the Bishops. est. 2004

Something...

2011-08-22T22:56:00.000-05:00

Every night at the end of the bedtime routine, right before Rusty finishes tucking Elle in he says, "Hey Elle, I need to tell you something..." Then he proceeds to tell her all the things he loves about her. Tonight we were giving family hugs and Elle stops and says, "Rhett, I need to tell you something...I love you so much, and more than anything, and ever and ever and more and more, and you're my best buddy ever!" While she was talking to him he knew it and was smiling and squealing. She then gave him a big hug and he leaned into her. It was seriously the cutest thing, I love to watch them interact! She truly loves him so much and he loves her and thinks just about everything she does is funny!

Made me smile!

Elle moments to remember

2011-06-13T09:35:00.000-05:00

I can't seem to remember to write anything down, so I am going to try and be better about posting little things here and there that I will want to remember!

Ellianne has quite the personality and she comes up with some pretty hilarious stuff; she keeps us on our toes!

May 1st: Me: "Ellianne, it's time for nap." E: Mom, just ONE show, and THEN it will be naptime!" Me: "no shows, only books, then nap." E: (in an upbeat, and happy tone) "Mom, just ONE show, and then it will be napitme!" She said it again about 10 more times...didn't know negotiation was a skill that could be mastered all before the ripe old age of 2 1/2!

May 9th: Elle was taking her baby doll and hitting herself in the head with it and saying to the baby, "No mam, DO NOT hit and kick, that's not very nice!" (in a very stern voice) Then when I asked her what she was doing she said, "The baby is hitting me, but she doesn't know because she is a baby!"

Last week she was taking her nap, but sleeping too long/late so I went in to wake her up. When she opened her eyes and saw me she said, "Mom, I want to finish the rest of the nap!" She rolled back over and closed her eyes! I feel the same way every morning sister...go ahead..."finish the nap"!

Other days nap time ends up looking like this:

Last week I went to the OB/GYN for my yearly check up and when we walked in, Elle walked straight up to the scale, kicked off her shoes and hopped on! Guess every girl is worried about adding any extra weight! I think she remembers going there and seeing me do that a few/20 times during my pregnancy with Rhett! All the nurses were laughing hysterically that she took her sandals off without any prompting!

Last night as we were getting ready for bed (Mommia & Aunt Kate were over) and Elle was telling me that my name was Mom Margaret Bishop and so my mom said, "Did you know that both of your great grandmother's were named Margaret? I bet Granny is up in Heaven with Jesus right now so happy to get to see you" which prompted Elle to say, "When I get older I can get baptized like Jesus, and I will go under the water and get my ponytail wet!" The poignant thoughts and words of a 2 1/2 year old! I love how incredibly smart she is...she picks up on everything! (We attended Mackenna Clinger's baptism on Saturday night) Melted my heart!

Love this girl!!

Too much to post...

2011-02-04T20:53:00.000-06:00

I promise I will catch up on everything that has transpired in the last 2-3 months, but for now here are some new pictures.

Absolutely LOVE this one...can't stop looking at it!

These pictures are the best (really the only) pictures that turned out from our family photo shoot. It was a really bad experience and I have learned my lesson that you don't barter with people on Craigslist! Oh well...we at least got a few shots that are ok!

So Excited!!

2010-11-23T23:17:00.000-06:00

Tonight while having dinner we were talking about our day and I was telling Ellianne to tell her dad all about what we did, where we went, who we saw, etc. We had gone to Babies R Us to get a few last minute items needed for Rhett and of course we saw lots of babies. Elle loved them and was telling Rusty all about the "tiny baby boy, and the other one tiny baby boy"....we saw twin newborns (actually they were 2 of the 3 triplets, but sister was still in the hospital) I then took that as another opportunity to tell Elle that very soon we would have our tiny baby boy/brother in our house and that we will get to hold him and love him. She smiled and talked a little about "baby Rhett/baby brother", but not much. Well, about an hour later after bath I was getting her dressed and she just randomly said in a very loud and excited tone, "I so excited to have a baby Rhett!" Rusty and I started laughing at her b/c she was running around and obviously very "excited"! She then lifted up my shirt and said "that's a big belly, I want to hold him, get him out!!" she then leaned forward and kissed my stomach and started to pat/hit it b/c she was so excited. It was quite funny and it made me realize that she DOES get it...she understands there is a real baby inside and that she will get to hold him soon! Can't wait to see how it all goes down...but that made me feel a lot better about it all! She absolutely LOVES babies...every time she sees a baby anywhere she wants to touch it, hold it, and talk to it. She will probably "mother" him to death and I know I will have to keep a very close eye on her!!

Tiny Baby

2010-11-12T18:34:00.000-06:00

Somehow Elle must know what is coming and is already vying for attention as a "tiny baby". I always mean to make posts about the funny conversations I have with Elle and the things she does, because I know I will forget all of these moments!

So this morning I go into her room to get her out of bed and this is our conversation: (keep in mind that she is saying all of this in a high pitched voice)

Elle: "Tiny baby wants to eat yogurt!"
Me: "Ok tiny baby, let's go eat some yogurt."
Elle: (as she is laying on the changing pad) "Ooooh...tiny baby needs a diaper change."
Me: I change her diaper and set her down on the ground
Elle: "No momma, tiny baby needs you to walk for me"
Me: I carry her into the kitchen and put her in her booster seat
Elle: "Tiny baby needs to eat"
Me: "What color yogurt does tiny baby want"
Elle: "Tiny baby wants orange" (didn't know tiny babies knew their colors!)

Then, this afternoon as I start to put her in her crib and tell her goodnight and she says:
Elle: "Tiny baby needs to rock!"
So what's a mom to do when her "tiny baby" needs to rock...she rocks her!
Then, I laid her down in her crib and she said:
Elle: "Good night tiny baby's mommy"
Me: "Good night tiny baby, I love you!"

She also always wants in the baby swing, the exersaucer, a pacifier (even though she has never used one), and calls her sippy cups baby bottles...all because she must know what is about to come!! I hope she adjusts well when Rhett arrives!

In case you haven't heard...It's a BOY!

2010-08-07T17:12:00.000-05:00

Well, even though the word has been out for awhile, I finally got around to scanning in the sono pics (since my doctor's office still gives you the old fashioned print outs! Here he is in all his glory...so far neither of my children have been afraid to show us what they got!!

No name yet...boy names are hard...it may take a while...any (real) suggestions are welcome!!

Face (right hand is covering his right eye), arms and belly!

Profile (not nearly as good as Elle's profile pic...kinda disappointed in how fast she went and didn't get a better shot!

Foot...looks like we have another kid with long skinny skiis!

It's a BOY! no doubt about that (we got 3 different shots)

4 new posts below!

2010-07-08T21:14:00.000-05:00

19 months!

2010-07-02T16:36:00.006-05:00

Well, I know most people only post monthly stats for the first year, but I may never journal what she is up to these days and want to have some record of where she was at a year and a half. We went to her 18 month check up yesterday (on her 19th month b-day) and here are her stats:

Height: 34 1/4" (96th percentile - still our tall girl)

Weight: 25 lbs. 4 oz. (59th percentile)

(with clothes on - you know a girl always rounds down when she's fully clothed!)

She is such a drama queen with more personality than I can handle some days. She is definitely testing the waters of listening and has entered the "terrible two's". Our problem is not her ability to communicate her wants/needs, it is listening to what we say and not talking back. Her favorite rebuttal is "No, STOP!" while shaking her head and her entire body NO...and if we continue to tell her to stop doing something and she is tired of listening, she will either roll her eyes at us and close them (if I can't see you, you can't see me kinda thing) or turn her back and ignore us completely. Most times I find it hard not to laugh uncontrollably! She says multiple word sentences and multiple syllable words, and she usually says something that cracks me up everyday.

A few of my favorites: (side note, she signs pretty much everything she says as she talks!)
"I lud you mommy!" (herI love you" sign is an L...pretty cute)

"Where Dada?" (Where do you think he is?) "Ummm...work?" (yep!)

(What do you say?) "Pease, Thant chyou, Welcome" (that covers it all I guess)

(Elle what are you doing?) "Ummm, I reading a book."

(Do you want your sunglasses?) "Uh huh, it's a sunny day"

(about 1 month before she was old enough for nursery she walked up to the baby gate and while looking in said) "Mommy, I wanna play" (but Elle you're not old enough!) "Pease mommy"

She also loves to sing and dance. If you turn on music she will move and groove to whatever the beat is (there's major hope she'll be a good dancer!)

Her favorite songs to sing are:

"Jesus (wants me for a) Sunbeam". To which she will sign "Jesus, please, home, school, play" as she sings along.

"Wheels on the Bus"

"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"

ABC's (can sing the WHOLE thing by herself! and can count to 10)

A few days ago we got a little potty and set it on the floor in the bathroom b/c she has become more interested in "Elle wanna potty". Not that she is 'ready', but she's interested so we're letting her get used to the idea. The funniest part about it is she'll go sit on it (fully clothed), then stand up, turn around and while looking in the potty say, "ALL RIGHT!!!" very enthusiastically! How she learned that I have no idea, but it makes me laugh every time! Then I called me mom to tell her what she said and so I said, "Elle, tell Momma Mia about your new potty" to which she immediately replies. "Mom Mia? Elle Belle potty, ALL RIGHT!"

She is so much fun, and I love watching her grow and learn more everyday. She is the most social baby I know and when we are in public, if you are standing anywhere near us, she will tell you hello and probably want you to hold her. She has no fears with anything in life and will walk up to anyone, anywhere and try to make conversation. Kinda worrisome, but it is nice that she is not a "clingy" baby. I thank my Heavenly Father every day that I am privileged enough to get to be her mom. Hopefully I can teach her all the things she needs to know to stand up against the Adversary and channel her strong will for good!

June 25th - Children's Museam

2010-07-02T09:45:00.008-05:00

I had a meeting for work in New Braunfels, TX so Rusty and Elle came with me and when the work was over it was all play. We took her to the Makenna Children's Museam there. It was small, but she had a blast for about 2 hours, then we headed to San Antonio where we went on the riverwalk (no pictures, forgot my camera) and then Saturday we went to the Zoo (see post below)

Love how Rusty is sitting in the kid size chairs, and notice Elle's drama face...having a serious conversation!

taking care of the babies in the "hospital"
We put her on the baby scale, she didn't like that too much!
"Whoa!"

"Cheese"

Watch out dad, I'm driving!

no one would share a cart... :(

not quite sure what to think of this "cow"

she just loved that everything was her size!

queen of many faces

Me: "Elle, don't rub that nasty water on your face"; Elle: continues to rub nasty water on her face.

Not sure who is having more fun, Rusty or Elle.

"Choo Choo Train"

Just chillin' as I blast off into space

She was soooo mad that I made her wear this space suit, she was running away and this was the only shot I could get before she starting saying "No, Stop" and flailing around on the floor.

It was a lot of fun to get to spend so much time as a family!

June 26th - Zoo

2010-07-01T23:58:00.004-05:00

San Antonio Zoo

I tried to talk Rusty into going to Sea World in San Antonio, but I am glad he vetod that idea b/c she is still a little too young to last more than a few hours (espcially in the TX heat...it was 102 while we were there). She was semi interested in the animals she knew about, but other than that was ready to go. So we saved ourselves a lot of money and still had a good time!

The absolute highlight of Elle's first trip to the Zoo was that they were giving the Rhino a bath, she probably said "Rhino bath" for several days...thought it was the best thing! Maybe I should bathe her with a water hose and scrub brush! :)

Random picture, but I couldn't help it, she was trying to take her clothes off...too bad it was one piece! She got a little frustrated!

May

2010-07-01T23:45:00.003-05:00

A little swimming at the Scholl's

Sink baths...she went through a two week phase where she screamed if we tried to put her in the tub, so we resorted to the sink...she loved it & I have to admit that it is much faster and easier!
Popsicles (or as she says c-t-0 - don't know?)...a little WT in our diaper and bib outside, but it is Texas after all! :)

"Again" - loves being thrown in the air by dad!

Sweet moments that make being a mom the best JOB in the whole world!

2010-05-26T09:58:00.002-05:00

Kind of a sad, but sweet story that happened this morning, but it was also so precious to me that I had to document it! (b/c we all know I may never get around to writing it in a journal)

Around 6:30 this morning Elle woke up and started crying. She never wakes up early so I don't know why I didn't immediately assume something was wrong, but like many tired moms I thought, "just go back to sleep" and let her cry off and on for about 10 minutes. I then jumped out of bed and felt I needed to go check and make sure she was ok. She had fallen back asleep with her head down and feet flat on the bed with her butt up in the air. I smelled poop so I woke her so I could change her diaper. She stood up and when I asked her if she had a poopy diaper she said "uh huh, hurt". It broke my heart that I had let her lay there for 10 minutes in pain! While I was changing her she kept saying "hold you" (favorite) and "eat". So we went and got a banana and milk and came back to her room so I could rock her. She ate about 3/4 of the banana and then handed it to me and said, "I wanna sleep, I wanna nite nite" and then laid her head down on my chest! Nothing better than rocking your baby (or now toddler) to sleep! She sat back up after about 5 minutes asked for "mnana" (banana) again, ate the rest of it and then laid her head back down. After another few minutes, with her eyes closed she started singing her ABC's to herself...(so stinkin' cute! I will have to get her singing it on video and post). Then sneezed and said "bless you" and when I said "bless you" she said "thank you" and that was the last she moved. She fell right back asleep and is still sleeping!

I love moments like that where I get to just sit and snuggle my baby girl and relish in the joy of motherhood. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for blessing me so abundantly, I could not ask for more!

Girly Girl

2010-04-14T23:04:00.006-05:00

So on Saturday I went shopping and found this orange skirt at Gymboree on clearance. I was so excited and couldn't wait to see if she would like it...I will let you decide if she liked it...

SUNDAY:

MONDAY:

TUESDAY:
WEDNESDAY:

I would like everyone to know that she brought it to me each and every day asking "on, please"; so what's a mom to do?

Easter Sunday

2010-04-14T22:30:00.004-05:00

(On Saturday we went to the Clinger's and dyed eggs...this is the only shot I got of Elle with her egg.)

Sunday we had family over and had a little hunt in our front yard after dinner. She LOVED it...she kept saying "bastet" (basket) & "egg" and squealing after each new one she found!

Found another one...I love the angle of this picure & her face, but I am sad the wheel is in this picture! :(

& another one...shaking it like crazy

look at all these eggs mom...trying to take charge of blowing the "bubbles"

Elle loved her cousins "push you" (pushing her) on her new "bite" (bike)

Easter

2010-04-14T22:09:00.003-05:00

We went to our neighborhood/community Easter extravagana.

There was a train/trolley ride...

little pigs...

goats...

real bunnies... ("no you can't have my cookie")

And of course the Easter bunny himself!

(notice the cookie in every picture...she wasn't feeling very well this day and so that was her comfort through the whole thing. She didn't touch a single animal or do much of anything except watch)

Pictures, pictures and more pictures!

2010-03-18T22:30:00.005-05:00

She loves to push anything and everything around the kitchen.

Aunt Kate pushing Elle on her princess car.
Elle's new thing is to run and hide in the closet when we say it's time to say prayers and go to bed! She does it EVERY night...so funny!

I put her in her grocery cart and pushed her around the house...she wouldn't get out and kept saying "more, more" and when I finally stopped she cried! Drama queen!

This is what happens when you leave your child unattended!

Elle was trying to pick up all 3 hula-hoops at the same time.

We went to "open gym" at the McKinney community center and I put her on this car and she stayed there for about 15 minutes before she would do anything else.

Mmmm....chocolate malt shake! We thought we would let Elle have a sip, and she wouldn't let go of it. She was literally gulping it as fast as she could, like you would if you hadn't had water for days...it was hilarious.

"Don't even think about it"

I LOVE the smirk on her face. I saw on the monitor that she had somehow gotten out of her shirt so I went in with the camera and got this shot...so cute!I finally gave up control of feeding her...

...and it turns into a hat! (everything does)

Enjoying some sun after the snow.

Second hair cut...she seems to have taken after her grandpa and great-grandpa (Bishop) and the right side grows slower than the rest, hence needing haircuts often until it can catch up!

Double fisting a banana and granola bar...don't even think about trying to help her with either...she's got it under control!

Texas Snow!

2010-02-12T10:03:00.004-06:00

Ellianne enjoying her first time in the snow! Thursday morning after breakfast we threw on our boots, hats, and winter coats right over the top of our pj's and played in the snow! We went out again when dad got home from work, but I didn't get any pictures that time. oops...fell down!

Mmmm...tastes good!

I promise I put gloves on her after this! She wanted to touch it!

Elle and our neighbor William playing in the snow. My camera ran out of batteries before I could get a picture of it, but we let the kids "sled" down the tiny slope of a front yard on a cookie sheet. They both loved it!

Our house Friday morning:

It's hard to tell, but we got about a foot of snow. (you can see the depth on some of the bushes)

view from our house

In the 111 years of recording in Texas, this is the most snow (9-14inches) Dallas has seen in a 24 hour period! Fun to see records broken! Also fun that Rusty works for a school district, so he gets to stay home with us today! More snow fun to come this afternoon!

pErSoNaLiTy

2010-02-03T17:10:00.003-06:00

Can we say intense!! She was yelling at the photographer with her hands stretched out and shaking them. This is pretty much what she does on a daily basis, especially when she is trying to get the attention of a stranger.

SANTA!

2009-12-21T12:16:00.003-06:00

On Saturday we went to see Santa. She was just fine walking up to him, but as soon as I sat her on his lap, she turned around and looked at him and started crying and reaching for me. I told her that she was fine and so she stopped crying and started breathing deeply. It was quite funny! I am glad the photographer got her after she had a moment to take it all in...instead of when she was crying and reaching for me!

This is Elle and Santa last year...my she has grown! (Sorry for the poor quality!)

Family Pictures

2009-12-16T18:14:00.003-06:00

We had our family pictures taken on Saturday...they sent us a few to preview and we will see the rest of them after Christmas! I love Vanessa and Jessica of Contemporary Portraits! There isn't anything they won't do to get great shots...I loved all the silly things they did to get Elle to smile! It was a lot of fun! Thanks guys, can't wait to see the rest!

1 Year!!

2009-12-01T22:32:00.006-06:00

I cannot believe that 1 year has already passed since I became a mother to this beautiful baby girl. Every single day has been filled with pure joy and amazement as I watch her grow and learn. She is incredibly smart and funny, and I can't believe that I get to be her mother! I know how lucky I am and I thank my Heavenly Father for blessing my life so abundantly.

In 1 year she has grown from this:

To this:
Her mouth is usually wide open like this screaming...(old kitchen floor)

or talking onthe phone!

(sorry about the nakedness, but it was too cute to pass up! --& you can see my new tile floors!)

this was today...she was watching "The Wiggles", and when she's ready to go, she just stands straight up from this deep squat position!

We gave her some cake that was leftover from her birthday party we had on Saturday...needless to say she was very happy with us! (I will have to get the pictures of her party from Kaitlyn and post them later!)

She is still little miss chatterbox and a signing maniac...she picks everything up so quickly! Rusty and I really have to be careful what we do and say, because she is such a little copycat. It is amazing how fast they grow and learn and although it is sad to look back and realize that my "baby" is not so much a baby anymore...I look forward to watching her grow and learn in the years ahead!

First Haircut & 11 Months!

2009-11-01T22:45:00.009-06:00

The mop before...

Waving to everyone in our big girl chair!
Side view of the crazy hair... & I couldn't believe that my "baby" was big enough to sit in a haircutting chair by herself. She looked so grown up sitting there with her cape on!
Helping "brush hair", and as you can see she is very proud of herself for "helping"!
She was constantly looking in the mirrors at herself and making these funny faces. If you have seen Elle for more than 2 seconds, you have seen one of these faces! This one is my FaVoRiTe!

She never cried...she just kept making these faces!

Getting a blow dry!

Love my thumb and "silky-woobie"

The most expressionless face you'll ever see. I had just taken away her blanket and she was in shock!
And the final product! I LoVe it! It is so stinkin' cute. I know many of you will be happy (Diana) since a hair/mullet-cut was way overdue! (Also love the cutest diaper butt in 'them jeans'!)

Oh, and I forgot to add what she is doing new lately...she is WALKING!! She took her first few steps about 2-3 weeks ago and is getting more confident every day. She has taken about 15 steps at most, so hopefully by her first birthday she will be walking more than she crawls! (Not sure how long that process/transition is?)

She is also becoming a signing maniac. Her vocabulary consists of (in no particular order): "milk, more, all done, please, thank you, sorry, ball (says ball), shoes, book, bath, dog (says dog and barks), hat (says hat), food/eat. I think that is all...
Another funny thing she does with her signs is she will sit in her bed and I guess she is practicing or something, because she will do like 5 signs in a row while she is sitting there either waking up or trying to wind down...just talking to herself I guess. (we have a camera monitor, so we have fun watching "Elle TV")

Halloween!!

2009-11-01T22:05:00.003-06:00

Our little punk rock ballerina enjoyed her first sucker as a reward for all her hard work getting her parents a lot of candy! She's the cutest punk rock ballerina I've ever seen...the hawk was a big hit!

10 months

2009-10-09T16:37:00.003-05:00

Look @ ME...I stand! (only for a few seconds at a time!)
She is always moving her bottom jaw from one side to the other so she looks like her smile is crooked! I love the big blue eyes and cute dimples!

Diving off the ottoman for toys! (Good thing mom was there to hold my feet!)

We wanted to teach her how to do the KISS trademark face...needless to say it only took 1 try and she copied it! She makes a nice growling noise to go along with it! (Hopefully she'll still be interested in doing it by the time Halloween rolls around...you'll see why we want her to do that face later!)

Full ponytail...sort of...she has a ton of hair right down the center of her head, but hardly any hair on the sides...so this is the best we could get!

I can't believe she is 10 months old...double digits! She is so full of personality and cracks people up everywhere we go with all her silly faces! She is very stubborn and strong willed, but still a very good/happy baby. She also recently learned to shake her head "NO" whenever we are telling her "NO" or when we ask her a question and she doesn't want to do what we are asking!Go figure?

9 Months

2009-09-16T17:22:00.003-05:00

9 Month Stats:

29 1/2 in (97%)

18lb 15.5 oz (50%)

She has turned into my tall skinny girl!!

I just had to post this picture b/c I love this outfit on her...it is a 0-3 month dress that looks like a jacket and something I would wear...this was at Berg's 1st birthday party!I have been putting hats on her often to hopefully condition her to keep them on for this winter...most of the time she keeps it on for a few seconds, but we distracted her enough that she kept it on for a few minutes...maybe my evil plan is working!!
She is getting more mobile and more personality every day. She "talks" non-stop now...she is ALWAYS saying something and she uses her hands a lot while talking too...such a girl! She copies most anything you do. If you fake cough, blow raspberries, smack your lips, growl, etc. she will do it back. We have trained our little monkey well. She waves hi and bye in a very feminine, girly way by flipping her wrist and twisting it a little while saying "hi" really softly...it is my favorite! I just love each and every stage she goes through and enjoy her more each day, she is truely one funny baby!

8 Months!

2009-08-12T22:39:00.008-05:00

Ok...so she'll be 9 months soon, but thought I should post some new pictures of her! I know that's all I do on this blog, but it's all I have time for! (and patience for since my internet is super slow)

Less than a week after I posted her 7 month pictures, she started crawling! It was fun that she was crawling when we went to Nauvoo (July 9-14) so my Dad, Brannon and Courtney were able to see her on the move! Since she started crawling, it seems like she has something new every time I turn around. Here's a list of her new tricks:

7/3: said ba-ba
7/6: crawled across the room for the first time, clapped her hands when I clapped to congratulate her crawling, signed "milk" when it was time to put her down for the night. Since then, she signs milk all the time and makes the funniest face along with it (scowls her brow and looks very serious...like, you better know what I am asking for and give it to me now!) Needless to say, I can't oblige all the time! Like last week my mom and I were in the middle of Wal-Mart and she started signing it with both hands with that serious face...it was quite funny!
7/7: Said "da-da" (says that one ALL THE TIME now...and can scream it at the top of her lungs with a really high-pitched tone!)*Today while watching Baby Signing Time, they said "DAD" and she was busy playing with something, but immediately after they said it, she looked up at the TV and said "DAD" just so matter of fact, like "I know that word too"!
7/24: Signed "all-done"
7/31: Signed "ball" when she saw it on Baby Signing Time
?: Don't know when she actually started signing more, but she signs it usually when she wants to, not when we ask her to...but usually she will if we sing the "more, more, more" song!
?: signed please when Rusty was feeding her and he was asking her to sign please (she hasn't done that one since!)
8/14: said "ma-ma"
Pulls up to stand on anything and everything, especially my legs after she has chased me down and wants to be picked up! She also loves to pull up on my closet doors which are sliding mirrors and press her face up against it like she is kissing the "other baby".
Can walk down the couch or ottoman
Makes babies at church cry because she is constantly screaming at the top of her lungs (just to hear her own voice, not b/c she's unhappy...they are actually quite happy shrills!) Needless to say, we try to listen to sacrament in the foyer, b/c it's impossible to keep her from screaming!
She also has 3 out of her top 4 teeth in...they all came in one at a time about a week apart, we're just waiting on the 4th to cut through the skin!

I hope I got it all, she is just growing, learning, and changing so fast it is hard to keep up! I LOVE being home with her everyday and am so blessed I get to witness all of these things first-hand!

Now for the pictures of our beautiful "Princess"

Elle with my mom @ Kaitlyn's birthday part - we put Katie's tiara on Elle & as you can see, she didn't mind!

I french braided her hair! I have to bribe her with puffs to get her to stay in her highchair long enough!

Digging for toys...I love how her diaper is hanging out!

She found a pacifier in the toy basket, even though she has never sucked on one before in her life! She hates them, and usually only wants her thumb(s).

This is her screaming like a wild banshee as she is crawling toward me as fast as she can!

We went out to eat, but forgot a bib, and in an effort to save her white top from being orange...we tried tieing a to-go bag around her neck...needless to say it didn't work, but had us laughing so hard at her trying to pull it off!

I love her sweet little face in this picture of her in her "big-kid" pajamas (size 12 month...they are a little bit big, but I had to get that size to have them with out feet)
This is the face she made all day one day (7/20) when she started feeling her teeth coming through!

7 Months!

2009-07-02T19:20:00.002-05:00

It was hard to get a picture of her sitting up...she wants to get on her hands and knees.
This is almost it...she drops her jaw and stares at you or things she finds new and interesting...usually it is wider, I just barely caught it!

I am so ready to crawl...you put me down and I immediately bend forward to my hands and act like I am gonna go.

My little dancer with the crazy hair...I love this picture...I love that she is doing a passe, I love her face, and especially her crazy hair...this is what it looks like after she wakes up

Cutest little grin with those dimples and teeth!

I can't believe she is 7 months...she is getting quite the personality. She started a new "tantrum" thing when she doesn't get what she wants. She does it at random times to show her disapproval, but does it a lot when she is eating (if you aren't fast enough, or the food runs out and she's not done). She holds her arms straight out in front of her with her fists clenched, holds her breath, turns beat red and lets out a few little grunts with it. It's actually quite funny, but I try not to laugh!

She started sitting up really well over a month ago, and got onto her hands and knees and rocked back and forth a week or so ago. She can army crawl, but doesn't seem to like it that much. She also pushes back onto her feet (in a downward dog) position and screams. She is starting to babble (instead of scream) a little bit more and is constantly blowing raspberries or some form of it. And loves to suck her thumb...whichever one is available.

6 Months!

2009-06-16T12:32:00.002-05:00

6 Month Stats: (6/12 months actually)

Weight: 16 lbs. 11.5 oz. (73%)

Length: 28 3/4 in (97%)

I took her to the doctor on 5/15 and she was 15 lb. 11.5 oz...so at 6 months she was probably a little over 16 lbs!
We took her to Glamour Shots to get her 6 month pictures taken (they had a special) and I planned the appointment at 5pm so she would be up from her afternoon nap and fed, and therefore she should be happy! Well, she was happy/smiling at everyone until we got her in front of the camera...she just sat there and stared at us (me, Rusty, my mom, Kaitlyn, and 2 workers) looking at us like we were all crazy. We managed to get 1 photo with a smile, but it was in a different outfit and I really wanted one of her in the tutu...so this is the best we could get!

New this month:

She is sitting really well by herself...she falls over occasionally, but for the most part she is pretty good! She is very demanding when it is time for cereal/vegetables. We cannot put her in the highchair until it is completely ready or she will squeal and shake her hands like she is about to die! She loves to eat! She loves to watch Baby Signing Time! Loves to go on walks outside! She's gotten a little better at having stranger anxiety, except if she's tired! Can't think of much else, but she is so much fun and I love to watch her grow and learn everyday!

New Pictures

2009-06-01T22:15:00.003-05:00

This is my new cheesy grin to show off my 2 new teeth!

I forgot to take an official 6 month picture today, so I will have to do it tomorrow and post after we go to the doctor and get her 6 month stats! But for now I will post a recent picture. (I was going to post more, but my computer/internet is incredibly slow and after 5 failed attempts to post multiple pictures...this is all I could get to work!) I know everyone enjoys seeing Elle grow, but this is especially for my dad since he goes in to surgery tomorrow...hope all goes well and you will be able to see again very shortly! Love you dad/grandpa!

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-09T22:14:00.003-05:00

Dear Mom,

I just wanted to say Happy Mother's Day to the greatest mom in the world. I am so fortunate to have you in my life...I really don't know what I would do without you, you're my best friend! Thank you for being such a wonderful and loving mother throughout my life. There has NEVER been a time in my life where I have had to wonder if you loved me, or if you were going to be there for me in any way I needed you. I never worried if my mom was going to be in the crowd to watch/support me in anything I did. I have always known that you would love me no matter what, and I could come to you with anything. You were the perfect balance of a mother and a friend. You have always put our needs before your own, and have sacrificed so much for all of us over the years. I hope you know how much I love you and appreciate everything you have done and continue to do for me. I thank you for teaching me how to become a good mother by being the mother you were and still are. And now as I am a mother, I truely understand the magnitude of this calling and why you did/do so much for us. You are unlike anyone I have ever met, you live for your children and now your granddaughter; it is your greatest joy. I hope to be able to do for my children what you have done for us. I thank you for loving my daughter to no end and being so involved in our lives. You know exactly how to support me and help me learn without getting in the way of me being a mom to Elle. She loves you dearly as evidenced by how she smiles and reaches for you, and I know that she is always safe in your care and will be loved just as much as Rusty and I love her. She is blessed to have such a wonderful grandma as I am blessed to have you as a mother.

Thank you, and I love you!

Elle,

I love you more than you will know until you become a mother yourself; it is truely the greatest blessing I have been given in my life and I hope to live up to what you deserve. I thank my Heavenly Father for you everyday and and am humbled that he would see me fit to care for you, His child. I know I will make many mistakes along the way, but hopefully you will love me through them and know that I want to do what is best for you. I love watching you grow and learn. I love how your little face lights up everytime you look at me. Each and everyday is the most wonderful and rewarding experience; Thank you for making me a mother!

5 months!

2009-05-08T08:27:00.003-05:00

My beautiful blue-eyed girl!

Big and tall and strong...that is the name of the song Rusty made up that he sings to her when he pulls her from lying on her back to standing. We started doing this when she was about 2 months old and now she LOVES to stand...she hardly ever sits!
I bought her some sunglasses for summer, we were going to go on a walk, so I decided to put them on her...she apparently doesn't mind b/c she didn't even touch them...not once! That's my girl!

This is the face she makes about 100 times a day, she's sniffing in and out of her nose really fast, it's hilarious and I never get tired of seeing her do it!

She's so much fun, everyday is something new and I can't believe how fast she has grown!

What she's doing now:

She loves her exersaucer, she beats and chews it to death;

she is contantly spitting/blowing raspberries or sniffing in and out;

loves playing on her tummy, can spin to get anything she wants...but if she's on a blanket and the toy is too far, she'll pull the blanket toward her until the toy is within reach!

Freaks out (in public) if I am out of sight;

Freaks out if (not so attractive) strangers try to talk to her;

loves her daddy...she lights up when he walks in the room and talks to her (but if I leave her with him and go run an errand, she's not too happy);

stares and moves her fingers when daddy signs to her;

has the cutest laugh, highpitched squeals, and deep gravely voice when she babbles!

Random pictures!

2009-04-24T17:32:00.004-05:00

I love this picture b/c it shows her crazy hair and her sucking in that bottom lip which makes her cheeks look big!

"My life is so rough!" (She bury's her head and screams when she is tired of tummy time!!)

In my new big kid highchair! Look at those chubby knees!

This picture is for my brother...he bought this outfit for her in Wyoming when I was pregnant. Love the bed head look too!

My favorite part of the day (which is luckily several times a day) is when she wakes up and I go into see her...she's always so smiley and happy to see me!
This is usually what I see first...then I start talking & she pulls it down like the picture before this one!

My new toy...I love to eat anything I can get my hands on!

This is my first time eating cereal!! I loved it!

She got her finger stuck in her pacifier...I will let you imagine what Rusty said this looked like!

Easter

2009-04-15T09:45:00.003-05:00

Kaitlyn took a bunch of great pictures of us egg hunting with Elle at the Weadon's that I will have to post later, but for now you can see her in her dress!

4 Months!!

2009-04-14T16:37:00.004-05:00

I know I am way behind posting her 4 month pictures...Sorry!
We went to the Doctor for her 4 month shots late this month b/c of her freakout back at her 2 month shots so it has put us behind...and we will have to stay behind!

Her Stats:

Weight: on 3/27 she was 14 lb. 1 oz. & on 4/13 she was 14 lb. 15oz. (90th percentile)!!! So on her actual 4 month she was probably in between!

Height: 26 inches (90th percentile)

Head: 16.5 inches (75th percentile)

New tricks:

Rolls over - back to front
Squeals like a stuck pig in a range that only dogs should be able to hear - whether she is happy, sad, mad, tired, etc.
Holds her toes all the time and eats them whenever she can get them up there

She rolled over from her back to her front for the first time on 3/30...I know...the hard way first...and I thought she was going to figure out front to back b/c she did it like 5 times on 4/4, but she hasn't done it since! Urgh! So she gets to her belly and is ok for a little while and then screams at the top of her lungs.

Rusty went on a trip to North Carolina with his car buddies to drive the "Dragon" and these were our gifts when he got home! Elle's is a do-rag that is actually too big for me, but we tied it up tight enough to get a picture of her in it before she's old enough to realize that do-rags aren't cool!!

3 Months!

2009-03-01T23:06:00.004-06:00

Here are a few pictures of our happy, beautiful girl! I can't believe she is already 3 months old!She is such a delight and I am sooooo blessed to have her in my life. I am also very lucky to be able to stay home with her everyday! I love you Elle!

She smiles everytime we talk to her and laughs when we blow raspberries on her tummy. She is such a little drama queen who lets us know when she is not happy with something! Oh how we have many fun and DRAMAtic moments ahead of us!

"Are we done yet mom?"

2 months

2009-02-11T22:30:00.004-06:00

2 month stats: 11 lbs. 10.5 oz (75th percentile)

23.5 in (85th)

"Oh mother...would you stop taking my picture!"

I took her to the pediatrician on Feb. 3rd for her shots and when we got there and got her undressed for weight etc. she started crying...I thought she would be fine if I could just get her in the room and feed her before the doctor came in; boy was I wrong! We got her back in there and the doctor started to check her out and her crying turned into full on screaming, so the doctor told me to take a few minutes to feed her and get her calm. By this point she was beyond mad (she was hardly breathing and so splotchy red) and wouldn't even eat! (& if you can tell by her growth -- she doesn't miss a meal too often!) After 30 minutes the doctor came back in and turned off the light and took her from me to try and calm her and give me a break. She finally got her to stop crying and she fell asleep for a few minutes -- she passed her off to me and she stayed asleep for a few and then started to wake up. She was calm, so I tried to feed her again...it worked for a little while, then she got mad again! She had NEVER acted this way, so I had no idea what was wrong. The doctor came back again and said we would do her shots again another time, but to take my time and let her sleep or eat or whatever I needed to do. So after 2 hours, I decided to try and make a run for home. I laid her down on the table to put her clothes back on and pack her up...she stopped crying and smiled at me!!!!!! Little stinker, she totally got out of her shots! She was fine the rest of the day! (In her blessing she was blessed with "strong will" and boy has she lived up to that!)

So we finally went back to the doctor for her shots on Feb. 10th. She did great...only cried when they stuck her and stopped when I picked her up! I don't get it, but I'll take it! (& by the way she gained even more weight in 1 week...I know you're surprised! (12 lbs. 2.5 oz.))

More pictures!

2009-01-14T15:44:00.009-06:00

I took a bunch of pictures with my sister's camera, & don't have it with me, so I will post those pictures later. For now I have a few pictures I took on my new camera!

Hi mom!

Chillin in my carseat!

She looked up at me on January 3rd and smiled when I started talking to her...since then she has been all smiles and chatter!

So serious...

Elle is growing and changing so fast. When we left the hospital she was 7 lb. 5 oz. & when we returned 3 days later to check her weight she had gained 3 oz.! The following Wednesday, Dec. 10th we went to the pediatrician and she had already surpassed her birthweight; weighing in at 8lb. 2 oz. At her 2 week appointment the following week she weighed 8 lb. 5 oz. and 20 3/4 in. (both 50th percentile)

1 month stats: 9 lb. 13.5 oz! 75th percentile!(they didn't measure her length!) My child isn't hurting for food!!

The long awaited post!

2009-01-14T15:30:00.004-06:00

Well, I am at a friend's house bumming her internet so that I could make a post about my beautiful BABY GIRL!!

Ellianne Celeste Bishop was born on December 1st, 2008 at 9:14 am.

Stats: 7 lb. 14.8 oz 20.1 in long!

I went into labor at 5am on Sunday November 30th & after 29 hours of very painful (21 hours drug free) labor, she was finally here!

The BIG 30...weeks that is!

2008-09-29T22:05:00.004-05:00

So everyone has been asking me to post a new picture...and since it has been almost 10 weeks since the last belly shot...I guess it was time. So thanks to my great friend Camille, you can all now see how big I am getting!

Ellianne's Crib

2008-09-09T17:13:00.001-05:00

This is the crib we (I mean I) bought over the weekend! I am soooo excited! If we ever get a house to put it in that would be even better!!

Whoa Belly!!

2008-07-27T22:20:00.004-05:00

8 WEEKS!

21 WEEKS!

This last picture was taken at 11pm after a large dinner; and the camera adds 10 lbs...okay so these maybe excuses to make me feel better about how big I already feel!

IT'S A GIRL!!

2008-07-15T15:44:00.004-05:00

We went to our ultrasound appointment yesterday and found out that we are having a little girl!! We are sooooo excited!

Worst Blogger ever!

2008-06-13T10:19:00.002-05:00

I have soooo many new things to post, but with a non working computer and no spare time to post that is what you get! I hope to post soon, but until then enjoy the pregnancy ticker...that is all I had time for today!

Tagged again!

2008-05-05T23:34:00.002-05:00

Tag!

How To Play This Game of Tag....Post these rules on your blog. Answer these 15 questions about yourself on your blog. List:3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random/surprising facts. Tag five people at the end of your post by leaving their names. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

3 joys:
1. A clean house!
2. Holding babies/playing with children! I LOVE brand new babies that curl up on your chest and sleep forever...and talking to 2-3 year olds...they are hilarious!!
3. Dancing

3 fears:
1. Fire...more specifically having my house burn down
2. Not being a good wife/mother
3. being home alone...especially at night...I hate the dark!

3 goals:
1. To read my scriptures more often...esp now that school will be over and I have no excuses!
2. To get my pictures organized and start scrapbooking
3. To be better at cooking dinner...and maybe enjoying it!?

3 obsessions/current collections:
1. Blue jeans...I am obsessed and I wish I could collect more! (Need more $ to be really obsessed and have a good collection!)
2. Make-up...I find it fascinating and so I stare at people's faces all day analyzing what I could do to them!
3. I am not a collector of much, I don't like clutter...but I obsess about having a clean house...esp when I get too busy to have it clean everyday!

3 random or surprising facts:
1. I am very indecisive...I can't even fill out this tag without asking my husband to tell me what I should write!
2. I hate doing laundry with a passion...I don't mind putting it in the washer or even transferring it to the dryer, I just don't want to do anything with it after that! Even though I am VERY good at folding...thanks Lori!
3. My favorite food that I could eat every day all day would be SALAD...especially if I had a stocked salad bar at my house like Jason's deli! MMMMMM!

Tagged

2008-04-15T15:18:00.008-05:00

1. Where I was 10 years ago...
(Well this picture is actually from May of 1999...my mom's graduation! (it's not quite 10 years ago, but it is the only picture I have as a .jpg from that era!)

10 years ago...I was 14, living in Indianapolis, IN! I was in the 8th grade...I was a cheerleader for Ben Davis Jr. HS and my main worry in life was probably about gaining weight (on my 75-80 lb. frame!) HAHA...those were the days! I hadn't grown yet either, so all my friends were a head taller than me and I hated it! (As you can see from the picture I had started to grow in '99...so don't feel too sorry for me! And oh, to have those skinny legs again...jeez!) I can't believe Kaitlyn 9 years ago!!

2. Five things on my to-do list today. (that won't get done today!)

1. When I finally get home tonight at 8:30, I will sit down to do my last case study assignment (which will probably keep me up until 2am!)

Since I won't have time for anything else but homework...the next 4 things will get done over the course of the next few days!
2. LAUNDRY! (my least favorite thing!)

3. Clean my house!

4. Work on my nutrition counseling project

5. Work on all my little cleaning projects that are bothering me.

3. Things I would do if I became a billionaire.

Wow...there are so many things I would do. I would invest enough money so that we and our children could live comfortably for the rest of our/their lives without worry...then, I guess I would start by paying off all mine and my mom's school loans...then I would buy my dream house (whatever that may look like being a billionaire)...then I would buy houses for all my family members that needed it. I would travel with my husband (because Rusty and I would obviously not work) and other family members to many different places around the world that I have always wanted to see. I would probably adopt a ton of kids from CPS and start a charity to help children. I would let Rusty get whatever car his little heart desired and then make him buy me a few diamonds to make up the value of his car(s)!! Well, I could probably sit here for hours thinking about it, but that would be a waste of time...since it will never happen!

4. Three of my bad habits

1. Biting my nails

2. Procrastination

3. Speeding! (and putting my make-up on in the car!)

5. Five places I've lived

1. Garland, TX

2. Indianapolis, IN

3. Bloomington, IN

4. Bonham, TX

5. Plano, TX

6. Five jobs I've had (I have had way too many jobs! So I will tell you the most fun/worst ones!)

1. Dunkin Donuts (first job when I was 15)

2. Hostess at Malibu on Maryland (Indianapolis, IN...it was a really cool job b/c it was a 2 story fine dining restaurant with suites and a penthouse above...I got to meet a lot of famous people!)

3. Caller @ IU telefund (worst job ever)

4. Manager of a cool furniture store (Out West Down South)

5. Nanny (my favorite job so far! I have been able to take care of some of the coolest kids in the whole world! The Scholl and Baker families!)

7. Something most people don't know about me

I am not a shy person, so there isn't much that people don't know about me! But in 1997 I got to fly back to Dallas from Indy to model for NCA/NDA's catalogs...Cheer and Danz team and model for 5 days. I got paid $50 a day and it was sooo much fun to get to miss school, fly alone, get your hair and make-up done everyday and have your picture taken for a magazine!

Thanks for tagging me Karen...sorry it took so long, and I now tag anyone who hasn't done this yet....especially my MOM!

Car Meet photos

2008-04-13T19:53:00.001-05:00

Rusty's Car Meet

2008-04-13T19:49:00.003-05:00

Well...better late than never! I am trying to catch up with interesting things in our life...and back on March 15th I was working for Bobbi Brown all day, so Rusty went to one of his car meets without me! He met up with some friends close to home and then drove to Waxahachie. So here are photos from that oh so exciting testosterone filled day!

2008-04-09T22:26:00.010-05:00

So...my new part time job that I love is being a freelance make-up artist for Bobbi Brown cosmetics. (And NO, Whitney's (ex)husband does not have a make-up line!) I work for her company so I travel to different stores when they have beauty events, trend shows etc. I have worked at 3 different Nordstroms in the past 4 weeks and will work for 2 different Neiman Marcus' this week. It makes for a long day on your feet, but doing people's make-up all day makes the time fly! As many of you may know, I love make-up and have wanted to do it for a long time and now I am!

How did I get the job you ask? My mom and I went to the Nordstrom Cosmetics trend show in November and got talking to my mom's make-up artist. I asked him what I needed to do to get into doing make-up and he walked me over to his boss. I met her and she said that they would call me for an interview after the new year. I got a random call at the beginning of March and WITHOUT an interview was asked to attend training and within 2 weeks I was working! (P.S. at training, I was the only person who had never done make-up at a counter or as a freelancer...everyone else had many years under their belt!) I guess they liked me!

More photos of our weekend with the girls!

2008-04-09T22:17:00.001-05:00

Weadon girls...photos!

2008-04-07T00:09:00.001-05:00

A fun weekend with a few of our girls!

2008-04-06T22:55:00.004-05:00

Okay, so I have to start by saying that I am a terrible blogger...but with having 3 part time jobs now on top of my last semester in school, I have little time to check my email...let alone time to update my blog regularly! I will try and do it more often, but no promises!

So way back on March 20 - 22 we had our neices Rebecca and Lillian over to just hang out with them and have fun! We haven't seen them really since Christmas and since we get to have them so close to us, we've felt like we need to take advantage of it by being in their lives and having them spend time with us before we turn around and they are getting married themselves!! We wish all of our cute neices and nephews were close enough to do this with!! (We LOVE you and miss you all!)

We met Andreya and Jeremy on Thursday night and all had dinner together, then we went to my cousin Eric's house to hang out with them and their two girls (both around the same ages as our girls) and watch movies. Then on Friday we went to Paint 'n' Party, to the mall, to CiCi's Pizza, Thunderbird roller rink, then manicure and pedicures at Aubrianne's spa, and they went home on Saturday morning! We had a blast!

I have to tell you about our trip to the roller rink...We weren't sure how the girls would like it, but took a chance...Rebecca did awesome and was so cute and grown up out there. Lillian was hilarious though...she hated it at first and only wanted to skate on the carpet...and then that was too much for her! She kept saying, "I want to go home!" (we'd only been there 20 minutes) So Rusty and I took turns sitting out with her, and then I made her go back out there and try again after a few minutes. She was still a little shaky (as to be expected when you are only 30 something pounds on skates for only the second time), but she liked it a little. Then she wanted another break and while we were sitting there she looks up at Rusty and says, "Finally...I remembered how to skate, Finally...Finally!! It was soo funny because she was so serious and kept saying Finally...like she had done it so many times before and just had forgotten!

New pictures of Rusty and I

2008-03-18T12:14:00.008-05:00

We recently found out that our neighbor is a photographer and she wanted to take pictures of us, so we did a photoshoot with her. She won't show us all the photos yet, but the ones we've seen are from her blog. She is amazing and so much fun to work with! After our couples photo session, she wanted to do wedding pictures with us, so we did another photoshoot where I got back in my dress, and Rusty in his suit. It was so much fun. I will post more photos when I receive them. If anyone needs a great photographer for a wedding, family pictures, pregnancy, baby, senior portraits, etc. I definitely recommend her!! Her website is http://www.cpcamera.com/

Cowtown Marathon 2008

2008-03-18T12:13:00.001-05:00

New to this Blog thing...

2008-03-18T11:52:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone...I have always wanted to do a blog but figured since we lead pretty boring lives, no one would be interested in reading it! But lately Rusty and I have had a few fun things happen that we would like to share! My blog will look pretty lame for a while until I get the hang of it and how to make it cute!