Leap Year 2008...one not to remember for some of us!

Wow...good thing Leap Year only roles around every 4 years for the Ellis Family! Life here is actually going much better but my poor brother and sister-in-law have had better days! Precious little Sawyer and Cameron both had rough days today, each including a visit to Central Baptist Hospital due to different illnesses. Luckily, Cameron is snug in bed now with Jennifer at Janet and John's after enduring another seizure due to fever! From what it sounds like this is going to be something she grows out of over time! She is such a little trooper and only tough little Cameron is strong enough to get through this! And Sawyer...in her own words tonight..."is feeling GREAT" after spending most of the day in the hospital! She is being treated for a bacterial infection related to strep throat and a cat scratch from what they can tell. Her grandmother Judy knew just the fix...a vase of pink carnations and baby's breath, which she hasn't put down since she received it! We wish her all the best in the world this weekend while she stays in the hospital and receives treatment!!! Kate is thinking of you both Sawyer and Cameron!!!!!!!!!

Things here are improving. We had a little set-back since my post on Wednesday. Kate had a rough night on Wednesday night and we ended up staying home again on Thursday. She was more playful but very irritable, likely due to the fever resurfacing. Thankfully Ryan's work was flexible and we each worked a 1/2 day on Thursday, minimizing the amount of time we had to take off! After a good night sleep for us all last night, we woke up a new family this morning and are all back to normal! Hopefully after a restful few days this weekend, we will all be back stronger than ever by next week. I guess one thing I have learned today is that one can never underestimated the toughness of our little ones! Kate, Sawyer, and Cameron all endured illness this week but once again...came out on top! If we could all only be that strong all the time!

I hope to post again this weekend to show off a few pictures I took of Kate with the 1st bow in her hair! So far, she is definitely not a bow girl! Take care and have a wonderful weekend!

Much love,
Whitney

On the up and up!

Things are definitely looking up here at the Mardis household! Kate and I stayed home from school/work yesterday (Tues) and were both feeling much better today. I was feeling well enough to venture back to work today and am still feeling good...just a little worn down after a long day, which is to be expected. Ryan stayed home with Kate today and she was very playful and temperature free for the day. We are anticipating taking her back to school tomorrow but I will likely pick her up after her nap to come home and recover a little more to ensure the illness is actually nipped in the bud. If all goes well, we will probably do the same thing on Friday! Hopefully after a restful weekend this upcoming weekend, we will all be back 100% by next Monday! You don't realize how much work you have to do until you are too sick to do it!

Ryan is still feeling well so far! Let's hope we decontaminated the house well enough!

I am sure the flu has caught several of you out there...it is a rough bug this year! Hang in there and take your Tylenol as directed :)

The girls have been struck by the flu bug!!!

Usually blogging is fun but tonight...not so much! Kate and I have both been struck by the flu bug! I started feeling a little rough on Thursday night but wrote it off to fighting off a little cold from all my recent traveling. After running a fever most of Friday and Saturday, I started to feel better on Sunday and even ventured out for lunch with my girlfriends but was whipped by that afternoon. I felt slightly better this morning and was able to work most of the day but Kate's daycare called after her nap and she was ill with a fever of 102.5! Poor little girl was so pitiful! I was able to get her into her pediatrician this afternoon and she tested positive for the flu, which pinpointed my illness to the flu as well per her pediatrician! For a little girl who has never fallen asleep in one of our laps...she slept through most of her appointment in my lap and has not really moved since except to eat a little dinner. She has been fast asleep now for over an hour and I guess she and I will be recuperating over the next several days and trying to do whatever possible to prevent Ryan from catching this nasty bug! I will keep you updated on how we are all doing!!!

Mommy & Daddy's little helper

Kate's new found love...helping Mommy and Daddy in the kitchen! We found over the past few weeks that Kate loves nothing more than pulling a chair up to the counter and helping out with dinner and the dishes. She seems to snack/play a little more than help but I guess that is to be expected at this age :) Don't you just love the sweet little apron she is wearing?! Thanks to her sweet Aunt Jessica...she gets to wear an apron like her Mommy when she plays...I mean cooks! I am sure it is going to get a lot of use in the future! Hopefully this early interest in cooking will carry over into her adult life and she and I will always be able to cook together!

As for other milestones, Kate seems to change everyday. She is putting 2-3 words together now and really starting to speak clearly. Some of her favorite sayings are: "Daddy's home", "more milk please", "Mommy's shoes" or "Daddy's shoes", "dogs are outside" and best of all..."I love you"!!! I thought her first smile was the best but I have to admit...the first time she said "I love you" this week...my heart melted all over again! And thanks to her Nana, she is sitting on her new potty each time Ryan and I use the restroom. We know this is still months away, but it is interesting to see that she is already familiar with her potty!

The weather here was interesting yet again this week and included one day of 60 degree weather, followed by a bad ice storm 3 days later. I guess this is to be expected for KY in February! I am not sure if anyone saw the lunar eclipse this week but I have attached a picture from the early stage of the eclipse. It was pretty amazing!

I hope everyone has a great week and keep in touch!

Love, Whitney
http://picasaweb.google.com/whitneymardis/HelpingMommyDaddyInTheKitchen

Winter Wonderland

Hello everyone! I hope this posting finds you all doing well. Ryan and I just got back after a few days in Ellsworth, MI with some of our dear friends, the Moyer's and the Wiggins's! It was a week filled with great fun, including time spent snowmobiling, skiing at Boyne Mountain, and eating and drinking at a few hole-in-the-wall pubs in neighboring towns. The week started off pretty rough for me due to an obligation I had to be in Chicago on Tuesday for work. We thought it was going to work out just perfectly for me to drive from Chicago to Ellsworth on Tuesday but a snowstorm quickly brought those plans to an abrupt halt. After taking me 8 hours to get to Chicago on Monday night, leaving behind 5 inches of snow in Louisville, Chicago got hit again Tuesday with snow and ice, resulting in another 8 hour drive to only end up about 3 hours from Chicago in St. Josephs, MI. Lucikly I was able to find a hotel to rest for the night and then took on the rough roads again early Wednesday morning. I finally made it to Ellsworth around 2:30 on Wednesday afternoon! I don't think I have ever been so relieved to be off the roads. In the attached link of pictures, the first few shots are of the roads and of me in a complete state of delirium after 16 hours of driving in 2 days...and only being 1/2 way to Ellsworth! There is also a picture of Ryan and myself at the boyne Mountain Lodge (with the big clock behind us), which is where we skiied on Thursday. There are also some pictures of all of us at Bay Harbor, which is known for its beautiful homes on the harbor, which you can see in the background. Lastly, there are several pictures of our friends house, quaintly named Big Fish Lodge! The scenery was breathtaking! I spent most of the week in complete amazement on just how much snow could fall in one week! Needless to say, it was a wonderful get away and we look forward to visiting Big Fish Lodge again soon! For now, we are anxiously waiting for Kate to wake up so we can snuggle with her all day on Sunday!

I hope you enjoy the pictures from our vacation and from a quick visit with my mom and Bob last weekend!!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/whitneymardis/SkiTripFeb2008
http://picasaweb.google.com/whitneymardis/QuickVisitWithSueSue

P.S. - THANK YOU a million times over Nana for allowing Ryan and I to get away for a few days! I know Kate really enjoyed all the special attention she received from you! Ryan and I truly appreciate all that you do for us!!!

Getting ready to freeze!!!

No pictures this week! Of course we took some...I just don't have the time to load them and post them to the blog. I promise there will be tons by the end of this week. This weekend has been quite busy trying to get ready to be gone for a week. Ryan left Friday night to head up to Michigan for the week and I will be up there Tuesday night, after a whirlwind trip to Chicago first for work! From what I hear...it has warmed up to 1 degree there (wind chill -20)and they just got 6 more inches of snow! I can't wait to enjoy some time away with Ryan and some of our dear friends...John and Ginni, Jonathan and Alyson, and Kevin! Snowmobiling here we come!!!

Kate is doing great. We enjoyed a wonderful weekend of just the 2 of us! She was a trooper as we cleaned the house getting ready for Nana to visit and running the thousands of earrands that seem to appear right before you take a trip out of town. We took a trip to my mom's on Saturday night and enjoyed a delicious meal and then church when them on Sunday morning. Unfortunately, Kate did not adapt well to the nursery at church so I actually spent most of the service in the playroom. Hopefully by Easter she will adapt a little better!!!

Take care and I will keep you posted with pictures from our trip! I hope everyone is able to stay warm wherever you are!

Much love, Whitney

Congrats Giants!!

Wow...what a Super Bowl Win for the Giants!!! I hope this Super Bowl Sunday finds everyone doing well. We had a fun filled weekend of running errands, playing outside in the nice weather (after surviving a few tornados earlier this week), and visiting some family in Lexington. Kate got a new ball on Saturday during a visit to Dick's and hasn't stopped saying "ball" since! Watching her chase after it trying to kick it is one of the funniest things I have ever seen! Ryan and Jonathan had a blast getting ready for our annual ski trip on Saturday night by taking a quick trip to Paoli, IN for some night skiing! Luckily for him, Kate and I made a trip to Lexington on Sunday and allowed Daddy to catch up on a little sleep. During our visit, we had a wonderful time with Aunt Granny and Uncle Pal, which included a delicious lunch at Alfalfa's and big time fun scooting around the block on a Radio Flyer tricycle! We also were able to visit my mom, Bob, Judd, Jen, Sawyer, Cameron, Blair, Brian, Kara, Joe and Tripp for a family birthday celebration at Kara and Joe's house! It was a perfect way to watch the beginning of the Super Bowl before we made the trip home to catch the second half of the game! Thank you Kara for hosting us all!! Ryan and I are looking forward to our last week at work before we take off for a few days for our annual ski trip! I hope everyone has a good week!

Below are some pictures from this weekend and a great picture of Brooks!!!
http://picasaweb.google.com/whitneymardis/MiscFun22008