Florida 2013

The last week of February/first week of March, we spent a week in Siesta Key, FL with my parents.  We woke the kids up around 4:50am on Saturday morning to catch our flight.  Despite their sleep deprivation, the kids did great.  They took a short nap on the way to condo from the airport and were ready to go!

We spent the majority of the week at the beach and also some time in the pool.  The kids loved playing on the beach in the sand making 'sand waffles or sand cakes.'  

Elli also loved playing 'elevator' in the ocean (she would stand in the water while the tide came in and sink in the sand).

Climbing on the chair- a fun game Connor played at the beach!

We went to the drum ceremony on Sunday night.  We've been talking about this drum ceremony ever since we went last year.  The kids were a little hesitant at first, but went out in the middle to dance in no time.

In the middle of the week we had a day of rain.  It was perfect timing as we had all gotten a little too much sun at the beginning of the week.  We ended up going to the Mote Aquarium in Sarasota.  The kids enjoyed this, but by the time we got home they were exhausted.

Waiting outside to get in....

Watching the sharks!  This was the main animal that Elli wanted to see!  We were even able to look for shark teeth!

And we saw a sea lion show

Both kids jumping off the side of the pool

Connor loved taking stroller rides!!

 Fruit snacks on the beach (Elli wasn't too thrilled that she had to wear a swim shirt).

Doing tricks in the pool

 I think we are actually all smiling in this picture....that has never happened before!!

 No luck with getting a good picture of the 2 kids together.

 You can see how Connor felt about getting his picture taken!

 Breakfast on the last day at the Broken Egg.  We decided to go to the beach that morning, but it didn't last long due to the colder temperatures.

We were able to see horses in a parade at the village on our last night in Florida.

 The kids loved it and Connor kept asking for more.

The kids did great on the way home!  We flew home the following Saturday during naptime.  Elli rested for the first 30 minutes or so and Connor ended up falling asleep.  The airlines lost Connor's carseat and loaned us one that didn't go rear-facing.  The whole way home from the airport, he kept saying "ohhhhhhhh."  Needless to say, he is now forward facing.  Once we got our car seat back we decided to keep him forward facing because we didn't have the heart to turn him back around.  

We had a great week in Florida and are looking forward to going back next year!  Thanks for a good week Nana & Papa Brauchler!!

Disney On Ice

On February 20th, we took the kids to see Disney on Ice.  We knew Elli would love it, but what we weren't expecting was how much Connor would enjoy it.  The show started at 7:00 and went on for almost 2 hours.  Our kids are never up that late, so we weren't sure exactly how they would do.  They did great that night; however, I totally paid the price the next day for keeping them up until 9:45.  I was called out of MOPS to get Elli the next morning because she was kind of a mess.  She loves going to church and this was not like her at all.  With all that being said, we don't regret Disney on Ice at all....it truly was the best money I've ever spent!  Elli was so excited through the whole thing and Connor went 'ooh and aww' during the entire show!  

 Elli was so excited to leave for Disney on Ice.  She talked about it for weeks before the show.  We let her wear her 'Belle' dress.

I loved watching Connor watch the show.  He kept his hand like this for a good portion of the show....showing us what was on the ice.

 Elli saw some girl eating Cotton Candy and immediately started talking about when Nana and Papa B. got her cotton candy at the fair last summer.  We gave into her request for cotton candy and with it came this Mickey hat.  Connor would not take it off....seriously kept it on the whole night and the whole way home.  

Disney on Ice did not disappoint!!  We will definitely be going again when they come to Columbus again.

3 Year Well Visit

I took Elli to the dr. on January 28th for her 3 year check up!  She did great and answered every question the dr. asked her.  She was a champ up until the finger prick she got at the end.  The finger prick brought about tears, but she recovered well.  She still talks about how they "pinched her finger." At this visit, Elli had to give a urine sample which resulted in a million questions from her:

"Why do I have to pee in a cup?"
"Why does the dr. want to look at my pee?"
"Do I have to poop in a cup?"
"Why doesn't the dr. need to look at my poop?

These questions were asked over and over again. Elli is 28 pounds 4 ounces (10-25th percentile) and 37 inches (50th percentile).  

The dr. was very pleased with her development and so are we!!  She was so brave at the dr.

18 Months

I can't believe we've reached a year and a half with Connor!!  I'm crazy about this kid....he's just so sweet!!  He loves dancing, music, playing with his toys, playing outside, and running all around.

(Playing after his haircut....eating his sucker)

Connor is still a really good sleeper.  He still loves to have us sing to him while we rock him before bed.  Bedtime continues to be around 7:30 and he sleeps anywhere from 7:30 to 8:30am.  He takes a 2 to 3 hour nap in the afternoon.  However, naps this week have been a bit off....45 minutes one day and 1.5 hours another.  When his naps are this short during the day, it is hard to get him to 7:30.  Wednesday night this week he was up as late as he has ever been (9:45pm) because we took the kids to go see Disney on Ice.  He did great staying up late, but was exhausted the next day!

(Just hanging out with Dad before bed)

As far as eating is concerned, Connor does pretty well.  He's had a little bit of trouble this week with refusing some foods and I've learned that if he snacks during the day he doesn't eat well during his meals.  He refused dinner on Wednesday and lunch on Thursday (both times he had a fairly good snack beforehand).  When he does get snacks, they are usually pretty small.  Connor usually can't get his breakfast down fast enough and this week he hasn't been eating as much as he normally does in the morning.  I'm wondering if he is getting some more teeth....he's just been off this week.

Connor and Elli have really started playing more together.  He loves playing with her as long as she isn't taking something away from him (which happens often).  He often mimics what she does.  Elli usually bosses him around and doesn't understand that he isn't going to do everything she says!!

We had his 18 month well visit on the 18th and I couldn't believe how well he did.  I mean, didn't even mind having the dr. check him over.  He just sat there and 'read' a magazine the whole time and then told the dr. 'bye.'  Connor got 2 vaccinations in his legs and cried for about 10 seconds and then wanted me to put him down.  The dr. did take note that he does still have the hole in his heart, which was disappointing.....I was really hoping it'd be closed by this point.  But....seeing how well he did today, makes me feel better about his upcoming cardiology appointment.  He is 21 pounds 8 ounces (10-25th percentile) and 32 inches (25-50th percentile)  The dr. was very please with his development.

Happy 18 months Connor Lee!!  I can't believe how big you're getting.  Yesterday, you leaned to the side, passed gas, and laughed.....I couldn't believe it and it just reminded me how quickly you are growing!!  You are such a sweet, sweet boy!!

Contrary to what you might believe, this video is not of Connor having a seizure, but rather a video of him dancing while sitting on his knees.  This boy loves dancing!!

Valentine's

Happy Belated Valentine's Day!  This is what our day looked like....

For breakfast on Thursday, we had heart shaped pancakes.  Elli was so excited.  She kept saying, "Happy Valentime's Day"every 5 seconds.

Connor loved his blueberry pancakes!!

 

Before lunch, we watched Cinderella.  After lunch, the kids helped make whoopie pies!  Elli loved icing hers....

Connor couldn't wait and took a bite out of it before we had put icing on it!

After naps, we did a Valentine's craft, played and got McDonalds!  

I made the kids do a mini-photo shoot before dinner!!

Scott was out West for work, but we still managed to have a good Valentine's Day!!

Dentist Visit

Elli had her 1st dentist appointment yesterday.  Of all appointments I've had to take my kids to, this was the appointment I was dreading (well....and getting Connor's cast off....that was pretty much miserable).  I arranged to have someone watch Connor, so I could completely focus on Elli.  And....girlfriend did GREAT!!  She was so brave the whole time, despite the boy next to her that was screaming the whole time.  The dental hygienist even commented multiple times how well she was doing.  She did exactly what they told her to without any complaining.

They gave her glasses to wear, but she didn't want to put them on until the dentist and hygienist left :)

Big smile from the cavity free kiddo!

Elli received a goodie bag, t-shirt, and many stickers!  I love this dentist office.....they did such a good job!

3 years old

On January 26th, Elliana turned 3 years old!  I can't believe how old she is getting and how much she has changed in the past year. 

 Elli is still as girly as they come.  These days she is so into princess things!!  She has a different dress, tutu, or skirt on each day.  This girl loves dress-up.  Elli is also really into brides and loves the dresses that they wear.  This morning she told me that when she grows up she wants to be 'a real Snow White and wear a red headband, so I look exactly like Snow White.'

Elli loves, loves, loves movies and electronics.  When there is something on T.V. that she likes, everything around her stops.  She usually watches 30 minutes of T.V. a day while I cook dinner.  Although we don't let her too often, Elli loves playing games on my iPhone and Scott's iPad.  I can tell how different her generation is going to be with all the electronics....it's amazing how well she knows how to use the electronics.  She loves to facetime and Skype.....we usually do this at least every other day.  

Elli has turned into a pretty good eater.  She is always willing to try new things and will pretty much eat whatever we put in front of her.  For her birthday meal, she requested chicken noodle soup (what 3 year old wants this on her birthday??).  She still has such a sweet tooth.  Her new thing is ice cream, cold stone ice cream with sprinkles and M&Ms.  

Elli loves to do crafts.  Her teachers say they think she could do crafts all day long and they are probably right.  I'm always trying to think of different things for her to do!  She is also beginning to love playing games.  We've started playing the matching game and candy land with her.  Reading books is another thing she loves to do.  She is even able to 'read' some of her favorites to us.  Her baby dolls continue to be her favorite toy....she loves taking care of them.  

Elli still goes to bed around 7:30 and wakes up around 7 or 7:30.  She is still taking a 1.5 to 2 hour nap in the afternoon.  Elli used to have a lot of trouble going to bed, meaning she would stall and stall and stall.  However, lately bedtime has been much easier.  We've had many talks with her about it being ok to get out of bed herself and use the restroom or get a drink of water herself (Elli NEVER used to get out of bed unless we came in her room and told her it was ok).  

One of the many things I love about Elli is how excited she gets about the littlest things.  I mean, this girl got big girl toothpaste (you know the kind with fluoride...where she can spit when she brushes her teeth) and now it is all she wants to do.  A simple walk outside can make this girl's day.  Or just having her help me make muffins is the most exciting thing to her.  Her memory is also sharper than ever....really, our friends can't believe it when they hang out with her!  She's such a funny little girl and we can't believe some of the things she says (good things, not bad!).  Elli is also becoming more shy the older she gets.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Elliana Marie!  You are so special to us!