Saturday, July 21, 2012

Steamboat Springs, CO 2012

Arrived at steamboat late this morning. It is nice to be with my entire family in such beautiful country. The long drive couldn't have gone any better. The girls were awesome in the small cramped Prius. Today we are settling in a bit. I hear a summer thunderstorm nearby, if the weather holds up we will take the girls swimming after Ellie wakes up. If not, I plan on opening up the doors and windows to soak in this amazing weather. We have lots we want to do this week. I am going to try to keep this blog updated so friends and family can keep up with our adventures.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Ellie's first birthday.

On January 8th, Ellie turned one. I can't believe the past year has gone by so quickly. We celebrated with a party at home. Mamaw and PaPAw made homemade chicken and beef dumplings, we had a green salad, and I made chocolate cupcakes and banana cupcakes. Ellie seemed to enjoy her special day with close friends and family.
Over the past week, I have seen a change in the way Ellie is interacting with me. She seems to be trying to communicate a lot more. Her personality is starting to show even more. She reminds me of her great grandmother Camp.
My favorite thing to do is watch the way Ellie and Aspen interact together. The love they have for one another just amazes me.

Monday, December 27, 2010

Christmas 2010
























































We have had a great Christmas season. It has been busy, but lots of fun.




We attended the James family Christmas party. Aspen got to play with her cousins and it was Ellie's first time to meet Thad's extended family. The girls also got to see Santa. Ellie wasn't happy about sitting in his lap, but Aspen was eager to tell him what she wanted him to bring.
The next day, Aspen got to be a part of our church play. She was an Angel. She did a great job singing the songs she had worked so hard to learn over this past month.
Just a couple of days before Christmas, my brother Doug and his wife Janet drove in from Colorado to spend Christmas with us. My Mom and Dad, and Brother Brian and his wife Alisha all gathered at our home Christmas Eve and Day. Herb and Donna were able to join us for Christmas Dinner. It was a wonderful day. The next day, Herb and Donna hosted another Christmas dinner at their home in Hot Springs.
Ellie has cut two more teeth and is starting to walk short distances. She just needs to build up her confidence and she will soon be walking everywhere.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Ellie, rocking out!

Trying to blog from my phone.

Monday, November 22, 2010
















A lot has happened since my last post. Ellie now has 3 teeth and the 4th one is working its way out. She has been really having a difficult time cutting teeth and I hope she receives some relief soon. She is so close to taking her first steps without assistance, but it still may be a while, she seems perfectly content crawling if there is nothing to hold on to. The most exciting news about Ellie is that she has finally learned to use one of her signs to communicate with us. On Sunday, Thad was able to get her to sign "more". Her version looks very much like a clap. Today she also waved goodbye to Thad and Aspen as they left for their day.
Aspen has had some equally exciting accomplishments too. On Sunday we loaded the girls up and went to the Clinton Library grounds to enjoy the warm day. Aspen finally learned to ride her bicycle with no training wheels. I was amazed at how quickly she figured it out.
Today Aspen recieved a midterm progress report and her teacher reports that she is an excellent citizen in her classroom and is above average in all areas of academics. Thad and I are no doubt, very proud of our big girl. Aspen has also started her foreign language studies at school. She has been assigned French. Her french name is Juliette.
Here are some pictures and video of our amazing girls.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Halloween 2010
















The Valarezo family invited us back to their house this year to trick or treat in their neighborhood. Thanks guys. We had a great time.