Merry Christmas!

Even though we're still on our Christmas vacation, I thought I'd do a quick update and say Merry Christmas to everyone and I hope that you all had a fun Christmas day! This year we got to be with our family in Utah for Christmas and then we're going to do visit our California family on New Year's Eve for about a week. We're so lucky that Ryan has so much time off from his residency and that Ella is still free to fly!

Ella, Ryan and Ryan's mom


Ryan's dad has a train under their Christmas tree that Ella is OBSESSED with--she even says goodbye to it when we leave or when she goes to bed at night.


On Christmas Eve, every year all of Ryan's mom's side gets together. It's gotten to be so many people now that we have to use the church that's right next door to Ryan's parent's house. It's really nice to be at the church and have all the room to let the kids run around.


Another tradition on Christmas Eve is playing Christmas music on the chimes. It's really fun and everyone loves it but don't forget to bring the Advil!


We also always play the Candy Bar game on Christmas Eve. Two seperate dice go around the circle and if you roll a 1 or a 6, you get to pick a candy bar from the stash in the middle. Ella had a really hard time choosing her treat.


Christmas morning Ella didn't wake up until 10:00! We were all waiting around for her to get up and open up her presents.

Ella was so funny cuz she LOVED opening up like the first 2 or 3 presents but then she just wanted to play with what she opened. She was kinda bugged that we kept making her open up more presents.

The art of the tantrum

I've never really been one of those moms whose thought their child was advanced in every way but I'm here to say that Ella is quite advanced in one specific way.  She's only 22 months and yet she has practically perfected the art of the tantrum.  I actually don't know if this is  "advanced" or not, but I just figured that these tantrums wouldn't show their ugly face until she was two...thus, the "terrible twos".  Nonetheless the tantrums are here.  It's actually kinda funny to witness (when I'm in the right mood.)  Anything can set it off from putting a lid on her sippy cup to not letting her take her mac 'n cheese in my room.  Before you know it, full blown tantrum. It starts with the most pathetic face she can muster up, sometimes she'll like run into a wall or something to really let me know that she's upset, but then it usually ends up with her face down on the floor with arms and legs all about.  Kinda like this:

I'm really hoping that this is just a stage and that we're not going to have a 16 year old doing the same thing when we have to tell her that she can't take the car out tonight or something just as tragic.  She really is a sweet little thing that I love beyond words could explain, but MAN, sometimes she really knows how to push my buttons. I think she gets that from her dad.

Thanksgiving

Originally our plans for Thanksgiving were to drive (through the night--the only way to drive with a child!) out to Phoenix to be with my sister and her family. Plus my dad and brother and his wife were going to drive out from San Diego so we could all spend the holiday together.  Well, we had a last minute change of plans because my sweet Grandpa Snead passed away the weekend before Thanksgiving. Lindsay and her family were already in San Diego so they just decided they were going to stay there to be able to be at my Grandpa's funeral.  Even though I thought it was a long shot, I got online to check to see how much it would cost to fly out to San Diego.  I was totally expecting to only see tickets available for like $800 but to my surprise we were able to get round trip tickets for a little more than $200! Can you believe it?! I mean, this was Monday night that I was looking for a ticket to fly out Tuesday morning! AND it was Thanksgiving week--the time when plane tickets are usually the most expensive! Anyway, I was so grateful that we were able to be home for Thanksgiving and to be with family. I was especially grateful that we got to attend my grandpa's funeral. It was such a special day to be with family and remember the great man that my grandpa was. All of us felt very blessed to have him at the head of our family.

One of the mornings my sister and I went down to San Diego to spend some time with my mom so Ryan and Mike took the kids to the beach. (BTW you can always tell when Ryan is in charge of Ella--nothing in her hair!)

Ella and Kaitlyn

My Grandpa served in the Navy...

Some of my cousins

Here's what Ella and Carson did during the funeral--ran around the cemetery.

L-train, this one is for you. Let us know if Oakley needs any models...

Naptime

I just put Ella down for her nap and all I can say is...ahhhhh! Some days, even though I always look forward to my "alone time", I'm actually a little sad that my little buddy is gonna be sleeping for 3 hours. Not today.  I don't know what her deal was but it was like she just couldn't find enough things to get her in trouble!  She was going through all my bathroom drawers when I was in the shower, she wouldn't eat her oatmeal for breakfast so I got her some Honey Nut Cheerios and after eating a couple bites of those, she tosses the rest all over the place.  Then I had to run to the grocery store for a few things and you would have thought I was torturing her when I was trying to get her to sit down in the cart.  We come home and I look at the time and think, "Yes! Ella goes down for a nap in like 20 minutes!" So I hurry and make her a PB&J, applesauce and try to give her some juice (for some reason she doesn't like juice but I keep trying--she's got to get sick of milk and water some day!) Anyway, I turn around to make myself a quesadilla and her applesauce is poured onto her tray, her sandwich is stuffed into her cup of juice. On top of that, she's spreading the applesauce around her tray and all in her hair.  That's when I kind of lost it.  I had to just scream.  I felt bad cuz it scared her a little (but at least it didn't leave a bruise!)  Also, lately she's not really into the part where I wash her down with a washcloth at the end of the meal so of course there was a little fight there too.  Finally I gave up on getting all of the applesauce out of her hair and just changed her clothes and put her to bed with a couple of books. Normally I would have read her a couple of stories before putting her down but I just didn't have the patience today (plus, she kinda likes to just look at books in her bed as she's falling asleep.)

The funny thing is about all of this is that today isn't that out of the ordinary. I mean she's 21 months so it's not like she ever eats a meal without making a mess.  And she's a SUPER active child who doesn't like to be told what to do. I guess it's just that some days I have more tolerance and some days I just don't.  Anyway, I'd just like to say that it's on days like these where I am oh-so-grateful for nap time!

Fun with Grandpa Jim

Last week my dad came out for a little visit.  Ella was LOVING all the attention/sugar he gave her. I was loving that I had about a week's vacation from cooking dinner.  If my dad wasn't taking us out to dinner, he was making it for us at home. Here he is in the kitchen about to get to work.

Ella was busy decorating the little Halloween house that my dad brought her with stickers

On Halloween we went to the zoo.  It wasn't very crowded so we took a train ride and had it all to ourselves. 

Ella trying to get in with the ducks

Here's Ella talking a little trash to that cougar. You see, she was already getting into character for what she was dressing up as later that night...

Later that day while Ella was taking a nap, Ryan and I ran a few errands. (And can I just say that I forgot how easy it was to run errands before I became the mother of a toddler!) Anyway, we decided to pick up this little toilet training seat since Ella insists on taking her diaper off. I don't think we'll be using it anytime soon but I thought we'd have it around just in case... So this is what she does with it...

Before Ella headed out to trick-or-treat, we thought we should give her a little practice

I know the pom poms don't match...but that's all I could find at the dollar store that day (I know I'm kind of a slacker mom when it comes to planning costumes for Halloween. Maybe I'll be better next year.  Probably not.)

This is her very fist trick-or-treat house. It only took her like 2 seconds to realize that she LOVES this thing called Halloween!

My favorite part was after she would get her candy, she would try to slam the storm door in their face and yell BYE! Not the most polite trick-or-treater...but I thought she was cute.

Ahhh...finally she got to taste some of her hard work.

A big THANK YOU to my dad for coming out to visit us!  And what a great visitor he was!  Beside keeping us all full the entire time, he was a HUGE help with Ella.  He read her countless books, babysat her so Ryan and I could go to the temple and even had a night out at the movies,  and played with Ella until the cows came home!  We miss you already! 

Good List

This is in response to Hot Stuff and Hug-n-Kiss. L-train, you're next!

**The rule for this little game is your response to each question can only be one-word.

1. Where is your cell phone? counter
2. Where is your significant other? school
3. Your hair color? dunno
4. Your mother? inspirational
5. Your father? giving
6. Your favorite thing? sweets
7. Your dream last night? dancing
8. Your dream/goal? happiness
9. The room you're in? office
10. Your hobby? Ella
11. Your fear? snakes
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? west
13. Where were you last night? home
14. What you're not? artsy
15. One of your wish-list items? airplane

16. Where you grew up? California

17. The last thing you did? Panera
18. What are you wearing? jeans
19. Your TV? guilty pleasure (sorry, 2 words)
20. Your pet? nope
21. Your computer? dying
22. Your mood? content
23. Missing someone? always
24. Your car? X-terra

25. Something you're not wearing? shoes

26.Favorite store? Target

27. Your summer? beach
28. Love someone? forever

29. Your favorite color? changes

30. When is the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? October

Fairytales in the forest

A couple of nights ago, our friends called to see if we wanted to join them at this little---I don't even know what it was called. Basically it was a bunch of fairytales brought to life all along a pathway through a forrest. And at each little stop, the kids got a piece of candy. It was a way for little kids to celebrate Halloween without having to worry about being scared. It was so cute and so fun!










The little old lady who lived in a shoe



I think this was the Gingerbread Man's house



Rapunzel

Sleeping Beauty

The 3 little pigs (I didn't get a shot of the other 2 pigs houses)

**There were a bunch of others that I didn't get pictures of but the one I really wish I would have taken was the Sword in the Stone. Well maybe not the stone part but the cute little Boy Scout that was working that stop. He got really into his role and would yell out to the crowds "Come one, come all and step right up to the sword in the stone! Try your strength to see if you have what it takes to become the King of all the land!" and on and on from there. The whole event was put on by the scouts as a way to make money and most of the other boys were like "Here's your candy. Happy Halloween." One scout didn't even look up from his phone as he was texting while handing out candy to the kids. But not the sword in the stone guy! I wish he had a little tip jar in front of him. He deserved to be paid for his performance!

At the end of the path, there was a hay ride (notice how Ella won't take her eyes off the candy!)

Ella enjoying the fruits of her labors

Happy 30th Lindsay!

So today my sister turns the big 3-0!!! To help her celebrate this monumental achievement, her husband planned a surprise little "Girl's Weekend" in Sedona, AZ.  He flew me out and then my mom, 2 aunties and 3 of Lindsay's good friends from California all drove out to meet up in Phoenix. After making a little shopping detour in Scottsdale (the shopping in Sedona is not great...unless you're in the market for dream catchers or turquoise jewelry) we made our way up to Sedona.  The first night we just went out to dinner and stayed up late talking and playing cards (we played cards so much this weekend that I have calluses on my hands from shuffling!)  The next day we spent the whole day at the spa. It was heaven.  It pretty much consisted of relaxing, our massages, more relaxing, lunch by the pool, relaxing some more, laying out in the sun and finishing off with a little more relaxing.  That night we went out to dinner at The Cowboy Club (complete with REAL cowboys!) and back to the hotel for...you guessed it...more card games!

The next day we had a yummy breakfast at the Wildflower Cafe and headed back down to Phoenix.  I didn't fly back to OKC until the next morning so I was able to spend that evening just hanging out with Lindsay and her kids (and Mike of course.)  

Needless to say, it was such a nice weekend...all of which would not have been possible without my great husband's willingness to stay home with Ella.  He did such a great job being both Daddy and Mommy to her this weekend. Not only that, but I actually came home to a clean house and laundry done! He's amazing.

This is all of us outside of our hotel

Auntie Jill, Aunite Mimi, and my mom

Jill and mom doing some relaxing

The big surprising moment!

She shoulda been a cowgirl...

Last Saturday we got together with some of our friends and headed out to Piedmont, Oklahoma (about 30 minutes away) to get in the Fall spirit by going to a pumpkin patch/petting zoo.  Ella LOVED every minute of it. By the time we left, we both agreed that maybe Ella would have liked to have been born to parents who lived on a farm. Oh well. She got us instead. Anyway, from the goats, to the cows, to the ponies, even a lama, she just couldn't get enough!

Ella and her little friend Chad on a tractor

Running thru the corn maze

They had this big slide that went faster than what you would think.  Ella's never been one to turn down a slide and even though kids under six had to go down with an adult...

...she decided rules were made to be broken!

I think her favorite part of the day was riding the pony all by herself.  (How weird is it that I have a kid old enough to do that!!!)

Before we left, Ella got to pick out a pumpkin to take home.

After searching high and low...

...she found the perfect one!