Books!

Because I want Eliza to share my passion for books (particularly children's literature and YA novels), I have decided to make a weekly habit of taking her to library.  My mother and I went to the library for years together until I left home for college. These are some of my greatest childhood memories, so I hope Eliza and I can start our own tradition. Although Eliza definitely cannot choose her own books, she loves people-watching and staring at seemingly endless aisles of books.

Too bad at her young age, the only thing she wants to do with a book is chew on it. However, I am certain she will grow to love the library.  I'm so excited for her to get her very own library card in ten years or so!

Oh Happy Day!

 June 26th was a lovely, memorable, life-changing kind of day.

 I'm sure glad I had friends and family to share the experience with.

Oh Please

Dear Hurricane Celia,

Please don't do any damage or hurt anyone; I don't want my good name ruined.

Cool Cat

Now that it's finally warm, Eliza particularly enjoys being out in the sun.

 Especially when she has on sunglasses.

Happy summer!

So Long, Bumpers

One of the reasons Eliza no longer has bumpers in her crib:


Eliza also tried to use these bumpers to escape from her crib. She was precariously perched on the bunched up fabric, attempting to propel herself out of the bed. It was a creative, yet unsuccessful venture.

Happy Father's Day

It was Nathan's first Father's Day! We didn't do much to celebrate the event other than rest all day and watch Brazil play in the World Cup.  We also took an afternoon stroll to the park and enjoyed a nice meal.  It was simple, but nice.

 

Nathan is an amazing parent; calm, patience, attentive, and loving. Eliza certainly is a daddy's girl, and Nathan loves being the "Papa" to a little girl. I remember watching "A Little Princess" about a month after Eliza was born. When the little girl in the story is separated from her Papa and cries for him, we both looked at each other in tears! Parenthood has changed us for the better. 

 I'm grateful for my own father as well. Now that I am a parent myself, I am continually amazed he was able to keep up with toddlers in a wheelchair! I love you, Dad.

 And last, but definitely not least, there is Rex, my amazing father-in-law. He is a constant source of positivity and strength for Nathan and me. It truly is a blessing to feel like you have two sets of parents!

Nathan and I appreciate our fathers and all the help, advice, and love they offer to our family. Without them, we wouldn't know what to do with malfunctioning cars, broken sprinkler systems, and tricky washing machine installations. So thanks, Dads, for all of the free counsel!

 

Good Deals Make Me Happy

Nathan and I stumbled upon some pretty good finds this morning while yard sale hopping. We bought everything pictured for under $15.00!

I was particularly excited to find the complete second season of Arrested Development (which I somehow lost) and the book Ferdinand. My grandmother read it to me often when I was a little girl, and now I have it for Eliza. The older woman selling this precious treasure only asked for 50 cents, but I just had to give her a dollar because I was so happy!

We also have THREE more games! Two were 50 cents and Yahtzee (unopened, I should add) was a whopping $1.00. Oh how I love Provo in the summer. I can't wait for next Saturday.

In the Last 24 Hours...

Yesterday was eventful for Eliza.  As I went to warm up a bottle of milk, I asked: "Do you want your baba?" (Yes, I said "baba"). She immediately answered, saying: "baba" right back to me. I was momentarily speechless and confused; I wasn't expecting a response. Of course, it was adorable, although unbelievable for a few moments. I should have known her first word would be food/milk related.

She loves drinking milk and holding her own bottle. Earlier this week, Eliza began refusing bottles if we tried feeding her. We must now give the bottle to her, and she will feed herself.

 As if that wasn't enough excitement for one day, Eliza impressed us again with this trick:

 

She pulled herself up! I walked into her nursery to find her gripping the railing of the crib as if she were a prisoner....and then I took a picture. I was shocked to find her attempting to use the bumper as an escape tool. She was precariously leaning over the edge of the rail, desperately trying to get out of bed. She looked pretty proud of herself, too.

Tomorrow's project: lowering the mattress. I don't trust that cute little grin or the mischievous look in her eyes.

Wishful Thinking

Most of the day, I thought about how nice it would be if I were here:

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened today! Complete with Buckbeak,

Butterbeer,

Zonko's,

and even the Hogwarts Express, it looks like an amazing place to visit.

In case you didn't know,

I'm not ashamed I was the type of person who waited hours in line to see the movies and books...and even dressed up like characters

...and made t-shirts with roommates.

 

 We're awesome. Once Eliza is a bit older, we'll have to go to the theme park. We'll teach her while she is young to love Harry Potter :) It'll probably be less crowded in 5 years anyway.


** A friend from home took the pictures of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. She went before the park opened because she is a worker at Universal Studios. She gets to be Bart Simpson at the Islands of Adventure theme park. AWESOME. **

Input, Input...Need More Input!

I am continually amazed at the size of Eliza's eyes. They are huge! Every time we go on a walk, she perches on the edge of her stroller and stares at her surroundings. I can tell she is constantly processing information. For instance, in the picture below, Eliza is wondering why I am making noises and talking in a high pitched voice as I attempt to get her to look at the camera. She is judging me already.I know the eyes do not continue to grow much larger throughout life (a few millimeters in width), but I swear they are already bigger than mine!She's pretty darn cute.

Selective Hearing

Tonight, Eliza and I attended a meeting with several women from church. Although the discussion was serious, the noise level was distracting. The age difference between the group was marked; several of us had children squirming in our laps; most of us did not. The handful of babies and toddlers took over the conversation as the decibel level slowly increased.

I attempted to wrangle Eliza, who was particularly enthralled by the Australian accent of an older woman we sat beside. She was mesmerized and stared open mouthed in amazement as the woman spoke. Anxious to be closer to this Australian stranger, Eliza held her arms out and proceeded to leap towards our neighbor. The woman was completely stoic. I muttered an apology, while Eliza continued to babble and smile. The woman did not respond or even acknowledge I had spoken. There was no recognition whatsoever. Somewhat embarrassed, I tried to be grateful Eliza was not having a full out tantrum as I watched a fellow mother attempt to console her two unhappy children. Unable to calm them down, the young mother gathered her things, placed a child on each hip, and walked out the door.

I then noticed my neighbor holding a tiny, tan object in the palm of her hand. As soon as the door shut behind the noisy group, she put the device in her ear and adjusted the volume. And then it clicked! She had taken out her hearing aid due to our loud children and only replaced them once she thought the coast was clear. Nice. I wasn't sure rather I should be offended or not...so I decided it was just really funny (and convenient for her).

Sometimes, I wish I could adjust the volume of my ears. Ahhh....Silence!

What A Nice Chair

On our front porch, there is a brown* velvet rocking chair. In addition to making us appear to be the coolest family on the block, this lovely piece of furniture is actually enjoyable to sit on. Eliza is definitely a fan. *excuse me: Nathan states the chair is actually "burnt orange"

Let Them Eat Cake

For the second consecutive weekend, Nathan and I have let our competive natures lead to a fierce match of brains, skill, and luck playing this game: Guillotine is an addictive card game our friends Joe and Tina introduced us to earlier this year. It involves the French Revolution, the decapitation of nobles, and figures like Marie Antoinette and Robespierre. The game even includes a mini (paper) guillotine! Morbid, I know...but it's awesome.

Nathan and I didn't even know we were the type of people who enjoyed games (besides Scrabble) until we started learning new ones with our friends every weekend. Our new goal is to buy a new game each month and enjoy spending time together while we play. I hope our marriage can withstand all the friendly competition. What can I say? I like to win...so does he. It's all fun and games until one of us loses.

Nathan demands a rematch as I write this. He couldn't end the night with such a bad loss. I don't blame him :)

Napkins and Kool-Aid

I came home to this earlier this week:A bouquet made of expertly folded napkins, sprinkled with Kool-Aid and sprayed with water for artistic effect was awaiting my arrival.I didn't even notice they weren't real at first! I then went to the address (as directed) and found this:A delicious dinner at the park made by an master chef and his little helper.Our afternoon was delightful.
My husband is both creative and thrifty. I love it...and our lovely date under ten dollars! Now, it's my turn to think of something creative. Because ice blocking is seriously the only thing that came to mind, I looked up some cheap date ideas. It was definitely hit and miss. This was my favorite suggestion:

14. Speak only gibberish and let your thoughts be understood from your emotions, gestures, and tone.

I'll have to ask Nathan how he feels about this idea, or surprise him perhaps.

Eliza's Recent Discoveries

1. Rubber makes a nice toy.
When Nathan brought Eliza to the doctor's office earlier this week, she was holding a long piece of rubbery plastic; It was the shoe strap to his new pair of work shoes. I questioned this parenting choice, but it was clear she loved the strap, so it stayed. Happy baby = Happy parents.

2. Swinging is delightful.And perfect for kicking your legs.


3. Grass / leafy objects are fascinating, but do not taste very good.Monday, at the park, Eliza couldn't stop staring at our salad. Eventually, she was distracted enough by the grass surrounding our blankets that we could actually eat our meal. Although curious, she was afraid to touch the grass or leave the protection of the blanket. She did manage, though, to chew on a few blades of stray grass.4. Summer is hot.
This is what a hot baby with soaking wet hair looks like. I think her mohawk is quite lovely.

Although babies are not always simple, they certainly are amusing.