Sharing is Caring

My little sweetie is learning to share and it's just about the cutest thing ever. She brings me everything to "share" and it's so sweet. "Here Mommy, I want you to have this piece of my owl puzzle!"


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Shop 'Til You Drop

Normally the few weeks before Christmas are the extreme shopping days for me, but this year my school didn't let out until 4 days before Christmas.  That means I extreme shopped on Amazon (thank you Prime membership!) which just isn't the same.  Today Ellie and I ventured out to the mall and a few other stores to get some things returned and do some "us" shopping.  New year, new me right? 

My WONDERFUL husband got me a new Coach bag for Christmas and I LOVE it....  (you're waiting for a but aren't you?)  BUT, it doesn't have a compartment big enough to hold my gun.  Yes I said it, MY gun.  The world is scary and as of right now I own 2 of my own guns and am about to get my CHL (concealed handgun license) so that I will be able to "carry" at all times.  In order to be able to carry, I need a purse that can accomodate my super cute (and deadly) .38 special.



Ellie and I went to Coach to see what they had and found this beauty.  I'm still debating between Papaya and Cognac, but I "tried it on" and it was SO comfy.  LOVE.


After Coach and making some returns to Macy's, Ellie and I had lunch at good ole Chick Fil A.  Okay, I have to go on a rant really quick and and profess my love for CFA.  First and foremost - everyone is always SO friendly there and they absolutely have the best customer service of any restaurant I've ever been to.  Yeah, yeah I know they are required to say "My pleasure!" after everything, but at least that company knows how to ensure that everyone feels taken care of.  The food always tastes fresh and you can't beat the kid's meals.  Grilled chicken nuggets with applesauce (in the awesome slurpy packets, no less) and milk? WIN! 

While eating our CFA, we ran in to Val & Will too!  They were coming back from Baby Bootcamp (something I hope to start doing again in June) and it was great to chat for a minute.  Love me some Byers family! 

After lunch we ventured over to Toys 'R Us, Academy, Marshall's, and Target.  I love that all of these stores are right next to each other.  So convenient!  Ellie fell asleep in the car between the mall and the strip mall and I was dreading waking her up.  I parked and got Ellie out of her carseat and gently placed her into her stroller and VOILA!  She didn't wake up!  It was a Christmas miracle!  THEN - she stayed asleep for like 45 minutes!  While it wasn't a perfect nap, she woke up smiling and happy.  I'll take it!

We found some good stuff in Toys 'R Us and most importantly - picked up some AA batteries.  Who knew that EVERY toy she got for her birthday and Christmas would be "batteries not included".  Oops.  We also got this cool scoop/toy holder for the bathtub and some more Little People animals for her Noah's Ark.

Target was magical as usual and they had some great deals.  We also ran in to my mother in law in the baby section - imagine that!

I also picked up some running gear at Marshall's for super cheap since I'm not that accustomed to running in the cold.  Gotta be ready for Running Club at school next week!

So far this year (all 3 days of it) have been wonderful and I am hoping that the rest of the year is that way as well.  

One Year Old

Whoa.  I seriously have a one year old?  How is this possible?  Not only do I have a one year old, but I have to start calling her a TODDLER.  I HAVE A TODDLER.  Sheesh.

On Thursday which was Ellie's actual birthday, she and I went to have lunch at her favorite restaurant - Chick Fil A.  Little girl LOVES her some chicken nuggets.  She can wolf down a kid's meal in no time and still wants more.  After lunch we headed to Hobby Lobby to pick up more party supplies and then met up with sweet Harper and her mommy Katie at Wonderwild for some indoor playtime.

Wonderwild was pretty cool.  They had a baby area and a lot of stuff for the kids to climb on.  They also had a huge blow up "pillow" bouncy thing that Ellie loved.  The only bad thing about this place was that it cost $10 to get in and you can't leave once you are there.

Ellie had a blast running around and bouncing and playing with all of the "new toys". 


On Saturday, we had Ellie's 1st birthday party.  I decided on a "Sweet Shoppe" theme so there was toooons of candy and other sweets.  I loved how everything turned out!  She loved her smash cake and almost ate the entire thing.  Eleanor loved having her friends at the house to play with.

 Here is the "sweets" table - cupcakes, rice krispy treats, funfetti dip, and her smash cake.  YUM!









12 months of Eleanor!






Birthday decor and the birthday girl!

Resolutions

Not going to try to fancy them up- here is the list.

1. Run more, eat less. I basically use my body as a garbage disposal and it's time to stop. I'm a serial overeater and it's taking a toll on how I feel. I also want to run another 1/2.

2. Take better care of my skin. That means washing my face EVERY morning and night.

3. Get Ellie outside more. We spend a ton of time inside playing and that's not okay. She LOVES being outside.

4. Cook more family meals.

5. Spend more time with my family.

6. Take even more pictures.

7. Get back down to wedding weight. 10 more lbs to go!


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Goodbye 2012

I have been on a bit of a blogging hiatus for a few different reasons, but frankly the main one is that I just haven't felt like dealing with what my life has looked like for the past two months. Mom got sick, got better, then got sick again and on November 28th, the day after her 54th birthday, she died. I've had a really difficult time with this to say the least. It's not like I didn't know this day would come, it just seemed so sudden. More on that later probably.

2012 has been one of the best years of my life and also the most challenging. I have loved every second of being a mom and never imagined having so much love in my heart. I have also struggled with feelings of inadequacy and thoughts that I am not worth to be Ellie's mother. I guess every mom feels that way at times.

All in all 2012 was wonderful with the exception of my mom's death, but I am hoping for a fantastic 2013.

Happy New Year everyone.



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Thanksgiving 2012

Ellie's first Turkey Day went off without a hitch! We went out to Aunt Patti's and of course ate WAAYYY too much. I could not believe how much food Eleanor put away. Her appetite is definitely back. We hung out, watched football, Ellie saw the chickens and bunnies, and mommy got to shoot skeet with her cousins. A good time was had by all. Here are some pictures:















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Walking

Ellie has been walking for a few weeks now, but I thought I would share this video of Eleanora the Explorer.

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