What a GORGEOUS Day!

I've been really trying to let Elli play outside more, especially now that the weather is so wonderful here. I feel like I kept her cooped up all summer b/c I absolutely hate the heat, and I'm trying to make up for it with a little bit of sunshine! I'm proud to say that I've taken her on a long walk for the past 7 days straight...and she loves it! She really likes riding in her wagon, especially when I run down the hills pulling her :) And if we see a dog along the way, well...that's just an added bonus! Today, we strolled around base w/ a friend and I tried to point out all the airplanes (again, she really hasn't seen very many since her Mother of the Year over here was afraid of melting this summer). And wouldn't you know it, when we got home and heard an airplane, she pointed at the sky! Her daddy would be so proud :)

Here are a few pics from today when we got home. She loves to chase this ball around while practicing her walking. I'm so proud of how well she's doing :)

Crazy 8

When I find something that I think is simply fabulous, I just can't help but share it with others...so if you've already heard my raving about Crazy 8, I apologize, I just can't contain myself :)

So...Crazy 8. No, not the card game...the children's store! Maybe I've been living under a rock for the past year, but where has this store been?! I remember getting an email from a sweet friend a few months ago about it, but I didn't really look at it...I'm kinda one of those "stick to what you know" girls. I scope out Gymboree, Baby Gap, & Old Navy sales and that's about it. But while I was back in Texas, I saw a Crazy 8 store in the mall and thought I'd just see what they had to offer. OH MY GOODNESS!! I absolutely LOVE their clothes :) It's the sister store of Gymboree, so all of their stuff is the same quality, same cuteness, but NOT the same high price! What's not to love?! AND, just like Gym Bucks, they have Crazy 8 Bucks (which I just used on the HUGE sale that they've been having and scored lots of stuff for next summer!).

I wish I could figure out how to post some pics of the cute Fall outfits that they have right now, but alas I am still terrible at stuff like that. Just know that they are absolutely adorable...especially the boy clothes! Go check them out, I think you'll fall in love :)

13 Months

Lots of things have changed in just one short month!! The biggest news is that Miss E is now a walker!! We joke that it took her so long to pick it up because she's smart enough to know that walking means you don't get carried as often :) She's still a little wobbly, but she has the cutest little giggle whenever she arrives at her destination without having fallen on her booty! So cute! This is a short video of some of her very first steps.

She is also now in her "big girl" carseat. I think she's pretty comfortable :)

She likes to "hide" in the entertainment center. She gets in there every day!

She loves to be outside, especially with her daddy :)

**Please excuse our parched lawn!!**

She still really, really, really likes dogs!

She doesn't just like to play with one toy at a time...she'd rather "trail" her toys, as you can see here :)

We're now down to 1 nap a day. Whew!! What a transition that was! With all of the other health issues that have been going on with her this past month, we thought her change in sleeping habits were just a symptom. Nope!! Once we switched to just one nap, she's back to sleeping 12 hrs/night with NO screaming fits at 1am :) Happy Elli = Happy Mommy!

What's Up?!

Well, a lot actually!! September has proven to be a super busy month for us, which is exactly the way I like it!

Miss E is still having some diaper issues. I'm not one to divulge a whole lot of less-than-ladylike descriptions about my sweet Elli-bean to the blog-o-sphere, so suffice to say that what we've been dealing with here for the past 5 weeks is pretty gross. AND, for the record, I just want to say that sometimes Mama really does know best :) The first 2x we went to her pediatrician, we were told that what she's experiencing is normal (for some)...and let me just tell you that if what she's going through is normal, I'd MUCH rather her be dealing with something weird. Ha! So I kept pushing, and after our appointment yesterday he agreed that this is indeed not normal. We'll be seeing a Pediatric Gastroenterologist just as soon as we can get an appointment. We think she's allergic to milk protein, but until some more tests are run we won't know for sure. So if you could keep Elli in your prayers, we'd greatly appreciate it :)

Something that I'm super excited about is that C & I have really started to get a lot more involved with our church community. We've started going to a bible study led by our pastor once a week, and we're studying Romans. It's the first time that we've done anything like this together (outside of our home). Our pastor is one of the most intelligent men that I've ever met, and I'm just thrilled that we've been given the opportunity to learn from him and grow in our relationship with Christ together. I also joined a women's weekly bible study at the church, and we're doing Beth Moore's study on Esther. I've done it once before, but if you know anything about Beth you know that you can always benefit from going through her studies again & again :) I've really been longing to meet some women from church, and this has been such a blessing!

Because of our growing involvement in church, Elli has been spending a lot more time in the nursery with Miss Annie (whom she loves so very much!). Some of you may already know this, but I really struggled with whether or not I should put E in a Mother's Day Out program so that she could get some interaction with other kids, and I could get some much needed "me time". I struggled with the decision for several reasons. Money was a big one, and the nap schedule was another problem...I know, I know, one day wouldn't have killed her! But I was also conflicted b/c I didn't need someone else to watch her, I just wanted it...my heart was torn. I finally decided to just do it, and when I went to sign her up they had pulled the 1 yr old program due to lack of interest. Ha!! Serves me right :) But the cool thing is that now that we've been getting a little bit more involved, E is getting exactly what she needed anyway...a little bit of kid time :)

The other really exciting thing that has happened this month is that I joined MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers)! Ever heard of it? It's a great organization where mother's support mother's, and I'm thrilled to be a part of it. What's even more exciting is that the organizers have asked me to be a Discussion Group Leader, which is basically exactly what it sounds like...a small group leader of sorts. We meet twice a month at our church, and while the moms get together, their kiddo's participate in their own little group activities. It's a win-win! And for us, it's another opportunity for Elli to interact with some friends.

September has been crazy around here...I wonder what October will bring!!

Show Us Your Life....Master Bedrooms

YAY!! Show Us Your Life is back at Kelly's Korner, and this week it is all about Master Bedrooms!! Hop on over to her blog and take a look at all the other gorgeous bedrooms, and then add yours in as well :)

The thing that's great about our Master Bedroom is that if you had asked to see it a little over a year ago, you would have laughed!! To say it has merely changed is a HUGE understatement! While living in England we literally had NO furniture. Our bed was a mattress on the ground, and used those 3 drawer plastic bins as a dresser. No nightstands, no lamps, no bookcase. Nothing! Needless to say, when we got back to the States we had to do some major furniture shopping :)

Here is what our room looks like from the hallway...

And from the window side of the room...

Our dresser & book case, or the"family shrine" as Chris calls it :)

And looking towards the hall from my side of the bed...

One of my favorite pictures, painted by my sister-in-law. I'll be framing it soon, and hanging it by our bed. You can't see the details, but in the awnings, the steps, the door and the siding of the house are words like "honor, unity, covenant, respect & love". You see, that's what makes this painting so special. When Chris & I went through our required pre-marital counseling, our pastor drew us a pencil sketch of a house, and wrote words all over it that symbolized what our marriage "home" should look like over the years as it weathers the ups & downs of life. We loved it so much that we asked Stephanie to paint us a picture of her interpretation...and I think she did a fabulous job!

The Countdown Is ON!!

Assignment Night ~ 15 days.

Where we'll be finding out where we'll be heading next, which plane Chris will be flying, and basically what our lives will look like for the next 3+ years. Pretty exciting!!

Graduation ~ 29 days

A dream come true...the day that Chris will pin on his pilot wings!

End of Pilot Training/Anniversary/We NEED to Get Out Of Here/Trip to Maine ~ 31 days

No explanation needed :)

Of course I'm excited about Assignment Night. Anxious, nervous, excited, and all kinds of other emotions all rolled up into one big ball of happy is more like it :) And Graduation will be an incredible day as well. I mean, it's probably going to be one of the best days of Chris's life (right under marrying me (heehee!) and the birth of our daughter)! I'm so proud of him, of the work that he has done and the dedication he has shown. I'll be the obnoxious one with the camera in everyone's face, beaming from ear to ear!

BUT, I am so excited about going to Maine that I can hardly stand it! It's our reward for such an incredibly tough year, the brief lull before the next training storm hits, and a chance for us to finally just be able to look at each other for more than 15 minutes without having to think of all of the things that need to be done around the house or at work. Chris deserves some down time, a chance to relax a bit. And honestly, I do too! I'm so looking forward to just spending some time with him, my husband, my very best friend. I'm absolutely giddy about it!

You might wonder what the picture above has to do with anything. It's relevant, I swear :) It's a picture of us in Germany at The Eagle's Nest. That trip, after Chris's first 5 month deployment, is my all-time favorite. We spent a week just exploring Austria & Germany, and it was fab-u-lous!! I think I'm looking forward to going to Maine so much because I remember exactly how I felt on that trip...like it was nice to finally be back together again after life just seemed to make it kinda hard. You know what I mean? So, the countdown is on...there is so much to look forward to :)

Easier Said Than Done

It's not easy to give up control. I'm learning that more and more in my role as a mother. And it's not really just the not being in control that bothers me, but the not knowing that is the hardest to swallow. Do you feel me on that one?

Miss E really hasn't been herself lately. She's been crying a lot more, waking up in the middle of the night (which she hasn't done in over 7 months), changed her eating habits, and has had a few diaper issues (and by a few I mean a TON!). Part of it is that she's growing up, which in and of itself is hard to deal with :) Ha! But the other part of it is a mystery to me...which drives me crazy.

I thought she might be lactose intolerant, though after a little bit of research I've found that it's extremely rare for babies/toddler's to develop that issue. But there is a definite correlation between what she eats/drinks and what happens afterwards...though she didn't seem to have a problem during the first 12 months of her life so I'm a little bit baffled as to why it started now. Or, it could be that she's cutting 3 teeth. Or that she just has toddler's diarrhea (something I had never heard of before until the Dr mentioned it yesterday). Or it could be something worse, or nothing at all. So you see, it's the not knowing that's killing me here!

We've been to the Dr; he's running tests & we've changed her diet in the meantime. All of our parents (and we have 4 sets!) have reassured me that she's fine, and have encouraged me to not panic (who me?!) and to just wait it out. And that's exactly what I need to do, I KNOW this. But it's hard, isn't it? As a mom, the not being able to fix it? I have this inherent need to be able to spot, diagnose, treat, and cure every single thing that E faces in a short 24 hr time span. Don't we all? I mean, no one wants to see their child hurting, or uncomfortable. But, in trying to see the lesson here, I have come to the conclusion that this is only the beginning in a long line of things that I won't be able to fix for her. Or at least fix immediately. Sometimes a doctor knows best, or a mentor, or a grandparent. That's not to say that there isn't something to be said for trusting your gut, but I think that on this one, at least, I just need to take a deep breath and relax a little bit. But friends, I'm telling you right now, that's a lot easier said than done.