What have I gotten myself into???

And so it begins...

2009-08-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

School starts tomorrow. I am trying to be upbeat, but it is not always easy. It is killing me to leave my little girl every day and know that someone else is spending more waking hours with her than I am. She is in EXCELLENT hands with Nonni and Ms. Dana and she LOVES to go. As I leave and hear her little voice say "See ya Mama!", I smile and get a little sad. It will also be hard to see Bhealor a little less. She is becoming a little lady so quickly. It is hard to believe that she was only 3 when this whole journey began. I love to watch her grow and become so independent, but it is bitter sweet. Too bad we can't stop time every now and then.

I know this is meant to be about the girls...I didn't mean to create a pity party. Forgive me. It just seemed as good a place as any to get this off my chest. Besides, is anyone reading my blog anymore?!? I am SO bad about updating it, I think I have lost all of my readers. :o)

In closing, to those of you who get to be with your babies full or part time, cherish it. Know how fortunate you are and don't take it for granted. For those of us going back to caring for other peoples' babies and educate the future (hopefully!), may you have an amazing year!

Thank you for humoring me...I promise more pictures of adorable kids to come!

How time flies...

2009-06-15T13:37:00.000-07:00

Okay, okay...I am a terrible blogger! So much has happened since my last post. Ella turned 1, started walking and talking, Bhealor turned 9 and kicked the Reading Taks's butt, Jason and I bought a house and moved to North Richland Hills (we are here to stay!!), and I completed my 10th year of teaching!! Here are some pictures to share our milestones...enjoy!
Daddy/Daughter Dance

First Birthday

First "big girl" Haircut

Happy Birthday Sissy!

Happy Easter!!

2009-01-06T18:42:00.000-08:00

It has been too long since my last post...it is hard to find the time these days! Ella and Bhea are growing like crazy! Ella's personality is deffinately taking shape! She says "HI!" and waves now. Dancing is her favorite passtime and she ADORES her sister and gets sad when it is time for Sissy to leave. She is amazing!

Bhealor is doing really well in 3rd grade and loving her teacher. She is playing indoor soccer and has found her niche at defense. She is an amazing big sister and she is also very excited about our upcoming ski trip.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the last couple of months!

2008-10-15T18:52:00.000-07:00

Please welcome Avery Michelle to the world! She arrived on October 3rd (ignore the date on the picture...i don't know how to get that off of the camera!) and she is the baby girl of my childhood friend, Tarah. Avery and Ella are the same age apart as Tarah and I!

Little miss thing was so tired the other day, that she fell asleep ON her bumper pads at Nonni's!

We went to the Flowermound Pumpkin Patch with Aunt Katy, Zoe and Nolan. We had a blast! Later that day...Ella and I went to the Park After Dark with Nonni, Aunt Tammy and Luke. Ella and Nonni won the Monster Walk and then Luke beat Nonni in a game of Push the Pumpkin. A great time was had by all!

October already?!?

2008-09-29T18:19:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it is not OFFICIALLY October, but pretty darn close! Ella is loving her big girl carseat (thanks to Aunt Katy!). She can sit up and see so much more now. It is funny to hear her talking to herself back there. I can't wait for her to face the front!

Here she is showing her support for Uncle Harry in her camo! Of course, her camo is "princess camo"! :o) We are counting down the days until Uncle H is back on US soil! He heads back October 13th and we cannot wait!!
Ella hung out with Grandma for Grandma's birthday. She had fun getting to know the new puppy, Prissy and spending some time in the country.

Movin' right along...

2008-09-13T05:39:00.000-07:00

Ella and I went to Waco to visit my family. Uncle Taylor FINALLY got to meet his niece! G-Dad worked with Ella on her crawling...she put forth a good effort, but we are still scootin'! Aunt Susu got to spend a lot of time with us and we had a great time!!

Bhealor started playing soccer again. Daddy is VERY proud and excited! Bhea is aggressive and because of that, spends a lot of time on the ground! :o) She is doing a great job and loving every minute of it!

Ella is having a blast at Ms. Dana's and Nonni's during the week. She loves being spoiled and playing with her little friends!

cutie patooties...

2008-08-13T17:39:00.000-07:00

Little Miss Ella is rolling right along! Check out her skills!

We started baby food this week. As you can see, the sweet potatoes were a hit! Believe it or not, she did get some in her tummy and not just on her face! We will move on to some green and yellow stuff later in the week.

Jason and I took Bhealor and her cousin Kade rollerskating. I have not laughed that hard in a long time! It was amazing to see that the games have not changed since I was hanging out at the rink in elementary school! They had a blast and both mastered the rollerblades before the night was over.

Bhea finished up her horse lessons last week. We are really proud of how much she learned this summer! She is already planning her riding outfit for next summer. It will include pink boots and helmet, of course!

Can you tell how much these sisters love each other? We have had such a great summer! We are going to miss having Bhea here every day with us! I am blessed to have been able to spend so much time with my girls this summer...

Slow Down, Summer!

2008-07-30T18:09:00.000-07:00

Aunt Tammy and Luke kept Ella for me one day and evidently made friends with a new pet tiger. Don't worry, the kids were perfectly safe...Tammy says he is VERY tame! :o) I am pretty sure that Ella is telling Luke he really should not wear that shirt around her. Ha ha!! She had a blast with them that day.

Bhealor has taken to photography. This is "Sisters Self Portrait"...I think we have a budding photographer on our hands!

I think the shirt says it all!

Grandma Kolby took the kids to Great Wolf Lodge for a night. Paige spent the night with them and Ella and I came to visit for a little while. Fun was had by all! Ella was excited to show off her abs. She has been working very hard on them!

Ella held this pose just long enough for the picture. She is wearing a pair of overalls that belonged to her sister and some kickin' A&M sneakers! She is growing so fast! Rolling over is an every day activity now, cereal is no match for her and she can't get enough of Bhealor. It is just adorable!

Road Trip

2008-07-14T14:28:00.000-07:00

Ella took her first lengthy car trip this weekend with mama and Nonni. We went to visit Aunt Rayna and Gavin in Houston. Gavin is one month younger than Ella. They had a lot of fun checking each other out. She was perfect on the way down and back. She slept all the way there and most of the way home. Nonni did ride in the back for a short time to entertain her. However, I don't think she minded in the least! A great time was had by all!

Bhealor comes home this week. We are really missing her. You can see from the look on Ella's face that she was happy to hear the news about her sister! It will be good to have her back home!

Happy July!!

2008-07-07T16:55:00.000-07:00

Ella is missing her sister...Bhealor went to Missiouri to visit her cousins for 2 weeks. We miss her, but we know she is having a blast! My family went to the 4th of July parade and Ella managed to sleep through some of it. That night, we put her to bed and watched the fireworks from our front yard with Tarah and Terry. Somehow, Ella slept through the whole thing! Don't worry, her hearing is fine! She just likes her sleep! She is deffinately MY daughter!

Ella had cereal for the first time tonight. She was not quite sure what to make of it, but managed to get most of it into her belly!

We entered her into the "Mix 102.9 DFW's Cutest Baby" contest! Round one ends on July 10th! Hopefully she will get enough votes to move on to the next round. Mama and Daddy need that trip to Mexico!! :o)

I got a job! Yea!! I will be teaching 1st grade again in Arlington at Johns Elementary. I am really excited about being back "home". I won't be with my best partner in crime at Farrell, but at least I will be closer! Maybe Tammy and I will meet up at the Sonic. :o)

How can 4 months have passed already?

2008-06-22T16:11:00.000-07:00

We met Katy and the kids at the Galleria for a playdate. They had a blast!

Ella had her 4 month appointment with Dr. Hampton on Friday. She is 15 lbs 13 oz and 26 inches long! That puts her in the 95% for height and weight and in the 50% for head size. Don't worry, the doctor says that is normal! :o) She is changing so much every day. She loves her exersaucer, even though she does not really know what she is doing with it. Her little face just lights up when the sounds go off. I don't know who enjoys it more...Ella, Bhealor or Mama! :o)

We are spending a lot of time at Nana and Papa's swimming and Bhealor is loving her horse riding lessons. I am still looking for a job! Not fun!!

Hope everyone is having a great summer!

Are they cute or what???

2008-06-05T18:23:00.000-07:00

Ella FINALLY met her aunts, Lindsey and Shauna, over Memorial Day weekend. G-dad and Aunt Shauna flew in from California and Aunt Lindsey made a surprise trip in from Louisiana. Everyone was greeted appropriately with smiles and spit-up.

Bhealor is excited to be out of school and a 3rd grader! She will be going to horse camp and visiting her cousins in Kansas. Ella is excited to have her big sissy around to play with. Both girls have new swimsuits and are eager to use them. Ella has started "talking" and turning over to her side. We are working on going all the way over to her tummy, but it is hard work! :o)

My dad heard from my brother and he sounds good. He said Harrison loves to get mail from back home and that some of his outfit will be returning in August. He is slated to come home in October. I am praying for the August return! Thank you for keeping him in your prayers.

Month 3...already?!?!

2008-05-18T12:47:00.000-07:00

Take a look at Bhealor's tooth! You can't even tell it was ever broken! She is very excited to have it fixed.

This picture has become my new favorite of Ella! I cannot believe she is already 3 months old!

It is so hard to leave that face every morning. I am back at work and counting down the days until I don't have to do it for awhile. She is having a blast with Nonni and Grandma Linda. They love on her and spoil her rotten! We are so blessed to have them!

Ella, like her mama, loves to hang out in her jammies! I love the bunny slippers. Wish they made them in my size! :o)

My first "official" Mother's Day was wonderful. We had Baby Dedication at church and then a picnic with the family. Jason and the girls spoiled me and so did my mom. I can't wait to use my gift certificates to get pampered!

This video (if I did it correctly!) is just a little clip of Ella playing. I was trying to get her "talking"! Excuse any funny noises mommy may be making to encourage her or "little people big world" going on in the background! I will try to get some better footage! :o) Enjoy!

Busy, busy, busy...

2008-04-30T12:07:00.001-07:00

Bhealor was playing with a dog and a football helmet. They both turned at the same time and her tooth paid the price! Don't worry...we went to the dentist yesterday to have it fixed and she is back to her old self!

Ella, Nonni & I went to watch Luke test for his yellow belt. He was awesome! We were very proud of him! Ella had fun watching Luke and hanging out with Aunt Tammy.

Here is my bright-eyed princess! It is breaking my heart that I have to go back to work on Monday. I will miss being with her all day. I know how blessed I am to have been able to be off for so long...I will be counting down the days until summer break!

2 months...already?!?!

2008-04-17T14:22:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that 2 months have gone by since Ella entered the world. She is changing so much every day. At her dr. appointment, she weighed in at 12.4 pounds and 23.5 inches! She has begun to "talk" to us and smile more. It is amazing!

I am trying to upload pics, but the site keeps saying there has been an error. I'll keep trying!

5 Weeks...

2008-03-29T10:06:00.000-07:00

Cousin Victoria came by on her way to Waco from California. She was visiting my sister, Shauna for Spring Break. This was her first time to see Ella and she brought hugs and kisses from Aunt Shauna with her.

On Easter Sunday, we went to Quitman to visit with Jason's family. Ella got to meet her great granny and great aunt. The kids hunted Easter eggs and we had a fabulous lunch! Notice who is holding Ella...yep, we had a break through! Bhealor has finally gotten comfy with holding her and she is loving it! She is a wonderful big sister!

Cousin Luke and Nonni came over to give me a break one afternoon. I was able to go to Target and get out of the house for a few moments.

Ella took her first nap in her "big girl bed". She seems so small in there, but she loved it. We will work on spending nights in there next week. She blessed Mommy with 2 nights of 5.5 hour stretches of sleep. Hopefully she will continue to spoil me!

One Month Already??

2008-03-18T16:32:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe it has been almost a month. My dad, or G-dad as Ella calls him, came to visit from California. He stayed with us for a few days and spoiled the girls royally! The Eeyore and Pooh he bought for Ella are bigger than she is! Miss Ella is up to 9.6 pounds and changing every day. She is amazing...

On a more somber note, my brother, Harrison, left for Afghanistan last Thursday. He made it there safely and will be gone for 7 months. Please pray for him! I will post updates as I get them.

Week two...

2008-03-05T12:09:00.001-08:00

Things are going great around here. My grandmother, aunt, and brother came into town to visit little miss thing last week. Uncle Harrison will not see her again for 7 months. He is leaving for Afghanistan in 2 weeks. I refuse to think about it, but he is excited and ready to serve his country.

Ella is doing very well. She is almost back up to birth weight and has grown 1/2 inch. She is just amazing! Bhealor finally decided to hold her. She loves her, but is a little scared of tiny size. I promised her that she will get more exciting as she gets older. :o) The Brandelands came over for a visit also. Zoe and Nolan fell in love with "baby lella". More to come...

Little Miss Thing...

2008-02-27T11:50:00.000-08:00

Ella Ann made her grand entrance Feb. 21st! She is beautiful and amazing! It is hard to believe that Jason and I created something so awesome....Adjusting to life at home is taking some time. She sleeps a lot during the day, but somehow knows she is not right by Mom and Dad at night. We are working on that!

I have never experienced something so exhausting and rewarding all at the same time. She looks just like her big sister did when she was a baby. Guess daddy wins again! :o) She does have my hands and feet and my ability to sleep through anything. She has daddy's laid back personality and good looks. We are truly blessed! I promise to keep up the blog as best I can! Hang in there with me!

Where has the time gone??

2008-02-19T11:43:00.001-08:00

Please forgive me for not writing before now. We have had just a LITTLE going on! :o) Since the last post, we have sold our house and moved to Hurst. I was put on semi-bedrest and Valentine's Day was my last day at work. Ella will make her debut this Thursday at 7:30 am!! It is hard to believe the day is here!!

These two pictures were taken Friday as Bhealor and Jason prepared for the Daddy/Daughter dance at school. Aren't they cute??

I am nine months along and feel like I have a bowling ball attached to my belly!

I cannot wait to meet this little princess who has been rearranging my internal organs for the last 9 months! I promise to TRY and get posts up on a more regular basis! Love to you all!!

Happy Holidays...

2008-01-03T07:31:00.000-08:00

This is me at 6 months. It is hard to believe how quickly time is flying! My Aggie Sister, Rayna and her hubby came in for a visit the first weekend of December. They are expecting their first baby, a boy, on Tax Day! She has a step-son named Keegan who is over the moon excited about his new little brother!
Christmas came quickly this year. We had our Christmas with Bhealor the night before Christmas Eve. Her favorite gift, above her new bike...the Tony Romo poster!

On Christmas Eve, we went to Bowie to celebrate the Young Christmas.

There were many gifts and great food. We had a blast! After the celebration, we took Bhealor back to her mom's and headed to Arlington for the Stephens' Christmas to take place the next day.

We had an all day fiesta and ended the day with a 3 hour game of Monopoly! It was fierce! Still to come...Waco Christmas and the Farrell baby shower!

Gobble, Gobble...

2007-11-25T08:20:00.000-08:00

This has been a great Thanksgiving! On Saturday, Bhealor drove us to Bowie (well, just up the gravel road), with a little help from Daddy. We celebrated Jason's birthday and Thanksgiving with the Youngs.

On Wednedsay, we went to Waco to see my Grandma and sisters. Shauna was in from California and Lindsey was in from Louisiana. It was nice to have them in one place! My cousin, Victoria was also in from Lubbock. We are all over the place!

On Thursday, we went to the Cowboys game and watched them stomp the Jets! It snowed! It was a lot of fun!

I think I finally gained back feeling in my toes on Friday! That day, the Stephens clan came out to the house to watch the Aggies stomp the longhorns. It was a great football week all the way around! I also got to visit with my "little" brother, Harrison over the phone on Friday. He is in North Carolina preparing to be deployed in February. It was so good to hear his voice and I can't wait to see him at Christmas.

Oh, here is my Dad's version of my last sonogram...

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!

Crazy weekends...

2007-10-29T16:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of our trip to the zoo at the end of September. Yes, it took me that long to get them off the camera! Zoe and Bhealor had a blast on our Girls' Day Out. It is becoming quite the tradition! Bhealor showed off her photography skills with this picture of Zoe and Katy.

This weekend, we carved a pumpkin and "cheated" on another one. They turned out pretty well! Bhealor was kind enough to scoop out the insides herself, because it makes me gag. :o) She is such a good girl! And no, I am NOT hiding another pumpkin under my shirt! :o)

Here is our little pumpkin family! Pumpkin Festival pictures to come soon! Happy Halloween!!

It's a girl!!

2007-10-24T18:50:00.000-07:00

Well, here she is! It is strange to see her little features taking shape! I still cannot believe that little person is inside of me! When Jason asked Bhealor "what do you want, a brother or sister?", she said "a brother". Then he told her it was a girl and she started to scream. He said, "I thought you wanted a brother" and her response was..."That is before I knew it was a sister!!" She is super excited and so are we. Jason doesn't stand a chance against the 3 women of the house!
As for other big news, we have decided we are too far away from friends and family. It has taken a toll on us physically, emotionally and financially! We need to be closer to Bhealor as well as our support team when the newest little princess arrives. SO, we have decided to sell the house, take our profit and move back to the city. It has been a learning experience and we now know that we are not ready to be in the country. We will hold on to the house plans and rebuild later down the road. We don't know exactly where we will end up, but for now, we are just looking forward to getting back!

Month 4

2007-09-23T08:30:00.000-07:00

Well, you wanted a belly bump and here it is...

I am still (somehow) at only 2 pounds gained so far. However, if I don't stop craving carbs, that number will shoot up drastically! :o) Jason's parents drove in to buy a Mule (the kind you drive, not the animal) from one of our neighbors. We decided to see who looks more pregnant, Mommy or Grandpa?!?!

So much to say...

2007-08-30T18:22:00.000-07:00

Sorry to be so behind in my blogs. This one will be a long one to cover everything since the last one! School is off to a rocky start...I will get the hang of it, but I feel like I am a first year teacher all over again. I have one who is trying my patience on a daily basis and I don't know how I will make it through the year! Here are some pics of my classroom...

Last Sunday we had a Chick-fil-A reunion. It was a blast! We all worked for Mr. Hassler together at some point from
'90-'95. This was one of the best jobs I ever had! 3 out of my 5 bridesmaids were people I had met at CFA. It was fun to hear the old stories and freak out our boss with how much he didn't know went on when he was gone!

One more thing...I went to the doctor today to check on the peanut and everything looks good. Mom went with me and it meant a lot to have her there. I thought we would just hear the heartbeat, but it moved around so much we had trouble hearing it for long. The nurse was kind enough to do a sonogram! Bonus to being the last patient of the day! I have only gained one and a half pounds and I think that is all in my chest! :o) I don't know if you can tell in these sono pics, but our little bean is GT. Yes, it can wave and spell! I am so excited! Ha, ha! Here is a pic of me at the end of the 1st trimester and the latest photos of the little one! We go back October 16th to find out what we are having.

Getting Away...

2007-08-13T16:29:00.000-07:00

I am a little late in posting this, but Jason and I went away for a couple of days after the Sea World trip. We went to a resort called the Escondida and it is located in Medina, Texas. I did not know that such beautiful places existed in Texas!!

We stayed and relaxed for 2 days. They served breakfast and dinner every day and provided free wine and beer. Unfortunately, I could not enjoy that part of the package! On our way back home, we stopped in Fredericksburg and shopped. It was just the perfect get away to prepare for going back to work! Yuck!

First Meeting...

2007-08-02T16:08:00.000-07:00

Well, I hope this does not oog (yes that is a word!) anybody out, but here is a picture of our little bean.
We "met" him/her for the first time today. There is a strong flickering of a heartbeat, little arms and legs and one big 'ol head! I am hoping the body catches up to that! Luke and Travis said it "looks like a boy" and Jason is questioning the paternity, because "it looks nothing like him." :o) All kidding aside, it is amazing to see that little thing alive in there. It is all so real now. It is hard to believe we created this and it is really in there! The doctor said everything looks good and we should be able to hear the heartbeat next month.

Surviving Shamu...

2007-07-23T14:13:00.000-07:00

Well, we survived Sea World! We had a great time, but it was exhausting! Bhealor could not get enough of the water park or the animals. She mentioned wanting to be a trainer one day. She picked the largest rollercoaster and decided she just HAD to ride it. It scared the daylights out of her, but we were proud of her for wanting to conquer it. I couldn't ride anything. So I spent a lot of time catching up on my reading and people watching. Next year, I will conquer the Electric Eel! It was a wonderful vacation and hopefully, I will recover soon!

Here we go...

2007-07-13T15:28:00.000-07:00

Well, Tammy has talked me into blogging my soon to be expanding belly! I will put other stuff up here, too! This is my first post and I have never actually blogged before. I don't really know where to start! I am about 6 weeks along and scared to death! Having said that, we are very excited!!! We told Bhealor last night that she is going to be a big sister. I think she is in shock, but very happy. She insists she wants a sister and we have to keep reminding her that WE don't decide that! Her response is "I know, I know, God does!" However secretly, I think she feels if she wishes hard enough, she can make it happen! We are off to Sea World on Sunday...Get a glimpse of my future at the Shamu show! Ha, ha!!