Not This Week

My sister Courtney reminded me that it was way past time for me to update the world wide web with pictures and/or videos of Elliana.

I quickly agreed, and I fully intended to do just that this week. However, Elliana and I have been fighting a nasty cold. I think she's almost over hers, and mine has just begun. :(

Needless to say, I did not feel that this would be a good week to take lots of pictures or videos. After all, who likes looking at photos of miserable babies with snot covered faces? I'm sorry for the visual, but it's what we've been dealing with.

Poor thing, she was miserable most of the week. She wasn't at all interested in playing. She was fussy and clingy and her eyes always looked half open. It's so hard to see her like that. I'm thankful that the worst seems to be over and she's beginning to feel better.

Last night when she was beginning to show signs of feeling better, we were able to capture a short video. I apologize. It's not the greatest. The house was a little dark and I couldn't keep the camera still. I think that's a sign that it's been too long. Ha!



Have I mentioned that I love this girl?

On a side note, God totally gave me an attitude check this week. I was scheduled for jury duty and I was dreading it! I have to admit that I complained about it quite a bit.

I've gotten a jury summons several times before, but I never had to report -until yesterday. So, yesterday I reported and all morning I kept thinking to myself, "how can I get out of this"?

To make a long story short, I wasn't selected as one of the jurors, but I was in the courtroom and I watched the process of selecting jurors. I never knew that I would get to observe everything that I did and I found the whole thing fascinating! I have a whole new respect and understanding for our justice system. Really, everyone should see the courtroom in action some time.

I actually felt a little disappointed (a little) when I wasn't selected. Now that I've had this experience, I won't cringe or complain the next time I get a jury summons.

I hope you all have a great weekend! I'm going to be busy fighting a cold.

Random Thoughts

I definitely have the winter blues. This is my least favorite time of year because the Holiday season is over, and it seems like the next holiday is forever away. Plus, I love snow and all, but around this time of year I get spring fever. I want to see the sun so I can go on walks, take Ellie to the park, and grill outside.

Because of my winter blues, I keep looking at these pictures on a weekly basis:





This is how Caleb and I are going to celebrate our 5th anniversary. We're taking a 4 night cruise to the Caribbean in June. I can NOT wait!! We've been saving for this trip for a long time. It will be the first cruise for both of us and we're both very excited. Elliana will not be coming along. She will be splitting time with Caleb's family and with mine. I will miss her SO much, but I know she's in good hands and with people she loves.

As I've mentioned before, my daughter is very funny and very smart, but I often joke that she is smart in a bad way. Here's a perfect example: as I was trying to rock her and put her down for a nap this afternoon, she took her pacifier out of her mouth, then threw it across the room, and exclaimed "Uh-oh"! She knew that by doing this I would have to turn the lights on and get up to find the pacifier. I had to try really hard not to laugh. Seriously! Where does this girl learn these things?! I only wish I could catch her doing these things on video.

Can't you just see the mischief in her face? This is one of her 1 year photos we had taken a few weeks ago:



Her latest favorite thing to do is to move piles of toys from one side of the room to the other. Or she likes to bring us anything just to hear us say "thank you". She always looks so proud of herself and smiles so big when she brings us something. I love her.

Changing subjects. I've mentioned before that watching The Bachelor is one of my guilty pleasures. Does anyone else think that Jake was an interesting choice for the Bachelor? Don't get me wrong, he's a really nice guy and he's good looking and all, but something about the way he interacts with everyone bugs me a little. I can't put my finger on it. Oh well, I'm still watching anyway. ;)



My next Dr's appointment (in February) can't come soon enough for me. Caleb and I are ready to begin "trying" for our next baby. Well, we can't exactly try when my body won't cooperate. For those of you that don't know our history, I have PCOS and it's become very clear to me once again that I'm not ovulating. I hope that's not too much information.

I have a date with Caleb tomorrow night and I am very much looking forward to it. We're going to dinner and then a hockey game. Before we had Elliana, we would go out to dinner all the time! I never knew how much I took that for granted.

Anyway, I'm sorry this post was so random. I better get going now. I just heard Elliana wake up from her nap.

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Ups and Downs of Parenting

Lately I've been a little discouraged, (or is it overwhelmed?) as I've been practicing a whole new side of parenting called discipline.

I never knew how totally unprepared I was for this huge piece of parenting.

I had a very good idea of what to expect with a baby. Sleep loss, nursing (although this was harder than I expected too), feeding, changing diapers, bathing, playing, snuggling, etc.

I'd say the first year went almost exactly as I expected.

Then, Elliana turned one. Now all the things we had been told about her, and noticed about her, had become a whole new challenge.

Even as a two week old baby, the Dr. said, "Wow this one has a strong will". Or at her most recent Dr's appointment, I was told "She sure likes to be in charge, doesn't she"?!

And so, she does! She's always been determined and strong-willed. I can't change that about her. However, I have no idea how to bend her will towards God. How am I going to help her use these personality traits in a positive way?

I won't lie, it's been a battle the last few weeks. Elliana and I have had some really tough "fights". I have so many stories that I could share. I'll save those for another post, another time. I keep thinking to myself, "this child is only ONE! It's going to be a long eighteen years".

Please don't get me wrong. I love my daughter more than I can express. I wouldn't trade her for anything, or anyone. She is what we've prayed for and wanted for so long.

I also know that God hand picks each child for each set of parents. For some odd reason, he thinks Caleb and I have what it takes to raise her.


I just hope that she turns out to be a kind, loving, sharing, well-mannered, child/adult that loves God and wants to do his will for her life.

On the other hand, this girl is funny! For every struggle and bad story, I have 50 hilarious stories. This girl is such a character! She keeps me laughing and smiling all day long. She's so animated... and smart!

Just today at lunch she started "hiding" her food underneath her highchair tray (as if I didn't notice) and then she looked at me and signed "all done".

(Sigh) ...it is going to be a long eighteen years, but I'm determined to enjoy each and every one whether I'm crying or laughing. I'm sure I'll be doing a lot of both. ;-)

Life Before Parenting

My parents-in-law volunteered to take Elliana for the day today. Although Caleb and I have had many dates without her, I haven't been away from her for an entire day since she was born.

We both agreed that an afternoon together would be good for us.

When we got home from church empty handed (no diaper bag, no baby on the hip), we instantly noticed how empty and quiet the house was. We both looked at each other like what do we do now?

It's amazing how quickly your life changes after you become parents. How your life and all of your time becomes completely consumed in taking care of, and playing with your child(ren). Sometimes you complain that you don't have any free time to do what you want, when you want.

Then, the moment your child(ren) isn't/aren't there, you realize how empty and "naked" you feel.

All of the craziness, all the time you spend with/on them is totally worth it. Our lives are so much fuller because of Elliana and I know that some day I'm going to miss taking care of her and being with her every day like crazy.

Don't get me wrong, I was so thankful for a day alone with Caleb, but I also can't imagine life without Elliana now.

How could I live without seeing this smile every day?




On a completely separate note, I'm stoked because this is my favorite TV time of year. It's that time of year when all of my favorite guilty-pleasure shows are on. These are the shows that I feel like I shouldn't be interested in, or enjoy watching, but I can't help myself and I love them.

I love The Bachelor and American Idol. Caleb hates The Bachelor, and he tolerates American Idol.

The Bachelor cracks me up. The first episode is the worst (and best) because the claws are out and some of the women make the most pathetic, embarrassing attempts to get attention.

The season started last Monday and I already know who I'm rooting for. Tenley and Ali are definitely my favorites. I'm already looking forward to watching tomorrow night. ;)




And then there's American Idol. Since I love to sing, I like to watch and dream about being on the show myself some day (won't ever happen). Seriously though, I really enjoy watching talented singers become great entertainers. It will be really interesting to see what Ellen adds to the show. I'm sorry to say this, but I don't think I'll miss Paula too much. ;) The new season starts on Tuesday and I can't wait!




Yeah, it's going to be a good week.

New Design and Jackson Hole

Thanks again to my sister Jenn for another great blog design.

I wanted something wintery, so I used one of our own winter scenery pictures.

I took the picture in the design background at Jackson Hole, WY where we visited our good friends Joe and Kim for New Years. Anyone could be a photographer in Jackson. The scenery there is so beautiful, and it was snowy the whole time we were there.



We had a great New Years and trip. Although we were up too late way too many nights. Sometimes we have a hard time admitting to ourselves that we're not as young as we once were, and with a 1 year old we really pay when we stay up too late. Ha ha, we keep telling ourselves we're still young, footloose, and fancy free.

Here's some favorite pictures from our trip:










I hope you all had a great New Years too.

I wouldn't necessarily call these New Years resolutions, but I do know a few things that I'd like to see happen in my life this year.

I would like to continue working out on a regular basis and eat more healthy. Hopefully I'll get to see some results soon. Ha ha, here's wishing. I've been working out consistantly for months now and I haven't seen it effect my body AT ALL! Oh well, that's another story for another time. I know I'm more healthy now than I was a few months ago, and if for no other reason than that, I need to keep exercising to be healthy.

I would really like to get pregnant this year. For anyone else this would seem like an easy thing to accomplish, but given our history and my PCOS, I think we may need medical help again. I'm feeling even more pressure this time than I did before because I want Ellie to be close in age to her sibling(s) (assuming we have more children). If you think of us, please pray that God would give us another child, and hopefully soon.

I know there's more, but I just can't think of anything else at the moment. I'm really happy and content with life right now. God has been so good to us and if 2010 is as good as 2009 was, we'll be just fine. ;)