November 10-16
Sunday Snapshot:
Will you just look at her?! Isn't she just beautiful?? Her face radiates the joy that is overflowing from our hearts. She is such a blessing to us and I can't believe she is one year old! (her 12 month check up is on Monday so I will post a full post with all her pictures and info after that:)
We had a little birthday party with our family last weekend but still wanted to do something on Elliana's birthday. After naps on Sunday we hit up two of the Gilbert birthday trifecta restaurants. We went to Joe's and got two BBQ pizzas for us all to share.
Then it was on to Liberty Market for free dessert! We enjoyed an oatmeal cream pie and carrot cake. It was a fun way to go out and celebrate with just our little family.
The weather is so wonderful right now. Our daily routine consists of breakfast then the kids play inside and we read books. Then once the grass is dry we change into play clothes and go outside until lunch. It is so great!
It actually took Declan a couple weeks to discover that this ladder could be used as an obstacle course! He did this over. and over. and over.
I love this picture. So many blessings in here. So much to be thankful for.
My three children around a table. I love our times at the table. It is a time for conversation, singing, playing peek-a-boo, watching my children interact with one another and copy each other's noises and movements, a time of prayer, the place we read our Bible stories, the progress that Elliana has made with eating, the excitement of Declan using a fork, the training of our eldest to have self control and manners, the list could go on. So many things happen around this table. And I didn't even mention the eating:)
Those flowers are from my husband. For no reason. The floor under the table had just been swept and mopped-by my husband. I am so blessed.
Elliana's update:
A great week! I know, I say this just about every week. And that doesn't mean we don't have our moments and we don't struggle. We do and we will. But God is so faithful to show us His power in our weakness and give us so many victories along the way. So every week is a great week:)
We are still just amazed at how well Elliana is doing and the progress she has made. She still seems younger than her age in some things, which is expected and something that we are completely fine with. But she seems like a very typical one year old in many areas as well. She continues to add to her vocabulary daily. She is saying "Hi" and waving now very consistently. When someone says "hi" to her she waves to them. She says "uh-oh" when she drops something and folds her hands to pray. She says her brother's name SO well. And no surprise, since they are best buds.
The best is when we get her up from her crib, she will just lay her head on our shoulder. And then go in for a kiss.
When I rock her, which I do before her afternoon nap and bedtime, she will lay her head on my shoulder and while rocking her she will just pick up her head, look at me, kiss me, then lay her head back down. They are the sweetest moments. And I think how I'm not going to get to rock her like this for much longer because of a new baby coming and I just sit there and rock her some more. She will put her arm on my shoulder and hold on.
She is also coming to us now when we call her name and she loves when daddy walks in the door from work because she crawls up to him so fast.
People often ask "How do you do it?" and of course the only answer to that is by God's grace! That and the fact that I don't do it all. My husband is such a blessing and I couldn't ever do it with out him.
But as I was cleaning the bathrooms and Declan crawled in the tub, who was then followed by his older sister who had been wearing her clothes inside out (but I'm thankful she can dress herself!) and her winter coat, and then the younger sister had just spilled an entire bottle of baby wash on the floor and was now trying to check out what her siblings were doing....I couldn't help but step back and just enjoy this moment. I laughed to myself and wanted to capture it. This is how I do it. With kids playing in tubs and wearing winter coats when it's 80 degrees:) But hey, the bathroom did get cleaned and we all had a merry ole time. These are the moments I know I will miss and never want to forget.
Having a baby on the way has been kicking us into gear of getting some things done around the house. Oh, I guess that is called nesting! We did a couple things this weekend that I'm really excited about! I also bought fabric for a valance for the front room....that's on the to-do list for this week!
We had this strange spot above the sink that I didn't know what to do with. I was going to put a shelf but then I had this idea! I saw the quote somewhere else, so I can't take credit for that. I had the artwork custom made by Beth Border at Creations By Beth. Pretty much all my artwork in the house is made by her! The pictures under are mounted 5x7s that I ordered from Walmart. We are so pleased with the way it came out! And there is definitely room for more pictures underneath:)
Sunday Snapshot:
Will you just look at her?! Isn't she just beautiful?? Her face radiates the joy that is overflowing from our hearts. She is such a blessing to us and I can't believe she is one year old! (her 12 month check up is on Monday so I will post a full post with all her pictures and info after that:)
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| We bought this dress for Elliana while we were in Ethiopia for court. It fit her perfectly! This was the first time she has worn it. I wasn't sure if that was a scarf, head piece, or belt, so I just tied it on her waist:) |
Then it was on to Liberty Market for free dessert! We enjoyed an oatmeal cream pie and carrot cake. It was a fun way to go out and celebrate with just our little family.
The weather is so wonderful right now. Our daily routine consists of breakfast then the kids play inside and we read books. Then once the grass is dry we change into play clothes and go outside until lunch. It is so great!
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| Do you think this girl enjoys playing outside? |
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| She has even been going down the slide head first all on her own! And she loves to play peek-a-boo with us while on the play set. |
It actually took Declan a couple weeks to discover that this ladder could be used as an obstacle course! He did this over. and over. and over.
I love this picture. So many blessings in here. So much to be thankful for.
My three children around a table. I love our times at the table. It is a time for conversation, singing, playing peek-a-boo, watching my children interact with one another and copy each other's noises and movements, a time of prayer, the place we read our Bible stories, the progress that Elliana has made with eating, the excitement of Declan using a fork, the training of our eldest to have self control and manners, the list could go on. So many things happen around this table. And I didn't even mention the eating:)
Those flowers are from my husband. For no reason. The floor under the table had just been swept and mopped-by my husband. I am so blessed.
A great week! I know, I say this just about every week. And that doesn't mean we don't have our moments and we don't struggle. We do and we will. But God is so faithful to show us His power in our weakness and give us so many victories along the way. So every week is a great week:)
We are still just amazed at how well Elliana is doing and the progress she has made. She still seems younger than her age in some things, which is expected and something that we are completely fine with. But she seems like a very typical one year old in many areas as well. She continues to add to her vocabulary daily. She is saying "Hi" and waving now very consistently. When someone says "hi" to her she waves to them. She says "uh-oh" when she drops something and folds her hands to pray. She says her brother's name SO well. And no surprise, since they are best buds.
The best is when we get her up from her crib, she will just lay her head on our shoulder. And then go in for a kiss.
When I rock her, which I do before her afternoon nap and bedtime, she will lay her head on my shoulder and while rocking her she will just pick up her head, look at me, kiss me, then lay her head back down. They are the sweetest moments. And I think how I'm not going to get to rock her like this for much longer because of a new baby coming and I just sit there and rock her some more. She will put her arm on my shoulder and hold on.
She is also coming to us now when we call her name and she loves when daddy walks in the door from work because she crawls up to him so fast.
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| she loves playing with her new toy |
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| Declan loves giving kisses (which Raelynn always says he is biting...but he just hasn't figured out the 'pucker' yet) We know he will be smothering his baby brother with kisses soon! |
People often ask "How do you do it?" and of course the only answer to that is by God's grace! That and the fact that I don't do it all. My husband is such a blessing and I couldn't ever do it with out him.
But as I was cleaning the bathrooms and Declan crawled in the tub, who was then followed by his older sister who had been wearing her clothes inside out (but I'm thankful she can dress herself!) and her winter coat, and then the younger sister had just spilled an entire bottle of baby wash on the floor and was now trying to check out what her siblings were doing....I couldn't help but step back and just enjoy this moment. I laughed to myself and wanted to capture it. This is how I do it. With kids playing in tubs and wearing winter coats when it's 80 degrees:) But hey, the bathroom did get cleaned and we all had a merry ole time. These are the moments I know I will miss and never want to forget.
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| Declan got his bottle and found a spot next to his sister:) |
Latest home improvements:
We had this strange spot above the sink that I didn't know what to do with. I was going to put a shelf but then I had this idea! I saw the quote somewhere else, so I can't take credit for that. I had the artwork custom made by Beth Border at Creations By Beth. Pretty much all my artwork in the house is made by her! The pictures under are mounted 5x7s that I ordered from Walmart. We are so pleased with the way it came out! And there is definitely room for more pictures underneath:)
Brent painted the front door! It's an awesome contrast that pops out on the white. We are really happy with the way it turned out.
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Love the love you have for your children! Thank you for your example of just letting them be kids, capturing real moments and sharing them. It's encouraging!
ReplyDeleteLove the custom made wall art for your kitchen. It really is perfect!
That front door looks amazing! Can't wait to see your house!