Christmas and a New Year!

Happy New Year! Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! We had so much fun in Florida visiting both grandparents and meeting Anson and Ella's new cousin Charlotte! Dusty's brother Jared and Brittany welcomed Charlotte Michelle on Nov. 18th and she is a cutie! Anson had so much fun and was so much fun to watch as he opened up presents and appreciated each one! He helped Ella open her presents too!

Ella had her four month appointment today! I can't believe that she is 4 months old already!! She now weighs 14 lbs 10 oz! She has been wearing her hip harness for 5 weeks now and has 1 week left of wearing it 24/7! It took her a few days to get used to it but after that she's been fine. She's a real trooper! Her orthopaedist says it was only a slight case of hip displaysia and that wearing the "Pavlik Harness" would cure her and she should have no ongoing problems. Next week she goes for the second ultrasound and after that she only has to wear the harness at night for another 6 weeks. That means she can actually wear real clothes again! I have had to dress her in onesies that she can wear under her harness and dresses that button that go over it. She could not wear any pants because then I couldn't change her diaper. It has been an ordeal but it's almost over and we're thankful for the outcome! She is such a sweet baby who smiles a lot and is beginning to laugh! She loves watching Anson! She can now hold toys and puts them right in her mouth. She also sucks her thumb which is quite cute! She only does it when she's tired or hungry.

Anson is communicating better everyday! He understands so much and doesn't forget a thing! Here is a great story... this happenned last week:

He has a little blue elephant that Gramma Camp gave him before he was born and he LOVES it. He sleeps with it, eats with it, and wants to take him everywhere! Well I finally gave in and let him bring elephant into Target with us. When we were getting back into the car I noticed we didn't have elephant! I asked Anson and of course he didn't remember dropping him. We searched the whole store and couldn't find him. Anson was about to cry because we couldn't leave the store without finding elephant! So we prayed that Jesus would help us find elephant. We then found a Target employee with a walkie-talkie who reported it as lost and asked all the employees to keep an eye out. Then we went home with no elephant.

Dusty and I tried to keep his mind off of losing elephant so we took him to the zoo that afternoon. He had the best time seeing all the animals! But, in the car on the way home I heard Anson saying something so I turned around and noticed he had his hands folded and his eyes closed... He was praying "Dear Gesus (that's how he says Jesus! how cute!) please help us find elephant. Amen." He prayed all on his own! After hearing that, Dusty took him back to Target to try lost and found one more time. They came home with a new ball but NO elephant. Anson prayed again at bedtime that night that "Gesus" would help us find elephant and went to bed missing his buddy.

Well, the next morning Anson asked if we could go to Target to find elephant so I took him for one last chance. (In the mean time I had called my Mom in Florida and had her look for another one where she had bought the first one, looked online etc... no luck) As we were leaving the car to go into the store, Anson prayed again, all on his own! We walked up to the customer service desk and asked if anyone turned in a little blue elephant. After a brief check in the back, the lady brought out his little blue elephant!!!!!!! Anson and I were so happy.. he hugged him and shouted,with his face looking up "There's elephant!! Thank you Gesus!" I told the clerk that he had been praying to find him and she was so touched. He never gave up hope and just knew that we would find him! What a lesson in faith from my own two-year-old! So just keep praying and believe! Jesus does hear our prayers no matter how petty they seem! If he cares enough find a little boy's elephant in Target, how much more does he care for "the big stuff'!

Well, here are some updated pictures. More stories soon...