Happy Easter!

We had a wonderful Easter holiday and I hope your family did as well!

Whirlwind

Obviously, so much has happened.  That, or I forgot my password again.

No, really, it's been busy.

We had two birthdays and now parent a 1-year-old and a 4-year-old.  In between celebrating those birthdays, we moved from Texas back home to Louisiana.  We both quit our jobs in Texas and Bobby started a new job here in the New Orleans area.  I became a stay-at-home mom.  I loved it.  I hated it.  I was challenged by it.  And then I got a job offer.  I cried because it was what I wanted - and what I didn't want.  And while it feels great to be back in the classroom, I miss my babies every single day. 

Ella had to get tubes in her ears for chronic ear infections.  I was glad to be home with her through that process and through her surgery.  As fate would have it, I started working the week after her tubes were placed.  She has been doing great since we had the procedure done and I know it was the right choice.

She goes to daycare now and she is not a fan.  She misses her momma and our time together.  She became quite attached in our two month break from routine. 

Molly has adjusted well and has a new dancing school and after two months of part-time preschool, goes to school daily with Ella now.  That was a rough adjustment for her because she loved her first school, but she has come around.  She has proven herself resilient, and I am so proud of how she has handled all the change.

We have also done lots of fun things since moving home and I will be sharing those soon.  It feels good to have a sense of being settled and to feel the whirlwind slowing down.  Now it's just time to focus on our new life here in New Orleans with my two girls.

Ella's Winter ONE-derland!

It happened so fast.  We brought her home from the hospital, and before we knew it, she was growing.  Smiling, crawling, babbling, walking.  She's officially a toddler now!

We celebrated Ella turning the big ONE with a Winter Onederland themed birthday party a week before her actual birthday. Nanny and Uncle Mason played host and we had a great turnout of family and friends to celebrate her big day.

Cake table.  All homemade treats!

Loved the wintery decor.

 We rented a spacewalk for the day to help entertain the older kids.  Little did we know, Ella would LOVE it as well.  She kept up with the older kids just fine and was all smiles toddling around.

She had a blast in the spacewalk with the big kids!

Our family.

Merry Christmas!

There are few joys in childhood greater than waking up on Christmas morning to a pile of presents from Santa. 

There are few joys in parenthood greater than watching that moment and the smiles spread across the faces of your own children. 

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Taking the Stage!

Molly's dancing school rotates a performance of The Nutcracker every other year. This year is a Nutcracker year, which means the girls get an extra recital in December in addition to the annual revue in May.

Molly's class danced to one of the most well-known tunes of the ballet, depicting the Sugar Plum Fairies.

As with her last recital, we took her to get her hair put into a proper ballet bun. Her friend, Lacey, had an appointment right after us, so the girls were excited to be there together.

All dolled up and ready to head to the recital!

Lacey and Molly

After we got hair and make-up done, we headed to Morton Ranch High School to check in and get dressed. I got her ready and then left to take my seat in the audience, while she stayed behind stage with their class mom and her fellow ballerinas.

The girls did a great job on stage, and after the show, daddy got to bring roses up to her.

Molly is 3rd from the left!

Congrats, Molly, on a beautiful performance! I love watching you dance!

Sights of the Season!

Christmas time is fast approaching and we are starting to fill our days with holidays lights and sights around here! It is amazing how much more fun this time of year truly is when you get to share it and see it through the eyes of a child.




We have spent some time decorating outside...


And inside...


The next few weeks will be busy and fun for us, and we are looking forward to traveling to see family during the holidays!

Sugar Plum Fairies

In just about a week and a half, Molly will take the big stage with her dancing class to perform in the school's production of The Nutcracker. The class will be dancing as sugar plum fairies, and they got to try on their costumes during class tonight. They were so very excited to practice their routine in full costume, and I can't wait to see my big girl light up the stage!