Project Life: Week 26

Sunday, June 24

Food pictures. 

 Elysia has discovered the joy and deliciousness that is a perfect avocado. She not only eats it well, but she wears it well as well.

This is your baby.

 (This is your baby on avocado. Any questions?

We also had a family outing to Dairy Queen, where we bought Elaina her own cone for the very first time. She loved it.  (Child after my own heart.) She was a bit tentative at first, but before long she was sporting a lovely chocolate ice cream goatee. I am still trying to get the stains out of her shirt…but it was totally worth it.

Got her seal of approval :)

Note to self: next time, pack wipes!

Monday, June 25

Took the girls to the park tonight. Elaina decided to bring some friends (five, to be exact). 

They stayed in the car while she and Ellie swang, went down slides, and threw rocks into the river (and attempted to eat sand). It was a grand time, until we had to leave. Elaina’s subsequent meltdowns resulted in 3 (count them, 3) timeouts, the most memorable of which came about at Kroger when she didn’t get the cart of her preference (yellow, for the record—not red). As the whining began to escalate to levels which promised to make us “that family” with “that child”, Josh took one look at her scrunched, frowning face and said, “Oh! What do you know? Kroger has a timeout bench, too!” I had to walk away so as not to betray the fact that I was trying desperately not to laugh. His quote has become an instant classic.

Tuesday, June 26

Despite the trials of Monday (see above), we went to the park again tonight to get some time outside before the impending (and neverending) heatwave started. This was a much more successful trip, and we got some really great pictures.

Wednesday, June 27

Put the girls in the pool tonight. Elaina wasn’t content to play in the water, but she had a fun time being chased by the hose. When she was done, she asked to sit on my “wap”, so we took a picture.  How I love my girls...

 Thursday, June 28

This is what sunrise looks like on a morning when it's already over 70 outside before 6:00, when the dew point is something like 76 (which the forecasters explain as "Miserable"...ya think?!) and when the high for the day will reach over 100. In fact, when I got in the car after work, the temperature reading was 103. Fantastic.

Friday, June 29

Ellie is expanding her vocabulary and has recently been attempting to say “Dada”. I think she’s been successful a time or two. The reasons she made this one of her next words is obvious: 1) Her daddy is awesome, and 2) she adores him. This is the smile he got when he popped in to say hello during her bath.

 Saturday, June 30

Today we made a long overdue trip to visit my parents, and it was a lovely, lovely trip. I didn’t get my camera out nearly as much as I should have, but highlights included:

• Watching Elaina run back and forth at breakneck speed for the first five minutes we were there

• Giving the girls fresh blackberries straight off the vine.

• Having ham salad for lunch. It was a staple of my childhood, one that I haven’t been able to enjoy since getting married due to Josh’s aversion to Every White Condiment Ever Made (in this case, miracle whip).

• And pie. Mom downtalks her pie, but let me tell you what: it was deeeelish.

• Listening to Dad read a story to my girls.

• Playing with bubbles under the shade tree.

• Every. Single. Moment.

Would you care for a nilla wafer, Gramma?

Smile says it all...

Project Life: Week 25

Sunday, June 17

Today was such a special day. Josh and I celebrated our 6^th anniversary

...and he celebrated his third Father’s Day. I got these pictures of Josh and his girls before church (if I were really great at photoshopping, it’s likely that I could swap in his head into the one where both girls are looking at the camera, since unfortunately he looks…shall we say…very relaxed.)

 Later, we made a black raspberry sorbet from our neighborhood stash, which would have been extra delicious had I not gotten frazzled and added twice as much simply syrup as the recipe calls for. We then let the girls play in the pool, where Ellie proceeded to slip and dunk her head. When it dried, Josh and I tried to decide it it was more Emo teen-angsty, Flock of Seagulls, or Oompah-Loompah. Thoughts?

 Monday, June 18 

I just love these girls. When they’re older, Ellie will likely roll her eyes at how many pictures I took of her in her highchair (more forthcoming next week, I can assure you), and Elaina will wonder why she was trying to wear the curtain like a princess dress. My answers will be pretty straightforward. To Ellie, how could I not? Look at that face! To Elaina, because you were Mommy and Daddy’s little princess, the most wonderful Elaina Marie Serrano there ever was or ever will be.

 Tuesday, June 19

Elaina often likes to color after dinner, so tonight we made thank you cards for our back-up babysitter and her son, with whom the girls stayed while we were working this week. I’m not convinced, however, that she doesn’t like making fingernails out of the marker caps more than the coloring itself.

Wednesday, June 20 

Is there any better way to start the day?

Thursday, June 21

Today was a vacation day (woohoo!), and we made the best of it. A trip to Menards, to Picket Fence, to the grocery store (sushi again!! If only the Kroger in town would sell it…), to water Rita’s plants and visit Adam, to tumbling. In the midst of all of this, Ellie fell asleep and struck a pose in her dreams.

Friday, June 22

Today we made a long awaited trip to the zoo, which didn’t go quite as well as I had hoped. Elaina was a little under the weather and didn’t seem to enjoy it as much as I hoped she would. It didn’t help that right after we got started, Josh tried to take her into the bat cave, which freaked her out and caused an almost immediate but quickly passing meltdown. This moment was burned indelibly into her brain, because now when she’s asked what she liked about the zoo, she talks about the llama (real exotic, I know…), the lion, and then remarks quite wistfully about how she was “scared at bats, though…” All the same, I’m glad we got to go, and I’m looking forward to taking them again when everyone is 100%.

 

Ready to go!

Getting help from Daddy

Saturday, June 23

Today, my sweet Elaina Marie smiled pretty for the camera...

and my sweet Elysia Jane said her very first word.

Elysia: 11 months

Elysia--11 months

 Sweet baby,

Somehow time has raced on ahead of my heart, and here we sit a scant three weeks before your first birthday. How can this be? And yet it is. I see a woman at church with a newborn baby boy, and your weight is heavy in my arms, your sounds are that of squeals and laughter and babbles, and you have traded the sweet snuggles of a helpless little one for the reaches and open-mouth kisses of your wonderful age.

 

Memorial Day

This month you have been on.the.move. Sometimes we'll all be in the living room and I'll turn around, and where has Ellie gone? Your daddy has taken to calling you "Jailbreak" at bathtime, because every time I set you down to start the water, you're off to visit Elaina in the other room. You love being chased and will squeal when you're caught. It's such a fun sound. 

1st time in the new pool

Gramma says that no baby has ever ledgewalked faster than you do going for your sister's sippy cup. Elaina hates it when you do it--it's one thing she really doesn't want to share--but you get such a satisfied smile until it's taken away. Little stinker :)

on the move with Elaina

One thing you and Elaina did share this month, unfortunately, was strep. You took your illness in stride (you both did, really), and were back to you usual antics in very little time.

what mama gets for walking away

Before too many more days, your family and friends will gather at our home, and you will blow out the candles on your yet-to-be-determined-flavor birthday cupcake. We will celebrate the blessing you are to us, for all the wonderful moments this year has held. 

We are thankful for it every single day. I love you, sweet baby.

Love, 

Mama

Kiss!

Tonight we went over to my in-laws for dinner, a celebration for Adam's birthday and a "Welcome back from vacation"  two-for-the-price-of-one get-together. Rita bought Adam a mirror for his birthday, and toward the end of the evening, Ellie was starting to get a little restless, so I let her stand in front of it and admire her beautiful reflection.

"Who's the pretty baby?" I asked.  She responded with a smile. Clearly she and this baby were meant to be friends.

 "Who is she?," I asked again. "Give her a kiss! Kiss!"

Ellie leaned forward and gave the sweet little baby in the mirror a wet, open-mouth kiss.

"Awww," I said. "Give her another kiss! Kiss! Kiss"

She kissed the baby again, and then she said "Kissth!"

And just like that, my baby said her very first word.

Project Life: Week 24

 Sunday, June 10
When both girls went to bed an hour early on Saturday night (and Elaina with a fever), we knew all Sunday held for sure was a trip to Prompt Care. Then Ellie woke up with a fever of her own Sunday morning. So, as soon as we could, we packed into the car and headed to Peoria, where it was confirmed that both girls had strep.

A couple important lessons learned: 1) Goldfish crackers at an hour plus long appointment = sanity. Forget them, and you will lose your own. 2) The orange tang medicine they give because of allergies  not only smells a lot better than amoxicillian, but both a baby and a toddler will also take it without screaming, gagging, or staining any fabric in a 4 foot radius a nasty pink color.


When we finally got home, the day collapsed into caring for our sick babies. Elaina fell asleep watching cartoons, proof of how sick she felt. Poor little little...

 Later, I sorted Ellie's clothes to make room for the 12 month stuff she's rapidly growing into. Elaina, who was starting to feel just a little better, decided to model them.  Note: the "skirt" she is wearing is actually a shirt. Keeping it up took considerable talent, which she was happy to display.

Monday, June 11
This is what happened when I left Ellie for two seconds (or a minute or so) to check the wild black raspberries growing on the property next to ours....

 Tuesday, June 12
Today Rachel and Lips left for Kenya for a whole month, and I whined was totally supportive the whole day. My picture today was supposed to be the screenshot of their flight information, which I followed with an unbridled obsession until I knew they had landed safely in London on their way to Nairobi. Alas, I couldn't figure out how to save my screenshot as a picture (why yes, I do work in software development! Why do you ask?), but my replacement picture is even cooler. You see, Rachel and Lips have an extra companion with them this time....

Introducing my nephew, Nehemiah Joseph Khaemba. Coming October 2012!

With Mama's permission :)

Wednesday, June 13
Today I thought Winston deserved some face time :)

Thursday, June 14
Tonight we took Elaina to her first tumbling class. She was very excited and had a great time. I, on the other hand, discovered just how out of shape I actually am. 10 weeks of chasing her for 45 minutes straight should remedy that! All the same, it was loads of fun, and she's already excited for next week. 

Friday, June 15
My sweet Elysia Jane turned 11 months old today. How on earth can this already be?

Saturday, June 16
This morning we had a cowboy-themed brunch at my in-laws, where I attempted to get a picture of Mario with his three granddaughters. In the best picture (which is using that term very, very loosely), two of the three girls were looking away and Ellie was crying. FAIL. Oh well...always next year :)

After brunch Josh disappeared with Elaina to get stuff for our anniversary, and then we headed out to gather Josh's arsenal of clover-fighting tools. (Our hope, or at least mine, is that getting rid of the clover will help get rid of at least some of the rabbits who think our berry garden is their own personal buffet, and who cause my husband to run out into the yard at all hours of the day, growling like Frankenstein as he chases them into the woods. It is a sight to behold, friends.) And even though our anniversary is the 17th, we decided to celebrate a day early and picked up some sushi for dinner.

HUM YUM

 After, we let the girls get some pool time, which they loved until a storm started blowing in.

And then it rained, buckets and buckets, and we thanked God for the rain and for each other.