Throwback... Um, Sunday!

You know what's fun? Finding an old memory card with a bunch of photos you forgot you even had. These were taken in 2011 at a summer barbecue. For reference, when these were taken I had just finished my freshman year of college, and Emmie was just a baby. 

Sooo many things have changed in the last three years.

Ray and Kathy are history. Well, I should say Ray is history; Kathy's still my mom's sister, so she's not really going anywhere. Their divorce was not surprising. Bethany (Kathy's daughter/my cousin) was thrilled. For some reason, she always hated Ray.

Speaking of Bethany--

Even though she's 11, here, wow... she looks SO YOUNG to me! You should see her now, at 14-going-on-15. You wouldn't even recognize her. o_o

Awww... Levi! (Gus's nephew.) He's four, now, and just a bundle of energy. Can you believe Gray and Jaemie STILL live with Gus's dad? They're trying to have more kids, too. I adore Levi, but smh.

Haha, omg, look at my dad! I forgot that he tried to grow a beard that year. FAIL.

Kacey! Kacey and I are still friends, but we don't hang out as much as we did back then. I went to college right after high school, but it took a while for her to decide what she wanted to do. Now she's trying to become a travel agent. She wants to travel to all kinds of exotic places. I want to stow away in her suitcase.

One thing that's changed since 2011 is that Caitlin and Oliver have their own bedrooms, now. When I was a junior in college, Gus and I, and several of our college friends, decided to rent a house together. My parents were really angry with me about that. They thought I should live in the dorms, or at least get a small apartment with another female. But I did what I wanted and it worked out great! And I graduated college with a 3.67 GPA, thank you very much.

But when I made that decision, my parents decided to eliminate my bedroom... or, at least, my bedroom as I knew it. They hired contractors to put a wall down the center and add a second door, and now Emmy has one of the smaller rooms and Caitlin has the other. Upstairs, the twins' old room got divided, too, and Oliver sleeps in one of the rooms and the other is now a playroom. 

Suffice it to say, I was really upset when my parents did that. Especially since it meant that when I came home for visits, I had to sleep on the couch. :(

Caitlin and Oliver are in second grade now. Oliver is quiet, serious, sensitive, curious, and tries to please everybody. Caitlin is talkative, impatient, whiny, a little bit lazy, and is always trying to boss other people around. They're both very smart and love to read and draw.

D'aw, Mickey! Mickey is doing great, despite being a Senior dog. When we rented the house near campus, Mickey got to come live with us! Gus and I are debating whether Mickey should get a little brother or sister pup. I want a Poodle or an Old English Sheepdog; Gus wants a Chihuahua or a Collie.

And what about Gus and me? How have we changed? Well, I think I'll save that for my next post.... :)

XOXO,

Ella

Halloween 2013!

Halloween, 2013! (Hey, it rhymes!)

This year I was a witch...



And Gus was a...

well, uh...



He claimed he was going for "Used Car Salesman Circa 1937," but I still contend he ended up looking like Tony Stark's dad.

Oh well, he was still adorable.



So were my siblings, apparently. My dad sent me these pics this morning....

^Emmie, Oliver & Caitlin in their costumes 

Panda + Kittycat = Love

Oliver, trying to look tough. Arrrr!

 Dad says that before the kids left to go trick-or-treating, he came across Oliver trying to teach Emmy to say "trick-or-treat!" in the sweetest, cutest-possible voice, so that people might give her -- and, because it would be rude not to, all three kids -- extra candy.

 Not sure if it worked, but if it didn't, the people giving out candy were clearly cold-hearted souls.

Dad says they made it down three streets before Emmy had a meltdown, but the kids were satisfied with their loot.

I hope everyone had a happy Halloween!

Love & Jelly Beans,
Ella

Here Comes The Sun, Dun-na-na-na...

Well, it's finally happened. After a pretty mild summer, the sun has officially come out and has started to relentlessly shine itself down, in preparation of killing us all. 104 degrees yesterday! 75% humidity! Everyone around here is cranky. We're all stuck indoors because nobody wants to venture outside, not even to the van to go somewhere. It's like 30 feet to the van but in the time it would take to get there, a person could melt into a puddle of goo. Not worth it.

Every day Gus comes over with Mickey because his place doesn't have AC, just a couple of old fans. Today he brought his nephew, Levi, over to play with Emmie. We like to joke that someday the two of them are going to wind up together. Levi Preston and Emmeline Bradley, a match made in heaven. Of course, not for another decade or two. But someday. Right now the only thing they have in common is that they both like to unroll the toilet paper and make a huge mess the second you look the other way. And splash around in the cat's water dish. And smear applesauce on the dog.

But it's all good. We're surviving. And school starts in a couple of weeks. Gus and I are going to a rent a house this year with three of our friends from school. My parents flipped out when we told them, but I think they've finally accepted it. Because it's happening.

I hope it will be awesome.

Camping!

We got to go camping last weekend! Like, actual camping at a campground! Mom, Dad, Caitlin, Oliver, Emmie, Gus, Mickey, and me.

My mom was in charge of the BBQ and did a most excellent job.

Mickey loved being out in the woods. There are sticks everywhere!!

 

Gus searches for a really annoying-sounding bird we kept hearing. I don't think he ever found it.

Dad & Caitlin go for a spin.

Gus teaches Emmie to dance!

I think Gus is Emmie's new Favorite Person.

Caitlin and Oliver being silly

"Hey, who's in my bed?"

"Oh well, there's room for two."

D'awww

Gus & me:)

 Did I mention Mickey LOVED camping?

At night, Caitlin & Oliver got their first taste of roasted marshmallows

Yum!

Emmie was more interested in the fireflies. And the crickets. And the zipper on the tent. Annnd pretty much anything and everything.

Fireside conversations

 Gus knows how to make perfect marshmallows, golden brown with perfectly-melted insides.

Mine just burn.

Telling ghost stories

 Annnd time for bed!

Now it's back to the real world. :(

Families & Fireworks

July 4th (Independence Day to us crazy Americans) was okay this year. Gus and Mickey came over, and so did Aunt Kathy, Ray, and Bethany. We had barbecue and set off fireworks.

However, in the midst of all the sparkler action, Aunt Kathy and Ray got into an EPIC fight. I'm pretty sure it started over a bag of potato chips. Before long, they were screaming at each other and using some pretty nasty language! Mickey started howling and Emmy started crying and my dad finally had to go tell them to take it somewhere else. As in, leave. 

So they did. Ray drove off in their car and Aunt Kathy went inside and locked herself in the bathroom. Which I guess technically isn't leaving, but at least the fighting was over. Later, Aunt Kathy told my parents she was going to go check herself in to a spa for a few days. Then she left, too.

 Bethany stayed the night with us. We had a slumber party in my room -- her, me, and Caitlin -- and after Caitlin fell asleep Bethany told me not to worry about what happened, because Ray and Kathy fight all the time. I feel so bad for Bethany. I think I'll ask my parents if she can stay with us more often this summer. She really has grown up into a cool person. I remember when she was a little kid and she came to stay with us and she was SO ANNOYING. 

Well, she still can be, sometimes, but she's way better than she used to be.

Anyway, that was our holiday, and I'll keep you all posted on the continuing saga of terror that IS Kathy and Ray. (As if anybody cares!)