Happy Holidays!

I seriously can't believe it's that time again.... Christmas! As far as the holidays are concerned, it ranks #1. Okay, so taking out all the religious aspects since they are obvious, it's still awesome. Of course, I've lived in Texas my entire life and have had a total of 3 White Christmases. I don't think it's going to happen again this year, but at least Ella got to experience REAL snow last year. Anyway.... like other families, we've been extremely busy. Getting the house ready, lights up, presents bought and wrapped, etc. This is the first year Ella really understands what's going on... she keeps asking when Santa is coming! I swear, she's the smartest not-quite-3-year-old I know. We're looking forward to spending some good, quality time together at home enjoying family and friends. We'll post some holiday pics as we take them. Below, I wanted to share some of my favorites from our session with KLB Photography. Well, all 52 pics are my favorites, but here's a few. From our family to yours, we hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! See you in 2011.

Family Pics - Preview!

Here's a quick preview of our family pictures... lots more to come!

As usual, Karen did an awesome job! She planned a nice morning at Arbor Hills in Plano. I'd never been there before. Lots of other parents, joggers, and people with the same idea... checking some good photo opportunities. Ella did awesome posing for Karen (with some pre-coaching from Mom before our trip there to make sure to listen well and lots of smiles). If anyone needs a great photographer, let us know! I had to throw that in there! :-)

"Whee!!!!!"

My little sunshine!

Tree decorating....

Becoming a Family Tradition...

It's become a new family tradition since Ella was born to attend the Dallas Arboretum every fall. We picked a great weekend! Lots of sun and just a small breeze. Ella absolutely loves running around... checking out the thousands of different pumpkins, running through the hay maze, and then sitting on a blanket relaxing. We loaded up Mimi & Pop-Pop and headed that way. So nice to go when there's not a huge crowd, which during this time of year is pure luck. Ella got to pick out some special pumpkins to take home as well. Of course, they had to be a "daddy, mommy, and baby" pumpkins. This year was nice too because we got the chance to rent a red-wagon. We all got to take turns pulling Ella around, which she wasn't running all over the place! Here are some of our favorite pics. She's already looking forward to going again next time... and keeping our new family tradition going!

Halloween Party!

Hello again, everyone. Well, time to play some blog catch-up. October was a great month for us, but as usual... LOTS going on. Between Brian's birthday, Halloween, and school parties... we were all kept very busy. Ella was very excited to attend her school's Halloween party this year. She got to wear her costume to school, trick-or-treat between all the different class rooms, see a magician act, have fun at the petting zoo, and even ride a pony! It was stormy weather all day, but it held off just long often for us to enjoy it. Our little ladybug did an awesome job... she's getting so big!

Our little ladybug!

Hard to tell in this pic, but riding her first pony!

Ella misses Mrs. Saba being in her class

Getting some love from Mrs. Shante!

Hanging out with Mrs. Deb!

They see me rollin'.....

Hello again, everyone! We literally didn't know Ella could ride a tricycle until we pulled up to school and saw her riding all over the playground. Brian had been working with her on my old bike from when I was a kid. My grandpa restored it for Ella to ride and I say, she LOVES it! Now, every time we get home, she wants to ride! She's such a cutie girl.

Just Practice!

Too cute not to share! ;-)

Future Super Model!

Last week was "Picture Day" at Ella's school. Of course, Mommy had to pick out a cute outfit, get up early to do Ella's hair, etc. I knew they were going to hit us up for purchasing these (typically overpriced) pictures and I are dead set on skipping it... until I saw how freaking cute they were. Unbelievable. Our little cutie is 2 1/2 going on 12. I can't believe it! Check 'em out! Before we know it, she'll be posing for Baby Vogue! ;-)

Our Staycation....

When planning our 8-year wedding anniversary, we knew a "staycation" was in the works. Ella has never slept the night away from us - planned away - so we were looking forward to seeing how she did. We packed up her suitcase for the night with MiMi and Pop-Pop. She was so excited to roll it around the house and load it into the car; kid is going to love to travel!

I surprised Devon by booking a room at the NYLO hotel in Plano. I was very nice and completely modern.... exact opposite of our typical style. I also made reservations at the Zea Woodfire Grill. I would totally recommend the prime rib or the flat-iron steak. All in all, we had a great staycation... although one day is definitely too short. Hopefully, we'll be planning a long trip next time. Sea World, maybe?

As for Ella... She did fantastic, of course. We wouldn't expect any different. :)

Heading to the Grandparents...

Super comfy bed...

I almost stole the shower head, I liked it so much...

Totally modern...

Good weekend coming!

Lots of exciting things coming up this weekend... most being our wedding anniversary (8 years already!) and Ella turning 2 1/2. I know, I know... soon we won't count the 1/2 birthdays anymore, but to us it's still special. This weekend is going to be 4-days off for me and 5-days off for Devon. I know we are both really, really looking forward to some down time. Ella is spending the night with MiMi and Pop-Pop this weekend... first time ever overnight without Mom and Dad... so we'll see how that goes. We have a nice staycation planned. Spending a night out, dinner reservations, etc. Hey... even a 24-hour vacation in-town is still something to look forward to! We'll try to post some pics for everyone. Hope you all have a safe and fun LONG weekend!

Is it September yet?

So... as you can see, we haven't blogged in a while. Just between you and me, I was waiting to see how long it would take Devon to catch up without me doing it. After nearly 2 months, I can't take it anymore. Right now, no cute pics to download and display. We have some I'm sure, but it's been a while since we've downloaded them. August has been unbelievable... major ups and major downs. Let's see if I can do a quick summary.... Circus, ear infection, doctor visit, worse infection, another doctor visit, horrible fever, happy Ella again, sudden death in the family, funeral, birthday parties for kids of friends (one missed, one made), longest business trip in history, issue with Devon's car causing me to drive a '92 Olds for a week, Devon working long hours with a possible transfer to a different department, cancelled date night out, rescheduled quickie date night, plans for house projects getting put on hold, cranking 2-year-old tantums, potty training 95% complete, and other small things you don't care about. BUT... anyway. Is it September yet? I'll (and Devon hopefully!) will get back into the rountine of blogging. If she doesn't get on her and get it going soon, I'm going to start using this as online therapy. ;-)

Starting Daycare....

This week was Ella's first week at daycare. Very bittersweet for us. We have been very blessed to have Devon stay at home with Ella for over 2 years and with both of us working, we knew this day was coming. We did our research, went to several different schools, and finally made a decision. Ella's going to a local private school. Very good teachers and staff. This is still the first few days, but things are going okay. First day was a little rough. Second day was worse. Today... better. At first, Ella wasn't eating or napping very well, but now she's starting to make friends. We'll try to update everyone on how things are going with Ella at her new big girl school. Here's a few of our favorite shots!

Family Pictures....

Family pics... some of our favorite ones!

Bluebonnets!

Hello everyone! It seems like nearly every time we're doing a blog we're apologizing for the lack of blogs this year... so I won't do it again. We've been extremely busy this year, but who hasn't, right? Ella has never seen real bluebonnets, much less taken pictures in them... so it was time to change that! We met Devon's friend Karen with her daughter Maya and husband Ben in Richardson. We heard that was the best place around for pictures. We fought through the wind (and a tired/grumpy 2-year-old) and Karen was able to get some amazing pictures. Here are some of our favorites! Quick plug: If anyone out there is interested in Karen's information, let me know. She's awesome!

Look Who's.... Turning 2!

Hello again, everyone! Well, the last week or two has been full of excitement. First, Ella has gotten completely used to her "big girl bed" now. She's done an awesome job! On a side note, I have to mention that it's completely different to have your kid bang on your door and jiggle the door handle in the morning... especially at 6:30am on a Saturday! But, we like to see her shining face when we open the door. Very different then just hearing her playing in her crib... aaahhh. Anyway, as most of you know, the 5th was Ella's 2nd birthday! Our little baby is growing up SO fast. Well, I took Friday off to spend her birthday together. First, we got up early (hence the 6:30am comment), had Ella open a few small presents from us, had breakfast at IHOP, and headed to the Dallas World Aquarium. Ella had a great time! Looking at the fish, the sharks, the penguins... even got to see a jaguar. She spent the rest of the day talking about all the new things she saw! (And was SO excited... she didn't nap all day.) The next day (Saturday) was her party. We had a small group of family and a few friends over to celebrate. We had cake, ice cream, punch, and opened presents. This kid is so spoiled, but of course... worth it. Devon's grand-parents that live in Michigan (Bill & Freda) were in town, so they got to join our celebration. It was great to have them as a part of it, since they don't get to see Ella as much as they would like. After all this, we were completely worn out. We spent the rest of the weekend enjoying the awesome weather. We had lunch on Sunday and spent a good part of the day at the park... Ella LOVED playing on the slides and the swing. We really hope she enjoyed her big weekend! I think so... since it's been a few days since her party and she's still going around the house saying, "Happy Birthday, Ella!" But, of course... we love every minute of it!

Friends and gifts! Getting too excited!

Posing with Mommy...

Daddy's turn!

"More? Goodie, goodie.."

Sharing cake with friends

Delicious gift!

This is what a happy 2-year-old looks like!

"FISHIES!"