Milestone Month (Ethan at 9 months and more)

It's been a big month for milestones and birthdays.

First of all, our Elliana turned 3 years old! I already blogged about my thoughts on that in this post.

Then, on the 27th Ethan turned 9 months old. I always feel a little sad when the 9th month passes because that's when I notice our baby starts to REALLY grow and develop quickly into a toddler.

Also, yesterday, on the 28th I turned the BIG 30!! I have so many mixed feelings about it. On one hand 30 is just a number, and really, I have so many blessings to count. I'm feeling what everyone else says about the 30's, that it's your BEST decade. You're settled into yourself as a person and what you want out of life. I know this is true for me, and I'm exactly where I'd hoped to be at this age. I have an amazing husband, 2 adorable and wonderful kids (my family lights up my life), I'm living my dream job as a stay at home mom, and I'm surrounded by loving parents, sisters, in-laws, friends and other extended family.

I guess the only weird thing for me about turning 30 is that it's an age I'd never imagined being. When I was a young child I would always dream about being in high school, or turning 21, or moving out of my parent's house, or getting married, or having children. But I never really dreamed past that. And suddenly, here I am. 30 years old. Crazy!

Last night my husband took me out to dinner and surprised me with an envelope stating that he's stealing me away next week for a 4 day, 3 night trip filled with many more surprises! He is SOOO good to me, and I can HARDLY wait!! He even said my family and his family are in on the surprises and they have chipped in for the trip too. Yes, I am one spoiled girl woman. :)



Now on to the kiddos. It's time to give my monthly update on little man.

Ethan, this is what you were like at 9 months:

~We did your well child check a week early because of the holidays and to my surprise you weren't nearly as big as I had thought. You weighed exactly 15 pounds (1st percentile) and you were 26.5 inches long (3rd percentile).

~You are still wearing size 2 diapers.

~You mostly wear 6-9 months in clothing but you are beginning to wear some 9 month clothes.

~You are doing really well with solid foods and you are beginning to want more and more table food. We gave you bread for the first time on Christmas Eve and you LOVED it! You also liked the eggs that you had on Christmas day.

~You still take a bottle first thing in the morning, right before bed, and between meals. About 4-5 bottles a day. You are completely done nursing. :(

~You have really become a great sleeper for the most part. Most nights you sleep in your crib 9-12 hours! Sometimes you'll still wake up once for a bottle in the middle of the night, but that is happening less often too.

~You are taking either two 2 hour naps, or one long 3-4 hour nap during the day. You like your sleep! When you are a tired baby, it really changes your mood.

~You are teething like CRAZY! You are constantly drooling and chewing on anything you can get your hands on. I am STILL waiting to see teeth, but every month I think it's just around the corner and every month I am wrong. I'm not too worried about it though.

~For the most part, you are a very happy baby. If you are well fed and well rested, you love to smile, laugh and giggle. You smile all the time now. Every once in a while I'll see your serious, pensive face.





~You started CRAWLING 10 days ago! You are SO happy to finally be mobile, that you never stop moving.



~You've even started pulling up on anything that will help you stand; furniture, my legs, the laundry basket, etc.



~You sit up really well without support all of the time now.

~You love to be on the floor to play.

~You are so curious about your world now. You love to reach, grab and play with anything.

~You have outgrown the exersaucer, the swing, the bouncy seat, just about everything that is for young babies. This is another sign to me that you are growing quickly now days. :(

~You and your sister are developing a great relationship. She continues to make you laugh in a way that nobody else can. You're always watching her with a big smile on your face. She loves to bring you toys when she notices you're looking for something to play with.

~Your love for baths continues to grow, it's the only thing that can make you go from completely angry and grumpy, to happy and giggling. You love to splash and play with the bath toys.

~You are not as content to sit and cuddle as you once were. I guess you're too busy to cuddle. I'll take what I can get though. You'll always sit contently in my lap when I'm giving you a bottle.



~Nicknames: Mister, Little Man, Sweet Boy, Handsome and sometimes EJ.

~Ethan we love you more than words can say. We are so thankful for you and are enjoying watching you grow and change. We can't wait to see what God has in store for you!



I'll end this post with a few pictures of Elliana's big Christmas gift from us. We got her her own tricycle and she loves it! Now it's complete with the new helmet she got from Nana and Papa for Christmas.

Caleb took Ellie to the park yesterday and she was so proud to show off her biking skills.

I almost don't recognize my own daughter in these pictures. I think she looks so grown up.







If you made it to the end of this post and you read the entire thing, then you deserve a trophy. Ha!

Happy New Year everyone! We'll be throwing a New Year's Eve/ 30th Birthday bash that night. I'm pretty excited. I hope your 2012 is filled with blessings.

Merry Christmas!

These are the images that I've looked at over and over for the last few days that just scream "Christmas is here!"

One of my favorite things about Christmas is receiving cards in the mail from our family and friends. I love to display them during the month of December.





This year is complete with a "white Christmas". This is the view of the front of our house and lawn. I LOVE it! :)



And of course, I had to show our mess from wrapping gifts. Our basement was covered in wrapping paper, tape and bows over the last couple of days.







I simply had to share this photo from the calendar that hangs by our computer. I think it's one of the most beautiful photos I've seen of Mary and baby Jesus.



We just finished watching The Nativity Story which has quickly become one of my new favorite traditions on Christmas Eve. It really helps to put my mind in the right place and give Jesus the worship he is due.



Everything is finished now and all of our gifts are wrapped and under the tree.

I'm mostly looking forward to spending time with family and watching Elliana tomorrow as she soaks everything in. This has been the first year that she REALLY gets Christmas and she's beyond excited. There's nothing like seeing Christmas through the eyes of your child(ren).I wonder how late she'll let us sleep tomorrow?. :)

Merry Christmas everyone!



"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”" LUKE 2:11-14

He's On The Move!

I really wish I had some pictures to show for Ethan's new major milestone, but it's been crazy around here with getting ready for Christmas and the usual business around our home.

2 days ago, on Monday the 19th, Ethan officially started crawling!!

He's been "army crawling" for well over a month, but Monday something just "clicked" for him and he started pulling his knees up and doing the real, textbook crawl.

In those 2 short days, he has already become much more comfortable and is crawling faster every day. He's also decided to start pulling himself up using anything he can.

It's like I blinked and he grew up. Aaaah!

Like I said on fb today, now I have 2 active, busy, young children. Lord help me. :)

No Longer A Baby

Our Elliana Faith turned 3 years old today. I don't know what it is, but it seems like overnight my baby turned into a little girl.

I know many people would still consider 3 to very much be a toddler, and I would agree. However, when I look at and interact with Ellie, it seems that all traces of baby and toddler are gone.

Elliana speaks in full and complete sentences with ease, and she has for quite some time. She is so easy to communicate with, she expresses her thoughts and feelings so well these days. She's even become incredibly inquisitive, she wants to know EVERYTHING about the world around her. She probably asks hundreds of questions a day. She is pretty much potty trained and only wears a diaper during nap time and overnight.

Ellie is even looking older to me. Her legs are growing so long and I don't see any baby fat on her anymore. :(

When Elliana was a baby, I couldn't imagine her as a little girl. Now, I can barely remember Ellie as a baby. Thank God for home videos to remind me. :)

I wrote this about Ellie in our Christmas letter that we sent out to family and friends, and I thought it would be good to post it on here to remind myself of what Ellie was like at this age;

"Elliana- Ellie will be turning 3 this December! Crazy! Every day she is becoming more like a little girl and less like a toddler. Ellie is still small for her age, but she has grown a lot physically this year. Her personality is still WAY bigger than her size. She still keeps us laughing and chasing after her all of the time. She has taken to the role of big sister very well. She adores Ethan and can make him laugh like nobody else. Elliana is fascinated with older girls and is constantly reminding us that she’s a big girl now. Her favorite things are dressing up “like a princess”, dancing, singing, romantic scenes from Disney movies (she’s SUCH a girl!), coloring and painting, going to the park, being active, and building forts with her daddy."

Even though we're officially celebrating Ellie's birthday on Saturday, Caleb and I still wanted to do something special for her today. So tonight after dinner we gave her our gift and sang to her. She was so cute and SO excited! Even though she didn't know what her gift was at first, she was very quick to thank us. :)

Caleb caught it all on camera and I had to put the videos on here. Enjoy!




I can't even express how much Elliana means to us. She is the child we prayed for for so many years. She is our greatest challenge, yet she brings us more joy than we ever imagined. I'm so proud to be her mom!

If the first 3 years of her life went by this fast, then I can only imagine how fast the rest will go. I am so thankful for every day that I get to spend with her. Thank you Lord for our Elliana Faith.

Christmas Craziness

I've been pretty absent from the blog lately. Probably because the past few weeks have been, and will continue to be crazy busy!

Here is just a quick peak in what we've been up to:

I found and fell in love with this new cut out sugar cookie and icing recipe I found online. These cookies turned out great. They weren't just nice to look at, they were DELICIOUS too! I will use them every time I need sugar cookies in the future. I hope to get this recipe on our cooking/ baking blog asap.





Ellie really enjoyed "helping" with the cookies too. Once I turned around to find that she had dumped WAY more flour on the counter than I needed. Ha! I guess that's what happens when you try to bake with an almost 3 year old. :)

Over the period of 5 weeks, we celebrate 4 nieces birthdays, plus my daughter's, plus mine! To say we've been busy with birthday parties is a HUGE understatement.

Right now we're busy planning the big party for Elliana and our niece Reagan 1 week from today. I'll be making the above sugar cookies for the party. Plus cake pops. Why oh why did I promise my almost 3 year old that I would make her cake pops for her birthday? Especially when I've never made them before?!

Speaking of baking, my sisters and I are going to have a "baking day" tomorrow with my mom. I hope it's more fun than crazy...

And speaking of birthdays, I can't believe Ellie will be 3 years old in just a few short days. I really can't believe it, it went SO fast. And as much as I hate to mention it, I will be turning the big 30 in just a few weeks. I'm not sure how I feel about it. But that's another post for another time.

I spent this past week stuffing and addressing all 100+ Christmas cards and got them in the mail yesterday. It was a huge project, but totally worth it. I love receiving Christmas cards in the mail.

I participated in this ornament exchange and it was so much fun! I received this beautiful/ fun ornament in the mail earlier this week:





Thank you Cindy! It was so fun exchanging ornaments with you.

In the midst of all the craziness, I told Caleb last night that I wish I could freeze time right now. Ethan is getting older and with that, SO much easier. He's been sleeping through the night and he and Ellie are starting to play together. It's so much fun to watch them.

I've especially enjoyed watching the two of them enjoy Christmas. Every time we drive by a house with outdoor lights, Ellie begs us to buy and put some outdoor lights up. We can often find them playing with and adoring the Christmas tree.







Last night we had Christmas music playing and Ellie was dancing and twirling to the music while Ethan watched with a huge grin on his face. My heart is so full I think it could burst sometimes! Although Christmas can be chaotic and super busy, it's worth every smile on the little one's faces.

Ethan at 8 Months

I don't know if it's the Holiday season or what, but it seems like everytime I turn around another month has passed. I just know 2012 will be here before I can even catch my breath!

Our little Ethan turned 8 months old on Thanksgiving Day (yes, I'm a bit behind in posting).

Ethan, this is what you were like at 8 months old:

~I don't know your exact weight and height stats, but if I had to guess I would say that you weigh just over 16 pounds, and that you are somewhere between 27 and 28 inches long. Your growth seems to have slowed just a bit but I guess that's to be expected at this age.

~You are still wearing size 2 diapers.

~You mostly wear 6-9 months in clothing but you are beginning to wear some 9 month clothes.

~You have really taken to solid foods this month. Your favorites are sweet potatoes, pears and cinnamon with oatmeal, mixed fruit with oatmeal, mashed potatoes (you ate a TON on Thanksgiving), and squash.

~You still take a bottle first thing in the morning, right before bed, and between meals. About 4-5 bottles a day. You are completely done nursing. :(

~You have really become a great sleeper for the most part. Most nights you sleep in your crib 8-10 hours! After waking up for a bottle, you'll go right back down for another 2-3 hours. There's always a few exceptions, but "bad nights" are pretty rare now.

~You are taking either two 2 hour naps, or one long 3-4 hour nap during the day. You like your sleep! When you are a tired baby, it really changes your mood.

~You are teething like CRAZY! You are constantly drooling and chewing on anything you can get your hands on. I STILL don't see any teeth, but I assume we won't wait too much longer...

~For the most part, you are a very happy baby. If you are well fed and well rested, you love to smile, laugh and giggle. You smile all the time now. Every once in a while I'll see your serious, pensive face.



~Even though you don't have a "perfect crawl" yet, you can really move and get around quite well! You've gone from mostly rolling around to army crawling and scooting on your stomach.

~Over the past week or so, I've noticed that you're trying to pull yourself up. You just don't have the strength yet.

~You sit up really well without support all of the time now.

~You love to be on the floor to play.

~You are so curious about your world now. You love to reach, grab and play with anything.

~You are beginning to outgrow the exersaucer. You have completely outgrown the swing and bouncy seat. Your prefer to be in the walker or just moving around on the floor.



~You and your sister are developing a great relationship. She continues to make you laugh in a way that nobody else can. You're always watching her with a big smile on your face. She loves to bring you toys when she notices you're looking for something to play with.

~This month you developed a new love for baths. Bath time is definitely your FAVORITE and it's the only thing that can make you go from completely angry and grumpy, to happy and giggling. You love to splash and play with the bath toys.

~You are not as content to sit and cuddle as you once were. I can tell by the way you look around that you can't wait to be mobile and explore the world around you. I guess you're too busy to cuddle. I'll take what I can get though. You'll always sit contently in my lap when I'm giving you a bottle.

~Nicknames: Mister, Little Man, Sweet Boy, Handsome and sometimes EJ.

~Ethan we love you more than words can say. We are so thankful for you and are enjoying watching you grow and change. We can't wait to see what God has in store for you!

A Milestone and an Achievement

Yesterday was somewhat of a big day in our house.

Just a few weeks before Elliana turns 3 years old, she finally got her first haircut. Pam, a friend from our church cuts hair out of her customer's own homes. It's one of her many jobs. So, after exchanging a few messages on fb, we set up an appointment for yesterday afternoon.

Poor Ellie has been short on sleep lately due to our crazy schedule. She was taking a nap and was in a deep sleep when Pam arrived. Since Ellie was still very tired I wasn't able to get any pictures of her showing her typical huge grin during the haircut. :(



Don't mistake that face for being scared or annoyed, she was just sleepy.



All in all, the haircut went pretty well. Ellie was way more cooperative than I feared she'd be. Pam only took a couple of inches off the bottom of her hair. Now her hair looks SO much more healthy.





Although it was just a hairut, it made me a little sad. It was just another reminder that Ellie is becoming more like a little girl and less like a toddler/ baby every day. :(


In other news, after stepping on the scale yesterday, I can now say that I have officially and FINALLY lost every single pound gained from my pregnancy. :) That's 40 pounds total, 17 since I started working out last May. Woohoo!! Overall, I just feel a lot better about myself now.


This is not my stomach. I wish. Maybe someday... :)

It hasn't been easy losing the weight this time around, but I've never been so determined or dedicated. I'm going to continue working out at the gym 4-5 days a week and I hope to lose a lot more (I'm not quite ready to say exactly how much just yet).
I've really noticed a difference in myself in the way that I enjoy working out now (I used to hate it).



In fact, this Thursday, before getting together with family to enjoy our Thanksgiving feast, my sister Courtney and I are going to be walking/ jogging/ running in the Turkey Trot. It's a 5K race that the nearby town puts on every year.



I am NOT a runner, and I've never done a race before. I'm very realistic and I know I won't be running the whole time, but I'm excited to see how I do. Then, hopefully I can improve every year.

And on a completely unrelated subject, I've been trying out some new recipes lately. I've been on a lucky streak because I've liked everything I've tried. I put a couple of favorites on our cooking blog if you're interested in checking them out.

I don't know if I'll have time to blog between now and Thursday. I'm hoping to do another post on all of the things that I'm thankful for. There are SO many. I'm even thankful for blogs and for people that take the time to read my posts and stay caught up on our lives.

Either way, whether I'm able to get that post up or not, I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Giving Thanks

I recently commented on good ol' facebook that it seems a lot of people are getting into the Christmas spirit early this year. I've already seen many commercials, people talking about listening to Christmas music since November 1st, people decorating already, and even a little Christmas baking has begun.

I'm not judging or complaining, and I'm definitely not trying to be a scrooge. I LOVE Christmas just as much as the next person. But I haven't felt that "deck the halls" itch just yet.


Teehee. I saw this cartoon and couldn't resist putting it on here.

Well, maybe I wouldn't mind listening to a Christmas song or two. Seriously, one month a year is just not long enough to listen to some of the most classic, beautiful songs ever written. Oh yeah, and I guess my Christmas design has been up for some time too. Okay, so I guess I have my feet wet but I just haven't gone swimming.

Since we're still 10 days away from Thanksgiving, I thought I would give that holiday some love. :)

I wanted to list just a few of the many things I'm thankful for.

1. First and foremost, I'm thankful for a loving God and for my savior Jesus Christ. I don't even like to think about where I would be in this world without him. I'm thankful for his grace and his mercies that are new every morning.



2. I'm thankful for loving parents that raised me in a Christian home. I'm also thankful that they showed me that God truly is faithful and you can overcome every hardship with God's help. I'm thankful that they've stayed committed to each other in "the good times and bad, in sickness and in health".



3. I'm thankful for my three lovely, beautiful sisters that are my best friends. I'm thankful that we can hold each other accountable and also be each other's biggest fans. I'm thankful for all that we've been through together and that I can call any one of them if I'm in need of anything.







4. I'm thankful for my husband. For my loving, patient, BEST best friend, sexy husband. We've been through so much together and he is still the first person I want to talk to when anything happens. I'm thankful for the almost 9 years we've been together. He has become even more amazing as I've watched him in his role of "Daddy".









5. I'm thankful for my miracle babies. I'm thankful for Elliana and the crazy, full of life, full of joy and energy little girl that she is. Yes, I'm even thankful for her strong will because I know God will use that too. I'm thankful for Ethan and the sweet, laid back, happy baby boy that he is. I'm thankful that as he gets older I'll get to know him more. Mostly I'm just thankful that God gave me the greatest gift in fulfilling my dream of becoming a mom, especially when I once thought it wouldn't be possible.







6. I'm thankful for all of my extended family. Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Nieces, and nephews. I always have SOOOO much fun when we're all together. Don't know what I'd do without them.



7. I'm thankful for amazing in-laws. Both my parents-in-law and siblings-in-law. My parents-in-law have been so good to us and I know they would and have come running anytime we've ever needed anything. I'm also thankful for all of my siblings-in-law. It's so fun to have more brothers and sisters now. :)





8. I'm thankful for my church. For the life lessons I've learned from that church, and for the friendships that have come out of that church, new and old.



9. I'm thankful for my health and the health of my loved ones.

10. I'm thankful for Caleb's job and for all that it provides. I'm thankful that Caleb loves what he does for a living, and that he gets to impact the lives of high schoolers. I'm thankful that every once in a while, I get to be a part of that too.



More to come later... God is so faithful!