Catching Up

I am trying to get back on my regular blog-writing schedule. I have been out of the loop for awhile now because we have been dealing with quite a bit of sickness at our house. Someone in our family has been sick since the beginning of December and it has been really difficult trying to get everything back on track since then.

Since Christmas, we have been working on getting back on our regular schedule again. We really haven't been on a good schedule since before Thanksgiving. Laundry days are all mixed up, morning routines aren't what they used to be and just the day to day errands aren't getting done as quickly as they used to. I am feeling ready to get things back in order though!
Here is Elise showing off her freshly painted pink nails. Lately, we have been having a hard time with Ellie. For one, she decided over Christmas break that she didn't want to use the toilet anymore. This was a huge disappointment because she was doing so well before that and we thought she was fully potty trained. So, since we have been home we have been working with her and it has gotten better and we'll really be working hard on it these coming weeks. Also, we have had some discipline problems with Ellie. She has decided that time out is worth it if she can give her brother a good slug for it or if she can throw a fit and drive mom and dad crazy. I think next we will start taking away treasured toys or movies to try and get her to behave a little better. This parenting thing is hard because short of beating her, what can you do? (btw, we are opting not to beat our children... now:))

Lucky for Ellie, when she is not being a horrible two-year-old she still is very sweet and does/says some really funny things. It is what saves her. She knows how to give the best hugs and kisses. Ellie has also started up preschool again and will start again with ballet this week. She still really loves doing those activities.

Here is Owen (ignoring the camera). Poor Owen is teething pretty badly right now. His molars are coming in and they even look painful. So, we have been dealing with quite a bit of whining from him. However, Owen continues to be the best little boy. He is a great little sleeper, loves to play and has recently discovered how wonderful being held in mom's lap is. Too bad that he has to share it with his sister.
Here is our new entertainment center that houses our new flatscreen LCD. We were a little disappointed in the entertainment center (we bought it online) because we thought it would be a bit taller so the kids wouldn't reach the tv and had hoped that the accompanying shelf would have been the same height. But, overall it will work for us for now. It is much better than the old cabinet and has our electronics up high and we are happy for that. We are still working on filling it up and will probably move some wall hangings around.

Daniel really loves the new TV but is disappointed that our cable provider doesn't have more HD channels. I think he just wants them all. We still have a million channels now which is more than we will ever need. He has liked watching the football playoffs in high def and is excited for LOST in HD as well.

In baby news, there is no news. I go to the doctor on Friday and seeing as I will be past the 17 week mark, I might find out what we are having. That would be exciting, but I am not getting my hopes up because I did last time and wasn't able to find out until later on. My instinct is still that it is a girl. There have been a lot of similarities between this pregnancy and my pregnancy with Ellie. At this point it would surprise me if it were a boy. Either way, I would be really excited though! I like the thought of having them every other one but Owen is the best baby that I would not mind another like him!