I'm a bit behind and have missed a few posts, but I'll catch up on those later. Today it's all about Elly! My little Elliana has come so far in the last year! She is doing better than any of us could have even imagined! We love you Elly and thank GOD you are here with us!!!
found this cute woody shirt today for only $3 & we completed the look with a hat from the dollar store... i love it!!! timmy said "i look handsome....i'm woody!"
These two have such fun personalities and ways about them, and they are SO DIFFERENT! This week at school they are celebrating higher education. So for today, Wednesday they were supposed to dress up as what they wanted to be when they grow up... Here is our conversations from yesterday afternoon...
Mom, "Addy, tomorrow you can dress up at school. What do you want to be when you grow up?"
Addy, "A Princess!"
Mom, " It's fun to play dress up and be a pretend princess, but what about for real? what do you want to be? You could be a doctor, or a vet, or a teacher, or a police woman..."
Addy, " I'm GOING to be a Princess when I grow up!!!"
Mom, "No, not really...that is just for play. How about... (another list of professions...)"
Addy, "FINE!!! I'll be a ballerina when I grow up!"
Mom, "Well that is something you could do, and that sounds great, BUT I don't think your ballet clothes are appropriate for school. What would be your second choice?"
Addy (now in a whiny/cry voice), " I just don't know! I only want to be a princess and a ballerina..."
She leaves the room crying... great... one failed attempt...
Now to try Jimmy...
Mom, "Jimmy, tomorrow you can dress up at school, what do you want to be when you grow up?"
Jimmy, no actual words, but a deep look of concern on his face...so I continue
Mom, "You could be a doctor, or a police man, or a fire fighter, or a scientist... "
Jimmy, "I really just don't want to be any of those things."
Mom, "Ok, what do you want to be, and maybe we can make it happen."
Jimmy, no verbal response, but a stressed out look on the verge of tears.
Mom, "What about if you were your NASA t-shirt. You really like going there, and people who work at NASA are really good at math just like you."
Jimmy (tears have begun), "Can't I just be me??? I don't want to be all those other things, I really just want to be me when I grow up."
Mom (giving hugs), "Yes, of course you can be you!"
Another conversation ended in tears... great... two failed attempts.
What gets me, is though both conversations ended in tears... they were such different kinds of tears. Addy was the little miss attitude this is how it's gonna be tantrum tears. Jimmy was the soft hearted, deep, for real serious tears. It amazes me that children with the same surroundings and upbringing can be so different. Just goes to show we are all our own, very much individuals in all we do!
I love the way that babies can fall asleep anywhere when they are truly tired! This weekend we had Elly jumping nearby while we were doing some cleaning, packing, packing, etc... and she zonked! So cute!
*Disclaimer*
Before and After shots...
ore by the way. I've never used sconces before, but I think I like them.
For the dining room table I made the flower arrangement with flowers on clearance at Michaels, rocks from dollar tree, and an existing vase, and ribbon...total cost was around $7. Ignore all the junk on the table :).
We did a rearrangement of the living room furniture to make it look more "open" and added these two framed items also from Factory 2 You. This isn't the best picture, but gives you the general idea. One frame is Faith, and the other is Love. 
This is all so much a work in progress! There is so much to do before we can even list the house. We need to replace all the carpets, we are hoping to get quotes on that this weekend. We need to paint almost all the upstairs because it has the original house paint from '03 that is really scuffed up. We need to fix baseboards, and trim, and we really need to deep clean. We need to box up as much as possible to make it look "open" as they say, and not cluttered... Speaking of look what I found at Michaels in the clearance bin, designer packing tape. Marked down to 50 cents a roll. Now we can pack in style :o) 
So throughout the day I find myself bouncing between tasks, whatever is the most conducive to the current moment and needs of the kiddos. So I've packed some, I've decorated some, I've cleaned some, and I've done a lot of the everyday dishes, laundry, cooking, scouts, dance class, doctor appointments, and just life stuff... Eventually it will all come together, I'm sure of it. Although, sooner than later would be better. I miss seeing Dave everyday, and the kids are having a hard time too.
So now a direct question for anyone and everyone...where to put these 2 lamps. I originally bought them thinking I would spray paint them brown and use them in the bedroom on either side of the bed... they were only $7.50 at Kirklands!
Which could still work...Snapshot of the room, they would be on either side on our little tables.
But after putting them together and seeing the colors... It has me thinking, maybe they should be other places just as they are... For example the family room just got a new rug that these green and white shades appear in. And the couch needs to be balanced on the wall. Maybe I should get an accent table, or two and put them on one or both sides of the couch. Anna's Linens had accent tables for $10... so it's a possiblity. Here is the wall in question, and the new rug with it's colors.
Two things big today...
1. Dave started his new job, and thinks it's great. Now to just get this house ready to sell and then things will really be great.
2. Elly turned 11 months today! It's so crazy to think of all that has happened in the past year. Here she is at her photo shoot today...
