Big shoes to fill ~

Ella LOVES shoes.....looking at them, playing with them, wearing them....just like me! She found Emma's shoes (that look just like a pair she has) in the kitchen the other night, and immediately sat down and tried to put them on! She was working hard, but couldn't understand what the problem was! It won't be long before Emma's shoes will fit her perfectly. Those are definitely going to be "big shoes to fill", in every sense of the meaning!

Naughty and Nice....

.....can you tell which is which?

This was our first attempt at a Christmas picture, and it actually started out pretty good. Ella managed to sit still long enough for me to snap a few good ones and then she was ready play! She kept trying to stand up in the chair. It was when she got in trouble for doing so that she had a "major meltdown" (as Emma would say). Emma just sat there, in the same pose and same smile, in hopes that maybe El would settle down and put an end to the "photoshoot"......it didn't happen. At least we got one good shot!

Such a hard life ~

Sleepover ~

Emma's friend Abby spent the night a couple of weekends ago! She was so excited since this was her first "real" sleepover (I guess the 9 girls she had spend the night for her bday don't count!) We did the usual "sleepover"stuff.....ordered pizza, went to the movie store, then to the grocery store to get the necessary items needed to make ice cream cookie sandwiches (which Ella enjoyed, as well). They finally crashed around midnight!

Finally....An Update ~

We've had so much going on lately, I've been neglecting my blogging duties! I definitely have a lot to catch up on, starting with Thanksgiving!

The entire second grade at Cary Woods had a Thanksgiving feast just like the Pilgrims and Indians! They each got to choose whether they wanted to be a Pilgrim or an Indian.....Indians seemed to be the popular choice! They lined the hall with brown paper and they all sat together to have their "feast". Very Cute!!!

As for family, we spent this Thanksgiving in Birmingham. Emma and Ella got to spend time with their cousins, Ava and Cakes, I was able to see my grandparents, parents, and sisters all at the same time.....which is rare! We had a great time. Poor Cakes wasn't quite sure what to think of Ella Reid! Cakes is more of the "quiet type", where El is more the "tazmanian devil" type. It made for a very interesting Thanksgiving!

A weekend with FRIENDS ~

Our close friends, Alisha, Jeremy, Matt and Elizabeth, came down to spend the weekend with us and go to the GA game. Alisha and Matt are two of my closest friends from high school! We always have so much fun when they visit, since we don't get to see each other that often. We all went to the game and spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out at the great tailgating spot Jeb claimed for us! However, since Matt and Elizabeth are UA fans (boo), we had to make sure we were home for UA's 6:45 kick off! We had a great time hanging out and eating tons of food! Things aren't quite the same, these days, when we all get together. You know you're getting old when you stay up til 2 am playing Catch Phrase! Since Alisha and Jeremy are in Calera, Matt and Elizabeth are in Trussville, and Jeb and I will soon be in Athens, it makes it hard to get together more than a couple of times a year! I miss them so much. So we've decided to start planning an annual "get-together". When and where.....we're not sure yet. But no fear, I'll be sure to have a detailed itinerary soon! We miss you guys already! Thanks for a GREAT weekend!

Don't forget to brush!

Emma found the "funky teeth" I had left over from her Halloween party and thought it was the greatest thing ever! She insisted that I try them out!

Alfalfa?

...NO....just El sporting her new do! She finally has enough hair to make a ponytail; a very tiny ponytail....but a ponytail, nonetheless! It's so cute!

Fundraiser ~

After months of organizing, our 1st annual SHOP IT fundraiser took place last weekend! Being that neither Laura, nor myself had ever organized a fundraiser before, it turned out great! We were hoping to have bigger crowd than we did, but all in all it went very well! Emma and Ella even helped out!

Bake Sale ~

As part of our Teen Moms fundraiser, we put together a small bake sale. Elizabeth, another volunteer and very good friend, and I spent several hours the night before making a few treats to sale. Luckily, we had some very willing participants to help us out! Emma measured and mixed the hot chocolate mix and Ella poured all of the marshmallows out on the floor! I don't know how we would have made it without their help!!

Studying Hard ~

I was walking by Em's room the other night while she was hard at work doing homework! She was concentrating so hard! She certainly does take after her daddy! It was such a beautiful site, I had to take a picture! She did not appreciate being bothered!!

SHOP IT!

It's time to start Christmas shopping! What better way to get a head start, than to come to our SHOP IT fundraiser! I hope to see you all there, this Saturday (11/8) from 9am - 2pm! Each vendor will donate a percentage of their sales to Teen Moms, a ministry of YFC!

A Spooktacular Event ~

Em's been asking since last Halloween if she could have a Halloween Party. Since Ella was born on the 22nd, I just didn't think I could manage it last year! So when she asked again this year, I finally gave in. Em and her friend, Caroline, hosted their first halloween party at our house Friday night! We thought it would be fun to do a halloween scavenger hunt. So Friday afternoon, Lisa (Caroline's Mom) and I hid 10 spooky clues all around our cul de sak! Luckily my neighbors didn't mind having 15 kids running thru their yards! The rules were simple; no crossing the street (they had to run back and forth thru the yards), whoever finds the clue gets to read it, but they can't read it until the rest of the group is there. It was so fun to watch! When one of them would find a clue, they'd start yelling "GUYS! I FOUND IT!" The last clue, which read:

Tonight is not all fright and fear, a trick or treat is waiting near

look for the spider with the tiny red eyes, His 8 hairy legs are guarding your prize!

led them to 4 cauldrons full of candy, prizes, and treats! We all had a great time! We might even make it an annual spooktacular event!

Star Student ~

Thanks to Mimi coming down to stay with El, I got to have lunch with Em at school and see her get her awards for the first 9 weeks! She got one for being a Super Student, one for Honor Roll, and another for perfect attendence! We are so proud of her (I think she was proud of herself, too)! I love getting to visit Em at school! Thanks again, Mimi, for giving me the chance to go!

Fun with Dental Floss~

Who needs toys?!

Happy Halloween ~

Emma had her mind made up that she HAD to be a witch this year for Halloween.....there was no convincing her otherwise....so we found "cutest" witch costume we could find. She had specific instructions about her too.......spray it with glitter....that's it! I miss the days when she had no opinion and I could do what I wanted to her! Lucky for me, there's El! I have the best of both worlds! I'm glad El got to wear her costume for her birthday. She's been pretty sick this week so she had to miss out on trick or treating! That seems to be the story of her 1 year of life! At least Emma had a great night, and I don't think El really missed anything!