chelan rene’ russ

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Archive for the category “About Angel – our little girl”

Sonic Slushes for the Hard Workers at the Wilsonville Exit

Sometimes when Angel and I have nothing in particular to do, we just do what seems right. We were driving around one afternoon a few days ago by these construction workers, and I thought, “man, if I worked that job on a hot day, I’d sure like a stranger to come up to me and give me a Sonic Slush.” It sounded good to me. So we wasted no time. Off to Sonic we went, photo’d the Slush flavor choices, and after several detours, walked up to this bunch of guys and said,

“Hi! Would you guys like to have something to drink… like maybe a Sonic Slush? I’m making a SLUSH-RUN.” They looked confused at first, but then smiled and said, “Uh, yeah sure! Who….do we have to thank?” Angel and I just smiled, “I guess just us. You’re welcome. Just mark what flavor you want and I’ll be back.”

What’d they order? Well, out of all those flavors, 5 chose Watermelon and 1 chose Blue Coconut!  We walked back to our car, got the awesome beverages from our carhop on rollerblades, and drove back, parked, walked up to them with their order and they were so grateful. One asked why I did it. I said simply because they work hard and it’s a hot day.

Angel was giddy with excitement the whole time. It was like a little adventure to her. I think that’s what life can be for anyone who takes a little time to seize every-day opportunities to do to other people what you’d like them to do to you. It brings so much joy.

It has the power to not only make someone’s day, but change a whole community.

I think I will make a habit out of it.

5 Years of Angel

Five years ago yesterday, we were living in Eagle Point, Oregon in a cute little 1700 sqr ft. home on Devonwood, Ct.  Braylon was all into Captain Jack Pirate gear at 5 yrs old, & we were attending Valley Christian Fellowship, gettin’ a room painted & decorated & gettin our brains & our home all ready for a new baby girl. After debating on the names “Lyrica” & “Angelina”, We’d decided on a name Ricky came up with, a simpler version… “Angel” (as long as I got to pick out her middle name, L’ryn).

L’ryn was a unique way to spell Lauryn – derived from a favorite singer of mine, Lauryn Hill. I think it sounds great with “Angel”, too…and maybe, just maybe Angel will become a singer like me & my Diva, Ms. Lauryn Hill. No pressure girl! Just a thought.

Here are some of my faves of Angel ~ beginning with the most recent. Let it be KNOWN that I really do believe her to be my favorite little girl in the whole wide world. And that she IS a princess. She is a child – a daughter – of the King of Kings. Royalty in in her blood & life is in her mossy-green eyes.

Summer '11 in Gigi's Backyard

A video of Angel’s “Best Frog Face” – taken on an autumn walk with her cousin, Gabby after finding – you guessed it, a frog. What a couple a goofs!

Spring of ’11 @ Bray’s Baseball game

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FOUR years old, just after spending Christmas with the Reeves & Russ family

Here, is Angel getting her new Toddler Bed (while we lived on Altamont) age almost 3 (Sept. ’09). I think she liked it!

Angel (2 1/2 ?) and I – greeting Braylon at the bus stop – a typical windy afternoon on Orgain St. in TX. She always loved to give him hugs at the bus stop.

And one more – this is from the Daphne season – when we had a wiener dog for a year – the video Ricky made to document Angel’s Introduction to Pop Rocks! We absolutely LOVE this – and laugh every single time we watch it. Any video is instantly better when put to a G & R song.

Still going back in time… Here’s a lil clip of Angel that I LOVE, of her trying to learn a few words, like “Shoot“. And another one here – bein’ a lil copy cat of me. She was about 2, & we’d just moved to Orgain St in the fall of ’08.  Hutto, TX.  I think that there are FEW things as cute as a little person learnin’ how to talk!

  • Her 2nd birthday~ some favorite shots of the McAngel Party…w/the Todd’s, McConnells (Ava), and McIntiers – Sophie and Chaney were her closest friends.
A hot, fall day – great for a car washin’. She’s wearing my Gramma Carol’s pearls.
  • Tyler Texas Pics of Zoo time & the County Fair ~ Yee Haw, that was FUN!  Ms. Corndog Girl’s 1st carnival ride.

  • Angel, still in diapers (just 2 years old) tryin’ to poo. – Not fun. Then she totally denies it.
  • Angel has always been pretty eager to help! Even before she could talk, she was signing that she wanted to Sweep the Floor MORE.  Hope that lasts for… til she moves out! Here’s another one about a year earlier (at Kothman) – again, wiping up the floor for me…and lovin’ it.
  • Also taken at Kothman, the 9/’07-9/’08 year in Tx, here’s a great example of why we called her “Mophead” – as she slurps up her drink in a tired & sick stuper.
  • After watching this CLASSIC – “Toddler Tradition” you’ll never think of mini-marshmallows the same.
  • Just after moving to Texas, Angel turned ONE. Here’s a photo I love of her Daddy lovin’ on her.

~ We actually got her 1st steps on video! ~

  • As a baby, this girl made some of the weirdest noises.(taken 9 ’07, 1 mo. after moving to TX)  They were pretty entertaining. ;)
  • Before we moved to Tx, Daddy got his baby girl on video tryin to eat a mushy banana….Just PRECIOUS.

A Week of Memories in the Making with Gamma Janis

October 1st

To Angel & Bray’s surprise, we picked her up from PDX.

It was the longest Rick had gone without seeing his mom – since Christmas of ’10…over 9 mo.s.

Read more…

AngeLingo about Having a Cold

Angel woke up this morning with a yucky cold. I asked her to eat her cereal & she replied, ”Wait. I have to go to the baffroom. If I go, I will feel better.” (Then pointing to her bladder), “I have a headache.”

A few minutes, coughs & sniffs later…

“Can I go to Gigi’s house, & lay on her couch & watch a movie?

I will not put snot on her.”

Below, I caught her as she was sniffing. Bein’ sick is jus’ no fun.


AngeLingo about cell phone service

This morning, Braylon had his cell phone out, along with me and his dad. Angel felt a little left out. So she went upstairs and grabbed her Tinkerbell flip phone and started chatting with Braylon in a pseudo-cell convo just feet away from him.

Then she got up & went to the backyard for a bit, returning a minute later.

When I asked her why she went outside, she said it was cause she had to finish her call.

It’s pretty sad when your cell phone service at home, sucks so bad that your daughter copies you by going outside to talk on her lil fake phone {it’s not AT&T or our new Windows phones; it’s the cell towers in Wilsonville that need work}.

So lame!  But we jus’ had to laugh.

AngeLingo ~ about being hairy

This morning, Angel went to use the bathroom, but her uncle Clint was in there. She waited for him to come out, and when he did, he had no shirt on. She looked at him, surprised and said, “You’re hairy!” He just smiled, nodded and replied, “Yep, that’s just me.”

She smiled back & said, “AWESOME!”

 

AngeLingo…about love

I lost count of how many times Angel said to me today, “Mommy… I love you.” At one point, after she said it like 10 times in 10 minutes, I’m embarrassed to admit that it kinda got old. Then I felt guilty for getting annoyed. So I say to her gently, “I love you too, Angel, but can you say that differently? Say something else?” And she smiles & a few minutes later says,

“Mommy?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re the best. The best girl ever“.

 

That was awesome.

Then came the, I love you “more-than”s. My favorites were “monkeys bars” and “turd buckets”. I was just tickled to hear a new phrase – but to hear you’re loved more than a turd bucket – well, there are just no words.

A Bray Say….about a cuss word

The other night the kids were at the table finishing their dinner and Angel says, “Mommy, I want some ice cream!” but she says “ice” with her lil Texan accent, which makes it sound like, well…

Braylon goes, “Mom? Angel just said a cuss word.” We’ve known  for months that when she says ice cream, it sounded more like “ass cream”, but it was just too funny to correct.

We simply smiled at Braylon and said, “I know. She doesn’t mean to, buddy.” We’ll train her to say “ice” the right way, in time (before she’s made fun of)…but I like the lil Texan in her voice & want to hear it as long as I can!  Unlike Braylon, she is a Texan, after all.

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