In Awe........

I am so lucky to be a mother. Isn't it amazing that such tiny little people (children) can be so humbling. I am truly in awe of my daughter.

We had to be at the hospital at 5:30 this morning. Now, I will say, she was quite a bear when I woke her up. She is our late sleeper and will sleep until 10:00 on any given day, so 5am is not her thing. But after being up for a bit, she came around. Evan got up (on her own, because she is not a late sleeper at all) to see her off and it was so obvious that Ella was comforted by her hug and kiss goodbye. Oh, to have a sister!

When we got to the hospital, she quietly waited while I registered her. When we went back to pre-op, she sat on the bed while I answered questions about her health history. When they took her vital signs, she smiled and complied, as always. When anyone spoke to her, she politely responded. She took the liquid Versed with a smile. She was an angel, seriously. (not to say she can't be the most rotten child in the world at any given moment, but today - perfect) She behaved better than some adults that I have taken care of.
The surgeon and anesthesiologist came and spoke with us, then they rolled her away. And I fell apart for a moment.

About 30 minutes later, the surgeon came out-----with only the extra tooth!!!! He was able to get it out without pulling any teeth. Shocked, I was, because he was pretty sure he'd have to pull one. He had the extra tooth in a container and gave it to me. So strange. Why was it there? (The nurse in me needs answers.) All she has to show for this surgery is 4 stitches in here mouth that will disolve in a few days (because they are magic)!

Shortly after that, we got to go back to the recovery room to see her. Oh my gosh, I've never seen anything so precious as her trying to grin at me with her mouth all numb (and still feeling a little goofy from the Versed). I held her, so greatful that it was over and she was fine and she wasn't hurting. Gosh, it's tough when your child has to go through something like that. Even though it wasn't anything big, it is still scary. It definitely humbles you. Certainly a time when my relationship with God grows, and God is good, isn't he!!!

So we hung out in the recovery room for a bit, then headed home. We were home by 8:30. She has made out like a bandit today. Many gifts from me and Daddy, my friend Holly, Nanny, and Ms. Whitney include a couple of Spongebob movies, Curious George movies, popsicles, suckers, bubbles, farting putty (seriously), water guns, and more. And we still have tonights visit from the Tooth Fairy. Big day!

I am so lucky, so blessed, to have these 2 sweet sisters!..............-h.

Here she is all ready to go. She had already had her Versed and was feeling pretty good!

Home, with all her teeth!

Chillin on the couch, enjoying a popsicle from Ms. Whitney.Here it is: That Crazy Extra Tooth!

Take a Good Look.........

Well, take a good look at this picture because it's the last time you will see my sweet Ella with all of her teeth. She is having a little oral surgery in the morning. They will be pulling one of her front teeth to remove an extra tooth that is above it. The extra tooth is not allowing the permanent teeth above it to move down like they are supposed to, so we have to remove it surgically.

She is being very brave. She is a little worried about having to get up at 5am, but otherwise, she is fine with it. She's quite excited about the impending visit from the tooth fairy.

Of course, I am a little worried about my baby having general anesthesia and being in pain, but I'm sure I'll get through it. She has the best doctors, I know it will go well. (Am I reassuring myself?)

I will post pictures of her with the missing tooth as soon as she feels like posing for one........-h.

The Pool is Open!!!!!!!!

Today, we made our first trip of the summer to Eastgate Pool. For those of you who don't know, Eastgate is a private pool in our neighborhood that you can buy a membership to and swim anytime during the summer. The girls love it because they both have lots of friends that go. We spend most of our days during the summer at this pool, always good times.

The pool opened last Saturday and they have been begging to go, so tonight after gymnastics, I took them for one hour. They ran in, kicked off their shoes without stopping and jumped right in the freezing water. Priceless. Oh, to be a kid in the summertime!-----h.

I Have A Kitchen Floor Again!

We have definitely made some progress in the kitchen. The wall is done, the sheetrock is done and primed, the ceiling is painted and the tile floor is done. Having the floor done is so great. We are finally not walking on the dirty concrete and I have been able to clean all the dust and move the kitchen table from the living room back to the kitchen. So nice.... it's starting to feel like my home again, rather than a dump, but we still have a lot to do........-h.

Kitten Update....

Sadly, one of the kittens died last Friday. The other two are growing and have opened their eyes. They are the cutest little butterballs ever. Ella named them: Blackie and Precious (the one that died was Coco) We are very attached to them, but I know we will have to let them go eventually........-h.

Learning To Dive......

We spent Saturday at Katie's pool. It was great family time! The best part, the girls learned to dive. It was big fun. I took some video...............-h.

Brand new baby kittens!

Our kitty, Snookies, had babies today. We have been anxiously awaiting their arrival. She let me and the girls sit with her in the garage while she had them. It was such a neat experience for all of us and a great learning experience for the girls. They had a lot of good questions, like, did I lick them after they were born and did I eat the afterbirth. Good questions!! They were great labor nurses for sweet Snookies. I think she appreciated their affection.....-h.

Big fun at Nanny's company picnic!

Saturday was nanny's company picnic. We went and it was big fun. There was bungy jumping, rock climbing, big slides, games, cotton candy, snow cones, face painting, and more. It was a great time for the girls......-h.

Evan mid flip!

Ella mid flip!
Ella got up well over half way to the top, then she looked back and saw how high she was and panicked. She came down right away.
It took Evan a while to get this far. She was very determined! Wouldn't quit!
Brad had to get in on the action.

Ouch! My foot surgery. (look at pictures at your own risk)

On Monday, I had a little foot surgery. The nurse in me just had to take pictures and share them. The surgery itself went really good and I haven't had hardly any pain. The worst part is wearing the walking boot that I have to wear for 4 weeks. It's like lugging around an enormous foot and it doesn't look cute with any of my clothes.
My sweet girls have taken the best care of me. I am so lucky to have two daughters. They are such great little nurses.....-h.

The lovely boot!

I took this with my phone on Friday, when I went in to have my dressing changed.

Seriously.....We Just Met A Star!!!!

Well, if tonight wasn't fabulous!!!! Thanks to our dear friend, Stephanie, we had an amazing opportunity tonight. We got to go to Carrie's concert in Little Rock and we got to go to the meet and greet before the concert and actually meet her. She was so precious and sweet and really made us feel special.
Our seats were row 9 and right on the center by the catwalk that she came down several times during the concert. She waved to us and slapped the girls hands almost everytime she went by. Evan and Ella had the best time. They felt so proud that she kept acknowledging them. (and who wouldn't)
Steph...if you read this....we cannot thank you enough. You are the best......
Here are some fun pictures!!!

We were so close. It was awesome. And she put on a GREAT show!

Ella is a Graduate!!!!

From the moment a child is born, we often hear, "Before you know it, she will be in college." It's one of those things, you know that it's true, but it just takes a while to sink in. Well, tonight, it sunk! My tiny baby Ella, who was just born a minute ago, has graduated from Pre-K. It was a tear jerker for me. She and her class sang a few songs, then walked up on the stage to get their diploma and then switched their little tassle to the other side of their hat. Killed me! I took a million pictures and some video. After it was over, we let her choose where she wanted to eat dinner. She chose Burger King. Vomit! So we reminded her that she loves IHOP, and she quickly changed her mind (thank goodness). We had a little family dinner to celebrate her graduation. Good times.
My girls are growing up!
Ella with Hannah and John. These three are the best of friends, and as luck would have it, they will all three be starting kindergarten together at Euper Lane.

a little clip of her singing!

Progress????

Well, I guess this is progress.? There is new sheet rock up and the new open wall is somewhat built, but today.......nothing. The plumber and the electrician were both supposed to be here this morning, but here it is 1:30, and no sign of anyone. :( I know these days of stand still are to be expected, but it's still soooo frustrating. This house is such a disaster, I just want to get this over with.
On the up side, we picked out the stain for the cabinets, the granite for the countertops, and the tile for the floor and backsplash. I can't wait for it to all come together.......h.

Strange how tiny it looks with everything out of it.

I just had to include this picture of our fabulous temporary kitchen that we have set up in the dining room. This morning when Evan was eating breakfast, she said, "I like having our kitchen like this. It feels like we're camping!"

Holy Moly....What a mess!

Wow! The kitchen remodel is now in demo phase. I knew that it was going to be a mess, but some things you just can't be fully prepared for until you experience them. Well, let me tell ya, the floors all over the house are filthy, there are pots and pans in my bedroom, my fridge is in my dining room, the dining room table is now a make-shift kitchen counter, and it just goes on and on. I went to Sam's today to buy paper plates, paper bowls and paper cups since there is no way to wash dishes. I also bought as many microwavable meals as I could find (not many)! How will I ever get through 4 or 5 weeks of this?.........h.

Field Trip to the Tulsa Zoo

On Wednesday, the 2nd graders at Euper Lane got to take a field trip to the Tulsa Zoo. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time. After the zoo, Evan rode home with me so we could take a little detour by the mall. Good times, great shopping, and great mother/daughter time......h.

Evan holding a bird at Feather Fest.Evan and her good friend Grant.
Chimp with a baby on its back.