From Dogs to Baby

Family photo shoot

2012-01-17T22:15:00.005-06:00

Every time I come to Texas we plan on taking great photos of the kids and we procrastinate until the last day. We all dread it and usually there is an uncooperative toddler and two grade-schoolers fighting and one teen rolling his eyes and texting. This shoot was no different. But Kerry always manages to get some great shots and here a sampling.

The Mirazozo in Downtown Austin

2012-01-17T18:26:00.008-06:00

The Mirazozo is a luminarium sculpture people enter to be immersed in radiant light and color. Since 1992 it has traveled to 37 countries. It was made in Nottingham, England.
Yep, we took that many kids. Take a good look friends because this is our future...

There were a bunch of volunteer teachers running the joint and boy were some of them on a power trip. Shushing and stalking and scolding. Pretty annoying.

Kerry has to copy all my best moves!
She got in trouble for jumping.
These are her good friends. You can see why...
This is one I call, "The birth of Kelly." Get it?

Next we headed over to some pizza place and then to Amy's Ice Cream!

Aidan and his friend enjoyed entertaining the motorists.

Jump Street Birthday Party

2012-01-17T18:00:00.004-06:00

OMG is all I can say. Monday the kids were off school and Cole had a birthday party at an indoor trampoline place. My sis kinda lives in the country and everything is far away. We had to drive 45 minutes to get there. We were super excited until we walked in and saw and smelled 8 trillion kids. Everyone was off school and everyone was there! It's amazing that none of these kids bang into each other and walk away with concussions. But we made the best of it and had a blast.

Kerry was a trooper and went down the disgusting, sweaty, hairy, germs slides with Ella. Thank God for sisters.

Here is a shot of some of the chaos.
We got bored after awhile and started doing tricks.

Austin randoms

2012-01-17T17:39:00.003-06:00

These two still look like they could be siblings...
So I'm kind of a groupon junkie. Before I came to Austin I bought a groupon for acupuncture (had to cancel due to time constraints) and a groupon for Kerry and I to do make your own pottery. That one didn't work out either. The great thing about groupon is if you change your mind, they'll give you a credit.

The boys taught Ella how to play football.

We had nightly dance parties.
As if Kerry doesn't have enough with her three boys and constant company, her house is THE house. Meaning, all the kids friends are always over. Too much testosterone I say.

Hello again, Austin

2012-01-14T19:32:00.007-06:00

So we arrive Wednesday night to Kerry's house around 10. I forgot to pack pajamas so Kerry gives me these adult footies to rock. This was the first flight that I had to finally admit Ella was over two and pay for her. Her free ride is over. So as soon as I'm changed, Kerry makes us play her favorite game, Just Dance. And I totally beat her ass.
Ella's drawing skills are getting to be a bit above mine. I have nothing else left to teach her in this department.
Kerry's high school bestie, Mary, is staying with her through Friday on business so Thursday night we leave the kids with Michael and go for some dinner and drinks.
We go to the Nutty Brown and they have Karaoke. One of my all time favorite songs is, Try a Little Tenderness, by Otis Redding. I drag these two up there with me and they claim to not know the song (even though it was in Pretty in Pink) and leave me for dead. And boy did I suck. But I sucked it up and tried to work the crowd till the very end. We went up a few more times and butchered a few more songs but had a blast.

Due to our antics the night before, on Friday night we decided to stay in and rent a movie.

Plus we had to leave the house at 8:30 am for Cole's basketball game.
Now Ella would barely give Kerry that time of day at this game and her friend, Doug, comes in and Ella is all up in his business. She loves men. She sat with him for the rest of the game.

Next we head over to Kerry's friend's ranch. Here are some of her many goats. They all look like Otis to me.
This is Pablo the goat dog. He has special needs so they treat him like a dog.
Goats gone wild.

Cole is modeling Ella's jacket. Kerry says he looks like he's going to the gay parade.

The goal was to "run" the sheep. If you take a few by leash, the rest are supposed to follow.

This works until they get off leash and run wild.

I was so excited to go off-roading in the Ranger.

While Ella built dirt castles, Kerry and the boys went swinging on vines. I think we are trying to recapture our youth!

October 2011

2012-01-09T17:56:00.010-06:00

We visited Santa's Village in October. Ella's favorite ride was the swing.

We also hit the Goebberts in Hampshire.

Should I be worried that she played in the jail for over 30 minutes?

Baby bengal tigers

Ella won the conductor over and he let her sit in the driver's seat.

Grandpa's Birthday

My mom started telling Ella the story of the The Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf and she loved it. She always walked around the house saying, "I'm the big bad wolf and I'm going to blow your house down," so it seemed like a good idea for a costume.

Poor Ella. Everyone wanted to trick or treat with her so first she went out with me and my dad, then she went out with Buzz and his family and then she went out again at night with me and my mom. She was begging to go home at the end of the night.

Goebberts 2011

2012-01-09T16:49:00.006-06:00

While waiting for Jill ;), Ella had a healthy lunch of cookies and cheese nachos. How far her dietary restrictions have slipped.

Jake & Emerson meet us on a rainy day.

These two just look like trouble.

My sister was there.

Ella has no fear of animals and I love it.

They end the day by stomping in the muddy water. Jerks.

September 2011

2012-01-04T22:00:00.003-06:00

Playdates with friends The annual Schaumburg Septemberfest. Ella's third year in attendance.

Ella finally starts pulling her weight around the house.

She attempts to create her own blog cuz mom is lazy but didn't realize how time-consuming it is. Dog bookends

We make playdough

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T20:56:00.007-06:00

These pics date back to August of 2011. No matter, the point is that I am blogging again. No more excuses. This is important to document Ella's life and I will make time. Here we are at a summer, New Years Eve party. Don't ask ;)

Ella isn't shy at all and kept ditching our family at this party. We don't even know these people. She joined this group of total strangers and chatted them up for a while.

Later in August, the girls spent an evening in downtown Chicago. We got a hotel room and went for a fancy dinner and out for some fun. Mandy tried to wear a shirt as a dress but we had her back and put a stop to it.

So the city was crowded, stuffy, and overpriced but we still had a blast. I've got pictures to prove it but I'm not posting them here.

Ella getting her Christmas presents done early before the Painted Penguin closed. She kinda looks like a little ax murderer here. A sweet one though. In closing, this past year has brought a ton of changes in my life and I've learned a lot about myself. Geez, as I type this I sound so cliched and lame. Forget it. Happy Freaking New Year!!!!

And all I know is as long as Ella is happy and healthy, everything else seems insignificant.

Last of Austin pics

2011-10-11T13:25:00.001-05:00

October Austin 2

2011-10-11T13:17:00.002-05:00

You see, I can't even come up with a good title for my blog entries anymore. I need to get back on the blog train and update this because it will be important to Ella one day. I hope.

Here's a puppy that Kerry tried to convince mean Michael to keep but he refused!

We went out for on of Kerry's friend's b-days one night so we had babysitters come over. Ella had a ball with the girls.

As I said we headed out to a bar for a friend's birthday. The place was called, The Barbershop and it was a converted barbershop. Um, let's just say we were a little overdressed for the occasion. We get there and my bro in law asked me what I want to drink and I order a vodka seven. He says they only have beer. I thought he was kidding so I went and harassed the bartender until I discovered he was right! Beer is gross by the way.

The cool thing about Austin is they let dogs everywhere! And what to my wandering eyes did appear...a Viszla!

Now you all can see what fabulous shape Otis was in by looking at another Viszla. No offense dog but say no to a cookie once in a while.

We were looking for a pumpkin farm so we headed to Wimberly the next day but to our dismay it was closed due to rain. So we made the best of it and hit some shops.

What kind of kid doesn't want to eat ice-cream?

Then we had a little fashion show.

Finally, we headed down to the river to take some nice photos of Ella and the boys but that seems to be impossible these days!

Notice Cole's candy cigarette.

Austin: visit 11

2011-10-11T13:09:00.002-05:00

So we checked my sister's guestbook - yes she has a guestbook - and this was Ella's 11th time in Austin. She's gone a few times with my parents and the rest with me. Quite the flyer for a two year old. I snuck her on the plane as a freebie (under two). When we landed in Austin, she yelled, "We made it!" then she turned to the man next to her and said, "I just farted on you."

The first order of business is always going up to the elementary school to have lunch with the boys.

Then we headed to a "real" lunch with the girls.

A true Texan.

Ella continues to be enamored with Michael and we just can't figure out why...

It was nice to be able to break out the dresses one last time.

My sister is obsessed with Halloween so we stopped by the store to get some inspiration for her yard and her costume. Of course we had to torment Ella while we were there.

One of the coolest things about Austin is the restaurants. Lots of them have huge outdoor areas, concert venues and some even have kids' parks attached.

One day we even got to go swimming. It was rainy the rest of the time.

Bowling

2011-09-30T17:28:00.001-05:00

My nephew Blake has hit puberty and turned into a dummy! Seriously. He doesn't even know how to use a microwave. What's up with that?

One night we go bowling thinking that the kids will enjoy this.

Even with all of our antics, we can't tear the teenager away from his phone!

At least Aidan still knows how to party.

Wet Willy

Here's another Edward Cullen look-alike. Well, the poor man's version anyway.

Second cousin reunion...

We were watching this couple across the bar totally make-out and dance and have a great time with each other so we started taking bets on how long they'd been together. I guessed less than two weeks and everyone else guessed longer. Even the bartender got in on it. I went to check with the couple and found out they'd just met last week. I got a free drink for my hard work and great guessing skills.

Dominoes and Casinos

2011-09-29T18:25:00.002-05:00

We like to play a little Mexican Train when we're together. It's a great game because you can chat during it and the kids can play too. Wow, I'm boring myself with this awful commentary.

Once night me, my sis and my cousin, Sherry, head out to the new casino in Des Plaines. My sister and I mull over what to wear and switch outfits quite a few times. When we arrive we realize that we kinda look like call girls, I mean some people are dressed way down! It was depressing because we were waiting in line to get in and some woman came over to move us to the head of the line. Was it cuz we looked so good? Nope, it was cuz we looked so obviously over the age of 18!

The bathrooms were great and the mirrors made us look tan and young. We kinda wanted to stay there all night and look at ourselves!

My sis likes to take pics of odd people and this dude's hair fit the bill. She used me as a decoy and I'm not proud of my face.

Do you see the guy in the center of the photo with the pink tie? My sis thought he'd be perfect for me so she kept making us walk by his high roller table. So embarrassing. Then when he got up, she followed him through the casino with the intent of? Luckily he lost her.

Kerry won big that night. All I'm going to tell you about that is I had to drag her kicking and screaming away from the machine. She would have lost it all. And I think she photoshopped her face in this pic too. ;)

I spotted this Edward Cullen look alike so Kerry being Kerry had to follow him into the bar and had both of us pose with him after telling him he looks like the vamp! He was only 23. Another fun night with my sister.

Summer Barbecue

2011-09-29T18:21:00.000-05:00

More Summer Pics

2011-09-24T22:23:00.000-05:00

Jimmy & Beth and Concert in the Park

2011-09-23T23:25:00.001-05:00

Ok, I can't help but comment on some shit...It seems this family does a lot of sleeping with dogs. Enough said.

The kids go to Uncle Jimmy & Aunt Beth's house for the day and Uncle Jimmy is nothing but fun. He's a big kid himself and so he breaks out the water guns.

We hit a few of Schaumburg's concerts in the park. These were free at the Municipal Center and boy were they nice. You could bring food and alcohol and set up blankets and chairs and stuff. It was like a free Ravinia if you know what that means. If you don't then I guess you're not as civilized as me.

We are that jackass family of posers who are always looking to one up each other. Sometimes I think we just do stuff so that we can get some good photos? And we are teaching Kerry's kids to be the same way. Hey, at least we spend time together, right?

What more could a jack-ass posing family ask for than props to pose with? Can you see why we liked this place so much?

Here's me and my once favorite nephew. The boy who used to follow me around, wouldn't leave my side at the wedding and once asked, "Kelly if you could choose between getting a dog and having me live with you, which would you choose?" He's also my godson. And I used to warn him that someday he wouldn't want to spend one third of his summer in Chicago and he would swear up and down that he would always want to hang out with me. Well folks, here he is eating his words. He's so over Chicago and me :( But I know he'll come back to me someday. That sounds kind of creepy, doesn't it?

Early July

2011-09-23T23:16:00.001-05:00

I suck at blogging

2011-09-21T23:01:00.011-05:00

Let's face it. I suck. At blogging. And actually a lot of things. These summer pics have been haunting me for months so before I can get back to blogging, I need to put them out there to the universe...These are from late June/early July. That's all I have to say about that.

Ta Daaaaaa!

2011-07-22T19:46:00.001-05:00

My baby has no fear.

2011-07-18T23:18:00.001-05:00

The flip-flopper or terrible two

2011-07-16T23:11:00.005-05:00

Didn't they call presidential candidate John Kerry a flip-flopper because he was always changing his mind? Well that's what I have on my hands with this kid...

I got her this super cool caterpillar sprinkler and turned it on the other day and she was all..."I don't like it" and prissy. A few days later, Debs and Grumps are sprinkling their lawn with a good ole fashioned sprinkler and she decides to run through it fully dressed. Not just run through it but stick her entire face into the water and continue to walk through this thing for the next thirty minutes. Her cousins were of course thrilled and only too glad to join her in the late evening fun.

That's not the only reason I call her a flip-flopper. We drive a lot and she's always telling me what songs she likes and doesn't. She seems to hate Adele's, "Rolling in the Deep," and always says, "me don't like this song, you change it, I want new song." Sometimes I oblige and sometimes I explain the ways of the world to her and she has to suffer through it. Then Kerry told me she was in the car the other day with her rocking out to the exact same song! So sure enough, next time the song comes on, Ella says, "I like this song." One time she made me change the station like five times until we got to Journeys, "Don't stop believing," at which point she said, "this is a nice song, mommy."

I tell her that it's time to eat lunch and she screams, "NOOOOOOOOOO!" Then a second later says, "ok, I eat lunch." I tell her I'm changing her diaper and she protests, "I don't wannnnnnt it!" and a minute later she says, "ok mommy." I guess she's just trying to express herself and control what she can in her environment. Right?

Who's kid is this? Oh that's right, she's Satan's

2011-07-15T17:19:00.001-05:00

Ella's first haircut

2011-07-11T16:03:00.002-05:00

On June 26th 2011, Ella got her first hair cut from her Grandma Jeanie. We only took the edges off. Ella sat nice until she banged her head on the cabinet one too many times. Jeanie distracted her with a cracker and it worked like a charm.

Thanks Grandma Jeanie!

How are the dogs coping?

2011-07-10T13:29:00.005-05:00

Otis was raised in my parent's home before Buzz and I moved in together. Whenever we visited his old house, he always seemed to want to stay there. He's allowed on the couches (which he wasn't at our townhouse) and my mom slips him table scraps. My parents were nice enough to fence in their yard for the dogs. I was still nervous because not only were we moving back but Ziggy would be there for the first 5 weeks. Greta isn't the friendliest dog around and I was scared she would hand Ziggy his ass.

So far, so good. I feel like Otis isn't my dog anymore. He is content to lie on the couches all day with whomever happens to be by him. He doesn't follow me around. He enjoys sunning in the yard and sleeps downstairs without a problem. Ziggy and him are pretty tight too.

I'm a little worried about Greta. She follows me EVERYWHERE. She isn't allowed upstairs but we don't have a gate to block her out so although she starts off every night downstairs in her dog bed, when I wake up she's in my bed with me or trapped in Ella's room with her. She has found a spot in the yard by a tree that she likes to dig and she barks at the Golden Retrievers behind the house - but I swear they start it!

The thing I miss about being in Carpentersville is I had a wonderful, free dog park five minutes from home that I've visited for the last five years. Before Ella was born I would go there everyday. I have a lot of nice friends from there and I'm so sad that I only make it there once a week or so. Also, my neighbors LOVED Otis and liked Greta and they would go over there and play with their dogs. They were so sad to see them move away.

Then there's the poop situation. We have three dogs living in the Kane house and they produce a lot of poop. I think it's reasonable to pick it up three times a day - morning, noon and evening. My sister and I take turns and it's worked out well. The problem is my mother...she's like a poop-radar. Every time she finds a poop in the yard she calls us to report it. She called my sis the other day to say, "there's a poop under the Sycamore tree." She doesn't like the poop to sit for more than five minutes. So not only are we picking up poop three times a day, we are also picking it up as Debs Downer spots it. This gets tiresome when you're trying to do other things. She does not want the poop in the garbage outside because it stinks it up. But when we put the poops next to the air conditioner out back she complained that the entire yard smelled of poop. I'm thinking that maybe I'll just start eating the poop so that it's not in anyone's way.

Besides the poop thing and the no upstairs thing and the vacuuming everyday thing I think it's going pretty well with the dogs. But, if you know anyone who wants a neurotic, anxious, curmudgeonly Vizsla and a dog-aggressive, pushy, smelly Foxhound mix, please share.

I am grateful to my parents for taking me, my kid and the dogs in. Many people would have taken Ella and I but NOBODY (and rightfully so) wanted us with my crazy dogs. And we did not grow up with dogs so it's not like they're used to having them.

Swear to God that when we do Pilates, Greta does it with us. We had to keep pushing her out of the way!

How to look thinner...

2011-07-10T00:13:00.003-05:00

Whenever we take a picture, Kerry and I are always fighting over who gets to stand further back or cut their hip off with the other's. In the top photo, Kerry won and we look like Courtney and Chloe Kardashian! But in the bottom photo, I won. I think since Kerry is shorter, thinner, and smaller-boned that I should always be able to hide behind her.

Kids are resilient

2011-07-04T16:27:00.002-05:00

Because I loved Ella's room so much in the townhouse, I tried to copy it at my parent's house. My dad painted her walls the same green and the room has the same layout so the furniture placement is the same. It's kind of creepy because I was sitting in there last night and almost felt like outside the door was the townhouse...but I digress.

In regards to Ella, there are great things about living at my parents house and there are not so great things about living here. Mom and Dad if you're reading this, please remember that blogging is therapeutic and I need to get some of this out.

The Good:

Ella is surrounded by people who love and adore her everyday.

Her closet is ginormous!

She now has a bathtub that is entirely hers (with the exception of my mom's washrags that she dries on the rim). No more sharing with me, Buzz and the dogs.

I'm letting some dogs out four times a day and I can come and go and leave Ella in the care of others.

Although temporary, she is spending oodles of time with her three cousins who are great with her by the way.

She has a fabulous fenced in yard to play in.

There's a huge park two houses away.

We can walk out of the house and take a nice long walk around the block or neighborhood.

She lives with her grandparents and is two minutes from her Grandma Jeanie.

The Bad:

She has to be separated from one of her parents at all times.

She is probably very confused.

The television is on a lot here and she is glued to it.

There are lots of treats and lots of people eating said treats so she is eating more treats.

The Ugly:

She has to listen to my nephews say things like, "shut-up or butt wad." And she has to hear my sister yell at them to stop. Having said that, the three boys are nothing but loving, attentive and patient with Ella.

I think the little bird's going to be okay. And if she's not, we'll just have to add therapy to the list of things you buy your child as they age...

Pee Mail

2011-07-03T22:44:00.003-05:00

Me, Cole, Aidan, Ziggy, Otis & Greta were taking a walk at night and Aidan was asking why Ziggy has to stop and pee everywhere. This is one of my favorite subjects to discuss with the boys. I told him that Ziggy is leaving pee mail. He's telling the other dogs how old he is, what kind of dog, his sex and his eating habits. Aidan turns to me and says, "He's telling the other dogs that he can't have sex because his balls were chopped off."

Moving Home

2011-07-03T19:27:00.006-05:00

Well let's just get it out there. I've started a new chapter in my life. I'm at a crossroads, a new beginning, yada yada yada, blah blah blah. As most of the readers of this blog know already, Buzz and I are getting divorced. I won't go into details regarding that matter but I can say that I moved back home on Monday. Let me correct that, me, my two large dogs, and Ella, moved back in with my parents. That same day, my sister and her three kids and dog drove up from Austin, TX to stay here for 5 weeks. Oh and my brother, Joe, moved back in too. Our timing could have been better...
First I have to thank my parents for taking us all in. They have been very supportive and gracious. They got a fence for my dogs and painted Ella's room the same color it was in the townhouse. They cleared drawers and closets and made room for us. I am very grateful.

Now back to the move-in. We are in a four-bedroom, two 1/2 bath, two-story home. There are currently two parents, three adult children, four grandchildren and three large dogs living in this house together. OMG. There are not even enough beds for all of us.

My sister is a fly by the seat of her pants kind of girl and I am a play by the rules kind of girl. We have a blast together and are always laughing but when it comes to day to day living we are polar opposites. If you read her blog too then you've read about some of our differences but if you don't, I'll give you some of the highlights.

Kerry can sleep anywhere. She doesn't mind who's been in the bed before her or how dirty they wwere. I on the other hand need my own space, with sheets that have only seen my body. When I told her that we should each pick a pillow and stick to it since we'd be sharing a full-sized bed, she said, "Are you serious Kelly?" Hell to the yes I'm serious. Are you?

Next comes the bathroom. We've got seven of us sharing the bathroom and all of our towels are in there. I put post-its above the hooks and instructed everyone to hang his/her towel below their name. Kerry put a post-it up that said, "Get over yourself Kelly." I'm sorry but I don't want to be wiping her kids' balls on my face! I even suggested we break the countertops into zones for each of us to have a seperate space but that didn't happen.

More on that on a later post. Now when Kerry is here, all we do is drive, drive, drive. We drive to see relatives all over the Chicagoland area. This is fun because I don't see some of these people that often so it's always a good time. We also hit fests like crazy. We were at the Bartlett fest last night and it was like the Twilight Zone. A bunch of the carnies were actually good-looking? When you go to a fest with Kerry and her kids it usually consists of getting some food and beer and trying to listen to the band while the kids start whining about rides and games. They ususally don't want to ride the same rides so Kerry and I divide and conquer. Then there's the games. One kid always wins something while the other is left prizeless and crying. Although a few nights ago we hit the Arlington Heights fest and both kids scored a goldfish because of my sweet-talking ways.

Now it seems as if I'm rambling, which I totally am but this blogging stuff is theraputic and I need some serious therapy right now. More to come on my major life changes and the chaos that is ensuing around me.

Ella's Second Birthday Party

2011-06-28T10:45:00.010-05:00

Ella's second birthday party was on May 22. The weather held up mostly and we only had to move the outdoor tables into the garage a few times.

The party was great and lots of people brought appetizers, sides, or desserts. My parents let me use their house and were a huge help. The only disappointment was that I didn't get a "money" shot of Ella. I was distracted by throwing the party and she's two now and doesn't sit still for long.

My parents have beautiful landscaping and the party mostly took place outside.

The cosmo/grill master

Ella got a great mix of toys, clothes and money. She loved opening her presents this year.

The only shot of the four party kids.

Ella skinned her knee so had to wear her glasses the rest of the day so she didn't trip again.

Judge away people, judge away. I knew we'd have a ton of desserts - pies, cookies, chocolate-covered strawberries, brownies and cupcakes so I thought instead of getting a bakery cake and making everyone eat a piece, I'll just make this really great lemon cake and write Ella's name on it. First her name was in yellow sugar and you couldn't see it. Next I added orange sugar highlights but it looked weird so I made her name totally orange and added some weird polka-dots. It looked descent and I put it in the fridge for the night but when I pulled it out for the party, the writing had all mixed into the frosting so I had to do a last minute Ella and this is what you end up with...But, it was delicious.

Ella refused to wear her party hat so Grandpa wore it.

There's few things that Ella likes more than having people sing happy birthday to her.

Ella's Second Birthday

2011-06-20T11:51:00.004-05:00

Ella woke up at Jimmy and Beth's house because I was house/dogsitting and Buzz was working. They started with a nutritious breakfast of donuts ;) We all met at Joe's for lunch and Ella was thrilled to be presented with more sugar!

We headed home for some driving lessons and a little "nappio"

When Buzz got home we headed over to Chuck E Cheese for pizza and games.

Then home for presents.

And more sugar!!!!

See, we're not so bad, she gets sugar sometimes...

At the car wash

2011-06-20T11:41:00.000-05:00

Ella sings Happy Birthday to herself

2011-06-03T10:35:00.002-05:00

Happy 2nd Birthday Ella!

2011-05-20T16:20:00.002-05:00

Ella Jae Refvik, aka, the bird, the golden jerk, tweets, pirate girl, ellabee, tweety-bird, babs, and Ls turned two today! It's hard to put into words how I feel about this kid. I hope that all parents feel this way about their children. This kid is the bees knees. She brightens everyday and continues to amaze everyone around her.
I have high hopes for her and I don't just mean career-wise. She's really something special and I hope she keeps her sweet little personality as she grows.
When Ella wakes up after her dad leaves, she opens her door and says, "Good morning, Mommy." Then she comes and gives me a kiss. She is excited to do everything and up until recently (the no's have begun) when you'd ask her a question she'd respond with, "okay." But typing that word doesn't do it justice. The magic is in her delivery. She stretches syllables and says things like, "we go take a baaaaaath or I want craaaaaaayons. She is so smart and can count to ten and "read" books. One of her favorite activities is arranging all the furniture and characters in her doll house, taking them out, and doing it again and again. A few weeks back when I sneezed, she said, "bless you mommy."
She loves hats, headbands, purses, bags, sunglasses and anything she can put on herself. One of her favorite toys is still her stroller which she currently drives a pig around the house in. She doesn't take much interest in Greta but boy does she LOVE Otis. She often sits by him and pets him and tells him, "good boy Otis, or I love you, Otis."
She loves sleepovers with her grandparents and is lucky that they ask for her often. Her diet still mainly consists of fruit, oatmeal, yogurt and cheese. Oh and pizza and nuggets! This kid is stubborn about food but her doctor says not to worry. And yes people, she's finally allowed to indulge in the occasional sweet. I just don't offer them or keep them around but when she sees them and asks, she gets em. I spend a lot of time hiding from her while I scarf down ice cream or cookies ;)
She is okay with hugging and kissing but she doesn't like to be touched that much. When I try to rub her back or pat her hand when she's laying down she moves my hand out of the way. Some say that is how I was but I think they're crazy!
I have to run because we're headed to Chuck E. Cheese for dinner but I don't feel I've done her justice in this post. In summary, she is a rock star and I feel so lucky/blessed whatever you want to call it that I get to be her mommy.

Smelly Dog - an oldie but a goodie

2011-05-19T09:39:00.002-05:00

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-11T21:15:00.000-05:00

I'll admit it, I have a problem. I can't really do my daughter's hair. Yes I can put it in funky ponytails but that's about it. I sent her to Grandma Jeanie's that morning, her hair a hot mess, knowing Grandma would make it all better. And she did. I tried to get the bird to pose in her little chair but she said, "uh, nah."

That afternoon we headed to my aunt and uncle's house for a barbecue. Ella (my mom) bought me the cutest bracelets that I picked out the day before.

Then she taught me to pick my nose. It's an important life skill.

I just adore these two together. They make the cutest little faces. And I think they look alike too.

Ella was excited to get an early birthday present.

Dora's talking backpack

Later she raided Steph's closet for a proper hat in honor of the Kentucky Derby.

Summer Lovin'

2011-05-11T20:43:00.000-05:00

Finally some nice weather has allowed us to have some outdoor play dates. Ella and Jacob had a romantic lunch date and afterwards, Jake taught Ella some important life skills like basketball and riding bikes. Seriously though, Jill had me over last minute and whipped up a gourmet salad like it was nothing. Totally impressed Mrs Rojas!

Last week we headed over to Deicke Park in Huntley. Check out the difference between Ella and Adriana's personalities in the following two pics...

If you could read Ella's mind, she'd be saying, "Oh shit!"

There's Ade, who's only one month older than Ella swinging like a monkey.

Luke takes good care of Ella except for when he's dumping sand on her head. But hey, she didn't mind...

Sweet baby Emerson

Ella found this hat at Old Navy and when she put it on her head she said, "Look mommy, I'm a cowboy."

All I can say is thank god it's nice out again and we can be out and about!

Happy 8th birthday Otis Van Nostrand, my how things have changed

2011-05-09T20:17:00.004-05:00

Hey Otis, remember the good old days when it was only you? You didn't have a care or worry in the world. Then came Greta...She was really a present for you but she moved in and took over. All of a sudden you had to share your people, your water dish and most importantly your treats. She even got some of your birthday dinner...Just when you got used to Greta's female ways, along came Ella. You once enjoyed your own bedroom with a full-sized bed to lounge on, but no more, that damn baby needed a place to live. You used to have full reign of the car, carelessly jumping from front to back, even changing the radio station when the mood suited you. Now you are banished to the very back of the small hatchback, placed behind bars so that you don't jump on precious Ella. And finally, you used to come and go as you pleased, visiting dog parks and walking trails and even neighbors' kitchens. Now you wait for Ella, the one Kelly calls "the bird," to get her diaper changed, her face stuffed, or her tummy tickled before you get some Otis time.

That's right Otis Fanortner, most dogs enjoy their golden years but yours are spent sharing the spotlight with a couple of bitches.

You've been forced to act pathetic to strangers in the hopes of squeezing them for an extra treat or two.

Well at least she hasn't taken away your birthday treat. Not yet anyway.

Easter 2011

2011-05-03T18:33:00.010-05:00

Ella wasn't much into coloring eggs so I had to do most of the work! She colored them earlier that day with Jeanie so maybe she was just egged out.
Don't ask why she has Xmas pj's on in this picture. Just don't ask.

My little nerd was too busy reading her new potty book to care about unloading the rest of her basket. Maybe because the Easter Bunny didn't put any candy inside!

The little bird is at that, "don't take my pucking (credit to Kerry for this) picture stage!" I like to call this one, Death by polka dots.

Lemon cupcakes that took over 4 hours to make. Why do I even try?

I made like 28 and totally ran out of frosting! Now I know for next time not to eat so much during the process.

Here's Ella and her BFF, Colton. They were BFF's till the Easter egg hunt began and then it was all blood and tears.

I know, I know, her hair is wild. I am just not skilled in this area.

The Mistrettas (my mom's sister's family)

The Kanes (my dad's brother's family)

The Kubistals (my mom's brother's family)

So Jen and I split the Easter eggs for the hunt. Most of hers were filled with candy and all of mine were filled with toys. Not to be preachy but I just read an article (thanks Jude) about sugar being almost as bad as booze and smokes. I want Ella to be able to enjoy booze and smokes like her relatives so I'm cutting out her sugar ;) What else are mom's for?

My mom with my godparents, Bobby and Sue

Ella received many nice gifts for Easter including lots of clothes from her two Grandmas. What to do with all those clothes??? Ella figured it out.

Escape from Alcatraz - or at least her crib

2011-05-01T20:12:00.002-05:00

Boy does time fly. About a month ago, I opened Ella's bedroom door after a nap to find her standing there on the other side. I said, "oh my gosh, you got out of your crib?" She said, "oh."
I thought it was a fluke but she kept getting out over and over again. Her crib turns into a toddler bed, but of course the piece was missing so until the part comes in, she's got a mattress on the floor. She actually loves it.
When Joey was painting the tree on her bedroom wall, he signed the wall behind her crib - where you couldn't see. Not anymore!

During nap time, I check on her periodically and sometimes find her across the room reading a book. When she sees me she always covers her face and crawls back to her bed. She must think she becomes invisible or something?

Austin: Glass bottomed boats

2011-04-22T11:34:00.004-05:00

Here's where I found the slug bugs yesterday morning. Kerry let the kids take off school so we could go to Sea World but that didn't pan out for us.
Possible modeling career? Maybe if she didn't growl noooooo all the time!

Since Sea World didn't work out, we headed over to the Texas State Aquarena where we boarded a glass-bottomed boat and took a tour of the San Marcos river and Spring Lake.

Yes, that's my 13 year old nephew with Erkle glasses. He is for real. It seems this a popular look for middle-schoolers these days and since it's the first I don't understand I now know that I'm officially old!

I have to call out camera girl here because she has totally lost interest in taking pictures. I've had to take most of the photos on this trip which is fine because I enjoy it but it worries me. I may have to revoke her "camera girl" magnet that I bought for her.

The boys are so great with Ella and she calls them, they boys. She wakes up and says, "go downstairs and get boys." It's great that they have these visits but sad that they can't grow up around each other. As I'm typing this, Ella is saying, "come on Aidan, we go swimming." They read her bedtime stories every night and watch with interest as I get her ready for bed. They are always sweet and patient with her.

Austin: Swimming with Vampires

2011-04-21T23:06:00.005-05:00

Kerry's neighbors went out of town for a few days so we broke into their backyard to go swimming. Shh, don't tell.
Now the little bird hasn't been in a pool since last summer but she sure looked the part.

"Uncle Joey, get me outta here!!!"

After swimming, the boys tried to teach Ella to play hockey.

Later I saw her try to get on one of their motorcycles! I think it's time to go home...

Later that night, Kerry, her friend and I had a hot date with a couple of movie stars.

No, that is not me and my sister fighting over a cardboard vampire.

Those boys fed us too many beers at the Nutty Brown and tried to have their way with us when we got home that night.

Who could say no to that face?

Gossip Girl

2011-04-21T20:45:00.003-05:00

Ella calls one of her BFF's Adriana to talk a little smack... "So did you see what so and so had on at the playground the other day? I mean who does she think she is trying to get away with that sundress? I'm just glad her daddy wasn't there to witness."

"Oh shit, mom's here. I gotta go."

Austin: Bunnies & Birds

2011-04-20T11:48:00.000-05:00

My sister planted a vegetable garden in her back yard and got a few of those tomato bag things to hang. One day while checking her bag, she was brutally attacked by a momma bird who had laid some eggs. Ever since then they've been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the baby birds so they could stir fry them (revenge is best served cold). It seems these Texans have some odd taste when it comes to food. Well the babies hatched yesterday and they are the size of a thumbnail. It's sad that their mom will only be able to enjoy them a few days before my sister plucks them up and fries them in some oil. Here's Ella and Uncle Joe. They like to coordinate their outfits one day a week. I don't ask why.

Kerry's kids are teaching Ella all sorts of fun things like building pillow forts, shooting rubber band guns and telling fart jokes. What would she do without their guidance?

We pick the boys up and head to the mall to see the Easter Bunny and a movie. Ella is reluctant of the giant bunny at first. I can't imagine why?

But Aidan and Cole step in to save the day and even though they're getting too old for this stuff they are happy to help out with Ella.

The mall pictures blew and were $24.99 per sheet so we'll have to suck it up and head over to Woodfield the day before Easter to get some good ones.

After the bunny, Ella wanted to go chase boys through the mall but I told her she was too young. Maybe next year kid.

The extra kid is Cole's friend. We saw the movie, Rio, which is about a Blue Macaw's adventures. Pretty cute and by the makers of Ice Age. This was Ella's first movie and I was a little nervous she'd get bored but she was mesmerized for the whole hour and a half. As we were walking out she was mumbling something to herself about Blue (the name of the bird) and how he flied. Listening to her analysis of the movie was worth exposing her to TV before the age of 2.

Fun with Dogs

2011-04-20T11:20:00.002-05:00

Poor Ziggy didn't know that it wasn't safe to lay by Ella. Ella knows how fun it can be to dress up your pets.

Ziggy wants to know when this golden jerk is going home!

Austin: Day 1 or 2 or whatever...

2011-04-18T21:00:00.000-05:00

So I probably shouldn't tell you that Ella stayed up till midnight with no nap our first night. Or that she slept till 10 am the next day. Or that she fell/climbed out of the pack and play in the middle of the night and I found her on the floor. So I won't. We had a lazy morning at the Cavender house and Ella found the doll of her dreams. His name is Edward and he goes by "the vamp." Do you think her evil Aunt Kerry will be able to part with this childish vamp doll so that Kelly, I mean Ella, can take him home with her? Only time will tell. How could she say no to that face?

Ziggy tried to do his morning chore of making the bed while Ella and Aidan goofed off.

Later that afternoon we packed em up and headed back to Founder's Day. Joey and Michael were MIA. Michael was cleaning his boat and Joey was um, cleaning his brain.

Look, Alpacas

That's right, Alpacas.

We stopped by some Christian booth to do some free fishing and score some free prizes. Those Christians are good for something.

Cole is Ella's caretaker. You'll always find him near Ella when she's around. Aidan is usually wandering ahead paying no attention to where his family is. That is until he needs money for a game.

Where's Blake? Oh he's 13 now and he couldn't even wait to walk up to the fest with us let alone hang out with us. Before this photo was taken I saw him waiting in line at the ferris wheel with a group of 5 chicks.

This is where Texas gets a little disturbing. Well that's not really true, Texas gets disturbing way before here but this was especially disturbing...

See that giant, murky, man-made pond? And those fishing poles? Yep, they're real, with real live earthworm bait. Guess what's in there? Catfish, and lots of em. So the point is to catch and release but these poor catfish bastards are caught and released over and over again for the whole weekend. Come on Texas, I thought we were close to Austin! Aren't there a bunch of tree-huggers in Austin?

Fried pickles and ranch sauce. One of the few vegetarian menu choices.

By this point Ella has had it!

So I'm not going to tell you that Ella's diaper was so wet and there was no good place to change it and I was worried about her rash that I just took it off and let her free ball it. What I will tell you is that it was Kerry's idea ;) And yep, that's ice-cream dripping down her chin.

We get home and as we're walking up to the house Ella is chanting, "Michael, Michael." She has always loved him and we can't figure out why. LOL It bothers the shit out of Barbie so we all love it.

Here's Aidan with his spoils. Let's just say the carni-folk knew this kid and his wallet by name.

When I went to wake Ella from her nap, this is where I found her. Oops.

Flight of the Ellabee

2011-04-18T10:07:00.003-05:00

So I'm pretty sure this is Ella's sixth trip to Austin, TX to visit my sister's family. No, it's her 7th cuz she went with my parents. This is probably her last free flight because she'll be turning 2 next month. Believe me, I'd try to milk the fact that she's itty bitty and lie and get another free flight but with my sister coming for a month in July, there's really no need to go back for awhile. Grandpa was working and met us right after we got through security - great timing, thanks for your help ;). He is always proud to carry his little granddaughter through the airport and show her off to his pals.

Here's one of his better-looking pals, Steve, who my sister happens to have a huge crush on. So we took this pic (notice my finger) and I texted it to her. If Steve was going to choose a sister, he would choose me because he loves Ella, plus I'm younger.

The flight was PACKED with only like 5 open seats. Well with my dad's help we were able to get a whole 3 person row to ourselves in the back of the plane. And we got free snacks for the baby (which I totally ate! I did give her the raisins cuz who the heck likes raisins?). Ella was a rock star as usual and watched Bambi for almost the whole flight. She did grace me with a poop, really a shart, that I had to change during the flight but I forgave her.

So we survived the flight but almost died on the way home cuz my sister was reading a text message!!! Now I have to call her Barbie-ass out cuz she is an Oprah fan and Oprah has warned the crap out of us about how dangerous that is. Add to that the fact that she has MS and her balance isn't the best, plus she's easily distracted and you have a recipe for disaster!

Upon landing around 6, we had to drop off our bags and head to Dripping Springs Founder's Day - a festival/carnival/cook-off type thing and didn't leave there till after 11. This poor kid had no nap but she survived till around 10 after stuffing herself with barbecued ribs.

Blizzard of 2/2/11

2011-04-04T22:46:00.004-05:00

I know, how ridiculous that I would blog about this storm a full two months after the fact but in ten years when Ella is reading this blog book, that won't matter so much. According to Wikipedia, Chicago saw between 1 and 2 feet of snow and 60 mph winds. And that my friends, is all I have to say about that blizzard.

Uh-oh, somebody face-planted!

Sensory Exploration or Torturing a Toddler

2011-03-10T18:29:00.005-06:00

So what does one do with an active toddler in January when it's cold as shit out? Play dates, park districts, libraries, lunches, Woodfield...but that's all during the day. Finger painting seemed like a nice before-bath evening activity.

"Hmm, what's this stuff?" "Oh my God, it won't come off my hands!"

"This is the worst day of my life!"

But with a little patience and guidance...

She learned to love it.

And maybe one day...

She'll be the next Picasso...but with both ears and no mental anguish.

These Boots Weren't Made for Walking

2011-03-09T11:16:00.002-06:00

Gymnastics School Dropout

2011-03-08T19:38:00.004-06:00

So these pics date back to early January but since this blog is mainly for Ella's scrapbook, suck it up...
Since I work at the Pet Clinic almost every Saturday we thought it would be fun for Buzz to take Ella to gymnastics at the park district on Saturday mornings. Sounds fun, right? Not so much. I was able to attend the first class with them.

Now I always tell you what a great dad Buzz is but it seems he hasn't had much experience having to direct young Ella outside of the home. This is a class after all and sometimes you have to sit, sometimes you have to stand and sometimes you have to wait your turn. I've had my share of baby classes with Ella where she has cried and ran and tried to do what she wanted. But that's what class is for, to guide these young minds, right?
Buzz is a man who likes control and order. He doesn't like to be embarrassed and Ella had other ideas. She wasn't going to sit and she wasn't going to wait in line. Buzz actually started to sweat and made me take over.

It's too bad because as you can see from these pictures, she had a great time. In Buzz's defense, the other children seemed to be much older and the Kindness twins took a gymnastics class that same day and ended up dropping out as well. Sorry, Ella. We tried ;) At least he takes you to Grandma's house every Saturday.

The Kindness Kids

2011-03-07T20:57:00.004-06:00

I know, I know, my ass has sucked at blogging. I've been in hibernation. I loathe this time of year. After the high of Christmas everything seems to go downhill...But, daylight savings is coming Saturday and I AM PUMPED! So back to blogging...

The joy of having digital photos is that you can pull out an oldie like this at a moment's notice. Here's the first time Ella met Amy's kids. Let me remind you that although she looks like a baby giant, Ella was in fact a small baby. But these twins were Extra small.
Here's one taken from last month. See, kids always even out.

Amy asked me to take some photos of her kids for a Valentine's Day card she was sending out and here are some of my faves. Her daughter, Addison, makes the funniest faces.

December at the dogpark

2011-02-16T09:47:00.005-06:00

Otis will be eight this year but he's still got it. Greta is an undetermined age so who knows how old she'll be.

Grandma's Journal - Michael Jackson

2011-02-12T18:39:00.003-06:00

Here's a funny excerpt from my Grandma's journal about Michael Jackson and his sexuality...

"When Kelly was about 5 she had a big crush on Michael Jackson and had a big poster on the back of her bedroom door. One time she said to Sherry that she really liked M.J. but Kerry said he was a fag. After a pause she asked Sherry, “What’s a fag?” Sherry said that when she doesn’t know what a word means her mother told her to look it up in the dictionary. After much leafing through our big dictionary Sherry said, “It’s a homosexual, whatever that means.”

And that's me rocking my MJ shirt on my sixth birthday.

Fingerpainting

2011-02-10T18:11:00.001-06:00

Kohl's Children's Museum

2011-02-10T17:52:00.002-06:00

In early January ( I think) a few of us girls met at the Kohl's Children's Museum for a day of fun with the kiddies. They have a Pot Belly's Restaurant for the kids to play in and boy did they have fun. Poor Aid never gets a moment's rest.

When Jill & Jacob finally arrived (she does have a new baby at home), we headed over to the grocery store.

Luke looks like he forgot something on his list...maybe the beer?

I was a proud momma when Ella took a liking to the vet's office. Maybe she'll be a dancing veterinarian when she grows up?

Later in the day, we, I mean I lost Ella. Yes I only have one kid and she should be easy enough to keep track of but there was some good gossip to be had and she slipped away. Jill found her back in the vet's office feeding a puppy. That's my girl!

Blizzard of 2011

2011-02-02T11:00:00.002-06:00

Goodbye Austin

2011-01-25T15:05:00.002-06:00

Everytime I visit Austin, my sister tries to get some nice shots of the kids together. Everytime I visit Austin, Ella gets sick and is incapable of posing for said photos. See that damn snack trap? Wouldn't put it down or screamed bloody murder which made snot come out of her at an alarming rate. Since I'm the brains in the family, I suggested that we use the model home that my sister works in to take some photos. Cole does not look his best...that's because at about 4 in the morning, he would be puking his guts out...

This was our most unsuccessful photo shoot to date.

Little Miss Sunshine!

Of course, if she was in my arms she was happy, that was until she ran out of snacks.

Last night I gave drinking another try and had 4 beers and felt...almost nothing? I think that's why I used to go from sober to wasted so fast in my youth. I don't have that middle "buzz" phase. Oh well, maybe I'm not meant to be a boozer.

Obviously Cole is feeling a lot better this morning as he entertains Ella. Why do I have her near him you ask? Well Kerry thinks that Cole caught the flu from Ella but I think otherwise. She puked a few times a week ago. I don't think it would take that long to catch it.

Last night we went to the mall to pick out the boys' xmas presents from me. DISASTER! Blake wanted $200 dollar ipod headphones. Cole wanted Grand Theft Auto (rated M for mature) and Aidan wanted The Biggest Loser for xbox. We spent an hour at Gamestop looking at games and went into various sporting goods stores. We left hours later and now I'm just writing the two little ones a check and I contributed to Blake's headphones. On the way home, Kerry was calling Ella, "my baby." Cole told Kerry that she shouldn't call her that because Ella is Kelly's baby. I said that I didn't mind sharing Ella with Kerry and Aidan says, "does that make you lesbians?" Never a dull moment. Until next time...

Ladies Night & Snake Farm

2011-01-25T10:06:00.004-06:00

So Saturday the girls head downtown for some drinks and dancing. We bar hopped a bit. We went to this awesome bar that had a glass bottomed dance floor with sharks floating underneath your feet as you dance. After 11 years of not drinking, I had my first two beers. And guess what? No buzz. Nothing. But I didn't got into anaphalectic shock so that was a plus. We ended the night at a gay bar and danced our butts off. My sister is like a man magnet and attracted the only straight guy in the whole gay bar. On Sunday we head to The Snake Farm. The nice thing about ipod touches is they keeps your kids busy and quiet in the car. Until their batteries die and they want to use your phones.

We drove an hour to get there and paid 10 bucks a person to get in and it looks like one of those places you drive by and say, "who the heck stops there?" Well we do. We found out later that an episode of the show, Dirty Jobs, was filmed there.

And it was depressing. Inside they had alligators, crocodiles, turtles and snakes of every kind and they were all in small ass cages and tanks.

These snakes weighed a few hundred pounds each and were almost 20 feet long. One of the workers got bit by one earlier in the day.

Outside there were various birds like chickens and geese just walking around. This gang of geese came around a corner bitching at us to get out of their way.

We really started to get depressed when we saw wolves, hyenas, and owls caged in crummy habitats. After our exotic animal tram ride the day before, the petting zoo at this place was pretty low key. Just a llama and a bunch of goats.

When we got back inside, I asked an employee if he'd take a snake out for the kids to hold. He brought out a ball python just like the two we have at my work.

Blake held it right away but Cole had to be coaxed into holding it. When I told him that Ella had one around her neck before, he relented and held it. Now he wants one as a pet! Aidan would barely touch the thing.

Barbie looks like Miss America holding up her trophy.

Of course, on the way home from the snake farm we passed the outlets so we had to stop at the Pottery Barn/William Sonoma outlet.

The Exotic Resort Zoo

2011-01-23T11:29:00.007-06:00

Friday was pretty uneventful. Kerry, Michael, Ella and I went to lunch. She continued to be sick and not herself.

During Ella's nap, Kerry, Aidan and I took the motorcycles out for another spin. Earlier that day, Kerry was complaining to Joey because he was riding one and fell over. She was telling him how he could ruin the bikes. Well guess who's words came back to bite her in the ass? She fell off and was laughing so hard that some pee came out.

We made poor Aidan ride the old motorcycle that's super slow while we took off ahead. We're such jerks.

Here's the blender that Kerry bought at the grocery store...for fifteen bucks...I told her that a fifteen dollar grocery store blender is probably not a great idea and she replied, "All I wanna do is make smoothies." Well what do you think people typically make with blenders? Well guess what broke after two uses? Kerry thinks that I willed it to break but that's just crazy ;)

I have to give my sister props for being a great cook. She is always very accommodating to the vegetarian and comes up with some delicious meals. But I also have to call her out...I was chopping up garlic for this dish and Kerry went to the door to buy 8 more boxes of girl scout cookies. She comes back and picks up all my garlic with her bare hands and I scream, "you handled money!!! That's the germiest stuff out there!" I guess I'm more like my mother than I realize.

On Saturday after Cole's basketball game, we head to the Exotic Resort Zoo in Johnson City. I'd like to say a few words about moms at basketball games. It's nice that you're interested in your kid's sports and I appreciate you cheering and stuff but when you start calling out traveling and fouls you've crossed the line. Or how bout when you're telling your kid to steal the ball? Listen ladies, there are coaches and refs for that kind of stuff. Unless you wanna coach, you should just cheer on the sidelines! While waiting for the tram ride, we hung out with the goats at the petting zoo.

My sister is such a copy-cat!

So here's the deal. You buy these giant buckets of animal feed and you ride on this open tram. The animals follow you and even stick their giant heads in the tram to get to your delicious food. Did you ever have a bison try to kiss you?

Do you see that tongue? I had nightmares about that tongue...

Ella was still a little sick but she loved all the animals.

Kerry's kids had no fear.

Twins?

After the ride we took our leftover feed back to the petting zoo where we got to hang out with baby goats so fresh that they still had umbilical cords and the afterbirth was still laying around. Cole is so sweet and gentle with the animals. He carried around that baby goat forever.

This brought me back to my days of breastfeeding.

We all loved this goat because he reminded us of Otis.

Dance party

2011-01-20T22:13:00.004-06:00

Last night we wound down with some yoga. You know yoga, that thing that's supposed to be relaxing. Well when you've got a bunch of fools farting all over each other, it becomes less relaxing but we sure had some laughs. Kerry decided to teach the little bird some moves this morning.

After yoga, we head to lunch because that's what we do best. The bird ate NOTHING at lunch. Not the grilled cheese and fries I ordered her. Not the shrimp I had. Not the wrap Kerry had. Not even the pretzels or fruit I packed her. Not a damn thing. The sweet waitress even snatched some oranges from the bar and Ella refused them because you know, they're orange!

My nephew Cole is quite the ladies man and had a couple of chicks over after school.

While making dinner we had a dance party in the kitchen. I was showing Aidan some moves cuz you know I'm a professional. At one point the music was super loud and raunchy and someone was at the door. My sister is yelling at us as she's walking to answer the door, "turn the music down and act normal!" The funny thing is that the person at the door could totally hear her.

The happy couple ;)

I decided to put some rubber bands in my nephews hair to make them look more gangster.

The bird's dance moves leave something to be desired. She basically spins around in a circle over and over again.

Later, my brother and Michael go out to The Nutty Brown for some drinks and live music while we stay home with the kids and play Kinects. That shit is hard and what a workout.

Here's me doing the long jump. I was running so fast that I thought my colon was going to fall out.

After we put all the little ones to bed, my sister, my oldest nephew and me had some chats about chicks and stuff. I will not repeat the advice that we provided because it was probably totally wrong.

As I'm sitting her now, my sister was telling me that when she went to the doctor for her "itchy beast" they told her to eat more yogurt. My nephew looks at her funny and says, "is that your ta-ta?" OMG is all I can say.

And finally, my sister just told me that my mom called to say that her and my dad are really enjoying their alone time together (cuz Joey is here). Blake raises his eyebrows and with a funny look on his face says, "what the heck does that mean?" Well, he is 13 now.

Gotta go because we have some serious TV watching to do.

Austin or the fall of the perfect child...

2011-01-19T18:47:00.003-06:00

Last night me and Ella, Ella and I or whatever the hell it is got dropped off at the airport around 6 pm for an 8 pm flight. Getting through security was a breeze except for when they put the stroller thru the xray machine, somebody was pissed. So we spent the next two hours walking around, chatting with strangers and eating McDonalds. About ten minutes before boarding, the gate agent took Ella's stroller and she FAREAKED out!!! I mean she was screaming and crying and tossing her body on the floor and just when I was able to distract her she would start all over again. You know all the people were just hating me and praying I wasn't getting on their flight. I wasn't too stressed cuz what the hell could I do anyway? That could be the Zoloft talking though... So we get on the plane and she immediately turns back into her sweet self. We sit down and have a row to ourselves on account that there's only 15 people on the entire flight. Of course I'm sitting across from some dude who wants to use my phone and then chat for the next 15 minutes. Long story short, we sat our asses on the runway for over two hours waiting to be de-iced. I had a DVD player that I was afraid to take out because it would need to be stowed before take-off. The flight attendants told me to let Ella walk around so she walked up and down the aisles, chatting with everyone on the plane. We landed at almost 1 in the morning. We get back to the house around 2 am and Kerry, Joe and me are chatting and I look over and Ella is puking. Projectile puking. I've never seen this. She only threw up once in her crib. She's standing there and the puke is being launched out of her sweet little face over and over again. I'm screaming, "she's puking, what do we do? How do we catch it?" Kerry and Joey are just laughing. If you look close, you can see the puke on the floor...

The next day Ella sleeps until like 11 and still doesn't want to get up. We drag her butt to a quick lunch and the grocery store only to turn around because she's burping weird and looks miserable. No fever though.

So what's a concerned mom to do? Go for a motorcycle ride around the block while Uncle Joe watches the baby. These are Cole and Aidan's Xmas presents - mini motorcycles and man are they a blast! We even picked the kids up from school with these. The jackasses of the neighborhood.

We got Ella to come out and enjoy the fresh air for a bit but that didn't last too long.

When we got home from the grocery store, Ella was pissed that we forgot her bananas. Seriously though, this kid is inconsolable and I don't know what to do. No fever but she is so pissed. Doesn't want to eat, talk, play or even look at me. She's resting peacefully now. As I'm typing this, my brother points out that the Texas Longhorns symbol looks like a vagina. And he's right. It's strange how similar me and my siblings are.

Here's the plan for tonight...

Yoga in five with Kerry and Joey (my brother is staying the week)
Kinects Dancing with the kids later
Then to the gym for treadmills and eliptical machines
Then to the couch for Wednesday night tv and eating our asses off due to all the exercise

Poo poo on the potty, sort of...

2011-01-14T16:19:00.002-06:00

Warning: Last Christmas Post!

2011-01-10T09:00:00.000-06:00

Well with all the places we had to go over Christmas, we never made it to my parents' house so the day after Christmas, they came by us to exchange presents. On top of her pile of gifts were these two mice attached at the nose so naturally, Ella turned them into a scarf. Then she had Grandpa try it on.

Otis loves when my parents come over because he gets lots of love! After all, he used to live in their house.

Among other things, Ella got a cute little apron that says, "Mommy's little baker."

I don't even know what day this was but it was a few days after Christmas, actually it was in the evening. That was when we finally had time to do Ella's Santa presents.

At first site...

A future concert pianist?

That night, Ella cried for the first time every when it was time to go to bed...

I think she likes her new toys a little too much.