Who Knew?!

Miss E and I are heading back to Texas tomorrow for a brief visit, and to attend my older brother's wedding. In case you didn't know, I LOVE weddings!! Big, small, outdoors or in, I just love them. This will be E's first experience at one...don't worry, I've packed plenty of non-noisemaking toys!

Speaking of packing, holy moly that girl requires a lot of stuff!! Though, I have to admit, I might have overdone it just a little bit. My convo w/ the hubs last night went a little something like this...

Him: Hon, why do you have 10 baby bowls in your suitcase?

Me: So E can eat, why else?

Him: Yes, but why 10?

Me: Well, one for each time she eats her oatmeal.

Him: Hon, don't our parents have dishwashers?

Me: Oh.

Him: Silence, followed by a kiss on my forehead.

I'm just going to skip over the patronizing look, and go straight to thinking that he just loves me so much that he couldn't resist giving me a sweet kiss :) After our brief chat I began to think that 10 bowls might be a tad too many (considering she only eats oatmeal 1x day), and that I probably don't need to pack every single bottle & baby spoon that we have in the house....just for starters. And her bows alone take up an entire bag! Now I'm just exaggerating...or am I??!! Ha! But the things that she really does need DO start to add up. With the stroller, the diaper bag, her suitcase, her toys, & her bottles and food, I barely have room to drive. **Insert my plea for the Volvo XC-90 here!!!** Who knew babies would such space-hogs?! Gone are the days of a 1 backpack per person! Wait, who am I kidding? I was never like that. I guess my Little Miss takes after her Mama!!

Flight Suits & Fairytales ~ The Debut :)

To go along w/ my new Etsy site, I thought I'd change up my blog a little bit as well!! Because we all know how completely un-tech savvy I am, I was super excited when I found Amber at Stolen Moments! For a really low price (seriously, like $15 here!!), she designed two layouts, two headers, all the labels, & the post separators for me. She even took care of the code dirty work by installing it all...totally customized!! She was really easy to work with, answered all my questions, changed things multiple times, and got it done really fast. If you're looking to spice up your blog, or just want something a little bit different, she has GORGEOUS layouts for as low as $4.00! Seriously, that's a steal! And she didn't even ask me to promote her site...she's just THAT good, and I felt like I needed to share :)

AND, I'm so happy to announce that I've recently sold my first item on Etsy!! WooHoo!! I don't even care that it was to a family member...I'll take what I can get :)

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day weekend!! I'd love to hear what everyone did, and what they received from their kiddo's! I got this sweet purse from my hubs, and I think I'm in LOVE!!

Happy Mother's Day

My mom wrote me an email the other day about cherishing every single second of Elli's life because the weeks/months/years will only fly by faster the older we get. I cried as I read it. I cried as I responded too, as I wrote that I've noticed that the little dimples in Elli's hands have already started to fade. Part of it is because I'm even more emotional now that I'm a mom than I ever was before (hard to imagine, I know!), but the other part is because I truly do treasure every moment and I STILL feel like time is slipping through my fingers.

I didn't know how much I would love being a mother. I had no idea how much joy I would get out of hearing my daughters laugh, or watching her learn and experience new things. Her triumphs are my triumphs, and it's unlike anything I've ever known before. On my very first Mother's Day, I find myself looking forward to who she will be when she's older. I pray that Chris and I set a good example for her of a loving partnership, that we instill in her a deep desire to love and to have a relationship with the Lord, and that she always remembers to whom she belongs.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you mommy's out there, for I know that you all must feel a lot like I do on this very special day!! May you all know that you're appreciated & loved by your precious children (and your spouse! heehee!!).

I'll sign off with a line from the sweet Mother's Day card that my mom sent to me. It touched my heart so deeply, I just know that you'll love it too!

"Being a mother means knowing that whatever else you did or didn't do, you gave the world something beautiful".

It's Official....I'm on ETSY!!!!

Whew! After months of sewing, tying, cutting, knotting, glueing, crafting, learning, & planning, I have finally opened my shop on Etsy!! In the next few weeks I hope to add lots of cute new stuff, but for now I'm super happy with what I have :) Please feel free to browse my store, and be sure to send your friends my way!

Thanks so much for all of the prayers, and the wonderful encouragement. I really appreciate everyone's support!

Introducing......Elli Grace Designs!!!!

(Pretty clever name, huh?!)

Show Us Your Life....Children's Names

I haven't done a "Show Us Your Life" in awhile, and I thought this was a great topic to jump back in on! I'm sure I've told most of you this story (I might have even blogged about it!), but I LOVE the way that I found/chose Elliana's name. So, if you've heard this one before...well, you might want to skip on down to the Boy Name part :)

Let me set the stage: I was totally depressed, and drowning my sorrows in a caramel frappacino @ Barnes & Noble. Chris and I were having issues getting pregnant, I was very unhappy with my OB, and it seemed that every single friend I had was already a mommy, or was expecting their first baby. I was in a sad place; a place that too many women seem to find themselves in! I don't know why I thought that surrounding myself with Baby Name books was going to make me feel better, but there I was...completely up to my eyeballs in just that. A few days earlier, a dear fried of mine had prayed with me about letting go of my NEED to get pregnant, and for the strength to trust God's plan. I was desperately clinging to her words, but still hoping that God's will, and my hearts desire, would someday be one and the same. So there I was, flipping through books and searching for that perfect name. The first book that I picked up just randomly opened to the "E's". And there it was, at the top of the page, the very first name that I saw...

ELLIANA : God Has Answered, or God's Answer

And I just knew. It was as easy as that. If we had a girl, her name would be Elliana. A few people weren't too thrilled with it at first, and some (Chris) thought it sounded too Italian/Spanish & fancy for a daughter of a Chris & an Amy. But in my heart, I knew it was perfect for our future daughter. And about a year later, our very own Elliana Grace was born!!

If we have another little girl, I really like the names: Kate, Caitlyn, Avery, or Claire, and I her middle name will be the same as mine...Danielle.

As far as boy names, Chris is as 4th generation "James" (James Christian), so if we ever have a little boy I think James will definitely make an appearance in his name somewhere, we just haven't decided on whether it will be the first or the middle. I LOVE the name Caden (Cade for short), and Jackson.

What do y'all think? Any unique favorites out there? A good friend of mine named her sweet little girl, Emmeline (Emme) Hart and I just LOVE how unique and pretty that is.

Wordless Wednesday

Thank Goodness for Saturdays

Chris's schedule has officially gone back to being really, really crappy. He started his 12 hr days again 2 weeks ago, and I gotta say, I really didn't miss those guys! I guess if it was JUST the 12 hr days it wouldn't be so bad...but the studying for at least 3 hrs when he gets home afterwards makes it even worse. I always try to look at the bright side of things (emphasis on TRY), and I hate to be a downer about stuff, but sometimes it's just hard to find the good amidst the, uhhh, not so good. It makes me sad that he only gets to see Elli for 30-45 min a day, and that our time together consists of speeding through dinner & going to bed at 9. Yuck! Not fun! I thought, after the craziness of England, that there was NO WAY that his schedule could get worse, or that we'd spend LESS time together. Umm, I'm beginning to think that I was wrong.

But I still vividly remember how much I missed him when he was deployed, and I'm so thankful that we're not having to deal w/ that at all during Elli's first year. And I know how important it is for him to do well in this Phase of pilot training, and doing well takes hard work. I fully understand that. And I'm grateful for the spouse's that I've met here in Columbus...they are some of the most selfless women I've ever known. So, though it's tough sometimes (okay, a LOT of the time!), I'm trying to focus on the positive.

Saturdays are our respite, our family day, our "us" time. And I LOVE them, I treasure them, and I long for them by the time Friday rolls around. The rest of the week can be a crazy, hectic mess, but give this girl a Saturday and she'll be happy! Oh how I wish there was more than just one per week!