Alice and Lila

Eliza and Hannah's aunts (the "D's" as they refer to them) gave them gift certificates to Build-a-Bear for Christmas. As a consequence, the whole family sallied forth from home a few days after Christmas to, well, build the girls' "bears."

Hannah settled on a gray kitty and named her "Alice", while Eliza settled on a bear named "Lila".


The girls got to stuff their animals and put a "heart" in them as well.



Then they picked out some clothes.


Add some information to a computer and you get a birth certificate.

Note that the box picture above containing the animal, clothes, and gift certificate became a point of obsession itself. The girls were carrying the boxes around constantly and when the handle tore on Hannah's box there was a lot of crying until Papa (Josh's dad) fixed it.

Rock Park Disney

While in Washington, Eliza and Hannah's Papa (Josh's dad) ordered a dump truck load of gravel to help level out a piece of land where a new greenhouse is going to be placed. The girls were amazed by the dump truck and stood awestruck as the truck dumped the gravel.


When the driver got out of the truck to get paid, the girls asked if they could touch the dump truck which they were allowed to do. After the truck left the girls played and played on the piles of gravel left by the truck. Eliza dubbed this new wonderland "Disney Rock Park."

Who knew a pile of rocks could bring so much joy to two little girls?


Top that Disney imagineers.

B.Russ vs. Leukemia

I am tired and will edit this post later to explain more. I just wanted to go ahead and get the link on my blog for those who are interested in staying up to date with how Bryan is doing. I am still having a hard time coming to grips with the fact that this is real. It just doesn't seem possible that my big brother has cancer. I must be too tired at the moment but I can't sleep...I will write more when I have myself pulled together a little better.

http://brussversusleukemia.blogspot.com/

Please feel free to add a link to his blog on your blog if you would like.

Happy Birthday GG!

Today is my Grandmother's 80th Birthday. All of the grand kids call her GG (Great Grandma). For her birthday I stayed up to post a couple different events so that GG would be sure to have lots of pictures of the grandkids to look at on her computer. Blog stocking her grand kids is her favorite pass time. For her birthday she is getting a new bigger computer screen to make it even that much more enjoyable. My mother was her only child. My parents had 10 kids. Now she has 18 great grand children and, hopefully, her 19th great grand child will be born today on her birthday. At least, my sister-in-law, Emily really hopes so. :)

All of the grand kids love to visit GG. She is always good for a hug and laughs at all of the silly things they do. She even has a special candy drawer just for them. She always has a fun puzzle going at the table and little dancing frogs for the kids to dance with. Pa Pa puts food for the squirrels out on their back deck so there are often animals to watch out the sliding glass door.

GG, thank you for always loving and caring for us. We hope you have a wonderful birthday. The following pictures are some random pictures of the grand kids being silly. Hopefully, they will make you giggle.

Brett at Chucky Cheese

Gavyn with his tough surfer face.

Makayla

Tyler

Hannah

Eliza

Abby and Zack (Johnny too)

Haley

Emily

Dancing Dreams

Hannah has been waiting and waiting to be three so that she could go to dance like "Hiyah". (She can say Eliza clear as day but still calls her Hiyah instead.)

She constantly does that move and says, "Debbie Plee-A" She clearly already knows more about dance than me.

Emily, Eliza, and Makayla on their first day.

First day of Preschool

Eliza had been waiting for this day for a long time. She had a very hard time going to sleep the night before because she was so excited. I almost did not even get a hug as she walked into her classroom holding her head up high. I was excited for her because of all of the fun things she is going to get to do but sad to see how fast the past four years have gone. She ran across the room towards me crying when I came to pick her up. When I calmed her down, she explain that she was sad because I had picked her up early and she was still learning. I took a mental note never to be 10 minutes early again. She has stayed on green for the first couple of weeks which is great.

This is her right when she woke up in the morning with her backpack.


This is Hannah with her new lunch box. I pack her a lunch every morning, too. I did it at first so that she would not feel left out because even Daddy gets a lunch. It has turned out to be quit handy because she has a meal where ever we go. We often go for a walk along Lake Minneola if any of the other local mommies want to join me. Shhh...just don't tell Eliza. She thinks we just do chores the whole time she is at school.

Russ Family Reunion

Brady and Eliza

Haley

This was when I realized that Hannah had grown out of her favorite strawberry swim suit. She didn't think it was too small. She was heart broken when we somehow lost it that night and she couldn't wear it the rest of the week. ;)

Bryton holding somebody's pet bird. A man had brought his bird from home and it just sat on his shoulder the whole day...maybe he was a pirate...now that I think about it.

Eliza balancing the pirate's bird on her head.

Makayla is a natural with all animals. Eliza and Hannah constantly follow her around to see what creature she will find and pick-up next.

Emily is showing us some "sand crabs". They must have caught thousands of them throughout the week. They are not really sand crabs...that is just what the kids called them. They are more like the mix between a roach and a crab and live just below the sand right where the waves crash.

Uncle Brandon letting all of the kids bury him. Brandon did a good job entertaining all of the kids at the beach. I am sure that he is excited that Uncle Blake will be back from his mission by next summer to help.

Back Row: Shawn, Robert, Tiffany, Amy, Melanie. Front row: Brandon, Dad, Mom, Johnny. Seven of my parents 10 kids made it for their 40 year wedding anniversary party. Blake was on his mission. Bryan and Paul had to work. Our theme was. "40 years and the party continues..."

Hannah and Daddy

Pouty faces make such cute pictures

Eliza wrote her name in the sand. She was so proud and we were too. :)

Sadly, I didn't get a picture of all the kids together. Come to think of it, I don't think they were ever all the the beach at the same time. That is probably a good thing since there were 18 of them.