The Whitley's

Catch Up

2011-04-15T15:16:00.014-04:00

Sorry I haven't been updating the blog lately. Life is busy here in Knoxville. Here are some pics from the last few weeks.

Playing checkers with Daddy at Cracker Barrel.

Go BIG BLUE! Thanks Aunt La La for the cute dress! Anna enjoyed cheering on the CATS this year! We were proud of our CATS!

Ella and Nana at the zoo.

Bestfriends!

Joel is going for the older sister!

Anna and Ashlyn like to help Ella to walk.

Dying Easter eggs.

Friends at the zoo.

Anna LOVES going to see her new house. This time, she liked walking around because they have cleaned up the floor.

Sisters in their new house.

We took Anna to write her name on the floor of her new room.

Joel helping Anna write on the floor.

Happy Birthday Nana!

2011-03-17T15:21:00.014-04:00

Happy Birthday Nana! We love you!

We went to the Duck pond today. The girls had so much fun feeding the ducks. Ella kept saying duck or quack.

Trying to get Ella to walk.

Feeding the ducks!

Ella loves Joel!

Buddies walking to the park...

Ella was so tired after the park.

Our FUTURE home! We signed a contract on this new home this week. We will be closing on June 30. Please pray that God will sell our house.

We had the amazing opportunity to go to the SEC tournament last weekend. We had such a good time watching the CATS and celebrating our 6th anniversary a few months early.

Go Big Blue! We had AMAZING seats!

Best Friends!

On a date with joel!

Trip to the Aquarium

2011-02-28T15:13:00.011-05:00

Joe was off last Monday so we took the girls to the aquarium. They had so much fun seeing all the fish! I think Ella had just as much fun as Anna did!

Proud Daddy..

In a shark cage..

Sweet sisters!

Doesn't she look so big? Now if she would just walk on her own.

Trying to touch some fish...

They LOVED looking at all the fish.

Mommy's girl!

Daddy's Girl!

So tired after a fun day..

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T15:43:00.006-05:00

Nana and Poppy came for the weekend, so Joe and I had lots of dates. Saturday night we went to John and Amanda's for a home-cooked meal prepared by John. It was AMAZING! We had filet and lobster tail. Thanks to Nana and Poppy for keeping the girls. Today, we had a Valentine's party for Anna and Ella's friends. It was fun and crazy all at the same time.

Sweet Girls!

Ella and Bailey chillin!

Craft time!

Ring-around-the-Rosie!

Sabrina trying to get Ella to walk.

Ready for church.

The girls with Nana and Poppy!

Ready for our Valentine dinner!

Our AMAZING dinner prepared by John!

Fun Week

2011-02-05T21:09:00.005-05:00

Enjoying their new rocking chairs last weekend in the nice weather!

Fun at Mr. Gattis!

Joel giving kisses!

Anna helped with the crescent rolls the other night. She was so proud!

Ella enjoying chocolate chip pancakes this morning.

Birthday Parties

2011-02-05T20:52:00.009-05:00

Anna had 2 birthday parties today. The first one was at the Groovy Pad. They do each girls' hair, make-up, and nails. They also have princess dresses for them to play dress-up. Anna was in heaven at this party. Then we went to sweet little Brynnen's first birthday party tonight. We skipped nap today because of the parties. When we got home from the 2nd party, Anna took a bath to get all the gunk out of her hair. She asked to go to bed at 7.

She was so proud of her hair!

My little princess!

Anna and the Birthday Girl!

Anna and Sabrina!

Birthday Girl!

All the cute kids!

Mae Sophia

2011-02-05T20:40:00.008-05:00

Our newest niece was born last Monday. She weighed 7 lbs. 9 oz and was 19 inches long. The girls and I went to KY last week to vist them. I dropped the girls off at Nana and Poppy's house, then headed to Louisville to meet Miss Mae. I then headed to Indy to see my best friend, Krista. It was great getting to have some girl time last Thursday with Krista. It had been WAY too long since we had seen each other.

Sweet little Mae!

Proud Aunt!

Proud Big Sister and Big Brother!

The girls LOVE each other so much. This is what they did ALOT on the way home from KY.

Catch Up

2011-01-25T19:22:00.011-05:00

Ella helping Daddy drive!

Our view from our amazing cabin. We went to the mountains last weekend to celebrate January birthdays. We stayed in our pjs most of the weekend and did not leave the cabin. It was so nice to get away and relax with great friends. Thanks to Nana and Poppy for watching the girls.

We had such a good time getting away last weekend!

Me and my girls on my birthday. Thanks to Darcy and Phil for watching them that night.

We go to Baby Bookworms twice a month. Anna, Ella, and Ashlyn have so much fun!

Nana playing dress-up with all the girls.

Ella and Brynnen at the mall!

Happy girl! We couldn't find Ella tonight, she was out in the hallway playing with Sophie!

First french braid!

Sledding

2011-01-13T18:06:00.005-05:00

Monday we had more snow, so went out to play in the snow with our neighbors. They had sleds so we walked to a hill. Anna, Ashlyn, and Tristan had so much fun sledding. I think Jenn and I had just as much fun as they did. Ella sat in the wagon the entire time. So thankful for my little layed back girl!

The wagon is a big hit in the snow!

Sledding with my big girl! She only did this once. She wanted to do it by herself.

Christmas in Paducah!

2011-01-05T19:35:00.009-05:00

We had a great time celebrating Christmas in Paducah with joe's family. We missed Nathan, Vicki, and the kids though.

On our way to Paducah Ella fell asleep like this.

Ella and Grandma

4 of the 7 cousins

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Sweet cousins!

On our way to Paducah on Christmas eve, it started snowing about 40 minutes before we got there. When we woke up Christmas morning, there was about 4 inches on the ground. We took the girls out to play in the snow on Christmas morning with Addie!

Ella enjoyed the swing.

Anna and Addie helped make Frosty!

Anna's first snow angel!

Snow Days

2011-01-05T19:22:00.005-05:00

We have already had alot of snow this winter in Knoxville. These are pictures from our first snow back in December. Hopefully we can go out and build a snowman in the morning because it is snowing right now.

The girls had fun in the wagon!

Daddy's snow angel!

Ella's first time to play in the snow. Last year she watched from inside.

The girls had fun on the swingset in the snow!

Happy Birthday Anna

2011-01-01T14:42:00.009-05:00

We celebrated Anna's 3rd birthday Monday. For some reason, I have had a hard time with this birthday. She is not a baby anymore, she is a big girl.

My big 3 year old.

Anna wanted some help blowing out her candles.

The girls with Grandma and Grandpa!

Cake with her cousins!

Present time!

Yummy birthday dessert at Chilis!

Christmas in KY

2010-12-23T14:09:00.014-05:00

It has been fun being at Nana and Poppy's this week before Christmas!

Go Big Blue! Anna LOVES to watch the Cats play and knows how to cheer for them! We are starting them out early!

Anna and Ella in thier new rocking chairs. I think they are going to have to stay inside this winter bc they LOVE them so much!

Anna and Ella have had so much fun playing with Dane!

Ella is getting so big!

Anna and Ma

Poppy and all his grandkids in their cute Christmas pjs!

Anna went to her very FIRST real "tea party" Saturday to celebrate Aunt Janet's birthday. She did great and enjoyed all the yummy food!

Anna with Aunt La La and Nana at the "tea"!

Anna's FIRST time sledding!

Anna getting ready to go play in the snow with Daddy!

Anna LOVES her new kitchen! Ella loves it too! Thanks Nana and Poppy!

Happy Birthday Poppy!

2010-12-19T20:44:00.006-05:00

We came to Kentucky this weekend to celebrate Poppy's 60th birthday! It was great getting to see all the Camic's today.
Ella with Aunt Pat and Uncle Charlie

Ella and Aunt Janet

Visit with Santa

2010-12-09T07:41:00.006-05:00

We went to Bass Pro Shop last week to see Santa and do all the fun crafts. Anna surprised us and did great with Santa. She didn't really smile, but she didn't cry either, so we were happy. I think she liked painting the ornament and looking at the fish better.

I LOVE for the girls to match!

Go Big Blue!

Thanks for the cute sweaters Fran!

Ella's Birthday

2010-12-01T15:38:00.005-05:00

I know, I know I am WAY behind on Ella's birthday, but it better than never.

She weighed 20 lbs 5 oz and was 29 1/4 inches long at her one year check-up. She is still not walking (just like he big sister), but she does cruise along furniture. She loves following her big sister around and they play great together. She is starting to talk a little. She can say da da, mama, nana, ball, clap, and she tries to say anna.

Halloween and First Haircut

2010-10-31T14:16:00.020-04:00

People keep telling me to blog more (my parents), but wow, there is just not enough time in the day to get everything done. Here is catch up from the last month. Hopefully I will blog about Ella's birthday on Wednesday.

Ella's first haircut! October 23, 2010

Begging Daddy for ice-cream!

We went to Boo at the Zoo last weekend.

Anna wanted to pose by Dora.

Fran and I took our kids to Cracker Barrel Tuesday.

We went to a trunk or treat Wednesday night.

Fran had a great Halloween party for all our kids! Thanks Fran!

Minnies and Mickey

All the kids..posing for a picute.

Anna wanted to bob for apples so bad, but didn't want to get wet.

Joe and I went to a Bible Fellowship Halloween party at John and Amanda's Saturday night. For some reason, I did not get everyone's pictures, but each couple were dressed really creatively.

The girls weren't sure about Mommy and Daddy.

50s couple...

Pirates!

Pregnant nun!

UPS guy and his "package"!

Amazing food and decorations!

We carved pumpkins at the Halloween party last night. I did this one for Ella's birthday!

11 Months Old

2010-10-06T09:20:00.007-04:00

Wow does time fly....it has been a month since my last post and now my baby girl is 11 months old. She is growing up way too fast. This fall as I put new clothes on her (well new for Ella) I remember when Anna was this young wearing those same outfits and it really makes time seem to go by fast. Anna is approaching 3 and Ella is almost 1.

Ella is into everything now and one of the things I say most these days is "no touch". She is learning the concept well and recognizes what she can and cannot touch since we don't child proof our house. She loves to stand up next to the couch or anything else, but is not trying to walk. She has 6 teeth, but is getting 2 more right now. She is starting to sign back to us. She can sign "more" and "milk". She says "da da" all the time and also 'na na"m which I now believe is what she calls me. We are working on changing that though.

11 Months Old...Sunday, October 3, 2010

Ella LOVES standinG at this table now!

Preview for Halloween...

My great friend Amanda took some pictures of Ella in her birthday dress for her invitation. Can't wait to see what she got!

Not sure about Josh and his silly face.

10 Months Old

2010-09-07T15:27:00.016-04:00

Ella was 10 months old on Friday. Now in less than 2 months we will be celebrating her 1st birthday. Her newest thing she likes to do is to mimic everything we do, especially her sister. Anna will squeal then Ella will do the same. They both keep getting louder and louder. I think it is funny, Joe, however does not like it. She also LOVES eating table food and is not liking her baby food much anymore.

Ella 10 months old...September 3, 2010

Grandma and Grandpa came in for Labor Day weekend. We had a great time visiting with them and playing outside all weekend.

Ella says, "Go Big Blue!"

Picture time with Grandma and Grandpa!

Playing outside with Grandma! The weather was so nice this weekend!

Painting with Grandma! Thanks for bringing paint Grandma!!

Hanging out by the pool. Thanks to Matt and Leslie for inviting us over to Leslie's Dad'd pool yesterday. We had a great time relaxing by the pool all day!!

La La and Joel

Ava is wearing Anna's old bathing suit. Ella was too big for it.

The guys and their kids!

Daddy and his girls!

Ella sunbathing!

Playing at the park before we went to the library.

We went to Baby Bookworms today at the library. The girls had alot of fun!

Anna LOVED the music part!

Catch Up

2010-08-25T16:28:00.017-04:00

Baby Ava came over last week.

Poppy's girl!

Nana's favorite thing to do...

I went back to Campbellsville last weekend to play in an alumni soccer game. I took Abbey with me for a fun road trip. Joe and the girls stayed home. We had alot of fun playing, but was very tired after the game.

I have started babysitting Ashlyn this week. Anna has had so much fun having a friend to play all the time.

Anna says she likes to play "school"! Her attention span is not very long yet.

Swimming with Ashlyn!

Picnic with Joel.

Anna has been wanting to go to the zoo all summer, but it's been too hot. Today we had perfect weather and almost had the zoo to ourselves!

Picnic time!

I decided to go to the zoo even though we would be there during Ella's nap. She was such a trooper, but just couldn't take it anymore.

The girls enjoyed the carousel!

They all loved the pizza parlor!

Ella and Josh liked playing in the Infant Crawling area in Wee Play!

Josh liked climbing on Ella!

Ella is 9 months old

2010-08-04T14:31:00.017-04:00

My sweet baby girl was 9 months old yesterday. Time is just flying by and I want it to stop. She goes for her 9 month check-up Friday, so I will her stats then. She is finally crawling and getting into everything. Anna has to be careful about what she leaves on the floor now.

9 Months - August 3, 2010

Anna had to be in one picture.

Joel doesn't know if he should go for the older or younger sister???

First date!!

Daddy and his girls!

Silly girl!

Joe is playing basketball on Monday nights at church. The girls love watching Daddy play.

Ella is borrowing Dane's walker. She LOVES it! Thanks Aunt La La and Dane!

We had a date with just Anna on Friday to the Gatlinburg aquarium. Thanks to Nana for watching Ella!

They had a cool tunnel that we could see sharks all around us.

Being silly!

I love my big girl!

We went to Pancake Pantry for lunch!

Anna had "Bears in the snow" pancakes!

Family Reunion

2010-07-19T13:51:00.027-04:00

We went to Kentucky this past weekend for a family reunion and to celebrate Ma's 84th birthday. Our family from Texas was able to come in too! I had never met my cousin, Jason's kids who are the same age as Anna and Ella. It was so much fun having the whole family together!

Anna and Jayden had fun playing together!

Anna playing with Aunt Janet!

Dress-up time wtih Nana!

We went to Mom's church VBS pool party Friday night. Jason, Anna, and Jayden at the party. Anna and Jayden went down the slide behind them and LOVED it!

Ma and my girls!

Anna LOVES playing with Dane!

Sisters!!!

Getting all 5 kids to smile and look at the camera was almost impossible.

Ma's great-grandchildren (minus McKenna)

Jason threw Jayden down the slip-n-slide!

Ella enjoyed the pool!

Swim time!

Dane liked the slip-n-slide.

The kids had lots of spectators.

Ma and Anna

La La and Dane

Aunt Janet and Ella!

Thanks for the new pillows Ma!

La La and the girls!

Dane playing corn-hole!

Nana and Ella

Cory, Laura, and Dane

Ma with all the girls!

Ma with all the guys!

Poppy and his girls!

Anna and Jayden playing Ring-a-Around the Rosie

4th of July and 8 Months

2010-07-05T15:06:00.015-04:00

Happy 4th of July to everyone!

We had a great weekend with Nana and Poppy. They came to town Friday and have been here all weekend. Thanks for our date night Friday and allowing us to go to a cookout Saturday afternoon and night! We love our girls, but enjoy time away from them! Last night we all went to the Butcher Shop for dinner, then Joe and I took Anna to World's Fair Park for fireworks. Anna LOVED riding on the Ferris Wheel and the fireworks!

Ella Ruth was 8 months old on Saturday. She is changing so much. She now has 4 teeth, is sitting up really well, and is so close to crawling. She smiles and talks all the time and has fun playing with her sister.

Ella Ruth Whitley - 8 months old...July 3, 2010

Sweet sisters!

Ready for church on the 4th of July!

Nana and Poppy with the girls!

Dinner at the Butcher Shop!

Joe and Anna in the Ferris Wheel. Anna can't stop talking about it!

Our view from the ferris wheel...

Waiting for the fireworks to begin...

Watching fireworks with our new friends!

This outfit is 25 years old...I wore it when I was 2!

We went to Carter pool today while Daddy and Poppy played golf.

Anna had fun playing dress-up with Nana!

Summer Fun

2010-07-04T17:18:00.005-04:00

We have had a fun, busy summer so far. Here are pictures from what we have been doing.

Anna LOVES corn-on-the-cob!

Playing with Joshua!

Thanks for the dress-up princesses Aunt La La! Anna has had so much fun playing dress-up!

My sweet flower!

Daddy and his girls!

Fingernails and toes painting time!

Anna having fun with Lexi at Jack and Jake's fun birthday party!

Ella had fun playing with Hudson!

Anna had lots of friends over to play Tuesday.

Ella watching swim lessons!

Anna's first french braid!

Anna Swimming

2010-07-02T13:09:00.001-04:00

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Father's Day Weekend

2010-06-21T09:13:00.017-04:00

We had such a relaxing Father's Day weekend this year. Friday night, Joe took Anna to her first movie..Toy Story 3. I think they both had a great time! Joe said Anna had lots of popcorn and sat in his lap for the whole movie, with just one potty break! Then Saturday morning we were lazy and then headed to "The Beach" to swim. Saturday night we went to Red Robin for a yummy burger! Then yesterday we came home after church and just relaxed. We ended the weekend with ice-cream at Marble Slab last night! Happy Father's Day Joe! We love you! Sara, Anna, and Ella

Enjoying ice-cream with his girls! Well, Ella didn't get any.

Trying on new shoes with Daddy!

Ella is so good at keeping her hands on her tray or table now!

Father's Day dinner at Red Robin!

Daddy took Anna on a Father's Day date Friday night. They went to see her first movie in the theatre...Toy Story 3. Joe said she LOVED it and ate alot of popcorn. I think Daddy had more fun though!

Anna giving Daddy his Father's Day gift before their date Friday.

Last year when we went to "The Beach" I was pregnant with Ella. I'm so glad she is here so the girls can play together at the pool!

Anna is so brave in the water now!

The bumbo was very helpful at the pool! Ella enjoyed splashing in the water.

Poppy came to visit and to bring back our van. We enjoyed lunch at Wasabi. Thanks Poppy!

Ella's first biter biscuit. She LOVED it, but it was VERY messy.

We went to visit baby Ava last week!

Thanks for the matching dresses from Hawaii Nana and Poppy!

Trip to KY and Swim Lessons

2010-06-08T18:31:00.033-04:00

I went to KY last week to pick up the girls. We stayed a few more days to celebrate Dane's 1st birthday! We had such a good time at Nana and Poppy's, but were very glad to get home and see Daddy.

I left the girls sitting like this one day and Anna decided to pretend to feed Ella. On a different note, Anna is doing very well with potty training. She is now wearing panties except at nap and bedtime. At the most, she has 1 accident a day, but not every day!!!! Praise the Lord!

Ella tried to attack Tray's face.

Cousins!

Emma helping Anna and Tristan be princesses.

Ella liked having Jack push her around!

We celebrated Emma's 7th birthday early!

Mom and I had a baby shower for Dawn on Saturday. Mason Daniel will be here in about a month!

I went to visit a friend last week and her dad backed into the van. We are in a rental for the next few weeks.

Poppy and his girls!

Ma and the girls!

Anna and Ella with Aunt Janet. Thanks for the matching dresses!

Poppy giving snacks to Anna and Dane.

Dane enjoyed his cake! Happy 1st Birthday Dane!

The water table was a big hit with all the kids. However, we had to strip them down to their diapers and panties for Anna because they got so wet.

Poppy sharing his ice-cream cake with Anna.

Cory and Dane

Anna enjoyed singing on the microphone!

Enjoying Dane's new wagon!

We took a picnic to Market Sqaure so we could have lunch with Daddy. Anna wanted to help push Ella.

Ella having fun with Daddy during Anna's swim lesson.

Anna had her first swim lesson tonight. Joe and I could not believe how well she did. We went into this with the intention of helping her overcome her fear of water. She suprised us by not being scared and having a blast! She only cried when it was time to leave. She can't til tomorrow night!
Suprisingly, Anna was not afraid to go under water!

Listening to her teacher...

Jumping off the side to her teacher!

The Thompson's came over for a water playdate!

Picnic time!

Anna liked having Ella in the pool with her!

Ella loved swimming today!

Anniversary Weekend

2010-06-02T20:38:00.010-04:00

Joe and I went to Gulf Shores for our 5th anniversary this past weekend. We left Thursday after lunch and came back late Sunday night. We had such a good time celebrating 5 AMAZING years of marriage. We reflected over the past 5 years and came to the conclusion that our relationship is so much better than when we got married 5 years ago. It was nice to spend a relaxing weekend on the beach without our sweet girls. Thanks to Nana and Poppy for coming to get the girls and keeping them for the long weekend. I did not come to KY until today to see the girls. We are staying here until Sunday to celebrate Dane's 1st birthday and to do a baby shower for Dawn. We are going to miss Daddy this week.

Happy Anniversary Joe! I'm so glad God took all the circumstances in our lives and brought us together! Thanks for being such a great spiritual leader in our home, an AMAZING husband, and an incredible daddy to our sweet girls! I love you with all my heart!

My HOT husband!

I love how our lillies come back each year!

Anna and I went to the park tonight.

We went to get ice-cream after the park.

Girls first bath together.

Summer So Far

2010-05-25T15:44:00.019-04:00

We went to New Harvest park today with lots of friends from church! Anna had so much fun playing in the water!

La Donna, Abbey, and Ella

Anna LOVES to help Daddy water the flowers and garden!

Anna and Jack in the pool (or slip-n-slide)!

Fran and all the kids!

Anna and Ella's new picnic table!

Ella is working on sitting up!

Daddy and his girls!

Ella playing in the booth at Cheddars.

Daddy and Anna in "big" church!

Playing with Joel

We went to visit baby Tanner!

I love matching outifits!

Mother's Day!

We made our first trip to the zoo as a family of 4 a few weeks ago. Ella took a nap on Mommy. Mommy was really tired at the end of the day, but we had fun!

Anna spends ALOT of time on the potty these days. She is doing pretty good with it. She stays dry as long as we are home and/or I am with her. I have to take her to the potty still, but she is making progress. She also pees in public bathrooms alot better now. The harderst problem we are facing is when Mommy is not with her. She does not do well on Sundays.

Ella's 6 Month Photoshoot

2010-05-19T21:26:00.011-04:00

Rhonda did Ella's 6 month photoshoot a few weeks ago. We loved all our pictures. I had trouble today uploading all the pictures from the shoot. Apparently I have reached my limit on blogger and cannot upload any more pictures for 24 hours. More pics to come.

Catch Up

2010-05-11T14:41:00.022-04:00

Sorry it has taken me so long to update the blog lately. Most of our time now is spent taking Anna to the potty. She is doing pretty good so far, but still has a way to go. We went to Ohio last weekend to visit Grandma and Grandpa Whitley. Then the girls and I stayed with Nana and Poppy for a few days before we came back home. Here are pics from our 2 trips.

Addie was not sure about her Mommy holding Ella, so she had to join them. Happy 2nd birthday Addie!

Getting ready for their nap!

The 3 girls had fun together, but they missed Tristan.

Grandma and Grandpa with 5 of their 7 great grandchildren from their oldest son Tim.

Enjoying the BEST milkshake we have ever had from United Dairy Farmers!

Ella and Grandma

Anna had so much fun playing with Emma!

Watching the KY Derby!

Grandpa and Ella

Grandma reading Anna a book!

Cousins

Ella and Aunt La La

We celebrated Aunt La La's birthday last weekend.

Anna is such a big girl now.

This is a funny picture...you would think it should be the other way around.

Bathtime with Dane

Cuddling with Uncle Cory!

Anna had fun playing with Elizabeth last week.

Cuddle time with Nana!

Ma and Ella

Sweet sisters!

Big Day!!!

2010-05-06T19:14:00.006-04:00

Today was a big day in our house! Anna peed and pooped on the potty for the first time EVER!!!! We were at Carrie's house this afternoon and Anna tried one time. She didn't have any luck the first time. Then I put her down for a nap and left to go the FCA. Carrie said she heard Anna kind of crying (which she never does) so she decided to go check on her. She asked her if she needed to poop. Anna said yes, so Carrie took her. Carrie put her on the potty and then gave her privacy. Carrie said a few minutes later she heard the poop and then the pee! Anna said, "Can I have my sucker now?" So Carrie gave her the sucker! I was playing basketball at FCA, so Carrie called Mark so he could come tell me. I couldn't concentrate on the basketball game after that.

We decided to celebrate the occasion, so Joe came to Mark and Carrie's after work. We loaded up 4 kids and headed to Wal-Mart and McDonald's!

Heading to Wal-Mart so Anna could get a treat!

We need big kids at our house.

We wanted Anna to remember this day, so we bought her a microphone so she could sing while she sits on the potty and a baby that goes to the potty!

Celebration dinner at McDonalds!

Ella is 6 months old

2010-05-03T21:22:00.006-04:00

I cannot believe that in 6 months we will be celebrating Ella's 1st birthday. Time is going too fast for us. Ella has changed alot in this past month. She has cut her bottom 2 teeth and she is eating solid foods (cereal, green beans, yellow squash, peas, and butternut squash). She LOVES all her foods so far and has finally figured out how to eat with a spoon pretty well. She also is turning over consistently and we are working on sitting up.

We went for Ella's 6 month check-up on Friday since we were going to be out of town this week. She weighed 16 lbs. 1 oz. and is 25 1/4 inches long.

November 8, 2009

December 3, 2009

January 3, 2010

February 3, 2010

March 3, 2010

April 3, 2010

Today...May 3, 2010

We had to wait for Ella's shots, so she took a nap on Daddy.

Catch Up

2010-04-24T13:22:00.017-04:00

Sorry I have not been blogging lately. Here are pictures from the past few weeks.

She sucks on her thumb all the time now!

No we are not really potty training yet, but we are trying to get Anna to actually pee on the potty so she might start to understand the concept. She sits on the potty (big and small one) alot, but cannot actually pee on it. This day, she sat on the potty for an entire episode of Dora...still no luck.

Checking on the garden.

Ready for our spring photoshoot last weekend!

Ella's first tooth came in Tuesday, then today we noticed the 2nd one on the bottom had popped through!

Carrie and lauren left me with 5 kids the other day..whew, I'm glad I only have 2 right now.

Anna led Corbin and Joel in Ring-Around-the Rosie

Ella's new favorite thing to chew on since she has cut her first 2 teeth this week!

We let Anna choose between Cracker Barrel and McDonalds for breakfast this morning. Can you tell where we went? She loves playing at "Donalds"!

Look how big I'm getting!

Ella likes playing with Regan!

Nana and her girls.

Poppy and Ella

I love cuddle time with my baby girl!

Ella"sDedication

2010-04-12T16:05:00.013-04:00

We had Ella's baby dedication at church Sunday. Joe's parents came to visit for the weekend. We had a great time visiting with Grandma and Grandpa. Joe and his dad put in a raised garden Saturday and also cooked the meat and dessert for dinner! Thanks guys! Grandma took care of the girls while I went to a baby shower Saturday morning. Sunday, my parents, Ma, and Aunt Janet came in for Ella's dedication, then they all came back to our house for lunch. We had a great time with our family this weekend.

Ella's Baby Dedication...April 11, 2010

We are so thankful to be a part of such an amazing church.

We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family. Grandma, Grandpa, Nana, Poppy, Ma, and Aunt Janet all came to town for this special day!

Nana and Poppy

Our family...

Ma and Ella. Ma made Ella's beautiful dedication dress.

Anna wanted Aunt Janet to push her in the swing.

Ready to head to church with Grandma and Grandpa!

Grandpa rubbed Ella's burpcloth on her gums. She LOVED it!

The only time Anna acts jealous is when Grandma or Nana are holding Ella.

Cuddle time with Grandma

Daddy brought home ice-cream last week. They have been sharing a bowl alot lately.

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T18:56:00.008-04:00

We had a great day celebrating our Risen Savior! Anna has been saying all day, "Jesus is alive!" She knows why we celebrate Easter! Nana and Poppy left yesterday, so we spent the day with just the four of us.

Easter 2010

Silly face

My girls...

Daddy and his girls!

Great lunch at O'Charleys. It wasn't like being at Nana's, Grandma's or Ma's, but it was good.

Ella is 5 months old

2010-04-03T15:57:00.005-04:00

Ella has changed alot in this last month. She is now eating cereal 2 times a day and is trying to cut her two bottom teeth. We can see them, they just have not broken the skin yet. She chews on things and drools ALL the time. She rolled over the other day (this was not the first time) but I think the first time she did it was a fluke. Now she gets up on her side all the time and tries to look behind her back. I think she will be turing over all the time really soon. We moved her bedtime up again, so now she is finally going to bed at 8:00 just like her sister. She usually wakes up talking to herself between 7:30 and 7:40. I don't feed her until 8:00 though. She is also being able to stay awake alot longer now between naps. Her wake time is usually 2 hours and then naps for 2 hours!

November 8, 2009

December 3, 2009

January 3, 2010

February 3, 2010

March 3, 2010

Today...April 3, 2010

Swing Set and Zoo

2010-03-31T16:09:00.023-04:00

Poppy and Daddy built Anna a swing set last weekend. Anna has had so much fun swinging and going down the slide. She even swings in the big girl swing!

Anna helped Mommy make cookies the other day and she got to eat them upstairs on her tray. She thought it was cool because she never gets to eat upstairs!

Ella is almost turning over!

Anna wanted to help Poppy and Daddy!

Finished product!

She LOVES the slide!

She can go up the ladder really well!

Anna's new pack pack (that's what she calls it)!

Ready for church!

Anna wanted to help Nana spring clean! Thanks to Nana for all your help with spring cleaning! We are officially done!!!! I could not have done it all without Nana's help!

We went to the zoo today with lots of friends from church!
Anna, LaLa, and Joel

The chimps were a big hit! Look at all those kids!

Anna said she was calling Nana from Wee Play!

Little carpenters!

Joel taking Anna for a ride!

Kristen, Lexi, and Will

Joel liked the goats!

Combing the goats' hair.

Cheese!

Ella enjoying the swing too!

Catch Up

2010-03-25T14:27:00.016-04:00

Ella weighed 15 lbs. 3 oz. at her 4 month check-up last Wednesday. She was 4 1/2 months old then. She was 24 1/2 inches long. Dr. Kimble said everything looked great with her and that we could start cereal.

Daddy and his girls at the doctor. Anna was giving Ella a shot.

Dr. Kimble and Ella

Dying Easter eggs with Daddy!

Popcorn time with Daddy.

First time with cereal. I don't think she swallows very much yet.

Anna wanted to help Daddy vacuum Saturday.

We went to New Harvest park last Saturday morning. We let Ella nap for an hour at home, then we headed to the park. She was a little fussy when we got there, so I strolled her around the walking track. She went back to sleep, so I just kept strolling. We did 7 laps (I was tired), but she kept sleeping. Anna and Daddy played hard while we were walking. Anna loves all the slides now!
Anna likes to slide on her belly.

Anna likes the big girl swing!

Enjoying a picnic in the park.

A little too small for the highchair, but it works.

Swing time!

Enjoying a popsicle with Jaxson!

Happy Birthday Nana!

2010-03-17T08:44:00.006-04:00

We are sad that we can't see Nana today on her birthday. Nana, we hope you have a great birthday! We love you! Joe, Sara, Anna, and Ella

Anna coloring for you Nana!

C-A-T-S! Cats Cats Cats!!!

2010-03-14T15:31:00.013-04:00

What a fun weekend of cheering on the CATS! Anna even likes watching basketball with Daddy and cheering on the CATS. I think the main reason she likes watching basketball is because she and Daddy eat popcorn during the game.

My Kentucky Fans!!!

Ella says, "GO BIG BLUE!!"

Anna with the birthday kids!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Paige and Parker!

I think Anna liked pulling the string instead of hitting it.

Fun times! Look at all that candy....Anna only chose one piece!!

Look at these cute monkey cupcakes! Rhonda, you are SOOO creative!

Josh, La La, and Joel came over for the game yesterday. They were good sports!

Playing with Joel!

I worked in Anna's class during church today. As you can see, we were pretty busy.

Playdate

2010-03-12T17:40:00.006-05:00

Anna and Ella went to Jack, Jacob, and Joshua's house Tuesday while I went to the doctor. The big kids played outside from 9 til 1. At 12:45, Anna said, "Mommy, I need a nap!" She almost fell asleep on our 3 minute drive home. They had so much fun painting, playing baseball, and lots of other things. Thanks for watching my girls Fran!

Anna wore her smock that Ma made her!

Ella enjoyed the sun!

Jacob concentrating hard.

Painting

Easter Dresses from Etsy

2010-03-12T17:36:00.005-05:00

I ordered the girls' Easter dresses from Esty a few weeks ago. They came tonight and Anna was so excited to try her's on. She is all GIRL!!

Ella is napping right now. I will try her's on later.

What color shoes should they wear? Well, probably just Anna. I don't like putting shoes on babies.

Weekend in Paducah

2010-03-09T18:50:00.019-05:00

We went to Paducah last weekend to visit Joe's parents. We had so much fun playing with Grandma and Grandpa and enjoying the beautiful weather. Here are pictures from our weekend.

Helping Grandma feed Ella!

Riding on the rocking horse while cheering on the CATS!!

Big hugs!!!

Anna played dolls with Uncle Dan! Happy Birthday Uncle Dan!

Anna wore Aunt Annie's old poncho to church.

My sweet girls!

Aubert and Katheren the Great came to visit!

Anna LOVED the slides!

Ella enjoying the park!

Picnic in the park!

Anna and Grandpa

Ella LOVED this toy!

Cuddle time with Grandma!

Ella really started grabbing at toys this weekend.

Bathtime was a little different, but Ella loved it. Doesn't she look so chunky in this picture?

Anna helping Grandma decorate cookies!

Ella is 4 Months Old

2010-03-03T12:37:00.002-05:00

Ella is 4 months old today. She is growing so fast. I don't know how much she weighs right now. She goes for her 4 month well visit on the 17th, so I will give her stats then. She is sleeping great at night. We are almost to 12 hours at night. I nurse Ella at 8:45 and then she sleeps until 8:00 am. We keep moving her bedtime up, so hopefully we will get to 8:00 pm soon!

November 8, 2009

December 3, 2009

January 3, 2010

February 3, 2010

Today...March 3, 2010

Family

2010-03-02T15:23:00.022-05:00

The girls and I went to KY again last week. It was fun visiting with family again!

Painting a picture to take home to Daddy!

Craft time with Nana

Ma and Ella

Anna and Dane

Laura and Cory feeding Ella

Missing Joe in this picture:(

Poppy and his 3 grandkids!

Nana, Anna, and Dane

Decked out in their UK gear! Didn't help the CATS Saturday:(

I love cuddle time!

Lori and Chris came to visit Saturday!

Abbie and Todd came to Pigeon Forge last weekend to getaway. They invited us to come swim Saturday night. We had so much fun visiting with them!

Tristan is 9 months older than Anna, but its hard to tell now! So sweet!

Ella and Tray

Getting in the pool!

Anna had so much fun in the pool, but would not let go of Daddy!

Fun in the pool!

They had fun in the big tub after their swim!

Todd with Ella and Tray...Tray is 13 days older than Ella.

Tray

Cousins

2010-02-22T20:30:00.012-05:00

The girls and I came to Kentucky today so we could have some work done on my van. Vicki, Emma, and Jack came to my parents' house to play today. This was their first time seeing Ella. Anna had so much fun playing with Emma and Jack. Here are pictures from our day.

Drawing on the marker board. Anna loves playing with older kids.

This was Aunt Vicki's first time to see Ella.

4 of the 7 cousins

Cuddling with Poppy

Catch Up

2010-02-20T20:44:00.018-05:00

We went to Mr. Gattis Monday with Rhonda and Stephanie for a fun playdate. Anna loves playing with other kids. Then tonight we went to Joel's first birthday party. Anna had so much fun playing with Joel, eating birthday cake, and helping Joel open his presents.

I'm having trouble with blogger, so sorry there are no words above the pictures. Hopefully I can figure out the problem soon.

Sunshine...

2010-02-19T12:22:00.002-05:00

7 Things I can't leave home without...except the children....

7. Water bottle and zofran (well, the zofran was when I was pregnant. I could not have made it through the day without it back then. I'm always thirsy, so the water bottle helps me not stop for a COKE, which I would rather have!

6. My sunglasses...I cannot stand for the sun to be in my eyes.

5. My cell phone...if you know me, I loose my cell phone ALOT, but I have to have it!

4. My debit card...which is usually in my wallet (I NEVER have cash, so my debit card comes in handy.)

3. Lotion...My hands are ALWAYS dry in the winter.

2. Coupon book...You know me, I like to save money!

1. My camera...just like Rhonda, I have to have my camera to capture every moment of my childrens' lives!

Ok, now I'm passing this cute little award on to 7 more peeps. Can't wait to see what YOU can't leave home without...so here are my 7 picks...

1. Vicki
2. Fran
3. Lauren
4. Laura
5. Kristen
6. Becca
7. Elisa

3 Month Photoshoot

2010-02-16T21:55:00.009-05:00

We went to Rhonda's for Ella's 3 month photoshoot today. Here are a few pictures from today. More to come...

Ella spit up alot today during the shoot. She did great despite all the spit!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-13T18:56:00.006-05:00

Joe took Anna and I to the Chattanooga aquarium today for Valentine's Day. We had such a good time. My favorite part was seeing Joe's smiling face all day and listening to Anna talk about everything she saw. Nana kept Ella at home and I think she had a great time having one on one time with Ella. Thanks Nana! Here are pictures from our day.

Trip to KY so far...

2010-02-09T21:48:00.009-05:00

The girls and I drove to Lexington yesterday and spent the day at Uncle Cory's and Aunt La La's house. Anna and Dane had fun playing together (pictures to come later). Then today, we had a great lunch at Ma's and dinner with Dawn and Daniel. Anna has enjoyed playing in the basement most of the day. She even went downstairs by herself tonight. Nana went down to check on her and Anna was standing at the bottom of the stairs, sucking her thumb because the lights were out. I bet she stood down there for 10 minutes before Nana went down. Then right before bed, I put Anna's new Kentucky shirt on over her PJs and she said she wanted to watch the CATS! Yes, we have her brain-washed. More pictures to come later this week.

Ella is 3 Months Old

2010-02-03T13:28:00.006-05:00

Wow, where has the time gone. My sweet baby girl is 3 months old today. She is growing up way too fast. I'm not sure how much she weighs, but I am guessing somehwere around 13 lbs. She is sleeping great and loves her Mommy's milk! We are trying to move her bedtime up, so right now she eats at 9:30 pm and goes until 8:00 am! I love being able to sleep all night! We hope to have her bedtime at 8:00 by 4 months.

Look at how much she has grown.

November 8, 2009

December 3, 2009

January 3, 2010

Today...February 3, 2010

Last Week

2010-02-01T15:43:00.009-05:00

We had a nice relaxing week at home last week. The girls and I stayed home all week, except to go to the gym. It was very nice being home everyday. Then we stayed home most of the weekend because of the snow. Here are pictures from our week.

Catching snow in their mouths!

Anna, Daddy, and Crosty (We try to get her to say Frosty, but she refuses.)

Having a tea party with Jack and Jake!

Anna loves playing with J & J!

Stephen and Kari came over for dinner last week. They are going to have a baby girl any day!

I love our youth group at CHBC! God is so good...We finally have a new student pastor!

Jenny and Hannah

Will stuffing his face with a snowball cupcake.

Weekend Getaway

2010-01-25T13:42:00.015-05:00

Joe and I went to Gatlinburg this weekend with Josh and Lauren to celebrate mine and Lauren's birthdays. We had such a fun, relaxing weekend! Thanks Nana and Poppy for keeping the girls. It is nice to get away, and know that our girls will be well taken care of and have so much fun!

The guys...

The girls...

Saying good-bye Thursday night.

Anna and Poppy dancing!

Anna got several inches cut off the other day. We are trying to get it one length.

Anna and LeAnna

Isn't this such a sweet picture?

Anna said she was fixing Ella's hair.

Ella's 2 Month Check-Up

2010-01-19T13:56:00.009-05:00

Ella went for her 2 month check-up last Wednesday. Sorry it has taken me so long to update. Here are her stats:
Weight - 12 lbs. 9 oz. 90% (Yes, she LOVES her mommy's milk!!!)
Length - 23 1/2 inches 75%
Head - 15 1/2 inches 75%

She also had her shots and did really well with them.

Anna went for her 2 year check-up on the same day. She did not have to have any shots, only a finger prick. Her iron was way up from this time last year, so we were thankful for that. Here are her stats:
Weight - 27 lbs. 25%
Height - 34 1/2 inches - 75%

I cannot believe my sweet baby girl is already 2 1/2 months old. Where does the time go?

Thanks for the matching PJs JoAnn!

Sweet sisters!

Dr. Kimble checking Anna out.

Joe and his girls at the doctor!

If you couldn't count all the those kids...there were 7 in this picture and Ella was asleep unstairs.

Rhonda had lots of help feeding baby Joshua!

Catch Up

2010-01-11T15:35:00.019-05:00

Finding time to blog now is a little harder with two girls. Life is so great with 2 sweet girls! Ella is growing and changing so much. I weighed her last Thursday at Fran's house. She weighed 12 lbs. 10 oz. We go tomorrow for her two month check-up and shots so I will give you her stats later this week. Also, last week at Fran's house, Ella turned over for the first time...from her belly to her back. I had just put her down for a nap and decided to watch her for a second. I was so excited that I got to witness it! She did it again later during her nap, but hasn't done it since then.

One other exciting news for us is that Ella is sleeping ALL NIGHT now! She started about 2 weeks ago going from 10 pm until about 6 am. And now for the past 4 or 5 days, she has been sleeping from 10 pm until 7:30 - 7:45 am! It feels so good to sleep all night!

Nana and Poppy came in Saturday to celebrate my birthday! Joe and I went on a date Saturday night and then today they watched the girls so I could go shopping, to the gym, and then I went to lunch with Joe! Thanks Nana and Poppy! Here are pictures from the past week.

Ready for church!

Ella - 2 1/2 months old

We went to Jaxson's birthday party Saturday. Anna did not want to get in the bounce house, but I finally convinced her and she loved it!

In the bounce house...

Poppy and his girls!

Nana and her girls!

Joe went to work late on Friday so he could play with Anna in the snow...but they couldn't build a snowman this time.

Right after she turned over for the first time.

Ella is 6 weeks older than Joshua, but he is already longer than her!

Anna loves being read to!

Thanks Carrie for their cute shirts!

Anna loves Jack and Jake!

No, she's not potty trained yet.

Thanks Grandma for making Ella's sweater!

Thanks Aunt Abbie!

Family Photo Shoot

2010-01-04T18:58:00.013-05:00

My brother, Cory, his wife Laura, and their son Dane came to town last week for Anna's birthday party. We have been planning on having family pictures taken to give to my parents for their anniversary. We met Joe downtown last Tuesday on his lunch break to take the pictures. It was about 35 degrees (way too cold) for outside pictures, but we did them anyways. My children did not cooperate because of the cold temperatures. Rhonda was still able to get some good ones!

After our family shoot, Rhonda tried to take Anna's 2 year old pictures. Anna was over it and way too cold at this point. We couldn't get her to so smile or even stop crying except for the birthday cake that Rhonda brought. We even let the balloons fly away after only one picture. Needless to say, I am not doing anymore outside pictures unless the temperature is above 60 degrees.

Nana, you need to choose which picture you want to frame!

Happy New Year and 2 Months Old!

2010-01-02T13:00:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year to all our friends and family! We are so thankful for each of you and look forward to what God has in store for us in 2010! I can't believe it, but Ella is 2 months old today. Time has just flown by and I need it to slow down. Joe says Ella is our last baby, so I am trying to enjoy every second with her. We have been a little frustrated with her sleeping until this week. She had only been sleeping about 5 hours at night until the last few days. Traveling for Christmas set her back a little, so I decided that Tuesday night we were going to let her cry alot to try to get her back on track with sleeping at night. Well, she surprised us, and slept 6 1/2 hours that night! Then the next night she slept 6 hours and 40 minutes. Then last night, she slept all night: 10:00 pm until 6:08 this morning! We were so excited and feel so rested. She caught up with her sleeping and slept through the night about the same time as Anna did.

1 Month

Look at how much I've grown!

Anna's Dora Birthday Party

2009-12-30T14:18:00.021-05:00

Anna has been talking about her Dora birthday party for over a month now. Well, we finally had it last night and we all had a great time celebrating Anna's 2nd birthday! We had the party at our house this year, which worked really well. I have decided from now on, we will have Anna's parties at the end of January because this time of year is too hectic. We were so thankful that Uncle Cory, Aunt La La, Dane, Nana, and Poppy could come to town for the party!
Anna getting ready to blow out her candles! She needed a little help from Daddy.

Anna and Nana

Anna hitting Dora!

We made Brycen go last because we know he could break Dora! He hit her so hard that she broke right at the neck and her body feel to the ground.

Getting the candy...it was crazy how much candy was still on the ground at the end of the party.

Anna and Jaxson enjoying some candy! They are 20 days apart so we will be celebrating Jaxson's birthday soon!

Anna had lots of helpers with opening her presents! Thanks to all our friends and family for such sweet gifts!

Admiring a present!

The guys trying to get away from all the fun...but they were cheering on the CATS!

The Arms....

Anna LOVES Brycen!

Anna helped me make cupcakes for her party!

Anna and Aunt La La

Anna being silly!

Ella and Hudson came to the party, but you would have never known they were there. Hudson is 10 days older than Ella. I love having babies at the same time as my friends so our children can grown up together!

Anna and Nana

Ella and Poppy

My 2 year old and almost 2 month old...

Happy Birthday Anna

2009-12-28T20:18:00.009-05:00

Anna turned 2 yesterday! We are excited and sad at the same time that our little Anna is 2 now. It is amazing how much she has changed and learned to do this past year:
She learned how to walk FINALLY!
She learned sooooooo many words and is now talking in paragraphs! Seriously, she talks all day long! (She's like her Mommy)
She learned all her colors (well, she still struggles with orange, but Joe thinks that is funny!)
She learned how to count to 10 and is now working on 11-20.
She learned how to say her ABCs but mumbles through them. We will now work on saying the letters more clearly.
She learned how to go up and down the stairs (with alot of crying involved.)
She learned how to be a big sister and a great helper!!!
I'm sure there is more, but that is all I can think of right now.

We were in Paducah for Anna's birthday. It was great getting to be with part of our family on her birthday. Joe's mom had a birthday party for her after church. Her cousins, Tristan and Addie helped her blow out her candles. Here are pictures from her birthday party in Paducah. Her party here is tomorrow night, so I will post pictures from that and our weekend later.

Katheren the Great made these blocks for Anna. Each one has a letter and number on it.There is also a bell in each block. Anna LOVES them and has been playing with them all night. Grandma said it took about an hour for each block. Wow, that is 26 hours of hardwork. Thank you so much Grandma!

Yummy cupcake!!!

Blowing out her candles!

Anna loved Grandma's slide!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T18:54:00.023-05:00

We came to Kentucky Monday morning with Nana and Poppy and then Joe joined us last night. We have had so much fun being here. Tomorrow we are heading to Paducah to be with Joe's family.

We want to wish all our friends and family a very Merry Christmas!

Anna and Dane opening presents.

Ma and Ella

Anna and Aunt La La

Ma gave Anna a little figurine for her birthday. She was so proud of it!

I have a picture of Anna from last year looking at this music box and she could barely see over the table.

Uncle Cory, Aunt Laura, and Dane. Isn't Dane's hat so cute? Robin, you need to sell these on Etsy.

Ma and her 3 great grandchildren...

Poppy and his beautiful grandchildren.

Uncle Cory and Aunt La La with all the kids.

Aunt Janet and my girls!

Anna in front of Aunt Janet's tree.

Ella and Aunt Janet

Aunt Betty and Uncle Gene came to visit the other night before they headed back to Florida.

Quincy came over to play the other night.

Anna's new towel.

Our Family...

Doing our Christmas early before we headed to Kentucky.

Daddy and his girls!

Anna posing with her new piano.

Anna and Ella ready for church.

Anna and Daddy opening one of Anna's presents.

Christmas Pictures

2009-12-18T10:12:00.009-05:00

Rhonda did our Christmas pictures a few weeks ago. It was perfect weather for Christmas card pictures, however, my girls were freezing. We were only able to stay out there for about 15 minutes. Anna kept saying, "Mommy, I'm cold." Thanks for the great pictures Rhonda!

Christmas Party and Our First Snow

2009-12-07T19:14:00.012-05:00

We went to Rhonda's on Thursday for a friends Christmas party. Rhonda made a wonderful breakfast for everyone! Thanks Rhonda! Thank goodness we didn't end up going to Cracker Barrel because we made a huge mess with all the presents.

Then Saturday morning we woke up to a beautiful blanket of snow on the ground. We had our family Christmas pictures scheduled for 10:30 that morning. Joe was not excited about taking the girls out in the cold snow, but we ended up getting some good pictures. By the end of the session, Anna kept saying, "I'm cold" and was ready to go home. When we got home, we put Ella down for a nap and we all headed back outside to build Frosty the Snowman. Anna had so much fun with Daddy!

Present time!

Fun paiting project at Rhonda's house!

Ella was 5 days old here. She has really grown alot in a month.

Ella was one month old last week. Hopefully I will remember to take her picture each month in this chair so we can see how much she grows each month.

Josh and Lauren are moving tomorrow, so we went over to help them pack last week. La La made a cool tunnel for the kids to crawl through!

Anna and Joel play so well together now!

Thanks La La for the cool Christmas story stacking blocks! Anna plays with them everyday.

Anna was so proud of her snowman!

One of Anna's Christmas dresses. She has at least 7 dresses. I don't know if we will get to wear them all.

Ella's First Trip to KY

2009-12-03T09:27:00.012-05:00

The girls and I went to Kentucky with Nana and Poppy on Saturday. We left Joe here so he could work, but then he got sick and was home alone sick all weekend. We really missed daddy, but had a great time visiting with my family. Ella got to meet her Uncle Cory, Aunt La La, and cousin Dane on Sunday. It was great getting all the cousins together to play. Anna really likes that Dane can sit up and interact with her now. We came back home on Tuesday. Anna talked about seeing Daddy the whole way home.

Anna enjoying her first whole apple!

Is this a proud Poppy or what?

Aunt La La (according to Anna) and Ella

Anna and Dane playing.

Great picture, except we are missing Joe:(

Ma and Ella

Ma and Aunt Janet enjoying Dane and Ella!

Anna loves Uncle Cory!

Anna wanted to help Nana feed Dane.

Anna liked holding Eden.

Eden is about 9 weeks older than Ella.

My friends from college came over to my parents' house Monday night. It was great getting to see everyone again.

Nana cut my head off. I promise, I do not make my child clean. She is going to be just like her Mommy and Nana and LIKE to clean. She always wants to help me when I am cleaning.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-28T08:41:00.008-05:00

We stayed here for Thanksgiving instead of traveling. Nana and Poppy came to visit and we have had a great time relaxing around here. Yesterday, Poppy watched both girls while Mom and I went shopping and Joe had to work. Poppy was alone with Anna and Ella for about 5 hours. Thanks Poppy!

Ella is doing great! I took her to the doctor Tuesday for her 3 week check-up and she weighed 10 lbs. 1 oz. and was 22 inches long. Her weight is in the 75th percentile and her length is in the 90th percentile. She is now eating every 3 1/2 hours during the day and had been doing about every 4 during the night. Last night, she slept 5 hours and 20 minutes! I feel very rested today!

Happy Birthday Daddy! We love you and are so thankful for you!

Our Family...

Loving on Nana and Poppy!

Helping Daddy open his birthday presents. Anna thought they were her presents.

Helping Daddy set the table for Thanksgiving dinner.

Anna helping Daddy dry the dishes Thursday.

Life with 2 Girls

2009-11-22T17:56:00.008-05:00

In the past week, I have only taken a few pictures. I simply just don't have time or just forget to take pictures. Last week was our first official week home alone with just us girls. We had a great time just being home and adjusting to our new life. We ventured out two times last week and it wasn't as hard as I thought, however, it is easier to just stay at home. Anna is doing great being a big sister! She loves to help Mommy with Ella and has really grown up since Ella has been born. Ella is also doing great! She takes good naps and is doing pretty well at night. We are trying to stretch her at night, so we have had several nights of not as much sleep for me and Joe. Hopefully she will be like Anna and sleep through the night by 8 weeks. Here are pictures from our week.

Ma and Aunt Janet came to visit last Saturday. Ma brought Anna a gift...BIG GIRL UNDERWEAR! I think Ma thinks we are behind on the process.

Anna likes all of Ella's toys!

Anna LOVES to hold Ella!

My friend JoAnn and her girls came over to visit last week.

Jack and Jake seemed to like Ella. I think they are ready to be big brothers!

Craft time at Aunt Frannie's house.

Last night we met Abbie and Todd at Carrabas in West Knoxville. They were driving back from Atlanta. It was great getting to visit and meet baby Tray for the first time. Ella and Tray seem to be about the same size now.

Newborn Pictures

2009-11-15T13:30:00.017-05:00

Rhonda came over last Sunday to do Ella's newborn pictures. Ella did not cooperate as well as Anna did with her newborn pictures, but Rhonda was still able to capture so many good pictures. Thanks for coming to our house Rhonda!

Our First Week as a Family of Four

2009-11-14T11:13:00.012-05:00

Anna came home Tuesday night. She had really missed us and was very clingy to me when she got home. She woke up Wednesday morning in a great mood! Joe was off on Wednesday, so we took Anna on a date after Ella's doctor's appointment. Ella's appointment went great! She had gained more weight and was 8 lbs. 9 1/2 oz. Wednesday morning.

We had so much fun taking Anna to the zoo. This was the first zoo trip I have enjoyed since I was not pregnant. It felt great to walk around and not be exhausted.

During Anna's nap, Joe got down all the Christmas decorations and Mom and I put up the tree. When Anna woke up, she helped put the ornaments on the tree. Anna also played with Ella alot that night. Wednesday was the perfect day!

Thursday, Anna woke up on the wrong side of the bed and decided to test Mommy ALL DAY LONG. She has never acted as badly as she did on Thursday. I was so frustrated and wanted to cry all day at how she was acting. We disciplined all day, but nothing seemed to work. Ella also took horrible naps on Thursday, which made the day even worse because I had to listen to her cry most of the day. When Joe finally got home from work, Mommy was mentally and physically EXHAUSTED.

Friday was a much better day. I decided to call Anna's doctor because she still had a terrible cough that had lasted over a week. Nana took Anna to the doctor and I took Ella with me to get my hair cut. Dr. Kimble said that the cough was due to the weather and allergies, but he gave her some medicine that should knock out the cough. Nana brought Anna to LeAnna's to get her hair cut too. Anna sat like a big girl all by herself while LeAnna cut her hair. This was the first time she had not sat in my lap. After her hair cut, Nana took the girls back home while LeAnna finished my hair. After my hair cut, I went to Target ALONE! It was great! Friday night, Joe and I took Anna to Family Fun Night at FCA. Anna had so much fun playing all the games. Friday was a much better day than Thursday! Praise the Lord!

Ella is doing much better with naps and night time too. Yestarday, she would have about an hour of wake time, then go right down for her naps. I woke her up each time to eat. Then last night she slept for 4 hours, then I fed her. Then 3 hours and 45 minutes, and then finally 3 1/2 hours. She is catching on to Baby Wise much faster than Anna did!

We went to Fall Family Fun night at FCA last night. Anna had fun playing all the games. She wasn't sure what to do with two suckers.

Getting ducks with Joel.

Playing golf...

Haircut in the big girl chair.

Ella ready for a trip out.

Anna helping with the Chirstmas tree.

Anna loves to pat on Ella and give her a pacy, even if Ella doesn't want the pacy.

Anna and Daddy at the zoo.

Fran brought an amazing dinner Tuesday night and came over to visit. Thanks Fran!

Joel and La La came over to play Monday.

Ella did not enjoy her first bath very well. She likes them now though!

We took Ella to church last Sunday.

Grandma had to leave Monday morning. We were sad to see her go. Thanks for all your help Grandma.

Ella's Friends and Family

2009-11-10T10:30:00.012-05:00

Joe and I are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends! Thanks to Nana and Poppy for keeping Anna while we transitioned home with Ella. We missed Anna so much, but feel like we have really been able to bond with Ella since we have been home. We cannot wait for Anna to get home tonight so we can begin our new life as a family of four! Thanks to Esther for staying with us and helping with Ella and all the things around the house. It was so good getting to spend time with you. Tim, thanks for letting your wife be gone for even longer. I know you are glad she is finally home! And to all our friends, thanks for your love and support through this new season in our life. We are so thankful for each one of you and what you mean to us. We know God brought us to Knoxville and has kept us here because of our church and all of our friendships we have formed because of CHBC!

I just love to watch Ella sleep!

Darcy and Ella

Josh and Lauren look like they are ready for another one!

La La, Ella, and Joel

Grandma with Ella and Anna. Yes, Anna is eating in almost every picture. She had WAY too many sweets while we were in the hospital.

Wow, look at all of Ella's friends! Well, I guess they are Anna's friends, but Ella will love playing with them when she gets a little older.

Rhonda and Ella

Anna and Lexi having a snack.

Chuck and Ella

David Stewart and Ella

Nana changing Ella's diaper.

Chris was driving through Knoxville Tuesday night, so he was able to stop by and see Ella!

Carrie and I switched babies for a few minutes. Hudson is 11 days older than Ella.

Ella and Grandpa

Ella gave her big sister a doll for her bath. Anna has played with this everyday!

Ella Ruth Whitley is Home!

2009-11-05T16:52:00.025-05:00

We were able to leave the hospital this morning about 11:00. It was nice to get home and then take a nap in my own bed. Anna, Nana, and Poppy came to the hospital this morning to see Ella one last time before they headed to Kentucky. Anna loves Ella so much and it is sweet to see them together. Anna is going to spend the next several days with Nana and Poppy while Joe and I get adjusted to having a newborn again and the lack of sleep. We were sad letting Anna go, but we know she is going to have so much fun there. Joe's mom is staying with us through the weekend. We are excited to have her help. She was great when we brought Anna home from the hospital.

We were so blessed to have many vistors at the hospital. I will post another day all of the pictures of Ella's family and friends.

We are so glad Ella is finally here! God is good!

Proud Daddy

I was afraid Anna would be scared to see me all hooked up, but she did great! Anna made the time pass by quickly as we waited for Ella's arrival.

Anna loved the rocking chair and the suckers!

Nana came prepared with gifts for Anna!

We have NO CLUE who Ella looks like.

Is that not the sweetest thing? Anna LOVES to hold Ella's hands.

Anna loved Mommy's bed!

Our new family of 4!

Proud Big Sister! Thanks LeAnn for monogramming their shirts!

Anna is really gentle with Ella!

Anna loved playing in Ella's carseat.

Ready to head home!

Grandma showing Ella Daddy's fish. We hope she likes them as much as Anna.

Happy Birthday Ella

2009-11-03T18:10:00.006-05:00

Our Sweet Baby Girl

Ella Ruth Whitley

was born today at 1:30 in the afternoon. She weighed 8 lbs. 8 oz. and was 20 1/2 inches long. Joe and I arrived at the hospital at midnight and they started pitocin at about 1:15 this morning. When they checked me, I was only a 1/2 cm dilated. I was very frustrated because that is what I had been since 36 weeks. At 7:00 am, I asked for my epidural and was feeling no pain by 7:30. Dr. Vick arrived at 9:00 to check me and break my water. However, my water had already broke and I didn't know it. I was 2 cm at this point. At 11:00 I was 4 cm. Then Dr. Vick came back at 1:00 to check me. As soon as he did, he said, "Oh My", but did not tell me how far I was. The next thing I knew, he had me pushing and Joe could immediately see Ella's head. He let all my family and friends come in to see me one last time. I was able to kiss Anna, which made me cry. Then everyone left. Within 10 minutes Ella was here. I pushed 3 times and she was out! I won't give any more details, but it was an amazing experience and much easier than Anna. God is so good! We have been praising him all day for our sweet baby girl and her health! The Internet is really slow here at the hospital and this is the only picture I could get to upload. Many more to come when we get home Thursday.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T19:05:00.012-04:00

We weren't sure if Mommy and Daddy would get to celebrate Halloween with Anna this year, but Ella is content in Mommy's belly. We had a great time yesterday and today celebrating Halloween. Yesterday we met Rhonda, Fran, and Lauren at Cracker Barrel for a Halloween breakfast. All the kids were so well behaved. We even got to sing Happy Birthday to a sweet lady who sat near us. Then today Anna, Nana, and I went shopping and then to a great Halloween party. Thanks Kristi for having us over today. We got home late and Anna and I took a long nap after the party.

Frannie the cat and Sara the pumpkin (as Anna says now). 3 days until we meet Ella!!

Kristi, thanks for the goody bucket.

Sorry this picture is so bright. My camera was acting up today.

Anna and Nana decorating a cookie at the party!

We went to visit Daddy at work yesterday.

Playing checkers...

What a cute bumblebee!

Rhonda, I think you need rocking chairs at your house!

Anna didn't recognize Jack at first! Great costumes Jack and Jake!

Anna and Joel the cute pumpkin!

The whole crew...

Anna and Joel took a bath together! I don't think Joel knew what to think about having a big girl in his tub.

We went to Josh and La La's house the other night. We just put Anna in a sleeping bag at 8:00. She laid right down and went to sleep.

22 Months

2009-10-30T08:42:00.007-04:00

Anna was 22 months old on Tuesday. I cannot believe my baby (but now a big girl) is 22 months old. I think she is ready to be a big sister and is going to be a great helper for Mommy. Lately, all she has been talking about is Ella coming out! If all goes as planned, I will be induced Monday night (well at midnight) and we should meet Ella sometime Tuesday!!!

Anna and Mommy made brownies for the McKeehans Tuesday night. She was so proud!

Swimming in Mommy and Daddy's tub. Anna loves to take baths in our tub now. I am not sure if she will want to go back to her tub.

Anna loves to wear any kind of jacket, especially ones with hoods. She did not want to take her raincoat off the other day.

Ready for bed Tuesday night.

Catch Up

2009-10-26T11:10:00.011-04:00

I honestly have not taken many pictures in the last few weeks. We have been busy getting ready for Ella's arrival and I just haven't felt 100%. I go back to the doctor Wednesday to see if I have dialated any more. Last week I had only dialated 1/2 cm, so we have a long way to go. At this point we do not think Ella will come until our induction date, which is next Monday night. We would love for her to come early because I am starting to be miserable. Here are pictures from the last few weeks.

TVA had a baby shower for us and the Vineyards last week. It was so nice of them to do that!

They had a special gift for Anna! She was so excited!

Anna sporting her name tag like Daddy's!

One of Anna's favorite times of the day is getting the mail with Daddy. Thursday she had mail of her own. Ma sent her a Halloween card and $5.00. She was so proud. She and Daddy put the money in her piggy bank!

We went to Soccer Taco for dinner Friday night. Anna loved the music and all the TVs.

We went to visit the McKeehans Friday night. Anna did great at the hospital and loved seeing Hudson. I think her favorite part was playing with Pastor Mark and the sucker he gave her.

Carrie and her sweet baby Hudson. Hudson was born Friday at 3:01 and he weighed 6 lbs. 14 oz. They are home and doing well!

As our Serving Knoxville as 1 project, we went to Trinity Hills to host a tailgate party for the Alabama game Saturday. Joe and Anna came after her nap and she had a ball playing with one lady. I was so proud of Anna because she is usually very bashful around strangers.

Maternity Pictures

2009-10-20T14:27:00.011-04:00

Rhonda took maternity pictures a few weeks ago, but I just haven't had time to post them. Rhonda, thanks so much! We love them all!

Ella will be here very soon. We will be inducing two weeks from today unless she decides to come early!

Playdate and Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-12T12:01:00.013-04:00

We went to the Oakes Pumpkin Patch on Saturday morning. We had a lot of fun watching Anna run around and play. Here are pictures from our morning.

Our family...

They had beautiful places to take pictures.

Driving the tractor...

As you can see, Anna was not real thrilled about sitting on the slide. Fran, she definitely would not slide down it.

Anna in the hay bale maze.

They had a corn maze just for kids...thank goodness because Mommy couldn't have made it through the big corn maze this year.

My little pumpkin!

Mommy and Anna

Daddy and Anna ready to find the perfect pumpkin.

On the hayride...

Anna likes wearing Mommy's sunglasses in the car.

Anna trying to find the perfect pumpkin, but she wanted to be able to pick it up herself. She had a little trouble finding one she could pick up.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We had the Thompsons over for a playdate on Friday. I had a craft for the kids to make, but Rhonda and I decided a few minutes into it that they aren't ready for this type of craft yet. Maybe next year. Then we decorated and ate cupcakes.

The whole crew...

Anna having fun decorating her cupcake!

Faithy concentrating hard on her cupcake.

What a cute smile Parker!

Poor Paige couldn't reach the table, even sitting in the bumbo.