Happy Independence Day!

This July 4th, we attended Freedom Fest.  We knew it would be HOT, and it was, but Eli and Bella had fun riding the kiddie rides (glorified merry-go-rounds), and the ferris wheel.

Later that evening, we went to watch fireworks light up the night sky.

I have to say we had the perfect spot and the best seats!

Happy 5th Birthday, Eli!

 

Five.  How can that precious little newborn baby boy up there on the left already be five years old?  What a big boy he is now!  

 

Welcome Home, SFC Dix!

It was finally here- the day we had all been awaiting for almost one year- Stephen was coming home!  The morning he was to come home, I received a phone call stating that he was going be home earlier than expected.  We had to hurry!  Once we got there, we had to wait.  No surprise there, but the wait was so worth it; we knew who was coming.  

 

 

 

Finally, after all of the waiting...  What?  Formation?  Give me my husband and give my babies their daddy!

Yay!  Reunited at last!

 And they all lived happily ever after...

 

Bedtime Prayer

Eli's prayer tonight was precious.
Hands folded and eyes closed, Eli began, "Dear Jesus, Thank you for everything in this world. Please help Grandpa to never ever ever drink Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi ever again. (Eli knows it is bad for him and that he is trying to cut back.) Please help our family all be together again, and bring Daddy home safely. And please help that baby bird that was in Maxy's mouth be okay again. (Maxy had a bird in her mouth tonight! That's an entirely different post. Gross!!!) In Jesus' name we pray. Amen."
Feeling so proud of his prayer, I said, "Eli, I love you. You are such a sweet boy with a good heart." He gave me a big squeeze, lifted his arm, and said, "Mommy, smell my armpit."
Boys will be boys, and I love my Eli so much!

A Trip to the Salon

This morning, after having no luck at trying to tame Bella's hair, I decided that her hair really needed to be trimmed. I greatly dislike long hair that looks like it needs to be cut. Long hair is only pretty if it's healthy-looking; that's the way I see it anyway. Bella's locks have started to take on that "I need a cut" look, so something had to be done. The last time her hair started to look like that, I decided I would trim it myself. Now, bangs, I have no problem trimming, but I have no skills when it comes to trimming the ends. This is evidenced by the first time I tried to trim the ends and ended up taking off about two inches. I wasn't going to let that happen this time, so Bella took her first trip to the salon. I called Spoiled Rockin' Kids Salon, and got her in for a 10:00 appointment. To my surprise, when I told her she was going to the salon to get her hair cut, she was okay with it. I acted so excited about it, so she was excited too...

BEFORE

DURING
AFTER

She got sparkles in it, and it even smelled like cotton candy. Next trip, the nail salon!

Side Note: Bella went for her three year check up today. She weighed in at a whopping 24.0 pounds (1st percentile for weight) and is just perfect. She's such a tiny little thing. I love it!

Going to the Ball

Lately, Eli and Bella have been dressing up and dancing together. It is just so sweet to watch. Tonight, they both got dressed and wanted everyone to watch them dance. When Mom, Dad, and I got to the living room, they were in their "carriage," on their way to the ball. They are both so precious.

Once they arrived at the ball, they shared a dance. So sweet.