Christmas 2010 pictures Part 1

We had a wonderful Christmas this year and I of course took a ton of pictures.....

So here goes round 1 : )

But first a little video of Ella singing on Christmas Eve. I caught her singing We Wish you a Merry Christmas!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Christmas Eve

Cookies for Santa

Ella was very upset that the cookies were for Santa and NOT for her!

Hunter's note

Santa came!

These are always my favorite Christmas pics.....their sweet sleepy faces, all excited waiting to go see what Santa brought!

A Nintendo Ds!!

and a lego clock!

Stay tuned for round 2

Candle for Carly

As I tucked my babies in on Christmas Eve I thought of Joany Risner-George and how much she must be missing Carly. I cannot imagine losing a child and my heart goes out to Joany and all of Carly's family. Today we lit a candle for Carly......hugs to the George Family

Merry Christmas

Wishing you health, peace and happiness

We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

Love,
Chris, Kacey, Hunter and Ella

Sending you lots of love!!!

Ella's Christmas show at school

Last Thursday was Ella's class party and Christmas show at her preschool and I got to spend the day with her. Yes, I am a bad mom and forgot her glasses....we had stayed out late the night before at my mom's house for her birthday and so I had taken her glasses off in the van. The next morning we took the car and I had thought I left the glasses at my mom's but they were in the van, oh well.

Here she is coloring with a friend
After she "signed in" by tracing her name

Here she is when they first walked into the gym, looking a little concerned

Here is when she spotted us, which threatened to end the performance for her. She tried running to us but her teacher put her back and she actually stayed!!!

I can't believe how much bigger she looks this year compared to last year. She is still the shortest but it isn't as big of a difference this year. The little guy to her right is nearly a year younger that her and is the 2nd shortest in class : ) The girl behind her is her best buddy this year!

Ella and her best friend who brought her a present : )

Seriously....can't she just give me one good pic

The little pink necklace is from her friend. The friend's mom said they were at the store and the little girl spotted this and told her mom she wanted to get this for Ella for Christmas. So so so sweet! Ella loves the necklace, just hates having to stand still for pictures!

And here is the video of Ella's little Christmas performance. I of course cried as usual. I'm pretty sure that I will always be blown away by how well Ella does!!!!

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Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Hunter had his Christmas show the week before and to my amazement they sang actual Christmas songs like Away in a Manger, Angels we Have Heard on High, Silent Night, with the actual words in a public school!! Pretty cool. Unfortunately my videos of his night are so shakey, I had to hold the camera above my head the whole time and the videos move so much they make you want to barf to watch them. I do have one little part, which was my favorite, of him signing the words to Silent Night (while lip singing as well)!

Here is my handsome guy before we left for the show.

He's got moves : )

Here he is in his classroom after the big show.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

More Dancing!!!

My little girl LOVES to dance (just not in a class and not when she is told to, on her own terms!!!) This past Friday my parents and grandparents (who are visiting from Georgia) came to our house to help decorate our Christmas tree, which looks awesome, and after we all enjoyed some live entertainment.....

In case you can't hear her, she keeps ordering everyone to clap, and of course everyone follows her demands : )

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

This last one is so precious.....here is Ella dancing with her Great-Grandad!!!!!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Wasn't that just so sweet???

On Saturday morning we were getting ready to run poor Hunter to the doctors, he had Croup and was gasping for air between his every word, I was changing Ella's diaper on the floor in front of the Christmas tree and she says "Christmas tree tutu like Glue dance clap clap clap clap fun silly!" To translate - we put up the Christmas tree, I put on my tutu, I danced to Stuck like Glue (which was prior to this recording) and I told Nana, Grandpa, Grandmom and Grandad to clap, we had fun and I was silly! - I love that girl!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

We have had a great Thanksgiving! I have so very much to be thankful for. I am thankful for the little boy who shoveled my driveway, the little girl who "helped" me cook, and the husband that ran to Walmart for a few things I forgot. I am thankful that my grandparents came up from Georgia to visit and SOOOO thankful that my parents moved here from Alaska to be with us. I am so very blessed!!!

An attempt at pictures out on Nana's back deck

Christmas pictures are going to be fun this year.....

My grandmom and mom

The kids and their great-grandparents

The men

The kids and their Nana and Grandpa

Ella and Nana, don't they look so much alike???

Talking up a storm

Unfortunately I don't have any video to show you but my girl is talking ALL the time! Most of the time it is full of attitude, but wow Ella is talking so good. This morning we were at Walmart and she had quite the conversation with the cashier, and the cashier actually understood EVERYTHING that Ella said. It was so awesome!

I went to Ella's teacher conference yesterday and got to meet with her teachers and all of her therapists. They had so many nice things to say about Ella, she is doing so great in all areas! She is starting to talk a lot more in school, although nothing like how much she talks here which is ALL the time, but she is getting there.

I do have a little problem I want to share with you all.....so, Ella has known all her colors for quite awhile, by matching, signing and verbally naming them. Now she knows her shapes, can count objects up to 10, sing her ABC's, and is starting to recognize words and has lost her colors. She can still match them (as in give her a green bear and she puts it on the green dot) but names the color wrong. I have been working and working on 4 colors here at home. "Ella what color is this?" "red" "no, this is blue. Say blue." "Blue." Then I put it down and pick it back up, "what color is this?" "Red." Seriously, it is driving me crazy. I even brought it up with her teachers and at first they thought maybe she was just messing with me (she messes with them a lot, purposely calling them the wrong names and laughing etc) but they have been testing her here and there and yep, her colors are gone.

Now I remember when she was little (birth to three) that if she would be making big progress in motor areas, like walking, then her speech would disappear for awhile and vice versa. And this, I was told, was normal. But now we are having knowledge disappear when she learns something new? Pretty frustrating. Are you supposed to practice every little thing they know every day so it doesn't get lost???? Argh.

I will share a funny little story about Ella from tonight. Ella and I were in her room getting ready for bed. We somehow have gotten into this little routine of listing off things we are about to do, and then she repeats them to me. It kind of helps relieve meltdowns. So I count off on my fingers one by one, and say "jammies, bed, cream, paci," so Ella counts off on her fingers and says "no, no, no, no." I try very hard not to laugh and again say "jammies, bed, cream, paci," (cream is her lotion for her face and paci is a pacifier and yes my 4 year old still takes one...) and Ella counts off on her fingers, with a smirk on her face, and says "ice cream cone, ice cream cone, show, ice cream cone." To which I of course laugh hysterically. I love that she has a sense of humor.


Here are a few pics.......




Ella got her haircut on Monday by my friend Molly (she's the best!) It was badly needed and she took off a good bit and then framed her face a bit with her hair. It looks really cute. If only I could tame the static that seems to find Ella 2 seconds after I do her hair......

School pics 2010

I got the kids school picture in.....I must say they aren't too bad. Sure there are some fake smiles, but not too bad. I might even say I like the last two!

Free Free Free!!!

I read about this promotion on The Bates Motel blog..... 50 FREE Holiday Cards from Shutterfly!

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-------> http://bit.ly/sfly2010

I LOVE sending out Christmas cards but hate getting them ready. I have always, in years past, printed out 100+ pictures and shoved them into those cards, you know the ones that are meant for pictures to be shoved in : ) Not exactly the most creative cards in the world but they did the job! But this year I plan on plugging my pictures into cards that are already designed, like this ONE, which is super cute but then I may have to suffer through family pictures in which I will not like myself in any of them. So, maybe I will go with this ONE, which is more simple but very cute and just of the kids and lets face it that's all people really want to see : ) Then there is this ONE which would allow me to put multiple pictures of the kiddos on it. Hmmm....decisions decisions! I guess it all depends on what kind of good pictures I get of the kids!

Here is my Christmas picture from 2008...