A Bluebonnet Preview

Bluebonnet season is officially here...and this is the best season I can remember seeing since I've lived here! For those of you who don't get it, bluebonnets are a wildflower that grow everywhere in Texas this time of year. The big thing it to plop your kid down in the middle of them and take photos. Since Amy is coming next week to visit, I have been scouting out locations for photos. Carsyn happily posed for a few samples today. Payton was asleep in the car.

Bu-Bulz!

Payton is a girl of few words. Thanks to numerous ear infections in her first year, her speech was delayed. She is coming out of her shell now and saying several words, that only a mommy can understand. However, she finally has a new word...Bubbles. She says it perfectly in two syllables. And she is obsessed with them. She hasn't quite figured out how to blow them instead of eating them, but she loves them. She will seriously chase us down with anything that resembles a jar of bubbles and say bubbles at least 25 times. Here are some photos of her with her bubbles. It's times like this I wish I was Amy so I could capture it with a decent camera!

Purple..."Why did the turtle cross the road?"

Last week on Thursday, we were driving home and saw a turtle crossing the road. Carsyn and I circled around, went back and picked him up. We put him on the floorboard and brought him home. HE lived in a box for a few hours, then we let him hang out in the grass. He stayed there for a day. Carsyn decided to name him Purple and we started to get attached to the fella....he was a big big turtle! Every time I picked him up he hissed at me! Sadly, on Friday morning Purple the turtle made a run for it. Just another day in the life of the Elliott's on the farm.

My favorite 3 yr. old girl

These are a few photos of carsyn showing off her bubbly personality. She is wildly creative and has energy beyond belief. The first one is at the circus, enjoying her souvenir hat and a handful of popcorn. The second one is in our driveway, testing out her roller skates.

We had a family night out last Sunday and went to the Ringling Brothers circus in Waco. We had seats on the floor which would have been awesome had it not been for the gigantic family two rows in front of us. But we discovered that we could move to the floor and watch, and had a great time. Carsyn even got to go down front and dance with the clowns. She asked Marcus to go with her, but he had to decline! Guess how much a box of stale popcorn and a bag of cotton candy costs these days? Give up? $16. Wow! But it's the circus...you gotta go all out.

She's Here!!!

Jill had her baby this morning around 9:30. Sorry I don't have all the specifics but she was a little over 8 pounds and around 20 inches long. She is so tiny and so sweet! Here are some photos. She doesn't have a name yet...they are still thinking. Check back for more photos and a name!!!

The final product

So the pool is done! Of course now we have a mess to fix...landscaping, fencing for safety, furniture and moving the swingset and trampoline. And at some point the portapotty needs to go. But it is officially done. We have tried out the hot tub and fire pit several times at night. But today it is 83 degrees and sunny so the kids are playing. How do you like our pool boy? Just kidding...that's dad working on landscaping.

Waiting for Bella

We are all anxiously awaiting the arrival of Baby Bella (as the Elliotts prefer to name her) and are practicing holding a baby. Tonight we worked on swaddling a newborn and then holding her by supporting the head and neck. As you can see, one child is ready, the other probably is not. What do you think Jill, can Baby Bella's cousins hold her in a week or so???