Happy Birthday Ella!

Almost 2!

1 Year Old

1 Week Old

Happy Birthday Ella!! We can't believe that she is two already! She is such a sweet little girl with such a fun spirit. We are very proud of her and know that God has such special plans for her life! Have a happy birthday, little princess! We love you!

My Labor of Labor Day

Dusty and I thought that it was finally time to have living room curtains! We've only lived here 5 years! So I went to the fabric store on Saturday morning and bought the fabric and cut out the curtains. I sewed one pair on Saturday and the other two today! Anson helped me hang the curtain rods and Ella even helped me sew a little this morning! She likes to press the foot pedal! I think it gives our living room a warmer feel to have curtains and not just the blinds.

Today Anson helped me fold the clothes - on his own volition! And then later informed me that he would like "Subway" sandwiches for dinner with all the "gredients"! Ella told me today that she saw "two owls tee" which means two owls in the tree, and prayed for Mommy's baby at bedtime. How sweet! This was after she had to be spanked twice at dinner for standing in her chair and throwing her food! :o) Ah, the give and take! The picture above is Anson and Ella with bubble beards in the tub...

We're a Minivan Family Now!

Here is the new addition to our family! It's not brand new but it is new to us... and it is paid for! How much better could it get? We have been looking online for a couple months so we knew what we wanted. And after riding in Jared and Brittany's and Chad and Amber's Siennas, we just had to go get one for ourself. The paint combo matches our Lexus car exactly so now we have a matched pair just like Jared and Brittany! :o) Anson and Ella love it too. So now we are ready for baby #3.
And speaking of baby #3, we find out on September 15th wether it is a boy or a girl so we can start calling them by their name! I am so excited to find out!

Florida Fun

Ella helped Gramma with the dishes!
Blowing (or dumping out!) bubbles at Amy's house

Anson and "buddy" the frog at Amy's house

Ella, James, and Charlotte - cousins!

At Silver Springs

Silver Springs - the water looked blue it was so clear!

The girls in their matching dresses taking a ride in PaPaw's wheelchair

Big ol' gator at Silver Springs

Tired Baby James

Tired Charlotte

Tired Ella

Tired Toto!! :o)

We just got back from a very fun trip to Florida! The kids and I went down last Friday and spent a week in DeLand with my parents. We went to visit Auntie Amy, did a lot of swimming in Gramma and Papa's pool, roamed around DeLand, did some shopping, and got to rest too! Anson enjoyed going to the barber shop with his Papa and then going for a treat at the doughnut shop! Dusty flew into Jacksonville on Thursday and we were soooooo happy to see him! He had been in New Jersey for two weeks with one of his painting crews. We are so thankful that he usually doesn't have to travel because none of us enjoyed having him gone! On Friday we went to Melrose to see all the Rollins'! Jared, Brittany, and Charlotte (and baby Naomi, still in utero!) cam Friday also and we all enjoyed visiting. Ella and Charlotte are so cute together. They walked around hugging and holding hands! Then bright and early Saturday morning (really, 5:45 am is pretty early!) Chad and Amber joined us and we all went tubing down the Itchatukcnee River! It was a such a beautiful day and we all had a lot of fun. Ella and Charlotte stayed home with Charlotte's grandma but Anson came and had a fun time! We all rented rafts instead of tubes because the spring water was freezing cold! But the scenery was gorgeous! I wish I could have taken pictures. We saw turtles, ducks, cormorants, and even saw an osprey dive down and catch a fish! Then we ate lunch in Lake City and went to see Chad and Amber's new house and office! They plan to move there in a month to be close to Chad's new office. When we got back to Melrose, all the guys played a soccer game and exhausted themselves. Anson was so proud to be included in the soccer game this time! He is really growing up!

Then on Sunday morning we all went to Silver Springs park! Silver Springs is home to the famous glass-bottomed boats. We took a couple boat tours over the Silver River and saw lots of fish, birds, and turtles and even a few gators. We went to a couple shows where Anson was not shy to ask questions! In the reptile show he asked the man "What do alligators say?" and he proceeded to make a pretty large alligator hiss unhappily! It was great! And then in the snake show he raised his hand and said "That sure is a beautiful yellow snake!"... more of a comment than a question but that's OK! :o)

Then on Monday morning we headed back to Atlanta, and here we are! Now I need to go through all the pics I took and find a few to post here!

16 Weeks!

Yesterday I turned 16 weeks pregnant and it seems like my tummy just popped right out there! I am still tired every afternoon but not as bad as a few weeks ago. Other than that, I have been blessed with another smooth pregnancy! Anson noticed my belly getting bigger and the other night when I was tucking him into bed we had this dialogue:

"Mommy, your baby is really getting bigger! Is it a boy or a girl?"

"I don't know yet... only God knows right now!"

Anson to God: "God, is it a boy or a girl?" *pregnant pause*

"Yes! God told me it's a boy! I'm so excited we're having a boy!!"

So there you have it! God told Anson it's a boy! We will know in a few weeks! :o)

I Love Daddy!

Ella loves her Daddy! Could you tell? :o)

Yummy Krispy Kreme!

Yesterday we went to the Krispy Kreme "factory" for a treat! There is a big window where you can watch the doughnuts get made by a huge automated machine. Pretty interesting. Although the kids favorite part was eating a sprinkle covered doughnut and sharing Mommy's orange freeze! (That was Anson's idea to get another straw and have Daddy take our picture! Can you see his arm around me? So sweet. :o)

Crabs or Frogs anyone?

Today we ate at our favorite Malaysian restaurant, Penang. We are going to have to start ordering more food because Anson and Ella both like it now! They both love the satay chicken and roti canai, and of course the pulut hitam (sweet black rice with hot coconut milk) for dessert. After eating there, it is our tradition to go to the Asian market next door to see the sights. They have pigs and ducks hanging in a case by the front door! Then in the back they have all the fresh seafood... catfish and tilapia swimming in tanks, live blue crabs in a stainless steel tub, snails in a plastic bucket, and our favorite (which we saw for the first time today)... "lide frogs!" Gotta love the asian art of spelling words how they pronounce them... I think they meant "live frogs". :o)

Ella was a little grossed out by the crabs at first (or was it the overall putrid smell of the seafood section?) But she and Anson love going there so we continue the tradition!

Here are a few pics we took on Dusty's phone...

Questions, Questions, Questions

Anson is full of questions! All day, every day, 365 days a year! From the time he wakes up until I close his door at night, he does not stop talking! I am very thankful for this (most of the time :o) because I never have to wonder what he is thinking about. But other times, I am shameful to admit, I tire of the questions! Don't worry, I try my best to answer each one and when I don't know, I use my stock answer of "Because that's how God made it!"

Here is a sample of recent questions:

Why are Brachiosaurus' so tall?

Why does that man have a hat on?

Why do Moose's like to live in Canada?

Can we go to Antarctica? (Well, Uncle Jared, you have at least ONE taker on that trip! :o)

When can we go to Heaven?

Why can't I hear God talk?

Are they calling for rain today?

How did the baby get into your tummy? (Go ask Daddy!)

Other recent musings, not necessarily questions:

Look, Mommy! I'm so excited! That lady must be having a new baby too! Look at her big tummy! (said in a loud whisper in reference to a rather large woman behind us in line!)

I think you just went through a red light!

That car broke God's rules and now they have to pay a ticket! (someone pulled over by the police)

When I am 16 years old I am going to go to work with Daddy everyday!

Mommy! I just ran all the way to the fence and back in 2 days! Do I get a trophy?

We are thankful for our inquisitive little guy! :o)

Puddle Jumper

Wouldn't it be nice to take time to jump in puddles? If there is water anywhere, Ella will find it! First she stomped in the puddle... then she splashed in it with her hands... then she sat right in it... finally she took off her shoes to experience it fully! What a funny girl! Then, of course, came the bath!