Archive for the 'Ella' Category



04
Dec
10

journey to bethlehem

This is the third year we have made ‘the journey to Bethlehem’.  The girls look forward to it each year and Rilyn said it is our ‘tradition’ now.  This year, we stayed close and went to a local church.  (Last year we went to Burnet.)
Ella said afterward, ”I closed my ears when King Herod was talking because he is a bad king!”  Asher loved all the animals there. Rilyn hung on every word that was said during the ‘journey’ and said, “I had SO MUCH FUN tonight!”
I didn’t get ‘the shot’ tonight which was the girls kneeling in front of the nativity scene, but I have a good excuse.  They used a real baby for Jesus, and I didn’t want to bother the baby with my bright flash who was being rocked gently to sleep.

Listening to King Herod
Our ‘guide’ asking the inn keeper where Mary and Joseph were staying
one of the shepherd boys
This donkey is only 4 months old!
I think the goat liked Asher too!
29
Nov
10

lights! camera! hold very still!!!!

On a whim, (hence the play clothes they have on), I decided to take the kids’ pictures in front of our house tonight.  (Yes, they are wearing flip flops and shorts and it is almost December.  And tomorrow it will be freezing, go figure Texas weather.)  In order to get these shots, the kids had to hold very still because I didn’t want to use the flash.  I can’t wait to see more houses with Christmas lights up, so get yours up!  By the way, I received our first Christmas card today! 🙂

Asher is in love with our lights!
28
Nov
10

decorating

Yesterday we decorated my parents tree for Christmas!  I’m so excited that the Christmas season is finally here!  Every year it gets more fun with the kids getting older!

Ella’s turn to put the star on their tree!
The girls decorating
Asher

We decorated our house today, but I didn’t take any pictures.  I will, however, get a shot of our front yard soon because James did a great job of lighting it up!  We have the music box lights so they blink according to the rhythm of the Christmas music being played.  Asher wanted to stay outside all night when James showed him.  It was so fun to see the kids faces as they danced around the yard-like a musical Christmas wonderland!

27
Nov
10

favorite photos from Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful holiday!  Here are some of my favorite photos!

Thanksgiving dinner at my house with James’ family
Rilyn and Asher
Uncle Ben with Busta (who ran into a table and busted his head)
Rilyn and her beautiful Aunt Mandy, James’ sister
Thanksgiving dinner at my parent’s house
Asher and his cousin, Caden
24
Nov
10

Happy Thanksgiving!

I took the kids for our annual fall foliage pictures today in Temple. Asher didn’t make it out because he was misbehaving earlier and had to take a nap at my mom’s house.   😦

20
Nov
10

saturday crafts

I have been wrapped up in buying things for the Thanksgiving table lately, since for the first time in Austin, we are hosting Thanksgiving for James’ family.  Gold chargers, brown table runner, off white table cloth, my off white china…I want to buy cloth napkins too, but then I would HAVE to buy napkin rings, right?  🙂  It has been really fun to ‘dress’ the table and I’m looking forward to the finished product on Thursday.  One thing I knew we needed was place cards, and as much as I wanted to make fancy looking, ‘sophisticated’ ones that I see on so many of the craft blogs, I knew the girls would enjoy making them and it would add a personal touch to our table.  So, out came the craft scissors, special gold pen, stickers, and buttons (that was Rilyn’s request).  The girls were busy in their room for awhile.  Ella got to make 6 and Rilyn 6.  Ella came out with her 6 and here is an example of one:

Oma won’t mind her turkey standing up right?

When I asked Ella why she taped the button on when they have glue in their room, she reminded me that she can’t use glue until December because she glued pink paper to her door a few weeks ago. Oh yeah, oops! I guess I have two rule-followers in the family, (well plus me, so three, and we are pretty certain Asher is NOT a rule-follower!)

Here is the evidence of that past event where Ella got on ‘glue restriction’ 

hot pink paper+glue stick+door=residue that won’t come off

And I have no clue why she thought gluing paper to a door was okay.

Rilyn made an another craft today with her Wikki Stix. She put this on our kitchen cupboard, isn’t is cute?

gobble gobble!
16
Nov
10

how do you decorate for Thanksgiving?

Rilyn wanted me to get some feathers because she is planning on doing a Thanksgiving skit this year for our family when they come to visit.  When I bought them for her though, somewhere plans changed in that creative mind of hers.  Yesterday, Rilyn and Ella started bringing out their ‘friends’ after being in their room for awhile.  I was informed that they were ‘decorating their room for Thanksgiving’ and everyone had to wear Indian hats.

I had the girls line up all the animals, figurines, toilet paper roll Indians, and even the giant Barbie head for a picture!

After I took the picture, Ella wanted to look in my camera to see which ones smiled!  She said, “Barbie had a good smile.”  🙂

11
Nov
10

Ella and the fireman

I went along with Ella today on her field trip to the local fire station.  Let’s just say that the firefighter who did most of the talking was not bad looking.  I think Ella took notice and it seems to be evident in the pictures I took!  🙂

Her eyes are on lock down!
Hanging on every word he says.
He let them touch him.  Ella was the first to run up.
Do you mind if I just stare at you?
And they called it puppy love…

Seriously, though, she had fun learning about everything at the fire station. The real thrill was when they got a call and one of the fire engines had to pull out and put on their sirens!

You can see the kids thought the sirens were a little loud!

Watching the fireman go down the pole was a treat too!

wheeeeeeee
Ella and the preschool gang!
03
Nov
10

pinatas are scary sometimes

On Halloween night, one of our friends brought a pinata at our annual little get together to eat chili before we trick or treat, (one of these years it will be cold enough outside to enjoy eating it!)

Here is the neighborhood gang this year:

Asher loved the idea of a pinata, but he chose to only hit it once. It was so cute!

One hit, (it was more like a gentle tap), and I’m done!

Ella…well, she is afraid of pinatas. This stems back to her 2nd birthday party. She just doesn’t like the idea of whacking something.  The noise it makes as the bat hits the pinata, and then the surprise as it bursts open with flying candy.  And if the pinata is a character she cares about, (like Mickey Mouse), forget about it. She can not stand to see people hitting Mickey! Anyway, so here is Ella at the Halloween party during pinata time.

safe and sound behind glass doors

And here is where her fear started. 🙂

What is this thing?!?

She is crying from all the candy falling from her pinata which wasn’t even a hitting one, it was ‘pull the ribbon’!

aunt Jessica comforting her
02
Nov
10

tink!

Miss Ella was Tinker Bell this year.  I tried to get her to wear Rilyn’s old Cinderella costume from 2 years back, but she has her own mind set these days, and I’m just lucky that she still wears Rilyn’s hand-me-down clothes and shoes without complaining!  It helps that Rilyn really never dirtied her clothes or shoes, so most are in very nice condition, good enough that Ella has exclaimed, “Thank you mommy for these new shoes!”  Your welcome!  😉

Anyway, Ella loves a camera, so she was eager to pose in her new Tinker Bell costume! Complete with shoes, wings, and hair wreath!

“Do I look the part?”  🙂
one shoulder up pose-pretty standard for her these days
Tink!
This is what happens when you try to trick or treat with 

20 kids all together.  Look how Ella squeezes herself in

to the porch, all in the name of candy!