Pictures from our mini-vacation....

Finally, here they are! Sorry for the delay. With school getting ready to start soon, the office has been VERY busy, leaving little time for playing on-line! Just wanted to share these pics...promise I'll try to get a better update posted soon!

Friends & Vacations!

It's just about the most awesome thing to spend quality time with good friends. Elizabeth and I recently came back from spending three wonderful days with my friend Cindy, her husband and their daughter. Cindy and I are friends from the days after we lost our first babies....so we have lots in common. We are very fortunate that our little girls were born about 4 weeks apart, so they are doing lots of the same things.

We had SO much fun w/ Cindy! We went to book talk at the local library, got to see their church, went to the mall and played outside lots! We also were blessed to meet Cindy's sister, her son, and Cindy's parents while we were there! Cindy and her husband prepared wonderful meals for us and we had a great time! It was sad to have to leave and come home! Cindy should be sending me pictures of the girls soon, so I hope to have some to post here shortly.

Thanks Cindy, Nate, Hannah, Amy and Andrew for a wonderful 3 days! We hope to get together again soon!

Another goodbye.....

Well, its seems that all I've been doing the last year is saying goodbye to coworkers. I'm starting to wonder if its me or just bad timing.

Anyway, my supervisor for the last year had decided to retire. Its a great thing for him, as he'll get to travel w/ his son and go on some amazing hiking/climbing trips. It will be hard for us left behind as we will be without an official direct supervisor for the time being. The other Dean will be stepping in until we complete the hiring process for my supervisor's replacement.

While I'm sad that John is leaving us, I'm happy for him. I know that he will enjoy his travels/adventures. We'll miss is Cheshire cat grin, dry jokes, McDonald's coffee cups and the ever present gum/mints he always seems to have in his pockets. Mostly, I'll miss his supporting and caring nature and the way he encourages me when things get rough.

So, here's to "see you later, John"! I won't say goodbye, as I hope we'll see you again in the future.

18 month check up!

Its hard to believe my little girl is 18 months! We headed to the pediatrician today for our check-up and shots. It was soo cute...Elizabeth gave Dr. Sauer a hug when she came in! Everything looks great and she is really pleased with how Elizabeth is doing overall. We were slightly concerned that her height has dropped off a little bit, but she is still on the charts and within normal ranges. So, at this point, we'll just keep an eye on it and worry if it continues to be a downward trend or anything weird. After all, its not like her daddy and I are tall people anyway! She recieved two vaccines today, her DPT and Hepatitis A- she only cried for about 15 seconds after the shots and then she was all smiles again.

Here's our stats at 18 months:
Height: 31 inches (25th %)
Weight: 24 lbs (50th %)
Head circum.: 47 cm (75th%)

All in all, it was a good and quick visit. I'm very proud of my girl-she's growing up so fast!

The Terrible Two's ....at 18 months???

LOL! I just have to remember to smile. Miss Elizabeth is definitely showing mommy and daddy her independent spirit these days! She is a pro at shaking her head and saying "no" and we've mastered the fine art of temper tantrums. She wants what she wants, when she wants it. Daddy and I are struggling to say no to her, but it is so hard! She is the only person in the world I struggle to say "no" to...but I know that we need to in order for her to grow up being respectful and knowing right from wrong. I hope I'm not the only first time parent that struggles with this!
We're also challenged in the meal area..some days she eats like a horse, other days she picks at her food. Like yesterday, for example, it seemed like all she wanted to do was eat! Every time we turned around, she was asking to get up in her high chair and for food or a drink! I think she wore daddy out with it.
Other than these, what I suspect are normal stages, life is really good. Despite her moods, Elizabeth is mostly a very loving and considerate little girl. She loves to give hugs and kisses, especially to mommy and the dog and she is completely enthralled with her 3 fish!
Daddy and I are thankful that summer is on its way, so we can hopefully get out and enjoy our yard and the pool before too long- swimming lessons are on the agenda for this summer!

Hugs to all our friends near and far...we love you!

Before I Was a Mom.....

Before I was a Mom ,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby..
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.
Before I was a Mom ,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.
Before I was a Mom ,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.
Before I was a Mom ,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom .
Before I was a Mom ,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body..
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.
Before I was a Mom ,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom .
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom .

Family Time!

Here's a couple of photos from our family photo shoot at Sears a few weekends ago. My family and I were all together for the first time in almost 2 years! It was lots of fun to spend the weekend w/ my sister, BIL, niece and my brother, who were all here from out of town. The 2 little girls had so much fun playing together- their favorite game was peek a boo! While it was lots of fun, we were certainly glad to come home to our own beds after 4 days of sharing space with 8 other people!

It was also lots of fun to see our extended family and meet some of our new cousins that we hadn't had a chance to see yet...all in all, it was a great weekend! I'll try to get some more of my photos up soon!