Super Moon

It's the moon's fault. I knew it. Ella has been misbehaving this past week more so than any other week in her life thus far. I think Tom and I exchanged glances 100x over the last few days and I know what was going on in his head. "Where are the aliens that abducted our sweet Ella? And when do we get her back?" I have heard many, many bad things about the awful 3's and of course things did go a little sour after her 3rd birthday, but NOT NEARLY as bad as it's been. I've questioned my sanity in thinking "how the heck will I ever handle 4 kids one day?" Apparently I love a challenge and still want a huge family:) Ella hasn't scared me THAT much just yet.

I know I am not alone though because I have multiple friends who have posted on Facebook, Twitter, or I have talked to this week and their kids have thrown some pretty crazy fits as well. I actually went out on Saturday night and when I came home Tom and I went out on the patio and looked at the moon. It occurred to me then that Ella's behavior is due to the super moon. It was the biggest, brightest moon in almost 20 years. No wonder these children of ours have been absolutely out of control! I just knew my precious doll-face daughter of mine could never have been that bad on her own;) It sure is a huge sigh of relief (insert sarcasm)that I found something else to blame it on. Thanks a lot Super Moon!

A Surprise for Ella

When Monica asked Ella to be the flower girl in her wedding I definitely had my reservations. Ella is not always the most outgoing of children and to walk down the aisle at Sacred Heart Cathedral made me sweat a little. (longest aisle ever.) We talked about her being a flower girl for a whole year! She was excited and she loved her princess dress...and I am not going to lie...we promised her a trip to Disney World if she completed the task at hand. And guess what? SHE DID IT! She was the cutest, too. The best part was she passed out during the ceremony (Catholic Mass so it was a nice one hour nap) and was of course quiet as a mouse;) Needless to say, Tom and I knew we had to fulfill our promise to her and we headed to Disney a few days after the wedding along with the newlyweds. It was a total surprise to Ella though who thought she was woken up early to go to the beach. It was so much fun to wake her up in the car as we approached the "archway" into Disney. She was still groggy, but most certainly a very happy girl. I think Tom and I were more excited to be able to surprise her with her absolute favorite place on Earth.

The aisle

The flower girl

The flower girl and her very proud mama

Sorry the photos are from my wonderful father-in-law's cell phone! Pro pics coming soon I hope!

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On the ferry with Auntie Monica

I remember taking a similar photo back in April when Madeline was still in my belly!

I think I am married to the most handsome man in the world!

Ella with her new Minnie ears which Madeline ended up dropping somewhere in Disney:(

Not a fan of Small World.

How cute are these two? She adores Uncle James.

Disney Rocks!

On the Aladdin ride with Uncle James

My little beauty

Flying high with Dumbo

Watching the Princess show

There's nothing cuter than a Dad with a baby in a Bjourn

Hello Sunshine State!

We recently returned from a quick trip home to Florida. It seems that is about the closest to vacation this family will see in a long time;) We drove the 1200+ miles for Monica's wedding! (those photos to come sooner or later...Ella was THE cutest flower girl...I'm biased of course.)

Some of you probably assume we have lost our minds road tripping it with two young children, but to be honest, I find traveling by car 100x less stressful

than traveling by plane with kids. We had a great little adventure even stopping to have lunch by the Mississippi River. (Of course the literature major in me started to tell Ella about Tom Sawyer, but she clearly wasn't paying attention to me.)

The girls are great travelers and even though Madeline threw a few fits here and there, I wouldn't hesitate to do it all over again.

The weather was beautiful everyday we were there, but we only had time to visit the park once. We love going to Sims Park in downtown NPR. There's something nostalgic about it. I remember watching this park being built when I was a kid and to see Ella and Madeline enjoying it puts a smile on my face.

She loves her dandelions!

I do believe she was trying to convince her daddy of something...

Ummmm hello cute elbow dimple!!

Ok this slide is a twisty slide and for some reason I was too scared to go down it. Any NPR moms know what I am talking about??

A Rare Day in February

It's not often you see temperatures in the 70's here in winter. We took advantage of the sunshine and beautiful weather and played outside for a bit. Lots of hopscotch, car driving, bike riding, chasing Madeline and rollerskating!

Yeah, that's my kid...no helmet. Pushing her little sister while on roller skates. (I promise the skates BARELY move.)

"My ride is so much better than your ride Madeline."

So cool.

No drinking and driving.

Life with two girls is really a ton of fun. I can't get enough of these kids.

A-Z!

Love this idea from Caroline!

A. Age: 30...still hard to believe that.

B. Bed size: Queen

C. Chore you dislike: Laundry. I do believe my husband changes clothes 3-4x a day.

D. Dogs: My sweet Riley Roo...RIP

E. Essential start to your day: Coffee and my Origins Vita-Zing cream

F. Favorite color: Green

G. Gold or silver: Gold coins, platinum jewelry

H. Height: 5'7"

I. Instruments you play(ed): Does Ella's toy guitar count?

J. Job title: Stay at home mama

K. Kids: Ella and Madeline

L. Live: Oklahoma

M. Mom’s name: Donna

N. Nicknames: Mel, MAY, Maylisa

O. Overnight hospital stays: Only the times I have given birth!

P. Pet peeves: Their, they're and there. Enough said.

Q. Quote from a movie: "Nobody puts Baby in a corner."

R. Righty or lefty: Righty

S. Siblings: 2 brothers

T. Time you wake up: Usually by 730-8. Depending on when the girls wake up!

U. Underwear: I'll leave that to the imagination.

V. Vegetables you don’t like: Cooked carrots!

W.What makes you run late: Nothing. I am always on time.

X. X-rays you’ve had: Teeth, hand

Y. Yummy food you make: Chicken Marsala, German food, anything in the crock

Z. Zoo animal favorites: Elephants

February and Madeline

Here's our growing girl...

Superbowl party...dressed like P Diddy:)

I think I have a monkey on my back!

A dad and his babes.

Look at those chubster legs!

Oh and of course one of Ella throwing her daily fit(s).

Tom's idea of parenting.

Ready to watch the Grammy's.

She loves her sweet potatoes

But not peaches. I must have made them a little too tart for her liking. (Yes Madeline. Your mom took the time to make ALL of your baby food. I didn't do that for Ella. You've got one up on her, ok?)

Learning some baby yoga. She has mastered the downward dog. Tony Horton would be so proud.

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for...

The beautiful weather here in Lawton. The girls love playing outside in it!

Google Home Page allowing you to upload your own photo. Anyone who knows me knows I love to Google anything and everything. It's been a wonderful thing Googling and being able to see my sweet Riley on a daily basis. Lord knows I miss her more than anything.

My Forsythia growing in the garden. My mom planted it before Ella was born and it's by far my favorite thing to see bloom each spring.

What are you thankful for?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I-rish you a very nice place to live,

I-rish God's greatest gifts he'll give.

I-rish you health, and wealth, and more--

I-rish your smilin' face were at my door!