I kind of wish we had backup singers...

Is Anybody There???!

2011-10-23T22:02:00.000-07:00

Hello, again. This is a bit embarrassing - with the over a month gap in my posts this time, I'm not even sure where to begin....

We've been busy? I have fallen off of the blog bandwagon? I still love my blog, but forget about it? Yep, yep, & yeppers. I will really try to keep updating from time to time - as I do love to blog - but apparently I don't take photos anymore. And when I do, I apparently don't blog them anymore. :) Ah well, we do the best we can, right?

Here is a photo of me & E on our first day of school:

Here is E this summer riding horses with Grandma GG.

Here she is riding a wooden horse at Grammy Faith's house:

And just for fun, here's a pic of a very happy E at dinner one night.

Who knows, maybe I'll even do another post sometime soon....you'd better stay tuned....just in case.

xoxo

Family Photos

2011-09-13T23:02:00.000-07:00

Last Monday, {Labor Day} we headed out to a grass field & Willamette's campus with our great friends the Mogfords. We took turns taking pictures for each family & got many, many photos of the girls & baby Owen. What FUN it was!

Armed with a balloon bouquet & 2 over sized lollipops, we set off for our first official family photos since Eloise was 3 weeks old. Here's a small sample of how it turned out:

Thanks Ash for taking our photos - they are priceless to me! If you'd like to see more click here.

xoxo

Camp Aunt Jess

2011-08-29T22:41:00.000-07:00

A week ago, I whisked my nieces away for a full day & night of 'Camp Aunt Jess'. We hadn't done this before - & now that we have, the girls can't wait to continue the tradition next summer of this camp. :) We packed a lot into our amount of time....we had a trip to Starbucks for a treat (before we hit the road from Vancouver), stopped at McDonald's for happy meals, took a rest, went to Limeberry for yogurt, went to Target for prizes, treats, & decorations (Nellie asked if we could have a 'dinner party'. And at Camp Jess, just about anything goes - except for bad behavior- so we decorated before our meal). After Limeberry, we had craft time, decorated the kitchen/dining room for dinner & then it was pancakes with sprinkles on them with a side of strawberries. After dinner, we played & then had a movie complete with blanket snuggling & popcorn. After the movie, we fell into bed....

The next morning was more eventful than I had hoped for - Mia got sick...so all plans for that day were bagged & we went back up to meet Laura. However, next year, we will finish those plans & add more! Thanks girls for coming to Camp Aunt Jess - it was so fun!! Have a great start of school on Wednesday!

Craft time:

Decorating for dinner:

Decorating our own pancakes:

For those of you skeptics who think my house is always clean..... whew! Camp Aunt Jess was hard work!!

xoxo

Photos

2011-07-29T15:05:00.000-07:00

Miss Eloise is following in her fathers footsteps & is becoming quite the photographer as of late. Here are a few examples of her work from recent weeks:

Very abstract, right? :) I uploaded pictures to my computer earlier this week & was surprised when it said 181 photos uploading. I soon discovered that about 100 of those photos looked like variations of the above. Love it.

xoxo

Belated Update

2011-07-27T23:51:00.000-07:00

Do you remember back at the beginning of July, when we had the 4th of July? You do?? GREAT! I have some pics to share from you from then. That's right - I just uploaded them tonight. Sigh.

Here is Eloise getting her first manicure from big cousin Nellie. Adorable. Eloise chose a hot pink color for her fingers & green for her toes. She was very proud.

Patriotic cupcakes:

My mom enjoying her E time:

Eloise holding a sparkler!?!? YIKES! That's right - Daddy wanted her to play with sparklers - so I quietly prayed & worried as they did. :) And guess what? She was just fine.

Maybe I won't wait 48 days until my next post. Maybe I will. I guess we'll all have to wait & see. :)

xoxo

4th of July

2011-07-04T09:59:00.001-07:00

Happy 4th of July!! Thinking of all who have fought & served our country to ensure our freedom. Wishing you & your family a wonderful, safe holiday.

xoxo

62

2011-06-22T23:31:00.000-07:00

These past two weeks Eloise has started saying some of the cutest little phrases, like: 'Mine do it' & 'Sit' {this one refers to the window when it's going down}, but the one that takes the cake is 'Doing Mama? Doing?'. Isn't that cute?

Yeah...I thought so too. Two weeks ago. Now, it seems like it's all I hear throughout my day. So, yesterday I thought, I wonder how many times a day she says that? That's right - I kept track. I'm that mom. Guess how many times.

62

62 versions of 'doing Mama? doing?' 'Jessie, doing?' 'Mama Jessie, doing?' 62.

And do I answer her? Yes I do. Because she has to learn what I am doing. Even if it's only answering her questions. :) I answer every time. And most of the time - I don't even use sarcasm. That's love, people.

62.

I was thinking of counting again tomorrow to see if I could get an accurate average...

xoxo

Tonight I Am....

2011-06-12T23:10:00.000-07:00

1. LOVING my new purse. I bought a bundle deal with 2 shells & bought another shell on clearance at my friends party. Then, last night Tim came home from the Rose Festival {where he was one of the official photographers!!!} & surprised me with 2 more shells. Spoiled much?

2. Playing with my Silhouette - making Father's Day cards & Birthday cards for a week filled with friends birthdays.

3. Feeling sentimental about this song:

I bought the piano sheet music tonight & printed it from my computer {hello technology} - went upstairs & sight read it - I was a little proud of myself. I haven't done this in ages...it feels good.

4. Enjoying an evening of getting some loose ends around here tied up. :)

5. Wishing the laundry would fold itself & the toilets were the insta-clean kind. Thinking that can all wait until tomorrow.

6. Kind of thankful for the rain - my flowers are very happy.

7. Thankful for a nice low-key weekend. Looking forward to a low-key week as well.

Happy Sunday!

xoxo

Summer Fun...

2011-06-09T23:14:00.000-07:00

Our summer has already begun!! A couple of weeks ago, we went with our lovelies Amanda & Sophia to a couple of nurseries to get some flowers. While there, we gave rides to two sweet little girls:

And we *may* have filled Amanda's trunk with flowers...

We've already been to ID to visit the bestie & families:

And today we discovered a new *oh.so.fun* place to play with our friend Margaret & her kiddos. The Willamette Valley Fruit Company. Good pie, adorable boutique & great fun to be had outside? Yes, please!

What a super summer it's starting out to be & the weather is even cooperating this week too!!!

xoxo

Bike!!

2011-05-24T23:33:00.000-07:00

On Mother's Day, we set out for Target to purchase a helmet for our little pea. One of our friends had just given us their hand-me-down 3 wheel Dora scooter, & Eloise needed a helmet to ride it. So...what did we come out of Target with??!!?

Yep. A new BIKE! It's Sooooo fun. Eloise loves it, but I think I might love it more. I ask her everyday if she wants to ride her bike. :) Today she turned me down for the stroller - ah well.

It's a Radio Flyer tricycle with a pink basket on the back & a bell. Hee, hee. I love the 'parent handle' & when she puts her feet on the pedals, they don't move unless she wants them to. As she gets older, it turns into a 'real' tricycle.

And we did walk out with a helmet. :) Honestly, I think these pics are the only time she's ridden her bike without her helmet. Promise. She calls it her hat & asks to wear it before she gets on her bike. Safety first! :)

xoxo

My Erin

2011-05-19T21:13:00.000-07:00

...and her Aiden.

Easter Dress/Mother's Day

2011-05-14T21:24:00.000-07:00

The pictures of the Easter dress mysteriously disappeared - so last Sunday {on Mother's Day} we pretended that it was Easter again too & dressed Miss E up in a repeat performance.

Here she is getting ready. Can I just say that I LOVE this picture?:

A Mama & E shot to keep this Mama happy on Mother's Day:

E twirling for Daddy:

My precious little girl:

Cuteness {x4}

2011-05-10T10:19:00.000-07:00

In Keeping With The Theme...

2011-05-09T10:11:00.000-07:00

In keeping with the theme of delayed holiday posts - here are some more Easter shots. This year was Eloise's first year to hunt Easter eggs {since she wasn't walking last year!}. We took her to our church's Easter egg hunt & it was SOOOO much fun. We had a story, did a craft, & then hunted eggs. It did not take long for her to figure out that something fun was hidden in those eggs. And when she discovered that that something fun was chocolate - she was sold. For the rest of the weekend {and following week} she would walk around & say 'Eeegg? Chocoate?'.

Maybe in a few months I'll share with you pictures from Erin's baby shower & pictures from Mother's Day. :)

xoxo

You Decide

2011-05-08T22:03:00.000-07:00

Are the pictures below from the Tulip fields at Easter, really LATE or REALLY early? I'll let you decide....

Yeah, yeah. They are LATE!! Oh well. I'm having issues with my computer{s} lately. I'm very sad to tell you that my laptop is no more. I'm trying to figure out how to use the iPad, & in the meantime, Picasa on my desktop isn't working so hot. {That's right - I have 3 computers. Sigh}. I uploaded pics from Erin's shower 4 days ago & they are still no where in sight. Maybe before her sweet baby is born there will be a post from her adorable shower. Until next time...

xoxo

2 Year Elephant Pics

2011-04-25T22:27:00.000-07:00

About a month late...but alas, here they are.

As you may recall - my friend Kelly started us with an elephant for elephant pictures her first year to see how much she had grown each month. I loved this tradition & I will probably do it once a year until she's 5. It's so fun to see how much the elephant has shrunk. :)

xoxo

Put a Bird on It ...

2011-04-25T19:27:00.000-07:00

Like the new look?

How could I resist putting a bird on my blog ... after all, if you've been in my house you know that it's like a scene from "The Birds." Now you'll feel right at home here too!

{{Kaw, Kaw}}

XOXO!!

A Picture Update

2011-04-15T22:29:00.000-07:00

These past few weeks we have been go, go, go. Not that I'm complaining - it's been mostly fun & games go, go, go. However, I'm ready for a little stay, stay, stay this coming week. I would have never thought in college that I would love to stay home as much as I do. A trip to Starbucks - & I'm set for the day. :)

Here are some pics from our last few week{s}: Eloise trying on Daddy's hat
with her shades:

A little glimpse of spring. We have a few bird friends that have found us & make this Mama very happy. I think I'm 80 - I love watching birds!! Don't judge me.

Eloise has found that if she brings her stool to the counter - she can reach almost anything. YIKES! She frequently this week began bringing said stool to the counter to 'help' me with making dinner & lunch. She's not interested in helping at breakfast time - too early.

We hope you have a great weekend! xoxo

Normal Development: 2 Years Old

2011-04-03T23:00:00.000-07:00

Last week Eloise, my mom & I went to the doctor for Ella's 2 year well baby check-up. We left the office with a great report & some documents for me to read at home with some guidelines for healthy, normal 2 year old behavior & development. Let me just share a few of those with you.

* Is always in motion.
* Gets upset and impatient easily
* Shows anger by crying or striking out

* Has sharp mood changes
* Claims everything is 'mine'
* Wants own way

I think it's very safe to say {& I'm very blessed} that my child is developing VERY normally. :)

xoxo

Birthday Party Post 1:

2011-04-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

I think that since Eloise is 2 now, that she can have 2 posts for her birthday. We'll call this post 1. Deal? Great.

Ella Roo LOVES Elmo. Oh my goodness if she could watch Elmo all day - I think she would. Thankfully, we limit her to about every other day for 30 minutes only. I think that's a good compromise. :) For her party this year - I decided to do a pink & orange color theme with Elmo cupcakes thrown in.

Here is a look at how the cupcakes turned out. I did 5 Elmo cupcakes {one for each kiddo & 1 grown-up who shall remain nameless}.

The table decor.

The lunch spread. We chose to do build your own sandwiches. We had lots of stuffs for sandwich fixings, including a fruit salad & chips.

The presents all nicely wrapped. Up until yesterday, my living room still looked like an aisle at Toys R Us. It was crazy. Eloise was greatly spoiled with loving gifts from her favorite people. And now, said gifts all have a home in our home = a happy Mama with less clutter.

Post 2 coming soon to a blog near you. I know, I know - the suspense is killing you!! But....you'll just have to wait...

xoxo

We Interrupt This Blog....

2011-03-31T23:07:00.000-07:00

We interrupt this blog to show you some extraordinary cuteness.

My good friend Ashely had her baby, Owen, this past Sunday. He came on his due date!! How's that for precise? And...are you sitting down? He weighed in at 9 lbs 7 oz!

I was blessed to meet him on Tuesday & they even let me snuggle him for a little while. How delighted was I??! Eloise though, not so much. As soon as Owen was passed to me, she began crying & asking me to hold her. Ha ha ha. She did however, get use to the idea that Mama was holding another precious baby. She even asked to hold him. Guess what the answer was? Nope!!

If you'd like to see sweet baby Owen & his VERY proud family - go visit here.

Congratulations Mogfords' - we are delighted for you!

xoxo

The Birthday Post!!!

2011-03-31T22:33:00.000-07:00

Here it is - the birthday post I know you have all been sitting by your computers waiting for.... We've had a full week of birthday celebration/extravaganza around here & it's been grand. However, this Mama is ready for life to be boring & normal for a few days now. :)

We were so blessed to have family & a few close friends surround us for Eloise's special day(s). Tim's parents came & stayed for 4 days & my mom came & stayed for 3 1/2 - what a delight! Thank you grandparents for all of the extra time & effort you put into coming over for her day(s) & for loving our daughter so.

Here is the birthday girl on her actual birthday. We decided to give her one present to open on her birthday & save the rest for the birthday party.

Her birthday banner {I know I have already showed you this - but this is the new improved version for the birthday party}

Her birthday outfit from Auntie Erin. :) {Cheesy smile from Eloise}

A preview of the Saturday party festivities. I made Elmo cupcakes for my girl & they were a hit.

I will be posting more photos & more info about the party in the coming days - stay tuned!!

xoxo

Spoiled Much?

2011-03-21T23:11:00.000-07:00

This little one isn't even two yet & look what she's playing with???

And do you want to know the scariest part? She knows how to work it. Here she is 'reading' a Grover book. She knows how to turn the pages, how to interact on the pages, & how to close this app & get to another one. Isn't that crazy? I didn't believe it myself until I watched her do it tonight. I think she's been hanging out with her Daddy...

Changing gears: Tonight after her bath - she spotted Mama's jewelry. She just had to put it on - so Daddy helped her & then we snapped photos of her while she said 'mile!'. :) So cute.

And a sneak peek at this weeks festivities. Eloise turns two {2!!} on Wednesday, so my new bff the Silhouette & I made a banner for her. I *adore* it.

We hope your week is happy!

xoxo

Eloise this week...

2011-03-08T22:25:00.000-08:00

This week Eloise has been very busy {getting into things, that is}.

Today she helped me mop. To my surprise, she actually did mop - and she insisted that she 'do it'. So...we mopped upstairs & downstairs - together. :)

Just the other day, she found this headband & wore it around like this for a good part of the day:

Then we had some help with the hot pads. Always good to know how to use a hot pad - even if she's not allowed in the kitchen while the oven is on...

Sunday after church we went to lunch with some friends. Eloise was wearing a super cute dress that Auntie A made, along with leggings, new ballerina flats, & a jacket {although the jacket HAD to be taken off before this picture was taken}.

And just because it's too cute - another look at the headband, worn with style...

Happy week to you!

xoxo

Drumroll Please...

2011-03-03T22:06:00.000-08:00

....And the winner of the $20 giveaway to CSN is:

Ashley!!!

Congratulations Ashley! And thank you again to all who played along.

xoxo

Last Chance

2011-03-02T10:46:00.001-08:00

Today is your last chance to enter my $20 giveaway! Just leave a comment to be entered. I'll draw the name & announce the winner tomorrow.

xoxo

HOME!

2011-03-01T21:19:00.000-08:00

These past few days Tim & I were here:

...by ourselves...

for 3 whole days...

More pictures to come soon - but first, laundry, clean sheets, & sleep need to happen. This Mama is tired.

Giveaway!!

2011-02-25T20:46:00.000-08:00

Are you ready for another fun giveaway? Well then, it's your lucky day. CSN has contacted me & asked to do a giveaway on my blog - just for you!! If you haven't heard of them before, let me tell you a little bit about them: they have over 200 online stores where you can find everything from kids' swing sets to stylish furniture & more!

Here's how to enter - just leave a comment below & tell me what you get with a $20 gift card to CSN. I'll choose a winner on Wednesday & announce on Thursday.

Good luck!!

My Sunday Seven

2011-02-20T23:00:00.001-08:00

Here's a list of seven things that I've been up to {hence the absence from the blog - which I hope to get back to more this week}.

1. Recovering {by sleeping!!} from a successful Puttin' On The Ritz last night
2. Adoring my baby, after she was away for a night because of #1.
3. Loving that my sister loves my baby *almost* as much as I do. :)
4. Enjoyed dinner out with my little family & bath-time with E when we got home.
5. Celebrating this special one today
6. Getting caught up on things in my house
7. Excited for a play date tomorrow!

And The Winner Is...

2011-02-05T20:50:00.000-08:00

And the winner of this week's contest is:

KelLy!! Congratulations Kelly! I used Random.org for the first time ever - it was fun! It chose #2, & Kelly was the second commenter, so there you have it. Fair & square.

Kelly, I will be mailing your prize of a Starbucks gift card out to you this week. Enjoy & thanks everyone for playing!!

Happy weekend.

xoxo

It's Time...

2011-02-01T23:36:00.000-08:00

It's time for another contest {of sorts} & a prize to win {for sure!!}.

Eloise has been enjoying trying on other people's shoes lately. I LOVE this. She puts on anyone's shoes that happen to be on the floor: Tim's, mine, her own, guests, her cousins, etc, etc. It's so darling. Here she is putting on my shoes the other day, with her 'purse' in hand. Once she had the shoes on, she told me 'Bye-bye' & headed for the door. She said she was going to Starbucks...

And here is the promised picture of Eloise playing Peeka. See the brush?? That's the only thing she goes for in the bag. It's her brush. And she knows how to use it.

So, before we have to go, here's how to enter this contest. Leave a comment with your favorite brand of shoes & purse. For a double entry, leave a link to said fav. shoes/purse. Eloise will draw a name on Friday & announce the winner Saturday. Good luck!

Bye-bye for now - we're off to Starbucks.

And The Winner Is...

2011-01-31T00:09:00.000-08:00

And the winner is....

LauRA! {Which may be a little unfair since she sees sweet-pea on a regular basis & most of you don't}. However, Laura did come up with the correct answer, so I will honor her & give her a prize of a $5 Starbucks card for her answer.

BUT....I'd like to offer you another contest & chance to win. And this time - I will make sure that no unfair/unforeseen advantages will be in the works.

Ready to play again??

What's that? First you'd like to know what 'Peeko' means? Oh ,ok - it means Make-up. Ha ha ha. That's right folks - of course it does. I'll be back later this week with pictures of Eloise & her peeko.

And...I'll be back later this week with another contest for you. Make sure to sit by your computers, holding your breath & waiting for my blog posts to pop up! :)

xoxo

Wait!!

2011-01-29T19:56:00.000-08:00

Wait!! I'm not done yet. Andrea F. - this is especially for you {however, if you're reading this} you should definitely click on this link.

Portlandia: Put A Bird On It

2011-01-28T20:47:00.000-08:00

I know I just shared a video, but I have to share this one with you asap. Tim emailed this to me yesterday claiming that 'this is how he feels'....Ha ha ha ha!! I *may* have a few birds & bird houses in our living room.

Enjoy!

Sesame Street: Celebrity Lullabies

2011-01-27T22:33:00.000-08:00

This is my new world now. Eloise LOVES Elmo. This happens to be my current favorite. :)

Would You Like To Play My Little Game?

2011-01-26T22:08:00.001-08:00

Would you like to play my little game? You would!?!? Oh GOOD!!

My little lovebird is full of chattering these days. Are we surprised? No. Does she come by it honestly? Absolutely.

So...I thought we'd play a little game called 'What Does Eloise Mean?'. Here's how the game works. I will give you a couple of examples of things she says on a daily basis & their definitions. The last word I give you will not have a translation - you have to come up with it. The first commenter with the correct answer to the translation wins!! What do you win??! Ohhhh, it will be a good prize. Really good. You'll see.

Ready? Here we go!

Example #1. Gow - Translation: Water

Example #2. Sissy - Translation: Kissie {pacifier}

Example #3. Feinyays - Translation: Raisins

Okay - now it's your turn. The word is Peeko. What does it mean?
Good luck!

{Translation games are based on chance & should not be used for investment purposes.}

Valentine's Decor

2011-01-22T10:00:00.000-08:00

I am always sad when it's time to take down the Christmas decorations. So...a few years ago, I instituted the rule that as Christmas comes down - Valentine's must go up. Something has to keep this house looking cheery through the January blues, right? Right.

I've had a lot of fun this year decorating upstairs AND downstairs for February. I made several new items & of course, had to purchase a *couple* of new things to fit in here & there too. :)

One of my new pretties is this picture below. I made one for up here & a smaller one {4x6} XOXO for downstairs - love them.

Several years ago, Miss Erin made me this adorable candle & I look forward to putting it out each year. This year it has center stage in the kitchen. I give you - the love tray.

And this little gem I'm the most excited about. I used my new scallop punch {that's what I wanted to tell you earlier today Erin - I got one too!!} to punch out lots & lots & lots of 'flooours' {as E calls them}. Then I used my beloved Cricut to cut out hearts. Now this is where it gets fancy...I went to the sewing machine {are you proud yet Andrea?} and stitched them together with that & the help of my husband {he kept the line coming straight out as I was feeding into the machine}. Lots of work for this little piece of happiness, but happy it makes me indeed. It now lives above our kitchen window.

Closer view:

I am already in process of making more of these. I don't think I've had enough yet. I'm not sure that Tim will like it if I drape the entire house in garland...but it's worth a try - right? :)

Long Overdue

2011-01-19T21:06:00.000-08:00

What's that? I owe you a blog update? Oh that's right - I DO have a blog. Whew! Life gets busy when you let it, doesn't it?
Well, I promised you some pictures of Lil' Miss' new hair, so here they are.

Last week, she & her Daddy shared a smoothie - it was precious {and apparently delicious too}.

Here's a closeup. Notice the adorable barrette? Yeah, Auntie Kim gave that to her for Christmas - we love it!

And just a switch in gears - here is a look at my stairwell {for now}. I love that I have room for a collage wall. This will be added to periodically & pictures will be updated in existing frames. I heart this new space.

And because I just can't get enough of her, here's another shot of my little cutie-patootie. She is so much fun right now. Although, I guess I should be honest & let you know that not everything is sunshine & rainbows around here {at least not ALL of the time :) }. She has a habit of saying to her Mama 'NOOO! DOP!' {Translation: NOOO! STOP}. Yeah...that doesn't go over well. At least she keeps me on my toes. :)

I will try to get back later this week to share some of my Valentine decorations. That's right - Valentine's decor is up in our house. Some of it is newly handmade too! Ooohhh la, la.

First Haircut

2011-01-08T22:50:00.000-08:00

This week, Eloise received her first haircut. It was really more of a bang trim, but as far as I'm concerned, it was her first haircut.

I got some before & during pictures - and have yet to take a satisfying after picture. Maybe tomorrow when she's all dolled up for church.

She sat so still for Auntie Laura to do her job.

Didn't mind at all...she held her colored pencil under her cape & was perfectly content.

'Finished' product. Can you tell she had little piggies on the sides of her head that day before the haircut?

Thank you Auntie Laura for the haircut!
Love,
your newest *lifelong* client

My Living Room

2011-01-05T23:39:00.000-08:00

This is what my living room looks like right now.

Hmmmmm.

Please don't judge me.

2010 Recap

2011-01-01T22:24:00.000-08:00

This is the first time I've blogged ALL year! Have you missed me? {Erin, are you rolling your eyes yet!?}.

2010 turned out to be a year of blessings for our family. I settled into my role as a stay-at-home mom & began to explore all of glory that that entails. Tim continued to work from home, in a job that he really excels in and likes & Eloise began to let her personality shine through more and more everyday. Here's a quick recap of our year.

January 1st, 2010 - Eloise begins to crawl {much to Grandma & Grandaddy's dismay - as they had just left a week before}.

February brought beautiful flowers & the start & hope of spring. Richard & Faith also came to visit & stayed with us during Valentine's Day.

March: I ran & completed my first 5k without walking!! {My only goal for the run}. My sister, My Andrea, Amanda M. Pants, & Leigh were all by my side during this run - what a fantastic event. We decided that this would be a new tradition.

On March 23, this little peach turned 1. She celebrated with two parties: An E party for her & Ethan & then a lunch party for friends & family on her special day.

In April we made the decision to put our 1st home on the market. This was difficult decision for us, but we thought we'd place it all in God's hands to see what would happen. {I think you know how this turned out}...

I also had a visit from this lovlie to celebrate this fancy lady's bridal shower. LOVE these girls. {And where did my picture go for this event}?? Sigh.

In May we went to ID to visit. At the end of May, we had our annual Harmon family beach weekend. We LOVE this weekend. Nana came out to join all of us & we had a wonderful time.

June brought more outside playdates & the first pool party for Eloise & her bff Sophia.

In July, My Andrea & her family came to visit for a couple of weeks - ahhh the fun we had.

August 2nd brought my 33rd birthday & a HOUSE! Happy Birthday to me. We found our new house on my birthday & made an offer that was accepted the next day. Woo-hoo!

On August 7th, these two dear, dear friends of our tied the knot. What a BEAUTIFUL wedding it was. Congratulations bride & groom!!

A week after their wedding, Eloise took her first steps...and hasn't slowed down since.

Also in August, Auntie Kim & the boys came for 4 days to help with Eloise so I could pack up the house - what a blessing that was!!!

September 11th, we moved. It turned out to be quite an adventure & not one that I hope to repeat for a very, very long time.

Auntie Kim & the boys came back - to help unpack & play. Seriously - SO MUCH fun!!

October brought a new-found love for babies. Eloise loves to play with her babies.

Running, running, & more running...

Coloring was discovered this summer. E LOVES to color. Here she is coloring with her cousins, they were all dressed up in a Halloween preview outfit - & coloring away. Love these girls.

In November, we headed to the beach for a week with the D'Astrinoff's. When we got back from the beach - they stayed for 2 more weeks. What a delight!

There isn't a bathtub at the beach house - so we improvised:

2 days after the D'Astrinoff's left, the Adams fam gathered at the beach for a long weekend of Thanksmas. This is another annual tradition that we all love. Time with cousins, family, & 2 special holidays crammed into 4 days or less. :)

December - we lost our dear Grandma Adams. Heaven is rejoicing, while we are saddened by her passing.

We took our first official Christmas family photo. I heart it. We were once again surrounded by family, friends & love this holiday season.

What a blessing 2010 turned out to be. I can only anticipate that 2011 will hold the same. Happy New Year to you!!

3 Little Monkeys

2010-12-30T12:00:00.000-08:00

This year, my mom gave each of the grand-daughters a set of matching jammies with their name on them. They are adorable. I hope this is a new tradition that my mom is starting. (hint, hint mom!). :) However....trying to get all three of these adorable little monkeys to look at the camera at the same time is a completely different story. Here's what most of the shots looked like:

And even though they aren't all looking, smiling, & posing - I think that these photos are priceless. I love that these cousins are growing up together. What a Merry Christmas indeed!

Playing

2010-12-29T23:52:00.000-08:00

After presents were all finished being opened (round 3 for our crowd) Nellie & Eloise played with the left over wrappings.

I love that Eloise has her cousins to play & be silly with.

More Christmas Photos

2010-12-28T23:47:00.000-08:00

Here are some more photos from our Christmas Eve & Christmas Day celebration. We were so happy to welcome my parents into our home for several days during Christmas - thank you Mom & Dad for coming - we loved having you. Here are some precious pictures of my parents with their littlest grand-daughter.

Dad reading to E on Christmas Eve

Mom playing with E & her Nativity set that they gave her

E bringing more books to 'Papa' to read:

E's oldest cousin - Nellie, whom she calls Mia. Both of the girls are Mia to Eloise. So funny.

Thank you Wagners & Harmon's for filling our Christmas Day with love, joy, & delight. We love you!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-26T22:53:00.000-08:00

We hope that you & your family had a wonderful Christmas celebration yesterday. We were SO blessed to have our family here with us to celebrate the day. Here are a few photos from the past few days. I'll be back with more later & more details on our CHRISTmas celebration.

Our first official family Christmas photo - ever! :) A new tradition - I hope:

A sneak-peek at presents (round 3):

3 sweet cousins all in a row, in matching jammies with their names on them. LOVE it:

A beautiful little E in her Christmas dress before the Christmas Eve service at church:

Merry (belated) Christmas to you!!

Eloiseisms

2010-12-12T22:19:00.000-08:00

There are a few things that Eloise is saying right now that I want to make sure and document, because they are just too cute! So Grandmas, sorry, but there won't be any pictures in this post...you can go ahead & close the window if you want to. :)

At almost 21 months Eloise says:

Gow {translation} = water

Almost always says 'peas' & 'tank you mama' {even if it wasn't mama who gave it to her - love that!}

Exsouse me mama {excuse me mama} then she pushes her way past me. :)

Calls Santa Tom. Ha ha ha - so funny.

Asks where certain people are throughout the day. Our favorites to keep tabs on are: Gaga {Grandma}, E-tan {Ethan}, Mia, Wa-wa {Auntie Laura}, Fia {Sophia - her bff}, Newie {Nellie}, & of course Dada.

She puts her hands in the air and asks 'whered it go? Whered it go?' over and over if she can't find her lovie. Which brings me to her next one.

She LOVES her nigh-night as she calls it. And Kissie. Kissie will be going away though in a few months, that will be fun.

She's talking NON-stop. Points & waves at things & then proceeds to tell you all about them, it's hilarious.

That's all that I can think of right now, what a blessing & joy this little girl is!!

Christmas at our House Continued

2010-12-10T22:24:00.000-08:00

Here are a few more glimpses into our Christmas home.

Dining room light:

Nativity my Mom & Dad gave me last year for Christmas (this is the first year I've gotten to use it!). Along-side the nativity are our scrapbooks from previous Christmases:

Our growing basket of Christmas books to read in December:

Sofa table downstairs (see the beautiful table runner my Mother-in-Law made me for Thanksmas!?! I love it):

What's This?

2010-12-09T23:40:00.000-08:00

A new machine has made an appearance in the scrapbook room.

{see below}

That's right - I've decided to learn to sew. My Andrea donated a machine to me {now that's love} & my mother-in-law & sweet sister-in-law took time during Thanksmas to start me on a pair of PJ's for Miss E. After an evening tutorial, we were at JoAnn's the next day buying more fabric.

4 PJ's + 1 gift set later, I was on a roll. Here is my first completed project:

And My Andrea, this is for you - this is my thread jar. :)

Maybe if I work really, really hard - one day My A will let me in her sewing room...

Christmas Time!

2010-12-09T22:20:00.000-08:00

It's SO much fun to decorate our new house for Christmas this year. It feels like everything is new, since it now all lives in a new space. Tim & I were just commenting the other day that the house feels like home now. I think it helps too now that we are all fancy for Christmas - love it!

Here are a few pictures of our Christmas house.

Thanksmas

2010-12-08T17:29:00.000-08:00

This year, we had Thanksmas from Wed. - Sat. It's kind of like Festivus, except much, much better. My sister-in-law did a great post with TONS of pictures (I think she was the photographer for the week, since I just uploaded my pictures & found that I only had 1 days worth - sigh). Go here to see more photos (thanks for the great post Kim!).

All of Tim's immediate family was there for the whole time, it was nice to get to spend some quality time with them. My nephews are growing so quickly. The 4 littles had a great time playing together.

Eloise & her daddy at the beach:

Eloise, Daddy, & Grandma walking back up from the beach:

Daddy, Papa, & Eloise (Daddy & Papa had a great time swinging Eloise as they held hands - so cute!):

Nativity (as played out by a 1 1/2 year old)

2010-12-08T09:46:00.000-08:00

For Christmas this year, my parents have given Eloise the Little People's Nativity set. That's right...I said this year. My mom sent it early & Eloise really, really wanted to open it so she could play with it leading up to Christmas, so my mom graciously allowed her to do just that. I had nothing to do with it... :D

So last night we were playing with the Nativity, when suddenly a great cloud of heavenly 'sheep?' appeared. The sheep was able to sing like an angel - it was quite remarkable really.

And then, having traveled from afar (really very afar) a dinosaur appeared to pay the Baby a visit. And he didn't bring a gift, but he did bring his ROAR!!.

And it was good.

A Daddy and his Daughter

2010-12-07T10:00:00.000-08:00

Tonight, Eloise & Tim sat on the couch and watched Elmo. Eloise thinks that this is all that Daddy's phone does - is show short videos of Elmo - it makes her world a little more happy. It makes mine overflow to see these two together.

Thank you Auntie A for teaching Eloise about Elmo. She will never be the same. :)

We Now Return...

2010-12-06T17:23:00.000-08:00

...to your regularly scheduled blog updates. Whew! 2 weeks!! Who knew that life would be so busy these past few weeks? A lot has happened around here, so here is part 1 of a weeks worth of updates. (If you're lucky). And hopefully, this will pacify those who have been harassing me about blog updates (you know who you are Melissa). :)

Last week we got SNOW! Here is the first snow picture at our new house:

And just before the snow, we returned from a 5 day adventure to the beach with Tim's family for Thanksmas. We *heart* Thanksmas. I have another post just for it, but for now, here's a sneak peek at some of our events:

Drinking from Mama's water - it tastes better, you know:

Mama & Baby-cakes at the beach:

Dadda & Sweets at the beach:

I'll be back with more later!

My Andrea

2010-11-22T23:11:00.000-08:00

For the past two weeks, My Andrea has been here with me. We were able to 'squeeze' in a week at the beach, a trip to Seattle, a week at home, 2 trips to Target, several trips to JoAnns, nightly crafts, movies, Starbucks runs (at least once a day, sometimes twice), & lots of quality time together with our families. We had an absolutely wonderful time. Thank you De'Atrenoff's for coming to visit - the house is just too quiet without you.

We have had several people comment on their length of stay - to which most of them wrinkle up their noses & say - 'Really? 18 days? And you don't get tired of each other?' To which we reply - 'Nope, not a chance.'

More on the nightly crafts later...

I feel so blessed (especially appropriate for this week) for my family & friends. Seriously - I couldn't be more happy or blessed. Happy Thanksgiving week!

Monday's Gratitude

2010-11-16T00:10:00.000-08:00

Grateful Monday:

Today has been filled with

1. Homemade pancakes for 3 small kiddos around my breakfast table.

2. Delightful shouts as said 3 small kiddos played with the new Little People's zoo.

3. A reorganization project - Jessie & Andrea {1} Pantry {0}. Hello organized canned goods...

4. Nap time for the household

5. Delish dinner with friends surrounding our table

6. A Mama's trip out to the store without kiddos.

7. Craft time (which was quickly given up because of it's silly complexity & not a great end result in sight).

8. A new blog lay-out & tutorial from My Andrea

9. Lots of love & smiles filling my home all day

10. A comfy bed awaiting

Hope your Monday was as enjoyable as mine!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-10T23:02:00.001-08:00

Gratitude

2010-11-09T23:27:00.000-08:00

My thankful heart for today:

A warm house to stay in & warm car to ride in when it's raining, windy, & chilly outside. I'm also thankful for the delicious tea that I drank tonight that helped keep me warm. Yummm...

Beach Day 1:

2010-11-08T17:08:00.000-08:00

Today my heart was filled with:

Grand-Daddy's & Toes

2010-11-06T22:53:00.000-07:00

It's only Saturday night & this weekend has already been filled with lots of love. Yesterday afternoon, Mrs. Kent came over to play scrapbook (HOORAY!!) & we had a ball. She stayed & made dinner, & my parents joined in just at about that time. (They came over this weekend for Melia's 6th birthday party). We all enjoyed hanging out together & before bed, Grand-Daddy gave Miss E her bottle.

Love this picture.

Today after the party & fast forward 6 hours later, I have a toe painting buddy. Do you know who's toes these are??!? These toes are going to be hanging out at my house for several days & I can hardly wait. So happy that these toes are here:

Such a wonderful time of year for visits from family & friends. Two of the most important 'things' in this life...

Her Favorite

2010-11-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

Eloise loves to color. Loves to color a lot. Because she loves to color so much...guess what I get to do? That's right - I get to color lots & lots too. And you know what? I love it too, mostly because my partner is so stinking adorable. :)

Sometimes she puts on pretty headbands to color:

And this is a picture just because. Isn't it sweet? I love it.

Today

2010-11-04T23:00:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful for our health.

Poor little E is struggling with a cold & it got me thinking, this is really only the 2nd time in her little life that she's been sick. Neither Tim nor I have caught it (hope it stays that way), but even if we do, it's just a cold. It will pass within a few days. Yes, it's uncomfortable & I feel really bad for my sweetie-pie as she coughs & breathes through her mouth, but it's just a cold. I have close friends that struggle with so much more on a daily basis health wise. I am so very thankful that our baby is happy, healthy, & strong. What better gift could a mother ask for?

Thankful Heart

2010-11-03T22:55:00.000-07:00

Today was a day blessed with sunshine & 70+ degree temperatures! It was gorgeous out today & even this evening while taking a walk with friends, I only needed a sweatshirt - lovely.

I'm thankful for my husband & for good friends. Tonight Tim took me on a date to a movie. We haven't been on a date in months - so this was a fun surprise. Our awesome friends Adam & Katie came over to babysit for us on super short notice so that we could go on our little date.

And I'm thankful for my lovely (& clean!) home. Our new house is finally starting to feel like home now - I like this...a lot.

What are you thankful for today?

Cousins!!

2010-11-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, my adorable sis-in-law & her 3 boys piled in their van & came to visit us for several days. We had an absolute ball. We were SO glad they came. Here are a few pics of the kiddos & our adventures together:

Eli & Silas after a long day of playing hard:

We took a trip to the carousel. These guys hadn't ridden one before, so we were thrilled to be with them for their first rides. (Notice that Eli is wearing his scooter helmet - so funny):

Moses wasn't too sure about it:

Silas ready to go:

Thank you Kim for coming to visit us!! We'll see you again soon!

Grateful Heart

2010-11-02T23:27:00.001-07:00

I just saw today (I'm a day behind on my blog reading - gasp!) that these two lovelies are playing along with a gratitude game. What a great game to play! So I will try to play along too. I would however, like to make a disclaimer that I may not post daily - but I will make an effort.

Today I am thankful for many, many things.

I think I'd like to focus for today on my small group. We meet every Tuesday night & have for the past 3 years. Over the years, the group has gained & lost a few families - but for the most part, it's stayed intact. I love this group. We keep it real, have great leadership, & I know that I can trust all of the people in the group. That doesn't just happen very often. Thank you life group for all that you've taught me over these past 3 years - I look forward to learning more with you throughout the year!

More Pics

2010-11-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more pictures from our Halloween adventures:

The cutest butterfly you ever did see:

My dear friend Amanda. Love this girl.

The Halloween Crew 2010. We visited several houses with these guys - so much fun!

Eloise's BFF, Miss Sophia (or Fia as Eloise calls her). Amanda made her costume, isn't it cute??

What A Difference

2010-11-01T00:36:00.000-07:00

a year makes...

2009

2010

Like it or not, my baby is growing up.

Happy Halloween!!!

2010-10-31T22:32:00.000-07:00

Last night we had a house warming party. It was optional to dress up & lots of people did, which made it even more fun. These two crazy kids came looking like this: Can you guess who they are dressed up as??!!?!?

Ready for your answer? They came dressed as us. They even brought their baby 'Eloise' (all the way from Goodwill). HA ha ha ha! I loved it. And at the end of the night - Nicole gave me her big ring. Guess what I wore today? :) Thanks for making us laugh you guys - you were hilarious!

Tonight, we took our little butterfly on her first Trick or Treating experience. We went to a few friends houses: The Wards, Acker's, Thompson's (Ben's parents - we were with Ben, Amanda, & Sophia - aka: The Ladybug), the Morgan's, & Whitehursts. So fun to visit these families & show off our little darling.

Trick or Treat was too much of a mouthful for her, so we just stuck with 'treat'. When she realized that the treats were chocolate, she was okay with it.

Happy Halloween!!

Oh The Cuteness...

2010-10-28T12:03:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Miss Amanda M. Pants & I made these 'Boo' frames based on a link Miss Knitty Bitties had sent. All of ours turned out differently & I love that. My 'Boo' is displayed proudly in our living room:

Speaking of Knitty Bitties - look what she made for ME!! Oh my word, I can't even tell you how in love with these fabrics & pillows I am. She may turn me into a sewing girl yet!! (Ok, even if she did - I don't think I will ever compare to these):

And the promise of a table runner & 3rd pillow coming soon. I can hardly take it...

Scrapbook Room Update...

2010-10-27T22:57:00.000-07:00

Caution: The following pictures contain progress of said Scrapbook Room & also contain a high dose of adorableness. Continue at your own risk:

A girl and Her Balloon

2010-10-18T20:08:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday after church, Tim snapped these photos of E. I adore them. I think they capture her personality & her love of life right now. She's holding an Elmo 'ba' that 'Gaga' (read Grandma) bought for her while she was visiting. We still have her 'ba' & she plays with it daily - she loves balloons. (And Grandma). :)

Feeding her baby. Notice the pigtails are up on the sides of her head now!! So exciting.

18 Months!

2010-10-04T20:21:00.000-07:00

Wow. 'They' say time goes so quickly when you have a little one in the house & 'they' are right. I truly can't believe that my little peach is 18 months old. She's a toddler!! I decided that when she turned 18 months old, that I can no longer count how old she is in months. I don't want to be the mother that says 'oh yes, she's 173 months old'. You know the one. That won't be me. So, for the next 30 days, my peach is 18 months old. After that, we turn to year(s). Sigh.

Here she is with her elephant. The last elephant photo was taken at 12 months. What a HUGE change in 6 months:

At 18 months Eloise is:

RUNNING everywhere. She is busy & has lots to do. Consequently, so do I.

Loves to talk. Tells you all kinds of things in a very serious voice most of the time - with an occasional growl thrown in for good measure.

Eats almost anything we give to her. She's starting to become a little picky. I'm trying to discourage that behavior.

LOVES to color. Asks to color daily & holds the crayon in her right hand, correctly. So cute.

Loves her shoes & socks. She likes to carry them around and announce their presence too.

Asks for her 'nigh-nigh' & kissy throughout the day (her lovie blanket & pacifier).

Loves to help mama with laundry & putting away dishes.

Loves to read books.

Has learned the kittie's names & likes to follow them around. 'Dee-don' doesn't love this new development.

Listens for planes & tells me about them. Also listens for lawn mowers & tells me about them too. She can even say lawn mower. :)

Weighs 23 pounds.

When going through the drive-thru at Starbucks, she says 'bye-bye' after I'm finished placing my order. Cracks me up.

She's starting to use her words to say please & thank you now. I love it. She also said 'bless you' today when I sneezed.

She learns new things daily, and it is a privilege & a joy to be her mama & get to watch this little blossom unfold. What a blessed mama I am!

These Boots...

2010-09-29T12:04:00.000-07:00

These boots were made for walkin' (except she didn't do that in them). It's more appropriate to say that these boots were made to be worn & stand around in only. :)

Auntie Cole was over on Sunday & decided that little miss, complete with NO pants on, should stand in Mommy's boots:

I love how these turned out. So funny. She wouldn't move in the boots. As soon as Nicole took her out, she asked to be put back in them. Hee, hee. What can we say?! The girl loves shoes!

Coloring Cousins

2010-09-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

Last week, Eloise & I went to Auntie Laura's house for a sleepover. While we were there, we found some fun dress up/Halloween costume options, so the bigger girls wanted to try them on. Eloise couldn't be left out, so Nellie gave her a tutu & Melia gave her some ladybug antennas to wear. These three were hilarious sitting around the table 'crafting & coloring' in their outfits.

Nellie (7), Melia (5 1/2), Eloise (1 1/2)

My ladybug in curls:

Her master piece:

Wanting Mama to put the camera down & color with her. Guess what I did? (After this picture was taken). :)

My Fancy Helper

2010-09-27T20:45:00.000-07:00

This week Eloise has been very, very busy. Apparently turning 18 months qualifies you for all kinds of helpful jobs...like:

Trying out Mommy's headbands to make sure they are nice:

Rearranging all of the drawers in the bathroom, just because she can:

And putting a lot of the contents of said drawers along the tile of the bathtub, because that is really helpful...

I'm LOVING this age. She is so much fun. She loves to watch what I'm doing & imitate. A little bit of a scary responsibility, but nonetheless, so much fun. These were taken last week - she put the headband on by herself & proceeded to run around the house with it on for about 5 minutes. :)

She turned 18 months on Thursday, so today I took elephant pictures of her. I'll post those later this week.

My Scrapbook Room!!

2010-09-19T23:06:00.000-07:00

I am so spoiled in this new house of ours to have a room that I get to call all my own!! I'm SO very excited at the possibilities that await in this room...

Would you like to see what it looks like?

Eeekkkk!! Did I forget to mention that I haven't done a THING with it yet?? Holy moly. This doesn't look like much of a scrapping space yet.

Double Eeekkk!!

So instead, I think I will do this..

In a few weeks (or maybe a month or two) I hope to show you the new improved version of this room. We'll just keep this on hand for comparison sake....don't judge me. :)

A Girl After Her Own Heart

2010-09-19T07:51:00.000-07:00

Click for the video.

Day 3:

2010-09-15T16:45:00.000-07:00

Here we are in the middle of Day 3. It's been a semi-productive day, with a good amount of playtime involved as well. :)

Here is a pic of our RED front door. I *heart* my front door:

A view from the front door (Erin, this is Sophie's memorial) see our grass coming up? It's raining today too - grow grasses grow!

A view from the living room window - looking back towards the kitchen/dining room. To the left (at the back) is the entry way from the front door.

A view of our back deck. Thanks Laura for the lovely flowers!!

I took more photos that I'll post later. Little Miss just woke up - gotta go!

xoxo

Before & a Little After

2010-09-14T22:25:00.000-07:00

Here are a few snaps of little E getting to know her new digs. These were taken about a week ago.

Having fun with sliding glass doors (we now have 3 of them):

This may be my new favorite picture of her:

A view of our deck (I must update this photo soon - the deck now holds adorable flowers in pots & red chairs!!

A view of the family room on Day 2 (yesterday):

Thanks for stopping by. I'm taking the evening off from unpacking & heading to bed early tonight. Look for more updates (& hopefully more progress!) later this week.

xoxo

Day 2

2010-09-14T22:07:00.000-07:00

On Saturday some of our greatest friends helped us move. Wow - what a chore. Since then, I've been scurrying around trying to find a new 'home' for things in our new home. This is a glimpse of how things looked yesterday - Day 2 in our new house:

Dining/kitchen/living room area

Kitchen

Our bedroom

A close up view of our new couch (upstairs) & the adorable pillow I got today. More adorable pillows will be coming in October courtesy of my bestie!

And since my computer battery is about to die - that's all for now. I'll be back soon with more pictures & more updates.

fyi

2010-09-05T23:34:00.000-07:00

for those of you keeping track - this blog is going to be on an unofficial break for at least the next 2 weeks. that's right people....it's moving time. as much as i'd like to add just one more thing to my to-do list...i think that this blog will need to take a back seat for just a bit. but don't worry - i'll be back soon with pictures & many stories to share about my precious Eloise & her first adventure in moving. our first adventure as a family in moving - should be exciting!

xoxo

It's Getting Closer...

2010-08-27T00:09:00.000-07:00

...to looking like a real house! :)

I went by today with my camera & snapped a few shots before I felt odd being there alone with the workers. Not that they asked me to leave, I just decided that being in an empty house alone with a strange male inside & 1 outside wasn't the smartest choice I'd made all day. So, not such a grand plan after all. But here's what I got before I fled. :)

I can not wait to make this our new home.

More Scrappin' Goodness

2010-08-24T22:19:00.000-07:00

Last week, I finished 5 layouts at Scrappin' Thursday - so I thought I'd share with you the other two that I completed that day. I'm still catching up from Eloise's first year - but I'm ALMOST done!!

1st Halloween (she was a cheetah & her bff Sophia was a ladybug):

On Mother's Day, when she was just 3 weeks old, we dedicated her at church (not to church) :) - what a special day that was!!

About a month ago now, my friend Katie (see below) came over & we embellished some plain white hand towels that I had purchased. This is Katie posing for the camera while she sews her heart away...

Some of the finished products:

So now I'm thinking...I need an aqua & red bathroom to put said embellished towels in. I found an aqua shower curtain today - should I do it?

It's for you

2010-08-23T21:58:00.000-07:00

Oooh!

Walkin' and talkin'

2010-08-22T18:43:00.000-07:00

A New (NEW!) House...

2010-08-21T11:12:00.000-07:00

In just a few short weeks we will be moving here:

I'm happy to say that so much progress has already been made since these photos were taken (just a couple of weeks ago) but at least this will give you an idea.

This is the kitchen/dining/living area. The cabinets are cherry & the laminate flooring will match the colors of the cabinets. Down the hall are two bedrooms (ours & Eloise's) & a 1/2 bath.

This is the family room. Kind of hard to tell with doors in the middle of the room, but this is downstairs where there's a 2nd kitchen, 3 more bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, & a laundry room. Hello scrapbook room...

A view of the guest suite - with it's own bathroom inside the room. :)

How 'bout an Update??

2010-08-20T21:59:00.000-07:00

Well it seems that I've taken an unannounced blog-cation. I've been a little busy these past few weeks, what with the marrying of a certain best girl, the short (but OH SO fun) visiting of another best girl, the packing & moving prep (T minus 3 weeks people!!), & the scrapping. Whew! So much amazing life stuff right now - my heart over flows - and my blogging schedule has suffered as a result. :) I thought I'd start with a few LO's that I did at Scrappy Thursday this week. I completed 5 (count them FIVE) layouts in my few short hours at the LSS. SO much fun. Here's a little peek at what I did:

The new bride - right before she was proposed to (although she didn't know it at the time!):

Nicole always answers the phone in a hilarious voice 'YELLLLLLOW?' whenever I call. I love it.

My precious at just a few days old:

Auntie Cole & Uncle SG were Eloise's first visitors at the hospital the day she was born. They came with excitement, flowers, & Starbucks. Aren't my friends awesome?? Love them.

A New Home for Us!

2010-08-06T01:03:00.001-07:00

Looks like we will have a place to live in September after all! :) We are in the final stages of wrapping up selling our house & buying a new house (to be completed in about 3 weeks) in S. Salem. We are so excited. Stay tuned for pictures & updates...

Now - I must be off to wedding weekend - can't wait!!

A Few More...

2010-07-27T21:50:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more photos from last week.

Eloise has discovered that she LOVES to color.

Little E & Big E coloring together:

Eloise & Auntie A

We had to have two lap tops around and available incase of a laptop emergency. Whew - good thing we were covered!

My Andrea's Visit

2010-07-27T21:45:00.000-07:00

Last week my bestie came to visit us for almost a whole week! What spoiled girls we were. There was crafting, chatting, eating, Starbucks, more chatting, more Starbucks, playing with two of the sweetest peas around, chatting, and oh - did I mention Starbucks? We had a wonderful time. I oh so wish that we lived closer. Here are a few peeks into our week together: (AND, we actually remembered to take photos this time - almost everyday - are you proud Erin? We were.). :)

Thank you Andrea & Ethan for sharing part of your short summer vacation with us. We loved having you! Come back again very, very soon - we miss you too much already.

On A Break...

2010-07-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

This delightful young lady is coming to visit me with her little *E friend*. Because of this we will be taking a break from your regularly scheduled blog. You may now return to your other regularly scheduled programing.

And please remember, your call is important to us - please remain on the line & we will be with you as soon as possible...

More Crafty-Crafts

2010-07-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

These are two of the layouts I completed this week during our scrap-day.
This first one was a scrap-lift from a Creating Keepsakes magazine from this spring. I like how mine turned out better - am I allowed to say that? :) And I'm SOOO excited for these two to be getting married in 3 weeks, I can hardly wait:

E & me - another one for her baby book:

A mini I did for my sister - she turns 30 on Monday, so I did a little book of 30 things that I love about her. I am happy to say that I didn't run out of ideas, in-fact, I love her for more than 30 reasons. :) Happy (early) Birthday Laura! I love you!!

Happy Birthday Laura!!

2010-07-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

Today is my *little* sister's 30th birthday! Happy, Happy Birthday Laura! You are an amazing sister, daughter, mom, aunt, & wife. I love you dearly and wish you the best year yet! May your day be filled with lots of wishes coming true, love, & of course CAKE!
xoxo

Eloise Says...

2010-07-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

Make sure you take time to stop & smell the Gerbera's. (Or in her case, wrinkle your nose & exhale loudly). Hey - whatever works for you, I'm not judging...

Happy Anniversary!!

2010-07-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

Happy 6th Anniversary to the love of my life! I love you dearly Tim - and I am still looking forward to 'ever after' with you...

Grammy & Papa

2010-07-16T12:00:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Grammy & Papa were here to visit. Unfortunately, Grammy didn't feel very well, so I don't have any pics of her with Eloise - but we did snap a few of Papa holding 'his little princess' as he calls her. I love that he calls her that.

Eloise enjoying a snack with Papa & her giraffe:

Eloise & Sophia at Costco last week, enjoying a side-by-side ride:

And because I can't resist, another pool pic. This was taken by Grammy - does that count Faith? :) She LOVES her pool - what fun we are having this summer.

Lay-outs & Pool Time...

2010-07-15T22:14:00.000-07:00

My friends and I have been scrapping once a week this summer & I'm LOVING it. I get a little 'me time' & also some layouts done. Today, I finished 3 layouts & 6 cards. The layouts below are from last week's crop session. They are going in her baby book, I'm almost done with year one for the baby book! (These pics of the LO's are not the best - but you get the idea).

My 1st Mother's Day:

E & S in the bath in December:

And just because she's too cute - here's a pic of E in her new pool in the backyard. Grammy came to visit & enjoyed pool time with us:

And so it begins...

2010-07-14T21:28:00.000-07:00

Didn't take but 5 minutes after mom left for a girl's night to get Eloise to start this new trick, much to Jessie's chagrin. Click on the image for the video. =)

Full Disclosure

2010-07-07T20:08:00.000-07:00

Okay...here it is. We have our house on the market. Technically. Also, we technically have a signed offer that has been accepted by both us & the technical buyer. Then today we found out that we have a back-up buyer that wants to know if this first deal falls through. Now, here's the part that I 'technically' am having a hard time with. This is my first home. We bought it before we were married, I moved in from my 1 bedroom apartment (it took us 45 minutes to load the U-Haul) and lived here on my own for 3 months. Then, my husband moved in, we lived here for 4 1/2 years together & then brought our first baby home to this house. 6 years here and now there's a stupid sign in my yard. Bug. Anyway, I digress.

So, that's it. We have our house for sale, we have accepted an offer. We also have an offer on another house. However, the bank is ignoring us. They said they'd let us know today if they accept our offer or not, but guess what? They didn't. So, we continue to wait. It's mostly okay, but I do have my moments. So, if you think of it & want to send a little prayer our way, that would be grand. House drama - gotta love it!

Summer Decor

2010-07-06T10:20:00.000-07:00

This summer my mantle is looking especially festive. Would you like to see for yourself?

I made this banner using paper & ribbon - love it!! And you may remember the 'Happy Spring' picture from earlier (say...this spring??) :). Well, a little revising and it now says 'Happy Summer'. Fancy.

And the fabulous My Andrea sent me this table runner for 4th of July. I love it. I'm pretty sure it's really a happy summer table runner. If you are feeling envious of this - you can get your own here.

Loving these summer days!!

Happy 4th!

2010-07-04T12:19:00.000-07:00

We would like to wish you and your family a very happy 4th of July! May you all be blessed this day.

Love, Eloise, Jessie, & Tim