The Wimmer's

We are still here!

2012-01-15T11:56:00.000-08:00

Hello all! I know it has been awhile...how many posts have I started that way? Anyhoo, I just finished reading my last post, which is a total downer, so I'm going to make this one very fun to read.
Ella is doing AMAZING! I love her more and more everyday. Just when I think I couldn't love her anymore than I already do, she does something or says something that makes me incredibly grateful that I am her mother. She seems to be pretty well-rounded, loving both Star Wars and Disney princesses. She is smart and funny, just like her mother (tee-hee!)...okay, and her father. She loves Star Wars so much, that she hums the Darth Vader song while she goes to the potty! I'm sure she will love that I told you all that when she gets older. One of her favorite things to do is work puzzles, and she is becoming quite the artist. She makes Max and me read the same books over and over, so she actually memorizes them, and then she can "read" them to us.
We went to Denver for Thanksgiving this year, and it was such a great time. Chrissy is doing well, and I ran a virtual Turkey Trot with her on Thanksgiving morning. We had the best food, and best of all, we spent some quality time with the Wimmer/Peragines. I am always amazed at how fast kids grow, and Thomas and Annie are no exceptions. That Annie...she is smart and funny, just like her aunt! (I know, that joke will get old fast).
Christmas was a blast! The Farrs came over from Austin on Christmas Eve, and then Max, Ella, and I spent the rest of the weekend with each other...no other family or friends. That may sound sad to some of you, but it was wonderful! It was the first holiday that we have been our own little family. Ella was visited by Santa, of course, making Christmas day VERY exciting.
As many of you know, my brother, Kyle, and his wife, Christi, are both Baylor graduates. Of course, my parents bought us all tickets to the Alamo Bowl to cheer on the Baylor football team and RGIII. That two days will easily go down as the most fun I've had with my family thus far. Max and I also celebrated our 9th anniversary, and I celebrated my 32 birthday.
Max's mom, Adele, was here for my birthday, and stayed for a bit for a fantastic visit. She was here from the Friday before my birthday until yesterday. We are always sad to see her go, but we had a great time with her.
I can't end this post without sharing this bit of news...I am going to be an aunt again (just in case you all haven't heard, which I'm sure if you are from Muleshoe that you have) this coming Friday! Madison Claire Hahn will make her appearance on Friday morning, and I couldn't be more thrilled. Just when I start to feel down, I think about all the blessings in my life. I have a wonderful family...my family and all my in-laws! Kyle and I were both very lucky to marry into strong, loving, accepting families. Here are some photos from the past few months. They aren't in any kind of order, but I'm sure you will be able to figure out what is going on in them!

Ella was a trooper at the game...but boy did she get tired.

The Farr's and the Wimmer's...shenanigans aplenty.

Amanda, Sarah, and me at the Sights and Sounds 5K

The Wimmer/Peragine clans together for Thanksgiving

Cousins sliding

Handsome Cab ride in downtown San Antonio

The Bastrop Complex Fire

2011-09-10T18:51:00.000-07:00

Four years ago, my parents bought their "retirement" home in Bastrop, Tx. Bastrop is about 35 miles east of Austin on HWY 71. The house is amazing. It sits right in front off the first tee box on Pine Forest Golf Course, and right across from the Colorado River. You can actually see the river from their front porch. For a girl from Muleshoe, TX, this is an incredible thing. I mean, a freaking RIVER y'all! I didn't know it at the time, but I was pregnant with Ella when they closed on the house. When I found out I was pregnant, I was actually pissed that they had bought the house, and that my child would grow up not knowing the house that I called home in Muleshoe. At that time, Mom and Dad did not spend much time there. They were probably there about once a month. Kyle and his wife, Christi, and Max and I would go spend a weekend a piece there, to make sure that everything was working, and that the house was okay. In about three months, that house was a part of our family. We had friends in Bastrop. And I don't mean people we said "Hi" to, people that became a part of our family. Bastrop quickly became home, and Muleshoe became a place we liked to visit and see old friends. Ella has only known "The Bastrop House" as we call it, as Nanny and Daddo's...she only saw my childhood home twice. We have spent a couple of Christmas days there, some Thanksgivings, an Easter, four Halloweens, and a couple of Independence Days. It is our home.
Last Sunday, Kyle and Christi had come in with their dog, Deacon, and I went to get Ella (she had stayed with Mom and Dad all weekend so Max and I could get some work done on the house-- which we didn't do!). Since I had Labor Day off, I decided Ella and I could stay Sunday night and go home Monday. Mom and I were planning a baby shower for my friend Betsy, that was to be held at the house the following Saturday. I knew we weren't going to be there very long that morning, because we had planned to help Christi pick out some maternity clothes (YAY!) in Austin. We all piled in Mom and Dad's Yukon, and headed out. We had a great day. Lunch at Abuelo's, shopping at Barton Creek Square, and we were having so much fun on the way home. Kyle was driving and I was sitting in the front seat with him. As we pulled into Bastrop, there were several fires going. We had planned to BBQ some chicken, and I heard Dad say to Mom, "Terri, we better not barbeque the chicken, we may catch the whole neighborhood on fire." The wind was blowing like we were in the panhandle, and it was hot. The conditions were favorable for fires. We could see smoke up ahead, and as we drove closer, we realized how serious it really was. There was a police car blocking HWY 71 towards the entrance of Tahitian Village (their neighborhood). Mom and Dad were both trying to tell Kyle how to get in a "secret" entrance. I could see Kyle's brain saying, "DEACON, DEACON, DEACON." We u-turned and got to where we could go in the secret way, Kyle was visibly shaken, as were Mom and Dad. I started to get scared, and Ella was singing something in the backseat. We were the only car trying to get in, there was already traffic piling up of cars trying to get out. People were waving us away, trying to get us turned around, flashing their lights at us. It was terrifying, but we made it to the house. The smoke was getting thicker and closer. We all hugged Deacon when we walked in the door, and we threw stuff in bags and loaded up the cars. Then we joined the line of cars evacuating Tahitian Village.
After 30 minutes of stop-and-go traffic, we made it to the Best Buy parking lot in Bastrop. We got out of our cars, and held each other. All I could think about was how sorry I felt for my parents. My parents, who I have watched work their asses off my whole life for Kyle and me, and for that house. My parents, who work harder than anyone else I have ever known, and who deserve their dream house on a golf course by a river...and it was all going to burn to the ground. We all cried there in that Best Buy parking lot. We re-grouped, went to a gas station and filled up all three cars, and went to the Hilton at the Austin-Bergstrom Airport. We slept, actually, we didn't sleep, there that night, knowing that many people, even friends, were losing everything. It was a very tough night, that is all I'll say about that.
The next morning, we got up and checked the news, and found out from a neighbor that the house had survived the first night of fires, but things didn't look good for the day. Ella and I went home, to San Antonio, with the fire in our rearview mirror. Kyle and Christi went home, to Houston with the fire in their rearview mirror. All I did for three days was read Facebook posts and my Twitter feed. I didn't even really teach my classes! I just gave them all busy work and book work--bad teacher!
After a week of conflicting reports, bad news, and false posts, we found out that the house is fine. So are the homes of many good friends.
Today, I took a carload of donations from my students and myself there. I dropped everything off at the Chili's in Bastrop. They were having a free pancake breakfast for the victims, and also a donation drive and giveaway. When we got everything out of my car, they told me, "Go in and get some breakfast and some coffee." I couldn't do it...that wasn't for me. I had two cups of coffee already this morning...WHILE LAYING IN MY BED!!! The people who were to eat that breakfast slept on cots in school gyms.
I met up with Mom and Dad, who are doing pretty well, despite the fact that they are not being let into their home yet. We went to Elgin (a short drive up Hwy 95) to attend the baby shower that was supposed to be at our place. We left early because we thought we were going to be let onto Riverside, so we could finally see the place, and clean out the fridge, which I'm sure is disgusting. But we were not let in, and they probably will not be let in until Monday, maybe even Tuesday. We drove down Hwy 71 to Smithville, past the Bastrop State Park, that stretch of highway was reopened this morning. Anyone who knows that area knows that it is called "Lost Pines" because of the amazing pine trees. They are all gone. All of them. That stretch of road now looks as if a bomb has gone off. Everything is destroyed, save some random lucky structures. We came back and had lunch at one of our favorite places...The Roadhouse. We all thought it was gone, and had actually heard that it had burned down that first night...but it was there. That burger was comfort.
Bastrop is a special community. Everywhere I looked today, there were tents set up for people to come get clothing and water...there were special tents set up for the firefighters with water, Gatorade and snacks. I have a feeling that Bastrop didn't "need" the fire to bring everyone together, because everyone was already together. Since four years ago, when Mom and Dad bought the house, I have felt that we, our family, was a part of a special community. Please, if you read this, and I know it is really long, pray for those who have lost everything, the two souls that have left the community, and everyone else who has had to deal with this terrible drought, fire season, and destruction in all of Texas. Our state is too beautiful for it all to go up in flames.
With all of this said, I feel so lucky to be drinking my wine out of my refrigerator, slipping into my own bed, and falling asleep with a roof over my head tonight. Count your blessings, everyone. They are plentiful.

Been awhile...I know

2011-02-06T10:13:00.000-08:00

Okay, since the last update was right after Halloween, I need to post today. And actually, it is the first moment I have had any time to do so. Thank goodness for the impromptu attitude of the weather in South Texas! It was very nice to have a little break on Friday. Max was even asked not to go in to work that day, so we had so much fun hanging out as a family, with no place to go, and nothing to do. Unfortunately, Ella got a little sick that night, but felt much better on Saturday.

So here are the updates:
Thanksgiving was great. We spent it in Houston with Kyle and Christi, Christi's family, and Max's sister Chrissy. Chrissy accompanied us to the Museum of Natural Science for the Pirate exhibit, and to the Houston Children's Museum (which is AWESOME).

Christmas was spent here at our home with Joe and Adele. They flew in from Denver and were here almost a week. We have so much fun with them and miss them when they leave. Joe helped me get the Mac running quicker and updating it a little. Chichi and Grandpa Joe kept Ella while Max and I went to see "True Grit" for our 8th anniversary! It was a great time.

My 31st birthday was pretty great. We didn't really do anything special, but I did get out of the house to enjoy Girlie Night at the Alamo Drafthouse here in San Antonio. The movie was "Pretty in Pink!" It was so much fun.

That brings us to the snow day...I was not surprised when I got a call from the district early Friday morning. The lady on the other end had just finished making 3 dozen cupcakes for our scheduled potluck that day. She told me they were going to eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner all weekend! I had to laugh at that.

So, without further ado...here are the random pics from the last three months. Enjoy!

One of the better pictures from Christmas. Seriously, we didn't take many this year!

The Light Tree at Sights and Sounds of Christmas.

Me, on my Birthday. Photo by Ella Wimmer

Ella "trudging" through the snow.

Vintage Mom and Ella.

Halloween and Strep Throat

2010-11-06T14:22:00.000-07:00

Halloween weekend was AWESOME! Saturday, Max and I participated in the Feast of the Heart 5K...my first ever! It was so great. Max ran the 5K in under thirty minutes and I walked it in about fifty-four minutes. When we done, we drove to Bastrop to have a Halloween Fun Fest with Mom and Dad and our friends Sarah and Darrell. Sarah is my best friend from college and their little boy, Reagan, is almost two years old. They came out to Mom and Dad's and stayed the night with us. The kids painted pumpkins, had a practice trick-or-treat, and ate hot dogs (Halloweenies!) We had a blast, but, Sunday afternoon while the boys were playing golf, we took the kids to the park. I noticed Ella looking a little tired and running a little slower. By the time we got back to the house, she was running fever. She and I stayed home together the next day because I started hacking up my lungs that day, and having some major problems with my asthma. Max took Ella to the doctor that afternoon, and she confirmed that Ella had strep throat...she stayed out of school until Thursday!! Anyway, we are all feeling better. In fact, we got out of the house this morning and did some fall/winter clothes shopping. All my winter clothes make me look like the StaPuft Marshmellow man from Ghostbusters! WAY TOO BIG! WOOHOO! Weight update: Down 40 pounds as of today! Enjoy this great fall everyone!
Here are some pics of Hahn Halloween Fun Fest and post Trick-or-Treating.

It's Fall Y'all!

2010-10-24T12:52:00.000-07:00

October has been an interesting month, to say the least. It has been an emotional roller coaster and I am kind of glad that it is almost over! I always get a little emotional in October. My Papa James passed away 17 years ago this month (October 22). Even though I was only 13, I was pretty close to him. I miss his laugh more than anything. Also, Max's sister, Chrissy, had her double mastectomy on Friday, October 15th. Max and I spent the next day with her and her husband Jay, and I have to say this, the cancer didn't get in the way of some good laughing. Despite the circumstances, we actually had an okay time. It wasn't all rainbows and unicorns, but it wasn't all gloom and doom either.
Ella on the other hand, had an amazing time. She got to stay with Uncle Kyle and Aunt Christy while we were with Chrissy and Jay (yeah, Ella gets a little confused some times having two aunts with VERY similar names). Kyle and Christi took Ella to the Houston Zoo and spent ALL DAY there! They saw an orangutan, elephants (including a baby named Tupelo), and all kinds of monkeys. Ella even got to pet and brush some goats that apparently stunk it up big time. This weekend has been great. Yesterday, we took Ella to a great pumpkin patch at Bracken Methodist Church. This is a great little historical church a little off the beaten path, and by that I mean IH-35. We bought 6 pumpkins, 3 of which Ella picked out all by herself. Then, as if that wasn't enough, last night the three of us participated in Light the Night. We joined my surgical group's team and had a great time.
Speaking of the surgery, I am almost 2 months out. Since I started the whole process (I am counting the 2 weeks that I had to pre-op diet) I am down 35 pounds. I am noticing (so are others) my pants fitting loose, I have dropped a whole bra size, and I can really see a difference in my face. More importantly, I have more energy, my joints are hurting less, and I haven't had to use my inhaler near as much, which is a HUGE thing since I am so allergic to ragweed and mold and they have both been no lower than in the moderate category for the past month. I am actually anxious to get to a doctor's office so that I can get an accurate reading on my blood pressure, which I am sure is down as well. WOOHOO! Aside from marrying Max, best decision ever. So, to celebrate, here are some photos from the pumpkin patch. Happy Halloween and Fall Y'all!

Mommy and Ella at the Bracken Methodist Church Pumpkin Patch

Daddy and Ella in the pumpkins

She is very in to the Halloween thing, and she loves the pumpkins most of all.

I can't believe how big she is compared to last year.

Hugging the pumpkin

"I'm gonna get one?"

I promise to post pictures of the finished products after we butcher them by making them into Jack O' Lanterns later!

Some stuff...

2010-09-18T18:28:00.000-07:00

Well, I am two and a half weeks into my lap-band life, and I am feeling pretty great. I have lost 27 pounds, so about 10 pounds since my last post. I am eating normal food again (except for most carbs-those I can add back in on the 21st), tonight I actually had some good ol' Texas BBQ from Cooper's in New Braunfels. It was yummy. I am amazed at how little food I am actually getting full on. Five weeks ago, I would have had a whole plate of food, and then ate dessert 20 minutes later. Now I am eating no more than a cup at one sitting, no snacks, no desserts. Although, tonight I did have some sugar free Jell-O, but that doesn't count (seriously, my nutritionist said so).
In other news, we lost some shingles off the roof during Tropical Storm Hermine. We had an insurance adjuster come over on Thursday, and we will be getting some money, we just aren't sure how much yet. We are really ready to get our house fixed up so we can put it on the market. To move where? Anyway, we are trying not to get too excited, but we do need a new roof.
Also, I have a little prayer request...actually it is a big one. My best friend is going through some tough things right now. Her dad has been having "spells" (dizzy, light-headed, etc.) He has some health problems, so he figured it was just complications, but last week took a trip to the ER, was admitted, tests were ran, and a malignant brain tumor was found. My friend is one of the strongest people I know, and I can always count on her and her crazy sense of humor to help me pull through my tough times. All good vibes, thoughts, and prayers sent her way will be much appreciated.
With that said, I will leave on a light note and post some pics.

Ella getting ready to go to a party

SLIDING!!

Ella and Daddy on the train at Breckinridge Park

One night, Ella was eating a PB&J, and looked like The Joker. This is the result of her having crazy parents.

We are still here!!

2010-09-03T11:22:00.000-07:00

I know it has been 10 months since my last post, which was Halloween! I feel like such a slacker. Here are some updates. I am still teaching in Seguin, Max is still working for the seed company. Ella turned two in May, which I can't even believe. We found out that Max's sister, Chrissy, has breast cancer...which was a complete punch in the gut for all of us. She is so strong and is taking it all like a freaking champ! She has her last round of chemo soon and will undergo some surgery and radiation in Houston beginning next month. I made a huge decision in the path of my life and actually had Lap-Band surgery yesterday. Since I started the whole process (pre-op diet) I have lost about 18 pounds, which is both exhilarating and encouraging. I know I will do well with this because I have to. I have to be around and healthy for my family. So there you go...a Wimmer Family update. Here are some select pics of the last 10 months.

Max and Ella at the Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi

Ella and her pal Reagan feeding Gus.

That bow only lasted a few minutes, but it sure was cute.

Race for the Cure, San Antonio

Ella's birthday party (notice the photos are not in chronological order, they are backwards!)

Sk-ELLA-ton

2009-11-01T08:20:00.000-08:00

I'm not going to lie, my neighborhood is a little scary. However, it seems that on Halloween the gangsters and drug dealers let go of their wild ways and take their kids out for free candy. We had so much fun passing out candy-Ella really had fun dropping candy into other trick-or-treaters' bags. In fact, she would drop a few pieces into a bag and then chase the princess or ghoul or monster down to give away a few more pieces! Sometimes she even got as far as the end of the driveway trying to give out more candy!
This was also our first foray into going house to house, begging for candy. I have not always been a huge trick-or-treat fan, until we lived in Pleasanton, that is. Apparently, when we lived in Pleasanton, we lived on the most trick-or-treated street in all of history-seriously 20 bags of candy. But even in our neighborhood now, we had a good time. Ella definitely had a great time and got so many compliments on her skelleton costume (lovingly made by hand by ChiChi-Adele Wimmer, and previously worn by Cousin Annie). By the end of the night, all the candy was gone and Ella was exhausted. We tried to keep her up for an extra hour for the time change, but we weren't able to do that. We had a great time and we can't wait for next Halloween. MUAHAHAHA! (that is my evil laugh!)

Beachy Keen

2009-10-26T18:22:00.000-07:00

Mema and Papa's house is one of my favorite places of refuge. I even lived with them my first summer after graduating from high school, and worked in Port Aransas at Pat Magee's. While in college, I would drive the 2 1/2 hour drive in my sweet Cougar and hunker down for a weekend to rest and work on homework. Mema and Papa are my dad's parents and they have always provided me with comfort and love, despite their awesome craziness. Ella was born almost 18 months ago and had never visited my second home and I thought it was important to get her there soon. So, she and I had our first official mother/daughter road trip.
The drive down was difficult. In the 3 years since I last headed down to the coast, there have been some major highway "improvements." But, after some crying and cursing (under my breath, of course) we pulled in to that welcoming driveway and were greeted by some very excited octogenarians! Papa built Ella a giraffe that is also a coat holder that stands about 4 feet tall. It is special because he also built Kyle and I each one when we were young. For an eighty-something year-old man to do word work the way he still does is amazing to me. We spent the next couple of hours catching up and playing with Ella in the back yard. The memories I have of playing in that yard with Kyle are vast; climbing the monstrous oaks, catching lizards, and building treehouses. They all came flooding back in. Ella had a great time smelling flowers with Mema, although she never quite got her nose on her flowers-just leaves.

Running and playing!

Smelling the flowers.

First encounter with fragrant Rosemary.

We rode the ferry over to Port A at about 4:30 because, let's face it, old people eat early. I think Ella was even like, "Didn't we just have a snack?" After dinner, I talked them in to joining me on a trip down memory lane...aka..."the beach." Papa had actually had a couple of Shiners with dinner and did not feel like getting out of the CRV, so he stayed to make sure I didn't get a ticket for not having a beach permit. Mema loves to walk on the beach, and I could tell she was itching to do just that with her great-granddaughter. We three ladies had a grand ole time walking on the beach, and Ella made a mad dash for the water. I was afraid she would be scared, but she absolutely loved it! I am so excited because this gives us another reason to visit them more often.
We were all pretty tuckered out at that point and decided to call it a night, especially Ella, who fell asleep on the ferry.

Nice view of the beach.

Ella wading in the water.

Ella loved watching her feet sink in the sand after a wave passed over them.

The next morning was great as well. Papa made his signature pancakes and link sausage (a breakfast that he made for me every Sunday morning when I lived with them that summer). Ella enjoyed them so much she screamed a scream of joy! We didn't make it much longer, Ella's naptime came fast and I wanted that to happen in the car, so we said our goodbyes and hit the road. She fell asleep before we turned off their street and I didn't get lost on the way home. I can't wait for the next trip down...ready to hit the Corpus tourist traps!

Here are a couple of videos from the trip. The first one is Ella smelling the leaves in Mema's flower bed and the second one is Ella dipping her toes in the waves. I had to hold onto her and my phone to get that video, so it isn't the best quality.

Fun stuff going on...

2009-10-25T19:03:00.000-07:00

It has been forever since I have posted anything here, so here is a quick catch up. I felt so blessed to have so many great family members come to my aid while I was healing after surgery. Mom would come and go, Dad came to help for a little while, and my Max's mom, Adele came all the way from Denver when I was starting back to work! What a blessing! I started back to work in Seguin for another year of teaching English, and Ella went back to daycare, which she loves. She can even say "school" and says it as soon as we turn on to that street. She is amazing. Her vocabulary is growing every day. She says Mommy, Daddy, Nanny, Dadoo, Chi-Chi, Uncle Kyle (sounds like Kycle), shoe, banana, milk, juice, bath, stairs, ball, baby, car, bird, just to name a few. She is soon to be 18 months old and I cannot believe it! We just can't imagine our lives without her.

In the last few months, we have taken her to a UT game, she and I (along with Mom) drove to Ft.Worth to vistit Nanny Muleshoe, and were also able to meet up with one of my best friends, Mark. Just this past weekend, I took her to the coast to visit my Mema and Papa. They were thrilled when Ella ran to the ocean and waded in, laughing as she went (pics and vids to follow). What a joy it is to have such a wonderful, loving family.

Ella in my classroom, checking out my textbook.

Ella with Mark in Ft. Worth

Sweet little UT fan!

Precious girl at a city park in Bastrop, TX.

Ella and Max cheering on the Longhorns!

Spoiled Ella

2009-07-24T09:40:00.001-07:00

With me being down, Ella is spending a lot of time with Nanny and that means she is getting pretty spoiled. Nanny and Pops (Mike and Terri) bought this little swing and slide while I was in the hospital. Ella loves it and wants to outside all of the time now. This morning I was feeling well enough to sit outside with them for a little while.

Surgery Sucks

2009-07-24T09:19:00.000-07:00

On Monday, I went to the hospital to have Alfredo removed. Alfredo (lovingly named after a student I could not stand) was a large fibroid on the outside of my uterus. I was told it would be a laproscopic outpatient surgery. Well, Alfredo was bigger than expected, in a bad position, and he was not alone. I ended up having to be cut open and three fibroids were removed. It sounds terrible, but I was in quite a bit of pain, I was bitchy, tired and hungry all of the time because of them. It is going to be so much better without them in there.
However, now my recovery time has gone from what would have been 1-2 weeks to 6-8 weeks. This means I cannot play with or hold or carry Ella for quite some time. It wasn't so bad at first. Now, she is wanting me to pick her up and I can't-and that leaves us both crying. It is so much worse than I thought it would be. I can handle the physical pain, but not the emotional. That being said, I am so lucky to have my mom here with me. Ella is getting super spoiled and so am I!! Mom had the Merry Maids come to clean the house yesterday and they will be back for the next 4 Thursdays!! I also know that I have some great friends willing to help if necessary and my favorite mother-in-law doing what she can to get here to help out.
I am continuously overwhelmed at how many people have sent well wishes, flowers, and cards! I am so lucky and I am grateful for everything everyone has done for me and my family during this time. I wanted to share my lovely flowers with everyone! Enjoy, and thank you all again for everything.

From Skiles Farms

From The Wimmers and The Peragines

From The Cranes, Wilsons, Dales, and Aunt Janie

From Kyle and Christi

Pajama time, oooh yes, it's pajama time...

2009-06-27T20:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was payday! HOORAY!!! That gave me a chance to go to San Marcos and visit that outlets. Ella has finally run out of all her gifted clothes. All of the wonderful clothes we received at baby showers are all now too small. I am sad about it because I loved them all so much! The good thing is that running out of clothes means we need new ones, and it is time to shop, which I hate with a passion...JUST KIDDING!! The Carter's outlet is great. I was able to buy Ella some much needed PJs and they were all on sale. The more I watch her, the more I think she is going to be a girly girl. She likes to sit in my lap while I put on make-up, she loves wearing dresses, and she really likes jewelry (although, I think that last one really applies to all babies). So when I saw these pajamas, I had to buy them for her.

My little ballerina princess

She likes to touch the lens.

Notice her drinking milk from a sippy cup! NO MORE BOTTLES!!!!!!
She is getting to be such a big girl. We do not use formula or bottles anymore. She is eating at the table with us, not always what I'd like her to be eating-- she is super picky, but feeding herself none-the-less.

Yay for ChiChi!!!

2009-06-12T20:45:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday, ChiChi (Max's mom, Adele) flew down from Denver to hang with us Texans for a bit. We had so much fun! Unfortunately, I was still in school and since Max has a newer job, he didn't feel he could ask for time off, so we didn't really get to see her much. We did make a trip to Sea World, we three girls spent some time downtown at the Market, and had a nice time here at the house. It is always hard to see Adele leave because she and Joe and Chrissy, Jay, Annie and Thomas live so far away. We feel like we never get to see them, so when we do have the opportunity to spend time with them, we enjoy it to the fullest.
Ella is a Sea World princess. She loves the Dolphins and the aquarium tanks, but she also took in her first show there. The sea lion show is the best-I think it is better than Shamu, because the Shamu show is so cheesy and emotional. The sea lion show is fun and upbeat. I don't think she really "got" it, but we like it.

Ahhh. Discovery.

Ella loves when the fish swim really fast by her face.

At the dolphin tank.

"What is this, ChiChi?"

What a little cutie!

Kyle and Christi: The Wedding of the Century (May 30th)

2009-06-12T20:36:00.000-07:00

Wow! Kyle and Christi: The Wedding of the Century took place May 30th. It was beautiful, I made a fool out of myself by crying uncontrollably at the drop of a hat, and my little brother is now married. And, might I add, to an intelligent, loving, wonderful person. I couldn't be happier and I love her like a sister and I have since close to day one. Enough with the mush. These are only a few of the pictures from the rehearsal dinner which was held at The House of Blues in downtown Houston. I do not have any pictures from the wedding, but I hope to have some soon. I wish I had tons more, both nights were uproariously fun and spectacular.

Ella's first beer. Just kidding-obviously it is Max's beer.

Great old friends-they are like brothers to me-Mason and Michael Dan

Mom and Dad enjoying a slide show.

She made it the whole night and crashed in the car before we even left the valet booth!

Kyle and Christi: The Wedding Shower (May 17)

2009-06-12T20:22:00.001-07:00

The Wimmers

Kyle, Christi, and some Muleshoeites

The proud sister/sister-in-law

The Happy Couple

It is always nice to go back to Muleshoe for a visit. I love the fact that I grew up in such a tight knit community and I desperately want that for Ella. Kyle and Christi were given a wonderful wedding shower and they received some awesome things. We were lucky enough to get to be a part of that shower and visit with some old friends and amazing family.

Ella's First Birthday Party-May 16th (Her birthday is May 19th)

2009-06-12T20:09:00.001-07:00

Ella wasn't really sure what to think about her cupcake.

Opening presents

Mommy and Ella and that great Panhandle sky!

What a cute family!

Daddy and Ella-look at that smile!

Ella's first birthday party was held in Muleshoe with all of the Cranes and some of the Hahns. It was a great way to spend her first birthday. I cannot believe how much she has grown in one year. What a big girl she has become. Her vocabulary is growing-she can say "banana," "night-night," "Dada," "that?" and "thank you." Of course, you have to really be paying attention to tell what she is saying. She dances and snaps her fingers, plays peek-a-boo, and even walks occasionally. Crawling is much faster, so walking is really not one of her priorities, but she can and does walk, which is amazing! We are so lucky to have such a precious, healthy girl.

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T18:02:00.000-07:00

My first official Mother's Day was great. We actually did not do anything particularly special, but that is what I wanted. I did have some great breakfast tacos for breakfast and a special treat later in the day-a blended Coke float from Sonic!! I also received a sweet little pink Moore Maker pocket knife-exactly what I wanted. The big event of the day was getting Ella into the pool for the first time. We were super excited because her swimsuit is so cute! She did not like the pool at first, but when I got in with her, and helped her get used to the cold water-along with some serious splashing-she had a great time.

Lucky Dog

2009-04-18T15:02:00.000-07:00

Going to get the mail

Feeding Gus

Friends with food are the best friends to have.

He loves this part of the day.

Right here I am thinking, "Was that just in Gus's mouth?"

This weekend we have all been home and finally able to spend some quality time together. We are getting ready for Summer and I have decided to teach Summer school for the first time. I am actually excited about it! I, for one, am ready to do some serious purging and am thinking about having my Spring garage sale (I wasn't able to last year for obvious reasons). Tomorrow, Ella will be 11 months old. We cannot believe how fast she is growing. Her vocabulary is growing and she talks all of the time. We are not sure who she is talking to or what she is saying, but she really does get into it. In the past few weeks she has become better at eating table foods and enjoys feeding that food to Gus. She laughs and laughs! I think he is finally accepting of her presence in our household!

2009-04-12T12:14:00.000-07:00

The past week has been pretty great, but Easter Sunday has been lazy and boring. No bunny ears, family, or chocolate. That is okay, though. Ella loves being outside watching Gus play in the yard. She is growing so fast-I can't even believe it. Yesterday we met some friends at the San Antonio Zoo and saw some fish and birds (and other things she does not quite care about yet). When we were at the hippo tank, some ducks landed on the water and I said "look at those ducks." She repeated after me, "duh, duh, duh." She is so smart!!!

Ella enjoys being in the backyard watching Gus chase his ball.

I think there was a bird flying over head.

This is her sign to get the camera out of her face.

Too cute.

Learning how to use her spoon.

Hmm. Amanda+Blogging=BLARG!

2009-04-04T19:07:00.001-07:00

I am really going to work on the layout tomorrow. This blogging is making me thirsty!

Woohoo, we're blogging!!!!

2009-04-04T14:09:00.000-07:00

Today was great. Max woke up early and let me sleep in, we went to Lowe's, and we worked in the yard. Actually, Max worked in the yard. Ella sat in her excersaucer under our Oak tree and watched Daddy plant some flowers in our front yard. They look really nice! Later, we took Ella Bear out for a ride in her car. My mom and dad will be dropping by tomorrow for some much needed Nanny and Pops time.