Spencer’s Farewell

{I’m backtracking a little to last weekend! We were in St. George for my little brother’s farewell talk. He is now a missionary! I can hardly believe it!} 

Sunday morning we woke up bright and early for church! Spencer was set to give his farewell talk at eleven, and we had to be at church early to grab a few soft seats ;) Ellie really wanted to cuddle with grandpa that morning while he continued sleeping.

And then she decided to give gramma some loves

We took a few pictures before heading to church. I’m not quite sure where Brian and Ellie were at the time. Ooops!

 

After Spencer gave his AMAZING talk (that was cut a little short since the girl before spoke for quite awhile…:) and we went to our other meetings, we enjoyed a little family lunch. My mom worked hard all week to get everything done before Sunday, so we wouldn’t be running around like wild turkeys!

Our dear friends, the Mortensen’s, came down for the event! The only was who was missing was dear Halie (who was in LONDON! Lucky duck!)

 

After lunch, we held an open house for all of our neighbors and Spencer’s friends to come over and say goodbye. Grace and Hannah were in charge of the snow cones, they were a hit!

There were a ton of people and a ton of treats! Spenc had so many people who came to wish him well!

  

I made Spenc a little graduation/mission announcement and a few food decorations. We figured we better give out his addresses to all his friends and neighbors, so we put them on a bookmark!

   

Little Ellie is going to miss her uncle! 

               

And then we all proceeded to Seminary graduation! It was a wild day!

Can’t believe my little brother is so grown up! And a foot taller than me ;) Love him to pieces!

8 months

Our little Miss Ellie is 8 months old! And boy oh boy, is her personality shining through. She is usually a pretty happy baby, always squealing, shrieking, and laughing. And man, she is determined! She doesn’t like us to help her with anything, unless it’s helping her run around the house. Still no talking yet, just babbles, but she moves like a champ. Everyday she practices standing up on her own. She can do it for a few seconds, until she plops down on her bum. She loves to grab onto the couch, then make her way along to the entertainment center, the toy box, the wall, whatever is nearby. We’ve always joked that she won’t be satisfied until she is running. Then we’re really in for it ;)

 

We got out the baby pool last week and boy oh boy, she loved it! She’s our little sunshine baby! She would have stayed out there all day long if I had let her. Too bad we had to have nap time! Of course after nap we headed back out. She ended up naked, sorry neighbors! That girl can’t stand wearing clothes. :)

Ellie likes to climb off her mattress head first, then pop right up and continues crawling. We usually keep her door closed while she sleeps. The other night Brian went in to get her, and she was standing up banging against the door. Sometimes we forget to close it, so when she wakes up hungry, she just crawls straight into our room. It’s hilarious! :) Last week she figured out how to climb up the stairs without falling backwards. She still tries to go down the two steps headfirst and it gives me a heart attack every time! Sometimes she will just wait until we come over, then grab our hands and walk right down the steps. She’s fearless! She hates to be strapped in. Hates it! Our walks usually end up with Ellie pushing the stroller while I hold her. I’ve pretty much given up the battle and just throw shoes on her and walk her around the neighborhood. Hurts my back but then there are no tantrums. (It’s like she’s 8 months going on 2 years! She has thrown some looooovely fits!)

   

E has no interest in jarred baby foods anymore. She would much rather eat whatever we’re eating. Her favorites as of late are yogurt, beans, and bananas. She is such a good little sleeper……in our bed. We are working on getting her to sleep through the night in her OWN bed, but it’s been a sloooow process. She crawls and stands up in her sleep (pretty sure she gets that from her father!), so she is always running into the wall. It’s nuts (but hilarious to watch on our baby monitor)! Her favorite toys are her dollar store fish, any type of cord (we have to keep them all hidden!), mom’s lipstick, receipts, books, and SHOES! Holy mackerel, she loves shoes.

I can’t believe that she’ll be one in just a few months. I say that every stage is my favorite, so this time is no exception. I love chasing this little wild thing around!

weekend + very jane

We are down in sunny St. George this weekend! (And Ellie and I still get to stay and play, yippee!) My little (big) brother Spencer had his mission farewell talk this weekend (more on that soon!), so we came down to see him for a few days before he leaves for 2 years to serve the Lord. We are just so proud of him! We’ve been going to the temple, taking lots of walks, eating treats galore, and soaking up this family time!

Every time we are in St. George, I make my little sister Erin dress me. She has a roomful of clothes galore! (Half of which she has thrifted and sewn. Talented, I tell ya!) She’s quick to tell me when I look like a grandma or a frumpy mom ;) It’s a good thing I have her around as my personal stylist!

 

My favorite accessory as of late has been this sweet locket, from Very Jane. It has an “E” engraved on it for my sweet Ellie. I wear it all the time, and it’s Ellie’s new favorite toy. Keeps her entertained during church!;) Plus it matches just about everything I have and spruces up my everyday “mom-uniform!”   Very Jane specializes in bringing you boutique deals for up to 75% off! (And if you know me, I’m always up for a good deal! ) My favorites rights now: these adorable polka dotted jeans, this colorful fabric banner, and this bubble necklace. Pretty sure I need all of them.;) Be sure to check them out, they have so many awesome deals daily!

Happy Monday friends!!

P.S. Stunning Baby giveaway winner announced here!

adventure awaits!

Wahooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Last year, after finding out that we were expecting Ellie, we started the great house hunt. Our first apartment was much too small to try to fit even a crib in there, so we knew we needed to move. We looked at home after home after home. Some were nice, some were pretty ghetto, and some we thought were just perfect! We did a lot of praying, a lot of offer making, but nothing ever worked out. Nothing felt quite right. We got discouraged and kind of gave up on the hunt for awhile. One Saturday we decided to look for a small house to rent. That’s when we found our place right now. We knew it would be a temporary move, but gosh, we love our house with the white picket fence.

A few months ago, an amazing opportunity landed in our laps. Brian’s brother needed to sell his place in Lehi so he and his wife could buy their new house. They didn’t want to deal with the hassle of going through a relator, and they offered it to us for an amazing price. I was surprised how right this decision felt. I love our little home, but after a lot of prayer and fasting, we knew this was the right move for our family. I am amazed at how amazingly perfect things worked out. And I mean perfect! Sure we had a few hiccups along the way, but it was evident that the Lord’s hand was guiding the entire process. We were shown tender mercy after tender mercy. As sad as I am to leave our sweet home, our wonderful neighbors and friends, I am excited for this new adventure! And heavens, I am so excited to paint some walls!

_{P.S. if anyone has any tips for moving with a baby, send them my way! ;)}

slc day trip

We have some exciting things (!!!) happening around here lately! Lots of adventure in store! We were taking care of some of the details on Monday and decided to enjoy the afternoon as a family up in Salt Lake.

Brian was in heaven surrounded by all things electronic. Ellie just wanted to push the buttons like she does on mommy’s computer ;)

Somehow this little orange dollar store fish ended up with us in the car. Ellie toted it around like it was her most prized possession. Pretty sure it was in every picture we took, she would not let go!

We decided to take a quick walk around temple square. It is GORGEOUS this time of year. We even saw our sweet wedding photographer, Jalene, there!

Again, that silly orange fish ;)

We celebrated at the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. Ellie had her first taste of lemon….and LOVED it. She went to town on that thing. We were cracking up!

It was the perfect family outing!

(And how cute is that bike and sign?! Loved it!)