A December Picnic

It is not very often that the snow melts, the sun comes out and the
temperature rises to a pleasant degree. In Cincinnati. In December.
Such an occasion occurred today, the last day of 2010. We were
determined not to miss the opportunity.

We piled in the car, packed up some food and went to our favorite
park. We had no winter hats, no mittens, no coats. In fact, T.J. and I
had iced coffees rather than the warm java we usually have in
December. We all had smiles and excitement for our day together.

We had a picnic of salads and chicken sandwiches and ate outside as a
man flew a kite on the open lawn before us. We found small piles of
snow despite the 65 degrees outside and showed Elliana the joy of
making and throwing snowballs (primarily at me, but I loved it just
the same.) We watched Elliana jog a significant portion of the 1.6
mile trail we went on, and walk most of the rest of it. We laughed at
the echos we created while standing in a tunnel. We added more
memories to our fantastic year together known as 2010. All because of
a December picnic.

And a Merry Christmas was had by all...

Christmas has come and gone, and a very merry Christmas it was! We are blessed with an abundance of family to celebrate the joyous season. Our Christmas festivities began on Sunday, December 20th and proceeded all week until the 26th. Grandparents, cousins, nieces and nephews. Aunts, Uncles and great grandparents too. Our week was a constant reminder of the importance of family, fun and laughter.

It was a wonderfully busy week. New memories were created and possibly new traditions were discovered. A few of my favorite joys are listed below:

The joy of watching Elliana dress up as a princess and twirl in circles while she says "Ana (what she calls herself) princess! Ana pretty!"

The joy of watching Elliana start tearing off her clothing in anticipation of putting on her new "tree-bah bah dress" (Tinkerbell) and Princess Belle shoes.

The joy of watching Elliana marvel at her new presents and dance with excitement.

The joy of watching Elliana's excitement as she set out cookies and milk for Santa on Christmas Eve.

The joy of watching Elliana vaccuum alongside Mommy and getting so excited that her vaccuum was actually picking up things!

The joy of watching Elliana and her cousins ignore the toys around them and find fascination with a box instead.

I love my family and am grateful for the abundance of family this holiday season.

"More Christmas show, please!"

On Saturday, we took Elliana to the annual Christmas play at our church. The play is a modern day rendition of the story of Christmas and the birth of Jesus. Before the play, Elliana was happy to indulge in a few Christmas cookies with Grandpa Jim.

We took a quick family photo and then prepared for the festivities.

Of course, when Grandma and Grandpa's laps were open, Elliana chose to sit with them rather than sitting in her own seat. She climbed up on Grandpa's lap and prepared for the show.

Throughout the show, Elliana clapped, danced and sang along to the familiar songs. The star that lit up above the crowd captured her attention more than anything else and she eagerly pointed to it and commented on the beauty of it.

After the performance, Elliana clapped and smiled long after the play ended. Despite being up past bed time, Elliana continued to talk about the show with eagerness and happiness. And, has since requested "More Christmas show, please."

Gingerbread, toddlers and candy, OH MY!

Growing up, my mom was a first grade teacher who truly put her heart and love into her students and classroom. One of my favorite parts of being the daughter of a teacher, was the annual gingerbread house decorating party that my mom hosted for her classroom each year. For days before her classroom party, my mom would be up to the wee hours of the morning making icing, cutting graham crackers and taping milk cartons to prepare the supplies her students would need. Helping my mom with this each year became one of my favorite holiday traditions.

My mom has since retired from teaching, but now that I have a child of my own, it is important to have the Christmas tradition I loved so much to live on! Last week, Elliana & I hosted what could be our first annual gingerbread house decorating party for our friends. 6 toddlers, 5 mommies, one baby and one amazing Nana (my mom) to lead us in our house construction, assembly and decorating.

The kids did an amazing job! Creativity shone through and each child seemed to come up with a unique house despite all of them having the same ingredients. I admit, my daughter never actually added candy to her house, but rather ate the ingredients and candy that I was "helping" her apply to the house. But, I could tell she was having fun nonetheless. In fact, she kept telling me "Mommy, Ana (what she calls herself) fun!"

As you can tell, we all took our work seriously by the deep look of concentration on the faces. In fact, I wonder who was having more fun, the kids or us moms.

Since the party last week, every time Elliana passes her gingerbread house, she points to it and says, "Ana friends do this!" and a big goofy grin covers her little face.

Mommy & Elliana with our finished house.

The Gingerbread Gang!

And so, as I look back on the work, the preparation, the fun and the friends, I can't help but get excited as I am already looking forward to next year and the many traditions we are beginning.

Festival of Lights - 2010

T.J. and I have always made the Festival of Lights a holiday tradition of ours. It is magical, beautiful and sentimental. Our first Christmas together, T.J. asked me to marry him after our date to the Festival of Lights. Seven years after that night where T.J. asked me to be his wife, it was a special treat to bring our daughter to this lighted tradition of ours.

Before we even walked through the front gates, Elliana was "oohhing" and "aweing" at the lights. "Oohh, pretty lights!" was repeated over and over out of our young one's tiny lips. Elliana loved the "light tunnel" shown left and ran back and forth beneath the dome of lights. My pictures simply couldn't capture the magic in her eyes but I sure did try!

Elliana was thrilled to see a reindeer and get her photo taken, but it was Santa who truly stole her heart. I look forward to this tradition for many years to come and to watch the "magic" of the season capture each one of our hearts along the way.

Winter Fun

The cold days of winter have begun to set in, so to the mall we went
and look at that grin!
My little girl is no longer a baby. She asks for the toy store and I
of course say "maybe."
She runs in the play area like the biggest of kid. And of the play
waterfall on her butt she did slid.
And so I write blogs while I watch my girl play, I can tell already,
it's a marvelous day!

Elliana visits Santa

Last year, Elliana was less than thrilled with her visit with Santa. I am pleased to announce that this year was just the opposite.

On Saturday, we went to the library for some Christmas songs, crafts and of course some quality time with Old Saint Nick. As soon as Santa emerged from the back room, Elliana's face lit up with excitement and she began asking to go see him. Elliana patiently waited in line and smiled from ear to ear when she sat on his lap. The rest of the day, Elliana referred to her visit with Santa and each reference brought a smile that melted my heart.

This morning, before leaving the Cincinnati Museum Center, we made a quick stop at the Holiday Junction. You can imagine both of our surprise when Santa walked through the door. Elliana ran straight into the arms of the jolly old man and he picked her up with a huge smile.

I can already tell, that Christmas will be a lot of fun this year.

A wonderful day

Just a few short weeks ago, Elliana and I spent a marvelous morning at the Zoo. That morning I decided to embrace the final days of warm weather (already unusual for Mid-November), packed our lunches and hit the road. It was practically like our own personal zoo as we saw no field trips, and very few other people. Elliana got an up close look at the animals as we talked about each one, and even allowed Mommy to take a picture or two.

When we passed the Carousel, Elliana began her usual repetitive requests to ride the ride. So we did. Once. No, twice. Well, actually we rode it three consecutive times without even having to disembark. It was our own personal ride! Elliana even got to ride the shark which she had wanted to ride all summer, but was always too crowded. "Elli like shark" my munchkin said as she pet him. Elliana may look just like Daddy but she has Mommy's love of sharks! :)

We rode the "choo-choo." Elliana was excited to see the early stages of Festival of Lights decorations throughout the train circle. "Tree light...oohhh...pretty!" she exclaimed as she saw the workers hanging Christmas lights.

And then, as if our day wasn't already incredibly perfect, we drove downtown and met Daddy for lunch at Sawyer Point. We ate our picnic lunch while watching the boats go by and an older man fish in the Ohio River. Elliana told Daddy about our morning and then we walked to the playground where we all laughed and played.

I continue to marvel at the joy and laughter that my family brings to my heart. The giggles of my little girl, the smiles of my husband, the simplicity of everyday things done together.

Attitude of Gratitude

I'm thankful. Abundantly thankful. But those two little words just don't seem to measure my happiness and genuine gratitude for the life which God has blessed me with. And so allow me a few minutes to express my attitude of gratitude on this rainy pre-Thanksgiving day.

In no particular order....

I am grateful for a warm, beautiful home. A house built just for our little family. A home that keeps us warm and dry, provides comfort and security.

I am grateful for stain-treaters that get the various toddler messes out of Elliana's clothes, usually after only one wash cycle.

I am grateful for 3 sets of parents who continue to teach us lessons on love, laughter and family. Each parent is a unique and perfect part of who we have become.

I am grateful for photographs. Constant memories of our life together. Constant reminders of how quickly life changes and to never take a moment for granted.

I am grateful for an abundance of food to eat. Even if we typically eat the same foods consistently (Elliana, more than T.J. & I), I am grateful for the variety of choices we have and the ability to enjoy each food.

I am grateful for my daughter's intelligence. Each day, I marvel at her intelligence and memory. She is literally a human sponge and I LOVE her love for learning.

I am grateful for my husband's commitment to me being a stay-at-home mom. T.J. works so hard to provide for our family, and I appreciate it more than words can ever express.

I am grateful for play-dates. An opportunity for Elliana to play with peers and for Mommy to connect with other Moms and friends. We have built amazing relationships over the past two years and look forward to many more in our future.

I am grateful for coupons. Coupons that allow us to "splurge" without blowing the budget. Milkshakes, clothes, dinner, groceries...I use coupons for practically everything and am grateful for those special treats.

I am grateful for love. The love of Jesus, the love of our parents, the love of my husband and daughter. Each different kinds of love and very much appreciated.

And as I continue to type item after item, I realize that I could type all day long. I am thankful for life. And the opportunity to express my gratitude.

Goal ACCOMPLISHED! Result : More than expected

I set the goal for myself early in 2010. I didn't think I could do it. I procrastinated in setting an actual date for the occasion. In fact, I postponed the date once I finally did set one. But at last, the time had come.

After almost two years of practically being attached to my daughter at all times, we made the decision that the time was right for a little getaway (just Mommy & Daddy). I prepared Elliana for it all week. After each nap, I explained how many naps remained before her sleepover at "Papa Jim's House." I explained that Mommy and Daddy weren't staying there, and that it would be just Elliana, Grandma Carolyn and Papa Jim for two days. Every time we discussed it, she smiled and said "Yes" as if fully understanding the weekend plans. On Friday, Elliana woke up and said "Friday? Papa Jim's house?" and I smiled and almost cried at the same time. The day had come and I had a sinking suspicion that Elliana was far more ready than I was for her first time away.

We arrived at "Papa Jim's house" (as Elliana says) around 5:30 pm Friday night. We walked in the door, carrying the many accessories a toddler requires and began talking to my parents. Almost instantly, Elliana said "Mommy, Daddy leaving. BYE MOMMY! BYE DADDY!" and starts walking toward the steps. "Grandma Carolyn, play! BYE MOMMY!, Papa Jim...toys! BYE DADDY!" the requests from my daughter's mouth began flowing, but none of the requests involved me.

Looking back, I suppose it was the moment that most parents dream about. A happy, well adjusted child, thriving in a new environment. No crying or pleading on Elliana's behalf. In fact, we were the ones who begged for a few kisses from our munchkin. Then we were off!

We began with a dinner that didn't involve high chairs, crayons or kids menus. In fact, we didn't instinctively clean everything from the table when we sat down for fear of what a toddler can quickly grab, spill or throw. It was as if T.J. and I also knew that something special was in store for us this weekend. A rare glimpse at our lives together as husband and wife, rather than Mommy and Daddy.

For the first time, in what feels like a long time, we had the opportunity to talk. We didn't worry about diaper changes, snack times, bed time or practically anything for that matter. We focused on each other. We enjoyed our food and actually ate it while it was hot. Our conversations occasionally went on the topic of Elliana as she was never that far from our mind.

The weekend consisted of a total of 5 phone calls to check in on her, two of which I was able to talk to Elliana on the phone (as she was actually awake and willing). Each phone call was a glowing report of our daughter and brought joy to my heart.

Each moment spent with my husband reminded me of the love we have. The joy that T.J. brings to my face and the silliness that only he can bring out in me. It was refreshing and uplifting. We skipped meals, pigged out on junk food, ruined our appetites, stayed up late, and did things without planning (NEVER happens as a Mom)...all of the odd, goofy things that we don't do very often as we are too busy trying to be good role models.

Sunday afternoon, our drive home couldn't go fast enough. We loved our time alone together, but our hearts were missing Elliana fiercely. I had never been away from Elliana for more than a handful of hours at a time and my heart jumped for joy when I was reunited. Her little face smiled when she saw us and wrapped her arms around me. On the drive home, we were inundated with Elliana telling us about her vacation without us. "Elli fun. Papa Jim's house. Grandma Carolyn too. Elli fun."

Overall, the weekend was a huge success! I fell even more in love with my husband. I didn't realize how much I missed my husband, even though he is with us every evening and weekend as Daddy. The weekend allowed us to focus on us...and the love that made us a family and brought Elliana into our lives.

And since it was the first time that I have ever been without my daughter, the absence made me appreciate her and our time together that much more. Appreciate her overwhelming politeness, her sense of humor, the smiles and unexpected silliness.

I am so grateful for this past weekend. For my husband. For my daughter. For my parents who loved on my daughter as if she was their own. What a terrific start to celebrate this week of Thanksgiving.

Im-nas-tics

Elliana loves gymnastics. She loves the tumbling, the twirling, the jumping and sliding. I, on the other hand love to watch Elliana's growth and happiness each time we go.

We go once a month with the local MOMS Club and it always amazes me how much Elliana remembers month to month. Yesterday, was the gymnastics class for this month. We woke up, ate breakfast and Elliana began her morning routine of asking to watch cartoons. That routine quickly ended when I said that we didn't have time for cartoons if she wanted to go to gymnastics. The goofiest, happiest little grin came across her face. "Im-nastic?" she asked in her tiny toddler voice.

"Yes, honey. We are going to go to gymnastics today!" I explained, happy to see her excitement. And my little 22 month old began dancing in our living room. Twirling in circles and jumping to her own happiness.

And so, I felt the need to post a few pictures of Elliana's gymnastics adventures. These pictures are from last month ( as I was having too much fun yesterday to actually snap any pictures).

Laughing at herself after chasing a ball. Or maybe laughing at Mommy when I fell into the foam pit (not sure which as my memory seems to be less reliable than it used to be.)

Elliana is swinging like a monkey. One of her most favorite parts of gymnastics. I love to watch her let go, fall into the padded mat, smile and say "Elli okay" then run back to the line to do it all again.

No longer a decoration

Months ago, around Elliana's 18 month birthday, we bought a potty chair. Our pediatriacian had recommended purchasing one to just keep around the house for Elliana to get used to. On occassion, she would point to it and say "Elli's potty," but for the most part it was just part of our decor.

Elliana is now 22 months old and the potty chair has remained part of our decorations. A lonely little plastic chair adorning our guest bathroom positioned next to the toilet. That is, until two days ago. Elliana was getting ready for her bath and pointed to the potty chair. "Elli's potty!" she proclaimed with excitement. Given she was already naked and in bath mode, I asked if she needed to go potty. She lifted the pottty chair, pulled it into the middle of the bathroom and said "YES!" and sat her little tooshie on the seat. "Door close" she said as she jumped up and ran to close the door and then marched back to her seat. "Elli potty" she said and I said something like, "yes, this is where you go potty." Elliana looked at me and said "Elli potty!" You can imagine my surprise when I checked and sure enough she had gone pee-pee. She instinctually grabbed toilet paper, wiped and threw it in her chair. Her little eyes looked up at me and beamed with pride.

Thankfully, Daddy was home and was a part of this momentous event. We did a little dance. We showed our excitement and praised her good efforts. Our daughter continued to beam from ear to ear. During her bath that followed, Elliana looked at me and said "Elli happy." I explained that Mommy and Daddy were happy too and that we were very proud of her.

Today is Thursday and I admit, I have not even tried to ask Elliana if she had to use the potty again. We have been running around from sun up to sun down and it simply hasn't crossed my mind. This morning, we were preparing for another bath. And...much to my surprise, Elliana made an encore performance. "Elli potty?" my daughter asked as if seeking my permission. "Yes, honey. Do you have to go potty?" I asked. Elliana began sitting down on the potty fully clothed and I quickly stood her up and began undressing her zip up footed pajamas. As soon as she was undressed, onto the potty chair she sat. And, proudly announced her accomplishment again.

As a mother, I am continually impressed by my daughter's accomplishments. But, I really think that this potty business is just knocking my socks off. I think I am going to continue to allow Elliana to lead the potty training process as she seems to be doing just great on her own pace. And, I will continue to marvel at her accomplishments and be a happy Mommy.

Halloween Festivities

Halloween has come and gone. Almost two weeks into November and I think we have all recovered from the fun of the holiday.

We carved our first pumpkin with Elliana this year as we felt she was too young last year to "get it." Elliana was interested in the process until she reached her hand into the gooey, squishy pumpkin and the seeds and mush stuck to her hand. That was when the interest was lost. But, we did have fun with our friends during the Pumpkin Carving Party and Elliana had a blast with her new friend Ella.

Nana and Grandpa Perk (or "yo-yo" and "Papa Perk" to Elliana) were gracious enough to join us on Halloween for dinner. They passed out candy and helped Elliana practice gathering candy. Then we hit the streets!

Snuggling with Nana after a long, cold night of fun!

For the actual Halloween night, our little princess dressed up as a pirate. She quickly mastered the "argh" though never got the hang of "trick-or-treat." Once she realized that candy was passed out at each house, Elliana quickly got into the spirit of going door to door. "thank-you" was always used, along with phrases like "this house, now" "more candy" and many "hellos" to the many familiar characters she saw dressed up throughout the neighborhood.

Our Family after a night of trick-or-treating...

Piles of Fun

There are numerous benefits to being a parent.
The smiles, the giggles, the laughter and cuddles.

One of the greatest benefits of parenthood is one that I had never imagined. The ability to relive your childhood through your child. To rediscover the joys of everyday things and watch as your child discovers those things for the first time.

I had forgotten the simple joys of raking up leaves simply to jump in and rake them up again. I am thankful that Elliana quickly reminded me how much fun we can have even with our chores.

To the fire station we went!

Elliana and I go on a lot of adventures. Last week we ventured to the local fire station for a fire house tour and talk with the local firemen.

I was a little concerned she would be too young to appreciate the experience and understand the tour. I doubt that she did understand most of it or why the firemen had to put on so many layers of clothes. But, Elliana absolutely LOVED the tour. We saw the sleeping quarters, the fire pole (and even witnessed a demonstration in which Elliana kept asking for more), the kitchen and of course the big trucks.


The generous firemen allowed the kids to "drive" the truck and climb in and out of the monstrous vehicles. As we walked away she kept talking about the trucks, the pole, her new fire hat and the pumpkin cookies we gave to the firemen (still working on the generosity discussion as she couldn't understand why we didn't have the cookies anymore). Overall, I would say our morning a success. My munchkin loved it all and gave me a couple of great pictures too.

Out of the mouth of babes

Sometimes life passes too fast. Just yesterday it seems like Elliana was pronouncing "oh doh" when something went amiss and now she clearly pronounces "oh no!" with the appropriate enthusiasm as she explains why she is saying oh no. And so, before time passes and she moves on to new cute things...I thought I would take a few moments to capture a few of my favorite of Elliana's recent sayings.

"Moon Broke." - used to describe the half moon she noticed last week. "Daddy fix it." came shortly after out of her sweet innocent mouth. And, when she saw the full moon this week...."MOON FIX!" she shouted with excitement. "No moon broke. Daddy fix it!" and then...a few seconds later, she claimed credit for fixing the moon. :)

"woowy (Woody) buzz wipes pwease." to request that I use the Toy Story wipes recently purchased. On a side note, those wipes were worth every penny as she now lays perfectly still during diaper changes as she is enamored with those Disney characters.

"No Mommy touch nose!" Used daily as I wipe her face after meal time. I rarely touch her nose, but with those pesky teeth still coming through she has an occasional runny nose and HATES when I wipe it.

"Daddy paper toiwee" When she sees toilet paper in a package, she points it out and reminds me that we once took Daddy some toilet paper. And now, it is forever Daddy's paper.

"Mommy Daddy wuv you." Self explanatory and my favorite!!

"Papa throw babies! Papa bad." What happens when Papa tosses a baby to Grandma in front of Elliana. No worries though, Papa got put in time out. And yes, this was more than a week ago and Elliana randomly announces that "Papa throw babies!!" and she adds the throwing motion to boot.

"Ma's house. Pianwo." Completely surprised me when she crawled onto her toddler piano and announced that Grandma had a piano at her house. Huh, didn't think she had noticed.

"Woowy Buzz Show Puhlease!" repeated numerous times a day as she requests her favorite movie. And when I turn her down daily, "No woowy buzz show now." 5 minutes later..."Woowy, Buzz show now?"

And so...this list is not complete, but it is a handful of my daughter's personality and budding language skills.

Giraffes and Pirates, Oh my!

We have been attending baby story time at our local library since Elliana was about six weeks old. It quickly became my salvation as a new mother. A reason to get out of the house at least once a week that didn't involve a doctor appointment for Elliana or myself. A reason to shower, blow dry my hair and possibly even shave my legs. Those 45 minutes of structured reading, singing and playing helped me to discover the identity of myself as a mother and no longer as a career woman.

I rediscovered the joy in rhyming, rocking and reading. I learned new words in sign language to add to my limited vocabulary and received the encouragement to keep signing. And shortly thereafter, my daughter started signing back to me. :)

It's hard to tell who has grown more over the past year and half of story time. My daughter or myself. Elliana, obviously grew far more physically than I did. She morphed from this cradled infant, to fully sitting up, crawling, and then a walking and talking child. She went from being attached to me, clinging for comfort and familiarity to dancing around the room and randomly sitting on the laps of others (primarily our librarian and friend, Denise). She went from being surprised when we pulled into the library to practically begging to go each time we drove past the now familiar building.

Elliana's physical growth is truly incredible, although I think we both grew more than the growth described above. Together, we learned songs that can instantly bring smiles to both of our faces. We learned the joys of plastic eggs filled with rice and the delightful noise they make, which we will forever call "shaky eggs." We've learned to utilize the library and the free resources and classes they have to offer. We've made friends with other moms and kids and look forward to their faces each week. We joined a MOMS club through the friendships we made, which has provided hours of fun and an abundance of opportunities.

I've grown into a more confident and fun mom. A mom who no longer checks out every child-rearing book the library has to offer, but instead books on playing and laughing. A mom who WANTS to read the same book 42 times a day (assuming I've had enough coffee) because it can bring a smile to my daughter's face. A mom who makes our trips to the library an essential part of our week because it is something that we both look forward to.

This week we participated in our second baby story time Halloween party (which I like to think was extended to 23 months of age, specifically for Elliana). As with last year, I had a blast. Watching my little pirate run around as if she owned the library (and she probably thinks she does as it is home away from home). Watching her play and borrow Savannah's horse as galloped around the room. It is a long way from the barely walking giraffe I brought to the Halloween party with me last year. I can only imagine the growth we both have in store for us in the year ahead.

A Perfectly "Ducky" Day

Last week, we celebrated Nana's birthday by going downtown and riding the "ducks." I could go into details about the silly songs we sang, the laughter we all had and the way the boat just glided into the Ohio River and reemerged as a bus. But, rather than typing a bunch of details, I will allow these pictures to literally tell the story.

Just a bonus

Sometimes, the best plans don't work out as planned. When my husband left for a few days of hiking, I began planning our days with activities and plans to help pass the time and give us things to look forward to in his absence.

Our plan for today was beautiful. Mommy wakes up first and enjoys a little yoga and a cup of coffee while Elliana is still sleeping. Enjoy a play-date with friends, go out to eat with MOMS club, take a nap and then go to a matinee feature with Grandma of Elliana's favorite movie...TOY STORY! Afterwards, we would grab dinner at Chick-Fil-A enjoying their "Family Night out" specials as Mommy enjoys the fact that I cooked no meals today.

Well, I should know by now that things don't always go as planned. When I set my alarm clock last night for 6:30 this morning (to give plenty of time for yoga and Mommy time), I didn't realize that again I was going to suffer from insomnia without my husband asleep by my side. I didn't realize I was going to be up past midnight cleaning the house top to bottom, for the second possibly third day in a row.

When the alarm clock went off this morning after less than five hours of sleep, I hit snooze. 9 minutes later, I hit it again. And, 9 minutes later the button was hit again. After all, Elliana has been sleeping in until at least 8 or 8:30 so I would still have plenty of time to get some "me" time before she woke up. I woke up at 7:30 to the sounds of a very awake toddler saying "Mommy, UP!" No yoga. No coffee. I was on duty again. I don't mind though...I like my job.

Our play-date ran late. Our lunch always runs long, as my daughter is perhaps the slowest eater on the planet. We rushed home from lunch to squeeze in a nap before Grandma arrives at 2 to attend the movie. I laid Elliana down at 12:45. Still PLENTY of time for her to get at least an hour nap, possibly an hour and a half. Elliana had other plans. She laid in her bed talking, singing and playing. Did the play-date and lunch not wear her out as much as it did me?! At 1:25, I went back upstairs as she obviously was not going to sleep. A bundle of energy greeted me.

"Mommy, PLAY!"

"No Bed."

"Play pleeease"

All valid requests and ones I would normally give into. I lovingly explained that I want to play, but she had to sleep first. We had fun things planned, but not if she doesn't sleep. "Sweep...first" was repeated in her tiny baby voice. After a few minutes of cuddle time, I explained I was laying her back down and she had to sleep. And...much to my surprise...she did. My little angel laid down and went to sleep.

Although things don't always go as planned, I will always remain grateful that my job as a Mommy allows me the freedom to go with the unexpected and enjoy each moment of it. Days that actually follow my plan is just a bonus.

Kentucky Wool Fest 2010!

We began going to the Kentucky Wool Fest in 2008, when I was about 7 months pregnant with Elliana. As rather new residents to Kentucky, we felt it was important to begin a new tradition close to home.

I admit, the Wool Fest has quickly become one of my favorite fall traditions. Crafts, food and fall activities are just a few of the reasons why I love it there. But I think I like it there most because it is a constant opportunity for our family to grow and learn together.


Rather than a traditional feet photo, we switched it up with our KY Wool Fest stamps on our hands.

Daddy & Elliana near the barn where Elliana eagerly pointed out the tractor and begged for a ride. Yep, we are raising her to be a proud Kentucky gal!

Mommy & Elliana with our goat friend after enjoying the petting zoo. I absolutely LOVE her enthusiasm for learning. I pray it lasts a lifetime!

Mommys Gotcha

Last week, Elliana and I went to a local horse stable for a barn tour and horse ride. Immediately, my daughter was fascinated with the horses and tried to coax them out of their stable and into her arms. It didn't matter to her that the stables were closed and the horses couldn't physically get out on their own. "Come horse....puh-lease!" was repeated numerous times as Elliana continued to try to coax the horse to her.

A few minutes later we walked a bit further into the barn and Elliana gasped with excitement as she saw that people were actually riding on horses. "horse please, horse please...Mommy...HORSE PUHHHHH-LLEEAASEE!!" I explained to my impatient munckin that there was a line in front of us to ride on the horses, and that she would get her turn soon enough.

Finally, Elliana's turn had come and she boarded the horse with giddy excitement. I walked along side the horse snapping pictures as we walked and holding the saddle to help prevent any slipping. At one point the saddle slipped just a bit and Elliana looked at me with frightened eyes. Calmly, I said "Mommy's got you." Elliana continued to smile and laugh as she rode the horse around the barn.

After a circle of the barn, Elliana got off the horse as instructed and began to beg for another ride. I explained that I didn't think we were allowed to do a second ride and Elliana immediately said "try it." Well, turns out if you beg enough in front of the instructor, a second ride is granted. Around the barn we rode again.

Later that night, Elliana proceeded to talk about the horses and our adventures that day. "horses....Mommysgotcha" was announced all evening to everyone she met. More than a week has passed since our horse adventure, and every time Elliana sees a horse, she proceeds to say "mommysgotcha." Yes my dear, Mommy has got you. And I always will.