6 Amazing Years!

You guessed it: today is the sixth anniversary of our marriage! Do we look like kids in that picture, or what? Six years ago today, we committed to put up with each other for life :) In all seriousness, it has hardly been "putting up" with my wonderful husband. I think, rather, he has done his fair share of putting up with me. As well as I know myself, he has put up with a LOT. It kind of makes me laugh to think about all the times I've burst into tears at the slightest annoyance (no laughing, Kris), how I've distracted him from his studies more times than I can count, how I've asked him to kill spiders the size of ants, how I've sat down to dinner in disgust because I'd ruined the perfect meal, how I've procrastinated on laundry until our hamper is bursting at the seams,... the list could go on and on, and those are only some of my minor flaws! And, in response to his needy wifey, he has consoled me without laughing at the pitiful reasons for my tears, he has gladly put his books aside to spend time with me, he has bravely slaughtered every bug in the house, he has praised the crummiest of meals, he has done laundry himself without even telling me,... and none of this with a word of complaint. I truly married up. Last year for our fifth anniversary, we took an amazing trip to Vancouver, BC. This year, we find ourselves pressed for time and money, so we can't go traipsing off to Canada, yet that in no way diminishes how special this day is! Marriage is such a wonderful gift from God, and marriage to the man of your dreams puts the icing on the cake. Don't worry, I'm not going to get all sappy, so I'll wrap it up. Jordan, you're such a good husband and I'm thankful for the wonderful six years we've had together. Thanks for putting up with me and for partnering with me for life!

Beach Day!

I was recently talking with friends about living so close to the beach, yet never making time to go. Well, Jordan and I decided to enjoy the beach this summer since we managed to get there TWO TIMES last year. Yes, only twice. Honestly, I don't think our record this summer will be much better, but it doesn't hurt to hope. PLUS, planning to go to the beach is not near as simple as it used to be. We imagine all the things that could go wrong with Elyse, from sunburn to screaming, from missing a nap to screaming, from heatstroke to screaming... BUT, we want to be flexible parents, so we hit the road. The day was beautiful, if not a bit windy (that will come into play later), so we packed up the kiddo and our much larger beach bags and headed out to Sandbridge. We really began to notice the wind as we set up Elyse's new sun dome- a little tent with lots of SPF to keep her from frying. This thing looked so cool: it snapped out of that case in a jiffy- a perfectly formed dome! Charming. Then the sun dome began to blow over (which is not a good thing since our baby is in it). We finally managed to weigh it down with everything we brought, and things were okay. We set up our beach towels, and I think we both realized how OCD we are when we started brushing the sand off the towel within the first minute. With the day's wind, we could have easily continued in the sand-brushing for hours. BUT, we stopped and determined to enjoy our outing. After all the courtesy pictures highlighting the big first day at the beach, we staked the beach umbrella and got comfortable, only to watch our umbrella blow over. Several times. A few hours later, we decided to leave the gorgeous place that we actually DID let ourselves enjoy, and head home. Remember that cute little sun dome that my sweet daughter napped contentedly in for a couple of hours? Well, it now had to collapse. Jordan wrestled with the now-labeled "piece of junk" for about 20 minutes before stuffing it into the carrying bag. I'm scared to take it out! And I read the directions, folks, and they do NOT make any sense at all! As we finally got in the car to head home, I think we both realized that WE are the inconvenience of the beach! :) Elyse seemed to love being in the great outdoors, feeling the water, and even hanging out with her cooky parents. Believe it or not, we had a blast enjoying our day together at the beach, but, maybe we still have a ways to go in learning to relax...

Cereal time!

I've been having some signals for a few weeks now that Elyse might be ready for cereal... I tried to postpone it as long as possible, for convenience only (isn't that awful?), but this little piggy seems to be hungry! Here are some pictures of the grand event. Both Jordan and I are a bit OCD when it comes to food all over a baby's face, but we had to admit, it has its own element of cuteness :) We both had to try VERY HARD not to keep wiping her face, though! I know, we'll get used to it... right?


Trying out her high chair for the first time...


This face says it all!


By this point, we were laughing our heads off.


"Mom, is this my very first punishment?"


Daddy got to give it a shot, too (feeding, that is- not eating).


She did seem to have fun in between bites! :)

Road Trip

We spent Memorial Day weekend up in Pennsylvania visiting family. Both sets of Jordan's grandparents live in Lancaster County, as well as lots of extended family. We were excited to be able to introduce Elyse to them all. By the way, the beauty up there is just breathtaking. It's nothing exotic, but seeing the hills and green pastures made me want to house-hunt up there. Wouldn't you know, I didn't manage to get one picture of the scenery! It was Elyse's first road trip, and both Jordan and I had visions of the horrors that we could encounter. One of which was a diaper incident on the way. Like clockwork, we pulled into our first rest stop, and Elyse practically jumped out of her car seat into my arms. It didn't take me long to realize WHY. She was thoroughly covered in doo-doo. We managed to find a picnic table, and 300 wipes later, she was ready to hit the road again. We did eat some lunch on that same picnic table, just on the other end :) We spent the weekend catching up with family and enjoying a change of pace. There is something unique about smelling the great outdoors (a.k.a. manure) as you pull into the drive and watching horse and buggy from the back window. Life seems so much simpler! Here are some pictures of our time with our wonderful family. We are so thankful to God for their salvation and their testimonies to us!

BEFORE the diaper change...

AFTER the diaper change!

Great Grandma and Great Grandpa S



Cool Great Uncle Jere

Great Grandma H

Great Grandpa H

5 months old!

Five months ago today, I was delivering a baby. Whew. Instead of looking at it that way, five months ago today, we finally got to meet our baby girl! I still remember it like yesterday. A year ago, I was dying to wear maternity stuff, and only a handful of people even knew I was pregnant. I had no idea I would be having a little girl, but I think we had already decided on the name Elyse. I was feeling crummy, eating lots of fruit snacks and pickles, and trying to process the reality of being pregnant. That seems like yesterday, too! Here are some of my current "not-so-fun's" and "fun's":

Not-so-fun:
* That in-between stage of having lots of energy and no mobility whatsoever yet (other than spinning 180 degrees)
* The ANGRY scream (yes, MOM, she does do this)
* She's finally pulling my hair

Fun:
* Watching her try so hard to sit up
* Listening to all the new squeals and shrieks
* Giggles
* Chubby legs!
* The fake, loud laugh
* Watching her mimic things we do with our faces
* Knowing she recognizes me (that's so vain...)

Here are some pictures to celebrate (like you haven't seen any pictures of this child). I have been going a bit crazy with iphoto, but they make it too easy to do this stuff!!! To see how she's grown, click here. Happy 5 month birthday, Elyse! We love you SO much! Now get off the computer.

Fun at the park

Yesterday was a crazy day, but I was so excited to meet Jordan for his dinner break, something we don't do much since we're sharing a car. After picking him up, we decided to swing by Wendy's. I had printed a coupon for their new twisted frosties, and I'll admit, I was VERY excited about using this coupon. We pull up to the drive thru, and it took 3 cashiers to "serve" us. We were in utter disbelief as they debated amongst themselves how to ring up our order, how much to charge us, how to make a frosty, etc... It would have been kind of amusing, had we 4 hours to kill, but at the time, we weren't so entertained. It was a good lesson in patience, right? I know Elyse gleaned much from our sweet, patient attitudes **cough, cough** And, on top of it all, they failed to flavor the frosties. Thankfully, Jordan had a longer break, so we still managed to get in some fun at the park on a perfect day. I'm so thankful for a husband who works hard for us! We sure do love him :) And, yes, I won the game of Farkel :)

Bedtime Stories

I just recently started reading to Elyse before bedtime (if she will tolerate it). I fully realize at this age, I'm probably not teaching her how the three little kittens found their mittens, but it is really fun to start the habit young. Her attention span right before bed is typically terrible, but she will allow me to read her The Three Little Kittens over and over again. Aunt Bethany got it for her, and I loved that book when I was little. Since Jordan works evenings, he rarely gets in on Elyse's bedtime routine, but he got a real kick out of it the other night. We gave her a bath, he combed her hair in a new special way, and I had to laugh as he read one story to her in his Scottish accent. Elyse looked at him with such curiosity! William Wallace should not be reading The Three Little Kittens. Let's just leave it at that :) It's so fun to see Jordan get to enjoy the little things I get to enjoy every day! Here are some cute pictures of them together.


I ALSO had to post my new favorite picture of Daddy & his little girl :)

Berries!!!

Elyse and I went strawberry picking on Saturday. The day was crummy, and the field was SOPPING wet, but we managed to stay fairly dry. I always look forward to strawberries every year, and I have always picked at least 18 lbs in the past. NO WAY. Not this time with a tag-a-long :) I was very happy with my 7.5 lbs. Elyse did great while I picked berries. She jabbered to herself the entire time. It wasn't until check-out that she had a sleep-deprivation meltdown. The poor couple in front of me got tired of the noise really quickly and allowed me to check-out in front of them. I used to be the one giving the looks of pity to moms with screaming kids- now I'm receiving them. Not as fun. I can only imagine what it will be like when she's having discipline meltdowns someday! Please, no. I have a feeling I'll be eating a lot of my words, such as "If my kid ever did that in public..." and "Wow. Maybe she should just stay home." Yes, I have said those things :) You all are entitled to laugh when my posts next year reflect my repentance. Anyway, we enjoyed eating these gorgeous berries!

Smiley Girl

As sad as it is to watch Elyse seemingly get bigger by the minute, there are so many new funny things that make it all okay. I admit, there's nothing like curling up in the corner of your couch with that little newborn baby, so helpless, making all sorts of little squeaks and grunts (the baby, that is)... *sigh* In fact, I think that's all I did with Elyse for the first six weeks of her life! BUT, listening to my baby's giggle just about tops the charts. I love how Elyse just waits for someone to look at her so she can laugh. Last night I was folding diapers next to her, and she was making all sorts of flirty faces, looking at no one in particular. That has to be the funnest thing ever. Along with all this silliness, there is also a new "gusto" to her cry, too :) Let's just say it's not quite as helpless as it used to be. Don't worry, I won't be posting any pictures or videos of that, but I will post a happy picture of the little goober. And just when I think she's growing up too fast, she'll fall asleep on my shoulder, just like she did 4 months ago.

Don't rush it...

Elyse is going on 5 months old, but she hasn't exactly been trying to roll over or trying to sit up, and I'm just fine with that. Don't get me wrong, I don't want my baby to be laying under her ocean play-set until she's 16, but I'm just trying not to wish today away. Okay, I'm in denial. I'm still having a hard time believing that my little baby is growin' up! BUT, I figured it would be good for me to help her along a little bit so she's not the only kid on the block still flat on her back. I wrapped my Boppy around her waist and propped her up, and she looked so funny! We were having all sorts of fun with the toys on the Boppy when my doorbell rang. After visiting with my neighbor for a few minutes, I looked over to find Elyse "resting." :) She had scrunched right over and popped that thumb right in her mouth. Oh, dear. She couldn't be more obvious in telling me she's ready for a nap, huh?

Mommy's Day

Being a stay-at-home mom is the best gig EVER, and I believe it with all my heart. My first official Mother's Day was wonderful. I know Jordan took the opportunity to make me feel so special, yet I really feel like I am the one who should be making him feel so special for making it a priority that I be at home with our daughter. Before Elyse was born, I remember sitting down and crunching the numbers in hopes that somehow staying home and quitting my job would make sense. Never once did the numbers add up and "justify" the sacrifice that we thought we were making. Looking back at these four and half months, not ONCE have we had to do without something we needed, I am able to work here and not miss a minute with Elyse, and we have had more than we could have anticipated by God's grace. Yea, there were definitely some changes, but even cloth diapering is totally worth it :) I have not once been bored at home (contrary to my suspicions), and I have found the mommy-pace to be exactly what I love. I really do have my dream job! I thought a lot about our moms on Sunday and am so thankful that they made it a priority to be home with us. I know it doesn't always work out this way, but I am so thankful that it has worked for us. Thanks, honey, for letting me do what I love! Here are some pictures from Sunday of the munchkin.




Aunt Bethany babysat Elyse almost a MONTH ago and emailed this picture to me on Sunday morning- it made my day!!!

Visit with Gramm and Pops

We were able to have Jordan's parents here for the weekend, and it was such a fun time. Their last visit was in January, shortly after Elyse was born, so it was so nice to have them around while I was awake and energetic! I always laugh when people ask me what we do when family visits. Typically, the answer is, "Well, we usually just sit around, talk, eat, play games, laugh..." It probably seems funny, but now that there are kids in the picture, that is typically the only pastime that works for everyone! Elyse especially seemed to enjoy being around everyone, and she got plenty of attention. Thankfully, she doesn't seem to be at the age yet when I have to "undo" any of that :) Every time we are all together, I'm reminded how special it is that we have Jordan's siblings in the area. I often wonder how hard it will be to get us all together in the future, but for now, I'll just enjoy it and be thankful that we can spend time together so easily. Here are some pictures from Elyse's fun time with Gramm and Pops. As you can see, she never lacked for someone to cuddle with her!