GRANDparents!

Time with grandparents is always so special. I feel blessed that we are constantly reminded of the main reason we felt this move was important. Ella truly knows and loves her extended family!

Simply Thankful

No pictures for this post or updates about other holiday activities we have been doing at the Cordrey home. Instead, I felt like I just needed to write, for myself, a post about simply being thankful. I am so thankful for my wonderful family, my home, and especially the blessing of being Ella's mom.
As I write this, I think about the two families in our community that have recently experienced loss. Last night, one of my students called and told me another sweet boy from the high school was killed in a car accident. I know this isn't an isolated case and there are young people killed often in auto accidents, but it is different when you know the person and family. My heart aches for the family, especially so close to the holidays. He was a wonderful young man.
Today, I also heard that a good friend from high school lost his little boy this weekend. He had cancer and they knew to expect it, but they were hoping to have one more Christmas with him. He was only 5 years old and brought so much love and joy to his parents. I can't imagine what they must be feeling.
So I write this to ask you to pray for the Riley and Kerr families. I also write this for myself - to reflect on simply being thankful for the non-tangible blessings that are in my life, most importantly, the people I am blessed to have in my life.

Cousins Christmas

We had this great plan to take all the cousins to the bed and breakfast here by the golf course for holiday pictures. It was a wild hour and a half, full of crying, tantrums, and few smiles. The older kids, were of course wonderful, but it was the toddlers who didn't want to be too cooperative. After much prodding, we were able to coax a few smiles.

Trying to avoid the "hustle and bustle"

I feel like I wake up daily and think, "OK, today let's try and slow down a little bit and actually enjoy the holiday season for what it means." We have been trying to do different holiday activities with Ella during the month. We try to read the Christmas story by the tree and talk about the true meaning of Christmas.

Well, about a week ago, we also had the brillant idea that, "Sure, she's probably old enough to do and enjoy a gingerbread house." The enjoy part was right on - the finished product was a huge pile of icing and half eaten or licked toppings as decorations. She definitely had a great time, though!

We also had a kid's party at our house to decorate cookies with some of the little ones from church. They all seemed to have a great time, but I think I am still finding sprinkles along every nook and crevice. Mocha likes to help in that department, too!

It's December!

Our tree is up, house is decorated, and presents are wrapped! I am just trying to enjoy the days and not rush through the holidays so fast this year. It seems to pass quicker and quicker every year. Ella loves the ornaments, lights, and most especially - the gum chain! (Thanks Waynetta and Kristin!)

We had our Murray Girls weekend this past weekend. Every year, afterwards, reminds me how blessed I am to have such wonderful friendships with those girls.

Random Pictures

I realized it had been a little while since I posted, so I thought I would add some new pictues. A few weekends ago, my mom's side of the family had a get together. We don't get to do this very often (actually, this was the first time Ronnie had ever met my cousin, if that tells you how often), so we had a good time. Notice the picture of Ronnie with my grandparents. We caught the shot at the perfect moment. He is being silly and my grandmother doesn't quite know what to think about him!

Ronnie was able to go to NYC a few weeks ago to visit his best friend, Brian. While he was out of town, Ella managed to fall up a flight of stairs (I know, her mom's coordination) and gave herself a black eye. I doubt that will be the first one of those we ever see!

More information needed

I probably should have mentioned that Ella's cousin, Owen, is the lion. The two cowboys are her cousins, Zach and Clayton. The beautiful nurse is her cousin Hannah. The crazy "Elvis" impersonator is her uncle Chris! Notice no festive pictures of mom and dad made the list. We planned the trunk or treat event at Caneyville, so we were overwhelmed and didn't get to the costumes!!

Halloween

Halloween wasn't just a "single" night event for the Cordrey family. Holidays seem to never be that brief!:) It started a few weeks before, with the zoo halloween party. The pumpkin costume fit fine. (Luckily, though, because it was a purchase after last year's costumes had been clearanced out online!!)

The weekend before Halloween, Northeast church in Louisville had their Trunk or Treat. Ella was pretty tired after about 10 minutes of that event because of a short nap, but pepped up long enough to enjoy some of her candy. That evening, I realized the pumpkin costume seemed a little tight on her head - translation - she couldn't see! So, we found a monkey costume. This was the costume of choice for our church's trunk or treat, as well as the 2 stops we made on actual Halloween. I had a business trip for school the next day, which meant an early flight. So we pretty much spent the evening of Halloween at

my parents house. Ella has more candy than she could eat in her lifetime, though, so her father is graciously helping her out with that!!! I am trying not to . . . :)

On a serious note, I recently learned that a friend from high school just learned some tragic news. Their little boy, who is 5, was diagnosed with cancer before he turned 2. They recently found out it has returned and the Dr.s literally told them to enjoy the time left. It breaks my heart to think about it. We know that God can do anything, so please pray for the healing of little Bryce.

2007 Chicago Marathon

Posted by Ronnie . . .

Well, I picked a great marathon for my first -- if you didn't hear, this year's Chicago Marathon was BRUTAL - race officials actually shut down the race for people who had not finished the halfway point after 3:30, due to running out of both water & ambulances. Fortunately, I got to finish, in spite of 93 degree temperatures during most of the race. I finished as follows:

OFFICIAL CHIP TIME = 4:08.32

OFFICIAL PACE = 9:28 per mile

OFFICIAL FINISH = 4,668 / 45,000 people

To see all of my pathetic photos, you can go to http://www.marathonfoto.com/ & click on 2007 Chicago Marathon (name = cordrey; bib = 5182). Typically, I make fun of guys who take their shirts off, but due to the extreme conditions, I found myself trying to ventilate anyway I could. It was a great experience & sense of accomplishment, even though the weather was bananas. The biggest bummer was that my brother, Dave, & I only got to run the first 11 miles together, due to bro getting injured. The race photographers didn't get a shot of both of us ... double bummer. And to add a triple bummer into the mix, my ipod Nano got wet and is now DEAD!

I was only 2 hours & 3 minutes from winning the race -- watch out Kenyans!

Happy Birthday Ella!

A few months ago, when I asked Ella what kind of birthday party she wanted, she said "Green" or technically, "Geen" party. Her answer never changed. So that, of course, is just the type of party we had. We had all of her grandparents, cousins, and aunts/uncles over for the big celebration of 2! We had a lot of fun celebrating her special day.

Oprah!

Last Tuesday, we finally had Oprah tickets! My sister, mom, a friend, and I went to Chicago this past Monday night. We had tickets for Tuesday's show, which ended up being a live show about Autism. Jenny McCarthy and Holly Robinson Peete were the guests. We ended up on the 2nd row somehow, so that was great! You can see the back of my head and my mom's arm in this picture below - great shot, huh???:) It was a blast, though. We flew home Tuesday evening - very quick trip!

Yea for Fall Weather!!

It's beautiful here today! The weather is cool and the sun is shining!! I decided to take Ella outside to try to get some pictures made. Mom and I took about 30 different pictures, then the best smile was when she was finally in Grandad's arms.

It's a boy!!!

I'll bet some of you were thinking something a little different with the title!

Ella has another pet - Elmo Kitty. It started as "mommy", then went to "Sam", and settled with the name "Elmo Kitty". Ronnie often corrects me that it isn't a pet as much as a mouse defense weapon for the fall! It's definitely cute, though.

Becoming a big girl!

Ronnie and I talk all the time about how we can't believe how fast Ella is growing and changing. I have accepted the fact that she is no longer a "baby", but more of a big girl! We took her to the state fair yesterday. She had a great time looking at the cows. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't bring herself to pet one. Looking from a distance had to be enough!!:)

She also recently discovered finger painting. You talk about a mess! She had a great time, but we had to thoroughly scrub the kitchen table when we finished!

This past weekend, I was able to get together with some friends from college. We had a great time together. Margaret, Alecia, Kristin, and I were able to spend some quality time catching up! For those of you that know Margaret, doesn't she look amazing! Keep up the great work Margaret! I am so proud of your discipline and determination!!!:)

Ella has also started "helping" with the blog. It seems to add a little time to the process!:)

asfo jjjawefo[iiiiii gaaaaaaaaaaaoi (love, Ella)

Ella absolutely loves to be silly! She recently found her sunglasses on her dresser and never wants to take them off!

Ronnie preaches for the first time this weekend at Northeast. He is very excited about it!

My first week at school is over. I love the new reading class I am teaching this year. It is a new experience - we are piloting a class to teach basic reading skills to high school non-readers. I love the group I get to work with in this class. They are highly diverse (most with a colorful background), but I love the challenge of the whole concept!:)

Life in Caneyville

I realized I am forwarding this blog to many people who have no idea about the environment where we live. It is a major change from Wesmere in Plainfield! Our nearest neighbor is not within an arm's length like before!

I have a garden, which has been quite overwhelming. I don't even eat tomatoes or peppers, but we seem to be well stocked!

I started back at Grayson County High School this past Wednesday. I am working in English classes, and teaching one Reading Strategies elective class. I think this year will be a major challenge, but I am also excited to try something new with the reading class. It is definitely going to keep me busy this year. Ella isn't too thrilled with the fact that I am back to work, but hopefully she will adjust once we get into a routine.

Ronnie actually is starting a new job this coming weekend. He currently is the associate minister with my dad at Caneyville Christian. Starting this coming weekend, he will also be beginning the job as teaching minister at Northeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY. We don't exactly know what it entails, other than preaching once or twice a month at this point, but he is very excited about this job, too. It will be different because they have 3 services each weekend. He is used to just preaching for one!:)

For those of you wondering, Mocha is great. He loves to roam around the yard and explore. His new trick is to get in our garbage can. That is always fun to come home to in the afternoon. Just his little way of reminding us he still has some influence around here!:)

Recent Ella Pictures

These are some pictures that I took of Ella this morning. She has learned that I want her to smile, so she likes to avoid that as much as she can! She is a pretty good sport about it, though. Poor Mocha has to put up with a lot of tugs and pulls!!!