We LOVE Reading!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pVS5yCuRyo

(follow the link to watch the video)

Books are an important part of our lives at the Ellis household.  Thankfully, Lydia really enjoys reading, as well.  Here is a quick video of her reading to Noah.  You have to listen close and most of what she says doesn't make much sense anyways.  One thing is for sure - she loves books and she LOVES her brother!

Cowgirl Lydia

Lydia is a cowgirl.

Lydia loves to ride horses, play with horses, pet horses, feed horses, brush horses.

Lydia loves Molly.  "Good girl, Mol." "Don't be afraid, Molly, I got you." "I love you, Mol." "Molly, you be my horse, OK?"

"Thanks for letting me ride you, Molly."  "Favorite!"  "I love it!"

Lydia says, "I love Bonnie." "Beautiful girl, Bonnie."

 "Bonnie is Mommy's horse."

  "I let you ride my horse, Molly, Mommy." "I share with you!"

I'm thankful to Linda for letting us play with her horses and for giving my girl the chance to be a "cowgirl."

6 Months!

Noah is 6 months today (well, a week ago, I just forgot to publish this) - the time sure flies faster with the second one.  I haven't blogged in a while, it just seems like the summer has gotten away from us.  Anways, here are Noah's stats, then Lydia's for comparison:

Height:     26 inches
Weight:    16 lbs. 6 oz
Head:        17 inches
He is right on the 25th percentile in everything. 
Lydia was a little shorter and heavier:
Height:      25.25 inches
Weight:     16 lbs. 13 oz.
Head:         16.25 inches
                                                       Lydia at about 6 months

Noah is slightly behind in gross motor skills - he can really only roll over from back to front and can't sit yet, but the doctor isn't too worried because he is on track everywhere else.  My favorite thing that he does is kisses.  He grabs our faces on both sides and gives us great big kisses.  He's a very affectionate baby!  Lydia is loving being a big sister.  She takes such good care of Noah.  Even as I type this, Noah started crying and Lyds dropped what she was doing and ran over, "Are you okay, dude?  What's wrong, Buddy?"  I'm so thankful that she is so nurturing and caring for others - it's something that had to have come from God.  God has blessed us with 2 wonderful kids:)

From the mouth of Lydia. . .

Lolli has asked for another post with sayings from Lydia.  Because Lyds never stops talking, I figured it would be easy to do.  So here it is - funny or crazy things said by my beautiful girl.

Today, we were driving by a Mexican restraunt with Mexican statues out front.  There are men wearing sombreros and playing instraments - Lyds says, "Look, Mommy, there's Jesus."  I guess she has a different picture of Jesus in her head since our church is Hispanic:)

At the dinner table in reference to the cereal Noah was eating - "That good, Buddy! Lydia eat that when me was baby, too.  MMM, Good, buddy!"

Trying to feed Noah a bottle and I walked in. She said, "Noah a hungry, hungry boy."

When I asked her to get into the tub, she said, "No, thank you." At least she was disobeying politely:)

In reference to Daniel's bosses house with a pool - "Dad, I love this house." Evidently she enjoys going to swim.

"This sucker is good, good, good."

About a picture of Paula Radcliff at the store - "Look, Daddy, she runs fast like Mommy."

"I am runnin so fast." "Lydia fast, fast, fast, fast."

"Dance with me, Daddy"

This is her new phrase that she uses all the time. "Don't worry 'bout it.  I got it."

"I be doctor - Daddy and Mommy be proud of me." She's been obsessed with putting bandaids on my knee and on all her booboos.

At bedtime, when we read her Bible stories, she always wants to read about "One, two babies" or Jacob and Esau, and then "baby Monas" or baby Moses.  We always read about baby Jesus, too.

My favorite - "Mommy, Daddy love you soooo much!"

Noah is 4 Months!

Yesterday, Noah turned 4 months old!  Lyds was excited and sang "Happy Birthday" to him all day long.  It's hard to believe that 4 months ago we were having such a hard time keeping him in.  Noah was definitely worth the difficult pregnancy.  He is such a blessing and we love having him as part of the family!  Here are his stats:

• 13 lbs 14 oz (25th Percentile)
• 24 inches long (10-20 Percentile)
•  16.25 inches head circumference (50th Percentile)

He's still a little tiny, but he's starting to catch up developmentally.  He can't roll over yet, but he loves his exersaucer and floor mat.  He is very contemplative and serious.  Lydia can always make him laugh and she sings to him when he is upset.  She's a great big sister!  Noah also likes to be outside and likes Baylee - at least he tolerates her without crying:)  Here are some pics of him at 4 months.

Here are pics of Lyds at the same age.  Her stats at that age were:

14 lbs. 8 oz.

24 inches

15.75 inch head circumference

Things that make me smile. . .

1. Lydia's new phrases.  It seems like every day she comes up with something new to say.  This week, it's been, "Don't worry 'bout it. I get it." She says this alot in reference to Noah.  She also said, "Mommy good mommy." That melted my heart.  It's fun hearing what's going on in her head.  She is so full of life and so much fun as she is learning all new things that go on around her.

2.  Noah exploring.  Noah is so serious and thoughtful.  Everything he sees, he contemplates and studies it.  When we put him in the exersaucer, he studies and manipulates all the toys.  He is careful in his movements and seems to want to know how things work.  Definitely doesn't take after me:)

3.  Coming home to a clean house.  I went to a girls night this week and when I got home, Daniel had cleaned the house.  It was a nice surprise.  Normally, he's super busy with work.  I don't mind cleaning, I mean, it's my job. Daniel does a good job helping out.

4.  Lydia praying.  Lydia always prays when she hears sirens.  She insists we stop what we are doing to pray for those who are hurt.  It's fun to hear what she prays for at night, too.  She thanks God for Grumpy, Grams, Lollie and Pops.  Sometimes she prays for her booboos.  Tonight, she prayed for baby Levi, our friend in Oklahoma who's sick, to feel better.  I love hearing her unprompted prayers.

5. Lydia and Noah playing.  Lydia is such a good big sister.  She tries so hard to take care of Noah.  Today, he was crying in his bed and she went in.  "I go in first, Mama. Noah, I get you, buddy.  Are you Okay? I comin Buddy." When he first sat in the exersaucer, she looked at him and said, "Yay, Noah! You're a big boy now!" Noah first smiled at Lydia and she was the first to make him laugh.  I love seeing their relationship grow.  I know that there will be many fights ahead, but I also hope that they'll always be special to each other.

Lately, I've been thinking alot about where I want to be - I want to be in Oklahoma, I want to fit into my prepregnancy clothes, I want my children to sleep through the night, ect. But when I stop and think about it, I am truly blessed for the gifts I have. Everyday, I have reason to get up and smile, not only because of my precious kids or my amazing husband, but because of my Lord and Savior who died for me.  When I feel not content or long for what I don't have, I need to remember what I do have and be grateful. 

Things Lately. . .

So, I haven't blogged for a while.  There are several things that have happened lately. 

First, Noah is now 3 months old!  My, how the time flies with the second one.  Here are pics comparing him and Lyds at the same age.  Noah is in the bottom 20th percentile in his height and weight.  It looks like neither of my kids will get the Ellis height.  Because Noah was a preemie, he is slightly behind in some developmental things.  He is definitely catching up.  This month he has started laughing and making more noise.  He loves his sister, Lydia.  When he cries, she says, "It's okay, buddy, buddy.  I get you.  I promise."  Then she will sing "Jesus loves me" to him.  Normally, he'll stop crying.  She says, "I love Noah sooo much!"


 

 

Also, Lyds ran her very first race.  It was the Zoo Run.  They had the little kids run on the splash pad so it wouldn't hurt if they fell.  Lydia freaked out and didn't really race.  She talked about racing the entire week.  She would practice running every day.  "I go-go with mommy, I go-go with daddy," she'd say.  One day, she said, "I faster than daddy!" Maybe next race she'll have fun and not be scared:)

I learned a valuable lesson today.  Never run a trail race without having trained on trails.  Definitely don't run a half marathon trail race 13 weeks after having a kid when you haven't run 13 miles in a year and haven't trained on trails.  Needless to say, I am very sore as I sit here and write this.  I only fell once and I started to get into a rhythm.  I do like trail running.  Hopefully, I'll run more trail races in the future, but I will be more prepared and be in better shape:)  Daniel was amazing and watched the kids while I ran.  They cheered me on in several spots.  I am so blessed to have the family that I do. 

Lydia Says the Darndest Things. . .

I decided that if I didn't write down what Lydia says, I'll forget it.  A lot of times, it's not what she says, but how she says it. 

Yesterday, Lydia was going to the bathroom, which she does by herself.  She was taking awhile, so I went to check on her.  I stood by the door and listened to her talking to herself.  She was saying, "Push it out, girlfriend, push it out."

She put on her sunglasses, put her hands on her hips, and said, "Check it out, girlfriend."  I honestly don't know where she got that.

She was having a conversation with herself.  She said, "Ydia eat mommy's booby when ydia was baby.  Noah eat mommy's booby. Noah eat ydia's booby too."

She sings "Jesus loves me" to Noah to stop him from crying.  She really emphasizes "Jesus is STRONG!"

At night we read about baby Jesus or baby Monas (Moses.)  At Easter, she prayed for God to heal Jesus' booboos.

She was on a walk with Daniel.  She ran ahead, turned back and said, "I run faster than Daddy!"

When Noah cries, she says, "I comin,' boy, I comin,' I get you buddy."  She loves her bubba.

She climbed a ladder and looked down, saying, "I taller than Pops!!"

She makes sure we know we are supposed to pick her up - "Mama, Noah pick you up from Nana's?"

The quote we hear most often is, "I do it all by myself!!!" She is very independent.

My favorite is "Mama Daddy love you soooo much!" She says You synonomously with her name.

Easter Traditions

Growing up, our main Easter tradition was going to our big family egg hunt.  Since we have been in Alabama, we haven't been able to spend Easter with our families.  This year I was especially saddened by this because Lydia's old enough to hunt eggs and really enjoy the festivities.  As I was thinking about this, a memory popped into my mind. 


One year when I was little, we weren't able to go to the big egg hunt because my dad was on call.  I remember being saddened by this, but my mom was determined to make it a fun Easter anyways.  We had friends over to do an egg hunt in our back yard.  On Easter Sunday, we got up early and made bunny biscuits.  (see pictures below of Lydia and my bunny biscuits) We also were going to watch the sunrise on a blanket outside.  The view from our backyard was a very small hill in a field with three crosses.  It was to the west, which made for some really beautiful sunsets.  My mom had the great idea that it would be so neat to sit outside and watch the sunrise over the three crosses on Easter morning.  It wasn't until we all got outside, on our blankets, facing west that my dad came out. Only then did Mom realize that the sun wouldn't rise over the three crosses.  It ended up being cloudy and we didn't get to watch the sun rise anyways.  And the bunny biscuits burnt.  But I remember my mom and dad making the day special and it was probably one of the most memorable Easters that I had.  They always made it a point to share of God's love and grace with us during these memorable family times. 

As I reflected on this memory, I decided that it didn't matter if I had the perfect Easter dress for the kids, or that Lydia wouldn't get to hunt Easter eggs in a field in Konawa, OK, what matters is the memories we make and, most importantly, that Jesus rose from the dead and by His grace we are saved.  This year, we made bunny bread, read through resurrection eggs and told Lydia that Jesus got booboo, and on Easter Sunday, his father, God, made them better and now we get to go to Heaven with him.  Lydia might not remember anything else about Easter, but hopefully, in creating traditions and spending time as a family, we show her the love of Christ through our love for her.  And one day, hopefully she will understand the importance of the cross!

My 2 Kids:)

Noah just turned 2 months old this past week.  My, how fast it has gone!  Here are his stats:

10 lbs. 10 oz.

22.25 inches long

15 inces for head

When Lydia was 2 months old, her stats were:

10 lbs. 9 oz.

21.5 inches long

14.25 inches for her head

So, basically Noah is longer than Lyds was, but is the same weight.  I don't know if he'll be tall or not, but he's growing like he should.  It's fun to compare.  Everyone comments on how much alike they look.  I am just so thankful that I have 2 healthy kids.  It's amazing to watch their different personalities grow and blossom.  Lydia is so mothering and organized and clean.  Noah is just so easy going.  Both add something special to the family that is unique and important.  Daniel and I are so blessed!

 

Legacy

Today I'm missing my mom.  7 years ago today, she lost her battle to cancer.  Though I was very sad to lose my mom, I know that she went to a place where she didn't have to hurt or be sick any more.  She's dancing with the angels.  Lyds knows who "Angie Mama" is and we talk that she's in heaven singing with Jesus and dancing with the angels.  Oh, how I wish my mom could have seen my kids.  I wish I could tell her I am sorry for all the hurtful things I have said.  Although my mom isn't here on this earth, her legacy remains.  I am so thankful for a mom and dad that loved the Lord and taught me and my sister to follow in His footsteps.  What a great legacy to leave!  Now with my daughter, I do the things that my mom and I did - Happy Talk Bible times, singing Bible songs with motions and sign language, reading books that tell of God's love.  I'm thankful for a mother that taught me how to be a mother and I hope that I can measure up and raise my children to love the Lord and walk in His footsteps, too.  Before my mom passed away, there was a song that came out called "Legacy."  "I wanna leave a legacy, how will they remember me? Did I choose to love? Did I point to you enough to make a mark on things? I wanna leave an offering. child of mercy and grace who blessed your name unapalogetically.  I wanna leave a legacy."  There is no doubt in my mind that my mom left a legacy for the kingdom of God. 

Mama - I love you and miss you.  Thank you for believing in my and showing me the love of Jesus.  I am blessed to have had a mother like you!