She's 4 and She's Cute!

My sister (Rayna) and I made this dress for Ella this week. I would have liked to have had a brown sash around the middle and lace at the bottom but when we asked Ella if she was going to wear it and she responded "If it is pretty enough", I figured we would let her accessorize.

I love the way it turned out. It is the perfect mix between my vintage style and Ella's fancy style. She even represented her father by wearing his Simon Business School pin right in the middle of the dress (she makes me laugh). And of course the look was made complete with her Fancy Nancy knee highs.

Isn't in fun to be a four-year-old girl/princess?

What Goes in Must Come Out

Will has learned to crawl and he is extremely excited about it. I on the other hand am feeling overwhelmed with trying to keep the floor clean (it is hard when their hands are now also their feet). I sweep and vacuum the floor daily (I think I have OCD)....but it just doesn't matter because every time I turn around he has found something else to put in his mouth. One nice thing is that I always know when he has something in his mouth that he shouldn't because he starts to giggle (why are children so happy about doing something they know they shouldn't?)



Here is the complete list of everything that I have fished out of his mouth in his first week of crawling:

-one packing peanut
-a penny
-a foil wrapper
-a pink Barbie shoe
-a gold teapot for Barbie
-a Barbie plate
-a tiny teacup for Barbie (notice a theme)
-a small rock
-one princess magnet
-an orange bead

PS...I think it was good for me to make this list because now I see the real reason William is getting things to put in his mouth that he shouldn't.

It's All About the Card

Ella took some pictures with my camera. After looking through them I noticed a theme:

This is Chris's Birthday card from his parents. It plays "Celebrate Good Times, Come On" when it is opened.

And here we have Chris and the card. Are you catching on to the theme yet?

Me and I know you are shocked but that is the card

Will showing off the tasty back of...the card

And now it makes so much more sense that she asked me to take a picture of her and the card. I guess her portfolio is now ready for display.

I think it's the Estrogen

Dilemma: I have no idea when Ella is sick or just trying to control me.

Evidence: Let's go back three weeks to an afternoon when Ella decided she wanted some applesauce. I told her she could get it herself because she had refused to eat any lunch when it was offered so I was not going to get her a snack. She cried and cried about how she didn't feel good and how she couldn't do it. She kept saying "I can't Mommy. I just can't!" We went the rounds for about 3 hours before she finally gave up.

After she ate her applesauce she begged to go to bed. It was like 5 so I thought that was pretty weird but I took her upstairs and she fell asleep while I was putting on her pjs. She woke up a few hours later and starting vomiting. So, I got that one wrong because she was really sick.

But while I have your attention let me bring up the fact that whenever it is time to go to school or church she insists that she is too sick to go. She will say that she has a cough or that her ribs hurt. I have tried forcing her, wrestling to get the boots and the coat on but that was unsuccessful because she took the boots off and through them at me. So, I have ended up putting her in her room until she decides to get ready to go. She is also under the threat that if she doesn't get ready she will have to stay in her room during all 3 hours of school. This has got her in gear each day and she ends up at school where her teachers report she seems very happy. So, all those times I was right. She was not really sick.

But then there was this morning. Where after arriving at school she said her tummy hurt and her nose hurt and she wanted to go home and go to bed. I talked it over with the teacher and I brought her home and immediately put her to bed where she was told she would be staying for 3 hours! Well..she fell right to sleep for over 3 hours. So, that time I was wrong. She really is rick.

And so I start to think, I am a bad parent. All this time I am punishing her for lying about being sick and she really is and I start to feel so bad for Ella but THEN....

I remember last week when she didn't feel good and her legs didn't work and she wanted me to get her goldfish to eat and I said I wouldn't and she ended up holding her hand over my mouth and saying "You get me my fish, NOW!" And after I put her in her room and told her "You can come out when you say you are sorry." She said "I am not gonna say I am sorry, you better say sorry to me!" She eventually said she was sorry but peed her pants because in her own words "I HAD to. My legs didn't work." And that time I was right, she wasn't sick.

And so I ask you...How do I know if she is really sick or trying to control me?

And by the way is it normal for a 3 (almost 4) year old to be this fascinated with control?

It Should be Illegal...

To be this happy!










There he is suffering with pink eye and only a lid to play with and I turn around and this is the smile I get. I love this happy boy.

He is growing and changing all the time. I am pretty sure that he can say Ella and loves to call for her whenever she leaves the room. Even Ella says he is saying her name BUT if I ever ask him to say Ella he looks at me like I am a fool (they must be born with this behavior).

He still loves his food and has learned how to tell me if he wants more and I am taking too long. He makes fists with both his hands and growls at me. I probably shouldn't think this is cute but seriously, I can't help but laugh every time.

So Proud of My Sunbeam

So Ella is officially a Sunbeam. It is exciting to have her in Primary. Her favorite part is learning the new songs during Singing Time. It is too cute to hear her singing songs that I don't even know. I also love hearing her tell me about Sunbeams. This week she came home and said "My teacher teached me a special lesson today about the activity (Nativity) and a new bersion (version) of "Once there was a Snowman"." I love it when she tries to use new words and has no idea how to pronounce them.

One of the things they are doing in Primary is memorizing scriptures. Ella was given a little book that has a scripture each month for her learn. Each night before we read from the Book of Mormon we work on her scripture for the month. And I am so proud because she memorized it!! She learned the scripture for January and is now so excited to learn the scripture for February!!

It's fun to be in Primary :)

My Doctor needs a Nap!

For over a week now, Ella has been very sick. It started with constant vomiting (she didn't understand throwing up in a bowl so we were spending our time trying to catch vomit). After 3 days she stopped throwing up and developed a horrible cough. She spent every second coughing without a break and literally didn't sleep at all at night because of it. It was at this point that I decided to take her to the doctor.

Now let me tell you, I hate trying to decide whether or not to take my kids to the doctor. I go back and forth about if they need to go or if it is going to be a big waste of time. My final decision was to call and talk to a nurse and see if they wanted to see her.

When I called the office I told the receptionist that I wanted to take to a nurse. She asked for Ella's name and pulled up her chart and then asked what was going on. After I told her she had been throwing up the receptionist said "Oh, you don't need to talk to a nurse. They will want to see her for sure so they can test for strep."

So, into the doctor's office we go for what I think is going to be a strep test. That is not what happened. I ended up spending the whole time holding Ella (who was too weak to walk) while the nurses and doctor each took their turn at giving me a lecture about not giving her the flu shot. They even had someone come in who said they were doing a study with the university on kids who didn't get the flu shot and got the flu. They wanted to take Ella's blood and a swab of her mouth. I said "Are you kidding me? Do you see how sick my daughter is? I am not going to submit her to unnecessary tests right now!!!"

And as I am sitting there holding my daughter who can't stop coughing and has lost 8 pounds (she weighs 25 pounds right now and literally looks like she is starving to death) the doctor made his diagnosis. He listened to her lungs, looked in her ears and said "She has the flu. And your whole family didn't get the flu shot so now everyone in the family will get the flu. You will spend the next two weeks with a sick family and when you baby gets the flu he will have to go to the hospital. After he has had a fever for 24 hours you will need to bring him into my office and I will have to have him sent to the hospital where he will be for 5 days. I just saw a baby his age with the flu this week and that is what happened." So, I say "I have kept the kids away from each other and have tried very hard to keep disinfecting everything and I always wash my hands before I pick him up." And then he says, "It doesn't matter. Now that Ella is coughing so much the germs will be flying all over your house and he is going to get it!" At this point he walked out of the room, shut the door and said to the nurses "She decided not to give her kids the flu shot so what am I supposed to do?"

So, I left the doctor's office crying. But here's to you Doctor.....YOU WERE WRONG!!!

I am happy to report that Will did NOT get the flu. He has a nasty cold but no vomiting. I am also happy to report that I did NOT get the flu and Chris did NOT get the flu. So, next time don't tell this mom there is nothing I can do!!!!