My Little Celebrity Look-A-Like

I was flipping through People magazine today while Ella was getting her hair cut and I had a passing thought ~ is it just me or does Ella look a little like Suri Cruise?

When the hairdresser finished up she turned to me and said, "She looks alot like Tom Cruise's little girl."

So, I guess it isn't just me.

Ella got her hair trimmed today and it looks very similar to Suri's pictured above ~ I think that's why there is a resemblence.

Now, I just need for someone to tell me that I look like Katie Holmes and I'll be thrilled!!

Roller Skating!!

Each year in December, Heath's company has a skating party for the employees and their families. Santa comes and brings a generous gift to all of the kids and they have a blast! We are very appreciative and we've gone every year since Marley was born.

The past 6 years I have been able to get out of putting on skates because of the girls ages.....Oh, but I knew the day would come...

Now, the girls were doing so well you would have never seen it coming, but somehow, whilst I was maneuvering Ella around the rink by her shoulders, she managed to fall. (WHAT?? YOU'RE KIDDING!!)

I too fell, my ribs landing full force on the heel of Ella's skate which was sticking up off the floor.

Ouch!

Once I was able to breathe again, I managed to skate my mangled self to a seat and vow never to skate w/ a 4 year old again.

Broken ribs and ruptured lungs have been ruled out and I am slowly beginning to be able to sneeze w/out a follow-up YELP.

This has been a fun 4 months of near breaks for our family.

Can't wait to see what we can do to ourselves in 2009!!

Autumn

Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;
Lengthen night and shorten day;
Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree.

I shall smile when wreaths of snow
Blossom where the rose should grow;
I shall sing when night's decay
Ushers in a drearier day.

~ Emily Jane Bronte ~

Apparently an entire season has come and gone since my last post ~ and yet somehow there isn't much to catch up on. Instead of trying to recall details of the several noteworthy things that did happen, I'm going to summarize for myself. Just because in 10 years I want to read this and smile.

Harvest Party

I wanted to do something special for Fall Break. Ella informed me that she wanted to bob for apples and so I planned a little Harvest Party for some of our friends and their kids! We had a great time playing a balloon pop game on the trampoline, having a potato sack race and playing lots of other games, including Red Rover. everyone seemed to have fun.

I think I'll make it an annual tradition.

Corn Maze

My family came to visit over the Halloween weekend and we went to a corn maze. We had a great time and came back to our house for a campfire and impromptu birthday party for my brother, whose girlfriend, Erica, came with him.

Halloween

(pictures to come later)



Hablo Japanese?

My sister and her family moved to Japan at the beginning of November and will be there for 3 years. My brother-in-law, Damien, is in the Navy and apparently thinks he has to move wherever they tell him! They are settling in to a home quite nicely but until they can get a proper license they have to bike everywhere!

We love you guys ~ say "Konnichiwa!" to the girls for us!

Meanwhile, over in England, in a related biking story, my other brother in law, Tony, was in a cycling accident when his bike slipped on black ice. He broke his elbow and got a concussion as well as a doosey of a head wound, even though he was wearing a helmet.

So, lesson learned: If you're going to ride your bike on slippery ice, make sure you are wearing a helmet!

How to Get Rid of a Stray Cat

We haven't seen him for days??!!??

Dem Dry Bones

"With the toe bone connected to the foot bone

and the foot bone connected to the ankle bone

and the ankle bone connected to the leg bone..."

Two weeks ago Marley jumped from the top of our slide......

...probably for the last time.

Actually, it isn't as bad as we thought it was going to be.

Thankfully, after sweating it out for 2 weeks, the final x rays showed no broken bone and no torn ligament, both of which had been a possibility.

She was so excited when the podiatrist said she could take the partial cast off and return to recess!!

True Friendship

One of the first things Kailey told Marley after she found out that she was on crutches was that she would just sit with her at recess since Marley couldn't play.

No one asked her to do that, she just did.

She wanted to.

And not just for the first day or two like most of the kids did because they were curious or wanted to try out crutches. She did every day for 2 weeks. And would have done it for 6 - 8 had that been the case.

I was so touched the other day as I picked up Marley and Kailey from school and Kailey was right there beside Marley assuring her she had her crutches and backpack. And Marley, not in a 'take you for granted' kind of way; but more like a 'I can count on you' way knew she would.

Becasue that's what friends do, right?

But I really didn't think that 6 year olds knew that.

I was truely touched.

True friends also pray for you to get better and then rejoice when you do!

Thank you, Kailey. You really are a true friend to Marley!

(Kailey & Marley ~ Preschool 2006)

Happy Birthday, Dear Ella!

As sure as I asked her not to, Ella turned 4! We have had a reacurring conversation for the past year where I ask her to stay the same size forever. Sometimes she would agree, others she would say that she really wanted to be able to go to school.

I felt badly because I kept joking w/ her and telling her that she was going to be 3 again on her b-day.....it took me about 1/2 the day to convince her that she really was 4!

We had a great time celebrating her birthday at Chuck E Cheese. Ella loves Chuck E ~ she couldn't wait until he came out. She invited Marley and two of her friends, Logan and Teryn to go with us for pizza, cake and games. Grandma & Grandpa also came to join in on the fun! (One adult per child is a good ratio at Chuck E Cheese.)

The pizza was served as soon as the kids arrived and it was hard to keep them still long enough to eat . After a few bites they grabbed their tokens and headed off for fun.


After the last token was spent we gathered around to sing "Happy Birthday!" I love that cake, candles and balloons can make someone feel so special! I also love this picture below, something about how sweetly Chuck is looking at Ella is endearing.

.....and then there were the gifts. Ella really enjoys playing w/ stuffed animals. She finds anything she can to put on them and wrap them in for a good night's sleep. In fact, about a week before her birthday she kept telling people the story about how on Marley's birthday when we went to Build a Bear, Marley got clothes for her bear but all she got was a backpack. So she was very pleased to get 6 or 7 new outfits, shoes, a pillow and blanket set and a carrier and bed for her animals.

Besides stuffed animals, puzzles, stickers, crafts and books are her favorites. She received some of each!! Both Ella and Marley usually fall asleep w/ books. They love to read. Heath and I found a storytime projector that projects pictures onto the wall as it tells the story. It has been a big hit.

The entire day was all about Ella and making her feel special. From the moment I woke her up singing "Happy Birthday" to when I tucked her in w/ a few new animals dressed to the nines, it was all about letting Ella know how glad we are that she was born. She got to choose her breakfast (pancakes), she received several out of town phone calls bright and early and she took cookies and punch to preschool where they celebrated her too!!


Ella, you are amazing and you make me smile!

Bundle of Naughties

“I’ve thought a great deal lately about my ‘bundle of naughties....'"

Amy March ~ Little Women

Ella is a menace.

If it weren't for that dimple and winsome grin she would spend 2/3 of her life in time out.

That "bundle of naughties" quote from Little Women has popped into my head so many times in situations with Ella. She has a very large "bundle of naughties" and my fear and expectations are that it is only going to get bigger.

Today she cut off a HUGE chunk of her hair. This is the 2nd time.

I could kick myself for not realizing she was up to something when she walked past me w/ a big "I love you" smile, hands discreetly behind her back in a shy, innocent sort of way. HAH!

She had enough thought/guilt process to come downstairs, sneak scissors past me, go back up and get the trash can out of their bathroom, chop off her hair and throw it away and then replace the scissors.

"Why did you do that, Ella?"

"Because it was in my eyes."

This reminded me of the time I asked her why she colored all over the chair and she said, "because I couldn't find any paper." (Oh, well in that case....)

Or when she had an accident in her bed and told Heath that it must have rained in her room.

Or when she swore to me, mouth brown w/ chocolate and silver foil wrappers strewn about the floor behind her, that she didn't get into the candy jar.

Or when she swallowed a penny at Vacation Bible School and at least that time she admitted she didn't quite know why she did it. (it meant more to Heath than me to look for the "outcome" of that one)

She marks up our leather sofa w/ crayon; she frequently empties her pj draw and dresses her stuffed animals w/ them; and she has been known to rub yogurt and applesauce on her head for no good reason.

And yet she is still so easy to love.

She needs to thank the Lord for that sweet dimple.