The Marks Family

It Has Been a Really Long Time!!

2010-09-16T20:37:00.002-05:00

Wow, I really didn't realize how long it had been since I posted on our blog. We have been super busy. Miller is now 1 year old and Ella is 3 years old. Time has flown by this last year. I will post pics of their birthday parties soon.

From Three to Four

2009-08-21T09:10:00.005-05:00

Well, Miller is a little over one week now. My oh my, time does fly. We are all adapting well. It really helps that he is a sweet laid back boy!!! Ella really likes him. She pats his head and gives him his MINE (which is what she calls the pacifier) whenever she feels like he needs it. She already tells him to "hush" when he is crying. It is really quite funny. My sweet mom is here for another week. I couldn't make it without her. Here are a few more pics taken at the hospital and in the last week.

Miller Gordon has arrived!!

2009-08-11T22:02:00.004-05:00

Well our precious baby boy is finally here. Miller Gordon Marks was born on August 10, 2009 weighing a whopping 8 lbs 15 oz and was 21 1/2 inches long. He is a HEALTHY and beautiful baby boy!! We are all doing great!! Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers. God is so good!! We are so very blessed.

Pictures of Baby Miller!!

2009-05-19T13:21:00.003-05:00

We had our 4D ultrasound last week. Miller was very photogenic!! Ella got to be present for the photo session and even recognized that it was a baby on the screen. I still don't think she has a clue about what is going on though. Here are a few of the pictures we got!!

Zoo Visit!!

2009-04-21T14:06:00.003-05:00

Wild Woman!!

2009-04-21T13:57:00.004-05:00

These pictures are to show everyone just how much hair Miss Ella really has. It is ridiculous. She had a ponytail in today and that is why it is sticking up so much.

Easter Pics, finally!!!

2009-04-21T13:42:00.002-05:00

It's a . . . . . . . . . .

2009-03-24T23:02:00.003-05:00

Well, Tyler and I went last week for our ultrasound and we found out we are having a precious little boy. We are so excited. We have decided on a name after much contemplation. His name will be Miller Gordon Marks. Everything looked great on the ultrasound. I have a feeling he is going to be a big boy since he is already weighing 3 ounces more than he is supposed to. Please keep us all in your thoughts and prayers as my pregnancy progresses.

Big News

2009-02-15T20:11:00.003-06:00

We have big news to share in the Marks household!! We are expecting another sweet baby in early August. I am about 14 weeks now. It has been rough, but hopefully i'm getting over the rough part. The news was a surprise, but it is such a blessing. We are very excited!! We find out mid-March whether Ella will have a baby brother or sister.

It's Been A While!!

2009-02-05T20:27:00.002-06:00

Sorry for the long lapse in posting!! We've been a little busy. I will try not to get so far behind in the future!! Here are just some random pics of Ella in the past several months.

Picking out pumpkins!!

2008-11-03T22:01:00.002-06:00

Ella and Uncle Matthew!!

2008-11-03T21:53:00.002-06:00

Dog Training at Kearney Park!!

2008-11-03T21:46:00.003-06:00

Little Rebel!!

2008-11-03T21:36:00.002-06:00

Happy Halloween!!

2008-11-03T21:25:00.003-06:00

We have come a long way since last Halloween!!

Just a Swinging!!

2008-11-03T21:18:00.004-06:00

Ella loves her new swingset that her Granann and Poppa gave her for her birthday. We can't keep her off of it. She goes to the back doors and just screams AYYYYYY!!

13 Months!! Such a big girl!!

2008-10-15T22:01:00.001-05:00

New Orleans

2008-10-15T21:56:00.002-05:00

A Day in the Country at Chapel of the Cross

2008-10-15T21:46:00.002-05:00

New ride!!

2008-09-24T21:00:00.002-05:00

Ella went to her friend Hines Wellhausen's birthday party on Saturday. She rode in his little car and loved it. When I say loved it, i mean it. There was kicking followed by a fit when we took her out. I had to go and buy her one. Now, every afternoon, we go riding in the car. Here are a few pics of our new favorite toy:

My futures so bright....I gotta wear shades!!

2008-09-24T20:57:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday Ella!!

2008-09-14T21:44:00.010-05:00

Well, our little girl is officially one year old. Eloise Brickell Marks celebrated her first birthday this past Wednesday, September 10, 2008. I can't believe she is growing so fast. We are so thankful for such a precious little girl. We love her more than words could ever express. She is the light of our life and brings joy to anyone who knows her. We are truly blessed. We love this little girl so much.

She had a birthday party at daycare. I made cupcakes for her class. Here she is on the way to school. She can now face forward in her carseat. She loves it.

Then on Saturday, we had a big party for her. We had such a great time with family and friends. We want to thank everyone for being there for this special day. It meant so much to us.

The first picture is of Ella's car she got from her Kiss (Chris, Tyler's mom). It is absolutely the cutest thing i've ever seen.

Ella also had the most beautiful cake and smash cake that I have ever seen. Miss Donna Poole made all of it for her. She is so talented. Thank you so much for helping make this such a special and perfect day. Here are some pics:

Here are some more pics from the party:

It is just so hard to believe that our baby has changed so much. Happy Birthday Ella!! Mommy and Daddy love you so much.

Also, I wanted to thank you for all of your prayers for my daddy. We got good news this past Thursday. He had a PET scan which revealed that he did have a mass, but it is benign. He will undergo another cat scan in 3 months for a recheck. Your prayers and thoughts were very much felt. Thank you!!

Prayer Request!!

2008-08-28T20:22:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to ask for all of your prayers for my daddy. He has been having severe abdominal pain the past couple of days and went to the doctor today. They did a CT scan on him where they found several kidney stones. He was sent home to try to pass them. Also, incidentally, on the CT scan, they found a mass to one of his lungs. We aren't sure about the details on this. He is going in the morning to see a pulmonologist and possible get a lung biopsy. I would appreciate you all praying for him. We are all pretty shaken up about this. Thank you so much!!

Lazy Sunday!!

2008-08-20T20:54:00.004-05:00

Here are a few pics from this past Sunday. Ella and I went to church and the dress she has on in the first picture was mine when I was a baby. She looked so precious in it. After her nap after church, we all went and got a snow cone and went to the park to swing. This was very eventful!! Since when do they let teenagers hang out on all of the children's playground equipment?? It was so bad, we just had to leave. Thankfully our sweet friends, The Primos, let us come out to their house and use Sophia's swingset.

11 Months!!

2008-08-14T21:10:00.014-05:00

Here are some recent picutures of Ella. Let me explain the first couple of pics. I was in the bathroom getting dressed for work earlier this week and Ella happened to wake up early so she came in the bathroom with me. I was drying my hair and looked around and couldn't find her anywhere. This is what I finally saw:

Here Ella is in her new carseat that Memommie gave her as an early birthday gift. She was miserable in that infant carrier.

This is Ella's teacher, Miss Dorothy. She has been her teacher ever since we started at Dominicare. This week was promotion week. She moved up to Miss Ethel's class. It was a sad day for all three of us. We love Miss Dorothy!! Thank you for being such a wonderful teacher.

Like my new do???

Bubbles at Bedtime!!!

Eating goldfish for the first time!!

Got Milk!! Ella loves to get into the refrigerator. It is so cute!!

Sorry for the long post, but I just couldn't keep these pics to myself. She is growing so fast. I can't believe she is almost one.

Cute Pics!!

2008-08-03T21:40:00.005-05:00

I know, two posts in one day. What can I say?? I had a relaxing day. These are a few pictures taken of Ella today. She is so busy!!

Happy Birthday to me!!

2008-08-03T14:24:00.005-05:00

Well, it is official. I am no longer in my 20's. Sad, huh?? I turned 30 yesterday. I thought I would feel somewhat different, but surprisingly, I don't feel a thing. We had such a fun day!! My sweet husband gave me the sweetest necklace with Ella's name on it and a few charms which included her birthstone. He also gave me a gift certificate to Continental Sewing. As some of you probably don't know, I have started sewing classes. Funny isn't it?? My sweet parents also came over and took me to lunch. Then Tyler and I went out to eat at Tico's last night. It was a fun day with family.

Here is a picture of my beautiful birthday cake Mrs. Donna Poole made for me. She is a long time family friend and really my second mother. Thank you for the beautiful cake.

Fun times at the Neshoba County Fair!!

2008-07-28T10:30:00.003-05:00

I had the privelege of taking Ella to one of my favorite pasttimes this weekend. We went to the Neshoba County Fair. I usually stay the first weekend with my family (we have a cabin there), but this year I opted not to attempt this with a 10 month old. I think I made a smart decision. My sweet parents drove us back and forth from the fair to their house in Newton. We had a blast!! We went Friday night to eat with my family and then we walked around so I could visit all of my friends that I only get to see at the fair. We had a slight set-back on Friday night. Ella developed a horrible cough and we ended up having to see a pediatrician in Union, MS Saturday morning. She diagnosed her with bronchitis. We are on lots of medications and doing nebulizer breathing treatments. So, all in all, it was an eventful weekend. But no bronchitis is going to keep her from the fair. We went back on Saturday and stayed for just a little while. She didn't feel good, but she was a trooper. Here are a few pics from the weekend.

Splish Splash!!

2008-07-14T21:21:00.001-05:00

Fourth of July Festivities!!

2008-07-05T21:45:00.004-05:00

We had a big day!! We first went out to the Barrett's lake house and hung out with all of Tyler's ortho buds. Then we went to the Haraway's for some fun. Here are some pics.

Just Us Girls!!

2008-07-02T21:01:00.004-05:00

Tonight is Tyler's first night on-call as a new resident. He is rotating through the surigical intensive care unit (known at UMC as the sick-u). He is by himself in the unit taking care of the patients the nights he is on-call. Please keep him in your prayers as I know he is a little nervous.

So tonight it was just Ella and I for the first time since about November of last year. It is sad to not have Da-da here!! We will just have to get used to it though. Here are some pictures that we took for Da-da so he wouldn't miss out on anything.

New toy, new friend, new hobby!!!

2008-07-01T20:09:00.002-05:00

Busy Little Bees!!

2008-06-17T20:01:00.007-05:00

Hello everyone!! I'm so sorry that it has been an eternity since I updated our blog. Alot has gone on in the Marks household since my last post. I'll briefly let ya'll in on all the happenings.

In February, our sweet husband and da-da turned 30!!

In March, we found out that we will be staying in Jackson for Tyler to do his 5 year orthopedic residency at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Words cannot describe the excitement, relief, and anticipation that we have. He will start his residency on July 1st. Ya'll please keep all of us in your prayers. It is going to be an adjustment for all of us. We also celebrated our 3rd year anniversary on March 19th. We went to the Alluvian for the weekend. It was so nice to get away.

In April, we went to the beach with our sweet friends Reed, Caroline, Dendy, and Millie Hogan. We had a blast!! It was a wonderful week!! Ella really doesn't like the beach, sun, or water that much!! We found out that she was allergic to pretty much all sunscreen that week. We spent most of the week in her cover-up. The Hogan Family has moved to Dallas, where Reed is doing an internal medicine residency at Baylor University. They are truly wonderful friends to us and we will miss them dearly.

Also in April, little Eloise Brickell was baptized at Highlands Presbyterian Church. It was a wonderful day. We had everyone over to our house for lunch. It meant so much to us to have all of our loved ones there for this special day in all of our lives.

In May, we celebrated Tyler's Long Coat Ceremony and his graduation. We are so proud of you Daddy for all of your hard work!!

Most recently, we went to the beach with my parents. It was so much fun. We finally found a sunscreen that she wasn't allergic to, but guess what?? She still really didn't like the beach. Something about getting hot, sweaty, and dirty is not appealing to her. I guess she is just all girl like her mommy!! Thank you Granann and Papa for taking us on such a wonderful vacation. It was so special to spend that time with you. Ella especially liked spending time with her Papa, considering he was the only person she would go to all week.

Let me give you a little update on Ella!! She now has 4 teeth, almost 6!! She is crawling and pulling up on everything. She is saying ma-ma and da-da. I don't think she is doing it intentionally, but we like to think she is. She just started waving bye-bye and eating little cereal puffs. We have had some major breakthroughs since my last post. We visited the doctor today and she weighs a little over 20 lbs. and her head circumference is still in the greater than 97th percentile. I think that is just the funniest thing.

I guess that is enough information to process in one post. I promise to do better in the future!!

Quick Update!!

2008-01-30T21:03:00.000-06:00

I'm going to give a quick update on the Marks Family!! Ella is doing great. She is now rolling over, smiling constantly, laughing, and has developed an anxiety around people other than Tyler and I and her teachers. I asked Ella's teacher today where we went wrong and she assured me that all children go through this period (I just didn't think it would start at almost 5 months).

Tyler and I are wonderful. We are still anxiously awaiting March 20, 2008 which is Match Day. Please keep us in your prayers wherever direction the Lord may lead us.

Here are some new pictures that we have taken of Ella and our family recently:

Bathtime!!!

Ella w/Pops & Bug

Admiring Myself!!

Papa & Ella

Ella's Coat her cousin
Sarah made her!!

4 Month Check-up!!

2008-01-15T16:35:00.000-06:00

I just thought I would let everyone know how Ella's four month check-up went. She weighed 15 lbs. 6 oz. She is quite the little butterball. She was 25 inches long. Her percentiles are as follows: 80% on height, 85% on weight, and the 95% on head circumference. I like to think of it as she has to have a big head to hold that intelligent brain of hers.

Of course she had to get her vaccinations. She have to have 3 seperate shots. It was not fun for any of us.

I'm so sad that she is already 4 months. It seems just like yesterday that she was born. Time sure does fly by!! We are cherishing every moment we have with her.

Also, in case you haven't noticed in the pictures. She is losing all of her hair. She rubs her head so much in the back that it is probably about an inch long. She is also losing it on the sides. We're so sad. We just hope it comes back red. Here is a picture of when she was first born so you can see how much she has already changed.

What A Day!!!

2008-01-12T20:57:00.000-06:00

Wow!! Ella has had a big day today. We decided to try out her Bumbo seat this morning before running some errands. She loved it. She looked like such a big girl sitting there. I really think she liked looking around and seeing things from a different view other than flat on her back, in her swing, or in her bouncy seat.

Then tonight, we tried cereal for the first time. I think she did fairly well considering this was our first attempt. She ended up wearing most of it. I don't think she really liked the taste very well. We go to the doctor on Tuesday so I will ask if I can mix it with some fruit so it will be a little sweeter. Also tonight, we put her in big girl pajamas. This means that she wore a two-piece outfit rather than her usual onsie. She also is sleeping for the first time ever without her swaddle blanket. We have swaddled her in her Miracle Blanket, which I believe has saved us, since we first brought her home. I strongly recommend using these with any newborn. We'll see how this goes. I have posted some pics of her first feeding.

Lastly for tonight, I want to thank Aunt Joy for designing my new blog header. She did a wonderful job. I'm going to have to take some classes from her on Photoshop!!

Happy 2008!!

2008-01-09T20:55:00.000-06:00

Well, 2007 is over and boy was it a wonderful year. Tyler finished his 3rd year of medical school and is now pretty much finished with his 4th year. The Lord blessed us with a beautiful, healthy little girl, who I must say is the most precious thing. Those are just a few things that we are so thankful for.

We've gotten off to a rough start in 2008. Ella has had some sort of stomach bug since the day after New Year's. She is just now getting over it. Now, her daddy has the stomach bug. It hasn't been alot of fun around our household. I'm just trying my best to avoid it.

Ella is changing everyday!! She is so much fun. She laughed for the first time on New Year's Day. She is also trying her best to roll over. She almost has it. It should be any day now. In a couple of weeks she should be able to start eating cereal.

We are anxious to see what the New Year has to bring. Tyler will be beginning his residency in July and we are praying that we will stay in Jackson. Please keep us in your prayers!!

I'm going to do my best to post at least once a week. As you all know, sometimes our crazy, hectic schedules prevents us from doing so. I hope everyone enjoys keeping up with what is going on with the Marks Family.

To explain the pictures below. Ella is quite the wiggle worm at all hours of the day, but especially at night. For the last several weeks we have had to slide her back up from the end of the bed into her wedge several times throughout the night. Well, this morning, not only did she manage to slide all the way down to bottom, but she managed to turn herself completely sideways, which is quite a feat considering that we are still swaddling her. As you can see from the pictures, she was very proud of herself, as was her daddy, considering he has woken up many a times wondering how in the world he got turned this way during the middle of the night.

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-12-26T21:42:00.001-06:00

Sweet Eloise!!

2007-12-26T16:08:00.001-06:00

We are finally starting a blog to keep everyone updated on our life. Ella was born on September 10, 2007. She is the most precious little girl. We moved into a new house in Madison shortly before she was born (2 weeks to be exact). We have had quite a few changes in the last several months.

Ella is changing everyday. She is smiling and trying her hardest to say something!! We just can't figure it out. She started daycare earlier this month. She loves it. She has some very sweet teachers. She is at Dominicare, which is located at St. Dominic Hospital. It is great for me because I can visit her at any time of the day.

We just celebrated our first Christmas together!! It was so much fun and so busy. We did a lot of traveling. We found that it is quite difficult with a 3 1/2 month old. We all got lots of wonderful things. We are looking forward to next year!! It is going to be so much fun for all of us. I have posted some pics from Christmas on a slideshow for everyone to view. Hope you enjoy!!