Fourth Wedding Anniversary

It all started with two people who fell in love...

Jeff and I dated for two years before we got married and had a lot of fun going out for drinks,

going to the fair,

and riding quads.

After two years together, we were ready ready to make it official and at our wedding we promised our love to one another for the rest of our lives.

At that point in my life, our wedding day was the best day ever! We had a intimate ceremony and reception with our immediate families and it was a beautiful way to share our love with our loved ones.

Not too long after our wedding, we prepared for our first baby.

Nicholas arrived and our hearts were overflowing with joy and amazement that our love could create such a perfect little boy.

We were now a happy family of three.

Another couple years later, we again felt so blessed when our little family grew to four as we welcomed our sweet Elizabeth into the world.

Life couldn't get any better as a family of four!

Six years ago when I met Jeff, I knew right away that he was the one for me. I knew that his quiet, loving nature was the perfect compliment to my sometimes overbearing, bossy self. He has been my constant companion, my true love, and my best friend. We have endured heart break with Nicholas's diagnosis, financial stresses, and long hospital stays. Through it all we have been each others rock and salvation, a beacon of light to come home to when all the world seems dark. There is no other person I could imagine taking this journey with and I count my blessings every day that I have my amazing husband in my life.

Happy anniversary, honey! I love you more today than ever before. Cheers to many,many more years of this beautiful life together!

Wheelchair Donation

A couple of months ago when Nicholas got his new EasyS stroller, we realized that he didn't need his manual wheelchair anymore. His manual chair had become uncomfortable for him to travel in for long periods of time and, therefore, had been collecting dust in our garage for the past several months. So, two weeks ago when Nicholas's occupational therapist came to our home for his appointment, I asked her if there were children at Nicholas's elementary school who might be able to use his manual wheelchair. She said she was sure it would be put to good use and took it to school with her that afternoon. When she visited yesterday, she told us that two kindergartners are able to use it to get around at school every single day! It filled my heart with such joy to know that this useful piece medical equipment is now helping two little girls travel comfortably around their school! It was so nice to hear that the wheelchair is making such a huge impact on two children's' lives. It is also nice to know that other kids will be able to use it in the years to come!

Thai Pork with Peanut Sauce

Tonight I tried a new recipe that my husband and I thought was delicious so I had to share...Ingredients

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Four 3/4 inch thick bone-in pork chops

1/3 cup chicken broth

1/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk

2 tablespoons smooth or chunky peanut butter

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoons ground ginger

1/4 cup each thinly sliced scallions, sliced red bell pepper, chopped cocktail peanuts, and fresh cilantro for garnish

1. In a shallow dish mix the flour, cumin, 1/2 tsp. of the salt, and cayenne pepper. Lightly coat pork chops in mixture, shaking off excess.


2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add pork chops and cook, turning once, 8 minutes total or until cooked through.


3. In a bowl, combine chicken broth, coconut milk, peanut butter, honey, ground ginger, and remaining 1/4 tsp. salt.


4. Remove pork from skillet, add broth mixture and cook over low-medium heat, stirring constantly for 2 minutes or until thickened. Pour sauce over plated pork chops and garnish with chopped ingredients.


5. Serve with rice noodles and snow peas.

It was super easy to make a tastes absolutely divine!

Enjoy!

The Last Day of Summer

The kids and I went for a long walk around the neighborhood today on this last day of summer. It is a beautiful, warm afternoon and you would never guess that fall is just around the corner.

I have mixed feeling about the arrival of fall this year. There are many things I am looking forward to this fall: the arrival of my best friend's first baby in October & a trip to see them in early November, our fourth wedding anniversary at the end of the month, the red & orange colored leaves on the trees, all of the fun fall holidays, spiced cider, taking Nicholas to see Toy Story 3 on ice in late October, carving pumpkins, homemade soup, and quiet movie nights in front of the fireplace just to name a few.

There are also many things that make me wish that summer would hang around a bit longer. With all the rain that we get in Washington, it makes it difficult to go for walks or just play outside with the kids which is something that we have really loved doing this summer. It also means that the wading pool gets put away and which equals no more splashing and playing in the afternoon for Ella and Nicholas and no more quiet, lazy afternoons of lounging in that thing for me during the kids' nap time. It also means that we have to be very cautious about cold and flu germs. We don't get to have as many play dates or people over for socializing. We don't go out and about as much anymore. In fact, we are on a semi-lock down to keep Nicholas as healthy as possible. It means we all have to endure the painful prick of a needle when we get our flu shots, and it is tough to explain to young children why they have to be vaccinated in order to stay healthy.

All in all, mostly I would say we are looking forward to fall and all it brings. But, we will take advantage of this glorious summer weather as long as it is here!

Tunnel Vision

My best friend, Lyndsey, sent Ella this colorful tunnel (among other adorable gifts) for her first birthday. It arrived a few days ago and we have been trying to show Ella how to crawl through it. I even got in it myself to demonstrate which was a bit taxing on my mama body and didn't do much for my claustrophobia. And it didn't matter anyway because she still refused to crawl through! Today I decided to put a most prized possession at one end of the tunnel for incentive to crawl through. Plus, I put her favorite ball in the middle as an added bonus.
But it didn't matter because she just walked around the outside to get to her brother.
She was like, "See Mom...I can do it. I made it to the other side!"
Then she decided to crawl in halfway to get her ball...and then backed right up and went out again...

with ball in hand.Then, she finally got it...

What a fun way to spend an afternoon!

It's A Great Day To Be One!

Ella's first year in photos...

One day old One month
Two Months

Three Months

Four Months

Five Months

Six Months

Seven Months

Eight Months

Nine Months

Ten Months

Eleven Months

Twelve Months (taken today on her first birthday)

One year ago today at 11:58 a.m. I gave birth to our sweet Elizabeth Rose. It was one of the best days of my life. We were overjoyed to welcome the fourth member of our family and couldn't wait to share her with all of our loved ones. She came into this world as sweet as can be with her her rosy red cheeks, head of dark brown hair, and coy smile. She latched on to nurse within a couple of hours after her arrival and still loves to snuggle close to her mama to drink her milk. We thanked God the day she was born for a healthy, beautiful baby...another child to love.

I cannot believe that a year has passed so quickly and now our baby is becoming a toddler! She took her first steps on her own yesterday so it is just a matter of time before our little munchkin starts running everywhere. Ella now weighs nineteen pounds which puts her in the 33rd perecntile for weight and is 30 inches long which is the 93rd percentile for height. She still only has her two front teeth, so she hasn't completely graduated to table foods. We continue to give her jars of baby food along with soft grown-up foods and plenty of crackers. She adores Nicholas and likes to play with him now. She shares toys with him by placing them in his hand and he thinks she is so fantastic to share with him. I think my favorite part of being a mother is watching my two children interact. Here are a few of the cute things that Ella can do at one year-old:

Wave hello and good-bye

Shake her head yes and no to answer questions

Reach her hands in the air to be picked up

Say "hey" (her version of "hi")

Laugh out loud

Walk with just a few steps at a time

Crawl really fast

Open drawers

Flip through picture books

Use her princess car as a step stool to get to things that are out of reach

Squeal with excitement when she is buckled into her car seat...she loves to go places!

Climb onto and off the ottoman

Open doors (it's really hard to get any privacy anymore)

Play with her brother

Dance to music

Feed herself with a spoon

It absolutely amazes me how many things a baby can learn to do in one year!

Today, for her birthday, my mom and I took both Nicholas and Ella to story time at the local library. Nicholas had been a handful of times, but it was Ella's first chance to listen to books, sing, dance, and pop the bubbles as they blew by. She really enjoyed herself so I hope to make story time a part of our weekly routine. I am so excited watch Ella grow, learn, and change in this year that she is one. I feel so blessed to be your mommy, Ella Roo!

Mommy, Daddy & Nicholas love you more than you will ever know, sweet baby girl.

We wish you a very happy first birthday!

Nicholas's First Dental Visit

This morning Nicholas had his first dentist visit and he did great! I was super nervous about it because he doesn't like getting his teeth brushed at home, but I shouldn't have worried because he actually liked it. In the photos he looks like he is not enjoying himself at all, but that really wasn't the case. His dental hygienist is a family friend and she showed him everything and explained what she was doing as his cleaning took place. She only polished his upper teeth so we are going back in three months to take care of the bottom teeth, as we wanted his first experience to be a good one. He got a prescription for flouride and we plan to buy him a kids Sonicare toothbrush to keep his teeth really sparkly clean. I am so proud of our big boy!

Ella's Birthday Party

The birthday girl wearing her pretty party dress & her crown...

We had her party a few days early-she won't turn one until Thursday, September 15th She had a back yard carnival for her first birthday...

Cup Cake Walk
Fishing

Candy Shoppe
Bean Bag Toss
Fortune TellerFace Painting
Refreshments Party GuestsShe loved her birthday balloonOpening giftsParty GuestsHer yummy banana cakeMake a wish!

I think she was happy to strip down to only a diaper. It was around 95 degrees outside today! First taste of birthday cake
Thank you to all our friends & family who came to celebrate with us. We love you all!
We hope you had a wonderful birthday party, baby girl!