adventures of Elsie

I know it's not the best picture, but I had to include it because it's Elsie playing with the door. She was obsessed with the double doors that lead into the den. She kept swinging them open and closed. It really kept her happy!Elsie with her aunt Gi Gi. Carson is such a sweety to Elsie. He would play with her and help keep her entertained and happy. He kept calling her "my little cousin" in the sweetest voice.

Elsie loved going under the piano bench. I don't know why she liked it so much. It must have felt like a cool fort or something. Now she keeps going under our side tables next to the couch. I'm sure she's going to bonk her head one of these times, but for now she's having fun.

I don't have a picture of it, but Elsie was also LOVING crawling after Murphy (my mom's dog). She would get so happy and laugh when he came around. She'd watch everywhere that he went. She would even slightly torture him just trying to show her love. Murphy was so good with her. It was interesting to see how much better Elsie's crawling got even after the first couple days of following him. She's a speed demon now!

Christmas outfits

We tried to get a picture of Carson, Kaiya, and Elsie in their Christmas outfits after church. Carson was the only really cooperative one. Elsie was sitting nicely on Carson's lap at first, but her patience didn't last too long. Kaiya absolutely would not seat down or pose for the picture. She was being quite the stubborn little thing. Jared was getting so frustrated (it was funny to watch!). Anyway, I could only get a couple pictures of Carson and Elsie and only a walking picture of Kaiya. They all looked so cute! I guess we'll have to try again another year.

Christmas is over...boo hoo

We had a great time up in Moses Lake this year for Christmas. Christmas morning is so much fun with kids! We didn't do a whole lot while we were up there visiting...just ate a lot, hung out and visited, and played some games.

We drove up Friday afternoon and got there early enough to go out to dinner at Inca...Aaron's favorite Mexican restaurant that's not actually in Mexico. Saturday morning Elsie woke up very early (there is a one hour time difference) and so Aaron and I hung out for a while with her. We went over to Grandma's to get some toast and jam...that was nummy! We also played a game of Phase 10 while Elsie played with some of her second cousins. That evening was the BYU game, so we went to J's Teriyaki (Aaron's other favorite ML restaurant) to get some food for the game. While Aaron was glued to the TV, my mom and I wrapped presents. That was quite a task! Good thing Aaron was able to entertain Elsie. Sunday morning we lounged around and then got ready for Church. Jared and Lindsay drove up that morning with their kids just in time for church. I got to see Chloe for the first time. She is so beautiful and tiny. It was fun to compare her to Elsie now. I've forgotten how small and fragile they are at first. My mom made a wonderful ham dinner for us that evening with pomegranate salad...which Elsie loved! We didn't do much on Monday. I went to the store with my mom that morning to do some last minute grocery shopping. We lounged around, played Acquire, and went to Grandma's for Christmas Eve dinner. There was so much food, but, of course, we filled ourselved up on rolls. The kids did the nativity (they were all so cute...I didn't get any pictures of that). Jeff and Brandon came over afterwards to play Settlers and Ticket to Ride. That was lots of fun!

Christmas morning Elsie woke up pretty darn early, so that got the ball rolling. Carson had left a note for Santa with some cookies and milk. He went to check that first and then they scoped out their Santa gifts. We all took turns opening our presents. However, the kids had way more than any of us, so they got to do a few at a time. Elsie wasn't too interested in opening anything or playing with the paper. Once we showed her what she got, she liked looking at it for a second. She was more interested in crawling around.
Elsie got: Little People bus, Little people barn, lots of books, a grab-n-go hippo, some cute outfits, a phone, a laptop (she loves this one), a few little trinkets, and some money to go shopping! Aaron got: The Bourne Ultimatum, Ticket to Ride, The Office (on DVD), a couple books, and a Michael Scott bobblehead. I got: Harry Potter DVD, Bath and Body Works gift card, a sweater, a spicerack, The Office. We also got some new silverware and some money to do some more shopping! Good thing, I need some clothes!

Christmas day we continued our laziness. I didn't even shower until late that afternoon. We watched the Bourne movie that night because Lindsay and my mom hadn't seen it yet. It was good the second time around. We left Wednesday to make sure that we didn't get stuck in any bad weather in the mountains. It wasn't too bad, but I'm sure glad that I wasn't the one driving.

We had a great Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Well, we're off to Moses Lake this afternoon for Christmas. Hopefully the weather will cooperate with us for the drive. I'm sure it will!

I got all my shopping done this week, except I feel like I totally failed with Aaron's gift. We had decided that we would do some presents for each other, but not spend a lot of money. The only reason we even decided to do presents for each other is because a couple years ago we didn't and Aaron hated it. I honestly didn't mind not having much to open, but Aaron was sad. The only problem with getting presents is I know exactly what he's getting me and he knows what I'm getting him. We went shopping together and picked things out. So, really, what's the point of having them to open. Oh well! It makes Aaron happy. However, I couldn't think of what to get him and he couldn't even think of what he wanted...besides a truck. We even went out last night to try to find something for him to have to open Christmas morning. It just too stressful for me. So, I'm the big loser this year that didn't buy much for Aaron. I just had to get it out there. He, on the other hand, had no problems buying for me because I have plenty of things I want. At least I'll have a good Christmas morning!

Merry Christmas to you all! We'll be back next week.

she's on the move

Our world has completely changed now that Elsie is crawling. Everybody kept telling me to grateful that she wasn't on the move yet, but I was still very concerned that she wasn't crawling. Well, I can see their point. Don't get me wrong...I'm so excited that Elsie is crawling because, seriously, it was time and she is loving it. I just need to do some major houseproofing and not try to multi-task as much. (When I say multi-task, I mean I can't watch TV and kind of watch Elsie). Oh darn! It is so fun to see her getting better and better each day. She is able to sit up and lay down and move around all by herself. This morning was the first time that she was sitting up in her crib when I went to get her. It was really cute! Anyway, here's a little video of her crawling...ignore the annoying voice in the background.

Aaron taught Elsie to clap when he cheers for her, so Elsie does it completely on cue now. It is so funny because, even if she's crawling, as soon as she hears us say "Yay!" she'll immediately rollover and start clapping. She was doing this funny face that looked like, "OK, I'm not sure what's going on here, but everyone's clapping so I will, too" and she'd kind of look around like she was super confused. Too bad I couldn't get it on video.

another Elsie update

So, we've kind of put Elsie through a little boot camp the last couple weeks. She's been on the floor as much as possible. She was really good at rolling all over the place, but was still not crawling.
She did this sort of backward scoot sometimes. (I don't know why she's crying in this picture. She had just been smiling a few seconds earlier. I think it's because she rolled onto the hard floor or something.)

She'd get up on her hands and knees and then fall down or choose to roll instead.

Anyway, I think it's working. Last night she was totally trying to crawl and even made some small movements forward. It was different from anything I've seen her do. Aaron and I were pumped! I know she wants to do it, she just has to keep practicing. Yippee!!

I think she's decided that it's little more fun being more independent. She's much more demanding when it comes to doing things on her own. She's willing to eat more foods on her own and will even hold her own sippy cup....she's still working on the tilting. Grandma Wise gave her a Rudolph nose when we were down there for Thanksgiving, but Elsie wasn't a fun of putting it on. I tried it again the other night and she loved it. She kept trying to put in on herself....and she even kept it on long enough for us to take a picture. It's been so fun to watch Elsie grow and change so much. I love it! It makes every day so interesting. You never know what she's going to be like or do that day.

I am happy!

I was so nervous about getting my hair cut, but I'm really happy with how it turned out. The girl who cut my hair was very thorough and made sure she was doing what I wanted. I feel like a new woman! It was funny because she was asking me if I liked a little volume while she was styling it. I told her I did, but I had a hard time doing it. She used some product and worked on it, and then she said, "Your hair is really slick. It doesn't even hold the backcombing very well." No kidding! I told her I get it from my mom. Our hair is soft, but so slick. Oh well, you can't have it all.

tomorrow's a big day

I'm getting my hair cut tomorrow! I know that probably isn't a big deal to most people, but I've been building up to this for a while. I've never been the type to do crazy things with my hair. In fact, I have pretty much had the same style for the last 10-12 years. Every once in a while I change the length, but otherwise I'm pretty boring. I have done some short styles, but I always seem to grow my hair out right after and am really horrible about getting it trimmed as often as necessary. Last year I had a cute hairstyle, but I let it grow out. This year I have looked like a complete slob. I never do my hair...it is always pulled back. So I finally decided to take some pride in what I look like and get my hair cut cute and shorter. I know I won't be able to pull it back, but I've got to move on from this. I need cute hair!!! I'm excited and will post a picture tomorrow (assuming it looks good...I'm going to a new person).

warts, noodles, and more!

This past week has been pretty mellow around here. I've had my Christmas music playing, we've started to get some gift shopping done, and Elsie is still keeping us very entertained and happy.
Last Wednesday I went to the doctor to get some warts frozen on my feet. I know you're probably thinking you don't really want to hear about my warts, but I have to whine for just a second. I had quite a few small ones on both feet, so I had him do both feet at the same time. I'm miserable now. They hurt so bad and it still hurts to walk on them. I'm hoping by the end of this week, I'll feel better. Until then I'll continue to walk like a gimp...and have Aaron get me things!

I've really been trying to give Elsie new things to try eating by herself. She's funny, though, because she really doesn't like to touch many things. I did give her some plain cooked ramen noodles the other day, and she LOVED it. She was so cute as she was eating and trying to suck in the noodles. She makes the cutest noise, too. I don't know what else to try giving her. Every time I give her anything slightly wet or mushy, she won't touch it. She is a bit of a diva...I STILL have to hold her bottle for her as well.

Aaron got shower with Elsie before church yesterday, and they had a good time. Elsie was loving feeling the water on her back and even snuggled right into Aaron (that is a special treat)! She definitely loves the water and could stay there all day.


(Aaron thinks it looks like he has hairy boobs in this picture...and it does! I will clarify that it is his arm and left part of his hairy chest. But it's much more fun to say he has hairy boobs!)

Thanksgiving

I love going on vacation! For Thanksgiving this year we went down to Utah to be with Aaron's family. We had a great time, but it went way too fast! We drove down Wednesday and got there around 6:00 in the evening. Jeff, Nicole, Brayden, and Alexis came over to Gary/Sylvia's to eat some pizza and play games. It was fun to see them again. We always have a good time playing games with them because they love games just as much as we do.

Thursday morning Aaron went to go play some football with his friends. Jeff and Brayden met him there. Around noon everyone got to the house. We had barely started a game of mission Risk when Greg, Piper, and Cannon got there. I had just bought the game that morning thinking it was going to be the Mission Risk where everyone just has one mission and the game takes about an hour. No! It is different now. Everyone has 4 missions and it ends up taking forever...you might as well play the good ol' fashioned way. Anyway, we snacked and visited while we played and then had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. Elsie was a grumpety grump all afternoon (don't know why!) so most of my time at the table was trying to keep her happy. Thank goodness for leftovers! We hung out the rest of the day, played another game, and just enjoyed the company. It has been a while since we've all been together for a holiday, so I really enjoyed it. I think Elsie was having a hard time with all the people and noise or something because she struggled all afternoon and evening. We tried putting her to bed at her usual time but she wasn't having it. So after everyone left, we got her back up and played with her. She was so happy and giggly...I think she enjoyed the calm.

Friday was a very relaxed day. Aaron and I went to the mall for a little bit to try to do some Christmas shopping, but they didn't have what we were looking for. Then we hung out while Elsie napped and went out to eat with Aaron's parents. That evening we played some games and went to bed early. Elsie's sleeping was not great on this trip and we were in the same room as her...it wore us out! (Not the best picture...but isn't her outfit too cute?! You've got to look good when you go to the mall. My daughter has better style than I do!)

Saturday we got to go to the BYU game with my dad. It was a great game that I even enjoyed watching. (Please ignore the double chin...it was a bad angle, I hope!) Before we knew it the trip was over and we were back to Idaho. I wish we could've had at least a few more days to be there with everyone. We always have such a good time!!!

Here's a couple cute pictures of Elsie:

Whenever we are playing games or doing anything she wants to be a part of the group. She was sitting in her Bumbo seat in the chair and trying to pull herself up on the table.

Grandma and Grandpa had all sorts of fun, different toys for Elsie to play with. She loved the koosh ball. She would put it in her mouth and get the shivers from it tickling her. She also loved to grab each strand and pull on it.

Does Elsie look like a boy?!

I'm becoming a little paranoid! I went to Wal-Mart this morning to get a few groceries. I had Elsie dressed in the really cute blue/purple striped fleece sweatsuit. I did, however, forget to put something in her hair. Anyway, two different ladies referred to her as a boy. I corrected them, of course, and was so irritated. Seriously, just because a baby is wearing some blue doesn't mean they are a boy. Plus, does she really even look like a boy?! I felt a little better after I reminded myself that I was at Wal-Mart...enough said.

So, in honor of my absolutely adorably beautiful baby girl...here are some fun pictures from the last few days. (Yes, I take pictures on a daily basis. I can't help it!)

As demonstrated in the videos in a previous post, Elsie has now started doing this face when she doesn't want what I'm trying to feed her. The funny thing is that she hasn't started doing it all the time...she knows it's funny. It's also the same face I make when swimming underwater to plug my nose. Maybe she'll do the same thing!


I love this picture of Elsie because she looks so sweet. I am really excited that it appears as though she has Aaron's skin tone. You can really notice it when she puts her hand next to mine. Yeah, I'm the freakishly pale one of the family!
This is one of Elsie's new favorite toys. She is getting really fast at putting them down. The funny part about it is that she does them in the same order all the time...blue, pink, purple, red, then orange.Having 1:00 church is so hard. This is our second year in a row. Thankfully, it's almost over. Elsie gets so tired at church but will never just give in and fall asleep on one of us. Instead she just gets crabbier and crabbier. On the way home yesterday, I could tell she was just about to fally asleep. By the time Aaron got her in the house (I had already walked in), she was dead asleep on him. She never does that! He was loving it. When we took her upstairs to get her dress off for a nap, she could hardly stay awake enough to hold her head up. What a sweetheart!

...and nothing

I know I haven't posted in a few days. I can think of nothing to write about. It's been a fine week. Elsie's being as cute as always, Aaron got to come home a little early a couple days, and I've actually worked out a few times.

I thought maybe I could do the list of things you may or may not know about me, but I can't think of anything that interesting. I've been thinking of ideas, and my immediate reaction to everything I think of is that it's lame. Perhaps that can be my #1 thing:

#1: I am very hard on myself and need constant reassurance. Thank goodness I have Aaron around to do that on a daily basis. If he were available right now, I'd probably have him up here helping me think of things to type. I am a total "blue".

#2: I am an early riser. I don't really like going staying up late just for the heck of it. It has become really bad now that Elsie's around because I don't even have the option to sleep in a little. However, even before she was here, I loved going to bed by 10:00...even on the weekends. It drove Aaron crazy! Although I think I've kind of converted him to my ways. The only problem is that he wants to go to bed early and sleep in. I, on other hand, love to get up right away and start the day. I feel like I'm able to enjoy the day and have more time. (Not that I have tons of things that I really need to get done.)

#3: I have major texture issues when it comes to food. I can't stand onions that aren't cooked. Mushrooms make me want to hurl. Chunky yogurt (well, most things that are smooth and chunky) is a problem for me. I'm getting a little better about things as I get older. Like now I'll eat uncooked tomatoes (I still have to talk myself through that sometimes).

#4: I must be completely cocooned while sleeping. When I get into bed at night, I make sure the blankets are totally covering every part of me very tightly all the way up to my neck. It drives me crazy when I can feel air seeping in around me.

#5: Colors have to match! This is a major issue I have inherited from my mother. Whether it comes to clothes, scrapbooking, house design...you name it...I am ANAL about colors matching perfectly. I will spend 1/2 hour looking for the exact shade of paper (and I mean EXACT) that I need to use on a page, and if I can't find it I will not compromise. I've learned my lesson! If I give in and go with something that is extrememly close, it will drive me bonkers. I will never feel good about it. I also have trouble with the whole eclectic look that's really popular in interior design right now. It just doesn't work with my analness. Everything just looks way better if the colors/shades match.

#6: If I could choose one talent to have that I don't, it would be to be able to sing. I love music and singing to it. I feel it so strongly in my heart, but when it comes out it sounds like poop! I love doing karaoke and am always singing in the car. I do kind of feel bad for Elsie when I sing to her...hopefully she'll never realize that I suck! Oh well, it will probably never happen...who cares, right?!

#7: My other dream would be to be an organization specialist. Don't get me wrong...it's not like I think I'm the best at this. It's just very satisfying to me to have things in order and in little compartments. I love buying containers and having a place for everything. One of my favorite shows on HGTV is Mission: Organization.

Well, that's what I could think of while Elsie took her nap. I'm sure there are many more weird things about me...maybe Angie should compose my list for me next time!

a special request

I've had a special request by Grandmas and Grandpas to put more video on the blog. Since I've only posted cute, happy videos of Elsie, I thought I'd mix it up a bit. (By the way...Aaron is the one that took all these videos. For some reason he didn't feel the need to zoom in or line it up correctly. Oh well, at least you can see Elsie.)

Elsie has decided lately that she doesn't like to eat. It has become quite a chore to make it through a meal.

She always makes this funny face when she wants to refuse the food politely (instead of the tantrum seen above). I was even trying to give her chocolate!

Finally we made it through the meal! About halfway into it, she decided to be in a good mood. When she was done eating, she was being very talkative. She's really starting to make all sorts of sounds and having conversations.

Hope you enjoy! Elsie loves you all!

trying to sell the house

We've had our house on the market now for a couple of months and nothing was happening. We've had one person come look at it and that's it. We were attempting to do for sale by owner, but we're running out of time. There was a house across the street from us that has been on the market longer than ours and had just recently switched realtors. Within one week of having the new realtor, it sold. So we decided to call that realtor and see if she can help us sell our house. She's very enthusiastic and had some good ideas to get our house fixed up. She told us to paint our red wall back to neutral. She said it was a great color, but that for some potential buyers it might be a major turnoff. So we did...Aaron and I were actually kind of getting sick of it. We also rearranged the furniture. Anyway, she helped us dress up our home a little bit (since it's been pretty bare) to take some pictures. We'll see how it goes. Keep your fingers crossed!The big couch used to be on this wall. We thought this would open up the room a bit more. It really worked!We also took down most of the desk in the office and put away all my craft stuff, took out one of the bookshelfs, and brought up a chair. It feels so nice to have it all cleaned up. It's amazing how used to clutter you can get without realizing that it is stressing you out. I love decluttering!

That's what we've been doing this week, and it has been busy. I've enjoyed it, but Aaron would not agree. At least he helps!

this will make you smile

I realize that mostly everything I post has to do with Elsie...but that's who I'm with all day. Therefore, that's my life, and I love it! As I've said before, she loves Teletubbies and we often turn it on if she is cranky or we need to get something done. With the time change, Elsie's sleeping has been crazy, so we've used Teletubbies a little more often to keep her happy. Last night, we showed her a new episode and she was laughing so hard. It was like one of those laughs that you get when you are so tired and everything is really funny. Yeah, we sat and listened to it for like 5 minutes and then Aaron told me to go get the camera. We caught the tail end of it where she was starting to wind down. I wish I had the whole thing. So, even though I show pictures/video of Elsie all the time...this one is sure to make you smile (or giggle!).

some pictures from this week

I forgot to post a picture of the cool pumpkin that Aaron carved. We got the idea from a kit from Wal-Mart but Aaron had to redraw it for our pumpkin. I thought he did a pretty good job. Especially considering he normally doesn't draw very well...Pictionary is not one of his best games!
Last Saturday Elsie and I went to watch Aaron play in his city league flag football game. It was the last regular game of the season and it was a gorgeous day. Unfortunately they lost, which means they didn't make it to the tournament. He had fun playing, but got pretty frustrated with his team. If it were up to him, he'd play every position. That's what I love about Aaron...he's got all the confidence in the world. :)

I love Elsie's cute cheeks in the picture. I kiss them all the time. How can you resist?!The only action shot I could get of Aaron and it's not very cool. Oh well!Daddy, Elsie, and the football...Aaron's in heaven.
This week we tried some new foods and Elsie has loved it. She's starting to get a little pickier about what she'll eat. I think it really is that she wants more flavor...not just boring squash. Oh, and I love how she must grab for the camera while I'm trying to take a picture. Too funny.

Aaron always hangs his "Y" flag on BYU game days. It is so hard for him not to be able to watch all the games. It drives him crazy. Elsie supported him, though, by wearing her BYU gear. That made Daddy happy. (Elsie wouldn't look at the camera because she was obsessed with trying to grab the flag. This was the best I could get.)

Happy Halloween!

Last night we went to our ward's trunk-or-treat party. We didn't go for the candy...we went to be dorky parents and show off our cute little butterfly!

(This isn't the best picture, but it shows how cute the wings and eyes are on the costume.)

Aaron did a good job carving our pumpkin. He drew the design himself...a bat inside a circle. He did a good job. I tried getting a picture of his "concentration" face...you know the one he makes when he's playing x-box, but I couldn't catch it. Bummer! (By the way, we learned yesterday that those magic eraser sponges will take permanent marker off of pumpkins...FYI.) I wasn't much help, but Elsie and I had a fun time watching Daddy!