Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Little Lady

Here are some pictures of my favorite subject taken and edited on my phone! :)

IMG_1439Look at those little hands crossed. She is such a little lady!

IMG_1429We are seeing more and more of this! Someone will be crawling before we know it! I have mixed feelings about this. :( It makes me sad how fast she is growing!

IMG_1457 Ellie loves to play peekaboo. We play ALL the time. A video taken a couple months ago is soon to come. :)

IMG_1478 Like I said . . . she loves to play peekaboo!!!

IMG_1499 This is becoming a usual sight at our house. Ellie is constantly chewing on anything she can get her hands on! --- In this case, her bumbo seat while she was eating breakfast, which sure does make for a big mess!

Just too Sweet

I know I already posted her 7 month pictures, but these were taken on my phone . . . and are just too cute not to share!

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IMG_1284 This one is my favorite!

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Time to Eat!

Remember when I said meal time was tough? Uhhhh……yeah.

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She Loves This Girl

Ellie cannot get enough of her Auntie Claire, and I think the feeling is mutual! Claire is going back to school at Mizzou this fall. We will miss seeing her so frequently! I’m sure some visits to her new apartment are in our future, though!

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IMG_1034 Sorry these pictures aren’t the best quality. They were taken on my phone! ;)

Summer Wardrobe

I will miss these little summer outfits when winter comes. I just love seeing those chunky little thighs.

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CIMG7389 These were taken in Auntie M’s bed. Ellie is obsessed with her bedroom. She gets so excited when we take her in there!

CIMG7411 Another one of Gracie and Lydia’s cute little outfits.

CIMG7409 Lulu playing with some of her many toys.

Happy Birthday, Auntie M!

I wish I would have taken a picture of Beans and her favorite Auntie on Mollie’s birthday, but I wasn’t thinking! Here is one of Mollie and I on her birthday. She turned 17. I remember when she was running around in diapers. Once again, it makes me think about how quickly time goes by, and how we need to cherish these days with our little Ellie!

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IMG_1490  Mollie came home with two cakes: one made by her best friends, Cody Hill and Nick Leonard; and another made by some of our little brother, Jesse’s friends, Zak Lansford, Sam Jett, Ivan Elrod, and Kever Donze. Two cookie cakes made by Grandma Ronda. One cheesecake from Granny Linda, and cupcakes made by Shannon Branson. She is sort of loved by many! :o)

Boppy Time

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We use this Boppy more and more each day! Ellie loves to lay on it and watch her favorite movies – and make funny faces. ;)

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Sophie!

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We finally bought another Sophie. Our other one was thrown away by a mean old waitress at Longhorn when we left it on the table. This is Ellie’s favorite toy – well worth the money – it soothes her gums! :)

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Hand-Me-Downs

Ellie and I are so thankful for all of the adorable hand-me-downs she has received from her sweet Aunt Keri and cousins Gracie and Lydia. Each month or so, I go through the TUBS of clothes they have given us to see which ones will fit. The best part is they are in such great condition. This week, we found this little gem. :)

CIMG7398 Check out her new earrings. Nana bought these for her – I think we like them much better than the diamond studs. :)

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CIMG7406 Ellie is saying “Mama” in this picture. Love it!

CIMG7408 Isn’t this outfit adorable?! I just LOVE it.

Big Girl Pool

Last month, Nana had her high school reunion. It was actually her 21 year. Ellie and I went along to visit for awhile and let everyone meet Jeannie’s grandbaby. Several of her classmates couldn’t believe she was a Grandma Nana. The reunion was at the Belle Country Club, so that meant swimming in the “big pool” for Ellie. Uncle Jess was nice enough to get in with her so Momma didn’t have to. ;)

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Jesse is such a good Uncle. There were several kids there for him to socialize with, but he opted to play with Ellie. :)

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Lu wasn’t too sure about it at first, but she got comfortable really quick. She cracked everyone up how she just sort of laid back and relaxed in her floatee.

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These pictures have really helped plea our case with Papa – showing him just how badly we need a “big girl pool.” Hopefully next summer. :)

7 Months

Dear Baby Girl,

I know this is posted late – you will be eight months next week! – but things have been so busy around here, as usual. It just seems more and more unreal the older you get. I cannot believe how quickly time passes. You are growing up so much, it actually makes me sad! Each day with you is becoming more interesting as you learn new things. I know that all parents think that their child is the brightest of the bunch, but I mean it when I say that you are one smart cookie! :)

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You’ve had a first this month. You said the word, “Momma.” I cannot tell you how wonderful it made me feel. My heart melted in an instant. I had to fight back tears! Luckily, we were at Grandma Jett’s, so there were witnesses your first time. Even though you said “Momma,” your Dad was still pretty excited. It sure is something to hear your baby say their first word. It kind of put things into perspective for both of us; made us realize how quickly you are growing into a toddler. I know you’re not even a year old yet, but I still miss those days when you were a little bitty baby.

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One of the things I love most about you is how easy it is to make you smile. All I really have to do is say, “Who’s that baby?!” and you instantly cheese it up for everyone. Even a big smile will get you going most of the time. It cracks me up so much how excited you get when someone gives you attention. You even start to shake!

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You are kind of a problem child, too. We can’t get you to eat! We have tried every single kind of baby food – you won’t even tolerate it. There are kinds that I have thought smell pretty good, like the blueberry applesauce or the strawberry banana applesauce, so I gave them a try and thought they were pretty tasty! You completely disagree. The only “baby” food we have found that you like are the little Gerber Graduates Yogurt Melts. We get them in peach flavor, strawberry, and three berry and you really enjoy them. We start off each morning with half a bag of those and bites of whatever Momma is eating. That’s the other thing – you love, love, love table food. If you see that Momma or Nana or Dad is eating something, you want a bite immediately. And about 90% of the time, you LOVE it and continue to munch. We found that you really like mashed potatoes. Of course, we can’t make those every night, so Nana bought some instant potatoes to see if you like them. You were too smart for that. You despised them! Feeding you is definitely a challenge. On days there is nothing in the house, we make the trip up to Grandma Ronda’s to see what is on her menu.

CIMG7363 You still love your bath time. I’d say it is your favorite part of the day. You really like your rubber ducks. You always grab the same one and chew on it. You’re trying to cut those bottom teeth. I’m beginning to think they will never come in. We battle the occasional fever, fussiness, chewing of the hand, and lots of slobbering. I can’t wait for this stage to be over with!

Oh, Ellie Beans, I really cannot imagine life without you. You are such a delight and bring so much happiness to all of our lives….especially your Momma’s and Dad’s. We love you so much and are enjoying every minute of watching you grow!

Love,
Your Momma