Amy had her twins!

Congrats to Amy & Brian Kindness who had twins last Tuesday. Addison was 4-11 and Brady was 6 pounds. They are beautiful babies. We are so happy for them. The photographer that did Ella and the dogs came by today to shoot her twins. Could this be any cuter? You can see a few more photos here:
http://bellajacksonphoto.blogspot.com/
All I can say is Good Luck!!!

Ella will not be going to hell OR My kid got baptized!

On Sunday, June 19th, 2009, Ella was baptised. My parents let us use their house for the party because we live in the boonies in a shoe-box sized townhouse. My mom's yard is normally gorgeous but it looked even better with all of the seating areas added. We had just over 50 people. My sister was the photographer and I love this shot of Buzz and I getting Ella ready.

Ella received this beautiful blue cross from my Godmother, Sue. It is over fifty years old. This is my immediate family. Unfortunately it's the only pic we have of all of us and it's blurry. Oh well, we'll have to wait until next year for until we're all together again. Here is Buzz's family sans Judie, Kirsten & Brent. Ella was supposed to wear my baptism gown but we ended up misplacing it. Instead she wore this dress and bonnet from Belgium circa 1960's - a gift from my dad's cousin Vicki. She did wear my booties though. Funny how we found my baptism gown the next day in the bottom of one of my mom's closets. No biggie, she looked adorable.

The Godparents. Why do men always have to change out of their party clothes so early?

My nephew Cole, the recovering alcoholic, couldn't keep away from the free beer. Oh, yeah. The bully strikes again!

BTW, this was my first big party I've thrown. I had lots of help and it was still totally stressful. Thanks to everyone who helped. I definitely could not have done it without you!

Could she be any cuter???

Nope!

Laurie: This one's for you!

Dogpark - yes, we still go!

She's two months old already!!!

Ella went to the doctor for her two month check-up and shots this week. The jerks made us wait again for like 45 minutes. What's up with that? Anywho...

Weight: 11 pounds, 2 ounces (75th percentile)

Height: 23 inches (75th percentile)

Head: can't remember (50th percentile)

I had many questions for the doc and I kind of feel like he blew me off. Ella took her shots like a trooper. She cried a bit and went back to chilling after a few minutes. She was crabby later that day though. I am sad to say I've packed up all of her newborn outfits and we're on to the 3 month outfits. She is growing so fast I can't believe my eyes. My sister and the boys are still in town and my sister keeps saying how much she'll miss her and how sad she is. I told her payback's a bitch!

More friends- this girl gets around

Ella, Adriana, Peyton, Sophia, Jacob, Luke

Ella & Colton

Adriana & Ella

Luke, Elliott, Adriana, Ella, Keaton

Adriana, Ella, Keaton

Battle of the Aunts

There's a war going on in Ella's world. It's the race to be the favorite aunt. Ella has three aunts but only two have announced their intent to be the FAVORITE. Here they are...


In this corner we have the maternal aunt, Kerry Cavender.

What does she bring to the table?

• Summers in Austin
• Her husband has a boat
• Three sons (Ella's only cousins)
• She takes a mean picture
• Ella is the little girl she always wanted but never had
• She's a darn good cook
• Has a cute dog named Ziggy

However she

• Has her own children to distract her
• Calls Ella "Pirate Girl"
• Enjoys soap operas

And in this corner we have the paternal aunt, Kirsten Refvik.

She brings:

• Summers in North Carolina
• A summer condo at Myrtle Beach
• Has no children so Ella would be number one
• Is a vegetarian
• Ella is the little sister she always wanted but never had
• Makes a great cup of tea

But she

• Doesn't have a dog
• Has a large grudge bag
• Has 7 OTHER nieces and nephews
• Calls Ella "glowworm"
  

It's a close race but we'll have to wait a few years to see who wins.

Look what I found in the laundry...

The Bully

Drive-by Lickings

Otis doesn't pay much attention to Ella throughout the day. However, he has perfected the drive-by licking.


He approaches Ella gently and appears to be sniffing her.

When I see that he is licking her face I yell out to stop him...

But he is too fast for me and Ella is none the wiser.

My parents think it's funny that I am adamant about people washing their hands before they touch her but the dogs can do no wrong. I tell them that dogs don't carry flu viruses or cold germs.

Ella and her Texas cousins

My sister, her kids and my brother came over Thursday to watch Ella while I got my hair did. Here are a few shots my sister got while I was away...

Could these two be any cuter? And what a great book choice by Cole.

I know Ella looks just like Buzz but sometimes she looks a bit like Blake when he was a baby. Apparently Aidan prefers Otis to Ella. I get it. Ella is a lucky little girl because these boys sure love her. They are always arguing over who is going to hold her. They are great about washing their hands before they touch her and Cole and Aidan have become the hand-washing police - questioning all who dare to touch Ella with an innocent, "Did you wash your hands?" I love them.