A Weekend At Home

So I'm back...sort of.  The posts will still probably be a little sparse...but I've missed documenting our lives & I honestly need an excuse to take just a few pictures! 

 

With Elyse having the croup, we quickly adjusted our weekend plans to include basically nothing.  We had plans on Friday night that we postponed until this week and ended up spending Friday night at home eating leftovers for dinner & putting Elyse to be early. 

 

Saturday Nick & I were both off work so we lounged around the house as a family of 3 just taking it easy.  The youth at our church were hosting a Valentine's Banquet on Saturday evening and originally we were going to head to that because they were providing childcare as well; however, we didn't want to expose all the other kiddos to Elyse's sickness so we dropped Elyse off at my in-law's house. 

 

We had a lovely pasta dinner, a quick version of the Newlywed game, & some worship before Hubby & I had to leave.  With Elyse being sick we didn't know how well she would go down on her own so we headed out a few minutes early.  I managed to take not a SINGLE photo, which I've decided is ok...sometimes it's nice to just sit back and enjoy the company & the fellowship! 

 

Sunday morning we decided to stay home from church to let Elyse rest up some more.  Our church has an iCampus so we were able to watch a live stream of the service while sitting in the comfort of our home and while Elyse napped away.  She took a LONG nap, and we actually had to wake her so we could eat lunch. 

 

After lunch we headed out to enjoy the warm temps, but the wind was ridiculous!!!  We took Elyse for a spin in her first car & she LOVED it!  I can see us spending lots of hours outside in her Cozy Coupe once Spring arrives!

I've already got crocus blooming and it's not even the middle of February!

 

All set up with her trailer & everything...

Daddy pushing her along!

Beep, beep!!

Hubby had a meeting at church and then went to lead our small group while Elyse & I stayed at home.  With her taking such a long nap in the morning, she basically refused her afternoon nap so I was afraid it was going to be a LONG evening before we got to bedtime.  She had her moments, but we managed to make it through dinner & a nice long bath before she crashed at 7:15! 

 

Thankfully even when she's sick she's still in great spirits!  Oh how I love this little girl! 

 

An Icky, Ucky, Croupy Day

Well the past two days have allowed us to experience another of Elyse's firsts.  She is currently dealing with her first official sickness (other than a cold)...Croup.  Ughhh...she sounds so pitiful. 

 

She started her symptoms suddenly on Wednesday afternoon right after she woke up from her afternoon nap.  At first I thought maybe she was just experiencing some hoarseness, but we quickly realized that she was dealing with some serious congestion.  We put her to bed fully expecting to end up spending the night dealing with a sick little baby girl...and we were right.  About 2 a.m., Hubby went and got our poor baby & she ended up sleeping in bed with me most of the night while Hubby headed to the couch.  She was feverish and just overall miserable, so cuddle away we did! 

 

We quickly decided that we would try to get her into the doctor yesterday, because with all the sickness going around we didn't want to put it off too long.  I'm not normally a dr-runner because I know that the majority of the time it's just a virus and all we can do is treat the symptoms...but a fever that won't break & chest congestion are two things I don't want to mess with. I initially left the dr's office a message and decided to go ahead and get around for the day in case they could get us in super early.  She kept trying to curl up on my bathroom floor so I knew she just felt awful. 

Her first official time using a pillow...

& after a few minutes of her looking just pitiful, I decided to grab a blanket, her cup of water, & her Cheerios and we set her up with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse while I finished getting ready. 

My view from the bathroom...poor baby!

Thankfully we were able to make an appointment for 2 pm yesterday afternoon, so Elyse & I cuddled most of the morning and I gave her whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted it. 

 

The doctor gave us the diagnosis of Croup, gave her a steroid shot, and told us to just rest up and relax for the next 3-4 days while the virus ran it's course.  I was expecting another night in bed with her last night but she actually slept through the night.  When she woke up this morning you can tell she still doesn't feel 100% but I'm certain she's on the mend.  The weekend will probably be  a little more laid-back than originally planned, but whatever we need to do to make our little girl feel better!

 

Ahhh...the joys of parenthood...but I can't say that I mind the cuddles at all!   

30 in 30

I failed to jump on the bandwagon for any sort of list of goals to accomplish before I turned 30...so, instead I decided to make a list of 30 things to do/achieve/work on/continue doing/see/etc. in my 30th year.

1. Take a trip with just Hubby & I (we're already in the planning stage of this).  
2. Take another family vacation to Florida in the fall.  
3. Continue going to Zumba at least 2x a week.  
4. Take Elyse to Story Hour at the local library. 
5. Make healthier eating choices for me & my family. 
6. Fix a new recipe for dinner at least once a month.  
7. Read at least one fiction book each month, preferably at least 2.    
8. Blog for myself, to keep track of the important events & the mundane details of our family's life.  
9. Meal plan consistently to keep the grocery budget in check.   
10. Go on family walks in the evenings during the summer.  
11. Continue having a couple's devotional with Nick (we started Night Light by James Dobson and are really enjoying it).  
12. Continue getting up a few minutes early to have my quiet time.  
13. Have lunch with a at least one good friend a few times a month. (I've already got this scheduled to start this week!)
14. Plan craft days with my mom to do some of those Pinterest projects that are stacking up.  
15. Go out to lunch/shopping once a month with my mom & Elyse.  
16. Try new learning activities with Elyse 1-2x per month on my days at home with her.  
17. Have date night with Nick at least 1-2 times per month.  
18. Schedule play dates with a few of my fellow momma friends.  
19. Continue feeding Elyse new foods in the hopes of avoiding a picky eater!  
20. Visit our local zoo on a regular basis with Elyse.  
21. Read to Elyse from her Beginner's Bible on a more regular basis.  
22. Take Elyse to at least one St. Louis Cardinals' game.  
23. Just relax & enjoy time at home with my family.  
24. Visit our local Discovery Center to play with Elyse.  
25. Read & research some good parenting books for raising daughters.  
26. Finish Elyse's baby book & order the photos to go in it.  
27. Drink more water.  
28. Run at least 4 5ks (Color Run-April 2013, Running of the Squirrels-May 2013, Running of the Lights-November 2013, Turkey Trot-November 2013)...maybe another one or two, maybe.    
29. Plan more girls' nights or girls' days out!  
30. Worry less.  

Several of these things I am already doing and I hope to continue them as we move through the year.  Most all are easily achievable or already in the planning stages, and as I look at this list I'm pretty excited for what my 30th year holds!  

Elyse Ann~1 Year Photoshoot

With the holidays, and my self-imposed blogging break I completely failed to share Elyse's pictures from her 1-year photo shoot!  I can't believe that we have now completed the sessions included in our "newborn package" that we bought from our photographer! 

I'm in love with these images & I'm so thankful that Erica captured her personality so perfectly! 



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I can't believe that it's already been almost 2 months since these were taken...TIME PLEASE SLOW DOWN!!!!

All photos courtesy of Turner Creative Photography

The Big 3-0

Today is my 30th birthday!  And while some people might dress all in black and sulk around pretending that it wasn't happening, I'm embracing the day & excited because really it's just another day.  But this another day is meant to spend with my family & friends, another day (or two or three or a week) with an excuse to eat some yummy food, and another day to hopefully open some fun presents!

People have asked me if 30 is going to bother me, and honestly, it's not.  I'm so excited about what my 30s are going to bring.  I feel like I'm finally living the life that was meant for me all along and that all these years before have just been in preparation for what my 30s are going to bring.  I have an incredible husband, a precious baby girl, a great job working for my family, and the best family a girl could ever ask for.

It's as if I've finally arrived and life is just pretty awesome.  I recognize that all of that could change in an instant, so I'm going to do my best to soak in every moment & take to heart all of the responsibility that has been given me as a wife & mom.  We are such an incredibly blessed family, and it's my desire to be a good steward of all that God has given us. Because as it is written, "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked," (Luke 12:48)  

So let's go 30s...I can't wait to see what's in store!  

7 Days to go...

Well my 34 days is quickly coming to an end.  I can't hardly believe that I haven't blogged in 27 days, but honestly, it's been nice.  I had gotten into a rut of feeling like I HAD to post a Weekend Rewind or I HAD to post new pictures of Elyse, but for the past 27 days I've just been taking it all in.  For the most part my big DSLR camera has sat unused and even when I have taken it with me it normally stays stashed away. 

January has been a fun month.  We've relaxed and spent lots of time as just our precious family of 3.  Oh trust me, there has been plenty of time for date nights with friends and dinner with family but after the hustle & bustle of December, January's schedule has been a welcome relief. 

I'll probably post a full update on Elyse on everything she's doing, but let me just say we have a full-blown WALKER now!  She hardly ever chooses to crawl anymore, because she's also learned to stand up on her own even after she falls down. 

And since she's a full blown walker...she is BUSY, BUSY, BUSY...which makes snapping pictures practically impossible! 

We end up with lots of pictures like this...

& this...

 

& this...when she would really just rather have my phone than pose for a cute diaper/bib photo!

 



However, today it was incredibly nice outside so while we were at my parents' house for lunch, we decided to let Elyse go exploring a bit outside.  She LOVED it!  I can't wait until we're able to go on daily walks around our neighborhood or to the local parks so she can play on the playground equipment! 

 

 

Overall, these last 27 days have been so nice!  I'll be back to blogging soon, because I really do miss documenting our lives, from the super duper excited to the incredibly boring & mundane...it's our life and I love to have a record of everything that goes on!  But for now, and until I turn the big 3-0 next week...I'm going to spend some more precious time with this smily face!  and who could blame me!?!?

34 days before 30 years

So this isn't a post about the 34 things I want to do before I turn 30, because honestly...I'm a little late for that.  Instead it's a reminder that it's 34 days until I turn 30 years old.

As I think about turning 30 it doesn't bother me, there have been so many life changes in my first 3 decades of life...I can't imagine what God has in store for me in the next.

And while I'm not normally one to set goals/resolutions for myself I've decided that as I embark on my 2nd year of motherhood & close in on my 30th birthday, there are some things that have been weighing on my heart that I need to make better.  Most likely I won't make them perfect...but I'll try my best to make them better.

1. Be Intentional with Elyse:  Elyse has been learning from day 1, but she seems to be absorbing things like crazy.  I want to have more of a plan on the days I'm home with her and be intentional about our playing/learning time together.  Sure, there is a time for free-play and just relaxing at home on the floor playing together, but I want to try and do more activities with her either at our house or even going places where she can experience new things.  Like meal planning, this will just take practice...I'm not a natural teacher so I have to learn about these things.

2.  Be Intentional with Nick:  We've actually been working on this for the past couple of weeks already & we can both see huge differences.  We want to be husband & wife; not just mom & dad or roommates.  This is something that has to be worked on daily & might be something as simple as sitting beside each other on the couch to watch tv instead of sitting away from each other.

3.  Family Devotions/Couple Devotions:  Nick & I are both TERRIBLE at making time for quiet time.  Seriously, it's embarrassing.  So we've decided that instead of trying to do it in the morning we are going to unplug from the tv and iPad for awhile in the evening after Elyse goes to bed.  We are going to read a devotional on our own and then come together to discuss it for a few minutes.  This will hold us accountable to each other & will hopefully start some habits that we can include Elyse on in the future.

4. Meal Planning:  Wow, December was CRAZY as far as trying to plan meals and I truly do miss it.  So I'm going to get back in the swing of things and get some new recipes and some old recipes dusted off so I can start fixing a full family dinner again.  Plus, since Elyse is now eating basically ALL table food I need to start introducing her to things other than grilled cheese, cheese quesidillas, and yogurt!  ha!

5.  Read for myself:  I love to read.  I used to read.  ALOT!  But it seems that with Elyse & the seemingly endless amount of ways you can be connected, I've gotten away from my love of reading.  So...instead of having the iPad or the laptop or my phone atttached to my hip all day I'm planning to instead keep my Nook nearby with a list of new books that I'm itching to read.  Some may be classics, some may be Christian fiction fluff, some may be parenting books...but I want to get back to putting my imagination to use instead of surfing the Internet all day.

6.  Unplug:  This might be the most drastic change of all.  And probably the one that will affect my day the most.  But for the next 34 days, and maybe even longer...I'm going to do my best to unplug.  Which for me means, deactivating my Facebook account & deleting Instagram from my phone & stepping away from this blog.  The number of times in a day that I check Facebook or Instagram or my Reader is pretty embarrassing.  And while I might post something new here or there, I'm going to focus on all the above goals first...and if I still think I can be the best momma & wife by plugging back in then I might.

So, this isn't goodbye but rather just a "see you when I see you"...because I'll still need to share some precious Elyse photos every once in awhile.