Flight Suits and Fairytales

Where's Miss E???

I haven't been posting very many pics of my sweet thing lately...don't have an excuse, just haven't really had time to sit down and wait for Blogger to upload them. Does it take a crazy long time for everyone else, or is it just me? It's okay, you can tell me that I'm technically challenged...I'm used to it :) Anyway, I thought I'd remedy the situation by showing you some of the random things that Elli has been doing lately! We have so much fun together, she's like my little mini-me.

Where's Miss E??

Oh, there she is in the basket! Why wouldn't she be in the basket??

And there she is hanging out with her puppy and my comb...yes, I have my camera with me at all times just so that I can capture moments like these :) This is what she does while waiting for me to get ready in the morning if I accidentally pushed the snooze button on my alarm a few (10!) times.

One of her favorite things to do. She loves her baby dolls, and is so cuddly. She wants to give everyone hugs and kisses when she sees them...strangers and all!

(We're working on that!)

And here she is reading a book at the library! She's a genius, I tell ya! Ha :) Honestly, I think she liked the swivel chair more than she liked the book!

And here she is dipping her french fries in ketchup, her daddy's greatest achievement! She is a dipping pro! And no, before you gasp, we don't feed her french fries, goldfish & fried chicken all the time...these were my leftovers (minus the goldfish) from the night before and so she got a special treat :)

And finally, Elli rocking her sunglasses! She LOVES them...and I think she's just adorable :)

Girl Talk

I'm turning 30 this year. Yes, I know I say it often...it's just that, well, I'm turning 30 this year! And frankly, I can't believe it! I don't have a problem with it, per se', but it's just incredible to me that I'll be a real adult. You know, because in my head, you're not really an adult until you're 30. No more crazy 20's...not that my 20's were crazy. In fact, they were pretty tame. Hmm, did I just negate my whole line of thinking?

Anyway, with 30 comes "fine lines" (I'm not fully accepting of the term "wrinkles" yet). OR, at least they come with 30 for me (unfortunately!). I don't really mind them around my eyes, in fact, I think they're actually kind of endearing. But I'm not a fan of the forehead lines or brow lines. I mean, they're just not cute. So, my question is this...what is y'all's face routine??

I just switched from Neutrogena face soap and moisturizer to Cetaphil. I absolutely LOVE it. For a girl who has incredibly oily, acne prone skin, Cetaphil is awesome! It's not really sudsy, but it makes my face feel really, really clean. At night I still use my Neutrogena eye make-up remover, and then wash & moisturize my face. I also use Neutrogena's Healthy Eye Cream right before bed. In the morning I just wash & moisturize...pretty easy.

What about y'all? Any beauty products that you swear by? Anyone have the same skin type as me that has a product that they love? I seriously recommend Cetaphil...I've seen a dramatic improvement in my skin just in the past few weeks. And for you moms out there, I've HEARD that if you developed dark patches on your face during pregnancy that Mederma really helps. Haven't tried it yet, but I thought I'd pass that little tidbit on :)

I have a confession....

I had my nails done last week. (Not unheard of.)

I did them myself. (Are you wondering where this is going?)

I attempted fake ones! (Ummm???)

And I got them at Walgreens!

Yes, I'm totally serious :) I bite my nails and they are hideous! I don't know if y'all know this or not, but I'm turning thirty in about 2 months and I have the nails of a 17 year old. One with an issue, no less! I've tried fake nails before but I just can't justify paying $40+ for something that I just have to get re-done in 2 weeks anymore. Can't do it. But I've really been giving myself a complex about my nails...so what's a girl to do?

Well, I caved. I felt like those little plastic boxes of nails had been calling to me the past few times I'd been to Walgreens. They were taunting me, telling me to forget previous failed attempts with them. **Granted, I was 10 the last time I tried them.* Surely fake nail distributors have come up with a better design since then! I mean, it's been 20 years, right?! And they're so cheap. $5 compared to $40! See my dilemma?! Please say you see where I'm coming from here :)

So I did it. I bought them. And I expertly put them on once I put Elli to bed a few nights ago, while completely ignoring the eye-rolls from Chris. Does he know how much money I'm saving him??!! And you know what? They looked good. Really good. No, I'm serious. I even got a compliment on them the next day when I was signing a receipt....right before my pinky nail popped off.

I can't make this stuff up!

So, if you need your nails to look really good for 1 night, I'd highly recommend heading on up to your local Walgreens. But, if you want quality or durability, I'd have to advise you to keep walking right on past the nail aisle. Of course, I'm pretty sure that most of you would have done that anyway :)

Dinner Impossible

Maybe "impossible" is too strong...but it's definitely becoming more and more difficult! So, dear blog-y friends, I need some tips on how to deal with a toddler while fixing the evening meal :)

Let me just start by saying that my child is great at playing by herself. She likes listen to music & dance while I'm doing chores here and there in the morning. She can sit and "read" herself books if I'm folding laundry. She loves to push her baby around in her stroller if I'm trying to dust in the living room. But as soon as I start dinner...all bets are off!

We have a cabinet that houses all of our tupperware that she can play with. She has free reign over all of the pots, pans & spoons. We have a farm animal toy on the fridge that makes cute noises and sings songs. And she even got her very own cooking set for Christmas! But do you know where she wants to be when I start for the recipe cards? Just guess :) Under my legs, like a cute little monkey. She doesn't necessarily want to be held, though she'll start whining if I don't acknowledge her presence. It makes it very difficult to move from the stove to the sink, and don't even get me started on what it takes to get her untangled for long enough for me to open the oven! It's crazy! And I'm not a gourmet cook or anything, the meals I make usually only take 15-20 from fridge to stove/oven. Maybe that's too much to ask of a 16 month old?! Poor Chris, we're going to have to start eating cereal every night :)

Any of you mommies out there have the same issue? I'd love to hear your tips & tricks to alleviate some of the mealtime stress. You guys always have the best ideas :)

Christmas Picture Overload!

The whole family in Colorado for Christmas! Such a fun time :)

I just love this girl!!

Feeding Daddy some snow :)

Our Snow Bunny!

The Colorado Cabin Christmas Tree!!

Sledding is so fun!

Loving her new Barbie ATV from PaPa :)

Do a little dance...

Telling PaPa a story :)

Cousin Kisses

Playing the big girl piano...she's going to be a pro!

About to ride the train w/ Nana

And Elli sandwich with Aunt Stephie & Uncle Trav

Ohhh, I LOVE my new "Elli"Chair!!

One of E's all-time favorite activities...riding in her wagon!

She liked her presents, but she liked this box even more!

Yay for Christmas!!!

Here's to a New Year!!

I'm not a big resolutions girl. I mean, I try (like I did here) but my intentions usually fall flat. I can't ever keep up with what I resolved to do, which causes me to stress about not keeping promises to myself, and then I feel guilty about my choices. Boo! That's no way to start the year!

I think the key is accountability. And let's be honest...I'm not great at holding myself accountable. Take, for instance, giving up Dr. Peppers (which was cleverly disguised last year as "not drinking my calories"). Well, if you know me at all you know that my resolution lasted a week (at most!). I thought it sounded great at the time, but ummm, no personal accountability. And let's just not even talk about asking Chris to help me on this one! That's just a recipe for disaster :)

This year, instead of just making a list of things that I'd like to change about myself & pinpointing January 1 to be the start of my life change, I'm going to think about things a little bit more deeply. I know I'm not where I want to be...spiritually, financially, personally...but just saying that I need to change really hasn't worked in the past so I'm pretty sure it's not going to work now either. It will take prayer, lots of it! And hard work. And fellowship & accountability. And instead of these changes lasting for just 365 days, I intend to make them a life-long passion. To grow & to learn, and to embrace & use the gifts that the Lord blessed me with.

So here's to a new year, one full of change & opportunity! Let's make it the best one yet!

December, for us, seemed to fly by! We left for Texas around the middle of the month, so we tried to fit as much Christmas-y stuff into the first 2 weeks at home as we could. We took Elli to see Santa, but the line was too long (and none of us are very patient!) so we just went shopping instead :) Honestly, I wasn't too disappointed and I don't think Elli was either b/c when I took her back with her Nana she was NOT a big Santa fan!

We also went to a "White Christmas" program at our church. Funny story about that...we thought we were pretty connected, so when we heard about the "White Christmas" tradition we were all for it. We got all dressed up, and were super excited to participate in such a great cause. (After an evening of carols, everyone has a quick dinner together and helps pack up sacks of groceries filled with holiday goodies for the less fortunate families in our community). So we show up, listen to the carols & thoroughly enjoyed the fellowship. Then our pastor says a prayer and ends it with asking everyone to bring their "gifts" to the front. Ummm, what gifts?! We had somehow missed a key part of the "White Christmas" tradition! Each family was supposed to bring a canned good wrapped in white tissue paper, or an offering in a white envelope, to place at the alter. Oops! We were, literally, the ONLY people sitting down without a gift. Needless to say, we were pretty embarrassed! But, it was still a great evening and felt truly blessed to be a part of a such a loving church family.