Have You Ever?

Have you ever felt overlooked? Like your opinion & what you do doesn't matter? Have you ever felt so alone, like no one else knew you existed? Have you ever felt like you've given all you can give & just don't have anymore to give? Have you ever felt like YOU were the one who deserved it, but it's always someone else that got it? Have you ever tried to be a good friend but didn't receive the same in return? Have you ever felt your Heavenly Father's love surround you so completely that all those other feelings got lost? My Heavenly Father loves me & is aware of me & my needs. He knows the blessings I need & the trials to make me grow stronger. My Heavenly Father does not overlook me & I matter to Him, he never leaves me alone & gives me strength when I feel all is lost.

I had the opportunity to listen to Sheri Dew speak at a Women's Conference. She spoke of influence. Each day we are influencing at least 100 people, how are we influencing them? Are we being charitable? Are we living the way Heavenly Father wants us to live so that those we are influencing come out better people? As I went through the line at the grocery store the cashier smiled & complimented my enormous belly. She influenced me & made me feel better for having seen her. How am I leaving those that I see? Although I may feel sadness or anger from something that happened, I need to make sure that I'm leaving others better than how I found them.

What are we letting influence our lives? Is the TV on too much, are we letting the world influence who we become instead of the Lord? I know in my house the TV could be on less & we would be a closer family. How grateful I am for my family & the wonderful influence they are for me & for my kids. Every woman has the right to feel validated, loved & accepted. May we all strive harder to validate & love instead of tear down others.

Getting through it

A lot of people have asked me how I do it: being pregnant & taking care of 3 kids. We've been taking it one day at a time & surviving most days. Our days consist of Makelle boxing...
Ethan going camera happy on Lexi...

...and on himself...

Makelle hiding in the cupboards... this is her favorite spot & she literally does this all the time, I don't know what it is, but she loves to be in there...

and bathtime... the kids' favorite time of day!

I've been trying to enjoy every moment I have with these kids, things just aren't going to be the same after Kyler joins our family. I don't know how I'm going to get through it... I'll probably never leave the house. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. I love my life & the challenges it brings. I'm learning to love the challenges because I'm learning to better myself & the way I handle them.

Ethan is loving pre-school. He's doing so well & even starting to read. He's looking forward to Kindergarten.

Lexi loves to look pretty & so we spend a lot of our days putting on make up & doing nail polish. She's initiated learning her letters & writing her name. She's so proud of herself & know she's smart... "like Ethan"

Makelle is so happy & has a fake laugh that just cracks me up every time. She repeats everything we say & loves it when the kids involve her in their playtime.

I'm looking forward to having this baby... I bet no one out there understands that... you all love being pregnant. I'm experiencing more aches & pains than ever, but somehow manage... how did I get so lucky to have the best husband ever? He's an amazing support & I don't think I would make it if it wasn't for him & the joy he brings to our family.

Capturing Moments

I love moments like these, I tried so hard to burn it into my memory. No kids were crying, no kids were fighting. Ethan was at Grandma's playing. Lexi wanted to play with make up & Makelle wanted to join in. We painted fingernails, put make up & jewelry on & had a girly day. The girls put jewelry & make up on me & we just enjoyed being girls. Makelle was so cooperative, she felt so big & loved having jewelry & make up put on.
Lexi got make up & lots of jewelry for Christmas & has loved using it! The picture below on the top right corner is when she did it herself. She put lipstick all over her cheeks & hair & when we tried to scrub it off it wouldn't come off. It died her cheeks, but she sure had fun. She also got some dress ups that she rarely takes off.. she loves feeling pretty.

Santa always comes to my mother-in-laws Christmas party on the 22nd. Lexi & Ethan patiently waited their turn to sit on his lap (there's 23 grandkids & they were one of the last to get their turn). Ethan was so excited when Santa walked in, he screamed "Santa's here!" I asked Lexi if she was gonna tell Santa what she wanted for Christmas & she said, "No, I already did." Santa had come to our ward party. She was right, why did she have to tell him again? Makelle did not like him! But at least we got the picture. The kids enjoyed opening their presents on Christmas morning. It was fun to watch their faces light up. We had a wonderful Christmas & enjoyed celebrating the birth of our Savior.

Winter Fun

My kids are so lucky to have such a great dad! I don't enjoy the snow, I hate being cold. Luckily the kids have a dad that will play with them in the snow & show them how to make snow angels & snowmen.
Here they are making the first snowman of the season. Lexi didn't last too long, I think she's like me & doesn't enjoy being cold either.

TaDa!

My sister gave me such a cute idea I had to share it. You get sugar cones & paint them with green frosting & decorate them as a tree. The kids had so much fun doing this for family night last night... Jeff liked it too. The kids probably had more fun licking their fingers & knives filled with frosting.

Lexi ended up decorating two, she just had too much fun.

I am terrible at sending out Christmas cards. I have good intentions every year... most years I even get them addressed, but never sent, I don't know what my problem is. So consider this your Christmas greeting from the Ellingson family

Merry Christmas!

I just can't believe it!

I have had the flu 3 times this pregnancy. I had no morning sickness, but thrown up more this pregnancy than I have since being pregnant with Lexi. Makelle started throwing up on Thursday night. We thought it was too much oil in her tummy from dinner, there was no fever or any other symptoms. And she was fine the next day. Saturday night on the way home from my parents Ethan started throwing up.... why do my kids ALWAYS throw up in the car? Luckily I had a garbage bag & we caught it all. We also ended up on the side of the road with him puking some more. Saturday night I started feeling nausious & was out all day Sunday. So far everyone is feeling better... we're hoping no one else gets it & those who have had it are all over it! I want to enjoy the holiday parties & not worry about whether we should even go, so as not to get anyone sick. I know that was kind of a gross post, but I'm so sick of being sick!!

Loving the holidays

Thanksgiving has come & gone. We had a wonderful time with Jeff's family & then we went over to my family's for pie, well... more pie. It's been over a year since ALL of Jeff's family has gotten together, we were actually only missing one person, nothing like the holiday's to bring a family together. The day after Thanksgiving I decided it was time to use the treadmill that just sits in my room. It didn't take long for the kids to come in & want a turn too. Lexi is patiently waiting for another turn
I'm hoping to instill in my kids the importance of exercising & eating right now. They seem to enjoy exercising... it was Makelle's first time on the treadmill, I think she liked it.

Jeff decided to put the tree up. If he would've asked me I would've wanted to wait until the middle of December... I hate keeping Makelle away from the tree. She's drawn to it & loves to take the ornaments off, I think she loves to drive me crazy. I'm looking forward to all the Christmas parties we have going on. My most favorite tradition is boys against girls on Christmas Eve. We go with my family to shop for a family in need. We see who can get the most stuff without going over our limit. Then we doorbell ditch & leave their stuff on the doorstep. We get food & some gifts... I love teaching my kids that there are people out there that don't have as much as we do. When I asked Ethan why we celebrate Christmas he told me it's because when we want a toy Santa can bring it to us... we had a family night lesson on the real reason & now we have brain washed him to say exactly what we told him. One day he'll find out for himself, but for now me & Jeff try to teach our kids through our testimonies.

So Much to be Grateful for!

Our days have been filled with Ethan's soccer games. He loves playing & looks forward to his games. He had his last game on Saturday & scored 17 goals. I was so proud!! I hope the other parents enjoyed coming to watch my little boy dominate. He actually had an ok team this time... 3 other boys on his team scored too & helped a lot with defense. All his other teams, he's been the only one who knows how to play, so he does all the work.
I know this picture is blurry, but I thought it was cute anyway. He's giving his coach knuckles after one of his goals. He had 10 goals the 1st half & the 2nd half the coach tried to get him to pass the ball to his team. He got the game rolling & his teammates got into the game. We will definately keep him in soccer as long as he enjoys it.

Ethan and Lexi taught Makelle ring-around-the-rosies. She absolutely loved it!

She always got a little too excited & fell down before it was time. But she got the jist of the game.

I am so grateful for my kids! I love how good they play together. I love everything that they teach each other. I loved that when they were sick they wanted to cuddle me & stay by me; I'm grateful that now that they're better I have space & don't have 3 tag-a-longs. I'm so grateful for the conference edition of the Ensign. I love the reminders I get as I read it of ALL the things I need to do to be a better mom & a better wife. And I'm so grateful for my family & friends, for their love & service. It makes me want to do better at finding ways to serve others.