Happy Birthday!

Monday...our 4-8 inches only ended up between 2-3 inches of messy freezing rain, that turned to sleet, that turned to snow. I ended up being home on Monday...not due to the weather....but Ella's sitter had two sick boys (her own kids) - they had the stomach bug that's been going around...so she very well couldn't watch kids with her own two sick! Worked out just fine...so Ella and I spent the day together at home.

She is in a singing mood these days....

I worked with her some on Monday with "activities." I had looked through a few preschool work books at Target a few weeks ago....to get an idea of things they are teaching that age range...so I made up my own activities. One thing I did was draw two big dots and had her connect the two dots with a straight line. I also made a maze and put one dot at the beginning and one at the end....and I had her draw a line connecting the two dots without going outside of the maze....she did really well! I talked to her about coloring inside of the lines (she's working on that one! She gets a little crazy when coloring and likes to go fast). We did ABC activities....and worked on counting....and my favorite one...we colored a picture together and I said....let's put your name on it...and she said, "ok!" So I went to go take her hand so we could do it together...and she said, "no I do it by myself." And here is Ella's name (without ANY help!)

She completely did that on her own....not bad for not even 3 yet!

That's been our last couple of days...Ella is still awake (an hour after she went to bed)....she just called to me....I went in her room and she was sitting up in bed holding her ears...saying, "what is that??" And she's right...it was loud! It was a loud airplane going by....she is so scared of loud noises...I don't know what triggered that....but she is sensitive to things being loud!

I was going to make taco's tonight...and Ella said..."banana tacos? I like banana tacos." Sure...why not. It's a big tortilla shell with peanut butter, a sliced up banana and a few chocolate chips....she ate it right up....and Josh had a small piece of it (with his chicken marsala)....and he was looking around for more "banana tacos"....guess they liked it! :) Tomorrow night will be real tacos!

What We've Been Up To....

It's been a few weeks...

We purchased a fancy little air purifier for Ella's room.....trying to think of all things that will cut down on her coughing. I read quite a few articles on how to deal with allergies...as I really think that's what she has. The switch to Zyrtec was good...we run the air purifier at night. And her bedding gets washed weekly in hot water to kill the dust mites, we clean her room at least once a week, and well...of course we're only a week into it...but at least we're sleeping through the night!!! Last week Josh and I were only getting about 4 hours of sleep at night due to her horrible coughing and having to get up with her over and over. The worst part of her coughing was at night....and always started at midnight...and would last until about 4....ugh! So after a few days of that....I was whipped...and Josh and I are both super busy at work...I had to work Saturday....and I was exhausted...I came home around 1:30...and it was just about time for Ella to lay down and take a nap....she took a 3 hour nap....and so did I!! :) A full 3 hours...I couldn't believe it....but I was super tired! :)

This past week Josh has been practically living at work...he has a defense expert coming in to review his case and he wanted to make sure he didn't miss anything...so he has been working from 6am - midnight for almost a week straight....he did come home from 6:30-7:30 so he could see Ella and have dinner with us....then back to work he went...

Ella really likes to do what Mama does....one day this week I was getting ready for work and I was blow-drying my hair...next thing I know...Ella is standing next to me....

And she's got her brush and pretend hair-dryer...also doing her hair! :)

Ella has gotten into playing with her dress-up clothes....Josh is not a fan at all of the shoes...but she likes them! She's only allowed to wear them in the living room where the carpet is....

And now she asks to be a princess all the time! :)

Yesterday our friends were having a "gender reveal" party to tell us all what they were having...boy or girl....the majority was thinking boy....but when we all sprayed the silly string and saw the pink....we were surprised....girl it is!!! :) So of course....now I'm in a shopping mode....as shopping for a new baby girl is so much fun! :)  Josh had to work today...so Ella and I went to church...and after church...of course we had to go to Target! And picked up a few baby girl things....!

I felt like Betty Crocker today....I made (for the first time ever)...Mozzerella stuffed meatballs served over spaghetti...I was pretty impressed....turned out pretty good! Ella ate a good portion of that! I also made in the crockpot...Chicken Marsala. And I made a caramel cream cheese apple dip....yummm!

We had weather around 65 today...I had the windows open....and now tonight they're calling for 4-8 inches of snow/sleet moving in.....ugh! I'm over winter! So guess we'll see what tomorrow brings!

And it snows....

Before the snow arrived this week....we ended up taking Ella to the Doctor on Wednesday morning....her coughing was getting worse...and we wanted it looked at since it had been 2.5 weeks....so the Doctor checked her out....ears were fine, lungs were fine, throat was good...no fever...so she said to just keep sticking it out....to switch to giving her Zyrtec every night...we were doing clairtin before....so we switched to that...we keep her propped up at night, humidifier going, etc etc...and she does actually sound better today than she has in a few weeks!

Wednesday afternoon the snow arrived! Josh called me at work and was like we need to get home! It was coming down fast and sticking...he said there is no way the car will make it home...so we had to leave it at my work and he picked me up. It took us 1.5 hours to go pick Ella up!!! (which it normally is right at 10 minutes away)...but the traffic was bumper to bumper going at a snails pace...and people were just pulling off and leaving their cars and walking because the cars couldn't make it up the hills, etc. It was awful. We finally got to Ella and put her in the car and Josh said he was going to go home a different way (the bypass instead of the main way)....which ended up being such a smart decision....it took us about 40 minutes to get home after we got Ella....and we went inside and didn't leave the house! We both got the call that work for both of us was going to be closed on Thursday. We ended up with about 12 inches at our house. Of course we live on a back-road that the snow plow took forever to getting to us....I really think it only went through one time....it was pretty messy. However....thankfully we've had a few warmer days which have helped it melt quickly! :)

Ella is not a fan of the snow at all....she is "scared" of it....and wants nothing to do with it...she won't walk in, won't touch it, etc....which is fine...I'm not a huge fan of it either! :) Today I did convince her to go outside with me and walk around for a few minutes....

 

It was a little colder than I expected...it was windy...so we didn't stay outside for long...maybe 10 minutes...I think she would have stayed out longer now that she discovered that she likes it!

I found something new that Ella REALLY likes to eat...I took a whole wheat tortilla and spread peanut butter on it, sliced up a banana on it, put a tiny handful of chocolate chips on it, folded it over....and cooked it like a quesadilla...she loved it and ate it right up....and I cut up some watermelon...another favorite of hers. 

At the Doctor's office they did weigh her....she gained a little weight....finallllllly after almost 4 months of being at the exact same weight....now she's 25.2 pounds....still as light as a feather....but it's an improvement!

I came home on Friday to a dozen roses, a card and a box of chocolates....I think it may have been my first valentines gift in a long time (we normally don't do stuff for valentines)....so that was a nice surprise! :)

I have a new recipe I'm going to try out in the crock pot tomorrow. Last weekend I ended up making 4 loaves of banana bread...so I sent some to Josh's work...and I made for his work....Buffalo Chicken Dip...spoiled boys! 

My eyes are getting heavy....time to head to bed!

 

Still Cold.

It's still cold outside.

We got a special day last weekend of being almost 70! (I'll post some pictures in just a minute)...which was really really nice.

Ella still has this lingering cold :( Last weekend it turned into a cough....so I asked Josh if we could please go to the health food store...that I really wanted to get Ella some "homeopathic" remedies. I just don't think she needs ANOTHER antibiotic! Now last time we went to urgent care she was truly very sick and needed something to get her better....but this is just a miserable cold that won't go away. So....I got some elderberry syrup that she's been taking everyday, an immunity builder essential oil, and the humidifier at night....it's improving...just still lingering a bit....but colds can last for weeks I suppose. I even made homemade Chicken Noodle Soup....and I made my own stock. I was feeling very domesticated....the whole process took almost 4 hours! Ella loved it though....and I'm actually going to make it again tomorrow!

We all took super long naps today. I haven't laid down and taken a nap in quite a while. It was just a long week this week for all of us. Josh worked a few 12 hour days....and has a stressful case he's working on....so not sleeping much at night....I laid Ella down for her resting time in her room. I laid down on one couch and Josh on the other...I had Brinly and he had Bella...the whole family slept for 3 hours!!!!! I woke up and I said..."I can't even believe I just slept for 3 hours!"

Josh is in the market for a new dress watch....his beloved Seiko died....so we went "watch shopping" today....but didn't find anything that he loved.  Ella got all kinds of compliments, "what a sweet girl," "isn't she a cutie!" "I just love her boots!" She was soaking it all up! :)

Ella was up at 6:15ish today....I almost always wake her up during the week around 6:40-7:00....but on the weekends...of course she's up early on her own! So I dragged myself out of bed...and we made banana bread at 7am this morning!

Here's some pictures from our weekend last weekend (Daddy had to work)...

 And Ella coloring her Daddy a picture this week when he was at work.


Hard to believe Saturday is almost over...and it's Sunday tomorrow and then the week begins again! I've got some cleaning to do tomorrow...I got a good start today...but need to finish up tomorrow!

Is Winter Over?

I'm tired of being cold and high electric bills....bring on the Spring weather!

We've had a few "snow dusting" days now...Ella's not a fan...she think it's cool to look out the window and see the snow. However...she is very concerned when she has to walk in it. This morning Josh switched the car seat from the car to the Xterra so I would have 4-wheel drive...and I was carrying all our things out to the car so I told Ella she needed to walk and we could hold hands....she finally took that first step into the snow (mind you she's wearing snow boots)....we get to the Xterra and I put the bags in...and then I pick Ella up and get her in her car seat...and it's 12 degrees out...the wind is blowing...I'm stinking cold...and Ella is fussing that there is snow on her boots and can I please wipe it off....I said, "NOOO" that it was ok for her boots to have snow on them....that is what they are made for. We got to Beth's house...and she wanted to take her boots off as soon as we got inside and make sure that the snow was off of them.

Ella has a mild cold....I tried so hard to avoid her getting one! It's very very mild though....so I think we'll actually escape having to go to the Doctor this time...I upped her vitamin intake, allergy medicine, got the humidifier running, added some probiotics to build her immunity....and I think it's working!

Saturday morning Josh volunteered to go help a co-worker set up for a fundraiser. His family is adopting a little boy from Eastern Europe with some physical setbacks...so they have been raising funds to complete the adoption process....this past Saturday they did a BBQ fundraiser. This man does a lot of "smoking meats"....and they cooked over 300lbs of meat! So, Josh helped out for a few hours on Saturday and Ella and I met him over there....we got lunch there before heading home. Josh got some ribs...and I got a pork sandwich....both were awesome! They sold out by 1pm....only 2 hours into it....it was going to be open until 3. I think they are just a hair away from their final goal...

Ella entertaining herself while I was getting ready...

 

It's a puzzle she got for Christmas and she was doing a great job putting it together...needs a little help with it...but she's getting the concept!

Ella posing with her Mama last week...

 

Josh has been working a little extra lately...a few big court cases coming up that he's a little nervous about....so he's been putting in some extra time to make sure he's got everything done that he needs to have done.

Ella got a package in the mail last week from her Grampy and Nanny up in Vermont that had some glitter tattoos in it....so everyday Ella is asking for a new tattoo....it's pretty funny to hear her say, "Daddy, can I please have a tattoo?" :) They are princess themed...and sparkly...and they last for about 24 hours before coming off....so yes Ella....you can have a tattoo! :)

Ella loves to sing...she has been singing about anything and everything....making up the words as she goes along....it's cute! Tonight's song was about elephants!

She's got things figured out...when she does something that upsets me (like if I tell her Ella don't climb up in that chair....and she does anyway)...she'll say, "Mama you mad?" I answer her...."Mommy doesn't like it when you don't listen to me. Please listen to me...I don't want you to fall off of the chair and get hurt." She'll wait a few minutes and then say, "Mama....I like you. I like you a lot." How can you be upset with that?? :)

That's been our week in a nutshell...We're ready for spring! We're hoping to go to DC for a weekend....take Ella to the zoo....once it warms up of course. I'm tired of being stuck inside!

Almost Monday already....

This may have been the fastest week ever! Josh and I said the same thing. We were all healthy this week! :) Maybe it's the vitamins?? I don't know...but I'm happy we're all healthy! Josh had a busy week...and had Friday off...and has Monday off too...lucky duck! I had a busy week...and it was my Saturday to work....so I had to work Saturday...thankfully only for 4 hours....just 9-1. On Wednesday I got off a little early since I had to work Saturday....so I went shopping! :) I was really looking for some hair bows for Ella...there is really only one kind that stays in her hair....and she loses hair bows left and right...so after 5 stores....the last stop had the ones I was looking for....yay! She was funny...I showed them to her when I got home...and she looked at them....there were 6....and said, "I don't like those. I only like the blue one." I let her wear the blue one that day....and then she decided that she liked the other ones.

Friday night we went out to Olive Garden with some friends...Ella came with us and did great...coloring kept her happy....and she scarfed down her grapes and pizza (that she picked out from the kids menu!)

Saturday I had to work...so Josh and Ella went over to our friends house for a few hours, they went to the pet store and looked around...Josh was finding activities to keep Ella entertained! I came home...had to make everyone lunch....and then go to the grocery store...Josh gave me a little list of things he needed and asked me to stop by Walmart...so I figured I would just do my grocery shopping there too....ugh...I HATE walmart.....and was reminded how much I dislike that place.

This morning while I was getting ready for church...I could hear Ella just talking away in her room....

She sat like this for about 30 minutes...just "reading" away. She loves to look at books and "read"....she just makes up stories to go along with the pictures!

The little princess looking cute....

Well I am exhausted....and ready to go to bed...I feel like I've been going going going this week....and I like my sleep! :)

Healthy Again??

How did we start out our New Years? Sick! Well a few days after New Years! New Years Eve we were in bed before midnight....I was asleep by 10...and Josh said he went to bed around 11....such party animals we are!

Ella came down with a little cold...but for Ella...a cold is never just a cold! She had only had it for about 3 days...and then on Friday she went to the sitters...she was coughing pretty bad...but that was it. I picked her up Friday afternoon and she just looked pitiful. We got home and she sat with Josh for a few minutes and he said he really didn't like her breathing. She almost was grunting trying to get a deep breath....and literally coughing every 5 seconds. I called the pediatricians office...and they paged the on call doctor. She called me back within 10 minutes and I explained what was going on...and she said since Ella was wheezing and doing the little grunt thing that we should either take her to the ER or to Urgent Care since that was unusual for her to do that. So we packed up and headed to Urgent Care. It's a walk in facility...and I actually called ahead since I have never seen a child there...wanted to make sure that they saw kids! They told me that they did. We signed in at 6:50...and finally got called back around 8. They tested her for the flu...came back negative. They took x-rays to check for pneumonia...but that ended up being fine. She did have bronchitis, a fever of 102, and broke out in a rash....so on an antibiotic she went...and they gave her a steroid to help open up her airways to help with her breathing. We left there at 9:15ish...and went to the pharmacy....it was packed...Josh and Ella stayed in the car. Ella was already asleep...she was exhausted. I waited at the pharmacy until 10 when her RX was finally ready. We got in the car and Josh was like I AM STARVING. Which....it has been a solid 10 hours since we had eaten anything....so yes we went through a drive thru. I had promised Ella a treat while we were at the Doctors office because she did SO GOOD at the Doctors (the best she has ever been)....so I got her a milkshake....and a corndog :) We pulled in the driveway at 10:45ish....and Josh got Ella out of the car....and the first thing she said was, "I'm hungry!" She's just like her Daddy! :) Which was good because her medicine required her to eat food when taking it....she scarfed down her corndog (I put the milkshake in the freezer)....had her medicine and went to bed.

Saturday Josh was actually supposed to work....but he called in and said that Ella was sick and he wanted to stay home with her. So we had a quiet day at home..I did run to the grocery store. Sunday Josh did have to work...so I stayed home with Ella (it was a long day!) By Monday...she was doing better after having 3 days of medication in her...so she went to the sitters.

We did "craft time"....

 

This one is a butterfly....she made a dinosaur and a puppy dog for her Daddy to bring to his work. This is actually a great little craft...the paper is sticky...and you take the tissue paper and crumple it up and stick it on the paper...she loved it! 

It's been a fairly normal week for us....this is a picture of Ella playing in her room while I was getting ready for work this week.

So Ella is on the mend....and I woke up today with a sore throat....and it starts all over...ahhh! I did however start a documentary called, "Food Matters"....and it really encourages vitamins and healthy eating, etc. So on Saturday we were out (I went and got my hair done)...and then we went to Fresh Market (where we walked in and Josh said, "we can look but we're not buying anything here.") but I wanted to look at there Vitamin section and find some local raw honey. We did walk in and walk out without buying anything....and then at Kroger I checked out the vitamin section and they had the same things...so I got Ella a multivitamin that is a fruit gummy....and I got some vitamin C....so I can maybe build up my immune system! And Josh a multivitamin....which he said is a horse pill and he's not taking anymore until I buy him a fruit gummy vitamin too....haha! Saturday night I had a girls night out....nice to do that once in a while! Sunday I had nursery at church...and it was only 6 kids with 4 adults....it was easy! I took a nap Sunday afternoon. Did laundry and cleaned. Cooked a roast in the crockpot....and hard to believe it is Monday tomorrow already! :)