It's been such a long time since I last posted, but we can't seem to get over the FUNK. I finally recovered from the flu/strep stuff that I had going on, and now Brian and Ella are dealing with something, too. This crazy weather of ours isn't helping out much, either. Not a lot has been going on at our house, so there isn't much to say other than the fact that life with a little one continues to be interesting. I won't bore you with all of the details of our life, but I will share with you some of the "Ella comments" from the last few weeks that have made us smile:
"Candy makes my belly happy."
"Do baby cows have the things that the milk comes out of?"
"Why can't we have ice cream for breakfast?"
"Easter was my best."
"That only bothers me 'every now and then'"
"On my 'next' March 8, I'll be 4!"
(to her teacher)"My mommy makes me the best lunches of ever!"
Hopefully, we'll all recover soon and get over this mess!
Monday, April 23, 2007
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Bunny Questions...and other things that make you go hmmmm....
So, here I sit on a beautiful Easter Sunday with strep throat, the flu and whatever else you want to add in there. What a terrible weekend it's been for me, but what a wonderful weekend it's been for Brian and Ella. I've been SO sick since Wednesday, and Brian has really stepped up and helped me with Ella. He and she have gotten to spend some much needed quality time together, so I guess it hasn't been all bad. Brian was off on Friday (which was my WORST day), so the two of them spent the whole day together. On Saturday, they went to the church egg hunt together, (yes the famous Woodmont Hills Egg Hunt, and I missed it!!) and they had a great time. On the way home, Ella asked Brian a few questions about the Easter bunny. Here's her part of the conversation: "So, the Easter bunny at the mall is brown and the one at the egg hunt was white...which one will be coming to our house? Brian answered, and she thought for a moment and then asked, "Is he real?" Ella has a sharp mind and questions EVERYTHING. She's already wondering if the Easter bunny is real for goodness sakes! Then, this morning, the "Easter Bunny" put some of the left over candy in a dish by the sofa. Our little detective spotted it and said, "Hey, that's the same candy that's in my basket...how did that get in there???" Remember, she's only three. Seriously, though, today was really hard for me when I had to watch Ella and Brian leave for church without me. First of all, I LOVE our church. Our new preacher is amazing, and I look so forward to hearing him each week. But to miss Easter Sunday with my family was so hard. I'll admit that I cried a little as I waved bye. You know what, though, Christ is ALIVE and the tomb is empty and whether I was at home or at church, that fact remains the same. I hope your day was a good one...He is Risen!!
Friday, March 30, 2007
Go Gators and Career Goals
Brian and I are avid sports fans, so it's only natural that Ella would have some interest in that, too. She likes to talk about sports with us, and it's funny to hear what she comes up with. At the beginning of the NCAA tournament, we all filled out our brackets. Yes, that includes Ella, too. She "wrote" down the teams that she chose, and she likes to highlight the winners when mama and daddy highlight theirs. 
When it came to predicting who would win the tournament, we gave Ella 4 choices. She picked the Gators to win and has stuck by that. Daddy wrote her pick for her right in the middle of her bracket. She's really proud of that and keeps asking if the Gators are still on her bracket. We'll see how it all turns out, but we are guessing that she may have the inside scoop. Ella and Brian have been having some serious talks about career goals. He's been talking to her about what she wants to be when she grows up. He's been giving her different professions from which to choose, and strangely, teacher and/or principal is missing from that list...haha! Anyway he asked her if she wanted to be a doctor, and she thought on this for a while. She then responded with, "No, I just want to be a mommy." I laughed at that at first, and then my heart got really warm. It made me realize how closely our children watch us and how important our job is. Even when we think they aren't watching or paying attention...they are.
When it came to predicting who would win the tournament, we gave Ella 4 choices. She picked the Gators to win and has stuck by that. Daddy wrote her pick for her right in the middle of her bracket. She's really proud of that and keeps asking if the Gators are still on her bracket. We'll see how it all turns out, but we are guessing that she may have the inside scoop. Ella and Brian have been having some serious talks about career goals. He's been talking to her about what she wants to be when she grows up. He's been giving her different professions from which to choose, and strangely, teacher and/or principal is missing from that list...haha! Anyway he asked her if she wanted to be a doctor, and she thought on this for a while. She then responded with, "No, I just want to be a mommy." I laughed at that at first, and then my heart got really warm. It made me realize how closely our children watch us and how important our job is. Even when we think they aren't watching or paying attention...they are.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Why? What's that? and other questions
We finally recovered from all of the birhday "hoopla" only to realize that we have a 3-year-old chatter box on our hands. Ella has always been very verbal. She's always had an amazing vocabulary and has always been able to articulate what she wants. It hasn't been until recently, though, that we realized just HOW MUCH she actually talks. She has questions about EVERYTHING, and then when you give the answer, she wants to know why. When you answer the why question, she then wants to know why the answer to the why is what it is (did that make sense?). Here's an example of a sequence of questions: "Mama, what is that bird doing in the grass?" I told her that the bird was eating. "Why is he eating?" I answered that birds need to eat for energy. "Why do birds need energy?" It literally goes on forever!!! Her questions make me smile because she is so curious about everything and enjoys learning so much. She also has an opinion about everything and changes her mind as often as she changes her clothes. She has wanted to play soccer for quite some time and has talked about it for a while (until recently, that is). Because the weather has turned a little warmer, several people have been utilizing the tennis courts in our neighborhood. Ella really enjoys watching them and is disappointed when there isn't anyone playing. In one of our many conversations, I asked her if she was still going to play soccer in the fall. She answered, "No, I think I'm just going to be a tennis," (not a tennis player, mind you...just a tennis). Life with a child is an adventure for sure!
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Finally 3!!
Ella had a great birthday celebration with mama and daddy. She's been anticipating turning 3 for a long time, so it's good (for her) to finally reach her goal. Her birthday started out in typical three-year-old fashion...she didn't want to get up, didn't want to get dressed, didn't want to brush her teeth etc., but when I reminded her about the cookies she would be taking to school for her birthday, she suddenly decided to cooperate. Funny what a little sugar will do, isn't it. She had a great day at school and showed everyone who came into the room her "I'm 3!" shirt. Age is a funny thing, huh? We go from wanting to wear it on our shirts to wanting to hide it from everyone!! Anyway, we went out to dinner for her birthday, and she got to FINALLY eat the birthday cake that she has coveted for the last 4 months from Publix. Be sure to see the picture below (the one with the eyes closed while having the first taste of cake).
I must admit that my eyes closed when I tasted that yummy cake, too!! All in all, it was a wonderfully exciting time. Watching your children grow is one of God's amazing gifts, but we are learning that it goes by much too quickly. Hug your little ones and big ones, too, extra hard today because life slips by so quickly. We have been so blessed with Ella and are so thankful for the joy that she gives us each day. "Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away." -Unknown
I must admit that my eyes closed when I tasted that yummy cake, too!! All in all, it was a wonderfully exciting time. Watching your children grow is one of God's amazing gifts, but we are learning that it goes by much too quickly. Hug your little ones and big ones, too, extra hard today because life slips by so quickly. We have been so blessed with Ella and are so thankful for the joy that she gives us each day. "Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away." -Unknown
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Curious George Birthday "Bash"
We celebrated Ella's birthday on Saturday with all of her best buddies. Her birthday isn't actually until this week, but she says that she turned three "on her birthday party.">
Makes sense to think that, I guess. She had the best time and didn't want to leave when it was time to go. Her party was at a party jump place for kids and happens to be the favorite of many adults, too. In fact, I think that some of the moms and dads had as much fun jumping as the kids did. Ella kicked her shoes off before she actually got into the room and went full throttle from there. The first jump or slide is always a bit surprising as you can see on Ella's face in this picture. After a while, she was an old pro and could go down by herself..
The slides were definitely her favorite, and she didn't want any help doing those. By the time the cake was ready to be served, Ella had had enough and was ready to dig into Curious George cupcakes. She actually ate two cupcakes and wanted another one on the way home. It was really a lot of fun for everyone, especially mama and daddy who enjoyed watching all of the smiles and hearing all of the giggles. It's hard to believe another year has gone by, but we are enjoying each minute. Thanks to everyone who came to help us celebrate. Grammy and Papa came all the way from Ohio to be there and that meant a lot to Ella. Birthday parties are a little stressful (ok, a lot stressful) and there's always a lot of chaos, but when it's all said and done, it's all worth it when you hear your children talk about it like it was the greatest party "of ever." So, thanks for sharing it with Ella!
Makes sense to think that, I guess. She had the best time and didn't want to leave when it was time to go. Her party was at a party jump place for kids and happens to be the favorite of many adults, too. In fact, I think that some of the moms and dads had as much fun jumping as the kids did. Ella kicked her shoes off before she actually got into the room and went full throttle from there. The first jump or slide is always a bit surprising as you can see on Ella's face in this picture. After a while, she was an old pro and could go down by herself..
The slides were definitely her favorite, and she didn't want any help doing those. By the time the cake was ready to be served, Ella had had enough and was ready to dig into Curious George cupcakes. She actually ate two cupcakes and wanted another one on the way home. It was really a lot of fun for everyone, especially mama and daddy who enjoyed watching all of the smiles and hearing all of the giggles. It's hard to believe another year has gone by, but we are enjoying each minute. Thanks to everyone who came to help us celebrate. Grammy and Papa came all the way from Ohio to be there and that meant a lot to Ella. Birthday parties are a little stressful (ok, a lot stressful) and there's always a lot of chaos, but when it's all said and done, it's all worth it when you hear your children talk about it like it was the greatest party "of ever." So, thanks for sharing it with Ella!
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Funny Stuff
Ella has been watching me list her old clothes on Ebay. We've also been giving some of her things to friends who have little ones of their own. Ella has been a tiny bit concerned that some of her things seem to be leaving our house (remember the dollar story). Tonight, while we were putting her to bed, she noticed that the bear that's usually in her bed wasn't there. She looked up at me with a very troubled look and asked, "Where's my bear? Is it on Ebay or something?" She comes up with some of the funniest stuff. If I don't write it down, I'll never remember all of it. One more before I go to bed...while I was getting ready for church, she came into my bathroom and just kind of stood there. I asked her what she was doing and she said, "Um, just hanging out." What a mess and what a blessing she is all wrapped into one.
Friday, February 23, 2007
I'm Clean!
Just wanted everyone to know that I had my 5-year scan yesterday to check for any regrowth of my tumor, and nothing was there!!!!!!!! Also, the hearing in my "good" ear is 100%. The tester even commented that I heard things that she wasn't expecting me to pick up on...woohoo! Thanks for your prayers throughout this long journey. NO MORE HEAD SCANS FOR ME!
Forgive and Forget
I'm learning a lot from my little girl these days. It's funny how some of life's most complex problems can seem so simple through the eyes of a child. Ella's latest lesson for me is to forgive and forget. On Thursday, while we were driving to school, she told me that the last time she was at school she was "angry about lots of things." She said that everyone made her angry and that she wasn't going to play with them. I was sure that we were in for a rough transition from mama to teacher; however, when we went through the front doors, she ran down the hall to her class and never looked back. I peeked in her room to see her laughing and playing with the very ones that she'd been angry with just a few minutes before. Either she has a short memory, or she just decided that they are her friends, and she loves them regardless (I tend to believe it's a little bit of both).
Last night she was SO exhausted and needed sleep badly. While I was trying to get her ready for bed, Ella told me that she didn't love me (I guess that the tooth brushing didn't go over very well). I was pretty distraught over what she said until this morning when she told me that I was the best mama "of ever!" There seemed to be no hint of last night's drama, and I wasn't about to bring it up, either. I basked in the glory of her words, and then I thought about it all for a minute or so.
There are many things in my life that I need to forgive and forget and maybe God's lessons to me are being taught through the actions and words of a little (almost) three-year-old girl. Something to ponder, for sure.
Last night she was SO exhausted and needed sleep badly. While I was trying to get her ready for bed, Ella told me that she didn't love me (I guess that the tooth brushing didn't go over very well). I was pretty distraught over what she said until this morning when she told me that I was the best mama "of ever!" There seemed to be no hint of last night's drama, and I wasn't about to bring it up, either. I basked in the glory of her words, and then I thought about it all for a minute or so.
There are many things in my life that I need to forgive and forget and maybe God's lessons to me are being taught through the actions and words of a little (almost) three-year-old girl. Something to ponder, for sure.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
God and Dollars
Ella LOVES dollar bills. Poppy gives her one each time he sees her, and she has quite a collection of money (more than mama and daddy, we think). She keeps a very close eye on her money. When she sees dollars around the house, she quickly asks, "Whose money is that?" Last week, she took three dollars to school and told the children's pastor during chapel that they were from her Poppy and were for drinks and Donald's. We had no idea that she'd even taken the money to school, so we are keeping a closer watch now on what leaves our house by way of little pockets. Yesterday, she received a Valentine card from Papa and MiMi that had FIVE dollars in it. She was so amazed! After we put it away, Ella and I talked about taking some to church for our offering. I told her that we always give some to God. She asked where God was going to be. I told her that the church is God so that when we give to the church, we are giving to God. She thought on this for a while and asked, "Will God give it back?" We are REALLY going to have to work on this money obsession!
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Here's our "Snow Storm"
After watching the news and seeing all of the great snow that the REST of you are getting, we thought we'd share a few pics from our first big snow! Since Brian and I both grew up where you went to school with 4-6 inches of snow on the ground, this "storm" was a little disappointing, to say the least. Oh, well, according to the weather people, there may be some more hope for Wednesday. We enjoyed this little bit of snow that we got, though, and felt like we were home even if it was all gone by the next day.
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Going to the dentist...
Ella had her first visit to the dentist today. She did GREAT! She watched mama get her teeth cleaned first. She was very interested in the "noises" at the dentist office and a little worried, too. When it was her turn, though, she was super brave. She sat on mama's lap and opened wide...well, at least until the dentist got close to her mouth. Then, she would clamp it shut so that he couldn't get his hands in there. After several tries, she finally got the hang of it. By the time we left, she had more toothpaste, floss and toothbrushes than WalMart. Needless to say, the dental assistants LOVED her. They even gave her a bottle of water on the way out. On the way home, she told us that she would need to floss when she got home because "that's what the lady said." Wish it were that easy around here...I can't imagine her saying that she needs to pick up her toys because "that's what mama said"...hahaha!
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Potty Training...Again!
We may be the only family alive who has been potty training for 6 months (not really; I know there are others out there!) What a chore this has been. We've been back and forth with this several times. The problem isn't that Ella doesn't know HOW to do this; the problem is that she is STUBBORN! She may not be our biological child, but she is mama's daughter through and through (or so daddy says...haha). Brian figures he'll just move out when she turns 16. He's not sure he can deal with us both at the same time (he's kidding, I think). Anyway, we are trying very hard to potty train "for real" this time. So far, it's going very well. We are determined to see this thing through, and Ella seems to be really ready for it, too.
Being a parent is no joke, I tell you. I guess that's why Dr. James Dobson has written so many books about being a parent. I'm guessing that my parents wish his book about the strong-willed child was out there when I was growing up! All we can do is pray that God will guide us down this path of parenthood and pray that our children will see His love through us. I have really been praying a lot lately about how to bring God to Ella. I really want to make Him real for her and to teach her about His love for us. I've struggled with how to do this until our preacher said something in a sermon a few Sundays ago. He said that we beat ourselves up and worry about how to bring Jesus into new situations at work or to new people we meet along the way. He said that he always used to pray that he could "bring God" into the situations he was faced with in order to witness to those around him until he realized that God was already there. God is everywhere! We don't have to take Him to anyone...He is already there. What He wants to do is to use us to point Him out and to make him real to those around us by the things we do and by the way we live our lives. God is already here; He's in our home waiting to use us in whatever way He chooses. I know we know this, but we forget sometimes that He is around even when we aren't calling on him. Our job, as Ella's parents, is to allow God to use us to SHOW her His love. What a relief it is to know that God is already here doing all of the hard work for us...how amazing!
Being a parent is no joke, I tell you. I guess that's why Dr. James Dobson has written so many books about being a parent. I'm guessing that my parents wish his book about the strong-willed child was out there when I was growing up! All we can do is pray that God will guide us down this path of parenthood and pray that our children will see His love through us. I have really been praying a lot lately about how to bring God to Ella. I really want to make Him real for her and to teach her about His love for us. I've struggled with how to do this until our preacher said something in a sermon a few Sundays ago. He said that we beat ourselves up and worry about how to bring Jesus into new situations at work or to new people we meet along the way. He said that he always used to pray that he could "bring God" into the situations he was faced with in order to witness to those around him until he realized that God was already there. God is everywhere! We don't have to take Him to anyone...He is already there. What He wants to do is to use us to point Him out and to make him real to those around us by the things we do and by the way we live our lives. God is already here; He's in our home waiting to use us in whatever way He chooses. I know we know this, but we forget sometimes that He is around even when we aren't calling on him. Our job, as Ella's parents, is to allow God to use us to SHOW her His love. What a relief it is to know that God is already here doing all of the hard work for us...how amazing!
Sunday, February 4, 2007
Our First Entry!
Well, we have decided to join the world of blogging and give this whole "blog" business a try. We live in a crazy, fast paced world, don't we? As I put this together, I am reminded of an episode from the Andy Griffith show where they decide to have a peaceful Sunday enjoying a band concert (something they used to do quite frequently). After lots of work and arguing to get it all together, they were way too tired and way too mad at each other to actually enjoy the fruits of their labor. We've come a long way, don't you think? We live in a world where you can have a diet coke, answer the phone, receive a fax, send an email and create a blog while sitting in a chair or on the couch. Pretty funny, huh?
Anyway, we hope that this blog will be a fun way to keep everyone informed about our busy lives. Actually, we are pretty boring, so you may not be interested in anything we have to say. We do have lots of fun together and enjoy staying at home laughing, giggling and watching Land Before Time 100 times a day (thanks, Poppy!)
We are the Masts! Brian is in his 9th year at at a local high school. The first 6 were spent as a special education teacher and the last 3 have been as an assistant principal. He is the 10th grade principal (which is the biggest group of students), the athletic principal, testing coordinator etc. He works very hard at his job and enjoys what he does.
I am am a SAHM and have been for the last two years. I LOVE being at home with Ella and am grateful that I've had the opportunity to do so. I am so in love with my sweet baby girl, and I can't tell you what a joy it is to watch her grow and learn. I also love being able to keep things together at home so that Brian can come home and relax and enjoy his time with us in the evenings.
ELLA!!! What a mess she is. She is "growing into medium" according to her. She is really into comparing sizes of things and people (which isn't always a good thing..hahaha) She will be three on March 8th and is excited to get lots of presents. Ella goes to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays and loves every minute of it. She has a husband there named Willie, and I think that all of the other girls are jealous. She loves Publix, Target and Hobby Lobby and loves to pretend that the rooms in our house are her favorite stores...wooohoooo; wouldn't that be cool?
We hope you enjoy our blog and look forward to new posts. When I figure out how to put pictures on here; I'll do that, too.
Anyway, we hope that this blog will be a fun way to keep everyone informed about our busy lives. Actually, we are pretty boring, so you may not be interested in anything we have to say. We do have lots of fun together and enjoy staying at home laughing, giggling and watching Land Before Time 100 times a day (thanks, Poppy!)
We are the Masts! Brian is in his 9th year at at a local high school. The first 6 were spent as a special education teacher and the last 3 have been as an assistant principal. He is the 10th grade principal (which is the biggest group of students), the athletic principal, testing coordinator etc. He works very hard at his job and enjoys what he does.
I am am a SAHM and have been for the last two years. I LOVE being at home with Ella and am grateful that I've had the opportunity to do so. I am so in love with my sweet baby girl, and I can't tell you what a joy it is to watch her grow and learn. I also love being able to keep things together at home so that Brian can come home and relax and enjoy his time with us in the evenings.
ELLA!!! What a mess she is. She is "growing into medium" according to her. She is really into comparing sizes of things and people (which isn't always a good thing..hahaha) She will be three on March 8th and is excited to get lots of presents. Ella goes to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays and loves every minute of it. She has a husband there named Willie, and I think that all of the other girls are jealous. She loves Publix, Target and Hobby Lobby and loves to pretend that the rooms in our house are her favorite stores...wooohoooo; wouldn't that be cool?
We hope you enjoy our blog and look forward to new posts. When I figure out how to put pictures on here; I'll do that, too.
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