Ellen's leaving!

I can't believe how fast this month with Ellen living with us has gone by! It has been so much fun to have her here and we are sad that she is going back to Houston this Saturday.

In honor of her departure, I've complied a Top Ten Perks of Ellen Living With Us List:

1. Delicious home made pizza
2. Free babysitting
3. Consistent, convenient running partner, making it less scary to run outside in the dark
4. Convenient, at-home, free medical care for Saylor! She's checked her ears, listened to her lungs, diagnosed a rash, and the list goes ON! I cannot express how this has simplified my life!
5. Access to her itunes library
6. Access to her clothes closet
7. Fashion advice. She even helped me clean out my closet and finally say goodbye to so many random pieces of clothing. (Why the heck do I still have things from high school)?
8. More attention and exercise for Harry. She didn't even get mad when he stole her avocado and used it as a chew toy.
9. Fun late night dance parties and good late night conversations
10. All the great quality time Saylor got to spend with her aunt...makes me happy to see them together and get to be such buddies.





We love you, Ellen! Thanks for living with us, for all your help and support, and for putting up with several interrupted nights of sleep with sick crying baby next door too you. We will always treasure this time we had with you!

My two favorites

First Steps

Click here to view these pictures larger

D sent me these pictures she took with her nice camera from the other day. If you click on the option to make these bigger and then click on "slideshow" you can kind of see Saylor taking some of her first steps!

Oh what a difference a day makes

Or at least a good night of sleep!

Tired and cranky!

The past two nights Saylor has been a little under the weather and none of us have gotten much sleep. Not sure if it's due to the upper teeth finally making making an apperance, the random bout of separation anxiety she has devloped, or the endless coughing that seems to wake her up every 10 minutes. But, this picture pretty much describes how we are all feeling today!

Fun outing

Matt was off today for MLK day and we enjoyed spending some time with the Marchands at the Arboretum!

Saylor had fun walking around with Daddy:






And playing with her buddy, Gavin:




Here she is watching her Farm Animals DVD after we got home...



It was a good day!

I just love him

John Krasinski that is.


Matt I went to see It's Complicated last night. We actually went intending to see The Blind Side, but it was sold out. I was so disappointed because I've been dying to see it, but it turned out that It's Complicated was a good one. Maybe it's just because I don't get out much to see movies these days...but the combination of John Krasinski, Steve Martin, and especially Alec Baldwin had me laughing pretty hard at some points. And every time I see Jim in something besides the Office I love him even more than I already did. :)

In case you might be wondering about other celebrities I'm loving right now (I'm sure you are):

I've always loved Clare Danes but recently saw her again in Little Women. I LOVE how she is not afraid to look somewhat ugly on the big screen when she cries. Like the rest of us look when we cry...or at least me. :)


Sarah Barielles - this girl can sing. I have re-discovered her album this past week and she is so talented.


I know it may seem random, but does anyone NOT love Brian Williams? He delivers the news. He delivers it well. And he's soooooooo handsome while doing it.

:)

Earthquake

Today I spent a large amount of time, energy, and money on our dog...trying to clean/replace the carpet that he ruined after he got sick after his latest eating frenzy and taking him to the vet to come up with a solution to this problem. I was really mad about the whole situation.

But when I got home I saw this:


And this:


And this:


And this:


And this:


And then I just felt ridiculous, and suddenly I wasn't so worried about my carpet or my dog anymore.

Books

In the past couple years, Matt and I have scaled way back on our TV watching. We definitely still have our weekly favorites (The Office, Community, Friday Night Lights, 30 Rock) that we faithfully Tivo. Although at times I miss my mindless TV, I must admit that I love that we've had more time together, more time to get things done, and more time for other things we enjoy...like....READING!

I have gotten back into this hobby and I love it. There are so many good books out there! I even joined a book club, which signifies I must be an avid reader. (kidding, I am far from it). Here's a list of what I've read (or re-read) recently and some thoughts:

Unveiled by Francine Rivers (Good book. I'm not really a Redeeming Love fan but I LOVE the Mark of the Lion series by this lady. This one falls somewhere in between).

Angry Housewives Eating Bon-Bons by Lorna Landvik (kinda fun to see life from perspective of house wive several decades ago)

The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (I didn't finish it...i couldn't quite get into the sci-fi aspect)

An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser (I remembered liking this in highschool but I guess I have changed. Ugh. I pushed ALL the way through and was so disappointed in the end).

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (really good, fast, easy to read. I was dying to figure out the mystery...lots of shocking moments)

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (fun to re-live it..I bawled when sweet Beth died).

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (true story about a girl's unusual parents and her upbringing...a really fast, easy read because you couldn't believe any of this stuff actually happened).

The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Oh my goodness - this was FABULOUS! It doesn't matter who you are, you'll enjoy this book)!


Up next on the dockett:
Three Cups of Tea
Parting the Waters
Water for Elephants

For some reason I haven't delved into Jodi Picoult yet...though everyone seems to love her.

Any other suggestions?

Birthday Bash

Here are some pictures from Saylor's birthday party...a Winter ONE-derland theme. :)
We had a great time! I can't believe her birthday is already over and she is now a TODDLER! Now onto bigger and better things. :)


Some decorations





The cake turned out great...so pretty and tasted good too. Thanks, Angie.




A banner with a picture of her each month, growing over the past year.








Here you go, Dad.






Who doesn't need a little cake in their hair?




One of her new presents...a baby doll.



The BIRTHDAY GIRL!




Some pretty flowers Aunt Ellen brought Saylor yesterday for her birthday


Matt gave this to Say to open last night on her real birthday. It's a build a bear that he made for her, and if you press the bear's paw it has a recording of Saylor laughing! So sweet...I had no idea he had done it. She is lucky to have such a great daddy.



Happy First Birthday, Saylor! We love you!

She's ONE!!!!!

Tomorrow is the big day...Saylor is turning ONE!

I can't believe it's really here.

This year has gone by so fast...it's hard to even remember what life was like before this little girl showed up into our lives.



This weekend was very special. We had a small baby dedication ceremony for Saylor, as well as her birthday party! After a lot of thought and prayer, Matt and I made the decision not to have Saylor baptized as an infant, but instead let her make that choice when she is old enough to understand more about who Christ is and come to her own faith in Him. We wanted to do something now, though, to signify our committment to raise her according to Christ's teachings and to acknowledge our need for help to do this from our family, friends, church, and ultimately the Lord. We were thankful for a chance to read through some scripture and for words of blessing from some of those who love her most to be prayed over her. :)

As her birthday has approached I must admit I've felt pretty nostalgic. Most of all, I just keep getting hit with these huge, overwhelming waves of thankfulness.

Here is part of a letter I wrote to Saylor for her dedication. I know this post is long...so feel free to stop reading at any point, if you haven't already. :) I'll post more pictures from her party later...fun times!

Dear Saylor,

It’s hard to believe you are almost one year old. It seems that every parental cliché that used to seem so trite is now passing repeatedly through my mind with intense emotion. Time does go by so fast. I do want to cherish every moment. And you really have grown so quickly. And the list goes on.

More than any of these though, I resonate most with the millions of parents who proclaim an overwhelming and profound joy once they have children. It’s true. You do bring us joy – in a way we have not experienced before. Being your parent is sort of an out of body experience for me. From pregnancy to birth to watching this little bundle become a real person over the past year…it seems like a dream. Not that it’s all been rosy – I’m not going to pretend I enjoyed the 3 a.m. projectile poops. But still, when I look big picture at the love a parent has for their child, it’s clearly a gift from God, a small piece of something Divine. I am so thankful to be counted worthy of this gift, and am overwhelmed to think it is only a picture of how our Heavenly Father loves us.

We have many hopes for you and we wait with eager anticipation to see the person that you become. As your parents, we know we have a big job. It’s our role to love and cherish you. To teach you, to nurture you. To protect you from sickness, and danger and harm. Our biggest hope is that you will one day understand who Christ is…namely the depth of your need for Him and of His love for you, and that you will believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins, and the hope and abundant life that is to be had through Him. We hope for you all the beauty and meaning and mystery that is found in Him.

Today, we celebrate you and we and humbly ask God for help in raising you. We know that we are finite and limited, and that despite our deep love for you, we will make many mistakes. We know you are not immune to sickness or harm, and that because of sin this world is often not only treacherous, but heartbreaking. We give thanks for the friends and family God has granted us who love you so much and who we know we can rely on for help, prayer, and wisdom. Most of all, we recognize God as your Heavenly Father. It is He who gave you life and He who sustains it. It is He who grants faith and He who can love, nurture, protect, and teach you better than we could ever begin to. We take great comfort knowing that He knit you together and calls you His masterpiece, and that it is He who will watch over you and guide your steps all the days of your life.

In the weeks leading up to your birth, we prayed specifically the verses of 1 Sam chapter 1. In this chapter, Hannah prays and waits for a long time that she would be granted a baby. When she finally has Samuel, she is overwhelmed with gratitude and dedicates his life to God. God has given you to us, and like Hannah, we dedicate you to Him. Simply as an act of acknowledging the truth: you are His daughter and we depend on Him for every day we have with you.

We love you, Saylor Grace! Happy Birthday!