What a Big Helper!

Today Elizabeth and I went over to my mom's house to help her do some chores. My mom has been wanting to take down her curtains to wash them, to wash her blinds, and to wash her windows. Since this is a large undertaking we decided to go and help.

Elizabeth was so cute. She saw my mom washing the windows, so she got some of her wet wipes and climbed on a chair to help.


As you can see, she took this job very seriously. She had to make sure that each and every piece of dirt was washed away. What a little doll!

A Day at the Zoo with Hailee

Elizabeth and I were invited to go to the Hogle Zoo with some friends that we met at Gymboree. I was so excited to go, especially since Elizabeth has not been to the zoo since last Fall. She is really interested in animals now, so I knew that she would love the zoo.


Elizabeth was so excited to have a friend to spend the day with. As we were driving to the zoo, Elizabeth kept calling for Hailee. The girls were so cute together. It was so adorable to see the two of them in their wagons.


Elizabeth loved all of the animals. Each time we saw a new animal, she wanted to get out of her wagon to get a closer look. If I had to guess, I would say that the bears were her favorite, with the giraffes coming in at a close second.


I just love seeing Elizabeth so happy. She would get so excited with each new animal that she saw. It was so cute because she would name the animal or do the animal sound each time she saw a new one. She had a huge grin on her face the entire day.


Elizabeth and Hailee were so excited to go on the Carousel. Elizabeth had a little meltdown on the line to buy tickets. Luckily, the line was not very long so we were on the ride before too long. The girls looks so cute riding next to each other. Hailee did a great job of getting off once the ride was over...but Elizabeth was another story. I had to pry her legs and arms from around the pole in order to get her off.


Every once in a while, we would get the girls out of their wagons so that they could walk around and get a closer look at some of the animals. Melissa and I were really proud of our girls for how they got back in their wagons...without complaining...when it was time to move to the next area.


Just before we left, we took the girls on the train. Elizabeth was extremely excited...until we got on...then she was terrified. She clung to me and would not let go. For the first little bit, she sat on my lap with her head on my shoulder, and would not move. I finally convinced her to turn around...but she still had to be on my lap. What a silly girl!


It made me so happy to spend the day, doing something fun, with my little girl. She is an absolute doll. She did great the whole day and totally loves her wagon.


I am so glad that we were able to go with Melissa and Hailee. We had a really great time. Thanks girls, It was so nice to spend the afternoon with you...and thanks for getting us in with your zoo membership!


Look at that face...you can tell that she was loving every minute!


Elizabeth had so much fun and was totally exhausted by the end of the trip. She fell asleep before we even backed out of the parking spot.

Never Say Never

Before I had Elizabeth, I would see parents walking around with a harness attached to their child. I was disgusted. It offended me that a parent would attach a leash to their child. I thought is was demeaning. For goodness sakes, a leash is made for a dog....NOT a child!

I always thought...I will NEVER put a leash on my child.

Fast-forward to the present.

Elizabeth is a crazy girl. She runs full-speed ahead and does not slow down. She will not listen to me when I ask her to come. She will not hold my hand. She will not walk if I try to direct her. She goes limp and will not move until she is ready.

So. Today I bought a leash.

I guess I should never say never.

Ducks and Smarties

One of our favorite places to go is Gardner Village. Elizabeth loves to see the ducks and run around. I love to sit by the pond, listen to the water, and watch all of the people go by. Elizabeth and I always have so much fun. I am so excited that the weather is finally getting nice enough for us to go to Gardner Village more often.

Elizabeth gets so excited when the ducks walk or swim by. She shakes with excitement and screams "duck duck".


Elizabeth runs all over the grounds of Gardner Village, looking for ducks. She climbs on everything and looks under every railing trying to get a better peek at the ducks.


Another one of Elizabeth's favorite things to do, is to look for bugs. She gets so excited when she finds one. She squats down and tries to poke them. Poor little bugs...they never stood a chance with Elizabeth around.


One tradition that we have is Elizabeth and I go into Sweet Afton's and pick out a treat. Sweet Afton's is this really great candy store that has all different kinds of candy...some that you cannot find anywhere else. Elizabeth usually picks a sucker but most of the time I am able to convince her that she wants something else. Today, Elizabeth picked Smarties.


I love going to Gardner Village because it makes Elizabeth so happy. She smiles the whole time that we are there. She loves to run from one end to the other...and is usually exhausted by the time we are headed home.


By the end of our visit, Elizabeth was so tired...but she did not want to go home. She laid her head down on the armrest of the lawn chair and just watched the ducks. When I would ask her if she wanted to go home, she would say "No, Ducks". I let her lay there and enjoy the time that we had. It was so relaxing to sit in the sunshine and watch her rest.


I am so blessed to be able to have this time with Elizabeth. She is growing really fast so I cherish each and every moment that I have with her. I hope that she remembers our fun days together...I know that I always will!

Memorial Day Barbeque

Every year, Matt's parents have a BBQ for Memorial Day. I love going to their house because Karla and Kelly always have good food and fun things for us to do. Adam, Tifani, and their kids came...so we got to visit with them too! I love when Elizabeth gets to spend time with her cousins.

This year we got together around 4:00pm. It was a nice day, so Kelly and Karla had the chairs set up in the backyard. Elizabeth had such fun running around and playing with Kena and Kate. This year, Elizabeth was even brave enough to try the slide all by herself.


It was so cute to see her climb to the top of the slide, sit down, and slide to the bottom. She would immediately try to climb back up the slide and we would have to remind her that she needs to climb up the ladder.


After dinner, Karla took the kids for a ride in her wagon. Kena was so nice and let Kate and Elizabeth ride in the wagon, while she walked along side of it. Karla, Tifani, and I took the kids down to the park that is at the edge of Karla's neighborhood. It is a cute little park with slides, swings, and lots of things to climb on.


I was so proud of Elizabeth. She was such a big girl and went on the "big girl" swing. She had only ever been on the bucket style of swing, so I was a little nervous to let her go on the regular swing...but she did great!


All I can say is "EEEEEWWWWWWWW". Karla asked Elizabeth to stand behind this little window so she could get a photo of Elizabeth peeking out. Little did we know that she would decide to flatten her tongue and lick the glass. I don't even want to think about what was on that window.


Elizabeth had a great time playing with Kena. She loves her cousins and tries to do everything that they do. I am so glad that she has such great cousins to look up to!


Elizabeth wanted to go down the big slide but I was a little leery to let her go down by herself. Kena stepped right up and offered to take Elizabeth down the slide with her. Kena did such a great job. She helped her into the tunnel entrance and held her tight as they went down.


Once Kate saw all of the fun that Kena and Elizabeth were having, she wanted to go down the slide too. Tifani climbed up to the top and helped all of the girls create a train. It was so cute to see how happy they were when they got to the bottom of the slide. Before they even stopped, they would started screaming "Again!".


I am so glad that we got to spend the day with Matt's family. It was a fun day...and we definitely need to do it more often.