Two States, and other matters

This is what I'm talking about, people! I was sent this Two States picture from a native Texan that I work with, with the title 'Just a reminder.' Sheesh!


In other, non-Texas Is Better news, Ella Grace won an award from her teacher last week! She won the Eager Reader award for being able to read the most words in her class. Way to go, Ella!

Last week also marked the one year anniversary of Ashley's first seizure. The day came and went uneventfully, just like we hoped it would. Oddly enough, we did have pizza and a bath that night, just like one year before... Only this time we got to enjoy our pizza and celebrate where we are now. And in case you're wondering, where we are now is with one terrifying episode past, one similar, but not terrifying episode past, and current 'spells' that occur several times a day but last for no more than a second. It's like she's out and back in in no time flat, to the point that you would miss them if you weren't looking her directly in the face. (Her eyes get kind of droopy and then pop! her head bobs down and back up. Almost like when you're really sleepy and you're nodding off, only to catch yourself and jerk back awake.)


We haven't been too concerned with these spells, and neither is the doctor, because they don't cause her harm in any way. Although, now that we are back on university supported health insurance (hooray!) we went ahead and scheduled Ashley for a referral to a pediatric neurologist, just in case we would need one. Before we can meet with the neurologist, Ashley has to have a four hour video EEG so they can capture her seizure/spells on video and see the corresponding brain waves. It's purely a diagnostic test that will help the doctor once we get to see him. We are heading out to Temple, TX tomorrow for the test, and fully expect that the day will be absolutely uneventful. Except for the potential for Ashley Kate to try and pull all of the electrodes off of her head. That could be fun! Wait... I just realized the David and I will be on the four hour video too! Someone please remind me to behave myself and act properly. The doctor really doesn't need to see me checking my teeth for broccoli, now does he?!

Easter Shoes

Just to make everyone have a heart attack, I'm going to post again.  So there.

The other day both girls were out of school for Good Friday and I was able to 'work from home' and stay with them.  Ella thought it was a great idea for she and Ashley to wear the matching dresses that their Grandma had sent and I was agreeable to it.  I took special care to do each girl's hair and adorn it with a matching red ribbon.  Pictures, of course, were in order!  You can imagine my dismay to see that neither child had appropriate shoes for dressy dresses, but I carried on.

(Remember when I said that perhaps Katers was not the most photogenic?  She also is not the most obedient little girl when posing for pictures.  I honestly took at least 30 pictures of my beautiful babies... Ella Grace, ever the do-gooder, stood and smiled like a well trained girl should.  Ashley Kate, however, wouldn't look at the camera and wanted to walk around. Nonstop.  Below is the best of the two pictures where Ashley is looking at me.)

See what I mean about the shoes?!  It's a dang good thing the Easter Bunny was on his way to our house and could make a quick addition to Ella and Ashley's Easter baskets with some shoes!  Unfortunately, EB also gave Katers a pair of Elmo socks, which she chose to wear with her new dressy dress shoes (sans diaper, of course (post potty sitting)).

And you didn't ask, but I will let you in on a little picture of me and E.  Because I hardly ever come around from behind the camera.  Or hardly ever get some sun, apparently!

We're (Trespassing) Texans

I am ashamed to come back to the blog, three months later... My apologies.

So, we're here!  We are busy learning all about what it means to live in Texas and all of the many, many things that are done differently here because, well, they're Texans.  And they can.  We are considered trespassers on the sacred ground of this fine state by many, but there are some who just see us as those who weren't good enough to be born here but smart enough to find our way to the promised land.  Either way you slice it, we're here!

I am enjoying my job at A&M and am learning something new every day.  That makes it quite nice to go to work and know that I am just a teeny, tiny bit smarter when I leave than when I showed up.  I am well on my way to wrapping up my master's degree and will be graduating in May from UGA.  Woo hoo!  This summer I will most likely continue to work full time and take a small class load.  (My bosses, through some strange miracle, feel that my work is important to the grant, and so I'll keep letting them employ me as long as they want!)

The girls have adjusted nicely to their new schools.  Ashley Kate is sowing her two-year old oats and has been put in the corner a few times for being naughty.  Or maybe a lot more than a few times.  I've quit counting.  Ella likes her new teacher and classmates but is finding that Texas standards aren't the same as those in Georgia (or everywhere else, maybe, because this is Texas and everything.is.different) and she is a bit ahead of the curve.  Good news, mostly, except school is now 'boring.' Oh dear.

David transferred with Lowe's but is religiously searching for something more in line with his interests.  He has recently taken in a colt that needed starting so that has helped his mental state quite a bit!  Actually, it has done us all a bit of good to have a horse around... (At our new home there is a barn and round pen just a stone's throw away, which is really nice.)

I hope to get my rear back in posting gear very soon!  Until then, here is a recent picture of Ashley Kate posing in front of the washing machine.  She's got her milk filled sippy cup, of course, and Buddy, the dog/stuffed animal that gets carried around in a headlock most of the time.  I know this picture isn't the sharpest, or best exposed, but there's a good reason that I'm posting it anyway.  And that good reason is this: Katers isn't the most photogenic girl in the neighborhood at the moment, so we'll take whatever we get that shows her true beautiful little girl self.  Even if it's over exposed and in front of the washing machine!

Until next time, kids, we are,

The People Who Finally Woke Up And Realized That Texas Is The Greatest State In The Union

In the month and a half since I last posted, we have:

Decided to move to Texas where I will attend Texas A&M

Celebrated two birthdays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, all to great success

Quit our jobs and found new ones

Not renewed our lease and might have found a place to live

Gotten new sparkly cell phones

Lost our minds

To top it all off, we are currently in route to Shreveport, La. to watch UGA take on A&M in the Independence Bowl. Woo hoo!

Ella's Book

The spelling is mine, the composition is all Ella Grace.

My cat is a very good swatter.


My cat got a toss across the yard by Daddy. (see above)


My cat got his paw stepped on by Ella. (see page about swatting)

My cat bit and scratched Mama. (see page about a toss across the yard and insert Mama)

We may leave this book tied to Thomas when we move. And leave him on the back steps.

Happy Birthday, Ashley Kate!

Today my sweet baby girl turns 2 years old!  I can hardly believe that she is two, much less believe that a whole year has passed already.  So much has happened since her last birthday!

We are unbelievably blessed to have such a wonderful little girl as our Katers.  While she is so much like Ella in some ways, she is quite different in others.  Which is exactly how I like it.  We can tell that Ashley is going to give us more trouble than her sister did because she has a devilish glint in her eye.  (I used to not really believe people when they would say that their child had that kind of look in their eye.  Not any more.)

Ashley loves to be outside, especially when playing with the dogs and cat is in order.  Unfortunately, she has picked up on a few things that we may or may not do in regard to the animals, mainly kicking at them and saying things like 'GO ON!'  In our defense, Thomas is quite possibly the most underfoot cat in the history of the world and I'm always afraid that I'm about to fall and Hank (that's New Dog's name) can't be trusted not to bolt into the house as soon as the door opens.  But Katers keeps them both at bay for us, all while landing zero death blows to the animals.

Our Baby Kate loves a lot of things in this world, but none come close to her rock solid love of milk (yea!) and Rabbit.  Rabbit is Ashley's night time stuffed animal/blankie thing.  She still sucks on the first two fingers on her right hand and likes to use the other two fingers on that same hand to rub the tag of whatever is in her left hand, be it a stuffed animal, blanket, or shirt, which is held up by her face.  Kind of like this picture, from a while back:

We can't convince our sweet baby to keep her shoes and socks on for the life of us, but we hope that once some cold weather gets here she will change her mind about going footloose and fancy free.  Maybe not.  She is her mother's daughter, after all!

Ashley Kate is making great improvements as far as her physical and communicative development goes.  She still has a bit of catching up to do, but considering how far she has come in the past few months we are thrilled.  She has started being able communicate with us well, giving us definite 'yes' and 'no' answers, as well as taking our hand and leading us to what it is she is trying to say or do.  So far she has made two word phrases, but I expect that that will be changing again soon.  About a month or two ago our sweet baby girl began acting like all two year olds do.  And while she was exasperating some of the folks at daycare (and her parents), we kept reminding ourselves that this was big!  It was merely four months before that she had begun to walk and talk, and now she's acting like a terrible two!  YEA!

Katers is moving a little ahead of pace when it comes to the all important potty.  She is interested in it, talks about it, and will tell us when she needs to go poop.  (Sorry, y'all, but such is the glamour and excitement!)  She hasn't actually done anything in the potty yet, but will readily sit on it.  I clearly remember Ella being well, well past two before she would even tell us that she needed to go to the potty, so WAY TO GO, BABY KATE!

Have you noticed that I have referred to Ashley in no less than 726 different ways?!  That's the way we do it around here, giving Ashley an identity crisis at every turn!  And just think, I haven't even mentioned Curly Kate!  Her curly hair, by the way, is one of the most astounding things to me since I never, ever, ever in a million zillion years considered that my children could have curly hair.  Did I mention EVER?  I still find myself in awe of her hair and will pull out her ringlets just to watch them spring back to place.  When will I get over this?  Maybe never.

There is much, much more to Ashley Kate these days but this is just a quick rundown for birthday documentation.  Happy Birthday, our sweet Ashley Kate Katers Baby Kate Curly Kate Ashley!

Going Askew

Tonight, as we were winding up the mountains and mountains of homework that Ella, who is in kindergarten, had on the docket, we found ourselves talking about fire safety. A stop, drop and roll was in order since she didn't get to do it class. "Only Ethan got to," she reported, "Ethan Day."

"Alright, go on over and kiss Daddy Day goodnight..." I told her, knowing that she would think that was pretty funny.

As she walked over to David Day, she laughed and said "I'm going to call you Mama Brittany!" after one of her friends at school.

"What's Brittany's last name?" I asked, preparing to call myself Mama Rodriguez or something similar.

"Areola" Ella said. I really can't help myself as I hid my face in my hands and laughed silently. Areola?! Mama Areola?

I think some clarification is in order.