Christmas...

Christmas 2007 was the first for Elise...she was too cute playing with the bows and paper. As most children her age, she was not interested in her gifts...though she did receive a gift from her uncle that interests her and also one from Mommy & Daddy. The others will be appreciated as she grows older.

Here are a few updated family pics from my grandpa's 75th b-day party! In case you're wondering about the very ugly pine cone Elise is holding...it is a family gag gift that gets passed around from one poor unsuspecting family member to the other. It mysteriously disappeared for a while, but has surfaced once again in honor of Elise's first Christmas. This ugly pine cone was her very first Christmas gift...of course, Elise will wait patiently until the time is right to "re-gift" this pine cone.

Outdoor Exploration

Elise was quite fidgety this afternoon so I decided a trip to the backyard was the cure. At first, she only wanted to walk around (holding my hands, of course), however she soon became confident and eventually sat down in the grass.

After touching the grass with her hands she did not touch it again! Guess she didn't like the feel of it...however, she did enjoy the leaves! She began by stroking the leaves with one finger and then later became brave enough to pick up a leaf using her index finger and thumb...which eventually led to picking up the leaves and lovingly smashing them.

The scratchy, dry leaves brought huge smiles to her cute face and, much to my relief, she didn't even try to eat them! Before she picked one up, she would look it over very carefully and only after it passed the eyeball inspection did she pick it up...she was way too cute! Here are a few pics of the leaves...

and here is what's left of them...
Elise's first time playing in the leaves...what a precious moment!

On the move...

Once again I have been lax in updating our blog...I really do have some good excuses but I won't "sport with your intellect" by telling them to you all!

Our Baby Girl has been crawling for a while now and is currently walking herself around the coffee table, trying to stand on her own and when holding onto our hands likes to walk/run. She is even cuter now than before...I have posted a few pics so you can see for yourself.

I don't have time to post much today and I can't promise you when I will post again, but I hope it won't be too far into the future when I can post some more pics and info.

Beach Time!!!

Just thought I'd share some of our family beach trip pics for you to see. As Elise is the cutest person in our family right now (and not to mention the only one who doesn't mind a picture of themselves in swim wear being posted on the internet) she will be the star of the show!

Elise loved the waves. As the water came up to her feet, she would smile and laugh...then when the water receded she would cry. She also enjoyed the pool. I think we have a beach girl...she obviously inherited it from her father (enjoys surfing) and not from her mother who enjoys land under her feet a whole lot more than floating around in the water.

All in all, the trip was fairly relaxing for the whole family and a nice get away before my brother took off for college again.

Here's the pics...notice her hair in the first two photos...it's so cute!

L-to-R: Paul, me holding Elise, my little brother Jeremy, my father Marc and my mother is behind the camera (conveniently enough).

Back again

We are back! Paul, Elise and I have been very busy since our last post (which was a very long time ago...I know).

The first thing that happened since our last post was that our computer crashed! At the time we didn't have the money to fix it. Then shortly after that happened we moved and were busy painting and such. So, now we are beginning to settle in, have another computer and settling in to a new routine.

We also recently sold our townhouse, Paul's job hours changed (for the better) and I started back to work. I only work 2 days a week, but it has been an adjustment for Elise. Though I wish I didn't need to work at all, I am so thankful that God blessed me with the type of job where I can set my own hours and don't need to work as many hours as you would with a typical career.

Enough about us...I know you all really came to visit our blog because you want to see pictures of our beautiful daughter!! :)

She is growing like crazy! Currently pulling herself up onto her hands and knees, but can't quite get them to work together to carry her anywhere...it won't be long though. She is eating baby food and cereal and has a huge appetite (like her daddy). I've only got a few pics right now, but I will be posting more in the next week or two.

Sleeping...

My baby girl has slept through the night for the first time!!!! I have no idea if this is a one time happening or if she will continue to sleep through the night more often. Even if she doesn't continue to sleep all night, I will have had one prayer answered...and that was, "Lord, if I could just have one night's sleep..."



I must admit that though she slept through the night, both Paul and I kept waking up thinking that she was awake and hungry. When she woke up at 6:30 this morning, we couldn't believe it! We were so happy and feel so rested (well...in comparison with most mornings). I will try to keep you posted on whether or not this is a one time happening or if we have passed a milestone!!!



I, once again, forgot about my blog until a friend of mine asked me at church yesterday if I was still blogging. I told her that I planned to continue blogging if I could just remember it!!! I blame my forgetfulness on sleep deprivation and will continue to do so until I can begin blaming it on old age (which isn't too far away seeing as I'm now 30).



Elise is gaining weight rapidly now...maybe soon I will take some more pictures and post for you so you all can see just how cute she is!

Oops...

What can I say? I completely forgot that I have started a blog!!! Therefore it has been more than a week since I've updated.

I won't say much today, but I will post a few pictures of my beautiful baby girl! She's growing so fast and will be 2 months old in 2 days!

Ok...for those of you who are old hands at this blogging thing...please extend grace for us newbies.

This blog is currently under construction and may take shape slowly as I'm still learning how to be a new mom. However, I wanted to go ahead and get it started as it is the easiest way to update friends and family stretched across the globe and not forget anyone. My plan is to update it once a week...more often if time permits...but we'll see what really happens. These first few posts, however, are practice ones...so just enjoy the pics and don't worry about the rest of it! :)

For now, here are a few pics of Elise...more will follow at a later date. She is doing very well...growing very very quickly!

Birthday!!!

My favorite activity...sleeping!

One of my few moments awake...