MY BOYS

I took a shower today and put Cam in charge of Jack and when I was done this is what I came down to! Them all cuddled up on the couch! How sweet are they? Jack just gets the biggest kick out of Cam and laughs at everything he does. Of course then Cam had to do some silly pictures to!

Taylor won her first volleyball game today!!!! They took all 3 sets, well out of 3, hehe!! Sooo proud! I get to see her first game on Wednesday and I can't wait. I'll be there with my camera!

I took Cam and Ella to the docs today to find out they have a virus! UGH! How many weeks of being sick and there is still nothing they can do for them. But of course you never can tell...
So they weighed Jack today cause I asked if they could. I wanted to see if it was time to move him out of his 22 pound weight limit car seat, I figured he had to be about that by now. Boy was I wrong, he was 23 pounds 8 ounces! So way past the weight limit. He'll be in a big car seat now, which brings on my question, where do I set him? He can't sit up yet! UGH!!! Chubby baby!

Jack is 6 months old!!! I can't believe it! He is rolling all over now, won't stay on the blanket I put down for him, so he spits up all over the carpet now! There is no stopping him!
He figured out how to shake a rattle to, it is so funny to watch him, well not so funny when he smacks himself in the head and tries to figure out what just happened!
Still a super happy guy, he laughs like crazy and smiles all the time!
His new favorite toy is his toes!!! He loves watching them, chewing on them and having them tickled!

Our Halloween day!!!
It was so busy! First I took Ella to her school and they had a Halloween party, they were all so cute passing out treats to each other, and wanting to tear into them. We got to play toys, sing songs and they did a Halloween parade! Home for a nap for Ella and Jack then off to the mall for some trick or treating, which is so nice and warm! The kids got a lot of candy, more then I thought they would there! Then home for a quick dinner, then out from 6 till 7:30 for more trick or treating, it was sooo cold out though! Jack screamed for the first part of the trip, but then crashed in the stroller. Ella walked up to a few houses but then chose to sit in the wagon and munch on candy over doing more trick or treating, fine by us, easier that way! Taylor and Cam ran ahead so they could hit more houses, old people are slow you know!!!
Here's Cam's costume, it took close to 3 hours and 3 stores but we found him Darth Vader! Tay's nanny made her the belly dancing costume, of course she had to bundle up and there is no way I would let her show off belly anyways, such a strict mom I know!!!
Pictures will be posted soon,not working tonight!

Taylor made the volleyball team!!! Wahoooo!!! My little athlete, she rocks!

Betty needed some pics for her photog class, so I helped her out with the cute subjects!!! Ella was quite a stink in the beginning, but she warmed up. She had a lot of fun with Jack in the basket.
I was trying a challenge for a scrap board, and this is the cute pic I got of Cam. I can't believe how handsome he is, and his eyes, WOW!!!
I must say I have some good lookin kids hehe!

MVP!!!
That's right, you heard it here first!!! Taylor made MVP for her 7th grade basketball team! I swear I had tears in my eyes when she told me, I'm so proud of my little girl! She also got an award for coach's pick! My Taylor rocks!!! I'm going to take pics of her and her awards today then hang them up in her room!
Now comes volleyball, woohoo! I love that sport. Taylor is trying out for the team. I have a good feeling she will make it, she just tries so hard!

My little angel!!!
First off, thanks to Jen for helping me out with this!!! I took the super cute picture of Jack as part of his 5 month shoot, she added the wings and crooked halo, hehe! I need this printed really big, somewhere, gotta figure out where before I order, even though I am super excited to do it!!!!

I took the kids outside for awhile yesterday, cold or not Jack was fussing and we were in all day. I'm working on getting Jack to fall asleep on his own, he cries, I feel bad, it sucks. But he is doing way better then Ella at it, he only made it to the 15 minute mark. I go in after 5 minutes, calm him down, then after 10 minutes, calm him down, and then after 15, went in, calmed him down, walked out, he was out!!! Ella could go an hour like this, in hysterics, broke my heart! I know it will work in the long run and it has to be done. Besides, he can cry in his crib, or cry on my lap cause he is tired, so guess it is less stressful for both of us.
Oh back to going outside... there is ivy on our brick wall in the back, and it is changing color, way too pretty to not have pics in front of. Even if Ella won't cooperate, the stinker!!! Look at the look she gives me when I have the camera out and I'm talking to her, soooo sassy. I did get a cute one later that day after some leaf crunching. Oh and everyone was in better spirits after our 20 minutes outside!

Ok, so it has been forever since I have done anything on here, bad me!!! Life seems to slip right by. But I'm back now!
Jack was sick last week, scary sick. Guess he had a virus, that is what the ped said. But not eating, sleeping all day, and running a high fever scared the crap out of me. I was so worried we would end up in the ER, no thanks! His fever spiked to 103, scary for a baby that age. 2 days of him not letting me put him down and constant battles trying to get him to eat wore on me. No giggles and smiles from happy Jack, so sad. He is back to his old self now, all laughs (yes I am typing this as he is whining at daddy hehe).
Taylor just got over a sinus infection to, but I think we have her all better now!!!! Had to be hard playing basketball like that. I went to a couple of her home games, she does really good! One of the better ones out there I might add!!!
Ella is always into trouble as usual! She just amazes me the way she figures things out. Today Taylor asked her to get something for her, and Ella told her, I can't Taylor, I'm too sick. What a nut!!!!
My mom came for a few days to stay, yipppeee! I love having her here, we talk and talk! Not to mention the extra help with the babies, I love being able to shower and not worry about coming out to someone screaming because I was in there too long. We did lots of shopping, Tay and Ella both got winter coats! 2 down, 2 to go.
That is good for today!!! I promise I won't be a stranger!

Big Babies!!!

Well the young 'ens had their check ups yesterday, we'll start with Ella. She weighed 27 1/2 pounds and is 35 3/4 inches, so just shy of 3 feet! The 75% for both height and weight, she is perfect and doing everything she is supposed to right now!

Now on to Big Baby Jack! Yes very big baby! He weighed 20 1/2 pounds, which is off the charts, but only by a half inch hehe! I couldn't believe it! And he is 27 inches long, which is 95%. Where oh where do I get these big babies? He is also doing everything he is supposed to and the doc was impressed by his strength, oh yes, and by his size!!! Poor little guy got 3 shots again, he was pretty crabby yesterday but seems a bit happier today.

Guess who's 2 today!!! Ella is!!!! And for her special day I took her to McDonald's for lunch and to play a bit, I'm soooo glad I did!!! I met some girls there that are part of a mommy group!!! Finally people to talk to during the day! They get together 2 times a month, and have snacks, talk, fun stuff like that! There will be kids there Ella's age to play with, woohooo!! Guess I didn't need to put an ad in the paper to find friends after all, hehe! We were there for an hour and a half, Ella got to run around with so many kids! And when she couldn't climb up in the play place, one of the little girls helped her, it was so sweet!

Tonight we are taking Ella to Toys R Us to pick out her birthday present and I'm going to get her some cake and ice cream! Fun stuff when you are 2!

Jamie and I got to go on a date last night, woohooo! Been a long time, so it felt good. Went bowling and I beat him 2 out of 3 games, GO AMY! We came home to Ella fast asleep on the couch, funny when I saw her this way how it makes her still seem like such a little baby....

Jack ate rice cereal for the 1st time today! He didn't even cry when I put it in his mouth, so he did good! Of course he was done in a short while, as always takes getting used to.

Jack got to try out a new toy!!! The exersaucer! I must say he loves it, he spins himself around and checks out all the toys, trying to get everything in his mouth!!! It is just so fascinating watching him take it all in, he takes his time and studies each toy, only stopping to smile at me!
And look at those blue eyes, still wondering if he will keep them? After all at that age Ella's were blue, now they are a beautiful hazelish, greenish, greyish, who knows what color, they change every day.

Ahhhh sweet me time...

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So Jack has been going to bed at about 8:30, 9 every night, and sleeps till about 9 am!!!! And Ella has been sleeping till 8:30 or 9, so after my treadmill, shower and breakfast, I get about 30 minutes of quiet, can you hear it??? shhhh.... aaaaah.... so sweet...
I don't even turn the tv on or anything, just sit and enjoy the silence, hehe!!!

Oh my gosh, I just looked at the date and realized that in one week my little peanut will be 2 years old!!! ARGGGHHH! It seems crazy to me, it seems like I just brought her home from the hospital yesterday, and there she is almost 2 years old, no fair, yes, no fair! Of course she is still my baby, I still get to push her in the baby swing, and rock with her while she drinks out of a big girl cup at night. She's still in diapers and still needs naps. So maybe she isn't that big of a girl after all!
My favorite thing she does right now... ask her "Ella what is your name?" and she will tell you "me", and then ask her "what is my name?" and she will tell you "you". What a stink, hehe! And boy does that girl talk, and never quietly, she sure has the gift of gab! And she is always on the move, singing, dancing, jumping around!!! And she is interested in tv now, she really likes the Go Baby show and Dora, she is always asking to watch them, and thanks to TiVo she can anytime!

So if cankles are....

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a combo of the ankles and calves, like you can't see your ankles, what is it when you have no wrists??? Jack is sooo stinkin chubby that he has a crease where his wrist should be, so is it a wrarm??? Or an arist??

Just FYI... If you ask Ella, "what are you doing" and she responds with "nah-sing", this is not a good thing! Run and find out! Apparently nah-sing can mean climbing up on the counter to get things off the top of the fridge!!!
As Jamie says, Ella has figured out tools, notice her little chair that she uses to climb up onto the counter!

1. What was your favorite summer event? Getting to test out my sis's new pool! They spent a lot of time and money on it, and I'll say it was well worth it, sooo beautiful! Tay and Cam were hard to get out of there and Even Ella and Jack went swimming.

2. Favorite picture of the summer? My gramps with all of his great grandkids. I remember my great grandma being sickly all the time, and not really remembering much. My gramps on the other hand is so healthy and happy. Amazing that he has great grandkids, is 86 years old, and can handle all that! They are a rowdy bunch! I'm hoping to get this picture every summer now, this is the 2nd one.

3. Favorite movie of the summer? We didn't hit any theatres this summer, but on dvd I just loved Bench Warmers, I couldn't stop laughing!

4. Best song of the summer? Crazy, by Gnarles Barkly, especially listening to Ella sing it and dance around. Or me asking here, Ella do you make me crazy? And her answering, Yes I did.

5. Did you go on vacation, where? If you count my weekends to my mom's vacation, then yes! But we have baby Jack this summer, so no long trips, too hard with the little ones. I did get to see my 1st Tiger's game though at one of my trips to my moms.

I almost forgot!!! Jack rolled over on August 23rd for the very first time!!! He was trying so hard, and getting on his side, then struggling with all his might to get all the way over, he did this quite a few times, but each time ended up on his back. But the last time, he did it!!! Threw all of his weight into it, and that is a lot of weight hehe, and on his tummy he went, only to realize he really didn't want to be on his tummy, so he squealed some more till mommy rescued him! I need to get pics hehe!

The kids started school today. While they are excited, I'm sort of not. There goes Ella's little buddies and my little helpers. Sometimes it is nice having extra hands around, and needed!
Now I have to get up early and get these kids off to school. I've vowed that I am going to get on the treadmill and hopefully have time for a shower as well before the little ones get up. I have it in writing, so I can't back out now. In fact I got my 30 minutes in this morning and it felt good. I'm pretty wiped out now though!
Jack has been eating like crazy today and is barely letting me put him down. Isn't he chubby enough already??? He really needs to slow down, heehe!

By George I think I've got it!!!

These pictures are straight from the camera, no editing necessary, I'm so proud of myself!

What you ask??? Ella a trouble maker? Not that sweet little angel!!! Yes it is true, Ella is quite often into something, and if she isn't into something she is thinking about what to get into.
For instance we were at her Auntie Kristie's house for a few days. Her house is child proofed so she is generally playing in Aubrey's room with toys or in the basement, staying out of trouble. But when she discovered Auntie Kristie's lipstick... oh watch out! Doesn't she look beautiful???

What a day! How much can go wrong before 9 am??? Apparently a lot! Let's see, it all started with Jack waking up at 2:20 am, way earlier then I am getting used to, and when I went to get him, there was that smell, that rotten stinking smell. Bailey!!! UGH! Apparently she had a stomache ache and pooped on the carpet not once, but twice, UGH! Poor Jamie had to clean it up while I fed Jack (can we just say lucky me cause I puke each time I get stuck doing it???) I asked Jamie if we should lock her in the bathroom, no carpet in there, but he thought she was doing better, WRONG!!! I wake up to a nice size pile in the hallway at 7 am when Jack got up for another bottle! I got most of it cleaned up, but had to feed Jack, so had to get out the cleaner later. So Ella gets up all crabby around 8:30, I have to deal with her, feed her, change her. Then we go to clean up the mess, I need wipes for the wall, and I tell Ella, don't touch anything, Stupid me! I know she doesn't listen, what was I thinking?? She grabs the carpet spray and sprays it where?? Of course, right in her eyes, OUCH! She is just a screaming, and screaming, I flush them out with water, put a wash cloth on her eyes, and hope that she stops. Poor baby. Cam's friend was supposed to come over today, but after all that I called and asked the boy's parents if Cam could go there instead, thank goodness they didn't mind!
No pictures for this hellish day!!!

Jack's 2 month check up...
Ok, I thought there was a problem with the scale, is it possible that one baby, no matter how chubby, can gain almost 5 pounds in a month??? Seems a bit crazy to me! Jack weighs 15 pounds 8 ounces now, and is 25 inches long, unbelievable! He is in the 95% for height and weight, so they consider him too chubby, hehe! Everything is so chubby on him, of course he is super cute, so it is ok by me!
But with 2 month check ups come shots, and poor Jack had to have 3 of them, ouch! He screamed like I never heard him scream before, I had tears in my eyes having to watch the terror on his face. He was pretty miserable that whole day and into the next, even though I gave him Tylenol to help.

Talk about a busy weekend, well actually it started on wednesday. We drove straight to Kris's for some swimming and a BBQ, the start of a fun filled day for the kids. Then thursday we worked on our annual family photo shoot, went back to Kris's for more swimming, Gwen came to with her kids, then went to Corey's that night for more swimming and more BBQ. Friday I had to do some landscape shots for Mic, then we all went to the mall and I hit my very first Tigers game that night. We were celebrating Sheila's 30th birthday!! Tigers won, last inning, last hit was a homerun, way to win a game. We hit 5th Avenue, which is a bar attached to the Tiger's stadium, it was sooo cool, up like 5 flights and outside, you just saw the tops of all the big buildings in Detroit. Saturday was another day swimming at Kris's, pretty much all day. I took home some very tired kids saturday night, Ella fell asleep in the car, she was wiped right out. We left early sunday to come home, I put my feet up and relaxed for awhile, aaaah!