Mark December 17th down in the books - this was the night that Ella wore panties to bed for the first time!! One kid out of diapers/pullups, very proud of my big girl!!

Very proud of my hubby collecting $920 in donations towards Men's Health Awareness Month. Part of what is called "Movember" is that he had to grow a mustache. He won first in donations right behind the President & Vice President which won him an IPad. Merry Christmas to us!!

Mark

Mark won a hunting trip as an incentive through work and was gone December 1 - 4th. It was in Minnesota and he was very excited about the possibility of getting to shoot a deer. No one on the trip got anything but I think he had fun and hopefully came back relaxed.

November 21, 2011

So several doctors have advised us on removing little Miss Ella's tonsils & adenoids. Today was the day for surgery. Mark took Mason to Elaine's very early and I took Ella for surgery. We had to be there at 7:00 am for her 8:00 am surgery. She wanted to take her backpack with some toys. She had no idea what was getting ready to happen to her even after talking about it several times to help prepare her. Once they gave her some medicine to help get her loopy she was swaying back and forth on the bed and she said "mommy, you look like a spider, he he." I held her then before they took her back. Ella then asked "mommy, will you rock me like a baby. Mommy, you aren't doing it right."

Surgery took maybe 30 minutes and after it was over I could hear her crying from the waiting room. First couple days were rough to try and get her to drink, eat and take her medicine. After a week of the medicine I stopped giving it to her because it was Hyrdocodone and said it may cause drowsiness, nope not for my little girl. Kept her wide awake. I thought surgery day she would be real sleepy especially after anesthesia but no she only took a 45 minute nap. As of last Thursday I believe we are back to normal. No more medicine and she is eating and drinking normal. Her sleep pattern needs some help. She keeps trying to climb into mommy & daddy's bed between 4:30 - 5:30 am.

I can already tell a difference. I haven't heard any snoring and I think she is sleeping more soundly. Hope to make a difference also with her allergies.

November Pictures

Pumpkin Picking at Hubers my birthday weekend. This picture is of course after Mason took a fall in the pumpkin patch and scratched up his cheek. Kids had a blast, Ella was also very excited about buying apples afterwards.

So I almost melted this morning after the conversation with Ella in the car. She started talking about counting her blessings so I asked her if she knew what blessings where and then I asked her what where her blessings? She said Mommy, Daddy & Mason - what a sweetie! Needed a sweetheart come back after her day yesterday.

My little angel

Oh my Ella I love you but last night and this morning just about sent me over the edge. Last night she threw the biggest fit over reading her Elmo and Princess Seek and Find books again before bed. She has read these books she knows the words by heart. I told her please Ella you have over a hundred different books and we please read something new.....no momma (crying) I want my Elmo and Princess books. Momma the sucker reads the 2 books again and she goes to sleep. I think they will have to magically disappear one night - sorry Ella when you read this later in life but you are too young for these books and I think I might go bananas if I read it one more time.

The saga continues this morning when she comes into our room at 6:00 am. Mommy I can't find my blanket (crying). Honey it's in the family room where you left it last night because you refused to have it in your room. Mommy I want to sleep in your bed (I let her crawl into bed) and then she starts crying more about she wants the cardinal bird blanket. I give her that and then she is crying that she wants her mommy, "Ella honey I'm laying right next to you." Mark at this point says Ella stop whinning and gets up to get into the shower. She then trys to demand me to turn on cartoons. Oh wait a minute: first of all you said no nice word as in please/thank you in that sentence and second you never demand someone to do anything especially mommy & daddy. Then she says she has to go potty and needs help, Ella daddy is in the bathroom and will help you. She climbs out of bed and I can see her go to the door and just stand there and then she comes back to my room and says daddy won't help her. Do what...you didn't even open the door, nice try. She then throws another fit throwing herself back on the floor crying and by this point Mark comes out of the bathroom and asks what is going on. I said she is throwing a fit because you won't help her go potty when she wouldn't even go into the bathroom. At this point she was sent to her room for timeout.

What a wonderful start to the morning. Then the drama continues in the car. Mommy turn the air conditioner off, I said Ella I have the heat on because it is 40 degrees outside but mommy I'm hot and then she starts crying that her feet are cold. Really? At this point Mason is laughing at her and she crys more about him making noises.

Can't be terrible 2's still or again, or is this just being a drama queen or just spoiled? Over this behavior and not going to be allowed. Told Mark's sister Teresa about it and she just laughs and asks if she says "I'm not arguing that with you." Which thanks to Teresa she has tried to say to us. Don't think so my little cutie, Mommy & Daddy will win!!

I think I would cry too if that foot was coming at me...

Happy Birthday to my beautiful niece Olivia. I can't believe you are four years old already or should I say 4 going on 16 little miss diva!! Can't wait to see you on Saturday!! (rrrr the blog won't let me upload a picture - will do later)

Mason

Happy Birthday to my baby boy who turns 1 today. You are changing more and more everyday. I don't think there could have been a better baby. Love your little smile and when you pucker your lips when you question something or when you yell for your sister. Such a sweetheart!

Love you bunches,

Mommy, Daddy & Ella

Day 4....nothing else to say

So it's day three at 3602 Kelly Way without any power. Yes we have had another storm that wiped out our power. I think sometimes if it rains and you look at it the wrong way it would wipe our power out. Generator is going so hopefully we won't lose anything out of the fridge/freezer. To add to the excitement Ella decided she wanted to soak up a little electricity so we made an emergency room run on Sunday night. Ella was playing on the new swing set and was going across the monkey bars and fell down. We immediately went inside and iced everything and she said she wanted to go back outside to play so I let her but she couldn't even walk across the yard and started crying that her ankle hurt. We went to the hospital to get it checked out. I think she was more excited about her happy meal and new smurf toy then the pain she was having around her ankle. We got back to the room and the doctor checked her out and said he wanted an xray just to make sure. The technician came to get her for xrays and asked if she would like to walk, have mommy carry her or go for a ride on the bed - she immediately said ride on the bed with a huge smile. She was all smiles going around the corner for xrays. She laid very still for xrays and giggled after every picture because the machine played music. After we waited for them to read the xrays and she watched Aladdin in her bed, I brought her jammies and they brought her one of those warm blankets. They said there was no break or fracture so they wrapped her ankle in an ace bandage for support and gave her some ibuprofen. She is limping a little bit but think she'll be just fine. Doctor said to wear the bandage for about 5 days but if she is running around playing to take it off but if she is still limping after 5 days then she needs to come back and they also gave us signs to watch for in case she has a concussion. We got home around 10 pm and she fell right to sleep. She's playing at Elaine's today.

Ella & Preschool

I think Ella is a little excited about starting preschool in 2 weeks. Tonight is her open house and she has been looking forward to it for about a week now. This morning I'm in the shower and she flings open the curtain and asks mommy, is today the day I get to go and meet my teacher? I replied yes honey mommy will be out in a minutes. I get out of the shower to see Ella sitting in the bathroom doorway with her bookbag, lunchbag and the biggest smile. Will she always be this excited!

Note to friends & family

Make sure to scroll down on the blog. I posted stuff from our vacation but it put in below.

Dentist Visit

Yesterday Ella and I had appointments at the Dentist. I went first and she sat in a chair watched and read some books. She even talked to Ms. Tara about her favorite movie, can anyone guess what it it? Ella then broke out in song by singing her favorite "Tomorrow." She wouldn't sing for Dr. Watkins though. Ms. Tara had her help by holding the toothpaste while she cleaned my teeth. When it was her turn she jumped right up in the chair no problem. They had her wear the cool shades because of the bright light. Ms. Tara asked her how many teeth she thought she had and Ella said...3. She has 20 teeth, 10 on top and 10 on bottom. She had her teeth polished and opened wide for Ms. Tara and Dr. Watkins. Ella got to pick out a tooth cutout for the bulletin board because she was cavity free. At the end of the month they will draw one for a prize, she was very excited. After we were all done we got our goody bags and Ella was very pumped to get her new Dora toothbrush and Spongebob toothpaste.

5 Year Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to my best friend, love you honey!! Thank you for blessing me with my two beautiful children and 15 years of love. 10 years dating and 5 years married. I know it will only get better!!

Summer Vacation

Family photo before leaving the lake after our week of vacation.

Ella eating a smore with Momo while watching Annie. Too cold and rainy to have a fire outside so I did them in the oven.


Mason chilling outside at the lake.

Mark and I got tickets through one of his reps for rooftop tickets to a Cubs game. Mom watched the kids and went to Chicago for 2 days and had a blast. Went out to eat several times, had some beverages and walked all around Michigan Avenue. We brought back deep dish Chicago style pizza for dinner. Ella loved it!

Ella getting ready to swim at the lake

Mason being a cutie

Mark & Ella going fishing in Papaw's boat

Mommy & Ella going for a paddle boat ride. She wanted to help so bad but still can't reach the peddles.

Ella & Daddy catching fish off the sea wall.

Best idea ever: hooked Mason's bouncy seat to tree outside in the shade. He loved it!

Boat rides

Mason pulled himself to standing on the gate and would walk across.

Ella even got to go to the movies for the first time with Mark on a rainy afternoon. They left around nap time and she fell asleep on the way there. It was questionable whether she would stay awake for it. She woke up they got tickets, glasses (yes it was 3D), and of course popcorn. Mark said he caught her a couple times trying to reach out and touch stuff during the movie from the 3D effects. Mark went in and tried to get some popcorn and Ella nudged him away.

We absolutely love going to the lake for a week, wish we could do it more often. Everyone was so relaxed after our week away from home.

Strawberry Picking with the Padget's 2011

Mason went for his 9 month checkup yesterday afternoon. I got to leave work early to pick the kids up to go and I was hoping Ella would have had a nap but no such luck. Didn't matter they were both little angels (which of course you probably already knew).

Mason stats:
22 lbs 11 ounces
29 1/2 inches long

Everything checked out perfect on him and he didn't even cry when he got his shot & finger prick. Ella held his hand and was very supportive big sister. Even taught him how to blow raspberries on the mirror in the room. Said we can bump him up to 8 ounce bottles and start him on more table food. The Doctor pried open his mouth and he is getting ready to get 3-4 teeth on the top of his mouth.

Got home and was able to play in the backyard for a little bit and then made dinner and went to the park in our neighborhood to play in the water. Kids fell right to sleep last night and slept like champs.

Easter (West Virginia)

Ella at Easter Egg Hunt at Twin Falls

Mason at Easter Egg Hunt at Twin Falls

So we left on Thursday before Easter to go visit Mark's family in West Virginia. Biggest mistake ever on my part is donating blood on that Thursday. I have never had such a bad reaction to donating blood. I was shaking, had the chills, the aches, and of course I had not completed our packing so when I got home I didn't feel like finishing it. I laid down for a while with many interruptions from Ella. We finally got to leave an hour later than expected. I know I was bound to forget something.

The DVD worked like a charm and Ella watched the entire Snow White movie before finally falling asleep. Mason rode like a champ also. It was around bedtime when we left and he just fell right to sleep not a peep. When we got the hotel Ella kept asking are we in the mountains yet but it was dark and we were only in Huntington, WV so not really big mountains yet. I told her yes and she was very taken back by the hotel. "Wow mommy, that sure is a really big house!" I told her "yes honey, and it has lots of bedrooms." We finally got everything to the room and Mason transferred directly from the carseat to the pack-n-play, rolled over and not a peep. We gave Ella her own bed and she just kept shying before finally falling asleep. Mark and I just kept saying really - is she going to do that all night while she sleeps. We already know that she snores but the shying, really?

The next morning of course Ella was up bright and early at around 7:30 am. Mason was still sleeping so I took Ella to breakfast. It was very yummy and free with our hotel stay which made it even better. After Mark and Mason ate we went swimming to try and wear the kids out for the remainder of the car ride. Ella loved it but it pretty much assured us how much she is need of more swim lessons. After we all got cleaned up we got on the rode again. I had called numerous times to the park trying to get our cabin switched to a 3 or 4 bedroom with no luck (I was hoping for someone to cancel) and was told that we if get there prior to checkin time it would not be a problem because one of the 3 cabins we rented for the weekend had no one in it the previous night and we could hangout in there. NOPE - kept telling us that they weren't ready yet. So Mark and Ella hung out inside the lodge and Mason napped in the truck. Once everyone got there we were finally able to get our keys but we decided to eat dinner in their restaurant before going to the cottages.

We debated on how to sleep with the kids in our 2 bedroom cottage because we didn't want Mason to wake Ella up or vice versa. So we each took a child in separate rooms. Have to say that I made out like a bandit. Full size bed all to myself and Mason who sleeps like a champ. He didn't wake up occassionally because of teething. Even if Mark and I had shared a room - a full size bed with us not very comfortable. Although in college we used to manage to both sleep in a twin - but we were young and crazy in love and never mind to much information.

We got up and ate breakfast and Mark's family started to arrive. They brought Easter dinner and a ridiculous amount of Easter presents for the kids. They definitely spoiled them. Ella & Mason went to the park's Easter egg hunt. Ella found lots of eggs and even won a play golf set as a door prize. The kids were able to play outside all day at the cottage & the playground in the park and took a couple walks even. The weather was gorgeous and glad everyone was able to make it.

Sunday Mark and I debated taking the kids to the Twin Falls at the Park but decided no because it was colder, drizzling, and you had to walk a ways to get to them, which personally isn't a whole lot of fun carrying an extra 20+lbs with you (sorry Mason). We'll try it again when they'll both remember it. Of course the DVD decided to stop working on the way home so it was a very long ride. Stopped a little over half way to have lunch but the last 45 minutes or so of our trip were brutal. I ended up climbing in the back of the truck to help entertain Mason which worked for a little while. He was done with the truck and personnally don't blame him. It was a long ride home. It was much easier to split up like on the way there.

It was a very nice long weekend with the family. Ella is still playing with her easter eggs and has kind of forgotten about her candy. That is a good thing because Mark and I have eaten most of it!

Promise to be a better blogger after our vacation next - I think I have a 2 pretty cute excuses and they are both mobile now. Look out here comes Mason, what a charmer!

Allergies

This blog is to discuss how much I hate allergies and how they affect our family. I am the luckiest of the four because I only occasionally get some seasonal allergies that affect me, but my poor kiddos and hubby. I took Mason for his 6 month checkup on Friday and he has a little runny nose and cough and some puffy eyes and Dr. said it all has to do with his allergies. So I asked again what about Ella's and explained how often we have to give her Zyrtec and how her poor little legs are broke out and her eyes also are puffy and of course the peanut episode. Yes I got the answer I have be waiting for...we are finally going for allergy testing. Poor little girl should not be this miserable while playing outside during the spring & summer. Do they get this from Mark whose allergies are also always haywire or from this loving Ohio River Valley weather? Been trying to get Mark to go to the doctor for his allergies for years but he won't do it. Stubborn men! Glad my little girl will finally getting some relief of hers.

Mason 6 month Dr. Appt

Mason went for his 6 month appointment yesterday and dr. said he is doing very well. He weighed 18 lbs and 12 ounces and was 28 and 1/8 inches long. Dr. said to start giving him veggies. So last night and this morning he has had carrots with his cereal. This morning we went for his pictures - what a ham!!

Happy 6 months to my cute little baby Mason!!! You were a handful this weekend but it's all worth it when you give me that toothless grin. Come on baby you need to pop out those two little teethers on the bottom. We go for our 6 month checkup this Friday. Miss Ella was very excited to get dressed up in her dance recital outfit for pictures on Saturday. Curling her hair was definitely a challenge. Thank goodness for Trista helping me out. There was so much gel and hair spray in her hair. Washed it twice on Saturday night. Will try and download pictures of both tomorrow (left the camera at the house).

Twinkle Toes

So this Saturday Ella has picture day with her dance class. Everyone mark your calendars for May 15th for the recital. Hope everyone can make it. No worries about the number of tickets we get, they said we can bring as many people as we want!

Going to do a test run tonight with her hair. I have to pull it half up and curl it. Since her hair is so fine it won't keep a curl very well so I bought some very heavy duty gel to help with the process. The sheet also said to put all kinds of make up on...I don't think so. Ella will have the curls (hopefully) a little blush and some vaseline on the lips. It's a dance recital with 3 year old not Toddlers and Tieras people!

Growing Up Way Way to Fast

So I had a tour today for a preschool for Ella. She would start in August for 3 days a week. My baby is getting way to big to fast.

Almost 20 Questions in about 10 minute car ride

So the conversation Friday morning on the way to Elaine's consisted of...
1. Mom go down the hill (the hill in Ella's terms the slight slope in our driveway)
2. Mom stop at that stop sign
3. Mom I like stop signs
4. Mom Mason is playing with his toys
5. Mom Mason loves his toys
6. Mom how come I haven't seen a school bus
7. I'm going to ride on a school bus mommy but not until I pee & poopy on the potty
8. Wee that was fun momma (over the railroad tracks)
9. There is a white truck momma
10. Dodger (Elaine's husband) has a white truck
11. Elaine's truck is brown
12. Elaine likes blue and white. I asked her do you know why? She likes the Cats Ella. What do you like Ella (trying to get her to say the Cards)?
13. I like George (meaning Curious George)
14. Stopped at the light, Ella says people need to throw away there trash as she looks at the median.
15. Wo Momma - those cars are close (as we are setting at the light waiting to turn)
16. (Then Ella decided that Momma was a race car driver the rest of the way to Elaine's) go momma, go momma, you can do it momma
17. Go fast momma, go fast.
18. I told her no baby I can't go fast I'll get in trouble so she says ok momma go very gently.
19. Mom, go gently, gently momma.

I'm sure I'm forgetting a couple. Little girl makes me laugh!

Mason

My little boy is growing up way to fast. He won't lay still anymore. You lay him on the floor to play and he is instantly on his belly and rolling around. He has been eating cereal twice a day and last night he tried squash for the first time. I think he liked...what do you think? He wanted more but I thought he might pop!