I have wanted to update on this site for so long...and even now as I attempt to I have a 3 month old staring at me with "the look" that lets me know he is fixin' to get hysterical.  Pardon me if this one is brief!  We are attempting to thaw out from under a deep freeze, and are all feeling better after almost two solid weeks of sickness.  Sub-zero temps + ice + snow + small house + two sick kids = a stir crazy mama that felt like she teetered on the edge on insanity several times.  Thank God for Erik who was there to talk me off the ledge.  And let me escape to the bookstore, Target, or wherever I could find a warm cup of coffee and a quiet moment.  I just keep singing that song my mom taught me when I was young, "Spring has sprung, the grass has ris', I wonder where my tulips is?"  It is terrible grammar and makes me sound like a redneck , but it makes me happy.   Everybody wants mama happy, right?

Chase Gregory:  He melts our hearts on a daily basis.  He is three months old on 1/24 and really starting to smile, laugh, frown and furrow.  He is a man of many faces...and they are all so precious!  He is not what you would call "failure to thrive" in any way and I see him rarely missing a meal in the near future.  The only time we see him become a monster is when we have waited a minute too long to fix his bottle.  He gets this violent little scream and becomes all sweaty and redfaced.  (Dare I say I think that runs in my family?!)  Our little tank has been taking his last bottle between 11-11:30 at night and sleeping until - don't jinx it! - 7:00 in the morning.   All I can say is that we have been blessed by this in so many ways.  Is it selfish of me to hope it continues this way forever??!!  When he is not sleeping, Chase is pretty mellow most of the time.  He is content to watch his sister play with toys or listen to her sing songs.   Did I mention he seems to whine a lot when I walk out of his field of vision?  As Erik says, "Jeez, you are so humble"...but it is true!  Chase is a bona fide mama's boy and I love it.  He stares at me like I just might be the best thing he has ever seen.  We have to apply lotion to his sweet face every day to keep it moisturized from all of the kisses he gets on those chubby cheeks!!  I love to watch him watching Ella.  His facial expressions give way to what I think his thoughts must be and it is fascinating.  Let's be honest...this kid will never be winning any poker games with that telling face he's got!!!

Ella Elizabeth:  Our sweet girl turned 2 1/2 around Christmas time and when she is in the right mood, I feel like I am talking to another adult when Ella and I have conversations.  She is an amazing verbal communicator.  I think it is best to just share some recent stories of things Ella has been saying and doing.  Prepare to be entertained!!

- She LOVES to sing.  She knows the words to a million songs.  She is also very into rhyming everything lately.  The other day she says to me, "I have a song.  It's called Cool Whip."  Then she goes full throttle, singing me the first original tune she made up in her amazing little mind.  It even has a melody!  It goes a little something like this: 

"Cool Whip on my Jello - Cool Whip on my Pudding - and Cool Whip on my PUMP-KIN pie!  Cool Whip, bo-bool whip, bo-bool whip...everyday."

I was blown away by her creativity and pleasantly surprised that she picked a food group I love as well.  (yes, cool whip and marshmallows are considered a food group in our home!) I will attempt to get the Cool Whip song on video and post it on this site. 

- Ella was sick for almost two weeks and had to go to our PEDS office three times in that span.  The last time, when she was given the all clear on her ear infection and yelled, "Goodbye Doctor - thank you!" when we left - we decided she had earned some sort of treat.  She tells me that she wants a Cranberry slushie from Sonic.  No problem.  It is a 10 minute drive or so into the next town, but I did not mind at all.  We pull up to Sonic and the drivethru line is a mile long.  It is happy hour and the whole town has slushie fever.  I groan a little bit and fall into my place in line, my patience waining.  Ella yells from the backseat, "I changed my mind!  All done with the Sonic slushie!"  (which is code for: she does not want one anymore)  I am thrilled because I can still pull out of the never ending line.  I say, "You changed your mind, huh?"  And she responds, "Yes...it is a woman's prerogative."  (Thanks G.Pa for teaching Ella that line over the holidays!)  Turns out she was in the mood for french fries from Wendy's instead.  By the way, I totally agree on the whole woman's prerogative thing.  One minute we might want a slush, the next minute we want fries.  Just deal with it men, OK??!!

- Sometimes I say "Ahhh-Goo" to Chase to get him to smile and laugh.  He really likes it most of the time, as long as he is not hungry!  Ella hears me doing this so she will start it herself at times when she hears him near her or he starts getting a little fussy.  The funny thing about it is that Ella seems to think that the louder Chase gets, the louder she must say it in order to calm him down.  The other day I walked into the family room and Chase was screaming his little head off and Ella was sitting right next to him, matching him in volume with her "AHHH-GOO!"  It was hilarious.  They were both sweaty and a little red-faced but I had to applaud her effort.  Sometimes she will say, "Whatcha crying for buddy?" and pause like she is giving him time to respond.  Other times she will mimic my baby talk and say things in this real high pitched voice.  She will say, "Oh baby!  Are you looking at your lobster?"  (one of his favorite toys)  I have to laugh when she finally says, "That is enough Chase.  Knock it off!" 

- A couple of weekends ago, when we got 8 or so inches of snow dumped on us, Erik had to head out on a Saturday morning to slow blow the driveway.  Those of you who have no idea what that means, consider yourselves lucky for living in a warm weather state.  I was watching him through the window as he was attempting to get the old thing started.  It looked for awhile like the snow blower might get the best of my usually gentle-spirited husband.  I told Ella that daddy needed some help.  She walked over to the window and started banging on it with both hands.  "You can do it Daddy!" she yells.  "Don't give up!!"  Within seconds, the snow blower came to life and she erupted into a pile of applause and giggles.  "He did it!  He did it!"  Have I mentioned that Ella simply loves life in general and is one of the most encouraging little people I have ever met?   I mean, who gets that excited over a snow blower, right?  The sincererity with which things excite her is so sweet.  She lives every day to the fullest.  Everyday she finds something to rejoice about.  Whether big or little, she doesn't care.   It does not matter to her.  She is just all about living large and not looking back.  We have so much to learn from her!!