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Need I say more?!

The UPS man came bearing gifts to the Roebuck household today! I was like a kid on Christmas when I saw his big truck pull up. I've been waiting patiently to be able to sign Elly up for dance and the time has finally come! Her first class is in about 3 weeks and I couldn't be more excited! I feel a massive blog post coming up :)  



Splishin' and a Splashin'

We've had some crazy weather here in the south! Lots of rain, some hail here and there, and according to Elly, "bery loud sunder!" (very loud thunder). She was quite concerned about the woodpecker that has made a home in a tree in our backyard. Elly and daddy love listening for our little friend. When the rain started the other night she got a little worried...asking continuously about her "wet pecker". Lovely...I know :)

One of the many things we love about our street, are the number of young families. Elly has become quite fond of Colton and Banah (Savanah), a brother and sister who live a few houses down. After a big rain, Elly spotted the pair splishin' and a splashin' down the street with their dad. Ever since, Elly INSISTS on playing in the rain with her daddy! This day in particular, she went sans pants :)  If you would have told me 2 years ago that my kid would be playing in the dirty rain water, hair in her face, in a jammie shirt with no pants and homemade "tats" covering her legs, I would have GASPED and told you "not MY child!"
   

*Update* I think it's safe to say that my big girl is officially potty trained! Woo Hoo! She will even tell me when she has to go. I still ask constantly and usually get the response "ummmm nope" with such certainty! Lately, I'll catch myself just staring at her, trying to soak her up! Love this girl :) 

Workshop

Saturday was spent cashing in my Mother's Day gift! I basically told Kris that for mom's day he was giving me a workshop with my favorite photographer, Heather Essian! She hosted her first ever "mom's and their big ole' camera's" workshop. We splurged on our Canon dslr right around Elly's one year birthday. I have taught myself what I know and feel like I can take a pretty good picture :)  For the most part, my camera would stay set on automatic. There is SO much it can do that it can be quite overwhelming! You push a button and all kinds of crazy numbers and letters will pop up on the screen. I just stayed away from all the buttons except the ones that I knew how to use! Heather covered all the basics needed to get the most out of those "big ole' cameras" that we spend ALL that money on. I am pleased to announce that I officially know what ISO, aperture and white balance mean AND I can adjust them to make my pictures even better :)

I love using the light inside my house to snap pics of the girls. It can be tricky if there's not enough natural light. I now know how to set the white balance when my pics get that blue tint that would ruin so many of my pictures! See the difference below...

Moved Emma next to the window to get a little more light... 

Changed the WB a little bit to get a warmer color

I'm such a sucker for anything with a monogram :) Sweet gift from Sara Lasater

Thanks Heather for sharing your knowledge with all us mommy's!

One Month

Well...we've made it a month and everyone is still alive and, for the most part, unscathed! We made it, on time might I add, to the Dr. last week for baby Emma's 4 week checkup. She was a trooper and, of course, received flying colors from Dr. Shaw! She weighed in at 10 lbs. 6 oz. and measured 21 inches. Needless to say, baby girl is not hurting for meals! She is in the 95% for weight and 75% for length. She has been a joy and reminds me SO much of Elly, from her looks to her demeanor. In the last week I've been getting little glimpses of smiles, which of course melt my heart! I'm beyond excited to see the personality that will come out of this little one! Only time will tell :)

Don't you just want to squeeeeze those cheeks! I think they made her a little top heavy ;) 

Checking it all out!

  

Elly had to get in on the pictures. I can't even count the number of times a day I hear the phrase: 

 "I hold baby Emma!"

FYI...

...I really hate the new blogging format. I started this post yesterday and got so frustrated trying to get my pictures in the order I wanted, that I am just now finishing it! Hey blog spot people, if it's not broke don't fix it! Just thought you all would like to know :)

Anyways...we've had a rough last few days around here! Friday started out a little sketchy with a clingy, fussy, big sister! I thought it was due to the early, 6 am wake-up. Within a few hours, she had the beginnings of a fever (100.5  not a big deal) which I tried to fend off with Motrin. Fast forward another hour and it was up to 102. By the time we got to the Dr. it was 105! Much to Elly's (and mommy's) dismay, they ruled everything out. We're all pretty sure its strep and will hear tomorrow for sure. Just to be safe, Elly got an antibiotic shot and a prescription for an oral. The last thing we need is for baby to get the same thing :(

Friday was spent crying on the couch and watching Mickey Mouse. Saturday we ventured outside, laid down a blanket and enjoyed the gorgeous weather! She's still not 100%, but doing much better!

Out of nowhere, Elly decided she needed to do a little praying...

She then grabbed Emma's hand and told her "lets pray baby Emma!"

"Aaaaamen!"

The girl LOVES picking these "flowers" ;)

Earth Day

The arrival of my favorite season, comes hand in hand with frequent trips to one of my favorite places...Calloways Nursery! Sure I can get my flowers cheaper somewhere else, but it's more about the experience than it is about saving a buck. The atmosphere alone can transform a rotten day into a fabulous one! There's just something about it...I love it :)

I decided that my first Calloways trip of the season (which just so happened to be Earth Day!)would be a good trial run for my first time out alone with both of the girls. After finally getting out of the house (I don't know if I will ever be on time again) we arrived at the nursery. I wore Emma in the Baby Bjorn and had Elly "help" with the cart and picking the flowers. It couldn't have gone any better! They both did a great job and we made our way home with a car full of flowers :)

We decided to enlist a little help for all the flowers that needed planting. William and Patrick stopped by to help a girl out!


Go Elly go! Dig in!


William getting his hands dirty! Patrick, in the back, was a little more interested in working on his golf game...


Emma decided to catch up on her beauty sleep!


The finished product...finished off by mommy and Christen :) The three amigos lost interest quickly on our Earth Day project.


All that hard work deserves a sweet treat! Patrick was off working on his swing :)

Easter Fun!

This year the Roebuck's decided to attend the annual TCU alumni egg hunt! Whoever planned the thing obviously doesn't have young children who nap. The hunt began promptly at 1:30, aka smack dab in the middle of Elly's beauty sleep. Needless to say, she was a bit of a diva and not too cooperative. Oh yeah, not to mention the wind...which was out of control! All in all, it was a good afternoon and we returned home with about 400 mini yoyo's and about 600 bunny stickers.

"You want me to WALK?! Ummm...divas get shoulder rides Daddy!"


Family of Four!



Time to check out the goods! We were hoping to find a golden ticket. No such luck :(


Daddy showing Elly how to use a yoyo...

Please no pictures!!