So, I thought I could dance...

I started taking dance lessons when I was 3 years old and danced all the way through high school. I loved dancing and was pretty good at it-- or so I thought. Compared to my friends on So, You Think You Can Dance? I was not even dancing those 15 years, just moving around a little in a sequin leotard. OMG! Does anyone else watch this show? (Jonathan, you don't count since all you do is mock this beautiful art form) It's my favorite show of the summer and I have been watching it for several years now. It's amazing how far dance has come and I watch each week truly jealous of what those people can do. Ashley watches it with me and is certain she is on the road to dance success-- hopefully all of the money we spend on dance lessons for her each year will help fulfill that dream. I'm going to take her to watch the live tour of the show when it comes to town in the fall. Maybe they'll let her in if she's dressed like this...



Trevor thought he could dance too, with the barstool. It apparently was not in the mood and pushed him to the floor with a bloody nose. Sorry, no picture. :(

Christmas in July

I had my first meeting with my new teaching team tonight. The meeting went well, but just means that we are one step closer to starting a new school year. I always get excited, but I still wish there were more than 11 days left of summer.

We bought some of Ashley's school supplies the other day and when I got home tonight she wanted to get it all out and re-check the list to see what we still need to buy. (I remember doing this when I was a kid!) She is so excited about kindergarten she can hardly stand it! It's very cute. I asked her tonight how it felt to be an "almost" kindergartner-- Here's how she answered:

Ashley: It feels fantastic!
Me: Have you ever been this excited about something before?
Ashley: Of course. My birthday, Christmas, Easter, and definitely Christmas.
Me: You said Christmas twice.
Ashley: 'Cuz that's when I get the most presents.
Me: Are you serious?
Ashley: Yep. Oh! I bet that's how excited Trevor was yesterday when we gave him those old toys. I bet he thought "this is like Christmas in July!"

No, I don't make these things up. And, just so you know, Trevor was very excited to get the "old" toys. They were Ashley's when she was a toddler and I forgot I had saved them. One was an Elmo toy, so you can imagine the jibbering excitement when we pulled that one out. No video this time, just a picture...

Seriously...

First, I wake up this morning at 6:15 with Trevor and while he shovels a waffle into his mouth I inspect the touch-up paint job that I did last night. It was still wet when I went to bed, so imagine my shock this morning when I realize that the paint is not the right color. Polka dots all over the house. Seriously?

I never win anything. I register for all kinds of crazy things and never win. So you can imagine the pure excitement I felt when I got the call Friday morning that I had WON the "$150 Classroom Makeover" that I registered for on Thursday while spending my own money at the teacher store. A classroom makeover? Seriously? :) As teachers everywhere will agree, this is HUGE and definitely a great 1st thing to win. So I load my 2 protesting kids into the car today and set out to claim my prize. My bubble immediately burst into a gazillion pieces when they hand me a catalog from which to order $150 worth of teacher resoure books from which I can copy worksheets to use as I teach a room full of non-reading 5-year olds. Classroom Makeover. Seriously?

I am a TV junkie. Reality is my favorite. I had put Trevor to bed and was sitting down to watch Denise Richards: It's Complicated on Tivo from last night (Jonathan is gone to Open Gym tonight). A little bit later I hear Trevor start to cry. Now, before you jump to any parenting conclusions, please understand that he does this sometimes and will lay back down after a few minutes. Apparently more than a few minutes had passed (Denise is really complicated) and here comes Ashley, marching toward me from her room. Here's how the conversation went (be sure to read this while wearing a dance costume from 2 years ago and 2 different colored scrunchies in your hair:

Ashley: Mom, do you hear Trevor?
Me: Yes, He's OK.
Ashley: How do you know he's OK? You're watching TV instead of checking on him.
Me: I'm sure he's fine. I'll check on him in a minute.
Ashley: Seriously Mom, you need to take care of your son. (turns and marchs back to her room)

Serioulsy?

Super Summer

I know it's only the middle of July, but it hit me today that summer is almost over. There are only 17 weekdays left for Jonathan and me and I am bummed. We have been extra busy this summer since we moved, but we still have managed to enjoy it and I think the kids have too. Here are a few of our memories...

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Pimp This Ride... Please!

Will the owner of this vehicle please remove it from in front of my house immediately? I think the 8 DAYS it has been sitting here junking up the neighborhood is plenty long. Actually, it belongs to either an employee or a client of the next door neighbor but they went on a "business" trip and left it blocking the fabulous view from my dining room window. The neighbor has a very questionable business that he's running out of his home and I am in full super-slueth mode trying to figure out what is going on. Let's just say they picked the wrong house to park in front of! Jonathan keeps telling me to ignore it and that we'll talk to the neighbor when they get back, but I'm dialin' 1-800-tow-me-now first thing tomorrow. Or, maybe I'll just send Ashley out there with some pink piant...

Bi-lingual Houdini and Little Miss Fabulous

I have always wanted to be proficient in another language. At Baylor I took 2 semesters of Portuguese (please don't ask Jonathan for details about this) and 2 semesters of Spanish. One would think/hope I would have a little to show for both, but... Trevor, however seems to be quite fluent in a language other than English. After watching the video clip below, if you can identify the language, you get the prize! :)

In the video and the pictures you will see Trevor, nicely strapped in to his highchair ready to watch an Elmo DVD while I take a shower. We had spent the afternoon at the pool and I needed to get ready to meet some friends for dinner (Jonathan was playing in a golf tournament). I have been doing this since Trevor was tiny - he used to watch Baby Einstein and now has graduated to Elmo - and it has worked out fabulously. Ashley plays in her room and they are both occupied while I shower in peace. Trevor's recent enthusiam toward a particualr Elmo video has even provided me with a few extra minutes of "Me" time. Until today.

I strapped him in and took the video of his jibberish and the pictures of him holding the DVD box and then got in the shower. Just as I am about to be finished, in he WALKS to my bathroom, still holding the DVD box and says "Hi Mommy" (in English). I quickly dry off as I am yelling for Ashley to "Come Here Now!", after all, she MUST be the one who helped him escape, right? WRONG! As I lead them both back to the empty chair with straps still clasped, I realize that he has magically freed himself from lockdown (hince the Houdini title). I interrogated Ashley just to make sure and her comment to me was "Mom, why would I get him out? I need a break from him too!" (make sure you read that line with hands on your hips while rolling your eyes, just to keep the scene accurate).

So, the dinner with friends? We made it, but my hair was still wet. I had planned to dry it in those few extra minutes I mentioned earlier. I guess those are long gone. Pardon Trevor's Donald Trump hair in the pictures, remember we had been at the pool. However, at least someone was looking fabulous for our night out! What can I say? The girl's got style!

Getting Started!

Finally! I have set aside some time to start/finish our blog! It's been on my very long to-do list and always seems to get pushed to the bottom. Here's a little bit of an update to get things going...

After 2 years in Melissa, TX we moved back to Frisco last week! We liked Melissa, but are so excited to be back in the city! Why did we move back to Frisco? Jonathan got the job as the Head Boys Basketball Coach at Carrollton Creekview High School (5-A school, major opportunity for him) and moving back to F-town was more appealing than moving to Carrollton (he'll have about a 20 minute commute), so here we are. I will teach kindergarten in Frisco this year, which will be interesting since Ashley will be in kindergarten at the same school.

Speaking of Ashley... The diva is 5 and still such a princess. I can't believe she's old enough to go to kindergarten! She is into everything girly--Barbies, baby dolls, dress-up, dance class, singing, etc. She has learned to read which she thinks is very fun, and she is a great big sister to Trevor.

Speaking of Trevor... the Tornado is 14 months old and ALL BOY! He is very sweet and loving, but he is always moving. He's a climber and is obsessed with balls, especially basketballs. He can spot the orange things from a mile away and wants to "shoot" all the time. He's talking-- Mommy, Daddy, puppy, hi, uh-oh, eat, drink, teeth, and shoot (the ball) are his favorite words.

So, hopefully you are all caught up with the Ellis Fam! I will do my best to post regularly and include as many pictures as possible! Here's a few recent ones to kick things off!5
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