Alex Is 8 Years Old

My first born and only boy, is 8 years old now. I can't believe it.

I think Alex enjoyed his birthday, since we celebrated more than once. We ate Japanese after church Sunday, with our close friends & family. Celebration #1. He was excited about his gifts and couldn't wait to get home to play. Tuesday, after school, we met Alex's friends Mack & Charlie at the movie. Celebration #2. Then on Friday, his birthday, Jody took him to breakfast at McDonald's. I made cookies for the class, grabbed a Happy Meal for Alex & Ella, and met Alex for lunch in the lunch room. So he had McDonald's again. Celebration #3 & #4. Friday night we ate Mexican with the Carswells, My parents & Lindsey & Hope. He opened his gifts from us there, and was excited to see that we found a new Buzz Lightyear. Then we headed over to the bowling alley, for a few games. After 2 or 3 hours of bowling we needed a snack and went over to DQ. So we had a full night of celebration.

Anyone that knows Alex, knows that he is cracking us up all the time. You never have to guess what he is thinking, he tells you, good or bad. He surprises us from time to time. Which could be good or bad, depending on the situation. He has a very good memory. He loves, loves, loves his sisters. He is ready, at all times to defend them when needed. Of course, at Emily & Ella's age they don't need much defending.

Alex has lost 2 teeth on the bottom, and one on the top is loose. He is my little/big boy. Little, because he is small for his age & is in the 1% in weight, 42#. Big, because he is 8 and doesn't want to be called little. His jeans are always baggy, and those are slims. I just bought 3 pairs of jeans for him this week. They had to have the double tough knee, and those may not last the whole season. He is hard on his shoes and pants, but aren't boys supposed to be? He is happiest playing outside. He loves to run, climb, dig, swing, ride bikes & scooters etc etc. I could go on and on.

In school, Alex is awesome in math. He enjoys PE & recess too. All the other school stuff is boring to him right now. He has really improved in reading and spelling in the last few weeks. We are so proud of him, and how hard he tries at school.

I'll try to wrap this up, with a poem I found recently, that made me think of Alex.

Sticky fingers, dirty face

Rugs and pillows, out of place.

Cars and trucks, here and there

Blocks and balls, everywhere.

Gold and silver, have I none

But worth a million, is my son.

Alex, you are worth more than a million. You mean more everyday, and we couldn't be more proud of you. I love you, to infinity and beyond!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Ella

Ella turned 2 today. I can't believe how time flies. She has been such a blessing to the family, and we are so thankful for her. Ella is talking more & more each day, and she makes us laugh everyday. Some of the funny things she says are:

1. Mine.




2. No Mann= No maam. Don't take, touch or look at my toy.



3. Mommy mooomie= mommy can I watch a movie.



4. I do it!



5. Emny=Emily, Al lah=Alex, Lanny=Landon, Nanny=Nana or Nena



6. Daddy Fffing peas= I want to swing please



7. Whera baby bobble?= Where is the baby dolls bottle?



8. Whera pappy?= Where is my pacifier?



9. Gimme pive, don yo= give me five, down low



10. Noneys= Noseys (rubbing noses together)

I could go on & on with more cute things, but I know you'd get bored. Ella brings so much joy to our family. Alex & Emily love her so much. When we prayed for our lunch today, I thanked God for her being in our family. Then Alex had to say a prayer too. He said, "Thanks for letting Ella be my sister, I love her because, when she had that juice box & I asked for a sip, she gave me the whole thing." Then Emily said, "I'm thankful for Ella because she's my sister & my friend and I love her." I know she can't tell us yet, but I know she is thankful for her big brother & big sister.

Well, Ella, I hope you've had a fun day. Happy Birthday my sweet baby girl. I'll love you forever, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be.

Thursday 13

Here are 13 things I have going on or that are on my mind today:

1. I'm having lunch at Kani House with my parents today.
2. I need to get groceries.
3. Ella has school today, and she is really enjoying her time there.
4. Jody will be off early today & he's off tomorrow.
5. Emily has become a very good reader. She really likes school too.
6. I'm anxious about Alex's IEP meeting we have next Friday. But I'm also looking forward to it. Jody and I will be in a room with 7 other teachers, therapists or administrators. SCARY.
7. I got to go to dinner with "the girls" for my birthday this week. We missed you Stacy & Heather.
8. I love my husband! He took me to PCB for4 days last weekend. My parents kept the kids. We had a nice relaxing time together. Thanks Jody! And thanks Mom & Dad.
9. Alex has started putting on concerts. He sings on stage(the hearth) and sings pretty good. He sings the songs from Toy Story & Toy Story 2.
10. Ella will be 2 years old in 2 weeks. Alex will be 8 years old in a month.
11. Emily is enjoying her Hip Hop class and dances every chance she gets. She usually takes turns with Alex. She has a recital, then he has a concert. Ella just runs around in circles.
12. This weekend, I get to see my sister-in-law, that I haven't seen since Christmas.
13. I'm ready for our family time tonight and tomorrow. We're going to Burt's for a hayride.

I've Been Tagged

I was tagged by Jessica Smith. Here is how it works.
1. List the rules of the game
2. Write 6 random things about yourself
3. Tag 6 more people
4. If you're tagged just go ahead & do it.

My 6 random things:
1. I met Jody at a Confederate Railroad Concert at Cowboys (it was called Crystal Chandelier then).
2. I was engaged 2 months to the day, after the concert meeting. And the engagement only lasted 5 and 1/2 months.
3. I celebrated 13 years of wedded bliss June 10, 2008.
4. Besides babysitting, my first job was Little Caesars. Pizza Pizza. I did everything except make pizzas. I made salads & sandwiches. Cut & boxed pizzas. Took orders.Did dishes and ran the register.
5. I like to sing to the radio. If I'm at a restaurant eating and hear a song I know, I have to sing along. Or I'm trying really hard to keep myself from singing.
6. I was working as a Medical Assistant when I met Jody. That only lasted 8 months, since I quit to get married & move to NC. I loved the job, but loved Jody more.

Now I'm tagging Heather, Deanna, Miranda, Krista, Jennifer Wright and Katie Deese.

FALL BREAK AT DISNEY

Last week was Fall Break for the kids, so we headed to Disney. My parents were able to go too. We were in Orlando Sunday through Thursday. When we got to the hotel Sunday it was about 7pm, we already had dinner, so we settled in and went to the pool.

Monday we ate breakfast at the hotel and hung at the pool for about 3hours. Once everyone got cleaned up we headed out to get our tickets and to eat an early dinner. I had been planning this trip for 5 or 6 months, and made reservations for our favorite restaurants. Usually you can call the hard to get in places up to 90 days before. So I counted it out on the calendar and called around 85-90 days early. The 2 main meals we wanted were 1 character meal & to eat at O'hana. O'hana is a restauant at the Polynesian that is ssssoooooo good. It is family style & one price for unlimited amounts. We try to go every time. Well they had nothing for our dates. I couldn't take no for an answer, so I called every week at least once, sometimes more to try to get in. No luck. By the way, they have changed the time to call for reservations to 180 days ahead of time. That is 6 months early. This is why we couldn't get in. We did get a reservation for Rainforest Cafe, San Angel Inn in Mexico at Epcot and the Playhouse Disney Character Breakfast at Hollywood Studios. These are the Little Einstein Characters & JoJo's Circus. So, I was happy with what we got, but still wanted O'hana.

When we came in from the pool on Monday, Jody called to try to get in, nope couldn't do it. But we did find out they open at 4. We were going to be right by there at Shades of Green getting our military discount tickets (no tax) . So Jody decided we would just go show up as walk ins. So we dropped Jody at the curb, drove around and parked, and waited for him to come walking out, with the look of disappointment. But 5 minutes after going in he called & said we'll have a table in 5 minutes, come on in. Yay!! I was so excited. Even more excited when I started to eat the food that is so good. And the dessert. YUM we got 3 of them just for the 4 adults. The kids all had their own.

Tuesday we started off at Epcot, ate lunch there and then headed to Animal Kingdom. We got a lot accomplished at AK considering we only had 2 hours before they closed. They close at 5, so we headed to Hollywood Studios for a couple hours, before they closed at 8. Then we headed back to the hotel, got the kids bathed & in bed. Then Jody & I went on a date. Fun.

Wednesday we started back at Hollywood Studios for our Character Breakfast. Then we headed over to Magic Kingdom about 1pm. We stayed there till about 7:30. We were all exhausted. This was the first time Alex & Emily walked the whole time. We have always rented the double stroller for them, but this time we got it for Ella.

Thursday we checked out & headed to Downtown Disney. We went to the toy store & to the Ghirardelli chocolate shop. Yum Yum. My trip is not complete till I get a chocolate milkshake at Ghirardelli. Can you believe that for 3 shakes & 1 sundae it was $29.59. But it was so worth it. I already want to go back.

Of course, the day after we got home I started planning our next getaway. Next year we are planning to go back with the rest of the family. We sure did miss them while we were there, but we had enough fun for everybody. I guess I better go ahead and make our dinner reservations.

Update on my camera: It has been found, but is broken. It has been sent off to get fixed.

Thanks to my dad (aka:the family photographer) for taking all these pictures. This is why I'm a little late updating the blog. I had to get the disk of pictures from Dad. Thanks Dad.

ALEX'S FAVORITES

Alex has no trouble having fun, especially when there is anything Toy Story related. Or any Disney movie characters. This was Alex's 8th trip to Disney, but this is the first time he has been 48". This means you get to ride everything, well except the little race cars, you have to be taller to ride those alone. I guess they're afraid a shorter person might jump the tracks & speed off.

Seeing the characters was his favorite, but he also loved all the rides. His favorites were Rockin Roller Coaster (pictured below), Expedition Everest & Space Mountain. He rode RockinRC 4 times, the last time he was in the very front. Everest he rode 2 times in a row and only had time for one time on Space Mountain.

To the right is Jody, my dad & Alex on Rockin Roller Coaster.

He really enjoyed O'hana too. He liked the games but really loved the food. He ate a ton. But he had just played hard at the pool for 3 hours before our meal, so I guess he worked up an appetite. Below you see Emily trying to get ahead of Alex in the race.

He really loves everything about Disney and has a blast while we are there.

EMILY'S FAVORITES

Emily had fun riding some milder rides. She also likes posing & looking cute. She still really likes Soarin at Epcot a lot, but will plug her ears because of the fireworks at the end. This was when we were waiting in line. This was one of our longest waits. They told us it should take 10-15 minutes from start to finish. So Mom kept Ella, while everyone else rode. We took the backpack/diaperbag with us, since it was so short. Well, we ended up waiting 40 minutes before even getting on the ride. I was worried the whole time, but when we got off, I was happy to find that there had been no diaper explosions.

Emily rode Expedition Everest 2 times. She did not want to the 2nd time, but we made her. This picture was the first time she rode. After this she didn't want to ride any other roller coasters. I think it scared her, since it goes backwards.

At O'hana Emily enjoyed the coconut race & the limbo the best. She didn't care about the food that much. Just the fun every 15 minutes. Emily's hangin out in front of the toy store, before heading home.

ELLA'S FAVORITES

This was Ella's first trip to Disney. She seemed to really enjoy it and I'm sure she will like it more with each trip. She was able to ride the most at Magic Kingdom. She liked Small World, Winnie the Pooh's ride, the Tea Cups & Mickey's Philharmagic 4-d show. At Animal Kingdom, she liked the Safari, but her favorite was dancing at the parade. She worked up a sweat. At Hollywood Studios she loved the Playhouse Disney show. She sang along with the characters and danced all over the place. She danced so much she kept creeping closer & closer to a family in front of her. When we moved her back she didn't like it, since

we were interrupting her moves. She ate lots of ice cream & popsicles too. We rented a double stroller, so that Alex & Emily could take turns riding. That was a mistake. We started off letting Miss Ella ride alone, therefore she thought that was ALL hers. This picture above, is one of the few time someone rode with her, without tears. When Emily tried to ride, Ella would scream & pull her hair. So Emily would relent & get out crying. With Alex she would just scream or pinch him, he would laugh, she'd get louder & the adults made him get out because we couldn't take it. Ella (not even 2) beats up on her 6 & 7 year old siblings.




Ella also enjoyed the character meal. Only as long as the characters stayed 2 feet away. She would smile, wave & say hi. Then start crying saying no, no, if they stood beside her, or touched her. As soon as they stepped away, she'd start smiling again. Except for Goliath, the lion. He was the last character, and she had enough by then. He is a little scary. I think it's all the fur. Even though you can't see her face, she is smiling at JoJo the clown.

To the right Ella is saying don't get me, please.

She didn't really say that, but I'm sure that's what she thinks.

One more for Ella

When Ella rode rides, she had a problem staying seated. So as you can see below, she likes to stand up. This is why she rode with Jody on most rides.Overall, I think she had a good time. She slept great at the hotel, in the crib. In the morning she'd wake up & climb out to start her day. She would come to my side of the bed whispering Hi Mommy. I'd say Hi Ella, Where's Daddy? Then she'd go to Jody, he'd get up & I got to sleep 30 more minutes.

Thursday 13

I realized I haven't updated the blog lately. So here I am, with a list of 13 random statements.

1. The kids are wrapping up the 5th week of school.


2. Emily is starting Hip Hop again tomorrow. She did 9 weeks in the spring, then they had a recital. But guess what. I missed it:(


3. Ella has gained 4#'s in 3 months. Is that alot?


4. Jody got a mountain bike in July. He goes riding at Blankets Creek, when I let him.


5. Alex enjoys riding his bike with Jody on the trails.


6. My niece Lindsey, turned 11 yesterday. Happy Birthday Lindsey!!!


7. Ella started going to Mother's Morning Out last week. She goes 2 days & loves it.


8. Jody & I went to dinner one night & for dessert one night. All in the same week. WOW!


9. My friend Heather is in her last weeks of her pregnancy.


10. I'm looking forward to going to the fair in 3 weeks.


11. Alex, Emily & I rode on the bus, to the race Saturday.


12. My parents kept Ella & Jody worked (last Sat of the month & Labor Day weekend)


13. Our guy won the race!! It was awesome!!

I thought when school started back, things were going to calm down. And I'd have more time to do things like update the blog. But instead we've been busy with homework, homework & more homework. Then there's dinner & showers etc. But I will try to update more often since there are sooo many people reading this. I'll try update again soon.

Ella the monkey

School is back in full swing & Ella is so bored without the kids home. The first week of school, Ella learned to open the refrigerator. Every time I turned around she was in the fridge eating cheese, hot dogs. She put the sour cream in the freezer & some other crazy things. She is also opening the kitchen drawers, getting things out & with her level of activity, you can see why I look forward to nap time. Ella sleeps for 2 hours, while I get to relax, read watch tv, sit in the office on the computer... Oh but there are 2 other kids, a 1st & 2nd grader, and they have homework. Yippee! So our new schedule during Ella's nap consists of a snack for the kids & homework. This usually takes 30-45 minutes, but last week we were spending 1 hour to 1&1/2 hours with Alex alone. So you see the importance of her nap. Well last week guess what else she learned. To climb out of the crib. She climbed out 3 times in a row, then I rocked her & layed her in her crib asleep. While she slept, I considered my options. 1. leave her in the crib 2. move her to a toddler bed or 3. get a crib tent. #1 I didn't want to risk, since Heather's daughter broke her arm after climbing out of her crib. #2 would work since her crib converts to a toddler bed, but then I'd have to deal with a new sleep routine & her climbing on furniture, all while trying to do homework too. So I decided on #3 the crib tent. Put her in the crib enclosed be a tent, and zip her in. Seems easy enough, but I was worried she may be scared.
After dinner that night, my mom & I went to Babies R Us to get the tent (they rip you off when you're desperate). Jody & I put it on (30 minutes) and then we put her to bed. She loved it. She never cried or anything. I hope she continues to like it, at least till the kids have a break from school or maybe even till next summer. I always like to do transition things like taking away a paci or moving to a bed when they have a break from school/preschool. I took Alex's paci away on a trip to Disney, Emily's was taken at Christmas break & she was potty trained at the same time. Alex was potty trained during spring break, and Emily was moved to a bed during the summer. When we took Alex's pacifier that was the end of naps for him & the beginning of bedtime battles. When Emily moved to a bed, she started sleeping with us. So with Ella being the 3rd, (you live & learn) I decided she could have a paci & sleep in a crib till she was 5 if that keeps her happy. We'll see what happens.

No pictures

I've lost my camera!! I've been holding out on a blog, hoping to find the camera first. It's been almost 2 weeks and I'm about to give up the search. One of the 3 children may be to blame, but we haven't succeeded at beating it out of them. Just kidding.

The last time I used it, I put it back in my purse, where I keep it. Several days later, I wanted to download pictures, since the memory card was Full. Yes it was full. All those memories are now lost with the camera. So I'm trying to wait it out & decide when to give in & buy a new one. I'll have to get one in the next 3 weeks. We are heading to Disney World & have to have one. I'll keep you posted.

Back 2 School

Today we started our new school year. Alex is in 2nd grade, while Emily is in 1st grade. We met the teachers Friday, and we love them both. Emily's best friend from last year is in her class again, along with 2 boys that she liked. One of the boy's mother, was room mom last year & said she is room mom again this year. She loves Emily & seems to be tight with the teacher already. So I know Emily is in good hands.

Alex's teacher was hand picked by his Sp Ed teacher from last year. The 2 teachers could be sisters. they look & sound alike. She seemed very nice. In some of her about me papers, she said her goal is to ensure each child feels cared for & safe in her class & then they can learn. She wants to get to know the child & appreciate them for who they are. Sounds like the perfect choice for us. I'm looking forward to getting back in the swing of things, but not the homework, so much. The kids were anxious but excited last night. Alex was more worried about there being an emergency at home, while he is at school, & he can't take care of it. He said that I had to be responsible for the house & Ella while he's gone. OR I'd have to go to the school & say "I need Alex Jarrett for check out". So I told him I thought I could handle it, for the short time he is gone. He is a sweet Big brother. Emily is just going to miss spending time with me & Ella.

5 hours of sleep, 2 cups of coffee & Monkey Joes

Boy have I had a day.
First of all I went to bed way too late this morning, because I was online too long. So when I got up after a few hours of sleep, I had to have coffee. Now, I really only drink coffee when it's cold outside, which, it is far from. OR,I drink it when I am tired. The coffee was so good, I had to have 2 cups. Then the plan for the day was to meet my friend Michelle & her 2 boys, for lunch & then go to Monkey Joes (an indoor inflatble place). With the plan in place I decided not to eat breakfast, the coffee had filled me up enough. Fast forward a few hours, I leave the house with the 3 kids, stop by the library. The kids got a free Chick-fil-a kids meal & a book for the summer reading program & today was the last day to turn it in. When we left the library Michelle called & said let's save time & let the kids have pizza at Joe's. So by the time I got there, I was so hungry & jittery, I could barely unbuckle Ella. Did I mention it had started pouring rain? So we go in & the kids are off to play. I immediately ate a huge pretzel & a piece of pizza. I started to feel better & relaxed while the kids played. Then it happened...
The angry, angry mother, of a 5 year old boy. She was carrying her sniffling child toward me, but Michelle & Alex were ahead of her with Michelle rolling her eyes & Alex with a look of sorrow.
Michelle quickly told me Alex scratched the kid in the face, before the mother started in talking very loudly.
momzilla:"HE SCRATCHED HIM IN THE FACE & THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE"
I become jittery again & I ask Alex did u scratch him?
Alex: "somebody pushed me down"
momzilla: "he didn't even apologize" "Look at this, look at his face"
I look & see a small scratch
me to the mom:"I'm sorry" then to Alex:" why would you do that? You don't"
I couldn't even say much to Alex with this lady talking in my face, while I'm trying to handle it. So needless to say I get very angry with her & flip on her. Well, you know, for me I flipped.
I looked at her & said "you know what, I don't know what to tell ya, I said I'm sorry, what do you expect me to do, you want me to jerk him out of here, pull his pants down & beat him. Would that make you feel better? You sure don't look like the type that believes in spanking"
momzilla:"No, I just want him to apologize"
Alex is crying saying he did apologize, I'm saying he got pushed down when he accidentally scratched him. Then she tells me she didn't even really see what happened, her friend did & she told her how it went down. Oh, and here comes an employee to break it up. We both ignored her & kept on talking loudly at each other. Eventually, I wrapped it up & told her to get over it, he apologized, it was an accident, & I'd deal with him, but get out of my face. So she went to sanitize the scratch & apply neosporin. :((Wah Wah.
I made Alex sit out for 15 minutes then he went on to play. The momzilla left after some first aid. Thank goodness. But it took me a good 30 minutes to calm down, but then I got fired up again when I told Jody the story.
So here is the question: If it was your child that was scratched, how would you handle it?
A) Get on to the kid yourself (Hey, you don't scratch people. That's not nice, you need to apologize.) Then don't let your kid near him the rest of the time.

B) Just leave

C) Grab both kids & go confront the other mother. Which could be handled 2 ways.
1. Hey just wanted you to know your son, scratched my son. I figured you'd appreciate knowing.
2. Your son scratched mine, now I'm gonna stare at you or yell at you till you have the response I want.

Let me know what you think. I know everyone has different parenting styles, & your friend's tend to match up with your style. But I personally would have never approached the other mother. One day mommy won't be there to help you out. How will the child handle himself then, if he isn't taught that. Now I'm not saying let your child be a bully either. He shouldn't be allowed to hurt others physically or emotionally. If Alex was in fact a bully, he wouldn't be going to Monkey Joes. Because what better place to push kids around? That is bully heaven. JMO
What's your opinion.

The ABC's of Me

I saw this on somebodies blog & thought I'd do it too.

A is for your age: 34

B is for your favorite burger: Ted's Bison burger with onion & bacon

C is for the car you drive: white 2007 GMC Yukon

D is for your dog's name: don't have one

E is for essential item you use everyday: Degree deodorant

F is for favorite TV show at the moment: Grey's Anatomy

G is for your favorite game: Catch Phrase

H is for your hometown: Marietta/Woodstock GA

I is for the instruments you play: all air, but mostly air guitar

J is for favorite juice: I don't usually drink juice, but I do like apple & orange

K is for the last person you showed kindness: Jody & the kids

L is for the last Restaurant you ate: Red Lobster

M is for your favorite meal: any meal my mom cooks`

N is for the number of piercings you have: 2, one in each ear

O is for overnight hospital stays: 3, one for the birth of each child

P is for the people you were with today: Mom, Dad, Brett, Stacy & Landon and of course Alex, Emily, Ella & Jody

Q is for what you do when you have quiet time: get on the computer, read or watch tv

R is for biggest regret: making Jody wear a Tuxedo for our wedding, instead of his Marine Corps uniform

S is for status: I'm a wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, niece & friend

T is for the time you woke up today: 8-8:30

U is for what you find unique:

V is for veggie you love: broccoli & squash

W is for worst habit: wearing pj's most of the day

X is for x-rays you've had: besides my teeth, I had one of my left wrist that I broke when I was 9 or 10

Y is for yummy food you ate today: Roast & mashed pot (thanks Mom) & chocolate ice cream

Z is for Zoo visits: Jax Zoo in 2003, we also rode thru the Wild Animal Safari last year

Sweet Ella waiting for breakfast. Such patience.
Pouting Ella, not getting her way, but she is still a cutie!!

Ella's Thursday 13

Hopefully you won't be bored, but I wanted to dedicate this weeks 13 to, things Ella is doing at 20 months of age.

1. Eats with spoon, fork & hands. This child loves to eat & makes a pretty good mess while eating. She will use utensils, until she is slowed down, that is where the hands come in. You can shovel food with your hands much faster.


2. She loves to dance to music. Sometime she dances & we don't hear any music....but SHE sure does.


3. Ella names and/or points to atleast 15 body parts. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? what a Genius


4. She takes her clothes & diaper off. She's got some great large motor skills.


5. Ella loves to laugh. Especially when others laugh first. Then she mocks the laughter while slapping her hand on her leg. I think she has seen Jody do this, when someone comes to the dealership & offers a ridiculous amount for a car.


6. The other night she was on my mom's steps, looked around the corner at Jody & said, "Daddy, on steps!" which meant Daddy, I'm on the steps & we both know I'm not supposed to be here.


7. Ella says no for no and no for yes. You have to watch for body language to translate.


8. She follows directions. She had gotten some tights out of Emily's dresser & left them in my bedroom floor. So, I said, "Ella, get the tights (I didn't point at them) & go put them in Emily's dresser where you got them & come back." She did it in less than 5 seconds. What a good listener!!


9. Ella loves to watch the movie Cars w/Alex. She races around with him when the cars race. Alex really loves her doing this. She will also watch Hannah Montana w/Emily. She dances to the music in the show & if you know Emily you know she loves to dance too.


10. She loves nap & bedtime and never fusses. She goes to bed with a silky (which her head lays on) a cloth diaper (that she holds) a pacifier and gloworm (it plays music & glows). In the am & after nap she stands up in her crib, starts gloworm's music & dances, then when it's over she looks at it & says "bye bye".


11. Ella LOVES her family. She calls my mom & dad, Nanny & Poppy. And since she loves babies, she's very interested in baby Landon & loves to hug him. She really enjoys Lindsey & Hope playing with her at the pool.


12. She will sit on the potty 2-3 times a day. She gets a little toilet paper, wipes, puts it in the potty, flushes & says "bye bye". She doesn't actually Go Potty, but it's a start.


13. Ella loves to pout. She is the most pouty toddler I've ever seen. (remember I worked with toddlers for 3 years at a daycare) She also likes to pitch fits, but is ever so careful not to hurt herself when she throws herself to the floor. Most of the time I ignore this behavior, but sometimes I have to use distraction to move it along.

All in all Ella is a sweet, sweet girl & we love her so much. She can have a little temper, but overall she is very manageable and understands most of what we talk to her about. She is such a blessing to our family and I can't wait to see more exciting developments in the next few months.

Happy Thursday!

Thursday 13

13 things on my mind today

1. Ella is staying with Jody's mom tonight.
2. The other 4 Jarretts are going to the race.
3. I'm seeing my long lost friend Deanna tonight, after almost 6 weeks:)
4. I'm really hot, but it will be a lot hotter at the race.
5. Jody is off work today & tomorrow.
6. I get to see the Hixsons tonight.
7. My family is coming to my house tomorrow.
8. The kids are starting to get really bored with the summer.
9. Alex & Emily swam on their own at the pool this week.
10. Even though everyone is coming to MY house tomorrow, my mom is cooking most of the food. Tonya is cooking the other food. I'm such a cook, can't you tell.
11. Jody is working all day Saturday.
12. I'm trying to plan lunch Sunday, for my dad's birthday.
13. I'm going to miss Brett, Stacy & Landon tomorrow. They have other plans.

Have a good 4th.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JODY

Today is Jody's 35th birthday, so I wanted to wish him a Happy Birthday. Jody, you are a wonderful husband & father and I'm so happy to be your wife. I hope you have a wonderful day and I love you very much.

Now we get to go out on a date. So I better go get ready.

Thursday 13

In honor of Jody's birthday today, I'm telling you 13 things Jody enjoys.

1. Spending time with the kiddies. (he is such a great daddy)
2. Playing Nascar 09 on PS3. (I just have to sit at the computer while this is going on)
3. Playing golf. He really enjoyed this course 7 years ago, when there was only 1 child. Now with 3 he only plays 1-2 times a year. Sorry Jody. This is the TPC Sawgrass.
4. Cooking breakfast for the family. (I love this!)
5. Listening to talk radio. (I really, really don't like this)
6. Going to Amicalola Falls State Park. In the fall he goes weekly, just about. (very pretty place if you haven't been)
7. Teaching his 1st grade Sunday School class.
8. Driving in the mountains. (There are some good country restaurants)
9. Going 4 wheelin in a Jeep or on one of the 4 wheelers. (at times till 4 am)

10. Going to dinner with ME!!!! (tonight)

11. Going to Cades Cove at the Great Smoky Mtn Nat'l Park.

12. Going to sleep early & getting up early. (Don't love the sleeping early, but the gettin up early is great with the kids)
13. Singing, especially if it's karaoke. (I love this)

So this is just a few of the things he enjoys. I'm sure I've left off some things, I was just trying to list things not everybody likes or does. For those who know Jody well, let me know what I've left off by leaving a comment.

13 things I still want to do this summer

1. Go to the pool again.
2. Take the kids to the movie.
3. Go out with Jody to celebrate our 13th Anniversary (it was the 10th while we were in FL).
4. Find a VBS for the kids to go to, since we missed ours last week.
5. Go to the movie or lunch with my mom & Stacy (no kids).
6. Take the kids bowling.
7. Go to PCB so I can see Deanna for the 1st time in a month.
8. Eat lunch with my Dad for his birthday & a belated Father's Day.
9. Take Emily to get her nails repainted.
10. Take Alex to lunch.
11. Take the fam back to FL, even if it's for Jody's work.
12. Spend a day at the lake, on a boat.
13. Have a night away with Jody for his birthday (26th) and our anniversary.

Do you see a common theme here. I'm late on a lot of things & have delayed certain celebrations. Or, am I stretching out the celebrations to last a week? I've always tried to make my birthday celebrations last for a week. Why not our anniversary? Don't you do that too?

Quiet Summer - So Far

The first week of our summer we spent sitting around the house. We wore pj's as long as possible, ate lunch at home and played inside & out. We did make 1 trip to the pool when Jody could go and the kids had lots of fun.
Our second week of summer we were able to go to FL for 4 days. Jody went on a work trip to buy cars, so we went too. We stayed down in Deerfield Beach, between Fort Lauderdale & West Palm Beach. We spent time at the beach & the pool and had lots of fun. One thing that will be a challenge for me this summer, is taking pictures. I took a total of 1 picture on this trip, and that is very sad. I took it on my phone & have no idea how to get it off. I think the kids always look so cute with swimsuits on at the beach or pool, & would like to take pictures of them. But as you can imagine, with 3 kids who don't swim, it is difficult to take pictures, even when there are 2 adults.
So that brings us to this, our third week of summer. This week we've been able to see some friends we don't get to see much during the school year. Monday we saw Michelle, Mack & Charlie. Michelle also fixed us dinner & that was great! Thanks Michelle. Today we get to see Heather & her kids. The kids are looking forward to seeing them, since we haven't seen them since Emily's party. So that is our summer so far, and there are really no big plans. Just whatever comes along that we want to do, I guess we'll do. Hope you are having a good one.

Let the wedding season begin

Did you know that the wedding season has officially started? Well for me at least. It kicked off at Deanna's, with Lindsey's Bridal Shower. She had a great shower, with lots of gifts and lots of great food. Lindsey has a little over a month before her wedding, so she is busy having showers and putting the finishing touches on her wedding day. It was good to see friends at the shower, that I don't get to see often, so we had to get a picture. Congratulations Lindsey, can't wait for the BIG DAY.

L to R: Katie, Lindsey, Hollie, me and Tonya



After the shower, I headed home to pack for the next wedding event. Friday morning we headed down to Jacksonville for my sister Amy's wedding weekend. Jody had to stay home to work, so just Emily & I went down. My brother Brett, Stacy & Landon and I rode down, following Brian, Tonya, Lindsey, Hope & Emily. Friday night we had the Rehearsal dinner at one of the Jarrett family's favorite restaurants Maggianos. It was good, as expected. I did miss the rehearsal, earlier in the day, but they filled me in at dinner. Then Saturday was a busy day getting ready for the wedding. I'd like to say a big Thank You to Stacy (my SIL) for fixing my hair & makeup. Also for trimming Emily's hair & getting her ready for the wedding. Thanks Stacy, you were a BIG help!!



As you can imagine, since I was a bridesmaid, I didn't get many pictures. But I wanted to post the few I had. I wish I had a good one of Amy & Kyle (bride&groom). The one I have isn't bad, it just would've been nice to get a posed picture of them. Anyway, we had fun, the dinner was good and the cake was even better! Congratulations, Amy & Kyle!!! We love you.

We took this of ourselves in the limo, going to the ceremony. Amanda (getting married in July), me & Rachel(my other sister). The 3 bridesmaids.

Amy sitting for a bit with Emily

Finally, The Tooth Fairy is Coming Tonight!

Alex had a loose tooth for sooo long, I figured the Tooth Fairy was coming months ago. We've tried a few times over the last 2 weeks to pull it but it was still too attatched. The permanent tooth is 25% in and still hadn't pushed it out. In the mean time, the tooth beside it has been loose, but not much. Well, today Alex was helping Jody wash the car and squirted Jody with the hose. So Jody threw a wet rag at him & his tooth went missing. Of course it wasn't the long overdue loose tooth, it was the other one. Can you believe that? Anyway, like I said, the tooth went missing, so we looked in the driveway & the grass, and no tooth. We gave up on it after a while. Alex said that he may have swallowed it. Do you know of any kids swallowing teeth when they came out? After hearing about the tooth fairy coming tonight, he decided to let us pull the other one. So he will have 1 tooth under the pillow, but still be rewarded for 2 teeth. I took a few pictures and only one really turned out. You can definately see the gap for the one tooth, but the other gap is already 25% filled, so it is hard to get the full affect in a picture.

Now Emily is eager to start loosing teeth. Stay tuned for her toothless post. We'll see if I can beat this blog on how many times I can use the words tooth, toothless or teeth. (19 times with the 1 in the title)

Birthday gifts

Emily registered at Learning Express Toys. That made it very easy for everyone to know what she likes. When they register, the child actually goes around with a shopping basket, putting the items in there. Then when they've picked everything, there is a Rubbermaid container with Emily's name & party date on it, and that is where it all goes. So one friend went in to get a gift and asked for Emily's registry. Thinking it's on paper. Nope, they just pull down the tub and you pick your gift from that. In this first picture Emily gets a doorbell for her room from Katie & Carson.

This is the Alligator Dentist game from Aunt Penny. We were glad she was in town for the party.

This is a Hello Kitty bag with lots of accessories, from cousins Lindsey & Hope.
Here Emme is sooo proud of her gift. It's the Hannah Montana DVD Game.
Hope & Addie couldn't wait for Emily to open this (as Addie said) "Baggage Catch Kid". Hope is behind the bag helping too.
Jonathan & Jessi got Emily two of her favorite things. Makeup. And Hannah Montana anything. In this case it was an accessory bag.
Emily is really enjoying the gigantic bubble wand from Brett & Stacy, the jump rope & hula-hoop from Rachel, and the personalized Moo Mixer from Nina & Papa. Oh and the Jonas Bros. posters from our babysitter Jessica. Thank you all, we had a fun night.

Birthday pictures

Emily and Rachel. I love Emily's face in this picture. Isn't she pretty? We think so.
Singing Happy Birthday.

Make a Wish.

Emily is 6 years old

I can't believe it!! At 4:55a.m. my eldest daughter turned 6. In some ways she seems older than just 6. But then in other ways I still think of her as my baby girl. This morning I was thinking about all that has gone on in 6 years. It seems like it has flown by. Then I sadly thought about the next 6 years coming even faster, and she'll be 12. But really the only sad thing about that is I'll be older. Anyway, we are very proud of our sweet girl. She is such a kind, considerate, genuine, good hearted girl, and we love her very much. BTW she is also the MOST HELPFUL GIRL. She got an award this week for being so helpful. Congratulations and Happy Birthday Emily!! We love you!!

PS. I'll have pictures from the party sometime soon.

PSS. My computer is now fixed and I'm so happy!

10 Days and counting

I'm very sad to report that I have been without a computer for 10 days now. This has been the longest 10 days of my life. Well, not really of my life, but still VERY LONG. Our hardrive crashed and needed to be replaced. It was shipped Monday and arrived Friday. Jody was going to install it, while on the phone with Dell, and guess what. It's not the right part. They sent us a hardrive for a laptop. Boy do I wish I had a laptop. They reordered the right hardrive and told us the expected arrival date. May 27. What?? I have no idea why, but that means I will still have no computer till then.
Over these last 10 days I've taken some time to reflect, and I've realized something. I spend more time than I thought on the computer. It could just be a habit, but when it's there you use it,a lot. We use it to get phone #'s, directions, email instead of calling, research, shopping, banking, bill paying, scrapbooking pictures, order pizza, and to plan trips etc etc. Can you tell I'm having withdrawals?
Right now I'm getting my fix, on my good friend Deanna's laptop. Thanks Dee. This month with no computer will be long but busy. I've got a girls trip, Mother's Day, Emily's Birthday, a wedding, end of the year school stuff and more. Hopefully this will help keep my mind off my withdrawals, so this doesn't get any worse. Anyway, that is the latest from the Jarrett household. Hope you have a wonderful month. Oh, BTW,in case you need to get in touch with me before June, CALL ME.

Pictures from Spring Break

Alex bowling a strike.
Emily & I went to Tea Leaves & Thyme for lunch one day. She put a flower in my hair & took this picture.

Here is sweet Emily. She is having some terrible allergies this Spring so her eyes are a little puffy.
Look who we ran into at Mary Mac's. It's Fox 5 News meteorologist Ken Cook. He & his wife just had dinner, when Jody & the kids saw him. Jody was sooo excited, he HAD to take a picture. He was very nice & has grandkids Alex & Emily's age. He was heading over to the studio, to do the weather for the evening news. Thanks, Ken for keeping us up to date, on the latest weather info.

This is Emily riding her new bike. She thinks she still needs the training wheels. She is just very cautious.
Then there is Alex. He rides straight for you & swerves at the last second. But he rides really well without training wheels. Sweet Ella Bug