Summer So Far

 Summer so far has been exciting and exhausting. Summer really started with the Shakespeare Festival, which in my memory I have only missed about three times. It is a summer tradition that I absolutely love and that I credit with my love of Shakespeare and live theater. Every year when I teach Shakespeare I wish I could take my students to the Shakespeare Festival. You get so much more out of a Shakespeare play when you see it performed on stage: especially in the outdoor theater that is a replica of the Globe Theater. It puts you right in the atmosphere. I can't wait for Ellie to be old enough to go see the plays. I took her to the greenshow one of the evenings and Fred Adams himself, founder of the festival, came and said hello to her. "You sure are starting her young aren't you," he said. Then he pinched her toes and said, "Those toes are more fun than any of the plays." Thanks to my wonderful mom for watching Ellie while Brian and I enjoyed the shows. We also beat the heat by eating endless shaved ice and playing in the pool.

We stopped at Cedar Breaks on the way home and enjoyed a beautiful scenic drive.

Brian makes fun of me because he says I think the 4th of July is better than Christmas. I'd have to say that Christmas is my favorite holiday, but the 4th of July does pull in a close second. It just doesn't get much better than a 4th of July in Oakley, with its candy-throwing parade, sense of overwhelming patriotism, professional rodeo, and of course our Cannon family reunion. I love this holiday!

I loved how much my little niece Eliza just adored Ellie. She wanted to hold her and play with her all day long. I also love the 4th of July because it is almost guaranteed that I will see my sister Emily and her cute kids who live in Texas the rest of the year.

I'm also glad that at least one of my kids will have a cousin her age to play with. Here is Ellie and her new cousin Joey. So cute.

Summer so far has been wonderful.

Family Pictures

Our awesome friend Jamie Walker took some great family pictures for us. She was so nice to come and trespass on some old guys property with us (Brian's parents know him and left a message for him, but he still came out on his four wheeler wondering what we were doing wandering around his field) and get down on the ground to get good shots even though she is expecting a baby in a few weeks! I love how they turned out, even though I forgot to put my wedding ring back on after all the painting I've been doing, and I totally forgot to take that ugly hair elastic off my wrist...oh well. Check out some of the pictures at her blog Sunlight and Sound. 

Firsts

 

It has been a year of firsts, all in quick succession. We bought our first house,

 had our first beautiful baby girl Eleanor;

not only did Brian become a dad, but he started his first official job as a lawyer;

 I caved and let Brian bring home Rowdy, our first (and only) dog;

 I planted my first garden which is struggling mightily to survive,

 And I watched my first flowers bloom in my very own front yard.

It's been a whirlwind year so far, but we feel incredibly blessed for all the wonderful firsts  this year.

Changing Time

I know that changing diapers seems like one of the least pleasant things to do in the universe. But it does have its rewards.

I'd do pretty much anything for a smile and giggle from this girl.

Happy Father's Day

 Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful fathers out there. Thank you for loving and cherishing your children.

 For standing as pillars of strength and conviction and examples of honesty, kindness, and integrity.

 Thank you for working hard and playing harder with your children.

And for raising sons and daughters who know who they are and what their purpose is. 

I'm so grateful to have a caring, funny, giving husband and father of my own child;

a father of my own who always made his girls feel special and loved, and who still amazes me with his strength, intelligence, spirituality, and compassion; a father-in-law who has been an example of deep kindness and selflessness; and a string of grandfathers and great-grandfathers stretching back over generations who live on as symbols of sacrifice, faith, and dedication.

Happy Father's Day!

Nursery Reveal

 Our house is coming together slowly, which is why I haven't really posted much about it. The nursery is now the most finished room, although there are still a couple things I'd like to do, like add curtains to the windows and different knobs on the closet doors. For the most part though, the nursery is done. When we moved in we called this room the Neapolitan room because the previous owners had painted it bright, glow-in-the-dark pink, and deep chocolate brown with white stripes. I decided to go with a much more calming color--hint of mint by Benjamin Moore. I wanted a calming nursery with fresh clean colors, but still some bright stimulating colors as well. I also needed a nursery that didn't break the budget. The crib was the most expensive thing, just over $100, but that is a very reasonable price and I wanted to go with a new crib I knew was safe. The mattress was free from my mother-in-law, the chalkboard was a gift from her, and she made the darling blanket hanging on the back of the crib. All the toys were my favorites as a kid that I have had stored away for years.

 I knew a changing table wasn't an absolute necessity, but I have actually really enjoyed it because Ellie loves changing time and having her up higher next to me makes our laughing and playtime during changes more enjoyable than crouching on the floor. I also want to avoid changing her on furniture around the house because I haven't yet mastered the change without accidents. This one was reasonably priced from IKEA, the changing pad I got from a neighbor of my mother-in-law, and the cover was given to me at a shower. The baskets to organize I got at Gordman's for a few bucks each. The numbered bird cards on the wall were about $17 off of Amazon and I think they are very cute.

 I made the mobile hanging over the crib with craft paper. The balls were really easy to make and the birds I just cut out without even drawing a pattern or anything. It was time consuming, but certainly cost effective. Ellie can finally see far enough to focus on it and enjoy it now.

This is mommy's little nook. I bought the chair of KSL for $5. It was HIDEOUS and smelled like smoke, so after painting the whole chair, nailing broken bits back together, buying new foam for cushions and sewing the covers, I think I have a fairly good looking rocking chair that probably cost me about $25. The table was a KSL redo from a couple years ago---modge podged with some of the same paper I used to make the mobile. The dog silhouette mirror (and there is one with a horse on the other side) I also made a couple years ago with dollar store mirrors and again, paper from the same scrapbook pad. It really is amazing what you can do with paper. The little lamp was $7 from IKEA and the painting I brought down from my old childhood room. I wanted to make a space that both Ellie and I could enjoy being in. Where we could feel safe and whimsical and fresh. For the most part I think I'm happy with the result. 

Stay tuned (though it may be awhile) as I put finishing touches on the other rooms in our house. Summer projects abound...

Ellie at 2 Months

 Ellie at 2 months is delighting us with smiles and facial expressions. She is interacting with people now and it is so fun to talk to her and play with her and try to get those precious smiles to appear. She answers to Eleanor, Ellie, Little Bean, Ellie Bean, and Beenie. It's funny how nicknames get started. When she was all wrapped up in her swaddlers she looked like a little jelly bean so we just started calling her Little Bean. I have a feeling it is going to stick with her for awhile. We use it much more than her actual name. My family still calls me Boo, so if it sticks that long lets hope its not too much of an embarrassment.

 So far she has been a very good baby for the most part, as long as she is fed, and she lets you know in no uncertain terms when she hasn't had enough. I think it is a result of the first few weeks when she wasn't getting enough. When she wants food she wants it NOW and if she isn't done she uses her little vocal chords to let us know. She is has already been sleeping through the night for over a week. She goes down around 10:30 or 11:00 and sleeps until 6:00. Today she slept until 7:00. She likes car rides, baths, being held up on your shoulder, and walks in her carrier.

 I had to return to work this last week. I miss Ellie a lot while I am away, but luckily I only have a couple more weeks. Ellie spends her day with her grandmas. I either bring her to Salt Lake and my mom watches her at my Grandma's house or I leave her with my mother-in-law in Ogden. I'm so glad that Ellie has family that can watch her while I finish up the school year, and that she has the chance to spend some time with my Grandma Joyce--where Ellie gets her middle name.

That's one happy girl, and my grandma who still looks so beautiful. 

I can't believe how much Ellie has already changed and it is so fun to watch her grow. Each day when I look into her sweet eyes I am overwhelmed with how much I love her. I hope she will always feel that.