August Updates

Eliana is down to one nap, which means I have very little down time all to myself.  She isn't one of those babies who will then nap for four hours just because she is down to one nap.  Yesterday she fell asleep nursing before nap time, so she decided she didn't need a nap for the day when I moved her to her crib.  :(  Currently though, it is nice and quiet in my home, and that is lovely:)  So, in my limited time, I'll do my best to catch up our blog for the month of August.

We went to a splash park near us with a bunch of friends and family.  Rachel loved taking Eliana into the water.  I love watching them play together!

It was so nice to have many people come to the play group!  Yeah for Laura and Mary joining us!

We often take walks, even though it is often around 100 degrees still at 7pm.  In the shade it isn't too bad.  This rabbit cruises a neighborhood with a sidewalk that is lined with trees.  We drive over there just to walk in the shade and check out the well groomed homes.  I wonder if the neighbors know who is trimming their grass!  OH, OH, OH!!!  Eliana can say rabbit which sounds like ab-bi or rab-bi.  She can also say cat which sounds like gat sometimes.  Eliana definetly knows what they are since we have many living on the grounds around us.  She's working on book and block.  She can sign milk, more (although she often chooses not to), and eat.  We're working on signing water.

Eliana, small as she is, has figured out a way to get up into chairs.  It is a rather tricky process.  She stands on the post in between the legs of the chair, lays on the chair until she can grab the edge of the other side, and then pull her bottom half onto the chair.  Ha!

A group of us ventured to the Cat Haven.  We stopped at this farmer's stand.  There is just something special about nicely displayed fruits and veggies that motivates me to grab the camera and snap a few shots.  We had hoped that Eliana would sleep on the way, but she was way to interested in the conversation we were having with our friend Mary as we drove.  She did finally fall asleep 10 minutes from our destination, so she and Kyle hung out in the car for a bit before our guided tour.

Our timing didn't quite work out as planned, so Eliana was hungry and fussy during the tour.  Thank the Lord for extra hands like Rachel and Ruli to help us carry her around.  I'd recommend going in September or March to beat the heat.  Even though it is up in the hills a little ways, it was still very warm.  Also, the path really isn't stroller friendly, so I think it would have been better had Eliana been four or so.  I know she'll be steady on her feet before then, but there really isn't much in between you and the wild cats.  They are used to people, so they often hang out where a quick runner with little hands could pet them.  Thus, I figure a four year old might be a good age, or maybe even a little older.  We got to see and learn about many wild cats like the cheetah below!   Did you know lions like to follow cheetahs around and steal their kill?  Did you know that panthers are really dark colored spotted cats like a cheetah, jaguars, or leopard? Did you know that cheetah's have sold spots, leopards have spots in a circle called a rosette, and jaguars have a rosette with a one to four spots in the center?

Eliana loves to be my helper in the kitchen, so I often make dinner while she is napping.  We're still trying to train her not to be in the kitchen, but I often feel like it is a lost cause.  She doesn't mind a swat on the hand or leg.  She doesn't mind being told no.  She isn't detered from returning to the kitchen after being shown a tub full of toys to play with while I do the dishes.  One day she will get to be my helper in the kitchen, but not this month.

I've tried several new recipes this month!  It has been quite exciting!  Most of them have turned out pretty good, which is very encouraging to me.  The Lattice-Topped Chicken Bake turned out yummy.  The Peanutty Chocolate Banana Bread tasted much better than it looked since it didn't look anything like the picture (ahhhh!).  My small group was gracious in their complements despite the looks of the bread.  The Ham 'N Eggs Brunch Bread is pictured above.  I swapped the ham for sausage since it was what I had in the kitchen.  Eliana and Kyle loved it!  I even made some Hawaiian meatballs with green onions, green bell peppers, and pineapples.  I was pleased as punch when Kyle said he loved them and took the leftovers for lunch.  Kyle, who distastes green onions and bell pepper, loved the meatballs!!!

On the spur of the moment, Taylor invited me to join her, Kelly, Tara, and Donald shopping at the outlets in between our cities.  It is so good to spend time with family!  Eliana got to show them how she is walking now!!!  Just this past week she has really become more stable.  She isn't running yet, but she is choosing to walk places rather than crawl to them.  

 Eliana was very serious before church last Sunday.  Here is a half smile from her.  Most of the other pictures we took were either with frowns or distant serious faces.

 I love my hubby.  My hubby loves me.  We love our wee daughter!

I started weaning Eliana last week.  She isn't too sure about getting milk in her sippy cup.  To help with the transition, she is getting a snack when she wakes from her afternoon nap.  She seems to be handling the change well, but I'm a bit sad.  On one hand I'll have a lot more freedom and flexibility if someone needed to watch Eliana, but part of me is sad to see this phase starting to end.  There were days when I couldn't wait for this phase, but that was many months ago.  It will make things much easier when the Bible and Art Club starts up again in September.

 
Aren't you impressed with this photo?  I got his wings open and everything!!!  Oh, you say to look at his legs?  Oh, you say you think he was dead?  Um... you'd be right:)  I found this guy near a different plant and moved him here for the photo.  Still pretty stunning though, right?

Eliana has gone from being content on a blanket watching other play at the park to an explorer of the playground.  Look out world, here she comes!