February and Our Little Valentine

SNOWBALL

I made myself a snowball, as perfect as could be

I thought I'd keep it as a pet and let it sleep with me

I made it some pajamas, and a pillow for its head

Then last night it ran away, but first it wet the bed

~Shel Silverstein

Marley sticking his tongue out at us

Action shot - falling over backwards

I just realized today that it's been almost a month since my last post. Wow - how times flies when you are as busy as we are. One thing I know for sure is that we are SO ready for spring to get here ... warm weather, sunshine, longer days, pretty flowers, trips to the dog park, walks around our neighborhood, drinking cocktails and lounging on our back porch, thunderstorms, Easter eggs, picnics, filling our flower pots, and outdoor concerts. Most of all, I am looking foward to wrapping up one of the busiest years of work that I have had thus far. Summer won't get here soon enough!

Earlier in February, we headed to Colorado for our annual family ski trip. As usual, it was absolutely wonderful. Ella was a rock star during the drive out there and back - barely fussed at all and was very cooperative with stopping to eat and being changed in the most random places ... gas stations, restaurants, on the side of the road, etc. She did awesome!

Once we got to Colorado, Ella adjusted right away to her new surroundings ... a cozy little condo in the mountains. Luckily, with the help of my parent's car, we were able to transport all of our stuff, including a few of Ella's favorite things - her portable swing, bumbo seat, jumperoo, and plenty of toys and books. We brought her pack n play, but barely used it because Ella had some issues with the altitude and couldn't sleep in it at night. We battled with her for the first couple of nights (waking up screaming for hours, hysterical, not wanting to go back to sleep) before we figured out that she slept just fine in her swing. We guessed that she was having breathing issues and/or a headache, and it felt crappy to sleep flat. As long as she was upright, she was fine. Poor baby.

Eli wasn't able to ski because of his recent shoulder surgery, so he stayed with Ella during the day while the rest of us took turns skiing. In the mornings, we all ate breakfast together and every evening we all got to spend time together making dinner (or eating out), playing games, relaxing, and watching the Olympics. One night, we went to get fresh crepes in downtown Breckenridge. These three guy work in this little stand and they make gigantic fresh crepes right in front of you and fill it with whatever you want. Eli and I tried raspberry with white chocolate - YUM. You have to wait in line forever for these things, but they are so worth it. I can't wait until next year when Ella can try one!

On the way home, we dropped my brother off in Wamego, KS so he could go to a K-State basketball game with a friend. The total trip home took about 12 hours with the detour and time change, and Ella hung in there the whole time. Makes us want to take some more road trips with her! In June, we'll be driving down to Destin, Fl - that will be the real test :)

Ellasyn has developed quite the personality. She is very busy - moving, reaching for things, putting things in her mouth. Just about everything she can grab goes in her mouth. She hates being alone in a room unless she is taking a nap. She loves jumping, being lifted up in the air, and being tickled and kissed - a few things that often make her laugh. She also loves being sung to .. a great distraction technique when she is wanting to flip over in the middle of a diaper change!

Here are a few things we love about our baby:

- the way she smiles when she first wakes up

- the way she toots out of the blue

- the way she grabs both feet and just about sticks them in her mouth

- the way she feels when she is heavy and sleepy in our arms

- how she can go from smelling so good to so bad in seconds

- how alert, interested, and curious she is about everything going on around her

- the way she always reaches for Marley and he does everything he can to avoid her

- her big kissable belly and flabby little bottom

- the bad habit she has of blowing raspberries with a mouthful of baby food (and how hard it is not to laugh at her)

- the way absolutely everything finds a way to her mouth

- her beautiful eyes and long eyelashes

- her almost bald-head that always smells so good and is a perfect place to plant a smooch

- her two tiny little teeth that make an appearance everytime she smiles

- the way she makes our lives so beautiful and full of joy ... we are so lucky to be her parents