This Baby's Got Bling!

Being that she is AnnCatherine's daughter, jewelry is of course an important consideration for Elizabeth. So, since we love jewelry (and to reduce the number of people who think she is a boy even if she's wearing pink), we decided to have her ears pierced. We found a doctor in our network who would pierce them for us and - lickedy split - they were done. Elizabeth was a trooper! If she could talk, I'm sure she'd say it was easier than shots. So now her ears are ready to be accessorized! Diamond studs anyone? :)

SWING!!!

Thanks to Libby's cousin Connor, she has a spiffy swing in a tree outside our new house. While we have to wipe it down each time we use it since she loves to eat the front bar, it is great fun! Even our new neighbor friend Ellie comes over to push Elizabeth in her swing. Thanks, Connor! We love it...

My Grandpa's Car

We had heard it many times - kids don't need expensive toys to be happy. Well, we can guarantee that to be true. One of Elizabeth's true favorites stemmed from our recent move and her Grandpa Dave's ability to generate great noises. She seemed absolutely enamored by our empty boxes and Grandpa Dave started to play with her in it. This has now resulted in Elizabeth's "car". It is a copier box with a long string looped through it that Grandpa pulls her around the house in. Giggles abound!!! Of course it wouldn't be the same without the 'zoom zooms', screeching breaks and idling noises Grandpa Dave makes which would lead you to believe the 'car' needs new shocks. But - no matter if maintenance is needed - Elizabeth couldn't be happier in it.

Umm... pickles!

As we have crossed the 9 month mark, we are starting to share more and more 'big people' foods with Elizabeth. On the patio the other evening, she had her first pickle which we had to pry from her hands when it got too small to be safe. Of course they were Milwaukee's Midget dill pickles which are undoubtedly the best, but I think she has a new favorite.

Mr. and Mrs. Patterson - and a 102 degree fever!

AnnCatherine's cousin Carmaine was married this past weekend on the Minnesota - Wisconsin border and the setting was just beautiful. We were very excited to welcome her husband Troy to the family and we have to say he has the most unique groom's cake ever (camouflage with a mallard on top!)

Because it was a 10 hour drive from Indianapolis, it was clear that Elizabeth could not make the drive, so Jarod and Elizabeth stayed in Indy for some daddy and daughter time. Grandma Mary watched her one day, too! AnnCatherine experienced quite a bit of guilt about being away but Jarod just kept assuring me that all was well during my many calls home. The myth was quickly disspelled as soon as I arrived home on Sunday night... Elizabeth clearly had a fever and had one all weekend! So while I understand the little white lie, now I'll never completely believe Jarod again when he tells me all is well! I'm sure there is a lesson from God in all of this, but I still haven't exactly figured out what that is.

Troy and Carmaine, best wishes for a lifetime of love and happiness...

WE'RE FINALLY MOVING!!!

Well, after over a year of waiting and countless prayers, we sold our house on Delaware Street and are moving on to our new home on Haverhill Drive. We were homeless for only a short time - we sold the house at 1pm and then bought our new home at 3pm. We are so excited to finally start this new chapter of our lives and can't wait to have you all over. We moved a few boxes tonight and had a chance to sit on our new front porch. Welcome home!!!

Happy First Father's Day, Jarod!

Well, now that we have a new reason to celebrate Father's Day, I wanted the first one to be really special for Jarod. And - as luck would have it - several things timed out to help that occur. Our 8 year wedding anniversary, the Van Lone family reunion and Father's Day all turned out to be the same weekend. So we spent part of the weekend in WI with our family and then headed down to Chicago for our first night without our little punkin. I surprised Jarod with tickets to see Topol is his worldwide farewell tour of Fiddler on the Roof (For those who don't know, you'll hear Jarod quote Tevye quite often) and we stayed at the Hyatt downtown. It was so nice to get to spend some time together - thanks for babysitting, Grandma Ruth and Grandpa Dave!

The BIG Pool

Elizabeth LOVES the water! Whether its the bathtub or her infant pool, she has a great time splashing and kicking. During our recent visit to Michigan, the hotel had an indoor pool and this was her first time in the big person pool! As you can see, she had a great time... I finally had to pull her out when her fingers looked like prunes. :) I think we have a future scuba diver on our hands...

Heading to the Norths

Happy Memorial Day! We spent the weekend in Holt, MI - just outside Lansing - visiting our good friends, the North Family - Colin, Ellie, Simone, Cecily and Felicity. Simone (age 4) is our Goddaughter and this was Elizabeth's first chance to meet her Godsister. The visit was a great time as always and Libby fit in very well with the three absolutely adorable sisters. She also was in awe of the number of toys in the house - and her mom was, too! They are moving to New Jersey in the coming weeks, so our next trip will require a plane ride. But that's okay by us!

Updated Pics from our First Family Vacation

Click on the following link to view the pics:

http://picasaweb.google.com/jdowning782/FirstFamilyVacation?authkey=Gv1sRgCO2Eyr_ly9-RIw#