Weekend Rewind~FIRE

Well...this weekend was expected to be just like the last few that involved weather forecasts of 98+ high temps. But the focus of the entire weekend changed about noon on Friday as we were just sitting down for lunch at a local cafe'.  A call came in, firetrucks were dispatched, 5 departments responded, and 2 1/2 hours later we were left with this...

The view South to my parents' home...that's their house in the middle of the photo. 

& the view to the North of my parents' home....my Grandparents' home is out of this picture but up and to the right. 

The most important thing in all of this is that my parent's house & my grandparents' house were completely untouched by the flames. My dad is estimating that somewhere between 60-80 acres were burned, it's hard to know for sure since some of it is wooded area.  I've got lots more pictures of the aftermath that I'll share later this week but the images of the flames burning the fields, trees, and everything it touched will be literally burned into my mind forever.  It was one of the scariest moments I've ever experienced. 

While Grass Fire 2012 certainly overshadowed most of the rest of the weekend's events, we had plenty of other events worth documenting! 

Friday evening Hubby & I grabbed a quick shower and then headed up to his parents' house for taco night. I was starving after having my lunch interrupted before it had hardly began & I think my adrenaline kept me going even with the lack of food. Mamaw gave Elyse her first "real bathtub" bath and Elyse loved it! This girl just LOVES the water!

*Sidenote:  Elyse spent her first full day at Mamaw & Pappy's on Friday...later this week I'll share a hilarious story that deserves a post of it's own! 

Saturday morning Hubby had to work and I rode with him so I could go on out to my parents' house
for the morning.   We had planned our 4th Annual Small Group Pool Party for Saturday afternoon...nothing like a pool party with a nice smokey aroma in the air! 

While people came & went we ended up with a total of 14 adults & 12 kiddos jumping in the pool at some point. They also got to experience a little bit more fire drama as we had to call 911 again for a flare-up that occurred in the back part of a wooded area.  The firemen came to the rescue again and the relaxation was able to resume! 


Definitely a full pool!

Who are all these kids in MY pool?...and who decided to let them in?  ha! 

After everyone headed home, Nick & I jumped on the four-wheelers and followed my dad around our property as he gave us a tour of the extent of the fire damage.  As I said, more photos to come later this week. 

This morning Hubby headed to the golf course & Elyse & I went to church by ourselves.  I'm almost positive we've got another tooth coming in so we've had an irritable baby on our hands.  It's an early bedtime for her tonight...hopefully the pain won't bother her too much!  

Sucking on an ice cube to numb her gums

Another bath in the big tub...happy girl! 

And let me just tell you...we were not torturing our baby girl in this next photo, but it's too funny not to share!   Hubby always tries to get water in Elyse's face so she won't be scared of the water...I'm not sure how well that's working!  ha! 

She looks panicked but we never have any tears! 

 After all the excitement of the weekend...I'm just so thankful for God's protection.  All I knew to do on Friday was to pray, and that's what I did.  Thank you God for watching over our family, our homes, & all the firemen doing such an incredible job fighting those fires.

Elyse Love ~ 7 Months

So I finally had time for Elyse's 7 month photo shoot...we have officially moved into the "Mom, I have better things to do and am distracted by every little thing" phase...which makes for some pretty interesting photos!   

Weight/Height: We don't have any official stats this month, but she continues to grow in length & from our best estimates she is probably 18ish pounds. She's got the most adorable rolls on her thighs...which I realize this is the only time in life that thigh rolls can be adorable! 

Clothes: Last week I packed up every bit of her 0-3 month items and even some of her 3-6 month clothes. I replaced those with all of our 6-9 month items because we've got a growing girl on our hands!  She is still a skinny-minnie so some of the 6-9 month stuff is only too big because the shoulders are too broad or the shirts are too wide.  She definitely needs the 6-9 month items for length!  We're still in size 3 diapers and will be for quite some time. 

Food: We've definitely got an eater on our hands!  I hope that continues on as she gets older.  We've made another adjustment to her schedule this month and she is now nursing/taking a bottle between 6:30-7:00 am, 11:00 am, 3:00-3:30 pm & 7:45 pm.  With adding in solids she has decreased her milk intake just slightly but not enough to be concerned about.  She is probably taking in somewhere around 26-28 oz of milk.  We are feeding her solids 2x a day at 12:30 and at 6:00pm.  This is working great and she's eating so well!   Currently she has had sweet potatoes, carrots, yellow squash, peas, avocados, oatmeal, pears, bananas, and peaches.  The only thing she hasn't really enjoyed is green beans, but I'm hoping to introduce that again soon maybe mixed with another veggie that she loves! 

Sleep: Wow...this is probably the biggest roller coaster we've been on.  She was truly, truly teething right before turning 7 months and sleep was HORRIBLE!!! Other than that she continued to wake between 4:30-5:00 am and wouldn't go back to sleep unless she was being held.  She was sleeping great through the night, she was just waking early.  So...we've since then bumped up her bedtime another 30 minutes or so and that seems to be helping with her waking early!  yay!  This means bath at 7:30, bottle at 7:45, and hopefully asleep by 8:00-8:15...those 30 minutes seem to be making a huge difference so far! 

Activity:  Well contrary to what I wrote last month, we still don't have an official crawler, but she's Oh so close!  We will get up on her hands & knees with assistance and will rock back & forth.  She will also move all around and scoot when she's on her belly....she can end up in a totally different place within a few minutes!  My prediction is that once she figures out how to crawl there'll be no stopping her!  She still enjoys just sitting and playing with her toys & also being in her activity saucers...so glad for a happy baby who enjoys playing on her own! 

Personality:  I seriously could just eat this little girl up!  She has such an incredible personality of her own & loves people.  She makes us laugh on a daily basis & we also try our best to make her laugh hysterically.  She will get to giggling and it melts my heart.  She has started being a little more cautious around strangers as if she now can tell the difference between people she knows and those she doesn't.  However, after a few moments she'll warm up to most anyone and is her happy, smiley self! 

Likes:
~Playing with her rattles, activity balls & Sophie
~The "tickle monster"
~Puppies...oh all the puppies in our family are in trouble once she becomes mobile! 
~Water...She still LOVES the water whether it be bath time or Papa & Gigi's pool!
~Solid Foods...She normally LOVES to eat and will eat practically anything you put in front of her

Dislikes:
~Nose Issues:  She does not like it when I pick her nose...which is sometimes just the only option when the aspirator doesn't do it's job! 
~Late Nights:  She has started to get really grumpy if she's up much past her bedtime, we've learned that we have a very small window when we need to put her down! 

7 Month Milestones:

~Elyse's 1st Parade: Neighborhood Independence Day Parade on July 4

~First Tooth: Bottom Right, first actually felt it on July 7

~Mamaw & Pappy moved to Missouri: July 11

Mom....in case you couldn't tell...I'm done with the photo shoot!

Weekend Rewind~The In-Laws aren't COMING anymore!

Ok, well the in-laws aren't coming anymore...they're here! Hubby's parents arrived on Wednesday to a completely empty house. Well except for a little bit of food, a BMW that was delivered a few days earlier, & a mattress & box spring...the house was completely empty.  And it would stay that way until Friday morning when the moving truck aka MOVING SEMI arrived on Friday morning.  In a matter of a little less than 36 hours, the movers transported all 450 items (1 box = 1 item) from the moving truck to the house. 

I failed to take any pictures of the boxes stacked everywhere...but let's just say that it's just a wee-bit overwhelming and I know they're going to be so happy to have their new house in order. We are so incredibly happy to have them within a quick 30 minute drive from us, after being in Michigan and 800 miles away for almost 11 years! 

Friday night we planned dinner with the in-laws at one of our favorite local Mexican places, Maria's.  Elyse has been trying to officially welcome her first tooth the past few days so our evening was cut fairly short as she was a little bit grumpy...and I can't say that I blame her. 

Saturday I worked in the morning while Hubby spent some quality time with Elyse (aka they took a morning nap together).  We had a quick lunch at home & then headed back up to my in-laws house to help with a little bit of unpacking.  My SIL & nephews were also there and those boys just love Elyse to pieces...so fun to watch them play together! 

Hubby, Elyse, Jackson, & Hunter

Can you see her precious dimples?!?

Saturday evening we introduced them to another favorite local place...Big Whiskey's.  My parents joined us for dinner & we all had a blast as Elyse started talking in some new ways & was just full of energy.  Thankfully she was in a much better mood than the night before! 

Sunday we decided to let Hubby's mom & dad enjoy some quality alone time with the moving boxes and after church we came down to enjoy my parents' pool!  Elyse is such a water baby & I just hope that she loves it as much next year as she has this year! 

Hanging out in Mommy's raft with her toys!

Yeah I know...my hat is awesome!  ha!  It's hubby's and it was keeping the sun off my face! 

Having some peaches for dessert...she LOVED them! 

All dressed in her Under Armour onesie with a football in her arms...I know that her Uncle Nick is so proud! 

It was a fabulous weekend and it's still a little hard to believe that Nick's parents are now officially Missouri residents!  Woohoo for another free babysitter! 

Elyse + Bogey = Best Buds

Bogey...Bogey...Where are you?!?

There you are...go ahead, take a lick of my leg! 

You really are kinda big & scary...but I guess if momma says we can play then it's ok!

Ooo...not the face, not the face...you have stinky dog breath! 

Oh but wait, come back...I want to play some more!

There you are...I can't wait until we can run & play together!

Weekend Rewind~Yay for A/C!

It was definitely another weekend where I was very thankful for an efficient, fully-functional air conditioner.  Because of the heat & what had been a crazy week with the 4th of July, we had practically NO plans for the entire weekend. 

Friday evening we stayed in & had chicken caesar wraps for dinner.  Elyse rediscovered her love for her Wubbanub Puppy pacifier...maybe more as a toy than a pacifier, but she was pretty stinkin' cute holding onto her puppy. 

For most of Saturday we just hung around the house relaxing.  I also made 3 more batches of baby food...more carrots, yellow squash, & pears.  For probably about $4-5 & only about 2 total hours of my time, I made over 35 servings of baby food...SCORE! 

After an afternoon complete with naps & some tv watching, we headed out to run some errands but mainly to meet up with Hubby's sister & her family for dinner.  We met up at Old Chicago & had a fun evening with our two nephews.  Elyse just loves them & I'm pretty certain they LOVE her too! 

Big smiles for Cousin Hunter!

Aunt Lauren (aka La), Jackson, & Hunter

I came home while Hubby moved a bit of furniture in preparation for his parent's arrival from Michigan this week! 

Sunday started out as a long morning for our entire family as we attended church during the first service & then had nursery duty during the second.  We headed to Houlihan's for lunch where Elyse sacked out quickly & then ended up taking a 3 hour nap!  Not gonna lie...Momma & Daddy took one with her! 

Learning "the look" to give Daddy when she wants something!  ha!

Hanging around (literally) with daddy!

We grilled hamburgers & made homemade french fries for dinner...the perfect ending to a very relaxing, low-key weekend.  Thankfully the weather has cooled off a bit and the temps are quite a bit cooler this week! 

And in some of the most exciting news...Mamaw & Pappy are officially becoming Missouri residents again this week!  The moving truck is finishing up today & then they'll be on their way!  We all can hardly wait! 

Little Miss Firecracker

With 4th of July being in the middle of the week, near record-setting temps, and a fairly high fire danger...our 4th of July celebration seemed to be a little more low-key this year.  We still bought the same amount of fireworks, but we really only lit about 25% of them last night...we've got the rest stockpiled for a later date when more people can join us & when the weather is a little bit more pleasant.  We still managed to spend some quality time at my parents' house enjoying the pool, time with family, & lots of yummy food. 

And as seems to be the case more & more these days...I took very few pictures of anyone but Elyse. 

So here's a little 4th of July Fashion Show for you, brought to you by Elyse Ann!

4th of July Eve outfit, courtesy of Aunt Lauren

Neighborhood 4th of July parade for all the kiddos...complete wth police escort!

All dolled up & ready to walk in the parade!

Momma's little firecracker

My 1st popsicle...still completely enclosed in the package but great for teething!

Showing off my almost-crawling skills for Uncle Nick & Aunt Millie

Heart-shaped sunglasses...courtesy of Aunt Millie

Aunt Mille & her cuddle-bug sleepy girl!

Is it time for fireworks?

I hope you all had a fun holiday with friends & family!  In all honesty, Elyse's first 4th of July experience ended before we even shot any fireworks off...it was time for bed & she slept through the entire display in her bed at Papa & Gigi's!  Something tells me she won't be so content next year!  ha! 

Weekend Rewind-Hot, Hot, Hot!

While the temps seemed to cool down just slightly from earlier in the week, it was still a miserably HOT weekend!  Friday evening we went over to some friends' house for a BBQ.  Most of the group continued the evening with our community fireworks display, but we headed home with Elyse so she could get to bed.  Recently she has started to turn into a pumpkin aka unhappy girl aka crying monster about 8 to 8:15...mainly because our girl is ready for bed!  So we called it a night and headed home. 

Happy, ticklish baby girl!

Saturday morning I was scheduled for a morning of pampering.  Nick had purchased a pretty substantial spa package as my "push" present & I was finally able to find 5-6 hours when I could put it to good use.  I spent the entire morning and some of the early afternoon having an aromatherapy bath, facial, massage, lunch, & a spa pedi/mani.  Let me tell you...IT WAS GLORIOUS!!!  I came home just in time to feed Elyse and then after a bit of playtime we headed out for a quick dinner at one of our favorite local Mexican places, Maria's.  It was delicious & Elyse always does so well when we're eating out!

Daddy & Elyse spent a lot of time together while momma was at the spa!

Sunday we went to church & heard a powerful message on criticizing and how it can tear down everyone around  you...talk about convicting!  We grabbed some sandwiches for lunch & then headed down for some pool time.  So thankful to have a family pool practically in our backyard that we can use ANY time! 

Momma & baby girl enjoying the water (don't worry she was only out there without her hat for a few moments!)

And finally after we became all pruny & water-logged we headed out for the annual fireworks shopping excursion.  Nick & my dad might enjoy fireworks just a little too much & we left with the back of my dad's suburban packed to the brim with fountains, rockets, sparklers, artillery shells, gian 500 gram cakes, & a huge fire hazard!  We're still undecided as to whether we'll shoot everything off tomorrow...it's just been so hot & dry that we might postpone until we have a little bit of rain!  Either way we'll have a fabulous day tomorrow!

Our American Sweetie...too focused on Josie the puppy to smile for the camera!

Well we didn't buy one of each...but close!

Happy 4th of July Everyone!