Welcome, Scarlett!

This post is quite tardy, but I have been wanting to write it anyway.
Sweet Scarlett Caroline made her introduction into this world on October 28th. She is my sister, Whitney and Spencer's, third baby. She is absolutely beautiful! We are all oohing and ahhing over her dark, dark hair. Between my sisters and my own kids we have 5 redheads (I know! crazy, huh!) out of 9. So, seeing a beautiful dark haired baby has been such a treat. From my point of view (you may need to talk to Whitney to get a view from the trenches) she is a good baby--a little spitty (she may have Reflux...something that is not new to us), but overall so sweet. It has been such a treat to have a newborn baby to smell and cuddle. We are so blessed to be able to have her in our family. My boys and Ella are beside themselves with excitement. They love to be able to hold her and love on her. Ella gets in such a tissy when Scarlett's around because she wants to pat her and get near her. Cooper and Greyson love to sit and hold her. It has been fun for me to see the growth in Greyson, because he will sit and hold Scarlett for much, much longer than he would just a year ago with Ella. They really love her so much and thank Heavenly Father in their prayers for sending Scarlett to our extended family.
I have posted some pictures of sweet Scarlett. They are from the first few days. Her features have become much more refined, but I just had to share the pictures I had. I am sure I will have more pictures later. Enjoy!

A Happy Halloween

There are some uber-Halloween talented mommies out there (I know who you are!)...I do not fall into that category. I truly enjoy crafting...a lot (especially when there are no kids underfoot). But, Halloween costumes just do not fall into something I get all a-buzz about. This year though, was a small exception. I always enjoy seeing my kids all done up, I just don't really relish in getting to that point. I did have my sister here and was able to dress up my daughter for the first time. So, put those two things together and I got a bit crafty for Halloween. I was very pleased with the outcome...if I do say so myself. ;)

Whitney and I decided that we would dress up our daughters as fairy princesses...mmmmm, very fun. We luuuuv the really full tu-tus and decided that we would whip a couple out. It actually ended up to be quite an easy project after we figured it all out. Whitney's inspiration came from the Gymboree fairy costume and I just liked the colors I chose for Ella (she already had a black turtleneck and leggings). One thing led to another and I also ended up making a flower wreath for their heads...also easy once I figured out how to do it.

Greyson had picked out his costume forever ago at Old Navy. He loved the red dragon. I said, "okay Grey, Halloween isn't for a little while. You can't change your mind if we buy this". He said, no way! He loved it....and he did until he decided he hated the feet. They were big and poufy. Not nearly cool enough for him. We all tried to convince him that they were okay...but he was not going to be convinced. I talked to my mom about this predicament and she suggested that Cooper dresses up as a knight, Greyson the fire-breathing dragon and Ella as the fairy princess. The boys loved the idea that they were like a fairytale. That said, Greyson decided that the dragon costume was going to okay. We thought everything was okay until the night of the Trunk-or-Treat and he decided that the dragon's belly was too fat. I couldn't believe this!! What four year old has a complex on how fat his dragon belly is?!! I explained he wasn't fat--just round and Cooper explained that on Jane and Dragon (Qubo on Saturday mornings) Dragon's belly was round. Greyson decided that he could live with his poufy belly, and they all had a great time at the Trunk-or-Treat.

On Hallowen night we met up with my parents, Whit and her kiddos (Whitney's a super-hero in my book because she actually went Trick-or-Treating after having her baby 4 days earlier...we all had a lot invested in those costumes ;) and my family went around a nice neighborhood in Stillwater. Ella was just a calm as can be (she was so tired) and the boys had a lot of fun. Cooper and Greyson did think that things would have been much easier if they had rode their Gator around town. I was a bit flabbergasted at the idea. The way I see it, they are begging people for candy, they can put a little effort into the deal. After going around the neighborhood we wrapped up the night by visiting the Applegate's, which has become a family tradition. It's always fun for my boys to see Jos' Grammy and Poppa, even if Jos and Gavin aren't here.

Overall, it was fun for me to see my little fairy tale in the making...and we had a great Halloween too.

Cooper looking very "knightly".My fire-breathing Grey-Grey.
Fairy princess Ella.

My fairytale.
Mmm, aren't they cute?!

Ella Turns One

Ahhhh, I have computer back. I am so sorry for the noticeable lack of posts. Life has been pretty hectic and my son (I won't name names...'cause lets just say it was probably a combined effort of the two of them) broke the power cord...no power--no computer. So, my computer use was at a minimum to say the least. Lots has been happening this month, namely the birthday of my sweet daughter. Yep, that's right Ella turned one this past Wednesday. Can you believe it?Neither can I.

It was was quite the busy day for us. We went and visited my sister down in the City at the hospital with her sweet new baby, Scarlett. I went with my mom, Whitney's two kids, Greyson and Ella. Let's just say there was a lot of kids versus adults. We got through it and had a wonderful visit seeing little Scarlett for the first time. We got back in time to get Cooper from school and run a few errands. We picked up pizza for dinner (Ella l.o.v.e.d. the pizza...a girl after my own heart;) and had family over to help celebrate. We are so blessed to be close to family here in Stillwater. My parents were able to come, Whit's kiddos (Ezra and Georgia), my little brother Mack and my mother-in-law. It was so much fun to see the love and support for my sweet Ella. We ate dinner and then Ella opened her presents. My daughter has the oddest obsession with putting everrrythiiinnnggg in her mouth. I know, I know lots of babies put things in their mouth. No. Ella will put anything and everything in her mouth. I have had two other babies and have been around plenty of others and understand that she puts more in her mouth than the norm. Ella's chocking hazard of choice is usually paper-if she can get her hands on it. So, the unwrapping of presents presented a wonderful opportunity for plenty of paper eating. She loved tearing the paper and trying to eat it. Phillip and I quickly cleaned up the wrapping as soon as she was done (every small piece). She also has an uncanny way of finding near invisible things off of the floor and eating them. I was able to indulge a bit of my girly side and get Ella a Cabbage Patch Kid (squeal). I was so excited. I found a CPK Preemie at the store and was so excited. Ella is too small for the regular sized ones and when I saw the preemie I was so happy because it's just her size. Yep, I found that they still smell like baby powder, mmmmm, I transported my right back to 1986. Ella also received some very fun Touch and Feel books from my sister and parents. Ella absolutely loves books and the Touch and Feel books are her favorite. She also got some squeaky shoes. I am very excited about them because I think they are so darn cute. I also did make sure when I got them that you can remove the squeakers when I find that the squeaking just isn't that cute anymore. :) Ella also received a beautiful handmade quilt from her Grandma Humphrey. It is absolutely beautiful. Ella loves to sit on it and look at all the bright colors. My mom-in-law put on the cutest buttons on the flowers that Ella (and the boys ;) love to look at. It is something that Ella will always cherish.

We then moved onto birthday cake. As a tradition we always let the one year old "dig" right into the cake. And boy did Ella ever do that. She loved it! My boys were going bonkers because she was destroying the much cherished frosting. She had a great time and devoured it right up. It was a great day and I am so blessed to have Ella in our family. We waited much longer for her then we had expected. There is not hardly a day that I don't remember the ache that I had in my heart for my sweet daughter and then I look at her and see her in my arms and realize what a blessing she is. She is such a ray of sunshine in my family's life. Our family wouldn't be the same without my little strawberry blond sweetie. I love you Ella, more than you will ever know.
Ella is back in a hospital room a year later (I love this cheesy smile she has. She will crinkle up her nose and to me, it is very cute)
Ella's getting the hang of rippin' the paperMmmmm, lovin' the taste of paper
Cheese, Dad!!
Oooo, luuuuv my pink cell phone and keys!

Grandma, brothers, Ella and her beautiful quilt

I loooove frosting!!

Yep, Mom gets to wash me off (lucky her ;)

It's Harvest Time!

We've been all excited around here to decorate for Fall and Halloween...or should I say my boys have been super excited to decorate. It has been fun to see their excitement. On the first day of October Cooper ran into my room yelling "it's the first day of October!". He was so excited like it was Christmas Eve. It was so cute. We went to the Grider Farm Pumpkin Patch in Perkins for FHE the other week and they had a blast. We were able to pick our own pumpkins out (the pickins' were so much better than last year). After we got home they insisted that we decorate right then. They put the pumkins and such into Greyson's Gator and drove them around. I decided to take a picture because their excitement was contagious. I'll have to take a picture as soon as everything is put up. I still need to get some Mums, but when I ran to Lowe's there wasn't a great selection. So, when I get want I need I'll post the pictures. I am sure the boys will be beside themselves to take a picture with all of their hard work. :) So to everyone, my boys and I are sennding you a very Happy Harvest! The boys zoomin' around on the Gator delivering pumpkins around the yard.

The Perfect Song

I know that I have not posted since the very first post on this blog, but I heard it today. I was watching Jay Leno and his musical guest was "the Plain White T's" and they did it. They have written the perfect song. You know the song that makes you tear up just hearing it. The one you only wich you would have been able to write for your wife (or husband for all the wifes reading this). Here is a youtube video with lyrics. You have got to listen to it.



Stephanie. This is my perfect song for you. I wish I would have written it, but since someone else did then maybe tonight we can sit on the couch, listen to it together and pretend it's me singing it to you.



I love you!!! MMMMMMMMMMuahhhhh

A Saturday Escape

For some ugly reason Blogger and I don't have an understanding... I have been running into picture moving problems nearly every time that I have posted. I was able to move one...and then the rest refuse to move. So, as in many of my recent posts...these pictures should have been at the end. *sigh*

Greyson, Cooper, me and Ella outside of Pops after the boys had raced

Phillip and Grey (notice Grey's dinner made a home on his face)
Cooper proudly showing us his beautifully colored menu
Ella enjoying the diner and her set of yogurt bites...yum-yum!
Greyson studiously coloring his menu...isn't he focused :)
The kiddos in front of a window that displays rows and rows of pop. They all have a funny expression on their face (as their mother, I find it humorous)

With the weather being infiltrated with hurricane rain it has been quite dreary around here. Saturday we were looking for a little bit of an escape. So, on the word of a couple of

friends we decided to take a little trip to Arcadia, Ok. There is a gas station that has been rejuvenated into something very modern and very fun. On Route 66 you can find a bigger-than-life pop bottle (straw included) and more kinds of pop than you could even imagine. That is the place that we came to see. When I told Cooper before we left that we were going somewhere fun, he tried to guess. Naturally, he didn't come even close. So, he asked for a hint and I said, "a gas station!". He was aghast and said that I was not telling the truth. I giggled and said that I was very serious...and it was going to be a lot of fun. Both of the boys were not optimistic about the whole deal. When they got there they definitely sang a different tune. It was so much fun and something you would never expect to run into right off of the interstate. On one side there is a diner, that we decided to eat at, and on the other side are rows and rows of pop. We each chose a pop to try and a couple extras. There was an area outside in the back where you can stretch your legs and even eat if the weather permits. The boys decided that they needed to race the stretch of grass. I was a little worried that Cooper would slip and fall because he was only wearing flip-flops and the grass was wet from the rain. But, he was determined that he was going to race...and win. It was hilarious watching him try to run. When he finally got back to us he was still wearing his sandal...sideways. I guess you gotta give him an "A" for his gumption.
After we ate we decided that it was time to go. It was a fun little getaway, and for me, it was fun to imagine what the gas station was before it was "Pops" back when Route 66 was in it's glory days.
Oh, I have to mention that we ran into Coty and her cutie, little family. It was on her word and another friend's recommendation, so it was fun to see them. Thanks Coty and Melissa for the idea!!

The boys racing outside

Thank You, Gustav!

It is an unlikely title, considering that Gustav was a hurricane and many people don't like storms, but for him, I am extremely thankful. He brought my sister and her little boys to Oklahoma. It was an extremely unexpected visit, even the day before she came I called my sister to see if there was a chance she was coming and she said it was unlikely. Then, lo and behold Gustav plays a little game of Chicken. He went east, then west and the forecasters were having a to play a little bit of a guessing game as to where exactly Gustav would hit the hardest (for that little game, I too am very grateful). Because of the little bit of uncertainty, and the Coast Guard wanting their families to be safe, they sent orders out for families where my sister lives to evacuate. So, up to Oklahoma my sis trekked (bravely, I might add) with her little munchkin boys. It was such a surprise to see them. It was a stolen week, if you will. I was able to introduce her boys to the Omniplex-every time I've been there I've thought of them and how they would love it. It was so fun. We were able to do a little bit of shopping at Target (my fav) down in the City and just enjoy each other's company. I miss her dearly and am trying to figure out how to really live today without her company. I guess, when you miss someone that much it just makes it that much better when you see them.

I have been kicking myself for not taking pictures when she was here. There were so many opportunities, I just didn't have my camera (kick, kick). So, to appease my conscience I have added a couple of pictures of my sweet little nephews from Grey's birthday last June. I love you, Lib, and your sweet little boys. Thank you for braving a 14+ hour trip to visit...and escape Gustav. Josiah, Greyson (who is eating some incredibly orange frosting), and CooperLib (who is washing off Gavin's hand), Ezra, my mom-in-law Wendy, Greyson, Cooper, Phillip and Josiah

Ella Does the Do and a New Seat, Too

Once again, Blogger has let me down and stopped letting me scoot my pics to where I want them...and with one left. Soooo frustrating! So, this should have been the last pic at the bottom.

Little Ell-Bell cheesin' it. She loves it when I take her picture. She breaks into the hugest smile/giggle. I love it.

My Little Miss Ella has decided to grow up just a little bit more. Her beautiful strawberry blond hair has been getting longer and longer everyday. I am one who likes my children's hair done and Ella had left me in a bit of a quandry. Her hair isn't long enough to do any girlish hair-dos that I am accustomed to and it has grown too long to just have a curl on top and the biggest problem is that she REFUSES to have a headband on. I figured it was just a matter of time before it happened (due to the overwhelming number of mothers that had came up to me, complimented Ella on her bow and then told me that their daughters had refused to keep them on...*collective sigh*). I had thought about putting a little "spout" pony in her hair...but let's just say that her cheeks are a little too healthy for that look to work right now. So, I decided to put a little gel in her hair and curl it all over. I had forgotten how curly her hair can get with a little help. It has seemed to work and I think has turned out pretty darn cute. The only problem is that I have a drawer full of ginormous bows that she isn't wearing (and won't work with this look). Sooo, drum roll please...I get to buy even more bows. To say that I like to do this is an understatement...I l.o.v.e. buying bows. So, I headed down to the boutique in town and was able to start the purchasing of small bows (not too small, after all I AM a Holyoak ;) It has been fun watching my sweet baby turn into a nearly toddler.

Isn't she a cutie-patootie?

Showing all sides of her "new do"

Now for the next big event, Phillip and I decided to upgrade Ella's ride. My little baby has put on some weight since she was born...that's a good thing...but she has become quite the load to pack around in her carrier. About this time for each of my kids we transitioned them into the bigger car seat. My boys were pretty hard on the seat that they both had, so we chucked it when Grey outgrew it. So, we were planned on purchasing a car seat when Ella needed one . They've changed the pattern since we bought Cooper's...and as the color sensitive girl that
I am--I was pretty excited (it looks great with Ella coloring). So, mostly for my sis' benefit, I took some pics of my little girl sittin' pretty.

Spicy!

I thought that I would take a quick break from the "travel logs" and post something a little fun and different. I'm not quite sure that I agree with everything that it says (mild temperament...have they met me?!) but I thought it was fun nonetheless. There is a link to do the quiz, if you want to...I would love to see how spicy you are.

You Are Basil

You are quite popular and loved by post people.
You have a mild temperament, but your style is definitely distinctive.
You are sweet, attractive, and you often smell good.

What Spice Are You?

Belated Summer Fun

For some reason Blogger isn't allowing me to scoot these swimming lesson pictures down to the bottom of the post...grrrr. I'll have to edit it later... So, when you are reading this these pictures should have been last.

Greyson playing in the pool on the last day of lessons

Cooper in the deep end after he got to go down the super-fun slide

My cutie-patootie Grey

Cooper after he had jumped off the diving board

Cooper swimming underwater

"Look Mom, no life jacket!" (wahoo!)

Greyson getting ready to go down the slide

As I mentioned in the previous post- I have a lot of catching-up to do. So, I am diving in head-first.

My kids had been asking us nearly all summer to go bowling. So, after a long month of Phillip going to Tulsa M-Th 'til around 9 p.m. we decided to treat our family to an afternoon of bowling. The boys were estatic. We all had a great time and as an added bonus Ella slept through about half of it and so I had my hands free. The boys did really well...you 'gotta love bumpers. I, on the other hand, did not do so well. I decided that you really do have to practice! I finally figured some things out-like I have to roll the ball a little more to the right or else I would gutter the ball. Overall, it was a lot of fun and a nice, air conditioned break.Cutie-Coop with his toothless grinGreyson looking very excited

Greyson's own way to roll the ball down the lane

Cooper getting ready to bowlElla taking a much-needed rest

Now, the next part is a very tardy post on the boys' swim lessons. This year I did something a bit different, and I was super glad that I did. I enrolled the boys in two swim lesson sessions back-to-back. They did really well in the first session and learned even that much more in the second. I was really pleased to see how much they progressed. Greyson got to Level One and Cooper progressed to Level Two. Cooper ended up swimming like a fish and Greyson was learning to swim a bit on his own. Both of the boys had the same teacher for Level One and she was great. It was nice to have a teacher that was competant and really cared. The boys looked forward to their lessons everyday and got a cute little tan out of the whole deal, too. I, on the other hand nearly melted. With temps over 100 degrees and the heat index higher, I have never wished that I could be in a pool more. Overall, it was fun to see the boys swim and progress...even through my sweat.

I've Got You Babe

I'm a bit of a blogger-looser lately. I am extremly behind on my posting, so...I'm trying to catch up bit by bit. So...here goes.

Phillip and I celebrated our eighth anniversary on August 4th. I wanted to let him know that I love him deeper today than I ever dreamed possible eight years ago. I knew I would love him more...I just didn't realize how. He is a wonderful man that supports me in everything that I do. He is an exceptional father. He has the kindest heart that I have ever seen. I was such a lucky girl to find him. He has the foundation to hold my family steady and I am eternally grateful for that. Phillip is a hard worker and is very family conscientous. I found my other half and I couldn't be luckier. Here's to eight years and so many, many more. I love you, Babe.

Me and Phillip in Branson. (this picture is at a bad angle...phillip's chin is not that big and he isn't that bald...he wanted me to add that...and it's true!)

Growing, Learning and Living

Today I sent my babies...or rather my big boys, off to school. I am so very proud of both of them. Cooper, who can be a bit anxious about new situations, was such a pro. He tried to help Grey feel at ease and was such a wonderful big brother. Greyson was nervous but ended up doing really well. They are such wonderful boys and being away from them for a bit makes me even more grateful to be their mother. There really isn't many things that make my heart swell more than seeing my children waiting with excited eyes to see me after school. I love you boys, and I am so excited for you. Keep on growing, learning and living up to the wonderful princes you are.