Halloween Fun

Halloween is definitely not my favorite holiday. However, I ended up having a really good time this year. It was fun to dress Evan and Ella Grace in their costumes...a doctor and a pumpkin.

Aren't they cute? I told Derek that Evan was cuter than Dr. McDreamy. Ha! Oh, and at first, Ella Grace was not thrilled about her costume (especially the hat). Getting her to wear it at first required some bribing with Skittles. You know, sometimes, I'm just not above a little candy bribery. I have gotten a lot of milage out of Skittles and jelly beans. :) How else can you get two kids in Easter outfits, Christmas outfits, etc.??? Ha!

My lil' punkin!

Wednesday afternoon I took Ella Grace to her very first Halloween party at Gymboree. There were SO MANY kids there and they were all so cute. Ella played games, made a foot print ghost, went on a parachute ride, sang songs, and played in bubbles. She had a ball! It was only for her age group, so Derek took off work early and took Evan for a treat at Sonic and to therapy and we met up with them at the house afterward.

Playing on the slide.

Ella Grace and her friend, Sarah, who was dressed as a very cute cat, playing in a boat.

Going for a parachute ride.

Friday morning, I voted, and it only took about an hour and a half. It felt good to vote! Then, Derek and I took EG to Build a Bear to spend the shopping spree Lauren, Megan, and Meagan sent her for her birthday. Oh, she had THE best time and loved every minute of it. She now has a new puppy (of course) in a hot pink snow suit! So cute! Thank you so much, girls!

Ella Grace finding a creative way to use my "I voted" sticker.

EG and her new puppy. Doesn't she look happy?

Evan had a "special snack" on Friday at school. For some reason, they weren't allowed to call it a party. Evan is on a gluten-free/casein-free diet for treatment of his autism, which basically means no dairy and no wheat. One day I'll write more about this. He does so good only eating "allowed" foods. I made a decision that morning to let him have a cookie at school. When we picked him up at school, he ran to the car with black icing all over his grin that is now missing two teeth. That said it all. He enjoyed himself, and it was worth it! I wish I had a picture of that face.

Friday night we took them trick-or-treating. After about the fourth house, Evan was over it. He was just enjoying the nice weather outside and watching all that was going on. However, Miss Priss would walk right up to the door and announce "Trick or Treat, " and always came back with a treat for her brother, too. They both had a really good time, and Derek and I did, too. We ended the night at a local restaurant and were all tired when we got home. We won't talk about the sugar crash, meltdown that happened before bedtime. Let me just say, OH. MY. GOODNESS!

Evan was SO excited and ready to go. Can you tell by his expression that he was D O N E with pictures?! Ha!

Trick-or-Treating like a big girl!

A very tired Daddy and a very tired, sugared-up pumpkin. She had a chocolate ring around her mouth by the time we left the first house! Ha!

Hope y'all had a good Halloween. I'm looking forward to reading all about it.

Oh, and I had to post this picture. This was last year...

How much they have grown in only one year!

6th Picture

When I saw this on Cortney's blog, I thought this was a very cute idea. Here is what you are supposed to do:

1. Open your picture folder.

2. Go to the sixth folder.

3. Open the sixth picture.

4. Import into your blog and tell the story.

Here is my sixth picture...

This picture was taken on Mother's Day 2007. Derek was in Iraq and sent me two dozen red roses. What a wonderful surprise it was! They were beautiful. He was always good at making my day even while 8,000 miles away. Evan and Ella Grace both look so small in this picture! EG was just beginning to grow out her "Eddie Munster" hairline. Ha! Little cutiepatooties.

Join in the fun!

Oh, and Evan lost another tooth today. I am grieving, as he has lost the two teeth that came in first when he was a baby. I keep remembering how cute it was when he only had his two middle bottom teeth and how cute it was when he grinned. He is growing up, and I'm not liking it one bit!

Almost There...

I am so excited about the painting Kim did for Ella Grace's room. I wanted to share what it looks like hung and in its place. I think it just added that something special we needed. I have no idea how she did it, but it matches perfectly!

I am still not completely finished. I am STILL waiting on her nightstand. Also, I just asked Kim to do a companion piece for one of the blank walls. It is going to be super cute!

Here are a couple more elements of her room that I really love:

The smocked organza Euro shams

The boudoir pillow my grandmother made from the leftover curtain fabric. They had a pre-made pillow at the boutique where I ordered all the bedding, but they wanted $60 for it! My grandmother made this one for about $15, and to tell you the truth, this one is MUCH cuter.

She used ribbon for the trim, and it matches perfectly. EG loves this pillow and asks for it at night. It's just her size.

The organza bed skirt

The ceiling to floor curtains that help her small room look a little bit bigger

The finials on the end of the curtain rod

Now that all that is done, it's play time! Yeah!

Ella Grace's Birthday Party

We had such a fun time Saturday celebrating EG's 2nd birthday. We had a lot of family come over and Ella invited her friend, Sarah.

I kept with the "dog" theme and served hot dogs. I also made chili for Frito pies and cheese dip. I also made Terri's "Puppy Chow," which was a big hit! Thanks, Terri!

EG eating lunch with her brother and her cousins. She adores being with "big kids."

I loved her birthday cake. I have always ordered my children's birthday cakes from the same bakery, and I have NEVER been disappointed. This one was just as delicious and there was hardly any left! If you look close enough, you can tell where Evan leaned on it in the car. I tried to fix it the best I could. It wasn't very noticeable. Before it happened, I had the thought of "Wow. That sure would be bad if he got on the cake," and in the next moment there he was leaning on the box. Have you ever done this...had a thought of wouldn't that be terrible if and then it happen? Ugh!

After lunch we made the mistake of letting the kids go outside. The weather was perfect, so none of them wanted to come inside for cake and presents. After a little kicking and fussing, we got them inside. Ella wasted no time blowing out her candles. I actually had to light them twice so we could sing "Happy Birthday" before she blew them out. She is so funny!

EG with her new necklace from Nana and Papaw. It is SO sweet.

Ella Grace got so many nice birthday presents! She got new babies, a baby bassinet, a vacuum cleaner, a gold heart necklace, stuffed puppy dogs, and money. She got everything she loves and it will be great fun to take her shopping later for some things she needs. Oh, and my besties from TN also sent her the cutest card and a shopping spree to Build a Bear. We are planning on doing this next week! Thank you Lauren, Megan, and Meagan!

Evan having a big time with his cousins in the backyard.

Papaw taking Sarah and EG for a wagon ride.

My sister brought her dog, Chip, and Ella was SO excited. She is still asking for him today. (My camera was on a weird setting. I promise by rug and walls in my living room aren't pink. Ha!)

EG and "Granny" (my mom).

Saying bye to Chip was so hard.

We had the best time visiting with family and friends. My favorite memory of the day that I will always remember wasn't the food or the presents or the decorations. It was when we gathered in the living room for Derek to say the blessing before we ate. Everyone, without prompting, made a circle and held hands as Derek said a prayer of thanksgiving for this precious child the Lord has entrusted to us. It makes me teary eyed just thinking about it. It was amazing.

What a great party, but I felt a little like this bouncy house by the end of it. By the way, that is the best money we have ever spent. If you have small children, I highly recommend spending the $90. Evan has spent hours on this thing. Plus, we have loaned it out to many friends for their birthday parties. The kids LOVE it. I think it may be on its' last leg, but it has lasted three years.

Well, I took a three hour (YIKES) nap with EG, and I feel all rejuvenated now. I'm excited to see what this next year has in store for us as we raise these two precious children of ours.

Oh My Goodness!

You know there are just days that something happens and it just makes you feel good! Well, today is one of those days for me.

You see, I "met" Kim not too long ago. I have to say all the chickadees from Tennessee seem to be beautiful, smart, hilarious, and just cool, i.e, Megan, Lauren, Meagan, Rachel, and now my newest blogging BFF, Kim. I think I need to go there again so maybe they will rub off on me!

Seriously, you need to go check out Kim's blog. She is gorgeous number one and then is an amazing mom of four (yes four) kids under three. You read that right. And, on top of all of that, she is an extremely talented artist. I asked her to paint something for EG's new big girl room, and boy she did not disappoint. Just check this out...

Oh my word! It is exactly what I was wanting for her room. She even went to the trouble of borrowing the polka dot fabric from a friend that is the same as Ella's room because I didn't have a swatch to send her. Oh, I just love it. The funny thing is her dad is coming to my town tomorrow to visit his sister and is bringing it to me. Isn't that crazy?! Of all the places his sister lives, she lives in my little town!

If you don't know Kim already, you should go visit her here. She does all kinds of amazing art. I've already gotten my eye on the next piece I want...a monogrammed "H" for my living room. Thank you so much, Kim, for making Ella Grace's room extra special. I LOVE IT, and I know she will, too!

Happy Birthday, Ella Grace!

Ella Grace, 2 Years Old

I can't believe my baby is two years old! Derek took off work today, and we have partied all day long! I think you know EG pretty well by now, so there is no need for me to go on and on about how sweet, sassy, smart, and beautiful she is. :) So, here is how we celebrated her big day in pictures. Prepare to be on EG overload. LOL!

We started out by going to a toy store. She instantly found her birthday present...a stroller for "Baby." She also found all kinds of other things she liked. She is not hard to please.

Then, we headed off to Purple Cow for lunch. She had the "Happy Dog," and the waiter brought her a treat afterward...a purple ice cream sundae. She LOVED it, especially the cherry on top.

After lunch, we went to see Beverly Hills Chiuaha. You know this girl loves dogs, so she was SO excited! She loved seeing all the dogs dressed up, especially the dog that wore shoes. Now, that is right up her alley!

This is how she looked on the way home. She was worn completely out! Bless her little heart.

We are going to have presents and birthday brownies (EG and Evan's favorite) tonight and then the big party is on Saturday! A special girl deserves a special birthday, and I hope she feels like it is!

I love you, Ella Grace, so much! You are my heart!

Tea for Two?

Look who was in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette this Sunday morning...


Here was the caption...

The photographer snapped this while we were registering for our local Mommy and Me group at their annual membership tea. This was several weeks ago, so I thought they had decided not to feature the event. I was so surprised this morning when there she was! I love that she had her "Baby" with her.

I just love fun, unexpected things like this!

Oh, and speaking of fun, unexpected news, I want to send a HUGE congratulations out to my sweet friends, Megan and Web. They are the parents to precious Vance and just announced they are expecting their second baby. Yeah! I am so excited for you three!