Easter Saturday

We met Brody and his parents for an Easter Egg Hunt. It was at a huge church and there were lots of people and lots of eggs to find.

The Pals:)

Ella's Easter Egg hunt was first in the fenced -in area

Then the boys were off finding eggs as fast as they could! They sure found a lot!

The loved looking to see what was inside the eggs.

Our family after the hunt.

Then we went and had dinner together at Chili's. We practically had the whole restaurant to ourselves-it was 4:15 pm.

That evening, we dyed our Easter Eggs!

Carter really loved it.

We even let him paint a few eggs.

This was his special egg with his name on it.

We made one with Ella's name on it, too. I guess I did not get a picture of it.

Daddy, Carter and the eggs!

Good Friday FUN!

The day started at Gepner's house. We made rice crispy treat eggs and rolled them in colored sugars.

We had McDonald's lunch. The kids loved it!

We then went home for a nap. After nap time...

we met at Bass Pro Shop to see the Easter Bunny!

They had crafts for the kids. Carter and Will made these eggs to hang on the refrigerator.

The girls had fun in the shopping cart while we waited in line.

As we were walking up to the Easter Bunny, Ella was waving to him and happy.

But she did not like his furry hands on her and got a little teary eyed. I thought she did okay for her first time. :) Carter liked him, especially since he gave Carter Jelly Beans.

Easter Crafts

Carter painted a few Easter window decorations while Ella watched. She was content eating her goldfish crackers. Carter loves doing art projects and making messes! :)

Pediatrician Visit April 21st

Dr. Stuppy had good things to say on Thursday, too.

It was Ella's 12 month Well Visit.

13 % weight 12 pounds 2.1 ounces

2% length 68 cm

31% head circumfrance 44.5 cm

Ella is a good eater and will eat anything you give her. Last week she had her third tooth (center-top) pop through the skin. She has teeth 4, 5, 6 and 7 all making their way in this week-all on the top. She doesn's seem to bothered by it.

She is BLOOMING!

NICU-Developmental Clinic April 20th

I always enjoy going to these appointments. I love to hear the experts say how well Ella is doing. :)

Jeanette is a Speech-Language Pathologist and she was great. She really did a nice job involving Carter in the visit.

Here is what she thought about my big girl...

Ella does a great job coordinating her movements up and down. She does great pointing to objects and has good sitting balance. She has good/normal muscle tone. She said Ella is a coordinated, careful walker. She said that developmentally Ella is about 12 months in her gross motor skills and 12-15 months with her fine motor, language and social skills. Janette thought over the next 6 months Ella will gain 7-9 months of skills. Overall, she said Ella was "doing so good!"

They would like to see Ella one more time in 6 months. (We knew leaving the NICU that we would continue appointments for the first 2 years).  At that appointment, they will "score" her as a 21 month old with her age not adjusted to make sure she is on track. Ella should be able to point to body parts, stack cubes and say more than 12 words.

What a blessing! She is on track and doing GREAT!!!!



Easter In Newton (a week early)

We loved going to  Newton!

Carter and Pappy worked in the yard and then took the debris to the dump (aka Landfill-as Carter calls it)

Ella enjoying sitting in the grass watching the boys work

On Saturday night, Jay came to stay the night and we went to the park. Everyone loved swinging...

especially this little girl!

We loved sliding, too!

The kids made a "train" with Guh Guh's help.

The Easter Bunny came to Pappy and Guh Guh's House on Sunday morning!We had an egg hunt.

Jay, Ella and Carter got LOTS of eggs.

Ella found out that her eggs were filled with M&M's and she LOVED them!

Then we went inside to see what was in their Easter baskets.

The kids loved their baskets...

and looking at what was inside the eggs!

They got adorable Easter gifts at Grandma Deb and Grandpa Ranny's house, too. I guess I did not take any pictures of their treats there. I will take more next time we visit. Carter can't wait for his next trip to Newton!

April 11, 2011-Officially One Year

Ella's due date was April 11th. So "developmentally" as of today, she should act like a One Year Old. She is doing everything she should be doing. :) We are truly BLESSED!

Miss Ella wants to walk. She pulls up and walks around things with one hand. She crawls up the stairs so fast! She is very verbal and loves to wave and give high 5's! She gives her Mommy, Daddy and Debbie kisses. She has two big teeth on the bottom and one that just poked through on the top. She loves to eat most anything you put in front of her. She likes to feed herself, so she prefers pick-up foods. She loves her big brother and they like to play together often. Some days, however, Ella does not want to play with him and as soon as he comes near her, she starts to squeal for him to get away! Oh, she learns fast.  

Of course, Mommy did not miss a chance for dessert! :) We celebrated Ella's "official One Year" with cake and a candle.

She likes icing, just like her mommy and brother!

She is a big girl!

She is blooming just like a little girl should. :)

Does she look GREAT or what?

Happy Girl

Look at her chubby legs...that have dimples on her knees.

Walking with daddy's help. She is getting to be a big girl!

Caleb's 2nd Birthday

The party was at a fun park and we had beautiful weather!

Kate (Caleb's mom) grabbed Ella as soon as we got there and fed her a cupcake. Ella loved it, especially the icing!

Brody and Carter pushed by their dads.

Miss Ella loves to swing, too!

They gave Carter and Ella cute train boxes that said "two, two" that we filled with candy and bubbles.

Cute kids that had a fun time playing and enjoying the weather!

(Brody, Caleb, Emery, Ella and Carter)

We can't wait to spend more time together this summer!!

Will's 4th Birthday Party

The theme was The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! It was so fun.

The weather was gorgeous...so we could go outside to eat...

 and play and swing!

Ella was dressed for a party!

The Ninja Turtles cake was delicious!

The kids had lots of fun together!

Happy 4th Birthday, Will!



Happy Birthday (today), Aunt Stacy

We love our Aunt Stacy! We always have fun with her!

She always brings us fun packages when she comes and visits. She is a great shopper!

Carter loves you!

And Ella does, too. (This is the first time Stacy got to "peek" at Ella through the NICU window. We were so glad she got to see her in person..even if it was really fast).

We love you, Aunt Stacy and can't wait to see you soon!