Elise at her 4 month checkup today!

Well we have been a little behind on our vaccinations for Elise due to wanting to do a little more research on our part. Today we did her 2 month shots at her 4 month checkup. Our pediatrician sees nothing wrong with taking our time which is great, I really like her. It's always nice to have a good relationship with your child's doctor. It is so scary with all the conflicting stories you read about these days with autism. Even today I had to read this binder full of information at our pediatricians office of why vaccinations do NOT play any part in autism but with that being said doctors aren't 100% sure what causes it. I don't remember reading something like that with my other kids so I know a lot of parents are getting a little concerned about it. We don't want Elise to get the measles or any other disease but she is a perfectly healthy little girl so we just really worry. But on to the exciting news! Elise is, according to the stats, going to be a big girl. She is 15 lbs so 75% on weight. And 26 inches long so 97% on height! So she is just a long girl! I knew all her clothes were starting to seem short! Happy 4 months Miss Elise Claire!:)

Spring come soon, please!

I took this picture outside my front porch last night, we were supposed to get 5 inches of new snow but we barely got an inch so that was great! But the existing snow is starting to look grose from melting. I know I should just be content but I am so ready to be outside again. I'm ready to take long walks with my kids riding their bikes. Emma says she thinks she's ready to take the training wheels off her bike so we'll see! I'm ready to take Elise outside to the parks, to go swimming, well you get the idea!

I put out my Easter decorations around the house!

And birds nests!

All my family and friends are very aware of my feelings for this miniature schnauzer! She really could be a great dog but she jumps and NEVER just relaxes. I'm really worried she might hurt Elise so we have been looking for a good home for her and we think we might have finally found one! I am so happy! And although the kids will miss her she needs a better life!:)

The kids playing grocery store in my living room! Notice Emma's shoes! I have been so proud of them because we have been "fight free" around our house! And when everyone gets along it puts me in a fantastic mood! I think Ethan has figured this out! :)

Hanging around!

Emma and Elise in their pj's hanging out. It's amazing how close they are already! :) Emma said, "Elisie is my best friend oh and brother too." She still calls Ethan, brother. And Elise's nickname is Elisie.

Ethan and Emma decided to get out some old costumes! Ethan was the crab when he was 3 years old. I'm not really sure how he even got the costume on. He didn't understand why it was so short. We have had an extremely busy week! It seems like we haven't been home at all. And it is snowing outside BUT I am hearing more birds in the morning so that's something!

Elise has been teething so she has been sucking on her fists all the time. I left the kids with Mario yesterday to get my hair cut and run an errand for a few hours and I came home to a crazy house! Elise had been cranky and crying because of her teething and Emma accidentally locked herself in the bathroom and was crying. Mario was working on getting her out! I came home to both my girls crying! Elise never looked so happy to see me. She grinned from ear to ear. Mario says we have very dramatic girls! All Ethan did was want to play Mario Brothers on the Wii. I told him just wait until they are teenagers! He looked stressed. I think Mario appreciates me a little more now because he told me things run smoother when I'm home! :) I think it was good for him!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Elise Claire is feeling all better and smiling again!:)

It maybe very COLD but the sun is shining and we have beautiful blue skies today! We got the kids a toy and yummy candy so they are happy! Unfortunately our family has been sick with yucky runny noses, sneezing, coughing head colds. The good news Ethan, Elise and I are feeling better!:) The bad news now Mario and Emma have it. Mario did surprise me with a new camera for Valentine's Day! I really like it! Happy Valentine's Day to all our family and friends! :)

Playing around with my Valentine gift...

My camera is no more!

Elise in her seat! She loves it! Our friends in Oklahoma gave it to her!

The kids playing a little Wii!

My dining room, I know it looks blurry!:(

I made these turtles from a recipe my friend Paula found! They are so easy to make! I let Emma help decorate the cupcakes with the hearts! She did a good job!

The treat bags the kids got. The craft we did was decorating our Valentine bags! But I didn't get to photograph them!:( Or the kids!:(

I thought they turned out cute for a $7 dollar investment!

I found these cute red and pink frames for a dollar at Michael's then I bought blue scrapbooking paper and these cute letters to spell LOVE.

THE LAST PICTURE!

My camera has been moody for awhile now but I was real disappointed when I went to take pics of the kids Valentine Party we did at home with a few of their friends and got pictures like this. I will go ahead and upload a few others that don't look quite this bad. ????? This is the last picture my poor 4 year old Nikon will ever take, now it won't take anything but black pictures. Now I am going to have to start saving my monies and hopefully it won't take too long to buy a new one!:) I know what I want I have been window shopping for awhile but it's expensive! But a camera is an investment, right? And it is memories that I am documenting, RIGHT? :)

Poor sick Elise!

Poor Elise she has been dealing with a runny nose and sneezing the last 2 days. She has been such a healthy girl so she just doesn't seem to understand why I can't make her feel better. You can tell by her eyes she doesn't feel very good. Luckily she slept all afternoon and seems to be doing a little better now! She wanted to be held while napping which who can resist these sad eyes, so I did. After school I let Ethan and Emma play Mario Brothers on the Wii and Elise and I for the first time EVER took a nap together. It felt so nice! :)

Lastest Elise!

She is so strong Mario was holding her today and she will sit up from laying down on his tummy. When we put her in her bouncer she tries to wiggle out of it now! I told Mario maybe she is going to be very athletic! Who knows but she is a hoot, always smiling!:)

Snow shoeing

We have never been snow shoeing before but it was a lot of fun! Great exercise! :) It was perfect weather! The snow shoes were a little awkward to walk in and Ethan got tired after awhile and decided to rest in the snow!:) Before we started our walk we were talking about Indians that had lived in the area and how they survived in the cold winters in Iowa. I guess Ethan got so tired of walking he became delirious and thought he saw some Indians in the snow! Needless to say we were all laughing! I have realized Ethan is not and outdoors kinda guy! We took advantage of all the nice snow we have had here in Iowa last week! But I'm still hoping Spring is just around the corner.

Sledding

Emma and her friend sledding! We had lunch, roasted some s'mores and had a good time!

The hill was pretty steep. Ethan waving!

It was a great day, until Emma hurt her ankle. Emma and her friend went sledding backwards and ran into a fence smashing her ankle. She was fine until that evening. Her ankle got pretty swollen so just to be safe we took her in and her doctor did an x-ray but she is fine. It was just a sprain.