Oh the wonders....

"All grown-ups were once children... but only few of them remember it."

                                            — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (The Little Prince)

It's the most wonderful time of the year....

I have been scoping out possible costume options for Ellie for the upcoming Halloween Season....it will be her first Halloween and so we want to get her a kick butt costume to commemorate this momentous event. However....here are the types of things I found...

I then decided to scope out some costumes for myself....tis the season!

too restrictive???                                          too ethnic????


too pink???                                                                                too barbaric??                 

I then googled "teen halloween costumes" and found a few options for Ellie when she gets a little older..say 12 ish.
Yes? No?

I guess Ellie is just going to have to stick with wearing the run of the mill chicken, cow, flower, or lion costume. Eh, I think we will "spring" for her to get the baby prisoner costume...

We have a...

-genuine-touchable-visible-tooth....

The sign

You have a set of words above your bed

      Always kiss me goodnight.

At first we selected them because it sounded cutesy and appropriate for your room. When you came home it became much more than that to me.

 There were nights I'd be exhausted, at my boiling point, overwhelmed, and defeated - then I'd look up from the floor where I was perched with you (often times because I was so exhausted I didn't want to be in the chair with you and drop you. I felt the floor was much safer for us both) and I'd see those words.....

Initially you really just needed a few things and, other than food, you really only needed your dad and I to love you. You didn't need correction, discipline, or guidance....you just needed us to love you. Those words were nightly reminders to me to push aside my needs for yours because you needed me.

Now that you are a little older you need a little more that mere "love" - you do need guidance, correction, to be taught right from wrong, play time, limits set, encouragement, and direction. So from the moment you awaken, with your cheerful and bright smile, we spend the day providing you with these things.

But at the end of the day it always comes down to the fact that you need our love. You always will.

Every night before you go to sleep (even if you put up a fight!) we always kiss you goodnight. That's guarantee.

Those words placed above your crib have such great meaning to me now....much more than I had ever anticipated.

They have reminded me to be patient with you and with myself.
They have reminded me to care for you with every ounce of strength I have left even when I feel as if I am running on empty.

They have reminded me that you need me. You dependon me. You are a part of me.
They have reminded me that we were going to go through growing pains together. You, becoming you. Me, becoming parental Me.
They reminded me that no matter what the day held, how hard the day was, how furiously you pushed my buttons, and how tired I felt.....

               I love you.

Meant to be....

Last week we decided that we were going to exclusively eat at home, which is a mighty big feat for us, and so we went through our pantry and fridge to see what we had and what we lacked. We made a list...we checked it twice...and we salivated at the thought of all of the meals we'd be having in the week to come.

We got Ellie dressed, packed up her stuff, and loaded her in the car. Justin turns on the car only to receive a message indicating a tire was very low. He got out to survey the situationa and declared that there was in fact a tire that was so low it couldn't even be driven to get air. We contemplated loading up in our other vehicle however Ellie's car seat is in the Explorer. She has a car set in Carla (the trusty Cavalier) however it goes with her carrier which she doesn't really fit in anymore. We abandoned this idea and unloaded the girl while Justin made arrangements to address the issue with the tire.

His brother, Jake, came over to assist him and while they were putting on the spare tire they discovered that there was a stripped lug nut stud, which was likely damaged when we had it taken to have the brakes done a few weeks ago. So Justin took it in to the dealership, where we had the brakes done, and they agreed to repair it for free - as a courtesy but they denied any fault. We also had the tire fixed...all was well. Justin picked it up the next day and on the way home it was make an awful noise -- so back it went to the dealership. They determined something had been bent in the process and was rubbing causing the noise. They fixed it....all was really well.

So we got Ellie dressed, packed up her stuff, loaded her in the car and headed out to grocery shop. While we were backing out we noticed an elderly man in the driveway directly across from us getting in his car, and thought we'd better back out before he did. Justin pulled out into the street, put the car in drive, looked up and saw the man backing out. He honked several times as he attempted to get out of the way, but the man just kept coming. BAM!!! He hit us....Long story short...police were called, information exchanged...the man said he never heard honking - we advised him that maybe it wasn't safe to be driving if he was having trouble seeing and hearing. He got mad. Called Justin obstinate....Car is all scratched up and dented....or as the elderly man told us,  "it is minorly damaged."

Fast forward a few days from then....Justin was driving home from work and calls me (as usual) to talk as he makes the drive. After a few minutes he says, "I've got to go...the car is overheating!" This time he is in Carla the Cavalier....I hear him pull into the garage a few minutes after. Carla has had several issues as of late and it seems that every few months she needs something new. We continue to debate if it's worth investing in repairing her, but we always do. Justin loves that car....he can't let go. We take her to the dealership to get fixed....initially it's her thermostat....then the coolant must be flushed....then it's her radiator....then her air pump....We approve the first two and deny the second two repair requests....we've been driving her around without issue and don't think there ever was a problem with her radiator. Justin's driving her as I speak....did I mention that he loves that car.

They were meant to be.....

This man.....

* Is a great father and it is so amazing to see him walk through the door and to watch Ellie's face light up...
* Is a great help mate. Several days a week he wakes up early, turns the baby monitor off, and feeds/plays with/cares for the girl in her room so I can get some extra sleep....
* Is often found rolling around on the floor with the girl to keep her entertained....and because he likes it!
* Is often found helping with the chores (without being asked)! The man loves to vaccuum and dust!!

Loves the girl. Loves me.

&

We love him!!!

The Feud - Part Deux

“You and I were long friends : you are now my enemy, and I am yours.”  ~ Benjamin Franklin

 ........Ellie walked (crawled....crept....) into her room only to find....Someone sitting in her Bumbo....
Wearing her shoes. Wearing her hat. Looking through her photo album....

Yes.........

Baby Tad in the flesh.......so....

The girl decided to take matters into her own hands.......

 

She felt vindicated....

As I capture these images I find myself under attack: Pictures = evidence........

When will the violence end??

P is for Princess.....

I am perpetually behind on posting pictures....this time I couldn't get the pics to download off the SD card the day I sat down to do it, which was actually right after we got home from our trip, but then one day turned into two....and then.....here we are....

These pictures are from our first trip to Salt Lake City (June 19th -ish), which we were concerned about taking because Ellie had never travelled that far, but she did GREAT!!!! She did wonderful at the hotel, she went swimming, to the zoo, to the aquarium, and to Temple Square! I think she had a blast...wouldn't you say!?!?

Yeah.....