The Watkins Clan

5's fall picnic / Zoo Boo - Oct 09

2010-05-10T11:38:00.001-07:00

Daddy & Ella on the hayride

Bobby, Cole & Jake

This ride got stuck and they were on there for like 15 minutes!

The boys got to get their pic made w/ The Wizard of Oz cast

Cole w/ the gypsy fortune teller

The boys getting dirty and acting ridiculous...as usual. :-)

My big backyard - Oct 09

2010-05-10T11:28:00.000-07:00

Daddy rarely gets to join us for "outings", but we had a rare free Saturday and took advantage of it. The kids love going to My Big Backyard at the Botanical Gardens and loved showing daddy!

Fun at the zoo - Oct 09

2010-05-10T11:19:00.000-07:00

Cole's favorite part of the day.

Ella loves those lunchables.

Trace, Aiden, Bobby & Cole

Jake, Bobby & Cole

We went to the zoo with some of Cole's buddies. They always have so much fun together.

Disney on Ice

2010-05-10T11:00:00.000-07:00

We saw Allen Iverson outside the Westin...must have been during the 5 minutes he played for the Grizzlies.

Ella waving at Mickey & Minnie

Cole's favorite part

Mommy's beautiful princess

We had front row seats to Disney on Ice. It was so much fun! Even Cole thought it was fun since they had Cars and not just Tinkerbell. We went to Huey's afterwards which the kids loved. Ella wore her favorite princess dress and crown. She looked absolutely beautiful!

Ella's 1st haircut - 9/19/09

2010-05-10T10:57:00.001-07:00

Before going to Fun Cuts for her 1st haircut!

She did FANTASTIC. She watched Dora the whole time and loved her sucker that she got for being so good.

Labor Day Weekend 09

2010-05-10T10:51:00.000-07:00

Lane Kiffin's 1st game as coach.

Jason & I went to the UT game for Labor Day weekend and stopped to spend time with Nikki and Matthew afterwards. What a fun weekend!

Random pics from Aug-Sept 09

2010-05-10T10:25:00.000-07:00

Cole helping us cook rotel. His favorite!

Fun at the Dyer County Fair

Soccer @ GUMC!

The beginning of Ella's obsession w/ her rainboots.

Jason's 34th birthday.

The can have so much fun together sometimes!

Cole's 5th Birthday - 9/1/09

2010-05-10T09:22:00.000-07:00

Our yearly trip to Chucke Cheese on his birthday

Dinner @ Shogun...mom's favorite!

He finally got a Nintendo DS!

This was right before the whiplash happened!

Cole & his buddy, Ryan.

Ella wanted to be part of the party too.

My little guy is growing up so fast! We had his 5th birthday party at Crossfire Commandos. It was pretty eventful... They pushed him WAY too fast on the zipline and he got whiplash. It was crazy. We had to leave his own party to go to the doctor! He had fun with all of his friends and got tons of presents, but vowed to never have his party there again! Poor little guy.

Back to FL - Aug 09

2010-05-10T09:13:00.000-07:00

He loves this jumping thing @ The Wharf

Big Daddy spilled his ice cream all over him @ Destin Commons. It was kinda funny. :-)

Cole & I riding the train (or whatever) @ Destin Commons

Aunt Lauren & Cole feeding the fish @ Harry T's

More putt putt & rides @ the Track

My little beach bum

Big Daddy, Lauren, Cole & I headed back to FL in August for a few days. It was great to go back to my second home. :-)

Random pics from July 09

2010-05-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

At Peabody Place before Dora Live!

Cole was a good sport. :-)

Ella waving to Dora.

Ella at the Pink Palace

Cole @ Pickwick

Not sure what Elle Belle was doing...

Cole & I took Ella to her 1st movie! They both ate an obscene amount of popcorn.

Elaina Grace is born!

2010-05-10T08:41:00.000-07:00

Lance & Catherine welcomed Elaina Grace Cowles on July 28, 2009. She's so pretty and I loved her instantly.

Ella turns 2!

2010-05-10T08:28:00.000-07:00

Ella wanted Dora cookies to pass out to her friends.

Ella, Ella & Sarah

Ella celebrated her 2nd birthday while we were in Destin, but we had a party at Build-A-Bear when we got home. She had such a good time with her friends!

Florida 09

2010-05-10T07:29:00.000-07:00

Celebrating 4th of July @ the Hilton

Cole HATES fireworks.

Ella wasn't so sure, but she stayed out there w/ Daddy

Big Daddy under his cabana

Ella celebrated her 2nd b-day @ the Marlin Grill. Mommy & Daddy brought a cake to the restaurant and we all sang to her!

Cole on the rock climb @ Baytowne Wharf

Watersliding on the beach!

Again, Ella HATES the sand.

The best pic we could get...Not too bad!

Cole playing @ The Back Porch

Cole looking for sand crabs...when he actually saw one he FREAKED. He refused to go back on the beach at night again!

Ella, once again, being held at the beach.

Cole was a true beach bum. He loved boogie boarding w/ Henley & Daddy.

Ella's 1st time on the beach...NOT A FAN.

The best sisters in the world.

Dad & Mitzi

Sometimes, Jacey just couldn't take anymore. :-)

Ella attempting putt putt

Cole LOVES putt putt

He's a pretty good swimmer!

Sweet Ella & Daddy

Big Daddy on the beach.

Family pic before dinner on the 1st night in Destin.

Jacey's 1st time in the sand!

We all went to FL again this year (except for Lance & Catherine b/c she was pregnant). It was Jacey's first trip to the beach. :-) Ella hated the sand, so she and Mommy spent a lot of time at the kiddie pool. We had a great time!

Cole's 1st baseball team - June 09

2010-05-10T07:26:00.000-07:00

He looked so cute in first baseball uniform. I love this little guy!

Some cute pics

2010-05-10T07:13:00.000-07:00

This was the beginning of the end of the baby's stroller...

Ella wasn't a fan of her floaties the 1st time around...

I can't believe how fast my sweet babies are growing up!

4 Year Old "Graduation" - 5/22/09

2010-05-10T07:06:00.000-07:00

Jackson, Cole & Ryan

Cole looked so cute at his promotion ceremony from his 4 year old class with Ms. Audrey & Ms. Barbara.

Lauren's b-day

2009-05-08T09:08:00.000-07:00

Dad took everyone to Abe's for Lauren's birthday. As you can see, Ella loved the ice cream cake. This was actually Henley's piece and when she got up, Ella climbed in her chair and started eating it. It was too cute!

Liz & Ryan's wedding weekend

2009-05-08T08:56:00.000-07:00

Ryan, Liz & Lola

She sang to Ryan at the end of the reception!

Ryan!

Me & Nikki

Nikki, Rachel, Me & Amanda - love them so much!

Me & Jason

Nikki, Me, Sarah & Liz - I love these girls!

Me & Liz

Me & Nik

There are no better friends that my high school friends. We all have such a bond! We can go 2 days, 2 months or 2 years w/o seeing each other and can always pick up where we left off. We all know so much about each other and have seen each other through some pretty difficult times. We came together the weekend of April 24th for Liz and Ryan's wedding celebration. We started Friday night off at Sauces for the "rehearsal dinner" and then Saturday for the wedding celebration in Somerville at the Lucerne. Liz looked breathtaking and we all loved being there for her big day!

Field Trip!

2009-05-08T08:36:00.000-07:00

In the mail truck

At the fire station

We had a wonderful field trip to the fire station and post office. Cole loves being with his friends! The firemen actually got a call while the kids were getting off the fire truck so we had to rush them inside. It was kind of scary to be there when that happened...nothing too big though -just a fender bender on Poplar.

Happy Easter - He is risen!

2009-05-08T08:27:00.000-07:00

Playing w/ the Dora doll the Easter bunny brought

He loves candy more than any kid I've ever met!

Hunting eggs the Easter bunny hid for them

We had such a great Easter! Ella has become obsessed with Dora and Cole with basketball so the Easter bunny honored these obsessions w/ a Dora doll and basketball & tennis balls. Cole is taking tennis lessons this summer. He LOVES tennis on Wii and asked to play real tennis so here we go! We went to church at GUMC and then to D-burg for lunch with dad and a visit with the Thurmons'. Cole learned his memory verse at church and it is very appropriate: "He is risen indeed!"

Pre-Easter festivities!

2009-05-08T08:10:00.000-07:00

Sadly, this was the best pic I could get of them together.

Cole doing the Bunny Hop

Ella REALLY got into hunting eggs this year.

Cole was fine w/ the Easter Bunny, but Ella REFUSED.

Cole's Easter party at school

It doesn't look like it, but he LOVED hardboiled eggs.

I love Easter! Cole has always loved hunting eggs and Ella joined in the fun this year. They hid eggs outside, in the house, at Nonna's...you name it! Ella got the hang of it quickly and darted after them. The church had a big Easter egg hunt and activities afterwards. Cole was a little disappointed that he never won a prize in the bunny hop, but he was a good sport about it. Of course, the Easter party at school was a hit as well. They got to crack open the eggs and some of them ate the hardboiled egg. I NEVER would have thought my picky eater would touch it, but he ate 2-3 of them...this from the kids who doesn't like pizza. WOW. I love him dearly even w/ all his little quirks! He's such a funny kid.

So cute...

2009-05-08T08:04:00.000-07:00

"Helping" Cole play Webkinz

Is he choking her?

They are really starting to have fun together...which makes me happy! She no longer calls him "Dole". It's kind of sad that she stopped that; it was so cute! Now if she can't find him, she SCREAMS Cole until he appears. It gets kind of old when he's at school! Ella wants to anything and everything that her big brother does - that could be good or bad. :-)

Liz & Ryan's wedding shower

2009-05-08T07:58:00.000-07:00

Nikki, Sarah, Susan & I gave Liz and Ryan a shower at Nikki & Matthew's house in Brentwood. We had such a good time together. As usual, we always have a large time when the D-burg crew gets together!

1st Grizzlies game!

2009-05-08T07:51:00.000-07:00

Luckily for me, these popped shortly after getting home.

He wouldn't even take his eyes off the game for a second!

Jason, Lance, Catherine & Cole went to Cole's 1st basketball game back in March. They went to watch the Grizzlies play. I stayed home with Ella and we had a girls' outing...a little shopping and then some ice cream. :-) Cole had so much fun...he didn't care that the Grizzlies are TERRIBLE and lost (of course)! I made sure to give Catherine the camera so I could get some good pics of him. He now absolutely LOVES basketball. He is going to play at church this fall and wants to watch it every time it is on!

FIRE!

2009-03-18T19:14:00.000-07:00

That is Ella's room on the 2nd floor!

This is what is left of the shed.

Well, we had an eventful Saturday night. Lance, Catherine & Lauren came over to grill out and hang out at our house. After dinner, Catherine gave Ella a bath and then I went upstairs to put her in bed. While we were upstairs getting Ella ready for bed and chatting, we hear Cole crying and Lauren screaming for us to get downstairs quick! I see her holding Cole under one arm and we come running downstairs to find half the Germantown Fire Department in my front yard. I didn't know what on Earth was going on. It turns out that our shed was on fire in the backyard!!! Catherine & I were right by it in Ella's room and were clueless! Our neighbors were grilling out...ON THE GRASS W/ DRY LEAVES... and it started a fire. Our shed backs up to the fence we share with them, which has gasoline in it...you can figure out what happened from there. The flames were as tall as our house! How scary to think I was about to put my baby girl in bed! Cole was a little scared because he couldn't find Daddy. (Daddy stayed in the backyard with the firemen.) They wouldn't let us in the house, so we had to stand on the sidewalk (barefooted) for about 45 minutes. The neighbors said that I provided the entertainment for the night. :-) We were so thankful that the fire didn't reach either house and that everyone from both houses were safe. This could have been so much worse. I thanked God for a loonngg time that night!

Tee ball starts!

2009-03-18T19:02:00.000-07:00

Cole's 1st t-ball practice

I think this is short stop?

Got to have the Spiderman water bottle

Ella has a good time no matter where she is

Well, it's the moment I've been waiting on since I heard the words, "It's a Boy!" I couldn't wait for tee ball! I grew up at the ball park with my dad coaching little league for Lance's teams. It was always so much fun hanging out there. Cole has only had one tee ball practice, but already seems to love it! We found some old cushions from the patio furniture and turned them into bases in the backyard. He loves hitting off the tee and running the bases. Ella even has a plastic bat and takes her turn too. Cole actually wasn't too terrible for his first try. He hit the ball off the tee the first try and even stopped a ball at shortstop. Can you tell I'm already a proud baseball mommy? I even volunteered to be team parent!?!?

RANDOMS

2009-03-18T18:38:00.000-07:00

This is the result when I say "Smile for Mommy!"

Robert, Natalie, Ella, Cole, Emma & Ava at the Northwest Passage Exhibit on St. Patty's Day!

My adorable babies :-)

HAPPY 7 YEAR ANNIVERSARY TO US!

Picture from the Church Directory

Just wanted to share a few random pictures. I know I'm a bit biased, but I swear my babies just get cuter every time I take their picture. I couldn't believe how well the picture from church was so good of them! It's rare that Ella cooperates for a "formal" picture...she sure didn't for the family portrait!

Jason & I celebrated our 7 year anniversary on March 2nd. Lance & Catherine came over to keep the kids while we went on a date to P.F. Chang's. It was nice to have a quiet meal with no sippy cups & kids' meals. :-)

The beginning of March also marked a year since I decided to start exercising regularly. It all started with Stroller Strides, but I realized after a few months running wasn't my thing and Cole was not at all happy with riding in a stroller on the days he wasn't in preschool! We joined the Germantown Athletic Club and I've found several classes that I love taking. Cole loves their pool and I know Ella will too this summer. I still can't say that exercising is something I LOVE, but I am learning to enjoy exercising more and more. I actually get mad at myself if I can't make it to the gym at least twice a week!

Blizzard 2009

2009-03-01T10:01:00.000-08:00

Ella was absolutely terrified of the snowman.

They both fell flat on their faces!

Not sure what this expression is

Putting the arms on the snowman

Cole was not a fan of the snowball fight w/ daddy

Can we please go inside?

I wasn't really wanting any snow because I am SO ready for spring. However, it was absolutely beautiful and Cole had a blast in it. Ella wouldn't touch it and eventually just went to sit on the step in the garage. Cole was dying to build a snowman, but daddy ended up doing most of it by himself! When we took Ella to the snowman, she FREAKED out. She was so scared of it. The snow has been fun and pretty, but I'm glad we don't have it all the time. I've been cleaning the mess up all afternoon!

From Wii bowling to the real thing!

2009-02-26T13:41:00.000-08:00

Acting silly

Lugging the ball to the ramp!

She's saying "CHEESE"!

Look at it go!

Bryce was excited too!

Ella was checking it all out.

Cole is totally obsessed with Wii bowling, so I decided to take him REAL bowling. He has been excited about it for a week. Everyday he has said, "We're going bowling on Thursday the 26th!!" It has been so cute. A friend from his preschool, Bryce, went with us and they had a good time. I wish I had a camera on Cole's face when he opened the door to the bowling alley. He started jumping up and down & screaming, "LOOK! LOOK! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! LOOK!" He ran around in circles. I swear I don't think that I've ever seen him so excited in his life. He would have stayed there all day. I was a little worried he would disappointed that he didn't bowl all strikes, but he was elated just getting to use a real bowling ball. He made 2 spares and ended up bowling a 95 (with the bumpers up). Mommy didn't do so hot...we won't put my score on here. :-) Ms. Konnie beat me! Cole said that we were going back tomorrow and he was going to bowl a strike this time. I think I may have created a monster with this! Do they have bowling leagues for kids?

Good times

2009-02-19T19:55:00.000-08:00

Ella & Ava playing in the kitchen

Giving each other hugs

Cole & Ella absolutely love any camera!

Ava liked taking all the babies out & then pushing the stroller

"Baby" Ava came over to play while her mommy, Ms. Jennie, ran some errands. For whatever reason, we all still call her Baby Ava even though she is over 2 now! Ava is the sweetest little girl, always so well behaved...mine could take some lessons! :-) She calls Cole, "Cold". Between Ella calling him Dole and Ava calling him Cold, he was confused by the end of the day. He loves Baby Ava though!

Playhouse Disney

2009-02-19T19:31:00.000-08:00

Cole playing outside the Cannon Center

Ella loved standing up and dancing to Handy Manny

They both loved this toy!

They still fight over who gets to play with it!

This was Ella's reaction for the 1st 15 minutes.

Cole had such a good time

The day before Valentine's Day, all four of us loaded up and headed downtown to see Playhouse Disney. Handy Manny, Mickey Mouse, the Little Einsteins and Winnie the Pooh were there. I was worried about Ella getting tired of being there, but she danced and pointed at everything. At first, she gave one of her famous "What the heck is that looks", but pepped up shortly. Cole had a great time too! He's never been much of a dancer, singer type guy but he thought it was fun. :-) We met Uncle Lance and Aunt Catherine at Rendevouz afterwards...which was Mommy & Daddy's favorite part!

Happy Valentine's Day...and a couple of randoms

2009-02-19T19:14:00.000-08:00

The best Valentine pic I could get. He loves her so much now!

Her shirt says, "You make me blush."

My cute baby girl.

She absolutely loves any slide!

They have so much fun together!

Mommy & Daddy actually got a date night!

I love that Cole and Ella are starting to have so much fun together now. Don't get me wrong, he still has moments when he doesn't like sharing. Ella absolutely worships her big brother though. When he is at school, she goes around the house yelling, "DOLE!" (She can't say Cole.) I swear it is the cutest thing ever. She gets so excited when we pick him up. Cole goes in her room in the morning and tells "his little Ellie Belle" good morning. He thinks it is hilarious that she calls him Dole. This is why I definitely wanted two kids. I pray that they always stay close and would help each other in any situation. Mommy & Daddy went to Lupo's with Aunt Stacey, Uncle Scott and a few other couples. The food was TERRIBLE, but we all had a nice time together!

Cole is starting to ask more questions about God. We read the Bible every night, so he always wants to know more. He took me by surprise one night & asked if Goliath went to Heaven (we weren't even reading about Goliath!!!). I told him I didn't think so, and you can guess what came next...where did he go? I very simply explained there was a place called hell that was fiery that people who didn't love Jesus and God go to. Well, now he calls is "hill" & says that bad people like Goliath go there & it has lots of fire. He is so perceptive. At 3, he asked me why he couldn't see God since there were no clouds in the sky (I've always told him that Heaven was way above the clouds. Well, there was a clear sky that day...leave it to Cole.) Now, he tells me that he dreams about God every night and loves him sooo much. He's cute.

Super Bowl Sunday

2009-02-19T18:46:00.000-08:00

Notice, Ella is peeking out from under the glasses!

We had a good time with Uncle Lance and Aunt Catherine Super Bowl Sunday. I didn't really watch much (if any) of the game, but I sure ate a lot of sausage rotel, spinach dip & quesadillas. Funny story about all the food- Lance sent Catherine to Kroger for a couple of things. Well, Catherine, like ALL pregnant women, thought some other things looked good and came home with a ton of food for them to cook. I thought that was so funny. I craved meximelts with Cole and Reeses sundaes with Ella so I totally understand when something sounded good!

It's cold outside!

2009-01-30T11:45:00.000-08:00

Ella's a big fan of spaghetti...mom's not.

It was like 15 degrees this day. Yuck!

All bundled up

Typical Ella pose.

Ella's 1st ponytail...well, sort of

Look at the snow!

Well, it has been awhile since I updated my blog because my computer died...Jason revived it, but not before having to back everything up and wipe the computer clean. What a nightmare!?!?! Anyway, just wanted to share a few pics of the snow and FREEZING cold winter we've had. The kids surprisingly enjoyed putting on hats and mittens and bundling up. Ella's hair is getting so long. I tried to put it in a ponytail and it worked for a little while, but not for long. We'll get there! I had to throw in the pic of her with the spaghetti everywhere. She LOVES it, but mommy doesn't like cleaning up that mess very often. She's still cute, even with spaghetti in her hair!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-30T11:39:00.000-08:00

Jason, the kids and I loaded up to spend New Year's Eve with Nikki and Matthew and a few others at their new house in Brentwood. We had so much fun with them! Cole and Luke really hit it off! Their new home is beautiful. Matthew did a fantastic job!

A day at the zoo!

2009-01-30T11:35:00.000-08:00

We love going to the zoo! It was nice one day over Christmas Break, so Allison, Jennie, Melissa and I loaded the kids up and went to play. We always have fun there! Ella has gotten old enough to really look around at the animals. Cole just loves being able to RUN freely...within reason. :-)

Merry Christmas!

2009-01-05T13:36:00.000-08:00

Jacey is growing up so fast. She looks beautiful!

Christmas at Big Daddy's...best pic I could get w/ both of them!

Nothing makes him happier.

Dora backpack!

Making a mess Christmas morning

Always silly

Jacey & Ella @ Grandmama Polly's

Henley

Boxes are fun too.

My FAVORITE picture of Ella...my girl loves the phone!

His favorite present was the bowling pins and bowling balls!

All the grandkids and great-grandkids (minus Lance, aka Black Sheep)

We had such a wonderful Christmas! We are so blessed to all have each other. After my dad's battle with melanoma this year, I put all the chaos of traveling in a different perspective. One day, my mom, dad, grandmother and other family members will be gone and I know at that time I will give anything to be able to travel back and forth to Dyersburg to see them. We had a wonderful Christmas Eve at my grandmother's and then at Parks & Polly's house. Parks is recovering from quintuple bypass surgery and we are all thankful that he is doing so well. We headed back to Memphis to wait for Santa. Cole & Ella were so good this year that they too many presents! Mommy has been rearranging the house for weeks! We headed back to Dyersburg for lunch at Big Daddy's house and then dinner with Nonna. We finally got home at bedtime Christmas night and enjoyed relaxing for a few days and playing with all the new toys. I hope that everyone had a Merry Christmas as well!

Pre-Christmas Fun!

2009-01-05T13:23:00.000-08:00

Santa's cookies

We can NEVER get a good pic of both together!

Alli Brook, Aiken, Ella & Cole

Get this off my hands!

Yummy!

We spent a week in Dyersburg before Christmas so we got to spend a lot of time with Dad, Mom & David, Aunt Lauren, Aunt Stacey and Henley. It was nice to see everyone, but it was also nice to finally get settled back in at home. Cole asked me after a couple of days when we were going back home to our Germantown house because he was tired of staying in Dyersburg for so long...he always has an opinion about everything. :-) He said on the way home that he wanted to take "a sweet nap in his sweet bed". Not sure where he came up with that one.

We've developed a tradition of making Christmas cookies with Nonna every year. This works for me because I'm no baker and hate cleaning up the mess! Cole loves eating the cookie dough. Ella joined in the fun this year and really enjoyed dumping the sprinkles everywhere. She wasn't thrilled when they stuck to her hands though. We also got to play with Robin's kids, Aiken & Alli Brooke. We rarely ever get to get our kids together so it was a lot of fun!

2008-12-17T11:31:00.000-08:00

Ella at Cole's Program

Cole & his buddy, Ryan

Cole w/ Ms. Audrey

Mommy w/ Cole & Ella before Cole's Christmas Program

Daddy & Ella before Cole's Christmas Program

Cole & Ella dancing to Jingle Bell Rock!

We've certainly been enjoying the Christmas season around here. Cole & Ella love playing all the musical things we have out. I love the picture of them dancing to Jingle Bell Rock! When Cole is in the right mood, he LOVES playing with Ella. He just really doesn't like it when she knocks his towers down. :-) We were so proud of him in the Christmas Program. I think he was one of the loudest ones singing up there. His favorite song was I'm a Little Santa short and fat. He goes around singing it all the time and I love it! We can't wait for Santa to come. We've been enjoying our elves, Adam & Annie. They leave little treats every night and sleep in some of the craziest places. This morning, Cole found them upside down in their glasses. They drank all their water and fell asleep upside down. Those silly elves! If Christmas doesn't get here soon, Ella is going to have all the presents unwrapped. Cole showed her one of hers, so she promptly unwrapped it. Cole shouted, "Oh, no Ellie! You're supposed to wait until December 25th!" I cracked up. She just looked at him like, "What? You gave it to me." Never a dull moment.

Nikki runs the full!

2008-12-17T11:19:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to post a couple of pics of some of my best friends from high school, Nikki, Sarah & Liz. We all got together when Nikki came to town to run the St. Jude Marathon a few weeks ago. It's always nice to get together with them. We can always pick up where we left off and have a great time together. Nikki ran the full marathon in under 4 hours so we are all proud of her. However, we're hoping she's retired from marathon running now!

Happy Thanksgiving & Merry Christmas!

2008-12-01T19:16:00.000-08:00

We had a Thanksgiving of mixed emotions. It was great to be in Dyersburg and see extended family and friends that I don't get to see often. However, a close family friend of about 20 years passed away on November 30th. She had a stroke a few days before Thanksgiving and finally went home to be with the Lord a week later. She had a terrific life and lived for 90 years! Wednesday we will lay Mrs. Mae to rest. Please pray for my dad at this time. She was like a second mother to him and he is really grieving right now.

On another note, the kids are fired up and ready for Christmas. The tree is up and all the decorations are out. They have been playing every musical thing in the house...seriously how many times can they enjoy listening to Jingle Bell Rock? I genuinely love watching their little faces and them dance around the room. I even joined in yesterday and danced with them for awhile. I think I'm getting too old though. I got my Christmas cards ordered and can't wait to get them mailed off! They are too cute!!! Tomorrow is the last day for the homeschool classes I teach until Jan 13. I'm sad. It may sound crazy, but I love getting to go there once a week and teach them! I bought them some cookies to have a little Christmas party. Cole's Christmas Program is next week so look for pictures of that soon. I hope everyone is getting in the Christmas spirit! I still have a TON of shopping to do for people!

AND THE BEST NEWS OF ALL.........LANCE & CATHERINE ARE EXPECTING A BABY IN LATE JULY. I ABSOLUTELY CANNOT WAIT TO SPOIL THIS LITTLE BABY ROTTEN...THEN PASS IT TO UNCLE LANCE WHEN IT POOPS. :-)

2008-11-20T13:38:00.000-08:00

Well, Cole is finally starting to get used to, and actually liking, Ella being around...it has only taken 16 months! He wants her to play with him on his terms. She doesn't always like his terms though. The biggest problem seems to be with building towers with the blocks. He builds them, she destroys them. He doesn't really care for that too much. He has started holding her hand to get her to go where he wants her to go. It's really cute. I think she likes the attention from him. She really loves her big brother! She is on the brink of the terrible twos. I have never heard such a high pitched scream when she doesn't get her way - she must get that from daddy. :-)

Well, today I got them both dressed in their Christmas clothes (yes, it's a little early for that) and we went to the mall to meet Miss Allison, Robert & Natalie to get our pics made with Santa. Cole was very clear that he wanted Wii games, a bowling ball and pins and an air hockey table. He even told Santa that Ella wanted a play kitchen and some baby dolls. As you can see from the pic, sweet Ella didn't care for Santa too much. She cried as soon as I put her in his lap. I don't just mean a little cry. She did the high pitched screaming wail. I like the picture though. I think I'll put this one out every year!

Our first medal!

2008-11-20T13:24:00.000-08:00

Cole got his first medal at the end of his soccer season. He was so proud! He wanted Daddy to wear it too. Of course, Ella couldn't be left out. She walked around with it for awhile as well. I'm sure this is just the first of many medals to be collected over the years!

It's been a year!

2008-11-19T10:55:00.000-08:00

Well, we've been in our "new" house for a year now. We've redone some things and still have many, many more to go, but we are very happy here. I loved Arlington and all my friends there, but it really is nice having Jason work so close to the house. He comes by for lunch some days and can be here quickly when needed. I also love being able to run errands in a matter of minutes and not have to drive on I40 to get everywhere! It's so nice and peaceful out here. Cole loves his preschool here and I love my gym (the only gym I have ever been a member of). The elementary school the kids will go to is so nice...no paying for private school! Couldn't be happier!!

It's Fall!

2008-11-10T16:18:00.000-08:00

We had a good time this weekend playing in the TONS of leaves we have here...they seriously never end. Ella wasn't so sure about laying in them, but she thought it was funny when Cole tried to pile them all up on top of her! Our funny man, Cole, couldn't help making faces for the camera. Not sure if you can see the bruise on his face, but he slid on the bath mat at 5 am and fell either in or against the bathtub. Jason & I woke up to a loud crash and then screaming...not a good way to wake up. There's never a dull moment around here, but we wouldn't know what to think if it was any other way. :-)

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-03T13:35:00.001-08:00

We had so much fun this Halloween! Halloween is always filled with carving pumpkins, festivals, parties at school, etc and Cole has always loved it! We went to the "fairy tale trail" in Germantown with a couple of his friends and had a great time...we figured we should skip the "scary trail". No need to keep kids from sleeping on purpose! This was Ella's first year to really participate in trick or treating and she loved it. She tried to walk in strangers' houses and loved playing with everyone's Halloween decorations. Of course, Halloween is one of Cole's favorite holidays because he gets so much candy! He's funny though...he knows that he can't eat it all at once because "that would be too much junk foody". He learned that from the Disney Channel Carlos commercials. :-) The last picture of Ella in the refrigerator was too cute not to post. This was after a lot of trick or treating. I guess she was thirsty. LOL. We bought their Halloween costumes in New York at Shea Stadium. I figure it will be a rare occasion that I can dress them in anything matching! They looked too cute and Cole was very proud to say Go Mets to anyone that mentioned his jersey. Oh! I can't forget to mention that right before we went out to trick or treat, Ella did a flip off the front steps. It was terrible! So much for mommy trying to get a good picture with the pumpkins. She didn't seem to mind too much though. Now that Halloween is over, I guess it's time to start Christmas shopping!

New pics of the kids!

2008-10-23T13:54:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share a few pictures I've taken of the kids lately. I love the one of Ella in her house. She looks like a little old lady that is saying, "Stay off my porch!!!" She is getting quite the personality. I think she is going to be able to take Cole on before long. :-) Cole is such a joy to be around. He can drive me crazy, but I truly love his energy...and wish I had some of it! He is really learning to like soccer and is ready to play teeball in the spring. Mommy is just as ready as he is! I love just watching them play and it makes me sad to see how fast they are growing up. It seems like just yesterday that I was about to give birth to Ella in the car! Now, she is almost 16 months old. I've had to teach myself to enjoy every minute with them and NEVER take them for granted.

Pump It Up

2008-10-14T12:31:00.000-07:00

Well, we got to go to Pump It Up today. Cole loves that place and we never get to go because I teach on Tuesday mornings now. I was on fall break today so we made sure we went! Ella was big enough to play this time. Mommy took her on the big slide and to jump in the moon bounce. She loved running around and trying to be bigger than she is! As her MDO teacher says, she is fearless! She also had a good time having some little boys push her around in the little red car. It was too cute! I wanted to share a few of our pics from today. Allison, Jennie & I took pictures of all the kids together...it took a few times to get them all looking at the camera, but the last one was a success!

Cole turns 4!

2008-10-06T09:49:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it but my little boy turned 4 on September 1st. He's growing up so fast. His teachers say he is just brilliant. I'm afraid he is going to be smarter than me before long! He amazes me everyday with how much he understands and connects. You can't really "fool" him anymore. He is very independent and opinionated (he must get that from Jason- HA!). Anyway, I just wanted to put a few pictures from his many birthday celebrations he had!

Ella goes to "school"

2008-10-06T09:37:00.000-07:00

Ella started Mother's Day Out once a week about a month ago. She looked so cute before we left with her little pigtails and outfit. However, check out the pic of her when I picked her up! I almost lost my breath when I saw her! She had one pigtail in and the other side pulled back with a clip. She also had on her "extra" outfit which I had never planned on leaving that bag! Needless so say, we ran to the car. Her expression in the pic cracks me up. It's like she is saying...MY MOM WOULDN'T MAKE ME LOOK LIKE THIS! She is having a fantastic time at "school" and doesn't cry at all when I leave her. Her teachers are so sweet. They tell me she is a joy to have!

NEW YORK, NEW YORK

2008-09-23T14:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I turned 30 on August 29 and to celebrate Jason and I went to NYC. This was our first trip alone since we went to Maui on our honeymoon in 2002. Just to compare how much we have aged, I put a pic from us in 2002 on here too! Anyway, we had a blast. The [after] pic at the top is of us on top of the Empire State Building. It was a loonngg way down! We were there for 4 days and 3 nights and got to do so much! We did a 3 hour boat tour where we got to go past the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, Yankee Stadium and more. We also did the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, FAO Schwartz, Central Park, Little Italy, Chinatown and we stayed in Times Square. I got to see one of my good friends from high school, Rachel, who lives there. She took Jason & I to a neat restaurant and out to a couple of NYC spots. It was so much fun! (pic to the right) Jason & I went to Broadway to see Wicked, which was one of the most awesome things I have ever seen! As part of Jason's birthday, we went to see a Mets game. This is their last year at Shea Stadium so it was great to finally go there! We got Cole the cutest Mets jersey with his name on the back and Ella a matching cheerleader outfit. (That is their Halloween outfits too!) My mom kept the kids while we were gone and it would be an understatement to say that Cole missed us dearly. My mom even found him sleeping in our bed one day during nap time. He told her that he needed to sleep on his mommy's pillow. Ella, as usual, was just as happy as she could be the whole time we were gone. She was happy to have us home though! It was nice to get away, but I was VERY happy to get home and see my babies.

The Beginning

2008-09-18T12:11:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am BLOGGING finally. I don't know how much I'm going to be able to update this, but we'll see how it goes. I'm looking forward to being able to update everyone on how the kids are growing and the silly things they do! Cole is still as wild as he has always been. Just this morning he flipped off of the couch while he was "practicing his jumping". Needless to say, I didn't have much pity for him when he hurt his arm. Since Thursday is our only free day, I asked Cole what he wanted to do today. I gave him the options of going to story time at the library, playing outside or playing in the playroom at the gym while mommy exercises. Well, he chose the library. Cole has never been much of a sit still and be quiet person so I was a bit skeptical. To my surprise, he was TOO STILL AND QUIET. He wouldn't even get up and dance with the teacher...totally unlike Cole. I asked why when we left and he said that he didn't like that place or that song so he wasn't going to do it. Let's just say that we won't be going back to story time for awhile. Ella was too cute though. She kept walking up to him on the rug and putting her face right in his. Everyone got a kick out of it. She loves her big brother, sometimes too much! She is walking everywhere and is going to be quite the tomboy I think. She rips her bows out of her hair, throws her baby dolls across the room and goes straight for Cole's Handy Manny toys and tools. She starts to dance every time she hears the Handy Manny song! Cole recently started soccer and is doing pretty good. I love going to soccer "games" and can't wait for our first baseball experience in the spring!