Do Or Die Football Game

This is a photo of Coach Smith pre-game. Right after I took this picture I heard someone ask him if he was ready to start the game. His reply was, "I was born ready!"
Brent was trying to help the guys get lined up to go onto the field. He had a great time coaching again.

I can't believe I haven't posted anything since last Thursday, but it isn't because there hasn't been anything going on. We just finished up an extremely weird week. Brent was gone all week because he was coaching at the Do Or Die football game in Quincy. They had practices everyday, so he stayed in Quincy with some friends. The game was Saturday night, so my friend Niki and I went over to watch his team. They ended up winning the game, although it had to be called because of lightning. I'm sure his team would have won even if they had played out the game. Two of our friends from Carthage, Joel and Vian, came over to watch the game and it was a good time. After the game, Niki and I went on to Joel and Vian's house and spent the night and went to church in Keokuk the next day. It was fun to take Niki to our old church and let her hear the praise band. She had a good time and loved the music! Yeah!!! We didn't go through Kahoka this trip (sorry Kahoka friends! ). It just couldn't be worked out this time partly due to the rerouting of traffic and time constraints. I still need to apologize for not posting any pictures lately, but I guess I didn't really take any pictures last week. I'll correct that soon! (By the way, I can't e-mail right now as the Internet service is having a glitch with our account. It isn't working at the current time, but they are supposedly working on it.)

Feeding the Geese

Gracie loves to feed geese. She always has. My parents have several spots near their house where ducks and geese like to congregate, so this time of year we always have to stop for a feeding. These pictures are actually from Father's Day, but my mom just sent them to me this week. Last week Brent was taking Gracie golfing with him one evening, and she told him they should take bread and feed the ducks at the golf course. I think his reply was, "The golf course probably doesn't want us feeding the ducks." I said, "Would they really care?" Brent smiled and whispered, "No, but I don't want to have to take bread and stop to feed the ducks." Silly guy. He doesn't realize it would be more fun to watch her feed the ducks than to hit a ball into a hole! Maybe that's just my opinion though.

Under the Weather

Well, I haven't blogged the past two days because I'm feeling under the weather. I have an infection that has me dealing with flu like symptoms. Hopefully it will resolve itself soon with the antibiotics I'm taking. Brent is gone all week to Quincy were he is coaching in the Do Or Die football challenge where the schools from the East play the schools from the West. Coach Smith asked him to come and help coach his linemen, and you all know Brent couldn't pass up that opportunity. I'm happy he could go, and I know he felt bad about leaving me because he has called at least twice a day just to ask how I'm feeling. I haven't taken any pictures these last few days, but I'll try to take extra once I'm feeling 100%.

Ella in Control

Gracie: "Ouch, Ella! Quit pulling my hair. Mommy, Ella keeps pulling my hair!"

Gracie again: "I am not going to take any more pictures if Ella keeps pulling my hair!"

Ella finally decided she'd had enough fun at poor Gracie's expense and kept her hands to herself. There will be more of those battles to come, I'm sure.

Bathtime

Gracie has decided that she likes to take a bath with Ella. She loves to scrub on her sister and help get her clean. Of course, after I get Ella washed up, then I have to add more water and bubbles to the tub for Gracie so she can take her normal 30 minute bath. She loves to soak and play! In the bottom picture Gracie was trying to be Santa Claus. This game went on and on as she carefully applied bubbles all over her body to disguise herself as someone new. She's all smiles here, but just 4 hours later she was moaning, crying and was pretty much hysterical due to ear pain. We found a clinic open on Saturday's and took her in this morning. Hopefully we will all have a better night tonight.

More Poses from Gracie

Happy weekend everyone, from America's Next Top Model 2024. I sure hope not!

Ella Keeps Growing

I imagine that sounds like a silly heading to most people, but it seems like Ella is growing and changing at such a remarkable rate. She's getting very coordinated with her hands and loves to grab anything...even the carrot I was munching on last night. That carrot was in her mouth faster than anything. (I have promised myself that I will somehow get Ella to be a less picky eater than Gracie is, so if she wants a carrot at 4 months, I may let her have one!) Anyway, Ella is really wonderful and Gracie is starting to enjoy interacting with her a lot more. Now if Ella would just rub some good sleeping habits off on Gracie, that would be awesome!

Love Is In The Air

Gracie has been mentioning an awful lot about a certain young boy in her preschool named Reid. It started out with comments like, "Reid always wants to sit by me. (giggle, giggle) Sometimes I have to tell him there isn't room." My advice was that she should tell Reid that sometimes she wants to sit by other kids, so that she can be friends with everyone. The next day she was talking about Reid this, and Reid that so Brent teasingly said, "Is Reid your boyfriend?" Gracie looked horrified at the idea and quickly said that he wasn't. I began to doubt that a couple days later when Gracie confessed that Reid had kissed her at school. She was taking her bath and just casually said that Reid kissed her that day when the were playing outside. I wanted to panic, but I decided to see where the conversation would lead. So I said, "Did Reid kiss you on the cheek?" Gracie said, "Oh, the cheek or my hand. Yes, my cheek." She started giggling again and said, "Miss Stacy saw Reid kiss me and she said, 'Are you two kissing?'. Reid said, 'Yes.' So Miss Stacy said, 'You two go play, and no more kissing.'" Hooray for Miss Stacy!!! I decided to probe a little further. "Did you want Reid to kiss you?" I dared to ask. "No!" said Gracie very loudly. That part made me feel a little better. Now for more of my wonderful advice...I said, "Well, if Reid ever tries to kiss you again, just tell him that you are too young to be kissing boys, and that you want to be his friend. If he won't listen, go get a teacher." Gracie took it a step further and said, "Well, if he tries to kiss me again, I'll just run away."

I felt much better after we talked out the whole situation and I realized that Gracie didn't really want Reid to be her "special friend." However, the next day at the grocery store while Gracie was trying to select juice boxes, she settled on the strawberry Hi-C boxes "because that's what Reid drinks." Oh, my...to be continued...at least I have a feeling it's to be continued.

More Pool Fun

Ella will probably resent me posting this picture when she is 13 years old, but it's cute now. She'll think the hat was silly. I haven't been able to get a picture of her in the pool yet since Brent isn't ever with me when we go, but she likes it fairly well.
Gracie loves to play at the playground by the pool after we swim. She can do so many things this year that last year were impossible for her. What a difference a year can make.
This climbing apparatus would have terrified Gracie last year, but she isn't nearly as afraid to try new things this year.
This is still Gracie's favorite part. She loves the water and interacting with the other kids.

The Sun and Sand

I have been trying to find things that can entertain Gracie when I am unable to tend to her needs. She is still a child who likes to be with her mommy at all times, and would like my undivided attention, but she recognizes that can't happen anymore. Therefore, she has been struggling to stay entertained at moments. Last weekend we bought a small pool at Wal-Mart a and filled it with sand. You would think we had given her a new bike. She is absolutely thrilled with it and has had so much fun already digging in her sand. The neighbor kids have been over to help her break it in.

Father's Day

We spent Father's Day afternoon in Moberly with my dad. Somehow I managed to leave without taking any pictures of my dad with the girls. Sometimes I think I just space out. Anyway, Brent seemed to have a good day. We went to church in Macon, then went to Moberly for lunch with my dad, and then Brent went golfing. He played a great round of golf, so he was a happy camper on the way back to Macon. Happy Father's Day Brent and Grandpa Self!

Saturday in Unionville

We spent Saturday in Unionville for our nephew Jaden's birthday party. After his party we went to two of our nephew's ballgames before returning home. They both did an awesome job, and we enjoyed watching the boys play. Ella experienced her first of what will probably be many more ballgames in her future. Gracie was a pro at attending the game since she has been to quite a few of Brent's games with him.

Finding Bargains and Feet on Friday the 13th

It is a true statement that Macon is a bigger town with more options for entertainment than Kahoka, but we still get a little bored with what Macon offers. There is however one place we can go that provides affordable, fun entertainment...The Dollar Store. It's not a Dollar General, it's just a store where everything is $1.00. This works out good for Gracie's limited budget. Last week I was checking out a friend's blog and she had photos of her 3 beautiful girls with veils and dress up clothes. She said she had been to The Dollar Store to get the girls their dress up goodies. When Gracie saw their pictures, her first words were, "Ooh, I love their veils." Needless to say, we headed to The Dollar Store later in the week for some cheap fun. Gracie zeroed in on the bridal veils, gloves, pearls and bouquets very quickly. She settled on a veil, set of pearls and a bouquet and was very satisfied with her bargains. When we got home, we barely made it in the door when she was asking if she could get dressed up in her new goodies. She was pleased with the end results and was a blushing bride the majority of the day.


Ella has been realizing lately that she has full control over those things attached to the ends of her arms. Her hands have been her best toy. From stuffing them into her mouth, to reaching for hair or any other dangling object, she has been enjoying her hands. Today after a diaper change she kept reaching for her feet, but she couldn't quite get them to her hands.

But finally she was successful. Now she will be trying to get her feet in her mouth, I suppose.

Poo, Glorious Poo

Who would have thought I would ever be excited enough about poo to write a whole post about it? I tried a glycerin suppository with Ella on Wednesday night, and within 30 minutes she had filled her diaper. I mean literally filled her diaper to the max. I thoroughly recommend Pampers Swaddlers, because they can hold 10 days worth of poo in them. I know. I've tried! We could make a commercial for Pampers and tell our story. Anyway, we were just glad to see our little Ella feel a lot more comfortable. I think she's back on track because she has already taken care of business again today. We'll hope for no reoccurances of constipation.

Ella's Big Accomplishment

Ella had a very big day yesterday. She rolled over for the first time. She did the typical thing that all babies do, and she looked very confused as to how she ended up in that position. It was super cute and I can't wait for her to do it again. Not that I want to speed along her development. The only thing I want to speed up right now is her bowels. We are having some big constipation issues. I never had to deal with anything like this with Gracie, but Ella has only gone 1 time in the last 10 days. She isn't exceptionally fussy, but she's not the wonderfully content little baby that she used to be either. Hopefully I can write tomorrow and tell you that she has done her job.

Jackson Street Park

Today was our first day at the Jackson Street Park pool. It's just a local park that has a shallow pool for kids 10 and under. Last summer we went to the lake a lot because Gracie really liked the sand, but this summer it will probably be easier on Ella to just go to the pool in town. Gracie enjoyed the pool very much, but she didn't know any of the kids that were there and she got a little bit shy. By the time we left she had made a couple friends.
Ella was a big fan of the pool too. Actually, I think she just enjoyed not having many clothes on. She sat on my lap and put her feet in a little bit, but it was too cool to plop her down in it. Probably by our next visit we can try sitting in the water.

A Fun Weekend at Home

Weekends at home are a rare commodity lately. We enjoy the traveling, but it gets tiring at times. The girls both seemed to enjoy a little time at home this weekend. Ella was playing away on her play mat, and next thing I knew she was fast asleep.
Gracie was quietly entertaining herself after church today, and when I went to check on her she had written Ella's name on her Magna Doodle. I thought that it was especially impressive since we have never done that before and I didn't prompt her to do it. She just wrote it all on her own. Last week I bought wooden letters that spelled Ella for her room, and we talked about what letters make up her name, so I guess she remembered.

Brent hasn't been on here in a while, but that's just because he's still busy. He has summer school until about 2:30 p.m. everyday, and then he comes home and starts working in the basement. He was glad to get a lot done this weekend. I think we are nearing the finish line. He is laying some of the flooring right now, and then we just have to put in the doors and trim and have the carpet laid. I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but the point is that he has been working so hard to get our home finished. Some day soon I'll post some pictures of the house.

Last Day With Corbin

Friday was my last day watching Corbin. His summer babysitter is now available. I had gotten into a pretty good routine with 2 babies, but that doesn't mean it was easy. I have a new appreciation for people who have twins.
Brent even got in on the action after he got home from summer school. Oh wait, I think he just saw a good opportunity to take a nap!
Corbin and Ella liked to sit in their seats and look at each other while they played. Now Ella will be wondering where her playmate is.

A Lesson In the Alphabet

On this particular day Gracie was trying to teach Ella her ABC's with the refrigerator magnets. Ella was more interested in playing in the exersaucer since it was her first time in it. She was remarkably strong and could play for about 15 minutes before she needed some attention. By the way, pardon my kitchen. We have stripped the wallpaper but haven't determined what our next move is just yet. It's one of many summer projects we have on our list!

Photo Sessions Are Stressful

I took Ella and Gracie to Sears yesterday to have their first pictures together. It was a huge flop. Ella was really gassy and fussy, so it took a lot of work to get her happy. Then the photographer focused so much on getting Ella to smile that she would forget about Gracie, and as soon as Ella smiled she would take the picture and we would realize Gracie had a totally fake smile on her face. You know, the plastered on smile that had been there for 5 minutes didn't look real cute to me so I had a hard time picking a picture to buy. I did buy one, but I sure hope we get some better shots next time. Anyway, Ella was all smiles when we got home, so I took a few cute pictures of my own. The drool running down her dress and arm is typical these days.

I had to share this one. It kind of portrays how we all felt about the photo session!

Gracie at the Diego Show

Gracie got to the see Go Diego, Go at the Fox Theatre on Saturday with Uncle Dana instead of going with us to the wedding and reception. She loved the show and hasn't stopped talking about it. I think she looks sad in the picture because the show was over. She wanted to stay and watch it again. Even now as she is looking at the pictures while I'm blogging she said, "I sure wish I could go back there!" She might have worn Uncle Dana out, but he didn't let on.
Gracie posing for Uncle Dana. This is still her favorite pose.
Gracie showing off her Baby Jaguar mask from the show.
Thank you for taking me to the Fox Theatre Uncle Dana! It was really fun. I will go again anytime you want!

Sunday in St. Louis

Sunday morning Katherine's parents (Brent's Uncle and Aunt) had a brunch for the wedding party and out of town guests at their home. The kids were thrilled since Uncle Robert and Aunt Deena have a pool. Kids never tire of swimming!

Gracie loved the waterfall. Needless to say we don't have a waterfall in our backyard!
Natalie may not appreciate this picture since she's 7 months pregnant. I thought she looked beautiful anyway! The new Mrs. Westhoff was hanging out with her sister at the brunch in this photo. They aren't going on a honeymoon until August since she's taking summer classes at MU.