The Mantle Family

oh the memories...

2012-01-15T16:19:00.000-08:00

Clockwise from me (Me, Lachae, Summer, Adrianne, Michelle, Brooke, Kisha, and Melissa)

I got to spend last night with some of my oldest friends.....I met most of these girls in Jr. high, a few in 10th grade and even one in 3rd grade. It has been almost 15 years since we graduated from highschool - wowza - that is just crazy. We were the girls that loved highschool, were very involved, cheered, danced or supported cheer and dance and followed all the rules (well....most of us). Ya, I guess we were pretty nerdy but we didn't think so at the time.

We get together about once a year (or longer unfortunately) and we just laugh and laugh. Everyone is multiplying like rabbits (most are done with 3 or 4 kiddos and me with my measley 2). As our kids grow up there are hopes that we can get together even more. One of my best buds, Adrianne, is heading off to Seattle for her husbands new job and I will miss her dearly. It has only been a short time that we have reconnected since she moved back from San Diego but it has been wonderful....she has hooked Ella up with an awesome preschool, elementary school and piano teacher....so really I owe her a lot in the short time she has been home. I really hope to visit her in Seattle - hopefully this summer!!

Thanks ladies for a wonderful night! We will miss ya Big A!

Halloween 2011

2012-01-13T12:50:00.001-08:00

Halloween this year was fun and as always lasts more than just one day. We went to two pumpkin patches (one up in the desert of North Scottsdale with the in-laws and one here in Gilbert with the Zaurs). Blogger is being weird right now and not letting me write under each picture.....so you are on your own. We went as the cast of the Wizard of OZ this year....yes, "we". Even my mom and Wayne went in on the fun. Our annual neighborhood pizza party went great and then we hit the streets for some good trick or treating....this was Jonah's first year really getting in on the action and he loved it more than anyone....probably even scored more candy than anyone else. But who wouldn't want to give all their candy to an adorable flying monkey?? Ella is already planning next year's Halloween theme....she is thinking "Aladdin".

Ella Marie - 5 years old

2011-10-24T14:08:00.000-07:00

My baby girl is 5!!!

What?? I told her to stop growing up....she forcefully said, "NO!"

Ella is an amazing gal. She LOVES school, LOVES her friends, LOVES playing "The Lion King" with all her lions, LOVES elephants, LOVES to eat junky, "unhealthy" (as she calls it) cereal when allowed, LOVES her family, and LOVES being 5.

We started off her birthday weekend with a few treats that she was so excited about. She came home from school one day earlier in the month and said, "Mom, I know what I want for my birthday.I want to get my haircut and my ears pierced." Say what?? I was ok with it, but we had to talk daddy into both....luckily we did.

First, it was to get her ears pierced.

Before

After (I think...I can barely see if there are earrings there). It was the EASIEST thing ever. I was surprised by how well Ella did and how simple and harmless it all looked. She now has a pair of pretty purple studs in her ears and is taking very good care of them.

After the ear-piercing event, Travis and I surprised her and took her to see The Lion King in 3D. What fun!

The next morning we were off her get her haircut.

She had never been to a salon before so this was all a real treat.

jonah was so happy it wasn't him getting his hair cut. He has already had more haircuts than his sister and he is not a fan.

Let the cutting begin...we were all a little nervous but once that first chop happened, and there was no turning back, we all relaxed.

She wasn't much of a fan of the hairdryer...complaining it was too hot.

But the final product was....

So freakin cute. I loved it, Travis loved it, Ella was in shock and it took her a little while to love it. After everyone else saw it and loved it, she felt better.

Our pretty birthday girl.

I started this last year and hope to keep going with it throughout the years. I love seeing the changes as she gets older.

Ella Marie - 5 years old

Ella's favorite

color: purple

food: McDonald;s

drink: milk

movie: Aladdin

tv show: Franklin

game: The Ladybug Game

friends: Lauren, Danielle and Taylor

book: Dumbo

animal: elephant

shoes: Crocs

shirt: any of her Disney shirts

breakfast: cinnamon rolls

season: fall

letter: E

number: 100

song: The Farmer in the Dell (she says Bell)

thing to do: color

sport: soccer

toy: Dumbo

special in school: Music

thing to learn: reading

holiday: halloween

place to go: Disneyland or the Disney store

And she wanted to come up with a question and it was "what is your favorite thing to do when it snows??" pretty random considering it doesn't snow here ever. But she answered "build a snowman"

We love you to the moon and back Ella! (and she would reply: "I love you to Australia and back")

The Purple Polka Dot Elephant Extravaganza

2011-10-24T13:49:00.000-07:00

Ella's 5th birthday party was a success!!

Saturday, September 24, 2011

I put a lot of work into this party....probably too much because in the end all that really mattered was that Ella had a blast and she did. Months ago she decided on the "Purple Polkadot Elephant" theme and I tried my best to make it happen. I know Ella was impressed :)

Ella and her new kindergarten friends. They all laugh and give hugs like every 3 seconds.

I just thought all these shoes looked so funny outside the bouncy castle....what a great way to entertain.

The "mom" friends

Carissa, Brooke, Camryn, Danielle, Ella, and Olivia

Ava, Taylor, Hannah, Audra, and Abby

The "older" girls

Jonah was lovin life in this mix of girls

These girls were just overcome by excitement while Ella was opening her presents...

Amanda and Jonah

Playing a little "Pin the Trunk on the Elephant"

We did the same game last year but it was "pin the kiss on the frog", she wanted it again this year and she will probably want it again next year....creature of habit.

Ella's wonderful girlfriends (minus Lauren)

The family shot....as good as we could get.

The morning after....he was in heaven!

Ella Marie on the morning of her 5th birthday...still going with the purple polka dots.

we love you beautiful!

The Busiest Month EVER!!!

2011-10-13T13:59:00.000-07:00

The month of September proved to be an extremely busy month for me. It all started off with Disney, then 10 days of making 20+shirts, then it was Amanda and Jake's engagement party at our house on the 17th (pics below), Ella's bday party at our house was the next weekend, as well as my mom's bday and NY was the following weekend after that....all super fun, memorable, and exciting stuff - just all within 4 weeks of eachother....I usually like things spread out a little more.

Anyways, all things were successful. I found quite a knack for party planning (I have always loved entertaining but PINTEREST has turned me into an obsessive party planner)

Amanda and Jake's party was black and white themed and although the pics of the table aren't that great, there was a lot of time and effort put into it and everyone had a wonderful time.

Amanda and Jake are getting married on March 17, 2012. We are all very excited for them to start their real lives together. They are very much in love.

JAMANDA!!!

The decor

Amanda and her future sis-in-law, Meghan

We might as well all be sisters...

We need a trick to keep my grandma's eyes open in pics....she will be in a lot of them in the next 6 months.

The food turned out great with lots and lots of help from my mom....wish I had taken a pic before it was devoured.

The "nearly" weds

Jonah LOVES Jake....and Jake LOVES Jonah!

J and B

2011-10-13T13:56:00.000-07:00

These two are getting closer and closer to being able to "play" with eachother. If they are anything like their sisters, they will be best buds. Can't wait to watch these two grow up.

The Happiest Place on Earth!!

2011-09-08T12:40:00.001-07:00

Well I think I am still on a Disneyland "high" because each time I think about or talk about our trip I just get soooo happy! We had the BEST time imaginable....Travis is probably laughing at the fact that I am saying that. He just couldn't understand how this trip was considered a "vacation". He had fun too....just won't admit it like the rest of us.

We drove to Cali on Friday, did Disneyland from 10am-8pm on Saturday, ran the Half Marathon on Sunday morning then did California Adventure from noon-10pm, and headed home on Monday. Relaxing? No.....So much fun??? YES!!!!

OK so I posted the wrong pic of the family but did not want to start all over again to get the one with Ella looking at the camera....we do have one though.

Ella was sooo hesitant as we walked into the park....she has a panick attack every time she sees a character of any sort, whether it be Pluto or Mary Poppins. It took her a while to realize that they wouldn't be around all day. In a good way, her anxiety cut down on a lot of wait time....no waiting in line at the Princess Fantasy Faire or to see Rapunzel and Flynn. She (nor really any of us) would dare go on a scary ride...so that helped with timing too. We were so relaxed the whole time and just followed her lead.

Ella is OBSESSED with elephants and couldn't wait to ride Dumbo.

But first she had to go on the Tea Cups....luckily Memaw was willing to take her since her lame parents can't stomach rides like these.

While Ella was on the teapcups, Mimi and Papa waited in line for Dumbo and they took Ella and Jonah. Both loved it.

A dream come true for Ella....

And then it was off the Casey Jr Train (the Little Engine that could from Dumbo)

And by about 2:00, Jonah was toast. We took him on It's A Small World and then Trav and Greg took him back to the hotel so they could ALL nap.

The crazy crew...Ella LOVED the "small world" ride....which made me happy since it was my favorite ride as a kid.

She and I went on it twice...

This look gives away her emotion for the whole weekend.....she was in pure bliss.

Toon Town....

The "Soundsational" Parade was spectacular.....gave Ella the chance to see all the characters without the fear of having a heart attack.

Ariel waved right at us!!!!

Mimi and Papa loved spending the day with their little princess....

And of course, they each got their own set of personalized Mickey/Minnie ears.

It has taken a few days to detach from the his best friend "the Pacifier"...it was his saving grace through this busy, off-routine, trip...and I am thankful for that!

***

Sunday morning, my mom and I were up at 4:15am for the Disneyland Half-Marathon. What an AMAZING race....it was a lot of fun; very motivating but very crowded - which made way for some slow running. But that's ok cause we had a blast!

Donning our oh-so-cute Minnie tees...

Success....we finished strong and kinda can't wait for next year!

***

Who hasn't ridden on one of their parent's shoulders at Disneyland???

Once again, by mid afternoon Jonah was toast and graciously, Mary and Greg took him back to the hotel for a nice long nap. That gave Ella and us the chance to see "Aladdin" live on stage. What a great show!

Three generations at Disney.

Ok so since Ella was so petrified of the characters, we didn't really scope out any. As we were walking into Bugs Land, we spotted Chip and Dale doing photo ops and signing autographs so I stood in the short line and got Ella, what she apparently always wanted, an autograph. She stood about 100 feet away and just watched but then talked and talked and talked about how she got their autograph. Funny, I would have done the exact same thing as a kid.....luckily I became a little braver as I grew up.

daddy and ella on the bumper cars

mommy and ella on the spinning lady bugs....as said before, I DO NOT stomach these rides well and I am not sure what I was thinking going on this other than that I knew Ella wanted to and there wasn't a grandparent in sight. I seriously felt horrible for about an hour after this 3 minute ride.

And then we come to The World of Color.....such a perfect way to end our Disney adventures. It was a magical experience to say the least. Ella and Jonah both loved it and it even brought tears to my eyes because it was soo good (well that and the fact that they showed when Mufasa died on Lion King and I cry every time I see that part).

Just mesmerized....it is all she keeps talking about.

This was our view of the back of CA Adventure from our hotel balcony. Miss Mary got us the presidential suite at the Hilton for the weekend.....score!!

Our dining room and living room....

Half of our balcony. We had a perfect view of the Disneyland fireworks each night....

This trip couldn't have been more perfect. Thank you to my mom for signing us up for this race and getting this whole ball rolling. Thank you to the Mantle's for getting this fantastic room (hope these hook ups last forever) and for taking care of Jonah while we hung back at the park. Thank you to Travis for being filled with patience all weekend....good job, you did it!! Thank you to Wayne for not being too mad when we forgot to order your breakfast two mornings in a row!! Thank you to Ella for not crying or throwing any fits...well maybe just a few on the last night. Thank you to Jonah for going with the flow as well as you could. And thank you to the "Happiest Place on Earth" for entertaining my family for two days. We will never forget this trip....it was our first but definitely won't be our last. (Don't worry Travis and Greg, we will give you a few years to recover before the next one)

The BIG Kindergartener!!!

2011-08-11T12:09:00.000-07:00

Our BIG (little) girl is a KINDERGARTNER now!!!

Monday, August 8, 2011 was Ella's first day of kindergarten at Santan Elementary school.

She goes from 8:45 - 3:45 everyday!!

I was stressed about the little things to keep my mind off the BIG things (my baby girl was leaving me for a whole day - everyday!!) She woke up at 6:30am (didn't have to be up until 7:30) and she was so excited. We ate a good breakfast, brushed teeth, got dressed, packed a lunch, and got the hair done. (curling it with the iron really just helps manage the frizz and gives it a soft, flowy look - not typical for Ella's hair).

Jonah was just as excited, even though he had no idea what it all meant.....not until later that afternoon when he was looking all over for his sister :(

The traditional first day of school picture.

Gosh, they are gonna miss eachother.

Travis was more anxious and emotional than I was (at first).....

I just really couldn't believe this day had come.

She was so excited to have "recess" before school. When she saw some of her preschool buddies, she was glowing (not just because it was crazy hot and humid outside)

Ella and Mrs. Pillsbury....I already LOVE her teacher. She is very nurturing and loving and SOOO excited to have these kindergarteners with her everyday. I think we could be friends :)

This pic was taken about 30 seconds after I totally broke down. Helping her get in line, putting her backpack on, and giving her a farewell kiss just about killed me. I had to bolt out of that area as fast as I could for her not to see me cry. I regained control just seconds later and was ready for more pics.

Walking to the building...

And there she goes...

This is her fourth day so far and she just loves it. Getting up in the morning hasn't been the easiest (mostly because going to bed by 7:45 -8pm has been an adjustment for her). She already told us that she can't wait for Saturday when she can sleep late---that's my girl! But otherwise, she is excited to get going and out the door, loves being greeted by Mrs. Pillsbury each morning on the playground, and is eager to learn and do well in class.

We were talking about the classroom rules last night and one of them was "don't talk or play around while on the rug or you will be sent back to your seat" Ella quickly said, " Don't worry mom, I will never go back to my seat because I always want to do good and not get in trouble"....let's hope that sticks. I know it will.

I hope this year just inches by....although, Jonah and I usually just stare at the clock waiting for it to be 3:30 so we can go pick her up. We need much more adjusting than she does.

Once again, I feel so lucky and blessed to be able to drive her to and from school each day, volunteer in her classroom (eventually - we all need to do background checks and such - luckily, I will get through quickly with my teaching credentials), and cuddle with her on the couch with our cookies and milk each afternoon while we talk about her day.

Love you my Ella bella......and please, please slow down on this whole growing up thing.

Dancing Queens

2011-08-02T16:45:00.000-07:00

Ella and four of her friends took a beginners ballet/tap class this summer. Yesterday was her last day and they had a short recital at the end of class. It was cute to see all the girls dancing the routines they learned over the past 8 weeks. I am glad Ella is starting to like dance, even though I still don't think she will do it unless her friends are in it. Fun times!

Waiting to begin!

They danced to "It's My Party (and I'll Cry if I Want to)" for tap and "Mr. Sun" for ballet, plus practiced a few "leaps" across the floor.

Refusing to look at us, she kept her eyes on the teacher the whole time.

All done! Great job girls.

The 'Dancing Queens'

Hannah, Abby, Ella, Lauren, and Kaniah (and ??)

End of summer staycation

2011-08-02T16:28:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we got away one more time (it was our 3rd weekend get-a-way in a row) to the AZ Grand Resort. We plannedt this staycation with 4 other families and it was a lot of fun. The resort was jam-packed (it took us 45 minutes just to check in) and the water park was crazy chaotic but we all managed to have a great time.

Saturday evening there was a dance performance and then the little girls got to go up stage to "dance" - Ella stood there and didn't move a muscle while Amaya and Brooklyn showed off some moves. She loved watching the dancers but is so fearful of embarrassing herself.

Getting ready for bed after Day 1 at the pool.

And playing way too much....

Chillin on Day 2 at the pool...it was HOT!!! We greatly enjoyed drifting through the lazy river (the kids just laid on our laps) and swimming in the wave pool. Ella has become quite the competent swimmer.

Cheers to a wonderful summer spent swimming, vacationing, relaxing, playdating, trying to stay cool, reading, watching movies and being lazy! Only 5 more days left of this precious time. We will miss you summer....til next year.

Bestie Sleepover

2011-08-02T16:23:00.001-07:00

Another milestone reached: Ella slept over at her friend Lauren's house last week. They have been dying to have a sleepover ALL summer. I knew Ella would do great and she did even better than I thought. I didn't even get a call to say goodnight. She went out to dinner with the Zaurs and then the girls played and played to the wee hours of the night. They finally fell asleep close to 11pm and were up at 6:30am. Needless to say, Ella was exhausted and took a nap the next afternoon for the first time in over a year.

All ready to go. I think she waited like this for 20 minutes :)

Messy messy boy...

2011-08-02T16:17:00.000-07:00

I'm telling you....this boy can make a mess! Whether it is eating or playing, Jonah's favorite thing to do is DESTROY (another 'boy' characteristic that makes him so different than his sister).

Here he is eating a cupcake....well, I am not sure how much he actually ate.

And this happened (below) in two seconds flat. I swear I walk out of the room and within minutes this happens....honestly, he would do it whether I was in the room or not. Most of my day is spent picking up after Jonah :) And notice, he is not even playing in the mess. He would rather stand on the stool and look out the window waiting for Daddy, the garbage truck, or any moving vehicle to pass by.

Summer Trip to Flagstaff 2011

2011-07-27T17:54:00.001-07:00

We headed up to Flagstaff a couple of weekends ago to get out of this heat and visit Adam and Katelyn. The weather was wonderful, the time was relaxing and the kids loved being with their Uncle and "Auntie" (eventually, right?).

We had a psuedo camping trip...which, with my kids, means drive out 30 minutes to some deeper woods, set up "camp", make a fire, roast hotdogs and marshmellows for s'mores, and then... call it a night. We lasted 1 hr and 10 min in the wilderness....glad we didn't set up tents :)

Otherwise, we relaxed at Adam and Katelyn's while the kids watched and watched and watched all of their reptilian pets - snakes, lizards, turtles, fish, and lots of really cool rainforest frogs. We also went downtown to the Sunday Farmer's Market and picked up some yummy fresh produce for our dinner, ate delicious bagels for breakfast, ate yummy burgers from Freddy's, (wow why does every trip revolve around food??) and of course, made a quick trip to Marshalls...but no good finds this trip.

Another great time in Flag and it will only get better as Ella and Jonah get older (when he is out of his routine/element, things get difficult OR more so, I get stressed!).

Uncle Adam and Ella

Setting up "camp" for our 0.5 second camping adventure.

All ready! - If I only knew it wouldn't be very long til they were begging to leave.

The bonfire Adam created....a little two hot for comfort (and for roasting marshmellows)

Best Buds...

Jonah just wanted to shovel stuff...

Ella was most excited to find sticks for the fire with Uncle Adam

Seriously - TWINS!!

Chillin', eatin her hotdog

They love their Auntie Katelyn!!

Last bit of relaxation before heading home.

Oh Ella!!

2011-07-06T12:47:00.001-07:00

This is what happens when Ella takes over the camera....HILARIOUS!!!

(pics taken Tuesday, May 31, 2011 in Belle, MO)

We love you, crazy chick!!!

8 years

2011-07-02T22:28:00.001-07:00

"Time has a wonderful way of showing us what really matters"

( I received this quote in a little note at the spa after my amazing massage)

Travis and I celebrated 8 years of marriage on June 28th. Wow, those 8 years have flown by but, I believe, have been very productive!!

We got away for the weekend prior tothe 28th to our favorite resort, The Montelucia (pic below). We had massages at the ridiculously awesome spa, ate yummy food at the pool side bar and for room-service breakfast, took a trip over to FashionSquare for some shopping and dinner one night, and relaxed, relaxed, relaxed both by the pool and in our room....it was lovely.

Getting ready to head on out that friday afternoon...my mom watched the kids for the weekend...thanks mom!

What 8 years has given us...

The AMAZING Montelucia Resort in Scottsdale near the base of Camelback Mountain...

it is heaven on Earth.

Haircut #4

2011-07-02T22:22:00.000-07:00

Some of you might remember the older post of Jonah first real haircut. Well there have been a couple more in between - all equally torturous. Different story this time around. Jonah was super calm and just let her cut away. We still kept it shaggy - Travis does not want to cut it short - it is the hair he has always wanted and thinks it would be a disservice to cut it. He does have the best hair - Ella will be so jealous when she is older.

Before:

After:

Swimming 2011

2011-07-02T22:13:00.000-07:00

Swim class started mid-June and we did one two weeks session. Although fun, I didn't feel like Ella was getting much out of it and still had no confidence in the water. It wasn't until my mom took her to my dad's pool that she even tried to really swim. Now she is doing amazing. Still has some work to do to keep her head above the water but her confidence has boosted dramatically and she wants to get better every day. We swim every couple of days and will continue to do so all summer.

Swimming at the Mantle's on father's day.

Jonah was scared to death the first day of parent-tot swim but now we can't keep him out of the water.

so much progress

Movie at the park

2011-07-02T22:10:00.000-07:00

Jenn and I took the girls to dinner and a movie in the park a couple weekends ago. We watched Tangled...it was a beautiful night, there was a great crowd, and even some other friends joined us. Fun times!!

Jones - 18 -19 months

2011-07-02T22:02:00.001-07:00

Jonah is seriously the funniest kid. We keep saying that once he starts talking more, he will be freakin hilarious!! He is all over the place, learning lots of new things, improving his vocabulary little by little, still sleeping like an angel. He was 26 lbs at his 18 month check up....still 50-75% weight and 75-90% height - where he has stayed all along.

he knows how to get what he wants...and he thinks his choices are to pull, hit or bite. After being scolded, he quickly gives a hug to Ella and moves on. He is quite loving but his lack of vocab is now just starting to cause him some frustration. We even had a speech/language specialist come out to check him out and she said, although his vocabulary is slower than others, he is crazy smart in his cognitive abilities and understands soo much. We are not worried at all and hear new words and sounds from him daily.

dancing queen

2011-07-02T22:00:00.001-07:00

Ella started a Ballet/Tap class, which also includes 4 of her friends, this summer. She is having a blast...

Missouri 2011

2011-07-02T21:10:00.001-07:00

We did it again!! Five days in Missouri visiting Travis' family. The scenery - beautiful, the weather - not so bad, the family - awesome as always...but needless to say, being in a "new" place with an 18 month old was not what I would call a vacation.

They both did great on the plane rides...better than both mommy and daddy. Ella just loves everything about traveling. She loves the airport, the plane, and even the shuttle bus to the rental car...she told us that she wants to be a shuttle bus driver when she grows up.

She loved playing with her cousins, staying on a farm, traveling from house to house and meeting new people. Jonah loved all those things too but he has to be watched at all times with the stairs and unfamiliar surroundings so it was quite exhausting for Travis and I. All I kept telling myself though was this was hopefully the last time it would be as stressful....next year he will be 2.5, and much more independent....we hope :)

Here are the many pics....although I always miss out on a lot of the fun stuff - this time that was Joe Gunn's graduation party. It was such a fun party with lots of great family. I don't even think I brought my camera...bummer.

Cousins (being silly with hair rollers)....Ella is about 4.5 months older than Bailey, can't you tell?

Four wheeling with daddy

Bailey was dying to feed Jonah

Ella could definitely be a farm girl one day....if not a shuttle bus driver :)

Ella and Bailey went off on the "Gator" with Melanie to go check on the cows and Ella's biggest story of her whole trip was that, "A cow pooped in my face!!"

A perfect day to fly a kite

I don't know if "cheesy" is even the right word for this smile....he really was just so excited about being outside the whole time. AND he loves having this monkey on his back.

Jonah couldn't wait to go four wheeling too.

Best cousins...ok and once again a bit of a size difference

another fun Missouri creature

Jonah would be great in a parade...always waving :)

the girls were stuck like glue...I have no clue what is so shocking to Ella

family moment...minus one

Ella even got to work the farm a bit

The kids filling the cow's water basin...love this pic!

Travis' cousin, Cynthia, and Jonah

Garrett and Jonah

This is what you see as you walk out the back deck to Greg's Aunt Beverly's house. It is on a bluff, 400 ft above a river....beautiful, but needless to say, mine and Travis' paranoia was in full force.

view of the left

view on the right

Aunt Beverly, along with her husband Jerry, are the proud owners of this amazing house in Bell, Mo.

Family pic...we had trouble getting a good one

Joe, the Valedictorian Highschool Graduate and Jonah

...til next year!

But I want to...

2011-07-02T21:06:00.001-07:00

The icky, sticky hating, control-freak in me has a hard time giving up the spoon to this little guy...

But he loves it!

Fun in the sun

2011-07-02T21:02:00.000-07:00

In May it started heating up and the joys of playing outside all day were quickly fading away....so we needed something to allow us to stay out there. With a pool not being in our budget these days, a water table was the next closest thing. The kids love it.

Preschool Graduation

2011-07-02T20:37:00.000-07:00

One more reason why I do not regret my decision to leave work...Ella was able to attend an amazing preschool with a wonderful teacher, Miss Kim. Ella passed the early entrance Kindergarten test and will be starting up on August 8th. It will be a huge transistion for all of us but I know she will do amazing and will have so much fun. her preschool graduation was very touching and cute. Again, Ella had a year full of fun, friendships, and tons of learning.

The letter Ella wrote to Miss Kim....she learned so much this year.

We did first day of school pics like this so I wanted to do last day of school pics the same way.

Finally learning to "pose" with her hands on her hips

Goof ball

Four years old!!!

Her buddy Scarlet put her hat on for her...

The first to walk the stage

Doing their performance....singing learning and love songs to the parents. So sweet!

Ella and (her boyrfriend) Riggs....Riggs loved Ella from the first day of school and each day he would say "Hi girlfriend" so she decided he was her boyfriend too. Miss Kim thought is was so ironic that they were standing next to each other :)

9 out of the 10 kiddos in her class...all wonderful kids.

The BEST preschool teacher ever!! We love Miss Kim and New Horizons Preschool!!

Gold Medal Gymnastics

2011-07-02T20:30:00.001-07:00

Ella took an 8 week session of gymnastic classes at Gold Medal Gym this spring. She absolutely loved it. It is the gym owned by Amanda Borden of the 1996 USA Olympic Gold Medal Gymnastic team...I was obsessed with them and was so excited to meet her. I wanted to sign Ella up because it was a real gym and not just the piddly tumbling classes she had been taking through Parks and Rec....but with real gym status comes high prices, so one session was enough for us for now. She did really well and loved having class with one of her besties, Taylor Secord. These two girls are great friends.

Miss K with Tay and Ella

Trying the high beam

Working the low beam

Love my gig!!

2011-07-02T20:23:00.000-07:00

I can now say that there is no better job than being a stay-at-home mom (unless it was paid of course). In March I officially resigned from my 9 year career as a teacher for Mesa Public Schools and have not a single regret. I look forward to spending every minute with my kiddos, being involved with Ella's preschool, watching Jonah learn and grow, and not having the stress of work lingering over me. I do hope to have the motivation to substitute teach at Adams (my school) but I will take on that endeavor one day at a time.

Thank you Travis for making this all possible...I am glad we were smart with our finances in the past and that you make the "big bucks" now to help our future :)

Wildlife World Zoo

2011-07-02T20:07:00.000-07:00

In late April, we (Mom, my Gma, Amanda, Jake, Travis, the kids and I) got to visit the Wildlife World Zoo on the west side of town. All I can say is, The Best Zoo in AZ forsure!! We got to have so many close encounters and saw amazing animals of all ages...even a 10 day old baby tiger. There is an aquarium and an abundance of exhibits. Ella was a bit bummed that there were no elephants (her absolute favorite) but the memories she came back with were awesome. I highly suggest going to this zoo!!! Thanks Gma for the tickets!!!

I sweat this Ostrich would have taken off my finger if I was any closer...crazy.

They both loved the petting zoo

Grandma Grandma and her first great grandson

Although she is still too chicken to feed them, she loved seeing the giraffes up close.

He had a BLAST!!!

Easter 2011

2011-04-25T13:07:00.001-07:00

Easter is always such a fun-filled, good food-filled, beautiful weather-filled, family-filled day...and this year was no different. We woke up early to find the Easter bunny had visited, delivered Easter baskets and hidden eggs. After searching and opening we had a pretty relaxing morning and then it was time to get ready to drive up to North Scottdale to the Mantle's (as we do every year). This year we chose not to go to church as bringing Jonah at this age just gives me a panic attack thinking about it. My mom, Wayne, and my grandma also came up. We ate a delicious brunch, relaxed and talked, hunted for eggs, and of course took many pictures in their paradise of a backyard. All in all an incredible day.

Saturday -Coloring eggs...maybe next year we will allow Jonah to participate...

Good morning, Happy Easter! Ella was so excited to find her Easter basket at the end of her bed when she woke up.

Now that is an easy way to unload the Easter basket

There is no doubt, he is part monkey.

Ella and Grandma-Grandma

Egg hunting...

Annual Easter pic

Forced love...

Happy Boy!

Happy girl!

Memaw and Mimi with their babies

I don't know why I love this picture but I do.

Mom and Wayne

Three generations of Mantle men

Travis got a surprise bday present on Easter...a spin bike! Let's hope it gets used properly and not for the laundry to hang on.

Pure LOVE

2011-04-20T15:11:00.000-07:00

It is undeniable...

these two LOVE each other dearly.

It gives me such JOY to see Ella and Jonah play, cuddle and learn together - it reminds me sooo much of my brother and I...of course there are times when it isn't as easy to do so (and there always will be) but luckily those times are few and far between.

Jonah is the biggest cuddler and he loves to hug his sister most.

Jonah discovered he could "fit" in this doll stroller and the fun began...

They would do this ALL day!

Fun in the sandbox

Sick baby boy...

2011-04-10T21:36:00.000-07:00

My little bubba has had an awful cold the past 5 days (luckily it is just about cleared up) and it has put him down and out. This was his first time really being sick (which is crazy to me because Ella was sick all the time when she was one - pays to be a good sleeper and not going to daycare) Between the ever running nose and horrible congested cough, Jonah just laid around not wanting to play or eat for 5 days. Took him into the dr on Friday and ears, nose, lungs, and throat were fine - just a nasty cold (but with no appetite for a couple of weeks he lost one pound - this cold was the end of him being under the weather for a while)

...but oh how can you not feel bad for this kid?

This morning he woke up much happier, took two really long naps (longer than usual), and is definitely more himself again...even ate all of his spaghetti dinner.

Happy bubbas!

Girls Night Out

2011-04-10T21:25:00.000-07:00

Thursday night was a Girls Night Out for Ella and I.

It also included my mom and Jenn and Lauren.

We surprised the girls with Disney Princesses on Ice and it was a lot of fun. I only wish I had my camera out when we told them because their reactions were priceless. After guessing "Disneyland", we told them they were close and there might be princesses and in a split second Ella screamed, "PRINCESSES ON ICE!!!" as she had just seen a commercial for it the night before. They were absolutely estatic and we couldn't get into downtown Phoenix fast enough. It was quite a long show but held their interest the whole two hours and they were conked out within minutes on the car ride home.

I love girls night with my favorite girls!

All ready for dinner and the "surprise"

BFFs

Mimi came too!

Besties

Sooo excited for it to start :)

Ella Jo Customs Blog Revamp

2011-04-10T09:39:00.001-07:00

Just a little glimpse into the freshened up blog...

www.ellajocustoms.blogspot.com

The Museum

2011-04-08T17:01:00.000-07:00

Last Friday night, we joined in with a gazillion other people for First Fridays at the Phoenix Children's Museum (free to the public the first Friday of every month)....needless to say, it was a tad bit crowded and we were glad to have reinforcements (my mom and Wayne) as Travis and I would have been way to frustrated in this crowd. Ella and Jonah still had a blast and I do hope to take them back another day when it is not so busy.

Waiting to go in...

Always happy when he can bang on something

She loved cooking in the kitchen

My little sweeper

Here you go Daddy!

And the best part....the grocery store. Although I spent most of my time in "teacher mode" trying to get other kids to quit throwing food and running around like crazies, Ella couldn't get enough of both the shopping and being the cashier.

When can I get them to do my shopping, for real???

More banging...

Time to relax after a very hyperactive night.

Again, I do suggest going on a normal day but I am also so cheap that I wanted to try it out for free to see if it was really worth it....well it defintely is, and in a looonnnggg while we will return.

Good Morning!

2011-04-01T13:19:00.000-07:00

I would have to say the very best part about my stay-at-home mom gig is the fact that I wake up every morning, not to the sound of the alarm, but to these smiling faces. Luckily, my kiddos sleep late (8am) and it is always a pleasure to see them.

Good morning Beautiful!

My cuddle bug :)

Bed-head

2011-04-01T13:18:00.001-07:00

What to do with this hair...I want to cut it, Travis doesn't...this is how he woke up the other morning. Too funny!

Yum-o!

2011-04-01T13:13:00.000-07:00

Ok I have to brag because I don't think I am a very good cook at all but a couple of nights ago I made the BEST tomato/basil pesto pizza ever!!! It tasted as good as it looked too. I was quite proud of myself and can't wait to make it again.

The Zoo!!

2011-04-01T13:01:00.001-07:00

Over Spring Break we spent the day at the Phoenix Zoo with our friends, Jenn, Lauren, Bradley, Amber, Zeke, Gloria and Xavier. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day and the best time to be at the zoo. All of the animals were out enjoying the great weather too.

First pic the on Turtle Bridge entering the zoo.

These kids spent most of their time playing with the fake animals rather than looking at the real ones...but hey they loved every minute.

Lauren, Ella and Zeke

Smily Boy Bradley!

Justin Bieber...I mean, Jonah :)

Ella was brave and rode the carosel...thanks Auntie Jenn for "forcing" her to sit on an animal, rather than the bench.

And she loved it!

And now the weather is already getting too hot for zoo time fun. Hopefully we can squeeze in a few more days before the horrible heat of summer. And thanks to the Zaur's for having the best zoo membership ever and getting us all in for free :)

Happy Birthday Uncle Adam...

2011-04-01T12:45:00.001-07:00

My brother, Adam, turned the big 2-9 on March 12th and we (the four of us and my mom and wayne) celebrated by meeting him and Katelyn at Out of Africa in Camp Verde (about 45 min south of Flag and 1.5 hours north of us). We had never been before and were very excited to experience all that wildlife. Of course this was the perfect birthday celebration for my brother who LOVES all wildlife.

First though, we had to get him a present and Ella decided she wanted to build him a bear...so off we went to the mall. She chose the best one for her Uncle Adam ---the Camo Bear, since he loves everything camo.

She was very proud of her present for him and named him Max.

Then the next day, we were off to Out of Africa....where you can get up close and personal with many creepy creatures.

We all touched the snakes expect for Ella...chicken!

He loves this stuff.

All ready and excited for the safari trip.

This was the coolest part of the day...the giraffes!! It is coming right towards us and we have carrots waiting.

Holy Crap!!!

We couldn't feed the zebras because they are a little too aggressive but they sure were cute.

Jonah had fun too.

Daddy got to feed the camels on the other side.

Beautiful!

waiting for Tiger Splash! He was getting quite tired by this point (actually they both were)

It's MUFASA!!!

Always great to see my brother and Katelyn...even for just a couple of hours.

Happy Birthday little bro!

Good friends

2011-03-10T07:46:00.000-08:00

We had dinner over at our good friends (that we never see) The Barth's - Ragan, Dan, Rydan, and Brodan.

Ragan and I met through my mom while we were pregnant with Ella and Rydan. Our due dates were a day apart. We shopped for baby stuff together, talked pregnancy with each other, shared the same ob-gyn, and even endured those last couple of weeks together as we both took off of teaching early to get these babies out. Well low and behold, both little ones decided to come late and both by emergency c-section. Rydan was born 3 days before Ella so we ended up at the hospital together. Our rooms actually shared a wall. It was crazy.

Anyways, we don't see them as often as we should. Although now that we are both stay-at-home moms, we have been better about it. There are two more little guys in the group now and they all have a great time.

(Clockwise: Ella, Rydan, Jonah and Brodan)

Who ever gets a picture of four kids (4 and under) all looking at the camera?

The Vintage Cupcake

2011-03-10T07:34:00.001-08:00

My fellow teacher friend, Tori, has started a new side business called The Vintage Cupcake. She has made some amazing creations in her kitchen. Check out her blog for more info about her cupcakes and how to order. A great idea for themed birthday parties. I am thinking Ella Jo Customs and The Vintage Cupcake might have to collaborate.

www.vintagecupcakelove.blogspot.com

Another milestone...

2011-02-27T16:06:00.000-08:00

As Travis put it, "Ella, now you can do something mommy can't do: Ride a bike". Well, I can ride a bike, I think, but I don't like to and would choose not to...but anyways....

We got Ella her very first bike today. I know it is weird for it to not be her birthday or Christmas but she hopped on one at the store last night and took off and all we thought was with the weather being so nice now, it would be silly to wait for her birthday in September. I had wanted to get her one for Christmas but she didn't want one then....so we jumped on the chance of her being excited and Travis took her out to Target today so she could pick it out. Of course, she chose the Disney Princess bike (with attached baby seat) and matching helmet.

After a little while of watching her parents try to put together the bike, she was ready. She jumped on and took off. It was quite chilly outside so we went up and down the street a few times and around the cul-de-sac about 5 times and then called it a day. So fun!

Trying to get her to look up and watch where she is going will take some time :)

We've got the fever!

2011-02-27T15:58:00.001-08:00

Bieber fever that is!!!

Friday night Ella, my mom, my cousin Amanda, and I had a "Girls Night Out" and saw Never Say Never...what a great movie. If I was thirteen right now, I would definitely be one of those emotionally crazed girls crying her eyes out at just the thought of him. Makes me laugh now and with Ella already liking him a bit, I see my future very clearly.

Amanda had the best quote about her connection with my kiddos, "I am so much their cousin, I'm their Aunt!"...I love it. Thanks Auntie Amanda for joining us.

15 months

2011-02-27T15:41:00.001-08:00

Our baby boy is now 15 months and doing perfectly. He weighed in at 25 lbs. (50th%) and was 32 1/4 inches tall (80th%). He has been at those percentiles since he was 4 months so we are happy to see he is staying steady. Doc said he is right on track with everything and although I would like him talking a little more (anything would be nice!) we will settle with "uh-oh" and what seems to be "Hi Sister". If he were my first baby, I would probably be freaking out that he isn't saying much but I now know that it will come and soon enough he won't stop talking :)

Right now, Jonah loves:

his BIG sister

his dog and cats

wearing backpacks and hoodies

eating EVERYTHING

climbing on top of ANYTHING

trying to use a spoon

playing in the bathroom (toilet, sink, light switches...what have you)

hitting his head against the wall when he doesn't get what he wants or is really tired

taking NAPS!! (still takes two 2-hour naps daily and 12 hours at night)

shopping with his mama

drinking milk

his pacie (more and more each day...which is not good)

chewing, drooling, and spitting on everything (getting those bottom eye teeth)

his mama and daddy and his PAPAS!!

He doesn't like:

sitting still

the television (could care less - so the opposite of his sister)

scrambled eggs

being told "NO!"

and that's about it

CHEESE!

He has now mastered the "smile for the camera" smile.

Kind of a "Chucky" face but we still love it.

This is where I found him the other day...I swear he is ALWAYS into something - usually something he shouldn't be getting into - but this time it was ok.

"Hi Mama"

Jonah LOVES getting this duster out of the hall closet and pretend he is sweeping....he might be my cleaning helper one day (not holding my breath though).

Happy Love Day!

2011-02-27T15:35:00.001-08:00

With three Valentine celebrations to attend this year, Ella was just loving LOVE Day! Plus, she got a lot of use out of her "LOVE" shirt that I made her.

Fast friends...Ella and Hannah are just 3 months apart and are quickly becoming besties.

The Zaur's had a Valentine's Day celebration and there was lots of fun things to do. Although Ella is quite the perfectionist and likes things to be simplistic, she thoroughly enjoys creating and being artistic...and she has a great ability to do so.

Fun times with friends....and so fun to see all these kiddos growing up together

(sorry didn't get that pic)

Snow time!

2011-01-30T16:10:00.001-08:00

Last weekend we ventured up to Flagstaff to visit Adam and Katelyn and play in the snow. There wasn't much snow at all but enough for us. We drove a couple of minutes from Adam's to Woody Mountain and played for just a little bit there....us AZ Mantle's can only handle so much cold. I have never been a big fan of snow and Travis doesn't seem like much of one either, but Ella had been dying to play in it this year....so instead of being cozy/lazy at Adam and Katelyn's all weekend, we got them ready and out the door twice - gotta make use of the winter coats and gloves :) It was a wonderfully relaxing weekend and even the snow part was fun (all 20 minutes of it :)

I don't know how people do it....bundling these kiddos up and getting them into the car was NOT FUN! I would take 115 degrees of burning hot seatbelts and sweaty children over this anyday!

She was excited!!!

Ella didn't want to take part in the family picture...

not when there was a snowball she could be making.

Uncle Adam taught Ella the art of making the perfect snowball....and then also throwing them at mommy and Katelyn.

She LOVED the snow.....but once her pants got wet, and she was a little bit cold, she was done...just like her mama.

He wasn't too sure of the snow....not being able to move in his clothes didn't help either :)

Uncle Adam and Jonah

I love Jonah's face in this pic.

A month's worth

2011-01-24T16:34:00.001-08:00

It has been a while....since before Christmas....so I am just posting the last month all in one shot.

Enjoy!

Ella was thrilled to see all the presents from Santa and could hardly sit still for this picture.

Good morning! Merry Christmas!

Jonah was sooo excited to get a chair like his sister's.

After a while, he finally decided to open some presents.

On Dec. 29th we had quite the scare when Ella woke up and started into a Febrile seizure that lasted a really long time (about 35 minutes)...we brought her to Mercy Gilbert Hospital just around the corner and although the seizure was over by the time we got there and after a few hours she was acting just fine, the Drs decided to admit her for 24 hour observation. We are still awaiting tests to make sure that all is really ok and that these simply are Febrile Seizures (which she will grow out of).

"Hello, who is it?" During Ella's hospital stay she found it quite funny to use the board that kept her IV intact as a phone.

We were there for over 24 hours but she kept busy and never complained once.

Chocolate milk, a cozy bed, and some t.v....she loved it.

"How do they get this messy?"

"Our Beauty"

"Jonah's first haircut"

"before"

As soon as he heard the blowdryers, he wasn't too happy.

Looking a little frantic...luckily it was pretty quick.

He was beyond done :)

Our cutie "after"

"The Farm Party"

Sunday, Jan. 16th we celebrated our good friend, Alexis Stephenson's first birthday at Marley Farms. The kids got to pet all sorts of farm animals, go on a hayride, bounce and be among all sorts of strange creatures....kangaroos, bulls, macaws, camels, donkeys, zebra/mules and many more. With this gorgeous Arizona winter weather, it was a perfect day for an outdoor party.

Jonah was all about petting the goats...Ella, not to much.

Ella had a blast in the bouncy castle/slide.

"Jonah love"

Jonah LOVES to wear Ella's hoodies on his head like a cape...he will walk around for hours like this.

Merry Christmas to all...

2010-12-23T22:09:00.000-08:00

and to all a good night!

Knowing that tomorrow night (Xmas Eve) will be crazy and the chance of getting these two all nice and clean before bed is slim to none, I am posting this great pic now...plus, it is guaranteed there will be NO time in the next two days to do so.

Here at the Mantle home we would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy 2011! Sending love and warm wishes to our family and friends near and far...

Annual Baking Day 2010

2010-12-23T22:01:00.000-08:00

Baking day 2010 was missing a few people (Grandma, Amanda, and Katelyn) but my mom, Ella, and I still managed to get a lot done - peppermint bark, puppy chow, sugar cookies and an entire Gingerbread house village - as well as a break to catch the movie "Tangled", which was wonderful. With the "Glee" Christmas Album blaring in the background we were hard at work from noon-8pm (including movie break). Always a fun day!

Best buds!

Mimi always ends up doing most of the work :)

Little Miss Perfectionist made sure her houses looked real.

Always there with a smile...even though he wasn't allowed to participate in the baking yet.

The gingerbread house village is complete!

Polar Express Pajama Playdate

2010-12-23T21:53:00.001-08:00

14 kiddos in their jammies watching The Polar Express, decorating homemade gingerbread men/women, eating lots and lots of yummy treats, and playing to their little hearts content = one very successful playdate at the Mantle's.

We (Ella and I) love having big playdate "parties" at our house and our latest was this last Wednesday to celebrate the holidays "pajama party" style. The kids had a blast and I am pretty sure the moms did too. It is alway nice to see my beloved girlfriends and our every-growing families. Thanks for coming!

The "big" kids getting ready to watch the movie.

Shelby, Sidney, Lauren, Ella, Hannah, and Caeden

What fun it was to decorate the gingerbread cookies (thanks Casey!). Of course Ella was very meticulous in designing and decorating hers - "to look just like they are supposed to."

Best playdate to date...can't wait for more! We are always ready for a party here at the Mantle home....

Ella LOVES Christmas!

2010-12-19T17:09:00.001-08:00

Ella is so intrigued by everything Christmas...she loves the decorating, the baking, the gift giving (and receiving), the music, and the shows...just about everything except Jolly Ole St. Nick...she is petrified of that man. So we make sure Christmas is much more than that (well, duh, of course it is) and have many other traditions going on. She is really taking her own role as the baker, decorator, singer and gift giver this year and it is so fun to watch. We are haivng a "Polar Express Pajama Playdate" this week and she is so anxious to prepare for it....she will make gifts for her friends and help me bake all the goodies.

Ella has already gotten a headstart on the baking and gift-giving this past week...

Just the first of many baking days for Ella....she LOVES to help out in the kitchen, especially when someone is making cookies. She got to help Memaw with hers this day.

Ella wrote a Christmas card for each of her preschool friends. She also made them candy cane reindeers. She loved being able to give each of them a gift and was so excited to say "Merry Christmas" while handing it to them.

I wrote each child's name on an envelope and she copied each name onto their card just perfectly and she knew whos was whos by reading their names....she amazes me.

The Nutcracker Ballet

2010-12-19T16:45:00.001-08:00

A family tradition of mine growing up was to take all the ladies of the family out for a Christmas show each year. It was usually just a few of us and I remember each event fondly. The Nutcracker Ballet was one show that we saw more than once and was always my favorite...oh how I longed to be one of those beautiful ballerinas.

This year I decided it was time for Ella to experience the magic of this holiday tradition and I invited a few friends and family members to come along (23 others to be exact). Yes, I ordered 25 tickets to see the Nutcracker on Sat. Dec. 11th 2010. Some of us went out to dinner before hand and then all met up at the Mesa Arts Center just in time for the show. Each little girl was dressed in her Christmas best and they all looked precious. It was such a joy to see all of the little girls' faces light up as they watched the ballerinas. Although Ella doesn't seem to have any desire to be a prima ballerina, she still was entranced by the lovely dancers and the story of The Nutcracker. Can't wait for what each year holds for us as far as this tradition goes.

All ready to go.....this is a tradition that I am determined to continue each and every year for this little girl of mine. She is just such a bright light in our lives. So funny, smart and caring. I just can't believe she is so big and becoming such a kid.

Taylor, Lauren, Ella and Ava (missing a few other little ones)

Always playing

Lauren and Ella getting ready for the show to start. Ella loved every bit of it and was full of clever and funny questions the entire time.

Most of the crew....we had 25 people total in our group but some were already inside. Such a magical night to spend with all our favorite girls.

From left to right: Cousins Amanda, Kyleigh and Laura, my grandma, my mother-in-law Mary, me, Ella, my mom, and friends, Ally with Taylor, Dawn with Abby, Jenn with Lauren, and Sonya with Ava. (Erin and Hannah, as well as my old friend, Adrianne and her crew were already seated.)

12K's of Christmas!

2010-12-19T16:36:00.001-08:00

My mom and I ran in the 12K's of Christmas race on Dec. 11th over at Freestone park. It was a fun race (a little over 7 miles) that was a fundraiser for animal rescue groups. People dressed up in all their Christmas attire i.e. Santa hats, bells, crazy socks...but with it being sooooo dang hot outside, we stuck with the normal tank and shorts (although I did wear green and had a red ribbon in my hair). I just can't get over how warm it has been....makes me a little nervous about running in the summer again - just dreadful.

This was us coming back into the park...less than a mile to go.

Sprinting to the finishline....always fun!

We did it! Another race under my belt...my 4th this year (and my last for 2010). Continuing training for my next half marathon in February and loving the challenge of increasing my speed and endurance.

Playtime

2010-12-19T16:29:00.001-08:00

Although it has been gorgeous outside for months Ella and Jonah's lazy parents have slacked on getting the playgym cleaned up and refreshed. It need to be hosed off (get rid of those webs) and needed new swings. We FINALLY got to it and the kids were too excited. I just have to try to keep Jonah from climbing up the slide and jumping off the edge...oh dear, the things I NEVER had to think about with Ella.

Little Monster

Beauty

Going at it in their jammies in the sand.

Ella had the job of swing pusher!

Finding things to do that are creative, fun and cheap sometimes get exhausting for me so luckily I have two kiddos that love to hang at home and make do playing with their mounds and mounds of toys and whatever else they can find.

Jonah's new favorite place to play and make a mess of...

Who needs toys when you have a tupperware cabinet?

Ella put this backpack on Jonah and he walked around like this all day...better than the little black purse he usually carries around

She might force him to wear backpacks and "shop" with her but she still loves him :)

1 year old! (one of many new blogs)

2010-11-27T20:59:00.000-08:00

11-25-2009

Instant love...

I am still amazed by the fact that my baby boy is now one year old. Last year on November 25th, the day before Thanksgiving, at 1:13pm, our beautiful Jonah Monroe was born. He was delivered by a planned c-section and all went smoothly. Jonah weighed in at 7lbs. 12oz and was 20 inches long. The first thing I heard the dr. and nurses say was "What a little man. Look at those eye brows" which then made me freak out a little but I giggled at his smushed up face and fell in love.

We continue to fall in love more and more each day as we watch him grow and become such a typical boy. He is into EVERYTHING he is not supposed to be and thinks it is funny to be mischevious. If he were at a daycare, I would probably be worried about him all day...luckily, I get to watch over his every move all day long. We have his 1 year Dr. appt on Monday so I will post his stats then....

***Updated Stats: At Jonah's one year appt. he weighed 22lbs. 13oz. (50%) and was 31 inches long (75-90%)....so my big boy is tall but not so fat...even his head was only 50% - all that hair makes it deceivingly huge :) He is right on track developmentally...she was even ok with his limited vocabulary of "mama", "dada", and "uh-oh". He is ahead physically, as he has been walking for almost two months now. I have got to get him on whole milk and OFF of the bottle. I also have to get him sleeeping better at night again...who is up for a couple days of crying it out???? Not me, but I guess I need to. I just don't mind cuddling with him in the middle of the night...but I think I would like a whole night worth of straight sleep even better.

Here are some moments from his big day. This year it was on Thanksgiving. We celebrated by having my family over for breakfast and opening presents and then heading over to the Mantle's (my whole family included) for a delicious turkey dinner and bday cake to boot. What a fun day for Jonah!

My baby boy..

Ok, Ok so everyone always asks who Jonah looks like....well, I think he is the spitting image of my brother...what do you think?

So we took this out of the closet (Ella got it for her 1st bday) and he thought it was a great present too....way to be frugal, right?

The "boy" toys are invading the Mantle household

He was getting tired opening all those presents

Since I didn't want him to have a turkey cake or pumpkin pie for his bday, I made this football cake and declared his bday party "football" themed.

Classic "cake" shot

He devoured it all

Even licking the plate...

He was in a sugar coma after all that cake...you know it is never good for your very first time eating anything with sugar to be a whole piece of cake...Probably explains why he slept horribly that night and was sick for the following two days....excitement/suger overload.

Women's Half Marathon!

2010-11-27T20:38:00.000-08:00

Ok so I know this might sound crazy to some of you but on Sunday, November 7, 2010....I RAN A HALF MARATHON! I have taken up running and LOVE it. Thanks to an amazing trainer, my mom, I went from not being able to run a full mile in March to running 13.1 with ease! It is becoming addicting...I wish I could run everyday. We run 5-6 miles on Tuesday and Thursday mornings before both my mom and travis have to go to work and then do a long run (9-12 miles) on Sat. or Sun. There is no way I could have managed to do this while working and am so thankful to have the time and energy now. My goal is to beat my time every race and just improve my 13.1....not looking at 26.2 anytime soon. Anyways, I am pretty proud of myself for doing something I never imagined I would do and super thankful for my very own "Jillian Michaels", my mom :)

A cool, dark morning....and we were revved up!

I was soooo excited!

Waiting to start...luckily it had warmed up

We started at Scottsdale Rd. and Indian School Rd.

This was mile 5...Wayne waved at 5 and 8

We did it....just feet from the finish line!

My cheering squad...

Halloween 2010

2010-11-27T20:24:00.000-08:00

I know, I know I am a little behind on posts...almost a month! But today is catch up day so enjoy..

Halloween this year was a blast as always. We headed over to the Zaur's (right behind us) for pizza before heading out in the neighborhood. Sidney and Shelby helped out as always with the girls - thanks girls.

Our Annual Pumpkin carving was once again, a success....Ella drew on the little one, Papa Mantle carved the skull, and Daddy carved the silly face...way to go!

Snow White!

They were very excited!

At the last minute, I decided to put Ella's clown costume on Jonah...don't worry, he won't be a KC Chief's cheerleader next year :)

The crazy Mantle family (who now all dresses up for Halloween) - travis was the hit of the neighborhood and was forced to be friendly to every kid on the street since he chose to be the beloved Bert :) It was hilarious!

Princess Lauren and SnowWhite Ella

Our beauty, ready to collect some treats - she did really well and was having a lot of fun until one man dressed as a zombie scared her to death and then she was done...plus, she had some pretty bad blisters from her sparkly red shoes, poor girl

Bert (I mean Daddy) and Ella

Mommy and Ella

Jonah and Bradley (11mos. and 3 mos)

Ella and Lauren have this same picture in these same costumes from 3 years ago - sorry too lazy right now to search for it.

New ideas...cute stuff

2010-11-15T09:14:00.000-08:00

With new ideas being given to me and others bursting out of my head, Ella Jo Customs has all sorts of new items to choose from. I am going to start making more "inventory" type items but will still spend most of my time making "made-to-order" items.

Check out this cute one....$15.00

This one is $12.00

Loved this idea....$15.00 for short sleeves, $17.00 for long-sleeves and $5.00 for the bow

And one of my favorite tutu combos to date...this purple is just gorgeous and will look darling on a little baby girl. With tutu prices down, this whole outfit is only $31.00...cheap!!!!

Go to http://www.ellajocustoms.blogspot.com/ for more pics and order info.

or email me at ellajocustoms@cox.net

Jonah's 1st Haircut

2010-11-15T09:07:00.001-08:00

On November 7, 2010 Jonah had his first haircut....just a couple weeks shy of his 1st birthday. Ella was almost 3 when she had her first haircut....but I guess boys are different (in so many ways...) My mom just trimmed up his bangs because they were totally covereing his eyes. he looked pretty nerdy for a few days but it looks better now.

There was definitely some restraining that needed to be done.

All done!

Pumpkin Patch 2010

2010-10-29T08:53:00.000-07:00

We ventured back to Mother Nature's farm this year for our annual Pumpkin Patch fun with the Zaur's. Just the moms and kids went this time as Jenn and I are both home at the moment - so sad that she is heading back to work next week :( The kids had a blast even though we were sweating buckets out there in late October - not right! This was Jonah's first patch experience and he was quite content in his stroller for the most part. As soon as he got out he was an instant mess looking for the perfect pumpkin.

All ready with their lunches for our picnic at the patch.

They are both getting so big. Lauren, 3 and Ella, 4.

The girls decorated a pumpkin.

We played follow-the-leader through the hay-maze.

Ella is already used to having to restrain her brother for a picture.

The ever-growing Mantle/Zaur gang - Jonah, Ella, Lauren and Bradley.

I think he touched every pumpkin out there.

Besties!

In the blazing heat on our hayride...we had a great time!

I love this tradition we share - thanks Zaurs!

Walking the line...

2010-10-25T16:23:00.000-07:00

Not a straight line that is. There would be no passing a sobriety test for this little guy. At 11 months, Jonah is officially walking. He has been taking steps for over a month but now uses only his legs as his main form of transportation. He is about 2 months ahead of Ella with this milestone (it's the small motor skills that are slower). We are proud of our little man for being so brave....but know it might be pure torture for our anxiety levels in the future. He truly gets into everything he is not supposed to and could care less about toys and baby things. His smile is contagious, his gorgeous blue eyes are constantly complemented on, and his "Justin Bieber" hair is out of control....but we LOVE it all.

Soccer Saturdays...

2010-10-12T16:15:00.003-07:00

So we have started Ella in soccer through GYSA (Gilbert Youth Soccer Assoc.). She has a game every Saturday morning at 8:30 at the soccer complex not too far from our house. Her first game was Sept. 25th and she did amazing. She was one of the only kids that chose to play almost the entire game and she even SCORED A GOAL!!!! It was an exciting moment for all of us. These games are quite hilarious though. It is just a bunch of 3 and 4 year olds running around in circles or, in Ella's case, just standing around waiting for the ball to come to her :) They can really score on either net and the coaches try really hard to get each kid out on the field...the problem is not timing, it is getting these timid kids to want to play. Ella is among the older kids on her team that is 6 girls and 3 boys. As the coach puts it, " Our goal this season is for us parents to become friends so we can keep doing this to see these kids grow as soccer players together." Sounds great to me. Ella has been the shy one the last two games and has decided not to play so we are hoping she gets back into it and gets out there to score more goals. We LOVE getting to do all this fun kid stuff with her...It is our first "team sport" and we are having a fabulous time. Luckily the weather is getting better so we are not sweating buckets out there at 8:30am.

All ready to go for Game #1

Daddy giving Ella a little pep talk...one of many :)

Ella meeting new friends

This is where she has spent most of her time so far... Jonah is so good about chillin in his stroller watching his big sis

I love how all of the players are at the other goal and Ella is just standing there like "what?"

Now it is time for Coach Ryan's pep talk...he is doing great with them.

So now it is all about getting Ella to want to be out there again AND for Travis and I to not get frustrated with the fact that she is being shy....we are going to try to not put any attention on the fact that she doesn't want to go out there and just go - no bribes or ultimatums. Maybe Coach will convince her this time. As my mom said, "I remember one shy little 4 year old who would have never gone out on that field..." Ok so the apple doesn't fall far...but hopefully she will boost up her confidence and get herself back out there again. We both have a feeling she is either going to be into sports or art because dance doesn't interest her at all. I have her signed up for a gymnastics class in Nov and Dec and a "Little Picassos" class in January....she should soar in both of them.

Thinking about the holidays? Think of me!

2010-09-27T12:55:00.000-07:00

Crazy to think that the holidays are sneaking up on all of us so quickly. If you're anything like me, you have not even tried to think about Christmas gifts BUT if you have, now is a great time to order your tees, tutus, and hairbows for the little ones you love soooo much!

Go to www.ellajocustoms.blogspot.com to see many my custom creations and get ideas for your little guys or gals.

I can do custom holiday attire as well (I'm thinking black satin flower headbands with a black and silver glitter tutu or maybe a cute little onesie with a silk tie applique stitched on for you little guy)

I would really appreciate if all you blogger buds out there could be so kind and post this onto your blogs as well. I am ready to get really busy and need your help to do so :)

Going to Disney anytime soon? Fun tees to help keep all of your kiddos close by.

Only $35 for this complete outfit...smokin' deal!

Missouri 2010

2010-09-15T14:57:00.000-07:00

We made our annual trip to Missouri this Labor Day Weekend instead of Memorial Day weekend because we were there to celebrate Gpa and Gma Mantle's 60th wedding anniversary. It was a wonderfully relaxing five days full of family, farms, and fun. So nice in fact that my mind was a little warped and for a moment I thought, "Maybe we should move here?"...

Ella was perfect on the plane - she requested the window seat but wanted the shade down for most of the time...she colored and watched movies...so easy. It was a horribly turbulent flight - so between Travis having his eyes closed and me with my head between my legs, it is a wonder our kids didn't freak out - luckily, they are not like their parents in that respect and can handle a bumpy plane ride with no problems...lucky!

Mary and Greg had the pleasure of Jonah for most of the flight there...he didn't sleep at all but was happy and hyper just like I expected.

Magnets - Bailey and Ella...now to think that Ella is 4.5 months older than Bailey and Ella isn't even super short.

Travis and Ella found this catepillar in the grass...wow, I had never seen such a thing.

Look at that brave girl holding the catepillar...you couldn't pay me to do that.

Cousins - Garrett (8) , Bailey (3), and Ella (3)

Travis spent a lot of his day catching fish in the pond

It took a while but Garrett and Bailey finally got Ella to roll down the hill...

That is a fake cow we are standing next too...can you imagine???

Saturday night - The "weinie" roast

I just love how these two girls just fit with eachother...and I love how casually Ella is sitting.

Just a gorgeous night...

Enjoying the cool weather....soon after this we all had to go inside because it was just a little too nippy outside....

Hmm, Hmm....good

On Sunday, we all went over to Uncle Mark, Aunt Cindy and Erica's house for the 60th wedding anniversary celebration for Travis' grandparents. There were about 70 people there (all related) and it was a blast. It was full of good conversation, games, yummy food, hayrides, and farm fun. It is so nice to have a family that can all be in the same room with one another - no drama...just lots of love :) Who knew??? (no offense to my NY family, I'm just sayin'...it's nice)

One of the donkeys

The first of many hayrides...

Ella really was in all her glory (I mean cousins and farm animals - it doesn't get any better for her) ...she had such a great time at this party

that she slept until 11am the next day.

The guests of honor - Faye and Elmer Mantle (Travis' grandparents) -

Happy 60th Anniversary to an amazing couple

The "big" boys had a croquet tournament

Timmy attempted to teach Ella how to fly a kite while at the same time teaching her all about "tension"

Uncle Mark's turkey...just a pet, not Thanksgiving dinner :)

The kids had Wii tournaments...

Our beauty

Ella and Xander were very intrigued by the goats and even got to go in the pen to pet them.

All of the beautiful hand-picked flowers straight from Mark and Cindy's property.

Monday night we went to Aunt Marla and Uncle Greg's house. Ella was in heaven when she saw that Joe had a shelf full of dinosaurs and other animal figurines...glad you haven't grown out of that stage yet Joe (he is 18)...Ella, Joe, Andy and Timmy played in his room all night. So glad to have cousins that want to play...no matter how old they are.

Aunt Marla and Jonah

We headed back home on Tuesday...back to real life...back to the heat...what's up with this heat? 108 in the middle of September, I mean come on now. Getting ready for a visit from Adam and Katelyn to celebrate mom's bday early (she will be in NY for hers) and then the preparations begin for Ella's 4th birthday..it's a princess party this year. Can't wait!

Flagstaff in August

2010-09-15T14:45:00.000-07:00

We headed up to Flagstaff about 3 weeks ago for some cool weather and a visit with Adam and Katelyn. As much as I want them to live down here so we could see them all the time...the next best thing would be Flagstaff because then we always have a great excuse to go relax in the cool pines and enjoy their home and beautiful surroundings. This trip was like all others...simple and easy. We attempted a hike...but decided we are not into carrying two children while doing so. We ate good home-cooked meals outside, roasted marshmallows, shopped a bit at Marshalls, and played cards (unfortunately, Katelyn had to work a ton and missed out on a lot of it :( )

About 5 minutes into our "hike" and we were already exhausted...we headed back to the car shortly after this...Adam thinks we are the biggest wimps...true!

After months of being stuck indoors, Ella LOVED getting to play outside in the gorgeous weather.

She even got to help Uncle Adam do some digging.

Adam and Katelyn's beautiful house...it is perfect!

Love bug!

My Ella Bella

2010-08-18T16:11:00.001-07:00

Last week marked a very special moment for me and my little love - it was the first time I didn't have to bring her to daycare so I could go back to work...as she puts it "I can be with you all the time now mom?" Yes, my love, yes you can! EXCEPT of course for preschool time. Ella started school yesterday August 17th. She is going to New Horizons School which is out of a lady's home (Mrs. Kim Keith to be exact) on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:30 - 3:30pm and it is just wonderful. I know she is going to learn soooo much. She is in the 4 year old class since she will be four very shortly and I want her to start Kindergarten next year. Mrs. Kim's preschool will be the best preparation for her. She was so excited to go and with a quick and simple good-bye she was off and playing with other kids. We got ready really early during Jonah's nap and then she had to wait and wait to leave.

Big Girl!

All ready..with 2 hours to spare

She chose to just stick with her Diego backpack rather than getting a new one (even after she had the choice) - such an easy girl.

Ella with Mrs. Kim - she didn't want to leave her house.

Ella Marie LOVES her little brother sooooo much.

And her elephants - yes, she is in Jonah's crib in this pic.

Finally feeling photo friendly and loves getting her picture taken.

They both love NY - who doesn't???

She loves trains and thinks it is the best to ride the train at the mall with her daddy.

We were talking about preschool the other day and I told her that Mrs. Kim would probably be asking her a lot of questions about her favorite things.

I started asking and came up with this list:

What is your favorite ___________:

color - purple

food - chicken nuggets (which she only has at restaurants)

drink - chocolate milk (again, only at restaurants - not sure what this says about my cooking)

movie - Snow White

book - Franklin in the Dark

toy - her Dalmation puppy, Penny

tv show - Dora or Diego

game - Candyland

song - Hey Soul Sister (by Train) or Twinkle, Twinkle

instrument - piano

sport - soccer

friend - Lauren

animal - elephants (and dinosaurs)

shoes - black Roxy flip flops (just like her mama)

shirt - her princess shirt

breakfast - Rice Crispies

weather - rainy days

thing to do with Jonah - read books

thing to do with Daddy - play with his phone together

thing to do with Mama - play Candyland or dollhouse

letter - A

number - 10

Can't wait to see how this list changes over the years...

Love you Little Miss Ella Marie!

8.5 months

2010-08-17T16:38:00.001-07:00

Jonah is 8 1/2 months now and just growing in so many ways...

Last he was weighed at the Dr. was about a month ago and he was 20lbs. then...I imagine he is pushing 22lbs. now. Jonah is constantly on the move...in the last month he has learned to pull himself up on the couch, cruise along side it, goes from one piece of furniture to another, and FINALLY, crawl. You can't keep your eyes off of him for a second. He will be my climber forsure.

He is still all smiles. Eating and sleeping great. He sleeps 7:30pm - 8:00am (with a quick bottle and diaper change around 5am) and then takes two long naps each day. He is eating three meals with bottles in between. We tried some little Gerber Puffs and he gagged and threw them right up so we will wait a little longer on that. He has two bottom teeth and we think the top two are coming soon.

Today he started clapping!

He is babbling a ton and saying "mama" but just as a babble.

He loves his lamb...yes, this shot could be pretty indecent (if you're in that frame of mind) but I think it is cute :)

Thought this would be a good blackmail pic in the future :)

He sat like this as Travis kissed his cheek for about 5 minutes...he loves his Daddy!

Love him...still trying to figure out what to do with his hair...think we might grow it out shaggy because it is so darn cute.

New York State of Mind

2010-07-15T15:40:00.001-07:00

I just returned from the most AMAZING 5 days in New York. With all of my relatives rooted in NY, I have always been lucky to get to visit there every couple of years. This time, instead of spending most of my time in Northport, Long Island, I spent it in the city- thanks to my mom making the greatest decision. She has rented an apartment on the Upper West Side for the month of July. Friends of my aunt were going away on a month long trip and wanted/needed someone to stay at their place (for a great fee). With little hesitation, my mom took them up on the offer to finally live one of her life long dreams - to be a local in the city. She is in a great 1,200 sq.ft. apartment in a very safe part of town just west of Central Park. My cousin, Amanda, and I were just some of her many visitors in and out (and I am sure, her favorites :) We got in early Saturday morning and returned back home Wednesday night after a very bittersweet goodbye - I was missing Travis and the kids but didn't want to leave the carefree lifestyle I was enjoying so so so much. Here are bits and pieces of our trip....still waiting on more pics from others but this is what I got. Enjoy!

This was just across the street from her building...but the whole street

lookedjust like the "The Huxtable's". I want one someday.

We were very close to a subway station and used the 1 train to get to and from just about everywhere. Our first day there, we traveled down to Soho and Little Italy for some....shopping! Shocking!

Sistas! After seeing Lady Gaga at the Today Show the day before, these sisters still had tons of energy. (Aunt Jo, Aunt Donna, Mom)

Little Italy- Mulberry Street

It is not NY without an Italian Ice (and yes, not even freshly scooped ones but Marino's in a cup from the store) Aunt Donna brought some in and I had one everyday...The key is to scoop out and eat just enough so that you can flip it over and eat the oh-so-yummy syrupy crystals at the bottom, the best part.

And then we ALSO had to get vanilla cones dipped in chocolate sprinkles a couple of the nights too - our diet was not great at all. We didn't eat a lot but it was all bagels, pizza, and ice cream.

On Sunday we made our way into Northport to hang with family, visit Main Street (you gotta do it), and drive down to the south shore (Patchogue) for a family reunion bbq. This is my 19 year old cousin, Joe, in his very own boat - it is huge, with a kitchen, kitchen table, bed and all.

Amanda on the upper deck of Joe's boat.

Just a beautiful pic of the Northport dock...my cousins get to live this life everyday. My other cousin, Kelli-Marie, is the dock master (you can barely see her to the left in this pic). She supervises and helps dock the boats as locals and visitors come into the village.

The view of Northport Harbor from Molly's house. (molly is my soon-to-be cousin :)

My mom and my grandpa....this is obviously where she gets her looks from.

Ok, this is my Uncle Beefy dressed as a clown (inside family joke) but he is always the life of the party.

My oh-so-loveable Grandpa giving his granddaughters devil ears....nice.

We took Kelli back into the city with us later that night and shopped all over town the next day, Monday. I had to go to the Espirit store and get myself a bag (any of you my age will remember having to have one in the 6th grade).

I had my first "Bloomies" experience. My mom was the sucker though and bought a gorgeous Louis Vutton (after making us convince her to buy it). Money well spent :)

This is the living room of our apartment...everything is so old and detailed. I loved the moldings and paint colors. Every room was a different beautiful color.

On Tuesday, Amanda, my mom, and I made our way on 3 subways to the Brooklyn
Bridge (we thought we would walk across it). Well not so much. When we got out of the last train, nobody was going up out of the station - why?, because it was raining buckets outside. We got our umbrellas (well, Amanda quickly got one from a little old chinese lady at the top of the stairs) and off we went. Being at City Hall, there were not many stores or restaurants so we hid in a Starbucks for a little while and then made our way out again. Walking the bridge was out of the question at this point. It was raining so hard, you couldn't even see the bridge. We walked through deep puddles - yuck! and got drenched. Amanda's umbrella kept turning inside out in the wind - it was hilarious. Anyways, we got a cab and went to Macy's - where everyone else seemed to go also.

Molly came in and met us at Macy's and later that night we went to see "Promises, Promises" starring Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth on Broadway. What a great show! Super funny and amazing talent from the two of them.

After the show, we waited near the stage door and saw them both come out to sign autographs. We weren't close enough to get any of them for real but we did get an autograph and a pic with Tony Goldwyn (another star of the show and the "bad guy" from Ghost). I will post that later.

We walked the park all but one day....it is so cool seeing all the spots from different movies and tv shows. This reservoir is just beautiful......as you can see, another storm was on the way....

Dreamy!

Nice and dry...if we only knew what was coming....

As we headed home from the park, it started to drizzle and then pour. Instead of rushing home, we kept walking and just enjoyed getting soaked this time. I can honestly say I had never been in the rain like this before....and it is soooo much fun.

This was our last day. I was so very sad to go. Just "being" in the city is a dream. The local boutiques, the markets, the outdoor dining, and the flower stands...it is all so perfectly NY. I want to go back right this minute....I will miss you NY (and mom...it will be two weeks before I see her again, the longest time ever)....

We love Swim School!

2010-07-03T22:39:00.001-07:00

Every morning, Monday-Thursday, we go to swim school - yes, all three of us. (read further posts for more - I added like 3 others tonight).

Here are the kiddos all ready to go - smiles and all.

Mr.Jones

2010-07-03T22:35:00.000-07:00

I love my little man - Mr. Jones - as I affectionately refer to him.

Love how he is the same size as Pooh Bear. And do you see how wet his shirt is? It is slobber central around here. I think it is his cooling off mechanism from this unbearable weather.

Swim School

2010-07-03T22:23:00.000-07:00

Ella started swim school right after we returned from Flagstaff...as I thought would happen, she had a rough first two days - didn't want to get in the water, screaming and running away from me, crying her eyes out when put in the water - everything I needed Super Nanny for - instead she got super nice swim instructor James who was on a break but decided to help Ella out. For the first two days, Ella and James spent time together getting used to the water - mind you, this is her fourth summer taking lessons, who knows why she was so scared. Jonah and I are now in a parent-tot class while Ella is with her group the "shrimps" - she will be doing lessons all summer for sure.

Did I mention how ripped and tan Mr. James was??? Well you can see for yourself :)

And starting on day 3 (after the mighty fine bribe of a new Ariel towel) she joined her group and ever since she has been great...still hesitant, but willing.

Yay, Ella!

She is with the Mr. Tim while the others are watching.

Friday Movie Day!

2010-07-03T22:18:00.001-07:00

With our Harkins Summer Movie Passes, we have been able to enjoy a movie each Friday with Brent, Taylor, and Ally Secord (and many others). Ella LOVES getting to hang with Tay and watch lots of fun movies. Jonah has been pretty good about napping through each one too :)

Brent, Taylor, and Ella - BFF's

Flagstaff in June

2010-07-03T22:01:00.001-07:00

What a fun trip to Flagstaff we had in mid-June. It is sooo nice to have my brother, Adam, up there to visit so we can escape this horrible heat. He and Katelyn have a great house in the cool pines that we fit in very comfortably. Ella experienced hiking, camping, and fishing all in one trip - well at least our versions of them :) Here are some shots of the fun we had.

Uncle Adam bought Ella a Dora fishing pole and off they went....

We traveled about 20 miles to a crazy deer farm with lots of random animals...Ella was quite freaked out when all the deer came up to her and then she wanted to spend the rest of the time in the gift shop (like mother, like daughter)

Uncle Adam had fun messing with Jonah's hair

They had some good bonding time.

We went on a "hike", well a long walk, and look who ended up on mommy's back...

This was really the only trail that we could bring the stroller on but it was still beautiful.

Ella had s'mores for the first time and loved them. This was her "camping" experience.

Yummy!

Sitting by the fire in Adam's backyard

Jonah - 7 months (&Ella)

2010-06-28T14:10:00.001-07:00

WARNING: Excessive bragging will be taking place in the following post:

Yes, I am going to brag about my gorgeous little man and how gosh darn cute he is. Jonah is now 7 months old (I swear I just did his 6 month post) and as precious as ever. Haven't weighed or measured him lately so I don't have those stats for you but he has been doing a lot of "7 month" stuff. Jonah officially has his first tooth - the bottom left one popped out the other day. I am sure that was a relief for him but I think the other one is coming. Hopefully, he will be like Ella and have just those two bottom teeth for 3 months so he can have a teething break. So far he has been on the same track as Ella with everything else so we will see. He is trying to get everywhere but has no clue how and I am cool with that. We are not pushing him to crawl because it is so nice to be able to leave the room for a minute without worrying about what he is going to get into. With all of Ella's toys scattered about, I will be worrying a ton.

I took them to get their pictures taken the other day as a surprise for Father's Day and for Jonah's "6 month" (really 7) milestone pics. Yes, me - all by myself - with two kiddos! I was proud but it was a loooonnng day, to say the least. The photographer said that Jonah could easily be one of the easiest babies she had ever photographed. Ella, on the other hand, was a different story. Luckily, she managed to get a couple good shots of the two of them and maybe one or two of Ella - you know the 3 year old that would rather be playing at the lego table than having her pic taken. I told her I needed one big smile with Jonah - and she took that very literally.

Enjoy my adorable children!

Jonah Monroe - 6 months 3 weeks

Ella Marie - 3 years 9 months

This was probably the best shot of my girlie - of course, you can see the edge of the background so we couldn't even order it.

Jonah - 6 months

2010-06-03T07:56:00.000-07:00

My gorgeous blue-eyed boy is 6 months old - half way to one - crazy! He is doing fabulously! We went to the doctor yesterday and he is measuring in at 18lbs. 11.5oz.(50-75%), and 27.5 inches tall(75-90%), and right on track, if not ahead, of all the physical milestones. Jonah is truly the most easy-going baby ever. We thought we had it good with Ella as an infant but Jonah takes the cake on easy. He really is happy all the time and randomly cries when no one is paying attention to him or if he wakes up in a strange place - and of course, if he is starving and the bottle is not coming fast enough. The moment he sees his bottle, he freaks out and huffs and puffs until it is in his mouth. He pretty much wants everything in his mouth - no teeth yet but drooling like no other. He tries to get his entire pacifier in is mouth - so we are all a little paranoid about that :) Jonah continues to love on his big sister and laughs just being in her presence. He is sitting up on his own and eating oatmeal and -just started- veggies every evening. Jonah sleeps from about 8:30pm-6:00am each night - wakes up with loaded diaper - and is happy as can be. He is growing in lots of thick light brown locks - no red tones like his sister, but pretty similar in color. In certain pics of Ella as a baby, we see them looking very much alike but if you really analyze their features, they are totally different.

We love everything about his little chubby self - and his blue eyes just melt our hearts.

This is seriously the look on his face 90% of the day.

Sitting up like a big boy gives a wealth of more playtime opportunities.

They are starting to play together and Ella is learning many a valuable lesson in sharing.

First time in the pool - Memorial Day 2010

Again, he will put anything in his mouth! This moment he wanted my nose!

To no surprise, he LOVED green beans. Jonah has always been a great eater.

Tu-tu Cute

2010-05-15T08:03:00.001-07:00

This is the first tutu I ever made and FINALLY got Ella to wear it for some pictures. Travis and I both took Friday off because our sitter was out of town (and the end of this school year is just killing me so I desperately needed it). We walked over to the park right down the street around noon to take some fun pics and to play....the pics went great but it was already far too hot to play...the equipment was on fire.....guess we are already to the point of going ouside only in the early morning and late evening...bummer.

Big Boy!

Love this shot....Jonah 5.5 months

Their first (and not last) game of tug-of-war

This is our nightly dinner ritual...Ella eats and then entertains her bro

A Mother's Love

2010-05-09T18:00:00.000-07:00

Me and my babies

Three Generations - Ella didn't want to be in the pic to make it four

My big boy at 5.5 months almost sitting up on his own

This mother is definitely in love with two of the sweetest little munchkins on Earth! It is still amazing to me that I am a mother. It all seems so natural and awe-inspiring all at once. I honestly can say that I love everything about being a mother - the good and the bad - because it all brings love in the end. Thank you Ella and Jonah for making my life so meaningful, so pleasurable, and full of so much love. I love you more than words could ever say and I hope you know that every day of your lives.

Thank you Travis for making this Mother's Day so easy and nice. Let's keep up the good work :)

Thank you to my mother-in-law and father-in-law for taking care of the kiddos while our sitter is away. Even though I will miss them terribly tonight, I know they are in good hands and will have a blast at your house.

And thank you to my amazing mother. I am the mother that I am all because of you...I hope each day that Ella and I will have the relationship that we have and that Jonah will come to me with his trials and tribulations, and exciting life moments like Adam and I do. You are the strongest woman I will ever know. I love you!

Oh and Happy 56th Birthday, Dad! I love you too! (not that he is reading this - the only person left in the world with out the internet :)

Easter 2010

2010-04-04T17:56:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful Easter Sunday today! After waking up super early and finding that the Easter Bunny had visited the house, Ella was so excited to see what he had brought her. (The night before she was having major anxiety over the fact that he was going to put her basket at the end of her bed. Well, she did not want him to go into her room, so she asked if I could call him and ask him to put her basket on the kitchen table) We played a couple of games of Connect 4 (Ella's Easter request this year), got all dressed up in our Sunday best and headed up to North Scottsdale for church with my parents and the Mantle's. We made it through the hour-long service easily - Uncle Cody entertained Ella with a painting app on his phone and Jonah was passed up and down the row. Ella thought, "the church was pretty and the songs were nice". We then headed over to the Mantle's for yummy brunch, an Easter egg hunt, more Easter basket surprises, and even a nap for Travis and I (yes, I actually took a nap - the first in a long, long time). It was an absolutely spendid day spent with our loving family - we are sooo lucky to have them close by (and the fact that they like spending time with eachother makes it even better)

The Easter Bunny followed Ella's request and left the baskets on the kitchen table

Ella was so excited to get Connect Four, a couple pairs of jammies, Snow White,

and her favorite, M&M's

He was quite interested in what the Easter bunny brought for him: some clothes and books

Cuddle time

Yes, we were quite bright today :)

Love her...

My little man

Searching for eggs in Papa's amazing flower garden

Beautiful Girl

"More Candy and Money!!"

Fun Family Photoshoot

Daddy with his babies

LOVE!

Papa and Memaw with the kiddos

Catching up

2010-04-02T14:30:00.000-07:00

Between working, crafting, housekeeping, entertaining, and my number one duty - being a wife/mom, I have been a bit busy...too busy to post but today is my day off and instead of enjoying the gorgeous weather outside, I find myself on the computer finally getting to post. The month of March was a fun and busy one. Jonah is now 4 months old. He weighed in at 16 lbs. 14 oz (75-90%) and measured 26.5 in. (95%). He grew 3 inches since his last appointment - no wonder he is already growing out of 6 month clothes. He is rolling over like crazy (back to front) and we have attempted rice cereal. He seemed to really like what actually got into his mouth but that wasn't much :) Ella is still the bestest big sister ever and is absolutely the apple of his eye - she can get him to giggle like no one else can. It is so awesome seeing the two of them interact - they were meant for eachother - she is crazy and he is happy - it works. I am back to work for 9 weeks and counting - it hasn't been so bad just exhausting. Trying to get the students that I haven't taught in 4 months to be prepared for the big state AIMS test has been killer but it will all be over soon. Travis has been working and working out a ton - getting that physic he has always wanted. He is eating way too healthy and pretty much said no more McDonalds - so sad.

Little miss getting ready to help daddy with the yard work

Sup...

Ya, I can read....just sayin'

Beautiful, blue-eyed boy at 4 months

Come on, I'm hungry!!!

The big first bite!

Can I be done now?

Hanging out in the exersaucer

Coloring Easter eggs on this wonderful Good Friday!

New crafty blog

2010-03-21T11:04:00.001-07:00

Hello my friends,

I have made a new blog for all my crafty endeavors! I would greatly appreciate it if you could post a link on your blogs (either as post or as a link on the side - or both :)). Thanks so much! I am really hoping to get this business going and I need all the help I can get from all the wonderful moms that I know! Let me know if there is anything I can make for your little ones.

Ella Jo Customs

www.ellajocustoms.blogspot.com

3 months already!

2010-02-25T08:41:00.000-08:00

And the cutest of them all....

I can't get enough of this face

Wow, my precious, baby boy is three months old today - no, don't grow up little man!!!! All I have to say is, "He is the best!" We love everything about Jonah, even his cry. He is happy 93% of the time and that other 7% is either hunger, that darn burp that won't come up, that bark from Colby that just scared the living crap out of him or the always-dreaded "tummy time". Jonah smiles constantly - especially at his big sister. He adores his daddy, and loves to be cuddled in mommy's arms - but is totally content on his own, either in his swing, papasan, or under his play gym. He loves his 5 oz. of formula, every 3-4 hours during the day and usually downs it in minutes! Jonah is a great sleeper - sleeping pretty consistently from 8:30pm - 5:30am and then for another 2 hours each morning. As you can see, he has the most gorgeous, steel-blue eyes, big, fluffy eyebrows, a cute little, scoop nose, and chub like you wouldn't believe. He has been a remarkable addition to our family - we are so blessed!

Need a gift idea?

2010-02-22T09:58:00.001-08:00

Need a great baby/child gift idea?

Fun, custom burp cloths - $5 each

initial/age shirts - $10

flower bows/headbands - $4 each

custom color tutus - $22

Let me know what you need and I can have it to you within a week - thanks!

Custom Creations

2010-02-11T07:03:00.000-08:00

OK so business is booming thanks to some great friends - now it is time to pass the word along!
I think I might call it "Ella Bella Designs".
Custom made shirts/onesies with child's initial or age with matching bow/headband available in many designs and colors. $10 for shirt/onesie and $4 for a bow/headband
I am also making tutus, fancy burp cloths, and hooded towels so let me know if you are interested. Great for birthday gifts and/or baby showers or just for your own cute kiddos!

for twin girls, Sophie and Olivia

for brand-new, brother/sister twins

for one-year old twins

All wrapped up and ready for delivery

Our Big Guy!

2010-02-07T13:24:00.000-08:00

Jonah man is growing so fast....he is such a happy boy - always smiling and cooing - wanting to stand and roll over but we don't want him to get ahead of himself and grow up too quickly. He is sleeping well at night (giving us a 6-7 hour spurt and then another 3 or so). We are still loving life being off of work - Trav goes back in 1.5 weeks and I have 3 more weeks at home. I am sad to go back to work but I'm ok with it knowing there is only 1 quarter left of school. Ella is doing well - she will have the hardest time with us going back to work for sure. She is attached to my hip right now.

We are having everyone over for the big game in a couple of hours so I best be off to finish up with things around here. Yeah, to the end of football season!

Jonah - 10.5 weeks

She's crafty...

2010-02-02T12:58:00.000-08:00

Ok so here are the shirts and onesies I have been making lately... The flower bows match.
I am thinking $10 for a shirt/onesie with matching bow and $7 without the bow....let me know what you think....

Life is good...

2010-01-18T21:26:00.000-08:00

I just have to say that spending the last 7.5 weeks at home with my family has been wonderful. Travis and I have both had the opportunity to enjoy this time together with the kids and will continue to do so for 6.5 more weeks. We know this is the only time in our lives that we will be able to do this and we are taking full advantage. Not sure why I haven't been blogging more and just downloaded like 150 pics onto my computer. Here is a long update of what we have been up to since Christmas...

Ella received golf clubs from Papa Mantle...as long as she swings the clubs outside only, we're good. We know Papa Mantle has been dying to buy her this set of clubs since she was born and this Christmas, it finally happened.

When Adam and Katelyn were in town, we ventured out to the Natural History Museum in downtown Mesa. Ella was so excited to see the dinosaurs (and named each one, "Little Foot", "Cera", "Sharp Tooth", and "Ducky"...you know, the technical terms) and Uncle Adam was so excited to pan for gold (and old pastime from trips to the Southwest Museum as a kid)

Happy New Year....our little cutie!

With this beautiful weather it would be a shame to NOT go on a picnic in the park...we hope to do more of this. Discovery Park near our house is awesome.

Look at these blue eyes----he totally looks like my bro in this pic

One of his favorite places to be is his changing table...you can always get a smile out of him here.

Look at his hand in motion....such a squirmer.

He found my finger one night and would not let go....

Jenn and Fae came over for a visit....always nice to see good friends.

Ella loves playing with her little bro and he gets the biggest smile on his face when she's around

Are you ready for some football?

We took a trip up to Flagstaff last week to visit Adam and Katelyn and so Ella could play in the snow...it was short lived because Jonah actually had a pretty bad cold and cough but we got some snow time in. I bundled him up pretty good for our 5 minutes outdoors.

Ella had a blast...as expected. Hopefully we will go back up soon and get some real snow time in.

Aww....Uncle Adam, you're so sweet. (or really he was saying, feed me, feed me, feed me because that is all he really cares about :)

I know Ella has really enjoyed having us home with her and it has been so great to not be exhausted and get to spend good quality time with her....finger painting is always fun.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T06:27:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all! I am sitting here- 7:30am Christmas morning - waiting for Ella (and Travis) to wake up...oh the anticipation. Ella is going to be so excited...I have got the movie camera ready for her reaction. We had a busy day yesterday at the Mantle's and then at my mom's. It is so fun being a family of four. May you all be as blessed as we feel this holiday season and in 2010!

as close as we will get to Ella taking her picture with "Santa"

Sister and Brother

all ready in her Christmas jammies

Annual Christmas Baking Day

2009-12-23T14:08:00.000-08:00

We (mom, Amanda, g-ma, and I...and a few additions) have been baking cookies and other goodies a couple of days before Christmas for many years and it never gets old. We missed you this year, Katelyn! We made sugar cookies, rice krispy treats, puppy chow, fudge, white chocolate covered candy cane/pretzels, and peanut butter kisses. Yummy!

LOVE

2009-12-10T13:00:00.000-08:00

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these pictures!
Our friends, Scott and Tiffany Souquet-Bressand, came over last Sunday to snap some photos of Jonah and Ella. They came out great! We are loving our new little guy and his big sister has been so helpful. There hasn't been a twinge of jealousy yet.