Gymnastics

Mommy and Me gymnastics turned into Sissy and Me gymnastics. Ashli insisted on doing class with Elli. I am not sure who had more fun Elli or Ashli? I received the ultimate compliment at class. Miss Heather said that I must have done something right raising my girls. She was very impressed with Ashli wanting to do gymnastics with Elli. I am very proud of my girls.

Getting ready for class

Stretching

Tunnel Time - The only time she cried.

Forward Roll

The Bars. Sissy's favorite!!

Good Job stamp from Miss Heather.

Elli had a blast playing in the block pit. A ton of foam blocks to jump in and throw around. Too far away for any good pictures though.

18-month check-up appt. is next week. More pictures and Elli updates coming soon.

Christmas is Over - Bring on 2011

Christmas is over and what a fun Christmas it was. I think Santa was good to everyone in our family. Elli had a blast opening presents although she really just wanted to play with the first thing she saw and had trouble moving onto to the next gift. We have had to do some major reorganization in the house to make room for all of the new toys. Ashli had to make room in her closet for some new clothes. Ali had to make room in her purse for her new phone and her nook.

Bring on the New Years Resolutions for 2011. I prefer to think of them as goals instead of resolutions. It makes me feel more accountable.

For me personally I think it might be time to join the workforce again. I have very mixed feelings about putting Elli in daycare but I know in the end we will make the right decision for our family. I have enjoyed being able to stay home with her and I am blessed to have been able to do so for as long as I have. So for right now I am just in the process of finding the right job fit for me and for our family and I just have to hope that the rest falls into place.
I also have to get back into going to the gym again. The stress of the holidays along with a member of the family being sick almost every single day in December caused me to miss out on my gym time and I miss it.
My only other goal for 2011 is to be happy and content. I have a beautiful, happy and healthy family and I know that I am truly blessed.

A little glimpse of how much our lives have changed since 2008.

Christmas 2008

Christmas 2009

Christmas 2010

Fun in the Snow

We have had so much snow here in Indy lately however the temperatures have been so brutal that we have not really been able to go outside and play in the snow. Well, Elli got a new snowsuit for Christmas and the temperatures were decent so today we played.

We went swinging.

And built a snowman.

And looked cute in the snow!

Only 4 days till Christmas Eve. Are you ready?

Way too long

It has been entirely too long since I last posted. No excuses from me either. I just wasn't really sure if anyone really paid any attention to the blog anymore. I really have missed updating so I think Iwill start it up again.

Elli is now 16 months old and we call her Hurricane Elli. She is into anything and everything and when she is not into something she is climbing on something. My little brother was a climber so we also call Elli "little Chad".

She is such a happy little girl and is very much becoming an independent little toddler. She still does not say too many words that we can actually understand but she does have a lot to say.

We got about 3-4" of snow around here yesterday and it was perfect for our little hometown Christmas parade. Here are some pictures of the kids and us in the snow yesterday. Ashli is doing well and as always keeps us entertained. Her latest obsesssion is with elephants. She sat on Santas lap and told him she wanted an elephant for Christmas. He asked her how he was supposed to get that down the chimney. Her response...Oh don't worry you can just leave it in the back yard. :) That is my little Ashli Anne.

Ali is also doing well. She got a new job and is going to be making more money with better hours. We could not be more proud of her right now!!

Enjoy some snowy pictures!

Elli says GO COLTS!!!

READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL

First Trip to the Beach

Poor Ashli Anne

Ashli Anne is feeling neglected and thinks I only blog about Elli. Well for the most part I do blog about Elli because Elli changes daily and does so many new things and everything for her is a seemingly new adventure.

Oh wait...we were talking about Ashli weren't we. Just kidding Ash. Love you.

Ashli started out her 8th grade school year as a famous rock star since her on stage debut with Justin Bieber. I am relatively certain she was the envy of almost every single 13 year old girl.

She also started her 8th grade school year vowing to be drama free the entire school year. How long do you think that lasted. Mmm...maybe 2 days. Of course it is hard to see your child hurting and I would do anything in my power to take away any pain that any of my children could endure but it seems that these little bouts with drama really do seem to work themselves out and in the end make her a stronger and self sufficient young lady.

I am proud of Ashli for her ability to push through the difficult times and see the good in all situations.

There are times when Ashli is very mature for her young 13 years and then there are times when she still acts like she is 2. I love that she still tries to climb on my lap and be cuddled and I love that she is jealous of Elli but in a fun loving kind of hilarious way. I also love that she has such a big heart.

Little Stinker

Our happy baby girl. Yeah yeah yeah, I know she is technically a toddler now. But she is still very much a baby to us. I don't think I have ever seen a baby as happy as she is. She is just all smiles most of the time.

Lovin her cheese sticks at dinner.

Little Stinker!!

13 Months

Yep I am late with this update. I cannot believe that Elli is 13 months old. I ckannot for the life of me think of anything that does not make this baby smile and giggle. She is so happy. New things this month: She is running. Yes. Running. When she sees or hears something that she wants she chases it full speed ahead. She has 5 teeth. She absolutely loves animals. She loves the horses and waves to them when she sees them outside. I also think she says Hi Horsey. But I think that might be my imagination. She chases George (the Rooster), she chases Murray (our dog) around with her mouth wide open to give him kisses. He is a grumpy old man though and he is not pleased with her kisses. She loves bike rides and golf cart rides around the farm and is happiest when she is outside. When we open the door to let Murray out to go to the bathroom sometimes

Elli beats him outside.

Elli is a handful of busy and brings so much happiness and laughter to our entire family. Her big sister had her first day of school today and she said she missed Elli's face and she is going to sneak her into her book bag!

Night Out on the Town

We spent some time in Robinson last weekend. One last travel weekend before school starts.

Just wondering if you notice a theme to these pictures?

NO KIDS.

Grandma and Grandpa watched the kids and we were lucky enough to hang out at the Hollywood Bar in Robinson, Illinois. We stayed for a while and ended up at the Main Street Pub. I think we went bar hopping since we went to more than one bar in one night. Right?? :) So here you go...a bunch of silly pictures of us adults trying to be kids again.