I Will Be Back....Eventually! :)

Hi all!  Don't give up on this little ole blog!  I promise that I will be back...one day! :)  I still have LOTS to catch up on...Finley turning ONE, 4th of July, the fair, etc.!  Trust me...good stuff is on the way!  The good news is that I finally found a part time preschool job.  Woohoo!  After looking since the spring I was beginning to wonder if anything was going to work out, but it has.  I will be teaching at a Mother's Day Out on Tuesdays and Thursdays and of course the girls will be going too!  We had a teacher work day yesterday, will have Open House tomorrow night, and school starts on Tuesday!  So needless to say, I have been pretty busy getting ready!  We are excited for the school year.  I am ready for us to meet lots of people and start feeling like a part of the community!  Ellington is sooooo excited about school and Finley...well, it is going to be a HARD adjustment for her but I am praying that she adjusts quickly!  

Don't give up on me!  I'll be back soon!

Swimming Lessons

Ellington took swimming lessons this summer. It was at the YMCA and she went M-Th for 2 weeks for 45 minutes.  I was reeeeally nervous about it because if Ellington gets a tiny drop of water in her eyes in the bath tub she kind of loses it.  But, much to my delight she loved swimming lessons!  She did such a great job.  She listened well and tried her best!  I was so proud of her!  We are VERY rarely in a pool.  She's probably been in one a handful of times but I think it's important for her to start learning to be comfortable around water.  She still can't swim but she gained a few skills and a lot of confidence...so it was a success in my book!...not to mention she had an absolute BLAST!

She even jumped in!  I was soooo proud of her!

Homemade Ice Cream and Swimming Pools

One Sunday evening in June we decided to try making homemade ice cream for the first time and do a little swimming.  We needed to do a test run of the ice cream for Finley's birthday.  We had such a fun evening together at home!  

Ellington was Daddy's helper in the kitchen.

It was Finley's first time in the pool.  At first she was not thrilled (I think because the water was a little chilly), but pretty soon she was LOVING it!

Happy girl!

The Connerley Resort ;)

What could be better than ice cream and pool time?!  Ice cream IN the pool! :)

Mud Island and Father's Day

On Saturday of Father's Day weekend we decided to have our first fun downtown Memphis day!  After Finley's morning nap we headed downtown for lunch at the Trolley Stop Market.  It was pretty good but we had a terrible waiter and it took forever to get our food.  Robert said we wouldn't be going back.  Ha. 

After lunch we went to Mud Island.  Ellington was sooooo excited about riding the tram!

Checking out the Mississippi River.

Ellington loved walking in the model of the Mississippi.

We also went in the museum.  I wasn't sure if we would enjoy that part, but we did!  

Ellington was ready to give Robert is Father's Day gifts bright and early on Sunday morning!

A couple of months before we left Starkville I had a local artist paint a cowbell for Robert.  The back said "Happy Father's Day from Ellington and Finley 2014".  I hope it will always be a special keepsake for him.  I also gave Robert tickets to NeedtoBreathe.  They are coming to Memphis in September and I knew that Robert really wanted to go!  I might also really be looking forward to a night out. :)

Ellington and Finley are so blessed to have such a great Daddy!

Sunday evening we went to Brownsville to celebrate Big Bob with everyone.  I guess I forgot my camera because I don't have any pictures!  We had a fun weekend!

Zoo Day with Grams and Pop

Grams and Pop came to visit us for a couple of days in June.  We were SO happy to have them come and since a cool day was in the forecast, we went to the zoo!

Ellington was soooo excited to show them "her" zoo. :)

The first time that we went to the zoo, Ellington was too afraid to go into the night animal exhibit.  For some reason she got fixated on wanting to go in so she was soooo excited about going in this time!  It's all she talked about.  She absolutely loved it (??) and wanted to go in again.  It's located right by the front gate so I promised her we would go again before we left.  She asked me no less than a million times while we were looking at the other animals if it was time to go back to the night animals yet. 

A rare picture of me!  Ha. 

Grams and Pop bought E this little panda and purse.  She looooves it!

We had a great time!  It's so fun being about to go to such a great zoo just whenever we please!  Come visit us and we'll take you. :)

Wordless Wednesday

Ellington's 1st Vacation Bible School

The first week of June was action packed and fun filled for Ellington!  She went to Brownsville with Aunt Julie, Connor, and Brody for VBS at Big Bob and Mimi's church.  Ellington loved every second.  She looooves a "school" setting with activities, songs, games, etc. so obviously VBS is right up her alley.  Plus, she got to spend time with her grandparents, aunt, and cousins!  She had an absolute blast!  We were so thankful that she was able to do this and that they took such good care of her.  On Friday the kids did a little program and had a hotdog lunch.  Finley and I went to Brownsville Friday morning to be there for the program, lunch and to pick Ellington up.  It was so much fun!  I love seeing Ellington perform!  It was fun seeing how much she loved it and how much she learned.  Thanks Big Bob, Mimi, and Aunt Julie for making it such a special week!

Ellington is already looking forward to next year! :)

Finley {11 months}

June 2, 2014