14 Months

This month has been a blast and exhausting all at the same time! Elizabeth has this walking thing down and is FAST! She is most times a woman on a mission and knows exactly what she wants. My sweet girl is like her mommy and enjoys food very much. Today, she walked to the refrigerator, opened the door, took out a yogurt and walked to her chair where she said please. She is also like Justin and me in that she LOVES to be outside! She realizes that Kyleigh scratches the door when she wants to go out, so she has begun just going to the back door and tapping on it while signing please. She used to just sit and play with a few toys in the yard while I fixed dinner. This is no longer an option, as she has figured out how to climb up into our patio chairs and stand up in them.
A few things she loves these days... brushing her teeth:), bath time, climbing of any sort, getting the mail (we have a mail shoot, so she doesn't even have to leave the house!), "talking" on the phone, shoes, books, the number 2, kisses, watching football, and playing with Kyleigh.
We are working on "Gobble, Gobble, Gobble!" She has pretty much got it down but refuses to perform when I really want her to do it! We'll see if we can get our little turkey on video though!

Those sweet baby blues are just too sweet, I know!

After a successful climbing effort!

Snugly and warm for a walk.
Did I mention the girl likes shoes? Any kind really, but Daddy has some pretty big shoes to fill!
All that mess making of which you see evidence in the background works up an appetite.

After taking out the box of Os from her cabinet and extracting the bag from the box, she was ready to EAT!

Some kids like a rocking chair or a bean bag. Not Elizabeth; she feels most secure in her own little box. She crawled in all by herself and was really quite content!
One last happy girl after a long chilly walk!

A quarter of a century!

It's true! On Monday, my precious hubby turned 25 years old! Not a big milestone to many, but in my book it deserves merit. In Justin's 25 years, God has done an amazing work in his life. I have been blessed to walk through life with him as a friend, girlfriend, fiance, and wife for over 6 of those years, and it has been incredible! God's work in Justin's life is something to be celebrated!
In the past year, God has grown Justin into an awesome Daddy who really is a great example to Elizabeth of our loving Heavenly Father. He can somehow make her giggle in a way no one else can. He cheers her on and rejoices in her accomplishments. He lets her explore and yet protects her from danger. Her face lights up in his presence as does his in hers. Watching them together makes my heart melt! A few of their favorite things to do together are... Sonic dates, floor snuggle time, chill in the backyard, watch football and ride the rocking horse (Eliz rides, Daddy makes the horse go crazy!).

As for Justin as my husband, he has really been great about protecting our relationship in the chaos of our lives. Between parenting, seminary, the money job and being a pastor at CityView, time together can be a commodity! However, he has truly been steadfast about guarding our alone time and seeing that our marriage is a priority. If that is a simple walk together in the evening, a special date night, or a surprise get away to celebrate our "dating anniversary," he takes good care of me and reminds me often of his love for me! Even in small ways like humoring me by watching The Biggest Loser with me or taking our own picture the old fashioned way (see below), he forsakes his own desires for mine. What a prince!
I love him like crazy and am so thankful that God called us together as husband and wife. I can imagine no one more perfect to walk this journey alongside. Happy birthday my love!

13 Months

This past month has been so much fun for our family! Elizabeth is more mobile; she is walking more and more everyday. She also has become excellent with her receptive language. She follows directions like, "Go get your night night book," and "It's time for a bath, let's go!" and "Bring me your shoes." Elizabeth has also become quite the parrot. Though her words don't always sound like you would expect an adult to say them, she is really good with communication. Here are some of her words: Momma, Daddy, ball, bye bye, more, baby, bear, uh-oh, no, yes, play, diaper, duck, book, more, dog, bite, and that. Another accomplishment this month has been learning her body parts. So far, she can point to her hair, eyes, nose, mouth, belly button and toes and clap her hands.

Our little munchkin loves to dance and "sing" to her multiple musical toys. By chance tonight we discovered her love for Dancing with the Stars. We don't even watch it usually, but when we got home from our walk tonight, I just flipped on the tv, and it was on. Elizabeth went crazy and danced away!

Here are a few recent pics:)
I can get onto my rocking horse all by myself! Aren't I such a BIG girl!?! I have learned to blow kisses XOXO... this melts the hears of many. I give Momma and Daddy real kisses too!
I love my friends! I love pretty much everyone, especially if they smile at me. I am sure to wave to anyone within a hundred yards!
I am VERY mischievous! If you can't find me, a few of my favorite hiding spots are under the bed, behind the couch, in my Tupperware cabinet, or my most favorite... very near Kyleigh's bowl!

Our Big Girl!!

Well, Elizabeth in officially a toddler! She has taken a few steps; yet her strong willed personality is very evident!!! "I will walk when I feel like it Momma and Daddy!" is what she appears to be saying when we try to get her to show off.
Anyway, she keeps us laughing and smiling and thanking our God for the little things. I love that she is amazed by a light switch, the feel of flower petals, the light shining through the trees, and bubbles! What great reminders of the intricacies of our God and His presence in the seemingly small things.

Here are a few pics from her 1st Birthday Party as well as a few other fun ones.

ONE WHOLE YEAR!

Wow! Just a year ago, Justin and I were thrust into the amazingly wonderful, yet incredibly overwhelming world of parenthood by the arrival of our sweet Elizabeth Grace. Though the time has flown by, we have really tried to savor every moment. Our God has so graciously given us what we need for every trial and provided a multitude of sweet memories. Here are a few pics to recount the past year.

Friends

One of the best things about summer is that I often get to see people I haven't seen in awhile! Lately Elizabeth has gotten to hang out with many of my bestest friends. Here are a few pictures from summer lunch dates and the like.

Aunt Julie went to high school with me and now lives in Chicago. It was a fun surprise to have her stop by during her time in Texas.
Aunt Sarah is living in Italy and sharing the love of Jesus with people there. This picture was snapped just before Elizabeth spilled Sarah's coffee all over them both. (Atleast it wasn't hot!)
Aunt Tressa has been my best friend basically since birth! She is now a volleyball coach and teacher at Rockwall Heath High School. This picture was at her very first volleyball tournament; those girls are blessed to have her as their coach!
Aunt Martha and Maegan (3 months) came to Fort Worth for a visit! They now live in Pensacola, Florida where Matt, Martha's husband, is in the Air Force. I think Elizabeth and Maegan are going to be great friends too!!!
This is Elizabeth and her best friend Kyleigh! She is sometimes annoyed with Elizabeth, but also plays with her a good bit too!

Running Makes Me a Better...

Running is something I have always loved to do, but I have been on somewhat of a hiatus for a couple of years. When we moved to New Jersey, it was not safe for me to just go running, then when we returned to Texas, I was a rather large pregnant woman, and then after having Elizabeth, with crazy schedules and such, I just didn't have it in me. Now, however, I have dream baby who goes down between 8:00 and 9:00 sleeps until 9:00 the next morning on a normal day! Justin doesn't have to leave for work until 8:00, so this leaves me with an early morning window of opportunity. Although 6:30 am seems quite early when I don't have to get up, I feel like a whole new woman when I do! I have started off slowly, just running a couple of miles, but it is such sweet time! From the sunrise to the wind against my skin to the sound of the birds, my senses are awakened to God's beauty in this time. It seems that during the rest of the day, I am much more consumed with my "to do list", and I miss out on the good stuff around me. I had forgotten how much God uses my running time to convict me, teach me, and love on me, so running makes me a better follower of Jesus. When I return home, I am able to make breakfast for Justin and spend a little time with him before he leaves for work, so running makes me a better wife. After Justin leaves for work, I get to have some Jesus time in the word and get things done around the house, leaving me more time to actually get on the floor and play with Elizabeth later in the day, so running makes me a better mommy!
Not that running is magical or anything, it is just what God has given me as a tool to start my day and in effect, make me a more productive follower of Jesus, wife, and mommy. Thanks God for your good gifts to us!
I'll leave you with a few pics of course!!!

Flowers Get Thirsty Too

Elizabeth has a new favorite thing... giving the flowers a drink. It goes something like this, sometime between breakfast and lunch Elizabeth eyes the makeshift watering can kept by the back door. She makes her way over to it and lets me know it is time!!! Regardless of what else may be going on, at that moment, the flowers become our priority! We fill up the plastic pitcher and out we go. The planter box in our back yard is just the perfect height for Eliz to cruise around and "help." She loves to feel everything she can get her hands on and is quite fond of the feel of flower petals. Here are a few pictures of flower time!



We are so thankful to have such fabulous parents! At the end of July my parents took us on a trip to beat the heat in the mountains of New Mexico. We drove 9 hours in my grandparents all too cool conversion van, but it was all worth it. The deer came to visit Eliz nightly and she gladly waved and "talked" to them. Justin and Daddy played golf and went fly fishing. I got to read over half of a book not concerning baby stuff and got a pedicure. Nothing fancy, but a much needed break from the craziness of our daily lives. Justin was also able to prepare for his sermon without the stress of school and work. Thanks Momma and Daddy!

Way to go Justin!

Daddy gives the BEST baths!!!

Daddy taught Elizabeth how the "shooter" works... it is by far the best toy ever!

Congratulations to my wonderful hubby! Today, he completed his second seminary class this summer. The past month and a half has been pretty crazy for him. Between taking classes, working at his "money job," serving as a pastor at CityView, being a super Daddy and a loving husband... he has been going non stop! Yea for a hard workin' hubby!
We had a lot of fun yesterday as we had friends over in the afternoon and then joined our friends, the Richardsons, to watch fireworks from the TCU soccer fields. We had just enough reprieve from the rain to see some pretty fireworks light up the sky. Elizabeth really liked them and squealed with delight as she watched.

Here are a couple of pics from Elizabeth's first 4th of July

This is Elizabeth's response when you pose the question,

"How big are you?" She is SOOO BIG!

My girl loves to read! Look at the expression already!
We have no shortage of books!