Family Update

I signed Peyton up for soccer this Spring and his first practice was two weeks ago. Unfortunately, the weather has been so bad recently that he hasn't been able to practice again and both of his games this weekend were cancelled. The field is a mess and I'm sure its going to take forever to dry up, if Mother Nature ever gives it a chance to do so. But here are a couple of pictures from his first practice. He had a great time! Afterwards, Patrick wanted to kick the ball around a little more with him but he said he was too tired. I think it wore him out!

And Elliana is starting to share some smiles. Holding her, holding the camera, and snapping it at the right time to get the perfect picture is proving to be a challenge.

But I managed to catch her sticking her tongue out:

The timing was a little off here too:

Here's a smile!

The House

Awhile back, I promised pictures of the new house. And then Elliana arrived and I never got around to posting them. So, here they are!

We live on a cul-de-sac with a nice big garage now. (I think I will forever need to live on a cul-de-sac in a house with a nice big garage now). Peyton LOVES to ride his bike in the cul-de-sac. There are two boys that live next door and he gets so excited when they come out and play. They've been very nice to tolerate him, since they're a little older, at 7 and 9 years old.

As you walk in the front door, to the right is our dining room.

You can walk from there into our huge kitchen! I will never be able to live without all of this counter and cabinet space! Oh, and a refrigerator/freezer with an ice maker, as well as an ice and water dispenser. I've never had those before and they're wonderful!

On the other side of the kitchen is an eat-in area, but we've made that into a play space for Peyton. It usually takes him no time to make a huge mess. Just like his mother :)

And that connects to the living room, which you can also get to from the front door by walking straight ahead. We even have a gas fireplace now, which means we can actually enjoy a fire without smoking up our whole house.

And we have a HUGE fenced in back yard, which has also been a big hit with Peyton and Nellie (again, I'm getting spoiled here!)

I don't think I ever posted pictures of Elliana's room once we finally finished it. I"m really happy with how it came out. I guess I kind of have a butterfly/garden theme going on.

I had drawn this picture in art class my freshman year in high school, so I had it re-matted and framed to match the colors in Elliana's room.

And this was a Pinterest inspired art project that I worked on for her room.

We have a nice big guest room too, which is great for visitors, so come visit soon!!!

One Month!

Elliana made One Month last Friday! At her well-baby visit last week, she weighed in at an even 10lbs., putting her in the 75th percentile. The doctor was pleased with her growth and overall well-being. She gave us a few suggestions about surviving the night with a baby that grunts and groans non-stop between 2am and 6am. Since then, we've been trying out the gas drops during night time feedings and trying to burp her really well. Sometimes it works, and sometimes we're just awake all night long (despite the fact that she sleeps through this nonsense.)

Hmmmm...

I'm not sure what to make of this. I asked Peyton to make a birthday card for his friend and he signed the back. But he wrote his name from right to left with all of the letters backwards. Just hope the kid realizes who the card is from.