Wordless Wednesday

Da-Da

I forgot to mention the other GREAT gift Ellington gave Robert on Father's Day! She said da-da for the first time. I don't know that she has made the connection, but the first time she said it, she said it very clearly right at him. She did it again this morning when I was carrying her in the kitchen and she saw Robert. I think it has been a coincidence, but still so sweet anyway. We're marking it down that "da-da" happened for the first time on Father's Day!

Father's Day Week

That's right...Robert got a whole week to celebrate Father's Day! On Monday morning Ellington gave him a letter that she typed herself telling him that she had all sorts of special little treats throughout the week. The letter also told him to put on some clothes because Monday's treat was breakfast out at the place of his choice.



Here they are at Starkville Cafe!



On Tuesday Ellington gave Robert a magazine that had articles about two guys he really likes...Bear Grylls and Craig Ferguson.



On Wednesday we took Robert a great big sweet tea to him at work. He works in a warehouse so it's SUPER HOT! I forgot to take my camera, so I don't have a picture of that.

On Thursday Ellington gave Robert a sweet treat for being such a sweet Daddy!



On Friday Ellington gave Robert a gift card to Sonic so he could get some yummy drinks to cool down! She had already destroyed the bow before he even got in the room!



Sunday was the big day...Robert's very first Father's Day! Here are my two cuties before church!





Ellington got a little nap in the nursery during church so that meant we could go out to eat after church (if she doesn't get one there we have to go home IMMEDIATELY for a nap!!!). On a totally different topic than Father's Day, when we went to pick up Ellington from Sunday School (we go to SS last...worship service first) all of her teachers went on and on and on about how great she was. We saw one in the hallway that wasn't in the room at the time and she said that too. I told Robert that only meant one thing...that usually she isn't so good!!! As a preschool teacher I know for sure that's what it means! Ha! That's the only reason they would go on and on! And then when we went back for Sunday night church the lady that is over the preschool stuff went on and on about it too! Haha! Anyway...back to the topic at hand. Robert picked the Veranda for his Father's Day lunch and it was super yummy!



After lunch we came home for PRESENTS! Gift giving doesn't come naturally to me. Maybe I'm the only one like that, but for some reason I find it very difficult. I feel like some people are natural gift givers. So anyway, I was really proud of the gifts Robert got for Father's Day and I tried to put a lot of thought into it!









I (oops... I mean, Ellington) made Robert a little book that is full of pictures of the two of them. It's super cute if I do say so myself!



Ellington enjoyed playing with (and in!) the wrapping paper!



I think Robert had a great first Father's Day! Ellington and I were honored to help him celebrated it!

Happy Father's Day!

I want to wish Robert a very happy first Father's Day! Robert, you are an amazing dad and it has been such a joy watch you fall into your roll. Ellington is so blessed to have you as her Daddy. I love you more and more every day watching you love her.



There are a lot of memories that stick out to me, but there is one that sticks out more than the others. As you know, Ellington's colic started at the beginning of November. One evening she was screaming and screaming and screaming. You took her in her room to rock her and I was in the kitchen. In just a few seconds I heard you singing Christmas carols to her and she quieted down to listen to you sing. At that moment it just hit me (maybe I'm a little slow)...that you are her Daddy and that you love her more than anything. It's been such a blessing watching you two grow closer and closer.



Thank you for the amazing Daddy that you are and for the support you give me as a Mommy. I couldn't do this without you!



We also want to wish Pop and Big Bob a Happy Father's Day as well! We love ya'll and are so thankful for the great Dads and Granddads you both are for us!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Counting Down and Curling Up With A Good Book

We are going to Destin with my parents on June 26 and ya'll....it CAN'T get here fast enough. We need this little getaway soooo bad! I made a sign to keep up with how many days we have left!



Yesterday I sat Ellington in her chair with a book while I put her clothes away. When I turned around this is what I saw:



She seemed to be quite content and enjoying her favorite book, "Rainbow Fish".

Letting Go (Just A Little Bit)

This past Thursday morning we told Ellington she was going to go to Philadelphia to stay with GiGi and Pop all by herself for 2 nights. Here was her reaction:



Haha...just kidding. Ellington did go stay with my parents for 2 nights last week and it was such a much needed treat! I was reeeeally nervous about being away from her. She has stayed with my parents twice before, but under much different circumstances. Both times were pretty early on and one of the times was during "The Colic of 2009". When she stayed with them previously it was (quite honestly) to keep me from LOSING MY MIND. This time I did need a break, but I hadn't been away from her like that since January and during that time she had developed pretty serious separation anxiety....so all of this to say, I felt like I was leaving her for the first time! She did GREAT though and I got some much needed down time. Seeing her again on Saturday morning was the BEST! I missed my girl!

Robert has also been keeping Ellington two mornings a week. I have gone back to work on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings at First Methodist as the Parent's Morning Out infant teacher. I love going and doing something a little different, but more than that I love knowing Ellington is home with Robert...and having a blast! When I come home she is always in the BEST mood. It's so precious. I'm glad they have had the opportunity to have some special time together. I'm also thankful for a husband who is willing take care of his little girl all by himself!!!



Ellington has also started staying in the nursery for Sunday night church. Last night was her 2nd time. We hadn't ever tried going on Sunday nights with her because her bed time use to be earlier and she was always a super grouch muffin before bed. When we heard about the church wide summer Bible study we thought we would try it out since Ellington has gotten a lot better in the evenings. During the summer they don't do "regular" services, instead they do a church wide study. From 5:00-5:30 everyone meets in the sanctuary for a couple of songs and a video about our Bible study, Compelled by Love. Then we split up into small group from 5:30-6:30. After we're done they have super for everyone as a fellowship time. Our favorite part is definitely the supper. Ha! But, it's not for the reasons you would think (you know, the free meal!). We have really really enjoyed getting to share a meal with new people from the church. Each week we've been we've sat with different people (who we didn't know) and now that's just a few more people we do know! It's been a GREAT way to meet more people! I think getting to know people at church can be really hard when you're just going to the services, so this has been great. They also do a theme for the supper each week and really go out of their way to make it special. This week's theme was MSU tailgating complete with tents, maroon and white decorations, and face painting. So fun! I was REALLY nervous about leaving E in the nursery the first week because we didn't know the nursery workers, but I was pleasantly surprised when she made it the whole time. Last night was a different story! About 20 minutes before it was suppose to be over, we got paged to come get her. Bless her heart, she was red and splotchy and SCREAMING. :( After we got out of the room I started crying too!!! But we got her calmed down and were able to go to the supper. We got to sit with one of Ellington's Sunday School teachers and get to know her and her husband so that was neat!

Dinner Dates

For some reason a few weeks ago I was thinking about who I would have dinner with if I could choose anyone. My list came together very quickly and I had two categories: a dinner party with five people and a one-on-one dinner. My list VERY STRONGLY tells who I am and what I believe in. The majority of Americans would probably hate my list. Seriously. I told Robert about my list and challenged him to come up with one of his own. In true Robert fashion, it took him awhile to get it together but he finally did so now I can post our lists!

Robert's Dinner Party:

1. Lou Holtz -College Football Coach
   
2. Major Richard "Dick" Winters - World War II Veteran, Band of Brothers
   
3. Rick Burgess - The Rick and Bubba Radio Show
   
4. Billy Graham
5. George W. Bush

Robert's One-on-One Dinner:

1. Voddie Baucham

Lane's Dinner Party:

1. George W. Bush
2. Voddie Baucham
3. Haley Barbour - Mississippi Governor
   
4. Glenn Beck - The Glenn Beck Show, Fox News
   
5. James Dobson - Focus on the Family
   

Lane One-on-One Dinner:

1. Michelle Duggar - Wife and Mom of 19

My list shows that I love the family and politics....and probably it also shows my crush on middle aged politicians. Yikes. :) I just love Haley and George W. to pieces...and their accents don't hurt one bit!!! And ya'll, I LOVE Michelle Duggar. I know very few people (really only like one person) who like her and think what she does is noble. I have heard SO many people bash her and her family. But I simply adore her and I would love nothing more than to share a meal with her. Her demenor and her servant's heart is really unlike anyone I have ever seen. I am not saying that I am going to have 19 kids...because I'm not, but if I could be like her I would consider it an honor. And if you just make fun of her, but don't know anything about her...that's unfair. And if your first questions is, "How can they afford all of those kids?" (and you are saying they shouldn't have that many b/c they could never afford it)....I will gladly tell you that they have NO DEBT. None. Do you know anyone else that has no debt? Yeah, me either. I just love her. I will get off my soap box now. :)
A person that is on both of our lists that you might not recognize is Voddie Baucham. He's a Southern Baptist pastor that BRINGS THE WORD, especially when it comes to the family. Again, I know like one person who wouldn't be totally offended by him. Robert and I love him and the things that he stands for. One of his books, Family Driven Faith, has forever changed how our family will operate. His name is linked in our lists and I strongly encourage you to check him out.

I would LOVE it if everyone reading this would post their lists in the comments! I have recently discovered that there are a lot of people that read this that I didn't know did...so leave a comment!

Wordless Wednesday

Splishin' and Splashin'

We got Ellington's little pool out for the first time today. At first she wasn't really sure what to think about it, but after a little bit she loved playing in it! I know we're going to have a lot of fun with it this summer!

A Whole Heap of Firsts!

During the month of May Ellington had so many "firsts". I tried really hard to capture each one. She really grew, changed, and accomplished so many new things in the last month.

1. Sitting up and playing



First, she would sit up and play with the support of her Boppy pillow, but she now can do it all on her own!



These are the cups I mentioned in her 8 month birthday post. She LOVES these things!

2. Sleeping without the Miracle Blanket



When Ellington turned 7 months old last month I decided it was way past time to get rid of her miracle blanket. She did a great job of transitioning to sleep without it.

3. Bath in the big bath tub



4. Riding in the shopping cart



Reagan and I took Ellington on her first stroll in the big kid seat in the shopping cart. Because the back was kind of slanted, she kept leaning over so we've put this on hold for a little bit! I usually carry her in the baby carrier when we go to the grocery store.

5. Trying some real foods



When we were in Memphis for Daniel and Laura's wedding, Ellington got her first taste of something other than baby food. At lunch she tried a pickle and LOVED it and the next day at brunch she tried pineapple and melon.

6. Sippy cup



We have been offering Ellington a sippy cup of water and she hasn't gotten it down (at all!), but we'll keep trying. I want some other way to keep her hydrated this summer! Surely at some point she'll figure it out.

7. Shoes



I haven't really ever put shoes on Ellington. I don't think babies need shoes. It's just an added expense for no reason. She did wear some little shoes for the wedding, but they were more like little slippers. I put these cute shoes on her one day recently when I decided to take her jumperoo outside in the carport. I didn't want her jumping on the concrete in bare feet. These little shoes looked so sweet on her feet!

8. Big girl car seat



We recently got Ellington a convertible car seat to have in the Explorer. I think she really likes it! She looked so big in it to me!

9. Finding toes



Ellington found her toes awhile back, but recently realized she could get them in her mouth!

10. Highchair



Ellington has started sitting in a highchair when we go out to eat! She doesn't at home yet. I still feed her in her little chair (seen in the sippy cup picture) because it's much easier to feed her when she's reclined a little bit! She does great in a high chair when we're out though. She loves sitting up with everyone!

Sweet Feet

Ellington crosses her little ankles a lot now and I just think it's so precious!



We hope you have a great weekend! Robert is working tomorrow (shocking I know). I don't know if he's working Sunday too. I'm not asking. It's better that way. Happy weekend!

8 Months

Little E,
You are 8 months old today! We can hardly believe you've gotten so old and every day I ask your Daddy, "Can you believe how big she's getting?!". You have been such a JOY and DELIGHT over the last month. We have had so much fun and have loved watching you accomplish so much! You gave your Momma a really hard time trying to take your monthly picture today. You wanted to grab the camera, wave your arms, and at the end you figured out you could pull the sticker off! There's definitely no more propping you in one spot to take your picture! :)

This is the best one I got!



Hmmmm....what's that you've got? (You can see her first little tooth in this picture!...if you can't see it, click on the picture and it will enlarge it)



Yes, I think I'll take it!



Ooohh...I see something fun over there!



Mom, are we done yet?



Yep, we're done....let me just get this sticker off!



Ellington, here's what you are up to at 8 months old:

• You wear 6-9 month clothes, although you are getting to be too long for some of them!
• You wear a size 3 diaper.
• You have baby food 3 times a day and usually have 3-4 bottles a day, but you don't really like your bottle at all anymore.
• You were sleeping through the night most nights, but have been waking in the night every night for a couple of weeks now...and waking twice a night for the last three nights. Yikes! I know you love me, but it's ok with me if you want to just see me in the morning. :)
• You still take 3 naps a day most days (one longer morning and two short afternoon ones) but we are trying to get you down to 2 solid naps a day.
• You have started sitting up all on your own and you are so proud of yourself!
• Your favorite toy to play with is your stacking cups. You love to have one cup in each hand and bang them together!
• Your first little tooth has just started coming through and it's the cutest little tooth I've ever seen!
• You love to be out and about. You are usually content in your stroller and have just started sitting in a high chair at restaurants!
• You are still really attached to Mommy and Daddy, but you are getting more and more friendly with other people.
• You reach for me and it's the SWEETEST.THING.EVER.
• You love love love jumping in your Jumperoo.
• You are grabbing everything within your reach!
• You still love bananas, but mangos are giving them a run for their money.
• You are now making so many different kinds of noises. You've always got something to say, but just can't quite get the words out!
  

Ellington, we've had such a great 8 months with you and it just keeps getting better! Thanks for being the sweetie pie that you are...and even when you aren't being such a sweetie pie, we love you more than anything in the whole wide world!