Our Little World

Eliza has a book about the first Thanksgiving so we have been talking about what Thanksgiving means. I was telling her that we talk about what we're thankful for, we spend time with family, and we have a nice meal with Turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, rolls, deviled eggs..... She put her face right in front of mine and said "AND we can have YooHoos???!!!"....... Yes, we can have Yoohoos.

We took Eliza to the Zoo on Saturday. (It was visit the Zoo for free day!) She liked seeing the animals such as the the zebras and the giraffes (not a fan of the fake alligator that might bite mommy). But she would just stare at things and we weren't really sure if she was seeing them or caring about it at all. Later that night I was getting her ready for bed and she started telling me about all the animals we saw and that the prairie dogs went down into their holes. So she did have fun. And she did notice the animals. Since we didn't have to pay to get into the zoo, we bought Eliza a stuffed white tiger with pretty blue eyes. She has named it Chameleon and sleeps with him every night. After the zoo, we went to a local mom and pop place we discovered and had pizza. Eliza said it was her favorite day.

On Friday, we moved Eliza into her big girl bed. It is a twin bed with a bed rail on one side. I was afraid that she would not sleep well in her new bed, and that she would be scared. I was also worried that she would wake up super early. Hey, I like my sleep. But she did really really well. So far she has slept good and not gotten out of bed by herself. She likes her big girl bed. When asked if she would like her crib back, she said no, baby sister can have it.

Which brings me to other news... my ever-so-sweet-super-talented-best-husband-ever finished painting the baby's room. I'm not gonna lie, it looks AWESOME. We have the crib up and I just need to add a few touches and it will be ready! I can't wait to have it done so I can feel "prepared" for the baby to come. I realize she will probably not sleep in her room for several months but that's OK. It makes me feel better. I will post pictures when it is all done.

Our bedtime routine has changed a bit since Eliza has a big girl bed. Instead of rocking together, we lay on her bed together and sing songs. She gets this huge smile when I climb into her bed. (After she has cleared me a tiny spot in between Chameleon, Puppy Dog, Sleep Sheep, Baby Doll and Glow Worm.) Last night, we were singing "Take me out to the ballgame." She gets torn between saying that we root, root, root for the Cubbies vs. the Home team. She told me last night that now Daddy will say the Cubbies and mommy will say the Home team. That solves our problem.

Also, in potty related news Eliza has done pretty good about going potty this weekend. The problem is that she will not go very often at daycare. I'm not sure how to cross this bridge, but we will figure it out. Must practice more.

Speaking of potty news. Eliza announced to our friend Holly that girls sit down to pee and boys stand up. We are now entering the "What embarrassing things will my child tell other people" stage.

Yay.

That's what's going on in our world.

I do have pictures, but my Internet is really slow. Or maybe it's blogger? I will get around to posting pictures one day.

Dancing Queen

Eliza loves to dancy. Ok.... It's more of hopping really, but she loves it. We have dance parties in our living room. At the beginning of October, one of my friend's got married. Eliza started up a dance party. She had the best time and the wedding photographer loved her. These are some shots the photographer got. I was just excited to have some pictures of Eliza that aren't blurry. It's hard to keep this girl still.

 

 

 

Dance away pretty girl. . .

 

We sure love her.

Please Help Name Our Baby

We are having a hard time choosing a first name. (We pretty much know what we are using for the middle name.) I really want to tentatively pick one before the baby comes this time. Kase has one name he really likes, I have one I really like, and Eliza wants to name her Chameleon. Please HELP US!

- Caroline
- Harper
- Vivian
- Emery (or Emerie) not sure how we'd spell it.
- Amelia

Remember September (and early October too)

We have been pretty busy for the last frew months. I have thought about blogging several times, but I'm just too tired. So as an update, here is what is going on in our house. 

In September, my sweet Memaw passed away. When I was growing up, Memaw would come visit us and always bring us something: clothes and/or toys accompianied by Krispie Kreme chocolate glazed doughnuts. I always looked up to her. She was sassy and funny. I always felt really cool if she came to pick me up in her jeep wrangler without the doors on. She'd usually be wearing a bright color with big sunglasses. She had been dealing with Alzheimer's for the last several years and it was hard to see how hard that is. My mother took care of Memaw. I know it must've been difficult for mom to watch her mother become so dependent. My mom is such a selfless and kind person. My last visit with Memaw, I felt like she remembered who I was. Maybe she didn't but I could see her in her eyes. She told me I was so pretty. Even until then end she was always concerned about everyone else. I'm glad Memaw isn't suffering anymore, but we will miss her. I'm also glad Eliza got to meet her great-grandmother (she called her Gigi). Eliza and I both received our middle names from Memaw. She was one great lady.

 

My Memaw, My Mom, and me.

Speaking of Eliza she is so fun. She says the craziest things and asks lots of questions. I could literally eat her up. Everyday, she says something hilarious and I think "I should write that down" but then I forget to. I need to do better at that. She is also developing a sense of humor. The other day, the 3 of us were driving and we passed by a stinky skunk smell. I said "Shew that's is stinky!" She said "It smells like Daddy!" and laughed. She is such a sweet and good girl (for the most part).

She loves to read.



She loves to get rides from daddy.

She loves to wear her cowgirl boots.

We are trying to prepare her for welcoming her baby sister into the family. I don't really know how much she gets it being that she is 2, but I think she understands it more than I realize. She talks about how baby sister will cry and we will have to change her diaper and give her a bath. She also asks to see baby sister (aka my baby bump) and she likes to talk to her and pat my tummy and give baby sister a kiss.

Eliza giving baby sister a hug. I love how chubby her cheeks look.

Kase's brother, Ryan, came home from serving a 2 year mission for our church. We are so glad he is home and Kase has been so excited to hang out with him. Eliza even likes him already which is amazing. Ryan is the baby whisperer. We are proud of him and glad to have him home. I have pictures but I will have to upload them later for SuperDeb.

 

So that is what we have been up to. We went to the pumpkin patch last weekend and it was super fun. More on that later. This is my favorite time of year and we are excited to enjoy the festivities together. 3 more months until baby girl #2 joins us!

An Announcement: We're having a piggy

According to Eliza, we are having a piggy. That is what she said when she noticed the baby on the "tv." She said "Look Daddy! It's a piggy!!!" He asked her where and she said "In the picture!!" As if we were all too dumb to see the little piggy wiggling around.

According to the ultrasound tech, we are having another sweet baby girl. We are excited. I saw a picture of two sisters holding hands yesterday and it made me even more excited. Plus I get to break out all those cute close that I saved. PLUS girls are awesome.

And even better is that our baby looks healthy. When we had Eliza's 20 week ultrasound we found out she had a dilated kidney and it was worrisome to us. So I was relieved that we did not find anything to worry about.

However, the ultrasound tech was not my favorite.Prior to doing the ultrasound she asked me if we would like to know the gender. I said that would be great if at all possible. Then she gave me this speech about how the ultrasound's purpose was not to find out the gender, and that she has a very important job of measuring body parts and looking out for our baby to be healthy. As if I didn't care about my baby being healthy. Really lady? Then when she found out we had brought Eliza with us she gave me another speach about how her job is very important and if she is at all distracted by Eliza she will need someone to take her out. As if I didn't already think of that. Really lady? Really??? THEN she kept complaining about how our baby wasn't cooperating and she had never seen a baby so balled up and so low. We must have another head strong baby girl on our hands.

On the plus side, since the tech did not get any pictures of the baby's face, we get another ultrasound in 8 weeks to make sure she does not have a cleft lip. So we get to see her ('her' meaning the baby, hopefully not the same ultrasound tech) again. It is so fun to see her move around. I don't think I will ever get use to that.

The only downside is picking a name. I have a boy name that I have loved forever and ever. I love it so much that I dream about a little one with that name. Still holding out hope of using that one day. Even if our last baby is another girl, I plan on using the girl version of the name. But I don't feel that this sweet baby is our last. And I do not have a girl name that I adore. So any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

A Pregnancy Post

It has been very different being pregnant this time.

I got bigger quicker. I worry more about things going wrong. I am in my 2nd trimester and still feeling sick.

When I was pregnant with Eliza I took weekly belly shots to record my growing belly. I am 19 weeks this week and I have not taken one picture.

Last time, I wrote a lot of my feelings down in my journal. This time, it has been the very minimal basics.

Last time, I read my pregnancy book every week to see what was in store. This time, I have barely cracked the book.

Yes, I am busier this time chasing around a 2 year old, but it also just feels different.

This time, I am even more excited to meet this little one because I know what fun little things he/she can turn into.

This time, I am less scared of giving birth and more scared of the first 6 weeks of the baby's life. (PLEASE PRAY THIS ONE WILL NOT CRY ALL. OF. THE. TIME.)

This time, I know enough to know I don't know much and I can't control much so I am just trying to enjoy the ride.


I am excited to meet this little one. I am so excited to watch another little person change and grow.  I am so honored to be able to welcome him/her into this world. I am so blessed to be able to be his/her mother.

Eliza and Her 2 Year Old Class

Yes, Eliza turned two several months ago, but she never moved up to the 2 year old class at daycare.

Why, you ask? Well, for several reasons: she DOES not do well with change AND she had grown VERY attached to one of her teachers. I liked this teacher too. Seriously, if I could make up the perfect teacher it would be her. She was kind, sweet, caring and patient.

But alas, Eliza had to move up sometime. She was starting to tower over all the other 1 year olds and it was time to bite the bullet.

So last week she moved to the scary class with loud scary noises coming out of it. (The kids sound like they are going to tear the place down sometimes.)

The first week was rough. On Monday, there was lots of crying and I had some issues with the teachers but I think we have those resolved. On Tuesday, there was still lots of crying. Wednesday and Thursday repeated Tuesday. But then, Friday came.

Friday morning before school Eliza and I talked about going to her new class and not crying. We talked about our routine: "First, we will hang up your bag. Then we will go wash your hands. Then you can help mommy sign you in. Then we will get a hug, a kiss, and mommy will go to work. BUT mommy will come back and get you after school. And we're not going to cry. It will be OK."

So we went to school and she did SO GOOD! We did our routine and she asked for one more kiss. Then she followed me to the door. She had a few tears coming down her cheeks and her little bottom lip stuck out in a pout, BUT she did not scream and cry like she had been. She was trying so hard and I am so proud of her.

This week she has done really well. I am so proud of her. She has a lot of fun at school but it is still hard for me to leave her. She is getting so big.

Thoughts on being a Working Mom

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be a stay at home mom. I know it would still be hard work but sometimes I wonder how different my life would be. I would love to stay at home with Eliza everyday. I feel like my soul would be freeer some how. Dont get me wrong, I love my job. If I have to work I couldn't pick a better place, but I still wonder what it would be like if things were different. As a kid, I always pictured myself being a stay-at-home mom just like my mother.

Kase and I would love to find a way for me to stay home. We pray about it and look for things we can do. Hopefully one day we will find a way.

Last week I had to travel for work. I was gone from Tuesday till Friday. It was hard for me to leave the Bug. Fortunately, I dont have to do that very often. On the plus side, there is a temple where I went and I was able to go.

I always enjoy going to the temple by myself because I feel like I focus better. As I sat in the temple I thought about being a working mom. I thought about how I feel inadequate sometimes and I often feel judged by others (that may be mostly in my head). I thought about how I feel lonely and often feel left out. I decided that if this is how I am suppose to be living right now, I dont want to be sad or constantly wishing for another way of life. I want to be happy. I suddenly felt that Heavenly Father knows me and loves me. I felt that I am special. I am not better than anyone else by any means but special in my own way. So many women that I would love to be like have a different way of life and sometimes that maks me feel unworthy or sad. But the truth is I am not those other women. I am doing something a lot of them would not be able to do. I am going to strive to be happy doing it and to set a good example. I had an overwhelming felling that I'm doing what I should be doing. Just like others are doing what they should be doing. I may not always be able to volunteer bring food to people in the middle of a work day, have the cleanest house, get to go to fun play groups, or weekday lunches but I am a good mother and wife. My daughter is happy, smart, and healthy. I just have a different life right now. That does not mean it is bad. It does not mean that someone who says a negative comment to me about being a working mother knows what they are talking about. I am doing just fine. I don't know what the future will bring for my sweet family but I know that I have been blessed beyond measure. I have the sweetest family and I am a good wife and mother whether I am at home or work.

Pink or Blue?????

We find out one week from today if this little one is a Boy or Girl.

We are so excited.

We really just want a healthy baby.

A girl would be fun because we already have pretty much everything we need for a girl. Plus Eliza could have a sister close in age and that would be fun too.

A boy would be fun because it would be all new to us. Plus I'm totally diggin' little boys clothes right now.

I had a dream it was a boy last week.

I had a dream it was a girl last night, but she also had 4 legs so I am hoping that is not true.

Either way, we are really excited.


So which one do you think it is?????

6 years

I remember the first time I saw Kase. I'd say it was about 2001. I was at the institute building and this boy came down the stairs with his flip flops on and furry hobbit toes... and I was smitten. Ok not really smitten, but I thought he was really cute and there was something about him. Something that was different. Alas, I had a boyfriend and so a friendship began. I secretly thought my friend with the green eyes and fluffy head of hair was absolutely adorable. We could talk for hours and he made me laugh. Then, it came time for him to leave on a mission for our church to California. So he left, and I waited.... no I mean dated. But I wrote him. A lot. Like more than a normal person probably should. We talked about all sort of things, and when I would open up my mailbox to find a letter from him I would get butterflies in my stomach. Nevermind that I had a boyfriend (a different one this time). I knew Kase was the one for me.

Have I ever told you that Kase asked me to marry him twice? Well, really it was only officially one time, but secretly it was twice. We were watching a movie and he had fallen asleep. I suspect he was faking though. While in his drowsy state, he said "You should marry me." I thought I would pass out from excitment, and I was so glad he figured out that I should marry him.

The first gift Kase ever bought me was a Simon and Garfunkel record. He bought it while he was on his mission and mailed it to me. He remembered that I loved S&G. I think he kind of liked me.

When we got married, I remember staring at him and looking into the beautiful mirrors surrounding us and thinking that I sure loved this boy. I was so excited to see our future together.

That was 6 years ago on August 12th. As I have watched the begginning of our story together unfold, I have been amazed. Together we have laughed, cried, loved, and created a beautiful, sweet, special daughter. Plus another baby on the way! It has been an amazing 6 years.

I have not cleaned the house lately, done laundry, or went grocery shopping. I have not had the energy to stay awake to watch movies. I have not cooked dinner in well..... ages. Kase's birthday was a few weeks ago, and I have not even made his birthday cake yet. But he still loves me. He still cleans, cooks, launders, and rubs my feet. (At least I do not have hobbit toes.)

He is pretty awesome.

Our life together is pretty amazing.

I am one lucky girl.

Can't wait to see what the next 6 years bring.

junebugs and snowbabies

Did you know that we call Eliza our Eliza bug, which was originally short for Junebug?

We call her that because she was born in June.

I always thought that Junebugs were lightening bugs.

And I thought Eliza is very much like a lightening bug because she is very fiesty, pretty, and lights up our lives. (I know cheesy.)

Turns out Junebugs are not lightening bugs. They are those giant beetles that flew into my hair and freaked me out as a kid when I played outside.

But that's OK. It still sounds cute. And now we mostly call her the bug, without the 'June'.

She is her own kind of hybrid bug: fiesty, pretty, lights up our lives, and freaks me out a little. 

But mostly she is beautiful.

I think she will be a wonderful big sister.

I guess we will have to call our next baby something to do with snow as he/she is expected in January 2013. 

Our snowbaby:

 

Better Than Nothing

A post with no pictures is sad... but better than nothing right?

I hope to get around to posting pictures soon, but until then here is our summer so far:

1- After Eliza turned two, we headed to Florida with my parents to drop off my sister who is working at Disneyworld for 7 months. Kase, Eliza and I drove to Chatttanooga to meet my parents. On our mini-road trip, we listened to a 90's music playlist that Kase had created for us. It was full of those ridiculous songs that are fun to sing to from back then. One of the songs we listened to was "If I had a Million Dollars" by the Barenaked Ladies. Eliza loves to sing in the car. She usually sings ABC's, nursery rhymes, or primary (church) songs. A few days later, Eliza was singing to us as we rode with my parents somewhere. She mixed up a church song and our 90s music and sang "I love to see the temple, If I had a million dollars." It still makes me laugh everytime.

We drove down in my parents RV. My brother and his wife joined us a few days later. You know that movie National Lampoon's Vacation? That was pretty much us. ha ha. Ok not really. But we did have a lot of fun and it was nice to spend some time with my family. Especially my brother and his wife because we don't get much time together.

While in FL, we went to the Magic Kingdom at Disneyworld. I was a little worried about taking Eliza. I imagined us walking around with her crying ALL the time, and her being scared of everything. I imagined it being a nightmare. But I was pleasantly surprised. Eliza could ride a good majority of the rides at Disney, and she actually liked them! Her very first ride was Buzz Lightyear. She just sat and stared at everything with a very serious look on her face. When it was over she did her sign language for "more" and said "More rides mommy! More rides!" She had fun. She rode Buzz, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan, It's a Small World, the Haunted Mansion, the jungle cruise (she slept through), and Alladin's Magic Carpet Ride (she did cry on this one at first because she was upset we didn't get the blue carpet). She did not like the Tiki Bird show, but really I can't blame her. Dad got to be on "TV" at the Monter's Inc Laugh House show representing good ole Tennessee. That was pretty funny. Overall, I say our Disney experience was a success. Growing up, our family went to Disney a lot for vacations so I have a lot of fond memories there. It was nice to be there again with my family and to see Eliza experience it for the first time. Another plus, Eliza is still free! That is ALWAYS good.


2- Did I mention my sister is working at Disneyworld? That is pretty cool. I am proud of her. I'm not going to lie, I'm thinking that Disney is pretty close to slave drivers but I hope my sister holds out and makes it through her time there.

3- When we returned from FL, it was back to the real world. Eliza had her 2 year check up. She did so good. They had to prick her finger to take some blood and she didn't cry at all.... UNTIL the nurse said something about getting a bandaid. Eliza DOES NOT LIKE bandaids. So it was all over then. She weighs 30 lbs and is 35.5 inches tall. She is such a smart little girl.

4- We visited my family again (in TN this time) for my brother's 25th birthday. His wife was totally awesome and had a ton of yummy food for us. We watched the last 2 batman movies and had icecream with our own Marble-slab type mixins. Soooo fun. I think he should have another birthday soon.

5- We had a fun fourth of July. We went to our friend Holly's for her annual celebration and then we went to Kase's parent's house for swimming with the grandparents, aunt, and cousins. Eliza is afraid of the pool. (Have I mentioned she is afraid of a lot of things?) I was able to drag her in kicking and screaming literally. After a while she warmed up to it and I think she had fun. We had dinner with Superdeb and Grandpa later, and ended the day watching our neighbor's fireworks and eating smores. Nothing better than that!

Sooooo our summer has been really great so far. Right now I have a few things I am looking forward too: going to see the new batman movie (yes I'm a dork), visiting my mom for her birthday, and taking Kase on a birthday get-away. I've always been a fall kind of girl, but this summer has been pretty nice. Even with the 100 million degree temperature.

Happy summer!

Our Little Bug Turned Two!

Today is Eliza's 2nd birthday. I have to say that so far, her second year of life has been my very favorite. She has learned so much. She says so much and her personality has really came out. We have absolutely loved watching her grow and change this past year. She is amazing.

I decided on what her 2nd birthday party theme would be when she was around 17 months. Her favorite book is 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' by Eric Carle. She LOVES it, and she loves it still. She use to say "hungee" (hungry) on every page. Now she knows a lot of the words. 

For her birthday, we got her a Hungry Caterpillar play tent. She loves it and calls it her house. She has be best time taking her toys inside and getting mommy and/or daddy to join her.  

Inside the tent.

Random picture of the birthday girl with one of her dress up birthday presents on her head.

Her party was last Saturday. We had family and close friends over. My only regret is that our house is not bigger. I felt like everyone was cramped and I felt bad. But I hope they had fun, and I am so glad they all came. Eliza is one loved little girl.

The Caterpillar Cake

The Food

 One of Eliza's favorite friends from daycare came by to see her before the party started. Eliza was SO excited to see miss K. You can see the happiness on Eliza's face:

As our activity, we did a caterpillar hunt. My mom, sister, sister's boyfriend, and I made these out of egg cartons. It was really fun, and I think the kids had fun. They really liked the magnifying glasses used for locating the bugs.

Egg carton caterpillar.

Grandpa, cousins Sophie and Lotus, and friend J looking for caterpillars.

Eliza was too scared to get down. It was her party and she difinitly cried when she wanted to.

J enjoying his magnifying glass.

Eliza about to enjoy her cake (and almost burn her finger off. I said ALMOST so don't worry.)

Her 2nd attempt at blowing out the candle. I accidentally blew it out the first time.

Enjoying her cake.

So you are probably wondering why I didn't get pictures of Eliza opening any presents? Well, that is because she wouldn't open any of them! Oh the joys of a two year old. She wanted nothing to do with opening presents. I felt really awkward and didn't know if I should tell everyone she would open them later. I decided that people like to see their presents opened so I began opening in the hopes that she would become interested. Well, that did not work either. So her cousins helped me open presents. But she really did love all her presents....after everyone left. Maybe she does not like being the center of attention? I hope noone was offended. At least our dear friend Holly convinced her to sit close to me while I opened all of the gifts. Sigh......

We had a great time and enjoyed seeing everyone that came to her party.

Eliza at two:
- Says things I didn't know she could say: "Mommy, I have a bruise." "The wind is blowing the curtain." "Don't be scared, it's just a piece of dirt." "My mouth hurts mommy." "I don't like it" "Wanna go downstairs and play?"
- She is very sweet. When I got home from work today and picked her up she gave me a kiss on each cheek, took my face in her hands, and looked at me so lovingly I thought I might burst.
- She is very sour. She has a temper. She likes to whine a lot when she is tired.
- She calls yogurt "mynant" for some reason. We ask her to say "yo." she says "yo." We ask her to say "gurt," she says "mynant." We don't get it.
- She calls milk "mook".
- She is officially completely weaned. Yes, she nursed up until last week. Only once a day. She still asks me for mommy mook but I am able to distract her with other things like bananas or mynant. But I think it was mostly a comfort thing for her. So we snuggle in the rocking chair before bed instead, and it is heavenly.
- She will not eat a lot of things, including most vegetables and all meat except for bacon. 
- She LOVES her little friends at school and talks about them daily.
- She loves the mall playground and going down the slide.
- Her favorite things are books, puzzles, and an occasional babydoll.
- We are so amazed at how smart, loving, sweet, and fun she is. We are excited to see what this next year will bring.

Happy 2nd birthday Little Bug.

What We've Been Up To

Well, I did it again. I forgot to blog. So here are some pictures from our last few months.

Eliza and her Easter basket. What do you give an almost 2 year old? Books, playdoh, and a babydoll. But she will mostly love the empty eggs.



Ready for Easter Sunday.




Heading off to church.



Her hair is finally growing.

An almost ponytail!

AND Pigtails!!!

We have mostly been playing, reading books, doing puzzles, and having the best time watchin Eliza grow. It has been a good few months.

Cute Things Eliza Does

The other day, I took Eliza to the park. She was going down the slide over and over and over as I talked to my friend. Then she came running over and said, "I miss the mommy," gave me a hug, and went running back to the slide. My heart melted.

She loves her baby dolls, she has started really talking to them. She tells them "It's ok baby." She will pick up a doll and say "Hey baby. Let's change your diaper, ok?" Then she wipes the baby's bottom and says "Oh you poopoo, you stink." Ha ha. (Hmmmm... I wonder if she hears this a lot.)

She calls a thermometer a temp-a-ture.

She has started saying certain things are scary (like the garage door opening/closing.) She saw something on the floor and started whimpering and saying that the "bug was scary mommy." I told her not to be scared it was just a peice of dirt. She kept repeating "Don't be scared ok. It's just a piece a durwt." She tells her babies "Don't be scared baby. It's ok" a lot.

Every morning Eliza goes with Kase to make 2 waffles: one for her and one for me. Then they bring the waffles upstairs and she and I have "breakfast in bed." She sits in my lap, unfolds the papertowel of waffles, hands me one, and eats the next one. Every single day. She is a creature of habit. On Monday, we only had 1 waffle left. So Kase brought Eliza and the 1 waffle upstairs. She unfolded the papertowel, and pulled out the 1 waffle. She looked puzzled and said "Where's mommy's waffle?" She started looking under the pillow and all over the bed for it. It was so cute.

She loves to sing and she has started making up songs that go with whatever she is doing at the time.

She is the cutest and we love her more than anything.

Easter Pictures

So I took Eliza to the UT Arboretum for a little self-done photo shoot. I really wanted to get her pictures made, but we didn't have the money right now. Plus she is not a very cooperative photo taker.

When I put her in her Easter dress, she cried. She said "I don't like it!" and tried to pull it off. She has never acted like that before. I think she didn't like it because it was poofy. I felt kind of bad, but I convinced her that she looked pretty. She agreed to wear it to the park.

We brought her basket and some easter eggs. She really loved finding the eggs that we hid. It was pretty fun. I didn't get a lot of good shots because she NEVER smiles for the camera, NEVER stops moving, and ALWAYS had a very intense look on her face. We all had fun though!

Checking out the lily pad pond.

Daddy Daughter.

Going on an egg hunt.

Checking out the park.

Fake smiling. I couldn't get her to smile, so I asked her to show me her teeth.

After our photo shoot, I put her in a more Eliza-approved dress. She wanted to find more Easter eggs. She cracked me up beause she would get right up on an egg, bend over, and stare at it.

We had a realy nice time.

A Girl and Her Dresses

So the time of me being able to pick out what Eliza wears is soon coming to an end. She will still wear pretty much anything, but recently has become picky about what shoes she wears. I love putting her in dresses. It is just so easy and they are so cute.

Here are some of my favorites recently:

Purple dress with a little white cardigan.

(She likes to steal my wallet and go through it. Dangerous.)

She actually loved this rainbow dress and didn't want to take it off. I'm ok with that because it is super cute.

Clearance dress from cracker barrel.

This cute little tulip number my mom got her. She always looks cute with her little smile.

And because I don't put many pictures of Kase on here. Here is one of us. He is a cutie pie. He also rocks because he doesn't complain when I buy lots of dresses for Eliza. :)

Just a reminder

"Oh cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,

but children grow up, as I've learned with my sorrow.

So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust, go to sleep.

I'm rocking my baby.

Babies don't keep."

--- Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

I read this today and loved it. Time seems to be flying by and my baby keeps getting bigger and bigger. She is so sweet and I want to treasure every moment with her.

So if you come to my house and it is kind of messy. Sorry. I've been doing more important things like reading stories, playing with bubbles, giving baths, and loving on my little bug.

She counted to 10 all by herself last week. I didn't know she could do that!

She says "One more time mommy, one more time." When she doesn't want to stop doing something.

She loves to have "Dance parties" in her room.

She has gotten several pairs of new summery shoes lately. When Kase picked her up yesterday, she put her foot up and said " I like my new shoes daddy."

She amazes us every day.

There is nothing else I would rather be doing.