We Like John Deere!

Have I mentioned that we're Deere people?  We have a few John Deere things layin' around here and there.  We have quite a bit of their apparel and tons of toys and play tractors.  Of course we have the big kid tractors too! ;o)

Here are some shots of Elliot in her John Deere gear and playing with her gator.

Build-A-Bear

Or a Panda and a Monkey! ;o)


Elliot was afraid of the stuffing machine and looked at the nice operator lady like she was Cra-zay, when she was telling her to do all kinds of silly stuff with her little bear heart.


She did enjoy "washing" her new stuffed friend.


Daddy helped her a little.


Emma got new stuffed friend too.
She's much better at participating than Elliot is. Emma has always really enjoyed Build-A-Bear though.





Emma named her new Panda Emperor MingTin.


And Elliot named her new monkey Two. (She names everything Two.) (with a little help from Daddy.)


Emma & Emperor MingTin
With Two photo bombing her picture. Thanks Daddy!


Elliot & Two


He's a pretty cute little monkey.

As a side note: the mall was INSANE today. There were kids EVERYWHERE!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Jumping on the Bed

When I was a kid I was NOT allowed to jump on the bed. I got in trouble many, many times for jumping on my bed, but nothing stopped me. I was fearless, or a brat - one of the two! ;o) It was the best thing you could do inside on a bad weather day. And to make matters worse I was one of the unfortunate children who did not have a trampoline in my yard, so jumping on the bed was the next best thing.

I specifically recall a time when my neighbor, Erin and I got a spanking because we were jumping on the bed. I think the reason I remember that punishment so vividly is because Erin's dad came by our house at the exact same time we were getting our butts busted and wanted to know what was going on. My dad told him we were jumping on the bed and that he had told us many times to stop and we did not, so he gave us a spanking. Amazingly, her dad was okay with it and told his daughter to behave and listen to my parents. As a side note, I cannot think of too many people I would allow to spank my kids. That seems like something that should be reserved for parents. Just sayin'. . .

Also, I remember thinking my parents had bought me a trampoline one summer while I was on my yearly trip to my Grandma's house. They had called me and told me they had a surprise for me when I got home. I kept bugging them for clues, and the only thing they would tell me was that it was big. I just knew it was a trampoline. So, the entire three hour drive home from my Grandma's I was so excited, and certain I was coming home to the best surprise ever. We finally pull up to the house and my big surprise. . . new sidewalks!!! My parents had new sidewalks poured, and they thought I would love it because I could roller skate on them. Let me just say, that almost 20 years later I'm still pissed I didn't get a trampoline!!! Hahahahahaha!!!

Anyway....

I'm not sure if it's because I was not allowed to or if I just don't agree with the "it damages the furniture" argument, but I have always let my kids jump on the bed. There is so much joy in them when their bouncing around on the mattress screaming and giggling. It just seems wrong to squash that pure, innocent happiness, ya know?!?

We also have had a trampoline since Emma was about 5, and we actually just replaced it with a new one this year, because the old one was worn out. It seems like since we've had a trampoline the kids jump on the bed way less. So, if you are one of those parents who is on the don't-jump-on-the-bed bandwagon, you should consider getting a trampoline to keep the kiddies off the beds.

Happy Jumping Everyone!!!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Houszzze

I have a little video of Elliot, I made a few days ago of her dancing to her little piano she received for Christmas, that I plan to post soon, but as I was taking the video I remembered taking a similar video of Emma when she was around two years old.  When we bought our first digital camera for $700 way back in December 2000, I was still pretty weary of it, thinking that nothing could replace film.  (Boy was I wrong!!!) We had the capability to make short movies and we did every once in awhile, but for the most part we stuck to our 35mm for stills and would forgo videos all together. I'm glad we did catch a few things Emma did on video, and this little dancing and singing bit is one of them.  For some reason, she really loved "She's A Brick House," by The Commodores.  I know the music in the background is playing very loudly, but you can hear Emma singing "houszzze" a little bit off beat and rhythm, but being a cute as a button!

Snapkins

While we were eating dinner tonight I asked Emma if she would go and get everyone a "snapkin." She responded politely, with a "yes ma'am" and got up from the table to get the "snapkins." I'm sure many of you have already figured out that "snapkins" is our way of saying napkins. Emma came up with the mispronunciation when she was a toddler, learning to talk, and Cameron and I both thought it was so cute that we have continued to call them that ever since.

I think Emma enjoys us remembering her younger days with the usage of some of her mispronounced words. I can still see her big brown eyes under her straight, blonde bangs at the dinner table asking for another "snapkin.". In the future, I can see Cameron and I being old and grey, enjoying our grandchildren and teaching them to use their "snapkins" instead of their sleeve. And their mom or dad will be saying something like, "don't teach my children gibberish, use real words so they know how to say it correctly." (Something I remember saying to my own mom many, many times.) And, Cameron and I, in our older, wiser place in life, will just smile and nod, and make sure the little angels know about the proper use of a "snapkin."


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Weatherford,United States

Everybody ♥s Chicken

Unbelievably, our chickens have been great pets. Elliot loves them and catches and holds them often.


Emma is also very fond of the chickens and enjoys carrying them around. I kinda like them too! ;o)


The best part is that they provide us with food! The eggs are yummy and plentiful! Everyone should have chickens.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Fort Worth Hwy,Hudson Oaks,United States

Legos Are Fun!

All kids love legos! Especially this one!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Super to the Resuce

Elliot runs around the house yelling, "Super to the rescue," multiple times a day. For a while, I've thought she was talking about a made-up super hero, her sister created for her, Super Hiney. One day, Elliot was dressed up in Emma's old Snow White costume cape and a diaper, (and yes, that's all she was wearing) and Emma told her she was Super Hiney. It's funny because Elliot runs around the house also yelling, "SUPER HINEY," at the top of her lungs.

Elliot dressed as Super Hiney! 

So, as I was saying, I thought she was making a reference to Super Hiney, but then I was humming one of the incessant children's TV show songs that are always stuck in my head, and I realized that it was from a cartoon. After quizzing Emma a bit, because I seriously think that kid knows everything, I sang the song to her, thinking the whole time it was Wonder Pets, and she was like, "No Mom," in her pre-teen Moms-know-nothing voice, "that's Rescue Pack, form Go Diego, Go." I still really don't have any idea of where it comes into play with the show, but I sure can sing the tune for you. I really try not to watch the cartoons, but I cannot block out their noise.

It all makes sense now. Elliot will run to do something and yell, "Super to the rescue," and I'm guessing, in her little three year old imagination, she is going to help someone/something out. It's kinda cute that she wants to be a helper and she is still young. I definitely think that she has learned some important lessons from a few of the shows she watches. However, I stand my ground, on my opinion, that Olivia only teaches kids how to be a brat and smart off, but I guess all cannot be perfect! ;o)

I love my little Super Hiney! And my pre-teen, that will be rolling her eyes at me any day now!

Dinosaurs In Your Ears

I know that I have missed documenting so many of the great, and hysterical things that Emma did and said as a small child; it hurts my heart to think, somethings are, more than likely, forgotten forever. I could go on and on about how regretful I am that I did not take more care in making sure I recorded Emma's firsts or documented a funny story, but in all honesty, I was young. I was doing the best I could in a not-so-good situation (though it was no where close to as bad as a lot of peoples).

I was 21 when I had Emma, and I knew then, I was TOO young to have a child. I remember thinking to myself many, many times, "I don't know how 15 or 16 year olds do this." It's hard. It was hard when I had Elliot when I was 29, but at least then I had a plan, a partner and security in my life. So again, as I mentioned, I do feel bad for not documenting more of Emma's life, but I hope that she will forgive me, and understand that working almost full-time, taking a full load of classes every semester, so I could complete my degree in English, and being a single-mom, was a lot for me, and while I wasn't perfect (obviously) I did the best I could.

I'm hoping that as I remember different things that Emma did or said I can jot them down here, and there will be at least a few of her memories captured in words. Emma is a great kid! God truly blessed me with her. She was the PERFECT baby. She never cried, required little attention, and was content to just be in the room with me when I studied, all those years ago. Had Elliot been the child I had, I'm afraid I would have dropped out of school, because she was and is a handful!

Enough blabbering about the past... and on with the story! ;o)

Emma and I were standing in line at Target last week and she told me her ears hurt. I immediately asked, "Do you have dinosaurs in them again?" She laughed and replied that she did not. You see, when Emma was a little girl (toddler age), she had the NASTIEST waxy build-up in her ears. I remember sitting on the couch one day and looking over at her and seeing something in her ear. I asked her to come closer, so I could look. I was thinking that she had placed something into her ear canal. When she came closer I realized it was just ear wax, but it was, seriously, the biggest ball of earwax I had ever seen!!! I showed Cameron when he came home from work later that day, and he dubbed her earwax balls "dinosaurs." (because they were SOOO big!!!) After the discovery of her abnormal earwax production, we regularly checked her ears for "dinosaurs." She thought it was funny and was willing to allow me to cleanse her ears with earwax remover because she thought it was a game. I'm happy to report that Emma has not had any "dinosaurs" in her ears for many years now, but when were waiting to checkout in Target last week, the memory made me miss my little Emma and her "dinosaurs." She's not so little anymore. (tear...)

Plans

I have quite a few things in my queue to write about; but, I became a little frustrated last week when I spent the better part of our wait in the waiting room at Elliot's orthopedic specialist's office typing out a great (it was great to me, anyway) post about some of my bad habits, only to find out later, when I tried to finish it up at home, the iPhone app I use to write my blog on the go had, yet again, lost my work!!! I think I have finally resolved the issue (the issue being closing the app, or so I think) and I am looking forward to putting my thoughts out into cyberspace soon.

One thing that I've been enjoying, since I started blogging again, is all of the thought I have been putting into grammar and the English language. Granted, I haven't really done anything about it, i.e. correcting punctuation, spelling, sentence structure or whatever, but I have been thinking about it a lot, and I feel like that can only be a good thing. It seems when you do not use something often, you forget how to use it, ya know what I mean? I like to keep my brain working and active, and this has to be, at the very least, a great exercise in that area.

I think I'm going to set my blog goal for this year at, at least, one a week, but I'm really planning on more. There are so many things I could document here, to better provide myself and my family with an excellent way to remember our history. Because that is what we do everyday. We make OUR history. It may not be of much interest to others, but I hope that we (my family & I) will find it useful and enjoyable in years to come. To be able to look back and reread something fun that happened, to have it documented so we can share it in the future, seems like I great plan.

Plans

I have quite a few things in my queue to write about; but, I became a little frustrated last week when I spent the better part of our wait in the waiting room at Elliot's orthopedic specialist's office typing out a great (it was great to me, anyway) post about some of my bad habits, only to find out later, when I tried to finish it up at home, the iPhone app I use to write my blog on the go had, yet again, lost my work!!! I think I have finally resolved the issue (the issue being closing the app, or so I think) and I am looking forward to putting my thoughts out into cyberspace soon.

One thing that I've been enjoying, since I started blogging again, is all of the thought I have been putting into grammar and the English language. Granted, I haven't really done anything about it, i.e. correcting punctuation, spelling, sentence structure or whatever, but I have been thinking about it a lot, and I feel like that can only be a good thing. It seems when you do not use something often, you forget how to use it, ya know what I mean? I like to keep my brain working and active, and this has to be, at the very least, a great exercise in that area.

I think I'm going to set my blog goal for this year at, at least, one a week, but I'm really planning on more. There are so many things I could document here, to better provide myself and my family with an excellent way to remember our history. Because that is what we do everyday. We make OUR history. It may not be of much interest to others, but I hope that we (my family & I) will find it useful and enjoyable in years to come. To be able to look back and reread something fun that happened, to have it documented so we can share it in the future, seems like I great plan.

Where's the Upstairs?

Emma always spends a week with my Mom after the Christmas holiday. This tradition started the year she started grade school. And as she does every year, this year, she went to stay with my Mom in the big city of Wichita Falls.

As many of my friends from Wichita know, there's not a lot to do in that hopping Metropolis. Even when I go up to visit my Mom, I still go to the mall. I guess it's just habit, as well as, one of the only things to do there. When Emma is staying up there she and my Mom make at least one trip to Sikes Senter Mall. (and no, I did not misspell "Senter")

I'll never forget the first time she went up there and stayed with my Mom during the holiday. They were at the mall walking around and window shopping, and Emma asked her MiMi, "MiMi, how do we get to the upstairs?" My Mom thought this was pretty funny and explained that not all malls have multiple stories. Emma had never been to a mall that was less than two stories, with many of the big anchor stores having three floors. When my Mom brought Emma home and shared the story with me, and I too thought it was funny, but for a bit of a different reason.

I was remembering the first time I went to a mall in Fort Worth. Cameron took me once when we had driven down here to drop off one of his cars at the mechanic's when we had very first started dating, (these days it's like pulling teeth getting him to go to Target, much less an entire mall's worth of shopping) and it was the first time I had ever been in a mall SO BIG. I was completely in awe! Because, as I'm sure you have guessed, I had never been in a mall that had more than one story.

I enjoyed living in Wichita Falls, and found it's self-contained nature comforting. You can get just about anywhere in 10 minutes. Nowadays I drive at least a half hour, without traffic, just to see a friend. I wonder how Emma will feel about growing up in a suburb of the "Big City?" We have just about anything at our fingertips... It's just a short drive down I-20.

All Dolled Up

Elliot got into my make-up. AGAIN! I guess the only thing she notices when I'm doing my make-up (if I do my make-up) is that I fill in my, very light and sparse, eyebrows with brow powder. Every time she has gotten into my make-up she seems to only put the products on her eye/brow/forehead area. This time in particular she announced, after she was done, "I got my eyebrows, Momma."


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Christmas Clean-up

This post is probably coming a little late for most of you, but I was cleaning up all of our Christmas stuff and thought it would be fun to share a few tidbits with everyone.

I got this really good idea from The Happy Housewife [she's one of my favorite bloggers ;o)]. She had this suggestion for storing Christmas lights. I gave it a try and here are my results:

I had this really sturdy foam board laying around form a little shopping cart we bought Elliot for her birthday and it worked really well. I'm happy that all of my lights are neatly wrapped up and stored in their container for next year. I'm excited for next year when I will get to unravel my lights and not fight with them as I usually do!

I was also excited this year because I managed to keep both our live (one cut, one rooted) Christmas trees alive this year. In the 12 years I have been buying and keeping a live, cut or rooted, tree in my house, I have never kept it from drying out and losing all of it's needles (okay, maybe not ALL, but it sure seems like it) within the first week of having it in the house.

I think I finally figured out the trick. I may be wrong, but it seems like you have to water it about three times a day for several days after it is freshly cut and placed in the house. After those first few days, once a day or so seems to be more than enough, but I think those first days are crucial in keep the tree from drying out.

And here is my tree...

and the LACK of mess underneath! ;o)

And a couple of Pillow Pets, thanks to Elliot.

I was also feeling a little nostalgic while putting away my Hallmark ornament collection. I keep all of the boxes and stuffing for each ornament; and I take them out and put them back in every Christmas. This ensures that I do not accidentally leave one on the tree and throw it away with the tree. I think my little heart would break if that happened.

I can hardly believe I've been collecting them for 12 years.

I've collected an entire decades worth of the Collector's Series "Cool Decade." This is my collection for the '00 decade.

I hadn't even realized it until I was putting the ornaments away this year and noticed the Collector's Series is now called "Frosty Fun Decade." I wonder if my children will appreciate the collection when they are older???

I also collect and did collect the Hallmark ornament for each of my children's first five Christmases. I was a little sad when I realized that next year will already be Elliot's fifth Christmas and there will be no more children's ornaments to collect. (For now, anyway...)

Here is Emma's set of ornaments:

And Elliot's:

Do you collect anything at Christmas? Have any good tips or tricks for the holidays?

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

Twinkle

Before Elliot had broken her talus (ankle/foot) bone, we had started to make some good progress in the potty training area; but after the break I threw in the towel and decided it would be easier to wait until her cast was removed before we continued training. For the first four weeks, she was in a full leg cast and it was difficult to maneuver for her. Add onto that, her being in pain and then having the croup, and it all flew out the window.

Well, last week she was placed in a short cast for the duration of the reduction (bone healing / setting process), so I decided it was time to start working on the potty training again. I had forgotten that she had picked up a cute little quirk when she used the potty and was reminded when we restarted training.

Like most families we have many ways to say one may need to go to the restroom. (That's one example.) We also say pee pee, tee tee, potty, and tinkle, among many other more colorful adult phrases! ;o) I guess Elliot doesn't always hear words correctly, and when we would say tinkle, she thought we were saying twinkle. This resulted in her saying things like, "I need to go twinkle?" (yes this is a question... She asks it every time we tell her she needs to try to use the potty).

So, the cute thing she had and has been doing is; when she starts to actually urinate, she sometimes sings "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." And, of course, she sings it in her adorable three year old lisp so it makes it that much cuter. I think I may be said when she grows up and thinks she's too big to "twinkle, twinkle little star." Enjoy every silly, quirky moment, they grow so fast! Don't blink or you'll miss something! ;o)


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

God Thank You

Elliot sometimes has good manners, and other times I am eternally mortified by her rudeness. As of late, she has been practicing her reply to someone saying "God Bless You" to her. Naturally, we tell her to say, "thank you" when someone says "Bless You," to her because acknowledging someone when they speak to you is the polite thing to do. A week or so ago, Elliot was having a sneezy kind of day, and I was telling her "God Bless You" often. She was doing a good job responding appropriately, and I was praising her effort. After one series of sneezes and "God Bless Yous" she replied, "God Thank You, Mommy." I cracked up! This, of course, triggered her I-need-to-say-it-more-because-it's-cute mode. She has been replying with, "God Thank You" off and on since, but it is equally cute every time. I love it when one of our children says something that invokes the entire family to begin using a word or phrase that is unique to us. "God Thank You" is now my reply to a "God Bless You" as well these day! ;o)

A Child's Joy

Elliot is really enjoying Christmas this year. She LOVES all of the Christmas lights on all of the houses, and we have been out to look at lights many times already this season. She becomes so animated when she sees a Santa or a Frostie inflatable. I think her favorite lighted attraction would have to be the little deer that move. She'll look out the window and say, "My deer, my deer!"

She makes the season that much better for me and for Cameron too, I think. She really reminds us that it's not about all the stuff, but family and togetherness. It's amazing that such a little person can bring such a bright light onto the true meaning of this time.

This is a little video of one of the house we saw on tonights excursion. Both Emma and Elliot wanted to go back and see it again, but as it was getting late, we'll have to save it for another night.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight! ;o)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Banks Dr,Weatherford,United States

Talus What???

Exactly four weeks ago Elliot was playing in the shop while Cameron was in there working. He was only four or five feet away from her at any given moment, but he still wasn't close enough to prevent the accident. She decided that she was going to try to climb up onto one of our small 50cc motorcycles. (the side without the kickstand [Cameron always points out.])

I was in our bedroom at the time, and when I heard her scream I knew something was broken. I could just feel it in the pit of my stomach. Cameron and I met in the kitchen, he was holding Elliot, and she was crying so pitifully. I immediately wanted to leave for the emergency room, but Cameron thought we should wait. That last about 58 seconds and I decided I was going to the ER with or without him.

We went to our home town ER, and to make a long story a little shorter, and they found nothing. Yes, after six hours in the ER and two sets of x-rays, they found NOTHING! We were sent home with an ice pack and instruction for providing ibuprofen. Really???

We got home in the wee hours of Thanksgiving morning. (around 2 a.m. to be exact). Cameron nor I slept well those few hours between our arrival home and our departure for the REAL ER. Elliot was exhausted and in pain, so she did fall asleep, but I'm sure it wasn't restful. Around 6:45 Thanksgiving morning Elliot woke up crying. I had already decided in my restlessness that as soon as she awoke we were headed to Cook's Children's in Fort Worth. The family hastily got dressed and headed out the door.

We checked into the ER around 8, and were back in a room immediately. By 10 the x-rays were done and the ER doctor informed us that Elliot had a fracture in her talus bone. (click the hyperlink to learn where the Talus bone is located.)

Apparently, this fracture is not common in children, so the orthopedic team was called in to consult. After much discussion and many hours in the ER, they finally decided they would put her in a full leg cast under anesthesia, while in live x-ray, so the reduction (or putting the bone pieces back together) would be precise.

Elliot was in the O.R. for about an hour and came out from her anesthesia like a champ. She really did a great job and was such a brave little girl. She enjoyed two Popsicles while in the recovery room and was quite entertaining, insisting that she hold her own Popsicle in her anesthesia-drunk state.

Her first cast was pink.

In recovery eating one of her Popsicles.

Her second cast was red and green for Christmas. Most of it is covered up in this picture, but you can see the foot is striped red and green like a candy cane. The entire cast is that way.

Everyone really loved her "Christmas cast." I guess the timing has to be just right to be able to choose those colors and for them to be applicable for the duration of the cast's life.

Today we went to see the Orthopedic Pediatrician for our four week check up. They decided to remove her cast to do the x-ray as to get a good view of the bone. All is well and Elliot's talus bone is "filling in" beautifully. We now have a short cast that allows her to bend her knee. I think she's pretty happy about that! ;o)

Her new cast is purple and will likely be her last for this fracture.

She was being silly and playing with her sock while I was trying to get this picture.

And yes, I did say, "her last cast for THIS fracture.". I have a feeling that she is going to be my daredevil child. Wish me luck!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

My Licker

Elliot was enjoying a blue raspberry ring pop the other day while watching a little quality Nick Jr. I was busy working on something in my office, so she was in the family room for a bit on her own. Suddenly, she comes running into my office about thirty minutes later and yells, "Look Momma, my licker turned blue!" She was, of course, talking about her tongue, but for her, licker is a much more appropriate name for it. The kid will lick anything! Her sister. (eww) The cart at Wal-mart. (barf) A random pole in a walkway. (gag) Really, she'll lick ANYTHING!!! So, we now all refer to our tongues as our lickers!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Dinosaurus

Elliot has been very interested in dinosaurs lately. We have a fun dinosaur book that tells us about them and has silly illustrations. Today in the truck Elliot made up a new word that I thought was really cute and fun! She was looking out the window and said, "Mommy, look at the dinosaurus bird." it was, indeed, a bird, but not a pterodactyl; or dinosaurus, as Elliot dubbed it.