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.)