18 Weeks Old

Kyle had surgery on his wrist last week to remove two ganglion cysts. That meant that we got to spend some extra time together while he recovered. He got to watch Eliana while I had a root canal last week (with the help of Rachel), and he watched her again this week while I had the temporary crown put on. In general, I am not a fan of the dentist. Although this whole process hasn't been too bad on the pain level, it really just isn't my cup of tea. I look forward to when I don't have to see them again for a few months.

With our family time, we went to the park a couple of times. There is a small botanical garden near us.


Black Eyed Susans


Black Eyed Susan


There were tiny pumpkins and gourdes on one of the picnic tables at the garden. Last year I gave my students tiny pumpkins and gourdes. One of the girls, who is quite crafty, made it a tiny jack-o-lantern. Now that takes skill!


Eliana enjoyed a couple of naps on our park adventures. Another blessing from God is that she isn't crying as much in the car!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is HUGE! It makes getting out of the house so much more enjoyable.


Kyle has a nack for finding these critters on our walks.

Look carefully at the images below. What do you see?





I know that they are really hand and feet grips for a rock wall, but what I saw was masks! Can't you see it now??? Kyle thinks the last one looks more like a foot.



Eliana had her 4 month check up. Last Monday she was 11 pounds and 4 ounces. She is a little above the 5th percentile in weight. She is now 23 inches long, and that puts her in the 10th percentile for height! Very soon we'll have to switch over to the 3-6 month clothes!

Some of you know that I hate to waste things. We bought a bunch of size one diapers, and Eliana has simply grown out of them. She has been blowing out of diapers for a week, so it is time to move on. I struggled with what to do. We probably have a good $50 in diapers that can't be used. After some careful thought, I realized that I know 4 ladies who are pregnant. I guess that means I have their gifts already! Before I was pregnant I didn't enjoy buying diapers. Clothes are so much cuter. Now I realize what a blessing diapers are as a gift.

17 Weeks Old!

Today Kyle, Eliana, and I went to a really nice park that is connected to a fabulous trail! It was AMAZING to be out of the house for so long today. We ate lunch, found out friends of ours are pregnant, enjoyed the wild life, and just plain had fun.

One day Eliana will be big enough to play here!


Eliana slept for part of our trip. Thankfully, she stayed asleep when I moved her to the stroller!


We think this is an egret.


One of my favorite parts of living here is the sound of geese. I didn't get that back home.


I was impressed that Kyle spotted this lizard from 20 feet away.

PS 17 weeks equals 119 days! My little girl is getting "old". I know most people look at her and say she is so small, but she is getting pretty big to me!

Size Comparison: Day 1 and Day 119

Left: Eliana is double swaddled at birth in two blankets.

Size Comparison: Day 3 and Day 119

Look carefully, I can finally wear my wedding ring again!!! I missed my ring for most of this year.

October Birthdays

With a family as large as mine, we tend to gather and celebrate one or more birthdays just about every month. This month was my favorite nephew and my niece. Donald is my only nephew, so he can be my favorite. I can't have a favorite niece since I have several of them. Sorry Ashlee:) I don't know what I'll do if one of my siblings has a boy in the future...


Madison


Taylor and Eliana


Birthday Boy Donald and me


Super Fancy Cake


Nanny, Pop Pop, and Eliana


Birthday Girl Ashlee and Eliana


Thomas


Kevin and Eliana


The cheer squad
From Eliana's perspective that is GramE, Big Nanny, and Nanny. Sandy wanted to be blinded for a moment:)

Raymond Banducci Farms

Last weekend, Perry, Sherry, Troy, Aimee, Kallie, Kyle, Eliana, and I headed out to the Raymond Banducci Farms off of Taft Hwy. I'd highly recommend it for those looking for great photo shots for the family.

I love how active Kallie is. She crawls, walks, and even wants to try her hand at photography!





I love her face on this one!


This is one of my favorite shots of Kallie and her daddy!



This veggie is almost as big as her! It reminds me of a character on Veggie Tales!

Rolling Over!!!!!!!!!!!

We captured Eliana rolling over on purpose!!! I was checking something on the computer when Kyle looked and found Eliana on her back. He said she rolled over. I thought he was joking. She did it again! Then I got the camera and captured the moment. You'll get to hear how she doesn't really like tummy time!

My Parents' Roses

Normally I take a lot of outdoor photos in the summer. I still look bunches of photos this summer, but they were mainly of Eliana indoors. A few weeks back I went for a walk on a Saturday morning while Eliana napped. I brought my camera, but I was highly disappointed in the pictures. I wondered if I'd lost my touch to capture God's creation. Well, the moments I captured in my parent's backyard showed me that I do still have an eye for His beauty.






One of my favorite parts of that Saturday was watching Eliana and her Nanny play!

God's Chisel

I tried to upload a video by Skit Guys, but it didn't work. Check it out: http://www.sermonspice.com/product/33768/skit-guys-gods-chisel

Fall Photos

Fall is one of my favorite seasons, because I love when the leaves change color.


I've always been a big fan of color. When I was very young my Dad found me organizing my crayons by color.


While visiting Bakersfield this weekend, Kyle pulled into a parking lot to make a phone call. I quickly got out of the car and captured these beautiful displays to God's color pallet.


This one is my favorite fall leaves shot of the weekend. I like the contrast between the green and red leaves and the black fence and yellow leaves behind.


I don't think many other people will take notice of this wall of color in the corner of a parking lot, but I sure glad I found it!


My fascination with fall might be a big part of why I love the children's book The Stranger by Chris Van Allsbury. He also wrote Jumanji, The Polar Express, and many more. Check out his website http://www.chrisvanallsburg.com/home.html.


I've attempted many shots like this before with the light streaming in the background. This is one of few that I haven't quickly deleted.


The flower is a little blurry, but the creature inside is pretty clear if you double click on the image. I'm often amazed at what the camera captures that I didn't even know was there.

16 Weeks and a New Trick

Eliana still doesn't like being on her tummy. GramE has been trying to teach Eliana to roll over. Today I had her on her tummy trying to take a few photos. She disliked it enough to roll over on accident! She did it twice today!

I know some people assume that I am putting these hair bows on. Let me clarify that Kyle is! I tend to not put them on since they leave indentations on her head.


GramE was trying to help Eliana to fall back asleep. In the process, she fell asleep too! That was a cute sight to behold as they held hands! Some of you may be worried about the pillows, don't be. We had a careful eye on her while she took a nap on her Aunt Marcie's quilt on the living room floor.


GramE, Eliana, and I went to the Hillcrest Pumpkin Patch! We got to hear a story about how pumpkins grow. It was super cute to hear a preschooler describe the pumpkin flower as a blossom. The teacher in me was way impressed with her vocabulary.


Check out Eliana's response to being in the sun for the hayride. Note to self and others with little ones. This trip really isn't suited for strollers. I carried Eliana for about 2 hours!


GramE took a few shots for us.


This picture is absolutely amazing! I can't even take the credit for it either. Double click on the picture to zoom in and see all of the details GramE got! You can see the butterfly's mouth!