Easter Package from Grandma Cathy

My mom made our day with a special Easter package! We were truly spoiled today. She is such a loving Grandma.

I told mom a few weeks ago about Ella's new love of ballerinas. She's been going around our house dancing, declaring, "I'm a Ballerina!" Mom instantly decided Ella needed a tutu and set to both buying one and making one. She sent us an Easter package with the tutus and has been eagerly awaiting it's arrival. The package came today and we were delighted with all of the presents inside!

Ella found 2 tutus - one pink and one red, two crowns, and a wand to play dress-up, as well as a ballerina nightgown.
Ella trying out her new dress-up toys.
I love how proud she is to show her Daddy.
"I'm a ballerina!"
What position is this one, exactly?

Mommy "wore" the red tutu so we could dance together.
She'd say to me, "Spin, Mommy!"
We put on her ballerina nightgown, too, and she ran and danced around the house.
My mother is so thoughtful and takes such good care of us. I fell in love with these lovely children's books by a British author named Shirley Hughes recently. I asked my family if they'd keep an eye out for them at used book stores so I could collect them. Sure enough, there was a Shirley Hughes book for me in the package! Along with the dress-up clothes, we received stickers, books, and clothes for the kids. Not to be left out, Ezra received a little bull dog of his own for Easter.

We love receiving packages from Grandma, whether they're boxes like this one, or a card with to say "hello"and stickers. Thanks Mom - We Love You!

Ella's Pacifier Intervention

Ella is one of those kids who simply loves her pacifier, or paci (packy), as she calls it. We've relegated the paci to naptime and bedtime only for quite some time. Ella resisted at first, but she's handed it over and said, "Only for night-night" when we've caught her with it. We've wanted to get rid of it, but to be honest, we were all kind of dependent on it. I mean, when your kid will go to bed with no fuss just to have her paci, it's difficult to give it up. It's been a source of comfort for her for a long time.

We visited our friends, the Kelley's, in Chicago early this week. We realized that the paci was in the car when bedtime rolled around. Ella and Paige were having a sleepover, so Mandy suggested this might be the time to let the paci go. I had a lot of trouble listening to Ella ask for the paci, but Tim was willing to stand firm. He told her there that Chicago was "paci-free." I was so surprised when she slept through the night without it the first night and then again the second night! I'm so thankful our friends were patient with a little whining.

We went to the Pier on Tuesday and visited the Chicago Children's Museum (more pics and blogging to come later). As we walked toward the museum, we saw a Build-a-Bear store. A few people have recommended creating a "paci bear" to say adios to the pacifier. We decided to play at the museum, enjoy lunch, then build-a-bear. Tim and Ella went to get the paci out of the van and Tim explained that we didn't need the paci anymore and we were going to make a special animal. Ella picked out a bunny at the store and had a few last sucks on the paci before our turn came up.
The saleslady showed her where her paci would go. Ella didn't like this idea.

I wish she'd been willing to place the paci in the bunny herself, but she didn't resist much when we finally did. If the store had been less crowded, I might have waited longer for her to do it. Of course, I'm not sure she was ever going to shove that paci in the bunny.

She enjoyed picking out a heart and had the bunny kiss it instead of kissing it herself.

She got over the paci going inside and got into watching the heart go in pretty quickly. By the way, her hair was in pigtails that she pulled out, hence the interesting style.

Once the bunny had stuffing, it was cool to see the saleslady sew him up.

I like how possessive she looks in this picture.

After they finished making him, Daddy helped her give him a bath.

Ella and Paige checked out all of the accessories for the animals. Maybe an outfit next time.

We made a birth certificate and named her new friend "Paccy." She loved carrying the little house around with Paccy inside.

The proud new bunny owner carried her house back to the Museum.

She didn't have a nap that afternoon, so she was tired on the drive home and wanted her paci. We kept encouraging her to snuggle Paccy instead. She'd rather have her paci, but the bunny is nice too.

Ella has since asked for the paci and we just tell her she now has Paccy Bunny to cuddle. You can actually feel the pacifier inside and she's asked us to take it out, but we just tell her she's a big girl and doesn't need it anymore. Now Ella sleeps with 2 bunnie; Paccy and her little pink bunny.

I think Ella new it was time to give the pacifier up. Although she didn't want to let it go, she didn't fuss much and has adjusted well. She slept fine last night and this afternoon in her own bed without the pacifier, and that was the true test. I am so excited to finally be rid of the pacifier!

Things You Never Properly Say "Thank You" For

I put in the video from our wedding day a couple of days ago. We have a slideshow of pictures included with it that we showed at the reception. It includes photos of us as kids and during our engagement. I wanted to see if I could pull a few pics out to compare with the kid's photos. I wasn't able to get the pictures from the video, but I loved watching the slideshow again. Since the video was already in, I decided to watch it as well.

Tim and I have been married 4 1/2 years now and I've watched this video a few times over the years. I was suprised this time, however, by the emotion that swept through me. There's something lovely about seeing yourself on your wedding day, eyes shining, enormous grin, delighted in everything. Every other time I've watched myself, I've seen something to critique or a detail I would change. This time, I thought, "Look at those beautiful flowers...my hair was pretty...I love the decorations...isn't this wonderful?" I suppose I'm far enough removed now to simply enjoy the day as something wonderful and leave all those critiques behind.

My favorite part of the video is seeing all of our family and friends. My neices and nephews and my brother-in-law Ben are so young. Alessia looks shy, Rilyn looks bored, and Aiden is a little bit crazy. Our mothers look beautiful and Tim's Dad is handsome. This will sound funny because it hasn't been that long and Tim is not "old," but he looks so young to me. I love the shots of Tim and his best man, Ezra, together. My wonderful friends Kelly, Becky, and Rochelle are there. We are surrounded by our aunts, uncles, and cousins who've sacrificied a lovely Saturday afternoon to attend our wedding.

I was especially suprised by my emotional reaction to the video showing my family putting together the finishing touches before the reception. Everything feels like a blur when it's your wedding day, but they clearly put in so much work. And I'm certain that we didn't thank them nearly enough. I especially loved seeing my wonderful brother-in-laws putting lights in the lanterns that I know were a pain to hang. They were such troopers that day - I know decorating for a reception was not their favorite thing.

I know this post is corny and nostalgic, but that's okay. 4 1/2 years later, I feel the urge to say, "Thank You!" again to everyone who made that day so wonderful for Tim and I. We are blessed to come from such wonderful, loving families. Watching this video made me miss our families so much! I love being married and it was so sweet to take a look at where it all began.

Can you see the resemblance?

The big question with every baby is, "Who does he/she look like?" Honestly, I haven't been certain with either of my children. I see a bit of me here, a bit of Tim there. It is so fun to look at photos of Ella, however, around the same age and truly see similarities. I took some cute photos of Ezra the other day and just pulled some photos of Ella around the same age today. They are very different in the sense that she looked very feminine and he looks masculine, but I see such similarity in the cheeks, the eyes, and the mouth. So fun!










My next goal: Compare their pictures to Mom and Dad as babies!

While Reading Alice Hoffman...

I’ve discovered a love for Alice Hoffman books over the past few years. One of the reasons I enjoy her writing style stems from the fact that it’s so different from my own. Her stories always have the mystical or supernatural about them. The characters she creates are usually in the midst of a crisis or an experience paralyzes them emotionally. They are not always likeable and are usually a bit odd, but these characteristics make them beautifully human. The point of crises tends to make them more emotionally raw and honest. Hoffman’s ability to create a world that reflects these emotions fascinates me. Her descriptions of the world surrounding her characters are often heartbreakingly beautiful. And the supernatural occurrences feel like a reflection of truth – nature comes alive, a character all its own.

I was reading the final pages of “Second Nature” this afternoon. This book is not nearly as lovely and strange as some of her other novels, such as “The Probable Future” or “The Ice Queen,” but it contains many of the elements I enjoy in her novels. Faced with crisis or loss of control, the characters become more open to their passions and less restrained by convention. Without these restraints, they behave in ways that are unconventional. Doing so is incredibly freeing, confusing, delightful, and painful. As I read, I am overcome by their passionate reaction to life and the way nature mirrors this passion.

When Hoffman’s characters fall in love amidst these circumstances, their senses overtake them. They abandon restraint and behave instinctually. Their passion is blinding, disorienting, wonderful. The results can be maddening, disastrous, delightful, and awe-inspiring. Passion consumes them. In the midst of this ardor, her characters often make choices that go against what is expected of them or cause them to behave in surprising ways. While this is a pattern amongst her characters, it does not create sameness or dull similarity. Instead, it is simply amazing how the effect of these emotions varies so greatly in her character’s lives.

Hoffman’s novels filled my thoughts as I drove alone to the store this afternoon. I considered the way an intimate connection to another person alters her character’s lives. You cannot explain what is happening to them with logic. The world comes alive instead – roses, lightening, an oddly constructed house, embody human emotion and experience.

I considered how characters can so quickly align their hearts, minds, and lives with another. How intimacy causes them to behave in unexpected ways – they are brave, niave, impetuous, and vulnerable. What once seemed important is often revealed as trivial in the face of love. I wondered what I would do for my love, how I would respond if he were threatened, what I would give up to be with him, or keep secret to ensure his safety.

I love how Hoffman’s novel invited me to examine love in this way. In truth, when I think of losing Tim, I literally wince, every time. I know I would forgive much of him, forgo my comfort for his own, and defend him in the face of logic. Before I met him, I’m not sure I could have connected to the passion felt by Hoffman’s characters. While my life does not require me to demonstrate my love in these dramatic ways, it’s amazing and wonderful to consider the passion beneath the surface, the intensity of your emotion, the beauty of the connection you feel to another person.

Baby Bright Eyes and Daddy Gets His Wish

Our Ezra is really starting to show his personality now. I love to go in his room in the morning and peer down into his crib. He'll be fussing for you to come get him, then his entire face will light up with a grin when he sees your face. I love to peer over his toys and surprise him so he'll kick his little legs in delight and coo happily. We need to get some photos of him working on sitting up because he's very close to doing it on his own. I think it's so fun how everyone is trying to figure out who he looks like. One moment, someone will tell me how much he's looking like Tim, and the next someone else says he looks like me. I think he's mostly starting to look like Ella. I've included some recent pictures of Ezra and one of Ella at the same age. What do you think?
Ezra likes to sit in this seat while I cook. Poor guy's stuck in Ella's old pink seat.

He was smiling at me, but kept getting distracted by the camera. This photo was hard to get.



Ella in November of 2006.
Tim's birthday is coming up April 7th. We have been working so hard to get out of debt and stay out of debt for the past few years. He's wanted an X-box 360 forever, but just keeps patiently waiting until we could save up the money. With his birthday coming up, I felt like it was finally his year to get his wish. We had a few gift cards and I've been able to sell some of my Modbe display items, so I just went for it. Tim and I can never do anything simply, though, so he decided he wanted the limited edition red Resident Evil 5 version. I actually love this aspect of Tim's hobby - seeking out the rare items and finding the best deals on used games. Turned out there was one in Springfield, so I took the kids last Wednesday and we crossed our fingers that we would get there in time. We found it and had a special early birthday night for Dad. Ella loved giving Daddy his birthday present! I love my husband so much and I'm so glad he finally got his 360!

I love the look of anticipation on Tim's face!
The only wrapping we had large enough was a Christmas bag.
Ella loved helping Dad with his present.
Yeah! We've been having so much fun with this gift, playing games and watching Netflix "Watch it Now" on our tv using the X-box.