Weekend Fun!

We had such a fun weekend! I love weekends! I wish they lasted more than 2 days. Don't you agree?

Jason had to work the hospital this weekend so he left way early on Saturday morning to see patients. E and I went to her friend's Maddox's birthday party at a park in a nearby town. The weather was really muggy so it was sooo hot, but luckily there were a lot of trees so we stayed in the shade as much as possible. E had a blast. She didn't stop moving for almost 2 hours. She loves being outdoors. I don't know how she wasn't more exhausted than she was after the party because this momma was tired from chasing her everywhere =).

We wore our cute OU dress to the party in honor of the Texas/OU game that day and plus Maddox's dad went to UT so I wanted to give him a hard time. And then....we lost..(whomp whomp). Oh well. We were just investing in future seasons by letting Mack Brown keep his job a little longer =).

Swing time

There were balloons at the party and E had a blast playing with them. She loves balloons so much.

This picture cracks me up. Her hair was so sweaty that I could just pull it out and it would stay that way. 

Later that night, Jason and I went to a wedding of one of our friends (and our awesome babysitter too) at a place in Grapevine. It was such a beautiful wedding and the bride was absolutely beautiful. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed our night out by ourselves.

On Sunday, Jason had to go to work again so we didn't go to church since its a lot harder for me to get there on time by myself with E. We enjoyed a relaxing morning and then after E's afternoon nap we went over to Jason's aunts house because his grandmother (E's great grandma) was in town. It was good to spend of couple of hours with them and I'm glad E got to see her GG.

I ended the night with some yummy coconut milk chocolate ice cream and watching Once Upon A Time and Revenge.

How was your weekend?

13 months!

I can't believe that E is 13 months. I 'm not doing letters on the ol' blog (I'll be saving those for her journal) but wanted to write things down that she is doing for my little memory.

Things  you are doing right now: 

• You will throw your hands up in the air and wait for me to say "Ta da!". When I say it, you get this huge grin on your face.
• You love clothes. You love to lie in piles of laundry when I'm folding them. When we are at a store, you will point at the clothes when we walk by. If I want to look at clothes, I have to give you  a piece of clothing to hold/play with so that I shop for 5 minutes in peace =). 
• You love the song "This Little Light of Mine" and love for me to sing it to all the time. You will spin your finger around so that I will start singing it. Sometimes I will look back in the rearview mirror and you are staring at me spinning your finger just waiting for me to sing it. Ha!
• You also will put your hands on your head so that I will sing "Head and Shoulders"
• You have always been cuddly but you have been extra cuddly after naps and I am soaking it up.
• You are having major separation anxiety right now. You will cling to me for dear life when the babysitter comes to the house or I hand you off to the nursery worker at church. Breaks. My. Heart.
• You will do a really cheesy grin if I say "cheese" when I take your picture.
• I bought a jacket for the winter for you and you want me to put it on you when you see it. You will walk around in the house with it on and you are so excited about it. Maybe this means you like cold weather more?
• Whenever you see your Uncle Jordan (who lives with us), you will click your tongue and he will of course click right back. You don't do this with anyone else and I swear you think its his name. Haha.
• You have a play kitchen and you are constantly pretending to stir things with all your utensils.
• You will also pour me coffee from your kitchen. You will walk across the whole kitchen/living room to pour me coffee if I ask for it. 
• You still love to dance!
• You can now turn your sound machine on/off with your feet like mommy and are so proud of yourself.
• You love having "naked" time at the end of the day. We strip you down to your diaper for the last hour you are awake and you just have the best time
• You can point to your head, ears, eyes, nose, mouth, belly, feet and toes when asked where they are. You will stick your tongue out when asked where your tongue is. 
• When I'm nursing you, you will stick your finger in my mouth and I will say "tongue" and you will pop off and stick your tongue out at me. So cute.
• You started swim lessons this month. It doesn't bother you that the water is cold and it doesn't really phase you when I dunk you under the water. You are definitely a water baby. 
• You will point and say "stop" to things you aren't supposed to touch (i.e. plugs) although that doesn't keep you from touching them all the time =). You will go to several things in a row that you aren't supposed to touch and say "stop!". So funny!

Words you can say: dog, stop, ball, bug (for ladybugs in pictures), toes, and balloon

New foods: pickles, raspberries, chicken nuggets, corn, and you drank from mommy's cup

You nap 2 times a day for about 45-60 minutes. You go to bed at 7:30 and wake up between 6-6:30. You are still not a very good night sleeper but I hope that will change when you are older. 

I am just completely amazed at how much you know! You are a little sponge,and you amaze me every day with what you can understand. You can point at so many things in picture books and you are so curious about everything. 

Love you my sugar pie! My little blessing from above. 

E's party: the actual party and people

To see all the decorations go here.

So today I'll talk about the actual party itself. E's party started at noon on August 24. We thought it was a good time because it was after her lunch but before her afternoon naptime =). People started arriving at noon just as E was finishing up lunch. The first 30 minutes people showed up and we chatted while everyone admired the cute little birthday girl. I'll let the pics do most of the talking.

She loves balloons!

She had fun opening her presents. She actually stayed and helped the whole time which was a bonus. 

E didn't really want to have anything to do with her cupcake. I was actually really surprised since  I can't get enough of sugar. She really just poked at it and kept looking at us.

We finally did get one piece of it in her mouth with the bribery of some puffs. As you can tell she wasn't that impressed.

It was such a great birthday party, and we are so thankful for all the people that came out to celebrate with us. My baby is one!

Fall TV Line up

Hi my name is Elizabeth and I have an addiction to TV. I have been waiting for this week to come since May and I am so excited it's here. Lots of my favorite new shows are returning this week and there are some new shows that I'm interested in as well. (Although not very many)

Here are the ones I'm majorly excited about:

- Vampire Diaries
It doesn't start until next week but oh my goodness I can't wait. It is definitely my guilty pleasure show. I need to know what is going to happen to Stefan trapped in the vault...my nerves can't handle it...

(via)

-How I Met Your Mother
They showed the girl he is going to marry on the finale last season so I can't wait to see how this goes. Yippee!

(via)

- Elementary
I love me a good crime show and I just love Sherlock Holmes.

(via)

- Parenthood
This show is just plain awesome goodness.

- The Voice
I liked Shakira on the show way better than Christina but let's all be honest the bromance between Blake and Adam is really just the best.

- The Big Bang Theory
Sheldon Cooper is just pure comical genius. I love this show. So darn funny.

- Revenge
Agh! Declan is dead and Jack now knows that Emily is Amanda!!! Must see this show.

(via)

Other shows that I'm looking forward to: Castle, New Girl, Modern Family, Once Upon a Time,  and Grimm.

Ok on to the new shows that I think might be worth watching:

- The Michael J Fox Show 
I'm curious how this show is going to go. I do like Michael J fox so I'm hoping it's good.

- The Originals
Another one I'm just curious about because I love the Vampire Diaries so much. I do love Elijah and hope it lives up to my expectations.

(via)

- The Blacklist
I don't know much about this one but it sounded intriguing so I'm going to check it out.

(via)

What shows are you excited to watch?

Five on Friday

1. I'm really excited that the pumpkin spice latte is back at Starbucks. However, because I'm still on my dairy and soy free diet for E, I can't get it. (womp womp) So I'm trying to find some homemade substitutes. This one looks good just substitute the milk for almond and nix the whip cream =)


2. E moved into her big car seat this week. We bought a Maxi Cosi and so far we like it. I'm still in denial that my child is growing up though!

This is in her old seat before the big change this week

3. A lady I know gave us some hats that her little girls outgrew and E has been having fun putting them on and going around the house in them. I think she is practicing to go to the Kentucky Derby in her future. Or maybe a royal wedding =).

4. So Jason made me some Rice Krispie treats the other day because it's one of the only desserts I can eat. Oh my goodness. Those things can not be in my house on a regular basis. I have no self control. I had one at 9 in the morning and then again at noon and then again for an afternoon snack and then 2 after dinner. So so good. 

5. I have really been enjoying my bible study that I've been attending. It's nice to be around other women and dive in to the Word together. We are going through 1, 2, and 3 John. You can download the audio and the actual study guide here and follow along at home! 

Happy Friday everyone!

E's party - the decor

We had E's party the weekend before Labor Day and it turned out so great! (Or at least I think it did) This post will just be the decor because I took way too many pictures. The theme for the party was a Pink Lemonade party. I had so much fun decorating for it!

This was her invitation to the party. I got her invitations, cupcake toppers, and party favor tags from this shop on Etsy. I loved how they all turned out and the lady has lots of different party themes to choose from and she is less expensive than a lot of the other Etsy shops out there. 

About a month ago, I walked up to Jason and showed him a lemonade stand that I found on Pinterest that I needed him to make for E's party. He was a good man and took a Sunday afternoon to make it. It turned out great and was so excited I got to use it as a photo prop for the party. 

 I made this birthday wreath for the front door and this was the inspiration behind it. I love that I will be able to use for future birthdays and get to hang it every year!

This was in our front entry way. I had the party favors there for the kids, and then the Happy Birthday book that I had everybody sign for E to read when she is older.

 Where the plates and little kids drinks were at in the kitchen 

The fun mason jars for the adults to drink lemonade 

Lemonade!

The food table. We had chicken fingers, taquitos, chips and salsa, and fruit and veggies. I didn't get a good picture of the cupcakes on the side but I made them. They were chocolate coconut flavored and dairy free!

The wall of pictures shaped in a one

 

And because I just couldn't resist a picture of the birthday girl!

( Fabric tutu and onesie made by me, and the bow and headband are from Hobby Lobby)

ONE YEAR!!!

*This is going to be really long but its really just for me and documentation so I don't blame you if you don't read all the way through *

Dear E,
You are one year old (on Tuesday)! How did that happen?! I can't believe it. It feels like yesterday that we were bringing you home from the hospital - scared and excited to start this parenting journey with the most precious beautiful baby. This year has flown by, and I have treasured each and every day with you. Although some days are rough and aren't always roses, you are a joy and I thank God every day that he gave you to us. E, your name means "My God has answered me" and God answered us in ways beyond what we could ask or imagine with you. God knew the right time and place to bless us with a baby, and we can't imagine our lives without you. You were meant to be in this family. You have stretched me and made me grow in so many ways this year. I have this urgent and strong desire to show you the ways of the Lord, and I pray every day that you will come to know him at an early age and never know a time of rebellion. I know that I'm not perfect but always remember that God never fails AND that my love for you is so strong. It is a fierce love that only a mother or father can have for their child. You are a precious gift and you are so so so loved. Today is such a bittersweet day for me. While I'm excited that you are one and know that this next year is going to bring so many more fun and exciting things for you, I am sad because it means you aren't my little baby anymore. I know the years will continue to go by so fast and I just want to freeze time and hold you tight. Words cannot express my love for you.

You still love to walk everywhere and do a little "running" which usually results in you falling but you don't seem bothered by it. You just don't ever stop moving =) Although you will sit still for a few minutes to play with a toy, you are off again very quickly! You are still trying to climb on things but thankfully right now that your legs are just too short to climb up on anything besides your rocking chair without help from one of us. You are my little explorer. I have taken you outside in the front yard and you just take off down the sidewalk and point at everything. You still love to dance and do it all day long. I just love watching your personality grow. You are full of life and spunk and are so full of energy. You get excited over the smallest of things and are interested in everything. I hope that you will always keep your zeal for life. You have the sweetest little spirit.

You continue to love books and now will turn the pages in them. Board books you are really good at and with the paper ones, we have to be a little more careful with them =). I've been putting books in your crib when you wake up too early to get up but refuse to go back to sleep,  and you will sit in your crib and flip the pages. Favorite books this month: Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre board books and this snowflake book that has raised snowflakes on it. You also like the Charlie and the Christmas Kitty book because you like to point at Charlie and give him kisses. Favorite toys: your popper (that looks like a vacuum), balls, and your ride on bike. You still love the laundry basket and loved to be pushed in it. You love to take things in and out of containers and do it ALL THE TIME. In and out. In and out. All day long =). You still love to give hugs and kisses to us and to Lucye and we love to receive them! You will hug your stuffed animals and snuggle with blankets - it is the most adorable thing. You love to sit in your rocking chair in your room. You will rock back and forth but lately you have decided that standing up in it is more fun which promptly ends our time in the chair. You LOVE balloons. We go to a grocery store that has balloons everywhere and you get so excited and point to them the whole time we are there. You also got your very own balloon when we went to Party City the other day and you carried that balloon around for days.

Not a lot of new foods that we tried this month. You tried cantaloupe, tortillas, and a cupcake at your birthday party. You really didn't care for cupcake and didn't really want to put it in your mouth! Maybe you won't be a sweets person but I'm sure you will try them again at some point =). You still love to feed yourself and you have become really really interested in whatever mom or dad is eating and want to have whatever we are having and sometimes you can't. You have 2 teeth now!!! They broke through within days of each other. Your little two teeth smile is the cutest thing! You are talking up a storm this month. Imitating sounds and wanting to know what everything is in the room. You said "Bow" this month! You pointed to all your bows on your wall and said it. I was so proud. Now you say it all the time. You love your bows. You don't always like to wear them though. You also can say balloon or "baba" when you point to it and you can point to a dog in a picture and say something that sounds like dog. You understand SO MUCH. You can sign "please" now and use it all the time. You will point to the fan and do a spin with your finger to show me that it's spinning and will also wave your arm around when you see a fly because you've seen me do it. You know where your ear and belly are and can point to them pretty consistently, and we are working on nose, eyes, and head.

You LOVE to be outside. You bring me your shoes often during the day and will sit in my lap so I can put them on. You have ventured out on the grass and don't seem to mind it. I think its just a little uneven at times which makes it harder to walk. You still love bath time but lately have wanted to try to stand up in the tub. You love it when I run the vacuum. You will just watch me vacuum and get so upset when I turn it off.

Cute things you are doing:
-you love for me to chase you with your ball popper. You will bring it to me and then walk off and look back to see if I am chasing you with it. So funny!
- Love to look at the pictures on the refrigerator. I pick you up and then you just point at all the pictures so that I can tell you who is in them
-Like to mimic yawns - if you see one of us yawn you will stop and open your mouth really wide and then it usually turns into a real yawn for you
- know where the puffs are in the pantry and will point to the door during meal times because you want them
- love to drag around big blankets and towels around the house
- you love to turn the light switches on and off
- if you see something you don't like on your tray you will just throw it off on the floor and continue on like nothing happened
- can mimic this dance that you have seen on Teen Beach Movie (yep it was on once and you saw it and thought it was the coolest thing - don't judge me one day)
-you love steam when I'm cooking and think it is really cool to watch
- hand me food off your tray while you are eating
- love to stick out your tongue and wait for us to stick ours out and then try to touch it
- love for me to take all your bows off the bow holder and hand them to you one by one. You play with each one for a minute and then drop it and ask for another one.

Firsts this month:
First cupcake

First time at the splash park

You are still doing 2 naps a day and go to bed between 7-7:30. You wake around 6:30 in the morning. You nurse 3- 3 1/2 hours and eat 3 meals a day. I'm sure we will be weaning you soon (which makes me sad). You are wearing 12 month clothing but can still fit into some 9 month onesies. You are 29 inches and 22 pounds. You wear size 3 diapers when you wear disposables but have switched to size 4s at night time. You are wearing a size 4 shoe but I think you are outgrowing them and need to move up soon.

Oh E what a joy you have been this past year. Your dad and I have loved watching you grow and love to see who you are becoming. We pray that you will always know that we love you but most importantly that God loves you and sent his Son to die for you. Know and believe that truth. We love you our sweet precious beautiful girl. Thank you for the most wonderful year. We look forward to more!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy