A Birthday and a Half!!

Yesterday was my 26th birthday. Today, Ella is 18 months old!! I can't believe it has already been a whole year and a half. Eighteen months has brought a whole new world and every day she is a little less baby and a little more kid. Yes, I miss those days of cuddly baby sleeping in my arms terribly, but oh, how the fun has grown with having a, should I dare say, TODDLER! Here are a few things that 18 months has brought us:

• Personality and expression. Ella has always possessed these qualities since birth, but they seemed to have doubled lately. You can tell what she's thinking by the look on her face and she is just a little spit fire.



• An extensive vocabulary. She can (and will) repeat everything that comes out of your mouth and she is forming three and four word sentences. It is no longer a guessing game. She knows exactly what she wants and can easily let you know.



• Opinions, opinions and more opinions. If you saw this past Sunday's attire, I need not elaborate on this one!



• Fit pitching and whining. No, this one is not much fun, but she was bound to learn it at some point. Now, I guess it is just up to Matt and me to figure out how to nip this one. Lord, please help us here!



• Ella is familiar with some colors, numbers and can give adequate assistance in singing the "itsy bitsy spider," and "Jesus loves me."



• Ella is also learning to dress herself. She's a pro at putting on shoes, it's finding the correct foot that is the challenge. She can get her feet and legs in her pants, but can't quite get them up without some assistance. And she can easily get a shirt on her head, but is frustrated when she gets stuck!



• 12 teeth including our 2-year molars, which has made eating and chewing significantly easier.

These are just a select few of Ella's newest tricks (and treats) that 18 months has brought us. It's something new everday. And, here are just a few things that 26 years has brought me:

• A deeper, greater appreciation for my mother and all that she did and went through for me. Mom, I'm sorry for wearing the gray overalls for weeks at a time. I should have just let you handle it. And I promise to never pitch a fit in the middle of the aisle at Wal-Mart ever again!!



• Thanks to Matt, a better understanding of finances and the concept of saving. Yes, it only took 26 years! And, that just because you have money doesn't necessarily mean you should spend it.



• That housework really is work and if you don't keep on top of it, it easily gets on top of you!



• That my mother really does love me more than I love her. I didn't believe her when she said it until I had one of my own.



• Finally, I much better understand how the Lord loves his children. He really can love us through anything and forgive us for everything. Through Ella he has taught me how GREAT his love really is. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD. Psalm 117:2

Church Attire

This is what Ella REALLY wanted to wear to church this morning!!

I got her fully dressed, white sandals and all. When I went to go finish getting myself ready she proceeded into her room, took off her sandals and replaced them with her nice hot pink wellies! I DON'T THINK SO, Miss Prissy...not with this dress! I imagine it won't be too much longer before I lose this battle!

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

The Good: My family was in town this weekend, we had a wonderful time! BaPa, Honey and Uncle Zach came to stay with us from Huntsville and Uncle John came up from Auburn. When they pulled up the driveway and Ella heard the car door shut she began clapping her hands high in the air and bouncing up and down...she loves company! She hadn't seen them in a little over two months, which in toddler years must seem like a lifetime. However, it's a lifetime in grandparent years as well. She immediately turned on the charm and did ALL of her tricks and was quite the little chatter box. Needless to say, she didn't make it to bed anytime soon after they arrived. Zach is thirteen, and he seems to share a very special bond with Ella. I guess it is because he is younger, but it is seemingly the sweetest thing to see her watch and look up to him the way she does. She called him "Zachs", why it is plural I don't know, but everytime she said it she had to do it three times and rather loudly. He now refers to her as "Ellas". She had a wonderful time with BaPa on Saturday playing outside and lounging in her wagon while he toted her around. Ella has been told that she must stay on the street and off of the grass anytime she is near the pond. And, she must hold a hand! At one point when she was outside with my dad, he stepped on the grass to walk and she quickly reprimanded him for doing so. Holding her hand out, she yelled, "No,no, no. Mere, Mere!" She repeated this until he grabbed her hand and got back onto the concrete. It is so wonderful to know that not only does she listen, but she teaches as well...either that or she's just going to be a tad bit bossy! I believe everyone was worn out that night.
Of course Honey brought goodies-books, new outfits and new jammies!! She modeled all of her new clothes with much enthusiasm. She LOVED her new pajamas. All she's ever had are cotton ones, so when she received the pink, princess polyester ones she called them "sof" and kept rubbing on them like she does her blanket. She is such a HAM and her personality grows and changes so much everyday. I get so tickled at her, she is really coming into her own. It's the single most wonderful thing in the world to watch the person she is becoming. We had good food, good fun and thoroughly enjoyed the time we got to spend with everyone. It's such a blessing to have this time together. They left Sunday afternoon and Ella hated to see them go. She was pitiful waving bye and you could tell by her tone she was skeptical. She has continually asked about them since the days to come and if she could, would probably be counting the days until they return.

The Bad: Ella was diagnosed with vesicoureteral reflux when she was three months old. Simply put, this is a back flow of urine from the bladder into the ureter and possibly kidneys. Basically, she takes a daily antibiotic to prevent UTI's. We had a check up on Monday with our Urologist, Dr. Joseph at the Children's Hospital to check on progress. They ran two tests. 1. VCUG where they use a catheter to fill up her bladder and take Xrays of it as it empties. Ella did not appreciate this, I don't know of anyone who would. The hardest part for me was not only watching her cry in her discomfort, but the fact that she was looking at me as if she were wondering why I was allowing them to do this. My eyes welled up with HUGE crocodile tears. I had to turn my head and lay it on hers so as not to let her see me cry. I didn't figure that would be to comforting to her to see "mama" upset. Sometimes I don't feel strong enough to be a mother. 2. They did an ultrasound on her kidneys...not painful, not invasive, but cold and more importantly after she had been poked so pretty much anything at this point that required her laying on a table was just absolutely unacceptable in her eyes. Clearly, this was a stressful morning...Ella was violated, I was crying and Matt was sore from being so tense. The diagnosis, however, was good. The reflux has improved significantly and her kidneys look "fabulous". Dr. Joseph took her off of the antibiotic and now we'll see how she does. We go back in one year-only for an ultrasound. YEAH!!

The Ugly: Now as if Monday's debacle wasn't enough for little Miss Prissy to handle, today was her 18 month check up. You guessed it...SHOTS and they pricked her finger. Dr. LaTona said that for some reason this round of shots seems to have the worst reaction- GREAT!! As of now, she seems to be feeling very well. I think I speak for her as well when I say, "I've had enough!" She's been such a trooper and handled all of the poking, pricking, sticking, prodding, pressing, feeling and looking very well. I'm very proud of her and if I could've done it for her I would've. Anyway, she is 31 1/2 in. tall and 22 lbs. My little shorty is growing up!

Tag, I'm it!

All right, well I've been tagged by Laura, so now you get to know all things useless about Abby. I think that a little personal reflection could be fun, so here goes.

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?
I was 15 and in the spring semester of my sophomore year at Grissom High School in Huntsville, AL. I was one week away from a driver's license and counting down the days. I had just made Varsity cheerleading and was probably WAY more excited than I should've been, it was pretty much life!

2. 5 things on my to-do list today: (Which will actually be for tomorrow, seeing as how today is almost over).
1. Take Ella to the doctor. We have a check-up appt. with her urologist at the Children's hospital. She's having an ultrasound on her kidneys and VCUG, where they fill up her bladder and watch it as it empties. Yes, I'm dreading this, but hoping and praying that everything has cleared up. By the way, this is a common problem and nothing too serious, for those of you that were having a small freak out! The hardest part is keeping her still.
2. Pick up Ella's prescription.
3. Iron Matt's shirts for work this week. Yes, I realize it's already Monday, but he's taking the day off for Ella's appt.
4. VACUUM my house!!!!
5. Take back Juli's punch bowl that I borrowed from her for the baby shower this past weekend. And while I'm there I might as well squeeze and smell on Baby Luke for a little while. Ella will enjoy this one too!

3. 5 snacks I enjoy:
1. Fresh fruits and veggies. I could live off of these and probably be a vegetarian if Matt didn't mind, but I believe that the meat is his favorite part.
2. Mini white-powdered doughnuts. (Heated in the microwave for 8-10 seconds).
3. Peanut butter and marshmallow toast...don't knock it until you've tried it. I've been eating this since I was a little girl. I believe my mother could live off of it.
4. Those chocolate turtle candies that come individually wrapped in the pink bag at Valentine's Day.
5. Cereal. No kind in particular really. I don't like it for breakfast because I don't get full, but it makes a great midnight snack! Mmmmm, maybe I'll have that in a minute!

4. 5 things I would do if I were a billionaire: (That's a lot of money for only 5 things, so we'll see.)
1. I'd tithe. Not only to my church, but other's as well. There's really no sense in being a billionaire if you can't use it for the greater good.
2. I'd give to the Children's hospital, Children's Miracle Network, autism research, etc. I have a true heart for children, I always have. There's something about kids that is so innocent and sweet, I hate that any of them ever have to suffer. It makes my compassion double that they can't do for themselves. And my heart aches for the parents who can't do anything for them.
3. I'd save and invest. I know close to nothing about this, but I guess if I had a billion dollars I could pay someone to do it for me!
4. I'd put money away for Ella's education, college, wedding and just her future in general. I'd also have lots more kids (Lord willing) because I would be able to afford it.
5. I'd buy some land where Matt could hunt and where we could build our dream house. (And where our families could also build houses so they could see Ella whenever they wanted).
a. I'd buy Matt a Matthew's bow. Apparently, they're like one of the best there is and he really wants one. He sacrifices so much for Ella and me I'd want him to have a "prize" as well.
b. Of course I'd need to furnish and decorate our new home!
c. And, a little shopping would be in order. You can't very well have massive closets if you can't fill them up.

5. 5 bad habits:
1. BITING MY NAILS! Not just a little either. I'm no stranger to throbbing fingers!
2. Procrastination. Only if it's something that I don't really want to do. If I'm looking forward to it then I'm "Johnny on the spot."
3. I don't mask my emotions very well. If something's wrong-you know it!! I think you can read my expressions like a book. And, I have no control of what comes out of my mouth. I don't mean for things to come out wrong...sometimes they just do.
4. I can watch the same movie over and over again. Matt hates this. I can't tell you how many times I've heard, "Haven't you seen this already?" In response, "Yes, but I love it equally every time!" Just because I can speak along with the actors doesn't mean I shouldn't see it again.
5. I'm slightly sensitive and I wear my heart on my sleeve. Matt can atest to this. He often says something that I will completely blow out of proportion and get my feelings hurt about. He has no idea that he's done it and it was in no way his intention, but he also has that, "it sounded better in my head" syndrome. I also can cry at commercials. Yep, 45 seconds, that's about as long as it takes for me to get emotionally connected.

6. 5 places I've lived:
1. Birmingham, AL. I was born here and we live here now.
2. South Bend, IN. After I was born, we moved here and lived for the next six years. I don't remember much about it. There was massive amounts of snow and it was extremely cold.
3. Milwaukee, WI. We lived here when I was a kid after Indiana. We only stayed for a year. It was even colder. My mother threatened my father to take her back "home" (In a very Godly woman kind of way, I'm sure).
4. Auburn, AL. I lived here and attended Auburn University for four years. This is where I met my husband and I couldn't have loved it more! If given the opportunity we'd move back there in a heart beat.
5. Nashville, TN. Matt and I moved there two weeks after we were married and stayed for two years. We loved it here (though he was not a fan of the traffic!) We had wonderful friends, good times and grew so much as a newly married couple.

7. 5 jobs I've had: (These are slim pickings! I can tell you right now I won't make it to 5.)
1. Intern at some Marketing and Sales company in Huntsville that I can't remember the name of. My dad set this up when I was home one summer from Auburn. You could hardly call it an internship...I basically answered phones, stapled stuff and did some paper work. Intriguing, I know. And, oddly enough I didn't even learn anything about my major.
2. PR intern at Auburn Parks and Rec. under Ali. It was A LOT of fun, I loved it. I got to work with some really wonderful people.
3. Store manager at Abercrombie and Fitch. I worked here for the two years we were in Nashville. I met a lot of famous and interesting people and made some life-long friends. It wasn't anything I ever planned on doing, however, I look back on it with fond memories and I'm thankful for the opportunity, but I would never go back.
4. Mother. This is by far the best and most rewarding job I've ever had. I always wanted to do it, but I didn't know how much I would enjoy it. I'm so thankful for this opportunity that the Lord has given me stay at home to teach Ella and help shape her heart. What a HUGE responsibility! I've never prayed so much!! It's amazing to me how He used her to draw me closer to him. I understand so much more about his love for His children after having one of my own.
5. Apparently, I'm also "Ask Jeeves." Matt's always asking me, "Where is my box of turkey calls?", "Have you seen my wallet?", "Where is my cell phone?", "Are we out of milk?", "Do I have any clean jeans?", "Where are the allen wrenches?" (Ummm, I don't even know what an allen wrench is much less where it might be hiding). I actually do enjoy this as well, provided I can answer his question, it makes me feel like he needs me. Well, I guess I did make it to 5!

8. Tag, you're it! You know you want too!
1. Lauren Beck
2. Courtney Baxley
3. Denise Nichols
4. Natalie Roe

Happy Birthday, Luke!

We are pleased to announce the arrival of Luke Daniel Colson, my newest cousin (Ella's 2nd cousin), into the world! He is the 6th child in his family, so there is a small army that loves him already and that is very eager to help take care of him. He was born around 3 pm and weighed in at 6lb. 13 oz. and was 20 in. long, what a precious!! Ella LOVED him and she was so sweet! Here she is kissing him on his tiny head. What a big girl I have, I didn't know how grown she looks until I saw her next to Luke. Matt told me not to get any ideas while I was holding him, BUT IT'S SO HARD when you're holding one so new. It was bittersweet, holding him while remembering her at that time. It seems as if it were just yesterday.Ella wasn't threatened or the least bit jealous at my holding him, I was actually a little surprised, but very proud of her. Matt put her up in the chair, as she was beaming up at me with her eyes wide open in amazement, and she gently came toward him with her lips puckered. As you can see she just kissed him repeatedly and would pat him occasionally. She was in awe and for good reason! (Notice the bow!!)
Once she realized, that though he was wonderful, he still wasn't going to do much of anything else other than lay there, she got down. But she would periodically come back over and sniff of his head, she was still intrigued. She would, however, sniff him and call him "stinty" (stinky). She wasn't being rude or mean...anything that smells good or bad is stinty, just to clarify. Obviously, babies are the single most best smelling things in the world. And you better believe I got my share of sniffs as well. So, congratulations Juli, Scott, John Edward, Hannah, Patrick, Mia and Elissa!! And thank you Jesus for another wonderful and healthy blessing to our growing family!

The Great Outdoors

What a wonderful day! We had such a great time outside with our sweet daddy on Sunday afternoon. The weekend, for the most part, was stormy and rainy, so when the sun peered its wonderful self yesterday we didn't hesitate to enjoy it!! Here's some pics from our eventful afternoon... Ella looking over the bridge above the pond behind our house.

Mommy and Ella still throwing rocks and watching the fish swim beneath us.

Ella making sure we were paying attention to the waller (water)!

Getting some sweet love by the waterfall! These ARE the moments!!

The azaleas are in bloom, who could resist?

You can't see me, but I'm making "fish" faces and she's so tickled!

Lovin' on Daddy...Ella loves to kiss, I believe this is one of the very first things that I taught her to do. I'm very affectionate and it was important that I could get love and kisses from her whenever I need it! Thank you Jesus for my sweet family!!!

Ella's walking around carrying a fishing pole. As you can see, it doesn't have to be in the water, just in her hands. By the way, her overalls are neither too small nor too short. They are actually capri's, but we have short legs (can't imagine where she acquired those) so they are a little bit too long...last year they made great pants!

Next, Ella and daddy washed mommy's car!! Thank you both, it looks fabulous! And yes, Ella has pants and bathing suits, but she was knee deep in the bucket before I could even do anything, so I just took off the overalls and let her have at it.

"Workin' at the car wash!" Check out those curls!!

Well, ran out of soap, back to the bucket...it's WAY more fun!

Who knew washing a car could be so much fun!?! Remember when it was a chore? Now, it's just another chance for a photo op! This concludes our "redneck bath", hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!!

The Mad Hatter, but not!

I couldn't figure out at first why I was having so much trouble getting Ella to wear a bow, and why she would all but request a hat. I mean what's the difference? They both go on your head and actually a bow is much lighter and I would think much less noticeable. Then, my wise and most helpful mother brought it to my attention that I don't wear bows and Matt doesn't wear bows, so why would Ella want to wear a bow...but Matt wears a hat (most frequently I might add). And therefore, so does Ella. She loves modeling hats for us and we just wanted to share some of our most recent "hat" moments....Let me preface with this one. Ella was about six months old here and was beginning to learn how to put a hat on all by herself. This was clearly before our head was big enough to hold it up. But, War Eagle anyway!

...Now that fits a little better. This is one of Matt's baseball caps from when he played at Coker. Yes, she put it on all by herself. And she looks stunning if I do say so myself. ...we got this one for Christmas from Uncle Zach. Sure, she looks a bit like a Russian soldier, but it keeps our head warm and it feels nice!!

...Ella and daddy are going outside to walk around and collect some rocks for mommy, like we like to do. It's crazy all the places throughout the house you can now find them!! At least she's thinking of me.

...This is obviously one of those "freebie" hats. You can't tell from this view, but you could do some serious ironing on the bill of this hat it's so flat. I don't know where she found it, but she knew she wanted to wear it.

...I did manage to get her to wear this bow long enough to at least get a picture of it.
...And this is her handing it back to me!