The Miller Times Blog

2008-10-09T21:19:00.000-05:00

Disney Post #3

2008-10-09T20:32:00.006-05:00

Dancing with JoJo's Circus....

Ahhhh...day 3 in the big DW. This was a big one. Hollywood Studios. Home of Playhouse Disney. We started the morning at Hollywood and Vine and breakfast with The Little Einsteins and Jo Jo's Circus. Very exciting! We then went and met Lightening McQueen and Mater....HUGE deal...then Buzz, Woody, Incredibles, Micky, Mini, Goofy, Pluto, Chip, Dale...the list goes on! We also got to see some really fun shows. Topping the list for the kids was the Playhouse Disney show with My Friends Tigger and Pooh, Little Einsteins, Handy Manny, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. We also saw Ariels Big Adventure, Muppets 3D, and Disney Annimation Studios. The highlight of the day was lunch at Pizza Plannet straight out of Toy Story and the Toy Story Ride.

We came back "home", washed up, and headed out to Mickey's Beach Barbeque for some dancing and singing with Mickey and Friends. We're finally back home, all cozy in bed and watching Monster's Inc. Our flight doesn't leave until 7pmtomorrow night, so tomorrow's still up in the air. Daddy and Mommy were wanting a nice lazy day playing in the pools and water slides, but the munchkins are demanding Magic Kingdom...so, Teacups, here we come!

And, here's the daily dole on horrendous pictures...enjoy!

June and Goliath...

June, Eleanor, and JD...
E and JD with McQueen and Mater at Luigi's Garage...
JD loves McQueen...he gave him a kiss right after this!
Incredibles....
Donald...
Mickey...he was very cool...
The Claw!
On Andy's Bed....
Watching the Pixar Parade...that's Woody and Jessie...way far away in the distance...
Rainbow Popsicle Snacks....
Minnie at Mickey's Barbeque...
Eating Mickey Mouse Chocolate covered ice cream treats....or wearing them....
Dancing with Goofy...

Thanks for playing with us! Tomorrow night, back in North Texas!

Disney Post #2

2008-10-08T20:06:00.007-05:00

Ahhh...back at our "new home" after our second day at the magic kingdom. The kids are in their bed watching The Swiss Family Robinson and Jonathan and I are enjoying our daily "entitlement" of a bottle of wine. Today was even better than yesterday...if that's possible! We rode tons of rides and did many very fun and exciting activities! We started off in Adventure Land where we toured the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse (mommy's favorite!), rode the Jungle Tour, Aladain's Flying Carpet, and Pirates of the Caribean (eleanor's favorite...ha!). We had lunch back at the Crystal Palace and got to see our friends Pooh again. Jon David even got to lead the "Pooh-rade" with Pooh! It was very exciting!

We went back and re-rode It's a Small World and Peter Pan (the kid's definite two favorite rides in Fantasy Land) then we were back at Tomorrow Land to see a bit of Buzz again! We had reservations at Cinderella's castle for dinner. This was the coolest ev-er! We got to have a meet and great (yes, it's called that!) and then go UPSTAIRS in THE castle and eat in the dining room. The Fairy Godmother was there with the mice and everything! Eleanor wore her Giselle dress Aunt Allison gave her for her birthday and Buzz wore, well, Buzz. And if that wasn't over-the-top enough, there were chocolate crowns in the icecream sundaes. We were tired little park-goers after all that excitement and headed back to take our fairy home. What a super fun day!

Tomorrow, we're off to Disney Hollywood and all the Playhouse Disney stuff. We're having breakfast with The Little Einsteins and Lunch at Toy Story's Pizza Palace. Dinner is Mickey's Beach Barbeque back at the Lodge. Oh, tis the life!

Here's a few choice shots of the day...and no laughing at the ameuteur photography!

Starting the day off at Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse...

Aladin's Magic Carpet....

"Daddy, carry me, please!:...
Jungle Cruise....

JD being brave before Pirates of the Caribean...
Eleanor NOT being brave!
Some Piglet love at the Crystal Palace...

Dog and Jon David having Ice Cream Sundaes.... E's make your own sundae...
Jon David and Pooh leading the "Pooh-rade"...
Marching in the Pooh-rade...

Going to the Castle...

Waiting to meet and greet Cinderella....

In the Castle...

Going up the spiral staircase...they actually posed this way on their own...
The dining room in the castle...very cool!

Sleep tight everyone!

2008-10-07T20:54:00.000-05:00

Disney Post #1

2008-10-07T20:26:00.001-05:00

Well, we're on day 2 of our Disney World Adventure! What a fabulous time we are having! Let's start at the beginning~ After our wild ride to the airport, we had a relatively smooth ride to Atlanta, except for the lightening that struck our plane. I'm not kidding. Jon David asked who was driving the plane and we told him, the piolot. He got real excited and exclaimed, "I LOVE Pirates!" We made it to Orlando in one piece. They were announcing over the intercom that "carriage of liquids and gels. was prohibited...." all Eleanor heard was "carriage" and, well, was wondering where on earth OUR carriage was. Disney's Magical Express picked us up at the airport and escorted us to our new "home". Jon David is a bit confused about this and, while he likes our new digs, he says he liked our old home better. The Lodge is magnificent. It's the coolest thing ever. The architecture and landscaping is just amazing. The kid behind us on the Magical Express said it looked like it was built with humungous Lincoln Logs. In fact, the place we ate for lunch had a big table with tons of Lincoln Logs to play with! We came home after lunch and took a good rest since we'd been up since three in the morning! Then we got all gussied up and took a boat ride of to the Hoop-De-Doo-Review. This was big time fun, y'all. Our first dinner theater. We had big pewter buckets of chicken and sang songs and laughed at the funny antics. On the way home on the boat, we saw the whole fireworks display out on the lake. It was just AWESOME! We barely made it into bed before everyone was sound asleep! This morning (day 2) started with breakfast in the Crystal Palace with Pooh and Friends. We got to see Pooh, Tigger and the whole gang while eating Mickey Mouse waffles and Pooh cakes. YUM! From there, we Tomorrow Land Mickey's Toon World and Fantasy Land. It rained a bit in the afternoon, but we just donned our parkas and kept going. We had dinner at Toni's on Mainstreet...from Lady and the Tramp...and slurped up spaghetti and meatballs. After baths back in the room, we rented Lady and the Tramp to watch on teh dvd player. Mommy and Daddy got a bottle of wine and we all layed on the fold out sofa and enjoyed the show! Little (and big) park goers are tired campers tonight, so I will keep the post brief. But I wanted to post a couple pictures so you can see all the fun! Blogger is messing up on me a bit, so the pics are going to be out of order...but it's better than nothing!

The bedroom part of our awesome villa....

Looking back at the Lodge...it's kind of hard to see....
At the "Build Your Own Mr. Potato Head"....

Dumbo's Flight....
Meeting Ariel....
And Buzz....
Our new toys....

The Castle....

Going on Buzz's Space Ranger Ride...
Getting our face painted Cinderella style....
Waiting in line to meet the princesses....

Mickey Ears on the Magical Express....

The Hoop-Dee-Doo-Review....
Bed time!
The boatride to the Magic Kingdom on Tuesday morning.
Breakfast at Crystal Palace with Pooh and Friends...

Waiting for the boat to leave the park tonight...some worn out kiddos!

Growing Pains

2008-09-26T11:21:00.003-05:00

Jon David is having a tough time with his big sister being in kindergarten. He's never really been apart from her. Even when they were in preschool, they'd ride to and from school together, walk each other to their classrooms, see each other in the halls. That's all changed now. And I think he's a bit sad.

He doesn't love school right now the way he used to. (Although, when I pick him up, he's bubbling over with how much fun he had.) He's acting out a bit (that may be a gross understatement! : ), having trouble sleeping, and generally grumpy. I know it will pass and things will get better, but it's hard right now. Little Jon David striking out on his own.

Eleanor, on the other hand, has really risen to the occassion when it comes to kindergarten. We were a bit concerned that she may have some troubles with the full day, 5 day a week routine, but she loves it! She told me this morning that she doesn't get to go to school on Saturday or Sunday. Like, those days aren't as good because she can't go to school. How great is that?!

We've been walking to and from school. It's about a mile and a half round trip, but it's better than sitting in the drop off line for half an hour. Plus, we walk with neighbors and stuff, so it's fun. I still can't get over her just marching in that school with her little backpack on all biggie girl kindergartener. So confident. It's awesome.

She's also learning like a little sponge. She can write the words "fish", "stop", "eggs", "cat"....it grows exponentially every day. They go to Music on Mondays, PE on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Art on Wednesday and Library on Friday.

I've got to go pick Jon David up from school. He's got 1/2 days on Fridays. Then, we're meeting Gigi at Sonic for lunch. : )

what you missed

2008-09-26T09:33:00.011-05:00

So, between the "snow day" post and the "cowboys and indians" a little bit happened. Since I'm doing this mostly for the kiddos, I thought I'd fill in the blank for them so that when they look back at this one day, they won't wonder what the mystery of the 4 missing months is. Like the missing minutes on the Watergate tapes. Don't want them to think there's a cover-up conspiracy going on or anything!

Let's see...

March: We had Easter. All the aunts and uncles came down and it was loads of fun. We dyed Easter eggs and had dinner at Aunt Jill and Uncle Steves. We even swam in their pool! Fun!

Baby Jack came to visit and he had gotten sooo big!

And, the Thomas Train event!

April: Someone lost their first tooth!

May: Mother's Day...

And Eleanor's Fifth Birthday!

Phew...okay - I'll finish up with June, July and August tonight. : ) Then we will be all caught up and I'll feel like a much better mommy!

And...We're Back

2008-09-13T12:27:00.005-05:00

Last week when Jonathan was out of town, I entertained myself by perusing our old family blog. I was shocked at how much the kids have changed in such a short amount of time. I was also shocked by how much I had recorded there that I had completely forgotten about. It was so fun to read the mundane details what was going on on a particular day in our life. I was so thankful to myself for writing them.

And so, right then, I decided to start blogging again. If no one but little me ever reads it, it will still be more than worth the small time and effort it takes to post some seemingly inconsequential happenings from our days. And, now I know, none of it is inconsequential.

So, as I type this, Eleanor, Jon David and Daddy are downstairs playing Cowboys and Indians at the kitchen table. I know it's a little non-PC, but the appeal of those little plastic toys seems to dissolve all PC boundaries. The little toys were a souvenir my parents brought Jon David when they were in New Mexico last Spring. I was saving them for a rainy day. So, thank you hurricane Ike for this rainy Saturday. And thank you, Gigibawbaw for the souvenir.

It's funny, the innate reaction Jon David had to these little figures. Jonathan opened the bag and handed him the first cowboy, guns cocked in the air, and Jon David started making the same shooting noise that millions of little boys have made before him. Something along the lines of "Choow choow..." Where do they learn this?! And, Eleanor, turned the stagecoach into the palace carriage and is taking them all to the ball. But, they must be home by midnight.

Can't you just hear him making the sound effects?

And more sound effects...and yes, Eleanor is wearing a pettiskirt with her nightgown and Jon David is in his "Dash" costume. Did I mention it's Saturday morning?

And more...
Indian sound effects...again, not real PC, but he's having so much fun!

SNOW DAY!!!

2008-03-04T12:37:00.006-06:00

Wow! Snow came to North Texas this morning! It's almost all gone, now, but we got our playtime in this morning!
Jon David saw it coming down last night and asked Daddy "Waths all the Brathoth ha-yer doin?" (translation = "What's all the Brazos hair doing?") Dog dander from the sky!
So, here's a few of the bazillion I snapped before we had to go get on entirely new, dry clothes and go to school!
I've got to go pick the kids up...I'll caption them when this afternoon or tonight!
Mwaa!

playing in the fountains

2008-03-03T14:26:00.003-06:00

Miller Kids Slideshow

2008-01-31T15:07:00.001-06:00

Eleanor and Jon David had their own portrait sessions this month. We had so much fun being silly together and listening to music. I put together a slideshow of all the highlights. Click here to see it in full screen or watch the small preview below. Enjoy!

Fun with New Christmas Toys!

2008-01-02T10:20:00.000-06:00

The sun finally came out last weekend and we got to go play in the driveway with our new scooters and bouncy toys. Weeeee!!

Peek-a-boo!

2007-12-26T14:21:00.000-06:00

If you know Jon David, you will love these pics.

Christmas Day Eve and Dec. 26th

2007-12-26T13:33:00.000-06:00

Waiting to open presents is hard.
There's a LOT of presents, too.
Hi Baw Baw. Who's this one for?

Ooooh. A work bench...

And just my size!
A dress-up box for Eleanor.
Paw Paw playing with his, erm...Jon David's...Lincoln Logs.
Putting the new dolly to sleep. We named her Eleanor.

She came with a pink trunk and lots of little outfits. Gigi...ehem...Eleanor likes it a lot.
Pretty pink party dress-up dress.
Bouncy thingies.

The best gift of all....

The twirling ballerina music box.

And Daddy Superman got some new stuff, too!The morning after....

Discovering the joys of PEZ.

It's so cool, Mommy!

Playing on her laptop at breakfast like Daddy.

Christmas Morning!

2007-12-25T10:25:00.000-06:00

Silly mommy forgot to take pictures of when they first came in and saw the loot Santa brought for them...but I did get it on video for posterity. They were soooo excited! Jon David woke up this morning and the first thing we heard him say on the monitor was "ho ho ho! Santa Clause came to town!" He KNEW! So here are a few from this morning. I'll post some more later!

This is Eleanor with the "mommy necklace" from her Baby Chou Chou doll. Very exciting, although I think she's more into the necklace than Baby Chou Chou!
Jon David checking out his cool puzzles.
Eleanor riding on her new scooter. Santa brought matching identical ones. Let's see them try to fight over those! Ha!

Eleanor giving Baby Chou Chou a kiss.
And the hands-down favorites...Tinkerbell and her friends.
This is the hilarious angel Jon David made at school. The face next to the sweet poem just cracks us up. We're keeping this one!

Jon David with his new Shake n- Go Race Track. Oooooooh!

Playing with the Pony Birthday Afternoon. Tinkerbell and friends are patiently waiting for it to be their turn again.

Eleanor making sure she gets every last piece of chocolate out of her stocking!

More Christmas Fun!

2007-12-25T10:22:00.000-06:00

Jon David REEEALLY wanted to try Santa's cookies!
And he thought Pawpaw's hat was funny!
He also thought Baby Jesus and the wind-up Santa needed to see the giant gingerbread cookie for Santa!

Eleanor kept saying she was so excited she had "goosebumps"!!
Playing by the fire (and guarding the cookies!)
Christmas Eve dance party!

Christmas Eve Fun!

2007-12-25T10:18:00.000-06:00

BB is here! It's a Christmas Miracle!!

Opening Christmas jammies!
Showing off new Christmas jammies!

Tracking Santa on the Norad site!

Christmas Pagent!

2007-12-25T10:13:00.000-06:00

These are from the Christmas Pagent at their school on Thursday. They did so good!
This is Jon David's two-year-old class. They sang "Baby in a Manger" and carried baby dolls. Sooo cute! That's his friend Julia who's looking at the camera. She is almost a bigger McQueen fan than Jon David...Kachow!

This is Jon David's best bud, Tae Min. That's the legendary Ms. April behind him. She ROCKS!

Jon David with his baby. Jon David checking out his baby!
Big Girl Eleanor singin' her heart out and playing her instruments!

Merry Christmas!

Annnnd...I'm adding the Monster Mile pics to this post because I just realized I never posted them! The neighborhood does a "Monster Mile" up and down Lantana Trail. Characters are dressed up and handing out candy. It's very fun and exciting! We went with our neighbors, the Thomzs. Their little boy Elliot is Jon David's age. Eleanor was Tinkerbell, Jon David was superman, and Elliot was Tigger.

They thought Blues Clues dog was a giant "Dog"...as in Jon David's "dogs"....they stood in awe.

Checkin' out the loot...

E {hearts} Lamby

2007-10-17T16:06:00.000-05:00

Firetruck Day at School

2007-10-02T22:34:00.000-05:00

Today was fire truck day at Eleanor and Jon David's school. I was the volunteer mommy for Jon David's class, which Jon David thought was really cool.

This week they're studying "D". D for dog, dots, and dalmations. All which ride on a firetruck...see the theme here?!

So, they made little headband type hats that were SO CUTE! Miss April asked "What do doggies say?" And they all responded with "Woof woof woof!" Here's the little dalmations on the front of the fire truck. Click on the picture to get it to come up really big!

Meet Lucy!

2007-09-30T20:03:00.001-05:00

This is Lucy. The sweetest doll of a baby you've ever seen. She's almost 14 months and I got to play with her (and her fun mommy) at the arboretum on Friday. Lucky me! To see the rest...go to my clp blog...here. Enjoy!

SO Ella

2007-09-18T17:52:00.001-05:00

I just found this picture of Eleanor from this summer. It cracked me up. If you know her, you know it's SO HER.

Summer feels like months a go now. Wierd, huh?

It's Official!

2007-09-18T10:19:00.000-05:00

...

My website is finished! My website is finished!

I'm sooooooooooooooooo excited to announce to the world (or at least the 10 people that read our blog) that Courtney Leigh Photography has a website! Yes, our very little own spot in cyberspace. There's something about having a real website that suddenly makes "Courtney Leigh Photography" seem very official, you know?

Check out my handy work (I'm a little impressed with myself on this website, so feel free to ooh and awww!) at www.courtneyleighphotography.com.

Well, it's not actually, TOTALLY finished...I NEED models (other than E & JD) for the galleries, so if you or anyone you know would like to have me come do a session with your family to use in the galleries, just let me know!

Can you feel the sheer excitement in my typing?

Yes, I'm GIDDY! Honestly, a dream come true.

And since it wouldn't be right to leave a post about my new photo website without including a photo...here's eleanor playing dress up at gigibawbaw's new house (which is a whole 'nuther post entirely...it rocks!) after her first ballet lesson. She's a ballerina pricess.

I'd LOVE to hear what everyone (yes, all 10 of you) think of the site, so pleeeease leave a comment...good OR bad...and let me know whatcha think!

I'm off to bounce around in my giddy-ness until it's time to pick up the kiddos. Heeeeeeeee!

BB Sneak Peek!

2007-09-12T11:36:00.000-05:00

Aunt BB came to visit us this weekend and we had soooo much fun! We had dinner at Mi Cocina, ice cream, a girls shopping spree, lunch at Neimans, and a Sunday morning Allman Brothers Dance Party!

Thank you for such a wonderful time, BB! We can't wait to see you again!

I have lots more pictures, but this one will have to tide you over for now...and yes, that's a rice crispie treat ice cream come and, yes, BB actually ordered it! She didn't have it for long, though! We love you, BB!

And even MORE Baby Jack!

2007-09-06T15:47:00.001-05:00

More Baby Jack

2007-09-05T21:59:00.000-05:00

More from First Day of School

2007-09-05T16:34:00.001-05:00

First Day of School & Happy Birthday Paw Paw!

2007-09-04T21:09:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday, Dad! I love you! Here's your birthday present...enjoy!

First off, they L-O-V-E-D school. No tears, no clinging. Jon David did run back and give one last bear hug to his daddy...which, of course, melted his heart, but they did awesome.

Eleanor has "recess" right before pick-up, so when I got there she was beat red in the face...but beaming from ear-to-ear. She told me on the way home that a boy chased her all around the playground. I said, "oh, no. Were you worried?"

She said, "No, mommy, he was just doing it because he likes me".

Jon David, on the other hand, gave his teachers quite a scare. He sneaked out of his room. They found him running up and down the handicap ramps in the narthex. Not sure how I feel about that, but, gotta say, it made me feel a tiny bit better about myself!

They asked me tonight at supper if they could go back to school again. I said, well, yes...you're going back tomorrow. You would have thought I told them The Wiggles were coming to our house. They were beside themselves with excitement. Wait till they figure out they get to go Wednesday, too.

We took quite a few pictuers, but I haven't gotten them done yet. Here's just one when we got home from their first day of school.

Sip n See Sneak Peak

2007-09-03T11:50:00.001-05:00

The new family!

Ballerina

2007-08-29T13:24:00.000-05:00

My baby is going to start ballet lessons this fall. My big, smart, beautiful, sweet-as-sugar baby girl is going to be skipping, spinning, flitting for 45 minutes every Monday morning at 10:30. Think about her, because she will be in hog heaven!

We had to go up to her studio and pick out her dance apparel. She gets a leotard (pink, with sparkles, of course), tights, a skirt, ballet shoes, tap shoes, and a little bag to put them all in. It's so darn cute. She was grinning ear to ear and dancing all around the room. I don't even have a cute "Ella-ism" to add here because she was just too darn excited to speak.

Mommy, on the otherhand, was a basket case. I had tears welling up in my eyes as she put her little baby foot into those first ballet slippers. I was such a mess that I actually left my camera at home. (gasp, I know.) Thankfully, Gigi saved the day when she pulled her trusty point and shoot out of her purse. So here's a few of our new prima ballerina, Eleanor.

Jelly

2007-08-24T09:32:00.001-05:00

......

.......

The sad thing is, this sort of thing happens at LEAST three times a day.

I took these to torture him with when he's in high school. Bwa ha ha!

Bubbles

2007-08-22T14:49:00.000-05:00

Eleanor came downstairs for breakfast this morning and was in a particualarly spunky mood. I asked her if she slept well and if she had happy dreams. She starts flitting around the kitchen singing this...

"Mommy, I DID have happy dreams! I dreamed about fairies, and giants, and toadstools, and ballerinas, and princesses, and butterflies, and magic, and mermaid lagoons, and pixies, and...and...and....BUBBLES!"

Yes, the girl loves bubbles. She's all about them. Elliot next door gave her a "Bubble Buddy" for her birthday in May. I put it away for safe keeping thinking there just might be a time, in the hot dulldrums of August, when a new, fun toy just might help get us through a week.

I was right. And this was the week.

So I pull out this toy from the tippy top shelf and the kids were mediately clamoring to get to it. They didn't really know what it was, but they for sure wanted it. This was poor planning on my part because, of course, there were sixteen billion plastic things strapped to it, it needed batteries, and I had no idea how to get the bubble juice actually into his bubble buddy belly.

Fifteen minutes later, the kids have moved on to another activity (aka Jon David raiding the pantry) and Eleanor comes back into to check on me. Bless her. She picks up the enclosed paperwork that came with the stupid toy and tells me in her sweetest, big helper, biggie girl voice, "Mommy, maybe you should try reading the inrections."

Ehem. Close one, huh?

So I did. And she was right.

So, without further ado, meet Diney, our Bubble Buddy.

Few Pics with Mem and Papa D

2007-08-19T22:36:00.000-05:00

We met Mem and Papa D at Mi Cocina in Flower Mound on Friday to celebrate good things. I have a few cute stories to tell, but I'm too tired to think right now! Enjoy!

Big Stisters

2007-08-15T16:54:00.000-05:00

Eleanor, Jon David and I went to have a play date with McKaila and McKenna and their mommy, Heather, who live down the street. We had a blast. The kiddos all squealed with delight when we got to their house and everyone hugged big hugs. Then they all four ran giggling up the stairs to play. I just stood there with my heart on the floor while my biggie kids ran off to do biggie kid things.

Eleanor and McKaila disappeared into the play closet only to emmerge every 15 minutes or so with a new outfit on. They decided to make it a "fashin' show!" McKaila would announce "Dum da da dum. Presenting Princess Eleanor!" and Eleanor would come out with an elaborate princess crown and cape or whatever on. She was IN HEAVEN.

Jon David and McKenna played in the gameroom with Dora and Diegos. They hugged a lot and said "I wuv u". They had tea parties and Jon David cleaned up the kitchen when they were done. His daddy's teaching him well!

Heather and I tried to have a nice visit and actually managed to get a few sentences in between refereeing. It was a great morning and so fun to just hang out and watch the kids play.

McKaila and McKenna also have an older sister, McKenzie. She's 13 and oh so cool. She wears a black tulle skirt all the time, so Eleanor thinks she's some kind of special ballerina.

When we got home, Eleanor told me that she was going to have a "big stister", too. She said her name was Hannah and she was a big, BIG, BIG girl.

She was going on and on about her new big sister, so I decided to ask her where her big stister, Hannah, lived. She jumped up, threw her arms out and exclaimed, "In Can't Silly!"

Get it?

New Website

2007-08-11T22:35:00.000-05:00

Abby and Jason have made a website to show off the daily adventures of their precious Baby Jack. Go here. Click on the link to "download" the movie in Window's Media Viewer. Be patient while it loads...run grab some kleenexes while you wait. It's AWESOME! You'll want to watch it "again and again"!

Personally, I think Jack is a spittin' image of Jon David...but I could have my mommy goggles on!

I added links to theirs and Jenni and Jordan's sites on the left. Thank you guys for taking the time to share your lives with us. We miss y'all and can't wait to see you Labor Day!

Mwah!

"Yeya!"

2007-08-08T23:22:00.001-05:00

New Jammies

2007-08-07T16:48:00.000-05:00

Gigi got Eleanor and Jon David new jammies. Jon David's is superman with a super cool cape. He runs around yelling "Up n away" and "to the rescue!". And don't even try to get this thing off him. "Shhhhoooom!"

Ice Cream

2007-08-06T16:41:00.000-05:00

Eleanor and Jon David are growing so much. Jon David is talking up a storm. Most of what he says we can understand. What we don't can be understood by his interpreter, Eleanor. She gets him about 99% of the time. He was trying to tell me something last week, though, and it made NO sense. I asked her if she knew what he was saying and she replied, "Mommy, I think he's speaking spanish".

We went to the ice cream shop after Mi Cocina on Friday. It's our new bribe to get them to sit and be good while mommy and daddy finish their mambo taxis. They kindof like chocolate.

Baby Jack Pictures

2007-08-05T08:28:00.001-05:00

Jordan posted pictures of MY BEAUTIFUL NEPHEW on his website.

(Mom and BB, click on that link above! :))

Go there and drool.

_________________________
Here's the conversation Eleanor and Jon David had while looking and Baby Jack for the first time:

E: "Awwwww, he's so cute! He looks like Jon David!

Jon David, come here, Baby Jack looks like YOU!"

JD: "He yooks yike MEEEEEEEE!"

E: "He's a baby and he's our new cousin, Jon David!"

JD: "yeah, baby, tickle tickle! "(while he tickles my laptop screen)

__________________________

They looked at them about six times, but Jon David's favorite was the one with "Mim and DibaD".

Isn't he the most precious thing you've ever seen?!! I love him and want to hold him now!

I asked Eleanor and Jon David if they wanted a baby, too. I won't tell you what they said. Heh heh.

He's Here! He's Here!

2007-08-04T20:23:00.000-05:00

Baby Jack was born last night at around 6:45pm. He weighs about a little over 8 pounds and is around 20" long! Everyone is doing well we hear. We STILL haven't seen any pictures (ahem...Uncle Jordan!), but I'll post some when we get them.

Congratulations to Abby and Jason and welcome to the world Baby Jack! We love you!!!!!!!

I Gonna be an Aunt...Soon!

2007-08-03T15:09:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to put the word out in cyberspace that Abby was induced this morning and things are moving along...probably slower than Abby likes, but he'll be here soon! I want to hold him soooo bad! It's seriously driving me nuts not to be there. I feel like I need to be doing SOMETHING, so here I blog.

Baby Jack, we can't wait to meet you. Be easy on your Mommy, okay?

Here are some pictures that Jason and Abby sent us when they got his nursery finished. I hope they don't mind me posting them. It's SUCH a cute room!

Oh, and I can't look at these without getting teary-eyed because this was Eleanor's crib when SHE was a baby...many moons a go...sniffle sniffle....

Playdate Fun

2007-08-02T21:37:00.001-05:00

My dear friend Liz was in Fort Worth this week visiting friends and the kids and I popped by for a big time play date. Taylor is going on two and this is the first time I've ever seen her in person. She is adorable! It was so cool to see our kids all playing together.

Cori was so sweet to have us all over to her beautiful home. Her kids are so sweet and kind-hearted. I just loved getting to know all of them and hanging out with old friends.

I hope it's okay with Liz and Cori that I post a couple of these, it's killing me not to put them on here! I loooove having fresh faces on our blog...and these are such cute faces! So, here's just a couple from the pool time...

Candyland

2007-07-31T12:07:00.000-05:00

It rained Sunday, so when Jon David went down for his nap, we pulled out the Candyland game Santa had brought Eleanor. She absolutely loved it and it's all she wants to do now. You should have seen the look on her face when we explained to her that you don't always win. Poor princess!

Bummin' It

2007-07-29T08:56:00.000-05:00

I honestly don't think we could get any lazier. When they talk about the "Lazy Days of Summer", they're talking about us. We roll out of bed about 8. We play upstairs in the gameroom for a bit and then it's strudel time. After that, we lay on the sofa and watch Playhouse Disney for a while. Around 11, we finally swap out our jammies for swim suits and mosey over to the pool.

It is pathetic, but we've completely embraced our inner slackers. I've been thinking about it, and I've decided I'm really doing the kids a favor. Jonathan and I both come from families of over-achievers. Eleanor and Jon David may never know how to sit and do completely nothing if someone doesn't take the time and teach them this valuable skill. It's my duty as their mother to show them the ways. They'll thank me when they get to college.

Speaking of the pool, I think it's time for some swimmin'. I've got some funny stories of the kiddos to post, though, so check back soon.

Everyone keep Abby and Jason in their prayers. Her due date was yesterday, so Baby Jack will be here ANY day now. We love you guys!!!

Best Friends

2007-07-23T21:19:00.000-05:00

...most of the time.

One Flower, Two Dogs, and Daddy's Shoes

2007-07-21T23:26:00.001-05:00

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

2007-07-18T20:38:00.000-05:00

The kids and I went for a big walk this morning. It was an absolutely beautiful day. It felt way more like early June than mid July. There was a breeze and blue skies and low humidity (relatively speaking!). I had my camera with me...of course...and at one point just had to stop and take a picture of how absolutely beautiful this area is. This is just a shot on the sidewalk basically of Lantana Trail. But, it's just beautiful to me. I love it here!

My Backyardigans

2007-07-17T10:59:00.000-05:00

Geez! It got hot fast! It finally quits raining so we can play outside and the temperture is blazing. Oh well. Doesn't seem to phase the kiddos.

"Jon David, you're getting your diapies all wet!" It's like he has two moms, poor thing!

Here's us trying out my new 17-50mm lens. Sweet!

Pics from this week

2007-07-15T23:37:00.001-05:00

After a rainy week spent couped up inside, the kids really enjoyed getting to spend time in Mem and D's pool this weekend!

Playing inside this week. Waiting for the sun.

Eleanor decided that Brazos needed a blanket, too.Jon David squishing up his toes while he reads "I Love Trucks".

Eleanor taking care of her "babies".

Saturday Waitin'

2007-07-14T11:15:00.000-05:00

Mem and Papa D GRACIOUSLY came and got the kiddos at eight o'clock this morning. Their plan was breakfast, dress-up, and pool. I'm sure there are going to be some detours as well! Eleanor was so excited that she was dressed head to toe before we even went upstairs to get them up. Pink striped tshirt with floral red skort. "But it DOES match, Mommy!"

We're supposed to be using this time to reeeally clean the house. A two and four year old can destroy a house in ways never imagined possible. There's stuff EVERYWHERE. It's driving Jonathan nuts. It's so messy, he had to go back to bed.

And I'm stalking the UPS site. This week I sold every lens I own to buy a new wide angle zoom lens. It says that at 1am it was shipped from Mesquite to Denton. It should be here any minute, right? I can't pick up upstairs until it gets here because I want to use it to get awesome shots of everything "completely all spread out". I have procrastination down to a science.

Scatter Shooting

2007-07-12T21:54:00.000-05:00

"No, Mommy, the game room isn't all messy. It's just completely all spread out."

"Mommy, you cracks me up."

Catch Up

2007-07-09T22:36:00.000-05:00

I took Eleanor to register for her first ballet lessons last weekend. It was very exciting for her AND Mommy. I found the great dance studio just across the road from us. She'll be in the Babies II class on Monday mornings. It's twenty minutes of tap, twenty minutes of ballet, and five minutes to change shoes. Can't you just imagaine?!

She came home and told Daddy all about it. Jonathan, joking, of course, asked her if her Jon David was going to get to go with her. Eleanor smiled and shook her head. "No, Daddy. He's too not a girl."

Both of them got to stay up and see their first fireworks show(wa-works, if you're Jon David) this Fourth of July. We all waited patiently in Mem and Papa D's backyard for them to start. Eleanor, who naturally was dressed to the nines in her princess gear,was beginning to lose her patience. We all told her to wave her wand and get those fireworks going.

Eleanor took this mission very seriously. She waved that wand everywhere with great determination shouting "Bibbity Bobbity BOO!" Suddenly, the show started...KABOOOOOM! Her eyes were saucers and she was speechless for a moment....then started jumping around the yard with her wand held high in the air shouting, "It works! It works! It works!"

On our way home through the country roads we got to see many more fireworks. Eleanor was in the backseat waving that wand and Jon David would squeal and say "Yeah, Yeya, You deed another one!" We're expecting the letter from Hogwarts any day.

Saturday was a big day. Drew Stuckey had his FOURTH birthday party and we trecked back down to Dallas to help celebrate. Allison and Shawn transformed their backyard into Drews and Diego's Animal Rescue Center. They had a huge bounce house slip 'n slide and all kinds of fun stuff. And cake, of course. It was so fun to see all our old friends. And the kids had a blast, too!

Here's a few pics from the fiesta.

Have a great week everyone.

Aunt Abby, hang in there. That Baby Jack will be here before you know it!
Notice Jon David's stratigic location. He was standing next to me when we all gathered for the cake. Suddenly, I'm snapping pictues and I see Jon David in the view finder. He had weaseled his way to the front of the table right next to Aunt Allison's leg just waiting for that first cupcake. Oh, and he managed to find a spoon to bring with him. Heaven help the fool who gets between Buboo and his cake.

Happy Fourth of July!

2007-07-04T11:57:00.000-05:00

Happy Fourth of July, everyone!

Here's the kids sharing their Happy Meals and cracking each other up. Just your regular lunch!

Then we went upstairs and played.

My two peas in a pod.

Ella the Artist

2007-07-04T11:55:00.001-05:00

Eleanor drew her first stick person this week. She came running over to me and had to tell me all about it.

See, there's two eyes, a mouth, two arms, a hand, and two legs. She was so proud...and so am I.

Stuck in the Muck

2007-07-03T23:58:00.000-05:00

These two are dedicated to Paw Paw. I came into the kitchen and he had Sarge treking through his mashed potaoes. He looked up and said, "Yuck! Sarge stuck in the muck". Thanks, Baw Baw!

A Saturday Morning Haiku

2007-06-30T00:57:00.000-05:00

I love my husband
I missed him so very much
I'm so glad he's home!

Eleanor's Pretty New Pink Polkadot Poodle Party Dress

2007-06-27T17:32:00.000-05:00

Gigi and Eleanor went shopping today. Eleanor picked out this very extra special pink polka-dotted poodle dress. Poodles are from Paris, you know. They live at the "tippy top of the eifel tower".

She wouldn't take it off once she tried it on, so we wore it out of the store. It's got sparkely jewels and a tutu underneath. It twirls when you spin and you can do beautiful curtseys in it. It's oh-so very fancy.

After shopping, we all went to lunch. All the girls at Red Robin thought Eleanor's dress was just lovely. Eleanor told them it was her favorite dress in the whole wide world. "It's very pink and very bee-utiful...It's a party dress!"

Oh, and at Red Robin, they had a little print of Stary Stary Night hanging on the wall. Eleanor casually patted my arm and said "Look Mommy, There's Vincent Van Gogh."

I kid you not. We should be spokespeople for Baby Einstein.

Anyway, here's the art genious in her new dress. She made me take this picture for her daddy to see. "He's in another city, did you know?"

A Content Buboo

2007-06-26T23:22:00.000-05:00

Dog. Thumb. Cars.

What more does a boy need?

Favorite Colors

2007-06-24T09:48:00.000-05:00

This week Eleanor informed me that she had not one, but three favorite colors.

"Purple, dark pink, and light pink!"

Yep, That's three.

My Birthday Week

2007-06-22T08:21:00.001-05:00

I turned 33 this week. Yikes. The last four years are a complete blur. Maybe that's a good thing? I'm looking forward to slowing down a bit this next year. I feel the need to soak up every minute of my children's joys, mysteries, ups, downs, giggles and discoveries. And I will document it all here for historic reference. That way, maybe I can bundle them up with a bow and keep them 2 and 4 forever.

Here are some images of this week's playtime adventures. Enjoy.

Here, the Super Sleuths are off on a Heffalump Expedition. Note Jon David's paper towel holder telescope. Just call him Captain Jack Sparrow.
Now we have the Little Einsteins blasting off for another adventure. In my living room. It's a big no-no, but my obsession with documenting their every move overrode my need to protect my precious living room.
And here we have "Wendy" reading the Jungle Book to "Michael". Is it just me, or is there a distinct Disney theme going on in our house this summer?

These are the beautiful roses my sweet husband brought home to me the day before my birthday. I think after 6 years, he's finally starting to catch on. Hooray for thoughtful hubbys! Aren't they love-erly? Thank you, Jonathan, for everything.

Little Things, Big Emotions

2007-06-21T08:05:00.001-05:00

This morning, Jon David came down stairs and exclaimed, "Ah! There's my sip-ee". He beamed at me. That's right. Jon David properly pronounced sippy. He was very proud. Eleanor made a huge deal out of it and kept making him say it over and over again at breakfast. What a good big sister.

This is a good thing, right? Then why does it feel like my heart is breaking a teeny bit when I think about his "Ay-ee"? Being mommy is hard.

Happy Father's Day!

2007-06-17T14:56:00.000-05:00

Today is Father's Day. Eleanor, Jon David, and I brought Jonathan "strudels-in-bed" this morning. I had a vision of everyone piling in the bed with this beautiful morning light pouring in our bay windows and getting some wonderfu,l relaxed, sleepy-eyed stuff.

But, alas, the best layed plans...we woke up to thunder, rain and darkness! So, I improvised and turned on every light in the bedroom, but it was still too dark to get anything but underexposed, grainy images. But, I kindof like them this way. My artistic vision may be blinding me, but they seem a little reminiscent of "Life Magazine circa 1950". Like I should be wearing an apron and pearls.

No? Well, squint then.

Happy Father's Day to all the fabulous fathers in my life. All of you make this world a better place.

Oh, and to my own dad....I love you, Daddy!

ETA: I just looked back through these. Doesn't Daddy look oh-so-excited about strudels-in-bed?!!

Playing with Jon David Friday Afternoon

2007-06-16T16:47:00.001-05:00

Is it 5 o'clock, Yet?

2007-06-14T19:25:00.000-05:00

Today was swim lesson day. I seriously d-r-e-a-d going to these. Ninety minutes of free-range Jon David is more than any sane person can handle. But, they're doing great and it really doesn't matter how I feel about it!

When Eleanor finished her lesson today, Miss Kaitlyn helped her out of the pool. She said, "I'm sure glad you liked my new swim suit, Eleanor". She smiled and relayed to me their conversation.

Eleanor had said, "Miss Kaitlyn, I sure like your new swimmie suit. " Cute Kaitlyn thanked her and Eleanor told her, "It has stripes...like Tigger!". Kaitlyn thought that was so stinkin' cute. I asked her if it was, in fact, a new swimmie suit and she replied, "actually, I just got it this weekend!". Eleanor has such a nose for fashion.

The place they take swim lessons is about the coolest place ever. It's called Win Kids and I swear, it's like Billy Bobs for kids. It's all decked out in an Old West Cowboy theme. There are about 10 different areas, the pool, two BIG gyms, two ballet studios, a dojo, a music conservatory, a movie room, and a hair salon for the mommies that are waiting. Nice, huh?

About ten times a day Eleanor asks me when she is going to get to take ballet lessons. I always tell her that when swimmie lessons are over, she'll get to go to ballet. This usually pacifies her for a few hours.

When we were leaving Win Kids today she asked me again, "Mommy, what about Ballet lessons?" to which I gave my standard reply, "When swim lessons are over, you can take Ballet". Then a lightbulb went off in my brain. To Eleanor, swimmie lessons WERE over. She thought I meant IMMEDIATELY after swimmie lessons she'd get to go to ballet. Poor thing. My heart just broke wide open.

So, I explained that swimmie lessons would last ALL summer and when fall got here, she'd get to go to real ballet lessons. I've been working with her on seasons, so I think she finally got it. But, poor sweet thing. She'd been waiting all week! She came home and put on Aunt Scarlet's ballet costume and I think that filled her heart with joy for a while.

What are the five worst words to hear out of Jon David while he's in the kitchen and you're helping Eleanor in the potty? "Mommy, I got honey bear". Can you say sticky? Jon David can.

Jungle Fever

2007-06-13T08:22:00.000-05:00

Yeah, we got it. Thanks to Aunt Allison's fabulous birthday present, I think we will be looking back on this summer as "The Summer of the Moglis".

For those who are not down the Disney lingo, Mogli is the little boy from Jungle Book (or "Dungle Dook" if you're Jon David). Actually, the correct Jungle terminology is "man cub", not boy. Eleanor would be sure to point that out.

So, it goes like this: Eleanor is "Mogli", Jon David is "Baby Mogli", Mommy is "Bageera", and Daddy is "Baloo". Jonathan does a mean Baloo impression.

Basically, the whole game is stripping down to your skivvies (or diapers in Baby Mogli's case), and walking around swinging your arms and legs like a monkey. The highlight is when we sing Bear Necessities or I Wanna be Just Like You. Oh, the Moglis love that. (And just to put your mind at rest, Mommy and Daddy are not required to go topless. It's strictly a Mogli thing.)

The princesses have been recruited for the game, too. Ariel and Belle are now completely neckie except for their plastic panties that won't come off. Phew. Except Eleanor says they're Tarzans, which must me a strange Backyardigans offshoot of the game. All I can say is Strawberry Shortcake and her friends better find a good place to hide.

Eleanor told me this morning that the treed area behind our house is no longer the "Hundred Acre Wood". No, it's now "The Jungle" and "it's full of 'jungle perils'". After breakfast, she wants to go swing on the vines.

In fact, right now it's 8:30 and the Moglis are just sitting down for breakfast. They are in full Mogli mode (just the skivvies), I know it should be a no-no, but I just don't have the heart to burst their Jungle bubble. Honestly after how stressful last summer, heck the last year has been, it's so great to just see them getting to be their own funny selves. Come on, it's summer, right? (Plus, I'm thinkin' this game may work nicely for the potty training!)

And I feel like this is their last hurrah before the real world comes crashing down on them in the fall. They will both be going to "school" 3 days a week and I'm pretty sure they'll have to wear clothes. So, come fall, we'll be singing a different tune, but right now, we're pretty happy to be singin' "Bear necessities, those bear ne-, bear ne-, cessities. Those simple bear necessities of life!"

Lazy Lady Mommy

2007-06-09T21:28:00.000-05:00

Okay, I know, it's been a while since we posted, but my creative juices have been flowing in a different direction lately. I've got big ideas, though, so stay tuned. Here's a few images from this week. Jon David didn't feel like slowing down, but I assure you, he's as captivating as always. As our two year-old neighbor, Elliot says, "Peace out, y'all".

Potty Treats

2007-06-01T09:20:00.000-05:00

I'm using Hershey Bars as potty treats right now. The ones that you can break into little squares and say "HERSHEY" on them. Every time Jon David goes potty in the potty, he (and Eleanor) get a square. They always stand there for a little while reading the letters on the square before they actually eat them. You can just see their little minds wondering what magic word is etched onto their precious potty treats.

I gave them one today and sure enough, there they went. "H-E-R-S-H-E-Y". Over and over. Finally Eleanor looked up at Jon David and in her completely serious and certain way said. "I think it says potty treat."

Jon David, who thinks Eleanor is brilliant, nods and whispers, "OHHHH, yeah Yeya".

The two of them beamed at each other and popped the little morsels in their mouths, quite confident that they had cracked another one of lifes mysteries. Case close.

Swim Kids and Surprises

2007-06-01T00:29:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting here in a stupor because my pathetic body is so tired I can hardly move. Why, you ask? Did I do a super tuff Firm video? Did I push 90 pounds of babies up Lantana Trail? Did I attend a cardio funk body pump class ? No...Oh, NO! It was merely the start of Swim Lesson Season.

Sir Jon David Wiggle-Worm and I kicked it off at 9:10 with the "Mommy and Me" swim class for 13 - 30 month old. He's 29 months, so I figured he'd fit right in. Oh, HOWDY. These kids were afraid of their shadow and here's Jon David trying to squirm away from me so that he can show off his favorite trick of dunking his ENTIRE HEAD in the water and come back up spurting - half drowned - and laughing his hiney off. I'm quite ashamed to say that thirty minutes of carying Jon David while walking up and down a waist-deep indoor swimming pool will make you ready for a cocktail at ten o'clock in the morning. But then it was Eleanor's turn.

Eleanor's class was sans-mommy. She was a little hesitant at first, but she and Mommy had talked about how it was very important to listen to Miss Kaitlyn and Frankie. She did everything they asked just like a biggie girl! Gigi, Mommy and Jon David got to cheer her on from a big window on the other side of the pool.

We thought she was having a great time, but when it was over I went in to get her and she had big ole' tears coming down. Kaitlyn and Frankie came running over. They were so worried that she hadn't had fun or they had done something wrong. I finally got her to speak up and tell me why she was so sad.

"Miss Kaitlyn and Frankie, I don't want to yeave my swimmie yesson."

I thought these two teenagers were going to fall into a puddle on the floor. They were so relieved they hadn't done anything wrong and that they already had one precious pupil begging for more. I think it made their day.

I managed to get everyone smiling again, dried off, clothed and back in our car. Alas, there was no margarita lunch waiting for mommy. I settled for PB & Honey, diet coke, and snuggles on the sofa with my two new super swimmers. A close second for sure.

The post-lunch/pre-nap show du jour was "Wunna Pets" (Wonder Pets). In this episode, the team has to save a puppy who needs to tee tee, but is stuck in the house. I guess this got Jon David thinking because he wandered off for a minute and returned with his potty seat. "I go tee tee, Mommy."

So, we do the thing where we pull down his pants and he sits on the potty for 2 minutes and hops up and yells "I DEET IT! I DEET IT!". Only this time, he DID do it! I was utterly shocked, but regained my senses in time to give him the proper potty parade, potty stickers, and potty treat. He was oh so very proud of himself. So proud, he "deet it" again before his nap and deet #2 before bed. Shocked, aren't ya'?

I've decided he's a potty prodigy. I think he very well may be the first child to potty train himself. I'm not quite sure how that reflects on me, but I guarantee if I wrote a book about it it would be a best seller. I'd be on the Today Show for sure.

Abby and Jason's Baby Shower

2007-05-31T01:28:00.000-05:00

Hi everybody! I have a few pics done from Abby and Jason's shower this weekend. Since these are Party Pics, I thought I'd fancy 'em up a bit! We sure had a great time and can't wait to meet Baby Jack!

Oh, and brace yourself, because Mommy Abby is one super cool mommy-to-be! Doesn't she posatively glow?!! We love her!!!!

I'll post some more tomorrow! Night Night!

"Oss-co"

2007-05-27T09:56:00.000-05:00

Eleanor and Jon David spent the day with Aunt Jenni and Uncle Jordan yesterday. Eleanor just dragged Daddy through the den saying "Come on, Daddy. Let's go to Oss-co. It's the biggest, best store in the whole wide world."

Jordan, we need to talk.

2007-05-25T09:01:00.000-05:00

Eleanor says that Tinkerbell is "jelly-ish" of Wendy.

Birday Re-cap

2007-05-24T20:37:00.000-05:00

Ahhh! What a week! Jonathan's been traveling and the kids and I have been recouping from Sunday's birthday fiesta.

By the time the party was here, it's official title was "My Strawberry Shortcake, Princess, Pony, Tinkerbell" party. And we tried to live up to its title. We had SS (that's shorthand for SS for those in the KNOW), princess cake, tinkerbell napkins, and pony hats. There was also a bubble and a sidewalk chalk station. Oh fun! By far, the biggest attraction was the cake. It was all about the cake. I had no idea the cake was such a big deal. Now I do. I had to move the cake away from the kids to cut it because they wouldn't keep their grubby little paws out of it. Note to self for Buboo's party, for sure. We may just have a cake for EACH kid.

This week we've played A LOT of "birthday" (which means Jon David and I get to pretend to come to Eleanor's party and bring her pretend gifts. Loads of fun for us.) - and had a lot of leftover pink princess birthday cake. We're also looking forward to Saturday's shower for Jason, Abby and the soon-to-be-born Baby Jack. We can't wait to see everyone!

For those who have been clamoring to see some pictures from the big girl's party, here's a few that I managed to get amidst the festivities. Hope you enjoy!

The butterfly princess waiting for her party. Waiting is hard.

She was so excited when she got to the pavillion. Made Mommy and Daddy happy!

"My best friend MaKayla." The sweetest, coolest little almost-four-year old ya' ever met. Next to Eleanor, but she IS a four year old, so their not in the same contest. Aren't the presh together?!

"Controlled" chaos?!!

The pavillion really worked out great.

This little guy (who's a bit over post-processed IMO!) is Sammy. He's our neigbor Elliot's little cousin. He's 14 months and VERY SERIOUS. A sweetie, for sure.

And my favorite people ever. The Stuckeys. I took a FEW of the Stuckeys. They were quite patient. Plus, they were the only subjects at the party that weren't moving at light speed.

Aren't they GOR-GOUS?!

-------------------------------------

Little Jon David made out like a little bandit on his sister's birthday. When Eleanor woke up on her actual birthday, we gave her the first of many SS dolls she would be receiving. Poor Buboo scooted his rump down the stairs and asked "where MY car? where MY car?" Like if "Yeya"'s getting new dollies, surely I'm getting new cars. Jonathan and I fell for it hook, line and sinker. We're suckers for pathetic Buboos. So, I pulled "Snot Rod" out of the Cars stash I have in my closet. He was pretty satisfied. For a bit.

Lucky for him (and me) , he also got a new "Roar" with matching caveman set from GigiBawBaw, a full-on "GoGoGo" Rescue jeep WITH trailer from Mem n' Papa D, and a new "dump-dump" set from Aunt Shirah and Uncle Wayne. Here he is enjoying the spoils of his SISTER's birthday.

This little punkin' is Makenna. She's Makayla's 2 year old little sister. I think I'm gona keep 'er.

She likes bubbles, too.

The crew. Drew, Jackson, and Eleanor. Only missing Jon David who had to go home and take a nap. He just couldn't hang. We'll have to work on that.

Oh, and how cute is the birthday girl's outfit?! It's hard to see, but it has strawberries ALL OVER IT. As in Strawberry Shortcake. It's a SS outfit. Thank you Aunt BB!

This is Charlie. He liked the cowboy pistol at the bubble station A LOT.

The Drew-dle all flushed and pinky-cheeked just like his momma.

Jackson cuttin' his eyes at me. I had to WORK to get this shot.

Shawn and Jackson. Jackson was very sweet and patient to put up with all the "babies" at the four year old party. He liked the party favors, though. And the cake. Of, course.

BIG OLE' THANKS to all who came and especially to all who helped out so much. (Ehem...Mem, Papa D, and GigiBawBaw!) Couldn't have done it without y'all!

One down and one to go...see you Saturday!

Eleanor is FOUR Today!

2007-05-17T10:31:00.000-05:00

It's Eleanor's Big Girl Fourth Birthday! And boy does she know it! Everything today is "birthday" something. Like, "Mommy, I have to go birthday tee tee. Mommy, I'm going to put on my birthday panties. Let's go have my birthday breakfast."! Too funny. Right now, she has on her "bithday mermaid swimsuit" and is ready to go to the pool right now!

Sorry the posts have been a little short lately. We've spent a lot of time at the pool...and playing with my mother's day present to myself...my new camera! Here's some shots I took yesterday. I'd have more done if my computer (that papa d was so sweet to lend me!) wasn't a DINOSAUR! Photoshop nearly kills it! Oh, and please disregard their nekedness and bad hair. They had just woken up from a nap and had gone to sleep with wet pool hair. Plus, they were pretending to be Mogley from the Jungle Book. Can't wear clothes to do that!

Okay, here goes...when I get some more done, I'll post those, too

.

Friday Night's Lantana Music on the Green

2007-05-12T21:27:00.000-05:00

Picture's from Friday night's Lantana Music on the Green. Commentary to follow. We're still recovering!

Friday Night's Lantana Music on the Green

2007-05-12T21:15:00.000-05:00

And, guess who's gonna live in this house...

GIGIBAWBAW!!!

"Roars", "Imitations", and Friends

2007-05-10T09:32:00.000-05:00

The kids are having a happy snacky-cup picnic on the den floor. What's in the snacky-cups this morning, you ask? Well, Eleanor is munching Teddy Grahams - chocolate, of course. And, Jon David has his 'Roars". Roars are really Ritz crackers shaped like dinosaurs, except, until yesterday, no one knew this but Jon David.

All week he's followed me around whining "Mommy, I wan Roars...Mommy, I wan Roars..Mommy, I wan Roars...Mommy, I wan Roars...Mommy, I wan Roars....". You get the picture. When I'd inevitably fail to produce said Roars, Jon David would scream, throw himself on the floor and BITE IT. Oh, to be two.

So, yesterday, Mommy reached her breaking point. After the umpteenth rendition of "Mommy I wan Roars....", I grabbed him, hoisted his 45 pounds of toddlerness up into the pantry and calmly screamed "SHOW ME WHAT YOU WANT!!!!!"

Poor dude. He reaches out his chubby little hand, pulls this itty bitty little bag of crackers from the shelf, and smiles... "Roars".

I seriously bought these crackers about two months a go. I didn't even know they were still in the pantry. Obviously, Jon David did. Don't worry, Roars are now at the top of the Miller family grocery list.

Yesterday we also hand delivered Eleanor's birthday invitations to all the kids on the street. If Eleanor has as much fun at the actual party as she did at delivering the invitations, it'll be one for the books.

She rings the doorbell - three times - then hollers, "Hello. Hello EVERYBODY! Here is your imitation! I have your imitation for my birfday party!" Then she was very concerned that we didn't have imitations for every ones dogs. Jon David, being confined to the red wagon during the process, wasn't quite as enthusiastic.

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(I had to go help Miss Aurora into her pink princess gown. I guess Jon David decided he'd give a shout out to his hommies. I believe the above translates to "Paw Paw come see me in big cuck". Or something like that. )

As I'm sure you gathered from our pictures below, the pool across the street has opened. We are in loooove. It has a beach entry that is perfect for toddlers and we've made lots of new friends, too. Eleanor met a little girl, Makayla. Makayla will be four in July. She's having an Ariel party. She and Eleanor put all the pool toys to sleep on frisbees. It was amazing. They're like the same person. They were in almost-four-years-old heaven.

While we've been enjoying all the new friends we've been making, we have really been missing our old friends. So when the Stuckey clan packed up their city duds and headed to Lantana this weekend, we were deleriously excited. We got to have birthdays, housewarmings, AND Christmas all in one visit. It was fabulous!

Jackson is about to finish kindergarten (which should scare the bejeezies out-a-ya) and is all about being the big kid. He kept a close eye on Jon David because "he's a baby and babys can sometimes get into trouble" Just call him Sir Jackson Big-Britches. Of course, Jon David was in AWE of Jackson, as well.

Eleanor and Drew are definitely on the same wavelength...wherever in the universe that may be. They played all kinds of games together that no one but those two understood. They ran and ran until Drew's curly blonde hair was just a mess of drenched little ringlets. And, us grown-ups got to enjoy a few glasses of yummy vino to boot. Mmmm.

They got here about 2:30 and left about eight. But, you know how it is with old friends...five and a half hours is NEVER enough. So, we hope to see them again very soon. Except next time, we need to make a weekend of it. Swimming...golfing...shopping...dining...hiking...biking. They won't want to leave. Which is, of course, Step 1 of Operation "Get Stuckeys to Move Next-Door". It's ambitious, I know, but I have my ways.

Alright, the picnic has deteriorated. We're now wearing hampers on our head and butting each other with them a la Parenthood. I think it's time to go to the Target. Sorry, Jon David.

Drum Roll, Please....

2007-05-10T08:44:00.000-05:00

I'd like to introduce the newest member of our family...Jackson Dylan Miller aka "Jack". He is still in Aunt Abby's tummy right now, but he'll be here very soon!

Isn't he the most beautiful, amazing, precious thing you've ever layed your peepers on? I can't wait to kiss him! He's gonna be a snuggle bug, for sure! I know Abby and Jason are as ready to hold him as we all are!

Congratulations to the Mom and Dad and three cheers for 3D technology!

I Think I Smell Summer!

2007-05-09T17:13:00.000-05:00

Guess what we've been up to...

Chewin' Gum

2007-05-04T15:37:00.000-05:00

Eleanor chewed her first piece of gum today. I've been chewing gum a lot lately, (mostly to keep me from eating!) and Eleanor and Jon David think it's really funny. Especially when I blow a bubble. "Again! Again!" They like to stand with big smiles of anticipation and wait for me to blow one so they can poke it with their grubby little fingers. Then they squeel in delight, "Blow a bigger one, Mommy! A BIG, BIG, BIIIIG ONE!"

So, after lunch, I put half a piece of gum in my and left the other half sitting on the counter. Eleanor walked by and eyed it a few times. I got a wild hair and asked if she wanted to try it. Silly question! She popped it in her little mouth and exclaimed "Look at me, Eleanor, I can chew gum like Mommy! HOORAY for ELEANOR!", while she skipped in circles all around the house. She was so darn proud of herself!

I asked her what it tasted like and she said "Like candy, Mommy...like toothpaste...like chocolate!" I gotta get me some of that chocolate toothpaste.

Then she wanted me to teach her how to blow bubbles which was a disaster, but she didn't care! I think if you looked up "giddy" in the dictionary, there would be a picture of Eleanor smiling ear-to-ear, chomping away on her first piece of gum.

Blankets, Buckets, and Blues Clues

2007-05-03T08:10:00.000-05:00

Jon David has green runnies this week. Out his nose. I guess of all the places one could have green runnies, the nose is one of the better. But, none-the-less, it's put a damper on our Playtime Adventures. Well, it's put a damper on Mommy's Playtime Adventures. Eleanor and Jon David haven't missed a beat.

There have been many hours of playing in the gameroom. We (translate - Mommy) just finished picking it up so they could pull everything out again. Apparently that's what you do. Of all the toys up in their gameroom - and there are A LOT - the item of choice for this week has been a basket full of baby blankets.

"Kankets" in Jon David speak. The kankets have been ghosts, super heroes, and picnic blankets. Eleanor and Jon David have hid under them, layed on them, and rolled up in them. They've wrapped up Lamby and Dog and pretended they were babies. They've wrapped themselves up pretended they were babies. Eleanor put dollies night-night, Jon David put Cars night-night, and they both have put Mommy night-night.

Oh, and we've watched a FEW episodes of Blues Room.

The biggest games of the week was inspired by Blue AND it involved kankets. Can it get any better? It's called "Sculpture Exhibit". From what I can tell, this is how you play:

One of them - we'll call her Sculptor - takes a bucket, fills it up with a whole bunch of little things - beads, balls...Cars - puts it on a stool, and covers it with a blanket. Sculptor asks the other one - let's call him Curator - if they would like to see their new sculpture exhibit. Here's where the fun starts.

Curator says "yeah!" Sculptor says "are you sure?!" Curator screams "YEAH!!!". Sculptor pulls back the blanket and yells with glee, "TAAADAAAA!!!!" Curator cheers in excitement. Sculptor and Curator run around the room yelling "TAADAA!!!" Then Curator gets serious and declares, "My turn!" Curator and Sculptor change places and start the game all over. WARNING this one can get pretty messy pretty fast.

Being an only child, I LOVE seeing them play together like this. It's oh so very cool. They really are starting to get along and play really nicely with each other. However, Eleanor has shown on occasion that she may think she's the the one who is actually in charge of their playtime activities. For example, I've heard her tell Jon David that he needs to "focus on the task at hand". She's also told him to "just chill", and "Jon David, my back really hurts". I really don't know where she comes up with this stuff.

So, let's hope that the green runnies clear themselves up soon and we can get out and about next week. The pool is open and there is bookoos of fun to be had!! In the meantime, though, I'd like to thank the Blankets, the Buckets, and the Blues Clues for making this week possible and, in all seriousness, keeping Mommy out of the looney bin.

Birds and Bees

2007-05-01T18:16:00.000-05:00

Eleanor and Jon David are in HOG HEAVEN this week. Their Aunt Abby and Uncle Jason are here visiting. They loooove their Aunt Abby and Uncle Jason. Aunt Abby and Uncle Jason run and play and act super silly. For example, we had everyone over last night for Abby's birthday. Eleanor immediately adorned Aunt Abby with her Strawberry Shortcake hat, pink butterfly wings, and sparkle wand. All night she referred to Abby as "Strawberry Shortcake Butterfly Princess". As in, "Strawberry Shortcake Butterfly Princess, would you like another piece of birthday cake?"

But, Aunt Abby is ever so very pregnant. And Eleanor is oh so very intrigued. I think she's a little worried that she will wake up one day with a baby in her tummy, too. So before bed the other night I tried to reassure her.

I explained to her again that Baby Jackson Dylan will stay in Aunt Abby's tummy until he's big enough and strong enough be born. I told her that Mommy carried Eleanor and Jon David in her tummy, too - So far, she's staying with me - Then, I assured her that ONLY mommies and daddies can have babies. Not little girls. Hmm.

Here's where the hamsters in her head really start running. I imagine her clever little brain trying to shoot holes in my flimsy explanation. I hold my breath. The seconds tick by and I actually start to get nervous...we could be here a LONG time. Suddenly her eyes light up in understanding and I breath a big sigh of relief. For a tiny moment I even let myself think maybe I'm going to be good at this Birds and Bees stuff. These delusions of parenting grandeur are oh so quickly squashed, though, when Eleanor grabs my hands and exclaims in her ever so proud and sure way, "YOU carried me and Jon David in YOUR tummy........and DADDY carried LAMBY in HIS tummy!”

I decided that was close enough for one night and who was I to burst her bubble?! I kissed her good night and she drifted off to sleep with Lamby tucked under her arm...very content in her new understanding of the world. Now I just have to figure out how to explain this all to Jonathan.

Big Boy Undies

2007-04-27T10:53:00.001-05:00

Yesterday Jon David got to pick out his big boy undies. He chose Cars and Diego ("Go-go-go" in Jon David speak) Briefs, of course. Eleanor said it was only fair that get some new panties, too. She originally wanted Dora ones to match Jon David's Diegos, but I masterfully talked her out of them. I really have nothing against Dora, but the thought of Eleanor running around with itty bitty Doras all over her rear end just didn't sit right with me. So she is now the proud owner of 3 pairs of pink Pony panties...with sparkles.

So, now comes the time of trying to actually get him into the undies. Not wanting Jonathan to miss out on the fun, I save this until he gets home from work. The first pair we put him in are white with blue trim and a big Diego on the butt. Jon David ruuuuuuuuns very excitedly to the full length mirror and immediately gets this look of complete confusion. "Where Gogogo, Mommy?" He doesn't realize that Diego's on the rear and to actually see it, you have to twist yourself around in the mirror. So I show him how you turn around and look over your shoulder and...Eureka! "There Gogogo, Mommy!!" He's so proud.

Suddenly he turns, leaves the room and comes back in with the other five pair...which he insists on trying on, too. He finally decides his favorite pair are black with hot purple trim and have the lowrider from Cars, Ramone (Mamone in JD speak) airbrushed on the butt. Classy.

So, You have to picture it...Here's fatty Jon David - big grin on his face, completely neckie except for his new black and purple undies, peering over his shoulder, rubbing his butt, whispering "Mamone...". I wish to God I had the whole episode on video. Jonathan does a pretty darn remarkable impression though, if you ever want to see it!

On a more sentimental note, Jonathan walked by the stairs last night and Eleanor was sitting at the top of the landing. He told her that it was night time and she needed to go hop back in bed. She "Okay, Daddy, I just wanted to see Mommy's smile.". Ahhh...gravy.

Friday Morning

2007-04-27T09:56:00.000-05:00

Poor Jon David. Eleanor has climbed into his crib and is making him play a game she has made up. The best I can tell, it goes like this: Eleanor "cries", Jon David runs in with a toy baby bottle, says "here Yeya", she drinks it, says "thank you Mommy Jon David", he says "nigh nigh" kisses her, and leaves the room with the bottle. They laugh and laugh - and then start the game all over again. It's been going on for seriously a good thirty minutes. Don't feel too bad for Jon David, though. Eleanor sneezes and he thinks she's a comic genious, so he's pretty much in heaven right now.

Potty Humor

2007-04-25T17:34:00.000-05:00

Jon David indicated in no uncertain terms today that he is ready to dump the diapers. I've been storing the potty chair in the downstairs bathtub behind the shower curtain waiting for the right time to introduce it to him. Today, he walked into the den with it, plopped it down in the middle of the floor and declared "I go tee tee". Okay then.

So, Eleanor and I spent most of our day sitting on the bathroom floor while Jon David sat on his little potty chair repeating the phrase "I go tee tee" over and over again, but never actually GOING tee tee.

Eleanor is very excited to be handing down her ancient potty wisdom to her little brother. She jumps around the bathroom yelling, "Jon David, are you going to be a POTTY EXPERT?!" To which he replies in his understated way, "yeah". Mostly, though, she just likes to laugh and say "HEEYYYY, look at his teeney tiney tee tee hiney!"

I think the kicker of MY day, though was when he pointed to his little potty chair and said "It Baby Tee Tee". I said "yes, that's the baby tee tee". Then he pointed to the big potty and said "It's Daddy Tee Tee". I told him yes, that's the Daddy tee tee. He got real excited, stood up off his potty seat, pushed it up against the big potty and exclaimed in his loudest voice "Baby Tee Tee Daddy Tee Tee BIG HUG!"

We're going to Target now to get the essentials....stickers, potty treats and big boy undies. Keep us in your prayers.

A Rainy Day in The Hundred Acre Wood

2007-04-24T19:43:00.000-05:00

Well, we've decided to start a blog to share all the joys and funny moments that our kids have during the day. They've become such little people with their own personalities and so much happens during the day, that I wanted some place to jot things down quickly and also be able to share with all the friends and family who would enjoy hearing about their funny milestones.

Of course, at this moment, I can't think of anything because it's eight o'clock at night and I'm brain dead! So, I'll just share a few things and maybe that will jog my memory a bit...

Eleanor has been noticing all the flags at half-mast and is very concerned about the "sad flags". She says we need to say prayers for them and asked where their mommies were because mommies make you feel better.

Jon David is talking so much and really starting to use complete sentences. It's awesome to see his brain putting his ideas into words. He and Eleanor's favorite game right now is called "squish me". They hug each other until they fall over and then lay on one another and squish their faces together and laugh. Then they get up and do it again....and again...and again!

They both are really enjoying their new house (as are we!). We love the playground across the street and the wooded creek lot behind the house. We've been telling Eleanor and Jon David that those trees are the Hundred Acre Wood (where Pooh Bear lives, for those who have forgotten their A.A. Milne lore) so there's been lots of Pooh and Piglet and Eeore spottings over breakfast.

Eleanor's birthday is in a few weeks and she's very excited about her party and being a big four year old. We asked her what she wanted for her birthday and she said "a birthday cake". I think we might can swing that one.

It's rained all day here and the "wooded creek lot" behind our house is now a RIVER. We seriously have water front property up to the retaining wall. Eleanor told me that Pooh and friends are okay because they can float in honey pots. Phew.

Well, I think that was a pretty good effort for my first blog post, if I do say so myself.

Hope you are all well and can't wait to hear what you think of my cheesy blog!