Cinder-Dinah

 

... surely she has the matching slipper somewhere so she can marry Prince Charming! ;)

It's Time...

We haven't pushed the issue of Eloise moving into her "big girl bed" (which is actually her crib converted to a toddler bed).  I have friends who put their 12 month old in a toddler bed (I can't even imagine!!)... but with the stairs being RIGHT outside of our bedroom doors... and the fact that the crib contained Eloise (especially at nap time), Cory and I were in no hurry.  And when we did mention it a couple of times, Eloise got a little panicky.  She's pretty set with routine and has a definite level of comfort in that space.

So, here we are... she is a little over 3... and we finally switched her bed around.  Some may say we waited too long.  But I don't care what anyone says.  What works for us might not work for you.  Honestly, one of the main reasons we decided to finally do it was because I was diagnosed with "Costo Chondritis" (inflammation of the cartilage around the ribs, in my case near my heart which was causing swelling, pain and a hard time breathing).  The doctor told me that I need to be careful with my lifting... and it's not easy lifting a 35 lb child out over the side of a crib, especially when you are short like me and can't get your legs into the lift.

Anyway... Here's the big girl!

She's got her 5 blankies (yes, FIVE!), Minnie and her "friends" (3 other stuffed animals)... and of course a Book for good measure!!

I'm not sure how I'll sleep tonight, wondering if she'll get up and wander to the stairs in her sleep... but we'll see how it goes!!

Sometimes I Do Silly Things...

... Like dress me and my girls in different shades of purple.

On the same day.

Because I can.

At least they're cute!  :)

14 Months!

Itty Bitty Dinah isn't so Itty Bitty anymore...

She just turned 14 months the other day. 

 What a personality she is developing!  

To be honest, she wears me out!  Haha!

And of course... Eloise... she just loves her "Sistie"

 (her other nickname for Dinah is "cheesie" - so strange!)

Back Again!

It has been way longer than I intended to have been absent from writing.  But life gets in the way, right?  Or more accurately... there are more important things!

So, a brief run down....

My trip to Arizona went well.  I missed Cory and the girls... they missed me!  I was so happy to be able to take part in my cousins beautiful day.... and I admit, I was diggin' the 80 degree temps!

Here are a few pictures from the big day!

It's hard to see in this picture (below)... 

but I am standing right smack in the middle.

You can see my ghostly white legs!  Haha!

There were 26 in the wedding party.

Yes, you read that right.. TWENTY SIX!

It was a bit chaotic during the rehearsal...

 but I think it all panned out nicely!

In the next pic:

 

I am on the far right, holding the baby.

I roomed with the girl beside me, who brought her 5 month old... 

So I felt right at home and liked having the opportunity 

to snuggle her while everyone else danced and sang karaoke!

(not my forte!)

 (And I must say... I am the only one NOT wearing lipstick!  Only chapstick for me!  Haha!)

I was definitely glad to get home to my own sweeties though!

And I got a great big Welcome!

Four days was a long time to be away!  

I don't foresee that happening again anytime soon!

**Update on Cory's Dad**

To make a long story short, they did the 2nd biopsy (needle this time) on his lung on Feb. 24th.  His lung partially collapsed and he had air in his chest cavity.  They eventually got that all taken care of and he is now back home and resting.  HOWEVER, the doctors still can't figure out what is on his lung.  They are calling it "cancer" since he's had cancer before.... but they don't truly know.  They say it's "guilty until proven innocent"... so we believe they will be scheduling surgery to remove whatever-it-is in the next couple months or so.  I know that I don't know all of you out there... but THANK YOU to those of you who have commented to let me know that you pray for Gene.  It truly means the world to our family.