Here's to you Ellie

...and all your dimples.

Out-of-towners

We just got back from a trip to Utah to visit my sister and her family. It was a bit chilly, but Ellie seemed to enjoy it. So did her dad, since there's nothing like the freezing night air to get a cold little nose to nestle up on his shoulder. A great place to visit, but I think I'll keep Arizona my home.

Ashes.

That is all that is left of my old church building. Kind of a sad sight. Gone are the hymn books, the pianos, the pews, and the shelf with all of the singing supplies I made while I was a primary chorister. I hoped to someday come back and claim a few items. There goes that plan. Luckily everyone who lived close by is safe and sound. Everything else is replaceable.

Meet Betty.

Everyone knows Ellie,


but let me introduce Betty...


Shweaty Betty.

And now you know the story of how "Betty" came to be.

What a day.

My fresh cut and color made me happy (thank you Leisel!)...




but then my poor little Betty getting her shots made me sad.
The sound of screaming kids and the smell of rubbing alcohol didn't help anything.


What a little trouper. She definitely handles it better than me.
Someone get this girl a lollipop.

Breakfast at Danny's

Sunday mornings at our house usually looks like this...

then this...

And finally, this:


Nothing beats a fresh, hot, and most importantly CRISPY waffle.

Sleepy-head.

That's my Ellie. She went down for her afternoon nap around 3:30pm, then woke up to eat a little before 6. And by "wake up" I mean she drank her bottle with her eyes closed, and then fell completely back asleep just before it was all gone. Not so strange, right? I'd say so too, except two days ago she started this same regiment, but then just kept on sleeping through the night! And I woke her up the following morning at 7am. That's over 15 hours! What a little sleepy-head.

The Dollar Game...a family favorite.

Got some time...and a little money?

Here are the rules:
Everyone gets a dollar
($2 for you high-rollers out there--you know who you are).
Put everyone's name in a hat and then everybody draws one.
Choose again if you get yourself. (Right hubba.)
Find the cheapest store around.
Now shop-it-up for your secret friend.
Once everyone has bought their items, get the group together to present the gifts.

Thanks to my sis Ray, I am now the owner of my very own, matching pink bracelet and earring set from the ole Dollar Tree.
She's got a jammin' CAR-ee-okee CD.
Danny wanted a Fanta. So he got one.

Somehow this game never gets old for me.

Randomness

1. My husband would say that I have a bit of a cereal fetish. I would simple say that I like to be prepared with whatever cereal someone in the house (usually me) might decide they need that day. After all, you can never have too much of something that is so good and can be eaten ate any time, day or night!

2. Making decisions…not my favorite thing. For some reason I take way to long to make a decision. Any decision. Of course you should spend some time on the big stuff, but I still can hardly decide on the little. What to wear, what to have for dinner, what to hang on a wall. I just always want to make the perfect decision. BUT, I will say that I’ve got quite a bit to show for all of the stress and worry. I think Danny would agreeJ.

3. I enjoy being active; running, walking, lifting, blading (it’s been a while), Pilates, Yoga and biking (my latest edition). It helps me feel good and it’s good for me. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy relaxing too (napping, watching movies, laying on the beach in Rocky Pointe), but being up and moving makes the down times that much more enjoyable.

4. I LOVE Mesa Frozen Yogurt! If you’ve ever been, I’m sure you saw me there. Sad, but very, very true.

5. A tidy house makes me happy. I use the word tidy, rather than clean. I do love a clean house, but I can get over a few smudges on the floor easier than clutter in the living room. Ellie and all of her “supplies” are trying to break me of this, but I’m holdin’ out strong. I owe it all to (or blame it all on) my mom.

6. One of my passions is to teach. Those of you who know my career (I use this word loosely) as a math teacher, may be a bit confused. I may be done giving out grades and disciplining students, but there are always opportunities to teach, and I will never be done. I love the feeling of teaching someone about something I love, and knowing I got through. I love to teach.

7. Spending time with my hubba is my favorite thing. Whatever it is that’s going on, it’s always more fun when Danny’s there.

8. And finally, I love being a mom.

I was tagged by Karli...a long time ago.

(Sorry I did 8 things instead of 7. I'm just not a fan of odd numbers. Great... now I've done 9.)

What do you see?

Danny sees a sleeping baby.

I see an unmade bed.

The Big Race

Danny and I participated in our very first duathlon in Casa Grande this weekend. It was very fun and definitely recommendable. Danny chooses not to use the word "fun" to describe it, but he's glad we did it.

The only thing we'd do different, besides NOT get lost on the bike course and go 5 extra miles, is rent or own, (depending on how "hard core" Danny wants to become) a nice road bike. We were definitely put to shame by people of all shapes, sizes and ages, who whizzed past us on their fancy bikes wearing their fancy helmets.

BUT... we did both place 2nd in our age group. I won't get into how many people per age group. Good times.

Can't get one past her

This balloon was given to Ellie by a grocery store worker for being so darn cute.

I'm not sure if the shocked look is because she sees the balloon is 2 times her size or because she knows she is being given "out-dated" merchandise. She's really smart.

What do you get when you mix a cat and a dog?

A cat-dog of course.

Feelin' a little drab?

Wear sequins.
That's what Ellie does. What do you do?

What a good little girl

Ellie heard me calling her a high maintenance baby yesterday, so this morning she spent her time convincing me otherwise.
Goal achieved.

Happy Birthday To Me!

Thanks to my wonderful husband we will now be flying to Utah for Thanksgiving instead of driving. Driving is for the birds. Well...you know what I mean. But anything that cuts down my travel time from 10 hours (or maybe like a gazillion with our little Ellie) to 2, is like a dream. Aren't birthdays the greatest?!

See any resemblance??

Yeah, me neither.

Ellie definitely takes after the Court side of the family. But this is cousin Brigham during my sister's recent trip to Arizona. I should point out that this picture doesn't do justice for how huge our little man Brig is.

We miss you Brigham!

Go D-backs!

A fun little outing to Chase Field. It was even worth getting 2 seats for the price of 3, once we got in and saw our bleacher style seats. No rubbing shoulders with smelly strangers for us. But I hope no one sat at home bored and alone, because we'd have gladly shared the extra ticket.

The many faces of Ellie

Sleepy face

I'm not done sleeping face



Don't mess with me face



Happy bathtub face

Surprised bathtub face



Just chillin' in my new sunglasses from grandma face

My new toy

...or danny's.

Ellie's Loves in Life

Pink, Pink, Pink.

(and pink tu tu's)

Tennies

Swimming in bows (with nana)

Kissing frogs

Cozy nap spots

Hangin' out with the fam

My motivation

Some of you who know me well might be a little surprised to see I've decided to start a blog. Well, let me explain.

To put is shortly...it's all for Ellie. I think it is a great way to keep track of what's going on with her always changing little life. Journal writing can be hard, memory books only come out of the drawer so often, but this looks like it could be fun. Just look at that darling face. So I guess it's for me too, since I'm the one who gets to do the bragging.

For those of you who are interested in coming along for the ride, you're always welcome. Especially for all you out-of-towners (including those family members on the "east" side of town). And thanks to all my families-in-law who helped inspire me with their cute kids who do silly things that I've gotten to see and read about (Stephanie and Abbie) and their funny, crazy and exciting stories (Cathy).

So Ellie, someday when you're big enough to read (probably around two and a half :), you just know....
this one's for you.