Glasses For "A-Eee"

Sometimes it's a little boring being the only glasses-wearing person in my little family of four. Not that I would ever wish poor eye-sight on my family. But seriously, I've got a couple of friends who have little ones in glasses and I think they are just darling! And, of course, Noah takes every possible opportunity he can to pull my glasses off my face and "try" them on {meaning: put them on his neck}. So when I saw this shirt that Ashley had made, I had to make one like it for Ellie...

{and one for a dear friend who also wears glasses and just had a little girl in December}.

While I was trying to get a decent photo of Miss Eleanor, she gave the boys a stern look fitting of her name and librarian-style glasses.

Beware the look boys!

And no, Noah, Ellie's glasses most certainly don't come off her shirt!

Simple {& Silent} Saturday

{More} Milestones

Seriously, these kids are just too cute.

***

Milestones keep being reached around here... including Noah who only had one accident today and the beginning stages of a tooth for Ellie. It hasn't broken the gum {no slit yet}, but when you look closely, you can see the one on the right is getting close to doing so.

Lucky for us, Ellie is still happy-go-lucky, despite the excessive drool and her hands and fingers in her mouth.

And, after Ellie went to bed and Ben got home, Noah got a {few} fun new toy{s}:

Best $3 spent ever.

Accident-Free is the Way to Be!

My baby is growing up. And he isn't so much of a baby anymore. I want to simultaneously shout it from the rooftops and bury those words deep in the ground. It just doesn't seem possible that the little one that we had so desperately prayed for is old enough for this:

Family and friends, Noah had his first accident-free day today.


Minus sleep time, the big boy was in big boy underwear. All day. Dare I say it? {I think the boy is potty-trained.} Day potty-trained, at the very least.

He was so proud of himself all day long - smiling big and cheering for himself as soon as the musical potty started chiming.

Buddy, I was too... even though it means you are growing up.
Just {please} don't grow up too fast.


Little Sister, please don't grow up too fast either.

{BIG} Milestones

Seriously. My kids are amazing. Simply AH-MAZING. Both of them have been hitting some pretty big milestones this week.... for example...

Last night, we went to dinner with the other CGO's from Ben's squadron. I put a diaper on Noah, fully expecting him to come home from the {close to} three hour dinner with a wet diaper. NOPE. Not a drop. And the boy went right to his potty, sat down, and peed a river. Let me just say this Momma was proud. PROUD! So was his Daddy. So much so that he got to stay up nearly an hour more to play with his new Cars MegaBlocks set. AH-MAZING.

This morning, Ellie rolled over. TWICE. I took a video, hoping to catch her doing it again, but all she wanted to do was grab the cheetah on her playmat. That's okay, she doesn't need to grow up too fast. But this Mommy was proud. And so was her Daddy. AH-MAZING.

My {Two} Cuteness Factor{s}

With all this focus that I've had on potty training lately, I feel like the blog is seriously lacking on some just plain cuteness factor.


Enter Ellie.

The cuteness factor just went up 100%.

But wait, it gets better:

I had to take a video of her that was just like my most favorite one {ever} of Noah.

And I had to take this one because Noah didn't want Ellie to have all the fun!

"Gazelle-Intensity"

{Sorry to those of you who are tired of hearing about pee and poop. If you are tired of reading about it, then please don't read this post. But, if you are like me, and all your thoughts and effort are focused on it, well, join me on this road to "freedom"!}

Potty training has been taking it's toll. We know Noah gets it and is ready, but evidently he has a little too much of his Mommy and Daddy in him and is just plain stubborn. I was seriously on the verge of just giving it up and waiting a little while longer. Not because I thought he wasn't ready, but because I was feeling a little over-whelmed with it. And I realized yesterday that while the desire was there for him to be potty-trained, the drive wasn't high enough and a plan wasn't laid. Oh, we had all the right tools and rewards: M&Ms, stickers, tattoos, a fun new musical potty and we had the desire {I mean, who really wants to change two sets of diapers 6-10 times a day?} but we weren't pursuing it the way we should have been and didn't have a consistent plan.

Enter Dave Ramsey.

I know you're thinking, "Isn't he the financial guy? What on earth does he have to do with potty-training?"

He has everything to do with it.

I needed gazelle-intensity.

And so today, with the help of the timer, the DVR, lots of patience and consistency, we're at a 70% success rate with 6 pees in the potty, one poop in the potty, and three pee accidents {one of which was his naptime pull-up which probably would have been dry if he just would have gone before his nap}.

And one of those pees in the potty? He took himself there.

I'm seriously so proud. Of him and me.

Ellie is proud too.

And you know, I bet Dave Ramsey would be also.

Coupon-Clippn' Life Group

We've been facilitating Financial Peace University with our Life Group the past couple of months. This isn't the first time we've done it {we facilitated it once in California and took the course for the first time before we got engaged} and I'm fairly certain it won't be the last. We're believers. And paid off over $46K in debt in about two and a half years. Dave Ramsey, and all that he taught us, it actually part of the reason why I'm getting to stay home with the kids. So we jumped at the chance to share this information with some more of the people that we love: our Texas Life Group.

And, since Ben has taken over the grocery shopping, coupon-clipping has once again fully reentered our daily lives {we use to be able to get SUCH amazing deals in California, but the lists here just aren't as good}. He told me tonight after our Life Group left that he was forming his own coupon army... I'm afraid he might be correct:

It's the look on Josh's face that worries me most.

One thing is certain though, I just love our coupon-clippn' Life Group! AND, I love my coupon-clippn' Hubby who saved over $80 this month on the grocery bill - without a Grocery Game list! Well done Dear One!!

Just Another {Laid-Back} Saturday

We didn't do too much today. Or rather, we didn't do too much that I took any photos of: {another} trip to Hobby Lobby, lunch at the Brick Oven Pizza, potty training {with lots of sticker rewards!}, and Skype with a couple of friends. No pictures are okay sometimes.... and today was one of those times. :)

One Year Ago

One year ago today, this....

{which looks an awful lot like this}

looked like this:

And, ironically {and sadly}, 37 years ago today the Supreme Court declared a Texas law unconsitutional that prohbited abortion {Roe v. Wade}.

Pray for our unborn. Pray for our country. And love on those little {and not so little} ones in your life - someone CHOSE life for them.

An Afternoon Walk {in January!}

It was 71 today. In January. And we're not living in California anymore.

Ironically, yesterday, a tornado touched down not two miles from one of our old California small group friend's home... guess we've traded weather with them for a while.

Since we had such beautiful weather and we hadn't really left the house much this week {thank you, Potty Training}, I loaded the kids into the stroller and we headed out for a nice {long} walk.

Noah was much too busy watching the kids on their bikes to be bothered with a picture.

Ellie, well, she completely enjoyed her first walk in the stroller without her car seat.

I'm just hoping we have more days like this - 71F in January is much better than the 20s we were having around Christmas!

Normally I don't add pictures of our meals, but after I "plated" our dinner, I had to snap a photo... and yes, it was as good as it looks!

{Almost} Wordless Wednesday

{She sure can get that bum up in the air!}

Potty Training

Well, it's going. Or rather, finally, he's going. In the potty, that is.

Once. Tonight.

But we're still trying.

Because the boy loves to sit and read on his new potty.

Daddy-Noah / Mommy-Ellie "Dates"

Ben took Noah on a "date" this morning. Partly so that they could have some guy-time and partly to give me a little break too. I'm glad they went, for both reasons too. :) They went to the park to play and then ate lunch at Chick-fil-a. From the looks of the video and from the worn-out little boy {and Daddy} who came home afterwards, I'd say they had a blast.

And, with both of the guys out of the house, Ellie and I got some play-time {and craft room cleaning time} to ourselves:

We had a blast too.

Team in Training

What can I say, my husband is simply amazing. The bottom portion of this post is from him, but the photo and this little tib-bit of info? All me. :)

We're running the OKC Memorial {Half} Marathon together this year, along with my sisters. He's mostly running it just to run it with me... but as you'll see below, it's now also for training purposes. The photo below is from when he ran the OKC Memorial Marathon {FULL marathon, mind you!} April 29, 2007... which also happens to be the day that we found out I was pregnant with Noah.

***
Dear Friends and Family...

As Sam mentioned above, I'm in training again for another full marathon - the San Diego Marathon. But this time, I'm not just running it for me. This time, I am raising funds for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) as a participant in their Team In Training program and I'm asking you to help by making a donation to my fundraising campaign. Each donation helps accelerate finding a cure for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. More than 823,000 Americans are battling these blood cancers. I am hoping that my participation in Team In Training by running the San Diego Marathon will help bring them hope and support.


Please use this link to donate online (quickly and securely) and to learn more about my progress. You will receive a confirmation of your donation by email and I will be notified as soon as you make your donation.

On behalf of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, thank you very much for your support. I greatly appreciate your generosity.

Thanks,
Ben

And I would appreciate it if you would tell as many people as you can to encourage them to donate as well. Thanks again!

2009 {in Review}

I did this last year and loved it, both the process and the end result. So, without further ado, here's our 2009 in review - complete with the highs, lows, and funny moments in-between. The sentence is the opening line from a blog post from that month. Click on the month name to reread the entire post. Enjoy, I know I did!

January: This morning, Noah and I had the pleasure of spending some time with Jadyn, Erin and Josh's little one.

February: We've been sitting on another secret.

March: Time seems to be slipping by me faster than I ever thought it would or could.

April: "Bittersweet."

May: .... sister!

{And, because this one was so important this year also: When you're married to a man in the military, you know the inevitable is probably going to happen at some point or another, if he stays in long enough.}

June: All this week, Ben has been working the swing shift.

July: Reason #529,129,326 I love my husband.

August: It goes without saying that we miss the Frey's.

September: We're HOME!

October: Oklahoma played Baylor today.

November: It's no secret that we are Black Friday shoppers.

December: This morning started our normal enough.

Toes

I feel like I could just copy the post from when Noah first found his toes and paste it here. I certainly do still live in a state of constant amazement of a baby's development - even the second time around. And Katy, now that he is two, I'm STILL in constant amazement of him as well {re: your comment on that post}!

Ellie found her toes yesterday and since then, has been playing with them non-stop. Actually, after I took these pics, I went to put her in the tub and her little toes were bright pink from where she had been grasping them so tightly!

I'm just so in love with this little girl.

M&Ms {in the bathroom}

We have M&M's in our bathroom.

We all know what that means.

That means that we have a cute little tush running around here, sometimes naked, sometimes just pant-less, and {most of the time} ready to hop on the potty for an M&M.

I'm not holding my breath that it's going to happen over-night. But with a toddler who is continually pulling off his wet diapers and a mommy who is tired of changing two sets of diapers, I figure we're as ready as we can be.

Ellie @ Four Months

Between the loads of laundry {both waiting to be washed and waiting to be folded} and finishing catching up on cleaning, I didn't take Ellie's four month pictures today. BUT, I did take a couple of fun videos:

{The boy is going to be in big trouble when she learns how to fight back!}

Things Ellie Loves at Four Months:

• Eating
• Sleeping
• Smiling and laughing at Mommy, Daddy, and Big Brother
• Bath time
• Tummy-time when she has a fun toy or Big Brother nearby
  
  

Sweet Little One, we love you. More than you'll ever know. And feel so blessed to have you in our lives!

Tunnie

Now that we're back home and finally getting back to our usual routines, Noah is getting in some good playtime with his new birthday and Christmas toys. One of his favorites {and, admittedly, mine too} is the Cars GeoTrax sets that he received. Paired up with, of course, the MegaBlocks, which makes a great "tunnie" {tunnel} for Lightening, Sally, and Sarge to drive through.

"Mom! Tunnie!"




And, in other news, Little Miss turned four months old today.

I. Cannot. Believe. It.

Four month post coming tomorrow.

Two Little Glo-Worms

Ellie, the glo-worm....

meet your very own Glo-Worm.

2010 Motto

Last year, I chose a word for the year: cultivate. Throughout the year, I found myself trying {though, not always successfully} to do just that... cultivate good things within myself, my family, and my relationships. And, while I know I could easily spend another year with this word as my {our} motto, I've chosen a new word for 2010:

With two kids, a hubby, a house, and a billion other interests, I'm finding myself looking for ways to streamline and simplify our lives... so that we can spend a little more time doing the things we love and spending more quality time with the ones that we love.

Still on the Road...

We made it to Oklahoma late last night.

We. Are. Exhausted.

Especially since Noah woke up once we got there {around 11:30PM} and then didn't go back to sleep until well after 2AM {the last time that I looked at the clock while rocking him... during which, I fell asleep too}.

Luckily there were a couple of aunts and a Nana who were more than willing to take on some of the baby duties so we could get a little more rest before heading the rest of the way home.

And a Papa who was more than willing to relax and watch a movie with a very tired Ben and a sleeping Ellie.

Thanks for putting up with all the crying last night.... and we'll see you soon!

Next stop, HOME!

On the Road Again

We're on the road again today, but we had to get a couple of pictures before we headed out the door...

Thank you! For everything. We had a blast and hope that you did too. We love you!!

Snow and Siblings

I love the snow. I take that back, I love looking at snow. Preferably while I'm inside, snuggled up with the Hubby or a kiddo, with a nice warm fire or blanket and no place to go. I'm starting to think that Noah is the same way. He loved looking out the big window and saying "sno!". But getting out in it and playing in it just made him a little whinny. {Though he was WAY excited to get to put his boots on!} Ben and Noah were probably outside for about three minutes. And me? I was out there long enough to snap these pictures and run back inside to the safety and warmth of the house!

If you look carefully in the photo below, you can see the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in the background - what a beautiful view to wake up to every morning, don't you think?

***

For our last dinner while we were there, Ben's Mom and Dad took us to eat at P.F. Chang's {YUM!}. Our waiter even brought Noah a set of children's chopsticks, but since he couldn't spear his Cheerios with them, Grandma Haze helped him out and fed him some Cheerios with them.

Noah thought it was the coolest thing and would even pull more Cheerios onto his place mat for her to "feed" him. haha!

***

Since we're leaving early tomorrow morning, Marian and Sylas and Eric came over to say their goodbyes.

We'll miss you guys and hope to see you again real soon!!!