3 years...wow!

June 30, 2007

3 years later, and one baby later...



...my how things change in 3 years.

happy anniversary to us. we've gone from being fly-by-the-seat-of-our-spontaneous-pants young married couple to loving, caring, and devoted parents. we never could have imagined, when we walked down the grassy aisle 3 years ago, where we would be today. crazy to think where we will be 3 years from now!

happy father's day {very late. sorry hon.}

i mean seriously. my heart is going to explode.

father's day came and went! it was such a perfect day. honestly, i can't even remember what we did. ha. we went to church, i know this and ate lunch at aaron's parents and went and visited my dad afterwards....i think that's how the day played out. the day before father's day we swam the afternoon away at my parents. my bro's girlfriend and her family were in town for the weekend so we had a little cook out. this picture of elle and aaron was taken on that day.

okay, so i'm gonna get a little mushy here. but, i just have to brag on my husband! aaron is such a great daddy. he loves his little elle belle so much and tells her every single second. i love watching them together. she already has him so wrapped. i can't wait to watch their love and relationship grow. she has brought out such a gentle side of aaron. them together...oh my...my heart just melts!

together we are so blessed. we have been blessed beyond measure with elle louise and we thank the good Lord every single day for her. we also have incredible fathers. i know that aaron really looks up to his dad and wants to be a great father to elle like his dad was to him.

so happy {late} father's day to all you daddy's out there. and happy {late} father's day to all the dad's in my life.

my week or so in pictures {according to elle}...

i wore my gigi's favorite dress to church. it was big and poofy and fabulous.


i visited my grandma and her wig. she was not fooling me and my mommy! i love my great great grandma so much and she loves me!


i went to my first naturals baseball game. it was hot and i sweated a whole ton but i still had fun!


i went to lunch with anna kate and hayden at chick-fil-a (mommy has a small, okay large, obsession with that place). mommy made me wear this big bow because she didn't want people asking if i was a boy or a girl. didn't really work though, because when we were running errands a really old lady asked and i think it hurt mommy's feelings but i didn't care. i'm sure the old lady was blind!


i took some really great summer afternoon naps. my favorite!


mommy took some pictures of me in my new gigantic flower headband that one of her friends gave me. gosh, am i cute or what?


and, last night it took mommy almost an hour to put me to sleep. we played all kinds of fun games with my paci and then i made mommy dance while we watched so you think you can dance. but once i fell asleep i slept good all night!

okay, this is the mommy now...

i can't believe it has been a week since i blogged last. this week has just FLOWN by.

have i mentioned that elle will have a girl cousin, taylor, to play with come august? we (as in me and everyone else) are so excited! elle and taylor will be 6 1/2 months apart in age!! i have a cousin that is 14 months older than me and we are best friends and have been since i entered the world. we love and fight like sisters do and its the best thing ever. i am so excited for elle to have a sweet "sister" of her own. tomorrow i am hosting baby taylor's shower and i cannot wait. elle is super excited too and got her all kinds of super fun things!!

all of the pictures from "the week or so" are from my blackberry, so that explains the awesome quality. i've managed to get some really cute pictures of elle over the last couple weeks, i just haven't had a chance to sit and upload them all to the mac! once i do, i will definitely share.

hope everyone has a great weekend. we'll be showering aunt boo boo with lots of love and at the pool the rest of the time.

fitness friday

as i mentioned in my last post, i've worked everyday this week. along with that i've managed to lose 2 pounds. ha! i'm sure its because i'm not at home snacking all day long. i just sit here at my desk and drink cup after cup of coffee and big ole route 44's of whatever caffeinated deliciousness i can get my hands on! ha! my metobilism is probably working way over time to keep up with the endless amounts of caffeine i've been consuming to keep myself awake.

no suprise here...i haven't worked out one day this week. not one day! i really actually had good intentions to walk outside, but its just been way too hot in the afternoons for elle and by the time the sun has started to set, i am just exhausted. we'll see how next week goes. maybe i'll do better! i hope! not holding my breath...you probably shouldn't either!

on a completely random note, i love before and after pictures. whether its home renovations, makeovers/unders, weight loss, refurbished furniture...whatever it is i just love it. i love to see something old made new again. or something "ugly" made beautiful. it just warms my heart.

one day aaron and i want to renovate an old home. hopefully our wish will be granted sooner than later. we're always on the lookout. just haven't found the perfect place yet!

get a load of this renovation:

courtesy of design*sponge

the after pictures do not even look like the same house! i love how they used punches of color here and there without it seeming to overwhelming! everything is in its place and uncluttered. i think a house like this would just make me feel pure, clean, and organized! i love color, but sometimes i think i've overdone color in my house. our kitchen has bright green cabinets, our living room is a gold color with red accents (really hate...), our bedroom is red and the guest bedroom is a light aqua. my favorite besides elle's room of course! somedays i love my house. sometimes i don't and want to change everything about it. does everyone go through those phases? or is it just me? but, all in all, i'm blessed to have a beautiful house for my family to live in even if it doesn't really feel like home.

hope everyone has a great weekend! we have lots planned!

is it friday yet?

picture taken by aunt dee dee.

it is thursday. i've worked everyday since monday from 9-3:30 (and i worked last friday too). i. am. exhausted. let me just say...this working mommy thing is for the birds. and, i know, many people out there do it. and, i probably should because we are broke. broke as a joke. living pay check to pay check broke. but, i would rather be broke and happy. because now i am just tired and cranky and sad. i miss elle louise so much. so fortunate that she has been with the people that love and care for her most this week. but, still sad, cranky, and tired!

because we think she's the most beautiful, that's why

http://wgnamerica.tribunepromotions.com/babies/tip_bb_wgnamerica,0,1775089.ugcphotogallery?index=75044

we might not ever put our daughter in pageants (think toddlers and tiaras...dreadful!), but we will enter her in as many beautiful baby contests as we can find.

so, if you feel compelled please click the above link and vote for our beautiful baby!!!

***edited to add...voting does not start until JUNE 28th! i will post to remind everyone when voting starts.

thanks in advance! love to all!

from fitness to fashion...back and forth

as i sit here sipping on my unsweet tea from mickey d's (the best in my opinion), i contemplate why i even started fitness friday in the first place. i guess i thought it would lead to some success on my part because i would want to update each of you every week on what i had accomplished. but, no. i just can't seem to get motivated. when will i ever? maybe when i get more than 3 hours of sleep at any given time. i know its time to get back in shape when i can't even make it up 3 flights of stairs without getting winded. and, yes, that did happen to me yesterday at the library. sad. but so very true.

during the days when we are just lounging around the house, the baby is feeding or just needing to be snuggled i watch a lot of dvr'd shows and most of those are reality tv. among my favorites is tori and dean: home sweet hollywood. they are cheese ball fantasticism (i think i just made up that word). ha. i just love them. tori is such a good mom and liam and stella are precious, sweet babies. i am just amazed at how much tori can juggle, while being a full-time mom. she is a celebrity with two children and no nanny! she is wonder woman to me! a little crazy, neurotic, and vain but i still honestly do really like her and admire her! her children's clothing line, little maven, is amongst her many ventures. such, cute fun stuff. i would buy all of it if i could fathom spending $50 on clothing for elle that she will only wear one time. but since i can't, i will just look and admire for now!

here are some of my favorites:



1. medallion print sundress
2. infant polka dot dress
3. infant lace dress



LOVE this whole exotic charms line!

1. infant medallion print romper
2. infant tiered tank top
3. infant cuffed harem pant



how stinkin' CUTE for july 4th! i might actually splurge on this 4th of july ensemble if they had it available in elle louise's size! love love love it!

1. infant sapphire blue tank top
2. infant paisley skirt

they have really cute stuff for boys also!

i am going to try to post this sunday for next week. i will officially know what it's like to be a working mom next week. my co-worker is on vacation, so i'm working every day. the week will go by super fast, but i don't know if i will have too much extra time to blog!

hope everyone has a fun, safe weekend.

random ramblings

today i...

• cannot wait for the Real Housewives of New York City reunion show tonight!
• am craving a diet raspberry limeade from sonic with a lot of crushed ice. happy hour here we come.
  
• took elle louise to baby bookworm at our public library this morning for the first time. i think she had fun. she didn't fuss the whole time we were there.
• after baby bookworm, we went to lunch and the farmer's market with our cousins, amiee and ruby. it was fun.
• breastfed for the first time in public and it wasn't that scary. we ate lunch a little sandwich shop with not much traffic, so i wrapped elle up in the moby and fed her while i ate. no big deal.
• have been crafting my life away and am really enjoying it.
• can't quit thinking about megan and baby cohen.
• am loving on baby girl after her 4 month shots yesterday...she is a trooper!
• am praying the oil doesn't make it to panama city. i want to go to the beach!
• need a mani and pedi bad!
  

random. yes, i know!

my dad rocks

so, i bought this onesie for elle louise last year on father's day for aaron. well...i guess i forgot i had it and found it in the closet on sunday and took it to my parent's for elle louise to change into after we got done swimming. i never thought that it would be too small for her...it is a size 3-6 months! well...it was way too small. poor thing. i think it was cutting of the circulation in her thighs. so, this is the first outfit for elle to outgrow before she ever got to wear it. i guess we'll be saving it for our next daughter! made for a cute and funny picture anyhow.

pigtails and sunglasses

this just makes me smile!

some say she looks like her daddy...

...and others say she looks just like me!

i've been meaning to do this for a long time now. ever since i found all the slideshow pictures from our wedding on our iPhoto. i am just amazed at how much elle looks like each one of us. people who don't know us very well automatically think she looks just like me. for an obvious reason of course...lots of dark brown hair. but, now that it is lightening up people look at her and can see her daddy right away. but, those who knew me growing up think elle looks just like me and vice versa for aaron. she is cute. that is for sure. not sure how we got so lucky. good genes i guess! ha ha!


elle louise at 3 1/2 months old.


aaron at probably around 8 months old. its the eyes. she's got the "High" eyes. i'm so glad because i love aaron's eyes! i'm not sure if she is going to have that blonde blonde hair though.


me at around 3 months old. same mouth. same nose.


this is a picture of my family. the only picture i have in my possession of my brother as a "baby". he's probably 2. not really any similarities to elle. but wasn't he so sweet? i'm sure my mom is going to kill me for putting this picture up. sorry mom.


aaron with his sisters (to this date, he still makes this dorky face when posing for a picture with them). elle definitely favors every single one of them.

but i think elle looks most like her big cousin, regan.




so. so. so many similarities. i think regan is about 6 months in the above pictures. so just a couple months older than elle is now. i look at this picture and i see elle! if you put brown hair on this baby, it would be the same baby. love it so much.


elle and regan from mother's day! sweetness.

what do you think?

rainbow brite

so very serious (not bragging, but get a load of the massive blooms on my hydrangea bush!)


sweet. simply put.


hanging out under the sunshine. life doesn't get much better.


chubby cheeks.


oh, so roly poly.


our outfit may or may not be a little inspired by the latest season of so you think you can dance?.

our little growing girl is
4
...months
................old
......................today!

at 4 months old, elle louise is:

• weighing in at an impressive 14.1 pounds
• wearing 3-6 months exclusively. every now and again we come across a 6 month outfit and we make it work.
• still quite the little fashionista. and, i am to thank for that. no matter how hard i try i cannot quit buying this baby clothes. it's a slight obsession that i am not ashamed of!
• wearing size 2 diapers.
• still nursing...and is definitely thriving!
• on a little bit of a better schedule. although, she doesn't nap, play and sleep consistently from day to day, i do know she will eat every 3 to 3 1/2 hours. unless of course she has a "teething day"...then the "schedule" is out the window
• sprouting two little teefers on the bottom and maybe one on the top. some days i can see and feel them and other days i can only see them. i'm not really sure what's going on in her baby mouth.
• a happy-go-lucky baby. she is so super sweet and is so happy and content until she is tired and then we fight a little before she goes to sleep.
• one with nature. we spend most pretty days outside. she loves just being in the fresh air. she gets that trait from her daddy.
• a little fish. i am so thankful she loves the pool. i would be super sad if she didn't!
• a bathing beauty. we take 3 baths a day sometimes because she loves her bath so much! so thankful. before long she'll be sitting up and enjoying all her bath toys!
• not eating any sort of baby food. breast milk only for now. i'm reading a book called baby-led weaning and i'm hoping this is the technique we are going to follow when it comes to solids. i'll share more about that once i'm through with the book. elle is a very happy "breastfed on demand" baby, so i'm thinking she will be good with deciding what, when, and how much food she eats. we'll see...i could be totally wrong. just like i was totally wrong with babywise.
• talking. talking. talking. we've been introducing new words to her like "mama" and "dada". she's made the "d" sound, so i bet we'll be hearing "dada" before too long. she really loves rolling her tongue, cooing and making her voice go really high. it's precious. my favorite sound in the whole world.
  
• still enjoys reading and playing games. we'll read sometimes for 3o minutes and she is content as can be. she gets that trait from her momma!
  
• not rolling over. i'm not too sad about this. i was a little worried at first, but she holds her head up so well, i think that counts for something. she is really close to rolling from her back to her tummy...any day now!

i'm sure there are many fun things about elle louise that i'm leaving out. but, seriously, we are having the times of our lives with our precious baby girl. time is just zooming right past us at speeds we cannot even comprehend. somedays (most days. every day) i wish i could just slow the hands of time down but i'm so excited for all the fun things we have in store with baby elle. she is a little bundle of roly poly joy. our lives are most certainly complete. she is a blessing. a true blessing. we thank our Father for her every day.