Daddy Daughter Day!!

Last Monday was bring your child to work day for Ragnar at the Houston Rockets organization. Ella was so excited to go to work with Ragnar! They had a whole day planned for them. They got to eat breakfast, then go to a cookie decorating class, a dance class with the power dancers coach, then meet Luis Scola. Afterward they had lunch with dad and then had arts and crafts and time with Clutch and then watched Up and ate popcorn! It was a fun day for Ella and she had a great time being out with dad! As for me....it was so weird to have her gone all day, I can't believe how big she is getting. It was super quiet and lonely without her jabbering all day! Cavin is going to have to really start talking or else it's going to be pretty quiet with Ella in kindergarten in a while.

As for the Cavin, we had fun playing, as long as he has cars, he is just fine. He does have a nasty trend going though, he has been sick every Friday for a month now. The weekends no longer have their apeal. I sure hope this trend ends FAST!

A New Year!

This year started with a bang, and I hope it continues to go as well throughout the year. I started off the New Years Day running the Kingwood, Texas half marathon. I feel like a half marathon is a good distance, because you have to train, but running isn't all you do like when I trained for the full marathon. It is a good challenge, but not so time consuming. I ran with my friend Lindsey and can honestly say I totally enjoyed it. I wasn't nervous like usual, I wasn't so competitive and worried about time, I just ran. Let's face it, that is what I love to do. Running this race just for fun really reminded me why I love to run so much. It doesn't always have to be about winning, but sometimes the joy you feel when you do something you love. It was a great start to the new year.

(this is the largest medal I have ever seen... it's like the size of a dessert plate!)

Next we bought a car! My parents have a van that they no longer need, so we bought it from them (for a really good price:) Our whole 5 1/2 year marriage we have shared a car, and while it is possible it is definitely not convenient, so I am glad to have a little more freedom! I am definitely entering the van mom category earlier than I anticipated though! ahhhh!

Then, we bought a laptop! Well more like it was a gift from Ragnar's parents! We are excited about it as Ragnar has been wanting one for some time now.

Finally, Our house went back on the market. We hired a different realtor and after a year of having renters, we are hoping for better luck! We feel pretty optimistic!

We feel really blessed already this year and it's only January 2nd! So much happened in just one day.... I really am hoping and looking forward to a New Year!

Christmas Time

The cousins wearing matching pj's! (we need Caden here!..
and you can tell Cavin was loving the pictures!)

Ella was the angel in the nativity :)

Madi was Mary, John was Joseph, Ella was the Angel,
and my dad was the donkey :)

Ella's dollhouse

I can't believe how much time you spend preparing for Christmas, and how fast it comes and goes! I feel like you build and build for the special holiday and then it is over so fast! This year we had a fun time with the kids, because they get so excited about everything. Christmas Eve we went over to my brother Corey's house and his family did a nice turkey dinner and then the kids did a talent show and reenacted the nativity. It was a fun night. The kids love being with their cousin and were really excited about their matching pajamas! Christmas morning we went opened presents and Ella loved her dollhouse and Cavin his train set from his oma and opa. Maybe he will have his love of trains like his Opa Hellmut! We spent the rest of the day with my parents. They bought us a wii so we have had fun playing together. We have had a fun holidays together. We are glad Marisa and Ethan could come to share it with us as well. Maybe next year everyone will be able to be home!

Merry Christmas!

We just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! I hope you are able to remember Christ and the reason we celebrate this wonderful occasion and that you are able to share it with family and friends. Have a very merry day!

Christmas is Coming!!

We are so excited for Christmas this year. The kids are at such a fun age and I will love watching them open their presents. We took a few pictures before church that we wanted to share. There aren't many of Cavin because we have 12:30 church and we woke him up to hurry and leave, hence the crazy hair and untucked shirt! I wish I would have had these before I ordered my Christmas cards! Merry Christmas!

Ella and Cavin look like twins to me in this picture!

This is my very favorite! I love how she lifted her leg!


What we are always doing! Twirling!

Winter

I'm proud to announce that Winter does exist in Houston, Texas. This is now the second time I have seen snow here in Texas. Now, it won't last long, tomorrow is going to be 50 and I'm sure the temperature will go on back up, but one day is fun! I do not miss what seemed like everyday in Logan!

A Wild Weekend!

It's not really like me to not post for two weeks, but things have been crazier around here than I'm used to. On Wednesday afternoon I took the kids to the park to play and Cavin was grumpy. I was trying to cheer him up so I decided to go down the slide with him......well that is when the weekend mess began. He rode down the slide with me on my lap and his leg got caught on the side and he started crying and I just thought that he was just still being grumpy, so we just left the park and went home. Then he kept crying and saying owie and then started being weird. I knew his leg must have hurt a little, but then he started drooling, his eyes kept dilating, and he wouldn't stay awake and wouldn't eat (which as you know is NOT Cavin), so I decided to take him in to the ER and see if he was o.k. and if something was wrong with his leg. He kept pointing to it and wouldn't walk on it so I thought on the slide something that I didn't see must have happened. Anyway, long story short, they said he might have a fracture they couldn't tell from the xray so they sent a grumpy old woman nurse in to splint it and I had to go to the Orthopedist on Monday for further review because that is the earliest time one would open. SO..... I had my pediatrician prescribe something more for the pain because the ER doctor just told me to give him Tylenol and then sent in a grumpy old woman to splint it. The nurse was also more concerned that he wouldn't stop crying than his leg....he is 19 months old for heaven sakes! So we had a sad son all weekend and worried about Cavin having a broken leg, but the Orthopedist said it doesn't look broken but because of the improper way she splinted it his heel is the concern now and we will have to have in rechecked next week. So now we have to take care of an injury that the grumpy old nurse caused by her worrying about his crying more than his leg! I'm am definitely questioning the care we received at the facility. As soon as the splint was off, he was happy again and clapping and growling and he ate a cookie almost whole when I got home and two bowls of macaroni! Darn thing, I should have just taken it off! Anyway, I am SO glad it isn't broken and I hope his heel heals soon! Poor boy!

As for the rest of the weekend, between trying to soothe Cavin we tried to do some fun things. We went over to my parents for Thanksgiving and we had my parents, Corey's family there, Natalie, Stephani's sister Camella's family there, and my Aunt Jana and her three children! It was a nice day and the food was great. I'm just sad Cavin missed out in the fun.
On Friday we tried to put up the Christmas tree and then went to the Rockets game with my three best friends Cameron, Ben, and Stacey and Cam's friend Amanda. Just Ragnar and I went and it was so fun to be there and to see them.

Then on Saturday my mom took the girls out to the Nutcracker! It was my mom, Natalie, Stephani, Madison, and then Ella and I. We went to Red Robin before and then to the Nutcracker downtown! I wasn't sure how Ella would do, but she sat still through the whole thing and loved it! It was a fun experience.


She loves her cousin Madi and they had fun with the binoculars!

Grandma and Ella

All in all it was a long weekend and I am glad it's over, but we also had some fun memories as well.