Tammy and the Tantrums

We are spending a few days up at the Lake for our Anniversary, per tradition. We thought it would be fun to try and get a few pictures of the kids down by the lake, but they were having none of it! The above picture is one of the better ones I got of the three of them together.

We bribed,

we cajoled,

we threatened,

we pleaded,

we made silly faces,

finally we gave up.

Oh well, there's always next year. We had told the kids we were going to get a cookie after taking pictures but since the kids were being so ornery, I told them we cancelled the cookie event and were going straight back to the condo.

Chaos ensued.

Who knew crying was so contagious?

Just breaks your heart, doesn't it?

Then I told them I was kidding.
After a particularly heinous anniversary dinner (why do we keep bringing them?! UGH!) we were driving back to the condo and saw a billboard for "Fritz & the Tantrums" headlining at one of the Casinos. Eric and I laughed that we have a lot in common with old Fritz, we know all about tantrums! I thought "Tammy and the Tantrums" sounded even better, so that's what I decided to call us.






I may never get a picture with all three looking at the camera at once, but my kids come with a money back guarantee that they will always, always give you a silly face upon request!

Birthday Girl

Birthday Girl

The Crew

Ava Millie

The last picture before the big event! (I have no excuse for this picture! Is it the angle of those horrible hospital beds? I have never seen an attractive "person lying in hospital bed photo. I don't know why I consented to this one...I blame the drugs.)


Waiting...


waiting...


She's here!


Meeting the 'rents


Our smallest baby! 7 lbs 10 oz.


20 inches long


Meeting the sibs!


First bath


So sweet






Going home

Ava is just the sweetest snugly baby! She feels so perfect in my arms, and its already hard to imagine what life was like before she was born. Ellie is adjusting surprising well to the changes around here. Although I am sure we'll have some really hard days in the near future, especially when Eric goes back to work. Ellie just thinks Ava is adorable and is constantly touching her fingers and head and saying how cute she is. She can't pronounce the V in Ava, so she calls her Abe-a. I have a feeling its a nickname that is going to stick around for a while. Ellie thinks its hilarious when the baby cries. I wonder how long she'll think that's funny? Nate is a great older brother, which we already knew. He thinks both of his sisters are adorable (and only gets slightly frustrated with one of them when she gets into his stuff) and he is a great helper! I was watching the baby sleep this morning and had a panicky feeling that life is going by way too fast and before long all the kids are going to be grown up! I've always said I was not going to miss the baby phase, but Ava might change my mind!

Dem bones, dem bones

I got the dreaded phone call from the school on Monday..."Mrs. Thornton, your son Nathan took a little spill at school today and it looks like he fractured his arm..." Ugh. Honestly, I thought Ellie would be our first child with a broken bone. I guess you can't predict accidents! Apparently Nate and some kids were playing "Transformers" and it got a little rough...Anyways, it was indeed broken. Both bones in the left arm just above the wrist. Unfortunately they were not able to set it using the old fashioned tug and pull method, so he had to have surgery and 3 pins to keep the bones in place. The worst part of the whole experience (as a mom) was that Nate was unable to have ANY pain medicine until actually went into surgery...6 HOURS after he broke it! I haven't ever broken a bone but it looks terribly painful! Nate was a trooper though, he did awesome and was so brave! Ellie was with us for 10 hours at the hospital and she did awesome too. Seriously she was so well behaved, I have never seen her that well behaved before or since! Nate is doing great now, the swelling has gone down so much and its much less painful now. He still has the splint on and will get his permanent cast a little later this week. My heart has been so full of gratitude this week for our friends and family that have called or stopped by with cards and gifts for Nate to cheer him up! It really made him feel so special. So thank you!!
**Just a warning...I am going to post a few pictures, so if you are a little squeamish, you might not want to scroll down.**
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Getting X-rayed


A close up


The bones *almost* went through the skin where that bruise is.


Poor guy had to sit like this for HOURS just waiting...with NO PAIN MEDS!!!


Getting prepped for surgery, after the initial attempt to set it failed.


Ellie watching a movie with Dad on his phone. Seriously what did parents do before smart phones?

Nate also lost his other front tooth that same morning he broke his arm, with all the craziness going on I forgot to get a picture of that! Of course Nate didn't exactly feel like smiling for the camera either!

TWO is better than one....

This girl turned TWO today!!


She is the messiest...


the sweetest...


funniest...


most fearless...


loving little girl I know!

Ellie is so sweet and compassionate. No one in this house can sneeze, cough or even scratch an itch without Ellie asking if you are alright. She tells you she loves you about 20 times a day (more when she is sick, much more!) She loves to sing, read and watch TV. She loves soda and anything gummy (just like her mommy). She can count to 10 and gets some of the ABC's in the right order. She loves owls and her brother and has to sleep with all of her stuffed animals and babies. Ellie is the messiest child I have ever met (but she LOVES the bath so I guess it all equals out in the end) and she hates to go shopping with me! I think Heavenly Father knew exactly what he was doing when he waited so long to send her here, but I am so glad she finally made it!

AND...perhaps this next bit of information deserves its own post, but I have a feeling if I don't mention it now, i will never get around to it.....ERIC FINISHED HIS MASTERS DEGREE!!! I am so incredibly proud of him. There were days I didn't know if one or both of us would make it through alive but Eric managed to work full time, be Elder Quorum President, commute to school, maintain a *nearly* perfect GPA and was still the favorite parent (how does that happen?)! Yay Eric!!!

(sorry honey, I had to.)

Bangs!

Ellie got a hair cut! My dear friend Ali trimmed it up and gave her some bangs! I personally think Ellie looks adorable either way, but I think she is pretty happy not to have all that hair in her eyes!

Before


After

Now we are Six

When I was One,
I had just begun.

When I was Two,
I was nearly new.

When I was Three
I was hardly me.

When I was Four,
I was not much more.

When I was Five,
I was just alive.

But now I am Six,
I'm as clever as clever,
So I think I'll be six now for ever and ever.

* The End
A.A. Milne