What happened to August?!

I don't know what happened the last month, but it was a blur! Too much fun I guess. Mark and Ella celebrated birthday #3!!! We took a great trip to Galveston for a week with our friends from Austin. Their little girl Ava got along perfect with Mark and Ella (all 3 shared a room) and it won't be long before Baby Parks is joining in the fun.

Mark and Ella then had their party at Noah's Ark with all our friends and family. It was so fun and so incredibly HOT. Luckily the kids were all swimming. We had a fantastic time. Then school started back up. Whew! Now we are getting into the swing of the new school year and all our fun activities again.

Ella has resumed dance (for the time being at least) and Mark has started soccer. I need to get some pictures because it is pretty darn cute. Thats it in a nutshell!

Rain and Shine

It seems like this summer has either been crazy hot (not really a surprise) or rainy for days. We've made good use out of our little pool this summer, thats for sure. And I now can take the two of them to the neighborhood pool without fear of falling in the big pool. Here are just a few pics of our summer so far.

Oh and the 1st is Ella's dance recital from the end of May that I forgot to post. It was HYSTERICAL!!! Ella loved wearing makeup and getting her hair curled, but when the curtain opened and the music started (Mary Had a Little Lamb) she froze completely and did not move an inch for the entire dance.

Conversations between Mark and Ella

I had to write some of these down before I forget how funny these are.....

Riding in the car:
Mark: Thats a bulldozer.
Ella: Thats not a bulldozer, thats a tractor.
Mark: Thats not a tractor, thats a bulldozer.
Ella: Thats not a bulldozer, thats a tractor.
Mark: Thats not a tractor, thats a bulldozer.
Repeat for about 15 minutes.....

Walking Oatmeal in the stroller:
Mark: Mommy, Ella hugged me.
Ella to Mark: Its because I love you sweetheart.

In the car:
Ella: Mark, you're a doughnut!
Mark: I'm not a doughnut.............I'm a kolache!!

Watching The Jungle Book:
Mark: Ella, what movie is this?
Ella: Its Jungle Book. I just told you. Don't ask me again.
Mark: What movie is this?
Ella: I just told you. Don't ask me again.
Mark: What movie is this Ella?
Ella: Mark....I just told you. Don't ask me again.
pause
Ella: Mark, what movie is this?
Mark: Ella, I just told you. Don't ask me again.

Mark: I tooted.......oh that smells wild!

New Toys

Well another school year is over next week and I can't believe its summer time again. I got some new toys for the kids, so we are all set. I got a bouncy house from someone in my Mother's of Multiples group and the kids had a blast. And then I loaded up on pool toys from Walmart and I think the pool is going to be one of my better purchases. Especially since its big enough for mom and dad, too!! Oh and the 1st pic of Mark is just a silly one that made me laugh.

Rodeo, Tractor Rides, and the Dentist

We've had a busy month! We took the kids to the rodeo which was lots of fun. We stood in line for the pony rides for Ella to refuse to go on, but Mark had a blast. They saw lots of animals and ate funnel cake. Yum!

Nana and Poppy got chickens recently so the kids love to check them out and they have now discovered that Poppy has a tractor. Heaven for 2 year olds!

And lastly, we finally made it to the dentist. Both were a little unsure at first, but quickly opened wide. They did great and we have now graduated to big kid toothpaste. Who knew spitting could be so much fun?!

Its Cold!!

I realized its been about 6 weeks since my last post and its gone by so fast! We've been busy despite all this cold weather we have been having. Here are just a few random pics of the kiddos around the house drinking hot chocolate and playing in Ella's crib. We started swim lessons 2 weeks ago. Ella would not have any of it for the first week (they went every day for 2 weeks) but really liked the 2nd week. We just switched teachers and she was not happy about it at all, but came out of the pool smiling and happy. Who knows? Mark loves swimming and is happy the entire time.

Well....it was only a matter of time until this happened, but Mark decided to try out a raisin in the nose. We were going from swimming to school and I heard him say something about raisin, nose, and "get it out Mom". It wasn't too hard to put 2 and 2 together. Luckily, the school had a first aid kit with tweezers and I was able to get it out. No fun for either of us, so I'm hoping he learned his lesson. I learned mine!!

I also finally got to meet my ADORABLE nephew, CJ. I went to Stillwater (before the crazy blizzard thank goodness) and got to hang out and snuggle CJ. He was full of smiles the entire time!

Merry Christmas

Its been a while since my last post, and I have no good excuse other than December is always crazy. In the past 2 months, Ella has learned to use the pedals on her tricycle, I discovered how entertaining a large empty box is for kids, Mark discovered video games, Ella enjoyed dressing up with her Aunt Ang, and we all had a fantastic Christmas. Oh, and I had to include the last picture. It was at Mark and Ella's Christmas party at school. Little did I know that that cookie with the red icing would soon be all over Ella, me, and the car seat in a few short hours. At least is wasn't the new car!! :)