Aloha!

We had so much fun during Hawaiian Night in Awana! Ellie got a little tropical fruit outfit for her birthday from Uncle Tim, Aunt Leslie, and Katie just in time to wear it for Hawaiian Night.

Driving in the Car

We also celebrated Ellie's first birthday by installing her new carseat! We've been anticipating this day for some time, because now she can face forward to see Daddy and Mommy, instead of looking at the back seat of the car. Elliana really seems to love her new car seat. As you can see, it didn't take her very long to get comfortable.

Happy Birthday to Ellie...

It is hard to believe that our baby girl is now a one-year-old toddler. It seems that this year has flown by way too fast. Someone once told me that the days may at times seem long, but the years fly by. I am finding that to be true now more than ever. We enjoyed a family birthday party Friday night, and a get together at Ryans on Saturday night in honor of Ellie and MaMaw's birthday. Ellie wasn't too interested in her cake on Friday night... instead, she saw everyone eating broccoli and dip and wanted to try that! That made Mommy soooo proud!! However, that didn't last long because by Saturday night she was warmed up to the whole cake idea! She enjoyed the icing and some of her birthday cake from Ryans. In the coming years, we will be praying that the Lord will use us in Elliana's life to show her what this life is really all about.

What an Invention!!

I had several errands to run one afternoon, so Chris offered to watch Ellie so I wouldn't have to keep getting her in and out of the car. He still had a good amount of work to do on our Awana Grand Prix cars, (he made one for each of us - even Ellie!) so he came up with a great invention. Chris figured out a way to attach Ellie's outside swing in the basement where he was working on our cars. She loved swinging and watching Daddy work! Someone once said that "necessity is the mother of invention." Now that I have a child I see just how true that statement really is!

Egg Hunt!

What a fun time we had at Chris' MaMaw's house the Saturday before Easter! Elliana enjoyed seeing her cousins Dakota and Hannah, and tasting all the yummy food that was prepared. Despite the freezing cold weather, we bundled up and headed outside for an Easter egg hunt. Unfortunately, Ellie was more interested in eating the hay in Mamaw's barn than finding Easter eggs! She eventually started getting the idea of what an Easter egg hunt was all about!

Elliana is growing like a weed!

We got to church early Wednesday night for Chris to do a few things, and I thought I'd take the opportunity to snap a few pictures. The grass that Ellie is sitting in is getting really tall, and seems to be growing quickly. It reminds me of how fast our little girl is growing up! She has gone from being a helpless little infant to bounding into toddlerhood with such great curiousity and independance. It seems that this has happened almost overnight. Our prayer is that we will give her what she needs to continue growing - not only physically, but growing in her faith and love for the Lord. We want Elliana to grow up and accept Christ as her Savior, and live to honor and glorify Him. We pray that the Lord will help us to give her the love and guidance that will help lead her to Him.

Welcome, Spring!

This is one of my many photo sessions with Ellie! She cooperated very well, too... and was rewarded by a little picnic of cheerios and veggie puffs! These pictures were taken in our backyard.

Pretty in Pink!

I snapped this picture in Elliana's nursery while I was getting her ready for church one Sunday morning. Daddy and Mommy thought our little girl looked absolutely gorgeous, but she wasn't quite as impressed... poofy pink dresses aren't really the best for crawling around and getting into everything! It was pretty funny to watch her try to move her little legs, and then look up at us with a look that said, "How come I'm not going anywhere??"

Backyard Marshmallow Roast!

Chris decided to burn some of the brush that we had in our yard, and so we decided to make the most of a warm fire and a cool March night! We were also able to use some of the marshmallows leftover from Marshmallow night in Awana. Elliana had her first taste of roasted marshmallow!! We found out that Ellie loves the taste of marshmallows, and so does our neighbor's dog, Sadie. In fact, she decided to eat the whole bag! (Sadie, not Ellie!)

Ellie and Prince

Ellie really enjoyed the week we watched Prince at our house! They were quite the pair! I think they had almost equal amounts of energy... both had more than Chris or myself! It was hilarious to watch as Ellie would get Prince's ball and hold it for him, let it go, and then Prince would give it back to her!

Adventures in Eating!

Elliana Joy has taken a do-it-yourself approach to this adventure we'll call eating! I peeled an apple for her and started putting small pieces on her highchair. Before I knew it she grabbed the whole apple out of my hand and started eating it! She looked up at me as if to say -

"Mommy, I'm a big girl, I can do it by myself."

In nine short months, Ellie has become quite independent!