Nick's Favorite Family Photo

*Photo by Nuzum Photo

The First Step to Crawling

*Photo by Nuzum Photo

A challenge and a bunch of butterflies

I interrupt the previously schedule picture post of Eleanor to make an announcement: Nick, Eleanor and I are signing up for a 5K!

Slowly close your dropped jaw--- I am serious.

About 2 weeks ago Nick asked me what sort of workout program I wanted to start with him. Keywords: workout and with him. He was thinking a video-type workout, my mind instantly jumped to my treadmill that hasn’t seen much use. With the treadmill came the thought of running a 5K race (yes, I was thinking of the t-shirt that you sometimes get when running a race). The thing with Nick is I can say I am going to do something, and if I don’t there are no real repercussions- he will love me no matter what.

Then this past Saturday night we were sitting around with the Beltman Family and the topic of races and running came up. I made the mistake of mentioning that Nick and I MIGHT be doing one this summer/fall. The excitement got a hold of us, and soon we were planning which race we would do (the Living History Farm Race just may have been on said list : ) .) I left feeling a little excited, but not knowing if it would actually happen.

Then the Facebook message came re: 5K, and I knew we were committed. The challenge was there and my stomach had little butterflies all of the sudden. I should have figured that the LuCinda wouldn’t let me back out after I had been interested. And honestly, I need someone like her to motivate me to actually do it instead of just talk about it. So thanks, LuCinda!

There it is… I am officially running a 5K. It is in writing on Facebook and here, and we have a commitment to Brad and LuCinda. I have included Nick in the group because he was the one that wanted to do a workout program and Eleanor because it is easier to take her with us than try to find a babysitter. I also figure if Nick has to push Eleanor than maybe that will slow him down a little (he is a far faster runner than I am). If you are interested in joining us on this venture, let me know! Also, if you have any good recommendations for a reasonable jogging stroller- we are on the hunt.

I guess this mean means I should start training. Oh won’t that be a fun future blog post!

The Crying Baby

My parents are SO funny!

*Photo by Nuzum Photo

Great Job, Daddy!

Mommy and I got to attend our first ever mountain bike race yesterday! Daddy participated in the Summerset Shootout, and since it was close to home we got to go. It was a very hot and humid day for our first race, I am hoping any races to come are a little cooler and not so muggy. Despite the weather we had a great time. And I am so proud of my Daddy for doing such a good job. Just think how he would do if he had time to ride more. Here are a few photos from our day at the race:

Daddy in his Rassy gear pre-race. He looks a little nervous, must be because he spent last weekend building a shed instead of training for the race. No matter what the outcome, we are proud of him for racing.

Lap 4 out of 5. We were surprised that a lot of the racing we got to see was on pavement (meaning those pictures make it look like a road race). We had to walk down the road a little bit to take this picture as Daddy came out from the woods. The walk was worth it.

Daddy's big finish! (Mommy is not the best picture taker, but she tries.)

After 5 laps I was a little bored. Instead of watching Daddy finish I took a short nap (I only took 20 minutes of naps the entire day- this was about 15 of that). I would have been awake, but Mommy wouldn't let me drink any of the Mountain Dew.

My Daddy and I after the race. Don't I look super cute in my "Eat My Daddy's Dust" t-shirt and jean skirt? I must admit, I stripped down to my diaper during part of the race- it was HOT! But I wanted my picture with Daddy in MY race day outfit, so I put it back on for the picture.

My Daddy and I hanging out with the mountain bike guys. We were discussing all the fun (and not fun parts) of the race. It was very interesting!

One of Mommy's Favorites

I am just going to randomly post some of Eleanor's 6-month photos instead of one big picture post.

This one is one of my favorites.

*All photos are done by Nuzum Photo- we highly recommend them to anyone looking for a photographer in the DM area.

6-Month Stats

Another visit to Dr. Jay, another round of shots and an update on Eleanor's stats.

Here are the stats thus far:

6 Months
Height: 27 1/4 inches (the nurse wrote down 94th percentile, but Nick and I thought she said 84th percentile)
Weight: 18 pounds 4 ounces (89th percentile)
Head Cir.: 17 1/4 inches (86th percentile)

4 Months
Height: 26 1/4 inches (99th percentile)
Weight: 16 pounds 8 ounces (96th percentile)
Head Cir.: 16 3/4 inches (68th percentile)

2 Months

Height: 23 3/4 inches (93rd percentile)

Weight: 13 pounds 6.5 ounces (99th percentile)

Head Cir.: 15 1/2 inches (68th percentile)

2 Weeks

Height: 20 1/2 inches (85th percentile)

Weight: 9 pounds 2.5 ounces (95th percentile)

Head Cir.: 14 1/2 inches (89th percentile)

At Birth

Height: 20 1/2 inches

Weight: 8 pounds 15.4 ounces

6-month Photo Shoot!

Eleanor had her 6-month photo shoot on Monday, and what an experience it was. She was happy for the first 1/4-1/3 of the shoot, then decided she did not like grass and was going to be fussy the entire rest of the time. Steve and Ashley, our photographers, did an amazing job with what she gave them to work with. I am very surprised at the great photos we got out of the night. Here is a link to her photos for you to check out (because you know you want to look at all 205 of them!)

http://proofs.myfrozenmoment.com/Children/Eleanor/May-2010-Eleanor/12251601_wsM2X#873320752_mMKvB

We will be getting a CD, so I am sure there will be a few of my favorites up on the blog in a few days. Enjoy the pictures and a BIG thanks to Steve and Ashley!

Cold Meals

What is the saying about once you have a kid you should get used to eating your meals cold?

One of the things Nick and I are really proud of is that we try really hard to eat dinner together each night, except for his Taco Ride Wednesdays, and to do so at the table. Growing up my family ALWAYS ate together, at the kitchen table, with no TV and you sat at the table until everyone was done eating*.

This is one of the things Nick and I want to instill in our children as they grow-up. It gives us time as a family, and as the kids grow-up it will be time set aside for all of us to hang out together and discuss our day. It also teaches the kids patience, eating a well balanced meal (sort of), prayer, manners, and the importance of spending time as a family.

Nick and I plan out our dinner menu at the beginning of each week (it helps in making our grocery list), so the nights are planned out for us (located on the white board on the fridge for quick reference.) We make an effort to plan when we eat around Eleanor's schedule, so she can sit with us during meal time. In the 6-months that Ellie has been around I can count on my hand the number of times Nick or I have had a cold meal. A cold meal does happen, but overall usually get to eat warm meals together. Here is a picture of our set up from a number of months ago (it has taken me that long to get this post written). Ellie has since moved up from her bouncy chair to her Bumbo. And given her desire to reach for everything around her (and her high success rate at grabbing said objects), she will probably be moving to her high-chair for meals soon enough.

We hope this tradition continues to be as easy as it has been thus far. Wish us luck!

*Unless you were a little girl being forced to eat seafood casserole that you didn't like. In which case you had to sit at the table by yourself until it was gone- which in some cases was for hours (or felt like hours)!

The Bike House

It is a lot more fun to say that we built a new house for Nick’s bikes than to say we needed to replace the shed in the backyard before we go to put the house on the market in the next couple of years.

So… NICK’S BIKES GOT A NEW HOUSE! Although the base size equates to the same number of square feet, we did gain some head space (and a loft) with the new shed, which I am sure we can put to use in one way or another. Two weeks ago we (mainly Nick) undertook the fun task of tearing down the shed in the backyard. Then this past weekend we started putting up the new shed.

First, a BIG thanks to Eleanor’s Godparents, Mike and Megan, for watching her all day Saturday so both Nick and I could focus on the building without having to take time outs to take care of a little one.

Second, I cannot believe that Nick and I put up the shed with just the two of us. Mainly, I cannot believe that I could help enough (or Nick could make up for what I was lacking in ‘man’ strength) to achieve some of the feats we did.

Third, another BIG thanks to Nick’s step-father, Jeff, for lending us some very useful tools to make the project go a lot faster. For anyone that thinks they can put up a shed without an air nailer and just a hammer and regular nails- you are crazy! Here are a few pictures of the not so fun venture.

The shed in pieces: aka the Lumber

The first couple of steps: leveling the foundation, the floor and the start of the sides

The sides are up! They were not light in weight.

We are supposed to get boards for a roof all the way up there! That was the part I was DREADING!

Day two included our very own Supervisor!

She watched from her comfy seat in the Bumbo almost the entire day.

(Thanks again Eric and Jess, that thing is a life-saver!)

Every once in a while the Supervisor required some attention from Daddy.But she let him get his work done (putting up the tar paper).

Tar paper means we did get the boards up on the roof- way to go us!

The shed just a few minor steps away from it current stage. Man that thing is HUGE for a house our size!

In total, I think we spent around 44 ½ man hours between the two of us constructing the shed this weekend. We still need to shingle and paint, but that will have to wait a few days (we need a break). Nick and I are both sore today- but we accomplished a lot for one weekend!

6 months old!

My how the past 6 months have flown by! I cannot believe that our baby girl is 1/2 a year old. It has been a great 1/2 year and we could not have asked for a better baby! We have 6-month photos scheduled for next week, as well as Ellie's 6-month check-up. I will post all the details/photos sometime next week. In the meantime, a few little updates on our sweet little girl:

- She still has blue eyes! This TOTALLY makes her Mommy happy, as I was hoping that we would have a blue eyed baby.

- She has eaten through both rice and oatmeal cereal, as well as a variety of veggies. Tonight will be her first experience with fruits. I know she will love them, and just hope her love for veggies continues as well.

- She can almost sit up by herself. She does it for a little bit, then flops over as she is trying to grab something.

- She knows her name, one of the day-care sub ladies was super impressed when she asked "which one is Ellie" and Ellie immediately turned her head. She knows who she is!

- She sleeps 12 hours a night, going to bed around 7:00-7:15PM. While we love having the extra time at night to get things done around the house, we miss being able to play with her after work.

- She has no teeth, yet.

- She currently has pink eye. Oddly enough it hasn't impacted her terrific mood, and she never rubbed her eyes in discomfort.

- She really is a very happy baby. Very happy. When she cries hard you know something is up.

- After her first vacation at Grandma and Grandpa Greving's she started to grow hair instead of lose it! Maybe we should send her there more often.

- She rolls over. A lot. In her sleep every night. She now wakes up on her tummy (the Dr. said that was OK).

A little teaser for what is to come next week: when we visited the Dr. for the pink eye on Tuesday, she weighed in at 17 pounds 15.5 ounces! Wonder if she will pack on the weight to make it to 18 pounds before her official visit next Tuesday!

And we cannot wait to have her pictures taken by Nuzum Photography next week! If I spent 2 months planning her Easter outfit, imagine how much thought went into her 6-month photo outfit(s)!

Ellie's 1st Vacation

This past weekend Ellie got to spend a couple nights at her Grandma and Grandpa Greving's house, while Mommy and Daddy took a quick trip down to Kansas City. Here are a few highlights from her vacation away from her parents.

I showed Grandpa and Grandma how I loved to pull my socks off. I love to suck on my bare feet!Grandpa and I looked over the mail.
I was more interested in the sandwich ad than the AARP newsletter.

Grandpa and I had a discussion about what was in the newspaper on Saturday morning. I was listening very intensely.

I helped Grandma make lasagna. We also made cinnamon rolls and rhubarb muffins. How do I get myself some of that food? Can't you see I have my bib on and am ready to eat, Grandma?

Grandpa showed me how to wind the chimes clock that Great-Grandpa Greving
made from a kit. I liked the chimes.

Grandpa thought I should try out Pooh. Grandma thought I might like it better next year. Look at my new wheels!

Check out the toy I got to play with, it was one that my Mommy used to play with when she was little.

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa, I had a great time!

"I cannot imagine loving him more than I do right now."

Two years ago today I married my best friend.

On that day I thought to myself, "I cannot imagine loving him more than I do right now."

A few days later on our honeymoon, when my clothes didn't arrive on the same airplane as us and he went to the hotel clothing store to pick out a dress for me to wear to dinner,

I thought,

"I cannot imagine loving him more than I do right now."

A month or two after that, as we remodeled the house with minimal arguments, I thought,

"I cannot imagine loving him more than I do right now."

Then Eleanor was born, and the moment I saw him holding her I thought,

"I cannot imagine loving him more than I do right now."Yet each day when I watch him with her and the family we have made together, I think,

"This love will never stop growing,

and each day I will love him more than I do right now."

I love you, Nick!

You are an amazing husband, father and man.
Happy 2nd Anniversary, and here's to many more to come!

Oh to be this flexible!

Don't worry, I clean her feet daily since her new favorite thing to suck on are her toes.

This stuff is good!

This picture of Ellie after her first time eating cereal just makes me smile. I hope it does the same for you.