Coming Clean

 For the past 5 weeks or so I've been lazy. 

Lazy, tired, crabby and oh-so-unproductive. 

But I have a good excuse!

I'll let Ellie explain:

Yep! Ellie's going to be a big sister! She seems pretty excited about that, huh?

Probably because she has NO idea what she's in for! All she knows is that she likes babies........for now. We'll see how she feels when there's a baby who's here to stay! ;)

Slowly, as the all-day nausea wears off (half true, half wishful-thinking-crossing-my-fingers-and-toes), the shock is wearing off with it. Reality is setting in and we couldn't be more excited! 

The truth is, change is on the horizon. This little family has a bright future ahead of us, but at this point in time, we have no idea where that future will be or what it will look like. Our entire world will be turned around in about two months when Scott finishes school (and his paid internship). For now, all we know is that we will be facing life's blessing and challenges as a family of four! Eeeeek!!

Baby Pawlak #2 due 11/17/12 :)

Matchers

Yep, I'm SO that mom.

I love having a little girl!

Pure Bliss

Most days, it still takes a lot to get Elliott to crack a smile. She's just naturally a very serious kid. But every once in a while, I can catch moments like this......it really is the simple things in life:

Pure bliss.

Easter

So, hi! Do you know how long it's been since I've clicked the "new post" button?! Yeah, me neither. It's been awhile, that's for sure! I feel like I owe some sort of apology.....but then again I don't feel bad at all about my absence. Sure, mostly I've just been lazy for the past few weeks, but blogging is something that I enjoy. And if I were to force myself to do it when I really don't feel like it, I'm pretty sure that would suck all of the joy right out of it, don't you? The important thing is that I'm back in action. 

Well, at least I think I am. We'll see how it goes. 

The only thing I know for sure is that we had an amazing day today......we got to celebrate Easter with (almost) all of our family, on the most gorgeous day ever! I took a ton of pictures, and only captured a portion of the love, happiness, and pure joy that was shared today. 

Ellie played hard all day and skipped her nap. By the time we got home, we were all too exhausted to try and execute bathtime, so we skipped that, too. Ellie is currently asleep, snuggled in her bed, her belly full of sweet treats and her toes stained with grass and dirt. It was definitely a great day!

I hope you all had a blessed Easter! And, for the record, it's good to be back ;)

Interview with a Toddler v2.2

26 months.

Each day, Elliott moves farther away from babyhood and that much closer to an independent little person. Actually, she's got the independent part down pretty good by now ;)

Ellie is a TALKER. I keep joking with my parents that I have no idea where she gets that from.......my mom is quick to remind me of how much I talked at Ellie's age. I would tell grand stories, kind of like Ellie does now. It's just that many of her words are still undecipherable. Elliott has a pretty impressive vocabulary, but there are still lots of made up words and jumbled-together sentences. I absolutely love it!

One of the biggest milestones that Elliott has reached this month is potty-training. I know, I know. I've talked about potty-training a TON on this blog, as this milestone didn't come quickly or easily. I think 26 months is a pretty nice age to be out of diapers, but given how long we've been working on it, it doesn't seem soon enough ;) I like that her progress has been slow and steady though.....I'm more confident in her ability to hold it, and to tell me when she has to go. And, just this week she has started staying dry throughout the entire night. I've got some big plans to encourage her to continue that trend, and I'll share those plans next week!

Finally, here is Ellie's video for this month. I love love love the idea I had behind these videos, but honestly, Elliott gets SO shy and silly when the camera is turned on. I feel like I need a way to capture her talking without her knowing that the camera is recording. Anyways, she did finally open up and talk more this time, but you have to wade through a few minutes of awkward goofiness first ;) Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday: Small Style

Ellie has a thing for red boots. I mean, buying both red cowboy boots and red rainboots was my fault (and a complete coincidence, by the way), but the girl picks one of the two to wear every day! Some days she doesn't get a choice, like when we're running out the door 10 minutes late and I put her in the car with no shoes on......those days I get to pick what she wears and she gets no say in the matter. But most days I let her pick out at least part of her outfit. Rainboots are a practical choice around here most days......but on this particular almost-spring day, there was no need for rainboots at all. 

Except for the obvious fact that girlfriend can totally pull off this look!

 Shirt: Gymboree (hand-me-down) // Jeggings: Target // Rainboots: Target (clearance $2.50!!)

Linking up with Jenni from the Blog, Naptime Momtog, and Live and Love Outloud.

FlashBack Friday: Eggs!

These pictures are from around this time last year. We started a tradition (one of my favorite parts of having a family is the traditions!) of painting ceramic Easter Eggs at a local ceramics shop. I love the idea that for years to come, we will have an ever-growing bowl of hand-painted Easter Eggs to display. I actually kept our eggs from last year out all year long!

We will be painting our second set of eggs this Sunday, and I'm so looking forward to it! It will surely be a family day to remember. And this year, since we will have six eggs total, I'm on the hunt for a pretty bowl or dish to display them in.