Project 365~February

I can't believe an entire other month has passed.  I'm truly enjoying this Project 365 challenge, simply because it is serving as a photo diary of our life as a crazy family of 4!  And so....here's what we've been up to in the past month!  

We spent Super Bowl Sunday at my parents' house, and Nora got some quality time with her Great Granny Carrell...

Momma went back to work...and survived...and actually has some new projects she's excited about!

We made mean faces at daddy during bathtime...

We celebrated Miss Nora's 2 Month Birthday!...

We celebrated momma's 32nd birthday!...

We had a family day at the pediatrician's office while Nora had her 2-month checkup, and Elyse had her 3 year checkup!  

We went out for pizza to celebrate my birthday...again...

Nora had a new babysitter, my mother-in-law's sweet puppy Lucy!  

We successfully transitioned Elyse into a big-girl bed...and it is definitely BIG!  

We started a new study at small group...and Nora thought it was pretty boring! 

We read lots of stories in Elyse's new bed...

I considered nibbling on Nora's chunky little toes...

Momma was brave and took both girls to my eye doctor's appointment...iPad to the rescue!  

Nora got to enjoy her new froggy seat...and LOVED it!

We took pictures dressed all in red for Valentine's Day!

And we celebrated as a family with Mexican & froyo!

Nora continued to give us ridiculously cute gummy grins...

And Elyse played in the snow for less time than it took for us to get her dressed!  

We became fed-up with winter and watched LOTS of movies, and had lots of snuggle nights...

We made some artwork for the playroom (and actually used our fingers to paint!)...

We made our own sand as we were dreaming about warm weather and sandy beaches...

Nora proved over and over again that she is one HAPPY baby!...

We had some exciting Friday nights with bathtime for both girls...

Nora was even happy when we put her in her crib for bed!...

Elyse showed her sassy self before church...

Elyse learned some new games including tag...

And Nora had some rough nights with her schedule...so momma got to cuddle more than usual!

But those eyes...I'll take all the cuddles I can get! 

We went to the last home MSU Bears game of the season...

Elyse learned to play CandyLand and is mildly obsessed...

And Nora proved that she's not happy ALL the time, especially right after bath when she's cold & wet!

And finally, we sorted through some baby toys and purged a few!  Nora had sensory overload!  

Looking back on these pictures, I'm reminded of some precious times with our family...and I need those reminders as March has started out a little rough for our family.  More on that later, but for now...I'm so thankful for these pictures as a simple reminder of how blessed we are!

Snow Day Play!

Exactly one week ago, we were awaiting our first official winter storm of the year.  Last year we had ridiculous amounts of snow and brutally cold temperatures, but for the most part this year we've avoided any serious winter weather.  

I was actually looking forward to a nice coating of the white stuff and the weathermen definitely got it right this time!  We woke up Monday morning to a Winter Wonderland!  Hubby & I were already off work because of President's Day & it was really nice to enjoy an unexpected day home to relax!

Elyse was battling a bit of a cough, but she wanted to go out and play...so we all bundled up and while Nora was napping we headed out to the front yard.  

To be honest, Elyse wasn't really sure what to think about it all...I know that will change as the years go by!  We were literally outside for probably less than 15 minutes--the wind made it super cold, the snow was dry which meant no snowman, and Elyse decided to take her glove off--which resulted in a cold and wet hand.  So...back inside we came!  

We also made our first ever batch of snow ice cream, but Elyse was more interested in adding sprinkles than actually eating it.  No worries...more for Mommy & Daddy to eat! 

 Monday was a fun, relaxing day with no plans but staying inside and watching movies...Tuesday we unfortunately had to head back to work and the real world--but I'll take an unexpected snow day anytime!  And now...the snow can melt and Spring can come, we're getting a little bit of cabin fever around here!

Valentine's Day with Two Sweethearts

Obviously, this was our first Valentine's Day with two sweet girls.  My intentions are always really great for holidays other than Christmas...but honestly life typically happens so sometimes I'm scrambling!  And I've learned to extend myself some grace for not having a Pinterest-worthy holiday celebration for every holiday.

Case in point...I had intentions to make Valentine's Day crafts with Elyse and possibly even Nora, but time just got away from me.  I was proud that Elyse & I at least made Valentine's Day spritz cookies with my new cookie-press.  She was in charge of decorating...and needless to say we had plenty of sprinkles & colored sugar on the floor!  ha!  

This year we hadn't really planned much...and I told Hubby that if we were going to do anything as a couple, he was in charge of planning.  Well...on Thursday he surprised me with dinner plans to a great restaurant in Branson, complete with my mother-in-law coming to the house to watch the girls and put them to bed!  We had a wonderful evening, kept our phones put away except to check to see if Mamaw had called, and ate a delicious dinner at Level 2 Steakhouse.  We were only gone from 6-9, but it was so nice to just get away for a romantic dinner.

 On Saturday morning we had a quick donut breakfast and Elyse headed out with my in-laws to watch my nephew's play basketball.  Hubby volunteered to watch Nora while I headed out to make some birthday returns and spend some birthday money!  I picked up some great things for Spring and now I just can't wait for this snow to melt!!!

We had a quick lunch with my in-laws after they brought Elyse home and then after naps Hubby took all his girls on a date.  We had Mexican food and Froyo before coming home and putting both girls to bed.  Hubby & I finished off the evening with a movie on the couch...a pretty great Valentine's Day if you ask me!

I actually thoroughly enjoyed spending the day with my girls, as a family of four, celebrating how much we all love each other.  And Hubby & I have decided that we may just celebrate every year on February 12!  

Our Princess & the Pea!

One of the big transitions we chose NOT to tackle before Nora was born was moving Elyse to a big girl bed.  She never once tried to climb out, other than that time when she was 10 months old, and since her crib converted into a full size bed we chose to just buy Nora a new crib instead of switching everything around. 

Elyse has been napping in either a queen or king size bed for the past several months with absolutely no problems, so I was hoping that once the time came it would be a smooth transition.  I really didn't have a timeline for it, but back before Christmas Hubby & I decided that we'd try and make the transition sometime in February when mattresses were on sale for President's Day.  This decision was even further confirmed when we realized that some nights Elyse was struggling to fall asleep because there truly wasn't enough room in her crib for her long legs & all her stuffed animal friends!  Hubby even had to remove all of them one night just so she could fall asleep. 

A couple of weeks ago we ordered the mattress and it came in the next week...so last Saturday morning Hubby & I worked to transform our little girl's nursery into a big girl room. 

We pushed one side up against the wall and we have a bedrail on the otherside that we put up for her overnight.  

She looks so little in the huge bed!  

 I didn't change much of anything, except for the size of her bed and buying her new bedding that already matched the decor from her nursery bedding.  A pink & ruffly comforter with princess crown sheets...this little girl couldn't have been more in heaven!  

It's pretty wonderful to be able to cuddle in bed before she goes to sleep reading books and singing songs.  

Yup, that's daddy underneath all of those stuffed animals!  

I really wasn't concerned about the transition and so far, so good.  She stays in bed at night when she goes down and for the most part she has stayed in her bed in the morning.  This morning we did have to take her back at 5:15am, but otherwise she's been great.  I do think we might have to purchase some sort of toddler clock to let her know when it's acceptable for her to come into our room.  

I'm thankful that we waited so long to make this transition, it seems to have made things a lot easier too since she had been napping in a bigger bed for so many months...she's done so great & I just hope that it continues!  

Elyse's Day Out

Not long after Nora was born, my precious mother-in-law made a priceless suggestion.  "You know," she said, "once Nora starts taking a bottle, I'd be more than happy to keep her if you want to have some quality time with just Elyse." 

 

With the craziness of the holidays and also just enjoying our time at home, time slipped away from us and before I knew it, it was the week before I was supposed to head back to work.  However, we had one day that would work for us and I quickly snatched it up.  I wanted the day to be all about Elyse so I planned some of her favorite things, and a new activity as well. 

First up, we headed to an educational store so I could look at a few things...but Elyse also got to play with their train table, which honestly probably ranks near the top of her list for favorite things to do.  If we had more room I would totally buy our girly girl a train set! 

 

Next up was what I was most excited, but yet the most nervous about.  I made appointments for us to have pedicures at this place that has butterfly chairs for little girls and a huge Little Mermaid mural on one wall.  I honestly didn't know how Elyse would do...sometimes she is so super shy around strangers and even a little hesitant when it's a new situation.  To make her feel as comfortable as possible, I let Elyse pick out our paint colors...pink for her and purple for me.

And she totally surprised me...she sat there like a big girl and even engaged with the "nice lady" who painted her toes bright pink and added white flowers on her big toe! And when she was done, she stayed put so they would dry while they finished up with me. 

After pedicures, we headed to chicken nuggets with the slide aka Chickfila.  Her choice, but certainly not one that I was going to argue with!  We love us some Chickfila!  Of course we also took some time to play on the slide.  

After lunch we headed to ToysRUs to spend a gift card she got for Christmas. She honestly wasn't all that concerned with bringing something home...she just enjoyed herself looking at the Disney princess aisle and admiring all the princesses. Before we left we hopped in the truck at the front of the store for a quick ride...and I honestly couldn't believe how big my little girl looked! 

She finally made her choice (with a little budget help from Momma) and came home with...7 handheld Disney princesses. She couldn't have been happier. 

I'm thankful that I only planned for us to be gone until naptime...I'm not sure she could have taken much more as she passed out on me in the car. 

 

We had such a fabulous day, and I was so thankful to my mother-in-law for giving us the chance to have a day to ourselves.  This little girl first made me a momma and I'm so grateful for every moment I get to spend with her.  She truly makes me a better person and has taught me things I never would have learned on my own.  With Nora's arrival I was slightly nervous about how the transition would go, but she has handled things smoothly & effortlessly and we never missed a beat. 

 

Thank you sweet girl, for being my first born and teaching me more than I could ever teach you.