Getting wild....

Someone told me it's all happening at the zoo.

~ Paul Simon

The girl had a blast even though not many animals were out  - well, not the non-human kind.

Playground

We recently took another jaunt over to the Cabezon park and Ellie had a blast with the kids and going up and down the slide. She even managed to go down the big kids slide a few times!!

I just LOVE this picture of her

 

 She loves to slide!

 

Time to go??? I can't hear you!!

She also loved eating the mulch around the slide.....she's a tricky one!

Eating with dada

 We recently discovered the Turtle Mountain Brewing Company (TMBC to be hip) and it is a nice little place that has cozy seating, good food and is loud so when Ellie gets rowdy its hard to notice. She loves the fries and chicken strips here and of course sitting with her dada.....

Bad day

Because you had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
The camera don't lie
You're coming back down and you really don't mind
You had a bad day
You had a bad day

Princess Potty

On several occasions I have considered beginning to potty train the girl. I think she is totally ready, but I have been procrastinating because I don't really want her to not wear diapers. Isn't that horrible?! I really, logistically, can't figure out the benefits of her being potty trained at this juncture. Sure - no more diapers BUT she can't really access the potty like she needs to and as quickly as she needs to on her own. She can open doors now but with some amount of effort, she can't maneuver (fine motor skills wise) getting her pants down, and she can tell me when we are expecting a #2 but not a #1. I, knowing that it must be done eventually, brought out her potty chair and she loved it. She found it quite nice for enjoying some juice and some television.....Just like her dad :)

As you can see in the picture above she likes to sit with her feet in the potty "going" area - I think we will have to work on changing that.

Soon enough.....soon enough!

A must have

I saw a few celeb children with these cute backpacks from Stephen Joseph.....so I had to get Ellie one. I even splurged and got her name on the bag....She has taken quite a fancy to it :)

Now if only she could carry her own snacks, diapers and toys in there we would  be in business!

Enquiring 15 month old minds want to know.....

Is red the new black? Are Brad and Angelina splitting? Who is the hottest man alive?

I am not sure where she picked up her taste in reading??

Dear Ellie:

You are probably a ways off from having to deal with issues related to how you feel about how people feel about you, but I felt prompted to write this to you anyways. As you grow up you will find that there are times you might feel alone, unworthy and undesirable, but always know that these are completely untrue. God made you special, unique, and sent you as a complete blessing. From the second you were born you were the most beautiful thing your dad and I had ever seen, and as you have grown your beauty has only grown because of WHO you are.

Know that your worth is not tied to what others say or think about you, it is not tied to people's appraisal of you or even their adoration of you. As a girl who will become a young woman (sooner than later) I want you to always see your worth. To see that you are valued above gold or pearls to us (your parents) and to God. Always live a life that reflects that worth and you will never go wrong.










Your personality, your sense of humor, your kindness, your love for others, and your absolute brilliance astounds us daily. So if  you ever have a day when you feel "less than" - for whatever reason - I want you to know that you are beautiful inside and out and you are loved beyond measure.

Always remember that you are beautiful just the way God made you:
"For the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." - 1 Samuel 16:7b

Strive to be a Girl after God's own heart...













Here are the lyrics to the song that prompted me to write this to you - It is what I know God smiles down on each of us and says......

(I hope one day they are precisely the words you need to hear)

Beautiful for Me (Nichole Nordeman)

Every girl young and old has to face her own reflection
Twirl around, stare it down
What’s the mirror gonna say
With some luck, you’ll measure up
But you might not hold a candle to the rest
“Is that your best?” says the mirror to the mess
But there’s a whisper in the noise
Can you hear a little voice
and he says

Has anybody told you you’re beautiful?
You might agree if you could see what I see 
‘Cuz everything about you is incredible
You should have seen me smile the day that I made you beautiful for me

If it’s true beauty lies in the eye of the beholder
What my life and what’s inside to give him something to behold
I want a heart that’s captivating
I wanna hear my Father say

Has anybody told you you’re beautiful?
You might agree if you could see what I see
‘Cuz everything about you is incredible
You should have seen me smile the day that I made you beautiful for me

Close your eyes
Look inside
Let me see the you that you’ve been trying to hide
Long ago, I made you so very beautiful
So I ought to know you’re beautiful

Has anybody told you you’re beautiful?
You might agree if you could see what I see
‘Cuz everything about you is incredible
You should have seen me smile the day that I made you beautiful
You’re so beautiful
Beautiful for me
So beautiful for me
Has anybody told you?

Everybody's doing it, doing it.....

Not long ago Ellie had her first incident of pooping in the bath tub, which grossed me out but I had to gather my thoughts and immediately remove her from the tub and clean her up. She hasn't been enjoying baths, as was reported in a previous blog, and so we started doing showers. She likes the showers much better, and I have learned two lessons - poop is harder to clean out of the shower and we shower only after a bona fide poo has occurred.

Mothers Day

And you can tell everybody
this is your song
It may be quite simple but
now that is done
I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind
That I put down in words
how wonderful life is now your in the world  

Thank you for making me a mother.