New...New...New!!

new TOWN, new HOUSE, new YEAR!!

The last six months have been full of change and transition for our family. We've weathered quite a few storms, seen many highs, and fought off the lows... I can now safely say, we've found our HAPPY PLACE! This place is where brutal honesty between spouses resides, where our deepest inner thoughts have felt comfortable enough to peek through, where we have pulled together and used our trials to bring us closer, and can now look forward to embrace the benefits of all we've endured.

Who knew a move across the country would be so hard in every aspect of our lives?? Having been broken down to our bare bones, I am humbled to find the Lord has helped us emerge as better individuals, better spouses, and back to being 'present' parents!!

This is our HAPPY PLACE, and I am now ready to share it with you!

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Elsie Anne playing with her dress-up clothes and pop-up castle!

EA loves splashing in the Florida monsoon puddles...in our new neighborhood, Lakeshore Gardens!

This is the huge drainage system we found just around the corner. It was the perfect spot for our morning walk adventure!! EA practicing her balance beam skills:)

Holiday Cheer!

Interesting how the smallest of differences are recognized AWED by my almost 3yr old.  In Elsie Anne's whole LONG life, she's never lived anywhere with trash and recycling service {and for the last 8ys, neither have Shawn or I}.  Her infatuation with this has brought about a Friday morning tradition... we sit on our driveway and watch our 'trash helpers' go around the loop, and finally make it to our house.  After our waving-and-clapping-like-crazy, for their hard work, they leave with big smiles on their faces, and sometimes even a TOOT-TOOT from the loud horn!!

So when I saw this idea on "lil light o' mine" blog, I just HAD to do it!  EA picked out the X-mas Tree cookies, and we I made the sign!  What a wonderful way to show our appreciation!

And boy did they appreciate it!!  They couldn't thank us enough times, it was so sweet!  EA was proud to make them so happy and told Daddy the whole story when he got home:)

Too Big...

...FOR HER 'PACI'!! 

I had been racking my brain for the last few weeks, on how to get rid of Elsie Anne's paci, in a way she would understand, and not have anxiety about it!  One night, as I lay awake in bed, it dawned on me that she needed to 'grow out of it'! 

The next morning I showed her all the bags of clothes she had 'outgrown'.  The whole day we talked about what she did as a baby, and how she has grown and changed into a big girl!  This was the lead-in, haha!  After her nap, I slyly snipped off the end of two of her pacis (she has 4 in her crib, that never leave her room, & one in her car seat!)  While we played in her room later, I let her discover them on her own.  She turned around and said, "Uh-Oh Momma, my paci's boken?!!"  I made a huge production and told her, "no Princess, its not broken, you've outgrown it!  It doesn't fit you anymore, just like your clothes when you were a baby!"  She started jumping around and squealing, she was so excited!  It was all she could do to wait for Daddy to get home and tell him!

This is EA after she had 'outgrown' three crib pacis AND her car paci!!!  This is the only ONE she has to outgrow & then she gets to pick out a BIG GIRL toy!!  Can you see the complete excitement & true pride in this child's smile! 

Shawn made sure to take a few 'paci pics' since we don't have very many of them.  Of course, Momma & Daddy are a little sentimental because it just shows us how big our Little Love is getting:)  She now gets such a kick out of telling people "I out-go my pacis! I a big kid!!"

We are so happy and proud of you Elsie Anne!  We love that you truly enjoy learning and growing, and can't wait to see your changes in the next 6 months:)

Celebrate:)

As we have for the last 6years, we went to A-Basin for Shawn's Birthday Celebration!  However, there were other plans in store for us!  As we got closer to the Basin we noticed people were parking on the curb, over a mile away - uuhhoohh!  We knew we couldn't carry all of our gear, plus Elsie Anne, if we had to park that far away, but we drove up to the front just to see if we might get lucky & land a good spot.  Nope, it wasn't in the cards today?!  Shawn came up with a better plan & we tried something different!

We drove to Keystone, which has already closed (along with Breckenridge), parked right up front & huffed-it up the hill - so that EA could have her first ski day, as we'd promised!!!

{Let me clarify...Shawn huffed-it up the hill!}  That is them, the little dot at the top.  EA made it about half way before Shawn had to scoop her up:)

After that first long run, Shawn got smart and 'groomed' a shorter run with his skis.  Here they are getting ready for the shorter run!!  Elsie Anne couldn't get enough!

Each time she got to the bottom, she was ready for more!  Shawn didn't complain, he picked her right up and trekked back up!  He was so happy that she loved it:)

We were both glowing as her abilities shined!  She's a natural!  She had to be just like Daddy, holding his skis, as we walked back to the car...

We'll be doing this a few more times before we're Florida bound!!

Heaven?

Shawn puts Elsie Anne down almost every night - it is their special time, and I love that THEY love it:)  Tonight Shawn came downstairs in tears.

They read one of EA's favorite books right now, Ten Little Ladybugs and one of the pages says, "Eight little Ladybugs, staring up at Heaven..."  He asked EA, "who's in Heaven?"  She thought for a second, and remembered, "Tony!" {our friend who just passed away from Cancer}.  Then she said, "what heabin daddy?"  Thankfully he had a beautiful answer waiting for her.  "That's where we go to be with God.  And everyone we love is there."  "Okay." was her response, and they continued the book.

Throughout Tony's illness, she knew that Daddy visited 'Uncle Tony' in Vail to make him happy, because he was sick. And our last visit with Tony, EA knew we were all there to make him feel better.  She gave him hugs and blew him kisses.  It was very evident she knew something was wrong, because of her empathy towards him.  We've had several conversations on how God made Tony all better by bringing him to Heaven, he will always be watching us and keeping us safe - Tony is our Angel.

Shawn was teary not only for his dear friend Tony, but was also in disbelief  that his Baby-Girl was asking him this question.  It hits us at random times - didn't we just bring Elsie Anne home from the hospital, where has the time gone, how has she grown to be so incredibly perfect right before our eyes??  It scares us that we won't remember every precious day of her life.

Risotto!

**I made EA's favorite 'Butternut Squash Risotto' for dinner tonight**

As I backed out of Elsie Anne's room, after saying good night and leaving her in Shawn's lap for books, she looked up and said, "thank you risotto Mama!" with the most angelic smile on her face.  WHAT!??!  Shawn & I shot a look at each other in disbelief, and all I could get out was "your welcome princess, I'm glad you enjoyed it." and they went right back to reading their book!  She absolutely MELTS.MY.HEART!!  I love hearing manners come from her little mouth, in her little voice - more & more she busts them out all on her own:) 

How is my 2years, 3weeks, 5day old verbalizing her thoughts, emotions, and feelings?  Where has the time gone?  I no longer have a toddler, but a BIG KID, as she likes to call herself!

blah,blah!

That's how I feel right now - BLAH!  I need to do some BLAH-BING too:) 

Its finally starting to get warmer - 40*s during the day, 20*s at night.  Yes, I am grateful for that, but its quickly showing me how LONG mud season is going to be this year!  We've gotten way more snow than any year I can remember (4ft outside my door, instead of the usual 2ft), which means it will take much longer for it all to melt. 

In case you've never experienced a 'mud season', let me give you some insight...Instead of the beautiful mounds of white snow all around, it turns into a brown, slushy mess - leaving mud puddles everywhere during the day, then it all freezes again at night! 

On top of that, all the piled up dog poo that owners didn't clean up during the winter, starts thawing out, leaving a lovely aroma that I'll leave to your imagination! 

Also, this year is quite a different story than last - with Elsie Anne!  Now that she is obsessed with the outdoors, its going to be VERY hard keeping her out of this nastyness!  Just this week we went to River Walk Park and she spent more time splashing in the puddles, than she did playing in the snow.  She came home with soaken wet snow pants & jacket - she's lucky we invested in a good pair of snow boots, that kept her feet dry & warm!! 

I guess all my venting leads me to realize that I'll have to get creative w/ our outdoor play, so that I'm not constantly cleaning mud off my Little Love:) 

Oh, how I long for Florida right now.  It is on my mind constantly!  We've got to find a J-O-B for Shawn so we can MOVE!!

On a lighter note:

• I'm really looking forward to this weekend...we have absolutely NO PLANS AT ALL!!  Just fun family time on our own whim:)
• Elsie Anne is COMPLETELY POTTY TRAINED!!  She wears a 'pull-up' at night since she sleeps 12hrs & can't hold it for that long yet.  But, she had no 'mishaps' during the day this week:)  We are so proud of her & her amazing success!
• My Momma comes in a week - for a week!

Thanks for listening to my BLAHB - sometimes I've just got to spill it!!  AAAAH, I feel better now:)

Potty Perfection...

...well, not quite PERFECTION - yet - but Elsie Anne is bound & determined to be a BIG GIRL!  As I've said numerous times lately - we are so PROUD of her!  It just amazes us to see her glide through these transitions that have taunted me in my sleep!  What a relief:)  I'm not fooling myself, I'm sure the 'training' will continue for months!  But, at this point EA has worn "big girl panties" for 3 days in a row, had a "dry cribby" after every nap, very few 'mishaps' & did her first "POOP in potty Daddy!" this afternoon w/ no coercing !!  She is still in a diaper @ night, but we'll start working on that soon:)

And, of course, I'm reading Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah - who's main character is having problems with her 13yr old daughter wanting to grow up too fast, & I'm thinking, "oh Lord, what will we have in store for us in 10yrs - in 3yrs for that matter??!"  I'm trying my hardest to take life SLOWLY & enjoy all the little things that happen every day!

DRY!!

1year,11months, 1week, 3days!
I must say that we are EXTREMELY PROUD of our Little Lady!  We were home today with not many plans, so Daddy put EA in her big girl 'Yo Gabba Gabba' panties this morning.  And with the exception of ONE mishap this morning, Elsie Anne stayed DRY ALL DAY - even through her 2 hour nap!!! 

EA decided she wanted to wear big girl PANTIES to the restaraunt when we met Daddy (after his skiing).  She packed her bag w/ panties, instead of diapers & did a big peepee before getting into her car seat.  It was awesome to see her understanding that she DID NOT want to get her car seat wet with peepee.  Another fun thing about potty training - she loves being able to pull up her shirt to see her bellie-button, since she usually has a 'onesie' (which is tucked in & snaps @ the crotch) on under every outfit!

Elsie Anne's infamous "FUNNY FACE" as she calls it!!

Kisses for her "scratchy Daddy face" as he grows a beard!  To Momma's dismay, he grows a huge beard throughout February, then shaves everything but the mustache for 'Mustache March' - as it's called on the Mountain!

And for her last peepee in the potty of the day - before her bath - she did it "all by-self" with her new potty step stool:)  I mean, what next - Middle School Dances??! 

Shawn & I are seriously freaking out with all the new BIG GIRL milestones she is hitting!!!

Yoga Soul

Wow, its incredible what a great Yoga Class can do for me - it changed my entire mood, outlook & thoughts!!  I went into class tonight exhausted, sad, & cranky, a big cloud hanging over my head.  And came out a new woman, sunshine in my heart & soul! 

Since coming home from Florida I've been a bit depressed - missing my family, sad for Elsie Anne not feeling good, a lot on my mind, just blah feeling.  Once I set my 'intention' for the class tonight - to wake up, enjoy every day, stay focused & organized - it was like the cloud just lifted away.  I breathed in positive thoughts & exhaled away my sadness.  I've realized through resent tragedies in friends lives that there is no time for wasting on negativity.  When I look @ each day individually, I'm able to really LIVE!

Tonight I breathed in happiness by thinking of my precious baby girl who lights up my world, my loving husband, our amazing families in Ohio & Florida, and our incredible friends.  I couldn't help remembering my preggo days when Shawn came to Yoga with me.  He was so committed to me & the baby's health, in making sure I was taken care of.  And now, his commitment shows even stronger in the way he takes care of us with his whole being!  I've watched he & EA share some special moments together (since we've been back), and see the bond that my Daddy & I share - nothing makes me happier!  I smiled in the middle of my Yoga practice, feeling fully cared for and loved. 

I'm thankful to have my happy Yoga Soul back!  Crazy Week Ahead, I'm ready for you now!!

Having a LAUGH!

Elsie Anne & I snuggled up on the couch while Daddy built our morning fire.  We can't remember what was so funny, but we were obviously cracking up:)

Thanks for catching this sillyness Daddy!

HELMET!!

This is Elsie Anne's official 'cheese smile'!!  But she is completely PUMPED about the new helmet on her head!  She says, "ski helmet, just like Daddy!"  I found this multi-purpose helmet with perfect graphics, that will work for riding BIKES this summer too:)

She likes to knock on her own head, like she does w/ Daddy's!!

Side Note: potty training is going GREAT!  We do it about every other day.  She is now telling us every time she poops or pees in her diaper, asks to go on the potty sometimes & LOVES picking out her stickers for the POTTY CHART:)

Washing hands is a favorite 'past time' too!

Little Love...

...You are my SUNSHINE!  My only SUNSHINE!  You make me HAPPY when skies are grey.  You'll never know, dear, how much I LOVE YOU!!

Please don't take my SUNSHINE away:)

COOKIES:)

In the midst of my Holiday Spirit, I've really been loosening up on the 'special treats' that Elsie Anne gets.  Most of you know that I am a 'Nazi' when it comes to her diet, so this is a BIG step for me!!  Tonight, I really felt like some Chocolate Chip Cookies.  I made sure EA ate her good, healthy dinner early, so I wouldn't be feeding her cookies too close to bedtime:)  She LOVED being my helper + 'making' the cookies, which included breaking them off + placing them on the cookie sheet, hahaha (I've never claimed to be a cook/baker)!  While waiting the 12 LONG minutes for the buzzer, I told her a little story... 

How my Daddy, BigDaddy, taught me to eat Chocolate Chip Cookies in a 'special way'!  He'd pour us both a little glass of Milk and we dipped our cookies in, until they were nice + soggy, then scooped them up into our mouths real quick!  *I'm not even a chocolate lover, but this has been my favorite desert ever since!*

She got her little cup + helped pour her own Milk... then, BEEP-BEEP-BEEP, our Cookies were ready!!!  She watched me first, then imitated me PERFECTLY!  What form she had!  Such concentration!  She will make her BigDaddy proud when he sees it!!

She LOVED her 'special new treat' as I knew she would, but thankfully after 3 bites, she was all done w/ the sweets + drank her Milk out of her 'big girl cup'!!

Man, Oh Man, how I love this big girl!

Special Days!

Oh, FRIDAY!  Always our special day!!  I think even Elsie Anne looks forward to our fun day together:)

We start it w/ our 'Tumbling Tots' class (that I teach).  EA is the biggest helper... we get to the gym @ 8:30am to set up for our 9am class.  She 'helps' me move the mats around, set up the balance beam, bar, spring board + block, tunnels, cheese mat, carpet squares, etc!  Then all her new "fends!" (friends) arrive and she's even more excited!!  As of now, she's the only girl w/ 3 little boys, Charlie, Adam + Kylan (plus his older brother), but she runs the show!  They are all so cute learning the different 'positions' - tuck, pike, straddle, arch, point/flex toes, etc - I'm absolutely loving my little class, and it brings back so many memories of teaching gymnastics in highschool!

After leaving the gym, we choose a special outing - the last two weeks its been "GONDOLA wide" (ride)!  I can't blame her for loving it, its like an amusement park ride, & its where all the action is in town!  She is a pro at it now too!  Wish you could see her... waiting in line, watching it go "round + round", then walking right up to it, reaches for my hand + takes the "BIG tep" (step) into the car!  She climbs up onto the bench, waits for the doors to close, then "Weeee,Bump,Bump,Bump!" we say everytime we fly off into the air!!

Looking back down to the Gondola Station & all the cars in the parking lots!!

We watch for animals as we 'fly' over Cucumber Gulch, we wave to the attendants we pass @ each Gondola Station (there are 2 on the way up), we sometimes brake out our snacks, we see buses, cars, trucks, tactors, & houses underneath us - all of which spark some sort of funny conversation!  We just enjoy each other's company as we relax & watch the beautiful scenery pass by!

I have to say, by 1pm I am usually looking forward to EA's nap!  Once she goes down, I usually clean up, browse the internet, take a power nap, blog or read, and freshen up for the afternoon/evening. 

Shawn got home early (love it when that happens), and we had our friend Donnie over for Taco Night!  I gave EA an early bath and started prepping her on the 'Big Girl Haircut' she was going to get.  Instead of trailing after her w/ the scissors all night, I thought she's probably old enough to sit still for a few minutes, if we make a production of it!! 

So, we set up a Beauty Parlor... stool, sheet on the floor, pillow case around her neck, & a special candy cane treat while she sat still, and this is what we got... one cheese-ball little girl excited to experience something new!!!

Then we stripped her out of her hairy clothes & she got to run around "nakeee" (naked) for a bit!  Look @ this little priss-pot:)

I took 3/4inch off the bottom & did a little stacking in the back!  Can't go wrong w/ this cut on her hair, it just looks too cute:)  Not a great pic, but once she got off that stool, she didn't sit still for over an hour!!

Faux-Camping!!

All Summer long we've been wanting to go Camping, but for one reason or another, each weekend has been filled w/ other busy plans.  When I found out today that I didn't have to babysit this evening, I jumped on the spared time!  We loaded up our camping chairs, a cooler of beer + picnic blanket, then picked up some KFC on the way.  We headed to Lake Dillon, 10min away from our house, and found this perfect spot!

After eating our dinner, it was time to explore!  Lake Dillon is a huge resevior for Denver + they have just recently emptied some of it's water supply, leaving this fun rocky beach!

 Momma enjoying this adventure through Elsie Anne's eyes!

 EA loves shadows! 

Watching Daddy skip rocks into the Lake. 

Now EA will try!  Her courage + determination w/ EVERYTHING is incredible @ this moment!  She wants to learn + really listens to figure things out.  She amazes us w/ her words + actions everyday:)

She got to try out her Froggy Boots for the first time...

...and wouldn't you know, she wanted to walk out further than her boots would let her!!

Back @ the picnic site, we changed shoes + enjoyed the sunset.  The Sun was behind us, but gave the mountains a beautiful glow as it went down!

EA layed back + said, "Shhhh, Elnie nite nite!" 

It got quite a bit more chilly as the sun finally went behind the mountains.  Shawn got a little snuggle from EA + I was able to catch it on camera!  These days, she really doesn't sit still for this long, unless we're reading her books before bed, so this was a rarity:)

And on our hike back to the car, WE WERE ALL SMILES!!!  EA had her feathers in her pockets + a hiking stick to count the rocks... "uun, tuu, teee!"

Thank you Beautiful Colorado Fall, for the most perfect weather we could imagine!  These sunny days help me accept that you will be bringing the cold, bitter snow...VERY SOON!

I have a lot of catching up to do, blog wise, so check earlier dates to catch up on our family happenings!

18mo! (sept 3rd)

Man, life is passing us by waaay too FAST!  We had Elsie Anne's 18mo check-up last week.  It might be silly, but I get so excited for her appointments, to see where she is on the developmental continuum :)  I love chatting w/ her pediatrician to see what we can work on (colors, numbers, potty training, etc), her nutrition/diet, + anything else that may be on our mind. 

This visit was one of my favorites, since I was able to prep EA about where we were going + what we were doing.  She was excited to see Nurse Theresa "Teesa" to get weighed + measured, and then happy to see "doctah" Winfield when she walked in!  EA showed Dr.W her dance moves, her 2 legged jumps off the ground, her crazy vocabulary, + even a bit of the ABC's!  Dr.W was very impressed, to say the least, + Momma was proud as she could be! :)

Weight: 20lbs. 9.5oz: 5th% (this was exciting b/c she had dropped to 0% at 15mo)
Height: 32 3/4in: 75-90%
Head: 50cm: 97th% (her head has always been huge, I guess its a blessing I had a C-section)

As you can see, these pics were from NFL Sunday, too bad our Bengals lost too:(

I don't even try to keep this child clean anymore!!  She is all in to the "DUUT" (dirt)!  I love my little TOMBOY:)

My Heart...

...is aching w/ overpowering LOVE!  I think I've figured out what brings these passionate feelings on, and when it happens, it is blinding!  It hits me like a ton of bricks, only something more positive, like a hot air balloon carrying me away! :) 

I woke up this morning w/ butterflies in my stomach, @ the sound of my sweet little princess quietly saying, "momma, momma".  Shawn + I smiled @ each other and rolled out of bed, one to get her milk from the fridge, + the other to hug Elsie Anne + change her diaper...then we met back in 'Momma + Daddy's Bed'!  We all LOVE this time in the morning... snuggles, songs, silly faces + giggles, before EA announces she's "all-done" and climbs down, heading straight for the bathroom to brush her teeth, before going down stairs for breakfast.  Her routines are ingrained so deeply, that she'd probably do them even w/out us around!

The butterflies continued all morning long as Elsie Anne played w/ Shawn, helped me w/ the dishes in the dishwasher + danced around to the 'Imagination Movers' song (she does all the motions by herself)!  I haven't felt these flips of happiness in my belly since May, the first morning I woke up in Tallahassee, in my childhood bed, after a 30hr drive, to the same sweet words out of EA's mouth!  In that moment I knew we had all day to play outside in the warm air - just the 2 of us, w/ or w/out clothes on, in the sand, swing, grass, or pool, I knew my Mom, Dad + Husband were coming home to us for a home cooked meal, + I knew we had an entire month to enjoy all our family + friend's fellowship!

In this moment, as I'm waiting for my 18.6lbs, almost 32in, almost 16mo, teethy-grinned angel to wake up, I KNOW my butterflies are twirling about b/c of the fun things we're looking forward to!!!  Shawn is taking 'his girls' to the Denver Zoo on Friday, we'll be in Granby, CO for a 4th of July weekend get-a-way, + we'll get to do whatever we please for the next week + 1/2 w/out any work interruptions!!  Just PLAY, PLAY, PLAY... enjoying my MAN + my MISSY MOO!  I think I've fallen in LOVE all over again! :)

There is NOTHING that beats this INTOXICATING feeling!  I wish I could bottle it up + get a splash of it every day!  But for now, I will bask in the glow + be thankful for my incredibly scrumptious family!!  MUAH!

MOMENTS...

Sometimes I am so overwhelmed w/ the LOVE I feel for Elsie Anne... it overtakes my entire being + I feel like I could just scream, cry, collapse, jump up+down, or squeeze her so tight I think she might pop! Today was one of those days!!!

After a crazy busy + looooong week that consisted of 4 full days of nannying, plus 3 nights of extra babysitting, (all of which EA participates) Elsie Anne + I finally came home this afternoon, to our cozy little Christmassy haven + spent some time together... just the two of us:) I was overjoyed to watch her excitement as she played w/ her own toys, talked, laughed, crawled up in my lap + knew she had my full + undivided attention! I looked @ her, as she dove into my face for an open-mouth kiss, + could not believe my eyes... here she is, this 9 1/2mo old amazing little being + I get to be her Mama... she's all mine (well, I share her w/ Shawn), I get to see her every move, all her bonks, bangs, cries + laughs, and I could not be more HAPPY!!! I'm INFATUATED w/ my Elsie Anne!!!!!!

As I put her down tonight, I stared @ her perfect little face + took it all in. I remembered a 7lbs.11oz tiny little darling in my arms + thought about all of the incredible times we've shared as a family! I firmly believe that it only gets BETTER! I can't imagine what we'll be doing this time next year, but I'm not going to wish this wonderful time away!