lazy days

i'm just doing a lousy job of updating my blog lately!! i hosted bunco in november, so we had our own little version of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition right here in the whitlock house, which left zero free time to get on the computer. other than that, we really haven't been doing anything that is blog-worthy....or if we have, i haven't been good about taking pictures. max has been sick for the past couple of weeks now, so we've stayed pretty close to home. i thought that i would at least post a couple of my favorite pics that i've snapped of ella and max around the house recently.


max was pooped out after a long day of playing hard


don't all big sisters pretend to paint their little brothers toenails?


ella will do anything for a laugh...including wearing panties on her head and chasing her brother around the house! what can i say...we're easily amused!


max has discovered his stinky face


little snuggle bugs...they had just woken up and climbed up into the recliner together to watch sesame street. precious!!

happy autumn!

It's hard to believe that October has already come and gone! We had a blast ushering in fall with carnivals and costumes. Here are some pics of our autumn fun!

Happy Birthday Husband!

My sweet husband celebrated his 32nd birthday on October 28th! My mom brought over a yummy dinner full of Jason's favorites...grilled steak, mac and cheese, baked potatoes, green beans, mushrooms, bread and chocolate chip cookies! The following night, Jason's parents took us out to Pei Wei (another favorite). Then, last night we had one last birthday get-together at my mom's house where we proceeded to eat more food!! I think we've all gained weight just celebrating his birthday!

Jason is an amazing daddy and a wonderful husband! We love him so much!!! Happy Birthday Husband!!

happy birthday LaLa!!

Today is my sweet friend Laura's 29th birthday! Laura is that friend that just really "gets" me. She's the friend that I can call when I need to laugh or cry or vent and she will listen and laugh or cry with me. I am so thankful that we get to do life together! Ella and Max love LaLa so much too! We have so much fun spending time with her and Jack and Sam...and Bob too, of course! Happy 29th Laura!! We love you!!

dancin' fool

max has recently become very interested in the art of dancing. when i try to explain his dance moves to people, there just aren't adequate words to describe them. it's like he tries to move the different parts of his body in every direction at the same time...it is HILARIOUS....and slightly dangerous for onlookers!! we definitely have to keep our distance when inspiration hits or else he's likely to knock us out! last night, i was finally able to catch him in action. check this out...and if it leaves you hungry for more funky moves, jump on over to laura's blog and check out the little number that jack put together!

Science Museum Oklahoma

Last Saturday, we went to the Science Museum Oklahoma...what used to be known as the Omniplex. Jason had to work, so thankfully my brother Aaron went with us!!! He was a HUGE help and Ella had so much fun dragging him around everywhere! Ella and Max had a blast playing in the kids area. As you can see in the pics, Ella's favorite part was painting her face!

two little monkeys

Wow! I'm not doing so good with the consistency on my blogging right now. The truth is, now that school has started, we just aren't doing anything all that exciting! We're a pretty boring bunch right now!! Here are a couple of pics that I took of the kids playing on the swingset the other night.


Max has started crawling up the slide and then turning around when he gets to the top and saying "wheeeeeee" while he slides down.


I am a nervous wreck each time he does it because he's still so wobbly!


Since Ella has mastered her back flip from the bar, she now likes to hang upside down until her fingertips almost slip off and then she completes the flip. I don't know where these two little monkeys came from! They must get it from their daddy! :)

pLaYiNg CaTcH-uP!

Here are some random pics that I have taken since my last post. All is well in the Whitlock house...we are just getting into the swing of things now that summer is winding down. We are definitely ready for the cool fall weather!

little look-alikes

Max turned 13 months old this week. I was looking back at pics of Ella when she was 13 months old to see if the two of them look alike at this age and I was surprised at how much they do!! People tell me all the time that they look alike, but I think I notice it less because I'm with them every day and I know their personalities are so different. Take a look for yourself and see what you think....

friday fun day!

here's what we did today to kick off the weekend...

happy 1st birthday baby JACE!!!!

Today, August 14, 2008, my sweet nephew Jace celebrated his 1st birthday up in Heaven with Jesus. We wish so much that he was here so we could celebrate with him, but we know that no one throws a better party than Jesus! Happy Birthday Jace Richard! We love and miss you so much!!

FirsT DaY of SchooL

Today was Ella's first day of school...Mother's Day Out to be exact. She has been asking me every day for the past week if it was time to go to school yet, so needless to say, she was excited! When we got there this morning, she just ran into her classroom and started playing...like it was something that she does every day! She didn't even want to say "bye" to me! I'm so glad that she reacted that way, but I was a little sad about it too! I just can't believe how grown up she is after only 3 years. I'm so proud of how independent she is becoming, but it's bittersweet because I still want her to need me to be there every step of the way. Today was just a reminder of how I need to cherish every moment, because it all just goes so fast.


Max missed his sissy today! He was walking around the house before nap time saying "De De" (translates to Sissy). He was really excited to see her this afternoon! I am really looking forward to spending some one-on-one time with him on Thursdays...even if he does just whine for his sissy the whole time!

our little gymnast

Jason and the kids were outside playing on the swingset this evening and Ella showed him her new trick. You'll have to turn your head sideways because I'm not smart enough to figure out how to rotate the video...and excuse the video quality, Jason shot it on his cell phone. She is just freakishly strong and coordinated for a 3 year old...at least we think so!

more birthday fun!

I'm a little behind on posting this because we have all been a little under the weather this week. I think we are all just about over it now though...thank goodness!!! Last Saturday, we celebrated Max's first birthday with our friends. It was so nice to have everyone over! Ella and Max had so much fun playing with their friends. After dinner, presents and cake, the dads and big kids went outside and played in the backyard, while the moms and little ones stayed inside and enjoyed the air conditioning! It was a really HOT day, but I think everyone still had lots of fun!

2 Parties And A Playdate

Last Saturday was a very busy day for us. We started off at Olivia's 3rd birthday party at Pump It Up! Ella and Max both had so much fun! Ella was running around like a crazy woman the entire time...I had a hard time keeping track of her!

Ella loves going down the slides!

Bouncing with the birthday girl (in pink).

Max had fun too! He was too little to bounce around, but he liked chasing the balls and other kids around the room!

Next, our sweet friends Bob, Laura, Jack and Sam were kind enough to let us come over for a playdate that afternoon, so we didn't have to drive all the way back home in between parties. I was hoping that my kids would take a nap, but that was just wishful thinking on my part! Jack and Max both napped, but Ella and Sammy were ready to play! After Jack woke up from his nap, he and Ella made lollipops. They LOVED them!

Enjoying their suckers!

That evening, we went to Hannah's 1st birthday party! It was a surfer girl theme and it was PRECIOUS! It was just so special, because there were so many little personal touches! Nate and April did a great job!

Daddy, Ella and Max enjoying the pool at Hannah's party.

Ella munching on some cheetos. I'm not sure how she managed to get orange all over her face!

The sweet birthday girl!

We were worn out by the end of the day, but we had a blast! Thanks to all of our sweet friends for letting us be part of your day!

BiRtHdAy FuN!

We had a great day yesterday celebrating Max's 1st birthday! Jason was off work, so we were able to spend some time together as a family. We went to Chick Fil A for lunch where the birthday boy proceeded to out-eat his big sister! Nothing out of the ordinary in our house. Then, we had a family party at Gammy and Pa's house last night. It was a BLAST! We ate yummy hamburgers and hotdogs...and of course, birthday cake! Max LOVED it! Overall, I'd say that it was a pretty great 1st birthday for a very special little man!

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

One year ago, the Lord blessed us with our sweet little Max Campbell. We were so excited to have a baby brother for Ella, but we had no idea just how much he would enrich our lives! Max has a very sweet spirit and he is pretty easy-going most of the time. He LOVES to eat, but even more than eating, he loves his two best friends....his thumb and his blankie! As long as he has those two things, all is right in the world. We have really enjoyed watching him grow and learn new things over the past year. We love to see him play with Ella and try to keep up with her! They love eachother so much! Our boy is so special to us! Happy 1st Birthday Bubby! We love you!!

PaRtY aNiMaLs!

Sunday night, our sweet friends Bob, Laura, Jack and Sam invited us over for a little pre-birthday celebration for Max. Bob grilled some YUMMY burgers and we had so much fun just talking and watching the kids play together. They are some of our most treasured friends and it's always a blast when we get to spend time together! Thanks so much for celebrating our sweet little man with us!

And He's Off.....

As of last Monday, Max is officially walking! He took his first steps over a month ago, but it took him until now to start walking more than crawling. He is still really wobbly and falls down a lot, but he just gets back up and takes a few more steps before he falls again. Now he's having fun trying to keep up with his Sissy!

Sweet Baby Jace

This has been a week of extreme heartache and overwhelming peace for my family. Last Saturday, my sweet nephew Jace Richard Campbell went to be with Jesus. He would have been 11 months old tomorrow. On December 10, Jace stopped breathing during a nap. Paramedics were able to resuscitate him, but he had been deprived of oxygen for an unknown amount of time. Over the past 6 months, Jace made amazing progress as family and friends fought and believed for his complete healing. Saturday morning, the battle was won. Jace is now healed and whole in heaven with Jesus. We are so sad for our loss, but we rest in the truth that sweet Jace is at home in Jesus' arms. Please pray for our families, especially Rocky, Lydia and Courtlynn. Thank you in advance for your prayers! God is still good!

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Indepence Day!

hApPy BiRtHdAy UnCle AaRoN!!

Today is my little brother Aaron's 16th birthday!! We love Uncle Aaron so much! He is constantly coming up with new ways to make us laugh. He is so sweet to Ella and Max. He has a very special relationship with Ella and it is PRECIOUS! Sometimes they fight like brother and sister, but she adores her "Unc" (that's what she likes to call him)! I can't believe my baby brother is growing up so quickly!!! Happy Birthday Aaron!! We love you!!!

Week In Review

The Whitlocks have been pretty busy this week. Jason put together a swingset for the kids for most of the day on Wednesday...and a little more on Thursday night...and then finally finished it on Friday night. Thankfully, he got some help from my brother, Aaron, and my dad. The swingset was Ella's birthday gift from all of the grandparents! THANK YOU!!! She finally got to go out and play on it this morning for a bit and she was so EXCITED! She had a blast!!!

Thursday, the kids and I went to Tahlequah with my mom. Being the nerd that I am, I googled Tahlequah before we went down there and I found a little restaurant called Sam and Ella's Chicken Palace....the names a little misleading considering the fact that they serve pizza! There were several reviews stating that it was the best pizza ever....and of course, I was drawn to it because of the name. We thought it would be fun to check it out, but weren't sure if we would have time before my mom had to go to her little seminar. Long story short...Sam and Ella's was right on the way to where we were going. We stopped in and had lunch and it was YUMMY! I'm not sure I would say best pizza ever, but it was really good. Very Hideaway-esque. If you ever find yourself in Tahlequah, you should check it out!!...there's not much else to do there anyway! :)

Friday was a really big day! Ella got her ears pierced!!! She did so good! My biggest fear was that they would get the first ear pierced and then she would flip out and not let them do the other ear. She took it like a champ though. She started crying after the first ear, but sat really still for the second one. She cried for a few minutes afterward....and then we went to McDonalds for some ice cream and it was all better!! She looks so pretty with her "special earrings" (those are her words) in her ears! To finish the night, we went over to my Aunt Patty's house for dinner. Ella and Max "played" Rock Band with my cousin Logan. They had so much fun!! Poor Logan was really trying to play and the kids kept getting in the way, but he was so sweet to entertain them! Quite a full week for us!