Time with Friends

Early this morning, we loaded up the kids and the car and headed out to Dallas to spend some time with Nick, Lendy, and Mack. We were so happy to get there - to get out of the car, eat Chipotle and to see how big each other's kiddos have gotten since the last time we saw them.

Jerod, Elaine, and Cana came over a little later and we were so excited to finally get to meet Cana. The last time we were out that way, Elaine was still pregnant with Cana {and I was too with Ellie}. She'll be one next week!

The girls stopped playing for a little bit to share snacks.

Noah just loved playing with Mack.

Buddy, please. Stop growing. You're too darn cute and I just can't stand it... all I want to do is just squeeze and kiss you!

We didn't even bother with trying to get a "couch" picture this time around.... too many additions!

We love you guys! Thanks for coming over to hang out!!

Just What I've Been Waiting to See

The first time around, I was so {very} aware of every single little new thing that Noah was doing. And this time around, while I still consider myself very aware of the new things that Ellie is doing, sometimes they sneak up and surprise me when I look at photos like these and realize:

I've been waiting over 16 months {8ish months in the uterus and 8 out} to see this:

My Little Dear Ones playing together.

And actually sharing.

"Pillar Aye-ee Momma" {I gave the caterpillar to Ellie, Momma!}

If I knew they'd all be like this {and stay like this}, I'd have 510 more.

And, along the same lines of realizing that she's acquired a new skill, seemingly overnight... here's a video showing off Ellie's amazing pincher grasp skills:

We've also got a tooth that you can {finally} see... and it's not just a slit.
The Little One is growing up, I tell ya!

P.S. Happy Birthday Papa/Daddy-Man! We love you so much!

It's More Fun {When You Do It Together}

It's more fun to go to the potty when you take {Big Boy} George with you.

And it's more fun to have a dramatic sword fight throughout the house with Daddy when you have two swords AND a battle axe.

{Ellie @} 8 Months

Happy Eight Months, Dear Ellie!

I don't think this Little Dear One can become any cuter - I don't see how it is possible! As I was trying to decide what to dress her in for her pictures, I remembered that I had just bought the fabric for her "Abby Cadabby" dress for Sesame Street Live and decided it would be fun to use all that organza instead of dressing her up... and now I simply can't wait to make {but first design! eek!} her dress!

Things Ellie Loves at Eight Months Old:

• Eating only fruits. Seriously. Try to give her any veggies and she'll spit them out. Even if they are mixed in with a fruit. Trust me. I've tried that. MANY times. I'm being paid back for my pickiness as a child.
• Rolling around on the floor to get to her desired location. Which is usually one of Big Brother's toys.
• Watching Daddy do anything. If Ben is in the room, her eyes are on him. She loves her Daddy!
• Playtime with Mommy and Big Brother.
• Story time with Mommy and Big Brother. She immediately starts laughing when she sees that we're about to read a book!
  
  We love you, Dear Little One. We love getting to watch you grow and explore the world around you. You are so amazing and beautiful! Mommy, Daddy, and Big Brother will eat you up, we love you so!

Pizza and Bubbles

With the Air Show now over, Ben has a little more time to focus on finishing up his LLS fundraising campaign. Today, he partnered with the AMMO Booster Club and did a "Pizza & Soda" lunch. The kids and I went up to support it by eating pizza in Daddy's office. {You too, can still support Ben's LLS Fundraising campaign!}

After naps and snacks, we went outside to play with some bubbles. Last week I had bought a huge bubble wand at the dollar store for Noah {the small ones we have just are not easy for him manipulate... and he ends up with a mouth-full of bubbles}, but they didn't have any bubble solution so we hadn't had a chance yet to use it. Luckily, the next day, a friend from college had posted a homemade recipe for bubbles on her blog! {Just a warning, if you click over to her blog, don't come back and judge my photos... Ashley is an AMAZING photographer! I wish I had half of her talent!}

Ellie hung out on the patio while I was snapping some photos.


And I was so glad that I decided to go ahead and put Noah in his swim trunks to play...

...in a span of about 10 minutes, he managed to spill out the majority of the bubbles - onto himself. I've no clue how.

Let's just say he's not a fan of the water hose when the water is being sprayed onto him.

A Banana for My Monkeys

Noah has always been a big fan of bananas. We always knew that he was part monkey.

Ellie is a big fan also. Instead of pureeing it up, I gave her the other half of the banana in the mesh feeder... and the girl monkey went to town. There was literally nothing left inside the feeder when I took it away from her.

I just love my little monkeys.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mommas, Mommas-to-Be, and Trying-to-Become-a-Momma-Mommas!!

A couple of special shout-out "Happy Mother's Day!" to a couple special Mommas - the Momma of my Hubby and the Momma of my Momma! We love you bunches!

And speaking of my Momma....

Happy {29th} Mother's Day!

{And, because Daddy-Man would write it if he was authoring this post... and because I'm sure he'll say it out loud when he reads it... nice legs Mom. Seriously.}

I love you!

***

Just now, as I was prepping up this post, I was looking at some of my friend's Mother's Day posts and besides laughing that Angie and I put our writing on the same spots {great minds, Angie!!}, I was insanely jealous that they were able to get such beautiful shots of them and their child{ren}.

Noah was more than just a little uncooperative.


I've no clue where he gets that from {ahem}.


At least the Littlest Dear One was willing to take a picture with Mommy.

And Benjamin, your card is still cracking me up. If I could read it out loud without laughing, I'd post a video... because photos alone don't do it justice. I'm so grateful to be walking this road of parenthood with you - you keep me giggling even when I don't feel like it. Dirty diapers, piles of toys, missing sippy cups, and all.

LLS "Shower"

After his usual run {as usual as a 10+ mile run can be} this morning, Ben headed up to the United in Abilene to participate in the LLS Carwash. It was suppose to be held a few weeks ago, but was postponed due to weather. And truthfully, it was so chilly and cloudy today that it probably could have been postponed again. The Sequoia, as a result from our last trip to Oklahoma, had already been given a "shower" {Noah thinks that a carwash is a shower... and calls it such}, so instead of taking it up there to be washed, we just brought Daddy-Ben some lunch.

Ellie spent her time either in her carseat or in her Bumbo eating lunch in the back of the Sequoia. I think she thought it was fun.

Noah, despite the cooler temperature, wanted to help. And as we were driving back home continued to tell me all about the "Cars! Shower... shower, Momma!"

It's not too late to donate to Ben's LLS fundraising campaign! Feel free to use the link on the side bar or click here to see his progress. Every little bit helps to find a cure for Leukemia, Lymphoma, and other blood cancers!

Another Roley Poly {and Reason #1 & 2}

Ellie is officially a Roley Poly now. She's finally figured out that if she rolls from front to back and back to front that she can get just about anywhere she wants. Ben and I are taking bets on how long until she's officially crawling or walking.

She was reason #2 we don't wear shoes in the house. Reason #1? For the most part, he doesn't rub his face into the carpet any more. So she's now reason #1.

{Snuggly} Friends

Miss Jadyn came over this morning to spend some time with us. I came back into the living room from putting Ellie down for her morning nap to find Jadyn and Noah like this:

Jadyn told me, "Ms. Sam, Noah's letting me hold him!"

I about fell over from laughter.

And then promptly took a photo.

And then sent them outside to play.

{Mostly} Wordless Wednesday

***

{Happy Cinco de Mayo with Margarita Cupcakes!}

Cake for the Littles

We made blueberry muffins Sunday morning and Noah simply loved them. Normally, I can't get the kid to eat anything, but if you call a muffin "cake", you're golden...

{Notice the car that is also in the same hand that is holding the muffin.}

Ellie also got a little bit of Noah's blueberry cake...

and was very upset when it was all gone.

Project 30 {for my 30th}

I turn 30 this year. In 30 days, to be exact. And truthfully, I'm not nearly as excited about entering this new decade as I was when I turned 20. For one thing, I can't tell Ben that he's such an Old Man {without being told that I'm an old woman, anyway}. But there are several things that the prospect of turning 30 has made me think about {I still haven't decided if I'm going to just embrace 30 or feign ignorance and stay 29 forever}. One of those things is how I'm reaching out for the Kingdom. How my actions, desires, and behaviors are affecting not only my life, but my children's lives and points of view as well. I want to set an {amazing} example for my children of how I use my talents {double meaning here} for the good and benefit of others. I want them to see that their Mommy was not only giving of herself to them, but to others who need a little extra love or encouragement. Another thing I've been thinking about is how little I really need. I mean, don't get me wrong, I can always think of things that I would like to own, but the reality is, there is little that I actually need.

Enter Project 30 {for my 30th}.

Instead of asking for gifts for myself, I'm asking for your help. My goal is to have 30 {handmade} blankets to donate to Project Linus. But not for just any Project Linus chapter. There are plans underway to open a new Project Linus chapter right here in Abilene in October. {And, if it falls through, the blankets will be donated to the Oklahoma City chapter.} It's a big task, but I'm determined. Project Linus gives blankets to babies and children who are seriously ill in the hospital, usually ones whom are in the NICU or PICU. Noah actually received one while he was in the NICU - hence the reason why Project Linus is so near and dear to my heart.

Want to help by making a blanket?

I would love your help! Project Linus accepts all types of handmade blankets, including sewn, crocheted, knitted, and even "tied" blankets! Please be aware though, that Project Linus has very strict guidelines about the blankets that are donated. You can read the full FAQs about the requirements here, but here is a shortened version of their guidelines: Handmade blankets should be at least 36" x 36", with the preferred size being 45" x 60" {crib size}, made in child friendly colors. Fabric for sewn blankets MUST be 100% cotton {INCLUDING the batting - should the blanket catch on fire for some reason, polyester batting will MELT, not burn} and 100% cotton or acrylic yarn {no wool} for crocheted or knitted blankets. Please remember that these blankets are going to chronically ill children, so blankets that have pet hair or dander, smell strongly of chemicals {including some laundry soaps} or smell of smoke will not be accepted by Project Linus or the hospitals. My goal is to have all 30 blankets ready to go by October 1 - so there's no rush, but feel free to send them at any time.

Want to help, but don't sew, knit, or crochet?

You can still help me reach the goal of giving {at least!} 30 handmade blankets to 30 children. If you know someone who could help by making a blanket, send them the link to this blog post. If you have a blog, please link away {I'm considering making a "button" for this post}. Feel free to repost on Twitter, Facebook or MySpace too!

If you are interested in being involved, please leave me a comment or send me an email letting me know {and I'll get any additional information you need and give you my shipping address} - it doesn't take much to make a blanket, but I promise you this: the parents and children who receive it will be touched forever. I know we have been. And thanks for helping me make this my best birthday ever!

Shutterfly Update

Shutterfly is currently updated through November 2009! {Woohoo! Go me!} December 2009 - March 2010 is loaded, I just need to put some of them onto the share site, which will hopefully happen sometime this week {I'll post another update once it is completely updated through the end of April}. As always, if you don't have the password, please leave a comment or email me.


And, sorry there is no real post for today - between finally planting our garden, enjoying some {long awaited} family time, and making a ridiculously large Life Group meal, no photos were taken... though a couple of Noah "working" in the garden this morning would have been dar-ling!

Big Country AirFest

I can say, with all honesty, that I have very much been looking forward to this weekend... since January. Ben would probably say that he's been looking forward to TOMORROW since December. Ben was tasked with the job of "Ground Boss" for the Big Country AirFest and while it is going to look great in his upcoming Major's board package, it's been pretty demanding of his time and energy. He was basically, second/third in command... of the entire Air Show. Anything that happened on the ground was under his care. It's meant some really long hours {for both of us} and extra unneeded stress. And today, it's all over! {Yay!} Personally, I think he did a bang-up job and am so proud of him - Dear One, you. are. amazing. And seriously... maybe we should go into party planning after you retire. ;)

After Ellie woke up from her morning nap, the kids and I headed up to the base. One nice thing about being married to one of the guys in charge is that I got to park on the flight line... after I finally got on base. It took me about 30 minutes to get through the main gate, but some {non-military} friends said it took them nearly two hours! Sheesh!

Not only was it the Air Show weekend, but it was also the B-1's 25th Anniversary.

I'm not sure of the total turn-out, but it was pretty crowded!

The Thunderbirds also made an appearance and did a show later on in the afternoon.

Noah brought along his airplane too.

And Ellie? She attempted to take her afternoon nap in the stroller, but kept getting woken up by the flybys.

Particularly by the Thunderbirds... whom we totally expected to scare Noah and not Ellie. Amazingly, the boy was in love.

"Pane! Fying! LUK!! Pane! FY-ING!"

My favorite part of the Air Show?

Rockin' in the Park

Tonight was Rockin' in the Park on base, and because Ben left the house at the BCOD to get the static displays and concessions set up for the Big Country AirFest tomorrow and wouldn't be home until late tonight, the kids and I met him up there to have some dinner and a little bit of time as a family. The kids were so tired {and so was Ben}, but they definitely enjoyed themselves.

There was so much to see that Ellie literally only slept for about 20 minutes while we were there... despite the fact that by the time we left, it was hours past her bedtime.

Noah kept us, the Major and his wife entertained with his amazing dancing skills... and his eventual lack of fear at running away.

Luckily, this Little One can't run away yet.

Chair-Stealer or Budget-Helper?

Little Sister went to bed a little early tonight and Noah got to stay up a little later than usual so that he could spend some time with Daddy. {I, along with Ben, will be SO happy when the Air Show and the 13 hour+ work days are over. Sheesh!} Staying up later than usual also meant that Mommy needed to get some work done while Noah was awake. I came back into the living room after checking on dinner to find this:

I'm not sure if he was stealing my chair so that he could listen to iTunes better or if he was making sure that I am putting enough money into his college fund. My guess is the former, but with him, you never know.

Look Who's a Big Girl Now

Sorry there's no photos for the past two days. I decided to give myself, my camera, and my computer a break since I took over 500 photos just last week during the A Week In The Life project... and only trimmed it down to just under 400! Whew!

***

During my break from my camera {and labeling pictures}, I stripped out the carseats and mats {and everything else in the car} to vacuum the entire car and wash the carseat covers. While I was doing that, I decided to go ahead and move Ellie out of the infant "bucket" seat and into the OU Britax. It was a totally bittersweet moment. It means she's not a little baby anymore {and that I've now got to always put her in a highchair - eek!}. She genuinely seemed to enjoy it when we left this afternoon for her first ride in her big girl seat.

I think her favorite part was being able to see Noah completely. Noah wasn't nearly as excited as Ellie, whom I heard giggle a good portion of the ride, but he did tell me all about "Ay-eee's chair" and "Ay-eee's hand" {he was grabbing her hand - hence the giggles from Ellie} the whole ride to Walmart.


Hopefully there won't be too many fights over toys during road trips this summer.


{{sigh}}

It seems like just yesterday that he was riding in the OU seat.