Lazy 5 Ranch

Last weekend Joe and I decided that we needed to get away from the cold weather.  So we found an inexpensive hotel (that had an indoor swimming pool) and headed to Charlotte, NC.  We were hoping to make it a fun trip for all.  We planned to hit up some parks for the kids, go shopping for me, and allow Joe a chance to climb at a climbing gym and hopefully also get a bike ride.  It was a little colder that we expected there.  It was actually snowing there when we were driving on Saturday morning, but the sun soon came out. 

 

After dealing with one car sick child and making a stop at a Target for a new jacket, we headed to one attraction that we thought would be fun for the littles.  We went to Lazy 5 Ranch, which is just about thirty minutes outside of Charlotte.  We took both kids out of their carseats as we slowly drove through the ranch.  You can feed the animals from your car, but you are not allowed to get out of the car.  I think they had a blast, but they both got upset after I freaked out when a buffalo clipped the tip of my finger with his mouth.  I lost one of the feed buckets in the process.  Then I upset Jack later on when I lost the second feed bucket to a very aggressive zebra.  He was mostly just sad that we couldn't feed anymore animals.  Sorry Jack!  Below are just a few pictures.  It really was fun and I wish that we lived closer, because I would like to take the kids back there again!

 This was the buffalo that tried to eat my hand.  It really did hurt and scare me so I just dropped the bucket.  It probably didn't help that I was already scared because he was basically sticking his head into our car.  I felt like I was holding Ella right in his face for lunch!

I think the rest of our trip was pretty uneventful. We managed to swim in the hotel pool, go shopping, Joe went climbing, and we visited two parks on a cold Sunday morning.  It was a short trip, but I'm still glad we had a family outting.  I can't wait for more traveling in our future!

Parenting Ups And Downs

I took a bit of a sabbatical from the blog.  I guess my crafting projects have gotten the better of me.  I would like to make a challenge for myself to blog at least once a day.  It would be a good habit to start and a great way to remember some of the silly conversations I have with Jack and Ella.  Maybe I can make that my goal for April....  In the meantime, here is a little update with my struggles and triumphs as a mother.

Parenting Downs:
1.  I used to think I was a patient person, but I feel like I am yelling at Jack a lot lately.  I think I take frustrations out on him or maybe I am just frustrated that he cannot play nicely with his sister.  It seems like we do a lot of time outs lately (especially when we are cooped up in the house for these winter days) and I admit to spanking him.  I hate that I do it, and it definitely comes out of anger or frustration.  I find it hard to keep my cool when he is doing something really bad, like biting his sister.  It really makes me feel like an awful mother.  My goal this week has been to take a deep breath before disciplining him.  Just a second to think about the best action will help me tremendously.  I really just want to be a good mother and I want him to listen and grow up to be a respectful young man and I can't do that by leading with anger.

2.  Jack and Ella share a bedroom and it has meant a lot of adjusting with the sleeping routines.  Fortunately, Ella is a great sleeper.  She still has some nights when she wakes up looking for comfort, but mostly she sleeps from 8pm until 6am.  However, Jack has always woken up at night and recently we started putting him in his bed for the entire night.  After doing that, he was waking up for 4 to 5 times a night.  We would have to go into his room, lay him back down in bed, and then lay on the floor next to his bed until he fell back asleep.  Usually, but not always, this responsibility was my job.  I was just tired of it.  So we decided it was enough and began locking the door shut with a bungee cord.  Surprisingly he has done really well.  After doing good for a week, Ella decided she needed to wake up.  This then caused Jack to wake up and we had a whole night time debacle to deal with.  Both crying while I shut the door is the worst feeling.  However, they both went to bed again.  I would like to think our sleepless nights would be coming to an end, but I don't feel so positive anymore.  Seriously if they wake up and cry despite us shutting the door and using tough love, what else is there to do?

3.  Being a parent is a messy job.  On the last two car trips that we have taken, Jack has thrown up.  It gets all over his clothes and car seat.  And it smells.  You just learn to deal with it.  However, I never thought that dealing with poop, vomit, snot, drool, and food messes would be a daily part of my life. I guess you don't think about that part as much when you are planning to be a parent.  And can someone please give me a suggestion on how to stop Ella from putting her dirty hands in her hair when we are sitting down for a meal? 

Parenting Ups:
1.  As hard as it has been to put Jack in his bed and shut the door each night, it has been especially nice to hear him say, "lobe you mommy!" when I am shutting the door.  It is a special thing to hear your child tell you they love you, especially when you feel like you can do so much better.

2.  We bought a tunnel for Jack and Ella to play with and everyday they have the best time crawling in and out of it.  I just love to watch them play together and laugh together.  It really brings such great joy to watch them enjoying each other. 

3.  Jack clearly loves his sister.  If he is awake when she wakes from a nap, he wants to be the first to walk into the room and get her.  When we are going somewhere he always make sure that she gets to go too.  And despite the fact that he can be really aggressive and mean, he has the most wonderful moments of sharing with her.  It is especially cute watching him try to feed her.

4.  Ella adores her older brother.  Sometimes I wonder why, when he takes toys away from her or pushes her away, but I think I understand why.  He is her constant companion.  They get to do everything together.  We go almost everywhere together and she likes his company and finds him to be funny. 

5.  I try to make it to the gym a few times a week and I love that the kids both run to me when I go to the play area to get them.  I don't know what it feels like to be at work and then return home, but I imagine it would be similar. 

The parenting ups might be short and brief, but really it is the little things that make parenting so special.  I love my kids and I want to be better for them. 

Oh, and just as an update...Ella is trying to say the word dog.  Her favorite books are the Brown Bear, Brown Bear what do you see? books. Jack really likes to read a book about a puppy called MuddyPaws.  He is learning his colors right now and seems to adore Spiderman.  His vocabulary is really improving.  He can say lots of words and repeat almost everything we say, however he needs to work on his pronunciation. 

Ella's Birthday Party

I know it is already been a month and a half since she had her birthday party, but I never did get around to posting pictures for everyone.  Of course I forgot to take any during the party, but did remember to get some of the decorations and food!  It was a great party too.  We have a bunch of good friends over with all their little ones running around and the sweets were all just as yummy as I had hoped for.  We kept the decorations fairly simple, but used the rainbow/sprinkles theme throughout.

I went to Lowes and picked up a bunch of the paint swatches, which I then turned in to streamers.  I happened to have a few tissue puffs too, which are like clouds!  I had this in two different rooms.

I made a happy birthday sign to go above her high chair.  I just grabbed a bunch of different colored paper that I already had on hand.

I made her a personal smash cake with a one on top made with sprinkles.  We also had rainbow cookies and skittles to much on.

Here is a few of the spread and in the background I set up a painting station for the little ones with crayons, colored pencils, markers, and finger paint.  I even remembered the smocks too!

A rainbow fruit tray, so that the kiddos weren't just earting dessert.

Rainbow cupcakes with sprinkles on top and oreo balls, and chocolate covered pretzels with sprinkles.

One very happy and full birthday girl!  We love her to pieces!

My Daily Entertainment

I think it is impossible to not be proud of your little ones.  You also can't help but laugh at some of the things that they do.  I have included three recent videos that we made that show their personality and make us laugh!  I hope you enjoy too!

 

Ella is finally a 1 year old.  I can't believe that a whole year has passed.  Seriously, it is almost hard to remember what I was thinking and feeling while in labor.  It seems so long ago and really such a small blip compared to all the fun she has been.  Honestly, she is working really hard to be my favorite child and she is only one! I love how outgoing and giggly she is.  Almost everything makes her laugh, especially when we are all eating at the dinner table. I was able to get pictures to upload again, yeah.  So this post will be picture heavy and also include the usual stats.  Sadly this will be her last monthly update, but I'm going to work my best to include more posts about the two of them.  It is good for the family anyways!

Nicknames:  Little Bear, Ella Bella, Wiggle Worm

Weight/Height:  20.8 lbs. and 30 inches

Foods:  Ella has always been a really good eater.  Joe told me that I need to look back on the posts about Jack, because I don't remember him being as good of an eater.  She will try just about everything.  She continues to have a sweet tooth and had no trouble digging into her birthday cake.  Ella also wants to eat whatever we are eating and whenever we are eating.  It makes it difficult to get a snack in, especially when it is something she can't chew yet.  I guess I can only snack on nuts when she is napping!

Temperament:  Ella continues to bring out more and more personality each day.  She is quite talkative (even though it is just baby babble) and loves to follow her brother around.  In fact, she has almost learned how to run.  Sometimes Jack and I will chase her around the house and tell her we are going to tickle her.  Usually this involves her trying to walk as fast as possible, while giggling, with Jack right behind her and his arms outstretched like a zombie.  I am usually behind him and saying, "tickle, tickle."  It probably looks funny, but we are having fun.

I also think Ella is pretty set on a schedule.  She likes to take her naps at the same time everyday, eat at the same time everyday, and go to bed at night at the same time.  She gets cranky whenever that schedule is off. I have to admit, I love the routine and consistency.

Items/Toys We Love:  About two weeks ago I was able to go grocery shopping with just Ella.  I decided to look at some of the sippy cups in the children's section at Walmart and thought it might be time to pick up one for her that was just a bit better for her age, instead of all the ones that we use for Jack.  Basically something a little more spill proof.  As I was looking I narrowed it down to two and finally then just one.  I began to put that one in the cart, when she started to cry, because I had picked the wrong one.  I switched them out and she was a very happy little girl.  Since we brought that home, she has loved using her new sippy cup every chance she gets.  She also really loves to climb into or on top of anything.  That seems to be a favorite game or play activity at the moment.

First Experiences:  We had our first stomach bug run through the house this past month.  Ella and I both got it, then we so kindly shared it with a few friends (I'm so sorry to everyone that go sick...I seriously thought it would have been clear after a week).  Ella was throwing up and had diarrhea for a few days.  I was constantly doing laundry and felt so bad for her.  Then she got a cold right after that.  It was not a fun time in our house.  However, what it did do, was stop Ella from drinking formula or milk.  She would get sick anytime she had a bottle and now refuses to use a bottle.  That works just great for me, but I am hoping some how we can reintroduce the milk to her.

So that is a quick and simple monthly update of our little girl.  I will write up another post this week about her birthday party.  It was so much fun and turned out great.  I love a good first birthday.  Actually I think I am looking forward to each year that I get to have fun (small) parties for my kiddos.  Well, it will be fun until the first sleep over!

Ella is 11 Months Old

**I can't get pictures loaded up on blogger...I have been trying for almost two days...no videos either.  So as soon as I can I will add those to this post!

I'm a little behind at getting this post up, but I want to make sure she has a little documentation for each month of her first year.  I guess I just got caught up in all the holiday activites.  It always feels a bit hectic at this time of year because I am finishing up homemade gifts for family members.  Plus, this year we celebrated my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary a few days after Christmas.  I designated myself as the party planner so I was getting that put together too.  Now I am carefully planning Ella's birthday party, which is coming up in only two weeks!  I can't believe it is so soon.  Was it really almost a year that I was feeling so very pregnant?

Well, on to the stats for the past month!

Nicknames:  Ella Bella, Roseanne Barr (it's a long story about how she loves to eat), Ella Bear

Weight:  Ella has lost a little weight, probably from moving so much.  She now weighs in at about 20.5 lbs. and last time I checked she was about 27 inches.

Foods:  She will eat most things.  I have decided that Ella is our good eater, but I feel like Jack was a good eater at this age too.  It wasn't until he got into the toddler age that he decided to be picky about things.  He is picky about most things. So it is nice that she will try most everything you put in front of her.  However, she didn't like steamed broccoli or strawberries (although she has eaten those on her second try).

Temperament:  Ella continues to be more of a personality everyday.  She loves to play hide and seek.  When I go upstairs to get her after a nap, I will bend down next to the crib and hide behind the bumper.  She always laughs at me when I pop my head up.  Today we actually had a fun game of bringing our heads into the slates of the crib and I would give her a kiss.  Each time she would burst out in laughter.  I never remember Jack being so entertained by me.  It just feels nice to know that she likes me and wants to play with me.  On the other hand, she also is learning all of Jack's bad tricks.  She is learning to whine when she doesn't get her way and has even figured out how to throw a mini tantrum.  Ella also has a way of testing her brother's patience.  She likes to play with whatever toy is in his hands at the moment.  I have to remember not to get mad at Jack every time, because it isn't his fault that she always wants what is in his hands.  That would be frustrating to me too.  Having two littles ones can be difficult because he doesn't underrstand yet that she is learning and yet, he is still learning so much too!

Items/Toys That We Love:  Our close friends, Chris and Spencer, bought a really adorable winter hat for Ella.  It is brown and has bear ears on it.  I absolutely love it and take every opportunity to put it on her.  She always gets compliments and to be honest, I can't blame people, because she really is too stinking cute with it on! 

First Experiences:  Ella is finally walking.  She had been traversing furniture for so long and then she started to take these leaps of faith off the furniture.  Each time she would almost lounge forward in hopes that she might stay up.  I was beginning to wonder if she would ever learn to balance on her two feet.  Then one day it just happened and before we knew it she was taking several steps off of furniture and within a week or two she was walking.  I think she is even trying to run now.  Jack has started to play hide and seek with her and he has fun when she tries to chase after him.  He is so much faster that I think it is forcing her to just quicken her step. 

I know this just happened in the last week, so maybe it is closer to a 12 month thing, but Ella said her first word too.  It actually happened when my mom was visiting. She said, "ma ma."  At first my mom heard it and carried her into the kitchen where I was washing the dishes.  So I stopped, turned around and said, "Mama, now you say it Ella," and I was happily surprised when she looked right at me and said, "Mama."  I couldn't help but make the biggest smile with an excited giggle and she laughed right along with me.  This happened about four times.  She did the same thing again tonight too.  Fill my heart with melted goodness!  Then she said 'Dada," this weekend too!  Actually it happened right after coming home for a few days away.  Joe and I walked in after our weekend getaway (thank you mom for watching the kiddos) and she looked at Joe and said, "dada."  Man, I gotta love that little girl.  She is such a fun addition to the family and I'm so glad to see how unique and different she is!

Ella is 10 Months Old

I went to the WIC offices last week for an appointment to get more food vouchers.  Occasionally they need to check the weight and growth of the children, I suppose to make sure they are getting proper nutrition with the food the are providing.  Well, they wanted to do an iron check on Ella and they asked me how old she was.  I said, almost 10 months.  They then asked me her birthday and told me she was 10 months old.  I thought somehow I had skipped a month and was behind when I was telling people her age.  They had me so confused I had to count the months out on my fingers to be sure I wasn't mistaken.  They were wrong!  She had not turned 10 months yet, we still had a few days to go.  I was really beginning to worry that I had neglected to give an update for her and that I couldn't even remember how old she was.  I know parents tend to take less pictures and such for the second, third, etc child, but was couldn't believe I was getting that bad.  Thankfully, I'm still on top of it and I know that she is just now turning 10 months old.  Okay, now I will move on to the stats.

Nicknames: Ella Bella, Bear, Miss E, and Rosanne Barr (this is a name that Joe has been using because she is such a hearty eater.  Plus, she almost weighs as much as her brother.  However, I don't like the nickname).

Weight and Height: I was hoping to have this update, but we missed her 9 month doctor's appointment when the Blizzard happened back in late October.  It can take a few weeks to make appointments with their doctor, so we won't see her until the 6th of December.  I will have to give an update then, but she was recently at the doc's for an ear infection and weighed in at 21 lbs.

 

Food:  Ella continues to eat more foods each day.  She really loves to pick up her foods, so I'm constantly thinking of things that she can hold and grab at for her meals.  I can usually give her something from our dinners as well, which is nice, since it makes it feel like a real family dinner that we are all enjoying. 

Temperament:  I truly appreciate how happy she is when I get her out of her crib.  It just makes my day to walk into her room after a nap and see her playing with her dolls in her crib.  However, she already knows how to whine when she doesn't get her way.  Ella is fiercely independent and always wants to move around.  She gets so mad when someone puts a baby gate up to block her passage.  It is almost comical to see her cry in frustration.  I think she has learned this from her brother.  And speaking of Jack, he is more and more excited about having Ella around.  He constantly says her name.  I think it is one word that he says perfectly.  She often responds and follows him around.  I really love when I get to see them playing together while sitting in their car seats. 

Items/Toys We Love The Most:  Our friends Chris and Spencer bought Ella the cutest winter hat.  It is brown and has the look of a bear.  They also bought matching slippers.  There is something special about that hat, because I can't help but think she is the cutest baby in the whole world.

First Experiences:  This past month we made a trip home to visit family.  Ella was able to go trick or treating twice (although she had no idea why I was getting her dressed up).  In addition, we made a trip to another pediatric orthopedist to look at her foot.  I really liked this doctor a lot.  He had some good insight about why her foot was turned outwards.  Then he gave some good and bad news.  It sounds like she will develop just fine and usually this type of curvature straightens itself out.  However, he did say that she had a slightly more noticeable twist in the tibia which might require surgery.  Basically this will allow for her legs to look symmetrical and I also believe it will help her in the long run to not develop any hip or knee problems.  So it was good to get more insight, but we still are not sure what our next steps will be.  I believe we will come back to this issue in a year and decide what to do.  At least we know there is no rush to get the surgery done. 

In addition, she is getting two more teeth!  She is getting one tooth in the front and one on the side on top.  I feel like it won't be long before the other two decide to appear on the top row as well. Oh, and she had her first ear infection as well.

Now we only have a month to go before Christmas.  I am in full swing making our Christmas presents this year and I am so excited about it.  We are also going to have a celebration for my grandparents 60th anniversary.  Then I have a month to organize and plan for Ella's 1st birthday.  This year has blown by so fast.  I can't believe it!  She is such a great addition and blessing in our family.