Quentin and Amy plus 1

V-DAY baby update

2012-02-14T12:49:00.001-08:00

Well, I promised myself and a few friends that I would do better about blogging...so here goes!

As the end of my pregnancy draws nearer and nearer.... I am more and more tired with all of the dreaded symptoms that the second half of your third trimester carries with it (I have about 6 weeks left)....I am beyond exhausted..which is the excuse I will use for now as to why I have been a little "lazy" with my blogging!!! My belly hangs out of the bottom of my maternity clothes... I'm HUGE, and it is getting harder and harder to move along with the numbness (won't go into details here ;) and my hips hurting, feeling like she is about to fall out...and not to mention VERY FREQUENT trips to the ladies room and many sleepless nights ;) I am constantly trying to remind myself to quit the complaining and just be GRATEFUL!!!!...which I am...I promise!

I have been working on the nursery and will post pictures as soon as it is finished!!!! Have to say....it is beyond cute!!! I went back to Tx this past week and of course went to my favorite boutique...which just so happens to be the home of Caden Lane...where I ordered the fabric for the bedding and other room projects that I sewed up....after chatting it up with the owner and showing her pics of the baby's room, they want to post pics of the nursery on their blog...how fun is that right...so, I will keep you posted on that too!

Happy Valentine's to me!! We had a sono today to check up on lil sis and see how big she is getting....since our little man was quite the little pudge! ;) She was just as cute as can be... Her heartrate was 141 today and she was movin' and a groovin' as usual! She measured about one week early (instead of G's 3 weeks early) and around the 56th percentile (I think that is the number they gave me) in size and weighing in at 5lbs 3 oz...so that was very good to hear....especially when I think about pushing her out....ok...maybe TMI ;) So, the Dr. was very happy about that! It was so fun to see her again on the screen....and the sono tech also told us that she is still a girl...lol...thank goodness, because I'm not sure what I would do with the sea of pink that fills her room and closets!

Once I get the new sono pictures scanned in and another belly shot taken, I will post again!!!...so stay tuned!!!

update on little princess-29 weeks

2012-01-17T12:13:00.000-08:00

can't believe we are in my third trimester... and 29 weeks (and 3 days to be exact :) we had a dr. appointment today...her heart rate was 148, it was funny, as soon as the nurse would get a count, she would move around and speed up or slow down her heart rate...mommy is going to be a busy lady as soon as our little dancer gets here!!! my belly is measuring 30 weeks....and I didn't get in trouble for my weight gain..whoo hoo!!!

I just got the best Valentine's present today!!! We get to go in for another sono on February 14th! So excited!!! There is nothing better than seeing your little peanut dancing around on that screen!!!

and one more thing....love how Quentin refers to our baby girl as "princess".... sooo cute! I think he is in love with having a little girl already! my heart melts at the idea of seeing him hold our little girl in a few short weeks!

trick or treat!

2012-01-10T13:41:00.000-08:00

After the baby reveal party...it was time for some trick or treating!!! G always LOVES going with his cousins!!! He was pretty much the cutest clown you have ever seen!!!

Mommy and Daddy with Griffin the clown!

Excited about his candy stash!!!

my boys...how cute, right!!!

Griffin and his little girlfriend Caroline!

Love this little face! Still can't believe he left his wig on the entire night!!!

What a FUN day!!!! and definitely a memorable one!!!

baby reveal party!!!

2012-01-10T13:03:00.000-08:00

Here's to a little more catching up!!!

We found out what we were going to have on October 31st!!! I was sooo excited!! Every year we have Quentin's family over for dinner before trick or treating! So, the timing was perfect to have a little reveal party!!! I am surprised I survived the wait to tell them after our sono that morning...but a little shopping helped with that!!! ;)

So, I knew I wouldn't have enough time to bake the cake before the reveal party, so, the night before I baked a blue and pink cake! Almost ONLY baked a pink cake, I was so sure it was a girl...but then I thought I might jinx myself, so 2 cakes it was! Just glad we didn't cut into the wrong cake...lol
our little family before the BIG moment!

we even took a pole...and Rylee was the only one to guess girl!

I think she got what she wanted!! ....and me too...she said she wouldn't babysit for me unless it was a girl! Poor little Kolton, no one expected his reaction....I think he wanted a little boy...we will leave that up to his mom and dad, and Uncle Tyler and Aunt Jharon! ;)

G is obviously very excited...ha! But he did tell us sister from pretty early on!!!

It's a GIRL!!!

prego update complete with belly shots!

2012-01-09T12:08:00.001-08:00

WOW! These weeks are really flying by!!! Already down to having my dr. appointments every 2 weeks....ahhhh...

This last appt., at 27 weeks, I had to do the blood glucose test...yuck, and they told me they upgraded to a new flavor from the orange I had to drink with Griffin....glad to have that over with!!! Her heartrate was 156, and my belly measured just a little ahead of schedule at 29cm. So, we may be looking at another big baby. No surprise here!

Sister is a going to be a sassy little thing, she is just kicking up a storm and rolling all over the place! Definitely my favorite part of pregnancy is feeling her move all over the place! Can't wait to meet our little diva, and see what she is really like! I am still thinking we may have a little cheerleader and gymnast on our hands!

So, below are a bunch of belly shots to see just how BIG my belly has gotten!!!

28 weeks, 2 days - 1.09.12
you know it's bad when you can barely squeeze in to a maternity shirt....the front of this shirt reads POP! and that's exactly what i'm doin' in this shirt!

26 weeks, 3 days - 12.27.11
My bff Kim and I! We never thought we would be prego together but we are having so much fun going through our pregnancies together!!! She is due 3 weeks after me with a little boy! We had a little too much fun shopping for our little bundles on our trip to Texas for Christmas! Btw, is she not the cutest little prego mama!!! My belly looks like it could eat hers for lunch! lol

25 weeks, 5 days - 12.22.11

This shirt has been a popular choice lately...lol

24 weeks - 12.10.11

Had a fun night over at the Drumright's house! G LOVED playing with their boys, the older boys got to "play" together too, and Camie and I got to have lots of girl/baby chat...she is due a week before me with a little boy!

23 weeks, 2 days - 12.5.11

23 weeks, 1 day - 12.4.11

21 weeks, 2 days - 11.21.11

I'm sure you are now saying "What the heck was she wearing"...at least my friend Kim did...lol. So, as crazy as these leggings look in this picture, they were super cute with my black boots and long top!

20 weeks, 4 days - 11.16.11

still not sure if G knows exactly what is going on, but it is pretty darn cute to talk about "baby sister" in his cute little voice!!!

Oink, Moo Cock-a-doodle-doo, Griffin's 2....pumpkin patch party!!

2012-01-08T16:50:00.000-08:00

I'M BACK!!! After our laptop crashed, it was so much harder to blog, soooo my wonderful hubby picked up our new laptop today!!! So I have LOTS of catching up to do!!! And I intend to post every one of the blogs that I missed...and there are A LOT...and they may be in completely random order!!! Sooo, stay tuned...

Still having a hard time we have a 2 year old!!! He is such a fun little man...full of personality!!! Here is us celebrating his 2nd birthday at Klausmeyer Dairy Farm and pumpkin patch a few months ago in Oct....the day wouldn't have been complete without the petting zoo, pig races, a corn maze, pumpkin patch and haybale ride!! ....still trying to figure this computer out, so the pics are a little bit in random order!!!

Tell me this isn't the cutest birthday party invite!!! LOVE IT!!!

And the super cute thank you!!!! A special thanks to everyone who celebrated with us...it was such a fun day thanks to all of our wonderful friends!!!

Enjoying a little pizza and cupcakes just as the rain comes...perfect timing! We were able to enjoy a super FUN day...thank you rain for waiting until the end of the party to shower us!!!

These were my favorite cupcakes!!! Didn't they turn out so cute!!! The rest of them are below!

G's personal cake!!!Here are the rest of his dairy farm cupcakes and cake.....aren't they so stinkin' cute!!! LOVE!!!G playing with his buddy Jackson!

Pig races!

Not so sure about feeding the cow at first!Lovin' the moo cow!

G's favorite part was the petting zoo...loves his animals!!Picking out his pumpkin!

Haybale ride with some of his buddies!!!Loves that Happy Birthday song!!! Yum!!!

ha ha happy halloween!!!

2011-11-17T13:45:00.000-08:00

Our little funny man was a clown for Halloween!!! He was the cutest little clown you have ever seen!!! I just LOVE getting him dressed up..and I was set on making his costume this year!! LOVE love love how it turned out!!!

Seriously...does it get any cuter than this!!!!?!! Doesn't hurt to have candy in our photoshoot to get BIG smiles!!!

Sono pics!!!

2011-11-17T12:48:00.000-08:00

I LOVE LOVE LOVE getting this sono!!!! For so many reasons!!! So fun to see the baby moving around (and feel the baby while seeing her)! Finding out boy or girl, the excitement leading up to it and the fun after!!

The baby was so cute, she was curled up in a little ball(so cute seeing her little spine all curled up!)...for a minute I didn't know if we were going to get to see her and find out if she was a girl or boy! But once she did curl out of her little ball, she was having a dance party in my belly and then she wouldn't be still enought for the Tech to get a pic and measurements....so it took a little while, and a lot of skipping around!!!

This was my favorite sono of the whole bunch! Love seeing her pretty little face...and it may just be me but I totally think she looks like her big brother here!

Her pretty little face! Her cute little feet...what I am always feeling doing toe touches in my belly!

Profile shot!!!

It's a GIRL!!!!! I absolutely could not be more excited!!!! I just couldn't believe it when the sono tech said "it's a girl", as soon as the shock wore off, I just started bawling...I was so overwhelmed with excitement! and Q knew exactly what to do...he just squeezed my hand! Such a great moment! (....and I will no longer be outnumbered by boys in my house....which I have to admit, I kind of like ;)

Q is in for it!! The sono tech told us she was the most difficult of the day...lol...so, Q is going to have his hands full with his little princess!

baby bump: week 18

2011-11-01T13:43:00.001-07:00

Here you go!!! Baby bump at week 18.... check out the cute shoes!!! hehe! I swear the size of my belly had doubled since this picture was taken!!

Griffin is so sweet...he will give the baby kisses and rest his head on my belly!!! He's gonna make such a good big brother!!!!

pregnancy update!!!

2011-10-26T13:58:00.000-07:00

Gosh, I just do not know where the time has gone!!! Feels like we just found out we were prego yesterday now I am almost 18 weeks along. I have to say I am enjoying sporting my baby bump these days...it makes the perfect little tray to set my snacks on....(as q is shaking his head reading this...lol)

I have been feeling really good lately...and there is NO mistaking my baby bump for a little extra pudge! ;) I just love the 2nd trimester....get to sport a cute (sized) baby bump, have energy (as much as you can have after chasing after a 2 year old...it is just the super fun stage of pregnancy!

I have been enjoying feeling the baby kicking...either a little gymnast or a kickboxer! Felt the first movement down in Texas on Sept 24th but it is now turning into kicking from the fluttering! Monday morning (Oct 24) Q was able to feel the baby kick for the first time! Love that surprised look/smile on his face...(just like with feeling Griffin for the first time)! The whole experience is so incredible....I LOVE IT!

So, the count down continues....5 more days until we find out if Griffin gets a little brother or sister!!! Can't believe we get to find out on Monday!!! I keep getting asked which we would like a boy or girl...I go so back and forth! Each one would be so fun for so many reasons... I would love to see the bond between Griffin and a little brother, I think they would be so cute together and be best buds...and can almost picture them in matching Christmas outfits (how cute right!!!), and I also think a little girl would be so fun....would love shopping for her and doing girly things....but I do know one thing...it will be one of the 2! ;) So, stay tuned on Monday for the big announcement!!!.....Then let the shopping, decorating and name hunting begin!!!

BIG 2 year old boy!

2011-10-26T13:44:00.000-07:00

Griffin James,

Mommy and Daddy just don't know where the time has gone! We were just bringing you home from the hospital yesterday! You have grown into the most beautiful, sweet but sassy, smart, observant, strong willed, funny little boy! We absolutely cannot imagine our lives without you! You make us laugh each and every day, you make us so proud to be your parents! We love you bunches and bunches!

Ok, so I know I am totally biased, but is he not the most beautiful little boy you have ever seen! He is definitely my little angel...at least in this picture!!! Love this sweet boy!
A few of the things he has been up to!...

If you ask him how old he is, he will tell you 2 and also sing the happy birthday song! I love hearing that sweet little voice sing songs...these days he also loves "itsy bitsy spider" which goes something like "bitsy itsy bitsy isty, WHOOOSH is away" then clapping! And of course the abc song!

Thinks it is pretty funny to call me Amy, and then giggles!

Loves when mommy and daddy give hugs and kisses...and wants to join in!

He is hilarious! He loves to show off, dance around singing his favorite song, being silly...and jumping off of everything!

Loves his choo choos and loves any kind of vehicle! Hmmm wonder where he gets that from....he will also say "daddy fast" when riding in his car!

Dude is a strong willed boy...he know what he wants and when he wants it!

Our little punkin!

2011-10-25T14:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I am finally going to try and get caught up...our laptop is on the fritz so even though my desktop is ridiculously slow...here we go

We took our pumpkin patch pictures a few weeks ago (just like last year), amazing how much changes in a year! Seriously...how cute is he!!! Check out the pic from last year when he was 1 year old!

Heart beats!

2011-10-03T17:21:00.001-07:00

Today was such a fun day....and I am still soooo excited!! We got to hear baby Ellis's heartbeat again today!!! Love that sound...and the baby was dancing around in there, we could hear the baby moving around on the dopler. And Griffin came with us today...so he got to hear the baby too! ...oh yeah, and the nurse told us the heartbeat was at 160!! So fun!! And another exciting part of today is that we got to make our appt for our sonogram, and to find out if baby Ellis is a boy or girl....I mean, isn't that the only point of the sono anyways...ha!!!!! October 31st is the big day...so stay tuned!! I am going to try and post a few belly shots in the next couple of days too!

LV class reunion

2011-09-28T14:27:00.000-07:00

LV Class of 2001...can you spot me!??

La Vernia class of 2001 just had our 10 year class reunion this past weekend!!! Holy cow, those 10 years sure did go by quick! I didn't get a ton of pics...I must have been too busy chattin' it up, pretty much just ended up with pics with my high school girlfriends! hehe!

with Griffin, Haley, Kim and Miss Rylee (haley's daughter)! check out that baby bump! sure did pop out quick this time! ...but I have to thank my baby bump and baby Ellis for me not having to get in shape for the reunion...ha!

With Natalie (due in December) Haley and Kim
they LOVE each other!
With Mistelle (who is due 3 days before us)and Kim
my cute man!
Lisa with Baby Claire and my little man tryin' to stake his claim early!!!
Kim, myself, Lauren and her little Abby, Melanie and her little Blake! pretty much all of my girlfriends were either prego or had little tiny babies!....don't drink the water! ha!
with Lisa
and Griffin petting Luna...he was SOOO excited and talked about her the whole ride home!
Still agree that the LV class of '01 was definitely the best!!! Lets go Bears, Lets GO!!! Reminding me of my HS cheer days! ;)

23 months!!!

2011-09-28T14:15:00.001-07:00

Wow...23 months....only a few more weeks and I can stop counting by months! ;)

LOVES his little people toys....and will play with the all day long

daddy teaches little dude all kinds of gross boy things.....but at least he says "bless you" every time i sneeze...so sweet!

tells me please, thank you! love him

he is so friendly...makes friends everywhere he goes, he just talks to everyone and tells them bye bye and waves as we are leaving!

i know i am a little biased...but he is the cutest little man ever!!

excited to be a big brother...when we ask him if he wants a brother or sister...he always says sister (i think it is because he can pronounce sister better, ha!) ....be careful what you wish for...because if he knew what he was saying....a brother might go over a little better for him!

tells us "come ere" with a little hand wave when he wants you to go with him!

he is so funny...my favorite...anytime you sneeze...or anyone he can hear sneezes, he tells them "bless you", he picked this one up on his own..i am convinced it is because of my good parenting...ha!

loves animals and will point all of them out to you

back to beaver!

2011-09-13T13:39:00.000-07:00

wow!!! didn't realize how far behind I am until I spotted these pics!

Hurricane Irene spoiled our trip to South Carolina, so instead we decided to head down to Beaver Lake! It turned out to be such a nice trip...and I enjoyed spending time with just our little family!...and the few friends we ran into down there!

Q's catch...18 lb striper

the boys with Big Dog (fishing guide)
cute right!!
enjoying our little cruise on the lake

spent ALOT of time doing this...hanging out on the back of the boat with a little swimming!
dude loves to drive the boat...and HAS to have his hand on the throttle...well, a few times before Q could catch him, he floored it....yep...he thought it was AWESOME!!
my sweet boys....notice how I am never in any pics....I always seem to be the one behind the lens!

sweet caroline!

2011-09-13T13:28:00.000-07:00

Griffin and Caroline are 2 of a kind! They have so much fun together, so Tracy and I thought it would be fun to take the kiddos (including little sis Annabelle) to the fountains.

cute man!
How funny are they!! You can tell who runs this relationship! Ha!

football

2011-09-13T05:50:00.001-07:00

We met a huge group of friends at the K State game a couple of weeks ago....g had a blast!!!

Isn't he a doll....and in serious need of a haircut! ;)

Dude can dress....even with his matching Converse!

Q told me at the game that when he was in school, tailgating at the games, he never would have pictured himself playing football with his own little boy at the game all these years later! He is in love!

G was soooo excited to go see the game, he just kept yelling "football" over and over! love that boy!
"high" as griffin said...climbing all of those stairs proved to me I am not in as good of shape as I had thought I was!

...and baby makes 4!

2011-09-07T13:39:00.000-07:00

Surprise!!! Griffin will be a big brother in March! We couldn't be more excited!!!! ...and getting harder each day to "hide" our little bundle of joy...I have quite the baby bump!

chapman couples scramble!

2011-09-01T07:30:00.001-07:00

Met up with our friends, the Wellers, Beckmans, and Jackson's! We knew this would be a good time and we were right!!! Including the girls "sleepover" while the boys continued to play golf until close to 1am!

I was one proud wife when Q made the highest bid on a whiskey light/sign...he told me it is his contribution to decorating our house....the only problem is that now he wants to mount one of the his striper fish that he has been catching at beaver lake to go with it....I am keeping my fingers crossed that he hasn't caught that "trophy" fish yet!!!

Our little studmuffins!

Krista...have to add...... You may have had the best shots of the day....but my favorite part were the horsey rides!!! Ha!!!

visit from Nana!!!

2011-09-01T07:23:00.001-07:00

Nana came to visit Griffin! We had the best time!!! She LOVES taking care of her griffin and mommy loves it too! ....and g loves all of the treats and surprises she always brings for him!!! Love you Nana!!!!

Here they were having a "picnic"!!

showerin' the babies!!!

2011-09-01T07:20:00.000-07:00

we have a little group of girls that get together to "play" about once a week...and we bring the kids along too...so nice to have some girl time! so we thought it would be so fun to throw a little surprise shower for liz and krista!...still not convinced they were completely surprised...but we still had a great time!

all of the girls are amazing, and gave the new babies the cutest handmade goodies!!!...here is g helping me make mine!
here is what g and i made for little parker...he is gonna be such a stud
and for miss violet....still waiting to find out her name, but violet will do for now!...maybe it will stick! aren't these shoes A-DOR-ABLE!!! and she now has a cute little outfit/tutu skirt and hairbow to match
is this not the cutest cake?! and yummy too!

life and times of Griffin James!

2011-08-30T14:57:00.001-07:00

we have a crazy almost-2 yr old! he is just hilarious!!

loves him some chocolate doughnuts!

brushin' some teeth...so funny this night!
LOVES his "little people"!!! you can see...he has about a million of them...his fav is "nana" you will laugh once you see this lady! The other day mommy wasn't feelin' so hot, so he brought everyone of them over to give me kisses....didn't make me feel better, but it put a smile on my face!
walked outside to see g helping daddy wash his car! melted my heart!
and i liked this shot for obvious reasons!
when daddy puts him to bed, g takes his football....q likes this more than the monkey mommy gives him!
we were running late for a playdate on this morning...and as I came to put g in the car...this is what I found..a boy COVERED in lipstick! never thought it would come off.....and we did go with a little purple still in his hair
helped mommy make brownies!

22 months!

2011-08-30T14:33:00.000-07:00

a few days late.....well, lets say fashionably late!!!

doesn't he just keep gettin' cuter and cuter!!!

still loves his elmo!!! but not barney has been added to the list...which he loves..but drives his mommy a little crazy! and we both love dinosaur train!!!
big time into choo choos...loves playing with his bud eli's train table and "talkin" trains with eli, brooks, conrad and grey!
his speech is picking up very rapidly!
loves dancing..he even has moves, the rolls it out, fist pumps, raises the roof, walks it out and shakes his booty! hilarious
loves playing with his "best friend"/cousin Kolton...which includes wrestling
loves catching frogs....ahhhh
favorite songs are happy birthday song...and itsy bitsy spider...so cute to watch him do the motions!!!
just thinks rylee is pretty cool...love hearing him say "Ryee"
hops and jumps everywhere!! and tells you when he does
such a little fish, this dude can jump into the pool and swim like nobody's business!!
says thank you! which is the cutest thing ever!
he is our little helper! Helps us with anything we are doing!!! He especially likes helping daddy carry the water hose!
loves to race and play red light/green light
he is quite the blondie! His hair is really bleach blonde on top from spending so much time in the boat this summer and swimming!

starting to plan is 2nd birthday party this week! ahhhhh! save the date: Oct 8th (i think....lol)

Ellis family trip: a little cliff jumping

2011-08-21T11:42:00.000-07:00

yikes!! sounds as scary as it looks!!!

my daredevil! I had a nice view from the boat!
Rylee was the first one off!!! ...and I think she went 4 more times!!! my kinda girl!!!

about to jump!

the two cuties in big boy undies...seriously are they not the cutest 2 little men!
tired kiddos!

Ellis family trip: a little cavern tour

2011-08-18T06:05:00.000-07:00

Took a little trip to War Eagle Caverns. It was pretty neat!

Griffin sure had some energy...he kept hop, hop, hopping all through the cavern! Sure kept us on our toes!

The cavern is where Kolton saw all of the bats.... and Bryn almost jumped out of her skin when she thought one had skimmed her...nope, only Ryan teasing!

Ellis family trip: a little swimming

2011-08-18T05:06:00.000-07:00

a few more pics from the trip! we had such a great spot on the lake...the kiddos would just swim and jump into the water!!

how cute are they
game of the trip!!! imaginary baseball...you would have thought this was an award winning game

tubing!!! this was as much tubing as g would do...sitting in the tube...maybe next year bud!

paddleboat with aunt bryn! good thing they were able to (finally) make it out of the boat dock...you had us worried there for a minute...ha!

Ellis family trip: a little boating

2011-08-18T05:04:00.000-07:00

ok bryn, i get your hint... HA!.....it is about time I get working on a few of the family trip blogs!

Here is a little bit of boating in the evenings! The kids' favorite thing to do after dinner! And Rylee would ski/wakeboard/tube for miles...along with Kolton!

3 cute little faces!

well...jumping all at the same time didn't work out quite like they had planned... poor g was more like pulled into the water! ha!
what a stud my husband is ;)
Love that when you ask Kolton what his favorite part of the trip was.... he tells you, "Swimming, Griffin.....and bats" ha! more to come on the bats! stay tuned!

Ellis family trip: Striper fishing

2011-08-08T17:27:00.000-07:00

We all just got back from the 2nd Annual Ellis Family Vacation! We had such a good time at Beaver Lake! Here is the first post from our trip...much more to come!!!

The boys booked a guided striper fishing trip with Big Dog Bob right away! Sounds like they had a great time and had a much more successful trip this time!

Excited that Terry's catch exceeded his "big catch" last time!

20 lbs.

10 lbs.
The boys took off on a 2nd fishing trip on Friday! Here is the catch of the day! Same size as our boy!
Good thing the boys figured out it was a striper instead of the stump they originally thought it was! HA!

little fishies!!!

2011-08-07T14:50:00.000-07:00

I totally stole these pics and captions from my amazing, talented friend Allison's photography blog! Allison, hope you don't mind....but I couldn't pass them up!!! They are so cute...great job picture taking!!!! She has such a cute photography blog, you can visit it at: http://brandnewdayphotography.blogspot.com

Went swimming with a bunch of friends at Krista's in-laws! We had a blast!!!

Conrad & his bud Griffin

They are so funny together.

Hutton crew

Love this little guy!

Ready to jump!

So brave!

Woo hoo!

Way to go Griffin!!

inching closer to 2

2011-08-07T13:45:00.001-07:00

During our drive home from the lake today, Q agreed with me that I am waaaaay behind on our blog! Life keeps us very busy these days...which i am going to blame for my lack of blogging ;) With playdates, our work, keeping up with an almost 2 year old, the Ellis Family Lake trip, and many new and exciting changes in the Ellis family....it seems I can hardly keep up! I am going to do my best...while playing catch-up in my "real life" to get caught up this week...so keep checking in!

as our little boy inches closer and closer to 2 everyday....I seem to be constantly putting out fires, but can't seem to catch the kid carrying the matches!!! HA!

trip to orange leaf...yum! G was sooo excited!!!

dude likes to get into everything...including my make-up! Here he is after applying lipstick....all over his face!

Trip to the New Market Sq. fountains with Griffin's bud Conrad and his mommy!
Making their great escape!
so funnn!!
At his friend's Logan and Parker's birthday party! Happy to catch a ride with an older chick!
G and his bud Carter! Birthday boy Parker in the background!
Smile!!! This one was especially for Aunt Dena during some texting!

so, i left dude here for 2 minutes...i think he was maybe applying lotion with Desitin...yuck!

yes, i may have let out an "oh my gosh" or two, before I couldn't help but laugh...then he thought it was HILARIOUS to chase me!

more to come!

girls week...and weekend

2011-07-27T04:08:00.001-07:00

One of my very best friends from Tx, Haley, decided on the spur of the moment to fly up to Wichita and come visit! We had such a fun time! We were inseparable in high school, and still talk all of the time!!! We relived some of our "glory days" while we were here!!! So hilarious!

pedis, shopping, dinner out, lake time, shopping, lots of late night chatting, laughed until our belly's hurt...and did I say shopping!! Thanks Haley for our little girls weekend!!! See you in September!

Annual lake "trip" with the Wellers!

2011-07-26T12:45:00.000-07:00

The Weller's came down for our annual lake "trip". We always have so much fun with them!! Griffin just LOVES their kiddos! Here are a couple of the pics!

Matt and Nichole! Thanks so much for making the trip down! We had a great time....and we can't wait for the golf tournament....Watch out Chapman KS.....here come the Ellis's

Children's Garden

2011-07-11T14:07:00.001-07:00

oooh my....I am veeeeeery behind! here is a half finished blog post on our little trip to the Children's Garden at Botanica! Such a neat place!!!

Griffin and his bff Conrad!

I think we have most of the kids here in this pic!! It was a wild day!
so cute...had a little Wizard of Oz theme!

21...months that is

2011-07-11T14:00:00.000-07:00

favorite word is no...and says it with such attitude/conviction

went #2 in the potty....yayyyy! he was soo proud of himself!

jumpin' bean

favorite show is "street"...yes, i mean sesame street...and he loves "momo" aka elmo

has a thing for dumping out cups of water/drinks...and most of the time on the floor..not sure where this came from ;)

wants to be just like daddy! ...won't share the gory details...lol

he is quite the little swimmer...we have been spending a lot of time on the boat and swimming...will jump off the boat and swim for hours

all of this time outside is giving griffin bright blonde hair...even in the last few weeks he has really become pretty blonde! ...no redhead for this mommy!

such a sweet boy, he loves to surprise mommy and daddy with kisses...but loves to shake his head and tell us NO when we ask for them!

loves hanging with the big kids...he is so funny, he thinks he is one of them!

loves to play golf and baseball with his daddy! his mommy will be happy if he decides to play NO CONTACT sports one day! HA!

he is just gettin' so darn big!!

so playful! loves to wrestle with daddy!

mommy's big helper! he helps mommy put things up, or takes stuff to the trash! and loves to help!

triathlon

2011-07-11T05:41:00.000-07:00

Nothing like running your first triathlon on the hottest day of the year! Well, we did! And it ONLY got up to 111 degrees yesterday, which was coincidentally my number! Q finished in 1:35:23 and I came in at 2:07:25. Isn't it funny that I think it was so fun after we are finished and when actually doing the triathlon, I was cursing myself at a few points in the race. I also thought the run at the end would be the hardest, and that was my best leg! Q is so pumped to to sign up for his olympic length triathlon....I, on the other hand will make a fantastic cheerleader! Dena, I have lots of good tips for you...and I am sure you will have NO TROUBLE beating my time in October! You go girl!!!

The Mudwater (sprint) triathlon that we did was 750 meter swim, 25 k bike and 5 k run.

Thank you Terry and Kathy for watching little man for us! It was so fun to have you guys there cheering for us and to see little man during the race!

...and I'm pretty sure the carb loading the night before might be the very reason I sign up for these crazy races! HA!

proud mommy...a day of firsts!

2011-07-10T16:21:00.000-07:00

Wow!!! We have had quite the day!!! First triathlon for Q and I, and as proud as I am of us for that....the second first tops that. G went potty (#1 and #2) in the big potty for the first time today!!! (and we haven't even been potty training yet....looks like we may be on our way) Yayyyy Griffin!!! He told me he had to go and we made a beeline for the restroom!!! Can't believe how excited I am for this!!! Sorry no pictures on this one!! But triathlon pictures and info to come!!!

cousins

2011-07-06T21:16:00.000-07:00

luke and sophie came to visit. The kids had a lot of fun playing together! They have all changed so much in the year since they last visited!

wow, what a difference a year makes. 2010 vs. 2011

kiddos had so much fun on the boat! Didn't these pictures turn out so cute!
stylin' in their shades
how hilarious is this!! think there were enough bikes at grandma and grandpa's???

grandma and grandpa with the kiddos 2010and in 2011

Happy 4th!

2011-07-06T12:38:00.001-07:00

Love 4th of July!!! A day full of the lake, neighbors and friends, warm weather, good food, fireworks, sand volleyball, cocktails, and my 2 favorite boys! LOVE this holiday!

Bye! As my little nudist waves!
My boys just before fireworks! Tied up to 3 other boats and had a blast!
He partied hard!!!!! My tired little monkey!!

little stinker

2011-07-04T08:41:00.001-07:00

I am sooo behind on these blog posts! Here is a bunch of randomness in hope of getting little more caught up!

We love living on the lake! Some of our friends have a little girl griffin's age, Isabel! She is just precious...looks just like a little Dora! Anyways, these two always have the best time together, they share snacks, jam out to some music and always ask for each other when going on the lake!

Daddy loves his buick and has been spending a little time working on it this week..thought this was so funny! Just couldn't get him...well, Q anyways to smile for me!
G helping mommy shop for some fabric. He had to carry it himself to the counter! funny man!
Griffin was a good boy at Walmart, so he got to ride the pig (can't remember his name) on our way out!
Were driving out to Grandma Kathy's when the scariest tornado looking storm started coming our way...we were stranded for a few hours...but ended up having some fun!
Here is the storm....scary right!!
Dude passed out on the way home from the pool!
my cutie
helping me pick out fabric

G and his bud Kash!! Kash 1 year here! ....his mommy Mindy and I started taking these when our boys were tiny! Hope they will always be good buds!

Kash just a few weeks old
Griffin one year
Sunglasses day at Summer Play Day! Thanks for the smile G!
my handsome man
my brother used to do this as a kid....pours water from one cup to the other without spilling a drop, over and over and over!
airplane
my little stud
caught g in the dryer, helping mommy clean

birthday suit!

2011-06-25T11:55:00.001-07:00

Met up with some friends at Parker and Logan's house for a little swim party! Great time, great food...and G was a little fish!

This is Griffin's buddy Charlie! He is about 3 months older than Griffin...they are pretty darn cute together, here is G sharing!

Yum!!!
Miss Logan pushing little dude around!
The 2 little men in their birthday suits! How stinkin' cute is this....I have a feeling Griffin won't be too happy with his mom for these pictures when he gets older ;) Oh well..I will have good blackmail! Ha!

fountains with friends!!!

2011-06-24T14:06:00.001-07:00

check another one off the bucket list! g went to the fountains with his friends! g loved it...and his first part was taking my hand saying "up" and chasing me through the fountains! fun day!

ok, so i have been playing around with my camera and the editing a little more! just love these!!!

kiddos were LOVING the muddy puddle!!!

frog was pretty fun!
love this little man!
cute little belly!
my super cute friend Allison and G's best bud Conrad!

fun with my man!

Vegas Baby!!!

2011-06-24T05:43:00.001-07:00

Q and I decided to head to Sin City to treat ourselves for our 5th anniversary! So funny, I remember telling Q that for our 5th anniversary, we are going back to Tahiti (our honeymoon)...well, we didn't quite make it there! But as long as I could have drinks by the water (or pool in this case) I was a happy girl!

first things first, a little stroll down the strip

in front of the hotel, we actually staying the the Encore...on the left

how amazing is this...a waterfall in front of our hotel! LOVED it!
loved this inside our hotel!
We went to see Le Reve! Amazing! Standing next to my handsome hubs...isn't he such a cutie with the look!
After an awesome dinner at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill, we checked out the water show at the Bellagio! So fun!!!
after a few too many drinks...Q decided that it was time to get a new look!!! His barber, aka Amy shaved it off!!! And after a few touch-ups, I have to say, he looked pretty handsome!!! Have to say... I have a pretty cute husband!!! ...and I am diggin' the new 'do!
After a little...okay, aLOT of shopping in the Venetian!! Crazy how much it looks like the real thing!
Lots of laying by the pool with girlie drinks and the hubs, shopping, eating as fabulous restaurants, a little gambling, and fun shows...yes please!!! Thank you Q for such an amazing trip...just what the doctor ordered!

Go fish!

2011-06-20T11:41:00.000-07:00

Q took his dad on a guided fishing trip last weekend to Beaver Lake with Big Dog Bob!! From the stories I heard, sounds like they had a great time!

Q's 20lb striper!

Big Dog Bob!
Q's 16 pounder!
The Ellis boys after a full day of fishing!
Just wish the boys would have gotten a picture of Terry and his BIG catch!!! ;)

20 month old man!

2011-06-20T06:29:00.000-07:00

a little late getting this one up!!! been trying to play catch-up since we got home from our little getaway! But here he is, our 20 month old....only a few more months and I will be counting by years instead of months....seems like yesterday I was counting in weeks!

our handsome man!

Griffin! You are such a sweet little man always surprising your mommy with kisses and your "pretty face", you are definitely a mommy's boy, but love your daddy like crazy and love teasing your daddy! You are growing up to be just like him....which scares your mommy a little bit! You have a stubborn, hard headed streak in you, and you are a very smart, and aggressive little boy. Your daddy and I know that will benefit you as you grow older! You are a happy little boy who LOVES to play and have fun! Your mommy and daddy LOVE your adventurous spirit!!! Here is a little bit of what you are up to these days!

all boy...just throws himself down on the trampoline...mid jump

loves that daddy! and his chair! as soon as quentin gets up he runs over and climbs up in it!

loves to tease!

new thing is, he has been taking something (different) to bed with him every night, recently his crocs, (wet) beach towel, and a new favorite...books

loves to tell mommy "bye bye" when we are in a room together, then he will leave the room and shut the door behind him, leaving me in the room....when I ask if I can come...he simply says "no"

favorite new word is NO...and he says it with such enthusiasm

loves pushing his daddy and mommy in the water...and he just giggles...it is a fun game until he thought it would be fun to push his buddy in the pool the other day...sorry about that Conrad!

loves bikes, and cars and motorcycles...Q, did you think it would be any different?! ;)

my little jumping bean loves jumping in the pool!! over and over and over

loves being with the big kids!...and thinks he is one of them!

Daddy's Day!!

2011-06-19T06:45:00.000-07:00

Seems like just yesterday you became a Daddy!!!

Happy Father's Day to the BEST Daddy I know!!!

...and Happy Father's Day to my own Daddy! A wonderful Father and Friend!

Griffin wanted to make his Daddy a Father's Day card....I think it turned out pretty cute!!!

zoo animals!

2011-06-12T19:22:00.000-07:00

ahhhh....trying my very best to get caught up on blogging before we leave for a well deserved anniversary trip tomorrow!!! WHOO HOO....SIN CITY...HERE WE COME!!! I cannot be more excited!!! Q and I have wanted to go for years, and thought this would be the perfect opportunity!!

well....a little more playing around with my camera and the editing...I have to say, love how they turned out....and it doesn't hurt to have some pretty cute models!.... so here are a few snapshots from the zoo, we met a few friends there this week with their little men!

and of course griffin had to wear his monkey hat at the zoo!
love this shot..he is just chillin'!
my monkey boy!
our boys thought the flamingos were pretty cool! griffin and grey

love these little goats..no kisses this time!
griffin and his bud kale!

sorry no editing here...our little men...have to say, i love the animal sign in the background!

Day at the Lake!

2011-06-11T12:58:00.001-07:00

trying to play catch up!!! we have been so busy this week, i haven't had a second to blog! some of our good friends came to hang out with us and we had so much fun spending a day on the boat...and night enjoying skinny girl margaritas...we I did anyways ha!

my 2 favorite boys!
Griffin with his buds Carter and Maddox! 3 pretty cute dudes huh!!!
cute boys! been playing around a little more with my camera and editing...what do you think?
I love love being this cute little boy's mommy!
Cami and I, I am totally not that girl that posts swimsuit shots, so I promised Cami that we would crop this shot ALOT ha!
well, griffin and I are going to miss daddy this weekend while he is on a fishing trip with Terry! but we have lots of fun things planned..stay tuned for those blogs!

First day of.....summer play days!

2011-06-08T12:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Griffin's first day of Summer Play Day at Westlink! He LOVED it...as least as far as I could tell from what he told me ;) It is so fun, they sing songs, do art projects, play games, snack time, lunch time, play outside, learn colors...and much more I am sure!

Other than with babysitters or at maps (which I am still there) I haven't ever dropped him off and came to pick him up a few hours later....mommy missed her little boy this first day of summer play day...he is her sidekick!

Here is G with his backpack...which I have to say is the cutest thing ever, with his name embroidered! And his lunchbox and monkey....the toddler class had to bring their favorite animal with them...G's may be a dog (but no dogs here) so we went with his next in line...monkey!

isn't he such a big boy! all ready to go!!!

The new 'do! First Haircut!!!

2011-06-06T12:48:00.000-07:00

Well, dude got his first haircut! We LOVE his shaggy hair, but it was starting to look a little TOO shaggy! Looks so cute now, mostly just shorter over his eyes and the rest trimmed up a little!

Yes....I was a little..okay, ALOT nervous about this cut....and almost cancelled the appointment a few times! Q was hilarious, he tells me before we walk in, "Amy, DO NOT make a scene" ha! You think he knows me well!?? HA!

Had to capture a few before shots...yes, it was LONG when wet and straight!

before from the front
before from the back!!! look at all of his curls!! good news! he still has lots of curls!
Love this face!
oh my, look at that face! isn't he just precious sitting like a big boy in his cape!
The FIRST cut... as mommy is freaking out a little!
finishing up
All Done! The new 'do!

Well....as it turns out, griffin did better than mommy! He sat there perfectly through the entire haircut! Love my boy!.....i even have his first few curls saved!!!

butterflies at botanica

2011-06-03T14:46:00.001-07:00

check it off the bucket list!!! well...the butterflies weren't as exciting as I would have hoped...and my griffin thought it was more fun to fill up his cup with water and dump it in the pond. ha! But we had such a fun time with our friends..and griffin loved playing with the boys! Here are a few shots of the day! Allison, hope you like my photos, thanks for all of the tips and for letting me follow you around, ha! Not sure they are up to "Allison quality" yet, but still love em!

Love our boys!! Aren't they so stinkin' cute giving hugs!

Grey, Conrad and G...takin' a breather!
Love this sweet face!
Pretty sure they LOVED the fountain...lucky we didn't have one go overboard!
Those fish are pretty fun to feed! Got G a cup of fish food...thought he would feed a little at a time...nope, dumped the WHOLE cup at once. That's my boy!
G's favorite part of the butterflies...filling up the pond!
My favorite little man! That face on G makes me laugh..."ok mom (in a teenage voice), that's enough pictures" HA!

Didn't want to eat lunch, but that ring pop he found in my bag tasted pretty good! YUM!

update!

2011-06-02T18:26:00.000-07:00

Wow!!! Been a crazy busy week! Trying to get a little caught up on here!!! Here is a little bit of what we have been up to lately!!!

Meet the teacher!! Griffin is so excited to be going to Summer Play Days this summer at Westlink Church! He will be going twice a week on most weeks and others once a week! Love that you can pick and choose which days you want to enroll them!

Visiting Griffin's little friend Kash! Excited for Summer and school being out so he can play with Kash more often! We LOVE having neighbors that are great friends!!!
Orange Leaf!!! Took Griffin for the first time as a reward for being such a good boy! He LOVED it...and so did his mommy!

We LOVE living where we do and being able to take Griffin skiing after work!!! Boy loves the water!!!
Thought Griffin would enjoy splashing around...while mommy got a little sun!
Griffin's buddy Brooks turned 2 and had a little party at the park! I...I mean they had SO much fun! These snapshots of the kiddos are so funny!

and with the party hats!
my little party animal!
...and a bunch of hot mommies with the kiddos! HA! Love these girls!

summer bucket list

2011-06-02T18:10:00.000-07:00

Love all of the summer bucket lists floating around blogland...Erin, LOVED yours!!!

Griffin had so many fun ideas of what he wanted to do this summer!! So....we decided to make our own summer bucket list! I LOVE the age that Griffin is at, we love having playdates, he loves to tease and laugh, and I love introducing him to all kinds of new things! He LOVES it too!! So, here we go...our bucket list making!

love how the first thing he paints is his hand...

handprint....yes, we may have done this before ;)
artwork A LA griffin!
the finished project hanging in our kitchen!
Here is what you will find on the bucket list:

butterflies at Botanica
swim, swim, swim
paint with pudding
dance parties
build a fort
sidewalk chalk
go to the movies
beach
ice cream truck
fountain
breakfast for dinner
feed the ducks
water park
sea world
eat popsicles in the hot sun
blow bubbles
picnic in the park
host summer party for friends
go to Texas
dance away/rhyme time (at the library)

Gosh I just LOVE this time of year!!! ...and we are headed out to the butterfly exhibit tomorrow with our buds!! Soooo excited!!! pictures to follow!!!

project post: poncho beach towel!!!

2011-06-01T07:46:00.001-07:00

Love Griffin's hoodie bath towels, they are amazing for bath time(Jan, yours is still my very favorite!!) but I also needed a hands free towel (for my squirmy little man) for the lake/pool/beach. So, I decided we needed a poncho towel, now we can wrap g all up and he still has his hands free.... which is super important when we are on the boat!

My little helper!!

Measure the length from shoulders to desired length(I wanted Griffin's to be right above his ankle), double it. Then cut off the bottom of the towel. If using bath towels, you won't need to cut length or width of towel.
Then cut width of towel to desired size. Grab a wash rag to get good measurements for the small squares (used for hoodie), and don't forget to leave seam allowance.
Sew raw edges of sides/bottom of towel, and of the small squares that will be used for the hoodie. Fold over 1/4" inch and then again on small squares, and side of towel. Fold over 1/2" for bottom of towel.
Sew (right sides together) the top and back of the hoodie.
Cut narrow strip out of the center of towel, roughly about 12" wide and very narrow. Sew(right sides together) the hood and towel hole, matching up center of hoodie and center of cut out.
Added 1" pleats to the front opening, for a little pizzaz!
Sew ball fringe on the bottom of the front...don't forget to turn the edges under!

had a little extra towel left over, so I made G a little beach bag to match! Love!!

Love the way this turned out....so I made one for Griffin's bud Brooks who just turned 2!!!

Happily Ever After!!!

2011-05-29T12:10:00.000-07:00

You don't marry the person you can live with- you marry the person who you cannot live without!!! -unknown

Griffin and I got home from a morning with friends and this is what was waiting for us.
....and this is what was waiting for Q when he got home....an anniversary cake! Pink margarita...yum! Looks so much like our wedding cake! I just didn't get to cream Q with it this time! HA!
My Dad surprised us and treated us to dinner as he watched Griffin at home! ...Our one and only anniversary picture after we got home!...didn't turn out too great, but you get the idea!

...and I think these boys had a little too much fun while we were out!!!

....and we will live Happily Ever After!!!

to my husband on our 5th anniversary

2011-05-27T14:39:00.000-07:00

wow! I can't how fast 5 years have come and gone!!! Five years ago, I made you.... I mean you made me (ha!) the happiest girl when we tied the knot!

You have shown me so much love, made me laugh until I cried, and been there by my side through harder times when that is all I wanted to do! You are my very best friend, the best daddy to our little boy, and such an amazing husband! I love you!

Look how far we've come!!!

I love us,

I love the couple that we have become,

I love who we are together,

how we've grown

...into a family!

look how far we've come-in 5 years...and hard to believe that I am even happier now than WAY back then!!! ;) Love you Mr. Ellis!

5:30 is TOO early!!!

2011-05-24T07:55:00.000-07:00

whew, I sure do get ALOT done when I get up at 5:30, but not as much as if my son hadn't decided to get up with me...yes, he was my alarm clock today!!! pretty sure we are going through a little teething at our house! G took 2, 3 hour (much needed)naps today!! wow!!!

had to add a little picture of g and his bud eli! had such a fun time splashing around in eli's new pool

3 new projects in the making....stay tuned, they will be showing up in blogland soon!

project #1 teaser...any ideas what this might be for???

sleepover

2011-05-22T20:01:00.000-07:00

I am FINALLY back to blogging! After a crazy busy weekend: Saturday: to the gym to swim laps and bike, grocery store & hanging with Griffin's cousins. Sunday, to the park with the 3 kiddos, attempt at shopping, ride on the boat, hanging on the beach with friends & neighbors and then a birthday party... and a ton of fun I finally have a second to breathe! And.....Q and I got into a little water fight and a few droplets landed onto the computer and I wasn't able to click on anything....but after being fed up with not having my computer today....and a few good BANGS, it is now back in working order!!! Yes, I can be tough when I want to be! ;)

here are a few pics of G with his cousins Rylee and Kolton! They had sooo much fun!

sweet cousins! i love love love that these 3 love each other so much!
The two were quite the duo, they were jammin' out together on the boat with lots of little giggles and big smiles!
watch out....the little wakeboarder!
Yayyy! G went out on his ski with cousin Rylee...totally loved it, would stand up, sit down, feel the water, then shake the handle! So proud of our little skier!
Yum! Gotta have an after-boat snack!

...and the park!
and...have to add...q and i were chatting in the living room today, as little stinker was in his crib, in timeout. All of a sudden we hear the jiggling of the doorknob....yep, little stinker was peeking out from around the door and had climbed out of the crib. ahhhh! had to laugh!

deep thoughts ;)

2011-05-18T21:01:00.000-07:00

soooo, it's very late and I don't quite feel like going to sleep yet! anyways...such a fun day! Great morning at the gym, picked up my anniversery 'present' (more to come on that), Grandma Kathy kidnapped Griffin for a few hours, wow..such a different experience going to the store without the g man! Booked a little anniversary getaway for Q and I. Yay!!! and just got home from seeing the new movie 'Bridesmaids' with a couple of girlfriends! By the way...best movie ever..so funny! Kim, this movie totally reminded me of us...without the crazy fighting..lol!

and....just a few thoughts.....

I mean really....does it get much better than this...cupcakes and wine all wrapped up into one! LOVE!

My new saying (because I totally need to get in the sun): Tan fat looks better than white fat! ;) Been sharing this thought with friends lately...they totally agree!

So, just like the Jersey shore kids, my day started out with GTL (gym, tanning, laundry)...but also includes, cooking for griffin, changing diapers, cleaning my house, paying bills, working on my business...you get the point anyways, ...maybe I should call my day GTLCCCPW.... those jersey shore kids have got it pretty easy

found this online: cinderella and dorothy agree...the right shoes can change your life! (so true ;)

ok...so Q sometimes wonders where I come up with this stuff and sometimes tells me (jokingly....i hope ;) That he would like to live in my world! (Let me tell you Q, it is a pretty fun place to be...HA!)

dude

2011-05-18T14:06:00.001-07:00

a few new ones...some funny, of dude

so much like daddy...

waits outside for daddy to get home some days and helps him drive in the garage
loves to swing...and just giggles when I grab his legs on his way up!
speechless
who would have thought he would like a little starbucks!
chillin...walked all over the store with his hands in his pockets...made me laugh...then leaned against the wall just like daddy and grandpa terry do... these genes make me worried ;)
omg, i walked into the laundry room with him stepping on a bag of hand-me-downs from a friend (she has super great taste and dresses her little man so cute), with the drawer pulled out for him to hang on to, while he reached for the bubbles!

got ahold of my makeup and twisted the cap off of the mascara....didn't think there was anyway he could get that lid off!

19

2011-05-17T19:34:00.001-07:00

19 months old

well, i am a few days late getting this up! crazy to think in just a few months I will be planning g's 2nd birthday party! Ahhhhh!

griffin's measurements and percentiles from his 18 month checkup! The dr. was pretty impressed when g started jumping for her! :)

Here is what dude is up to:

little chatter box
repeats EVERYTHING we say...q and i are going to have to start editing ourselves...the other day Q let one slip, and G repeated him "chit...daddy" yes, we did get a good laugh after that one!
wants to push EVERY button, turn every knob and play with every latch
gives you the tongue, when you give him kisses...and no, we didn't teach him this ;)
daddy taught him to spit. fabulous ;)
favorite thing in the world is to drive the boat, and gets little upset when daddy sits in the drivers seat (without him)
omg, g can now do somersaults, and loves to do them...the other day on the trampoline, I thought q and I were about to lose it when we saw him trying to do a front flip (somersalt from standing up)
he is a jumping bean...now loves to jump over and over on the floor
talks so well!
loves the boat!-many times during the day will bring over his life jacket for me to put on...and will stand at the door, point and say "boat"
does NOT like to get his hands dirty! when he goes down slides, he will hold them up when he lands, and if he gets dirt on them, will bring them over for me to dust off...Q is trying to teach him to rub them on his clothes....so funny!
LOVES his clothes...other day while mommy was cleaning out his closet, he found his green puffy winter jacket, thought it would be fun to wear (for an hour...when q took it off, he was sweaty lol) and then came back to me so upset because he didn't have a hat on...when i put one on his head, he just beamed from ear to ear! love him!

a couple pictures of dude

animal house

2011-05-17T18:52:00.000-07:00

Griffin's friends Carter(5) and Maddox(3) celebrated at their birthday party this past weekend with a petting zoo! Boy did griffin love it...but only after taking a ride on all of the 'cars'!

griffin LOVED the baby ducks! so so much that I looked over to see a duck flapping wildly in the air as griffin was holding the little thing by the wing...makes me laugh as I am typing this, but boy did I rush to the little duckling's aid when I saw this happen!
the birthday boy carter (an animal LOVER) was so sweet with griffin, he kept bringing animals up for griffin to pet, so sweet!

how sweet is this! we are working on gentle ;)
Great party Camie! And thank you for the ring pop! Griffin obviously LOVED it! ha!

FIT Family 5k

2011-05-17T14:24:00.000-07:00

I have to say that after a beautiful morning, a run to the park with g, an unexpected playdate(s)....the new kiddie park at sedgwick county park is AMAZING...road bike shopping with Q...me 'surviving' trying out bikes, lunch with my 2 boys, and finishing up a print...i would say this has been a pretty fabulous day!!!...now as my little 'angel' sleeps...on to blogging

My handsome men and I after the 5k!

We pulled up to the waterfront on Sunday to tunes of a Christian band playing in the distance. It was such a beautiful day and so fun to help our friends raise money for their beautiful 1 year old baby girl Paxten (also one of griffin's girlfriends) who has leukemia by running in the Fit Family 5k! Our first race as a family! I am sure there were many times Q wanted to pick up the pace but he managed to stay with me so that we could run and finish the race as a family!! Griffin's favorite part was the inflatables after the race! Man loves to jump!

Paxten's parents Libby and Blake are such an inspiration, they have kept such a strong faith through this journey! Miss Paxten is such a little fighter and is in remission! You can follow their story at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/paxtenpearson

mommies night out

2011-05-17T13:16:00.000-07:00

love my maps mommies! we had a mom's night out the other night with my small group! Lots of fun!!

My supercute, creative, gorgeous friend Mindy made the cutest hat, headband and yummy cookies for my 'birthday'!!! Thank you Mindy!! You rock!!!

and.....the rosettes are Texas Tech fabric....doesn't get much better than that!!!

play days

2011-05-14T13:15:00.000-07:00

This week was a super fun week! We had quite a few play dates with friends...and we even brought the kids along ha! Here are the ones I got pictures of !!

My girlfriend Allison and I took our boys to Exploration Place. Neither of us had been before and we had such a great time! There is a little tot area that the boys LOVED...and we realized too late that there were giant bibs for the kiddos when they are playing with the water!

Here is g and his bud Conrad!

The mini roller coaster! The boys loved it and got quite the ride when an older boy thought he should push them! Makes me laugh thinking about it!
G's girlfriends Caroline and Annabelle were there too!
ha! are they cute or what! here we are in the castle!

oh my...this was about putting me over the edge! i am TERRIFIED of snakes!
peekin' in on a prairie dog

Maize schools put on a end of school event for young children, there were horses to ride, a petting zoo, trolley rides, water tables, and treats. So, Q and I took him over Thursday evening!

my cool dude! Daddy dressed him! Have to say I am impressed....Q calls this his 'infant' shirt..his little belly is barely fitting HA!
warming up to the animals

Friday, my friend Britta and I took the boys to Pure Entertainment. It was the first yucky day we have had in a while, so our plans to go to the park quickly got squashed! But, I think this ended up being WAY more fun!

Taking the boys down the BIG slide, it was a workout just getting G the top! Here is our little buddy Kale too!

so fun!

Mother's Day!!!

2011-05-11T17:41:00.000-07:00

Along with the beautiful flowers and card that Q...I mean Griffin gave me(it was so cute, Griffin even drew in the card).....I got the one thing every wife & mother dreams of hearing from her husband: "What can I do to help you?" Oh my, Q had no idea that he had just made all of my mother's day dreams come true! HA!

Griffin making his Mother's Day cards

his artwork

"mommy juice" aka Sangria....yum!

I was a little worried that all of the mommy juice would be gone....drank by yours truely...before our dinner guests arrived!

and here is the yummy recipe!

1 Bottle of red wine, I used Merlot
1 Lemon cut into wedges
1 Orange cut into wedges
1 Lime cut into wedges
2 Tbsp sugar
Splash of orange juice or lemonade
2 Shots of gin or triple sec (optional) -I may have spiked the punch with a little more than recipe called for ;)
Frozen strawberries
1 Small can of diced pineapples (with juice)
4 Cups ginger ale

Pour wine into a large pitcher and squeeze the juice wedges from the lemon, orange and lime into the wine. Toss in the fruit wedges and pineapple then add sugar, orange juice and gin. Chill overnight. Add ginger ale, berries and ice just before serving. If you'd like to serve right away, use chilled red wine and serve over lotsof ice. However, remember that the best Sangrias are chilled around 24 hours in the frig. - allowing the flavors to really marinate into each other.

the 2 little cousins squeeze in a little playtime
a few shots of my favorite little boy!

our little skiier...well, kind of

our evening on the lake

Had to include this funny pic of Q(he was prepping the ribs for Sunday)....I laughed so hard...the kind of rolling on the ground, can't catch your breath, your stomach hurts because of it kind of laugh. He is a funny man! I had bought turbinado sugar for his rub and (once again) bought a huge box with individual packets on accident. (I swear 'individual packets' is in fine print ;) So, he stood there for quite a while opening each little packet, cracking jokes along the way! And, I remind him often that his life would be so boring without me! I still laugh looking at this picture!!! Love you babe!

Thank you Q and Griffin for a super fun Mother's Day! Q, for giving me the greatest gift...a little Griffin! Griffin, you make being your Mom so much fun!!! You and Daddy are the best things that have ever happened to me!!! I love you both so much! Thank you Kathy for the beautiful flowers! My kitchen smells so 'pretty' because of them!! And thank you Mom for our early Mother's Day in Lubbock! You are such a wonderful mother, best friend and nana! Thank you for showing me all of those years what being such a great mom means!! I love you!

Life (on the boat with my 2 boys) is Good!

2011-05-09T19:34:00.000-07:00

What a perfect Saturday! and AMAZING weather!!!! Finished up a garage sale with some of my favorite girlies...funny how having a little girl time can make a garage sale so fun!!! Doesn't hurt that we made a little shopping money!!! Came home to my two boys, my honey smoked some meatloaf for us...yum! Followed by some lake time and even a friend joining us for a couple of hours! Electricity went out in our neighborhood for part of the day.... so Q and I enjoyed a few drinks by our firebowl after dark! Life is good!!!

My big kahuna...right before we were headed to the lake!

how cute are my 2 boys!

love love loves to drive the boat!!!
does it get much better than this!!?!!

This pic makes me laugh....Daddy juice/Griffin juice

as cold as this water is...G LOVES it!!

Just like daddy, grabbing for the ski rope!

You'd think he would have done a little better skiing on Sunday by how excited he is about grabbing the handle! HA!

Bribing pays off!!!

2011-05-08T19:32:00.000-07:00

Well, looks like my bribing has paid off! I now have the fishing pictures that were taken by photographer Kathy!! Thank you!

Fishing 'trip' with 3 Ellis boys! I have to say, I LOVE this photo! So cute!!

lovin' him some grandpa!
Rylee and her BIG catch!
G's first fish!!
Not so sure about touching it...doesn't like getting his hands dirty! ;)

just a few

2011-05-06T15:36:00.000-07:00

little dude is at such a fun age! we have the best time hangin' out!!! here are a few pics that make me smile!!!

new monkey visor=successful shopping trip to target!

LOVES his new visor...I so cannot wait to take him to the zoo in his visor...seriously...how cute will that be!
of bunch of us girls put things in E's garage sale this week... you would have thought G was in heaven! liz, bet you didn't think you would make this blog post, ha!
little dude passed out...doesn't happen often!!! and yes, we are getting rid of the bottle! mommy is a little spoiled!
G and his Grandpa Terry! Two Ellis boys=trouble
Happy Birthday Grandpa Terry! love this shot, shows all of their little personalities!! so cute!

The guys and kiddos fishing after the birthday dinner! I will upload more of the fishing 'trip' if I can bribe Kathy to give me a few copies...she got some great shots...but Bryn and I were having a pretty great time with our "mommy juice"

hmmm...i wonder who wants to be just like daddy! i must say i am a pretty lucky gal!
favorite toy!!
so funny, i had picked up a new toy for griffin. he thought the box was his chair
love this boy!!!

friends and flowers...and fish

2011-05-05T06:08:00.000-07:00

my girlfriend Krista and I took the kiddos to Botanica! It was so fun, there were lots of trails for the kiddos to run on and it was the most beautiful day!!! and.... I was super excited to take my camera, I knew I would get THE BEST pics!!!

still surprised G sat still long enough for me to get his pic....can't wait for the butterfly exhibit to start!!!

runnin' to catch his buddy Eli
WARNING: please keep your kids out of the flowers
g's favorite part of the trip, feeding the fish

five little foxes

2011-05-03T19:27:00.000-07:00

There are a bunch of baby foxes that live and play on the corner of our neighborhood. They have been causing quite a stir around here! I have been wanting Griffin to see them, so we finally caught them out playing today! So so cute! Griffin kept saying dog...then woof woof....then he finally learned they are foxes! Before we left, he managed to say "fox".

he just LOVED the little foxes!

and had to get a shot of my man and his shades before we left!

it was so fun sharing this with my little man! it is moments like these that I cherish being able to stay home with g and experience all of these fun little things with him!

fyi: also learned that a baby fox is called a kit

Everything's better in Texas (Tech)!!!

2011-04-30T19:45:00.000-07:00

As I was walking through the airport heading toward security, I passed a little store with a few shirts in the window, one reading 51 % good witch 49 % bad witch. Makes me smile and reminds me (a little bit) of why I like living in the land of oz!! but....EXCITED to head to lbk!

WOW!!! I can't believe this is the first time I have been back to Lubbock/Texas Tech since I graduated! So much has changed, but so much is still the same! And it brings back sooo many memories!!! Griffin and I met my Mom up in Lubbock to visit my brother! We had a great time!!!

Didn't get nearly as many pics taken as i would have liked, but here are a few that I did manage to take!

We are leavin' on a jet plane!

My tired boy....resting while mommy loads up our bags in Uncle Brads truck!

my boy is hilarious! we went to Target and he found 'elmo' books...then decided he wanted them ALL...so filled up the basket...6 at a time!

pretty sure i'm in love!

HEAVEN!!!

visiting uncle brad at his apartment

uncle brad took us to fuzzy's taco shop (mom thought the name was cute...until we clued her in HA!)
enjoying our tacos...even after g spilled my schooner EVERYWHERE....then thought it was even more fun to splash in it! Brad and his girlfriend Meghan behind G!
Brad and his super cute girlfriend! G thought she was pretty fun!
G's favorite thing was to feed Uncle Brad!
Everything is better...I mean bigger in Texas!! How fun is this waffle!!
Couldn't wait to get into the bath...even with pjs and shoes on!

G being silly!! Thank you Meghan and Uncle Brad for my super cute Tech gear!!!
took a little trip with Brad to Academy....g found the sunglasses!
and thought he would try them ALL on...so funny, check out the floor behind him!
I am almost positive this was Gs favorite part of the trip....swimming!
Went to Cheddar's for dinner our last night in Lubbock with Uncle Brad, his girlfriend Meghan and a few of his buddies!
And Q welcomed me home with this in our driveway....then put me to work the next morning....maybe I should have stayed in Lubbock an extra day ;)

Thank you Brad for showing us such a good time! You are such an AWESOME brother to me and uncle to Griffin!!! From feeding you chips and queso, to loving on you in Academy ;)...it is pretty obvious how crazy g is about you! We love you bunches!!! ....Best Uncle EVER!!! ;)

Had sooo much fun in Lubbock!! but after clicking my heels together 3 times, and a very VERY turbulent flight... there is no place like home!

little Raider Red!!!

2011-04-30T11:27:00.001-07:00

Wreck 'em Tech!

Texas Tech

"Fight Raiders Fight"

Fight Raiders fight,

Fight for the school we love so dearly

We'll hit 'em high

We'll hit 'em low

Push that ball across the goal,

TECH, FIGHT, FIGHT!

We'll praise her name

Boost her to fame

Fight for the Scarlet and the Black

We will hit 'em, we will wreck 'em

Hit 'em, wreck 'em Texas Tech

And the victory bells will ring out.

Got my little Red Raider all geared up in his Tech best and took a little stroll around campus...and took LOTS of pics!!! On my graduation day I took many of these same pics in my cap and gown.....and many of them with Q! I will try and dig them up and post!

I am convinced he is "Getting His Guns Up" in this photo!
love this shot, you can see much of campus in the background

In front of the Human Sciences building...where I spent LOTS of time!
Mom and I took a pic here on my graduation day.
Getting his guns up with Will Rogers! Tech tradition to wrap Will Rogers on game days!.... I am hearing the school song play in my head as I type... ;)

Get your Guns Up!!!

goats gone wild

2011-04-30T11:14:00.000-07:00

Had a great time in Clifton for Easter....this is what was in our driveway while we were gone! Thanks Denise for the text!!!

E is for Easter!

2011-04-29T12:40:00.000-07:00

Gosh I love this holiday!!! I (I mean the Easter bunny) love getting his Easter basket put together, shopping for his Easter clothes (even though I am not brave enough to try out church with this rambunctious 1 year old just yet). I love coloring eggs, egg hunting..and of course getting pictures of it all! So fun!!!

Wow!!! ALOT has changed in 12 little months!!

Wasn't he so precious last year!!! From little sweetie...

.......To little stinker... the only picture I have of him looking at me or smiling with his Easter basket! he loves sporting his new shades from the bunny!
Easter morning! After their egg hunt!

gettin' fresh!
sporting their Easter duds with Grandpa Terry
GQ
after their tickling match

nothin' like a good wrestlin' match Easter morning!

I love that we get to merge Q's holiday traditions as a kid with mine! The Easter bunny always left candy in their shoes!

3 cute little shoes
Gs Easter basket! The bunny tried its hardest not to go overboard, and here is what he ended up with!

all tuckered out! he had a little too much fun!!
Kathy and Bryn, still looking forward to our 'Gardening & Cocktails'

the PARK!

2011-04-29T12:21:00.000-07:00

Have to say, the kids had a great time at the park...but Bryn and I had a GREAT time at the park! Didn't realize that we could 'play' as hard as the little ones!! We took the kiddos by Saturday evening after a full day of Easter eggs!!! These pics turned out great!!!

Griffin LOVED this slide....biggest one there!

Bryn...have to add our quote of the day!!!

Bryn: (as she is 'climbing' the "rock wall") "I am going to bust my 'booty'!"

Amy: "oh shoot, where's my camera!"

Yes...sister in law of the year award goes to me! HA!

And....I am sure that was much funnier to us when it happened...but it was too hilarious not to post!

No place like home!!! Easter wrap-up!!!

2011-04-29T12:05:00.000-07:00

There's no place like home!! Just got back home from visiting my brother in Lubbock this week! Griffin and I met my mom up there and had the best time.... but, more to come on that....i wanted to finish my Easter blogs!

so.....catching up.....

We followed up the egg coloring/decorating/stickering with an egg hunt. These pics are just too cute!!

love love love this sweet little boy!

a-dor-able cousins!

Not sure if they are debating over whose eggs are whose...or if Kolton is trying to teach Griffin a thing or two about egg hunting!
Yes, that is my child dumping eggs on the ground! ;)

Easter egg coloring!

2011-04-24T18:36:00.000-07:00

On to egg coloring! All of the Knoettgen cousins (that were in town) got together for a egg decorating/coloring!! The kids thought it was super fun...and Griffin had fun coloring all 3 of his eggs! Doesn't take much until his fun bucket is full!

loves his accessories! gotta love him!!!

obviously very proud of his egg!

Spring spheres!

2011-04-24T18:22:00.000-07:00

A few Easter fun facts:

When taking a bite into a chocolate bunny, 76 percent of Americans prefer to bite off the ears first.
Candy rules...and 75 percent of kids report they are willing to do extra chores for more Easter candy.
This Easter, more than 700 million Marshmallow Peeps, chicks, bunnies and eggs will be consumed, making them the most popular non-chocolate Easter candy.
Easter eggs were originally referred to as 'Spring spheres'

First Easter egg hunt of the season at Grandma Phyllis'! Sooo excited!!

our little egg hunters! Kolton made us laugh... he wanted to hide the eggs and then hunt them! funny boy!

happy dance!!!

2011-04-24T18:15:00.000-07:00

quite the jump shot g has!!!

happy dance after his basket!!!
yes, g got ahold of my camera, turned it on and snapped this pic...i was a little shocked that he did this!!
the Easter bunny came early for Griffin James!!! on his new tricycle!

Happy HOPPY Easter!!!

2011-04-22T10:30:00.000-07:00

Easter pictures are in!!! Griffin LOVES his Easter duds....and so does his mommy!!! Couldn't decide on just 1... so I uploaded ALL of my favorites! ;)

my little studmuffin

everytime I look at this...i can't get over those long legs...and how BIG he has gotten!

Love all of these and griffin's different 'faces'!!!

f.u.n.n.y.

2011-04-20T19:45:00.001-07:00

just a few funny things g has done lately that i HAD to share!!!

climbing on daddy part 1:

climbing on daddy part 2:

blog worthy!!! G's first wall mural! Takes after his mommy.... HA!

promise i was NOT the last mom to get their baby...they snagged their kids as I was pulling out my camera...but seriously..isn't this the cutest!!!
I am FOR SURE gonna have to get Griffin one of these...he will be stylin' !!!

enough said
at Target..trying to climb in the infant car seat...on the display