Long Time, No Blog :)

Is it just me, or does June seem to be lasting forever?! I don't know if it's the insane heat, or the fact that we have so many things to look forward to in July, but whatever it is I'm sooo ready for this month to be over!

So many things have happened since I last posted, so get ready for a whirlwind update! First and foremost...Father's Day!! We had a wonderful time celebrating with the World's Cutest Daddy!!

Elli and I woke Chris up w/ lots of snuggles and hugs, and a rousing rendition of Happy Father's Day to You (just like the birthday song...what can I say? I'm a bit of a cheeseball!). I had already given him his "big" present, a huge-o-la hammock. I hadn't really planned on giving it to him before Father's Day, but the UPS guy decided to deliver it into our garage blocking the doorway...and it was so heavy, he had to deliver it w/ a dolly! Needless to say, Chris was excited to get his present a little bit early b/c this puny girl couldn't move it out of the way! Elli picked out a really sweet elephant card for him, and made him a book filled w/ pictures of all of the daddy-daughter moments they've shared over the past 9 months...she's a good gift picker-outer :) The sermon at church was absolutely amazing, and afterwards we came home and just hung out as a family for the rest of the day. It was fantastic!!

In other news, Elli has discovered a love of water (or rubber duckies, I'm not sure which!). She's all about bath time now, and LOVES to get in her little pool in the backyard. Her all-time favorite thing though is to get in the "big" pool that Chris got for him and I. She loves that there's LOTS of water for her so splash around in, and she even likes getting her face all the way in! We may have a future-swimmer in our midst :)

Miss E is all over the place these days, but her favorite spot is anywhere there's a window. Does that make me a terrible mother for not taking her outside more? If you had any idea how hot and humid it was here, maybe you would take my side on this one!! It is pretty precious to see her sweet face pressed up against the window pane "talking" to the birds & squirrels though.

Oh, and you know how proud I was of our pretty garden a few months ago?? Yeah...this is a weed that Chris pulled out of it the other day! Sad. So, so sad.

I'm a Guest Blogger!

I love reading blogs written by other military spouses because we share a lot of the same experiences. I know all about TDY's, PCS's, DTY moves, and much more than I'd like to about the anxiety/fear/sadness that comes with the inevitable deployment. But something else that we share is the fact that our lives change constantly, and with that change comes incredible opportunity.

Allison, over at I HEART CHANGE, writes all about how she's embraced the change that the military delivers. Well, she actually writes a lot about her cutie-patootie son Isaac, but her thoughts on change are sprinkled in there too :) The other day she asked her readers to submit a post about why they too "heart" change for the opportunity to be featured as a Guest Blogger. So I did...and I am!!

So if you'd like to check out why I think that change can be a really good thing, scoot on over to her blog and read away :)

Sinking In

I still can't believe that I'm a mommy sometimes. Although my life has changed significantly, and almost every thought I have now has Elli's little face intermingled in it somewhere, there are some moments when the sheer realization that she is MINE still takes me by surprise.

Like today.

My precious girl has learned how to play chase. She will take off around the couch and cast a mischievous grin over her shoulder to make sure that I'm coming to get her. Her giggles fill the room, and when I catch her you'd think I'd just done the funniest thing in the world. When she stops wiggling enough to get serious again, she quickly moves on from being the chase-y to the chase-er...and laughter again ensues.

And I think...she's mine.

This girl, who is learning so quickly that I can't keep up, is mine. All the wiggles, giggles, and snuggles are mine to treasure. And I'm filled with indescribable gratitude.

A year ago I imagined how my life would change once she had arrived. I dreamed of the fun things that we would do, the things that I would teach her, the lessons that we would learn together. And here we are, doing them. She's like a sponge, soaking every single experience up and loving every minute of it.

And it's finally starting to sink in. This is our life...filled with never-ending games of chase, eskimo kisses at bedtime, mushed up bananas, Elmo stories, and more happiness than I ever dreamed of.

Birthday Ideas Anyone?

A special little girl's birthday is right around the corner (okay, it's still over 2 months away...but it seems like it will be here really quickly!), and I need some serious help! Our theme is ladybugs, but that's about as far as I've gotten. I love the colors pink & lime green, so instead of the typical red & black ladybugs we'll be going with those colors. But seriously, other than that I'm out of ideas. One of my friends did a super cute "Rock Star" theme for her little boy for his 1st birthday and I'm totally in awe. What happened to all of my creativity? I'm totally at a loss! (And is it weird that I have her 2nd birthday party completely planned already? Though I guess that doesn't really count b/c I totally stole the idea from a friend of mine's sister...I don't know her, so I don't feel so badly! TeeHee!) So, anyone have any fun ideas for a FIRST birthday?? I know it's supposed to be really low maintenance since she's so young, but can anyone offer up any suggestions about how you made your baby's very first birthday celebration unforgettable? I'll take all the help I can get :)

AND, while you're all sharing fun ideas for the party, could you shed a little light on what kinds of presents a 1 year old would enjoy (from us). My thoughts seem a little "old" for her...a little kitchen, a "house" for the backyard, one of those little pedal cars (in pink, of course! Ha!). See?! I know that these things are more for a toddler than a 1 year old, but they are just so stinkin' cute that I can hardly help myself! But seriously, what did your 1 year old like? She honestly has enough toys as it is, so we'd really just like to get her one or two "bigger" things that she can enjoy for a little while. Chris's suggestion of an airplane is out, though I wouldn't be surprised if he wraps up a little one anyway with grand promises for later :)

Catching Up

First of all, I just want to say THANK YOU for all of the amazing money advice! You guys had a few tips that we haven't tried before, and I'm anxious to see if any of the new ideas will "stick"! I think our biggest issue is that we don't (didn't) have a budget. Eek!! First mistake, huh?! But before you gasp too loudly, let me just say that we already pull out retirement money from Chris's paycheck that we don't really ever "see". The problem that we were having was saving for other things, important 1-3 year goal things...like a house, a car, a piano, and Bugle (what we will be naming our future Beagle! **No, Chris has not yet agreed to this name; however, I'm diligently working on it!**). SO, in comes the need for the envelope system and a HUGE overhaul of the finances that go into our checking accounts. And I'm happy to say, with a sigh of relief, that we did it! And we're both really happy w/ the results ~ our goals, our new budget, and our new toy! We finally got rid of my old Sunfire, AKA The Amazing Sun Fuego....

And got this gorgeous girl!!!

Please note that it's pitch dark outside! That's because we were still in Atlanta (4.5 hrs away from our house) picking up this little gem at 10pm!! It's a LONG story, but suffice to say that we got a really good deal, and we're totally in love with our new Sorrento!

In other news, we recently had our first portrait made as a family of 3!! My friend Amanda did them for us, and I think they turned out great...especially considering that it was insanely hot outside and Miss E was just NOT having it!! Here are a few of my favorites...

Here's one I took of Chris & Elli in our backyard. Elli loves to "fly" around w/ her daddy, and get sugar from him afterwards. I think I captured the moment perfectly here :)
Oh, and guess what?!?! She's CRAWLING!!! The video I've taken is super shaky, so I didn't want to upload it...but soon, friends, soon!! But, I thought that this super cute picture of my sweet girl's precious grin might make up for the lack of video :) Oh, she just melts my heart!!

Money Talk

Chris and I had the dreaded "talk" tonight. You know the one. Money's tight...what the heck are we going to do about it? We're in the midst of deciding on a big purchase, and along with that comes a little bit of anxiety about the future. We want to be able to buy a house...eventually! (That is, of course, if we're ever in one place for long enough! Ha!) And then there is Elli's college to think about, and my new business expenses, and we'd really like to be pet owner's someday (and we all know how much money THAT costs!). It just seems like it starts adding up faster than you can earn it. And then comes the dread...the cutting back...the saying "no". And I don't know about you guys, but really don't like to say "no"!

So, after our chat we decided that we're going back to the envelope system. Ever heard of it? If not, pick up any Dave Ramsey book (or google it, it's cheaper!) and you'll discover what I'm talking about. I first read a Dave book out of sheer boredom during one of Chris's TDY's, and I've been a huge fan ever since! The envelope system helped us save lots-o-moola while we lived in England, but when we moved back to the States we abandoned ship. (I think it might have a little something to do with a super cute girl named Elli, and the ADORABLE clothes that I just HAD to buy for her! I could be wrong though!) But alas, we are going back to what works. Envelopes it is.

I'm curious though...how do you guys save money? Got any great tricks that you'd like to share with me? And books that you highly recommend? Or programs that you absolutely swear by? We used Mint.com for awhile...but our enthusiasm quickly faded.

And what is the hardest thing for you to give up? For me it's eating out (oh the shame!). Eating out is like entertainment for me, I crave the experience of it all! And, let's be honest here, staying at home and eating a peanut butter sandwich just really isn't that exciting! But if I can curb my love of all things Chick-fil-a, I feel I can do anything :)

Wordless Wednesday