Ella is getting SO big

Little Miss Ella....5 months old! Can you believe it? She is truly a BIG girl. Ella is now wearing 6-9 and 9 month clothing in most things. Alyson and Paul were true age-size equivalents, so having Ella is a surprise to me! She also was measured at Stride Rite as a size 2 and WIDE. So that's 3 for 3 in the WIDE feet dept....darn it. Lucky for me I saved all of Alyson's shoes!!
Ella is also eating solids...sometimes she loves them, sometimes she hates them.
Let's not discuss the sleep issue. She's still nursing and not sleeping at night more than, oh, about 3 hours at a time. Naps...an hour long on average. I'm lucky if I get the 2-3 hour nap out of her. It's VERY Frustrating.
She's become very social...smiling at EVERYONE. She adores her big brother and sister and reaches out to interact with them whenever they get near her. Alyson loves her sister too. Paul, even more so. The minute she cries, Paul says "Ewwa wa". He gives her kisses too.

Mr. Chatterbox

Well, Paul has entered the world of conversation. He has a new word or a few EVERY DAY! My favorite new expression is "I did it!"
He is also quite proficient in his animal sounds! He has also become very enchanted with books. He'd rather read books than watch tv (YAY!). Our book basket keeps Alyson and Paul busy and quiet for almost 30 minutes STRAIGHT! Do you know how much cleaning I can get done in 30 minutes? Alot...when I'm not reading TO them.
Richs' favorite thing is that Paul will NOT let a meal go by without saying "Amen". It is SO sweet.

Rich and I were wondering when this all happened. When did we start UNDERSTANDING what Paul is saying? Truly amazing. I shed a little tear each time I think about how big MY boy is getting. There truly is something special about a momma's little boy.
And my boy will be going to PreSchool next Year!!! Paul will be going to the 2 year old program on Wed and Fri mornings!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!

Happy 3rd Birthday Alyson!

Oh Goodness. My first baby, Alyson is 3 years old today. Where has the time gone? Who is this little "old" person that has blessed us and makes us laugh so hard we could wet our pants? I could cry. Is there a way to make time stop? I really don't want her to grow up.

Our Little Alyson...so smart, precarious, creative, helpful, protective, frustrating at times, beautiful, and heartwarming.

Last night at dinner, she said her own prayer which included prayers for Daddys' back. She told Grandma that she's a great sharer (Grandma shared her dinner with Aly). She tells me I'm her best friend. Last night, she told me she loves me all the way to the moon (we read Guess How Much I Love You at bedtime twice!).

I must find some time today to cry...because I'm both happy and sad.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALY P. Mommy, Daddy, Paul, and Ella bella love you so much it hurts.

Sweet Sounds

She laughed.....3 1/2 months old and she finally laughed at me! Oh Ella Jeanne.....how we love your sweet smile.

Paul is having a word explosion! Shoe, down, and so many more. He's also quite proud that he knows his animal sounds. Cow says moo, cat says meow, chicken says buck-buck, etc. It's really cute!

Christmas Tornado!

Well, we made it through Christmas! We were not unscathed though! Aunt Vicki arrived without a hitch and Alyson took to her right away. Ella was mesmerized. Paul...a little uncertain but he warmed up!
Paul ended up with a Staph infection that presented itself in his nose, on his knee and thigh. A good dose of antibiotics is kicking its butt though and my boy is back to his normal crazy self. I won't scare you with pictures of his nasty nose.

Our house looks like Toys R Us threw up (again). I have no idea where to put all these toys and things!!! Luckily we had some beautiful weather to get the kids outside to play but we did not really get the opportunity to take them anywhere with Aunt Vicki since Paul was "confined" to the house.

The kids got some nice things...among them, a train table, a Fisher Price cash register, tons of arts & Crafts stuff, a tee ball set, some nice clothes, hats & gloves, a ton of DVDs, and a ton of books (which we LOVE). Oh and I must publicly thank Uncle Billy for the Princess Throne! OY!

I got the BEST gift....Alyson is potty trained!! Since she was off from school for 2 weeks, I simply refused to put a diaper on her which actually turned around and bit me in the butt....she ended up refusing to wear diapers for her nap and bedtime. Well, wouldn't you know that she is pretty much staying dry for naps and through the night (well, she wakes me up to go potty). We are SO proud of her.

He Ate What??!??

Ahh....the joys of having a great eater! Paul ate homemade lentil soup for lunch today! YAY! I'm so proud of the lil' bugger. The poor thing is STILL coughing when he goes to sleep and if we don't get in there fast enough to give him some water, he starts coughing so hard he throws up. I AM glad to say that Rich has been playing "catcher" for these incidents! I think I've had my fair share of being peed, pooped, and thrown up on in the past 3 years!