Buddies

Today Ellinor and I had a lazy morning. We lounged around in our PJ's, sharing a bowl of popcorn (after breakfast of course), read Dr. Seuss over and over again, and just cuddled. I love my little buddy. She's my shadow all day, following my every move. We dance, we sing, we play the piano together. She "helps" me cook and clean, we play chase and "find the object that Ellinor just threw in the garbage can." And somehow she knows exactly when I need a hug or to laugh. She is my best little bud, my ray of sunshine every day.

Staying home all day can be challenging at times. I won't lie that are a few hours of boredom to overcome, and some feelings of envy for women tackling great adventures outside their homes. Not to mention feelings of inadequacy that pop up when I compare my skills to other stay at home mothers. But I know that Heavenly Father has blessed me with this darling spirit to care for and raise. And I know that Ellinor wouldn't be happier with anyone else taking care of her day after day. So mornings like these just remind me of how much I do indeed enjoy being a stay at home mother - and how much I believe Ellinor enjoys having me here.

With spring in full force and summer fast approaching, Bryan and I have set our sights on the landscaping goals we have made this last year. On Saturday we spent the entire day thatching, clearing, and mowing the back yard. It didn't seem too bad at the time, but by that night neither one of us could really move. I work out at least 4-5 days a week, but you wouldn't have known it with how a day of yard work kicked my booty. And I really only assisted - Bry did most of the dirty work. Anyway, after all that was done Bry fertilized and laid new seed down. We are trying to revitalize our lawn - when we bought the house it looked as if no one had touched it in years. Fingers crossed the seed germinates and we have beautiful grass to play in this season. We have lots of projects planned for the next couple of months and I am excited for the ultimate end result.

Ellinor is growing so fast! Here are a few updates on her:

*She refuses to eat vegetables unless EXTREMELY CLEVERLY hidden within some sort of sauce or melted cheese. And by hidden I mean minced to a pulp and blended in - if she even sees a color that's different than the rest of the meal she will refuse to eat it; not to mention if she feels a slightly different texture in a bite. She has put a handful of pasta and veggies into her mouth, then slowly spit out each individual pea, or carrot, etc, without a single noodle lost.
*She has also turned her back on most any food she normally loves to eat. It's been quite the challenge these last couple of weeks to feed this child.
*Ellinor likes to walk with her arms thrown behind her, like a superman pose. I think it gives her the illusion that she's running, since she hasn't mastered that yet without disastrous results. :)
*She is talking a mile a minute, we just wish we knew everything she is sharing with us.
*Ellinor LOVES to be read to. She will grab a couple of board books, run over to you and climb into your lap expectantly. We have to read quite fast though as she tends to turn pages every 2 seconds.
*She continues to boogie on down, causing us to laugh multiple times a day. She is just so dang cute!
*Ellinor is a huge Daddy's girl. The minute she hears his keys in the door, she runs to greet him and he must stay at her side for the rest of the evening.
*She plays on my piano every day. Most of the time she wants to sit on the bench by herself and pound on the keys, but occasionally she will sit on my lap and hold onto my hands as I play. This girl is going to be one heck of a musician when she's older.

There are SOOOO many things about Ellinor that I'd love to share. I wish I could just record her 24/7.