Christmas Catch-Up

Merry Christmas! And joy to the world, I love this holiday. To get folks up to speed on our holiday happenings, here is a quick post:

First, early in December we visited a woman's house who lives not far from us here in Idaho Falls. (This is something we love to do every year, and each time it is even more AMAZING than the previous year.) This woman spends hours and hours decorating beautiful thematic trees to display in her home, and lets visitors pass through on special days throughout the month to enjoy them. This year she had OVER 200 TREES of all shapes and sizes, some on the ceiling, some in the bathrooms, and all decorated with incredible skill. WAY BETTER THAN FESTIVAL OF TREES. They don't live in a mansion, they just fit the trees into every possible nook and cranny, and the results are a real Winter Wonderland. Ellie had so much fun looking at all the lights and colors, and we had so much fun watching her!

I can't imagine how this lady and her husband must be familiar with fuses. And after our own fun experiences with them in the few strands outside our house, I have a greater appreciation for that.

We spent a fun-filled Christmas in Boise with all of my family (and no, I don't have that many pictures because I was too busy PLAYING to take them!). Here are Braelyn and Corinn. We don't see this little chica too often because she lives in Colorado (Celeste and Stephen's daughter) but she sure was fun to see over the holidays, and she has an adorable laugh.

Here's all the gang Christmas morning. We might not be as energetic as we were growing up, but we still get up early! (And it would have been earlier too if my dad got off work earlier.) "Tradition!" My dad handed out presents to open one by one. Lots of paper, and Ellie was in to everything. Corny jokes. Silly faces. Crazy hair. It was great! Heather and Andrew joined us from Utah for more excitement later that day.

Here's Ellie and I in the HUGE stocking Eric made me two Christmases ago. Yes, I said IN the stocking. It's so big, it's more accurately described as a red sleeping bag.

So, it was a super fun week, making tons of candy and eating it all (breaking every health rule imaginable), being crazy on the Wii playing "Just Dance," several rounds of the game "Ticket to Ride," movies, feasting, and all-around laziness. So good, but I'm sure my scale is grateful it only comes once a year. And last of all, as a slightly belated Christmas and 9-month present, Ellie got her second bottom tooth! Yay! Sort of. Don't get me wrong, she looks adorable. But she was up in the middle of the night SCREAMING and I couldn't figure out why (until the next morning). She also has bitten me on the shoulder...and don't be fooled by the lack of numbers and one side of gums into thinking she can't do much damage. OW!!! We will be monitoring to make sure she bites nowhere else... But she sure has a beautiful grin!

It was a great year, a good holiday, and more than ever I am grateful for the closeness that the gospel of Jesus Christ brings to our families. WE ARE SO BLESSED!

Oh, Christmas Tree!

You may think we are jumping the gun, but yes, we've put up our Christmas tree. And it was GREAT! Last year we were a little slow at getting it up, and before we knew it Christmas had passed. This year I was determined to get an early start so I could enjoy it fully. Plus, I just love Christmas and was happy to have an excuse to draw it out longer. No, I don't feel like I'm overlooking Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving, to me, is like a prelude to the wonderful feelings and family memories of Christmas, not just a

pig-out session. It reminds us to be thankful for all of the wonderful blessings we have, especially our families, and most importantly, our Savior, whose sacrifice allows for our sweet family relationships to continue past the grave, and whose birth we soon celebrate after.

It's a season of happy!!! And let it begin!

Ellie was fascinated with the lights and of course tried to eat them. We let her feel the branches of the tree and touch the little light bulbs and she LOVED it. Now it seems whenever we pass the living room she is making noises to have us carry her over to the tree for another view. Christmas has always been magical for me, but it is even more so watching the magic begin with our daughter. =)

Halloween Happenings and More

Don't mind me and my two-month posting span...that's just how I roll.

So that means I get to catch up. Hmmm... Well,

Halloween was a quick blur. We made it back from a Boise/Oregon trip just in time to drive in to trunk-or-treat. We HAD to go because that was Ellie's big chance to display her costume (since door-to-door isn't quite in our bag of tricks yet). She looked so cute as a little bunny, and with how bouncy she is it fit her personality perfectly. We got a pretty fair amount of trick-or-treaters the next day, and I think Eric learned NOT to tell the kids it's okay to take a handful of candy, especially when they are boys... I think it will be fun when we get to take Ellie out, but we had fun at home doing our own Halloween stuff. Eric carved his "pumpkin" (one of the poor little sprouts from our garden that didn't get a chance to grow much since frost killed the plant early) just in the nick of time and had it frothing dry ice on the front porch. Woo. That's about the extent of my Halloween-ness.

Even better is this video of Ellie giggling over my silly weirdness. Please, PLEASE, ignore that annoying black cat lady in the video. I post this only for the adorable sweetness of the babe. In fact, it is so cute, it had me laughing and crying because I love it so much! I just wish I could get her to laugh like this more often. It tickles my heart! Am I biased? Nah. Take a peek for yourself.

While in Boise enjoying Grandma and Grandpa's company (my parents) we took the time to visit one of my favorite parks: Kathryn Albertson Park. I love how picturesque this park is. It was perfect for a fall family stroll with so many beautiful colors. Ellie seemed quite content and occupied with the view, even with the chill in the air (is it really time for COLD again already?). We loved it. I think Eric became a fan as well.

As for further September events, Ellie was finally blessed and Eric did a beautiful job giving the blessing. Plus Grandma bought her the prettiest dress and she really did look like a "princess." We especially loved having so many family members attend from various places. All of my sisters were there, even Celeste who flew in by surprise with my recently delivered niece: Braelyn. We are so grateful to have a family who supports us so much. You guys are the BEST!

And here is a picture I LOVE: Ellie's first bad hair day. Actually, it looks far more "cute" than "bad," and with those big eyes of hers I crack up every time I see this picture. How did I get so lucky to have such a cute Bed-Head?

In September Ellie also began eating...BABY FOOD...wooh! That has been a fun experience (except in the diaper). This is a picture of one of her favorite vegetables: peas! "More peas, peas!" Love this grin. Man that girl keeps us smiling!

And to top off September's events, Daddy (Eric) celebrated his 30th birthday! Yay!!! He was so excited to finally hit the big three-oh. Super thrilled. Yep. We kept it pretty low key at home with cake and games, and then on Sunday (the actual day of his birthday) Ellie helped him open presents. She liked helping so much, we are considering just getting her a box with a lot of wrapping paper for Christmas...

Iron Bog Lake

Welcome to Camp Iron Bog! What? Never heard of it??? Well, let us show you around.

This little known campsite is a beautiful gem hidden away in the middle of Idaho (if you're familiar with Idaho, the main road to get there is past Arco somewhere around Moore). We had never heard of it before, but it was recommended to us by one of Eric's coworkers. Now, let me just do a recap of last year's camping experience. We went once up to Heise where we'd heard wonderful things. Eric and I love to camp; we're just not too familiar with Eastern Idaho and so decided to venture out and take our chances. Well, to bring a rough story to its point, we ended up in a spot with NO camp host and our camp neighbors were HORRIBLE! Loud music and laughing late into the night, fighting that woke us up and scared me half to death, and lots of cussing...VERY inconsiderate. We packed up as soon as we could, spent the day along the river trying to catch a fish, and came home empty-handed. Not my favorite. Nor Eric's. I could have handled the no-fish thing if the camping part had been more favorable. But as it was, I was happy to go home.

So, back to camp Iron Bog. It was a bit of a drive, but came so highly recommended that we took a leap of faith. And it was well worth it.

There was no one else there when we arrived, even though it was Labor Day weekend. We picked a spot nestled near the trees with a little stream providing the background music. The view away from the trees was wide open to the sky with some rolling hills not far away. We pitched our tent and kept the fly off so we could look up to the stars.

I should mention that this was our first true down-and-dirty camping trip with just us and Ellie. Throwing a baby into the mix really makes things interesting. All went well setting up camp, starting a fire (way to go, Eric!), eating our foil dinners and smores, and enjoying the night sounds. The difficulty came in the middle of the night when temperatures had dropped drastically. Ellie kept waking up, probably from the cold, and I kept waking up to feel her hands and feet and make sure she was okay. Eric had to get out of the tent to put the rain guard on and try to stop the flow of cold air. By morning I finally crammed Ellie into my mummy bag and she seemed to settle into a good sleep. I was too uncomfortable to sleep anymore and the morning was getting lighter and so just got up.
It was very peaceful. There were a few other trailers that had arrived last night but still, not many. We had a good breakfast, enjoyed the stream, and packed up. Despite our lack of rest, we were anxious to start on the 1 1/2 mile hike up to Iron Bog Lake and do some fishing.
Here we are at the trail head. Originally, we had thought it would be fun to camp up at the lake so we could fish early in the morning. The first 20 minutes of the hike made us everlastingly grateful we hadn't because it was SO STEEP! We already had enough to carry as it was and needed to stop for breaks.
Ellie loved the free ride though. And the scenery was beautiful.
The lake was up in the mountains at the top of our hike, not much by way of hiking down. But after all our efforts we were well rewarded: it was BEAUTIFUL!!! The lake wasn't very large, but sweet and picturesque (I took some reference pictures to perhaps paint a picture one day). We spent the rest of the morning and all afternoon fishing at the lake, reading, and enjoying the quiet. I am amazed every time we go to the mountains at how much life slows down. It is another reason perhaps why mountains and temples are so similar: each causes us to reflect on what things are really important in life and take a break from life's chaos. It is a perfect opportunity to converse with Heavenly Father and enjoy His creations.
After all day at the lake, we still did not catch a fish. I have yet to catch my first; maybe it is my curse for being a "Bird." Even so, this camping experience was much better and one we would gladly do again. The next day at church a kind, older gentleman told us what our fishing problem was: he said you have to keep the worms warm and then made a motion as if pulling a worm from his mouth and putting it on a hook. ;) Hmmm...maybe Eric would be willing to lend his mouth for the job. But then again, not if he's expecting a kiss.
Woohoo! Who doesn't love a good campout? Anyone want to come with us next time?

First Trip to the Zoo

Woohoo! Who doesn't love the zoo, right? Last Saturday was the Melaleuca Zoo Day, and even though Ellie is not even three months yet we figured, "Why not?" We arrived just as the wind was blowing some giant, gray clouds in but fortunately the rain held off and we enjoyed the cool weather as we walked.

Doesn't our child look so thrilled to be there? =) She had a hard time containing herself.

This was taken in a big bird cage you walked through, and there were two little duck-like/chicken birds (the scientific name) that kept trying to escape every time someone opened the door. It was funny. I guess they were feeling a bit like "jailbirds."

Here's Eric posing by some "manly" animals. Is that Eliora waking up?

Zebras! They even had a baby zebra with brown stripes. "Look, Ellie, a baby like you!" Thank goodness she didn't come out that big...

Eric's "SCARED" face.

Eric's "SCARY" face.

Next the pelicans. Ellie was about finished with the stroller by then.

And finally, one of my favorites: the peacocks. You know, for a little place like Idaho Falls, I'd say the zoo is fantastic. There's a good variety of animals, it's clean, creative, and not so big that you spend hours walking and only see half of the animals. I think it is a great place for any kid (or grownup) to spend the day and look forward to many more trips in the future. =)

Thoughts of Randomness

It has been a while since I posted anything. It seems all my time goes to taking care of Eliora, and then if I get any brief break, I use it to clean my living room which is a disaster of exploding memory boxes, pictures, and old school reports from both Eric and I which I am trying to sort through. I don't think I realized how long this project would take when only done in 10-20 minute intervals. And no, I won't be posting any pictures of it because it's HIDEOUS.

But let me move on. Blogging has taken a backseat for a bit and now I need to catch up. Ellie is a Smiler now!!! Yay! And her mommy loves it. Of course, she has to be in a pretty content mood, but that's not too difficult. She is also good at "talking" with little sing-song notes that are adorable and seems to love the sound of her own voice (as do we).

And here is a picture of the cute little princess taking a bath. I love her tiny, soft, baby body and watching her try to figure out how to move those little legs and arms. She has grown to love the bath and can kick up a puddle if you don't watch out! Daddy is also fun to watch bathing Ellie because he is so meticulous. And she sure smells sweet when he's finished!

Next we move on to a subject I'm not so thrilled about. Can you see it in the picture? I know it's small but the fact that you can see it at all attests to its size.

SPIDERS!!! I could have put my hand next to it for size comparison...YAH RIGHT! This is the famous eastern Idaho brand of "hobo spider." They're big and poisonous, and this is they're most active time of year. I hate them! I don't mind so much when I find them outside in "wild nature," but when I find them in my house, then they are in MY territory and have got to go. And of course being the ferocious warrior woman I am, I send Eric to take care of it =).

This next sad picture is a great illustration of my shopping experience about a month ago. Ellie and I went to get our weekly groceries and about halfway through she began to fuss. It got bad enough that I had to take her out of the car seat and hold her to prevent a major disturbance in the store. Things calmed a bit, but she really wanted to be bounced in my arms and that requires two hands. So shopping was longer, soon she wanted to eat, I struggled to balance my floppy infant while pushing a grocery cart, and even putting items into the cart was a challenge (forget bagging vegetables!). Bah! By the time I finally reached the checkout we were both VERY ready to leave. Fortunately, a very kind woman who had talked to me earlier in the store was there to help me get all the groceries out of the cart and bag them. It was a simple gesture of kindness that was so meaningful in my moment of frustration. Her example made me want to reach out more to others and follow the Spirit's nudges for good. How grateful I am for a Heavenly Father who is aware of us, and sends others to help! And for those willing to listen when he sends =).

Finally, I write of an exciting event last month that came much sooner than expected: our first wedding anniversary! Yay! Eric and I both agree that it passed MUCH faster than those months leading up to getting married. Time seems to have flown! And yet, haven't we always been together? We spent the evening at home but dressed up for a candlelit dinner in the kitchen. We took a bite of our wedding cake top as tradition requires, and regretted not having eaten more of it last year when it still tasted like cake and not freezer (good thing we had a backup dessert). And finally to top off our romantic evening we had a slow dance. Of course, Ellie was fully awake and so she joined in too. It was a joyful event for the whole family =). I'm so grateful for the kind man who became my husband, and for the precious daughter we were able to bring into the world because of our union. I LOVE BEING MARRIED!

(Thank you, Eric)

Life Is Precious

Well, here are some more pictures of the princess. I don't have any fabulous new stories to tell other than to say she is wonderful and growing quickly. We go in to the doctor today to check on her progress so we will find out how much she has gained (if only Mommy's weight would go down as much as she goes up...). She turns one month old on Wednesday. Wow, that went fast. We love her. She is sweet and fun, and I am anxiously awaiting her smiles which will soon come.

I was digging through my cedar chest this past week and pulled out my old blessing dress. Just for fun, I tried it on Ellie (even though she didn't much like so much dressing and undressing). I was amazed at how much she reminded me of me in her expressions and looks. Fortunately she has plenty of Eric in her as well. What a blessing for us both to be a part of the miracle of her creation!

Last night while with some friends we learned that a couple in our ward might possibly lose their two year old little girl during the night. She'd had flu-like symptoms the day before which turned out to be meningitis and was in the hospital. This was so unexpected. It made me sad to think of this wonderful could lose their sweet, little girl overnight. When we got home and I held Eliora again I started crying to imagine how I would feel to lose her. Life is so precious; it is a gift every day. The small inconveniences are nothing in the eternal weight of things. I am grateful to be alive, for the life of my daughter and husband, and for the One who grants it to us. I hope I never take it for granted.

First Time to Church

First off, doesn't she just look adorable in this little dress? I love little girl dresses. This one is still a little big for her but I didn't really care. How fun it is to have a baby girl!

So, this past Sunday was our first Sunday at church as a whole family, and honestly it feels like everything is different. First off, getting ready for church was much harder. Ellie finally finished her morning feeding at 8:30, leaving me with half an hour to get ready...yah right. Needless to say, we were late. And second, your whole mindset changes when you have someone depending on you 100%. I felt slightly out of focus as I tried paying attention to the speakers while keeping in tune to what type of cry Ellie was giving (hungry? wet? more attention?). I can definitely see that the world of parenthood is a whole new world.

With that said, I must also mention how beautiful this new world is. This is the time when all of the virtues we learned so much about growing up come in to bloom. This is when we must put into practice every Christlike characteristic we have ever tried to develop, and then try to develop some more. And this is when it is most rewarding. Watching my little baby sleep, or feeling her tiny fingers wrap around mine while she is eating makes me unbelievably happy. Such small things that create such big feelings. It is wonderful! And I love being a mommy.

I know Eric feels much the same way. Last night in our home evening after singing "I Am a Child of God" he mentioned how he has never before looked at the song from a parent's perspective, but now he does (WE do) and the meaning of the song has taken on added beauty. Let me add one more thought from last night's lesson. This is from a talk by James E. Faust called "The Greatest Challenge in the World - Good Parenting":

Parental teaching moments need not be big or dramatic or powerful. We learn this from the Master Teacher. Charles Henry Parkhurst said:

“The completed beauty of Christ’s life is only the added beauty of little inconspicuous acts of beauty—talking with the woman at the well; showing the young ruler the stealthy ambition laid away in his heart that kept him out of the Kingdom of Heaven; … teaching a little knot of followers how to pray; kindling a fire and broiling fish that his disciples might have a breakfast waiting for them when they came ashore from a night of fishing, cold, tired, and discouraged. All of these things, you see, let us in so easily into the real quality and tone of [Christ’s] interests, so specific, so narrowed down, so enlisted in what is small, so engrossed with what is minute.” (“Kindness and Love,” in Leaves of Gold, Honesdale, Pa.: Coslet Publishing Co., 1938, p. 177.)

And so it is with being parents. The little things are the big things sewn into the family tapestry by a thousand threads of love, faith, discipline, sacrifice, patience, and work.