Wonderful Weekend

What a wonderful weekend we had as a family. Friday night we went to dinner to send my Dad off to Florida for a month. We had a wonderful dinner except a couple of people thought Elli was a boy. Poor baby needs some hair. :)

Saturday night we spent the evening relaxing at home together and Ashli played with Elli. She read her a stack of books and Elli loved it. Ashli says she could spend every Saturday night playing with her. I will remind her of that in a few years.

Storytime was over so they snuggled.

Sunday it was time to take Bryan to the airport to leave for Houston. Elli really wanted to go with Daddy!!

There was a beautiful welcoming party at the airport when we arrived. We knew something was going on because there were a ton of people holding signs, balloons and cameras. We kind of thought maybe it was a soldier returning from Iraq. There were a couple of news cameras there and we sat down to eat lunch. About 5 minutes later the news cameras were shouting that "they were here" "here they come" and everyone gathered around. In walks a beautiful couple carrying a baby that they adopted from Haiti. The little boy looked so scared and so tiny. It was a beautiful moment and you can tell the little boy was going to be very happy with his new life.

Us girls drove home from the airport and had an adventure. I got lost!! Yes....I have lived in this city for 36 years and I managed to miss my exit and ended up in downtown Indianapolis and not a very safe part of downtown Indy either. Ashli and I had quite the adventure trying to find a street that we were familiar with and find a way home!! 45 minutes later, we made it home. WOW.

Here is my little ham!!!
Elli loves the camera!!

Oh yeah, in other news. ALI GOT A JOB!!!!! WHOOO HOOOOOO!!!!! She got the job at Sycamore and Bryan and I are so proud of her. We hope it is everything she dreamed it would be and we wish her the best of the luck!!

Way to go Ali!!

My Girls

Big Week for Ashli

This has been an exciting week for Ashli. She has gotten a new haircut and color and she has waited 7 years to be braces free!!! Ashli has been going to the orthodontist since she was 7 years old. So she has waited 7 long years to have this perfect smile!!!

New Haircut and last night with braces

Doesn't she look beautiful?

Congratulations Ashli!!!

6 Month Pictures

My best friend from High School came to town and took some professional pictures of Baby Elli for her 6 month pictures. I am just in love with all of the pictures, but here is a teaser of just some of the many that she took.

Shannon is so talented and I think she captured Elli's personality perfectly. Turns out Elli is quite the photogenic baby. Shannon emailed me 2 days later and Elli won her 2 photography awards from this photo shoot.

Message to Elli

6 Month Appointment

Elli weighs 15.4 pounds and she is 29" long. She is in the 25-50th percentile for her weight and the 90th percentile for her length. She is a tall and skinny baby.
Doctor would like to see her gaining a little more weight. She is consistent in her weight gain but she doesn't gain very much. So we are going to have to try to get the little stinker to eat a little bit more.
All in all though the doctor says that Elli is right on track with her development and says her muscle tone is excellent.

Elli is a healthy 6 month old. Petite and tiny but otherwise very healthy!!

Pretty Baby

Elli is 6 Months Old

Elli is half a year old today!! I can't believe time is just flying by. How can Baby Elli be 6 months old already?

New this month:

Elli can sit up by herself.

Elli is starting to get some hair. I put a bow in it the other day. Looked ridiculous but at least there was enough hair to put the bow in.

Elli grabs at everything. And I do mean EVERYTHING!!

Elli can reach her arms out when she wants to be held or if she sees someone that she wants.

Elli is getting chubbier and chubbier. She wears mostly 6-9 months clothes but she can wear some 6-12 month. And she has moved up a size in diapers. No more size 2's...she has moved into the Pampers Cruisers instead of Pampers Swaddlers which in a really odd way makes me really sad. There's something about "Cruisers" that just makes her not sound like a baby anymore!!

My friend Shannon is coming over Sunday to take professional 6 month pictures of Elli. She loves photography and is really good. I can't wait to see the finished product and I am hoping they are much better than the ones I was able to take. Elli was not in a photo shoot mood and did not really cooperate for me to take the pictures. Everything I tried to use to hold her attention she just wanted to chew on and not smile at!

Pictures!!

Elli has an eye infection....AGAIN. It does not seem to bother her much at all!!!


This is what I wake up to every morning. She is so happy and playful in the mornings.



Thanks to my wonderful Mom...I have a new North Face coat. Murray is really happy about it!


Ali has been feeling neglected by my lack of pictures of her on the blog!!

Happy Birthday

Today is Bryan's birthday!! He told Ashli he was turning 30 today. Needless to say she did not believe him. Later today we are heading to his favorite place ---- BW3's for dinner. It is definitely not one of my favorite places and I usually put up quite a fight about going. I figured I would go today without a fight. You know since it is HIS birthday and all. :) I thought that would make him very happy....but then came this....(see below) and I truly don't think anything could make him happier than this moment!!

And this is what happens when Ashli has a friend spend the night 2 nights in a row. Bryan had to go tell the girls to go to bed at 4:00 this morning. Needless to say, they did not go to bed. Ashli woke up this morning, took a shower and then crashed. Yes... with the towel on her head and yes that is her cell phone right next to her. It is never far away!!

Last night we stayed in all night and you could tell we were all getting some cabing fever. We have been stuck in the house almost all week because of the cold and snow. We used it as an oppurtunity to get some new toys out for Elli to play with. She got so many fun toys for Christmas that we have just been getting a few out at a time for her to get used to. Seriously I think all of the new toys would have simply overwhelmed her. Yep...there was that many!!

Aunt Ellen and Uncle Mike got Elli a ball pit. Elli loved it...Misti is wondering what I ever did to them to deserve this. No...in all seriousness it wasn't so bad. All of the balls kind of fit right back into the ball pit when she is done playing. Although Murray got a hold of a couple of them, thought they were his new toy and now the balls have been destroyed. Lesson learned...keep the ball pit away from the dog!!

And, I just could not resist this... I LOVE those blue eyes!!

I hope everyone has a great Sunday.

Happy Birthday, Bryan!!!!

Let it Snow....Let it Snow....Let it Snow

I love the view from my back door with the beautiful snow coming down. Ali & Ashli are always complaining that our house is too small and it probably is however you just can't beat living out in the country on a farm with views like this.

Last year when we received a heavy snowfall, Bryan was traveling. This year we receive heavy snow and once again Bryan is traveling. Coincidence??

Last year I had to call my Grandpa to dig my car out when I got stuck. This year I get to stay home and just watch the snow. Well...at least until this afternoon but hopefully I will not get stuck this time!!

The only other downfall is that being out in the country means no snow plows until much later in the day!! It is 12:30 here and I am just now hearing them plow the street in front of our house!! Ali & Ashli were really hoping for a snow day and I can't believe they did not cancel school today. It is kind of weird that they cancel school when it is windy or cold, but not when snow is falling and we have 5 inches on the ground?? Really makes me wonder?

I wish it was a little warmer so that I could take Elli out to play in the snow. Maybe soon!!

Happy 2010

We rang in the New Year in St. Louis. Bryan and Ali had hockey tickets and Ashli, Me and Elli stayed back at the hotel and ate pizza and enjoyed the evening. The arch looked absolutely beautiful. I love how the snow is coming down and the arch is all lit up.


Ash and Bryan hamming it up for the camera

ALL this pizza for me?? YUMMMYYY

Such a little ham

I love this picture of Ashli.

It was COLD!!! And Bryan almost fell in the Mississippi river trying to take this picture!! :)

Baby New Year wishes everyone a happy and healthy 2010!!!!