Monday, December 15, 2014

Ellia is ONE





Ellia,
It truly doesn't seem possible that you're already one.  It feels like just yesterday we brought your tiny little self home! Your first few months were not by any means easy.  You had a very unhappy tummy which made for an unhappy Ellia (who can blame you, tummy aches stink!)  You've since grown into the sweetest little lady & it's been such a pleasure to watch you get to this point!  You are such a happy & loving little girl; You never fail to brighten a day :)

You say mama, dada, baba and constantly speak the cutest gibberish!  I'm 90% you and Beckett have your own language... You gibber gabber back and forth & I would give just about anything to know what you're saying!  

Speaking of your brother, he is without a doubt your favorite person in the entire world!  I always hoped you & Beckett would grow to be the best of friends and as of now, I believe that you are.  If you're fussy, Beckett never hesitates to step up and offer you a toy, paci or sippy cup.  Now this doesn't mean you don't have your differences.  If you happen to get your hands on one of his puzzles, trains, cars, or his tiger, he lays down the law... and vice versa when he gets his hands on your owl or dolly :)

You also love independent exploring, playing with your stuffed animals, bath time, eating on your own, eating your headbands, and getting daddy's attention the second he walks in the door :)

You are such an angel, Ellia, and we are so blessed to call you ours!  We love you more than you could ever fathom and cannot wait to watch you grow into the beautiful girl you're destined to be!



Weight: 18 lbs

Height: 28" ish

Clothing size: 6-12 months, but I'm starting to mix in 12-18 month tops

Diaper size: 3's

Feeding: 
You were never a HUGE fan of your bottle, so replacing it with a sippy cup has been an easy feat :)  
You drink your milk and have breakfast when you get up between 7:30-8ish (you're a big fan of turkey bacon and sausage.  you also love cheerios, berry fruitful cereal, yogurt, fresh fruit and oatmeal)
10:00 snack and then nap
noon Lunch (you LOVE turkey & provolone sandwiches just like your brother)
2-2:30 snack & then nap
4 another little power snack
6:30 dinner and milk  (you eat whatever we eat.  you're a huge fan of spaghetti and meatballs and since thats one of the 5 things I know how to make, we eat it often

Milestones:  
You have popped 4 top teeth over the last two months!  You're a trooper! (you now have 6 teeth!)
You're sleeping through the night on nights your not teething... which is a huge deal for mommy :)
You can stand up on your own!
You walk with your walker now!
You can crawl up the stairs light speed fast.
Dancing & waving!
You say mama, dada and lots of other gibberish I'm not sure how to decode yet...

Loves: 
-Your brother!  You two are so darn cute together!


-You also love chasing the cats and dogs... and since you're crawling faster now it's turned into a 'catch me if you can' kind of game.
-You got a pink cell phone from great grandma and you're mildly obsessed with it.  Kind of frightening for daddy and I.

Dislikes: 
Diaper changes... & teething.  We're about to pop a top tooth and let me tell you, when Ellia ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.  

Adventures:  
Boo at the zoo!
Daddy and I went on our first 4 day vacation without you and B... While it's not much of an adventure, it was something new for you.  Grandma Jojo said you handled it like a champ:)
And I'm sure there are many exciting trips out to dinner I'm not recollecting.

Mommy and Daddy could not get through the month without: Naptime, paci, baby gates & other random baby proofing products (unlike your brother, you're literally into EVERYTHING).

We love you Ellie Bell!  Here's to a wonderful 2nd year! 



Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Family Pictures

I'm so excited to share our most recent family pictures! Our photographer, Dionna, did such a wonderful job of capturing our family and was a blast to work with!  

Ellia is just a few weeks short of ONE year old and Beckett is nearly two and a half :)






ON vest sold out (try target or zara)//FP neon moccs//camo moccs//feather headband










jcrew pullover sold out


now you know where our kids got their long lashes ;)



this is possibly my favorite picture of Beckett, ever.  let your dreams fly high, sweet boy.

We're absolutely thrilled about how they came out and cannot thank our wonderful photographer from Ryan + Dionna Photography enough. Our sweet babies are growing faster than we could have ever imagined and I'm so grateful we have these photos to remind us of life at this time :)


Monday, October 27, 2014

Halloween Fun!

Halloween has long been my favorite holiday, not just for the fun that it entails itself, but for the fact the it's the beginning of Fall/Winter festivities :)

Beckett is finally old enough to enjoy all that Halloween has to offer and it's Ellia's very first Halloween, making this year all the more fun!  

Friday we went to a Halloween party where Beckett premiered this years costume, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective!  He hated the tutu... I may have bribed him with a jellybean or two to keep it on for pictures.

The beach shirt and cut off shorts are from baby gap a while ago, we used a plain white tee from H&M and used a homemade tutu.  We used gorilla snot for his hair, it worked like a charm... In fact, 2 washings later & it's still holding its grip lol 


Ellia wore this lion costume that Beckett wore for his first Halloween :)   

RAWR :)

Saturday we ventured to Boo At The Zoo, it was too much fun!

Paper!... Snow!... A GHOST!!
Ellia is wearing a white glitter headband, a Carters onesie and a homemade tutu.  So simple, yet so cute :)



Beckett had a run in with our coffee table right before we left... the welt on his forehead just adds to the costume, right?

Note to self: if you go to the zoo late enough, you get free beer & pretzels. (win!)




We can't wait for pumpkin carving/painting, cookie decorating, hocus pocus watching & of course taking the kids trick or treating!  What are you all doing to celebrate this week?

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Planning Ellia's First Birthday

It's hard to believe my little Ellie Bean is going to be ONE.  Good gracious time flies!

My extent of party planning hasn't gone further than her outfit:

headband//skirt//fur vest from ON, sold out online check out target or zara for similar vests//moccs

As of now, I think her party colors will be pink, white, and assorted metallics.  I'll share more as I come up with it :) 

I've got a better handle on the gift front!  I'm not one for adding more clutter to the house (I swear toys multiply while we sleep) so I've picked out a few somewhat practical gifts for our girl:


moover baby carriage:  I had hoped to reuse the wooden walker we bought for Beckett BUT it broke and shortly after was recalled, so that was a bust.  I like that this doubles as a toy to care for dolls/stuffed animals as well as a walker.  My hope is that she'll love this for years to come... and she certainly better for the price ;)  (if you follow us on IG you know we've already broken into this gift... oops!)



mini melissa kitty shoes:  I've been eyeing these adorable shoes since long before miss E was born... or maybe it just feels that long since I've wanted them so badly.  We haven't purchased them yet, *cough* Mom & Sally *cough*  just kidding, kind of ;)


doll: Because she obviously needs a doll to put in her carriage! 

I'm sure we'll pick out a few more things before her big day, I'm never opposed to adding more books to our collection and that seems to be a gift staple at our house.  Any recommendations are appreciated :)

Happy Hump Day, Molly 

Thursday, September 18, 2014

10 months of Ellia



I spy 2 toofies!



Weight: I literally have no idea... still haven't gone to our 9 month appointment

Height: ^

Clothing size: 6-12 months!  And 3-6 in pants. You have absolutely no hips like mommy.

Diaper size: 3's

Feeding: 



6 oz at 7 am
fruit puffs & sometimes yogurt (which you absolutely love!) between 8-9
nap 9-11
veggies and a squeezie when you get up between 11 & 12
6 oz bottle when you go back down for a nap at 3 
Dinner when you get up around 5 (you get little pieces of what we're having and a squeezie packet)

Milestones:  
-In the last two days (9/16/14) you've graduated from the army crawl to real crawling!  Such a big girl!
-Pulling yourself up!
-Eating real food (like cut up noodles, veggies, etc.) When we're eating, you want to be eating.
-You say mama, baba, and dada :)

Loves: 
-Your brother is you idle!  You adore him more than I could put into words :)  

-You love playing in your room & I love playing dress up while playing in your room... 
-Morning cuddles are also a favorite!  You and B lay in bed watching Bubble Guppies while I feed Cats and Feed/Take Out Dogs
-Speaking of the cats & dogs, you also love them!  You're constantly trying to get your hands on them... but they're smart enough to know that if they get too close they'll lose a tuffet of hair.
-Sleeping in YOUR bed.  Unlike your brother, you absolutely will not fall asleep anywhere but your own bed.  That doesn't mean you don't end up in our room later... You just favor your own bed.
-You love to do your own thing.  What I mean by this is that you HATE your jumperoo, pack & play or another contraption that's supposed to keep you confined in a certain space.  You want freedom.  So not ready for this!

little hip squeaks headband


Dislikes: 
Diaper changes... & teething.  We're about to pop a top tooth and let me tell you, when Ellia ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.

Adventures:  
We went to the mall to pick out daddies birthday gift & ended up buying you your big girl carseat! (enter sob here) We also went on dinner dates & a birthday party for one of Beckett's friends.

You're also pretty set on having adventures on your own... In fact, you are without a doubt the most busy little babe I've ever met.  You literally do not sit still, ever.  Even when you're sleeping you're in action.  So basically, I'm convinced you are going to be a sports star of some kind ;)

Mommy and Daddy could not get through the month without: Naptime & highlands teething tablets.



  Ellia Bell, we love you more than we could ever put into words!  Your sweet bubbly personality never fails to shine!  We're so blessed to call you ours! 

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Bits Of Beckett

Beckett update: May-September 2014


Captain Underpants... [gap undies]

sweetest little smile [carters jammies]

(Lola has stolen all 3 of your mini white tigers and ripped their eyes out 
[yes we replaced that damn tiger twice] 
so we bought you this giant tiger that is bigger than Lola and now she is physically unable to steal it from you)
You thought we were the coolest for letting you get it at the zoo :)

I have to say, this is the most challenging yet most rewarding age thus far!  Some days I'm surprised I make through without sprouting a grey hair (or 50) and others I push back bedtime just so we can enjoy your sweet little self a while longer!

sasspants [top from childhoods on etsy]

You took it upon yourself to spruce up our furniture with sharpie.  I was less than enthused.

When you get up in the morning I can hear you sleepily shuffle down the hallway to our room where you then crawl in to bed for morning snuggles.  Sometimes we all fall back asleep for another hour, other mornings we turn on cartoons.  As we lay in bed you always play with my hair, sometimes lay your head on my chest & on many occasions, pet your sisters head.  It's pretty darn sweet!

Some nights you decide to sneak out of bed.  Where do you end up?  In the dogs bed.  I've woken up to you asleep on the dog bed outside our bedroom door on a multitude of occasions.  You're such a goofball!

Watching you walk on your heels across the cold tile is one of the cutest things ever.  It never fails to give us a laugh :)

You imitate many of our dogs behaviors... Liking drinking out of the water bowl, chomping at the rush of air when the window's down in the car, spinning in a circle when you're excited for something (mainly your milk first thing in the morning), and once I even caught you lick a dirty plate in the dishwasher in imitation of Charlie.  Boys will be boys ;)

Picking out your socks is a very important part of your morning... I honestly don't believe you've ever picked a matching pair.  I love seeing your face light up after you've chosen which ones you want the day :)  Always remember, it's the little things!

[shirt from IG shop, I forget which one... if you recognize it please let me know who makes it so I can give credit :)]

You love to be outside, LOVE.  We've been making early morning trips to the park a few times a week and I'm convinced that's your favorite part of the day :)

You're back to your Hunters.  It always makes me smile when I check on you during nap time and you've gotten up to put your boots on before falling asleep!

You're great at sharing with your sister & it's truly heart melting.  You hand her toys and if she doesn't seem to want them, you'll find another to offer in its place.  Sometimes you even share a cars or tractors, but you generally keep those for yourself.  My jaw dropped when I saw you hand her your excavator yesterday...

On the weekends you and daddy spend time working together in the yard, you love helping clean up mowed grass and pointing out all the dog poop that needs to be picked up.

If you don't like a situation, food, or anything else, you make a face, shake your head and say, "Blech!"

When we or someone else is leaving you make sure to give them a pound and then a high five... and if they don't leave immediately after you do it, you do it again and again!

You do your best to be a helper every time we go shopping.  You love taking things off shelves and handing said items to a sales associates... which I'm sure they really appreciate ;)


A few more things about you:
-You make sure to cheers with someone before indulging in a drink.


-You love to pretend you're a monster, "RAWR" (thank you Monster's Inc. ;))
-A FEW of your favorite books are Five Little Pumpkins, Good Night Goon, The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid Of Anything, Steam Train Dream Train, Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site, & Peek A Who?   You always bring us a stack to read before bedtime & I love it!
-Tickling other people makes you laugh harder than being tickled yourself.


-You absolutely adore your kitten, Knox.  You give her hugs and kisses all day long.  & I think she loves you as much as you love her :)
-You're the most stubborn individual I've ever met.  You can talk.  You choose not to, except for special occasions.  ITS MAKING ME CRAZY



go bronco's! 

-You treat Ellia like a princess.  You pick out toys for her, make sure to choose a few of her books for us to read before bedtime in addition to your own, and you give her hugs and kisses when she's sad.  You've far exceeded our expectations as a big brother!

-You've been pooping on the potty sporadically for months... you refuse to pee on the potty.  You find it much more entertaining to pee on the floor and watch me freak and try to run you to the potty.  Of course once we get there, you're always done.  Stinker.

Beckett, I could not have asked for a more wonderful son.  You're so kindhearted, the best big brother to your little sister and truly just a gentle soul :)  We love you beyond the moon!