that time i realized i was needy

This last weekend, I realized just how needy I really am.

I've never really thought of myself as a needy girl.  Just because I need Tim to buy me jewelry monthly, flowers weekly, and chocolates daily, does not mean I am a needy girl.

Kidding.

[But seriously.  The only reason I don't make him buy me chocolates daily is because I don't want to "blow up like my Aunt Roberta."]

[Name that movie and we'll be friends for life.]

But this last weekend Tim decided he was going to go on a "survival" campout with his brother, Jeremy.  And, you know, eat snakes and stuff.  [No really, they did.]  [I wish I was joking.]  In theory, I was totally supportive of the whole idea.  Ellie and I would just have a girls' night and go out on the town and drink Shirley Temples.

Well, okay, maybe I didn't envision it to be quite like that.

But spending time without Tim didn't seem like a big deal.

As the days progressed, however, I realized what I pansy I really am.  Really.  My name is Katie, I am a grown woman, and I am still afraid of the dark.  It's true, my friends.  I have probably seen way too many scary movies for my own good.  My imagination is way too vivid.

But as fate would have it, I have been looking for excuses to spend time with my friend, Cait, and her son anyway, so I invited her to come spend the night with me.  Except for one disappearing [and reappearing] bottle incident, we didn't freak ourselves out too badly.  And we actually had a really good time.

You know, just in case they get married someday.

But I missed Tim like crazy.  And it was in that one night that I realized just how many things I rely on Tim for.  Heck, I don't even know how to turn on the sprinklers by myself!  And heaven knows I don't want to be the one to turn off all the lights in the house and walk back through a dark staircase.

You can see where this is going, I think.

When Tim called me at 10:30 the next morning and said they were cutting their trip short and that he was on his way home, I was ecstatic.

After a much-needed shower on Tim's part [camp smoke only smells good in the outdoors], we were all on our way to our local community pool for Ellie's first swim.

Which, as you can see, she enjoyed immensely.  Hahahaha.  Oh man, I must look at this picture 100 times per day.  It seriously just cracks me up.  The funny part about this picture is that she actually really did enjoy herself, once she got used to the whole water thing.  Whilst Cait's son was busy splashing around like a madman, Ellie would cling to us and cautiously touch the water once about every five minutes.

Let's just hope she doesn't take after me and throw up during her very first swim lesson.  [I don't wanna talk about it.]

This picture more accurately portray's Ellie's first experience in the swimming pool.  Serious and contemplative.  ["Do I really like this?"]

 Cait's son just goin' to town.

Hahaha, oh man, yet another hilarious picture.  Ellie was blinking and Tim was about to smile.  [Does it make me a bad wife and mother that I make fun of pictures of my husband and baby?]

And speaking of hilarity, check out my four different shades of skin color.  [See, I make fun of myself, too, so it's okay.]

Then we all headed over to Maddox for the best fries and cream soda in the United States.  [Just believe it.]

And the moral of this long, very drawn-out story is that the next time Tim wants to go out of town, I'm going out of town, too.  To Prescott, AZ.  To stay with my parents.  And my dog.  Because he protects me from things.

Or I could just get a dog of my own.

Also a good idea.

Revised moral of the story:

I think it's time to get a dog.

two.

Two.

Two days ago I celebrated two years with this guy.

Ashtyn Nicole Photography

Two years isn't really considered a very golden anniversary, is it?

But to me?  To me, this one is special.

A lot of things have happened in these two years.

+ We've lived in five different places, some in nice areas, and some in not-so-nice areas.

+ Tim got promoted from stock clerk to assistant store manager.

+ I did a semester-and-a-half of grad school, dropped out, and consequently had to quit my job, as it was a student-worker position.

+ We found out we were pregnant.

+ I got a temporary job working for Mesa Community College [and spent way too many hours throwing up in their bathroom].

+ We celebrated our one year anniversary, but not the way we'd expected.

+ Tim got another promotion - this time from assistant store manager to marketing manager - which meant that we would be moving at some point in the future.

+ My job at MCC ended.

+ We found out we'd be moving much sooner than expected - to Utah of all places.

+ We moved to Utah when I was eight months pregnant.

+ We had our sweet little baby.

+ And we bought our first house.

And actually, if you want to get all technical, about 654, 367 other things happened, too.  I mean, you know...if we're being technical.

To celebrate two years, Tim brought home chocolates from the Idle Isle during his lunch.  Then after work, he brought home some flowers.  I would get him gifts, too, but I've learned from experience that receiving gifts is the last of his love languages.  He's always like, "Oh thanks!  That's so...nice."  But I find other ways.

Like food.

Food is Tim's love language.  Nothing says "I love you" quite like eating steak and potatoes.

We went to Texas Roadhouse with our wee one and had the funnest time!

I think Ellie with be a meat lover like her parents.  She spent about half the time trying to grab the steak right off our plates.  And the other half grabbing the steak knives.  No big deal.

I get accused of being sappy when it comes to my marriage, but that's okay.  There are worse things.  And it's all true.  I am so, so blessed.  It becomes more and more clear every day that Tim was meant for me.  He is patient and kind [a requirement for dealing with me] and endlessly good.  And now that I've seen him with our daughter...well...there's just something about it that makes my mother-heart glow.  He is the cutest daddy.

I don't know how I got so lucky, or so blessed.  But thankfully there's Someone who knows me better than I know myself.

Because this has been the best two years of my life.

"rice cream"

When we went to Ellie's four-month appointment, about three weeks ago now, the doctor said that she was looking completely normal.  She was meeting all of her milestones, she seemed strong enough, and she was tall enough.

There was just one problem.

She didn't weigh enough.

Twenty-three inches long.  Ten pounds, three ounces.

She hadn't even gained a pound in two months!

Our doctor recommended starting her on rice cereal, and no other solid foods, for at least a month.  I think we went to the store that night and got everything we needed.  The very first time she tried it, she, um...didn't love it.  She ate it.  But she didn't love it.  See for yourself:

I am probably unduly obsessed with these pictures.  Even when she's upset, she's the cutest thing I've ever seen.

Anyway.

We spoon-fed her the first few times, but she wasn't actually swallowing much of it.  I know it takes them a little while to get used to being fed like that, but we were just concerned about getting some extra weight on her.  Tim's mom mentioned that one of his sisters, Brigette, put the rice cereal in a bottle for one of her sons.  We decided it was worth a try.  We made it runny enough and gave it to her in a bottle and it was love at first sip.  Now it's been almost a month, and she drinks a few ounces a couple of times a day like that.

I bought a digital scale last night just so I could try to gauge whether or not she's gaining enough weight.  I stand on it by myself and then stand on it with her in my arms and subtract the difference.  If the scale is correct, she's gained about a pound-and-a-half in three weeks!

We are getting so excited to try some new solid foods next week - and to actually use a spoon now that we're not so paranoid about her gaining enough weight.

Any suggestions for what to try next?

p.s. Have you seen this video?  Because we still quote it all the time, Tim always calls her rice cereal "rice cream," in a pretty spot-on Herman Cain impersonation.  Maybe you have to be there, but we laugh every time.

4 and 5 month "birthday" pictures

I never posted Ellie's four and five month "birthday" pictures [something about being too busy to tell you],
so here they are now.

[cannnnn can you do the can can] 

Hot dang, if she isn't the prettiest little thing I ever did see, I'll be codswaddled.

But seriously.  Isn't she beautiful?  I'll never get over it.  Just when I think I can't love her any more, my heart grows a few more sizes and...I do.  I love her more every day.

And speaking of my favorite little girl, she seems to be calling my name at the moment.  Or, you know...crying it.

Until we speak again!

too busy to tell you that...

I feel like I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off.

Actually, no.  No, I don't.  Gross.

But we have been real busy 'round these parts, y'all.

Like, did you know that two of my sisters-in-law had their babies this month?

cute little Talon

and precious little Burton [who shall heretofore be known as Gus]

No.  No, you didn't know.  Because I have been too dang busy to tell you.  And too busy to tell you that another one of my sisters-in-law is due in November, which will make for four grandbabies in 2013.  Three little ones for Ellie to boss around in the not-so-distant future.  Win.

And you probably didn't know that we have been painting our house.  And putting in new flooring downstairs.  And working on our yard.  And slowly unpacking.  And giving talks in church.  And having visits from my parents and Tim's parents and Tim's sister and nieces and nephews.  

And going on our first date in a couple of months, thanks to two of our favorite grandparent babysitters:

Thanks, Wayne and Priscilla!

And going on lunch outings with our favorite little girl:

Who, unexpectedly, has been loving going out in public lately.  My little social butterfly.

And maybe you didn't know that my sweet little four-month-old turned into a five-month-old yesterday.  [And that I still need to post both of those pictures.]  Or that she started eating rice cereal a couple of weeks ago and is loving it.  [More on that later.]

And, quite honestly, my life feels like a fairy-tale right now.

Maybe not everyone's version of a fairy-tale.

But definitely mine.

let freedom ring

Tim and I like to keep things exciting.

We packed up our little apartment, moved everything into our new house [with lots of help!], cleaned the old apartment, fixed some sprinkler-heads in our new yard, and drove out to California for the Fourth.  All within about a week.

It's been a busy time 'round these parts, but we did it!  You know, except for the unpacking part.  Baby steps, friends, baby steps.

It was a fun introduction to home-ownership when the ceiling fan in our room broke the night we moved in on one of the hottest nights so far this year.  Sometimes I think God chuckles down from heaven when we think we've got it all figured out.  Ah, small joys.

Anyway, the Fourth.  It's a tradition in my family to celebrate Independence Day at my grandma's in California.  It's lovely.  Great company, beautiful weather, tasty food, and endless fireworks.  Really.  It's the night after the Fourth and it still sounds like a war zone outside.  And the dogs run around like chickens with their heads cut off after each and every bang.

It was a nice change from last year, to be sure.  Last year I spent almost the whole day throwing up from morning sickness.  And after an entire morning of nauseousness, I finally decided that a Sprinkles cupcake sounded good and made Tim drive me the 30 minutes out to Scottsdale so that I could partake.  As we sat in the parking lot outside Sprinkles, my stomach suddenly told me that a cupcake no longer sounded good but that the frozen yogurt next door did.  The moral of the story is that it's always a good idea to make your husband drive 25 minutes longer than was ultimately necessary to fulfill your pregnancy craving on the Fourth of July.

This year I got to hold the real deal.  The sweet baby that made all that nauseousness worth it.

Yes, Tim and I are wearing matching shirts in true senior-citizen fashion.  Three dollars each at Old Navy.  Holla!

Look at that face.  Just look at it.

My, oh my, has she been full of smiles this trip.  It's the best feeling in the world seeing that little face light up.

My contributions to our feast were the Devey Cilantro-Jalapeno Dip, sprinkle-covered cake-mix cookies, and some festive strawberries I saw on Pinterest.  They, um, didn't turn out quite like the ones on Pinterest but they were still cute.  Good enough for government work.  Maybe I'll show you the pictures once I find the cord to transfer them from Tim's phone.  Until then, exercise your imaginations.

Ellie, Tim, and my cute Grandma.  Seriously, does she even look old enough to be a grandma, let alone a great-grandma?!

The family dog begging for food.  But we don't spoil dogs around here.  No siree.

My mom, beading.  Her newest obsession.

Ellie and Tim enjoying a survival show together.  Who knew such an, ahem, interesting show could be so entrancing for a four-month-old.

Tim holding our little sweetheart during the fireworks.  She liked the pretty lights but as soon as they started crackling too loudly she would shake her head back and forth and then start crying.

My dad, uncle Paul, and grandma.

My aunt Ginny and brother Eric.  Ginny was our Master of the Fireworks.  And Eric...well let's just say that his face doesn't normally look like that.  Enough said.

Today was spent trying to find curtains for our new house and a bedspread for our new bed.  It always makes me feel strangely stressed trying to figure out exactly what I want.  I'm not very good at making decisions.  But I love it too.  It's a love-hate thing.  You know how it is.

Hope you all had an amazing Independence Day!  It is truly an anniversary to celebrate in the biggest way.

ellie says

"What is this thing?" 

"Guess I better put it in my mouth, just to be sure." 

"What the...that doesn't taste like milk!"

 "Mom? Is that you?"

"Mom! How did that flower get up there?! Don't you love me at all?!"

Yes, baby girl.  Yes I do.

Happy Tuesday, y'all.