Out in the West Texas Town of El Paso . . . . .

Eliza and I had an amazing visit with family. We loved every moment we were able to spend with aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and great grandparents. We also loved all of the YUMMY Mexican food. Except for the fact that my camera went MIA - this was a perfect trip.

We plan to replace our camera soon - but until then Maryellen was sweet enough to e mail me a few pictures to post. My mom and Maryellen both generously offered to send us a disk of the pictures they took with their cameras, so I will be able to post more pictures then.

Weeeeeeee

Eliza's favorite game to play with her Dad is called "Weeeeeeee". Steve holds her and spins around. Eliza LOVES it. Today Steve decided to film her while they were spinning.

Miss Bunny

Last year I thought that it might be fun to take pictures of Eliza with some of her stuffed animals. I knew that the adorable bunny Cathy and Caroline sent to Eliza when she was born would be perfect for pictures. This is one of my favorites and I remember thinking that Eliza looked really tiny next to her enormous bunny.




Today while I was changing the sheet on her bed, Eliza took Miss Bunny and put her in the chair. Seeing her with Miss Bunny made me remember the pictures we took over a year ago. I knew it was time for and Eliza and Miss Bunny update.

Smile . . . . .Somebunny loves you!

Girls Just Wanna Have. . . . . Cupcakes

Today Eliza and I got to spend some time with my friend Emily and her three beautiful girls. Eliza really enjoyed herself and Greer and Harper were the perfect hostesses.

Harper and Eliza look as though they are deep in conversation. Perhaps they are discussing how long they should wait before devouring their cupcakes.

( Sorry about the quality of this photo . . . .I don't know what happened)

Miss Greer wasted no time enjoying her yummy snack.


Honestly Eliza was a bit perplexed as to what to do with her cupcake, but once she saw Greer and Harper dig in, she followed suit very quickly.

Once I got home I realized that I did not take any pictures of Baby Sloane. . . however with four little girls under the age of three . . . . there wasn't really a lot of time for pictures!

Thanks so much for inviting us over . . . we had a great time.

Little Miss Cranky Pants

We have decided recently that Eliza is definitely NOT a morning person. I have often heard people say that they are not really human until after they have had their first cup of coffee in the morning. Although Eliza doesn't drink coffee, she is a cranky pants until she has her breakfast. After breakfast she turns back into our adorable sweet angel baby.

Here are a few pictures from this morning as she enjoyed her milk, yogurt and banana. If you look closely I am sure you will notice the lovely Pebbles Flintsonesque bedhead look she is sporting.

Chick-Fil - A Song

All of us in our house are BIG fans of Chick-Fil-A, so when I found this on You Tube I knew that it was too cute not to share.

Favorite Picture Blog Hop

While reading some of my favorite blogs this morning, I came across the "Favorite Picture Blog Hop" and thought it was a great idea. Not only is it a way to show off your favorite pictures, but it gives you the opportunity to visit new blogs and make new friends as well.

I had a hard time selecting just ONE photo of Miss Eliza, but I finally decided on this one. I think it captures the essence of her nature. She is a happy, fun loving little girl who brings so much joy to our lives.

Birthday Wishes

Happy Birthday Aunt Maryellen. I hope you are having a really fun day. I love you bunches.

Hugs and Kisses-

Eliza

Ice Ice Baby

During these dog days of summer, Eliza and I have been taking advantage of Sonic's Happy Hour (half priced drinks). Eliza gets very excited when she sees the the Sonic cup. Apparently Sonic ice is the equivalent to baby crack because Eliza can't seem to keep her hands out of my cup.

To solve this problem I now order her her own cup of ice. Once we get home, she sits on her little couch and goes to work on her cup of ice. She even says "ummmm" as she eats it.

A Girl and Her Grandpa

Eliza adores her Grandpa . . . . and there is no doubt that the feeling is mutal.

Before I Was a Mom. . .

Today a comment was made to me that really hurt my feelings. A friend of mine was telling me about her most recent Girl Extravaganza Day . . . shopping, lunch, pedicures, cocktails etc. After she had given me a detailed description of her day, she said, "I would have invited you but, now that you are a mom, you do mommy things and don't really have time for your friends anymore."

I have to be honest, her comment stung. It hurt not be included. I spent a lot of time today thinking about her comment and what my life was like before I was a mom. I remembered something I had read awhile back and today these words reminded me why life now is a million times richer than before I was a mom.

Before I Was a Mom ...

Before I was a Mom...I ate in fancy restaurants. I had unstained clothing. I had long conversations on the phone.

Before I was a Mom... I slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got into bed. I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was a Mom... I cleaned my house each day. I never tripped over toys or ran my washing machine day and night.

Before I was a Mom... I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about Immunizations.

Before I was a Mom... I had never been puked on, pooped on, spit on, chewed on, peed on or pinched by tiny fingers.

Before I was a Mom... I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom... I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom... I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important.

Before I was a Mom... I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment, or the satisfaction of being a Mom. I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.