Our walk Today...

Anson has been watching a little bunch of wild daffodils from our window for a few days now. I kept telling him that we needed to wait until the sun made them grow bigger before we could pick them. Today as we ate lunch, the sun peeked out and Anson said, "Yea! The sun make daffodils grow big! Lets go pick them!" So we did! Then we took our walk and collected a plethora of other treasures along the way. We ended up with: one magnolia seed pod, one red camellia that had fallen off a tree, one pine cone, and twenty-three dandelions! We had to discard four or five big sticks that Anson "needed" for his "work". What is it with boys and sticks anyway? :o) And Ella just enjoyed the ride, sucking her thumb and first finger alternately. I think she's working on some teeth.

It is so much fun being a Mom!

Quickie...

Yesterday on our walk, Anson was sitting in the front seat of the double stroller and Ella was sitting up behind him. (I'll add a side note here... Anson waves to every car that drives by and they usually wave back! Then he tells me, "Hurry up Mommy, there's a car coming!") Well, Ella coughed or sneezed and I didn't think a thing of it, But Anson turned around and asked "You OK back there, Missy Ella?"

Then later in the afternoon I realized that it was really quiet in the house...I get a little worried when he is very quiet because usually he's doing something questionable. I found him in his room playing at his little table with some playdoh. He had his trucks and cars all lined up around the table and was making them run through the playdoh. When he noticed me watching him he said, "Mommy, go do something for Daddy!" OBVIOUSLY, he did not want to be bothered! Well, after a little chat about not talking to Mommy that way, I let him get back to "doing his work" which is what he said he was doing! Hey, what is a little playdoh mess when he's quiet and willing to play on his own??

Lastly, today Anson memorized the verse "The Lord is my light and my salvation"! We started memorizing together at breakfast everyday and he really remembers them! He's better than I am.

Droolin', and Smilin', and Sittin', and Rollin'

Ella is enjoying having her brace off! She has just learned to turn over from back to front...and almost back again! She really enjoys the exersaucer and sitting up so she can see what's going on! She's nosy like her mother! Anson loves to help her and be near her while she's playing. what a great big bro!

We had a quiet weekend. We did not even leave the house on Sunday! We watched our church service on the internet and enjoyed having Church at "St. Matress by the Springs"! :o) Dusty has been traveling so much this month that it was fun to have a "home" day. He's home for a while now, which is great! The other night at dinner, Anson interupted my prayer to say "And Thank you Daddy coming home tonight...help him drive careful!...Amen" What a kid.

I started making Ella's Baptism dress and I think it is going to come out fine. I wasn't sure of my dress-making abilities but I think I can pull it off!

Well, here are some recent pics...Have a great day!

The Adventures of Super Pig!

I just HAVE to write about Anson's favorite book! A year ago Auntie Amy gave Anson The Adventures of Super Pig for Christmas. Amy works at Wycliffe Bible Translators in Orlando, FL and one of her friends and co-workers, Roxanna Andrews, is a gifted writer. She has just finished her second Super Pig book, Super Pig to the Rescue! and it is for sale on a couple different websites listed below. Anson loves the characters and illustrations and each little chapter ends with a scripture passage that sums up the story. They are such great books for kids of all ages, so check them out!
Thank you, Roxanna, for entertaining and teaching us with your adorable stories! God has really gifted you!

www.AuthorsToBelieveIn.com - Scroll down and look for Super Pig to the Rescue in the New Releases - also read Roxanna's Bio there!
www.Amazon.com - search by title or author

Our American Soldier

We just got back from an overnight trip to Columbia, SC to see Gavin graduate from basic training in the Army National Guard! Congratulations Gavin! We are so proud of you! He really worked hard and it was so great to be there for his graduation. Anson really enjoyed seeing all the soldiers marching around and the "big, big, brown helicopter and tank" that were on base. Here are a couple pics from the trip... Anson says that he is going to be in the Army like Uncle Gavin. We'll see!

Ella had fun too! She just enjoyed being held by everyone and NOT having to wear her brace!

Freedom!!

Our Orthopaedist called me this evening after reading the results of Ella's ultrasound and he said she could go to just nights now! Yea!!!! We go for one last check-up in six weeks and this whole ordeal will be behind us! He continues to assure us that the hip is healing/growing properly and that there should be no long term problems. So six more weeks of wearing the harness at night time and then it's done. This means that she can finally wear all those cute little clothes and shoes again, that she can learn to roll over and scoot and sit up... Freedom! Yea Ella! We thank the Lord that our Pediatrician found the problem and that it was easily solved.

We are leaving early in the morning to go to Columbia, SC to see Uncle Gavin (Dusty's youngest brother) graduate from basic training in the Army National Guard! He has worked so hard and we look forward to celebrating with him! Anson is excited to see Gavin in his uniform. I just gave Anson a buzz cut and packed a camo outfit for the occasion so he could be like Uncle Gavin in the Army! Hopefully I can get a good shot of the two of them and post it this weekend...

Funny Story...
Today we said a quick prayer in the car as we headed to the store and I said "Anson, we can pray to God anytime and He always listens!" Anson thought for a minute then said "Mommy, we pray ONLY to GOD, NOT to idols"! Every night, since he was six months old, we read a few pages in his Bible our Pastor gave him when he was dedicated. One of the stories is when Aaron made and idol while waiting for Moses. Well, Anson remembered! Everything we read sinks in! What an encouragement as a mother to start seeing fruits of labor!

2 Timothy 3:15 - 16
"...from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to
give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ
Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching,
for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness."

Ella, Baby!!

When someone asks Anson what his baby sister's name is he says "Ella Baby"! He came up with that on his own and we though it was cute! Ella finally had her 3rd ultrasound today. She cried for most of it but I think I would have too! Two different doctor's came in to make sure the images were coming out right since this was a "re-take" on their dime. They both said that the hip looked secure in the socket and that the brace was definitely doing its job! So tomorrow when our doctor gets the results, we'll find out how much longer she'll need to wear the harness. We're ready to be done with it!

Anson went with us to the hospital this time. I was a little worried about how he would behave (because the appointment was at 1:00 - naptime!!) but he did a great job! They turned on a TV for him to watch and he sat there "glued" to Clifford! It was a real treat since we still don't have a TV. Don't get me wrong though, we watch movies and TV shows on the internet. And Anson watches DVD's on a small portable player in his room. Some of his favorites are Veggie Tales, Boz the Green Bear, and Hermie. Gramma and Papa Camp keep us stocked up on DVD's! He usually watches one in the morning while I get ready, then he's off to other things.

As you can tell by this little video clip, Anson loves entertaining Ella! He is always really sweet to her. The other day she was getting fussy around dinner time so he went to her room and got her a toy! And it worked!! When he talks to people on the phone now, he'll say "Hi! What are you doing?" And he is starting to sing along with music now! I see so much growth in him every day now! He's physically growing too, as today I noticed that his 3T jeans look like high water pants! Yes, he looked a little nerdy so I guess we better go shopping! You know how much I HATE to shop! (wink, wink) ;o)

Well, as always, we'll keep you posted on Ella Baby. Thanks for reading!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Anson made a cute valentine's card for me at church today and greeted me with "Happy Valentine's Day, Mommy!" when I came back to get him. How cute! His teacher told them to say it and he was the only one who remembered! He does have a good memory so I always have to be careful if I tell him we're going to do something! Sometimes he reminds me to do my things!!!

Yesterday I bought Anson his first painting set and he LOVES it! He woke up at 6:30 this morning asking if he could paint! I was a little less excited than he was at that hour so I made him wait until after we got home from Bible Study. But at least he likes it. Here are his first two pictures...

Ella's ultrasound is scheduled for Monday the 17th. By the time we get the results she'll have worn the harness for 9 weeks straight! We had planned on 6 weeks... Oh well. Maybe she can get out of it sooner. She hasn't been able to wear any of her 3-6 month clothes and now I'm sure she's outgrown them! I'm going to attempt to make her a christening gown for her dedication on March 9th. It will be very simple because that's all I can do! So we'll see how it comes out!

Dusty loves watching Chef Gordon Ramsey (except for his language!!!) so I am making a roast saddle of lamb from his cook book for Valentines Day for Dusty. It will be interesting, to say the least!! The hardest part is finding a saddle of lamb to cook! I'm on my way to a farmers market and Whole Foods to hunt one down. If it comes out looking good, I'll post a picture!

Well, have a happy day! We Love U!

"Gesus" Loves Me!

If you can't make out the words through all his wiggles, Anson has just learned all the words to Jesus Loves Me! He loves to sing, although I think he gets his musical ear from his father! Oh well... all the Bible says is to make a joyful noise and he's good at making noise!!
In the video, Anson is eating a special lollipop from "Toto" (Dusty's Mom) for Valentines Day. He got two special packages in the mail... one from each grandparent and he was so excited!!Thanks Gramma and Papa and Toto and Pop!
Ella has to have a second ultrasound this week to get more shots of her left hip without the harness so we'll keep you posted there.
Oh, Dusty and I got to go on a Date Night Saturday night! Aunt Megan came and stayed with the kids and we went out to dinner! It was so nice to go out without anyone hollering in the back seat or trying to eat my food! We had a great time!
Sunday I had nursery duty at church and I was in Anson's class. It was so much fun to see him with the other kids his age! For the most part, he listens very well. We are working on "listening and obeying" so it was fun to see him in action. Sunday afternoon we went to Piedmont Park downtown to feed the ducks and fish. And acording to Anson, "We fed the ducks and fishies, and sharks and whales too!"
The weather was great today so we took another long walk. I'm trying to get back into shape after the holidays. If I didn't like food so much it would be a lot easier! Any tips?

Happy Friday!

Well, today Dusty took Anson to the zoo while I took Ella shopping and we all had a great time! Anson LOVES seeing all the animals and riding the train. When they came home he had so many stories to tell Ella and I. His favorite thing today was "touching a pig's tummy"! We are very fortunate to have the Atlanta Zoo literally in our neighborhood! We now have a pass so we can go any time.

Ella is really growing fast! I don't know the facts about how much a person's personality is formed by 5 months, but she seems to be really laid back and just as sweet as can be! In the thumb-sucking picture above, she was patiently waiting for Anson to finish eating so I could feed her. She fussed for a second then just started sucking her thumb, as if to say "OK, this will do for now". As you can tell, she doesn't miss many meals!

I talked to her orthopaedist yesterday and he didn't think the ultrasound technicians had taken the right pictures! (They were more interested in talking about what they were going to have for lunch, I guess) So we're still waiting to hear... in the mean time she's still wearing the harness
24/7. Oh well. Well have a great weekend!

Not much new...

There is not much new happening here. Still waiting to hear from Ella's Orthopaedist about the harness. They did not get the ultrasound results until yesterday so he should be reading them today and letting us know how to proceed.

Yesterday we went on a long walk and Anson saw an airplane flying low overhead. He looked up and shouted, "Hey airplane, where you going today? Florida?" He's really into airplanes and going to see them at the airport ( a favorite past time for he and Daddy). He is also convinced that there are sharks in his room and they are going to get him at night! Like I said earlier, he has an active imagination! I think we will hold off on the trip to the aquarium for now!

Well, I can hear Anson waking up from his nap so I'd better go...

If I could talk to the animals...

Yesterday the sun came out for a little while so I scooted Anson out the door for some fresh air while Ella napped. He had a collection of acorns in his tricycle basket and was having fun putting them in a bucket and then counting them. I went inside to check on Ella for a minute (don't worry... our gate was closed and locked!!) When I came back out I could hear the end of a conversation... "And when Daddy gets home from Florida, we're going to the airport to see the BIG airplanes, squirrel!" He was talking to a little squirrel, who was happily listening from the edge of our gutter! I just had to laugh! He just looked up and smiled and said, "I talkin' to squirrel, mommy!" What a kid. He is so much fun and has so much energy. Sometimes I wish he didn't have quite THAT much but it's better than having a bump on a log, I guess. Here is a cute poem I just read that will inspire any mother of boys or girls, no matter what age:

Now is the time to get things done...
wade in the water,
sit in the sun,
squish my toes in the mud by the door,
Explore the world in a boy just four.

Now is the time to study books,
flowers,
snails,
how a cloud looks,
to ponder "up" where God sleeps nights
why mosquitoes take such big bites.

Later there'll be time to sew and clean,
paint the hall that soft new green,
to make new drapes, re-finish the floor,
Later on... when he's not just four.
(Time is of the Essence By Irene Foster)

Have a great Weekend!