Our little..ehh...BIG helper

Noah has so much fun helping Hylke with all the projects around the house

Elliana's Party

We celebrated Elliana's birthday this past weekend. We had a great time and enjoyed all things pink/green. :) Here are some pics of the party:

FOUND!

My camera-computer cable has been found! I know some of you were wondering if I'd ever post some updated pics...well, today is your lucky day. Enjoy!

Living Room

Dining Room

I love this little area...storage/decor all in one!

I still need to put "stuff" on the walls :)

Elliana wants to take you upstairs to her room:

Getting there...

Again, still need to hang things...put baskets out...valances up...

Noah's Room:

Later this week I'll do more...kitchen, family room, guest room and play area. Our bedroom isn't finished...and might not be for awhile, so don't hold your breath. :)

Still here....

I know I owe you all some pics of our new house. Soon. Very soon. I've been waiting until all our work is done, but that might be awhile, so I'll take some updated pics this afternoon and post them tonight...or tomorrow...or the next day. (it all depends on when I find the cable for my camera, haha) We really feel like this is home and are having so much fun personalizing it! Look back tonight for some pics.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Elliana!

I'm not sure if I'll have time to sit and write this tomorrow, Elliana's official birthday, but since it was one year ago today that I went into labor, I figure it's ok for me to write my birthday note to my sweet girl.

Elliana, Ellie Girl, Love Bug, Ellianski-Boo,

What an absolute JOY you are!! I can hardly believe that it's been a whole year since we first laid eyes on you. What a year it has been!!! You are an incredibly sweet little girl. You love to cuddle, you love your big brother, your lambie and, of course, your daddy and your mommy, (there is no denying that you are a mommy's girl...we're finally getting to a point where someone else can be holding you while I'm in the room...and if I leave the room, you're doing ok now. :)

I have cherished every minute that I get to spend with you. You've given me more opportunities to be up in the night than Noah did...some nights were hard, other nights I remembered how fast this time was going to go, and soaked in every last minute I had to nurse you, rock you, sing to you and pray for you.

You are a mischevious little girl. If there's something not to touch, you'll touch it. If there's something not to climb, you'll climb it as fast as you can. If there's something that shouldn't be eaten, you'll pop it in your mouth before anyone has the chance to take it away. BUT you do it all with the biggest smile! :) A smile that truly melts our hearts.

You love to eat. Even though you're smaller than Noah was at your age, you are my little piggy. If you could, you would eat all day long. You weren't a big fan of baby food, but as soon as we started table food, you ate anything and everything I put in front of you. And since you had your first taste of "sweets" long before your brother did, you recognize when one of us is eating something sweet and DEMAND that we give some to you. :)

You say: Mama, dada, ba (ball) and just this week began pointing to things and saying, "this" and "that" so cute. :)

Elliana Joy, your mommy, daddy and big brother, love you to pieces. You have added so much to our family and we feel so blessed to have you with us. We look forward to another year with you.

Progess

Well, it's official. We got the keys to our new house last Friday. We decided to give ourselves a week to get some stuff done before we actually move, so this past weekend we spent hours and hours painting our new place. We were so blessed by our friends, so many took time out of their weekend to help us, making a project like painting much more enjoyable. :) Here are a couple before and after pictures:

Living Room:

Dining Room:

Family Room:

Noah's Room:

(we still need to put the chair rail up)
Elliana's Room:


(also missing the chair rail)

Our new sectional was delivered this morning, it really helps fill the space in the family room (excuse the lighting):

Brown Bear, Brown Bear...