spring has sprung

the last couple days i have taken photos of the backyard to capture the transformation. 

stu

stu has been on the move. well, i guess he has if you consider a couple feet to be "on the move." he was supposed to be napping on the blanket.

ellen

ellen did two funny things today. this morning at no important time ellen's bedroom door slammed. a couple minutes later tessa went to investigate. she found ellen sleeping. she was in her bed with her pacifier in her mouth and blanket tucked neatly around herself. ellen put herself down for a nap. 

after her nap ellen came and knocked on the door. she didn't have her diaper on. usually that is an immediate spanking. she is not allowed to take her own diaper off. however, this time the spirit of the lord prompted tessa not to spank her. a few seconds later ellen ran over to "ellen's potty" and had a proud little smile on her face. then she lifted up the lid and said "poo." sure enough. ellen had gone to the bathroom all by herself. 

two firsts in one day. self-nap and independent poo.

independent suspension cut rollovers by 60%

sitting up

cody is now holding himself up. 

back porch

today was close to 80 and ellen got onto the back porch to get some sun with mommy.

window stalker

we have been having some squirrels on our back porch recently. ellen really loves to watch them but is also very concerned. as soon as she saw one jump up on the railing she tenderly scolded the squirrel, "be careful, don't fall."

maintenance

a couple days ago ellen informed me that it was time to change the oil in the grand am. so, we went to o'riley auto parts and got the filter and some valvoline. i know it's a mental thing, but i really feel like the car runs smoother the first couple times you drive it after an oil change.

wanted posters

does anyone know the names of either one of these birds?

new swing

tessa's parents got cody a new swing. we have figured out that he likes speed six. that's the fastest that baby will fling him around. if it gets much slower than that, he doesn't really like it. oh, and he started to suck his thumb.

sleeping

that play saucer was moved into ellen's room until cody grows into it. there's only one problem. ellen likes to hop in there. that's not the problem, the problem is that she can't get back out. the other day she went down for her nap and i went in to check on her an hour later and found her like this. 

exploring