I Hate Mosquitos!

I don't know what it is that makes Maryella so attractive to mosquitos. I wish there was a medicine you could take that could conteract it. But this poor girl gets bitten by any mosquito within a 12 mile radius of her it seems. This is the second time she's gotten it on her eyelid. And they itch her so badly that she can't help but scratch them until they bleed, like the older bites on her forehead. Suggestions, helpful hints and ideas, thoughts - anything is welcome for solving this problem short of making her live in a bubble, which I'm beginning to think may be the way to go...

She was in the middle of eating breakfast in this picture and has a mouth full of pecan roll. It's just her eyelid that's swollen.

Our Playroom Gets a Facelift!

The three big girls have been sharing a room recently which leaves an "empty" room (as far as beds go). We've been using it as a playroom, but wanted to get it a bit more organized. I had seen some shelves I wanted from Pottery Barn that were much too expensive. Jeff was toying with the idea of making something himself, but wasn't quite sure he could do it the way he wanted. I wanted to give the girls something like "centers" where they could play. The girls weren't picky, they just wanted the room to include all their toys and maybe a chalkboard. So over Labor Day weekend, while we had Marmie and Granda here to help, we decided to tackle the job!
First we moved the dressers out and put them in the bedroom. You couldn't fit one more piece of furniture in there, but it's cozy and the girls love all sleeping in there together!

Next, Jeff had seen some shelves at Home Depot that we thought might work, so we went and looked and decided to get them. Leave it Martha Stewart to have the perfect solution to our playroom organization dilemma! Jeff and my dad got the shelves and window bench built and it looks GREAT!!! Everyone has enjoyed that window seat, but Alex especially likes it!

The chalkboard was the next big project and the girls were very patient waiting the 3 days for it to dry before they could use it. It turned out very cute! The girls have used it not only for art work, but for spelling homework and playing school. It's definitely been a fun, albiet dusty, addition to the room! Check out these Pharoah ("Farow") pictures that they drew the other day! Impressive!





Once everything had a place, the playroom was ready for use. We have all enjoyed being in there.

The Barbie house has a new home and it's been fun for the girls to play on both sides of the house.

Elianna loves the play kitchen! It had been out in the playhouse but the weather was starting to get to it, so we moved it back inside before it was too late.

The vanity and baby doll area has also been a big hit. All 4 girls love this part and can play there for hours.

I'm still wanting to order a big tree wall sticker to go over the chalkboard. It's so cute and I think it will finish off the room perfectly. We're also debating a small table and chairs for art projects, maybe for Christmas. And Mama is planning on bringing an old school desk that we used when we were kids to put in the school / chalkboard area. But for the most part, it's finished and we love it!

18 Months Already????

How can Elianna actually be 18 months old already?!?! Time flies! She is such a joy in our lives! Here are a few stats on our little sweetie...

Weight: 29 lbs 6 oz (95%)
Length: 32 1/2 inches (75%)

Words: mama, dada, shoes, juice, I want some, I wanna talk, cheese, mine, stop it, guys, dress, diaper, hi, bye, woof woof, garbage, no, ow, this, ball, tickle, guys, where are you, hot, cold
She doesn't say all of those clearly, but it's enough that we can usually understand what she's saying.



Things she can do: walk, run, climb (on EVERYTHING), walk backwards, follow 2 part commands (ex: go get my sunglasses and bring them to me), throw a ball, eat with a fork or spoon, identify numerous body parts



Things she enjoys: shoes, anything having to do with baby dolls, our toy kitchen, snack time, morning walks around the neighborhood, taking baths, playing with her sisters, sweeping, books and being read to

Things she doesn't like: being told no, noisy sisters (specifically,a screaming Maryella), getting out of the bathtub



Funny things she does:
-She has this look like she's upset with you - she furrows her eye brows and everything. But she knows it's funny, so the whole time she's doing, she trying not to smile. It's so funny. Wish I could get a picture or video.
-She always wears sunglasses upsidedown.
-She loves to tickle people.
-She walks around the house when the girls are gone calling, "Guys! Guys!"

Maryella's first day of school

Maryella had her first day of school yesterday and overall had a great day! She cried (screamed) when I left, but got ok pretty quickly. She's got some sweet teachers who are very patient. One of them took her out of the classroom until she calmed down and then she was fine. Her second day got off to a rough start also, but there was no screaming involved (that I heard). We're hopeful that things will get easier soon. I think she really does enjoy being there. She's just got to make some really good friends and feel a little more comfortable.
Here are her first day of school pictures...

All ready to go! So excited to get to take a backpack this year!



In front of the school - still excited!


Elianna wanted a picture, too.


Playing in the classroom - still having a good time!


With her teachers - "I'll look, but you can't make me smile."

Back to School - Kaylin and Annlee

My big girls started school today! I can't believe I have a 3rd grader and a 1st grader this year - wow! They grow so fast! I took them this morning and walked them to their class. Kaylin said I didn't have to walk her in, but I told her I wanted to take pictures and help carry all the classroom supplies for her. As we were walking up to the school, she quietly told me that she had forgotten where the 3rd grade hall is. Aww, she still needs me after all...
Annlee wanted Kaylin to go first so we went to Mrs. Keen's classroom and Kaylin was so excited to be there. She handed Mrs. Keen the cookies we had brought for the class, posed for a picture, found her seat and was done with me. I told her goodbye, but she completely ignored me on her way to the pencil sharpener to get going on her day.
Then it was Annlee's turn and I could tell she was nervous. We got to her classroom and handed Mrs. Robinson the cookies for their class and got our picture. Then she took my hand and we walked over to her seat and she gave me my hug and kiss and I told her bye. She didn't say anything and I left. She was fine, just shy and nervous.







This afternoon when I went to pick them up, they were both full of fun stories of the day and are looking forward to tomorrow. They both love their teachers and they are going to have great years! I'm looking forward to it all!
And just for fun, these are pictures that I have taken at the sign in front of the school every year since Kaylin started kindergarten. My how they have grown! (I can't believe that Maryella will be in this picture next year!!!)
This year - Kaylin, 3rd grade Annlee, 1st grade


Kaylin, 2nd grade Annlee, kindergarten


Kaylin, 1st grade


Kaylin, kindergarten

Summer Overview

We got a little busy as the summer progressed and I let my blog updates slide a bit - sorry. Rather than try to go back and catch up on all the pictures in the past 2 months, I'm just going to give a few highlights (and even that is a lot!). Anyone interested in seeing more can look on facebook - I think I kept my photos pretty up to date on there. July was incredibly busy!
It started out with a minor dental emergency for Kaylin and she ended up needing a tooth pulled. I still don't understand quite what happened, but she came through fine and handled it very well.
We had a fun 4th of July and I made my first cake pops. Those were fun, but harder than I expected them to be. They were worth the effort though - YUM! We ate burgers and hotdogs outside and just spent time together. It was a fun weekend.



We had Maryella's birthday party on the 10th of July - a week before the real day. She wanted a pink princess water party with a pink princess cake covered with flowers. She had thought for a long time about that and was very specific and insistent about it. It was a small party, but so much fun! The little girls who came seemed to have a great time!


The next day, we left for Cape San Blas for our annual beach vacation with my family. It was such a fabulous week!
We played on the beach




played at the pool


played in the house





celebrated birthdays with a cake I made

got to eat out and see old friends.






On our way home, it was Maryella's real birthday and we stopped at McDonald's for the chicken nuggets she had been begging for. We were driving back to Alabama for more vacation time.




When we got back to Alabaster, we stopped at Del Toro for a birthday dinner for Maryella. She wasn't sure about the sombraro thing but was excited about the singing and the flan!

Jeff and I left soon after that for Charleston, SC for our 10th anniversary trip. That was a wonderful time!




While we were gone, my parents kept the girls and treated them to a very fun couple of days! They went to the park

the zoo


and Pump It Up - we made it back just in time to join them for that one!

Then we drove back to Alabama, picked up the girls, and headed up to Tennessee for Papa Tate's memorial service.

After the service, we made a fast trip back to Montgomery, AL for a family wedding that night.

Whew, that was a whirlwind day!

After we got back home to Lake City, Maryella had her 4 yr well check and all was well. She's 35 lbs (50%) and 41 inches (80ish%) - growing right on track!

On August 5-6 we drove over to Jekyll Island for a quick beach trip to finish our summer. We had enough hotel points to get a free night stay, so it worked out perfectly!



And here are a few more random pictures from the summer.
Maryella did her on make-up!


Elianna with a cute hair-do.

A room rearrange we did for the 3 big girls. They now have a separate playroom and bedroom that they share together.





It was a fun and busy summer, filled with memories! Just the way we like it!