A little glimpse of sunshine from my world today....

Sweet smiles from my baby girl!
Precious kisses from big sis!

Olivia loving the chance to hold her baby sister!

Olivia's pink toenails....all ready for sandal wearing weather!

"Cinderella" dancing with her daddy after being inspired by the dancers on Dancing with the Stars!=)

Dear friends.....

Some of our dearest friends, Wayne and Mary, came over for dinner last weekend! We ate pizza in the midst of good conversation, good company, watching basketball, entertaining Olivia, and nursing babies. Wow, how our dinner dates are different these days!!!=) Gone are the days of staying up until the early hours(literally) playing card games and having great conversations with some of our favorite people....oh, but those memories will be forever cherished! Now, we have new memories to make with extra little blessings involved!!

Mary had her sweet baby boy, Webb, about a week after I had Ella Grace. We had so much fun taking their pictures and comparing notes on how they were doing so far in this great big world! It's so great to have someone with a baby so close in age to be able to call and ask questions, compare schedules, etc with. Even though this is my second child I have totally forgotten almost everything from Olivia's first year of life and what I haven't forgotten has been totally different for Ella Grace than with Olivia. I'm so excited for Ella Grace and Webb to grow up together! I'm pretty sure Webb is the only boy Rush would approve of being in Ella Grace's life at this point!ha Enjoy the pics below of these two precious babies!

A Visit to the Easter Bunny...

Last week I took Olivia and Ella Grace to see the Easter Bunny and have their picture made. I just knew it would most likely be a disaster being that Olivia has hated these dreadful visits to the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus all of her little life! HOWEVER, much to my surprise, she was such a big girl! Another reason why Ella Grace has blessed our lives so much these last 8 weeks!!=) She has sure helped her big sister grow up and overcome her fears in more ways than I can count! It was as though Olivia knew she needed to act big and in control since Ella Grace would be watching and taking part in this too. All of that to say...we got some pretty cute pics with the Easter Bunny this year!!

Spring Break....

Sweet friends!!!

Dora!!!! Olivia looooves Dora, but didn't want to get too close!

Eating a picnic lunch at Caroline's house!

Enjoying some St.Patty's Day treats!

Sweet Ella Grace along for the ride....she was such a trooper!

Olivia's MDO program had spring break a couple of weeks ago. I think we managed to get out and do something entertaining every single day! I was either really brave or just crazy!(ha...maybe a little of both!) It's not easy being cooped up inside with a toddler and an infant all day so it really was easier to get out in the mornings for at least a little bit to ensure a long afternoon nap for both girls! We went to the McWane Center and saw Dora, the library, park, and a St.Patty's Day party at our friend Caroline's. It was a fun week....I think I'll be able to survive the summer.=)

Whatever works....

It amazes me how two babies from the same parents can be so different! I remember packing away my books about newborns during this last pregnancy thinking I had it all figured out and wouldn't need anything to refer to for guidance. Ha! Was I wrong or what??!!! Ella Grace has proved to be a very different baby than Olivia and it didn't take long for me to begin the frantic search for those "What to Expect the First Year" and "Baby Wise" books! One of the ways Ella Grace is very different from Olivia is in her sleeping habits. She is a much lighter sleeper and tends to take cat naps instead of the looooong naps Olivia took. I'm sure there are many reasons for this...number 1 being that there is a toddler running around our house at all times who hasn't quite learned the difference between an inside voice and an outside voice. There is no doubt Ella Grace will adapt at some point to the chaos, but for now she sleeps in between all our running to and fro and the echos of Olivia's sweet voice all over our house.

Ella Grace has also proved to be pretty picky about where she lays her head to rest at night. She loooves to be held but clearly that is not an option for loooots of reasons!! So, after trying maaaaany different things for Ella Grace to sleep in at night (since it would just be to easy for her to sleep in the cradle) we have found the carseat works the best....and this being my second child....guess what??!!!....she is sleeping in the carseat! I know I"m starting a bad habit that will soon have to be broken but for now I need sleep and so does she! So, the carseat it is!!

Sisters...

So, Olivia loooves holding Ella Grace these days and most often then not when she is holding her she is begging us to take her picture! Can you tell she is a proud big sister??? We have tons of pictures from our many photo sessions of Olivia loving on her new baby sister! Melts my heart!

My cup runneth over....

Okay....so we are back! I hope!=) I'm attempting to begin keeping up the blog again. I logged into my account tonight and laughed because if you knew how many attempts I've made to pick this back up you would think I was crazy. I have several saved blog entries that I started writing and abruptly stopped in the middle of. I think I just get overwhelmed when I think about summarizing all that has happened in our life over the past year. Sooo, I'm giving up on trying to do that and will begin with the latest, most life changing event in our life....our newest little blessing...ELLA GRACE!=)

Just when I thought my heart was overflowing with love to the point that it could not hold another ounce, the Good Lord proved me wrong! God so richly blessed us with another little miracle, Ella Grace, on Feb. 3! How humbling it is that He would entrust us with another one of His children! What a joy she already is to us! It has been so fun to watch her sweet personality unfold over the past 7 weeks! The best part thus far has been watching Olivia step right into her big sister role! She absolutely adores "Elwa Gwace"! It amazes me that God has so purposefully instilled in little girls the desire to nurture like a mother. Olivia is the best little mother to Ella Grace getting diapers, wipes, putting her paci in every time she cries, and best of all talking to her in that silly baby voice we all seem to break out when around a baby. Olivia looooves Ella Grace....and Ella Grace looooves Olivia. Ella Grace knows when Olivia walks in the room. She instantly begins looking for her in the direction of her voice. Olivia has even gotten a few smiles from her baby sister already. It thrills my heart that they have each other as sisters. It is something I never got to experience and to this day I feel like I missed out on something pretty special!! I'm looking forward to watching them grow up together!

Needless to say, there has been quite a bit of a lifestyle change around the Letson household recently and despite the exhaustion and everything else that comes with having a newborn and a toddler I can honestly say there is no better way to express the last 7 weeks of my life other than by telling you....my cup runneth over. I promise to do my best to keep you updated on this journey the best I can! For now, enjoy some pics of Ella Grace's arrival!