Jesus lives where?

While John and I were at Dollar Tree we saw some little plastic Bible figurines: David, Goliath, Moses, Jesus, etc. Each one came with a little story book. John and I chuckled at them at first, but then we thought that Ella might really love them. Sometimes Ella likes to have Jesus stand on the edge of her bed when she goes to sleep. The other night Ella told me something new that I didn't know about Jesus. This is how our conversation went...

Ella - "Mom, I have Jesus?"

I hand Ella the Jesus doll.

Ella - "Thanks mom! Jesus go home."

Me - "What? Jesus goes home?"

Ella - "No mom! Jesus sleep at his home."

Me - "Well where do you want me to put him? Where does Jesus live?"

Ella - "The temple!!!" She said this in such a matter of fact way.

I look around the room, and I don't know where to put the doll. By this time she was starting to get frustrated with me.

Me - "I don't know where you want me to put him."

Ella - "Right there mom, the temple!"

Ella was pointing at her Disney Princess clock. Apparently her clock is really a pink temple and Jesus lives in it!

6 months old!

I can't believe it!!! Dean and Elysee are already 6 months old. It really seems like time has just flown by. They are such a handful and really keep us busy. One of my favorite things that they do is hold hands. Every time they eat, they hold hands. They will be looking right up at me with their big eyes and somehow find each other's hand to hold. Both of them have just started sleeping through the night (hallelujah). Hopefully it will stay that way. Here are just a few of the things that the babies can do:

-Roll both ways

-Babble

-Sit up

-Scoot around the floor

-Reach for objects

-Switch objects from one hand to the other

-Gets mad when mom leaves the room

-Loves the bouncer

-Likes to eat their feet (Elysee especially loves her toes)

-Smile at everything Ella does

-Still breastfeeding

-Just started baby food and loves it, but HATE "garden vegetable mix"

-Take 2 solid naps during the day

Cousins

My sister Erika made the most adorable skirts and shirts for all of the girls for Christmas. All of the cousins had their pictures taken in these cute outfits. My sister Erika and Lisa both live in Alaska with their families so obviously they weren't able to have their picture taken with us. They are going to get their pictures taken separately. So here is the Picture (this is for you Erika and Lisa)

Back row: Harman Briggs, Annabelle Briggs holding Ashlyn Widdison, Ella Eisenhart Front Row: Elysee Eisenhart, Dean Eisenhart, Sophie Briggs

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.

Valentine's Day

We had a very nice Valentine's Day. John made such a yummy dinner! Steak, lobster, and potatoes. Ella received nice things from Grandma Briggs, Nana Eisenhart, Mom and Aunt Sheri! We hope all of you had a wonderful day full of love.

This week

Here are a few pictures from this last week. Dean and Elysee are so cute. Ella can always make them smile and laugh.

John was nice enough to give me a break and watch the twins while Ella and I met up with my friend Heather and her daughter Olivia to make Valentine's Day cards. (She just figured out how to roll her tongue, so that is what she's doing in these pictures)

Dean got a cute baseball hat for Christmas, but it fits Ella perfectly. She loves to pick out her outfits now and that hat has been a recent favorite (especially with her pink dresses). Last night when I put her PJ's on, she just HAD to have her hat. I went to check on her before I went to bed and I found her asleep with the hat on. TOO CUTE!

Hawaii

John and my brother-in-law Mike waiting for the perfect wave

Having yummy sushi
John and Ella shopping on Front Street on Maui
John and I at the luau

Ella listening to some tunes

Ella and I relaxing

Whaler's village - Ella and John next to whale bones

The family at The Gazebo (a great restaurant)

Everyone who came to Hawaii - Matt's friend Jeff is taking the picture

Family picture on Maui

Ella loved the flowers

John, Ella and I made lei's

Playing in the sand

"Spouting Horn" on Kauai

Waterfall on Kauai

Hanging out at our condo

Ella loves Hawaii

Ella, my dad, and John loving life

John and Ella playing on the beach

In front of our place on Kauai

The kids with Grandpa and Grandma Briggs

Dean and Elysee's first plane ride

After we got to Hawaii (3 flights and 3 tired kids later)

Sunrise on Kauai

"The Lighthouse" on Kauai

We're back from Hawaii. We spent about a week in Kauai and another week in Maui. It was Ella's first time seeing the ocean and she loved it! Some of the highlights of the trip were staying at our timeshare on Kauai and having an ocean front condo, sight-seeing and exploring Kauai (it was our first time on that island), having chickens and roosters wake us up in the morning, seeing the sunrise every morning while on Kauai and seeing the sunset every evening while on Maui, having an ocean view at my parents timeshare on Maui, spending time with my family, yummy sushi, going to the Old Lahaina Luau, watching John and Ella play together in the water, and my #1 favorite thing was doing absolutely NOTHING! If we didn't feel like going out we just stayed at the condo.

Quick story - My parents didn't want any kids at the luau (just an adult evening) and John and I were stressing about trying to find a babysitter for the kids. I really didn't feel comfortable leaving the babies. The nanny service was going to be $26/hour! And we needed someone for 4 hours. At the ward on Maui we just happened to sit next to such a nice family and asked if they knew of any babysitters. They volunteered to watch the kids for us and I immediately felt comfortable with them. Anna is my age and has a little boy (Jay) Ella's age, her husband is deployed and she is staying with her parents until he gets home. So there were 3 adults to watch the kids. It was so nice to have a break from the kids and have some time with John. When we went to pick up the kids, you could tell they were happy to have us there. Anna and her parents said they didn't know how we handle that every day. When we tried to pay them, they said that they didn't want any money and just wanted to do it to give us a break!!! I just couldn't believe that this little family had so much love and compassion for us. I was honestly at a breaking point and ready to come home from the trip early, but this saved me. It's great to know that there are such sweet members who are willing to go above and beyond to help someone else.