!

Less than 24 hours

2008-09-14T08:58:00.002-06:00

I am going in for a scheduled C-section tomorrow morning, so please keep us all in your thoughts and prayers. My mom is here to be with Ella and she is super excited. Tomorrow is Ella's "Share and Snack Day" at preschool, so for the moment, she is more focused on that than meeting her baby sister.

We'll post pictures and information here when we can. So check in on us :)

A Hippo, a Puppy and a BAT!

2008-09-11T09:34:00.005-06:00

Ella loves her red Hippo named Lovely and her purple, poodle named Puppy very much. She sleeps with them every night and brings them with us in the car. Well, she has added a new friend. BAT!! It is a Halloween decoration that her Grammy Jane sent with a huge box of presents, clothes, etc. I repeat......it is a HALLOWEEN DECORATION!!! But, it has a fuzzy body and pretty, sparkly wings. Ella now brings Bat with her to bed. She woke up in the middle of the night and tried to sneak into bed with us; with Lovely, Puppy and Bat. I told her we didn't have enough room for her and all her friends. I ended up going to lay with her (and her friends) in her bed for a little while. She put Bat on my belly and said it was for her Baby to snuggle with. She even spread out the bat wings so it was "hugging" my belly (her Baby). I am happy that she loves of all God's creatures, but I haven't warmed up to Bat, yet. We'll see how long this love affair lasts. But, in the meantime, I will try to sneak a picture of her sleeping with her bat.

She will be here soon!

2008-09-07T09:39:00.004-06:00

My due date is Sept. 21 (less than 2 weeks away), but baby girl may be coming sooner than that. She hasn't made up her mind what position she wants to be in, so I'm hoping and praying for the best (meaning whatever is safe for her). But I may have some decisions to make, so please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

We are all very excited to finally meet our baby. Ella is the most excited of all. She and Daddy have been taking great care of me. We are as ready as we can be.

Ella's 1st day of Preschool

2008-09-03T12:51:00.012-06:00

Today was Ella's first day of preschool. She was so excited. She usually sleeps in until 8:30 or so, but this morning she walked out of her room at about 7:30, completely naked. She said "My pajamas are in the hamper and I'm ready to get dressed for preschool." Preschool starts at 9:20.

She was such a big girl when I dropped her off. She wasn't the least bit sad or scared (it probably helped that it is the same preschool I worked at last year) and went right in without me.

I was able to go do some shopping (all by myself!!) with some gift cards and birthday money I've been holding on to. When I picked her up she was so proud to show off what she had made and have her picture taken with her teacher, Miss Erin.

She told me all about her day on the car ride to TCBY for "Waffle Cone Wednesday". This is what she told me: "I ate Goldfish crackers, sang songs, danced, played in the sandbox and the swings. Read books. Glued Mac N Cheese on my "E".

The whole family is going out to dinner tonight to celebrate her 1st day and our 8th anniversary.

Boredom

2008-08-21T12:53:00.005-06:00

The pictures are pretty self-explantory.
We got bored and this is what happened!!

The Olympics

2008-08-20T21:53:00.003-06:00

We have been watching a lot of Olympics and Ella absolutely loves it. Her favorite was the swimming and the strong guys (men's gymnastics). She also really likes the diving. She will say "Hey Mom. Want to watch the Olympics? Let's see who's going to win."

She now wants to play Olympics all the time. Her Barbie's have been competing in the bath tub (diving and swimming). I won the gold medal in card-making. Ella and Daddy shared the gold medal in stairs racing. She even does award ceremonies.........she pretends to put the medals around our necks and tells us Good Job!

We also compete to see who can find the most American flags when we are in the car or on walks. Ella wins of course.

She's just so much fun!!

Our little Picasso

2008-08-12T11:13:00.003-06:00

Ella absolutely LOVES painting. She would paint everyday if I had the patience. I love watching her paint. She really gets into it. She loves all paint (fingerpaint, watercolor, etc.) but her favorite is painting on her "Big Board that Santa gave me." Her room is decorated with her artwork and we have a pile of paintings she wants to put in her Baby Sissy's room.

Princess Ella

2008-08-09T09:59:00.006-06:00

Ella LOVES dressing up. The other day we put her in all of her princess dresses and did a fashion show for Daddy. Then she checked out a ballerina book from the library and has been performing dance recitals with all the moves from the book.

Getting ready!

2008-08-07T09:31:00.000-06:00

So, our baby girl is due in about 6 weeks and I have a list of things to do. Creating this Blogspot is one of the things on that list. This will allow me to share fun stories and pictures with family and friends (in a better way than email or myspace). I've got to figure this site out, but promise I'll be posting some fun stuff soon.

Well, I need to go work on the rest of my list :)