The joy of making a cake

Elly and I were having a lazy day at home a few weeks ago and I thought she would enjoy baking a cake with me. She LOVES to help me in the kitchen. Really, she just loves to do anything with me. She's so sweet and likes nothing better than to have one on one time with me. So, anyhow, we made a Wacky Cake and she had the fun of licking the beater when we were done. I think she liked it...what do you think?

An ill-fated day of skiing

In mid January we decided to do a family trip to the Black Forrest for a little skiing. Sam usually goes a few times a year with a friend. Until now, I've stayed at home with Elly. It sounded nice for all of us to go this time. We were going to meet some friends there and I figured Elly would enjoy the sledding at the bottom of the hill. We thought Elly might stay with our friends while Sam and I did a run together. Well...it turned out nothing like that and by the time we left I remembered why I stay home with Elly while Sam goes skiing.

The hill Sam skis at is about 1 1/2 hours away, but I think it took us closer to 3 (or more) hours to get there this particular day. We never seem to get out of the house when we think we will since having a toddler just throws all plans out the window. We were on the road for about 10 minutes when Elly announced that she had to go potty. Ok...no big deal. We had thought ahead and packed her little potty chair in the trunk, so we pulled over and got her settled on the front seat.

Under the best of circumstances it takes her awhile to go potty. Sitting in the car on her potty chair with so many buttons within her reach was too much fun so it was taking even longer. Meanwhile, Sam was standing out in the cold because the back seat was full of snow gear and there was no room for him to sit. After 10 minutes or so we decided she must be done and got her settled back in her car seat, packed the potty chair (that had NOTHING in it) away, got settled back in the car and were on our way again.

We knew we were running late when we left the house and now we knew for sure we would be late meeting our friends, but we were on the way again and all was fine...for the next 30 minutes. At that time, Elly announced she really needed to go potty again. We thought about ignoring it, but figured that would be much worse in the long run, so Sam found a place to pull off the side of the road and we got her settled in the front seat again.

Once again it was too much fun for Elly to just get down to business and use the potty. She played and played and played while Sam and I froze outside. It got to the point where I was going to get in to warm up, but I opened the door and realized right away that she had indeed gone potty and the entire car smelled of it. I decided I could handle the cold a little longer, but encouraged Elly to finish up because we really needed to get going. This meant nothing to Elly who was having a blast bouncing on her potty chair, looking at herself in the mirror and pushing every button in sight.

At some point I thought she must be finished so I told Elly she was done and I started getting her off the potty. That's when I realized that her bouncing on the potty had smeared poop all over her bottom and her potty chair AND, wouldn't you know, I was running low on wipes. I did my best and got her cleaned up and dressed and back in her car seat then cleaned up the front seat (so thankful they are leather seats!) Sam had the delightful job of cleaning up the potty chair....bless his heart :)

So, we were on our way again. We were about 30 minutes from the ski hill when Elly decided she needed to go potty again. I didn't think she had gone much at the last stop so I was kind of expecting another stop at some point. This time we found a gas station to stop at. That was much better, but Elly decided once we were in the bathroom that she didn't really need to go. So, we got back in the car and headed out again.

We finally made it to the ski hill around the time we had planned to be heading home. It was very windy and cold and I realized right away that Elly and I were not dressed for the weather. Neither of us have good snow boots so we just put on a couple pairs of socks and wore our rain boots, thinking that would keep us warm enough. It didn't.

Once I got Elly dressed in her snowsuit, boots, coat, hat and gloves she then told me she needed to go potty again. So, off to the restaurant bathroom we went. I hate public bathroom under the best of circumstances, but this one was even worse. It was stinky and dirty. While getting Elly's gear off I did my best to keep it from touching the floor. Then she sat on the potty for e.v.e.r. By the time I got everything back on her without having her touch the floor (a real stunt I might add) I was seriously ready to head home. I felt bad for Sam, but I was so done with this trip. Elly and I were already freezing and it just seemed to continue going downhill.

Sam wanted to get at least one run in, so Elly and I headed to the car to warm up while he went on his one run with James. When he got back to the car he said he wanted to take Elly for a couple of rides on the sled, so they headed up the little hill. They got a couple of sled runs in and then we headed home. Over all, the day was kind of a bust, but at least I got a couple of pictures. (of course, I did :) ) So, here is our day of skiing in a few pictures.

Stuttgart Zoo

We've been here for almost 5 years now and just went to the Stuttgart Zoo for the first time. I guess we've just never had much of a reason to visit it before. Not that Sam and I wouldn't have enjoyed a day at the zoo, but it is much more fun with a little girl in tow :)

The day after New Year's Sam was off work with nothing planned so we headed downtown to spend the day at the zoo. We had such a nice time and Elly really enjoyed seeing all the animals.

Some parts of the zoo are enclosed which is really nice on a chilly day. This section had lots of cacti which was kind of interesting.





I could spend hours watching the apes and monkeys. Sam, on the other hand, could not. So, he spent his time trying to hurry me up and I tried my best to ignore him :) They really are fascinating creatures to watch. This one (below) was apparently the patriarch of this group. He was huge and every time he got up to move the other apes scrambled away. He was quite intimidating to me even through the glass. At one point he was looking out at us and looking from one person to the next and it kind of freaked me out. You could just see the intelligence in his eyes.

There were also some really young apes in this group. They were so cute! Somehow, I guess I didn't get any pictures of the young ones on this day.



I did, however, get a picture of this adorable little guy (or girl). This was in the nursery section of the zoo. I wish I knew the story behind why this one is not with the mother. I don't know how old he/she is either, but seems very young.


Leave it to Sam to point out that this one (below) is giving us the finger. It was actually quite chilly the day we were there and they were huddling for warmth.








Two weeks later was another holiday, so we got with some friends and went to the zoo again. They go to our church and have only been in Germany a few months. When they first got here we kept bumping into them everywhere we went. They live just down the street from us and our girls have become best of friends so it's been really nice doing things with them.




I didn't get a good picture of it, but this ape was really watching the girls. They were just a couple of feet from him and he was looking right at them. I felt bad for him because he seemed bored.


Here is a better picture of this little ape in the nursery. I looked online to see if I could find the story behind why he/she is in the nursery, but got nothing. Each time I've been there I was hoping to see them give this one a bottle. It's in a crib with toys laying around. I would love to see this one in action :)



These were so much fun to watch. There were probably 20-30 babies and they were playing all over the place. One had this pink child's hat that it carried everywhere and would put down on the rocks to sit on. Smart little guy since it was pretty chilly that day. Others kept trying to take it away. Another one was swinging from an adult's tail. They are just so cute.

While we were there, a caretaker came to give them some apples. He would throw one to each monkey. They were great at catching them. Some managed to get a couple of apples and hold on to them with their feet while they ate another one.










I stole this picture (below) from Kristal because it was better than any that I took with my own camera. They are so cute!

Tutu cute!

I love how Elly is getting opinionated about the clothes she wears. It's cute at this age, but I really don't want a little diva on my hands, so I try not to make a big deal out of it. She loves to pick out her own clothes though, so I'll let her when we're just going to be home. I still have final say about what she wears when we go somewhere.

And I know why little girls need a mama and not just a daddy (besides all the other obvious reasons)....because if Elly didn't have a mama I'm afraid she would never have her hair presentable or be in matching clothes. I tremble at the thought of Sam getting her ready :)

Not sure what any of that has to do with these pictures. Maybe just to say it's a good thing I still have the final say on what she wears when we go out in public :)










She was so tickled with herself :) I sure do love this little girl!! How boring my life must have been before she came into it. She is so precious!

Elly's in a big girl bed!

I originally wrote this a month ago when it happened, but then got busy and never posted it. Oh well...better late than never I say :)

12 January 2012
Last night was Elly's first night in a big girl bed...and part of me is really sad that my baby is growing up so fast :(

I'm not sure how we came around to doing it NOW because it wasn't too long ago Sam and I were talking and agreed that the crib was the best thing ever and she was going to be in it until she was 10 :) Or at least until she outgrew it. It just kind of ....happened. Elly's recently seen a couple of her little friend's beds so she's been talking about them. Yesterday we were in her room and I asked her if she would want a big girl bed. She seemed excited about it and said that yes, she did want a big girl bed.

So...that evening, when Sam got home, we got to work changing her crib into a toddler bed. She was so tickled about getting a big girl bed. I was not as excited about it because she tosses around in her bed alot at night and I could just see her falling out of bed through the night. She made it through the night just fine even though I was up quite a bit checking her on the monitor. She did great about not getting out of bed too. It's so strange to see her getting so big.

Here are a few pictures from last night ~














UPDATE: It's now the 12th of February, so it's been one month since she switched to a toddler bed and she's done fantastic with it. Although, for about a week after we changed her bed she kept asking for her crib back. I was kind of conflicted about what to do. In a way, I wanted her back in her crib too because I was up a lot more through the night checking on her, but I also knew that she had to grow up at some point and thought it was better to not go backwards. It didn't take her too long to adjust to her new bed and stop asking for the crib.

She has fallen out of bed once. I heard a thump through the night and saw on the monitor that she had fallen out. I went to check on her, but she wasn't crying so I rocked her a couple of minutes and she went back to sleep.

She's great about not getting out of bed on her own. The only time she will get out of bed without us in there is if I've opened her door. I usually close her door during naps and in the morning when we wake up and she's still sleeping. It's so cute to see her gather her blankie and teddy bear and come running to find me.

Once again, I'm amazed at how things work out so well. So often, (in raising Elly) I've worried about how something was going to work out and then once we're past that event it seems like there was no need to worry. Or perhaps it's because I am worried and bring it to the Lord in prayer that things work out just fine. I really shouldn't worry about things as much as I do, but I think God loves to have us bring our concerns to Him. So...we've said goodbye to another baby stage and now we have a little girl in her big girl bed. Somedays I just can't believe how big Elly is getting. She is such a little girl anymore with lots of opinions of her own and lots of original thoughts that she loves to share with me. I never thought a person could talk as much as she does. She chatters from morning till night. She's so cute though and such a joy to have around. I'm so thankful that she's mine :)

Signs that a toddler lives in my house

Something I never really expected, when becoming a Mama, is that I have loved every stage of Elly's young life. At every age it seems like Sam and I look at each other and say "Isn't this the best stage yet!?" I always thought having a tiny baby would be my favorite and that I would somehow miss it as she grew up, but as Elly continues to get older I love each age better than the one before, if that's possible. She's so much fun and I'm just totally in love with our precious little girl.

Every night I try to keep a journal of things she's said or done throughout the day. At times I wish I had written something down when it happened because by the time we get to bed I've forgotten what it was. She's always coming up with something that just makes me laugh. I love seeing her personality emerge. And she's not lacking in the attitude department :)

For the last month or so she's been calling me "Misty". One morning I was on the phone with Mom and I heard her saying something from her crib. I went to the monitor and heard her calling "Misty! Misty!" as she woke up from her night's sleep. Usually, I'll call her "Grace" in return and she doesn't like it. She says "Don't say me Grace!" Lately, she's taken to calling me "Mama Cow". That's flattering...maybe I shouldn't argue with her calling me "Misty". :)

For the longest time if you asked her what a doll's name was (any of her dolls), she would say "Jew" (or joo, june...not sure which). Lately, she's learned that she is 2 1/2 years old so now she calls all of her dolls "2 1/2" as if it's their name. If someone asks what a doll's name is she'll say "2 1/2". We were on our way into town and she started naming all her stuffed animals saying "Lion's 2, Bear's 2 1/2, Lammy's 2 and Moose is Mony 2 1/2" Not sure where the "Mony" came from, but thought it was funny.

Some of the things she says are so sweet. Lately she'll say things like "Mama, does that make your heart happy?" or if she won't try a new food she'll say "Mama, does that hurt your heart?" It's so sweet.

One time, in the middle of the night, I had taken her to go potty. She was half asleep sitting on my lap as I got her jammies back on and in the sweetest little voice said "Mama, I sure do like you". THAT is what being a Mama is all about!! Those moments make it all worth while :)

We have a video monitor that we use in Elly's room. I've always used the speaker on it to tell her to lay down if she wasn't going to sleep. It's worked great. As soon as I said "Ellyanna, lay down", she would drop and not move again. I thought it was awesome...until a couple of nights ago.

We were getting ready for bed in our room and she saw the monitor and mentioned that she didn't like it when it said "lay down Elly", so I picked it up and spoke into it like I do during naptime. I was not prepared for the reaction I got from Elly. She was truely terrified. She was scrambling to get away from me, crying and screaming "No!". I reached for her, but she acted like I was a stranger and kept hitting me away. I finally got her and held her close and kept telling her it was ok. I had no idea it would scare her like that. In the last month or so I've noticed she's getting more scared of things and I think she didn't recognize the voice on the monitor as me and then when she saw me talking, but heard the gargled sound coming out of the speakers it just was too much for her. I felt so bad. She kept crying saying it scared her and I told her I would never do that again. After a few minutes she sat back and while trying to still catch her breath from crying she put her little hand on her tummy and said "That scared my heart!". Just made me want to cry :(

She continues to be scared of the monitor in her room. She doesn't like to go in there by herself anymore. I think she must have dreamed about it one day during naptime because she woke up crying and when I went in to get her she acted scared of me again and started screaming when I reached to pick her up. That is a horrible feeling. Your own child being terrified of you. I pushed it though and picked her up anyhow. After hugging her a few minutes she settled down. It really bothered me that she was scared of me :(

Anyhow, on to a happier subject. I love it when I walk through the house and see signs that Elly's been at play. Sometimes I actually think to get the camera and capture it. It's so fun to see how her little mind thinks and what she does with her toys. Anyhow, here are a few pictures I've taken in the last month or two. Just glimpses of Elly's play.