Three Are We

What??!!

2012-01-06T20:15:00.000-08:00

How is it possible that my littlest angel is already 9 months old? Baby Em had her 9 month well child check on Thursday. She's on the same track as her big sis. Weighing in at 20lbs 1oz and measuring 28 1/2" long. Percentage speaking...80th% for weight and 100th% for length. It seems as though big E always has the same percentages. They are one in the same! There are moments that I look at Emma and see the spitting image of Elly and other times I look at her and think she is all her own...looks wise :) She is full of vocal play with her favorite consonant vowel combo being Mamamama. I love it! I remind Kris daily that she obviously loves her mamamama the most :) She is crawling all over the place and pulling up on everything in sight. I caught her yesterday STANDING at the coffee table! Sweet girl also has a mouthful of teeth. The bottom two came first followed by the top two incisors. I can see the two front about to poke through. That sweet little smile brings a smile to my face every time I see it! My sweet little vampire :) I can't believe how fast time is flying by. I try to soak it all in but at times it seems as though I can't keep up. In three short months we will be having her first birthday! I just can't handle it! I decided to celebrate our babe's 9 months with a little photo sesh in the tub tonight!

Oh the personality of this one! Loves her baby Em 99% of the time. She had an early bedtime after chucking a big ole bag of clothes at sister's head. I've got to say...girls got some aim! It was like one of those carnival games where you throw the bean bags at the little clown heads trying to knock them over. Soon enough she'll learn to do that when mommy and daddy are NOT watching!

Dusting it off...

2012-01-03T20:32:00.000-08:00

...the blog that is. I'm a little ashamed that it's been two+ months since I last blogged on here! All I can say is that I am oh so BUSY! The photography business pretty much took up all my free time over the last few months. Something had to give and it was this good ole blog of mine. Well, I'm back now and I promise to do better :)

Elly sure knows how to make her daddy proud...Do they allow tutu's in the LPGA? If Elly has anything to say about it they do!

Let me out there! I want to play too!

Sweet cousins on Christmas Eve...waiting for the big guy in red to arrive

*I'm in the process of transferring pictures from one place to another. Loving our new Mac...not so much loving learning the ropes of a new computer AND new editing software! More Christmas pictures to come soon, I promise! AND a special blog post for Donna aka Howell. Your letter made my day and Elly made sure to follow through on your request...much to Baby Em's dismay ;)

Good vs. Bad

2011-10-16T13:02:00.000-07:00

Good vs. bad. Lets face it...if you're a mom and you say you don't question your mothering skills from time to time, I'm calling your bluff! My aunt Marcie (who I DO miss...maybe she reads the blog??) once told me 'Very rarely, do I go to bed without feeling guilt as a parent' (not verbatim but close :) ) I never really understood that until becoming a mother myself! Hello, my name is Hayley and I suffer from, what I like to call, 'working mom guilt'. But it doesn't stop there...I also suffer from 'when I'm not working and not doing something totally rad with my girls, I feel like I a SHOULD be doing something totally rad with girls guilt'. There's no turning it off! There will always be SOMETHING that I could have "done" to make me a better mom. I should have had more patience when Elly was screaming "I WANT MICKEY MOUSE!!!"...I shouldn't have raised my voice when I replied with "HOW DO YOU ASK NICELY??!!"...I should have taken the time to load up and go the park...I could go on and on. Last night I decided to put a penny in the 'good mom' bank and have some craft time with my big E! Thanks to Caroline for the craft idea :)

For those who truly know me, I didn't even get crazy neurotic with the mess! No wet wipes in sight :)

A little appetizer...nice

Tape on paper, finger paint, remove tape and voila! This is as far as we got. Elly FREAKED out when I started to take the tape off. Insert neurotic mommy...I couldn't stand the unfinished product and took the tape off after Elly went to bed :) Which I did NOT feel guilty about when my head hit my pillow last night :)

*On a sweet little side note*

My sweet little 6 month old! LOVES sitting up and is quite a champ at it! Weighing in at juuuust under 18 lbs. Shes healthy to say the least :)

Today...

2011-09-22T20:10:00.000-07:00

...was a good day! Yesterday ended a little shaky with a fever and a not so happy big girl. We had a rough night but Cutie woke up a brand new girl! We headed to the Dr. to make sure there wasn't an underlying issue, then spent the day enjoying each other. Elly enjoyed putting on a talent show for her sister, and Emma enjoyed all the attention she got from her big sis. Even if it did include a feather pen tickling her face! As for me, I enjoyed sitting back and watching my girls :)

We started dance last week and ever since Elly has been insistent on wearing her full dance get-up! She makes me sit down on her rug and rattles off this..."Ladies and gentlemen! The show is about to begin!" Where she learned this? I have NO idea! After she finishes prancing around me she demands, "Mama, clap for me!" So...I clap and tell her she's the most beautiful "ballablina" I've EVER seen :)

Elly made her way through the sea of pillows to her toy basket. Half way there she cried out, "Mama! Get me outta here, I'm kinda stuck!" It didn't stop her from pulling every toy from said basket...

The day ended with a little bit of bed jumping. Which we all know can solve all illness and worldly issues :)

*Hopefully my next blog post won't take me another month and a half! Early bedtime has trumped the blog the last month :)

One more thing...

2011-08-07T22:01:00.000-07:00

Check out my new photography blog! It's official, I'm starting my own photography business! Don't be afraid to leave me a comment. It's good to know there are people out there reading ;)

http://www.hayleyroebuckphotography.com/

Rub a Dub Dub...

2011-08-07T20:34:00.000-07:00

...Cutie's in the tub! Mid day bath means only one thing...someone wet the bed! Big girl insisted on wearing big girl undies during nap today :) I couldn't resist the gorgeous light and I desperately needed some bath pictures to embarrass Elly with when she gets older :)

Elly's favorite part about taking a bath is the "little baby bath bath" as she calls it. Not sure where this came from but she turns the water as low as it can go while still having a stream. There you have it...little baby bath bath.

Sunday Funday

2011-07-31T20:56:00.000-07:00

Oh how I love a good Sunday! Such a lazy, easy going day at the Roebuck household. Kris has been working quite a bit lately which, unfortunately, includes Saturdays. We cherish days like today where we get to wake up with him! Well, we didn't quite wake up with him on this particular Sunday. Thoughtful, considerate mommy let him sleep in while us girls enjoyed a little snuggle time and an early morning walk. These days, early morning is the only time you don't run the risk of walking outside and immediately bursting into flames. It's a true hazard we Texans face!

Good morning sweet baby Emma!

Love this sweet moment between my girls :) They truely L*O*V*E one another!

Baby P

2011-07-28T18:57:00.000-07:00

What a precious bundle little Patrick is! I spent some quality time chatting with little P's mommy and daddy while mommy bounced, rocked and sh...sh...shooshed, trying to get those eyes to close! He just didn't want to miss out on anything ;) Not so surprisingly, it was the loud construction and concrete trucks across the street that lulled the little guy to sleep!

Major Tude

2011-07-20T21:17:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, our girl has got some MAJOR attitude! She is becoming quite the diva! You would think that a diva would love to be in front of the camera. Not so much for this little one, on this particular day. I believe her words were something along the lines of "Mama...NO MORE PICTURES!" coupled with the most pathetic frown you've ever seen! Unless of course I'm trying to snap a shot of baby Emma...then she's all up in our business, craving the spotlight ;)

This was right after I noticed my flower pot and that she plucked every last flower off it's lonely little stem. At least she took the time to smell the roses (or whatever the flower is) :)

Sweet Caroline

2011-07-15T13:05:00.000-07:00

I'll just start by saying, it's a good thing I'm still suffering slightly from lack of sleep. If not, I'm sure I'd have a case of baby fever! Caroline was about a week old when we did her newborn session. She is not just tiny, but teeny tiny! Pretty sure she's the smallest little one I've ever held :) Congratulations Amy, Nick and big brother Harrison...Thanks for letting me capture the sweetness of your new one :)

Welcome Charlie!

2011-07-10T18:50:00.000-07:00

Over the past few months I've been contemplating a new venture. In the past year I've developed a new love of photography. We bought our Canon DSLR right around Elly's first birthday. Since then, I have played with it and, for the most part, self taught myself the ropes. The workshop I took (by the oh so talented Heather Essian) gave me the motivation to learn my camera a little bit more. I've loved the switch to shooting manual. It makes a huge difference when you understand the relationship between your light and your settings. I feel like I have a lot of fine tuning to do, but am up for the challenge! Practice makes perfect, right?! I decided to step out of my comfort zone and offer myself up to a couple of friends ;) Today I headed to the Bass house for my first ever newborn shoot! Back in the day, Kristy and I went to high school together. Thanks to Facebook, I have been able to keep up with her and her precious boys! Charlie is two weeks old and just about as cute as they come. I got all giddy inside when I walked up to big brother Connor's room and saw his argyle wall. I knew it would make for great pictures of their new little one...who, might I add, was WIDE awake for most of the session! When we made our way to Charlie's room, I got giddy again when I saw his big ole monogram on the navy wall. We all know I'm a sucker for a monogram :) Kristy, thanks for letting me invade your home and sneak in a little cuddle with your new one :)

Sweet brothers :)

If you have any thoughts let me know! If you think I'm a horrible photographer and have no chance, please tell me! I surely don't want to be like the American Idol contestants whose mothers have always told them how fabulous their voices are and that they can do anything they put their minds to and are then shocked when they wind up on the outtakes ;)

3 Months...

2011-07-07T20:33:00.000-07:00

...and one day. Because that's what I do. Forget my baby girl's three month birthday. Geesh! I can't believe how fast the time is FLYING! I feel like just yesterday we were bringing Emma home from the hospital and introducing her to her BFF, aka her sis! They better be best friends or they will have to answer to ME! Baby E is just about the sweetest little soul I've ever known. Sis has an equally sweet, yet half sassy soul ;) She lets us know when she's up in the morning by talking and cooing just loud enough to let you know she's up, but not loud enough to cause a fuss. When you peek your head into the crib, you're greeted with the biggest, gummiest, heart warming grin you've ever seen! I love it. It's my favorite part of the day with my little one. The only thing that makes it better is when Elly beats me to the door. First thing she asks for in the morning is her baby Emma. It's like clockwork. She'll climb up on the edge of the crib, peek through the slats and in the sweetest voice, "Hi baby Emma! Momma pick her up! Momma pick her up!" Pan over to the momma, whose heart is now constantly a big pile of mush! Love my girls :)

Bright eyed after a FULL nights sleep! That's right...girlie is sleeping through the night!

Are those not the most perfect lips? So kissable :)

Elly is all about the "I do it" these days. Little Miss Independent!

Sweet girl...she'll always be the one who made me a mommy :)

*Such an emotional post for me tonight! I feel like I don't slow down and enjoy the little moments near enough.

Happy 4th!

2011-07-06T11:51:00.000-07:00

Once again, the July 4th weekend did not disappoint! It was jam packed with fun and festivities. Monday the 4th started off with the annual Ryan Place parade. Elly was very excited about the parade. When we finally made our way outside, she was running around yelling "The parade is coming! The parade is coming!" It took a while for the parade to get to our street, so we "enjoyed" the heat while we waited.

As of late, it's almost impossible to get a picture of Emma without her fist in her mouth! I even caught her sucking on her first two fingers the other day...just like her big sis!

Waiting for the parade, Elly made the amazing discovery of a feather! She has officially reached the "what's that?" stage. Over and over and over. I'll reverse it on her..."You tell me! What is it?!" She loves this game! She likes to let you know what EVERYTHING is. She's got the memory of an elephant. Tell her once and she'll never forget!

Here it comes!!!

Does your neighborhood have it's own band?! Watch out...they can get crazy ;)

Elly loved the fire truck! She didn't so much love when it honked the horn. I've never seen the girl jump so high!

We hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. Happy Birthday America! (I know, a little cheesy but I had to throw it in there ;) )

On your mark...

2011-07-03T19:43:00.000-07:00

...get set, GO! I've had these pictures for a while and have been meaning to post them. Elly's new favorite pre-bedtime activity is to race! "Momma, I race daddy!" She even asks for her "racing shoes" before they head out to the sidewalk. She's "reallllly, realllly fast" and beats daddy almost every race. I guess daddy is trying to teach her a lesson in losing. Or maybe he's just SO competitive that he doesn't like to lose...even to a two year old ;)

Racing shoes!

Ready, set...

GO! Run Elly, run!

A post race walk down to see Banah (Savanah)

I'm reminded daily of how great my girls have it. Kris is an amazing father and reminds me of my own dad in so many ways. It takes a special man to be put in that category :)

I'm All Manual Baby!

2011-07-01T19:38:00.000-07:00

I've decided to make the switch to all manual with my camera! I bought a great book that I highly recommend for anyone with a dslr who wants to take it to the next level. Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. There are three different editions, I bought the most recent. He does a great job of explaining how to get that perfect exposure without being too technical for a novice like myself :) Within the first few pages he writes, "I tell my students that the only time I use the word 'auto' is if I have an Otto in my class." I thought that was pretty funny. So there you have it, no more auto for me! I did a lot of playing with the camera today and will keep on keeping on until I have it down!

Just in case you didn't know, it's HOT. No...seriously...it's "reallllly, reallllly HOT!" as Elly would say. Even with the heat, a momma and her girlies can only stayed holed up for so long. We decided to make the venture out to get a little fresh air before dinner tonight. Elly had been asking to go visit Barbara (Elly's favorite neighbor) and Maria (her new puppy!) all day. So we did a little chalk and made our way two doors down.

Come on mom! Are you coming or what?!

Barbara is an avid gardener and loves to work in her yard. Elly loves to sit on her front walk and touch her plants. I have to remind her each time to NOT pick the plants and flowers. We do not want to be responsible for Ms. Barbara having a heart attack!

Little sister...chillin'

I thought I'd throw this one in here :) Check out those cheeks! Emma is taking after her sister in the chunk department! This is a 6 mo. outfit!

Happy Birthday...

2011-06-27T12:14:00.000-07:00

...to our sweet Meghan Riley! I thought I'd post a couple pictures from Meg's trip last July. Meghan turns 11 today and as I look at the pictures of her trip to Texas last summer, I wish so badly that I could see her! She is such a doll and was becoming quite the young lady last year. I can only imagine the beauty she is today :) LOVE YOU MEG and I can't wait till the next time we see you!

Challenge

2011-06-22T22:12:00.000-07:00

Elly's new big girl room is a catch 22...facing the east it gets that bright, early, up and at 'em sun. Great for natural light pictures, not so great the last few days when Elly is up with the sun. Especially since little one has decided she no longer wants to sleep (almost) through the night, but get up every two hours. Come on now! Tired mama decided to make lemonade with lemons the other morning. Lets not focus on the fact that Elly was up at 6:30 am...lets take advantage of that gorgeous 6:30 am light beaming in her room :)

On to the title of my post... Phew! It is quite a challenge to get a good shot of both my girlies. This morning in particular Elly decided she did NOT want to cooperate but blow kisses to the camera. Over and over and over. Even with the best of bribes I could not get big sis to cooperate. Oh well...sometimes those turn out to be the best shots. I think the last one is a top favorite :)

Well hello there Emma!

Little E has officially discovered her hands! Do we have another finger sucker on our hands?

Oh the kissie face...

Pretty in Pink

2011-06-14T11:45:00.000-07:00

Baby girl had her 2 month check-up today! She's a picture of perfection according to Dr. Shaw (which we already knew of course!). She weighed in at 13 lbs. 11 oz. (98th percentile) and measured 22 1/2 inches long (50th percentile). Elly was along for the ride and was mommy's big helper. I tried to mentally prepare her all morning for those nasty shots that baby Emma was going to get. Of the three of us, Elly was by far the most affected by them! "Oh no! My baby Emma! It's ok my baby Emma!" Sweet sis :) We made it home in one piece and Elly enjoyed a picnic while mommy snapped some pictures of the wore out baby Emma. I've been meaning to capture pictures of Emma in the sweet dress given to her by Aunt Marlene. I guess to Emma and Elly, she is their great great Aunt Marlene. Every summer as a child, myself and my cousin Kim would go and spend a week or so with Aunt Marlene and Uncle Bob. I have such fond memories of our time spent with them...trips to the Blue Bell factory, Omni, arboretum even a miniature horse farm! We would spend the hot Houston afternoon in the backyard, swimming in the pool and searching for lizards behind the wall clock (or was it a thermometer??) with Uncle Bob. I hope that one day soon, we can make the trip south with the girls and let them experience a little piece of my past. Love you Uncle Bob and Aunt Marlene!

I think the bloomers are my favorite part!

Taking a break from her lunch to flash a little "cheeeeese"

Today's the Day!

2011-06-13T08:36:00.000-07:00

Elly's first dance class is finally here! I bought her leotard and sweet little tutu last night. The 2-3 leotard was way to small (have I mentioned that I'm buying 3T and even 4T clothes!) so we will be making our way to Target today in hopes that another store has the bigger size. The next big decision...how should we do her hair? The piggies sure are cute :)

2 Months

2011-06-06T19:43:00.000-07:00

Emma Lee is two months old! I'm dying to know her stats but will have to wait until next week. Dr. Shaw is out of town so her 8 week appointment will be on the 16th. As you can tell from the pictures, baby girl is NOT hurting in the weight department! At her last check-up, Dr. Shaw was quite impressed with how "healthy" Emma was...especially for being 100% breastfed! Her personality is emerging a little more each and every day. She has such a sweet disposition and really only fusses when she's hungry or needs a new diaper. I'm pretty sure I even heard the start of a little giggle today :) On to more important news...I think we are on the road to a sleep schedule! Sweet girl slept 7 hours straight the other night! Of course the following night she was up about 3 times. Oh well...I'm holding out hope for tonight :)

Elly can't pass up a photo op with her little sis!

Tap!

2011-05-26T19:07:00.000-07:00

Need I say more?!

The UPS man came bearing gifts to the Roebuck household today! I was like a kid on Christmas when I saw his big truck pull up. I've been waiting patiently to be able to sign Elly up for dance and the time has finally come! Her first class is in about 3 weeks and I couldn't be more excited! I feel a massive blog post coming up :)

Splishin' and a Splashin'

2011-05-25T20:07:00.000-07:00

We've had some crazy weather here in the south! Lots of rain, some hail here and there, and according to Elly, "bery loud sunder!" (very loud thunder). She was quite concerned about the woodpecker that has made a home in a tree in our backyard. Elly and daddy love listening for our little friend. When the rain started the other night she got a little worried...asking continuously about her "wet pecker". Lovely...I know :)

One of the many things we love about our street, are the number of young families. Elly has become quite fond of Colton and Banah (Savanah), a brother and sister who live a few houses down. After a big rain, Elly spotted the pair splishin' and a splashin' down the street with their dad. Ever since, Elly INSISTS on playing in the rain with her daddy! This day in particular, she went sans pants :) If you would have told me 2 years ago that my kid would be playing in the dirty rain water, hair in her face, in a jammie shirt with no pants and homemade "tats" covering her legs, I would have GASPED and told you "not MY child!"

*Update* I think it's safe to say that my big girl is officially potty trained! Woo Hoo! She will even tell me when she has to go. I still ask constantly and usually get the response "ummmm nope" with such certainty! Lately, I'll catch myself just staring at her, trying to soak her up! Love this girl :)

Workshop

2011-05-22T12:07:00.000-07:00

Saturday was spent cashing in my Mother's Day gift! I basically told Kris that for mom's day he was giving me a workshop with my favorite photographer, Heather Essian! She hosted her first ever "mom's and their big ole' camera's" workshop. We splurged on our Canon dslr right around Elly's one year birthday. I have taught myself what I know and feel like I can take a pretty good picture :) For the most part, my camera would stay set on automatic. There is SO much it can do that it can be quite overwhelming! You push a button and all kinds of crazy numbers and letters will pop up on the screen. I just stayed away from all the buttons except the ones that I knew how to use! Heather covered all the basics needed to get the most out of those "big ole' cameras" that we spend ALL that money on. I am pleased to announce that I officially know what ISO, aperture and white balance mean AND I can adjust them to make my pictures even better :)

I love using the light inside my house to snap pics of the girls. It can be tricky if there's not enough natural light. I now know how to set the white balance when my pics get that blue tint that would ruin so many of my pictures! See the difference below...

Moved Emma next to the window to get a little more light...

Changed the WB a little bit to get a warmer color

I'm such a sucker for anything with a monogram :) Sweet gift from Sara Lasater

Thanks Heather for sharing your knowledge with all us mommy's!

One Month

2011-05-09T20:26:00.000-07:00

Well...we've made it a month and everyone is still alive and, for the most part, unscathed! We made it, on time might I add, to the Dr. last week for baby Emma's 4 week checkup. She was a trooper and, of course, received flying colors from Dr. Shaw! She weighed in at 10 lbs. 6 oz. and measured 21 inches. Needless to say, baby girl is not hurting for meals! She is in the 95% for weight and 75% for length. She has been a joy and reminds me SO much of Elly, from her looks to her demeanor. In the last week I've been getting little glimpses of smiles, which of course melt my heart! I'm beyond excited to see the personality that will come out of this little one! Only time will tell :)

Don't you just want to squeeeeze those cheeks! I think they made her a little top heavy ;)

Checking it all out!

Elly had to get in on the pictures. I can't even count the number of times a day I hear the phrase:

"I hold baby Emma!"

FYI...

2011-05-08T12:14:00.000-07:00

...I really hate the new blogging format. I started this post yesterday and got so frustrated trying to get my pictures in the order I wanted, that I am just now finishing it! Hey blog spot people, if it's not broke don't fix it! Just thought you all would like to know :)

Anyways...we've had a rough last few days around here! Friday started out a little sketchy with a clingy, fussy, big sister! I thought it was due to the early, 6 am wake-up. Within a few hours, she had the beginnings of a fever (100.5 not a big deal) which I tried to fend off with Motrin. Fast forward another hour and it was up to 102. By the time we got to the Dr. it was 105! Much to Elly's (and mommy's) dismay, they ruled everything out. We're all pretty sure its strep and will hear tomorrow for sure. Just to be safe, Elly got an antibiotic shot and a prescription for an oral. The last thing we need is for baby to get the same thing :(

Friday was spent crying on the couch and watching Mickey Mouse. Saturday we ventured outside, laid down a blanket and enjoyed the gorgeous weather! She's still not 100%, but doing much better!

Out of nowhere, Elly decided she needed to do a little praying...

She then grabbed Emma's hand and told her "lets pray baby Emma!"

"Aaaaamen!"

The girl LOVES picking these "flowers" ;)

Earth Day

2011-05-04T19:09:00.000-07:00

The arrival of my favorite season, comes hand in hand with frequent trips to one of my favorite places...Calloways Nursery! Sure I can get my flowers cheaper somewhere else, but it's more about the experience than it is about saving a buck. The atmosphere alone can transform a rotten day into a fabulous one! There's just something about it...I love it :)

I decided that my first Calloways trip of the season (which just so happened to be Earth Day!)would be a good trial run for my first time out alone with both of the girls. After finally getting out of the house (I don't know if I will ever be on time again) we arrived at the nursery. I wore Emma in the Baby Bjorn and had Elly "help" with the cart and picking the flowers. It couldn't have gone any better! They both did a great job and we made our way home with a car full of flowers :)

We decided to enlist a little help for all the flowers that needed planting. William and Patrick stopped by to help a girl out!

Go Elly go! Dig in!

William getting his hands dirty! Patrick, in the back, was a little more interested in working on his golf game...

Emma decided to catch up on her beauty sleep!

The finished product...finished off by mommy and Christen :) The three amigos lost interest quickly on our Earth Day project.

All that hard work deserves a sweet treat! Patrick was off working on his swing :)

Easter Fun!

2011-05-01T13:11:00.001-07:00

This year the Roebuck's decided to attend the annual TCU alumni egg hunt! Whoever planned the thing obviously doesn't have young children who nap. The hunt began promptly at 1:30, aka smack dab in the middle of Elly's beauty sleep. Needless to say, she was a bit of a diva and not too cooperative. Oh yeah, not to mention the wind...which was out of control! All in all, it was a good afternoon and we returned home with about 400 mini yoyo's and about 600 bunny stickers.

"You want me to WALK?! Ummm...divas get shoulder rides Daddy!"

Family of Four!

Time to check out the goods! We were hoping to find a golden ticket. No such luck :(

Daddy showing Elly how to use a yoyo...

Please no pictures!!

Where's Elly?

2011-04-14T14:13:00.000-07:00

With Emma of course! One thing is for sure...Elly LOVES her little sister! Wherever Emma is, Elly needs to be right there with her. Her new favorite morning spot is sitting on the coffee table with Emma in her vibrating chair. She sits at the foot of the chair watching her "toons Mickey Mouse". Every now and then, she'll reach up and gently touch her head or her tiny toes. The sweetest is when, out of nowhere, Elly whispers to her sister, "I muh mu baby Emma" and gives her a kiss. "I muh mu" is Elly speak for"I love you". It's enough to melt just about anyone's heart! Oh how I love these girls! Every morning Elly wakes up with the request "watch toons Mickey Mouse!" Emma gets to join in the fun too! Are these just about the sweetest little piggies you've ever seen?! I understand why Elly loves to kiss them!

Introducing...

2011-04-11T10:08:00.000-07:00

Emma Lee Roebuck! Our sweet baby girl came into this world 4/6/11 at 1:39 pm. Weighing in at 7 lbs 12 oz and measuring 19 1/2 inches. It is hard to believe I ever doubted that I could love this little one as much as I love her sister. We bonded from the moment I laid eyes on her :) With this being my second pregnancy, my doctor had given us the option to be induced this time around. I went back and forth with the decision and decided to go ahead with the induction. The last couple weeks were very emotional for me thinking about Elly. My mind never stopped! Worried about how she was going to react to all the changes that were about to happen. Would she be jealous? Would she feel pushed aside? Was I going to have to rip her out of bed in the middle of the night when the time came? With very little control over what was about to happen, I felt an induction could ease my mind about the final of those three! I must say...it was GREAT! We got to the hospital at about 7:30 am. We got the ball rolling around 8:30 when my doctor broke my water and started the pitocin. By about 10:30 I was dilated to a 5 and decided to go ahead with the epidural. Fast forward 2 1/2 hours and it was time to push! I pushed through two contractions when the nurse quickly told me to stop and got on the phone with my doctor. Emma decided she was ready to meet the world, and the nurse! Dr. Z made it to the room moments after the nurse had to deliver Emma! After having to push for 2 hours with Elly, this time around was a breeze! We made our way home on Friday and things have gone as smoothly as can be expected. All my worries about the big sister were thrown out the window when she was introduced to HER baby Emma. She loves to hold, cuddle and kiss her little sister. Her first moments with Emma were filled with smiles, gentle touches and LOTS of "I like it!" Perfection at it's finest :) One last picture (actually my first belly picture this pregnancy...oops!) before we headed to the hospital to get the show on the road! Waiting patiently to meet the little one...

She's here! 7 lbs 12 oz

Daddy's first moments with the littlest lady in his life :)

Signing the paperwork before we headed out on our own. Daddy couldn't resist a picture of those sweet little hands!

All dressed up! This was the dress that my mom and dad took ME home from the hospital in!

BIG sister meeting little sister for the first time. She didn't stop smiling and giggling the entire time. L.O.V.E.

I'm so excited to see what the future holds for our little family of FOUR!

BIG girls...

2011-03-26T21:24:00.000-07:00

...sleep in BIG girl beds! That's right, Elly has made the transition into her new room and new roomy bed! Kris and I bought a gorgeous day bed about 3 weeks ago for our sweet girl. It's been sitting at the furniture store since we didn't have anywhere to put it. I was SO excited for Kris to bring it home and put it together the other day. On another note, Elly being in her new room means only one thing...WE are in OUR new room!!!!! Pictures to come soon of the addition. I need a little time to get things in order :) We've spent the last few days organizing, moving and cleaning. I'm pooped to say the least but I'm a pregnant lady on a mission! I've made great progress on moving Elly and "re-doing" the nursery for Emma (which is staying 95% the same!). As soon as I get a little further with Elly's room, I'll post some pictures. She's going from pink and girlie to color, color and more color! You'll just have to wait in suspense for the finished product :)

While cleaning out the closets, Elly discovered a big ole bag of beanie babies I use for work. She was in heaven! She dumped them all out on the floor and went through each one that she knew. She'd hold it up and tell me what it was, "Mama...bear! Mama...mingo!" (flamingo)

Gathering them all to make sure they are in her reach!

This day in particular was a tutu day :)

Cow and polar bear kisses...true love!

Happy Day Elly!

2011-03-14T15:00:00.000-07:00

Oh happy day to my sweet, sweet cutie pie! Elly loves everything about birthdays. Especially the "loons" (balloons) and singing "Happy Day". It has been her song of choice for quite some time now. "Sing happy day Dadda!" So we sing to Dadda...and Mama, Nana, Papa, Abby, Addie, Will. So on and so on until we make it through ALL her family and friends :) Saturday marked Elly's very special happy day where her friends sang to HER! With our house being such a mess, we decided to opt out of the home birthday party. We made our way to Van Grow Children's Art Studio and it was perfection! They did just about everything! There were 4 different art stations set up; free paint, bead table, crown table and puppet making. All the kiddies made their way from place to place, expressing their creative sides! It was wonderful and I highly recommend it to anyone in the area looking for a fun affordable birthday spot! Wednesday is Elly's actual birthday. We are going to have a special mommy daughter day. Not sure where we may venture to, but I'm sure the day will consist of lots of fun and maybe a stop by the new Nothing Bundt Cake store :) Mmmmm...if you're a Funky Town resident, a stop here is a MUST! I'm determined to try all the flavors of the mini bundtlets. I better do it now while I can still use the pregnancy as an excuse for eating excessive sweets ;)

"HEY FRIENDS!!!! IT"S MY BIRTHDAY!!!!"

Makes me want to cry thinking about my B-I-G 2 year old :(

Making her princess crown with her sucker in hand! I think she had more candy on Saturday than she has had in her entire two years!

Off to make a puppet. Daddy, quit tearing up over your big girl and get those scissors!

I think the paint station was Elly's favorite. She managed to make her way back to this one a few times :)

"Look at my masterpiece!"

BEADS! According to the owner, they have only had one bead in the nose incident! Luckily we didn't have the second on Saturday!

Waiting patiently for her cake! Do you notice the teeny, tiny, itty,bitty red spot by Elly's eye? Can you believe this spot actually landed us in the ER the morning after Elly's Party?! That's a whole other post for a later date!

Thanks Nana for my special cake!

GO Elly, GO!

Happy birthday to my sweet girl! We can't wait for all the special days to come :)

Spring Has Sprung

2011-02-18T18:32:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder...this was two weeks ago today!

As much as we enjoyed our little taste of a REAL winter, we were ready for a little bit of this...

The weather this week has been as close to perfect as it can get! We are taking it all in with the knowledge of what a Texas summer consists of. Hot, hot and a little more HOT. We made our way down the street this afternoon. Elly loves to explore and investigate every rock, bug, stick, acorn (her new favorite!) along the way. Three houses down and back takes about 45 minutes! She's a definite nature lover, that's for sure! Today she decided to collect an array of little "acorns", aka rocks, put them in her pocket and walk to her favorite set of steps. She took all the rocks out of her pocket, cautiously placed them on the steps and started counting. "Two, five, eight." She'd bend over, get a little closer, "two, five, eight." Lay on her tummy, get her face even closer, and with those precious little fingers touching each one, "two, five, eight." This went on for a good 10 minutes! Have I mentioned how much I'm loving this stage? I think it's my favorite of her short little (almost) two years. I do believe I've said that about every stage up to this point :) Sitting back and just watching is pure entertainment!

Purple sparkle Converse All Stars? My kid's cooler than yours ;)

Btw...this dress is 3T!! BIG girl!!

I think I need to get a liiiiiitle closer...

According to Kris, we are about 3-4 weeks out from the addition being 100% complete. For his sake, we better be 3-4 weeks out from 100% completion! Lets do the math...33 weeks pregnant=7 weeks left...7 weeks minus 3-4 weeks= time to PANIC! We have decided to keep the nursery the same and move Elly into her new BIG girl room (currently our room). I want to make her new room extra special and I just don't think I'm going to have the time or energy to put all the "extra" into the special :(

View from the mudroom, through our new master bed, into the master bath. Not sure I'll know what to do with all the space! Cutie doing a once over on the trim work..."looks good guys!"

Makeshift walkway/stairs/Elly's slide. She scoots her booty down the board and makes her way back up to "side" (slide) down again. A splinter is inevitable before it's all said and done. I'm sure of it!

Beloved

2011-02-14T19:17:00.000-08:00

Happy day of love! There has been been plenty of love running throughout the Roebuck house today. Mixed with a few tantrums and time outs as well ;) After breakfast, I told Elly that it was Valentines Day and that I had a present for her. It was the first time I had seen her eyes light up when I mentioned the word present! After this past Christmas, I think she gets the whole "I get to unwrap it and inside there is a special surprise just for me" concept. Immediately she started with..."Presy! Presy!" I was able to get her half dressed before the anticipation was just too much! She tore into it with pure joy written all over her face...and I loved every second of it :) Who would have thought a new Color Wonder (BTW...the greatest invention E.V.E.R.) and stickers could be so exciting!

After opening her "presy" I was able to get her pants on and hair done! The piggies still don't last long but they do last longer than they did before! I had to act quick in order to document the cuteness! I look forward to the day I can get some bows on those pig tails :)

Had to throw in one of Elly's super cute V-Day shirt. Thanks Nina! (My mom, Nana, has evolved into Nina. We have tried and tried for Nana but Elly refuses...Nina it is)

Elly decided to make her own valentines this year. Well...lets be honest here. I made them. I waited for Elly's nap and I went to town. Have I mentioned I'm a little OCD about crafts? I did let her add her own touch to each one before sticking them in the mail ;) Don't be offended if you didn't get one. A mom can only get so much done during nap time!

Current Favorites

2011-02-12T18:18:00.001-08:00

I decided to make a post of Elly's current favorites. These "current favorites" change so very often that I thought it would be nice to document as we reach our next big milestone...2 years! I can't believe how big our cutie is getting and that she is going to be two in just about a month! She's becoming more independent every day and the pictures below show it! One of MY current favorites is to ask, "Hey Elly...are you a baby or a big girl?" She replies with "BIG GIRL!" followed with "Mama's big girl, Dada's big girl, Papa's big girl, Nana's big girl" so on and so on. The family members change...sometimes it includes the dogs. "Hank's big girl" :) So...on with the list!

Walking Sampson, BY HERSELF! Don't even TRY to grab the leash!

Having a tea party. Don't even TRY to pour the tea...aka water ;) "Mama! I DO IT!"

...complete with "mellows". Which also make the fav list.

Edamame. Or as Elly says it, "Uh mama's". Sea Point Farms has frozen Edamame in little Dora snack bags. I must admit, I eat just as many as Elly. They are quite yummy! If I give Elly the bag, "mama bowl!" if I put them in a bowl, "hold bag!" Just no pleasing this child!

Baby Einstein and baby signs movies. Or in Elly speak, "meeba's" close but kinda odd word! They've been in a drawer for the last 6 months. Elly spotted them the other day and has been obsessed (to put it mildly) for the last two weeks. My head may explode if I have to watch these movies one. more. time...
I must admit, I love watching and listening to her as she watches them. Her speech and language is growing like crazy! She will point out and tell you everything that is happening. There's a part of the movie with kids tiptoeing and every time it comes on she yells, "Tiptoe! Tiptoe!" The stupid monkey puppets tickling each other..."monkey tickle!" Makes the speech therapist in me oh so proud ;)

Anything "Pretty". We refer to lots of things as "Elly's pretty's". Especially her tutus! This favorite changes often. Either she loves them and will wear them ALL day or wants nothing to do with them. This particular day she decided she needed to wear it to the sitter's. When I picked her up that afternoon, there she was..."pretty" and all! My sitter said she could barely get it off of her for nap!

Her glasses. Or as she refers to them, her "eyes" :)

Last but certainly not least, the return of Honey Pony! HP had been retired to the attic to make room for Elly's kitchen and all her STUFF (to put it nicely!). With the addition to the house happening, the electrician needed to get up there and do his thing which resulted in a mess of a house! All the stuff we have stored in the attic needed to be brought down for a few days. HP was amongst it all. It was like a late Christmas for Elly. "PONY! PONY!" followed by "RIDE PONY!"

As we get closer and closer to having a two year old, I try to cherish every moment. I don't sit back enough and take it all in. If it's not too late to make a resolution, that's mine! I'm looking forward to her two year check-up and to see all the stats. I'll be sure to update on the blog :)

Snow Day!

2011-02-01T09:28:00.000-08:00

What better reason to jump back on the blog than to document our first snow day of the year here in North Texas?! Things started out a little sketchy when the power went out at about 4:00am. Come 6:30, the house was starting to get a little chilly. We actually used the gas stove to heat the house. Yes...a little ghetto and a little unsafe with a curious toddler running around! Luckily, power came back on at about 8:00 and we were able to cook up a big southern breakfast and start to enjoy our snow day! We made it out long enough to say hello to our neighbors and for mommy to get a few pictures to document Elly's second snow day. She enjoyed this one a little more than the last...

December of 2009

Too bad the wind was howling and it was bitter cold. We headed back in and tried out a little hot cocoa. Surprisingly, Elly is NOT a fan. I have tried giving her chocolate milk once and she started gagging! Hot chocolate was no different. Oh well, what can I say...I've got a healthy one on my hands :)

Hmmm...what's this white stuff? Is it edible?

What do us Texans do when we get a little snow??? We do whatever it takes to stay warm!

Our neighbor Matt Lewis sporting his wife's scarf.

Jessica Lewis sporting one glove and a sock to keep her little fingers warm!

Here's to having power, no work and snow day 2011!

Night, Night

2011-01-09T18:02:00.001-08:00

Tonight I was able to catch a picture of Elly's new (and favorite) part of her night, night routine...Getting into bed with dad and watching a few of her, as she refers to them, "toons." She takes this very serious and it's ONLY to be dad and Elly. I tried to lay down with them tonight and was welcomed with a very hostile "NO NIGH NIGH MOMMA!" as she ever so lovingly pushed me off the bed. Tonight the "toon" of choice was Dora...

Good thing Kris doesn't read my blog...not his most flattering shot!

**Christmas pictures to come soon! I've taken a short hiatus from the blog lately!

Sugar and Spice...

2010-12-19T20:01:00.001-08:00

Cookies that is! Elly and I put to good use a gift that I received from my Secret Santa at work... An entire set for the perfect cookie making experience! Elly could have transferred the flour mixture back and forth from bowl to bowl...ALL...DAY...LONG. She threw a major diva fit when it was time to mix it all up. She got over it quickly and, just as quickly, was unamused by the cookies (which would explain why the dough is still chilling in the fridge!)

It turned out to be quite a lazy Sunday. The laundry sat for another day, the house stayed a little more cluttered than usual and cutie walked around in her diaper until noon! Sometimes that's just what you need to recharge the soul :) Maybe tomorrow we'll get around to using the Christmas cookie cutters and finish what we started!

Elly thought it was great fun to blow on the flour mixture and watch it fall to the floor. It was around that time that mommy decided it was time to move on to the next step!

I'm now taking appointments...

2010-12-12T19:15:00.001-08:00

Just kidding! The whole "taking pictures of people other than my daughter" thing, just about causes me to break out in hives! My friend/supervisor at work had asked if I would snap a few family pictures for her. They hadn't had any done in quite some time and didn't want to go to a stiff, stuffy studio to have new ones done. I decided I needed to step out of my comfort zone and give it a "shot" (Ha!). Here are some of my favorites :)

The PRECIOUS Carpenter family

Had to throw in the all too typical sibling shot!

Jack and Anna are such cuties! The pic of the two of them below was by far my favorite :)

*By the way...I'm LOVING the new Pictage Picnik for my editing. It's does everything Lightroom does, minus the $300 price tag (It's free with Pictage, but you can pay to upgrade to get ALL the goodies)!

RIP...

2010-12-12T07:41:00.000-08:00

...Mr. Hoo Hoo :( First thing this morning, Elly ran to the Christmas tree pointing to MY Mr. Owl. She would point to him and look to me "Hoo, hoo...Hoo, hoo." I told her that that was mommy's Hoo hoo! While putting away our laundry, the little stinker climbed up on the cedar chest and snatched my owl off the tree!!!!! I walked in to her room to find THIS...

Craft Day

2010-12-11T17:08:00.001-08:00

As the weather gets a little chilly, I've been racking my brain for ideas to keep Elly busy and content, while staying toasty and warm! We made our way to the children's museum not too long ago where Elly discovered the play grocery store! She pushed her cart around that place like a crazy housewife on a mission :) Unfortunately, it's just not cost efficient to go every weekend. Today I decided to try out my first real craft with Elly! We started out simple, not too messy, not too complicated...a cute peel and stick owl ornament. I do crafts often with my kiddos at work and have always had...well, I guess you could call them control issues! I like for our crafts to turn out PERFECT. You know, the way they look in the picture. I always said I would be the mom who did her kids school projects :) This craft was no different. I would peel the sticker and put the piece exactly where it should have gone. Elly would watch and tell me "push, push!" and she would puuuuush it to make sure it was on tight! She LOVED it! I must admit, she REALLY LOVED pulling off all the owls parts and sticking them anywhere and everywhere...

Her mouth, the furniture, her face...

Of course IN her mouth...

And even on poor Sampson!

Elly caught in the act of torturing her poor owl! Good thing there were two in the package, mommy got to do one to her satisfaction and hang it high on the tree to keep him safe ;)

*Did you notice the gut on my little Cutie?!

Playdates and Parks

2010-12-05T19:36:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago Elly decided it had been WAY too long since she had spent some good quality time with her BFF Abby! The Patrick's made their way to Fort Worth and we had a picnic at the Botanic Gardens. It was so fun to watch the girls run around and actually enjoy each others company! They are finally to the age where they play WITH one another rather than do their own thing in the general vicinity of the other. I can't wait to see how their friendship develops over the years. Who knows what's to come for baby Owen and baby girl Roebuck #2...I think Colin and Jenn would make lovely in-laws ;)

Oh Abby...are you ready for some FUN?

Heck yeah! I'm on my way!

Maybe start with a little grass picking...

Followed by a little rolling down the hill...

A quick hug to recharge...

And end it all with a little fun in the fountain!

If I remember correctly, before Elly handed over this glance, mommy had given "the look" followed by a stern "Elly, don't you climb up on that fountain."

Surprise, surprise, she ended up on the time out bench!

WOW!

2010-11-24T09:53:00.000-08:00

Kris's parents got us a video camera for Christmas last year. Of course, when I tried to turn it on this morning, the battery was dead. I whipped out my old digital camera at the last minute and was able to catch a bit of Elly's reaction when she saw the Christmas tree all lit up! Unfortunately, I didn't get her huge GASP and grin when she spotted it! It was priceless! It's not the best quality of video but you get the idea. The REAL video camera is charging as I type this. It will be ready to go for Christmas morning when Elly discovers the treats the big jolly guy left her...that is if she is a good girl for the remainder of the holiday season :)

It's official...

2010-11-23T19:22:00.000-08:00

It's Christmas time in the Roebuck household! I usually try to wait until after Thanksgiving but this year I decided to get a little jump start. Elly and I are making our way to Granbury tomorrow afternoon to get ready for...drum roll please...my first ever Thanksgiving preparation! I will be doing the TURKEY!!! My friend Ali and I took a Turkey Day cooking class a few weeks back so I'm fairly confident in my ability to turn out an edible main course. To ease myself in slowly, I will be doing this under the strict supervision of my mother ;)

The finished product! I'm still without a tree topper :( I just can't seem to find one I like. They all seem so gaudy!

We actually have our first gift under the tree! Thanks Gallemore's Elly can't wait to rip into it! Literally...she's been eyeing it ever since I brought it home last week :) I'm curious to see what kind of trouble cutie will get into with the tree this year.

Decisions, decisions...

2010-11-19T19:27:00.000-08:00

After finding the perfect holiday dress for Cuite (GAP $5.00!), I've been wanting to get out to try to snap a few shots for our family Christmas card. Well, lets face it...Elly's Christmas card. Nobody really cares much for Kris and me anymore ;) The beautiful weather is fading fast, so I took full advantage of the beautiful afternoon. The minute Kris walked in the door, I told him to turn right back around. Actually, I think it came out more like this, "Turn around! We're losing the light!!!!!" We headed out to TCU where Elly hammed it up with EVERY student that passed by! She would wave and yell "Hiiiii!" If they would humor her with a hello in return, she would run off and try to follow them back to their dorm. Needless to say, she was pooped and had an early bedtime tonight!

With a bit of editing, I think I got a few keepers. I'll keep the big winner a secret. You'll just have to wait to get the masterpiece in the old school way...snail mail! I guess this kicks off the holiday season for the Roebuck family :)

Shipley's!

2010-11-06T08:04:00.000-07:00

I came across some pictures from our weekend away and forgot to post one of my favorites! For our last morning in Greune, we decided to hit up the local donut shop before we made our way out of town. What better way for Elly to experience her first donut than at the Texas staple...Shipley's!

I'll take a sprinkle please...and don't forget the chocolate milk!

Pumpkin For Our Punkin

2010-11-04T18:22:00.000-07:00

I was determined to get our little punkin out to a pumpkin patch this year! We tried a few weeks ago and got rained out. Last weekend was our last chance to make it out to the sticks to visit Mainstay Farm. I had it all planned out perfectly. Elly was up early so I figured we'd do an early lunch, followed with a nap, then head out around 1:30 or 2. Elly, who makes her own plans, decided she didn't need a nap. So, needless to say, our pumpkin hunting didn't last too long. She did enjoy picking up all the mini pumpkins and moving them all over the place. As the seconds ticked, she decided to start throwing the mini pumpkins. We decided it was time to move on to the next activity...the hay ride! Surprisingly, she did really well. Miss Independent does NOT like to sit still, especially in my lap. We had a snack and sippy cup, which kept her pretty happy. All in all it was a good day and I got some pictures to prove we made it there. I'm already looking forward to next year. There were lots of fun activities for older kids that Elly will love. See you in a year Mainstay Farm!

One of Elly's favorite games...jump to daddy! "Ready...Set...GO!"

Ok...maybe not. This is a little high!

Hay ride with mommy!

We didn't even get out of the parking lot before Elly decided she DID need a nap :)

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T20:39:00.001-07:00

October has come and gone and cutie girl has another Halloween under her belt! It turned out to be a great night with lots of family and wonderful friends. Elly stayed up WAY too late (proven by the two hand fulls of MY hair she yanked out in the midst of an "up too late tantrum") but it was well worth it. It's way past MY bedtime, so here's a mini post and a few pictures of my little cheerleader ready to make her way out in search of all that sugary goodness! We actually didn't do any trick-or-treating. Elly was quite content putting candy in other kids bags and attempting the occasional escape with the family that seemed a little bit cooler than her own. I think I need to invest in one of those harness/leash contraptions that they try to make "cute" by making the leash into some kind of animal tail :)

Too cool for school...

Enough with the pictures it's time to trick-or-treat!

Come on mom! I'm going with or without you!

Goooo Team!

2010-10-17T11:05:00.000-07:00

After missing the last TCU tailgate and game, we made sure to make it out this weekend to cheer on our Frogs! We finally got the TCU cheerleader uniform that Elly's Nana ordered for her. I'm not sure how we have lived without it! Does she not make the cutest little future Frog you've ever seen? We broke it in on Saturday and will do a little trick-or-treating in it on Halloween :)

This is the best full on picture I could get. Once she gets her paws on mommy's water bottle, there's no getting it back!

Borrowing Ali's necklace. You never know who you may run into at the TCU football games ;)

This little guy was sitting on the bleachers next to us. He was so cute and got a real kick out of Elly.

"You can be the quarterback, and I'll be the head cheerleader!"

"Touchdown TCU...I think we should kiss..."

Gruene, Tx...Part 2

2010-10-12T17:46:00.000-07:00

As Waylon Jennings sang, "Lets go to Luckenbach, Tx. With Waylon and Willie and the boys." Well...this time it was Mommy and Daddy and the babe :) For those of you non Texans, Luckenbach is a VERY small town in Texas. It is so small that the town consists of one thing...a post office! I'm not sure when, but the post office was transformed into a gift shop and bar that is known throughout the state for it's live Texas country music. We had to make the stop to get our Luckenbach t-shirts. The back reads, "Everybody's somebody in Luckenbach", and that's no lie :)

Elly enjoying the local music. Hopefully this will be the one and only time she will be dancing on top of a bar!

Again, for you non Texans, Gruene is known for two things. Gruene Hall (the oldest working dance hall in Texas) and the GRISTMILL!! It is located right in the middle of town, overlooking the Guadalupe River. It has gorgeous scenery and amazing food! We'd had a long day so Cutie didn't last too long. Even shoveling our food in our mouths, it was quite delicious :)

The many lemon faces of Elly! The girl loves a good lemon :) She even eats the rind...kinda gross if you ask me.

Somewhere along the way, Elly lost a white shoe. How lucky that there was a random brown sandal in the car that fit the same foot! We got many smiles from people walking down the sidewalk :)

"Wait a minute! What's that noise coming from this place?! Could it possibly be..."

"...Gruene Hall! It is, it is!"

Elly got her groove on, right there on the sidewalk. She's quite the little ham. LOVES attention from anyone and everyone! If someone says hi to her or waves in her direction, they are her new best friend. Every ounce of her personality comes from Kris. Neither have ever met a stranger :)

Greune, TX

2010-10-02T14:59:00.001-07:00

So, I'm a few weeks behind on the timeline. Oh well...It's here now!

The Roebuck's were quite disappointed after having to cancel our much anticipated beach get-a-way to Gulf Shores, Al. Due to the oil spill (thanks BP!) the beaches were closed and according to the rental property owners "there's a funny smell in the air but you can still come and enjoy the pool!" We decided to scrap it all and make our way south to Greune, TX and enjoy the hill country! It was much needed and a great little weekend retreat. I have so many pictures to share so I'm thinking this may be post 1 of 3 :)

On our way! Kris took this picture and at what angle...I'm not so sure! I love the HUGE smile and just had to share :)

Our first morning there we enjoyed coffee at a little shop down the street from our house. Elly decided she was going to head out into the great unknown...sans mom and dad of course!

"Ya'll go on without me. I'll blow you a kiss to remember me by!"

Our first full day, we made the trek to Fredericksburg. I have ALWAYS wanted to go. I usually envisioned a romantic weekend away, enjoying the wineries in the area. With a toddler in tow and a bun in the oven, it wasn't quite the romantic wine sipping weekend I had always had in mind ;) I did enjoy every minute and can't wait to go back!

Elly doesn't SIT in the stroller...she prefers to PUSH it!

Loved this!

Well...that's all I've got for now. We're off to celebrate Kris's big 3-0 with some great friends. I'm going to leave you in suspense as to where we stopped on way out of Fredericksburg. I'll give you a clue...we went to hang out with "Willie and Waylon and the boys"

Don't Worry...

2010-09-26T17:18:00.000-07:00

...I'm still alive! I'm a little ashamed that it's been so long since my last blog post. It was brought to my attention that my Grandmother pulls up my blog every morning while she drinks her coffee. She has been a little disappointed with my short hiatus from the blogging world! So this one's for YOU Grandma! I'm actually working on a monster post from our family weekend getaway to Gruene, Tx. So, until then, here's a little something to tide you over...Cutie with Pigtails! Does it get any cuter? I guess a couple pink bows would top it off :)

Hey Elly...

2010-09-07T18:33:00.001-07:00

...do you have a secret?

I do, I do!

Are you ready for this?

That's right...a B*I*G sister!

Oh! Is that an ant?

That's right friends and family...Baby Roebuck will be here mid April! We are very excited and very eager to add on to this house!!! 1,200 sq ft just won't cut it anymore ;)

Big Girl!

2010-08-31T18:30:00.000-07:00

Elly has officially mastered the spoon! She's been using a fork for quite some time now, but I've held off on the spoon due to my own selfish reasons...the MESS! I decided to give her the reigns the other day and she took to it like an old pro. She loves her cereal and eats every last bit!

B*I*G girl bite!

Sometimes the spoon gets a little sideways action :)

Oops! Don't worry mom...I've got this under control!

**These pics were taken on the same day as the post below. This is not the only shirt my girl wears :)

Panamanian Princess

2010-08-23T19:17:00.001-07:00

As Kris was finishing up a little yard work the other day, Elly decided she needed to give the yard a once over...just to make sure her daddy didn't miss a spot. He pulled out the blower and she started to squeal! Kris would blow her hair back and she would laugh and tell him "mmmo, mmmo!" That would be 'more' for those of you who need a little help with the translation.

Get me, get me!!!!

Kris's step mom got Elly this super cute, and oh so colorful, hand stitched mola (it's a Panamanian thing...you wouldn't get it ;) ) t-shirt when she went to Panama this summer. I love it and am looking for a cute black tulle skirt to diva it up a bit!

My Baby's Baby

2010-08-14T14:30:00.000-07:00

Elly has rediscovered her baby doll, and it is just about THE cutest thing I have ever seen! She will pick her up, pat her on the back, give her kisses, push her in the stroller and even share her sippy cup with her baby! We decided to brave the heat and take baby for a little stroll down the sidewalk. Have I mentioned that the Roebuck's are SO ready for fall? I'm sweating just looking at these pictures...

Uh oh! Baby had a little fall!

It's ok baby...mommy kisses make everything better!

Back in the stroller...we have a walk we need to finish!

We have been doing some serious work on the house to get it ready to put on the market by the end of the year. This little family needs some more space...like...yesterday! Pictures like the one below make me a little sad to think we may be leaving our neighborhood :( The trees and character of the homes warm my heart :)

Christmas In August

2010-08-10T07:11:00.000-07:00

Elly has discovered Kris's new magnetic tape measure. It has been like Christmas around here the last few days! She discovered yesterday that it will stick to the washer and dryer. She has been walking around the house trying to stick it to everything...including ME! She'll walk up and try it on my leg...my arm...my tummy. When it doesn't stay, she'll move on to the next object. She has been trying feverishly to put it on the kitchen chairs! Maybe we have a future scientist on our hand :)

What the?! This thing is magic!

Let's try this one more time...

LOOK! No hands!

It even works on the SIDE of the dryer!

Bath Time...

2010-08-04T18:27:00.000-07:00

...for the dog that is. Thanks to Jen for her blog post about the dog bath. Reminded me of the pictures I've been meaning to post!

Hank was WAY overdue for his quarterly bath. Once Elly arrived, both dogs have kinda gone to the wayside when it comes to their baths! Not that they mind...they both HATE getting wet. Hank was a Katrina rescue dog, enough said! Cutie did a little supervising when the time came. She wasn't too sure about the actual cleaning of Hank, but as we all know, if there's a hose around she's all in.

"Dad, I'm going to let you do all the dirty work...I'll just let you know if you're doing it wrong."

She started out bone dry...got a little wet on accident...

...and finished the job off with the hose to the neck!

Of course, we ended up half naked running around the backyard. But look...the bow remains!!!

The next picture may seem like some sort of cruel punishment but she likes it, I swear! Elly will run up to Kris to be sprayed then turn and run away squealing with laughter!

Museum Time

2010-08-02T10:30:00.000-07:00

With a light work week ahead of me, I decided to take the day off to spend just mommy and daughter! I have been wanting to take her to the new science museum and with 100+ weather, today was the perfect day. We've been once before but Elly was a little young to really enjoy it. We ended up meeting Cutie's friend Anna Claire! The girls had a great time and Elly didn't stop moving the ENTIRE time we were there!

"Hey Friend, would you like to play?"

Cheeese! Do you see my pretty shoes?

We were able to spend a little time in the outside area. Elly LOVED the water tables! It didn't last long...that 100+ heat takes it out of you!

Elly no longer walks...she R--U--N--S everywhere!!!

Quiet Time

2010-07-25T06:34:00.000-07:00

I've started to realize that when chatter stops, I should get concerned! The majority of the time Cutie is doing something that she shouldn't. The other times, I can peek into her room and catch her doing a little reading up in her big chair! We usually have a couple books on her little table, left over from story time the night before. She'll crawl up in her comfy chair, move back and forth to make it rock, and one by one go through all the books that are at her reach! It is so sweet :)

She recently discovered a box of mini books all about animals (which is what she's reading below!). She loves them! She'll open the box, pull out every one, cry until I put them back in and repeat. It's TONS of fun ;)

The other quite times...she's probably doing something like this!

I was finishing up some laundry, took her clothes to her room and came back to find THIS!

Just In Case...

2010-07-19T19:12:00.000-07:00

Just in case you weren't aware...

With my purse, ponytail and sassy sandals :)

Breakfast Please

2010-07-18T06:40:00.000-07:00

My little climber has graduated from her rocking chair to the kitchen table! I was checking my email yesterday and turned around to find Elly sitting in one of our kitchen chairs just watching me! For those who haven't seen our itty bitty house, my laptop is on the bar top directly across from the kitchen table. It took the girl 2.5 seconds to climb up into that chair! Little monkey :) I caught her in the act again this morning. This time I was prepared with the camera :)

What's for breakfast?

CHEEESE!

Texas Summers and 16 Months

2010-07-17T07:54:00.000-07:00

Texas summers are just NO fun! It is so unbearably hot, being outside is not much of an option. Like her Mommy and Daddy, Elly gets quite stir crazy sitting in the house all day. She loves going to Miss Kelly's where she gets to play with her friends all day (seriously, she can't get away from me quick enough when we get to her door!), but when we are at home she gets bored with just plain old Mom to play with. We decided to go for a swim first thing in the morning...before it hits 107! I have to admit, I actually joined Elly in the pool last weekend. I'm sure it was a sight to see but in the Texas summer, a girl does what she has to do!

Filling up the pool...cutie takes this job VERY serious!

Put down the hose and jump on in!

Wait a minute...What happened to the water???

Her new favorite...standing up and falling on her booty to make a B*I*G splash :)

She would fall, laugh and start clapping :)

Her new favorite word...Ewwwwwww! When she sees something that is a little odd, she'll scrunch her face, point at it say "Ewwwww" until you pick it up. Lately we've had a little problem with Cutie going poopie in the tub (definitely EWWWWW!). It TERRIFIES her! She'll start freaking out with "Ewwww" galore until Daddy cleans it up! Yes, Daddy. That's his job :)

What's that I see? Bird poop! Her best "Ewwwww" face :)

We've been working on a "cheeeese" face as well. I actually use the cheese face when we brush teeth! "Elly, say CHEEESE!" She'll smile and imitate "Teeeees"

I can't believe our girl is 16 months! She has quite a personality and shows it! She had a full on conversation with a plumber across the street the other day. Literally, we were on our sidewalk and he was fixing some pipes on the house across the street. She stood in our driveway jabbering away, waving her hands in the air for a good 5 minutes. He was a good sport and humored her by returning the conversation. She knows a few signs that she uses regularly now. She can tell you; more, please, cookie and all done. Her vocab is also growing by the day! She has quite a few words that she uses regularly; mommy, daddy, shoe, go, bubbles, doggie, are the main ones. I've been working on 'more' and 'please' but she doesn't want much to do with them. She imitated tweezers (more like teesahs!) this morning but won't say 'please' or 'more'! Have I mentioned that the girl does WHAT she wants WHEN she wants! Kris says she gets her hard head from me. I beg to differ!

The Small Things

2010-07-14T18:41:00.000-07:00

While paying some bills tonight, I suddenly had an old memory flood back to me. It made me realize the impact of the small things and how they can leave funny memories of their own! It may be the wine talking, but I'm feeling a little "journal-ie" tonight. Since I don't have a journal, the next closest thing would be my good ole blog!

It all started with an ADD evening (started cleaning the tub, realized I still had towels in the dryer, went to fold towels, saw some bills that needed paying, started writing checks, went to get my address labels which are by the dryer, forgot about my towels and finished folding them...I'm exhausted just typing that!). As I was putting my address labels on a few bills, and sipping wine in between, I remembered when my mom would let me pick out my own address labels as a kid. She would hand me the catalogue and I would thumb through it a million times dog-earing the pages of ones that I took a liking to. Bears dancing on a piano jumps out at me! Do you remember those mom?! Who would have thought that address labels would do that to a 10 year old! Being a mommy of my own now, I hope that I remember the impact of the little things. It's not always about the biggest, best and most expensive...sometimes a little sticky paper with words and numbers (and maybe a dancing bear or two) will make the most impact :)

Can't blog without Cutie!! We just finished up Elly's swim lessons!! She sure enjoyed the first couple lessons. After that she was bored and ready to do her own thing. That pretty much sums up our days...The girl knows what she wants and will scream until she gets it ;)

Hey Nana...

2010-07-11T19:03:00.000-07:00

...can you make us cousin's something cool???

Growing up in Utah, my parents had a "professional hopscotch" painted on our back patio. Is there such a thing? Well...it was pretty cool so it must have been professional ;) I remember having an entire collection of Hoppy Taws that I cherished as though they had a stash of gold inside! I thought they (and I) were the coolest! So...when Elly asked her Nana to make something super cool for she and her cousins, of course her Nana made a hopscotch!

"Go Austin go!"

"Hey guys! Wait for me!"

Cutie strikin' a pose ;)

Happy 4th x2

2010-07-07T19:38:00.000-07:00

My goal for the weekend...to get a picture of all the cousins together in their red, white and blue! We have a cute one from last year and I want to keep the tradition alive! I guess my first mistake was waiting until bedtime to take it...DUH! After her bath, I got Cutie all gussied up in her RWandB. She was perfectly happy cruising the backyard and checking out flowers. Things started to go down hill the moment we stuck her on Meghan's lap. She wanted down...NOW!

Perfectly content doing her own thing. God forbid you try to make her do YOUR thing :)

1st shot...not too bad, but starting to get a little concerned.

Starting to get a little angry. Would have been the perfect shot...geesh Elly! ;)

This is when all hell broke loose!

Put her down...happy as a clam :)

CURLS!!!!

Somewhere in the mix of things we held a fishy funeral. Complete with burial and not so elegant words from Uncle Kris.

And of course...fireworks!

All in all it was a fun filled and jam packed weekend. Can't wait 'till next year!

Happy 4th...

2010-07-06T20:36:00.001-07:00

...and 3rd and 5th! Whew, what a weekend! I have so many great pictures that I am going to have to break it up in two posts :)

The Roebuck's started off a great weekend with the annual Ryan Place 4th of July parade. This year it was actually held of the 3rd. To be honest, we actually forgot about it until we saw a firetruck heading down our street. So, unfortunately, cutie is not decked out in her red, white and blue. Oh well...we had plenty of that in the days following!

My favorite float! For those of you non Fort Worth-ians, The FW zoo opened up a fabulous new amphibian exhibit...the MOLA (Museum Of Living Art).

Maybe I was a little partial to the GIANT horned frog tagging along ;)

Saturday afternoon, we headed out to Granbury to take in some Independence Day weekend festivities. We had one pooped little girl on our hands! We were able to see off Grandpa, Nana and the cousin's as they headed on their way to the golf cart parade. After a few trips down to the runway and through the grass, Elly was DONE! We made our way back to the house to rest up for the 4th!

My little Amelia Earhart striking a pose on the runway ;)

I'm spent! Take me to my kingdom!

Off to the parade!

What did I ever do...

2010-07-03T10:42:00.000-07:00

...before I had my cell?!

The Roebuck's have taken full advantage of the last few overcast days. We hadn't been on the bikes lately, nor had we taken Elly to park. So, what did we do? Loaded Cutie up in the bike trailer and made our way down to Tillery! The clouds have been a nice change from the blazing sun, but our trip didn't last long due to humidity that you could have sliced with a knife! The heat didn't seem to phase Elly. She was off! With her cell of course ;) The girl didn't put the thing down the ENTIRE time we spent at the park. Not to mention the entire way to and from! On the way home we heard a frantic scream...translated baby speak, "STOOOOOP!!!! I've dropped my PHOOOOONE!!!" Sure enough, she had dropped it onto the floor of the bike trailer. She is so stinkin' funny when it comes to that phone. She'll carry it around, stop mid stride, put it up to her ear and have a full on conversation. She has even started imitating us by holding it, hand less, between her shoulder and ear. Too funny :)

"See ya! I've got things to do and people to talk to!"

She would fall, get back up and check to make sure her phone was in good shape :)

"Hold on dad, I've got a text coming in..."

The tongue swings creeps me out a little bit. Elly sure liked it. Not that you can tell by her lack of enthusiasm! She was SO busy that she didn't crack many smiles today.

It wouldn't be a trip to the park without daddy having some fun too!

Drinking It Up...

2010-06-26T19:00:00.001-07:00

...summer that is! Well...and a little drizzle from the hanging pots ;) Cutie and I were doing a little project managing while Daddy was watering the plants. Someone has to make sure the job gets done correctly! When I gave Kris the stink eye as he started to spray us, Elly decided to take matters into her own hands. If she wasn't going to get the hose, she was going to get water from SOMEWHERE! That "somewhere" turned into the hanging pots :)

*LOVE* the clasped hands!!!! Pure excitement!!!!

We made it down the street tonight to a good friends baby shower/backyard FIESTA! I must say...it was THE coolest baby shower I have ever been to :) Complete with a Texas country band. Elly was in heaven! She circled that backyard about 1,ooo times! Up the porch stairs, down the porch stairs, off to get her boogie on to the music (I keep meaning to get her dance moves on video!), around the tree, back to the stairs. Over...and...over...and...over again. The pictures below say it all. The girl was P*O*O*P*E*D! Bad blog mommy didn't bring the camera :( Don"t worry, I'm slapping my own hand as you read this. I snapped a couple shots when we got home, as she was walking around like a zombie!

Morning Routine

2010-06-23T20:26:00.000-07:00

I know I shouldn't let it happen, but Elly loves to sit on top of the coffee table! In the mornings, while watching Baby Einstein, I'll sip my coffee on the couch and Elly will sip her milk atop the coffee table :) She'll glance at her movie then turn and glance at me, beaming with a look of "Are you seeing me? Up here, like a big girl? Eye level with you?" Well...I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when I walked in this morning to see her on the table, remote in hand, waiting for our morning routine! I guess I need to start working a little more on how to get DOWN from the table. The head dive approach doesn't make for a pleasant morning :)

"Try to take it from me...I DARE YOU!"

One of Elly's new favorites is to walk into a room, close the door behind her and wait..."Ellllllyyyy, where arrrreeeee you?" She'll slowly open the door, peek her head around and give you the sweetest little grin as if saying "Here I am Mommy!" On occasion, she has a little trouble re-opening the door. But don't worry, she lets you know! The girl has a MAJOR set of lungs!
*My Girl is so stinkin' tall that dresses don't leave much to the imagination! It wasn't an issue in the cooler weather, since we would stick a pair of leggings under. In 100+ heat...the girl is going to be showing some leg! Don't you wanna give 'em a little pinch?
*Mommy needs to work on the de-wrinkle cycle ;)

Testing, Testing...123

2010-06-21T12:22:00.001-07:00

As you can tell...I've been doing a little work on the blog! I'm tired of the same old, same old, that I've had from the get go. What better way to display my new B-I-G pictures than with the cutiest booty you've ever seen? Well, I'll answer that question myself...There is no better way to display them!

Oh my! That is THE most cutie booty I've ever laid eyes on ;)

Imperfect Perfection?

2010-06-15T20:10:00.000-07:00

Does that even make sense? After a tough last couple of days, the title is completely appropriate! Being a typical woman, I spent the day stirring over a simple conversation that Kris and I had last night. In SOOOO not Hayley fashion, I brought it up in a calm collected manner this evening on the patio. I usually prefer to be distant and (admittedly) a little snotty, until Kris drags it out of me! Low and behold...the matter was solved! Hmmm...I may be on to something here ;) I spent the rest of the evening taking in my little family...who might I add is SOOOO the ad campaign for imperfect perfection!

Man made rain storm! Have I mentioned how much Cutie L.O.V.E.S the hose and water?

Naked, sagging diaper, bug bite on the back...she wouldn't have it any other way! A year ago I would have NEVER let MY child run around this way ;)

Literally, sucking the water out of her shirt! I swear she is given water and milk throughout the day! She LOVES doing this!

"Hmmm honeysuckle...Sounds delish!"

Remnants of the half eaten flower, snotty nose, half naked...picture of MY imperfect perfection. Which, might I add, I wouldn't have any other way :)

Thirsty?

2010-06-14T19:43:00.000-07:00

Daddy was doing a little watering tonight and Elly was NOT about to miss out on a little hose action! The water hose, by far, tops Cutie's list of favorite things she's experienced in her short (almost) 15 months. Splashing, spraying and of course slurping straight from it! She's been a little under the weather and this was just what she needed :)

"Hey mom! Get in on a little of this action!"

Elly's favorite part...lapping it up!

"Thanks dad for a great afternoon! Does this count as my bath?"

Cousin Love

2010-06-08T20:08:00.000-07:00

Elly and I headed out to Granbury this past weekend for a little cousin love! It was so fun to watch them all interact with one another. Elly is really starting to look up to her big cousins. She follows them around and wants to do whatever it is they are doing! For the most part, they love to kiss and hug on "their Baby Elly"...as for the last little bit of that part, they dump water on her head, cover her with shammy's, and squirt her in the face with the craaaazzzzy water hose. Good thing Elly isn't too sensitive. She obviously didn't get my personality...I'm sure I would have been scarred for life!

Craaaazzzzy hose!

"Awwww...come on cousin Austin"

"Oh wait, I think I like this!"

Sweet boy

"Awww...come on cousin Kalynn"

Sweet girl :)

"Sorry for covering you with a shammy My Baby Elly"

It's official...

2010-06-05T08:32:00.000-07:00

We have a walker! Elly took her first steps, by herself, about two months ago. The whole "walking thing" never really interested her. Cutie's quick on the floor, and she knew it! This past weekend she decided that the whole "walking thing" was pretty cool after all :) It is now her main mode of transportation!

"Watch out world...HERE I COME!"

OHHHHHHH that belly! I just want to eat it up!

And just in case you didn't know...sunglasses go on your NECK not your eyes :)

FOOOUUUURRRR...

2010-05-29T13:05:00.001-07:00

The day Kris has been anticipating finally arrived! Daddy and daughter's first golf tournament! We decided to brave the heat and head out to Colonial Country Club for the annual tournament. Kris got star struck by seeing Steve Stricker tee off, while I got dirty looks from golf fans. Their eyes said it all..."Soooo, you're one of THOSE people who bring a chatty toddler to a golf tournament." Oh well...My eyes said a little something of their own "Get over it snobs!"

On the bus headed to the grounds.

*Fast forward...no camera's allowed on the grounds and I didn't want to risk mine being confiscated!

On the way back to the car. Daddy and daughter pooped! Elly sporting her Susan G Komen bracelet...In her mouth of course!

"I love my daddy!"

"Elly, this is where all the rich people live. Become friends with their kids."

"Weeeeee!!!!! No carseat!!!!!!"

"Mom...Dad...Can we move over to this side of the tracks?"

Here's one...

2010-05-26T18:28:00.000-07:00

...for the baby book! While changing Elly's diaper the other day, I mistakenly let her play with the bottle of powder. I figured that my sweet girl couldn't possibly twist the lid to open it. Well...I figured out that she can't twist the lid open, but she CAN pry the lid off with her teeth! Powder everywhere!!!! Good Daddy grabbed the camera and started snapping away. I think this will be one to show Elly's future boyfriend ;)

"Oh mom...why do you always have to ruin my fun?"

At least Cutie will have powder soft skin :)

Splishin' and Splashin'

2010-05-24T18:35:00.000-07:00

...and PLENTY of laughin'! Elly and I spent the afternoon with her BFF Abby last Saturday. Her mommy must really love her...not only do they have a mini pool, they have a brand spanking new water table! I have been looking into getting a sand/water table for Elly. Our afternoon confirmed that this is a must! They would go from the water table, to the pool, back and forth, back and forth. Who knew that would make for such great entertainment! After a couple hours, I had one pooped baby, whose water logged diaper weighed more than she did! Thanks for a great play date Jenn and Abby! Can't wait for the next time :)

I just HAD to start with this angelic face! Pure innocence :)

Let's get this party started!

Sweet Elly in her Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny White and Blue Fish Bikini! (Diaper...pre-water)

I think Colin and Jenn may have a future ballerina on their hands :)

Abby would splash, Elly would crack up...

...Abby would laugh at Elly cracking up! Too cute!

Elly's no stranger to helping herself to a drink. She does it every night in the bath! Ewwww!

Obviously, Abby's no stranger to it either :)

"Hey mom! Try to stay on top of the watering please! Geesh!"

When Elly started waddling, we knew it was time to pack it up! I'll remember the swim diaper next time :)

Play With Me!

2010-05-21T17:30:00.000-07:00

Elly has finally discovered that her room is pretty darn cool! It's as though she looked in the big green box (which has been there about 9 months) and discovered gold. She gets a look in her eye and all but says, "What the...this thing is filled with TOYS!" I remember being a kid and going through my closet, rediscovering all my toys. Forgetting that I had EVERY My Little Pony ever created. That oh so cool Strawberry Shortcake doll...when you squeezed her tummy she would blow 'strawberry breath'. And not to leave out, the Shirley Temple and Barbie dolls that belonged to my mom! They both came in the coolest travel boxes! I would have them all scattered around me...a sea of toys...taking in all of their greatness.

The minute we get to her room, Elly heads over to that box, bends half her body over the edge and begins flinging every toy out of it. She needs to be able to see exactly what her options are :)

In the last month, she has started figuring out how her toys actually work and WANTS to make them work. I think in the past she knew how to play with the ball popper, but would rather shake it and chunk it at Sampson. If she can't get something to work, it is like a switch goes off! A mix of Kris's hard head and my lack of patience...the girl can get H-O-T!

Not quite strong enough to make it go like Mommy does...

...which does not make for a happy baby!

An then there's the rocking chair :) This was mine growing up, which my mom saved and handed over around Christmas. As shared in a previous post, Elly has discovered climbing. Up in the chair, rock rock by mommy, down from the chair. Repeat this about 50 times and it is the equivalent of heaven for my little love! Not so much for mommy :)

And not to leave out the books! Elly loves reading her books! She'll gather about 5 all around her and go from one to the other. Dragging one to the rocking chair, do a little reading, and go back for another. Drag the next onto the ottoman, do a little reading, and go back for another. Carry one in her teeth (yes, she still transports her little treasures this way) to her pink 'Ellyson' chair, do a little reading, and on to the next. It is quite entertaining to watch :) Hopefully she'll be more of a reader than her mommy. I'm still working on the last chapters of the book I started when I was pregnant :)

Duck, Duck...Goose

2010-05-17T18:51:00.000-07:00

After a hectic couple of days, we loaded Elly up in the bike trailer and made the trek to the Trinity River duck pond. We were all getting a little stir crazy locked up in the house with a sick baby! The adventure seemed like a great idea at the time, and we all enjoyed the outing...that is until it was time to head back. The ride down was a breeze. Down hill, past the zoo, with a content baby. The ride back...ALL up hill, through zoo traffic, with a sleepy baby! Every time Kris would hit a bump it was jostle her up and the screaming would start. By the time Little Love would calm down, Kris would hit another bump. It was a nightmare! We did make it home and look forward to our next trip...in the car!

Check out that hair! Sure is getting long :)

Snacks for Elly...then snacks for the ducks!

My little chipmunk!

Elly was quite annoyed by the obnoxious honking goose! When it would starting honking, she would stop whatever she was doing, turn that head around and give that goose one mean stink eye!

Cutie LOVES her cup with the straw. The way she holds it, the look on her face. If I could get into her mind while she sips away it would sound something like this..."Oh yeah, I'm a big girl! Oh yeah, I'm a big girl!"

There's that stinkin' goose again!

Duck time! Elly would throw a piece, eat a piece, throw a piece, eat a piece.

Unfortunately, the ducks had a big breakfast and could have cared less about their lunch. Oh well...maybe next time :)

Better Day Please!

2010-05-15T06:39:00.000-07:00

This what our day consisted of yesterday...

"Pick me up...No, put me down...No, pick me up!"

Poor baby has had a rough week! We started our week out with yet ANOTHER ear infection. Fast forward to Wednesday...a call from the babysitter that Elly had a 102.7 fever, sent us back to the Doc where they said she had a viral infection. And to top it off, I discovered a molar who decided to make it's appearance! No wonder she's a mess! After almost 4 hours of straight crying last night, we decided to try to lay her down...at 5 o'clock (she usually goes down atound 7!)! She fused for about a minute and was OUT! She slept straight through to 7:30 this morning. So as you read this, say a prayer that our day goes a little better today!

Rewind...

2010-05-13T18:12:00.000-07:00

...back to Easter weekend. So I'm a little late on the post...Don't judge.

Easter weekend Elly enjoyed her first mower ride with Grandpa! She was a little intrigued/unsure at first, but the pictures say it all! She loved doin' a little yard work with her Grandpa :)

"Ok Grandpa, so tell me one more time...I push this and turn this?"

"Here we go! And don't worry...I'll fall off this ride before I loosen my grip on this shoe!"

A little startled!

Wave Elly!

Weeeeee!!!! Who's enjoying this more...Elly or Grandpa??

Pretty In Pink

2010-05-09T09:05:00.001-07:00

Elly was pretty in pink this Mother's Day morning! As I was digging through her closet to get the perfect Mom's Day outfit, I came across a pretty pink dress that was given to Elly by her cousin Meghan last summer! I do believe this was Meg's 1st birthday outfit! I was a little worried that it wouldn't fit, since Elly is quite tall for her age (98th percentile at the last appointment!). I was quite thrilled when we slipped it on and it fit like a glove. It is a little short, but the way I see it, if I had legs as cute as hers, I'd be showing 'em off too! Unfortunately, the dress didn't last long. Elly's become quite the little walker but still prefers crawling as her main mode of transportation. Dresses just slow the girl down and lead to meltdowns. Pinching, slapping, biting...what mom deserves that on Mother's Day?! Not this one! So, Elly will be pretty in her pink shorts and a white flower shirt :)

Had to throw in a picture of my key buy at Target yesterday! They were a return...the only pair AND in her size! SO cute!

Zoo!

2010-05-07T19:10:00.000-07:00

One of the perks about where we live, is that we are right in the middle of everything. Including the Fort Worth Zoo! This was Elly's second time to visit, and she seemed to enjoy the actual ZOO a little bit more. She loves to be outside, and throw in a ton of people (plus BFF Abby)...the girl is in heaven! She is quite the people watcher...just like her mommy! As we were heading out, we made a stop in the MOLA (Museum Of Living Art), the new reptile and amphibian exhibit. I'm not a big fan of snakes, but had heard that it was quite impressive. It WAS quite impressive! This was by far Elly's favorite part of our trip. She was exhausted, but the minute she saw the sting rays floating through the water, she wouldn't sit back in her stroller!

"Hey mom! Let's get this show on the road!"

This is how Elly starts the day...pretty bow in...precious shoes on.

Doesn't take long for her to figure it out!

This is how we end the day...pretty bow in mouth...

...precious shoes in mouth! Little stinker :)

EWWWWW! She even like the nasty snake!

"Let me outta here!!!"

Pooped! Time go home and catch a few ZZZZZ's :)

I Love...

2010-05-07T06:56:00.000-07:00

...Friday's off! There's just something about having a weekday off work. Don't get me wrong...I love a good Saturday or Sunday, but there's a different type of energy about a workday. Or maybe I should say, LACK of energy! Getting up leisurely (meaning 6:45 instead of 6:00!) and reading a book instead of whisking Elly to her chair, getting her fed, dressed and out the door. Starting the day off with that Hungry Caterpillar, and listening to my baby "read" it back to me...it just doesn't get much better than that! Oh, how that sweet little voice just melts me! After breakfast, we head out for our 7:30 morning walk, in jammies of course! Once again, that sweet little voice! Chatting it up along the way. Her newest favorites, "Hiiiiii" and "Uhhh ohhhh". Over and over just taking it all in. As we walk, we pass other mommy's walking their babies to the elementary school at the back of our neighborhood. I LOVE our neighborhood! Before I know it, I will be that mommy walking MY baby to school. Oh my! I can't think about that :(

So...what's on agenda for today, you ask? The zoo with Elly's BFF Abby. Ahhhh...How I love Friday's off work :)

Ready, set, lets WALK!

One of our neighbors has a bush along the sidewalk. EVERY time we walk by it, Elly has to stick out her little fingers and touch the leaves :)

Chilling in the stroller! Elly either has legs spread out wide, or...

...crossed like a little lady :)

I love seeing those little feet peeking out, one over the other!

Forget these straps! I need more freedom! (she has decided she does NOT like her arms under the straps!)

Ahhhh...much better! (Take notice of Elly's new curls :) SO cute!)

The Return Of...

2010-05-01T20:58:00.000-07:00

The Roebuck household has been LOVING this Texas spring weather! We spend every evening on the patio. Elly's blanket and toys spread out, glass of wine in hand (mommy's hand that is!), just soaking up the sun. Within the last week, Elly has discovered climbing! She loves to climb up in the patio chairs, stand up, look around with the accomplishment of one who had just conquered Mt. Everest, climb back down...repeat...repeat...repeat. I decided to snap a few pics this evening :) It makes me quite nervous since she is still a little wobbly. It went something like this...

Me: 'snap, snap snap (of the camera)' "Oh my God!" (Kris drinking his wine, playing with phone)
Me: 'snap, snap' "Ahhhh watch her please!" 'snap, snap'
Me: "She's gonna fall!!!!" 'snap, snap, snap, snap'

Success!

Wait for it...wait for it...

The return of stink face! We haven't seen this one in about 6 months! She decided tonight that she wanted to bring it out of retirement :)

Lovin' the silly face tonight! She was on a roll :)

Future Drummer?

2010-04-29T17:39:00.000-07:00

Elly is quite the busy little bee these days! She manages to find her way into EVERYTHING! She is mildly obsessed with the cabinets at the point in time. Opens it, pulls everything out, gets bored and moves on to the next. I bought all the cabinet locks the other day...they are safely in their box, stored safely in my junk drawer :)

"hmmm...mixing bowls and a HUGE spoon. What to do?"

"First things first, I must taste it!"

SO serious!

"They make noise! I may do this for hours!"

Sing it Elly!

2 minutes later...on to the next cabinet. ADD maybe? Nah, just a typical toddler :)

Pasta spoon? In the mouth...

Tongs? In the mouth...

Big ole' skillet? If it would fit, I'm sure it would be in the mouth!

*Beware* If you come over for dinner, my cooking utensils have probably been slightly slobbered on. I do clean them after play time, but I'm sure some find their way back in the cabinet!

Tillery Park...

2010-04-24T20:04:00.000-07:00

...has become a favorite destination for the Roebuck clan. We load Elly up in the bike trailer, ride down and enjoy the dreamy weather (while it lasts)! As the Texas summer approaches, we take full advantage of days like today!

"Hey mom! Are you going to take pictures all afternoon or are you going to play with me!"

Future gymnast? The girl has a grip like no other! She is holding on all by herself...Kris isn't touching her!

Doooown the slide we go!

Gotta love that tongue :)

Walking with Dada. In the last couple days, she has gotten a little more brave when it comes to walking on her own. She's up to about 10 steps!

I'm SPENT! Time to ride home to catch a power nap before my friend Brent comes over!

We had our neighbor's Brent and Amanda over for dinner tonight (Elly LOOOOVES Brent!). I forgot how much I enjoy entertaining! Since Elly had been born, we really haven't had anybody over for a nice dinner. By "nice dinner" I mean setting the table...with cloth napkins! It sure did feel good to clean all the toys up, throw on a table runner and vase up some cheap spray roses. Ahhhh, the little things that make me feel like an adult :)

Batter and Beaters

2010-04-08T19:43:00.001-07:00

This past weekend marked the start of the much anticipated bathroom remodel at the Roebuck household! Seeing that we only have ONE bathroom, baby and I needed to get the heck out of dodge while this all went down. We made our way out to Granbury to spend the weekend with Nana and Grandpa. The twins made a surprise appearance as well :) To start the Easter weekend right, my mom whipped out her 1970's mixer (I do believe it was a hand-me-down from her mom!), and we got down to business making the annual lamb cake! Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the finished product. Close your eyes and think of a sweet little edible lamb...there ya go...lamb cake :)

Had to throw in a picture of the mixer. I'm thinking a new Kitchen Aid for Christmas???

What's the best part of baking, you ask? Licking the beaters of course!

*Stay tuned for updates. I have some great pictures from our weekend. Too many for one post!

Hey Elly...

2010-03-26T19:14:00.000-07:00

...whatcha doin? "Only my new favorite game. You turn your back, I crawl as fast as a girl can crawl, get into the cupboard with the broken latch and pull out the Tupperware. What are you doin?"

Note to self...finish toddler proofing the house!!!

Hey...Two In Fourteen Months...

2010-03-25T15:04:00.000-07:00

I'm callin' you out! It's been 5 months, the blogging world needs an update! Put down your Words With Friends and get busy :)

Mommy's Silly Monkey

2010-03-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

After her big birthday party, Elly has been quite intrigued with all her new toys. She will discover a toy that she isn't familiar with, and for the next couple days it is her new favorite! Her flavor of the weekend...her new book, Eight Silly Monkeys, an obvious play on the classic bed jumping monkeys. This one ends with a twist...that crazy Doc never mentioned anything about the COUCH!! My silly monkey and I have gone over the book about a million times! Elly was sporting her new monkey jammies the other morning...perfect photo op :)

Hmmm...how many monkeys are spinning on the bed? One, two, three...

Thank goodness for Elly's Baby Signs movie. It gives me a good 30 minutes to clean up after breakfast and maybe even do my hair! She LOVES this movie and has actually started doing some of the signs! When she's in the right mood, I can get a "more" when she wants more cookies :) And the other day she did the sign for "milk"! I am loving this age! She is like a little sponge...soaking it all up. She is able to give a high five, point to my nose when I ask where it is, and twice now she has blown a kiss!

Not sure what this sign is...but it sure is a cute picture :)

Happy St. Patty's Day

2010-03-17T18:08:00.000-07:00

Or otherwise known as, day after Elly's birthday :) Poor baby girl has had a rough couple of days. As I mentioned in my previous post, she has had a fever that just keeps popping back up! Thankfully she is quite pleasant when her fever is down, and when it is up Motrin or Tylenol does the trick. We have been to the Dr. 4 times in the last week and STILL don't know what the deal is! I know it is quite common for babies to have fevers but...104.1 is a little scary for this mama! Hopefully in the next couple days we will get it figured out.

After waking from her 2-1/2 hour MUCH NEEDED nap, Elly and I made our way outside to enjoy the gorgeous day...and snap a few pics of course! In case you haven't figured it out, Kris and I took the plunge and invested in a "real" camera! I have been having tons of fun and am starting to feel like a real photographer...it doesn't hurt having such a cute subject ;)

Eating a leaf I'm sure...

I L*O*V*E seeing those little teeth peeking through. It warms my heart!

Hey neighbor...

2010-03-16T19:05:00.000-07:00

...it's March 16. Time to take down the Christmas decorations. I can kiiiinda understand the procrastination of taking down lights. Such a process...go to the garage, get the ladder, set up said latter, climb, risk uneven/soggy ground, bring down the lights, roll them up in that special way so that you don't curse yourself next year as you UNroll them, put the lights and ladder away. Whew! But come on now...how hard is it to pull the candy canes out of the ground and the garland off the railing!!!!! I may pull them out myself and place them nicely on the front porch. Think they may get the point?

Happy Birthday Elly!

2010-03-16T10:55:00.000-07:00

Where oh where to begin! Elly is officially one year old today!! It has been a whirlwind of a year to say the least. As I listen to my TODDLER chatter in her crib (it's supposed to be nap time!), I just can't get over how quick the year flew by. One minute you're in a hospital bed being handed a newborn, not knowing where to begin or what to expect when you get home and it's just the three of you. The next thing you know, your world revolves around this little human. Striving for those special milestones, looking ridiculous as you try to catch that perfect smile on the camera. And still, not knowing what to expect or what the future holds. I can't imagine life with you Ellyson Jean! Happy Birthday!

Princess cake for a little princess!

We decided to rent a bounce house for the birthday party. We knew we would have some older kids and thought it would be fun for them. I never imagined that Elly would love it as much as she did! It was precious! She would stand up, look at you with such achievement, and drop down. Over and over again :)

Elly wasn't a big fan of her birthday cake. She loves to smear her food on her tray, so I figured she would have a grand time going to town on that cake! WRONG...she didn't like it on her hands and she didn't like the taste of it. She doesn't like sugar? I now question if she is actually mine.

"Grandpa, can you believe I am ONE?!"

Unfortunately, Elly woke up Monday with a 103.2 fever and feeling plain old yucky! We made it to the Dr. (they still claim a reaction to antibiotics...I question that!) and spent the day just relaxing at home, sans clothes...Well, for baby that is! The only thing Elly wanted to do was ride her Honey Poney. So, ride Honey Poney is what we did! Thanks to the Elly's friends Ashlyn and Addison for her favorite birthday present :) Living room, dining room, hallway, kitchen, hallway, dining room, living room...you get the idea.

Sleepy, sick baby :(

"Come on mom...enough with the pictures and PUSH!"

When daddy got home, we took Honey outside. Up and down the sidewalks we rode...

Tub Time and Tears...

2010-03-04T20:38:00.001-08:00

The other night, while doing a little "facebooking" (can that now be considered a verb?), I became introduced to sweet little Layla Grace. I had noticed a few friends post comments about Layla Grace, her family, and their desperate need for prayers. I decided to check out her blog and read up. She is a 2 year old who has been battling Neuroblastoma since her diagnosis in May of last year. She is losing her battle and her parents have brought her home to die. www.laylagrace.org **WARNING** you will not have a dry eye after reading about her! It is frightening how in a mere 24 hours, your life can go from *perfection*, to a life which resembles that of a horrific nightmare. After seeing a picture capturing the pure joy on little Layla's face, as she enjoyed her first bubble bath in almost year, I made sure to capture some of my own precious angel. She enjoyed an extra long bubble bath that night AND extra hugs and kisses...much to her dismay ;)

This lead to disaster as she slipped and landed chin first on the side of the tub. Blood and tears followed :(

Elly LOVES to make fart noises with her construction cone. Quite the little lady!

Love is in the air

2010-02-27T17:55:00.000-08:00

It may be a little late, but after admiring my beautiful rose this evening, I just had to blog about Valentines Day! To my surprise, when I went to get Elly from her crib, she had made her way into my craft closet and created an amazing valentine for her Daddy! Kris worked early but was home in time to cook breakfast for us all. On the menu...bacon and eggs (in the shape of a heart of course!) Kris is not the most romantic when it comes to the "day of love" so I was quite surprised when he walked in with a card and a single rose. Awwww...it may have been from the Quick Trip, but I still loved it! I figured I would wake up the next morning to a puddle of withered pedals, and a sad reminder that the "day of love" was over. Well...here we are 13 days later and it is beautiful! I had to take a picture and share!

Oh my Elly! I sure hope you used the kid scissors!

"Hey Dad! I have something for you!"

Now that's love right there!!! Did your husbands use your cookie cutter to make you a heart egg?

Pretty, pretty rose :)

11 down...

2010-02-21T10:13:00.000-08:00

...one to go, until our sweet girlie is one!! I snapped a few pictures on Elly's "11 month birthday". She's so funny...she will go from laughing, playing and having a grand time to legs kicking, arms flailing, D-R-A-M-A queen! It cracks me up! I know I shouldn't laugh but sometimes I just gotta, in order to keep my sanity :)

Temper tantrums included, Elly sure is the light of our lives! She is getting closer and closer to taking those first few steps. She is always on the go and knows that if she needs to get somewhere quick, crawling is her best mode of transportation. Especially if it is to the dog's food bowl. If she spots that thing, she is OFF! I don't think I have ever seen a kid move that fast. It's a race as to who can get there first. Doesn't she know that the mommy always wins? Well...most of the time. You would think we fed the dogs little bits of heaven, the way she races for it. She has also learned the joy of sharing. She loves to hold her half eaten, mushy graham cracker up so you too can enjoy the goodness! Never in a million years did I think I would be the mom to actually take a bite of it. It's just so cute to see how excited she gets! She will drop it on her tray and give you a round of applause. What can I say, it's different when you have a cutie pie of your own :)

Oh the joys of being 11 months old!

Well...maybe...I'm not too sure how I feel about getting older.

Wooooeeee is me!!!!! Another month older!!!!!!

Sweet Dreams

2010-02-12T20:10:00.000-08:00

Kris and I peeked in during Elly's nap the other day to find her snoozing away...buried in her bumper pads! Since the back of her crib is solid, I have had a hard time keeping the bumper pad up. I tie the corners extra tight in hopes that it will keep it up. My knots are nothing compared to the little stinker who enjoys pulling it down and using it as a makeshift pillow. I think it may be time to remove the back bumper all together. What do you think??

Don't worry...she has plenty of air getting in there!

Snow Day!

2010-02-11T12:54:00.000-08:00

Here in Texas, if you don't like the weather...wait 5 minutes! Earlier in the week, the meteorologists were predicting around an inch of snow for today. Well, it started snowing at about 2 a.m. and hasn't stopped since! We have about 5 inches on our back patio chairs and they say it isn't going to stop until around midnight! I was able to make it out to see a few patients and get to the dentist (this fabulous grill doesn't maintain itself) but made it home quickly to get Ellyson out to experience this February wonderland :) She wasn't too sure what to think. I sat her on the blanket to snap a few pictures. I don't think I have seen her that still in months! She just sat there...staring. I even made a mini snowball and held it up to her to touch. She just looked at it as though she were thinking "Nope, that's good right there. I'll just give it a once over with my eyes." We will love it while it lasts, seeing that it will probably be 70 degrees this weekend!

Shout out to Dr. McConnell...God those are some B-E-A-UTIFUL teeth! Are they not?

Trying to catch a flake or two on her tongue. Won't touch the white stuff, but by golly she'll put it in her mouth!

Mommy's little snow bunny! We can't wait to get her on the slopes!

Good Morning Elly!

2010-02-06T14:38:00.000-08:00

Hi Elly! How was your nap?

Hey? What are you doing?

Nothin' mom. Just turn your head and whatever you do, DON'T look at the other side of my crib rail.

Ellyson Jean! You're grounded!

Those little suspicious marks on the dresser now aren't so suspicious...seeing that they are riiiight at the height of Elly's mouth!