Happy 50th Birthday, MOM

Just wanted to wish my mom a Happy 50th today! I just pray that I am as energetic, beautiful and lovely as you are at 50. I could never have asked for you to be a better mother, grandma to Elyse and friend. Thank you for all you do and I love you with all my heart!

Busy in Ames

On Friday, Nate, Elyse and I traveled to Ames, IA to see old friends and help host a baby shower for our good friend, Kelly Fischer. Tim, Christy and their two daughters, Audrey and Norah did a wonderful job hosting us. Their home was perfect and the food was great. Tim went above and beyond when he had to help Nate put Elyse down to bed on Saturday during the shower. Two men and three beautiful little girls. When Christy and I got home we saw the men coming up the stairs caring all the monitors, it was so cute. Besides attending the shower, one of my favorite things was going to the Iowa State campus. I have not been back since I graduated. It was a lot of fun reminiscing with Nate and taking pictures of Elyse. Overall, a very busy, but enjoyable weekend.


Christy, Kelly, Kiley and I. Can you tell what the color theme was? :)
With Kelly and baby girl Fischer at the baby shower Just wanted to send out a quick thank you to Tim and Christy! We really appreciated everything this weekend. You both ROCK!

Squeaky Shoes

Nate and I recently learned that there are shoes out there for babies/toddlers that help prevent them from walking on their tip toes. They are known as, squeaky shoes. We thought we'd give them a try because Elyse only previously walked on her tip toes. Well it's been about 3 weeks now and Elyse loves her squeaky shoes and her standing and walking has greatly improved. For the next year we plan on hearing Elyse's every step.

Little Too Close

Last night after Elyse fell asleep the warning sirens alerted Nate and I that a storm was heading our way. We generally aren't ones to take cover or get nervous. However, now with having Elyse our perspective has changed. We turned off all the lights(but the television to keep us posted), I held sleeping Elyse in my arms, Nate set up the basement, and then we waited till the news anchor said, "Take shelter if in Coon Rapids." Thankfully that never was said, but we sure still felt some impact from the storm. The lightning was crazy, the thunder was minimal, and the rain and wind were rough. We waited 45 minutes until the radar showed it was past Coon Rapids/Blaine. Once we felt safe, we tucked Elyse back into bed, turned the lights on and Nate grabbed the camera. The clouds and lightning to the east of us were incredible. These are just some of the amazing shots Nate took. I thank God for providing safety for us and pray no one was harmed during this powerful storm last night.

11 Month Old

Elyse turned 11 months today. Only one more month until a year, oh my goodness! She's talking non stop, beginning to stand without holding onto something and as she's showing in the picture, she's getting "so big".
Happy 11 Month Birthday Elyse! You're so beautiful and special to us!

More Of What?

Elyse has been signing for the last six weeks, but recently she has gotten really good at it. She's seeming to learn new signs everyday. I love when she signs and lets me know what she wants and needs. Tonight at dinner she started to use two signs to communicate, "more" and then "milk". Nate and I were so proud!

Also, we are proud at how neat Elyse eats. Look at her face after eating spaghetti. The video was taken at the end of her meal and she isn't that messy. No food in her hair or all over. Elyse is one major girly-girl :)

The Bad and Good of Wednesday

The Bad: We found out today that Nate has another 6 weeks of 5 pound weight restrictions. So much for holding Elyse for the next 6 weeks :( It really sucks for all three of us. He will start going back to work but in two weeks instead of next week. He is able to drive depending on when he takes his medication. He is still successfully recovering, but overall, bad doctor appointment today.

The Good: Elyse and I had a wonderful Wednesday afternoon playing with our friends. It's crazy they are all between 9.5-15.5 months old already. I wasn't able to capture them smiling, but at least we got them all to sit long enough to capture a picture. Don't you agree, these are five adorable little ones!!!
Sitting In Birth Order- Aiden, Willow, Mariana, Elyse and Mason