Spring...or Summer?

We have been blessed with some warm (uh, make that VERY warm) days so far this spring. I am LOVING it and I am soaking it up for as long as it lasts!! I think the kids are all for it as well!

Ella could really do without the whole grass thing. She gets quite upset when any part of her body (especially toes!) is touching it.

But...put her on a blanket and give her a big purple ball and she is a happy girl!

Unfortunately, we don't have the best looking yard right now. I posted last summer about our backyard projects...ripping out decks and such. Well--the work continues! With the help of James' brother, my nephews, and my father-in-law, two more decks have been torn out of our backyard! Yes--I said two MORE decks. When we moved in there was an above ground pool in the back and it was surrounded by 3 levels of decking. A little much! We preferred the yard space over having a pool, so we got rid of that last spring. James removed the majority of decking by himself last summer, but as you can imagine, when Ella was born in July things kind of came to a halt. I guess we were busy or something!?

The guys--hard at work.

An "after" shot

Thankfully, our town has "spring cleanup" and they will be taking all of this wood for us!

With that done, we are now a little overwhelmed with what to do next...but we have a few ideas and hope to get our yard looking a little better (anything would be an improvement at this point) by the end of the summer. I think our neighbors would appreciate a better view as well. In the meantime, the dirt/sand pits make a great place for Ryan to play with his dump trucks!

He DOES have a sandbox, but who needs it when you have the real thing?

Got teeth?

Uh--don't worry--she didn't get hurt when Ryan pushed her over with a pillow.

Please pray for this little boy

UPDATE:
As of yesterday, 4/28/09--Stellan was discharged from the hospital. He and his Mama are flying home from Boston today to finally be at home with the rest of their family. I know this little guy's fight is not over...but Praise God that he is doing well enough to go home. I really needed to read that news. Stellan's story, as well as the many other stories of suffering babies (and parents) that I have come across lately, really had me down in the dumps.



You will notice that I have placed a new button off to the right that says: "Praying for Stellan." Go ahead...click on it. This is a story that has touched my heart in so many ways. I hope you will join me (and others from all over the world!) in praying for this sweet baby boy.

8 months

Ella is 8 months old and is up to all kinds of new tricks. She has been sitting up steadily for a couple of months now, though she prefers to stand. She can't pull herself up yet, nor can she stand on her own, but she sure does like it when one of us holds her up in a standing position. She stiffens her legs if we try to put her back down and certainly protests about it when her bottom hits the floor! Her vocabulary consists of mamama and dadada, as well as a host of other gurgly, giggly sounds. She greets us with a big wave in the morning (or when she hasn't seen one of us in a little while). It's not the dainty kind of wave you would expect from a little girl, but it's SO cute! She likes to play peek-a-boo and will even hold her own hands (or burp cloth) up over her eyes (ok, it's more like over her head). She can clap her hands now and will do so when we say "Yay!". She LOVES to watch the cat(s) and thinks her brother's antics are just about the best thing going. When placed on her tummy, Ella will find a way to get what she wants, but I wouldn't exactly call it crawling yet. Close, but not quite. For now, I'm thankful I can still set her in one place and she stays there! Funny how with the second child I am SO not in a rush for her to do these things!! She really is a good baby and is happy most of the time and for that I am thankful! Just thought I would update on her "doings" and post a few pictures. Enjoy!


First taste of green beans...not so sure about this veggie stuff (notice bib: "Too cute to eat my veggies")


OK--these orange ones aren't so bad (notice them smeared on the high chair...oy!)


Ah, the laundry never ends!


Am I gorgeous, or what!?


Ryan holding Ella (still, he loves this!)


8 months old!

You know you have a little boy in the house when...

You have an alligator “growing” in your kitchen sink (a little toy alligator that grows when placed in water)

The foam letters you bought for the tub (as a way to teach him his letters) become speed boats that crash into each other and splash water all over the bathroom

You trip (several times a day) over matchbox cars spread all over the floor. Oh…and when you get yelled at because you don’t “drive” the ONE car you are allowed to play with (out of probably 100 of them) the right way

You hear from the bathroom: “Mom, come look! My poo looks like a carrot!”

Oh, how I love this kid!!

Carlson Happenings

I officially have a case of the winter blahs. I am so ready for spring! It is this time of year that makes me miss living in North Carolina. March down south is BEAUTIFUL, while March in New York is just...well, dirty. (I know it is not March yet, but it is coming!) Any snow that remains is black with dirt and everything just looks plain dingy. BLAH! Oh, and you can bet we haven't seen the last of the snow...there is always one more storm that sneaks up on us just when we think we have seen the last of it. BLAH!

James bought me red tulips (my favorite) for Valentine's Day. They were a reminder to me that though winter is making me a bit stir crazy, there is a promise of spring. I should have taken a picture of the tulips yesterday though. I woke up this morning and they were all drooping WAY over the side of the vase. Hmph. I guess they agree with me on this winter thing (or perhaps it was that they had sucked up all of the water in the vase?).

In an effort to cure these winter blahs, I have been trying to get out and about with the kids despite the cold temps. I joined a local Mom's group and through that have found some really neat local activities. We have been attending story hour at Barnes & Noble once a week, at which the kids often do a craft and then, of course, there is the train table that Ryan loves. We have also been introduced to "Johnny Only" (kind of like a local Wiggle). He provides a free show every Friday at Highland Park (inside the gym during the winter months and outside at the pavillion in the summer). He sings, juggles, has puppets, and really gets the kids singing and dancing. Ryan seems to really enjoy it and it has been a great way for me to meet other Moms!

Our search for a church in the Binghamton area continues. We have recently attended Northpointe Church, which is a new church plant in our area. I went by myself the first week, as James was working and my Mom stayed home with the kids. It was kind of nice to be able to sit through an entire service, without wondering about the kids. Ryan had a bad experience with the last church we had attended for a few weeks...they had the WRONG person running the Sunday school class for 3 and 4 year olds...NO PERSONALITY and she really didn't know how to interact with the little ones. I am finding that what I am looking for in a church has drastically changed since I have children. I want a place where my kids will enjoy going to church, where they will have fun while learning about Jesus at the same time. I also want a place where James and I will grow and be challenged in our Faith. Northpointe is VERY new, and they are still trying to get "off the ground", so to speak. It is kind of exciting to think of being part of a church from the beginning. We have had some negative experiences being "newcomers" in some of the churches we have attended (both here and when we were in NC), so perhaps this is an opportunity for us to take those experiences and help to make sure that nobody else has to feel that way coming into a new church? I may be getting ahead of myself here...but just a thought.

In other news...Ella is 7 months now. At her 6 month check-up she was in the 75th percentile for weight (17lbs, 10 1/2 oz) and the 100th percentile for height (28 inches). She is doing well. We have started her on baby food and have gone through all of the fruits and vegetables. I think green beans are the only vegetable that she doesn't really care for. I am taking the introduction of new foods very slowly with her because of the tummy troubles she had as a newborn. I am hoping she will outgrow any sensitivities she had (we think it was from milk/dairy products) and that she will be able to eat a normal diet.

Notice the carrots smeared on the high chair pad...thank goodness for Shout!

Again, I am looking forward to spring and to tackling some of the outdoor projects we hope to get done. We have two more decks to rip out when the weather gets warmer, and we hope to get some landscaping advice for the spot where the pool once sat. We planted some grass seed last fall, and it grew in nicely, but the slope is still too steep and slopes toward our house...not good. And, without the baby bump that sat in front of me last spring/summer, I hope to be able to tackle the flower gardens that surround my house! Lots of work ahead of us, for sure! And with two little ones...HA! Right...

Similarities

I have always thought that Ella looks a little like my Dad. I can see it most in her eyes. Recently I took Ella to have her 6 month photos taken and noticed that in one of the shots I can really see the similarities. See for yourself...

I so wish he could have met her.