Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Scrub-a-dub-dub

CIMG6810 I could stare at those eyes all day

CIMG6812 Bath time is Ellie’s favorite time . . . and Mommy’s, too. :)

CIMG6823 She is so relaxed after her bath.

Mizzou-RAH or Rock Chalk?!

Ellie’s Popsy is a BIG Kansas fan . . . that’s why she is rocking this Jayhawks shirt. Jimmy HATES it . . . but when Nana and I saw it at Old Navy, we had to get it! :D

CIMG6846 It doesn’t matter which team she decides to root for - - - she’ll be the cutest fan in the stands!

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Lucy LU

IMG_0275 Ellie in her Lucy shirt before Tiffany’s reception. Mom bought this shirt for Ellie at Old Navy and the cute little pants at Target. The bow is a Jessica Lacy original! ;)

She’s our little Peanut.

Fancy Family

Here are more pictures from our awesome weekend. I love them – I think they make our family look pretty spiffy. Even Jimmy cleans up nicely. ;)

CIMG6784 She is one happy baby!

CIMG6743 Her Daddy is so proud of her. He smiles so much when she is in his presence.

CIMG6745 This picture really shows how Ellie keeps her eyes on me. She does the same thing with her Dad. If one of us is in the room, she’s always staring.

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CIMG6774 Ahh look at those eyes. I love them so much.

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CIMG6788Jimmy can really get Ellie going. He’ll ask her to “tell some stories” and she gets so excited.

CIMG6785 She makes us both so happy.

HAHA

Okay, so I hope no one takes offense to this, because I thought it was pretty adorable. I was stripping Ellie down for her bath and her onesie was stuck on her head. It cracked me up! Had to snap some quick photos. :)

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Hide the Muffin

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Kobester doesn’t want anyone seeing his sissy’s business.

It doesn’t get any sweeter . . .

IMG_0171 than this right here.

IMG_0175 Gotta’ love bath time pictures.

Another 'Cousins' Post

Getting them all to smile at the camera at once was quite the task . . . It didn’t happen this time. Maybe next time. ;)

CIMG6732 Ellie spending some quality time with Gracie, Rance, and Lydia.

CIMG6734 They’re all growing SO fast.

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CIMG6736 Aunt Keri with Lydia and little Luella. :)

Much Better Fitting . . .

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Remember this? Claire got it for Ellie when she was born. I had some fun putting it on her when she was only about a week old. It fits so much better now. I’ve never seen a hat with the suggested size 0-12 months. :D

I want to be a crafty Mom . . . .

Looking back on my elementary years, I remember our classroom holiday parties like it was yesterday. The anticipation I felt when going to bed the night before because I knew what the next day had in store. I had some GREAT teachers, but a lot of the thanks goes to the awesome “Room-Moms” that planned our parties through the years. Thanksgiving feasts fit for a King, individually wrapped presents at Christmas, dry ice in a “witch’s cauldron” at Halloween - - - - they went ALL OUT. I only remember my mom coming to a few of these – and not that she was anything short of THE BEST MOM EVER, but I remember wishing she was one of those Moms that was able to come to all of the class parties.

I hope I can be crafty and have the opportunity to take part in Ellie’s parties when she gets to school. For now, I can practice making creative stuff by doing things for my work at out office parties each month. Here are a few pictures of some stuff we had at our March office party.

CIMG6689 I made these rainbow cupcakes (as in pot of gold at the end of the rainbow) I put little flags end them that had sayings about rainbows. They turned out so cute. I’m sure my co-workers appreciated the 2+ hours that went into making these. :S Practice makes perfect. I’ll be a pro at this stuff when Lu’s in school.

CIMG6686 Green smoothies for breakfast – made by Rachel Mistler. :)

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Evening Snugglers

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Jimmy took this picture one day when I came home from work and took a little nap with my baby girl. She loves to snuggle and so do I. I’m not looking forward to the future when she can’t fall asleep on my chest anymore. :( I’ll look back on the precious times like these and miss them way too much.

So Happy to See You


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Ellie with her Grandma Jennifer after Tiffany’s wedding. (Notice the sockless feet – it’s a quick fix to make her happy if she gets fussy!)

CIMG6809 Sarah and Anthony with Lu at Tiffany’s reception.

Congrats, Aunt Tiffany!

This weekend, Ellie’s Aunt Tiffany, Jimmy’s sister, got married and started a new chapter in her life with her man, Dylan Hoffman. Jimmy was an usher in the wedding and I was the guestbook attendant. We had so much fun, and the wedding was so simple and beautiful. Tiffany looked so stunning – she made a gorgeous bride. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one. :)

CIMG6794I had a hard time getting Ellie to look at the camera – first she was distracted by Tiff’s jewelry.

CIMG6793 ….Then the many reception guests caught her attention. Oh well, they still look great together!

CIMG6800 Tiffany and her new hubs, Dylan. Isn’t her dress breathtaking? So beautiful.

CIMG6805I don’t have many good pictures so I will have to steal some from the family on Facebook . . . . but for now: Mr. and Mrs. Dylan Hoffman. :D

Friday, April 8, 2011

Sunday Afternoon Visit

This past Sunday, Ellie, Poppy, Uncle Jesse, and I went on a very special visit to Mr. and Mrs. Walton. The Walton’s were our neighbors for years when we lived in town. They are the sweetest couple you will ever meet. All the kids in our town know Mr. Walton as the guy who hands out “the good candy” (full-sized candy bars!) at Halloween. They are simply good people. Not just because of the candy either!

When Uncle Jesse was in Kindergarten, he rode the bus home everyday with Mollie and me. Well, he was a slow walker (we had to walk about a 1/4 mile down our road once we got off the bus) so Mollie and I always got into the house before him. Jesse brought the mail in everyday – he was bound and determined that it was his job to do so. One day, Mom was outside and Mr. Walton came over to visit. He let Mom know that every single day, Jesse would walk up to his porch and ring the doorbell to ask him to do him a favor. Don would then walk over to our driveway, open the mailbox for Jesse and get the mail – just because Jesse couldn’t reach it on his own. Jesse was standing right there while Don was telling Mom this and she started to jump him . . . “Jesse Kent, you shouldn’t be bother-“ Mr. Walton cut her off and said that he LOVED it. He enjoyed grabbing the mail for Jesse because Jesse would tell him ALL ABOUT his day. I can only imagine the stories he heard and was able to relay them to Joyce. I bet they had several laughs . . . . Like I said, GREAT PEOPLE!

Don and Joyce had 6, yes, SIX, kids. I know how much they enjoyed us when we were younger, so I wanted them to meet Ellie as well.

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CIMG6728 Obviously, Ellie enjoyed herself quite a bit!

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Daddy Time

After Emma’s Birthday Party, Jimmy came to see his baby girl before going to work. I couldn’t help but to snap more pictures of her in this adorable outfit!

CIMG6663 Both of them – obviously sick of the camera!

CIMG6666 I guess I should have adjusted her sweater – she’s poochin’ out a bit!

CIMG6668 I found this on my camera. Jimmy tried out his luck snapping some pics. Too cute.

Jenny Jumper

I have been so anxious to test out the Jenny Jumper ever since I got it as a gift at my baby shower from Grandma Ronda. I remember my little sister sitting in the jumper at daycare every day when we were little. She loved it. Ellie tried out hers this week, and – surprise, surprise – she adored it. She is a little small yet to use it, so we put blankets around her . . . and instead of jumping while in it, she just swings back and forth. She seems so relaxed. Now she has her “swing time” every night before dinner. :)

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Happy Birthday, Miss Emma!

Last weekend, Ellie attended her buddy, Emma Grace Wilkerson’s 1st Birthday Party. Emma’s Mommy is one of my great friends from high school – Chelsea Aragon. Chelsea is a terrific Momma and her and her brother’s girlfriend, Nia did a fantastic job decorating for the big day. Chelsea’s parents seemed to be so helpful, too. A meal was catered in, so we ate, watched Emma open her presents, and enjoyed some tasty cake! We all had such a good time! It makes me so anxious for Ellie’s 1st Birthday Party!

CIMG6610 Ellie looked too cute in her outfit. (another adorable gift from Auntie Claire) She was all set for the afternoon festivities.

CIMG6611 Guess who? It’s the birthday girl! Emma had this precious dress on when guests started to arrive at the party.

CIMG6618 Emma and Chelsea

CIMG6646 Ellie had a little too much fun. ;) Just kidding – she has recently learned how to squeal and it is her new favorite thing!

CIMG6630 Happy Birthday, Emma Grace! I look forward to watching you and Ellie both grow into beautiful little ladies!