Hold Please!

So, Elizabeth has decided that holding Elaine is lots of fun... so precious, huh?

Catching Up

All is well in the Bassett house! Elaine is a great baby and is growing fast; she was 8 lbs 3 oz at her check up almost 2 weeks ago! She is sleeping about 5 hours at a time at night which is allowing me some good sleep. We have made outings to Church and the Library and lots of other fun places. She has decided she likes tummy time and a paci, which can be quite helpful in between feedings. She is focusing for much longer periods of time, and we are loving her cute little expressions!


Elizabeth is just over 21 months and is a bundle of fun! She seems to soak up all she hears and sees. She is a HUGE help with putting dirty clothes in the hamper, bringing me diaper supplies, and simply being her sweet self. Today she named all but a couple of letters with a matching word as she did her alphabet puzzle; we talk about letters when we see them in print, but I was still pretty surprised! The summer has brought with it lots of swimsuit wearing for Elizabeth, and she LOVES the water.


Thursday marked an exciting day for Justin and me! We closed on a house up in Keller. I haven't talked much about this, because we actually put our offer in over 3 months ago and weren't very confident we would get it. However, our patience paid off and we got a great deal on a house that needs some serious cosmetic work but is overall in good shape! Adding to the excitement is the fact that the house backs up to our friends Adam, Taber, and Addison-- Elizabeth can't wait to be so close to Addie. Last weekend, Justin and his parents and Adam did a ton of work on the yard and already gave the house a major face lift! I will try to keep pics coming as we make improvements. Here is the first of many before and after shots!

Not sure if you can tell just how awful the rock wall was... It was definitely a major eye sore for the neighborhood!

Just an idea of what is to come, but at least you can actually see the house!

Just a quick shout out to Nana and Grammy! With two little ones and buying a new house, we couldn't do it without all their help! Thanks be to God for fabulous family!

2 Weeks

Today marks 2 weeks since Lanie K has arrived, and we are settling into a routine. She is sleeping 4-5 hours at night between feedings, which gives me some great sleep! This week's big events included her umbilical cord falling off which led to her first real bath, her first CityView playgroup, and trips to Target and WalMart! It's amazing how great a trip to WalMart can be for a stir crazy Momma!

One Week

Here are a couple of pics of our one week old Elaine Karis! She is doing great- eating like a champ, sleeping well, and all around a pleasant baby. We are over the hump with the jaundice and looking less yellow everyday:) We even got out of the house for 2 non-doctor outings today!

Big Sister!

Lounging with Lamb, donut holes, juice and Dora... It's a rough life!

Being a Big Sister is hard work! Actually, I must say that Elizabeth is soooo great! She loves "Baby Eyane" and gets very concerned if she doesn't know where she is. A couple of nights ago, Elaine was in the swing while we were putting Elizabeth to bed, and she began to cry. Elizabeth's ears perked up, and she said, "Eyane cry- pa pa!" She ran to find Elaine's pacifier, which she had put away for me earlier, and took it to her. It was just what Elaine needed; way to go Elizabeth!!! We are really trying to continue our special time with Elizabeth, and she has responded quite well to our new addition.

Elaine has been slightly jaundiced, so she has spent most of her days naked in the swing soaking up the sun!

Proud Big Sis!

Elizabeth is just in awe of her little sis!

Ready to go!

Welcome to the World Elaine Karis!!!

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to send a quick note that Elaine arrived this morning rather unexpectantly. She was born at 9:36 am, weighing 7 lbs. 5 oz. and 21" long. Amazingly, she looks alot like Elizabeth at this stage. We'll keep you posted!

-justin and angela

Root Beer Float and Flowers

Tonight, to celebrate Justin's last day at Accel, we had a family celebration date! We opted for something new and tried out Papa's Burgers; they did not disappoint! Elizabeth even got a free root beer float (her first), and we had the greasiest, yummiest burgers we have had in a long time.

To walk off a bit of our dinner, we headed over to the Botanic Gardens and had a great time! Elizabeth enjoyed running up ahead of us like a big girl, and stopped occasionally for a photo shoot. Aren't I precious?!

A little rest and conversation with Daddy.
Conquering the MANY steps!
We made it to the top!

Just what a 99 Degree Texas Day Requires...

POPSICLES AND THE POOL!!

My first Popsicle was DELICIOUS!
Madalyn was the pro with little dripping.

I was the rookie with a BIG MESS!
My pool is even more fun that I remembered!
Kyleigh thought my pool was a really big water bowl...
I tried drinking out of it too, but Mommy said, "NO!!!!"

Maybe we will go to Granny and Grandaddy's BIG pool tonight!

20 Months!

Elizabeth Grace is 20 months old, and this will likely be the last "monthly update" before she is a big sister! This month her vocabulary has exploded, and she loves to show off all she knows. She is putting together several-word phrases and her words are becoming more understandable to people outside of Justin and me. This explosion has led to Elizabeth very clearly stating her distaste for certain things, so we are working on "No, thank you." She has also picked up on at least half of the letters in the alphabet and points them out whenever she sees them, whether on billboards, in books, on a t-shirt, or on a cereal box. Most letters also have a word that goes with them; I think her favorites are "E for Elizabeth" and "K for Kyleigh!" She has mastered all of her puzzles and loves taking care of her babies. This week she got to go for a family walk without the stroller and made it all the way to Sonic and back (about half a mile) without us having to carry her! Of course there was a stop for refueling with some yummy Sonic ice! Lately her hugs and snuggles have been extra sweet; I think she can sense that something crazy is going to happen soon. We are so thankful for Elizabeth and the light she brings to each day!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

On Monday, my friend, Laura, called and asked if we could get a babysitter for the night. Her husband's friend at work had just offered him four tickets to the Rangers game! Even on such short notice, Elizabeth's Aunt Jenn gladly accepted some time with her favorite niece (only until Elaine arrives, then they have to share her)! Elizabeth woke up this morning asking for Aunt Jenn, so I am guessing they had a pretty good time!
We enjoyed dinner at Pei Wei and then headed off to the game to sit on row 11 behind home plate- AWESOME SEATS! It was a great game, and it was especially nice to just have some good grown up time with my hubby!

Thanks Greg and Laura and Aunt Jenn!

Celebrate Good Times!

There has been a lot to celebrate in the Bassett house this week!

The first bit of good news came on Wednesday... As of May 27th, Justin will be the new Director of Business Development at AM Design, an interactive design company that does web development, print pieces, cd cover art, etc. This is a HUGE answer to prayer and incredibly exciting for our family. As a pastor in a church plant, Justin is not yet on the payroll, so being bivocational is necessary. For the past two years, Justin has daily gone to a job that hasn't challenged him, used his giftedness, or been fun, because he loves Elizabeth and me and knew that it was what he needed to do to take care of us. Now that is LOVE! It gives me great joy to know that he will now be doing something he really enjoys and is great at! Thank you God for providing this great new opportunity!

We had a great dinner at Outback to celebrate, compliments of Nana and PawPaw!

In other news, as of today, we have 4 weeks until baby Elaine's due date! Elizabeth recently visited Dr. Deem with me, and after she understood that she wasn't at her doctor, she really enjoyed it! When Dr. Deem asked me about the baby, Elizabeth lifted up her shirt and pointed out her "baby" which is actually just a good case of toddler belly! The most excitement came when we heard Elaine's heartbeat. Now, every time we talk about Elaine or Elizabeth gives her kisses, she talks about her "heart heart". Elizabeth is going to be such a great big sis! I start going to the doctor weekly from here on, so we will keep you posted!

Lastly, in case you haven't heard, this is Mother's Day weekend! I have felt well loved today by all of the hugs and kisses and time to rest, as well as an early gift of a new digital camera! I can't really take a picture of it, but it is pink and quite an upgrade from my old one! I am excited to learn all about it and put it to good use.

Here are a few of our learning photos!

The Delight of a Good Dumpster Dive... And the Faithfulness of a GOOD GOD!

So, for the past several months, I have really wanted to get Elizabeth a kitchen to do all of her stirring and cooking, etc. There was no special occasion like a birthday, but I looked often on Craig's List for a good deal. The cheapest ones I found were still around $30, more than I wanted to pay, so I just decided to wait. Well, a few weeks ago, we were leaving Rick and Stephanie's house and passed by a house where the dad was cleaning out the garage, and what did I see on the side of the street, but a little play kitchen! After a bit of my pleading, Justin pulled over and asked the guy about it; he said his kids had outgrown it and we were free to take it!
After a good scrub down, we introduced it to Elizabeth and she was thrilled! Elizabeth LOVES her "kitchy," and I happen to love that I payed $0 for it!

Thanks God; You are soooo good to us!

It is sweet to know that the King of it all provides for our needs- and wants sometimes too!

"PEEK A BOO!"
Washing Dishes
An old soap dispenser and peanut butter jar have been great additions to the kitchen:)
The microwave really makes cooking sounds and beeps!

We didn't even have to put in new batteries!

19 Months

Not only was Tuesday tax day, but it marked 19 months of life for Elizabeth! She is so much fun these days that it is hard to pick out the highlights! Her vocabulary continues to increase and her ability to associate things is growing as well. For example, when she sees a red light, she yells, "Yed- STOP!" She is starting to really get colors but still struggles with the in between ones like lime green or blue violet- how do you explain those?!? The sunshine and the moon are two of her favorite things, and she loves to locate and follow the moon on our evening family walks. She has just begun to really show an interest in her babies and takes very good care of them, hopefully a sign of her being an excellent big sister. Her "girliness" is emerging in her LOVE for shoes, a bow in her hair, and insisting on using my make up brush while I put on my make up. She has mastered buckling and shows some signs of OCD by making sure she buckles back the straps of her booster seat as soon as she gets out. She has become a confident climber and loves to climb up on our bed for family snuggle time each day when Daddy gets home from work. Her attention span is continually growing and thus the number of books we read in one sitting is growing as well! Elizabeth's will is strong, yet she aims to please Mommy and Daddy. A minute in time out is torture, because she knows she has disappointed us. She is such a sweetheart, and we are thankful for her snuggles, kisses, and loving disposition.

A Sonic drink is a must for the hard work of planting flowers!
What a great helper!
Posing:)
Our sweet girl!

Cutie Pies

Today we had lots of fun with the girls! Emma came over for some good play time with Elizabeth and Madalyn. This weather is awesome, so a good part of our time together was spent enjoying bubbles, sidewalk chalk, and the sunshine! Of course, everyone was way too busy to even look at the camera!