3/23/14

3 months

3 months
Happy 3 months baby Shea!
Your sleeping habits are getting so much better.  I can usually get you to sleep around 9 or so (sometimes after almost no fuss, but sometimes after a lot.  It varies) and then you sleep until about 2 in your crib.  You had a few stretches until 5 and that was amazing but it has now gone back to 2.  You did stay up last night until midnight but we will let that slide.  Your naps are mostly on the go in the car seat, but some have been at home in your crib too.
You talk all the time.  You are so chatty and animated.  It is the best thing in the world.  You are definitely growing too.  No official stats but I would say your head has to be off the charts and your rolls are definitely rollin.  You are the cutest thing we have ever seen and we still just huddle around you at all times and want you to see everything.
I hate that 3 months have already gone by, but I also cant wait until you are laughing and walking in your new walker (that we all went together to buy for you and freaked out when we put you in it.  You were a little overwhelmed and wayyyyy too short to touch the ground, but we got over excited anyway).
Love you so much Shea Shea.

3/20/14

Let the Good Times Roll!

We celebrated Ella's 6th birthday at the bowling alley this year.
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There wasn't a whole lot of party prep for this party because the place had rules on decorations and food being brought in. I focused mainly on the shirts, table decor and party favors.
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I ordered the bowling pin drinking bottles from Amazon. I took white dot stickers to make the plates look like bowling balls and the clear plastic bowling pins for the favors came from here.

There were 25 kids and they all had so much fun! It was 2 hours of very organized chaos. They bowled for the first hour then went to the party room for pizza, cake and presents. Each kid was given their own card for some arcade games so we ended the party with some fun games. All the people at Spare Time were so nice and helpful.
It was so funny to watch all the kids bowl. McKenna was actually the first one to get a strike and had the leading score at one point in the game. What a natural.
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Let the good times roll.

3/19/14

My SIX Year Old!

6 years old. So so crazy. 
All Ella wanted for her birthday was this rainbow chair that her cousin Adalyn has. It is huge and bright. We really didn't have room for it so I immediately said no. She then moved some stuff around in her room to show me how it could fit. I got online to see what the measurements were and it happened to be on clearance. It was meant to be I guess. Friday morning, I had it siting at the kitchen table for her birthday breakfast. She was so excited about it! 
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Ella requested Gran's banana bread for her birthday breakfast. A family favorite.
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After breakfast I took the girls to the nail salon. One of Ella's favorite things. McKenna usually passes on the pedicure but she ended up loving it this time. Who wouldn't with your own movie, snacks and drink?!
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They both went with a hot pink and zebra stripe.

Once Bob got home and my parents got to town, we took Ella to get her ears pieced! I still can't get over it. Ever since Ella could talk she has been asking to get her ears pieced. Bob and I always told her when she was 6. She has never forgotten. She has talked about this day for so many years now and was so excited about it. So we headed to Claire's in the mall and did it!
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 I can't believe how brave she was. All she said was ouch and it was so laid back and whatever when she said it. She got a little red in the face but never a single tear.
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Such a big brave 6 year old!

Every night before I go to bed I always go in the girls room and kiss them good night one more time. I then crawl into McKenna's bed and lay next to her for a few minutes. I can no longer crawl into Ella's bed. She is too big and it makes me so sad. It makes me cherish those moments when I'm squeezed in a twin size bed with McKenna. I know in the blink of an eye she too will be too big and turning 6. Ugh. I might have to move them into their own king size beds or something. 
Ella is very much like me. Scares me a little at times but I love when I can understand her thought process and see the way she is looking and thinking at things. She is very creative but very quiet about it. I can see the wheels turning in her head but she doesn't always have the confidence to express them. She wants to be different and stand out but not in a way that would draw attention to her. She gets very shy and pushes back if a fuss is made over something she has done but in the same moment would be sad if nobody noticed. She is a people watcher. She wants to see how everyone else does something before she jumps in. She likes to have all her options laid out in front of her before she chooses something. She is a perfectionist. And a fashionista. Which makes it very difficult and frustrating at times to take her shopping or even get ready some mornings. In the end though, her creative finished product is always worth it and inspiring. She loves her little sister with the most pure and selfless heart. She is always looking out for her and will always be her number one fan. I pray that Ella grows leaps and bounds in her confidence this next year and can step up as a leader and be the first to jump in. I pray that her light for God is the first thing people see and the number one thing Ella focuses on. She is growing into a mind of her own and I can't wait to see where it will take her. I love you Ella Reese. Happiest of Birthdays! 

3/18/14

Spring Break

We stayed in town for Spring Break and took it pretty easy. I loved having the girls home all week. Bob is in one of his busiest rotations this month so that was kind of a bummer that it fell on the month of Spring Break. If he was ever home he was usually sleeping from being up all night working. Boo. 
I tried to have a little activity for the girls and I to do each day.
We started the weekend off with home church. I was supposed to teach McKenna's sunday school class and she woke up with a random fever that only lasted about 12 hours so we stayed home. Since I already had the lesson I just taught it at home church.  Good news, Ken has been baptized. The girls got a kick out of it and they think Ken is much cooler now.
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Monday we went to the drive thru safari with Julie and her girls. It was so fun and hilarious when the animals would get a little close for our comfort. 
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Tuesday the sun came out so we set up a lemonade stand in the front yard. Julie and her girls came over to help us sell lemonade and cookies. It started off slow but they ended up making about 2 dollars each. Their first customer was a guy from London which I thought was so cool. He was visiting his family that happened to live on our street. He said that he had never seen kids actually selling lemonade and how neat he thought it was. 
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Wednesday we tried to go see the Frozen sing along that was showing for only a dollar. It was packed and sold out though. The girls and I were super bummed. We went with plan B and got some breakfast and took it to the park for a morning picnic. It ended up being crazy windy and freezing so we left. We ended up staying inside most of that day and busted out the Wii. When Ella was 3 she loved to do Just Dance on the Wii. It had been years since we set it up so it was so fun to do again. The girls could have danced all night. We have been doing it everyday now and it is so fun!
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Ella loves the song Proud Mary because it starts off slow and then gets fast. She loves to start with her hair in a pony tail and then take it out for the fast part. That girl is a performer.

Thursday we headed to a bounce house place. After they were worn out we came back home for McKenna to take a good nap. During McKenna's nap, Ella and I got out her sewing machine she got for Christmas. She has been asking to sew since she got it and this was the first time we did it. She was so excited to sew. I found out quickly that I was not meant to be a sewing teacher. It was a little difficult. She wanted to make a skirt and had her fabric picked out and everything. I got the machine ready so that all she had to do was sew. The hardest part for her to understand was controlling the fabric as it went through the machine. She would either hold it too tight or end up sewing all the way across the skirt. We did a lot of seam ripping. After a couple hours the skirt was done and she loved it.
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Of course she immediately wanted to make another one with pockets. I don't think either one of us is ready for that though. Maybe I will sign her up for some sewing classes from someone other than me.
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Friday was Ella's birthday so I will continue that fun day in the next post.
Hope everyone is having or had a wonderful spring break!


3/17/14

Mason Jar Rainbow Cupcakes

Since Ella's actual birthday was over Spring Break, I brought some cupcakes up to her class a week early so they could celebrate at school.
I was so excited how cute these turned out! I used the small mason jars, I think they are the half pint size. I used two boxes of white cake mix and then divided it into bowls. I added the color with gel food coloring. This is how the colors came out so bright. I sprayed some PAM in each jar and then just poured a couple spoonfuls of each color. Even though it doesn' show it in this pic, I put all 12 jars into one cake pan. I have a double oven but the top one is much shorter so the jars wouldn't fit. I added a little water at the bottom of the pan and then put them in the oven at 350 for about 30 minutes. 
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I wish I would have taken a pic right after I pulled them out of oven. They baked up a little over the top. Not pouring over the sides, just puffed up. I had to cut some of the top off so I could fit the icing and put the lids on. These were so delicious and a huge hit with the kids.
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I loved getting to be in Ella's classroom setting and it was so sweet to see how proud she was of McKenna. She carried her around and loved showing her off. Sweet sweet sisters.

3/6/14

Littlest Sister

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This kid is smiling all the time.
It is the absolute best thing ever.  I know I am a broken record on this, but I just cant help it.  Im the dorky gushy mom that acts like every time she smiles is the first time.
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And my team is right there with me.
Every time she smiles and they are around for it, they run and tell each other to come and see.
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Avery loves to bounce her and will pick her up and try and bounce her back to a smile if she's ever crying.
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Really, they all want to keep her smiling.
They dont just gush to her and tell her how pretty they think she is or how big she is (though we all have a distinct baby voice that we use to say these things to her on a regular basis)- they also treat her like a person and want her to be happy and a part of every thing thats going on.  They know what she likes and what she thinks about most things.
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They know she likes the bath so they couldn't wait to get her in the hot tub.
They want to pick her up and hold her all.the.time.
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They all fight over who gets to feed her.
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She has just become a natural part of everything we do.
It just amazes me.
And, yes, I am definitely 100% tired and things have been touch and go with her late night cry fests and her complete lack of interest in naps. And four kids is a lot sometimes.  And there are a lot of times that I pray to literally make it to the next time she stops crying (that sounds so dramatic when you write it out like that).  But, even though it has been hard in so many areas, the sibling part has not been one of them.
Avery gets up early and makes everyone breakfast sometimes to let me sleep in.  The first time she did it I almost cried.  I just couldnt believe it.  Sassy will do things before I even ask.  She will have whatever I need ready for me whether it be her homework or sheas paci.  And if I do something that makes a mess or wasn't what she wanted, she is quick to tell me that its ok and for me not to worry about it.  And ben gets the shaft all the time when shea is crying and I have to tell him that I can't read to him or play with his dinosaurs.  He always, always has a good attitude about it, and never throws a fit.  It has just blown me away how thoughtful they can all be- not because they think they have to-  but because they really do love her so much.
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I know this sounds so cheesy and I dont want to come off wrong- I just never want to look back and forget this time.  And its clearly not all the time.  There are countless times that I have to ask for them to do what I say fifteen times before they even hear me, or that they fight with each other about every little thing.  Right now, though, I just want to remember the good stuff.
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And heres to hoping that she doesn't turn into the most difficult person ever to be around because she has been stared at every waking moment of her life.
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