She's lucky she's cute!

Hello family and friends. It has been a fairly busy week for us here in Pflugerville. This past weekend we went down to Katy for a weekend visit. It was a really relaxing visit. We mostly just hung out, which was really nice. My dad is going to be out of town and I knew if we didn't go down and visit last weekend that we probably wouldn't see him again until March.

I have been busy with lots of cleaning (my little girl is a little tornado!). The bigger space you have the more cleaning that needs to be done!! Every day it is like I have to start all over again! I always have to do things like cleaning the bathrooms and mopping the floors when both kids are sleeping (which is rare). Plus it is really amazing how much more laundry there is with each additional child. You think it won't be much because they are pretty small, but they get changed like 3 times a day, plus blankets and sheets need washing at least once a week, plus burp rags and car seats always need washing. It is crazy. I am sure all the moms reading this are probably laughing because they know just what I am talking about.

Yesterday I went to the dentist. It was a long visit. It was my first time to this dentist and they are really thorough. They took like 20 x-rays (and I am not exaggerating). Unfortunately I have 1 cavity. I am so bummed because it is only my second and it was one of those "Well, I don't really need to fill this but let's just do it anyway to be safe". Super annoying. I don't numb at all in my back teeth so I am pretty mortified to go back and get it done. It hurt so bad last time that I almost passed out. They were going to give me Valium (I think that is how it is spelled) but since I am nursing I can't take it. So, I will have to settle with just the laughing gas.

Daniel has been busy with school this week. I can really tell that his load is bigger this semester. I can't really complain because I was REALLY spoiled last semester and he does usually make it home by 4 everyday or at least 4:30. He has a couple of later nights next week though. Daniel has also been doing his home teaching this week so has been out until 9 yesterday and then again tonight. Not so fun for either of us, but I am glad it is getting done and I know he feels good about it too.

Elise is.... is.... LOUD!! She has definitely gotten louder. Unfortunately, she spends most her day whining or screaming. She is pretty lucky that she is so cute when she is not doing those things because otherwise I would go crazy. She has also learned to unstrap herself in her car seat-- this is, of course, unacceptable. I have had to pull the car over a couple times to get her repositioned correctly. She was also doing this with her high chair so we have moved her to a booster seat which is working out much better. ---- On the cuter end of things... she has just been adorable with Owen. She loves to play with him and talk to him and kiss him. It is a little cuter every day. Plus, she is talking so much. She repeats anything we say. It is fun because we sing songs together and finish the lyrics for each other.

Owen is a cutie pie. His face is thinning out a bit... not too thin, he is still big. But he is doing like Ellie did where about 3 months or so they start looking like babies and not newborns. I personally think that is when my kids are getting to their cutest stages. With Ellie I thought she was the cutest thing ever when she was about 5 months, which is funny since that is when she was waking up every night on the half hour! We will see my favorite time with Owen. He really does love smiling. His dad gets him to smile quite a bit. Our little Owen is like a baby koala the way he hangs on his daddy. SO CUTE.

In the past week I have braved two stores with both kids... both times pretty disastrous. They both seem to have meltdowns simultaneously. So, I make the outings brief. Daniel says I need to be braver and take them both out more, but I say he should give it a try. I had to go out and do a little shopping though. We are about going broke dressing two kids. Thank goodness Ellie's growing is slowing a little bit, but Owen is faster than ever. I am now getting him 6-12 month stuff because he is fitting perfectly into 3-6 right now so I give it 3 weeks before he is out of it.

Doctor's visit

Quick blog entry (at least for me). We went to the doctor's on Monday. Owen weighs a whopping 15 lbs 7 oz. To put that into perspective for you, Ellie weighed 15 lbs 4 oz at 6 months old. That put Owen off the charts in weight and he is at about the 96th percentile in height. So he is proportionate, just big. Ellie weighs 23 lbs 4 oz, she is still kind of a shrimp in the weight department. Owen's shots were pretty traumatic for me. The first ones are the hardest. He didn't cry too bad at all, but he has been recovering these past 2 days. He has basically been sleeping almost non stop. Poor little guy.

Ellie helped me make brownies for FHE tonight (we forgot last night so we made up tonight -oops!). Usually making brownies or cookies means Ellie eats the batter. Wonder where she gets that from.....

Cutest Kids EVER!

Can you believe it!! We finally got a GOOD picture of Owen smiling. And I must say, he is one studly looking little man. Owen turned 2 months on Saturday so we are heading to the doctor on Monday. I am very eager to see how much he weighs. I am guessing at least 15 pounds which would put him over Ellie's weight at 6 months. He really has turned into the most fun little baby!! He smiles all the time, SO cute. He also talks a lot (coos). He reacts to our voices and follows us around with his eyes. Owen has definitely gotten into that stage where he only has eyes for his mom. I love it. His favorite place to sleep is on his dad though.

Our little Elise is looking pretty darn cute this Sunday. I am not going to lie, this little sweetheart has been testing my patience as of lately. She is usually screaming or being really cute. There is no in the middle. I still love her like crazy though. She is lucky. Ellie is learning her letters and colors. So far she knows A, B, C, Y and I. Y and I she kind of learned on her own. She knows Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange and I think Brown too.

HONK! Here is Ellie honking Owen's nose and the two of them together below. Owen looks funny. What a little man!

Viva la Revolucion!

Erin bought us "Dance Dance Revolution" mats and a game right before the worst of the ice storm. Unfortunately the wireless mats she got at Fry's didn't work (guess that's why they were half off) and so we ended up getting cheaper ones on E-bay (not wireless though).

You can tell I'm fat and out of shape because I'm sweating and gasping for breath on the tutorial.
Erin justified this purchase by saying "If you get me this we can put off buying the elliptical machine." I can't even begin to tell you what's wrong with that statement.

Of course, Ellie has to play as well.

Poop Follows the Path of Least Resistance

My first day of classes was cancelled, so I've been enjoying my "ice day" today. NBC is calling it "Ice Storm '07", CBS is calling it "Winter Blast" (which, out of context, sounds more fun than it really is), ABC is calling it "The Big Chill", and I obviously have nothing to do but sit around and watch the news that has preempted the normal programming (not that the normal stuff is any better, but still). I may get another reprieve from school tomorrow, depending on how much freezing rain we get tonight. It's fun to stay home and play with the kids, but I really need to get started with the semester. Plus being at school saves me from the poop explosions (Owen's had two today). It's crazy, but we need to move him up to size 3 diapers (Ellie is in size 4). He was eight weeks old yesterday. The kid is a mammoth. And he's screaming right now, so I'm off to calm him down.

Look at Those Hams!

Hello all! It has been a fairly busy week for us. We have been running around trying to get the house in order. Yes, I know it should probably be done by now, but we are pretty slow moving. We only get a couple of things accomplished each day since we have to time certain tasks to Ellie and Owen's nap times. Once they are napping we do a mad dash to get something done.

Our biggest project this week was the garage. We managed to put everything that needed to go in the attic, in the attic (btw, it is great having an attic to store the crap). We also took pictures of the stuff we wanted to sell on Craig's list and we have some people coming to pick the stuff up sometime this week. It'll be really wonderful to be rid of that stuff, finally be able to put both cars in the garage and make a little cash while doing it.

The kids are doing really great. Elise has been introduced to her potty. We aren't going to be crazy intense about it since she is still a little young and we aren't real sure if she grasps the concept yet. I think right now she just thinks the potty is the new place to read books. But, we try to put her on it everyday for a little while and perhaps once a week I will be more vigorous about my efforts and see if that works.

Ellie and Owen have been particularly cute together lately. She loves giving him loads of kisses and rubs his head and points out all his body parts (i.e. nose, ears, hair, toes, knees, elbows, fingers, etc.). She is really cute talking to him and tries to get him to smile all the time. She usually gets one from him too! She has been a great helper with Owen. Ellie is pretty good at fetching me a burp cloth when needed and can usually find me a pacifier when I can't even find one. Her most favorite helping with is changing Owen's diaper. She even comments "EW!". I agree. Mostly she just rubs his head and tries to talk to him because he usually is crying while being changed.

Owen is such a sweetheart!!! He really is a great baby. He is waking up at midnight and 3 every night which isn't bad at all. He still is stuffed up most the time when he sleeps so he often wakes himself up and that is a little frustrating. I think that he would only wake up once at night if he had some kind of allergy medicine. I am waiting until his doctor's appointment to ask about that. Also, both kids have eczema so we need to get some medicine for that.

Just yesterday we put Owen in the exersaucer. He LOVED it! I think because it supported his butt and all around him so it was almost like he was being held. I can't believe my 7 1/2 week old baby is already using an exersaucer! His feet already touch the ground and everything. He holds up his head really well too! And will you look at those hams!!! He really does have the longest arms and legs. When he sleeps on you he almost can wrap his arms fully around you. Isn't he cute? You should see him smile, he lights up the world! He is also a little wriggly thing. I imagine he will end up being like his cousin, Kyra and just be GO GO GO!

Other happenings: The kids play room has been getting quite filled up. We brought out other baby things like the exersaucer and the jumper and such since Owen is so close to using all of it. Plus we bought Ellie her kitchen and with her car, shopping cart and horse it looks like our children might be a little spoiled... not OUR children!!

I sold all the clothes that Owen didn't even fit into when he was born. It was hard because they were all really really cute, quality clothes, but since I bought them so cheaply, I was able to sell them on ebay for a decent profit. We have been scavenging around to find the junk we don't use or want and trying to sell it. One, because we could use the money and two, because we could use the room and less clutter!

Daniel went back to school on Thursday for half a day to get things in order for next week. I suppose they are in order because he didn't go back on Friday. I think he is anxious to get back. He needs that schedule and so do I. Plus, he gets a little restless and starts driving me nuts. It has been nice having him around for setting up the house and for double teaming with the kids. He also mowed the lawn for the first time this past week.

Isn't this last picture hilarious? Owen is like, "Save me Mom!".

Our diet has been going pretty well I suppose. Basically we are hungry because we have to train our bodies to eat smaller portions. We have stopped soda and sweets--- still working on bread... don't think I can give it up, but we can move to eating more whole wheat. I just got a bread machine so I still want to use it so I will make whole wheat bread. We have also been walking around the neighborhood. Ellie and Owen like the stroller so they are pretty good on the walks. Plus, we have a good neighborhood for walking/jogging. So, hopefully we shed some weight. I am sure we will. Mostly we need to just go out and do more stuff. It is hard with two kids but we have been living like hermits so we should be able to improve the situation somewhat.

Potty Training Begins

Potty Training: Day Two: Attempt Two:

Well, I went out and bought Elise her own potty. It is good because it is easy to put her back on it when she gets off and she thinks it's a stool, so that makes her happy.

I opened up the box and she was eager to sit on the potty right away. So, I stripped her down and she sat on it for about an hour and a half. We read books and she drank her water, it was great! Except... no pee. So, we decided to take a break because I needed to start dinner. I attempted the pull-up--- that was a no go and then I attempted the panties which are way too big for her--- she thought it was a swim suit so decided to go get her other swim suit for me to put on. So, we ended up putting a diaper on her again.

Five minutes later, she wanted to sit on her potty again! Of course, I was psyched and stripped her down again only to discover that her diaper was warm and she had JUST taken a pee. Basically we missed our opportunity. The first time she goes is the key I think.

The real beginning is tomorrow when we are dedicating our whole day to toilet training. We will be spending a lot of time in the bathroom tomorrow... a lot of time.

Pictures and updates Galore!

I am trying to give the masses what they ask for: MORE PICTURES!!! I am going to try and take more pictures this year and do more with the pictures I take. This means more emailing out pictures, printing off pictures, hanging pictures around the house, getting professional pictures done regularly and putting together photo books for each child once a year. I think this is a goal I can achieve since I enjoy taking pictures and I think that Owen and Ellie (as well as subsequent children) will appreciate it!!

This first picture is of my two men! Aren't they handsome. Owen was on a smiling kick so I was trying to get a picture of it, but of course my flash takes forever so he always gets more of a constipated look rather than a smile.

This second picture is of my little sweetheart, Owen, having tummy time. I don't know if he likes it all that much, but Ellie loves it! We have a little song that we sing while he is having his tummy time. It goes like this, "tummy time, tummy time, tum-my time! Come along 'O' baby it's tummy-tummy time!" Ellie LOVES singing along and often requests tummy time by name and has even started spreading out a blanket for Owen.

This third picture is a personal favorite. I can't help but laugh when I look at it! I was trying to get a nice picture of Ellie but instead she came running after the camera. She looks like a pirate. Cute pirate.

Potty Training: Stage 1: We tried a meager attempt at potty training on Saturday. It ended abruptly after we realized Ellie was afraid to sit on the toilet. She is also afraid of her pull-up underpants and putting on her regular diaper while the fasteners are fastened (we tried to use the diaper as a pull up to see if she would transition a little better... didn't work). But she is SOOOO ready!!! Today I checked her diaper and she was clean, then she ran into the room and climbed on top of the changing table and a minute later she starts yelling, "poo! poo!" and sure enough, she needed her diaper changed, she had done her business!!! I think we just need a different strategy. Tuesday is our next attempt since we will be home all day. I just don't think I had all the materials we needed.

This fourth picture is of Ellie and Owen having tummy time again. Just thought it was cute and should include it. I am still working on getting a really good picture of the two of them together. It is seriously like pulling teeth. We took the kids to JC Penney yesterday for professional pictures and it was either one kid or the other screaming bloody murder. We ended up only getting one of them together. Oh well, I guess we will have to attempt it again soon. Ellie was mostly just scared. She is a wuss.

And lastly, this is another picture of my darling Owen. He is such a sweet baby!!! He looks pretty Weber in this picture I think. You can't really tell that he is a pudge in it either. He is so good natured. We are still working on him having alone time without someone holding him, but we are progressing in that and it has already gotten much better. He is a really noisy sleeper and eater. So much so that we decided that we need to move over to the noisy Sunday School class because we got a lot of stares in the adult class today. Well, it was a good couple of weeks in a quiet Sunday School class.

Hope everyone enjoyed the pictures. I am really going to try and be diligent about it especially since Brent and Carolee will be so far away for so long. It might even get a little annoying, so I won't feel bad if you delete my blogs. :)

New Year's Resolutions

This year I'm going to try to guilt myself into keeping my New Year's resolutions. Knowing that all of you will know when I fail may give me the push I need to get this stuff done. That said, if you don't see or hear from me again this year, you'll know why.

1. Lose 30 lbs. (Goodbye DQ and fast food)
2. Organize and backup the pictures on the computer (we have almost 4 years worth - it's a big job and continues to get bigger the longer I put it off)
3. Get something done with the research (really anything would be an improvement over last year)
4. Write a weekly blog entry (I've really been slacking lately)
5. Kiss my kids more (I need to have at least one of these that I know I'll do)

So there you have it. I'll start on Number 1 as soon as I finish off the Oreo's still in the pantry. And I think there's some brownie mixes that can't go to waste, and maybe a couple of bags of chips....

Home is Where Our Bed Is

Well, we made it home!!! While we enjoyed our Christmas vacation, it really was time for us to be back home. With so much more to do on the house, we were really getting anxious to get back.

We had a wonderful vacation. Spent lots of time with family. It was good to spend Christmas with Pat before he left on his mission. It was also good to see the McPherson side again and we enjoyed the quieter Christmas with the Webers as well. Elise received a ridiculous amount of toys, books and we are buying her a play kitchen tomorrow. So, she continues to be spoiled :). Owen didn't receive as much because he is still a newborn and we have too much junk for him to grow into. He did get a pretty good amount of clothes which he desperately needs. In the time we were in Katy for Christmas Owen moved up a diaper size and grew out of his 0-3 month clothing. I still have to return some of the things I bought for him because I had bought 0-3 months thinking he would be in them for awhile... guess I was wrong!

Being a family of four is going fairly well. Ellie is starting to slip into some terrible two habits- mostly screaming bloody murder whenever she doesn't get her way. On the flip side, she is learning faster than we can teach (which means she is picking up on all sorts of things whether we want her to learn them or not). Her vocabulary has probably doubled over the past month and she is in the process of learning her letters and colors. Owen has spent the last week and a half being held so I am going to try and break him of that. It is tough though. We have been home only mere hours and he is already wanting to be held constantly. Should be a rough transition I think. He is now smiling... which is super cute. He is very handsome and has begun cooing and making all sorts of cutie pie noises.

We have loads to do now that we are home and before Daniel goes back to school. Daniel's parents just hauled a huge truck load of stuff up for us. So, we have even more boxes that need unpacking and more stuff to put away. Plus we have doctors appointments and more shopping to do... yes I said more shopping.. it never ends with us I tell ya. I feel a little more okay with all the stuff we have to do now that we are home and can plan out what needs to be done. I am pretty excited to go to bed tonight... we have missed our new King bed. We got a new bed set and new pillows for Christmas so I am hoping for a restful sleep!