1. I love Dancing with the Stars. I wish the costumes were more modest but I've loved ballroom dancing for years. Ever since the movie Strictly Ballroom and those ballroom competitions they used to broadcast on PBS.
2. We picked up Sweet Cheek's new backpack for school. It's perfectly striped for her!
3. My baby is crawling everywhere and into everything!!!
4. While we were in Utah, our dog managed to escape several times. My poor sister was seriously stressed. After having to pick him up from the pound during her lunch hour, she decided that he needed some time in his crate to contemplate his behavior.
5. My oldest thought that it would be a good idea to start the car while I was in the house. I had a mini heart attack when I heard the engine start up.
6. There are 2 birthdays in our house this month. The worse part is that they're only 6 days apart. There's going to be way too much cake at our house. Please feel free to stop by and grab some.
7. We just found out that my husband has to travel for work the week before my son and I head out to California. He'll get home Sunday and we leave Monday. At least I'll get a vaction after my week alone with the kids!
8. While down in Utah, my kids had sleepovers at my Grandma's house. My Grandma and my kids were both super excited! They all had so much fun!
9. My daughter will be turning 7 this month and has requested this cake. Talk about sugar overload! I'm still going to make it for her though.
10. I'm participating in a choir at my church that is going to perform a newly released musical program by Janice Kapp Perry and Bonnie Hart Murray. The best part is that they are going to be there for the last performance! It's been so long since I've been able to do something like this. Who knows, maybe I'll even start acting again.
Ella
© Ella's Place
April 4, 2012
April 2, 2012
California Here We Come!
Tickets have been purchased. A hotel and rental car has been reserved. Plans are being formulated. And I am getting so very excited!!
My oldest, Teeny, has saved enough money and we are going to the Oakland/San Francisco area at the end of May. For a week.
We are heading to see SuperCroc. My son is beyond excited to get his picture taken by this ferocious fossil. It will be the culmination of an obsession that has lasted over half of his life.
He is also super excited because he gets to go on vacation for a week with no one else but Me. While he loves his siblings, he sometimes feels as if he doesn't get as much of my attention as he wants. So, this is a big deal to him. We're going to pack as much fun as we can into our time together. We will be eating his favorite foods (even though I personally don't care for them): Chinese & seafood. He already has the restaurants picked out. He's decided that we need to visit the zoo on the day that the alligators are fed since we can see SuperCroc any ol' time. We'll ride the ferry across the bay. Take another ferry out to Alcatraz. Walk across the Golden Gate bridge. Gorge ourselves on ice cream. And spend every other available minute swimming in the pool at the hotel.
While all these things are interesting, I am especially interested in checking out Trader Joes. I have heard so much about it from my many blog wanderings and I'm intrigued. A store that sells cookie butter and chocolate peanut butter..... I feel the need to go check it out. The best part is that there is a store down the road from our hotel. Yes!!! I think I'm more excited to go there than I am to visit Alcatraz. My only concern is what I'm going to do if I love it so very much. There's obviously no location close to me. I might need to find a supplier.
Still there is one down side to our trip. I'm going to have to leave my baby (he'll be 9 months by then) at home with my husband. I'll have to go a whole week without snuggling, cuddling or kissing him. And what if he does something amazing and I miss it? I just don't know how I'm going to handle it. What if he forgets me? A week is an awfully long time to a baby.
I'm pretty sure copious amounts of sugar and chocolate will be involved in helping me get through this.
Ella
© Ella's Place
My oldest, Teeny, has saved enough money and we are going to the Oakland/San Francisco area at the end of May. For a week.
We are heading to see SuperCroc. My son is beyond excited to get his picture taken by this ferocious fossil. It will be the culmination of an obsession that has lasted over half of his life.
He is also super excited because he gets to go on vacation for a week with no one else but Me. While he loves his siblings, he sometimes feels as if he doesn't get as much of my attention as he wants. So, this is a big deal to him. We're going to pack as much fun as we can into our time together. We will be eating his favorite foods (even though I personally don't care for them): Chinese & seafood. He already has the restaurants picked out. He's decided that we need to visit the zoo on the day that the alligators are fed since we can see SuperCroc any ol' time. We'll ride the ferry across the bay. Take another ferry out to Alcatraz. Walk across the Golden Gate bridge. Gorge ourselves on ice cream. And spend every other available minute swimming in the pool at the hotel.
While all these things are interesting, I am especially interested in checking out Trader Joes. I have heard so much about it from my many blog wanderings and I'm intrigued. A store that sells cookie butter and chocolate peanut butter..... I feel the need to go check it out. The best part is that there is a store down the road from our hotel. Yes!!! I think I'm more excited to go there than I am to visit Alcatraz. My only concern is what I'm going to do if I love it so very much. There's obviously no location close to me. I might need to find a supplier.
Still there is one down side to our trip. I'm going to have to leave my baby (he'll be 9 months by then) at home with my husband. I'll have to go a whole week without snuggling, cuddling or kissing him. And what if he does something amazing and I miss it? I just don't know how I'm going to handle it. What if he forgets me? A week is an awfully long time to a baby.
I'm pretty sure copious amounts of sugar and chocolate will be involved in helping me get through this.
Ella
© Ella's Place
March 22, 2012
Spring Break
Spring break is next week! I think that I'm more excited than my kids. No homework. No waking up way too early in the morning. (I am not a morning person!!!) No lunches to make. No making sure my kids are dressed appropriately for the day. It's pajamas all day long!
We'll have to get dressed part of the time because we're heading out this Saturday to visit family in Utah. It won't be a super busy visit. We'll hang out with my Grandma Donna. I love my Grandma. She is one of the most loving people I know. She still has board games, puzzles and coloring books that used to be my Dad's. She's a bit of a hoarder but so are most kids of the Depression. But it's worked in my favor. My children love playing with the older toys just as much as I did when I was their age. She has a game from the 60's, Husker Du, that is my favorite game!
We'll stay with my Dad and step-Mom. My Dad is the best Popa. He gets down on his hands and knees to play with them and makes sure to give each of them his attention. He doesn't spoil them except when it comes to licorice. He always has Red Vines licorice. He manages to go through a whole bag of the family mix when we're there. He has been known to try and sneak my kids a piece when they are as young as 9 months. He says that he has to teach them what good licorice tastes like.
We plan on visiting the Museum of Ancient Life while we're there. They have the world's largest display of mounted dinosaurs. The best part is that you get to touch them. They want you to touch the fossils. My children love dinosaurs and to be able to touch real dinosaur bones is amazing to them. It's amazing to me too. Most places you only get to look. Needless to say, this is a very kid-friendly museum and we're super excited to visit.
We also have to stop by JC Penney. Sweet Cheeks starts kindergarten this fall. She registered last week and is so very excited. She's already requested a striped backpack. Do you know how hard it is to find a striped backpack? There are no striped backpacks up here so I went to the internet and found one down in Utah. So we are going make a quick visit to the store to pick it up. The things we do for our children......
And amidst all of this fun, I might be lucky enough to go on a date with my husband.
But don't worry, we'll be back in time to indulge in our "all day pajama fest" by Wednesday! Yay for lazy days!!!
************************************************Update*****************************************************
We had SO much fun. The Museum of Ancient life was amazing! It's not too big that you're walking non-stop but it's packed with so much interactive stuff. Not only did we get to touch some of the fossils,
but they got to dig up buried fossils in a sand pit.
It was perfect. We will most definitely be going again. We also got to spend some quality time with family. And I finally convinced my Grandma to go to the doctor about an open wound on her foot that's been there since November. I've tried to convince her that she needed to see a doctor about it but she kept delaying. This time I made the appointment and even drove her there.
All in all, it was a good trip. Sadly, school has started back up and I no longer get to sleep in.
Ella
We'll have to get dressed part of the time because we're heading out this Saturday to visit family in Utah. It won't be a super busy visit. We'll hang out with my Grandma Donna. I love my Grandma. She is one of the most loving people I know. She still has board games, puzzles and coloring books that used to be my Dad's. She's a bit of a hoarder but so are most kids of the Depression. But it's worked in my favor. My children love playing with the older toys just as much as I did when I was their age. She has a game from the 60's, Husker Du, that is my favorite game!
We'll stay with my Dad and step-Mom. My Dad is the best Popa. He gets down on his hands and knees to play with them and makes sure to give each of them his attention. He doesn't spoil them except when it comes to licorice. He always has Red Vines licorice. He manages to go through a whole bag of the family mix when we're there. He has been known to try and sneak my kids a piece when they are as young as 9 months. He says that he has to teach them what good licorice tastes like.
We plan on visiting the Museum of Ancient Life while we're there. They have the world's largest display of mounted dinosaurs. The best part is that you get to touch them. They want you to touch the fossils. My children love dinosaurs and to be able to touch real dinosaur bones is amazing to them. It's amazing to me too. Most places you only get to look. Needless to say, this is a very kid-friendly museum and we're super excited to visit.
We also have to stop by JC Penney. Sweet Cheeks starts kindergarten this fall. She registered last week and is so very excited. She's already requested a striped backpack. Do you know how hard it is to find a striped backpack? There are no striped backpacks up here so I went to the internet and found one down in Utah. So we are going make a quick visit to the store to pick it up. The things we do for our children......
And amidst all of this fun, I might be lucky enough to go on a date with my husband.
But don't worry, we'll be back in time to indulge in our "all day pajama fest" by Wednesday! Yay for lazy days!!!
************************************************Update*****************************************************
We had SO much fun. The Museum of Ancient life was amazing! It's not too big that you're walking non-stop but it's packed with so much interactive stuff. Not only did we get to touch some of the fossils,
My almost 2 year old comparing his foot with a Brachiosaurus foot.
My soon to be 7 year old gently brushing away sand to get to the elusive dinosaur bones.
My 8 year old blowing the sand out the dinosaurs eye socket.
It was perfect. We will most definitely be going again. We also got to spend some quality time with family. And I finally convinced my Grandma to go to the doctor about an open wound on her foot that's been there since November. I've tried to convince her that she needed to see a doctor about it but she kept delaying. This time I made the appointment and even drove her there.
All in all, it was a good trip. Sadly, school has started back up and I no longer get to sleep in.
Ella
© Ella's Place
March 19, 2012
Jamba Juice
Have you ever had something that you needed to do but kept putting it off? And because you have been putting it off, you start to avoid it because of the guilt that is building up inside of you?
Well, that's me. Right now. And I'm sorry. I planned on writing last week. I planned on writing on Monday and pretty much ever day after. I feel horribly guilty. Will you forgive me?
To make it up to you, I thought I'd introduce you to another member of our family.
.JPG)
I'm pretty sure our dog is related to Houdini. He has amazing skills when it comes to escaping not only his dog run but our yard that has a 6 foot high wood fence. But that's not all. I think his neck is double jointed because he can take name tags off all by himself. His name tag disposing talent is expensive so he's now the proud new owner of a chip. I'm pretty sure he won't be able to lose it. (I couldn't watch when the doctor put it in. It was one of those big hollow needles.)
Although our dog acts like Houdini, his name is Jamba. Yes, he was named after the smoothie shop, Jamba Juice. Our children were young when he joined our family and couldn't say many words but they all could say Jamba. They love smoothies. So I'm pretty sure that you can guess his nickname. Yup. We ofter refer to him as "the Juice" when we're not talking to him.
Jamba is the friendliest dog you'll ever meet. I don't think he's met an enemy in his life. Everyone is his friend. He won't bite but he may lick you to death. And he loves to cuddle; with me. My husband finds it very frustrating. We'll all be outside and Jamba will refuse to run and play. All he wants to do is cuddle.
Jamba also loves zucchini and carrots. He enjoys long walks. And is currently single. If you know of any cute girl dogs out here in Idaho let me know. We'll set them up on a date.
Ella
© Ella's Place
Well, that's me. Right now. And I'm sorry. I planned on writing last week. I planned on writing on Monday and pretty much ever day after. I feel horribly guilty. Will you forgive me?
To make it up to you, I thought I'd introduce you to another member of our family.
.JPG)
I'm pretty sure our dog is related to Houdini. He has amazing skills when it comes to escaping not only his dog run but our yard that has a 6 foot high wood fence. But that's not all. I think his neck is double jointed because he can take name tags off all by himself. His name tag disposing talent is expensive so he's now the proud new owner of a chip. I'm pretty sure he won't be able to lose it. (I couldn't watch when the doctor put it in. It was one of those big hollow needles.)
Although our dog acts like Houdini, his name is Jamba. Yes, he was named after the smoothie shop, Jamba Juice. Our children were young when he joined our family and couldn't say many words but they all could say Jamba. They love smoothies. So I'm pretty sure that you can guess his nickname. Yup. We ofter refer to him as "the Juice" when we're not talking to him.
Jamba is the friendliest dog you'll ever meet. I don't think he's met an enemy in his life. Everyone is his friend. He won't bite but he may lick you to death. And he loves to cuddle; with me. My husband finds it very frustrating. We'll all be outside and Jamba will refuse to run and play. All he wants to do is cuddle.
Jamba also loves zucchini and carrots. He enjoys long walks. And is currently single. If you know of any cute girl dogs out here in Idaho let me know. We'll set them up on a date.
Ella
© Ella's Place
March 2, 2012
Bits and Pieces
1. When you watch an old western movie, there's almost always a stand off on the main road that goes through town. As they face off about 50 paces away from each other you usually see a tumble weed blowing across the road somewhere. That tumble weed blowing across the dusty road is iconic for the old Wild West. I'm here to tell you that it still happens. Not the standoff, but the tumble weed blowing across the road. In fact, the other day I had 8 tumble weed blow across the road in front of me in just 10 minutes. Everytime it happens I smile.
2. My baby gained 1 lb. in 2 weeks!!! This might not sound very exciting but it is. He only gained 1/2 lb. from his 4 month doctor visit to his 6 month visit. I was worried.
3. Sweet Cheeks sandwich of the day grosses me out. She made a ketchup sandwich with dill pickles and a slice of ham. Yuck! Ketchup and ham do NOT belong together. And what's up with a ketchup sandwich? I like ketchup but not that much.
4. Can I just say that I really dislike changing insurance companies. It frustrates me!
5. My baby is sitting up all on his own now.
6. Many times I have caught my baby sitting up just checking out everything and then he sees his toes. I'm not sure if he thinks they're extra thumbs but as soon as he spies his toes, he leans down and starts eating them. It's so cute!
7. Have I mentioned that I LOVE coconut? Well, my husband just realized that my favorite candy is the Brach's neapolitan coconut sundaes. I now have a steady supply. This is a bad thing.
8. I needed to run into the library for a few minutes and decided that my kids would be okay just hanging out in the car for such a short time period. I was wrong. I came back to find my 1 year old jumping in the driver's seat, blood splattered all over my daughter and lots of yelling. My oldest son had decided to punch his sister and gave her a bloody nose. Don't feel too bad for her because she gets a bloody nose if you accidentally bump her nose. She has a lot bloody noses. They were yelling not because her nose was bleeding but because they couldn't find a towel to staunch the blood flow. She was holding an empty gum packages underneath her nose to catch everything. And my 1 year old had moved to the front seat in order to avoid the madness that was happening in the backseat. With all of this craziness happening, they woke up the baby. It was quite funny.
9. My 1 year old can walk better in high heels than my 23 year old sister.
10. Sweet Cheeks gets to register for kindergarten this month. She's so excited!!! I asked what kind of back pack she wants and she said...."Striped!" Where do you find striped back packs?
Ella
© Ella's Place
2. My baby gained 1 lb. in 2 weeks!!! This might not sound very exciting but it is. He only gained 1/2 lb. from his 4 month doctor visit to his 6 month visit. I was worried.
3. Sweet Cheeks sandwich of the day grosses me out. She made a ketchup sandwich with dill pickles and a slice of ham. Yuck! Ketchup and ham do NOT belong together. And what's up with a ketchup sandwich? I like ketchup but not that much.
4. Can I just say that I really dislike changing insurance companies. It frustrates me!
5. My baby is sitting up all on his own now.
6. Many times I have caught my baby sitting up just checking out everything and then he sees his toes. I'm not sure if he thinks they're extra thumbs but as soon as he spies his toes, he leans down and starts eating them. It's so cute!
7. Have I mentioned that I LOVE coconut? Well, my husband just realized that my favorite candy is the Brach's neapolitan coconut sundaes. I now have a steady supply. This is a bad thing.
8. I needed to run into the library for a few minutes and decided that my kids would be okay just hanging out in the car for such a short time period. I was wrong. I came back to find my 1 year old jumping in the driver's seat, blood splattered all over my daughter and lots of yelling. My oldest son had decided to punch his sister and gave her a bloody nose. Don't feel too bad for her because she gets a bloody nose if you accidentally bump her nose. She has a lot bloody noses. They were yelling not because her nose was bleeding but because they couldn't find a towel to staunch the blood flow. She was holding an empty gum packages underneath her nose to catch everything. And my 1 year old had moved to the front seat in order to avoid the madness that was happening in the backseat. With all of this craziness happening, they woke up the baby. It was quite funny.
9. My 1 year old can walk better in high heels than my 23 year old sister.
10. Sweet Cheeks gets to register for kindergarten this month. She's so excited!!! I asked what kind of back pack she wants and she said...."Striped!" Where do you find striped back packs?
Ella
© Ella's Place
February 20, 2012
She Said
I love my children. I love the fact that I get to stay at home and be there for them. I love laughing and dancing with them. I love watching them turn into amazing little people. But there are times when I get frustrated. Times when I just want space from them.
Last week was one of those times that I just wanted space from my children. There was no specific reason for it either. I was just tired of picking up toys and whatever else they decided needed to decorate the floor that day. I didn't really want children clinging to me every single moment.
So there I was, feeling closed in while serving lunch to my 5 & almost 2 year old. I was putting pretzels on their plates and then my daughter said the most random thing.
Her: Mom, you know you're serving God.
Me: What do you mean?
Her: Well, because you're serving us. You serve God when you serve others.
After establishing what a smart girl she is, I thought about what she said. I started to feel less closed in.
After lunch I sent the two of them to take a bath. After I handed them both their own wash cloth, she looked me straight in the eye and said, "You're still serving God." She then turned away and started splashing her brother, acting like nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
In the days after this I've thought a lot about what she said.
I've come to realize many things. First of all, I have an amazing daughter who most definitely listened to the promptings of the Holy Ghost that day. How else could she have known what to say at that moment to uplift me and make me feel better? Not just once but twice.
Secondly, my Father in Heaven is aware of me and the little things going on in my life. Sometimes it's so easy to feel like He has so much to do and so many people to help that your small feeling of frustration won't be noticed. But He does notice. He does care.
I also gained a new way to view taking care of my children. Everytime I helped tie their shoe or washed their face, I was really helping my Father in Heaven. It's not a new concept but the time it was said by the person who said it has had a rather profound effect upon me.
I haven't yet finished wrapping my mind around this new concept. I'm not yet sure how it will change me as a Mom and as a person. I only know that it has changed me.
Ella
© Ella's Place
Last week was one of those times that I just wanted space from my children. There was no specific reason for it either. I was just tired of picking up toys and whatever else they decided needed to decorate the floor that day. I didn't really want children clinging to me every single moment.
So there I was, feeling closed in while serving lunch to my 5 & almost 2 year old. I was putting pretzels on their plates and then my daughter said the most random thing.
Her: Mom, you know you're serving God.
Me: What do you mean?
Her: Well, because you're serving us. You serve God when you serve others.
After establishing what a smart girl she is, I thought about what she said. I started to feel less closed in.
After lunch I sent the two of them to take a bath. After I handed them both their own wash cloth, she looked me straight in the eye and said, "You're still serving God." She then turned away and started splashing her brother, acting like nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
In the days after this I've thought a lot about what she said.
I've come to realize many things. First of all, I have an amazing daughter who most definitely listened to the promptings of the Holy Ghost that day. How else could she have known what to say at that moment to uplift me and make me feel better? Not just once but twice.
Secondly, my Father in Heaven is aware of me and the little things going on in my life. Sometimes it's so easy to feel like He has so much to do and so many people to help that your small feeling of frustration won't be noticed. But He does notice. He does care.
I also gained a new way to view taking care of my children. Everytime I helped tie their shoe or washed their face, I was really helping my Father in Heaven. It's not a new concept but the time it was said by the person who said it has had a rather profound effect upon me.
I haven't yet finished wrapping my mind around this new concept. I'm not yet sure how it will change me as a Mom and as a person. I only know that it has changed me.
Ella
© Ella's Place
February 15, 2012
Another Reason Why I Love My Husband
I'm pretty sure that I've mentioned how wonderful my husband is but can I tell you how amazing he is too? It's true; he is AMAZING. It's not only because he started celebrating Valentine's Day on February 1st; I got my first Valentine's card in the mail then. Or the fact that he took off the whole day yesterday to watch the children so that I could do whatever I wanted; I slept in 'til 11:45 (utter bliss). Nope, it's because he didn't get upset that our son threw up on him as soon as he walked in the door tonight.
My 1 year old must have caught a stomach bug and spent the day being miserable. He was so excited to see his Daddy! Not only does he love his Daddy but Daddy is a good cuddler and all my son wanted to do today was to cuddle. So my son met him at the door. As soon as he was in his arms, it happened.
Now, being covered in foul smelling body fluids is never fun but as soon as you walk in the door is even worse. You're just not prepared for it. I was very impressed that my husband didn't yell or get mad. He just changed his clothes, clean up the mess and cuddled up to my son again.
It just made my heart happy.
I am fully aware how fortunate I was to marry my husband. I must have done something good in my childhood to deserve him.
Ella
© Ella's Place
My 1 year old must have caught a stomach bug and spent the day being miserable. He was so excited to see his Daddy! Not only does he love his Daddy but Daddy is a good cuddler and all my son wanted to do today was to cuddle. So my son met him at the door. As soon as he was in his arms, it happened.
Now, being covered in foul smelling body fluids is never fun but as soon as you walk in the door is even worse. You're just not prepared for it. I was very impressed that my husband didn't yell or get mad. He just changed his clothes, clean up the mess and cuddled up to my son again.
It just made my heart happy.
I am fully aware how fortunate I was to marry my husband. I must have done something good in my childhood to deserve him.
Ella
© Ella's Place
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