Ramblings of a 4 year old

Kelly our usual sitter was busy so we had her roommate Sarah sit for us. Ella was so excited to meet Kelly's roommate. As they were settling in, Ella asks Sarah, "So, what's it like having Kelly for a roommate?"

Operation Pillow Pet

As I spoke of the "As Seen on TV" Bake Pops in my last blog being a huge waste of time, this "As Seen on TV" product is going to be a blessing. A few months ago Ella heard on K-LOVE (a christian radio station) that a family brought Pillow Pets to sick children in the hospital on Christmas Day. She told me she would like to do this someday. I thought it was a passing thought, but she continued to bring it up. When we decided we would be staying here for Christmas, Mike and I worked on trying to make this a reality. We contacted a local children's hospital but found out that actually bringing them to the children was not possible due to possible spreading of infection (both to and from the children). So we asked her about bringing them to children at a homeless shelter. She thought this was a good idea, so Mike looked into it. Now with it all arranged, we are going to bring Pillow Pets to 7 kiddos and "lovies" to 5 newborn babies on December 23. We are making blankets for all as well. Ella is so excited to do this and we are so amazed at her selflessness and caring about the needs of others. As mature as she is, I forget sometimes she is only going to be 5. To remind me of this, we were talking about the very small rooms they live in at the shelter and that they have no toys of their own to play with like she has. She then asked, "Well, do they have enough room in there to do the Hokey Pokey?"

Time Lost, Never To Be Found Again

Bake Pops. Have you heard of them? In the few precious minutes Ella has as a reward for taking a nap, she gets to watch Sprout (a PBS kids channel). Since they offer very little time for commercials, they play just a few over and over again, which leads to a subtle brainwashing. "Momma, can we get some bake pops, please, please, please???" And so it went for the past few months. Then she asked for them for her birthday. No problem I thought.. We can order a pan and give those for her birthday instead of cake or cupcakes. So I called the number on TV. Now, this is the very first time I have ever done this, so call me naive. It was a fully automated ordering system. Or should I say a hostage hotline. I was pitched anything from a jewelry club to winning a free cruise to the Bahamas. And they don't take no for an answer. Even after you press "2" for "no" , they think they haven't pitched it to in a convincing way, so they try the same pitch with a twist. After 25 minutes of this I had enough and hung up phone. I wasn't sure if my order had been completed and waited a few days to see if it had. I never received an email, so I figured it didn't go through. So I called the customer hotline (I was getting pressure from Ella about these thing so I decided to call one more time). On hold for 20 minutes then after talking to a real person, they said they had no record of my order. I talked to my mom and she said they had them at Bed Bath and Beyond. So made the trip there to get a pan (oh, how I wished I knew they had them all along). Then two days later I receive a very large box from Fed Ex. I open it up and there are SIX Bake Pop pans!!! And I was charged for them all. So I tried to sell them to my friends via massive text. Sold two so far.

Even though this was a huge waste of time, it was all worth it. Ella and I spent 4 hours making them (I decided not to total up how much time was put into this). While she was at my side with her little apron on, she was hugging my arm and kissing it, repeatedly. That made it all worth it! After they were finished I asked her if they were all she thought they would be. She said, "I didn't know we had to bake them. I just thought they came already made." Looks like we were both duped by the bake pops.

Hair Extensions

I'm sure you've all seen the latest look of feather extensions. In the preschool world, pig extensions are all the rave.

Halloween 2011

Wow, this Halloween was sooooo much better than last! Mike was not only home for this one, but he took the day off! We went out to an apple orchard/pumpkin patch in the Hill Country for most of the day. Hay rides, train rides, cider making, apple washing, puppet show, music show, petting zoo, orchard tour and the best apple ice cream I've ever had. We were wiped out. Ella even fell asleep on the way home (in the middle of the day, which those of you who know her is unheard of). Then we went trick or treating with our neighborhood friends, and ended the day with Ella handing out candy. By the time Ella and I finished our street, Mike had ran out of candy and she was so upset that she couldn't hand out candy, she gave up half of hers just so she could hand some out. What a sweetie! That thought never crossed my mind as a kid.

Oh and in case you can't tell what they are, Ella is a Boise State cheerleader (we've had that outfit for a long time, glad it finally fits) and Grant was "G" the Builder (if you look closely, it says "G" builders :) Ironically, our house in Boise just sold and we closed on Friday!

Praises

It has just occurred to me in the past few weeks that we are approaching some big milestones: Mike being home for Halloween, Mike being home for Thanksgiving, Mike being home for Christmas, and Mike being home for Ella's birthday. I have nothing but praises for all that we have gone through. We are stronger as a family, couple and especially in our faith. Having been ministered to all that time, we are finally stepping out and ministering to others. Wish we would have stepped out of the sidelines earlier.

As we went to the "Boo Zoo" tonight, I was excited to spend this time together as a family. However, when we got to the zoo, the line was at a minimum an hour long. So we made the best of it and went to get ice cream, with a family trip to the neighborhood park to follow. As we drove by a church on our way home, we saw Matthew West was playing there. (Now, if you're not familiar with Christian radio, he is a pretty big deal). So we thought we'd stop in. After the first song, Ella was whispering into my ear, "Momma, I LOVE that song!" Then the next one, "Momma, that is my favorite!" And on it went. So many of her favorites she hears on KLOVE. As we were walking, out she said, "I wanna do this EVERY night! Can we, can we?? I just know that God loves it when we praise Him!" And this serendipitous moment had been forever stamped into my memory. So glad the Boo Zoo didn't work out. This was so much better. And to end with an Ella quote, as we drove home in the car Ella asks, "Momma, were those guys rock stars?"

Flowers for Dinner

Earlier in the day, Ella had been picking up all the Crepe Myrtle blooms that fell on the ground. That evening, we went to a friend's house for dinner. As we walked into the house, Ella started digging into her tiny pocket on her skirt. She pulled out a handful of tiny, crushed flowers and reached out her hand. She said to our friend, "I brought you and your wife some flowers." It was soooooo cute! We never coached her to do so and I can't remember the last time I brought flowers to someone's house for dinner.

Our Future Little Lawyer

Mike and I discussing a news article:

Ella: Come here, we need to talk.

Mike: Do I need to sit down again? (he always has to sit down when Ella has a "talk with him")

Ella: Yes, sit. Now, Daddy, were you arguing with mommy?

Mike: No, we were just discussing something.

Ella: But I heard mommy say you were arguing, so you were arguing. Now, you don't argue with mommy.

Mike: (looking at Ella)

Ella: Don't look at me like that! Now, if mommy said you were arguing, you were. That means you are lying.

Mike: OK, are we finished? Can I get up?

Ella: Yes. You are free.

Mike: That was a better cross examination than some I've seen by lawyers in the courtroom.

Mike to Grant: It's going to be a long childhood for you!

Ramblings of a 4 year old

Another story told by Kelly our babysitter...

Kelly is eating popcorn at lunch and Ella asks for some. As Ella is about to put an unpopped kernel in her mouth, Kelly tells her that she can choke on them. Ella says, "It's a chokin' hazard?" (she is always telling Grant about "chokin' hazards"). Then Kelly tells her that even adults can choke on them. Ella asks, "Is it a chokin' hazard for God?" Kelly tries to suppress her laughter as this always provokes Ella when we giggle at her questions. She tells Ella that she doesn't know. Ella says, "Well, then I'll ask him."' She takes the kernels in her hands and with her palms facing upwards, she raises her hands high and asks, "God, are these a chokin' hazard for you?" Silence. Then Ella says, "God told me no, they aren't." During all of this Kelly is still trying not to laugh and has a huge smile on her face. Then Ella says, "Oh, God must have told you too because you are smiling!"

Ramblings of a 4 year old

Ella stepped outside this morning as we were getting into the car for preschool. She starts yelling, "Mommy, it's FREEZING out here!!! It's as cold as North Dakota!" It was 65 degrees. For her defense, it was the first 65 degrees we've seen since May :)

Grant and Goldfish

Ramblings of a 4-year old

Mike and I were discussing how some people say San Antonio has no culture, and that Austin has so much more culture than we do. Then I said we have a great Latino/Mexican culture that they don't have in Austin. Then Ella said: "Is latino german for taco?" I think teaching her spanish and german is becoming a bit confusing.

Smarty Pants

Our little Grant is becoming too smart which is making my days longer :) He is into everything. He loves to cook and is stirring up pots of soup all the time. He also has been getting on his tiptoes to open and close doors. And since we have no locks, that gives him free access to everything. He is even opening the pocket doors!

He loves his sister Ella and can't wait to greet her with a hug every morning. When we arrive at her preschool to pick her up, he starts yelling "Ay-ya, Ay-ya!" He actually frightened me today...Ella had made a book titled "Things That God Made" and in it she drew things like flowers, butterflies, etc. as well as a family. It had a man, women, girl and boy (representing us). Grant was looking at it and jokingly I said, "Where's daddy?" He looked at the picture and pointed to the man! Thinking perhaps it was a fluke I asked, "Where's mommy?" Then he looked at the picture again and pointed to the woman. This was starting to freak me out. It is not normal for a baby to recognize representational drawings (stick figures) of people. So then of course I asked, "Where's Ella?" He then looked at the picture and pointed to the girl with yellow hair. Incredulous, I had to ask him where Grant was, but he'd had enough of my badgering. He walked away then turned to give me a smile and a string of drool dribbled from his mouth. Yep, he's still a baby!

Trip to Dallas

We traveled to Dallas for Mike's Tennis Tournament (which is a big deal - they made it to sectionals). Outside our hotel they had a park with a fountain. It was such a blast to watch Ella and all the kiddos there. We had to drag her away both nights. Grant on the other hand had to be coaxed a bit, but he eventually went in. Once was enough for him.

Ramblings of a 4 year old

Ella at bedtime snuggle:

Ella: "Mommy, you look kinda tall. You have less um, white stuff around you. You know, you aren't very wide like some people are." I think my sweet girl just gave me a wonderful compliment!
Me: "Can you just stay this size forever?"
Ella: "No, I have to grow up and be a mommy like you. But you'll get lines in your face before I do!" (Lines are Ella's code for wrinkles)
Ella: (After much jabbering) "OK, I'm getting tired. Will you get out of my bed so I can get some sleep?"


Ella and Daddy watching a tennis instructional video:

Ella: "I need to watch this so I can get better at tennis. I practice and practice but I'm just not getting good."

In the video, the instructor talks about backswing.

Ella: "That's what I need to do!" (Demonstrating a larger backswing)

Daddy: Giggles loudly

Ramblings of a 4 year old

Ella playing with her dolls:

Ella: Now kid, you can't love your toys.
Kelly: Why can't she love her toys?
Ella: Because you can make them an idol.
Kelly: What's an idol?
Ella: It is something you bow down to and worship.

How does she remember this stuff? I guess she was paying attention to the teaching of the 10 commandments! We better watch ourselves now or she is going to be on our case!

Daddy's Birthday Card

This is a card Ella made for Mike's birthday. When we were on our date night last night, we were talking about how well Ella and Grant get along and how much Ella loves Grant. Meanwhile, Kelly was babysitting them at home. Ella was making a card for Mike's birthday and drew Mike, me and herself. Then she drew Grant and put him in a crib (actually looks more like a cage, which I don't think was unintentional). She said to Kelly, "I'm going to put Grant in the crib and draw no legs on him so he can't walk." Hilarious!!! Now I know why psychologists have kids draw pictures to express their feelings.

Ramblings of a 4 year old

Ella and daddy in the car playing "Eye Spy"
Ella: I spy with my little eye...a tree.
Daddy: (conversing with me)
Ella: Focus, daddy! You need to focus when I'm telling you what to look for!

Ella was at home with our babysitter (Kelly texted me at work to tell me. She thinks Ella is hilarious). Ella was eating her lunch at the table and thought she bit off some nail polish.
Ella: I think I am dying...my head, my throat...ugh.
(a minute passes)
Ella: Eh, I'm over it.

Ella was dressed up in her pink princess dress, cowboy hat on sideways, white tea gloves and her guitar strapped around her torso. She came out of her room and said "Look mom, I'm a rock star!"

Grant's First Steps

Grant has finally taking his first steps a week or so ago! He is up to 7 steps independently.

Our little Frankenstein!!!

Ramblings of a 4 year old

Today Ella had lots of funny things to say. For whatever reason, poop is a common theme for her ramblings.

As we were driving back from the lake, she had lots of questions. One was, "Momma, why is bird poop white and our poop brown?" Hmm. Mike and I were stumped. Thankfully that's what i phones are good for. Google it if you are wondering :)

Going up down the back roads Ella said: "Ooh, those bumps make my tummy feel twizzely."

When we got home Mike overheard Ella talking to herself in the bathroom saying, "Wow, that was a serious poop."

My Diaper is Full of Fashion

My Diaper is Full...

Full of Fashion.

I look number one...

when I go number two.

I poo...in blue.

Sorry. I couldn't help myself. I had to do a photo shoot of Grant in the super cute Huggies jeans diapers. Yes, I fell for the marketing scheme (We are loyal Pampers buyers). I still giggle when I watch that commercial.

Who's there?

Grant has an obsession with the phone. His favorite toy is his play phone, but whenever he sees our home phone he will drop whatever he is doing and go for it. Sometimes I let him play with it, making sure he doesn't call anyone. I won't be doing that anymore. About 20 minutes after he was playing with the phone, I was giving Ella a bath when I hear a very serious knock on the door. Not the typical "I'm trying to sell you something" knock but one with authority behind it. Mike is out of town and I debate as to whether I should answer it. So I tip toe to the door and look out the peephole. There are two cop cars outside and two policeman at the door. I began to shake a bit wondering if I somehow have set of the alarm again (they have a paid us a visit or two for that). Then I thought, "Oh no, there's a dangerous criminal on the loose in our neighborhood. Great, this stuff always happens when Mike is gone." I decided I'd better answer the door. They said, "Ma'am, we've received a 911 hang-up call from your house. Is everything OK?" Me: "Um, yes, just giving the kids a bath, sir. I am so very sorry." The look of panic, confusion and a day of stay-at-home mommy clothes and hair was all they needed to see. They kindly left, no questions asked, penalties or fines. Then I look over my shoulder and Grant had crawled out of the bathroom and had a big grin on his face. Hopefully this will be the last time the police pay a visit for his mischievousness.

Ramblings of a 4 year old

Ella: I want to marry you so bad Grant, but I can't. I love you. (gives him a hug)

Ramblings of a 4 Year Old

(Grant crawling across floor)
Ella: Grant, walking is a great form of exercise. You should walk and not crawl to get better exercise.

Ramblings of a 4 Year Old

Mike interrogating Ella about lying (by the way, his attorney skills are starting to come in handy): "Ella, tell me the truth. What happened?"

Ella: "I can't remember. It's hiding in my brain."

Bieber

"And I was like, baby baby baby, oh when I was 13 I had my first love"...straight out of Ella's mouth. Considering we only listen to K-Love, this must truly be "Bieber Fever" and it's going around Ella's preschool class. Very contagious.

Photos of Mike's Homecoming

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thethiers/sets/72157625782307983/with/5389337062/

Video of Mike's Homecoming

Video of the Airport Homecoming:

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKLcoIZ6yUQ&feature=related

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA4PKU2VRQY&feature=related

Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeIQ5mshoUk&feature=related

Family Reunited

Sorry for the long break between posts. We have been really careful stewards of our time during this reintegration process and I now have some time to blog. It is really hard to put into words the airport arrival, his first "visit" to the house (as Ella said, "Is daddy coming to visit?"), interacting with him and the children and just having his presence again in the home. Those who have experienced a deployment or long absence of a spouse can probably understand; it is an anxious, nervous, joyful, stressful and altogether very overwhelming experience. Trying to keep your expectations in check. Relinquishing control of responsibilities. And in a way getting to know again your best friend, the only person in the world who knows you the best, but in some ways has become a bit of a stranger. Again, I must give all the credit to God. We have had a few bumps in the road, but it has been a smooth transition. At times it even seems as if it was in the distant past. Ella has transformed back into a joyful, less temperamental (as much as a 4 year old girl can be) and content little girl. Grant now saves some of his famous smiles for daddy, of which I am happy to share. Even Gracie the dog is more content. And I am on the road to becoming me again. I tell Mike that this deployment has possibly taken a year or two off my life! For sure the gray hairs on my head have exploded. More than anything, it has made me appreciate having a husband, not just any husband but one that puts his wife and family at the top of his priority list. We are confident to see fruit from this experience in the months and years to come.

THE Day is Finally Here

Sorry, no humerous or well thought out blog tonight. Which it should be considering this is the eve of the day we have been awaiting since the day after Mother's Day, 2010 (the day I found out he was deploying). Just pure thankfulness, excitement, nervousness and exhaustion. Ella must be trying one last time to strengthen my patience as she must know this deployment is almost over. But in her defense, this must be a lot for a little 4 year old to process. The stars have made it to the top of her countdown chart. Her picture has moved its way up to the top to be reunited with daddy's picture. We've been counting airplanes (one out of four left to go) - counting days is too risky without knowing for sure when he will arrive. Making signs, hanging signs and decorating the house. Yet, she still won't completely understand until she sees him. I still think it will even take some time for her to really process it all. It's even hard for me to process. I have to end with a verse that I have thought about frequently:

2Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Who knew it would be this hard. If it weren't for our wonderful family, friends and most of all, God, I'm not sure what Mike would be coming home to.

Ramblings of a 4 year old

Azalea our sitter watching the kids:

Azalea: Ella, are these your pj's for South Dakota?

Ella: South Dakota! I've never even BEEN there. You mean North Dakota.



Prayer time:

Ella: And thank you God for the emergency exit...

Me: Honey, what emergency exit?

Ella: The one on the wall.....over there.

Me: (Laughing almost hysterically) Honey, that's the breaker box! It's for the electricity. (Thinking)...we spent way too much time looking at the safety cards on the airplane.

Ramblings of a 4 year old

Ella with a cold:

Ella: (Sniffling)


Me: Ella, do you need a kleenex?


Ella: No, I will just keep smelling it in.


Looking at Ella's Countdown Chart:

Ella: Momma, how many more days until daddy gets home?

Me: Just a few more weeks, not very long honey.

Ella: Momma, this is a long road we've been on.

Missing Daddy

Rubbing cream on Ella's face at bedtime (chapped from a bad cold):



Ella: Momma, momma! I can't stop these tears from tumbling down my cheeks.



Me: What's wrong sweetie?



Ella: (Voice cracking) I really miss daddy. I wish he was here.

Me: Oh honey, he will be home so soon! Remember when we started your chart? We started the stars at the floor and now they are almost to the ceiling. And look! Your picture is almost to the top with daddy too!

Ella: Aw, I can't wait for him to be here!

Ella Dreams

Ella: Mommy, I going to dream tonight.

Me: What are you going to dream about?

Ella: I'm going to dream about smiling coconut trees gently moving in the breeze.

Ramblings of a 4 year old

I will post more about Ella's birthday and Christmas when I can download all my pictures. But for now, I will just post more of her ramblings from Christmas to now. She has been full of them lately!


Ella, I want to apologize to you in advance for all the potty posts. I know some day you will be very embarrassed that I posted them, but they are so funny.


At Grandma Betty's and Grandpa Jerry's in Dickinson:
Grandma: Ella, you still have toilet paper in your butt.

Ella: No I don't.

Grandma: Yes, you do.

Ella: It's not toilet paper, it's a piece of cheese!


At Grandma Fran's and Papa Joel's in Bismarck (Ella on the potty):
Ella: Ehhhh, Errrr, Ehhhh, Errrr. That's the sound I make when I go poopy.

Sarah: Are you done going poopy?

Ella: No, I still need to roll one out.


Again at Grandma Fran's and Papa Joel's (pulling into the garage):
Ella: I don't want to go in the house anymore. It's too constricting. I want to go back to Texas. In Texas I can go outside and play on the playground where it's nice and warm. Grandpa, you must like the cold.

Grandpa: No, but I live here and work here and it would be too hard for me to get a job in Texas.

Ella: I have an idea. You can just wait until it gets warm out. Oh! I have a job for you in Texas. You can feed Grant his bottles!

On the way to school:
Me: Ella, why are you so crabby today? You are really showing bad attitude. What happened to my sweet Ella I had back in ND?

Ella: I'm here.

Me: No, the sweet Ella is gone. I sure wish I had her back. I wonder what happened to her.

Ella: No, mommy it's me (pointing with urgency at her chest). It's me!!! I'm your Ewwa.

Opening Cousin Doug's and Kristi's presents:
Ella: Mommy, Doug is a husband now, right?

Me: Yes.

Ella: And Kristi is his wife, right?

Me: Yes.

Ella: Then they need to have a baby.


Per Kelly, the babysitter:
Ella: Let's play dolls. I'll be the babysitter and kiddos, you be the mommy.

Kelly: Ok. "Bye kids, I love you and I'll see you in a little while".

Ella: No! You have to say, "I'm leaving now, I need some 'me' time".

Disclaimer: I do not ever recall using the "I need me time" statement. However, I do say "I need my space" or "I need it quiet so I can think".

Driving in the car after discovering Grant has his first tooth:
Ella: (Starting to cry) Momma, I don't want Grant to get a tooth.

Me: Why?

Ella: Because, I want him to stay a baby.

Me: But honey, he can't stay a baby. He'll keep growing bigger and bigger and soon you will be able to play with him more.

Ella: Then I think you should put him back in your tummy.

Grant's Firsts

Grant has been a very busy little guy. He is so smiley, but do not be fooled. He is one determined little bugger when he sees something he wants. Like now with the computer. He keeps adding plus signs to the post. Anyway, either Grant or the object must be removed or he will keep trying until he gets it.

While we were in ND, he really took off crawling on his hands and knees vs. army crawling on his belly. Yesterday there must have been some serious brain wiring going on. In one day, he got from sitting into 4-point position to crawl for the first time (usually just goes from belly to 4-point), pulled up to tall kneeling holding onto a box, then pulled to stand from that position. I usually have to work on these skills for a few weeks or months. It's fun to see it "just happen".

As you probably already read in Ella's latest blog, he also got his first tooth. Bottom center-left. This would explain the crankiness a few days before we flew back. Sarah, the kids and I were at the fabric store when he opened his mouth just right and I saw a little white bud poking through. I exclaimed, "Look Sarah!!! He got his first tooth!!! Then we all oohhed and ahhhed; Sarah, Ella, me and the lady cutting the fabric.

Let's hope he slows down now a bit and holds off on any new firsts until daddy gets home...which is just a few weeks away!