Today Ellery is 15 months old! It is hard to believe and I am giving thanks to the Lord for her life and the joy she brings to our family. I give Him praise for so many things including:
1. She is a happy girl most of the time. She loves to twirl, wave hi and bye to everyone, dance, play with friends and by herself, read, run errands with mom, and so much more.
2. She is my little helper! She loves to clean and throw things away.
3. She is healthy. I am so thankful for this. She has had some gastrointestinal issues the past few weeks and lost some weight but overall she is a healthy, growing girl.
4. She loves to say so many words including mama and dada. Mama is usually said a little louder and more demanding than dada but at least she says it!
5. She is a kisser! Not only does she blow kisses but she gives big, open mouthed ones as well.
6. She is slowly adjusting to life away from mom at school. We can now get through the hallway of school before she starts to cry. Hopefully soon we will get into the classroom!
7. She is getting smarter each day. I am amazed at what a little sponge she is. It's like she wakes up with a mission each day to accomplish. Today she put her puzzle together all by herself. She is also understanding so many of the things we say to her.
8. She knows how to say her prayers. She puts her hands together and prays with us at night.
9. She is starting to test her limits which can bring out her little temper. Just a sign she is getting older and more aware of her surroundings. Yes, I have to remember to be thankful for this at times.
10. She is our little girl! Sometimes I can't believe we have been entrusted to take care of such a precious gift!
It is so easy sometimes to get run down, frustrated, overwhelmed, and anxious as a mother and it is good to remind myself of how much I have to be thankful for. On that note of being thankful, we are heading out to Jamaica! I can already hear the waves crashing and the reggae music playing.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
Boats and Backpacks
This past weekend we went to Austin and had a great time. Ellery has always liked the boat but this time she was obsessed. She would go outside and just stare longingly at the water and the boat and make "vroom" sounds until Poppy agreed to take her again and again. She didn't even mind the marshmallow-like life vest that we make her wear. Poppy drove Ellery through the canals where she went under bridges, pointed at turtles, and waved to all of the other boats and passengers. I even caught her humming. She adores the lake and I can't wait to get her on skis!
Nathan was able to go to the UT/TCU game and it is a good thing because he would have been downright ticked to have to watch the Aggies in their 3rd overtime and miss the 1st quarter of the UT game on television. He bought Ellery her new UT duds at the new UT co-op here in Houston. We really wanted to get her the cute 2T cheerleader outfit but when trying it on it caused a lot of tears and tantrums, so we passed. Maybe next year!
On a another note, Ellery seems to be adjusting well to her new school and friends, although pick-up time has been a little rough. All of the kids come out looking beat-down and exhausted. Most likely it is because they take a nap from 12:30-1:30 and this is hardly enough napping after a morning of playing on the playground, story time, lunch, and other toddler activities. I am assuming they have to wake them up, pack up pacifiers and loveys, and send them out the door to mom. I have started a not-so-healthy routine of having a Sonic milkshake waiting for her in the car. It seems to do the trick and perk her up. The teachers say she is doing well throughout the day and even sitting still during story time. I have my doubts! I even spied on her out on the playground since the school is less than 1 minute from our house. I parked across the street and watched her happily playing in the sandbox. Her new back pack came in the mail today and she knew just what to do with it. She seemed like such a big girl!
Striking a pose!
Nathan was able to go to the UT/TCU game and it is a good thing because he would have been downright ticked to have to watch the Aggies in their 3rd overtime and miss the 1st quarter of the UT game on television. He bought Ellery her new UT duds at the new UT co-op here in Houston. We really wanted to get her the cute 2T cheerleader outfit but when trying it on it caused a lot of tears and tantrums, so we passed. Maybe next year!
On a another note, Ellery seems to be adjusting well to her new school and friends, although pick-up time has been a little rough. All of the kids come out looking beat-down and exhausted. Most likely it is because they take a nap from 12:30-1:30 and this is hardly enough napping after a morning of playing on the playground, story time, lunch, and other toddler activities. I am assuming they have to wake them up, pack up pacifiers and loveys, and send them out the door to mom. I have started a not-so-healthy routine of having a Sonic milkshake waiting for her in the car. It seems to do the trick and perk her up. The teachers say she is doing well throughout the day and even sitting still during story time. I have my doubts! I even spied on her out on the playground since the school is less than 1 minute from our house. I parked across the street and watched her happily playing in the sandbox. Her new back pack came in the mail today and she knew just what to do with it. She seemed like such a big girl!
Striking a pose!
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Just Pictures
Where's Ellery? Not feeling up to par
Getting ready for an outing to the pool on Labor Day
Having fun climbing on dad
"Reading" books to the stuffed animals
Just realized mom was taking pictures
Too cool for school
Monday, September 3, 2007
What's Been Happening...
I have had writer's block when it comes to the blog, so my apologies for no new updates for awhile. I will just fill you in on what's been happening around here.
Last week Ellery and I had some sinus junk going on so we were basically stuck inside the house all day long. A not-so-well toddler plus a no-napping toddler equaled a REALLY long week. Nathan was up with Ellery every night from the hours of 1-2am because she needed a drink or couldn't sleep with all of her congestion. No infants anytime soon again for us! We watched quite a few videos and discovered Dora the Explorer and The Backyardigans. Ellery also discovered smoothies and we made several trips to Jamba Juice and Island Smoothie. I don't know if it is the actual smoothie she loves or the fact that she is drinking out of a big girl cup with a straw. We just know she loves them.
Thankfully Lulu and Poppy came to the rescue and called Friday to see if Ellery could spend the night at their house. They picked her up at 5 and kept her until about 11am the next day. Nathan and I were able to go out for sushi at a time other than 5:30pm. What a blessing we have them close. I told my mom it was exactly what I needed.
Ellery starts school tomorrow! She will be going on Tuesdays and Thursdays for about 5 hours a day. Thursday night Nathan and I had a Parent Orientation - that's right, a Parent Orientation for parents of toddlers. We were lectured about being to school on time, sending healthy lunches, appropriate dress code, etc. I even had to go out shopping the night before for school supplies.
We met with her two new teachers who seem so sweet but also hold some high expectations. Nathan and I were laughing to ourselves as they told us about how the kids will be sitting in real chairs and drinking out of paper cups at lunch time. Needless to say, I am packing an extra outfit tomorrow for when she gets overly excited and pours the water down her shirt.
Friday morning Ellery got to visit her new classroom and meet her new classmates. She loved seeing all of the new toys and surroundings and waved bye-bye to me as soon as we entered the room. I think this means school is going to be a success!
Today we were able to get some pool time in before it started thundering and lightening. Ellery fell in love with the slide at the pool and had a huge grin plastered on her face the whole way down every single time. We have taught her the sign for "please" and she has learned that we are suckers for it. Nathan must have taken her on the slide 10 times because she was being so polite wanting more. It is funny though because the actual sign language for "please" is done by moving your hand in a clockwise motion on the center of your chest. While she definitely has the idea down, it looks more like she is wiping her hands off all over her shirt! Oh well, we will take all the manners we can get right now!
Last week Ellery and I had some sinus junk going on so we were basically stuck inside the house all day long. A not-so-well toddler plus a no-napping toddler equaled a REALLY long week. Nathan was up with Ellery every night from the hours of 1-2am because she needed a drink or couldn't sleep with all of her congestion. No infants anytime soon again for us! We watched quite a few videos and discovered Dora the Explorer and The Backyardigans. Ellery also discovered smoothies and we made several trips to Jamba Juice and Island Smoothie. I don't know if it is the actual smoothie she loves or the fact that she is drinking out of a big girl cup with a straw. We just know she loves them.
Thankfully Lulu and Poppy came to the rescue and called Friday to see if Ellery could spend the night at their house. They picked her up at 5 and kept her until about 11am the next day. Nathan and I were able to go out for sushi at a time other than 5:30pm. What a blessing we have them close. I told my mom it was exactly what I needed.
Ellery starts school tomorrow! She will be going on Tuesdays and Thursdays for about 5 hours a day. Thursday night Nathan and I had a Parent Orientation - that's right, a Parent Orientation for parents of toddlers. We were lectured about being to school on time, sending healthy lunches, appropriate dress code, etc. I even had to go out shopping the night before for school supplies.
We met with her two new teachers who seem so sweet but also hold some high expectations. Nathan and I were laughing to ourselves as they told us about how the kids will be sitting in real chairs and drinking out of paper cups at lunch time. Needless to say, I am packing an extra outfit tomorrow for when she gets overly excited and pours the water down her shirt.
Friday morning Ellery got to visit her new classroom and meet her new classmates. She loved seeing all of the new toys and surroundings and waved bye-bye to me as soon as we entered the room. I think this means school is going to be a success!
Today we were able to get some pool time in before it started thundering and lightening. Ellery fell in love with the slide at the pool and had a huge grin plastered on her face the whole way down every single time. We have taught her the sign for "please" and she has learned that we are suckers for it. Nathan must have taken her on the slide 10 times because she was being so polite wanting more. It is funny though because the actual sign language for "please" is done by moving your hand in a clockwise motion on the center of your chest. While she definitely has the idea down, it looks more like she is wiping her hands off all over her shirt! Oh well, we will take all the manners we can get right now!
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Ellery's 1st Year
Our talented and very good friend Jon made a video of Ellery's 1st year of life. It is beautiful. He also did our wedding rehearsal dinner video and does such a wonderful job. Thanks Jon, what a treasure!
If you want to view it, here is the link. You can double click on the picture and it will be bigger.
http://www.trivinitymultimedia.com/ellery
I have so many hopes and prayers for Ellery as she continues to grow older but the most important and one we pray with her every night is that she may know Christ.
"and how from infancy you have known the holy scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." 2 Tim 3:15
If you want to view it, here is the link. You can double click on the picture and it will be bigger.
http://www.trivinitymultimedia.com/ellery
I have so many hopes and prayers for Ellery as she continues to grow older but the most important and one we pray with her every night is that she may know Christ.
"and how from infancy you have known the holy scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." 2 Tim 3:15
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Weekend company
This weekend Bebe and Pops came down to visit us. Ellery was very excited when she woke up from her nap and discovered we had company.
Ellery shows Pops how she can push her baby doll. This is a fairly new activity...about a week ago she wanted nothing to do with her baby and would throw it across the room.
Aunt Meredith came over on Saturday for a visit and we discovered that there is a family of little frogs overtaking the backyard. At first Ellery was quite interested in the frog.
But then she decided this bug thing really isn't for her.
Bebe and Aunt Mere giving Ellery some Sonic ice ( a Stedham family obsession). By the end of the weekend Ellery was pointing to the cups saying "Icccee."
Ellery loved getting to see Bebe, Pops, and Aunt Meredith. Come back soon!
