Dancing Queen and other videos...

Ella loves to dance. She cracks us up every time she does it, too. I think Anthony & I could be entertained all night just watching her boogie down in the living room. Here are a couple videos of her doing her thing to Dave Matthews Band and to some bluegrass music (Anthony even joined in for that one - shh, don't tell him there are videos of him dancing posted on the internet).






Here's one just for Sunny. She sent these squeaker shoes for Ella to wear. They're still a little bit big, but Ella loves shoes so I put them on her one day. This was her reaction...



I don't think I'll be sending her to daycare in those any time soon. Her teachers might want to kill me if I did.

Like I said, the girl loves shoes. We had to go shoe shopping for shoes for Anthony a few weeks ago. We didn't find any for him, but we left with a pair for her. We found out that you don't 'try' shoes on Ella unless you intend for her to wear them out of the store. She usually has to ride in a buggy in stores so she was really happy that she got to walk around all over the store in her new (slightly too big) shoes.



Disclaimer: that fall at the end of the video looks way worse than it was. This one was a few seconds later...



And, a couple from when Anthony's dad was visiting last month & the kids were playing in their new pool and on the slip n' slide.





Sorry about the video overload. I had a lot that I needed to upload and post.
I'm hoping to get a new video camera for Christmas so I won't have to use my dinky cell phone one anymore.

One Year Ago

Do you ever look through your digital pictures from exactly a year ago? I do sometimes to see what we were doing on that day a year, two years, three years ago (my digital pictures only go back to 2006). I was recently looking through them to find a picture I had taken of my father-in-law and Ella when he was here last year to compare to one I took of them together when he was here a few weeks ago. What a difference a little more than a year makes, huh?

Ella and Grandpa G - April 2008

Ella and Grandpa G - June 2009
She was too busy playing to want to take a picture -
about a second after this she was running around again.

And, a couple pictures of her from exactly a year ago (at least exactly a year from the day I started writing this post about a week ago). She was just about rolling over and was all chubby cheeks and chubby legs. Now she's all over the place and into everything and (sadly) losing her baby chubbiness (if that's even a word).

Link Love

I think I may post a collection of links every now and then that have been inspiring me, challenging me or that have just made me laugh. Here goes…

• Back to the Basics series starting on Simple Mom (first post in the series here)– I have a post that I’ve been ruminating on (sorry, my Animal Science background bubbles up into my speech every now & then) that sort of addresses this in my own life and talks about some changes I’ve been making ‘round these parts.
  
• Heroe’s salute – I have a sister in the Army, a brother-in-law in the Marines and a good friend who served a term in the Air National Guard. All three have been deployed at least once in the past eight or so years. I also have a grandfather who served in World War II and both Anthony’s father & paternal grandfather served in the military. Needless to say, we are mindful of the sacrifices our military make/have made for our freedom & our protection. But, the video that Karen Russell links to in this post is still a good reminder that “freedom don’t come free.” Her post is also worthy of your time to read it – her husband has a very good point (no disrespect to Michael Jackson or his family).
  
• On a lighter note (unless you’re talking about caloric weight), I happened upon an older recipe post on Pioneer Woman’s blog for blackberry cobbler that I will be making very soon. I rarely see recipes online where I think, “I have to make this NOW!” but this is one of those. I love, love, love my mom’s blackberry cobbler, but bless her heart, she’s just not good at handing down recipes. It would probably go something like this…
  Her: Well, you need a good bit of blackberries
  Me: How much is a good bit?
  Her: Oh, about two cups, I think. Then, you’ll need some flour and sugar.
  Me: Um, how much?
  Her: Hmm… Maybe a cup of flour and ¾ cup of sugar. I don’t really know. I just put more in the bowl until it looks like enough.
  Me: Well, okay then.
  
• Could you put all the states in the right place on a U.S. map? Here’s a neat little game where you can test your knowledge of U.S. Geography. The best I could do was 96% right & an average of 5 miles off. It’s also a good way to goof off when you’re procrastinating at doing something (I won’t tell you how many times I played it before I got that score). If you play it, come back & tell me your top score (unless you stomp mine & then, well, spare me the humiliation).

And, a picture just because I've been posting too much lately without one...

She was 'helping' plant some flowers.

In Case You Need a Baby Fix

One of the blogs I follow is Grimsaburger. Her baby girl, Nuala, is 6 weeks old and completely adorable. She posted a video today of her 'talking' during a diaper change. If you need a baby fix, you should definitely watch the video. If you are dead set on not having any more children, you should stay far, far away. I'm serious, folks. This video could potentially change your mind & make you want to have a baby right now. Or.... maybe it just has that affect on me.

Either way, click here to see it.

PS22 chorus

If you haven't seen any of the youtube videos of the PS22 chorus (PS22 is a public school in NYC) you are really missing out. Here is my favorite that I've seen so far...



They've been featured on several shows - The Bonnie Hunt show, Nightline (last night), and others.

If watching these videos doesn't fill you up with emotions & give you chills, I think you might want to check your pulse :)

Cloth Diaper Related

Simple Mom has been doing a series this week on cloth diapering, including some of the basics, videos on how to put them on & wash them, and much more. Even for someone who has been doing the cloth diapering thing for over a year, I learned a thing or two.

If you are curious about cloth diapering or have looked into it but been overwhelmed by the overload of information on the internet, I highly recommend taking a look at her posts.

Also, for this weekend only, she's giving away some sweet prizes. So, go throw your name in the hat & maybe you'll win some of the cute diapers she's giving away.

I'm a Messy Cook

I am definitely NOT one of those cooks who can whip up something delicious and leave the kitchen sparkling clean. Nope, not me. This is a lot closer to what my kitchen looks like every time I bake...

Notice the weird shape of the powdered sugar on the flour?
This is where the rest of it was...

Someone has to lick the icing bowl clean...

The finished product...
(lighting is a little off - the icing was actually white)

This was by far the best from scratch cake I've ever made. Of course, I've only made two (that I can remember). One when I was a preteen (chocolate w/ chocolate icing) that was absolutely horrible. And, one for Anthony's birthday the year before last (red velvet at his request) that was probably just as bad as the first one. I think we may have just eaten one piece each & thrown the rest away.

The recipe for this cake is from Pioneer Woman. It's called a Strawberry Shortcake Cake. Anthony & I practically polished the whole thing off ourselves within a few days (I think Wesley & my father-in-law had one piece each). Yum!

Anyhow, just tryin' to keep it real around her.

Uh-oh Someone Got In Trouble

Look what came home with Ella's gram (a daily sheet from daycare where they record what she eats, when she sleeps, etc.) today...

Yes, our sweet, chubby cheeked little girlie actually bit one of her "friends" today. I was a little shocked when they told me this afternoon. She's never bit any of us at home, except for once when I was fishing around in her mouth for new teeth - couldn't blame her for that one, though.

Wesley went through the biting stage quickly & with very few incidents. Let's hope it's the same for Ella.

Edited to Add: I talked to her teacher the next day and found out the poor little girl that Ella bit had just moved up to that class. It was her first day. What a horrible initiation! I saw the bruise on her tiny little arm. Yes, a bruise! I almost starting crying for her.

Don't Trust A Girl Left Alone With A Package of Oreos

Earlier this evening I was on the phone with my sister-in-law while finishing up dinner. Ella was in the living room playing with a nearly empty package of Oreos. She was shaking it like a maraca, making lots of noise. It got quiet for a minute, so I went in to check on her. When I saw her I started laughing so hard I couldn't even explain to Lynsey what she had done.

Luckily there were only two in the package. She had already eaten one when I got in there. She quickly stuffed the second in her mouth & devoured it, too. Then, she tried to wash it down with some milk (her momma taught her well). Alas, the glass was empty (thank goodness for that). That next to last picture is her excited face. She scrunches up her nose when she's really happy or excited - so cute!

After cleaning her up & eating dinner she went straight into the pack 'n' play so she didn't create any more mischief.

































In my defense, I usually don't leave packages of food lying around in her reach. She's getting in three teeth at the same time. We had a rough night last night. She woke up after being in bed for maybe 45 minutes and thought it was party time. I think we both passed out on the couch around 11:30.

Conversations in the Car, Chapter Two

This was a conversation between Wesley & I had one afternoon a few weeks ago. We were leaving Rural King & saw the store owners (I'm assuming) walking out to a helicopter parked (do helicopters park?) beside the store. It looked like they were getting ready to leave so we waited for what seemed like forever for them to start it & take off. It was pretty cool. As we were leaving...

Wesley: That was so cool!
W: You know, you can't roll down the windows on a helicopter

Me: No, you can't.

W: So if you puke, you have to puke in a bag.

M: You are correct. *laughing*
W: But I wouldn't puke.
M: You wouldn't?
W: No, cause I'm not afraid of heights.

I thought it was so funny (& kind of gross) that I made a scrapbook page about it...

that diagonal line on the layout isn't there IRL (in real life)
it's just from having to scan it in two separate parts since the layout is 12x12 & my scanner is not

Spring Cleaning for Normal People

Photo courtesy of Free Digital Photos

So, if you've visited our blog in the last couple weeks you've noticed the button over to the right about the spring cleaning party at simple mom. Well, I need to make a confession...

I haven't made it past day two. I'm thinking I should start a spring cleaning for full-time-outside-the-home-working-moms-in-the-middle-of-baseball-season-and-the-busiest-time-of-the-year-at-work party. How's that for a catchy title?

Anyhoo, if you're interested in following along with my progress or *gasp* want to join in, I'm still going to follow simple mom's lead with the areas & process, just at a much (MUCH) slower pace. Call me a snail spring cleaner. Ha, ha, get it? Snail's pace, spring cleaning. Ho, ho, he, he - okay, no one else is laughing. Back to our regularly scheduled programming.

I'll be linking to her day-by-day process with some before & after pics as I move through the house. If you want to join me, post on today's post & just say, "Hey, count me in," or "My house is filthy, too" (just to make me feel better) or "I like the color blue" - I'm not picky about blog comments (or the lack thereof - hint, hint for you lovely people who drop by & leave no evidence you've visited :)

The older I get the less I like clutter & general schtuff in my house so this should be fun. I've never done an overall cleaning out in a (relatively) short period of time. It's usually more of a can't-close-the-closet-door induced purging or (more often) an oh-no-our-parents-are-coming-to-visit-in-two-days cleaning of the house from top to bottom (which equals not a very thorough job - think surface clean). Mom, Dad, if you are reading, just forget you read that last sentence. I promise my house stays that clean 365 days a year.

Worn-Out Woman Syndrome

I don't know if you noticed, but I recently changed up the blog links in my sidebar, not only to include a blogroll, but also to add some new blogs, like Crystal Paine's Biblical Womanhood, Money Saving Mom and Mom of Littles. I have been so blessed over the last few weeks since I found her from Simple Mom (who I found from Ali Edwards). Not only have I become an avid coupon clipper, but I've also begun examining a lot of the things in my life which are unneccessary distractions from my main purpose in life - to live a life that glorifies God. In this season of my life (as Crystal puts it), that means pouring my energy into being my best as a wife, mother, homemaker and employee.

I've been slowly reading through some of her older posts on Biblical Womanhood and have been soaking up her Godly advice on a number of subjects. One of her series, From Exhaustion to Rejuvenation, Overcoming the Worn-Out Woman Syndrome, (four different links to the four posts) is something I have found to be especially helpful. I don't know about you ladies, but I never realized how very much there is to do as a mother and/or wife until I became one. Ever since then I have felt (to varying degrees) like I'm burning the candle at both ends just trying to take care of children and husband while attempting to keep a spotless, well-organized home (emphasis on the attempting). Throw on top of that trying to be a dedicated full-time employee, a good friend, sister, daughter and church member.

Anyhoo, I just thought I would share links to that series so it might help someone else who has felt the way I do. I'm quite sure I'm not alone in feeling overwhelmed with the day-to-day of being a wife/mother. I'm sure if you are neither a wife, mother or homemaker that you can still glean some helpful information from her posts.

Her name...

I saved this post as a draft a couple months before Ella was born last year since we were keeping her name a secret. I just saw it the other day & realized I had never posted it.

Made this with a neat little site called Spell with Flickr. It uses images from Flickr to spell your word. Pretty cool.



mine...

Anthony's...



and, Wesley's...

just a cute picture

Try to look at this picture & not smile. Just try.

I bet you can't. At least, I know I can't.

Document your weekend

Saw this on Ali Edwards' blog this morning. I took a class she taught a couple years ago at CKU Nashville called A Week In the Life where you document your everyday life in pictures & by recording the little details like what you ate that day, what you worked on, etc. Even just two years out it's neat to look at the album & see what our life was like pre-Ella. I would encourage you to try her challenge for the weekend even if you're not a 'scrapbooker' - you can post the pictures on your blog or just stick the prints in a picture album & add some little 3x5 cards behind them recording the details of your weekend.

If you do participate, come back here & post a link to your blog/flickr account/etc. & share your 'Weekend in the Life' (I just made that up) with me. I'd love to learn more about you.

As for me, I will start this afternoon after I get off work because that's when our weekend rituals usually begin. I will at least post my pictures to flickr for you to see - maybe even post the pages/mini scrapbook I make from them here as well.

Conversations in the Car, chapter one

Riding around in the car on a Friday night back in March waiting on our pizza order to be ready...

Anthony sees an old sign that he thinks is neat & wants for his shop. We stop & he loads it in the back of the vehicle (which, by the way, reminds me of my childhood when my mom would see something on the side of the road & stop to load it up - I would always have a strong urge to duck down in my seat lest anyone I knew see me & cause me to die from embarassment - my mom is one of those people who doesn't EVER throw away anything that is still remotely useful - she even made us wash out ziploc bags to reuse them - oh, the childhood memories). Got a little sidetracked there; back to the story...

The sign had letters that you could change around - sort of like those blinking arrow signs

Anthony: What should I put on it?

Mindy: Pistons

(For those that are automobile illiterate, pistons are a vital component of the engine)

A: Yeah, that's good.

Wesley: How about DANGER!

We all crack up.

Click here to listen to Wesley's recounting of the special way he said DANGER!

Follow up to 'I love texting'

If you watched that video I posted about texting, this story will illustrate one of the things he talked about...

Yesterday one of my sisters sent this text: I need new pics of Wesley and Ella!

Me: I’ll upload some newer ribs of the kids to Wal-Mart & send you a link.

Her: Haha. ribs? I do that all the time.

I was thoroughly confused for a few seconds because right before the text about pictures of the kids, we were texting about sauces to put on meatloaf. I was thinking, "Does she put ketchup on her ribs, too?" and "Why would that be funny?" Then, it dawned on me that I might have messed up my text, so I looked in the sent box & sure enough, it said ribs instead of pics. So, tell me, why does my phone think that I would be texting about ribs more frequently than pics?

Anyways, I got a good chuckle out of my mistake & the quick mental picture it conjured.

Videos as promised...

Well, I thought I had some video of both kids on my phone, but it looks like I only have Ella in these (Wesley is taping the last one, at least).

I don't know what it is with children & appliances, but Ella loves messing with the dishwasher. Just the other day she figured out how to crawl up on the door, stand up & hold onto the top basket.



Anthony insists that Ella hasn't really said her first word yet, but I'm convinced her first word was 'bye' followed very closely by 'dada' as evidenced below. She had woken up from her nap & he was gone so she went to the door & was looking for him. I was trying to keep her from seeing me so it's kind of dark, but you can hear her calling for him loud & clear.



Swinging in the backyard swing. This swing has had lots of love because it was Wesley's when he was a toddler. She gets so excited when we walk around to it & will just laugh & laugh sometimes when she's swinging. The girl loves being outside & loves to swing.



All these are from March. I guess I need to get the video camera out a little more. Wesley's playing baseball again so I'll try to remember to get some of him to post here. He's doing so well & has become so much more coordinated just in the last year.

My stint as a model...

Did you know I was once a model? No? Here I am on a billboard ad.



Oh, you don’t believe me? How about this…

Here I am in a gallery display.



Still don’t believe me?

Here I am again…



And, finally, I present to you proof that it was not really Thomas Jefferson in Mount Rushmore, but me. :)



The above photo fun is brought to you by Photofunia. Check it out for a little time-wasting amusement.

And, along the same lines…

Have you ever had people tell you that you look like so and so? For instance, in high school I was told a LOT that I looked like Alanis Morrisette. Must have been the crazy long, wavy hair.



In college it was Ashley Judd. Maybe it was the chubby cheeks?



In the last few years it has been Katherine Heigl. Chubby cheeks, again? Well, I never really saw the resemblance with any of them until I saw Ms. Heigl in 27 Dresses as a curly-headed brunette. I present exhibit A (a shot of her at one point during the movie where I paused it & went, "Oh, now I see it.")


...and exhibit B (a similar photo of yours truly from photobooth tonight).



Well, hot diggity dog, sign me up for my next job as a movie star look-a-like!

Disclaimer: I’m really not a shallow person – I just think it’s funny when I’m told I look “just like” someone, because I usually go, “Huh?” and have no idea what they’re talking about.

Come back tomorrow for a slew of videos of the kids.

I love texting...

Because I have no time lately to upload pictures & form coherent sentences to entertain you with the goings-on of our clan, I bring you a brief video from Comedy Central (which amazingly is perfectly safe for innocent lil' ears save for a quick comparison to being like an 'attentive lover'). I confess I don't ever watch Comedy Central & found this on someone else's blog. Even if I currently had that channel in our vast repretoire of 2 1/2 channels (another very boring story for another day), I couldn't watch it for fear that Ella's first word would be of the cursing variety.

Comedy Central Presents	Friday 10pm / 9c
Paul F. Tompkins: Text Messaging
comedycentral.com
Joke of the Day Stand-Up Comedy Free Online Games