Beach Bums...

Our ambitious little Ellie was dying to see the ocean and talked us into to driving there on Saturday. Ellie is so adventurous and never ceases to amaze me. So at the last minute we threw some snacks and sandtoys in the car and made the 2 1/2 hour drive to the beloved beach. We played in the sand and collected seashells. Livvy surprised me by being unafraid of the water and the waves, I had to watch her like a hawk. By the time it was time to go we all had sand in every nook and cranny. On the way home Ellie said the sand was making her feel like she had ants in her pants.

I love the beach, I love the smell of the air, and I love the sound of the waves. I found myself thinking of my college days at BYU-H with my little sis Mish. Ahhh, good times!

Today I finally decided it was time to clean out the car from our adventure, to my delight, I found sand EVERYWHERE! I am a freak about my car being clean, so this was a bit disheartening. Amongst all the sand I found lots of stinky seashells, remains of a spilled bag of pretzels and Livvy's mildewed sundress (serves me right for leaving it in the car over the weekend.) We decided that next time we go, we are going to rent a beach house and actually stay a few days.

I had this brilliant idea that I would bring my camera along and capture a family Christmas picture....haha, joke was definitely on me. Not only were the kids being pills, but Andrew was also throwing me some lip.

I caved...

I finally gave in and let the kids get a pet...against my better judgement. I am definitely not an animal lover and have some issue with their germs and what they entail. We told the kids if they earned half we would let them have a guinea pig. They worked and worked (particularly Ellie, since the whole ordeal was her idea) and the blessed day finally arrived.

Proud owners of Olivia (to be called Olive) Sophie...the kids have been in heaven and thankfully it has been a much better experience than I had anticipated although I have yet to hold her.

Welcome to the family Olive.

As an embarrassing side note, I found myself looking at how much it would be to fly Olive to Utah with us for Christmas...guess I have become one of "those" people, wow, it happened fast.

Ellie and Finn heading to school with projects in hand...too bad we are procrastinators and stayed up late finishing them...

Texas is Grand...

Ahhh, I have to laugh at myself...because no one else is here to do it...but also because it seems like every time my husbandino leaves town, I decide to be productive. I literally get more done in a day when he is gone, than I do in a week when he is home. The house is cleaner,our schedule is meticulous, and I find time to do whatever needs to be done. Now before you judge, I am not saying it is Andrew's fault that it works out this way, I am just wondering "WHY" it works this way in his absence. As a side note, we are getting settled deep in the heart of Texas, New Braunfels ...make sure you sing that line. We really like it here and it already feels like it could be home for awhile. We bought a house in a cute neighborhood and have really enjoyed the people here. Our ward is nice and the fun things to do here are endless, oh yes, and so is the shopping...sorry Drewbs. My sisters were able to visit this past week and of course we had a great time. Andrew was winning the love of my sisters as he was such a good host, watching the kids for us, waiting on us, and making us smoothies of our choice at night...what a guy and what's not to love?. Brynna came to help me get my house in order, which it desperately needed. Brynna is so service oriented and has such a talent in decorating homes. She is also a spit-fire and there is always fun to be had when she is around. As soon as I get every thing hung on the walls, I will post pictures of all her work.

Mish and her kiddos came too. I think she came to give me pay backs for all the things my kids have ruined in her home in the previous years...just kiddin' Mish...but am I? Little Dax is my buddy and Nicker-Bocker is so sweet it is hard not to bite him. Mish is such a good mom and has a personality that is so easy to be around. Wow, I'm blessed! My kids were so excited to see their cousins and

Dax was in heaven to finally be reunited with "Finnie" and "Eliana" as he decided to call them this trip...he is such a crack up, with a personality that is unmatched. Dax and Livvy were cracking us up as they bullied and then loved each other all week long, it was pretty funny. I dare say they both will give Mish and I a run for our money. With all the shopping and organizing, we still found time to go do a few other things.

Safari Texas Style...such a fun time.

It felt like we were at Jurassic Park. We drove through the park in my SUV with all 10 of us, with kids hanging out of every window as safari animals poked their heads in the car windows...the people behind us must have thought we were crazy...hey, we're from Utah...leave us alone. We had Finn driving the car on my lap, Brynna, Dax, and Ellie in the passenger seat, Andrew, Livvy, Nix, Mish and Lucy all in the second row. We all had such a good time and the kids loved it. I keep finding animal food all over my car.

It appears that we were letting Luce do whatever she wanted...umm, yep we were...

The night before everyone left, we went to the famous "River

Walk" in San Antonio...took a boat ride down the river and ate some baby back ribs slathered in BBQ sauce....Yummy.

All in all, we had a great time and made some good memories. I am so blessed to have such a great family!

Ellie Bellie Mishelley McClelley...

Ahh, my Little El Belle. I sit here tonight thinking about the adventurous day we had of you wanting to move in with Aunt Mishy. In some ways I don't blame you, Aunt Mish is so fun. You wanted to know why I wouldn't let you go live with her and I tried to explain that I was you mom and I was chosen to raise you. I told you I would miss you. I also reminded you how hard it was for me to get you here...dang it.

So tonight I will let you know why I love you...Oh, where to begin...so many, many reasons...

• you are my first born
• I named you after one of my most favorite, most respected persons in the whole world
• you are so very intelligent
• you are fun to talk with
• you are intriguing
• you are beautiful

• you help me with Finn and Livvy
• you have so much love to give
• you are an awesome soccer player
• you can read like crazy...on a 4th grade level to be exact
• you are so excited to get baptized
• you research things on the internet
• you are fun to take shopping
• you have so many ambitions
• you are a wonderful cousin to Daxton

• you have so many people that love you and want the best for you, you most definitely have a one-of-a-kind bond with your G-ma Lisa, Aunt Mishelle, and cousin Daxton.


• you are motivated in so many different ways and different things
• when you get an idea in your head, you move full speed ahead on it, I have truly never seen anything like it in my life
• you are so adventurous and always up for any kind of excitement (swimming with dolphins, measuring yourself 100 times a day to see if you are tall enough for all roller coasters, wanting to travel to other countries, an obsession with Hawaii, concern and research devoted to Hatti after the big earthquake, writing and wanting to publish your books, crafts, crafts, crafts, letters to Santa on a weekly basis.)

Ellie Belle, I love you for always. You are mine forever and ever...sorry girl, no getting rid of me. You have taught me so many things. Thanks for being my daughter and letting me be your mom. Love you.

Livvy Lou turns 1...

Liv Brynna is 1...December 14, 2010

For Livvy's first, we went to Farr's Ice Cream Shoppe with the Henderson's and the McClellan's. It has been so fun living by family. They are always a joy to be around and are supportive to my kids and all their various activities.

Livvy loved her cake and I literally had to pull it away from her, I was so worried she was going to get sick from eating so much of it.

Daxton...trying to pretend he doesn't love us. Ha, Mr. Dax your not fooling me.

My Livvy...

• She loves food
• She can eat about anything with her two front and two bottom teeth
• She loves G-ma Lisa and reaches for her whenever she comes in the room
• She weighs 21 lbs
• She is not walking and doesn't really show much interest in walking in the near future
• She makes me smile every day, especially when I am feeding her breakfast. This is when she gets really silly.
• She say Ma Ma and Da Da and Grandma
• She loves blueberries


• I love to rock her while she drinks her bottle...some people like to make fun of me for doing this. Informing me that she is not a newborn anymore. Blahh, I say to that. I worked hard to get her here and I will treat her like a newborn as long as I please.
• She loves her bath and cries when I take her out
• She has a very sweet demeanor

I love you Livvy. You have brought so much joy to our family. You make me laugh and I am so glad I was chosen to be your mom. I miss you when you sleep and get excited when I hear you talking to yourself in your crib, so I can come and give you a squeeze. I am so grateful that we can be together forever and ever.

Aunt Brynna was particularly excited for ice cream...can't say I am surprised about that one. Yet she is skinner than all of us...rascal.