::the BIG rival::

CALVIN vs HOPE

so even though the knights let us down today it was till a lot of fun to sport our alum. and surprisingly we had enough calvin attire to outfit the whole family. we met up with some other calvin {and a few hope} fans at the local sandbar. yes it was a little strange taking our kids to the bar for a basketball game but i promise you it was smoke free and there were plenty of other kids there too. it actually felt like a homey place {that just doesn't seem right, but it did}.

our dear friends jeff & emily and their sweet boy micah joined the party. emily's an alumni director at calvin and hosted the party in the ville. ellington and micah played together and beckett was held most the time by some calvin alumni. don't worry we actually knew the person, they go to our church. but let's be honest if they're wearing calvin gear...they're good people!

::what's new::

so what's new around here?

well...

beckett is enjoying the view from a new spot, which means he's not a fan of laying flat anymore looking at the same octopus day after day on his floor mat. it's fun to see him start interacting more with his surroundings. elle didn't try out the exersaucer until she was 4 months. so advanced, he might be?? or it was just time for a change of pace. he is smiling a ton and will definitely be the flirt as he gets older. i don't think he'll be the shy one, that's for sure!

my latest crafty project...

leggings for ellington & felt hair clips

i got the idea from some DIY blog stalking. i love finding do-it-yourself projects.

at last but not least, we have a 2 year old POTTY TRAINED little girl. she is soo good that it makes we wonder what we're in for with beckett down the road. because we all know it can't happen this easy twice. this week she had her 2 year dr. appointment. she did great minus the shots, but what kid enjoys those?? she weighed in at 24lbs. and 2'11. tall. according to the doctor's formula she'll be about 5'9...obviously taller than her mother.

so that's what's new around our house

it's the little things...

that make me smile & give a little chuckle...

papa being silly with his hedgie

the intense desire to do something alone & fully enjoy it

sibling love

good friends

in the chaos of the daily life it's easy to miss the little things. our days are pretty much the same; eat, play, snuggle, play, nap, repeat x3. but i wouldn't change it. ellington is at such a fun age, exploring everything and beckett is just soaking it all in. there are times when i look forward to beckett doing more, and then i remember he'll never be this little again. and i'm sure since he's a boy and will most likely take after his sister he won't be sitting for long once he learns to move. so for now i'll just soak it all in too.

it's the little things that make each day a success

i'm 2

ellington is 2...wow!

what an amazing 2 years it's been. we had a great weekend partying with friends and family. we are so blessed to have family close by and friends near to celebrate with us. we cherish the time spent with both and love hearing all the chatter that comes with having lots of kids in one house. ellington is becoming more of a playmate with her cousins. last year she'd stand and just watch and once in a while try to catch up with them, but they would have already moved onto something else. not this year...she quickly joined in on the fun or was the starter.

testing out all the yummy treats

what girl doesn't like minnie mouse

spending time with family and friends

the 2 birthday girls

happy birthday josie, feb.1st!!! we loved celebrating with you too

happy birthday sweet ellington

happy 2nd birthday sweet girl

dear ellington,

you're 2, i can't believe it! it's hard to remember our house with just you, now that beckett has joined the family. you were such an easy baby and loved to be snuggled, which you still do and ask now to "snuggle". i love our snuggle time. it won't last for long so we'll take as much of it now as we can. you amaze us with your intuitative nature, you are very curious about the world around you and want to know everything. you talk all the time and ask about everything. you love to repeat anything we say, including "bummer" which you find so fun and crack up immediately as do we. we absolutely love it! you love to play mommy and chase your puppy around. you are such a loving and caring big sister, beckett loves all your kisses and hugs. we are so proud that you are potty trained and love being a big girl. here are a few of your favorite things right now...

*blankie

*bubble baths

*swimming

*snuggling

*singing- amazing grace before bed

*mickey & minnie mouse

*baby dolls

*tackle

*running

*coloring

*washing dishes

*helping mommy

*boots - shoes in general

*getting dressed by yourself

*bows

*books

*donuts {sat. date with dad}

we love you sweet ellington. you will forever be our little hedige. we are so thankful that God blessed us with you and your spunky personality. you fill our days with wonder and laughter. we hope this next year is filled with many fun memories, new adventures, and more love than you know.

love,

mommy & daddy

@ 3 months

sleeping through the night!!!

up at 7 am

naps 3 times a day: 2, 2hrs & a 45 min.

bed at 8:30

smiles

laughs

ticklish under his arms

tracks tackle & elle around the room

goes to sleep on his own

drools

sucks on his first finger

p.t. {day 2}

day 2

ellington stayed dry ALL NIGHT!!! i'm totally amazed.

we had the extra sheets ready to go but didn't need them. we'll see how night 2 goes tonight.

during day 2 elle only had 2 accidents to her defense 1 of them was my fault. she wanted to play in the sink with her suds and cups so i warmed up her water a bit and let's just say the running water technique works! she stopped herself though and we quickly made it to the bathroom to finish.

the 3 day program we're doing encourages the drinking liquids non-stop, well elle isn't much a drinker so we're trying everything even juice which she's not been a huge fan of. so we push as much liquid as she'll take but day 2 we backed off the reminder her and just waited for her to tell us - ok actually me.

this is probably too much information, but it's more for me to remember the process so here goes. today she actually went {poopy} on the toilet TWICE! and yes she asked for "magz" to read. actually this is what she said while on the toilet looking at the pile of magazines in the cupboard. "daddy magz, daddy magz " i guess modeling does pay off. so of course i had a snap a shot to capture the moment. (again another one she'll hate later in life)

potty training is trying...asked to be covered up on the dinning table bench after a 3 hr. nap

proud little brother & a great trooper when he gets pushed aside to take elle to the bathroom

cuddling with her dollies and my cardio workout for the day - pushing her up/down the hallway while dodging tackle. try it sometime, she's not all that light as dead weight.

here's to day 2 night and one more official day of potty training

looking forward to going out of the house on day 4. i'm not crazy though we're just going to a friend's house. i'm not sure we're ready to try the store just yet. maybe with daddy this weekend. i'm not pushing my luck right now.