The Hayes

Frutcheys, Family, and Fun

2011-01-27T18:54:00.000-08:00

Ella, Luke, and I headed over to Nashville for MLK weekend. Jon was on trauma call and I knew he would be super busy. When he does get a chance to come home, he is very tired and it's hard to sleep with 2 kids in the house. So we were Nashville bound!
We stayed with the Frutcheys the first half of the weekend! My dearly, beloved friends who are more like family. Lisa is more like a sister than just a friend. Our moms are best friends too, so we've always known each other. She is actually 10 years older than me and used to babysit for me and my siblings. We lived down the street from each other growing up and I have adored her since I was young. I even went with her and her mom when she went off to college and we use to write letters to each other all the time! She got married at 30 and then had kids starting at 33 so now her youngest, Kate, and Ella are the same age. Her husand, Bob, is so warm and always makes me feel part of the family. I never feel like I'm in his way. When Kate and Ella get together they go off and play...but they can seem like sisters too arguing over what toy they will play with. But they love each other and have so much fun. For those of you who think Ella dresses crazy, you haven't met Kate:)

Mary Ellis is Lisa's oldest, who is in 3rd grade. She is little mother hen. She adores Luke and has been so good with him from the beginning. They came to visit when Luke was 2 months and she would just hold him all day and help change his diaper and give him a bottle. This trip was no different. She was such a great helper. She would help change his diaper, his clothes, give him a bath, and just play with him! I didn't have to worry about Luke, b/c Mary Ellis had it covered. I can't wait for her to be able to babysit:)

Benjamin is the middle child who is in kindergarten! He is the sweetest boy you'll meet. My hope and prayer is that Luke will be just like him. He has such a grateful heart. We went to Sonic one afternoon and everyone got ice cream. As he was eating it, Benjamin said, "Mommy, thank you so much for buying this ice cream". What 6 year old says that?? It melted my heart.

We headed over to my brother's house for the second half of the weekend. Ella LOVES her cousins! We wish we were closer so they could be around each other more. We definitely don't get to see them enough. We had a great time with them and finally headed home Tuesday. It was a great trip, but I was worn out by the time I got home.

Catch up

2011-01-10T17:10:00.000-08:00

SO I know it's been way too long since I've blogged. This fall has been super busy and I can't believe how fast it has gone by. Jon started the Head and Neck service and was super busy September-December. We rarely ate dinner together and the kids rarely saw him before they went to bed. But now we're on a much better service for the next couple of months.

I taught a Sing and Sign class and some Mommy and Me baby sign language classes. I had a great group for my Sing and Sign class. They were a lot of FUN!!! I was also monogramming/appliqueing quite a bit. So hopefully things will be a bit slower this spring. With Luke on the move, I can't do as much. I may just be offering Mommy and Me Saturday classes and hopefully can get into doing more workshops to train preschools and daycares in Mississippi for CEUs.

Ella is loving pre-school and is making some new friends. She is learning so much and is like a sponge with everything she is taught:) So I've gotten in teacher mode with her as we work on many new skills every week.

Luke is doing good. He just started crawling at 7 months which is quite a bit earlier than Ella at 10 months. I'm not sure I'm ready for it but I guess I don't have a choice. He started sleeping through the night at 8 weeks and was doing great...then we got to the point where he needed to start on baby food and eat more during the day b/c he was waking up at night (at around 5 months)...once we did that he started sleeping through the night again. But then he got a nasty cold for about 2-3 weeks in December. He was so congested and would wake up because he couldn't breathe so we'd have to sirenge his nose. Not fun!!! Then once he was better he decided he still wanted to wake up in the night. So I finally had to let him cry it out. It worked after one night of letting him cry for almost 2 hours. (Well, the next night we forgot to turn the monitor back up so he could have been crying that night too. Oops!) Which is emotionally draining for me. It doesn't phase Jon which I don't understand at all.

I will try to be better about posting! Winter be gone, Spring I'm ready for you already:)

Princess, princess, princess!

2010-09-01T11:01:00.000-07:00

Ella loves princesses...Snow White, Cinderella, Belle, Sleeping Beauty, etc. She always asks Jon to dance with her at the Ball. And she wants Benjamin (our good family friends from Nashville) to be her Prince. One morning I put Luke in the bumbo seat and Ella decided it would be fun to dress him up. He got the wand, tiara, jewels, and even shoes. He looks like a little old man hunched over in princess attire:)

When she has friends over, they dress up and have fashion shows. Here is Ella with her best friends Louisa and Reagan.

Ella started pre-school and LOVES it! They have princess dresses, crowns, jewels, and shoes for dress up in her room. So just imagine! She has a red folder she takes to and from school and says that she has homework everyday. And she needs to do her homework just like Anna Kate (her cousin).

My fall starts getting busy with Signing with Tot s coming up in a couple of weeks and I am continuing to monogram/applique. But it will be good because Jon has a busy schedule this fall too!

Life with 2

2010-08-14T18:52:00.000-07:00

We have been staying busy and this summer has flown by! I can't believe Ella will be starting preschool next week. Luke is 12 weeks old and is doing good. He is sleeping about 9 hours at night, so what more could I ask for! Ella is doing great with Luke and is really sweet to him. She can be a bit bossy to other people in telling them what to do with Luke.

People have asked how it is with two and I think it has been great. I think the transition of 0 to 1 is much harder than 1 to 2 (for me). Because you are already doing the baby/kid things. Time is not your own anymore so that is not new. You don't go out to movies and dinner with your husband anymore alone so that is not new (well, if you live far from family and you don't have money to pay a babysitter:)

Jon's schedule has been pretty good this summer. I can't complain about that. So he has been able to spend time with the kids more than he will this Fall.

Here are some pictures of the kids.....

Luke looks so much like Jon's baby picture....

Luke

Jon

Luke is here!

2010-06-07T13:15:00.000-07:00

Luke will be 3 weeks on Thursday! Everything went very smooth on induction day. I was almost

to 5 cm when my doctor broke my water at 8am. So by 11am I was ready to push and he came out at 11:13. Which is super fast compared to Ella who took an hour and half to come out. By lunch time I was up in my room eating lunch. My parents were in town which was great because I didn't have to worry about Ella while we were in the hospital.

I didn't know how Ella was going to respond to him when she first saw him. But when she walked in she didn't really take notice of him at all and said, "Look, Mommy I got cookies". That is all she cared about were the cookies she had in her hands. And you can see she picked out her own shoes.

She went home for a nap and after nap time came back for dinner and at this point she was ready to look at him and hold him.

We had a really good experience at UMC. We had good nurses who took good care of us. We put Luke in the nursery at night (which we did not do with Ella). It was the best thing ever. The nurses would bring him in my room every 3 hours or so and I would nurse him then I would press my little call button and she would take him back... it was great, b/c I could actually sleep. I don't know why I didn't do it with Ella, I guess b/c she was our first one. My advice is to put them in the nursery at night you have plenty of sleepless nights to come.

All our help is gone now, but we are doing well and learning to get into the routine of things during the day. He is eating and going back to sleep at night right now which is great and all I could ask for. So far so good!

He is such a precious little guy and I'm so thankful for what God has blessed us with. Ella is still getting used to him. She always wants me to "put him in basset" or "put him in the bouncer". She wants to get in my lap a lot more and wants me to hold her more but that is ok she needs the extra love right now!

Today is the day!

2010-05-20T01:19:00.001-07:00

So it's 3:30am and I can't sleep. I can always sleep, but we're inducing with baby Luke and we have to be at the hospital at 5:30am. I am not nervous or anxious but just anticipating his arrival. Plus he's up and moving right now in my belly and has been for the last half hour.

Yesterday Ella and I had a fun day hanging out. I was going to take her to the park first thing in the morning before it go too hot, but she didn't wake up until almost 9 am. Too bad I couldn't sleep in. I thought it would be fun to get our nails done. So we went to get inexpensive manicures first. She was all about it and kept talking about the purple nail polish she wanted. So she picked out her polish (more of a pink) and they painted hers first and then she watched as they did mine. She was very good and sat in her chair the whole time. I think she was taking it all in. She would see me get mine filed and lotion on my hand and didn't understand why she couldn't have that done to hers.

I needed dog food so it was a good excuse to go to Target, one of my favorite stores. Ella got an icee as a treat. We walked around for awhile, got our dog food, and then headed home for lunch. She then took a nap and my mom got here around 4ish. We had a fun day being together and we talked through what today was going to be like. I didn't really know if she was getting it, but last night before she went to bed I asked her where mommy and daddy were going to be when she woke up and she said "the hospital". Then I asked if she knew why we were going to be there and she said to "have baby Luke". She understood Gum and Pop were going to be here with her in the morning and would bring her to the hospital. So she gets it a lot more than I thought.

I really should be trying to sleep, but I can't. So hopefully once I get settled in to my room I can rest. But I know there is a lot that has to happen to get set up and nurses, doctors getting me ready. I am very excited and can't wait to meet our precious boy!

Follow-ups and updates

2010-05-04T06:26:00.000-07:00

An update on my pregnancy. At 35 weeks my dr. checked me and I was already dilated 2 cm and 50% effaced. Which was crazy to me. B/c at 37 weeks with Ella I was only dilated 1cm. I just went to the dr. yesterday for my 37 week appointment and I was dilated 3cm and about 70% effaced. She thinks I will come early for sure. If I've progressed on to 4cm when they check me next, they may admit me. I'd like him to come on his own...go into active labor or my water break. I am in no hurry to have him. I have several to get done this week...really important things like getting my hair colored and cut:) ha ha! and getting Ella's hair trimmed.

I have finished all my monogram/applique orders. So now I'm trying to do fun projects for the kids. I made Ella a big sister shirt and monogramed "Luke" on an outfit. We've decided on Luke and not sure the middle name... we're thinking McLean...The other option was Jonathan, but Luke Jonathan didn't sound as good as Jonathan Luke and I wanted his first name to be his first name. That may be silly, so we could change our mind.

Ella had to dress up as a community helper last Friday at her school. I really didn't want to spend any money on an outfit that she would wear for 3 hours. So I got some $3 fabric and made her scrubs on Wednesday to be a doctor. Then Jon brought home a scrub hat, booties, and mask. She kept calling the booties, "boobies" and I kept saying no Ella they are booties. I sure didn't want her to go into school calling something she was wearing boobies. How embarrassing. She loved dressing up and didn't want to take off the mask or hat at home. I told her how she was a doctor like daddy and her comment was " I, Dr. Griffin"...that would be my OBGYN. You can see that she has gone with me to every appointment and knows that my OBGYN is a doctor. She finally understood Daddy was too.

The baby's room is now finished. We stayed home for Jon's vacation a couple of weeks ago and he finished the floors. It was carpet in that room and he put in hardwood laminate flooring. It took him about a day to do this room with the help of his dad! Then I was able to decorate. The 6 pictures on the wall are Mother Goose wood art prints. It was something my mom found that was my grandmothers, so I framed them and thought they would look really cool in the baby's room. The painting is done by a very talented friend...I love the giraffe! I think I'm going to make the curtains longer across and shorter from top to bottom....we'll see if I get up to doing that. I measured the window by looking at Ella's window thinking they were the same size and I was wrong.

One of the ENT wives made me the motorcycle that is on the changing table. Isn't it the coolest thing you've ever seen? She made the wheels out of diapers, and put blankets through it to hold it with a bib as the seat and a bear as the rider. The handles are made from blankets and the little hand covers. I was super impressed!

The cocoon stage
Here are the butterflies that finally hatched. It was such a fun process and Ella really understood the lifecycle of a butterfly.

Caterpillars to butterflies

2010-04-08T06:33:00.001-07:00

We got our caterpillars last Thursday from Earth's birthday. I used to do this with my class when I taught back in Memphis and decided Ella was old enough now to get it. It's an easy, low maintenance way of learning about the life cycle of a butterfly. You get about 6 caterpillars in a cup and the food is on the bottom. They eat it for about a week to 10 days and then they make a chrysalis. Then you take the paper where they make the chrysalis and attach it to the top of a butterfly house or a cardboard box and wait for them to turn into butterflies. You put branches and sugar water in the caterpillar house so they have something to eat when they become butterflies. When they all become butterflies, you let them go outside!

Ella loves looking at her caterpillars everyday. She names them all and, of course, one is named Ella. They are getting really big now and are crawling up to the top of the cup. So they are getting ready to make their cocoon.

We also found out we have a bird's nest in our little fire pit outside. Then Ella and I discovered she has a couple of eggs in the nest. It's dark inside, but we could see them with a flashlight pretty well. Hopefully, we'll be able to see the baby birds once the eggs hatch.

I love this time of year, when everything is changing and growing and you can see God's wonderful creation at work. It is getting warmer and we can play outside. No more staying cooped up in the house.

Projects, projects, projects!!!

2010-02-18T13:35:00.000-08:00

So I have so many projects I have been working on lately. But I have all this energy for a pregnant girl and I know it won't last long. So I've been finishing up the bedding for the baby room, making outfits for Ella and baby boy Hayes, plus doing gifts for baby showers and friends. But I love it all. It keeps me busy and making a little money. I made a Jon Jon (shortalls) for a friend's baby and I am going to make the same one for my little one...I love it!

One thing to note...this is for a boy and the monogram is the first middle and last initial straight across. A friend told me, b/c a friend told her, that that was the proper way to monogram for boys. It looks really cute...so I am fine with it. I looked it up on the internet and did find where that is how you monogram for a man but baby's can be whichever way you want. Anyone know the rule for this? You'd have to be from the south or know etiquette. Which I thought I was from the south, until I moved to Mississippi. This is the deep south, so people know etiquette here.

Onto Ella's dress. This is my favorite dress I've made her. I got the fabric in Knoxville at this great fabric store I love. I've had the fabric since last summer I believe and am just now getting around to making it. But it's a Portebellapixie pattern and looks like a Matilda Jane dress (except for I did not put the apron on it).

Then I made a burp cloth out of the excess fabric from my bedding and then the bedding.

The curtain is what I have shown along with the bumper, but the dust ruffle looks the same as the curtain for the most part. I'll take more pictures once the room is together. Which that won't be until late April, b/c Jon is going to redo the floors in that room during his vacation week. It was the only room he didn't get to...so now there is motivation to do it.

DONUTS!!!

2010-02-17T17:55:00.000-08:00

I found these pictures and forgot to post this funny scene. Jon and Ella sometimes go to Krispy Kreme on Saturday mornings and pick out donuts. I think this was a Monday and Ella asked if she could have a donut. I said sure...and I turn around to see this.....

Shoe Obsession

2010-02-11T07:16:00.000-08:00

I feel like this is the 100th post I've written about Ella's obsession with shoes. But this time it's out of control. Last week, some fun, blue flip flops with a daisy in the middle came in the mail for Ella. She put them on immediately and showed Jon as soon as he got home. The next day she had to wear them even though it was not summer weather. It was 55 or 60 so she could get away with it. But it's colder now so I've had to talk her out of it and explain that those are summer time shoes. So I put those away. Now she's on to these new tennis shoes. We went to Target 2 days ago and got these $10 tennis shoes. She was so excited she could hardly contain herself saying,"I wear tennis shoes just like Mommy". She wanted the tags off immediately and wanted to put them on. The rest of the afternoon she wore the shoes and I had to demand her to take them off for bedtime. She didn't want to take a bath b/c she would have to take off the shoes. Yesterday, she was so excited to wear her shoes. I go into her room right after she had woken up and she has the shoes in hand ready to put them on. We get dressed put the shoes on and she is so excited. She told me she was going to "show Miss Jenni and Miss Heaber her new shoes from Target" and "I show all my friends my shoes from Target". All the way to school she stares at her shoes (do you think there is something wrong with this). Miss Heather gets her out of the car and the first thing she says is "I got new shoes". I pick her home we eat and then it's nap time. She wouldn't take the shoes off. Wore them the whole nap time and all the way until bedtime. No bath again tonight. Gross huh? She wanted her shoes to be in her bed with her if she couldn't wear them, but we said no. First thing this morning she wants her tennis shoes on with her pajamas. So the girl is obsessed!!! What is she going to be like when she gets older? Whew!

Onto another Ella obsession which is singing. She sings all the time, I mean all the time. When she stayed with my in laws that is one thing Grammy said, "She loves to sing". We have all these Cedarmont Kids DVD's and Cd's with silly songs, gospel songs, bible songs, etc. She loves them. Her favorites are Jesus loves the little "childern" and the song that goes " I may never march in the infantry, ride in the calvary, shoot the artillary, I may never zoom for the enemy, but I'm in the Lord's army. This is Ella's version, "Gob may neber march in the infy, ride in the calendar, shoot the artly, but I'm in the Lord's Army, YES SIR!!! So she sings this part only all day long. So what do you think I sings all day long in my head. The other night I was getting food out of the pantry and in my head I'm singing, "God may neber march in the infty, ride in the calendar.....then I start thinking 'OH my gosh'. Stop!! The singing is contagious, but so funny:)

Hola Amigos!

2010-02-02T12:42:00.000-08:00

Jon and I just got back from Mexico and enjoyed the warm weather. For the first 2 days it was sunny and the last day it rained a little so we went to Playa del Carmen. We stayed at a resort outside of Cancun that was super nice and even had flamingos and crocodiles in a protected area.
One thing, that was quite comical to us was that when people asked where we were from and we said Mississippi they laughed at us or smirked and said, "huh". No offense to my dear Mississippians ( I love you guys to death) it's just people's perception of the state. All these people were from Iowa, Illinois, or Colorado...somewhere up north.
Ella stayed with my in-laws for the 4 days we were gone and did great! Of course, she was a perfect angel for them...I guess they just let it all hang out with their parents. She had so much fun playing with them and her baby cousin, Grant. We got back on Thursday and on Friday it snowed about 5-6 inches. So she got to play in the snow too. She went out when it was still snowing so she wasn't out there long. But her big thing was that she wanted to make a snowman. It wasn't the best snow for that but we made a little one that had to have a carrot nose.
We didn't leave until Sunday because the snow in Arkansas was still bad and there was a big wreck outside Memphis. That much snow in Missouri is no big deal..they still had school and all the businesses are still open but in Arkansas and Tennessee it's quite different. Everything shuts done as it does in Mississippi.
It's good to be home and back into routine! I've completed the bumper and now the dust ruffle. I just have the curtain valence to do so I feel good about that. I also am making appliqued names on pillowcases that make good gifts...you can see that at www.monogramsandappliquesbytori.blogspot.com
Here are some pictures of Mexico and Ella in the snow:)

Best Friends

2010-01-22T18:47:00.001-08:00

I have been so blessed to have made so many wonderful friends here in Jackson. God has truly given me an amazing group of girls that have supported me as we are all going through residency. They will understand me in a different way than anyone else, because they too are going through this journey and doing it with their children. I can't imagine not having these girls here...I don't think I would be nearly as content as I am. Another blessing is that all of our kids are around the same age. Ella loves all of her friends here and talks about them all the time.

Louisa is over tonight and they are only 2 months apart. So you can imagine two sweet, petite 2 1/2 year old girly girls playing dress up, fashion show, make up, etc. They are two peas in a pod. It was interesting listening to Louisa b/c I though it was Ella. She wanted to do everything herself...which is sooo Ella. I put on my clothes, I go potty myself, I wash my hands, etc.....

The night started off with the Fashion Show...Louisa in a snow white costume, a bracelet, snow white shoes and lip gloss all over her face. Ella comes out with no clothes, 1 of Louisa's pink shoes and one of her own white ones. Finally, she goes and puts on a tutu up to her armpits. They were hilarious. They would shut the door and when I checked on them they would tell me to leave. One time Ella was standing inside one of her dresser drawers and Louisa was naked. I don't know what they were doing. So I had to deal with that. The next time I checked on them they had lotion out rubbing it on their bodies...I had to help them with this. Louisa thought it smelled like snow and Ella thought it smelled like strawberries...it was a Citrus basil smell. I guess they don't know what smells like what yet. The next time, Ella comes out with Lotrimin, for those of you who know what that is for, and she thinks it's lotion and wants to put it on her face. So I had to snatch that from her.

They were a hoot and so fun to watch. Even though, I got in trouble every time I peeked in on them. Here are some pictures to show best friends playing!!!

It's a boy!

2010-01-10T18:44:00.001-08:00

So we found out right before Christmas we're having a boy. We're thrilled...I think it will be fun to have one of each:) Ella is now getting use to having a baby brother. She wanted a baby sister, but I have convinced her how wonderful a baby brother is going to be and all the people who have brothers. So now she is really into it! She asks about him everyday. The other day she looked at my belly and said, "You are BIG!" Jon started busting out laughing.
She pretends like she is giving him her juice by putting her sippy cup up to my belly. She asks if she can change his diaper and give him a bottle. I am thinking she will be very helpful when he comes in May.
We still haven't come up with a name for sure. When I ask Ella what she thinks we should name him she now says, "Jake" (that would be our dog).
I am making the bedding, dust ruffle, and curtains for the baby's room. So I am having fun with that. He will take the guest room and Ella is keeping her room. We've moved Ella's big bed in her room and she is doing great (She was crawling out of her crib everyday for a week so it was time). She stays up and plays most days for 30 min-1 hour before falling asleep, but I don't mind b/c that usually means I have 3 hours now to get things done. I assume this may wear off... but hopefully not!! I'll post pictures of the new room as it comes along.

13 week turn-around

2009-11-18T18:11:00.000-08:00

I am 13 1/2 weeks pregnant and finally feeling better. It's such a good feeling not to be nauseated anymore. I started feeling sick right before 6 weeks and it just ended at 13 weeks. That was the same with Ella. I was much sicker this time, throwing up if I didn't take zofran (a miracle drug). I was taking 2 a day just to not throw up and I started not feeling nauseated after it was in my system for a a few days.

Ella is starting to understand this whole baby thing. I showed her the sonogram at 7 weeks and tried to explain that was the baby in my belly. Then I showed her her baby book and that is all she wants to look at now. If I talk about the baby, she wants her green baby book.

She went with me to my 11 week appointment and I had another sonogram. Ella was in the room and was all confused. She was telling the dr. and nurse that 'Mommy's baby was coming out'. We tried to explain that she was going to see the baby on the computer screen. Still don't think she got that whole thing.

I have asked her if she wants a baby sister or baby brother and she says a baby sister. Then I said, "What do you want to name her?" Ella's response, "Printhess". Now she says that she wants a brother, but I think Jon has encouraged that one. But the name is still Printhess.

My belly is starting to grow and she can tell it's getting bigger. She will often say she wants to kiss the baby and kisses my belly.

The baby is due 2 days before Ella's birthday. So I am not sure she is going to like that. We'll have to do an early birthday party to make up for that. I will hopefully find out the sex of the baby in a couple of weeks. I'll keep you updated!

Ella's first haircut

2009-10-20T12:28:00.001-07:00

So it was finally time for Ella to get her first haircut. She doesn't have much hair, but it was getting wild in the back and needing some trimming up. I tried to get her excited about the haircut telling her all about it. Her first question was, "Will it hurt?" then she decided she wanted her hair cut blue. Not sure what that means. She seemed excited and so I took pictures! She seemed very nervous getting it cut and wouldn't talk at all. Kim, the hairdresser, let her hold a pink comb and then gave her a choice of candy out of a basket. She loved that!!!

Trip to Houston

2009-10-20T12:16:00.000-07:00

Ella and I flew to Houston at the end of the summer for a girls trip to visit some of my college friends. We had a great time visiting, but it was different than most of our girls trip where we would go out to eat, go shopping, go to a nice dinner, etc. There were 4 babies and so we did not do any of that. Instead, we hung out at Karen's house and let the kids play. We went to the mall and tried to go to lunch but that was a disaster so we trucked it home and ate lunch there. I love you girls and can't wait to do it again (maybe next time without kids:O) Here are all the girls! We didn't get many pictures of us "big" girls (where is Jamie?)!

School

2009-09-09T19:01:00.000-07:00

Ella started school a couple of weeks ago and she is loving it so far. Her teachers are wonderful and I couldn't be happier.

So if you know anything about Jackson, Ms you know that it's very "southern"...we're in the deep south. They have tea parties at her school before she started and of course I had no idea what that meant. But basically it was a chance to meet her teachers, see her room, eat a snack, and play with the other kids. Every child, boy and girl, had on a smocked outfit, so of course Ella did too. Girls wearing smocked outfits I understand, but every boy. They were so cute and I'm not dogging it, I've just never seen it anywhere else like here:)

The first real week of school I got a call from the director and I was thinking,"Oh no Ella is on the way to the ER"...but no instead she was just telling me that 3 boys were putting dirt on Ella's head, ears, etc. So she wanted me to know and they called the boys moms and they came up and punished them. I was relieved she was not on the way to the ER and was kindof laughing to myself. Ella is not very sensitive and will tell you "no" in a heartbeat if she doesn't want to do something or if you're trying to boss her around she'll push you away. I was surprised she let them do this. My guess is that she was letting them do it and it was fun and then there was so much she started yelling at them and crying and that is when the teachers found them. She was not traumatized at all and didn't really talk about it. I think she noticed the boys got in trouble more than anything.

Here are pictures from the tea parties!

Belhaven Lights

2009-08-17T18:30:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed the Belhaven Lights festival last Saturday with the Norris'. The girls had so much fun. Ella loved the space jump and didn't want to come out. We practically had to drag her out. Then off to balloons and making a necklace. It was very steamy when we got there, but we realized later it might have been worth it b/c we didn't have to wait in line. Then Ella and Louisa got snow cones and they were addicted. That kept them busy for awhile. Train rides were next, and once again Ella cried when she had to get out. Thanks to a great night Belhaven:)

Family Beach Trip

2009-07-15T19:00:00.000-07:00

We went to Perdido Key, Fl with my family in June. We had a great time swimming, fishing, and going to the beach. We caught many fish and crabs and that is still all Ella can talk about. Ella loved being with her cousins. We talked about Anna Kate, Knox, and Kenna all the way home.
Ella was better about the beach and pool this trip but it still was not her favorite. I kept telling her the pool was like a big bath. So usually around 5pm with no clothes on Ella would get in the pool. It was as if no clothes made a difference. I don't know. She's gotten better about the pool as the summer has gone on and the other morning even asked to go to the pool. So we did and she got in right away!

Marley and Me

2009-06-07T19:05:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen this movie, you won't appreciate this blog as much. If you have than you know what my dog and some of my life is like.
Jon talked about getting a dog named "Jake" since we were in college dating. He was always saying how he was saving up his money to buy a dog. All to say in February before we got married (in December) we got Jake, a yellow lab, from a small, small country town in East Tennessee. He was born in a trailer with all his brother and sisters. When we picked him out, he was actually the heftier one and not too hyper. He whines all the way home, but gets used to us real fast. He was a typical lab that chewed on shoes, toilet paper, jumped in the bath or shower at no thought. He continues to chew and really hasn't grown out of it completely to this day (even thought it's rare now). When we were engaged we had wedding presents coming to my parents house, and he would tear the boxes to pieces all across the yard (he was in an electric fence around the house). Thank goodness, only one thing broke. He would run away from us and we would have to chase him around the neighborhood (note: do not chase your dog when he is a puppy, he will think it's a game and never stop). Running into people's backyard and into their pool while they are having a nice romantic dinner. One night Jon was chasing after him and it was raining and dark and Jon stepped into his poop, let's just say Jon was not happy.
On to right before our wedding...so my parents had a hot tub on the back deck, Jake had jumped on the hot tub and chewed a hole in the styrofoam cover. The day before my wedding a man came to replace it. Within, 30 minutes Jake was back on top chewing through it again. That would be 2 hot tub covers I had to pay for....the same day--- he was down in my parent's unfinished basement and ripped open some potting soil it went all over the place...Jon and his brother tried to clean it up as fast as they could. I think we ended up putting him in a kennel or we should have if we didn't.
Then on to our move to Memphis. My favorite Jake story: we lived in an apartment our first year where there was a lake/pond in the middle. One afternoon Jon decided to let Jake off the leash (first mistake) and then let Jake swim (second mistake). He starting swimming and spotted some ducks. Well, you know labs, they love chasing and hunting. So out in the lake goes Jake swimming after the ducks and swimming and swimming. Jon is yelling at him and he ignores him focused completely on the ducks. People out at the pool start looking up to see what is going on and then people are watching from their balconies...Jon starts getting worried that he is going to get so tired he won't have the energy to swim back and could drown. So he strips down to his shorts and jumps in to the nasty lake after the dog. FINALLY, Jake comes swimming back to land and everyone is staring at them.
Then we moved to a house, and I think within the first few months he chases our neighbor's cats and runs in their house. They have 3 cats and all I can think is that Jake is going to eat one. I was so embarrassed, but I finally got him and made sure he was on his leash when we were outside.
So about 3-4 years ago, Jake starts throwing up and throws up blood... we take him to the emergency vet and come to find out he has a flipped stomach (like Marley, I think it's somewhat common in labs) and there was something wrong with his small intestines. He had surgery, but I'm bawling crying so upset call my best friend from home and she answers right before a big final and bombs it (later to find out). I have my whole family upset, b/c I don't think he's going to make it through. But he does...he's a strong dog...about a year and a half ago or so he was at the kennel and ate a towel so he had to have surgery again, but he had passed the towel that morning and I didn't realize it. He made it through surgery #2.
I think everyone in my family and Jon's family have chased after the dog at some point. He made one of my good friends cry before she was off to work, b/c she couldn't catch him and it's so frustrating. I had to come home from work and get him. Sorry Jess! One of our other friends chased him and couldn't get him so finally he just threw a bone at him and hit him....he was finally able to catch him.
So many more Jake stories...so I could have written the book Marley and Me. He is a super sweet dog and always has been...but super anxious and hyper as can be. Another Jake fact: he has anxiety disorders and freaks out when he is in someone's backyard and he is not familiar with it. But we're not putting our dog on medication....He has calmed down after 7 years, but occassionally he chews up things for no good reason. Like today, we were outside and Ella's sippy cup was on the ground and he takes it chews off the top. Ella's starts crying and saying "milk, milk". I have no idea why he decided to chew that today, her sippy cup falls on the ground 20 times a day. But he just wanted attention I guess.
Ella loves Jake and has been obsessed with dogs since she was a baby. I remember at 10 months she would sign "dog" every morning while were were at the beach. Now she pulls on him, rides on his back, feeds him a bottle, whatever and he takes it. He is very sweet to her. But you can never forget his bad behavior.

Ella's 2nd Birthday Party

2009-05-21T05:43:00.000-07:00

We have been talking to Ella about her birthday party for the last week. Yesterday morning I kept talking about what today was going to be like and that we were having a party. I had to stop by the dentist real quick and as I am getting her out she says "party". I guess she thought we were at the party.
Ella took a long nap which was good because Jon and I were able to get everything set up. We had different stations set up- water table, jumping house, finger paint, water slide pool, bubbles, etc. She wouldn't go in the little pool, which makes me think she isn't liking water now (even though she loves the bath). Ella loved everything else, but when everyone was there she was a bit reserved. I expected this since she had been this way before. I don't know if it's the fact everyone is playing with her toys and she doesn't know what to do about it or if she is really reserved in a big group setting. My neighbor who watches Ella some was wondering if she was tired because she knows that Ella is usually loud and all over the place.
We had ladybug cupcakes and Ella blew out her candle! (Last year she tried to touch the candle and hurt her finger) We opened presents after everyone left and Ella was all about presents. She really gets that now! She kept saying "more presents".
After that we opened a package with presents with shoes Lea sent. Lea had gone to a garage sale and found these tennis shoes with "sparkles" as Jon says. Ella put the shoes on right away. She takes a bath and the first thing she asked for were the shoes. Then again this morning she wants the shoes on.
She got up way too early for me this morning. She usually sleeps an hour later until 7am. But not today, I think she thought today was going to be like yesterday. The first thing she wants to do is go outside and play. Happy Birthday Ella!

Perdido Key, FL

2009-05-11T17:33:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, we went to the beach with some friends and had a blast! It was Ella's first time, and she didn't like the beach so much. I think she was scared of the ocean water. She played in the sand a little, but was very clingy to Jon and I most of the time. Once we got back to the condo, she came back out of her shell. I hope she grows out of this because we are going to the beach with my family in June and I don't want her to be scared the whole time. Ella had a blast playing with Louisa and Chapman! We were so thankful to go to the beach:)

The screaming flower girl

2009-04-19T19:19:00.000-07:00

Jon's little brother got married this past weekend in Columbia, Missouri. Ella was the flower girl and the plan was for her to ride in a wagon while Tim and Kathryn's dog pulled her. At the rehearsal, Ella did great. She was waving and everything. Then comes the wedding....I put Ella in the wagon about 5 minutes before she was to go down. I think it was a bit too early b/c soon after she said she was all done. So when it was time for her to really go she started crying, screaming, and trying to get out. And this kind of jostled the dog so Ella was all over the place showing her panties to the crowd and moving from side to side. I didn't get any pictures of her at the actual wedding but the photographer did and they were hilarious. Everyone was laughing....so I guess they thought it was cute....while I was thinking "what is wrong with you, child?" She loved the reception and had so much fun dancing with Tim and playing with Kathryn and Tim. It was such a sweet wedding and they were beautiful.

Easter

2009-04-12T16:33:00.000-07:00

Ella in her Easter dress before Church
Meal "Neal" helping her on the see saw
Ella found a dollar in one egg and tried to give it away
Eating the candy
She found an egg
Her first horse ride with "Honey"

We had a wonderful Easter with the Burkhalters. After church, we all went over to a friend of Kathryn's house for a lunch. The family lives out on a big farm in Edwards, Ms. There are 50 or more people in the family so it was a huge lunch. On the farm they had 2 dogs and several horses. So Ella was in heaven. After we ate lunch, Ella joined in the Easter egg hunt. She would find an egg, shake it, then find the candy and want to eat it. We had to keep convincing her to find more eggs. On every one she shook it and looked for the candy. There was one hard boiled egg and she just didn't get it. She tried her hardest to open it up.
After the egg hunt she was able to ride on a horse with me and loved it. She of course wanted to do it "more".
What a joyous day to celebrate! He is risen. What good news to know he is alive! How amazing is our Lord and Savior for dying for each of our sins, and then rising from the dead. I can't imagine my life without Him!!!

Nashville

2009-03-21T14:18:00.000-07:00

Anna Kate, Knox, McKenna and Ella
Getting ready for bed
My sister Lea and McKenna
Ella and Anna Kate
Ella and Kate
Ella and Kate at gymnastics
Ella and I headed to Nashville this last week to visit a one of my best friends and my brother and his family. We stayed with Lisa and her family the first part of the week. Ella loved all the attention. Lisa has 3 kids, Mary Ellis, Benjamin, Kate which Ella calls ME, B, and Kate. Ella went to Kate's gymnastics class and had a blast. Lisa and I stayed up way too late talking each night and Ella of course got up early in a new place. But it was worth it!
On Wednesday we headed over to my brother's house with his family. My sister and mom came in town also. My brother has 3 kids also and Ella adores her cousins! They had so much fun playing, taking baths, and just being together. We also stayed up too late talking so I have a lot of sleep I wish I could catch up on.

ENT crawfish boil

2009-03-09T16:48:00.000-07:00

Ella saying "hi" to the crawfish

All the ENT residents had an inservice test on Saturday and the Norris' had a party afterwards. Here are some crawfish (not yet cooked) and Ella and Louisa squealing over them. They were too funny about it all.

What A Mess!

2009-02-15T17:52:00.000-08:00

Ella is so much more independent now where she will go where ever by herself in the house. She used to stick by my side. If you leave her for 2 minutes she is into something. Here is a picture of Ella getting into the markers (Jon's comment was I only left her for 15 seconds). I came home to marker everywhere all over her body and her face. It made me laugh because things like this happen to me all the time, I just get it off before he comes home. The other picture is of her getting into my make up with lipstick all over her face.

Floors are done!

2009-02-03T12:52:00.000-08:00

Here are the floors finished....all the rooms are done except for the guest bedroom. They look great! He tiled the foyer also.

Our new floors

2009-01-28T05:17:00.001-08:00

Jon is truly amazing. He can do anything really! He completely redid our old house in Memphis. And then decided to put in wood laminate in this house. He has never done it before but learned how himself and went for it. He is a perfectionist, so he does a good job no matter what it is. He has done the office, guest bathroom, Ella's room, living room, and the dining room. Here are a few pictures of what he did. I'll have more to come.

Our Little Helper

2009-01-20T19:00:00.000-08:00

Ella is at the stage where she likes to help us do things around the house...sweep, feed the dog, throw away trash, etc. Lately, she's been helping us carry Jake's food to his dog bowl. We help her put the food in the bowl and then she watches him eat (so we thought). The other night I went over to see why she was still at his bowl and caught her eating his food. I got on to her about it but had to snap a quick photo. Tonight Jon said she once again starting eating Jake's food with him, I guess she thinks it taste good.
Jon is putting in laminate floors (pictures to come) and Ella is helping him sweep. She loves this broom her Grammy and Papa gave her for Christmas. Every time I sweep the kitchen floor she gets her broom and "helps" me.

The New Year

2009-01-06T17:16:00.000-08:00

It was a hard Christmas but we got through it all. We are glad to be healthy now and back into our routine. We did enjoy visiting family in Missouri and being able to spend time with Jon's family. Jon is now on an easier rotation and I'm getting spoiled. He goes in for a little bit in the morning and then is done. So he is starting many house projects which is something he enjoys.
My sign language classes started this week and are going well. I'm starting a new music class next week which I'm excited about, but a bit nervous. I'm not quite the singer, so I hope no one is annoyed by that. But it should be a super fun music class incorporating instruments, signs, and puppets. Ella loves the songs and has so much fun with the instruments. I wish she could be a part of it, but I'm not so sure she would behave and I wouldn't be distracted. I am excited about the new year and all it has to offer. So happy new year to you all!

Trying to take Christmas card Pictures

2008-12-11T12:26:00.002-08:00

So Christmas card pictures have always been an issue in our house. And this year was no different. Here are a few preview pictures I didn't use but show what it was like trying to get an 18 month old to take a picture. After talking to many friends, I realize it's hard taking pictures of little ones who don't want their picture taken (or who don't seem to understand it all).

THANKSGIVING!

2008-12-02T12:51:00.000-08:00

Ella and I headed to Tennessee for Thanksgiving. We were so sad Jon couldn't be there. He had to work everyday, except Thanksgiving day. So he couldn't make the long trip. Ella and I had fun seeing all my family and spending Thanksgiving day at Buckberry in Gatlinburg. On Thanksgiving day, my family went to Ober and decided to do ice skating and ride down the alpine slide. I couldn't believe they had skates small enough for an 18 month old. So we made it around the rink once until she had had enough. She seemed to enjoy the alpine slide. Anna Kate and Knox loved it and so we went twice. We went to Knoxville for the weekend. On Friday, we went to the Fantasy of Trees and on Saturday I was able to visit with some friends.

In the Mountains at Buckberry

2008-11-18T12:54:00.001-08:00

Sledding on the big branch in the leaves
Knox found a huge branch and decided to lay on it as Matt pulled it
Ella and Pop
On the way to the trail talking on the cell phone to Daddy
My grandmother turned 90 this year and we had a big party up at Buckberry for her with all my cousins and their children. It was a bit crazy with 10 kids under the age of 6 but it was very fun. One morning just my family went hiking. The leaves were beautiful and the kids had fun picking up sticks and leaves. Knox wanted to find the biggest stick he could and carry it around. It's amazing what they can find and how they use it (you'll see in the pictures).

Ella wants to be very independent now and likes to walk where ever we go. So she wanted to walk on the trail but she was so slow. She was picking up every rock, stick, and leaf she found. She had so much fun with her cousins as always! She truly adores them.

BAYLOR HOMECOMING

2008-11-03T16:47:00.000-08:00

Jon and Ella with Judge Baylor
The Science building

Kappa Sigma Float...Ella loved the floats
Ella under Judge Baylor

Baylor Bears

Jon and Ella with Chad and Kate and Danny and Maggie (notice Ella's the only one not asleep)

The girls
In front of the parade

This past weekend we headed down to Waco for Baylor's homecoming. Some of my good friends from Baylor had planned to go also and we had so much fun getting to see each other again....it had been way too long. Ella did great in the car considering we traveled 8 hours each way. Jon and I were able to tour the campus and see all that had changed and a lot had.

Jon obviously spent a lot of time in the science building and back when we were in college the building was a piece. But now it's this huge awesome building with high tech equipment. Jon's comment "I would have done better in those classes if I had been in that building". It's pretty amazing. He also made fun of me all weekend by reminding me of my "fold up" bike. My dad is a gadget person and thought a fold up bike would be perfect because I lived in a small apartment with 3 other girls. Well, Jon and one of his roommates, Korbett, thought it was hilarious. It actually did fold up pretty well, but it wasn't much of a high tech bike. I am also not a great bike rider. So Jon would make fun of how I would never "pop a wheelie" but got off my bike to go up a curb. Which is pretty much true and makes me laugh.

Saturday morning we went to the parade and saw all the girls and some others we hadn't seen in awhile. Then we headed to lunch with everyone, then a nap for Ella, and dinner with everyone Saturday night.

Our plan Sunday was to get up early and leave, but Jon got all sentimental in a guy kindof way and said "we didn't get a picture of Ella with Judge Baylor" and "we didn't see Cameron Park". So Sunday we ended up seeing more of Baylor and Cameron Park before we left.

Grammy and Papa

2008-10-30T10:39:00.001-07:00

Jon's parents and Grandma came in town last weekend. It was a fun weekend topped off with pumpkin carving. Papa carved a jack o' lantern. Ella enjoyed watching, but did not want to put her fingers inside with all the seeds. She said "ewww!" She would touch one or two seeds and liked to feel how slimy they were. She would also pick up the cut out pieces and bring them to me. On Sunday night, we lit the pumpkin and Ella loved it! The next morning she wanted to go outside and see the jack o' lantern.

Ladybug

2008-10-26T06:08:00.000-07:00

Ella loves to color
Ella and me with our friends Amy and Louisa and Julie and Chapman
The little ladybug
Last week Ella had her first Halloween party put on by the resident wives alliance. She dressed up as a ladybug! She had a great time....she got to decorate cookies (she just ate the cookie), color, decorate a pumpkin, and go through a cave. She was a bit scared at the end of the cave and started crying. She kept the hood of the outfit on most of the time, but then it got a bit hot.

A resident's wife

2008-10-16T19:17:00.000-07:00

So what do you do when your husband works over 100 hours in a week? Hummm.....Well, besides all the normal mom/wife duties-cleaning, cooking, laundry, taking care of Ella, etc. I have lots of PROJECTS....I have been redoing our kitchen. I am in the middle of repainting it green and also making curtains for the windows. I have learned to sew since college and love it! It is my new favorite hobby. I have recently finished 2 dresses for Ella and am in the middle of making a Christmas dress. I also have brought my business, Signing with Tots (www.signingwithtots.com), from Memphis to Jackson. So I am basically starting over with that. But it's fun...I teach only 1 hour a week of baby sign language to moms and their babies. I will be doing 4 hours a week starting in January, so there will be more preparing for that. I will be adding a Sing and Sign class....which is quite hilarious because I can't sing at all, but I sign and I'll be using a Cd, puppets, instruments,etc. So hopefully no one will really hear me. I hope it will be a success. We'll have to see! Here are some pictures of my kitchen in progress and my sewing room, really my dining room:)

PUMPKIN PATCH and Hay Ride!

2008-10-11T12:16:00.000-07:00

Going through the corn maze

Picking out her pumpkin

Ella with her friend Louisa

Sitting on a pumpkin
Jon was on call again last night and so was Lauren's husband, so we decided to take our girls to the pumpkin patch by ourselves. I got directions off the internet, but oh were they so wrong. So we probably spent a half an hour driving in the wrong directions by the time we finally found it. I am not so good at directions anyways and both being new to the area, we didn't know where we were going. Lauren seemed to have a better sense of what direction we were suppose to be headed. So finally we found it after many phone calls. I'm sure this wouldn't have happened if our husbands had been with us:). We had a great time on the hay ride, seeing the animals, and picking out a pumpkin. Ella even went through the kiddie corn maze. She had a blast and kept trying to sit on the pumpkins.

Mississippi State Fair

2008-10-08T10:18:00.000-07:00

Monday night our family headed to the fair. Amazingly, there are a lot of normal people who go to the fair here (but hey we're in Jackson, Ms:) Anyways, we went for the petting zoo. Ella loves loves loves animals. We saw goats, pigs, a camel, antelopes, and even a zebra. We let Ella feed the animals. Well, she must have put her hand in an antelopes mouth, because he bit her. Here are some pictures of her crying after he bit her. But after she calmed down, she went right back to feeding the animals again.

Marlee Matlin

2008-10-08T10:07:00.001-07:00

My sister teaches first grade in Birmingham. There is a little boy in her class whose dad is Mr. Sanchez (the professional dancer) who was on Dancing with the Stars last season. He danced with celebrity Marlee Matlin. He invited Marlee to come to his son's school. So last Friday Ella and I drove down to Birmingham to meet Marlee. For those of you who don't know who she is she is a famous deaf actor. Anyone who knows me well knows that I was so excited to meet her. She is such an example of what a deaf person can do. I got to meet other deaf children in the area and actually saw a deaf boy I taught in summer school in Memphis a few years ago. Here are some pictures of us with Marlee.

Playing in the hose

2008-09-27T15:17:00.001-07:00

This afternoon Ella and I were outside playing. I was watering some grass seeds and Ella starts going right through the hose. She loved it!!! She was soaking wet when it was all done. And when I stopped the hose, what do you think she did? Of course, she signed "more" and voiced "ma" which means more. Here are some pictures showing her love for the water.

The snake

2008-09-19T17:23:00.000-07:00

Jon got home early from work 2 nights ago. Yeah! So we were all outside playing. Ella was walking on the patio and I noticed a baby snake slithering behind the grill. I started screaming, of course, and Jon started trying to catch the thing. Ella, Jake and I decided to go inside while daddy caught the snake. Then Jon holds it by its neck while it is still alive and starts chasing me around the house. I am screaming and lock myself in the bathroom. He shows the tail through the door and it makes me squirm. Finally, I calm down and we all go outside while I go get the camera. Jon lets Ella touch the snake while he has it in his hands. We are signing "snake" and saying "ssss". Ella copies us by saying "th th th th" and signs snake. Jon finally cuts its head off and kills it. We notice that it has a bulge in its belly, so Jon cuts his stomach open and we find a frog. It had eaten a frog right before we caught it. Pretty amazing. Then Ella starts signing "frog". She got real into it and wanted to see everything Jon was doing!

Residency has started

2008-08-10T19:01:00.001-07:00

So it has been a crazy month and a half. But we're making it. Jon is working super hard and Ella and I are learning a lot about Jackson. Jake is not adjusting too well. He tried to get out of our fence by digging and then chewing the wood from the bottom up. I don't know how he does what he does. He's been staying inside for now.
Here is a picture of Ella with Jon's headlight. She enjoyed trying on Daddy's new things.

Trip to Knoxville

2008-08-10T18:52:00.000-07:00

Ella had a blast playing with her cousins. She loved playing in the pool at Nana and DaddyVic's house.

Ella signing

2008-08-10T18:48:00.000-07:00

So I started the blog before we moved and then I haven't kept up. But here is Ella signing at 8 months. She started with "more" and then "dog", "all done", etc. She has been signing more and more ever since. She is 14 months now and probably has about 25-30 signs. She is talking too. She says "mama, dada, uh-oh, cracker, cookie, and doggie".

Ella signing "more" at 8 months

2008-02-20T16:10:00.000-08:00