Messy . . . Clean

Here are a few random pictures of Ella, Dean and Elysee making a mess, looking messy and trying to get clean

Ella tried to hide (behind her hand) when she knew she'd be in trouble
John fed the kids Oreo cookies for breakfast while I was at work, I'm amazed that he captured the evidence in pictures.

Elysee was in the process of getting clean (bath time is quite the process)

He likes to feed himself and he likes to get it everywhere BUT his mouth

Ella loves to play in this mixure of rice and flour - she plays in it at least once a week, while I'm cooking. It usually takes me a 1/2 hour to clean it all up. But you should see how happy she is when she is making "castles"

Dean and Ely make this mess whenever the kids bathroom door is left open

Ely was an emotional mess. She lost her balance and fell and hit her lip. Her poor little lip was SO swollen!

Ella and I testing out the jets in the master bath

Ely loved her first experience with thin mint girl scout cookies

Dean just wanted more and more girl scout cookies

The power of candy

This last week while Ella was playing in her room she managed to lock the door and locked herself in. We tried and tried to get the door unlocked, but we just couldn't get in open. Ella was starting to get desperate and kept saying "Mom/Dad help me!" I had to capture this cute, funny, scary moment. When we couldn't get it open we told her to put her hands on the nob and pull down. This lock is one where you just push the button in, so just a little movement would have opened the door. She tried so hard, but just couldn't get it. At one point she had given up and started playing with her toys instead. Then I had a brilliant idea - CANDY! Ella is definitely my little girl, because she loves candy. I put a piece on the floor and told her to look at it (under the door). She kept saying that she wanted it, but I told her she had to twist the handle in order to get it. Low and behold she opened the door! All it took was a little piece of candy.

I don't know if you can tell what these pictures are but the first one is Ella sitting against the door, totally frustrated by us. The second is Ella looking under the door at us, waiting for help. The last is my favorite! She is standing by the door trying to figure out how to twist this tough handle.

A mothers work is never done!

Ella is just too quick for me. I was feeding the twins (so obviously I'm stuck where I'm at, until they're finished). The phone rang and Ella will usually get the phone and hand it to me. This time she was coloring at the kitchen table. It's a tall table, so she couldn't get down very fast. She picked up the phone, pressed the green button and answered it!!! "Hello!" Ella's cute little voice chirps. I can hear a voice on the other end. That means Ella has figured out how to really answer the phone. Luckily it was my Aunt Sheri and she figured I would just call her back.

So Ella got down from the table and handed me the phone. I called my Aunt Sheri back and talked to her for a while (I was still feeding the babies). Then I heard Ella yelling from the bathroom, "mooooooooom, mom, mom, mom, mom, etc." (she has a habit of yelling for me until I go see what she needs) I got off the phone and put the babies down. As I walked down the hall I could smell something refreshing! Sort of like minty bubble gum. I think to myself, "This can not be good, what did she get into this time?" I look in the bathroom and Ella is sitting on the bathroom counter...

She got into the toothpaste!!! A brand new tube of her blue toothpaste! I didn't know if I should get mad at her or just laugh. I asked her what she was doing and she said, "brushin teeth". I said, "why did you put it everywhere?" She said "dunno". I was talking to myself and said, "it's everywhere!" She smiled and proudly told, and showed me where it was, "yes mom! Head, mirror, sink, jammie's, face, toothbrush, and feet!" (She was really proud that she got it on the bottom of her footed pajamas)

Now fast forward to bedtime. Ella found a little travel purse of mine that she wanted to take to bed with her. She wanted it wrapped in a blanket with her so I wrapped them up and laid them in bed. After about an hour I hear, "mom, mooom, moooooooooom, mom, mom." So I go to her bed room. At first I thought that maybe my eyes were being strange. Then I looked closer in the dim light. Was Ella's face glistening? Yes it was! What in the world is in her hair? It's so shiny! She looked like she had suntan oil on. I finally found words and could talk out loud, "Ella, what is in your hair? What's all over your face?" I touch her face and it felt slimy and greasy. My eyes start scanning the bed, I don't see anything. What is this mysterious substance? "Ella, what is all over you?" Then I get an answer! Not the answer I'm looking for. "And my bed mom!" Ella says cheerfully. I touch the side of her crib, the goop is all over her crib too. All of a sudden my eyes spot it! I've found the culprit. It's a tube! What is in that tube you ask? Neosporin. Apparently the little travel purse was NOT empty. Unfortunately I was too tired and too upset to take a picture, but close your eyes and just imagine it.