Snow

We rarely get snow but this last weekend it snowed and the kids loved it, even little Elyza.

Yes, that is Ellie eating snow in the picture where she is face first on the ground. Snow is her favorite food! And that is why Santa is bringing her a snow cone machine for Christmas!

I can't wait to take them to Steven's Pass in a couple of weeks, they will have a blast.

Sister Kisses

Elyza's Baby Quilt

I finished Elyza's baby Quilt, so what if she's almost 16 months old! I started this before she was born, it was nearly finished for so long, finally I bought the fabric for the back, a pink chenelle with embossed hearts. I just love the colors and the entire quilt is so pretty! She will get it for Christmas this year and I hope she loves it when she gets older.

Goodbye Reese, we will miss you! Love, your Family

Last night Reese suddenly died.

Cassie and Ellie wrote a song together:

I don't want you to leave me forever.

I want you to stay forever and never leave me.

I want to talk about you to my friendsYou were my fluffy bunny.

You were the first bunny friend and I want you to die when I die.

It was Cassie and Ellies bunny friend Reese.

To Reese

From Your Family.

We are not sure what happened, Cassie had fed him clean food and water..he was fine!

Then a bit later Ellie came out of her room and said "I think something is wrong with Reese!"

I said "Why"

She said "he's laying on his side.

"As I was getting up I said "Oh, bunny's sleep on their side." They sleep like cats kind-of.....

So I went in there and he was DEAD.

He was only about 1 or so they said when we got him a little over a month ago.

Ellie said right before that he was squirming on his side (her description) I assume he had a seizure or something.

We love you Reese and we will miss you :(

Tomorrow we will bury him on our friend's property and have a little memorial for him.

Questions...

Do cats have armpits?

Do Vampires have blood?

Are flies smaller than fairies?

These are some of the questions that Ellie has been asking me lately.... so do YOU know?

Obama

CHRIS MCGRATH / GETTY IMAGES

I am totally stoked that Obama will be our next president. Not only did he win but he won by a landslide. I was not a big fan of Obama but I am a lesser fan of any Republican and of John McCain. This means hope and change for our country, something we really needed. It is also very exciting that the U.S. has finally elected someone besides a white man. This is B-I-G.

Ellie had already been rooting for Obama even before I suggested that I was. I explained to her how big this is and how exciting this is that he was elected but at 5 1/2 she doesn't really understand. But I am happy that just maybe my kids will grow up in a better America.

Obama's speech last night:

Our elections barely closed last night and John McCain was giving his concession speech. In so many ways this is wrong, it makes the west coast feel like their vote does not matter. But the state I live in consistently gives their electoral votes to Democrats.

McCain's speech last night was actually very nice. He did a terrific job and he said some powerful things. I think his concession speech was the thing he did the best during his whole campaign.

And now meet Simon

We also got a new kitten, a male tan and white kitty. He is really sweet and playful and we just love him. He was an early birthday present, we got him on 10/25. I named him Simon. The only time he's not so sweet and cute is when he's attacking Elyza when she's sleeping. He ONLY wants to play! lol. Lilkittyy tolerates him now, he isn't hissing and growling by the sight of him... but he won't play with him either. Grumpy old man! The other night Simon was so cute. A large hand mirror was laying on the bed and Simon was getting the kitten. His favorite bed is one of the cloth diaper accessory baskets, goofy kitten.

Meet Reese

Over a week ago we adopted a holland lop bunny. His name when we adopted him was Cooper. Well, we can't have TWO Coopers so we renamed him Reese, because he looks kind-of like a peanut butter cup. I don't really like renaming pets but it was too awkward having two with the same name. He is 1 years old and is very sweet and not very shy. We let him out daily and he seems to enjoy being pet and cuddled.

Cute things that Ellie says - I

She's holding a lady bug and she says "Why is my lady bug not crawling?"
I say "He's probably afraid."
She says in the most appalled voice "Afraid of WHO!?!?"
She can not imagine why a little tiny lady bug would be afraid of her, she loves him so much she would never hurt him.


Watching a Bosley Hair commercial..
"Mama, do you think Daddy wants hair? Maybe he should go there."
For the record, Daddy doesn't want hair, he shaves his head, he's not going bald.


Watching Cash Cab there are two obviously gay men in the cab (I didn't say anything.)
When it ends Ellie says "Do you think they are married?"
I say: "Who? Those men?
She says "yeah."
I say "To eachother?"
She says "yeah, do you think they are married to eachother?"
I told her "yes, I think they are probably married, why did you think they are married?"
Ellie: "Because they both have glasses."
Hu? Ok, goofy kid. I think she had the intuition that they were gay but wasn't sure when I asked why she thought that, so she threw the glasses in there?


She calls the new kitten Salmon instead of Simon.


Older ones...



Nov 2006
One day a friend was sitting with her for 10 minutes while I finished up at work and she said:
"I love my Mama."
R said: "Yeah, you have a pretty good mom."
E: "Yeah, I really really love my Mama."
R: Smiles and nods
E: "I really really really really love my Mama."


In the loudest voice possible, borderline screaming:
"Mom, Mom, I really have to tell you something!"
"What's that?"
"Raisins are healthy for us!"


We are house/dog sitting for 10 days and yesterday when we were coming over here I told Ellie that Phoebe was going to be there, who is Diane's sister (my SIL) and then I asked if she remembered her.
She said "Yes..."Then she said "Is she human?"


My friend brought her baby over and Ellie wanted to hold her... so she was allowed but with help..
Then she said "Someday I am going to grow real big like you and my mom, THEN I can really hold the baby."


We were trying to jump the car Ellie started freaking out and crying and asking "Why is Daddy taking all of our gas!!" She knows cars need gas and she knew the car wasn't working and saw the cables hooked from the van to the car.



Dec 2006
Ellie was telling Cassie how she was going to be 8 someday too and Cassie was telling her after she's 4, 5, 6 and 7... and then Ellie says: "Cassie, guess what, when I am 8 you are going to be 3!"


We did Christmas with Cassie early (because she's at her mom's for Christmas) so we let Ellie open a couple things too and they got roller blades... So they were out rollerblading and Ellie was having trouble at first and she says: "Cassie, when I was 8, and when I grew bigger, I used to do this all the time!"


"When I grow up to be a teenager I am going to marry daddy and get a baby in my belly."

Jan 2007
Ellie was at work with me and a co-worked took her potty. She was in the stall and her and another co-worker were in the bathroom and they hear her grunting... then she anounces really loudly "I really need to eat more vegetables!"


One night Ellie and I were going to lay down and she was going to sleep on the outside of the bed and I asked her to sleep on the other side so I could get up easier and she said: "Will you look at me?" (Which meant face her while laying down because I switch side back and forth)
I said "Sure baby"
Then she said: "can we touch?" (which apparently meant snuggle )
I said "Of-course!"
So we layed down and cuddled and she said "It makes my heart feel good when we touch."

Feb 2007
"Mama, can we get the healthy food for the dogs?"
"I don't know what you mean baby"
"You know, the kind with vegetables!"


"Mama, does your work stay up"
"Do you mean does it close?"
"No, does it stay up all night?"
"I am not sure what you mean, it doesn't stay open all night."
"No, I mean your work family, do they stay up all night?"


"Oh mom, my poop is really yucky today, come look!"


"Mom I have crumbs in my butt"


Ellie had a penpal named Hero and the other day we were watching Animal Planet and they were at the Denver zoo and I said "Look, it's the Zoo in Denver, that's where Hero lives"
And Ellie looks at me really confused and scrunched up her face and said "Hero lives at the zoo?"

Mar 2007
In the middle of the night the other night Ellie yells really loudly (while sleeping)"Nattie is upside down!" (the dog)


"What is that, yogurt?"
"No it's mayonaise."
"Why are you putting mayonaise in your yogurt? I don't want mayonaise in my yogurt!"
I guess she was stuck on it being yogurt.


The other day DH farts and says "Ellie did you hear those barking spiders?"
Ellie laughs
I say: "What did those spiders crawl up your ass?"
Ellie says: "No it IS Daddy's ass!"


The other day Ellie said: "You are the best mom ever.... in my WHOLE LIFE!"(She thought adding in my WHOLE LIFE (with emphasis) was adding more meaning to it )
Then I said: "You are the best daughter ever"
Then she says "In your WHOLE LIFE!"


Apr 2007
Almost everynight Ellie watches the "Goodnight Show" on Sprout and everynight at the same time they read cards that people send into their kids. And it's Ellie's favorite part.
And everynight Elmo sings a Birthday song as if singing to the kids.
And Ellie always says: "it's not my birthday dude" (and she uses a funny voice when she says it.)


I told Ellie "I love you all the way to Mars and back!"
She promptly responded with "I love you all the way to Pluto and back!"


For easter she got a set to make balloon animals. Well at first we weren't so good at it except making snakes and I made one into a hat and it had a piece that stood up on the top and Ellie puts it on and says "Yay, a penis hat!"


Ellie was farting all day and Doug made a comment how I don't freak out on her when she farts (I yell at him to leave the room.
I said: "Her farts don't gross me out like yours."
He said: "Oh yeah, because her farts smell like roses."
Ellie: "No, my farts smell like hot dogs."


Ellie sings all the time and when she sings The Little Red Caboose she says "The little red aboose chug chug"


We were in the kitchen and Ellie said she would carry my plate of food. I told her I would carry it because it was hot and she should just carry hers.
Then we sat down to eat and I took a bite and she said "Is your hotter than hell?"
( I did not say hotter than hell in the previous conversation)


Ellie got upset because we didn't do something we wanted to do today.
I told her "It's bedtime the sun is going down, we can try to do it tomorrow."
She says while crying "No, the earth is turning, why did you say the sun is going down?!?!" (she knows how night and day work)


I told Ellie that Daddy and I were going to a place just for grown-ups and that she was going to go to Grandma's house. At first she was upset but I told her that Daddy and I really needed to spend some grown up time together.
She says: "Ohhh... so you can dance?" DH and I DO NOT dance and we have never danced together, not even at our wedding...
but rather than explaining this to a 4-year old I said "Yep, so we can dance."
Then she says: "And have dinner?"
This must be what grown ups do on dates, dance and have dinner.


One night eating strawberries Ellie took a chop stick and speared the Strawberry and says: "Hey, I know, this is just like when you cook rats on stick on a fire!"
(Shrek-as I found out later) So we cooked all of our rats over the bowl (they sat on speared chop sticks) and we weren't allowed to eat them until they were cooked.


Ellie is fascinated that she's growing hair on her arms and frequently she will rub her arm and look at it and say "I am so glad I am growing hair!"


May 2007
I went to the doctor today and when I came home I took off my clothes and I was laying on the bed with just my underware on and a blanket over me.
Ellie says: "Can you wear some clothes?"
I say: "I don't want to put on clothes right now.
"Ellie: "Did you go to work naked?"
Me: "No I didn't go to work today I went to the doctors this morning."
Ellie: "Did you go to the doctor naked?"


Ellie was convinced she had a penis. She thought her clitoris was a "small" penis and wouldn't not believe us it wasn't...UNTIL... my friends little boy peed in front of her in his yard the other day and for about three days she asked all kinds of questions about why his penis looked differently from hers.


June 2007
After I had leg cramps the other day Ellie tells this story:"When I was Mama's age my leg cramped really really bad. My leg was going like this (making a squeezing hand movement) and it hurt so bad I cried"


July 2007
I told Ellie the baby will be here in about 40 more days or so and she said "40!!! I can't wait that long!!!"


Aug 2007 before Elyza was born
We put some cloth diapers on Ellie's baby dolls the other day and then she runs into the room and says "Hey mom, I need a fire passer!"


Ellie had two cabbage patch dolls (one was mine when I was a kid, one hers) and she came in with them and said "Can you babysit my baby for me? I was pregnant twice so I have two twins, a boy and a girl." So I tell her sure. She then says "He's a little bit whiny but he will be ok."



Sept 2007
"I'll have one of those things that looks like a donut but they aren't a donut" (a bagel)


"Mama, the spider that is living in the spider web on my swingset... I comanded it to be my best friend."
ME: "Yeah? Did it listen?"
"Yes, I told it that it could live there, but it didn't want to get held though."
"I haven't had spider friends in a long time, that's why I let it live here. M's mom would kill it, but I would tell her NO! She's my best friend." (M is the neighbor)


I was nursing Elyza and Ellie said "I want a baby boy now."
I laughed and told her we needed to wait awhile before having another baby and then explained how we didn't get to choose if we got a boy or a girl.
Then Ellie said "How are you going to take care of two babies?"


"I know! The big dipper looks like one of our measuring tape cups!"


Ellie says "American States" like "that's the American States flag." Or "We live in the American States"
I said "I don't know, that's hard!"
Then Ellie said "With that boob" and pointed to the boob I wasn't nursing Elyza with.


At first Ellie called a pacifier a "Fire Passer" Now it's a "Pire Fasser"


Guitar = rocktar
This is how I found out:"
I am a fairy with pink wings and black rocktars."
"ok" (not really listening) " wait, what, you have black what?""Rocktars."
"What is a rocktar?"
"you know" (makes playing guitar motion.)
"oh, a guitar?""yeah"
Then she said guitar once and then started calling it a rocktar again.



Feb 2008
This hot dog is damn good

My poor baby girl!

Yesterday lilkittyy scratched her on the hand and by evening her hand ended up all puffy, red and purple and infected. The doctor put her on an antibiotic and told us to take the bandage off today.

AND... her hand looks worse.I just took off the bandage the doctor put on last night. I told Doug I would do it and we just got home and I just got it off. There was blood and puss all over the bandage.. the doctor thought it would be ok since it had already scabbed. I squeezed some puss out, as much as she could tolerate (not sure if I should have done that..) Even her little fingers are red and swollen. Poor baby...

These were just taken tonight.

Elyza Kisses!

Today for the first time Elyza kissed with her mouth closed making a smacking noise. I know she did not do this yesterday! It's so cute and so fun to watch her transition to a big girl!

On a sad note lilkittyy scratched her this morning (just because he's grumpy and old!) and her hand ended up all puffy, red and purple and infected. She's now on an antibiotic and we will take off the bandage tomorrow and clean it up some more and make sure it looks better. Poor baby girl.

He just wanted a little taste of....

BROCCOLI......

I bet you thought I was going to say Kiwi!

Lilkittyy has no interest in catching the bird, but this morning he desperately wanted in the cage so he could eat the broccoli I had just put in there for Kiwi.

And Bingo was his Name-O

Elyza loves loves loves Ellie's MP3 player.. would it be inappropriate to buy 16 month old an MP3 player for Christmas? LOL

Elyza listening to Bingo, this is one of her favorites...

Short Version





Longer Version and this one you can just see how dang cute she is..she sings and then gets distracted by toys..

More Kiwi

So now he's into flying and landing on our heads. He likes us but doesn't like our fingers. He's too cute. All of these were taken today.

He was on Ellie's head for quite awhile, and then someone got jealous.... Lilkittyy had no interest in the bird, he was just simply jealous and wanted to get Ellie's attention too.

Meet Kiwi

We adopted him from someone in our hs group who had taken him when his original family moved and their cat kept trying to kill him and had already killed his mate. He didn't even have a name, his name is now Kiwi.

Ellie kept telling him on the way home... "I know we are going to be really good friends"

We can't really handle him but maybe when he gets used to seeing us more he will let us, he wasn't handled much and they had him rigged up in a spare room to keep him away from the cat so he's not used to much interaction right now.

He loved his spray bottle bath today.

And I think he likes me...I think he likes me I opened his cage door and he came out on the side of his cage. I slowly went over to him and I was talking to him and I could tell he wanted to jump to me, so I stepped a bit closer and he jumped and stood on my boobs and just looked at me all curiously and was happy there. It was sweet.

His very large condo, lol

He was attacked by a cat and now they said he keeps picking at his feathers in that one place so that's why he has the gray downy feathers showing.

Waahhhaaaa...spooky cute!

Playing with a flashlight... they are so dang cute!

Lovey Bird

We are adopting a love bird on Thursday. He comes with a nice large cage and everything he needs. I am pretty excited to have a bird again. We had one right before Ellie was born and I was overwhelmed and tired and felt like I was not going to give her enough attention so a friend took her (and still has her) who had two other cockatiels.

I hope he loves his new home and people.

Inspiring

The Shelterbox


Home for 10 people ... in a portable box

Article below:

HELSTON, Cornwall, UK (CNN) -- A huge cyclone struck Myanmar in May 2008. It was the largest recorded disaster in that country, killing more than 130,000 people and leaving millions homeless.

Since 2001, Tom Henderson's organization, ShelterBox, has supplied aid to more than 600,000 people.

"We were one of the first aid agencies into the country, delivering our ShelterBoxes," says Tom Henderson, whose relief package and organization of the same name has aided more than 600,000 victims of disasters of all scales worldwide since 2001.
Designed to help an extended family survive for a minimum of six months, the lightweight, weatherproof box contains items such as a 10-person tent, blankets, basic tools, water-purification tablets and containers, a multi-fuel or wood-burning stove, mosquito nets and other items tailored to the particular region in crisis.

The "ShelterBox is designed to be small enough so two people can carry it -- but it has to be large enough to get equipment in for 10 people," Henderson explains.

"It's a simple package of aid delivered to the most needy people in the shortest amount of time."
The ex-Royal Navy search-and-rescue diver says the idea behind the ShelterBox came to him "literally in a heartbeat" while watching the news in 1999. Henderson was struck by the footage he saw of relief workers dropping food on the ground to victims of a disaster.

"I decided there and then that I would try to make a difference in a more sensible and dignified way," he recalls. "I went to my study and I got a piece of paper out, and I wrote down 'shelter,' 'warm,' 'comfort,' and 'dignity.' And that's where it started."

Though Henderson says people thought he was crazy, he searched around the world for the products he knew would work. In 2000, he brought his idea to the local Helston-Lizard Rotary Club, where members adopted the cause. In January 2001, the first 143 ShelterBoxes were flown to earthquake-ravaged Gujarat, India. Since then, the ShelterBox organization has responded to more than 70 disasters in 46 countries.

"If people have lost everything why should they lose their dignity as well?" asks Henderson. "So we were very keen, as well as delivering aid, to give people back their dignity, put them back in control." Watch how ShelterBox helps victims of disasters around the world »

The secret of its success is two-fold, explains Henderson. ShelterBox is nonpolitical, accepting no funding from government agencies, and is a worldwide network with communication hubs near every potential disaster site via Rotary International. This allows ShelterBox to respond within 72 hours of a disaster anywhere in the world, subject to customs and local political barriers.
According to ShelterBox, each box costs £490 (roughly $870), including all materials, packing, storage and distribution to recipients around the world. Donations from the UK public and money raised from Rotary Clubs worldwide help fund the boxes.

Watch Henderson reveal the items in a typical ShelterBox »

"Nobody can buy our boxes, they are only available for free," says Henderson.
Although Henderson does not travel to drop off boxes or choose where they go, he says he remains motivated by the thought of the millions of people that need help every day, and that if ShelterBox stops delivering aid, people might not survive.

Watch Henderson tell the story of a mother and her baby in a ShelterBox »

"The goal for me was these people," he says. "I had pictures in my mind's eye... [like] children dying in the snow after a disaster. We want this to last for years to come, not just to get them through this disaster, [but] as a springboard for moving forward."

Stories that Henderson hears from the field remind him that ShelterBox is doing just that. Recently, a woman in Kenya gave birth to a baby girl in a ShelterBox tent.

"The ShelterBox became a crib for the baby. And the blankets became blankets for the baby," says Henderson. "It's a huge feeling of pride and satisfaction when these sorts of things happen."

Get involved: ShelterBox

Cool Present from Grandpa

It was a present for Elyza, but all the girls love it, even the big one! No, it's not a buffet table for Elyza...this is what Daddy likes to call it because the baby eats sand (yum!) It's a sand and water activity table. We put it out on the deck. The first day Cas and Elyza played in it, Ellie was sick and sleeping with a fever. Now Ellie and Elyza are playing in it.

Happy Birthday Miss Elyza

Miss Elyza turned ONE today! I can't believe my little sweetheart is already one.

Happy Birthday my little preincess. I love you little one...

Eatin Cake...

I feel like she is so close to walking. She is standing up and letting go more and more. The other day she started to take a step and then decided against it. I think it was coming to her naturally and then mentally it freaked her out!

Here are some pictures from her birthday weekend.

Chillin'

Hey You!
Big Sister

Me and Daddy

Ellie and Natalie

Peek-A-Boo

Proof that Cassie WAS there (she scowls at most pictures these days!)

Sister makin a pool

Yum, fiber Seaweed
So serious
Yum, Watermelon, real food
More dinner

Flowers and cake, they spelled her name ElyCa,I guess C sounds like Z...

I fixed it but it was kinda funky Clean
Asian chicken and rice for dinner
Cake!

Presents - All but one used to be Ellie's old toys we kept, perfect!




That's one way to open a present...