Playhouse Playdate!

For her birthday this year, Granny and PaPa sent Molly an outdoor playhouse. With a little extra time, help, and sunshine today, daddy was able to get it all assembled...and boy was Molly excited!

After getting it together, Molly's friend Alex came over to play with her and the two of them had so much fun in the house. They loved the little chairs, the windows they could open and shut, and they especially loved the toy phone!

Thanks Granny and PaPa! Molly loves it!

Six Weeks Old

Time continues to move quickly. In just one more week, I will be returning to work and my days of snuggling and loving on Ella all day long will be a distant memory. Lucky for me, I have the summer to look forward to, but it is so sad to think that I will have to leave her in such a short amount of time.

We have been enjoying our days together and I have been so blessed with a baby as content and peaceful as she is. She is becoming so alert and so observant of the things around her, and seems to be spending a lot of her awake time just taking in this big world she is now a part of.

I think one of the most amazing moments you can experience as a parent is when your baby finally starts to smile at you. It's like the light turned on and they are finally aware of your existance in their world. Staring into her eyes and watching her lips turn upward and her eyes light up in recognition of her mama has to be one of the most wonderful feelings I have ever had the joy of experiencing.

We also finally finished putting the last touches on Ella's bedroom and I got a chance to take some pictures this week to share. We were waiting on her final piece of furniture, which came in before she was born, and also a custom seat cushion a dear friend of mine made for her window seat. She was able to make it out of one of Ella's crib sheets and she made the pillows out of one of her coordinating receiving blankets, so it all ties the room together beautifully.

Baby Talk!

Molly at Ballet!

Birthday Fun!

Molly's birthday went something like this.

Opening presents in the morning with mom and dad....

Jumping at Monkey Joe's with Lacey, Alex, and Ryder....

Dinner at Chick Fil A with Lacey and Alex...

She had a great day! Thanks to her friends for coming to play with us today :)

Be Mine, Valentine!

Valentine's Day is such a special day for our family.

8 years ago today, Bobby and I went on our first date. 3 years ago today, we welcomed Molly into our lives. Today, we are blessed with two angels who remind us daily how lucky in love we have been.

Happy Birthday to my sweet, sweet Molly!

I fell asleep laying with her last night in her bed. As I watched her drift off to peaceful slumber, I looked around her room at all the paintings on the walls, the letters hung above her bed, and was reminded of the excitement that filled that room as we got it ready just 3 years ago to bring a baby home. I was lost in memories last night of when she was the baby of the house. I looked down at her sweet hand holding mine and my heart was filled with gratitude and thanks to be so blessed and so loved.

We Went on Down to the [Houston] Zoo...

It's been cold here lately. Hard freeze, threat of snow, massive power outages, enough to close school kind of cold in the past two weeks. Today, the forecast looked absolutely beautiful and we were tired of being stuck indoors, so in celebration of a perfect day and a special little girl's birthday tomorrow, we decided to head on down to the Houston Zoo. It was the absolute perfect day for the zoo and not at all crowded.

Our friends Michelle and Sean joined us, along with Molly's good friend Alex and her baby brother Liam. We got there right at opening, and decided to catch the first train ride of the day before heading in to see the animals.

We made our way through the entire zoo, including the new African Forest exhibit and took a spin on the carousel at the Children's Zoo before heading home for the day.

All in all, it was perfect weather and a great way to spend our first day outdoors in quite some time.

Life Lately

5 weeks has passed since Ella's arrival and we are starting to settle into a routine here in the Schroeder household.

We spent a week in Louisiana visiting with family and friends. Ella was able to meet many people who already loved her before they met her and Molly was able to play with her cousin Emily almost nonstop for 7 days. She was in heaven!

In other news, Molly is almost 3 years old. I look at her in comparison to baby Ella and cannot believe the growth that happens to a child in such a short span of time. As I rock Ella to sleep at night and watch Molly across the room running, dancing, and playing, I get lost in the amazing way children change and learn and grow. I am ever grateful to have these two girls to share those moments of growth and learning with.

The other day, after we picked Molly up from school, I went into Ella's room to change her diaper. Molly came into the room shortly after and when I turned around, this is what I saw...

She has become such a loving mother to her dolls these days. She feeds them, rocks them, changes their diapers, even puts them into Ella's swing, bouncy seat, and carseat throughout the day to entertain them. She wants so badly to help with everything I do with the baby and I was so glad my camera was in the room so I could get this picture of her in action. It just melted my heart.

Help us Win!

Recently, I came across a contest for a documentary-style photography session from Lerin Photography. It caught my attention because I always enjoy photos that are not so staged and truly capture a subject in its natural state of being. On a whim, I decided to enter. It also helped that simply by entering, we received a complimentary mini session. With two adorable girls in my life, who couldn't use a chance to get their photos taken by a talented photographer at a discounted cost? So I submitted the following entry about our lives:

On Saturday mornings, we make pancakes for breakfast. My (almost) 3-year-old daughter loves to help pour and mix the ingredients. By the time the pancakes are ready and we sit down to eat, she almost always has lost interest and asks for a cereal bar instead. I guess when you're 3, you get to change your mind on a whim - even about something you were so excited for - and no one questions it. It's a life lesson, really. Tackling things head on with untainted enthusiasm, but reserving the right to change your mind. That's what our life is about - learning new lessons everyday from our children. Lessons in love, understanding, patience.

I watch as my husband gets her a cereal bar from the pantry, and I am reminded of why I love him. I always heard that when you have children with your spouse, you fall in love all over again. I am blessed to fall in love all over again every single day. I watch him with our daughters and am overcome with gratitude that I have a man in my life who I can count on to be there for all of us. In our house, he is outnumbered 3 to 1 by us women. And I honestly don't think he would have it any other way.

Since we are both working parents, weekends are for family time. With a brand new 3 week old in the house, family time lately consists of puzzles, coloring, tummy time, sharing storybooks, and if we are lucky, a ballet performance from our oldest daughter, who twirls and sings to the music playing from her Mickey Mouse computer in the middle of the living room with a big smile on her face and eyes that light up as if to ask for affirmation that she is a beautiful dancer. And, no doubt, she is.

Sometimes she asks to see her grandparents, and with heavy hearts, we tell her they are "too far away." She is not old enough to know the story of how two New Orleans twenty-somethings ended up losing everything they had in a hurricane five years ago and landed a new life in Katy, TX. She is not old enough to understand the trials those twenty-somethings, who would later become her parents, went through in adjusting and recovering; nor is she old enough to understand how much they battle between the longing for home and the acceptance of happiness they have away from home.

Our life together as a couple has been about adjustments, acceptance of God's plan, and supporting one another through thick and thin. I am so glad to have had my husband beside me through all of it. I want to always remember the way our lives were when we were still so new to parenting two children. As silly as it sounds, I want to remember the chaos that echoes in our home when the baby is crying, the dog is barking, the telephone is ringing, and everyone is frazzled. And beyond that, I want to remember the love that unfolds in the face of that chaos as our older daughter comforts her little sister, my husband gently pats the dog on the head, and we answer the phone to find family on the other end of the line, just calling to check in.

This morning, I found out we were selected as one of six finalists out of a pool of 32 entries. I am beyond excited! So now we just need the support of family and friends to help us win!

To vote for us, visit Lerin Photography's blog and leave a comment at the end of the post voting for family 6 (that's us!). Voting is open through February 15 at 12noon! Thanks for your support!

One Month Old

Today, Ella celebrated her first month of life. Today, we celebrated the things we know about her and the fun she has brought to our lives. At one month old, we know:

-You love to spend time listening to the music playing on your tummy time mat and your swing
-You could sleep for hours in the arms of anyone who would let you
-You have started to work your neck muscles and are able to hold your head up for small amounts of time
-You are on the verge of smiling...every now and then, your lips start to turn upward as you stare into our eyes and we know that in a short time, you will be smiling often

We also had an appointment with Dr. Kisch today. Ella continues to grow. Here are her updated stats:

Weight:
Birth - 1/7/11 - 8lbs, 2oz
2 Weeks - 1/21/11 - 9lbs, 6 oz
1 Month - 2/7/11 - 10lbs, 12 oz

Height:

Birth - 20.5 inches
2 Weeks - 21 inches

1 Month - 21.5 inches