This past week has been a little bit crazy for us. Cody left for training on Monday morning in Arizona and returned at 3 AM on Friday. Ellie and I had to fend for ourselves and I am proud to say we survived quite nicely. Last Saturday we found the first two seasons of Gilmore Girls for $15 for both! We spent every night this week snuggling in our pj's and watching those witty girls. But we sure did miss Cody. Ellenor was a little hesitant with Cody yesterday morning, she wouldn’t smile for quite some time. But she has definitely warmed up to him again. They are currently both knocked out on the recliner taking their Saturday morning nap.
Ellenor is developing quite the little personality. Yesterday Cody kept saying things like “Wow, I still can’t believe how big she is!” She has started to almost whine instead of fuss. As Cody was playing with her this morning she started doing it again. Cody, being the mature adult he always is, started mimicking her. I think she likes having her dad home again.

 

She is getting so strong and is loving being on her stomach. She has even rolled over a few times. Now if she would only start doing it consistently and for Cody, that would be perfect!

Valentines day wasn’t anything too exciting. Once Cody got home from work we went to our ward’s valentines day dinner and dance. If you know Cody, you know that he does not dance. At all. In the two and a half years that we have been married he has danced with me once. ONCE! That’s it, not even at our wedding so it was pretty special. I made a “special” dinner on Friday night of ribs and cornbread. And it was A-Maz-ING! I sent Cody to the store and he also bought strawberries. We may or may not have eaten the entire pound of chocolate dipped strawberries I made in less than ten minutes. They were delicious.
Also, Cody got me a new serving plate and I absolutely LOVE it! The strawberries just looked too good on a new plate not to take a picture!

Between work, school, family, and baby we are going to be busy the next little while, which I absolutely love. Cody’s sister is blessing their little guy tomorrow. Next Saturday is my first 5K and I am freaking out and getting so excited! I am already ready for spring to get here and bring us nice weather so we can go hiking and camping and just be able to play outside.

Last night I booked us tickets for ALASKA this summer! It will be our first time flying with this sweet girl and also the first time she will be able to meet her great grandparents! Is it July already?

Online classes are difficult without the online part. When the internet doesn't work what do I do? Oh read Hunger Games of course. In the past two weeks I have read over 400 pages of textbook. I feel no remorse for spending the entire nap time reading this wonderfully disturbing book for the second time. If you are wondering I only got a chunk of it read, I am not a speedy reader.

This little cutie started taking naps in her bed last week and it makes for a much easier day without having to tip toe in and out of our bedroom. I know your not supposed to put things in their bed with them but she only moves her head from side to side. And I have a confession about this. Her crib was full of clothes that are now to small, clothes that are too big and need to be put away, and everything else imaginable. It was full. I am talking about over flowing with clothes! What you can't see is that there are still two piles of clothes a foot away from her feet. Good thing she doesn't move yet.
Don't worry, its on the to do list.

 The past little while little Ellie bug has HATED, and by hate I mean scream as loud as she can, to lie on the floor on her back. Well, anywhere on her back really. She wants to be sitting up so bad! If she is content on her back she is lifting her head and her feet are straight in the air trying to sit up. 

Oh and her neck is getting so very strong! 

I love being able to see her grow and develop more of a personality. I can already tell she is going to be a handful.

We have all been sick the past week, trust me, she usually smiles a lot more than what I am showing you. Today was the first day that Ellie has been feeling better and I am so excited. I didn't have to suck boogers out of her nose every hour or hold her 24/7. I actually got to type with two hands! Hooray! Poor girl had been constipated since Monday and for a baby that is quite a long time. Tonight I knew she was dirty so I kindly asked Cody to change her. He knew she had been messy earlier today and was a little hesitant but he did it anyways. As he is changing her he is smiling because it was just a little and nothing like what he was expecting. Ellenor is smarter than that though. Every time Cody would wipe her and think she was done, she would start going again. And again. And again. I think I even heard Cody gag a few times. But he was a trooper as I was standing by laughing. so. hard. That girl sure knows how to put me in a good mood.

Some days I almost feel as if I am living in a dream. I couldn't even imagine being where we are at now a year ago. Last year we were living in an apartment without any idea what we were going to do once Cody graduated from school in April. He had a few ideas and offers ranging from Idaho to Texas but everything was up in the air. We had no idea what we were going to do for a vehicle because if he got a job in agriculture Sheniqua (our 1990s Buick Century that we actually really miss) wouldn't be able to get around a farm very much. I was going to go back to school in the summer right after we moved to where ever it was. Babies? What are those? It wasn't even a thought. Now we live in a house not an apartment (having a yard is so nice!), Cody has a job that he enjoys and a pick up that he enjoys even more, we have a BABY! That was a nice surprise. We spend Saturdays together, not in a library or working. We can afford to go out to dinner once in a while and not cringe at the thought of what it will do to our bank account. And we are happy. Absolutely happy.
Some days life can be tough. But thinking about all that has changed in the past year and how we have been blessed makes it that much easier.

Gordon B. Hinckley said, "There is nothing that dulls a personality so much as a negative outlook."

• I have once again found my love for Saturdays, it disappeared the moment we moved to Burley last year but I am happy to say it is back! Cody is actually home on Saturdays and it is so nice to have an entire day to ourselves! Currently Cody is making German pancakes while this little lady and I and snuggling in bed.
•  She slept in her room for the first time yesterday but just for her naps. We don't want her in her own room while there is no blinds in the windows. Saturday project? OK!
  

• We stayed up until 2 in the morning last night! 2 AM! It was amazing. Cody finished putting the computer together that we bought (My laptop died in June, his screen is half falling off) And I am already excited for Monday to come so I can watch Downton Abbey on our new 24 in monitor
• Other Ellie news, she rolled over all by herself the other day! She was so frustrated and kicking her feet and rolled from her belly to her back! And still cried. But she did it twice. Now I just need her to do it while she is calm.
• We got her a bumbo the other day and so far she loves it. She doesn't like her boppy because it lays her down to much, she would rather be looking around at everything from a sitting view. 
• Despite our desperate attempts to save her from the thumb, we have a feeling she is going to be a thumb sucker. She will spit out her pacifier to put the heel of her hand in her mouth with her thumb folded into her fist. Once she gets that thumb out, we are doomed!

The real reason for this post is actually to share this amazing site I found. We got a laugh out of it and thinking about still makes me giggle a little. OK, a lot. Click here for the actual site. Its called "How do you decide who to marry? (written by kids)"

Here are a few of our favorites:

WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?

No age is good to get married at. You got to be a fool to get married.
- Freddie, age 6 (very wise for his age)

WHAT WOULD YOU DO ON A FIRST DATE THAT WAS TURNING SOUR?

I’d run home and play dead. The next day I would call all the newspapers and make sure they wrote about me in all the dead columns.
-Craig, age 9

WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?

When they’re rich.
- Pam, age 7

HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?

You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids.
- Derrick, age 8

(I like this one a lot, maybe because I am really hoping that we don't become this!)

And last but not least:

HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?

Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a truck.
- Ricky, age 10

Hunger Games anyone? If you haven't seen the new trailer, go now and watch it here! Its only a little over a month away!

The past few days have consisted of a lot of down time in our house due to all three of us getting/being sick. Miss Ellie, who is usually very full of smiles all day long, has been my sleepy baby and I actually miss her being wide awake in the mornings and talking to me. This cold is kicking our butts, especially hers. I am not really complaining though, being able to type and do homework with two hands is wonderful and makes it go by a lot quicker!  

 Cody was able to bless Ellenor at church  this past Sunday and it was amazing. I was able to have my parents fly down from Alaska, my grandparents, brother, and sister’s family all drive up from Utah to be there to support us and we were so grateful for them! Not to mention Cody’s sister and brother who came as well. We have an amazing family. Have I ever mentioned that before? Because it is true, we do. Only the best!

Saturday morning my parents arrived and we made the terrible decision to try and brave Costco on a Saturday but not any Saturday… the day before the super bowl. Let’s just say by the time we left we were ready to be done. Of course we made tacos for dinner, 5 lbs of ground beef goes a long way, its Friday night and we just barely finished it off today at lunch time. My sister Jenn decided to stay in a hotel in town so that her kids could swim. They swam, jumped, splashes, played, and probably would have been there all night long if we had let them. They love their uncles and has a blast.

 The grandma's with the babies!

 The cousins! All were born within a little over a month! I am so excited that Ellie will always have someone to play with at family events!

 We love grandma! She is really good at making owl hats. And all other kinds of animals to!

I also signed up for my first 5k! March 3rd can't come soon enough!
(I know if I write about it on here then I am more accountable and will actually do it if people know and ask me about it. So please feel free to ask me how I am progressing.)

I am not superwoman. No matter how hard I try, it just isn't happening. But I am ok with that, well I am now that I have realized that. I thought that it wouldn't be too hard with a newborn to keep up with the house and young womens. After that wasn't bad I thought, hey I can take a full 12 credits and be just fine. Well the first two weeks I was perfectly fine. The house was clean, dinner was made, and I was doing well in my classes. That is until Monday. Monday I had a break down, cried at everything good and bad, Downton Abbey even made me cry! (If you don't know what that is, get onto PBS and watch the whole first season NOW. And then start on the second and watch it all before Sunday so you can be excited for the next new episode!) Even her little smiles made me cry. I had a nice long conversation with the mama and realized that it is just normal to have those days. Ellenor must have known that something was up and I was just having a hard day. All afternoon she was just smiling at me. The entire time she was awake! It was the first time she had really done it besides when she was trying to poo (TMI?). I find that when I try to get other things done and ignore her while she is awake my day is not quite as good and I am actually much less productive. This post will be my little reminder about what my priorities are.









ANYWAYS... no one really likes to read blogs, they just come for the pictures. So here they  are!

Miss Ellie really enjoys her baths. Cody gave her one the other night and she was so intrigued by him and would not take her eyes off of him. She definitely is a daddy's girl!

 Another daddy story. Sometimes when she wakes up I really need to use the restroom and I leave her on the bed with Cody. I come back into the room and Cody is just loving it. She had reached over and was scratching his back!!! He informed me last night that she will be able to get away with anything as long as she rubs his back. We will have to see about this!

For one of our activities for Young Women's we did a pinewood derby and it was fun to say the least. You can tell by these cars that they aren't your typical wooden cars. Almost all of the have bedazzled gems on them and plenty of sparkle!

We didn't exactly follow the standard weight issue at all. Some of the cars had no weights at all. About half way through the races the parents started getting creative.

There was a key, keychain, pocket knife, bolts, and yes that is an IPhone. Funny part about that was the phone started ringing but they put it on the wrong way!

My mom spoiled our little Ellenor. This is her baby quilt, applique owls! Super cute!

If you can't tell we like this girl just a little bit. I can't believe how long we have had with her already!

Cody is going to bless her this weekend and I could not be more excited. She gets to wear her first of three white dresses. (Blessing, baptism, & Wedding)