I Have a Question

Why do toddlers ask so many questions? I am tired of them. And it's not just the questions, it's the repetition of them and the fact that if I don't answer immediately they grow in intensity. I have been thinking over the last week and I am now certain that I am asked the exact same questions everyday at the exact same time. And so for all of you who know how truly crazy I am, I now submit to you the reason why I lost it!

Question Number One: "Mommy, where are we going?"
Coming at me at the lovely hour of 7am!! And yes, Ella thinks we should always be going somewhere.

Question Number Two: "Are you going to take a shower?"
She is onto this question by 7:02am.
She then tries to tell me when to take a shower(as in NOW) and even what to wear after I get out. I keep telling her "Mommy chooses Mommy's clothes" but she keeps saying, "Ella chooses Mommy's clothes". And we go round and round until we are both frustrated.
Ella also insists on getting dressed during this time. Wanting to pick out her own clothes which takes a long time because I do prefer that she matches. And then 10 minutes later she is naked (keeping her panties on so as to be "modest').

Question Number Three: "Mommy, will you play puzzle with me?"
She has 6 of these 9 piece puzzles that must all be put together, everyday, multiple times a day (yeah, it's great). Every piece she picks up she asks "Mommy, where does this go?" and I say "I don't know, where do you think it goes?", and then she puts it in the puzzle. Near the end the conversation goes more like, "Mommy, where does this go?" and then I say,"Ella, I am losing my mind. Just put the piece in."

Question Number Four: "Ella, what do you want for lunch?"
This question comes from me. But Ella always responds with a question instead of an answer. She asks,"Is it nap time?" She knows that nap time comes after lunchtime so she never wants to eat lunch.

Now that nap is over it time for Question Number Five (which is a lot like question 1): "Mommy, where are we going?"
Seriously, it is a good thing I had nap time to get refreshed.

And I have to insert Ella's favorite questions that I am asked near a million times a day, "Mommy, what are you doing?"
"What's this called?"
and, "Mommy, what are you making?" You might be surprised all the situations this question works in. Ella uses it while a I am making dinner and also likes to ask me this while I am sitting on the toilet (I have no dignity).

Any questions?????

Why I NEED Chocolate!

We can't keep clothes on this child (she says she has to wear underwear to be modest). So, if you are going to feel awkward about seeing Ella in only underwear then look away.


Here are all the crazy things she is saying:
"I've got to sing stand-up. I've got to sing the Colors song. I wear blue today, all the colors of the world. I'm a rainbow today, I'm a rainbow today. That's silly..let's sing, let's sing...little, little, little, little things. One, One..little, little, little (stop, and clap)."

A bunch of gibberish to the tune of The Farmer and the Dell.

"When I get back is when I... I like to play with, like to run with. I like to run and stomp my feet. And I hurt my...I bonked my toe."

The World of Pure Imagination

Ella has officially entered the world of make believe. It has been nice in so many ways because she is able to entertain herself more.

She likes to imagine "friends" to play with whenever she is lonely. Her friends are not people though, they are animals. The first time one of these animals showed up was a recent evening while she was going to the bathroom. She made a loud announcement (though, all announcements with Ella are loud) that there was a snake in the bathroom. After a brief moment of panic on my behalf, I realized that the snake was only in Ella's mind and told her that there were no make believe snakes allowed in this house and if she saw any we could just pretend to chop of their heads and throw them in the trash (as a side note, I may or may not have an irrational fear of snakes). Ella didn't like this idea and felt the need to protect the snake. So, she pretended to pick him up in her hands and carry him around the rest of the day. Chris took her to the store and she spent the whole drive there, the whole ride in the cart, and the whole ride back with her hands clasped together, holding onto her snake.

Her snake friend shows up on random occasions but more often than not it is a lion that comes to visit. He is a fairly needy lion, always wanting baths and goldfish. He also tends to make messes that Ella swears are not her fault. He likes to wear dress up clothes and sleep in Ella's bed. He showed up at nap time a few days ago and Ella fell asleep with her hands clasped together while sucking her thumb.

I have realized that he is a lot smaller than I previously thought because he fits in one of Ella's hands. She just walks around with her hand out, holding him.

Sometimes he disappears for awhile but Ella can tell you he is only playing peek-a-boo. I keep telling her that our lease won't allow lions but it isn't sinking in because today the lion brought over two more lion friends (boy, did they eat a lot).

Ohh, It is so on!!!

This is my favorite picture from our Christmas Vacation!!!

And the Results are in...

Doing it Fancy, just like Nancy

Jane O'Connor, the author of the Fancy Nancy books, came to Rochester this week for a book signing. So, of course we took advantage of the opportunity to meet her and get one of Ella's favorite books signed.

Ella was so excited that she nagged and nagged us all day to go make dinner so that it would be time to go to the Fancy Nancy party. She would scream at me to go out to the oven and I would have to explain that it still wasn't time for dinner (2 year olds, where are their patience?).

Finally it was time to go and Ella got "dressed up" (this is actually what she wears daily but she was excited that we were going to let her leave the house in it).

Jane O'Connor read her new Christmas book and did some other fun things with the kids. Our favorite was telling them that the way to learn to walk with correct posture is to walk around with a banana on your head. She said people used to use books, but the book could fall and get hurt, so bananas are the in thing now.

Ella had a blast with the art projects (she made the cutest Fancy Nancy ornaments). It was great because we didn't have to wait in the long line. We just did crafts until it was our turn.

The author was so nice and Ella's boots were the hit of the night!!! After all, no fancy girl is complete without shiny pink cowgirl boots, right?

Christmas Miracles..not the average Christmas Letter

I remember when we lived in Fort Worth...Chris and I were talking about our lives and I said that we hadn't had any trials for awhile. We were out of school, Chris had a good job, Ella was an easy baby, and so on.

(As an aside..I would like to take this time to warn all to never ever EVER say that you haven't had any trials for awhile because that means they are on their way with vengeance!!)

Soon after this conversation we felt that Chris should quit his job to start his own business, then move to Ohio, and why not add applying for MBA School and have another baby on top. None of this worked out the way we were thinking. Chris owning his own business was stressful and not as lucrative as we dreamed. Our housing arrangements in Ohio fell through and we ended up moving in with family. Applying and visiting schools was expensive and meant another move. And the dream of another baby turned into 2 surgeries and a year of being tested for cancer.

Pursing an MBA brought us to Rochester, and we got pregnant with our second (which led to my being extremely ill). The adjustment to student life hasn't been easy (basically no Chris and seriously no money). It seemed like it was time for things to get easy again but they just weren't.

I have heard it said that being poor makes you humble. Well, I am not sure how much humility we have gained over the last 5 months, not to mention that it certainly isn't humble to say we are so humble now...but I think a lack of money has taught us something else. It has helped us to see the hand of God more than any other time in our life. And here are just some of the ways that we have seen God's hand during this time:

1. While I was so sick that I couldn't get up off the couch, Chris had to do way more than one person ever should or maybe even could do. He was bleeding himself dry and feeling like he wasn't doing anything well. We were worried that he wouldn't be able to do well in school with all the added stress and yet, somehow the work he could do was always enough. Even without being able to put in the time his classmates were, he was able to achieve the grades he wanted. We are sure that God had a hand in it!

2. It seemed like within one week Ella went from having plenty of clothes to barely any (I guess those vitamins are working!). We didn't even have pajamas for her. We kept looking and looking at the budget knowing that we would have to buy her clothes and at the same time knowing that we couldn't afford them. Amazingly, her cousin seemed to have more clothes than she needed and her mother decided to call and offer them to us and the problem was fixed. We are positive that the Lord heard this prayer and came to our rescue!

3. With a baby on the way, I somehow seem to be outgrowing all my clothes. I didn't have any maternity clothes and was starting to get worried as my pants became tighter and tighter with a budget that was tighter than ever. I remember the day that I was down to one last pair of pants that would fit. I told Chris that I thought we would have to buy something but alas we could not afford it (this is a common theme). That very day a friend randomly asked if I wanted to use her maternity clothes. She gave me a whole box and all was well. We are sure that God was aware of our little family that day!

4. The winters here are supposed to be something else so we felt that Ella needed a warm coat and snowsuit. Trying to buy her one seemed impossible but having her go without wouldn't work either. I am not sure how a family with 5 kids - 2 the same size as Ella - and one more on the way has extra anything but somehow they did. They sent Ella a snowsuit and warm winter coat with matching boots and they even have princesses on them. Yet another example that the Savior loves us!

5. I have a mother who was willing to help in ways that I can not express. She has offered (and given!) of her whole person. It is a loving God who blesses me with such an example of womanhood.

6. And last, but I am certain will not be the last time the Savior helps us...

As we all know, it is Christmas and we have a little girl who is so excited for Santa to bring her presents. And yet we were struggling to even pay the bills. As parents it was so devastating to realize that we couldn't buy our little girl any gifts. We were thinking and thinking over what we could make so that she still would have something to open but it was hard knowing that we couldn't buy her any toys.

I don't know how but somehow packages just keep showing up on our door full of presents for Ella. People say they just see something at the store that makes them think of her and so they send it. Family who wouldn't usually buy for her because there are so many nieces and nephews to buy for have sent her boxes full of presents. I know that they are sending them to Ella but it is funny to me because I think these gifts are more for Chris and I. (Aside: she has enough presents now to be considered spoiled.)

And so I leave this year amazed at the safety that lies in God's hand. I am amazed at how he always blesses us at the very moment when there is no other answer but Him. And I am amazed at our Christmas Miracles!!!