Easter nostalgia

Some Moms do the Christmas Eve photo in front of the Christmas tree with all the kids in their Christmas pajamas. I'm not one of those Moms. In fact, despite that I really enjoy taking photos, it's rare that ask my own children to sit and take a photo all together. And getting myself in the picture is even more rare.

For whatever reason, Easter is the one time a year I hand off the camera and force beg coerce bribe my kids (and husband) into taking a yearly family photo. It rarely ends well (and by well, I mean that we are all perfectly posed and I've not issued threats or made unreasonable promises), but it always makes me laugh. At least, afterwards. Many years afterwards.

It also appears to be the one thing that Lucas hates most on the earth. Olivia, on the other hand, has always rocked the Easter photo. I'm guessing it's her favorite holiday, ever. Besides her birthday and Christmas and whatever holiday is exactly next.

Easter 2010 can be found here on my blog. It's hilarious. But for comparisons purposes, here's a quick picture.

That would be itty bitty Ella on my lap next to Olivia. Goodness

Easter 2011 was apparently not blogged about and this is probably why:

The best one we got that year features our dog's back. Again, LUCAS. He's probably mad because he's wearing the exact same sweater vest that he wore the previous year. Fashion is clearly his thing. Or not. Seeing as how he's worn the same pair of jorts for the last week.

Easter 2012 things seemed to go a big more smoothly.

That's teeny, tiny Abigail on my lap.

You know, except for Lucas. At least Olivia is rocking it out. And Aaron. Clearly they were being bribed with excessive amounts of candy. Momma had a newborn. Momma was tired.

Easter 2013 apparently did not exist because I have no photographic documentation of it. Not even looking back through all the pics from my phone. So weird.

Which brings us to this year. Easter 2014. I knew I wanted a pic of all of us. My parents, my two grandmas and all the kids. Please note Lucas' over sarcastic smile because it took several photos of him not doing pointy, happy fingers at the camera, or throwing up some sort of gang symbol or staring off into the yard in the opposite direction.

23 photos later, grandparent photo: check. I mean, one kid out of 8 isn't looking but LOOK AT ABIGAIL. The cute. I can't even handle it.

And then, I politely asked Abigail to remove herself from my Mom's lap and sit with me for a nice family photo. She also loved that idea. Or not.

Okay, Abs, please just stop before you upset your baby sister.

Well, at least Lucas is happy for once.

I hope your Easter was a scream.

Ella is THREE!

Somehow it happened.

This baby girl grew into a big, beautiful three year old.

And girl, is she a mess. Independent, determined, full of know-how (or so she thinks), nothing stands in her way if she's decided to do something. And as much as that drives me crazy, on some level, I totally understand. After all, she's the 6th of 7 kids ages 8 years and younger, she needs some fight in her!

Luke and Grace both say I let her get away with may more than anyone else has. It's true. Not because she's my favorite. Or even because because of her incredibly cute self (okay, maybe that is true just a bit). But I think I've learned some things over the years of motherhood. Yes, it's important to win the big battles with your kids. It's important for them to know who is in charge. But you know what? I don't have to prove that with EVERY battle. And with my determined little girl, I'd be fighting A LOT of battles if I did.

She's lively. Hilarious. Energetic. Full of personality. Affectionate. Head strong.

And now. She's THREE. That's so hard for me to wrap my head around. I think somewhere in my mind I have frozen her at about the same age as Abigail. That'll be healthy when she has her own kids, I'm sure. (That's a joke. Laugh people.)

The girl loves animals. So for her birthday we went to an animal park where you can drive through and feed animals. She was beside herself with joy.

But don't be fooled by those stunning blue eyes and gorgeous blond locks of hair. This girl was born to live in the country (despite the fact that we live well within city limits). On Sunday, God provided a miracle and we had all the children up and dressed well before it was time to load up for church. So we sent them outside for a few minutes. Ella is notorious for peeing in the yard. I saw her squatting from the window and I flew outside to tell her sternly that we DO NOT PEE IN THE YARD! (Especially since our yard is visible from a pretty major roadway through town - particularly driven by many members of our church on Sunday morning - Ahem).

With equal determination she said right back to me, "I DID NOT PEE! I pooped!"

Yes. In the yard. And she executed well, I might add. Not a trace of evidence of her, um, performance was on her or her clothes.

Crazy determined and Olivia's "bes fran." She's one of a kind. A total comedian and always in the mix of whatever is going on (which was exactly what she wanted to do when she was just a baby too).

At three years old, Ella loves her morning sippy of coffee juice, to watch Go Diego Go! or Dora the Explorer. Recently, she's be on a Team Umizoomi kick, too.

She loves to dress up, ride her stick horse "Pepper" and she can swing like a crazy lady. She loves sweets and just this morning I had to stop her from squeezing (another) helping of chocolate syrup into her gaped open mouth.

She can sort of spell her name outloud "E-L-A. Ella!" and she can count to ten with ease. She and Olivia share a room and Ella sleeps on the bottom bunk. Well, sometimes. Okay, really they switch about every night.

She LOVES shoes and just recently retired a pair of "flashlights boots" (the ones that light up on the toes when she walks) for a brand new pair of PINK cowgirl boots that MeMe and PawPaw got her for her birthday. She adores pink and every.single.meal she wants a pink cup, pink fork, pink plate. OR ELSE.

I have no doubt that God will use this daughter of ours to teach us a thing or thousand about patience, grace, mercy and perseverance. In fact, he already has.

Happy Belated Birthday my sweet Ella Joy! I love you so very much.

Click here to read about Ella's birth

To see Ella's first birthday

To see Ella's second birthday

Carolina, Callie and the Stink Eye

I'd like you to meet my daughters, Carolina and Callie.

Originally Olivia was Callie but then she changed her name to Carolina so Ella took up Callie where Carolina left off.

Confused yet? Welcome to my world.

Callie has always been a popular name in our house. I'm not sure why because we only know one person named Callie and our kids are hardly ever around her.

When Elizabeth was about Ella's age (2 years) she had several baby dolls all named Callie. One baby had pants that wouldn't come off so she was "Callie Pants." She had another that had a blue dress so she was "Callie Blue."

You get the idea.

My favorite things about the video below:

1) When I confirm that Ella's new name is Callie and she says, "What?" Like I was calling her name.

2) The Stink Eye

3) The fact that Olivia really responds to the name Carolina. And without hesitation. I sometimes think that I'll call her Carolina and catch her off guard and she won't respond. That's not happened yet and this has been going on for several months.

These kids crack me up, that's for sure.

When I was in elementary school I desperately wanted my name to be Lee Ann. I guess they come by it honest then, huh?

Have you or your kids ever gone by another name?

Happy 2nd Birthday Ella Joy!

To an outsider, my life today and my life from two years ago today probably don't look that much different. Two years ago today, I was snuggling, rocking, swaddling and nursing a newborn.




Two years ago today, I was mesmerized by the intoxicating smell and gentle coos of a sweet baby girl. Today it's Abigail I snuggle. Two years ago today, it was my sweet Ella Joy.

Somewhere along the way in the last two years I blinked and life went racing by. My cuddly, sweet newborn babe turned into a feisty, jabbering, independent two year old. My cubby, round cheeked baby grew into a chubby, round cheeked little girl with flowing, blond ringlets and a smile that melts my heart.




At two years old, Ella really believes she's one of the "big kids." No matter where the other kids are or what they are doing, she's smack in the middle of it, throwing her toddler weight around and enforcing her own set of rules.




She adores wearing shoes, anyone's shoes, especially boots. As soon as one of the older 3 kick off their cowboy boots, she races to get them and shove them onto her own squishy toddler foot.




She's an expert escape artist and pint sized Houdini. She's been known to escape from footed, zip up pajamas that have been put on backwards - all without unzipping the zipper. Her nap and bedtime routines consist of duct taping on her diaper so that she won't take it off and launch it out of her crib.




And speaking of her crib. Oh, that girl. We've had crib escapees before. But typically, a hard fall or a consequence from Mom or Dad usually deters future crib breaks. At 2, Aaron moved from the crib to the big boy bed and never looked back.




But Ella? Ha! Falls, consequences and the lure of a big girl bed wasn't enough to keep her in any bed, much less her crib. Finally, we gave up and bought a crib tent. So far, she's managed to stay put. So far.




She's maintained her nickname of Ella Goat because of her willingness to eat just about anything. Especially anything green. Her affinity for foods that are green are only out measured by Aaron's repulsion of the same foods. She'll eat anything and does so in large quantities. She's been wearing 24 month and 2T clothes for a while now and as I begin to pull out spring and summer clothing, it's a given that she'll move straight into 3T clothes. I'm eager to see what percentiles she's in when we go for her 2 year check up next week. Having never had a baby in more than the 50th percentile, I'm sure she'll be a rule changer in that arena as well.




This girl and I have a special bond, it's unique from the one I have with the other kids. It's not that she's my favorite or even because she's the "baby" (which, I mean, she's not. Though it's hard for me to wrap my mind around that). The bond I have with her is is just...well, special. She's a Momma's girl through and through. She squeals with excitement when Daddy comes home at the end of the day but when push comes to shove (which is does a lot around here) Mommy is the only one who can adequately soothe her cries, calm her fears and kiss her boo boos.




As I was taking these photos of her yesterday, she kept wanting to sit on my lap or stand with one arm wrapped tightly around my leg. And I couldn't help but smile, even though I really wanted her to step back so that my lens could capture her sweetness.




You know, love is a crazy thing, especially when it's directed toward your children. You find out you're expecting (whether by birth or adoption) and suddenly your heart begins to expand and you begin to love this person you've never met. Then you hold your baby for the first time and think that surely your heart will explode from all the love inside it, trying desperately to pour itself onto this person in your arms.




Then, they grow. And one day they're swinging on the swingset or running through the freshly mowed grass or just sitting and watching cartoons and you look at them and that same swell of emotion happens again. And you wonder, how on earth could I ever love someone the way I love you?

And yet somehow your love continues to grow, day by day, week by week, year by year. And if you add more children into the mix you're sure that none of them could ever capture your heart the way that this one does.

But let me say with confidence, that loving the 6th child with a reckless abandon, in only a way that mother can love, is entirely possible. In fact, I'm learning that it's possible 7 times over. Somehow, this heart of mine continues to multiply the love I have inside for each of my 7 babes. It's entirely possible to fall in love with your children over and over and over again.

And with this frazzle haired girl, who hardly ever lets me keep her hair in a cute, neat pony for longer than .375 seconds, I'm finding that falling in love with her is simply wonderful. Somedays I think I could just squeeze her til she hurts. She floods my heart with such simple, wonderful joy.

Happy 2nd Birthday my sweet Ella Joy! I love you so very much!

Das Not Funny! Friday: It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a turd - in the bathtub

It's happened with every single one of our six kids. Still, every time it happens it grosses me out to the point of gagging, pregnant or not.

Ella is at the stage now that no matter what she eats she manages to smear it all over her body such that no washcloth can dare make a dent in her sloppiness. Typically after breakfast and lunch she requires a quick bath to scrub off all the sticky.

Earlier this week, I plopped her in the tub, added some bubbles and went back into the kitchen to quickly wipe off her booster seat and the table where she had fingerpainted with her Cocoa Puffs.

Approximately 1.5 minutes later I walk back into the bathroom and begin scooping full cups of soapy bubbly water over her head so that we could wash and continue with our day. About 3 scoops in, the bubbles part like the Red Sea and there is a turd. Chillin' on the bottom of the tub like Pharaoh's army. Ew. Ew. Ew.

Not only have I submerged my own hands into the poop water but I've also washed my child in bubbly poop water.

Not good.

I take my naked 18 month old out of the tub, stand her on the rug and drain the tub. I clear the debris out of the tub then realize I need some cleanser to clean out any hidden debris. I decide that I'd rather not have my naked, soaking wet, poop-washed baby sprinting through the house, so like a good mother, I close the bathroom door behind me and sprint down the hall to the kitchen to grab some Castile soap.

Soap and brush in hand, I dash back to the bathroom. My hand rests upon the door knob yet I am unable to turn it.

My sweet, darling, naked, slimy, poop-water covered 18 month old has LOCKED THE BATHROOM DOOR. I should have known. Pushing buttons is her new hobby.

"Ella!" I yell, "Ella! Unlock the door!" I jiggle the doorknob.

From the other side of the door I hear, "Eeeewa! Eeeewa! Ubba daaa!" as her pudgy little fingers rattle the doorknob, mocking my every move.

I knock on the door. "Ella," I say more softly, "open the door Sissy."

To my surprise, I hear her say, more softly, "Eeeeewa, ubbbba daaa ssssssss," as she gently knocks back to me the same rhythm I just tapped out to her.

This copycat knocking and jiggling of door handles continues for the next 3 or so minutes until I realize that my darling, naked, poopy-water covered child, who knows how to open doors and has done so many, many, many times against my better wishes, is NOT opening the door any time soon.

And why should she? I mean, what more fun is it than a game of copy cat with an hysterical Mommy?

I grab my car keys, praying our house key somehow fits the lock of the bathroom. It doesn't but it does manage to turn the knob just enough that I hear the click of the lock popping out the other side of the door.

I push the door open and find my slimy, naked, smiling babe standing beside the tub, bottle of bubbles in her hand, looking at me wondering why in the heck it's taken me so long to get back in the bathroom.

Y'all, it's never a dull moment around here. Ever.

Happy 1st Birthday Ella Joy!

It happened.

I blinked and this year passed me by and my baby grew up right before my eyes.

Instead of being a tiny, cuddly baby she's now a busy, on-the-go (almost) toddler. She's fascinated with her tongue, her fingers and her ability to crawl at lightening quick speeds.


I sit and watch her curious mind marvel at the simplest of creations.

And then she tries to eat them.

I'm forever digging something out of her mouth. Leaves, grass, sticks, old cereal from under Olivia's booster seat. Ew.

Sometimes, I can catch her before she shoves her newest treasure beyond her lips. I yell, "Ella! No!" and instead she holds it as high in the air as her pudgy little hands can reach and proclaims, in her own little baby voice, "I diii iiiieee." (I did it.)

She's cruising all over the place, holding onto any and every thing she can wrap her hands around. I really think she'll be walking within the next few weeks (she'll probably take her first steps while I'm in Guinea-Bissau).

She's got the sweetest little smile and laugh and I love to plant smooches all over her irresistible, chubby cheeks. And I especially love those 10 or so wispy hairs that stick out on the sides of her head by her ears. They crack me up.

She can say, "I eeee daaaa" (I see that!), "I diiii ieeee" (I did it!), "Daaaaawwww" (Dog), "Niiiiiiiiihhhh" (Night-Night), "Maaaa" (Momma), and "Daaaa" (Da-Da). She's determined, sweet, easily redirected and seriously the sweetest baby I've ever met - yes, I know I say that EVERY MONTH.


These next pictures are courtesy of my awesome, putmetoshameasaphotographer, friend Beth.

Her newest favorite thing is to hold onto my hands and "walk."

That is, when she's not FAKE laughing.


Or just being generally happy and smiley.



My sweetest Ella Joy,

Happy 1st Birthday! One year ago, I was still reliving your birth several times a day. I was snuggling you and soaking in your newness. I was smelling the top of your tiny little head and rubbing my fingers along your smooth and soft cheeks. I was taken aback, once more, at how God could choose to bless me by allowing me, of all women, to be your mother.

You were particular and enjoyed sleeping in the bed right up beside me. Truth is, I've "broken" a lot of my hard-and-fast rules of mothering (you know, all those things I said I'd never do) in the last year. I always said I'd let my babies cry themselves to sleep and I can promise you that you rarely cry yourself to sleep. My heart just can't take it.

I always thought I'd never be the Mom who gave her baby a bottle of juice just to make them happy. You get juice on the regular. In a bottle. Oh the shame.

But despite all those things I never said I'd do, one thing remains with you that was the same for your brothers and sisters before you. You make my heart swell with unimaginable love. You make my face broaden into a huge smile each time I go into your room to rescue you from your crib. When you tuck your head and crawl at me at top speed, my heart can't contain the joy. Your sweet spirit and easy personality just makes our family seem so much brighter.

Truly, I was afraid that maybe you'd get little attention, being the youngest of 6 kids all within 6 years. But, the truth is, you probably get the most attention of everyone in the house. You are irresistible and I'm not the only one who thinks so. Your brothers and sisters lavish you with love and you squeal your disapproval and giggle your delights.

And although this year has FLOWN by (much faster than my heart was ready for) you make my job as your Momma more joyful with each passing day. Oh how I love you sweet, Ella-goat girl. I will always and forever.

All my love,

Mommy

Ella Joy at 11 months

One year ago today I was enormously pregnant with our 6th child. We didn't know the baby's gender and it was a whirlwind time in our life. We were in the final stages of closing on the home we owned. We had been in the rental home (the one we currently live in) for just 7 days, as we anticipated the closing of the other house any day (which didn't end up happening until 3 days after Ella was born).

Life was crazy. I was hugely, grossly pregnant and it being my 3rd pregnancy I never thought I'd make it to see my due date and still be with child. Little did I know that God's plans were for me to carry Ella for another 2 weeks. As I watch my sweet friend Britt creep up on her own due date, it brings back floods of memories from where I was at this exact time last year.

Our sweet Ella Joy is just over 11 months old and I cannot believe how quickly those months have flown by. It seems like just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital or feeding her cereal for the first time or watching her roll over for the first time.

She is truly the most content, happy baby I've ever been around. I know I say that every month, but it's true. She smiles and laughs and talks all the time. And she just loves being in the mix of her older brothers and sisters.

She tolerates their hugs and kisses well, only shrieking her displeasure when she's really had too much.

When I go into her bedroom in the mornings, she crawls as hard as she can to the end of the bed and pulls up, squealing with delight. I just love kissing her plump, round cheeks. It never fails that I smooch one side and she turns her head so that I can smooch the other.

She's great at being on the go and doing things that require her to spend a lot of time on someone's lap. A few weeks ago we went to the Train Station. It was a long afternoon and as the trip spilled over into nap time, I was sure she would get so fussy that we'd have to head home early.

Instead, she sat on Luke's lap and before long was snoozing.

Even with squeals and laughter and train horns blaring she slept, completely content that the world was passing by.


She's completely weaned herself which just breaks my heart. I hope that I never forget the blessing of the last time the Lord let me nurse her. It was the night before I was scheduled to get my travel vaccines for my Guinea-Bissau trip. Ella had been sleeping through the night for quite some time and her daytime nursing sessions were minimal at best. For whatever reason (the Holy Spirit!) she woke up the in the middle of the night and refused a bottle. All she wanted was to nurse. I rocked and nursed her and treasured every, single second knowing that the next day I would voluntarily vaccinate myself with live viruses that could be passed through breastmilk. I rocked and nursed and prayed prayers of thanksgiving to God for giving me this one, final night of sweet silence with my baby girl.


It's no wonder Ella doesn't want to nurse anymore because she barely wants to sit still. She crawls at top speed to get into the same room with the other kids to see what they are doing and how she can be in the middle of it. Her sweet little laughter is infectious and her smiles are something that everyone in the family bids for.

She's not walking yet, but I anticipate it any day now. She pulls up on anything that will hold still and often lets go and stands on her own for several seconds at a time. Her little personality is beginning to show much more clearly and I can already tell she's going to be a mixture of all of her sisters' personalities. She adores being the center of attention, just like Olivia. She loves laughter and physical touch, like Ashlee. And she's tenderhearted like Elizabeth.

Our sweet Ellagoat. We all just adore and love her so very, very much. Happy (belated) 11 months sweet girl! I'm so excited to see what the Lord is going to do with your life!

Ella Joy at 10 months

10 months old. TEN.

If you'd like to go back and see my chubby cheekers, here are some links. Be prepared for your computer screen to crack from all the cuteness.

Ella Joy at 1 month
Ella Joy at 2 months
Ella Joy at 3 months
Ella Joy at 4 months
Ella Joy at 5 months
Ella Joy at 6 months
Ella Joy at 7 months
Ella Joy at 8 months
Ella Joy at 9 months

At 10 months Ella-goat is a mover and a shaker. She's perfected her crawling skills and, man, she's FAST. And like I told my friend Mandy last night, she's all about the bathroom. Um...not using the bathroom, just sitting in there for some reason.

If the door is left open she crawls as fast as she can to get in there before I shut the door. I took all of these photos of the Ella-goat in the tub because, well, she wasn't crawling away from me too much and the lighting in there in the mornings is amazing.

And yes, I may have bathed my child so I could take her picture. Or it could be because she pooped the poop of all poops. Or both.

Either way, look at this face. Ugh. I wanna squish her.

She still eats everything she can get her chubby little hands on. EVERYTHING. Have mercy. I've never had a child who put this much stuff in their mouth. Maybe I've been spoiled up until this point, I guess.

This is a face she makes quite often. I'm not sure why but it cracks me up every time.

Nursing is going okay, after having some serious Nursing Woes. My milk supply came back with full force for a week. I was pumping a lot and I think that helped. But the main reason I like nursing is because there are few bottles to wash and you just feed your baby without the hassle.

So I dropped the pumping so much and now it's dwindled down again. We are supplementing with formula at night so she'll get nice and full and sleep. I'm still taking Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle all day every day.

She loves to eat solid foods. Last week, my Mom was feeding her some applesauce for breakfast and I sat down with a bowl of cereal. She refused her applesauce and desperately wanted some of my cereal. Little stinker.

Part of the nursing issues, I think, is that she's too busy to sit and nurse. She is SO concerned with what everyone else is doing. Even when I go into a room alone to nurse her, she crane's her neck to see if the door is cracked. And if it is, she spends all her time unlatching to see if anyone is coming in.

She's eating just about anything we eat with the exception of peanut butter, berries and honey. She's sleeping okay, sometimes still waking up once at night, but not often. She's so joyful and just enjoys being around her brothers and sisters.

I know that we were not mistaken in naming her Ella JOY because her spirit is so full of joy and happiness. She's still so easy going and laid back and everyone in our house still tries so hard to get her to laugh and giggle.

Her newest "trick" is clapping and saying "Yay!" and shaking her head at you and saying "Boo!" trying to scare you. It's hilarious. I'll try to get it on video. If I ever find our video camera.

Happy 10 months Ella Joy! We love you so, so much!