Launch!

I guess it is time to announce my new venture...

For all of you who don't know, I am starting my own business.  The name of the business is "Ellie Belle".  

I am specializing in custom baby blankets.  I am designing and making the blankets.  I am now in the process of getting my website made and then people can order from it.  Yesterday I had a "photo shoot", courtesy of Ashley Swapp Photography, with my kids and my brother's kids for the website.  So, here are a few of my favorites.  Let me know what you think?  My website is elliebelledesigns.com, and I will let you all know when it is up and running.  I am really excited and a bit nervous about all of this, so we'll see how it goes.  Thanks to all of you that have been so supportive!  If anyone is interested in a blanket just let me know!

So Long Nemo

I am sad to announce that Nemo, Aidan's fish, has died.  I am sure all of you are as broken up about this as I was.  He was swimming around one morning and then was dead that afternoon.  It was a sudden death!  Now with Nemo gone, it was time for Indiana Jones to go as well.  The funny thing about it all is that they died about a week ago and the boys have not noticed they are gone.  The good things is though I don't need to do any consoling!  -- Done and Done!!!

"If you watch too much TV then it will make you stupid!"

Today I went to get Carter from across the street at a friends house (Sawyer's) that he had been playing with for a couple of hours.  When I got there I was talking to Sawyer's mom and she had said that Carter had said the funniest thing.  And right at that moment I started to panic and think of all the stuff he over hears at our house that I may not know he hears.  Carter has a very impressive memory and an even better auditory memory.  She told me that he and Sawyer were watching TV and Carter turned to Sawyer and said, "If you watch too much TV then it will make you stupid."  She was very sweet about it and said that it was so funny, and they even turned off the TV and played games.  I felt kind of embarrassed because any of you who know Carter knows what a TV junkie he is!  This kid would watch TV all day long if I let him.  (I wonder where he gets that??)  I had told Carter that once in a moment of frustration over the amount of TV he watches.  I never really thought he would repeat it to someone else especially in another person's home!  I know many of you may not agree with my techniques, but I will even go as far at to scare my child with stupidity to shut the TV off!!!!  It is amazing what things you tell them that really sinks in.

"He Keeps Looking At Me With His One Eye"

Well, we finally did it!  We got the boys a pet, that is if you consider two goldfish a pet?  And actually we didn't get them for the boys, we were given them to us at a Birthday Party last night.  It was our friend Dave's 30 and it was a Hawaiian theme and they gave out fish as the party favors.  At least it came with the bowl and food!  I know many of you think that I am not a fan of the animal kind because of my BIRD history, but I do love animals!  But, I have to admit that fish kind of fall under the same category as birds to me.  I know that it is going to be me that cleans out their bowl once a week and me that feeds them and me that has to console the boys once they pass on to fish heaven.  I do have to say that the boys are enjoying them, although I do recognize that is has only been a few hours since their arrival.   Aidan is into them more than Carter, but they do like them and Aidan just sits at the counter and stares at them and talks to them.  He keeps saying to me, "He keeps looking at me with his one eye", which I think is pretty funny!  They have named them, Carter's is Indy (after Indiana Jones, who he is into right now), and Aidan's is the all original, Nemo!

Indy is the big one with black spots and Nemo is the little one.

Here is Indy looking at Aidan with his one eye.

Watch out David Beckham!!

 Carter just started soccer for the first time and he is slowly getting what soccer is.  I would even say that these pictures are being generous about showing Carter's actual involvement in the game.  In his first game he just ran around the field in the vicinity of the ball, but didn't really touch it much.  The second week he played the first half and then ate oranges (that he got for their snack) the entire second half and never went back in.  The third game he only played the first half and then was done and sat on Joe's lap for the second half.  The forth game is what I like to call the "turn around game" because he actually played the whole game and actually was dribbling and going after the ball and even had about 10-15 shots on goal, although somehow none seemed to go in???  It started to get funny because he kept getting to the goal and could never get it into the big net!!  It was a good effort none the less.  It is definitely entertaining if nothing else!  

Carter and William, and yes, I swear, that kid is 5!

Carter with his team, "The Sharks".

Go Number 2!!!

One slight touch of the ball, Yea!!

On the sidelines where he prefers to be!!:)

Olympic Withdrawals!

This year I became totally addicted to the Summer Olympics.  Never in 

past years have I been so interested.  I was up at all hours of the night watching everything from swimming to trampolining (I didn't even know that was a sport, but because it was in the Olympics I was totally enthralled!).  Carter was even sneaking out of bed at night (1:15 am) to see if Phelps was swimming!  It got really out of hand because nothing else in my life was getting done.  Sometimes I think that TiVo is a curse, but then I quickly come to my senses and realize that I am talking crazy.  Because without TiVo how else would I be able to fit in an unfathomable amount of TV watching hours and spend time with my family.   So, this past week I have been having Olympic withdrawals when I turn on the TV and nothing but Walker, Texas Ranger is on (a show my mom secretly loves, but I won't let her watch it in my presence!)  Although, I think that this is a good thing because now I can get back to life!!! 

It's a Miracle!

A Must Read Story

Sometime between Christmas of last year and March of this year we lost our video camera and all the recorded tapes that were with it, witch were everything from Carter's birth on.  I didn't realize it was missing until March and I was just distraught when after many days of turning the house upside down we could not find it.  I had said so many prayers that we would find it, but to no prevail.  By this point I have pretty much written off ever seeing the first time Carter or Aidan walked or hearing their first words again.

On Saturday night Joe went to Harmon's, our local grocery store, and ran into an old mission buddy who is a manager there.  His mission buddy said to him, "Hey I have something that you may want."  Joe wasn't sure what he was talking about and then he told him that he had some video tapes of him on them.  Joe was shocked!  The guy, Jeff, said that he had about 8 tapes.  Jeff told him that about six months ago a bag boy was bring in the carts and found a bag of tapes in one of them and turned them into the lost and found.  They were about to trow them out, but one of the workers said, wait, let me bring in my camera so we can watch them and see if we recognize any of the people in them, so we can return it to them.  Jeff just happened to walk into the room when they were watching them and he said, "why are you watching a video of Joe Brown?"  They were like, you know this guy?  And he said yah, he was an old mission buddy!

Well, low and behold, we have the tapes back and everything thing is there from Carter's birth on!  We think that the camera and all the tapes that were in the case may have fallen out of our car at the grocery store and someone stole the camera, but left the tapes.  My kind of criminal, a thief with a conscience!  It really is amazing and an answer to my prayers; a little creepy to think that some Harmon employees  were watching our home videos, hope they didn't recognize anything from the birth videos:)???!!!  Anyways, all is good and the videos are back where they belong!

Point of the story: Don't keep all the tapes with the video camera!!!