The Pool...parts 2 and 3

They are really moving on the pool. It is so exciting for us! We are trying to pick out a tile now, which is difficult since there are a million choices. Carsyn is ready to go in her new bikini as you can see. She is also thrilled that there is a portapotty in the back yard...daddy didn't think she should use it though. How many people can say they have had a portapotty in their yard two times like we have?

The Big Dig!

They dug out the pool today and it is sooooo cool! It looks really big. You probably can't grasp it by the photos, but trust me, it is going to be so awesome! We have massive dirt mounds now...free landscaping! Finally, there will be a hill on our property...reminds me of the one hill at BGSU created by the dig for the library.

I guess I should update you all on Payton since I never really did. Payton finally had tubes put in her ears about 3 1/2 weeks ago. She seemed to be doing so much better. Finally babbling and attempting to communicate with us. We went back for a checkup last week with the ENT and it turns out she still has a lot of fluid in her right ear. So she is back on an antibiotic and eardrops. She is developing by leaps and bounds now. I can't wait til that right ear finally clears up too! She is really starting to communicate with us, which is a lot of fun. She even learned a few sign language words from her teachers at school. So now I am working on teaching her more.

We're getting a pool!!!

We're getting an inground pool and hot tub!!! The area is drawn out and ready to dig. Here's photo one. I don't know if you can see their drawing or not, but it will be a giant hole in the ground soon! It is a 16x32 free form pool with an above ground hot tub that will cascade waterfall into the pool. Awesome!!!

Here she is.... Miss America!!!

We were watching the Miss America pageant the other night. By the end of it, this is what Carsyn was looking like. This is the first time I think she has really posed for a photo!

Future Geed Squad

This is Carsyn on one of our many days in a row stuck at home due to bad weather. Coffee and everything. She loves my old glasses and wears them all the time. What a dork!

Winter in Texas---anything can happen!

So yesterday Scott and Marcus were home arond 4:30. They heard a really loud noise outside so they went to check it out. Guess what? It was an unexpected tornado. Yes a funnel cloud. They looked out the garage and saw it right in the pasture next to our house. Wow! Luckily it only destroyed the trampoline. Unfortunately...it destroyed the brand new trampoline Santa just brought us. Oddly enough, the trampoline is surrounded by the swingset, back of the house, and the garage. Somehow it was picked up and thrown all the way to the barn on top of Tito's pen. Tito escaped unharmed, but totally freaked out by the whole situation. One minute he's just chilling in his house, the next minute a mangled trampoline comes flying down on him. The pictures are kind of dark but hopefully you can see. The trampoline is all twisted up. The back yard shot is from our porch looking out to where it was...now flooded because we got a ton of rain.

Happy Birthday Marcus!

So Marcus turned 13 on the 28th and is now officially a teenager!!! He got all of the gifts to prove it too...cell phone, Ipod, watch, wallet, cologne...real manly gifts. Happy Birthday, Marcus!!! The last picture is of the oak jewelry box he made for me in class at school...pretty impressive, huh?

Trampolinin' and 4-wheelin'

Santa delivered a trampoline and big and little Dora 4-wheelers for my little farm girls. Here's the family having fun!

Christmas 2006- Part 2

Here's some more random photos...gotta love those christmas morning sleepy-eyed ones!
Marcus and Carsyn had a blast opening and loved everything. Payton just wanted to stand on boxes.

Christmas 2006- Part 1

Here are some highlight photos of christmas this year. Notice I am in NONE of them, because I am always behind the camera! This first post is from Christmas Eve...Christmas with Scott's family.

My Christmas Shout-Outs

I have many photos and info to share with everyone but am just chilling now and don't feel like it, to be quite honest. But I did want to give a few shout-outs to my friends and family this christmas for going the extra mile!

To Amy for hookin' me up with scrappin supplies. Awesome. And for Bella Dancerella...Carsyn is lovin it!

To Marcus for handcrafting me a solid oak jewelry box in building trades class at school...i will post pictures soon but it is really great.

To Mom for spending so much time crafting this year just like in the old days...handmade robes, baby blankets and denim purses (now where's mine???)

To Dad for making Payton a cradle out of solid oak as well. Something she will treasure always. It is beautiful...photos of handmade stuff to follow!

And especially to my cousin Lori for probably spending countless hours making a family legacy slide show. It was really special. We viewed it in Texas today. Although we enjoyed it all, I especially loved the beginning with all of the old photos of grandma and grandpa...I haven't seen lots of them. It was really touching and greatly appreciated! Thanks from the bottom of my heart!

Ceiling Fans and Butts...Part 3

I left a butt off, sorry!

Ceiling Fans and Butts- Part 2

So here's part two...the butts

Ceiling Fans and Butts

That's what Carsyn likes to take pictures of apparently. She has taken about 20 photos of the ceiling fan in the living room. And she keeps telling us to turn around and bend over. I thought it was funny because Chris told Amy her photos are always feet and walking away. What do you think?

Move over, Aunt Amy...


There's a new photographer in the family. Carsyn got the pink fisher price digital camera from Santa and has taken a million photos. The next two blogs will feature her best portraits so far... she tends to stick to only two topics.

Look what I did!

Remind me next year NOT to spend three days before Christmas redecorating! This used to be the nursery. Now it is a playroom/computer office. It took me a while and was a bit of a pain but I totally love it. I had to share. It is just so cool to walk into a room with so much design! What do you think?

Gingerbread "fixer-uppers" and fun in a box (Thanks Nana!)

Last night Luke came over for a while so Jill and Marc could celebrate their anniversary. While I baked desserts for tonight, Marcus, Carsyn and Luke made gingerbread houses with graham crackers and empty milk cartons. Marcus calls them "fixer-uppers" and wouldn't let me take a photo of his. They aren't beautiful, but they had fun.
Also, Nana brought her gift for the girls early...a tv and dvd player for their room. Although they like that quite a bit, I think right now the box is even more exciting. They played forever with Marcus dumping them around in the box. Carsyn is actually in the box in the photo where it is up on a corner spinning like a top. And they only cried once!

So here's the update on Payton. We went to the ear nose and throat doctor yesterday who sent us over to the audiologist first for a hearing test. Is it weird that I think all of this is super interesting since I studied it in college and would love one day to go back and get my masters in communication disorders? Anyway...she has a significant hearing loss. She is hearing at 35 dB what others hear at 20. There is a lot of vibration due to fluid back up causing the loss. Also, the doctor said an ear drum should be semi-transparent but he can't see through hers at all. HE also noted my concerns for her speech development. She is 14 months and really doesn't say much of anything. He said he will see what happens after the tubes/ She is getting tubes on January 9. I think that's the date...it's a Tuesday.

A visit to Santa!

We went to the mall after church on Sunday to visit Santa. Carsyn has seen the same Santa every year and he is awesome...I think he's the real deal! The girls were adorable. Carsyn picked up a rock in the parking lot and gave it to him. He thought that was pretty funny. She asked him for a bouncy ball and a trampoline. She also asked for a new car for her daddy. Santa told her that daddy better ask for that himself if he wants something that big! He gave them both a kiss and told him he loved them and asked them to be good. Then we said goodbye and left. Later that evening we realized we forgot to get out photo! Two days later I called the mall. Not only does Santa have a direct number, but he saved out photo for us! So here it is!

SOOOOOOOOO bored!

So here I am, one hour into adminstering my last semester exam and bored out of my mind. I drank way too much sweet tea for lunch and now am about to pee my pants...but I can't leave my kids...they might cheat! I can't even listen to fun holiday music...these kids are quite easily distracted and sentence diagramming takes some serious concentration! So I am stuck with just Manheim Steamroller and Diana Kralls Christmas, which by the way I highly recommend to all my Ipod friends.
All this typing is just drawing more attention to the fact that my nails are a mess...I need a manicure. All of this "teaching" nonsense is really getting in the way with my life! I had all morning off and wasted it away at Hobby Lobby.
Wanna hear something funny? Holly Hobby is back. But not the sweet little bonnet prairie girl. She's kind of boho-chic. Carsyn and I watched the holiday movie on a kids channel this weekend. She loved it and now wants a "Hobby Lobby" doll and movie for Christmas. Hilarious...my little shopper!

Oh Christmas Tree!!!

Here's some random photos of the tree and our children in awe of it's splendor!!!

My Christmas Crafts!

Look what I made on my day off work? Photo wreaths and a gift set for a friend with an altered clipboard, bulletin board photo frame and several accessories.

How You like my Grill???

WE bought these as a joke at Halloween, but Carsyn wears them all the time. It is so hilarious to see her walking around in them and talking that we just had to share!

Poor Poor Payt!

Payton has been sick since Monday. Scott took her to the doctor again today and guess what? Double ear infections...again. He said on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the worst, her ears are at about a 9 right now. He referred us to the ENT to get tubes as soon as this round clears up. I am going to stay home with her again tomorrow and then hopefully she is ready to go back to school on Friday. Poor little thing!

Hey everyone! Just wanted to let you know that the Elliott's are alive and well...just really busy. We will post something really soon, I promise! If you want to see some recent photos, go to my sister Amy's site...she has been posting photos she took when we saw her at Thanksgiving. There are some really good pictures of me and the girls!
www.acovey.blogspot.com