Lovejoy

Riding the "Neighs"

2011-11-30T08:33:00.004-07:00

Ellie loves "neighs" (she can't say horses - although she can say penguins and hippos...)

We have an annual pass to the Thanksgiving Point farm and Ellie loves feeding the goats, llamas, cows. Until she sees the "neighs". Then she has a one-track mind. She has to ride the horse!

Thanks to Grandpa and Ruthie for the fun pass!

My Favorites

2011-11-29T17:41:00.005-07:00

Mommy/Daughter Date

2011-11-27T20:27:00.005-07:00

Ellie and I went on a little date one day while Scott was in school. First we went to McDonald's.

This girl loves fries, nuggets ("bock bock"), and root beer. Just like her mama.

She was fascinated with Ronald for a few seconds.

And then she got really, really nervous and wanted nothing to do with him.

She was also too small to climb around on the playplace thing so we left and got....

Ice cream!

I love spending all my time with her. She's such a good little friend.

Randoms

2011-11-26T08:12:00.003-07:00

Because I like her...and she's already changed soooo much since these were taken this summer.

Love her.

California

2011-10-28T19:09:00.000-06:00

Scott and I escaped for a few days in August to celebrate our three-year anniversary. We had too much fun and played way too hard.

We flew into Long Beach and got in our super sexy rental car.

The bright yellow Chevy Aveo. It was tiny but worked for just what we needed.

We drove to San Diego and stopped by the San Diego Temple to eat our lunch.

That night we went to dinner with a couple of Scott's friends from high school and their girlfriends. It was fun to meet some of the 301 boys and wish we had remembered to take a picture.

We spent the night at the fancy W Hotel and spent a lazy morning walking around downtown San Diego.

We went to Sea World that afternoon. It was fun. But probably only because it was free (hooray for military perks) and we were only there for two hours. It was cloudy and cool but I got a horribly ugly sunburn that luckily wasn't that painful...but it sure did look funny.

Then we drove back to Anaheim to go to an Anaheim Angels baseball game with Matt and Tazbaa who live in Los Angeles. It was so fun to see them again and spend a little bit of time with them.

We drove them home and got to see their cute apartment, Matt's office building, and Tazbaa's school.

The next day we woke up early and got to the happiest place on earth when it opened.

Yes, this is the second time in three years of marriage that I have made Scott take me to Disneyland.
No, we did not take Ellie.
Disneyland is all for me.
We'll take her next time, I guess.

Anyway, Disneyland is the best. We went on every ride we wanted to (except the Matterhorn which was closed) and hardly waited in any lines - although as soon as we would come out of a ride the line would be forever long...I guess we just kept getting lucky.

Teacups

Scott was unhappy I stopped spinning to take pictures.
But I got tired.
Oh well, we went again the next day, too.

We started doing the goggle eyes and couldn't stop. It was too much fun.

We had so much fun.
We were exhausted by the time we had to leave.
We drove to the airport two hours early and just waited. And rested.
We're wimps now.

Happy Anniversary

2011-08-22T15:31:00.000-06:00

to this guy:

Life with him is better than ever.

Hooray for three years!

Happy Kid

2011-07-28T10:29:00.001-06:00

This crazy girl LOVES the pool. We just have to try really hard to keep her face above water. She has no fear of drowning, but I'm not interested in another bout of pneumonia. What a funny kid.

My Girl

2011-07-05T16:51:00.002-06:00

Snuggling with my cheesy girl while Dad is in class. Love her squinty response to picture taking.

Spaghetti Face

2011-06-30T18:28:00.001-06:00

Ellie prefers baths in Grandma's baby pool.

Dada's Day

2011-06-19T00:00:00.018-06:00

Idea via here...but my photography and editing skills are pathetic. Be nice, don't compare.

Snuggle Puppy

2011-06-10T11:45:00.006-06:00

Every few weeks, Ellie decides she needs us to sleep with her. Since we don't fit in her crib, she ends up in our bed. And then nobody gets any sleep because Ellie wants to sleep sideways with her head in someone's ribs and her feet on someone's face. Last night, I decided I couldn't sleep in bed with her, so I laid out her blanket on the floor in front of the couch and put her there while I slept on the couch. That worked for about 30 minutes before she needed me again.

I'm very tired now. But at least we got a cute picture out of it.

If You Give a Toddler a Bowl of Cereal, She's Going to Ask for Some Milk

2011-06-09T11:44:00.000-06:00

She had a bowl but after she dumped it's contents on her tray, she dropped the bowl on the floor. At least she emptied it first, I guess...

The Vacation That Wouldn't End

2011-06-08T09:52:00.039-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, Scott, Ellie, and I left for a long weekend down to St. George. We had a great time: golfing, swimming, going to the park, eating at Nielsen's (a shameful number of times in just a few days), and spending lots of time together.

On Saturday, I asked my mom when she was going home (wondering if it was Sunday or Monday) and she said she wasn't leaving for a whole week and asked me and Ellie to stay. So, we decided to send my dad and Scott home to go to work and school all week while the girls stayed back to play. Or so we thought.

Ellie woke up on Sunday with a little cough but she acted fine so we weren't too worried. After church, we kissed Scott goodbye and started to really relax. That night she woke up coughing every half hour. I brought her into bed with me so at least I didn't have to go into another room to comfort her. It was so sad and we were exhausted in the morning.

But she still acted okay so we tried to go to the pool for a few hours. We had lots of fun and then I put her down for a nap and went back outside (with the baby monitor in hand) and read People Magazine's coverage of the Royal Wedding.

Ellie woke up from her nap with a 102 degree fever. And it all went downhill from there.

We went to Instacare on Monday night and three hours later she left with a chest x-ray, diagnosis of pneumonia, and a fatty shot in her little leg.

Went back on Tuesday to Instacare and they sent us to the hospital. More chest x-rays, an IV of fluids and powerful antibiotics, and four hours later, we went home with a tired little girl (who now hates all doctors, nurses, and anyone resembling medical personnel).

Returned to ER again on Wednesday for yet another chest x-ray (which is actually worse than a shot because we have to hold her arms above her head while she screams...which makes her move...which leads to repeating the x-ray until over and over again until we get a clear one), a shot in each little leg, and vowed to never, ever, ever get sick again.

That week:

We watched Tangled at least twice (from start to finish) each day

I let her nap on the couch and sleep in bed with me because she refused to get in the crib

We were grateful for righteous strangers who were able to give Priesthood blessings
She ate raisins and apple juice and almost nothing else
We learned that Ellie inhales pool water when she goes under which can contain germs which can cause bacterial pneumonia in a little girl.
We learned not to let Ellie's head go under the water when you take her swimming.

I have never been more ready for a vacation to end. Scott and my dad both came back down the next weekend and we finally made our way home on Sunday. Ellie was ready for her own place again, too. She actually squealed when we pulled into the neighborhood. Scott and I were both blown away with how happy she was to be back in our house with her toys, her crib, all safe and sound and healthy.

Hooray for being healthy and for being home again!

PS - Sorry we put such a damper on your vacation, Mom.

Ellie the Baby Doll

2011-06-07T14:41:00.001-06:00

Ellie has a stroller at our house that she (unfortunately) loves to sit in. It's not so bad though, because she can just back into it. The baby stroller at my mom's house is different. But somehow, when we weren't looking, Ellie managed to get into the stroller anyway. She keeps us on our toes!

Four-Wheeling

2011-06-06T14:33:00.000-06:00

Ellie's cousin left her little four-wheeler at Grandma's house...and Ellie borrowed it for a couple of minutes. She loved it so much. When it was time to go home she threw a fit and watched the video of it on my phone OVER and OVER and OVER again.

Future Golfer

2011-06-05T09:25:00.001-06:00

For Family Night last week, we went to Cascade to play at the driving range and practice green. We all had so much fun.

Hogle Zoo

2011-06-04T14:01:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, Scott and I took Ellie to the zoo. It was supposed to be great weather, but it was chilly and windy so we didn't get a lot of good pictures.

Ready to get started!

Windy hair and funny eyes by the giraffes

These monkey ones were my favorites. Ellie is so big now!

We went into the big ape exhibit and all the animals LOVED Ellie. Parents would push their kids over to be by Ellie (and kick Scott out of the way - rude!) because all the monkeys came right up to the glass by her.
(This is the only picture I got of her and the monkeys which mostly shows Scott bending down to tie his shoe, but you can still see Ellie's little lets poking out the bottom. That big gorilla came right up to her.)

Ellie wasn't as impressed with the animals as she was with this light. Oh, the mind of a one year-old!

The Best Afternoon

2011-05-21T09:35:00.002-06:00

We had the best afternoon.

She tried on her cousins' helmets...

(In these pictures, she's looking at herself on the camera of my phone. Obviously so pleased with her appearance.)

Say "Cheese!"

We went on a wagon ride...

And then we helped Grandma water her plants.

We are so ready for summer. Let the fun begin!

Garbage Thief

2011-05-20T09:33:00.001-06:00

I was making dinner the other night while Ellie was being perfectly lovely: watching a show and playing with her toys. Until I turned around and noticed this.

Yep, that's the core of a pineapple. Ellie took it straight out of the garbage and started to chomp on it.

At least none of the pineapple was wasted. Yummy!

Rocking Horse

2011-05-19T09:24:00.000-06:00

My grandpa made Ellie her very own rocking horse. She LOVES it. She rocks back and forth so hard sometimes I think she is going to hit herself in the face. She can climb up and down off of it all by herself (although, it isn't the most graceful or accident-free process sometimes).

Thanks Grandpa!

Tub Time

2011-05-18T09:13:00.000-06:00

The Ottoman

2011-05-17T08:57:00.002-06:00

Ellie was having a rough night a few weeks ago. Scott was finishing a school project and Ellie kept wanting to press the power button (and every other key) on his computer. We had to block her off from Scott which made her even more upset. I emptied everything out of the ottoman/toy chest trying to find something while she tried to crawl into it. She eventually succeeded and we gave her my phone so she could watch a show in there.

Whatever makes her happy, right?

Stylin'

2011-05-16T08:53:00.001-06:00

We're ready for the sun! Come on summer!

Ice Cream

2011-05-15T08:41:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, we went to Baskin Robbins to get some gold medal ribbon and mint chip (the two best flavors in case you were wondering). Ellie spent most of the time pushing the chairs around the store but would occasionally come back for another bite. She's way too cute.

Yum!

Easter

2011-05-14T08:39:00.000-06:00

Easter was so fun this year. Who knew holidays were even more fun as a parent than they were as a kid?

On Saturday night, we colored and dyed our eggs.

Such concentration...

When Sunday morning came, Scott and I were both so excited for Ellie to wake up but she just kept sleeping and sleeping and sleeping.

The Easter Bunny left her some sidewalk chalk, bubbles, playdoh, a book about Jesus, and a few treats.

Finally, she woke up and we tried to help her understand the whole "egg hunt" concept.

She eventually, sorta, kinda, figured it out. Mom and Dad helped a lot.

After church, we went to Great Grandma and Grandpa Lovejoy's house for dinner and another Easter egg hunt (which Ellie refused to participate in because in their backyard is a swing set. Hello? Eggs or a swing? No question which one she prefers.) She also developed a crush on her cousin while she was there. He was sitting and listening to Great Grandma like a good little 10ish year-old and Ellie kept walking up to him and tapping him on the shoulder so he would pay attention to her.

What a fun Easter. Holidays with a kid are the best.

Spaghetti

2011-04-26T22:21:00.002-06:00

This girl really loves spaghetti.

Yummy!

Pictures of Ellie

2011-04-11T14:16:00.000-06:00

Because it's my blog. And I had a bunch of random pictures on my iPhone that needed to be posted.

She looks at herself in the glass oven door (while wearing her bath towel).

She drinks root beer even though her Minnie Mouse sippy cup is obviously available.

She falls asleep in the car.

She helps me unpack.

She crawls into her book cupboard.

And I love all of it.

Bless You, Elmo

2011-03-16T19:20:00.000-06:00

For about the past two months, Ellie has gotten progressively more opinionated and demanding. While I understand it's part of whole "grow and develop" thing, it's sometimes hard. And loud.

See, she doesn't talk much at all. Instead she makes two noises to convey her feelings. A grunt/whine combo and a high pitched squeal/scream delight. For instance, she'll go stand by the refrigerator and do the grunt/whine for a little bit (waiting for one of us to open it so she can snag a yogurt and RUN like she shoplifted or something). If we don't get there soon enough for her patience level, she switches over to the squeal/scream.

Sometimes though, like at dinner tonight, she kept doing a short version of the squeal/scream. Maybe just for fun? Maybe because it got our attention as we tried desperately not to be those people. You know, the ones in a sit-down restaurant who bring a toddler that destroys the idea of eating a meal in peace.

Anyway, she was tired of eating and was not interested in using her "inside voice". She just kept squawking. Short little "eek, eek" noises. Not my idea of a nice dinner. So I pulled out the big guns.

ELMO

Oh how I love him! And the iPhone. My heroes. I have downloaded a few free episodes of "Learn Along With Sesame" from iTunes onto my iPhone and can whip them out whenever I need to dispel a tantrum. I try not to use it unless it's necessary (i.e. public or a long car ride), but seriously PROBLEM SOLVED.

Deer Watching

2011-03-13T07:06:00.003-06:00

We visited Grandma and Grandpa Lovejoy down in Mapleton on Friday. They had a few visitors...about two dozen deer. Ellie LOVED it.

Normal Weeknight

2011-03-12T07:43:00.004-07:00

Wait, your kids don't wear pajamas, cable knit sweaters, princess crowns, and oven mitts together?

Weird.

You don't put your baby dolls in the oven mitt either?

Shame. We have lots of fun.

Smoothies

2011-03-11T08:09:00.001-07:00

One of my major splurges is going to the mall. Not because I buy a lot of clothing or toys or shoes. It's because I can barely get through the mall without buying a mango smoothie from the Nordstrom cafe. It is one of my most favorite things. And topped with whipped cream? Come on...

Ellie is my kid.

She loves those smoothies.

In fact, she loves them so much that if she sees me holding one, she gets jealous. So, being the ingenious mother that I am I asked for a child's cup and poured just an inch or so of my smoothie into her little cup.

Worked like a charm. She was in heaven. So pleased with herself.

Well, until this happened.

Awesome.

Play Time

2011-03-10T00:13:00.000-07:00

We had too much fun today. Seriously. We all cuddled in bed this morning, I took Ellie to Story Time at the library, and we had a little family outing to a playground in the afternoon.

So many pictures I love. It was perfect.

Look at their eyes in this last picture. Think these two are related?

Oh, how I love them.

Mango Core

2011-03-06T19:40:00.001-07:00

Ellie has been chomping on the middle of a mango for half an hour. Love that girl. Even if she was a little devil at church today.

Shoo Flu

2011-03-05T08:03:00.001-07:00

We've had a touch of the flu here at the Lovejoy house. Miserable. After cleaning vomit out of every nook and cranny in Ellie's new car seat (ugh), I decided we weren't taking any more chances and lined Ellie's space with blankets. She snuggled her baby and watched Sesame.

Later, Scott was sick on the couch. Ellie kept trying to give her blanket and cussy (pacifier) to him. She knew he needed a little extra comfort. So cute.

Sharing

2011-03-04T10:48:00.001-07:00

Ellie is pretty good about sharing and helping. If we ask for a bite, she'll hold out whatever food she has. If we ask her to bring us something, she usually will. This time, it backfired.

First, she pried his mouth open. Then, she forced the bottle down.

Scott didn't like the taste of watered-down apple juice.

Ellie's Idea of Exercising

2011-03-03T09:44:00.000-07:00

Last week, we packed up and headed south for a little R&R in St. George. The boys golfed and the women shopped. Ellie liked watching my mom exercise. She even got in on the action. Sort of. Anytime my mom got down to stretch or do sit up, Ellie sat on her. Whoops!

And of course, we all need a little snuggle during a sit up.

Happy Birthday, Lovey!

2011-03-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to the greatest husband in the world

I love you!

Carbonation

2011-03-01T10:48:00.000-07:00

Ellie likes soda. A lot. If she sees me or Scott drinking it she'll come over and beg for a sip. The best part though, is her reaction to the fizz. I guess it takes some getting used to...

Aaahhhh....how refreshing.

Thanksgiving Point Dinosaur Museum

2011-02-19T14:52:00.002-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, Shannon and I took our girls to check out the Thanksgiving Point Dinosaur Museum. Ellie loved being one of the big kids.

I think Ellie liked the driving part as much as the museum. She got to sit between her two cousins and watch Baby Einstein.

We can't wait for the weather to warm up a bit so we can try out the farms and gardens.

Sloppy Joes

2011-02-18T13:32:00.001-07:00

We ate sloppy joes for dinner the other night. Normally, we let Ellie feed herself one meal a day and make a total mess. Then I immediately give her a bath. Scott was playing games with Ellie while we were eating. He kept asking her questions like, "Where's your ear?" and "Where's your head?". As you can imagine, it went really, really well.

Scott learned his lesson.

He was in charge of bath time.

Costco

2011-02-17T10:48:00.001-07:00

Running errands with the Ellster is usually lots of fun. Even when you have to wait at the Costco pharmacy for an hour longer than they say you will.

She waves at everyone. It's very friendly.

I love her.

Yeah, She Likes Her Big Kid Car Seat

2011-02-16T10:45:00.003-07:00

So do I!

Birthday Celebrations

2011-02-15T09:52:00.004-07:00

Ellie's birthday was really, really fun. At least for me. Being a mom is so much fun.

We started off with pink pancakes for the birthday girl.

(Still with her sleepy "squishy" face...and not so sure about the candle)

Then we went to story time at the library.

Brought to you by the letter "Q".

Then after some lunch and a nap we had a party!

Cupcake time!

She was a little less confused with the candle this time.

She started off with just one finger-lick at a time.

And then she decided to get serious about it.

Yum.

Then Ellie was spoiled with all kinds of books and clothes and toys.

"Oh my goodness. What a fun day!"

Thanks for coming everyone.

Happy Birthday, little one. We sure love you.

Valentine's Wreath

2011-02-14T15:20:00.000-07:00

I got crafty this Valentine's. Let's not forget how limited my crafting skills are. So with that in mind I was extremely proud of myself. I found a craft, bought the supplies, made the craft, only broke it once (cracked it right in half), duct taped craft back together, and......voila!

A Valentine's Wreath.

In fact, I was so proud of myself (and may have accidentally bought way too much felt), I made a little puff ball thing, too.

Inspired here and here.
Happy Crafting!

Birthday Girlie!

2011-01-26T07:43:00.086-07:00

Today my little tiny baby girl is a whole year old. She grew up so fast and now she's not so much a baby anymore. She walks, she speaks gibberish, and constantly makes us laugh at the silly things she does.

Happy Birthday, baby!

one week

one month

two months

three months

four months

five months

six months

seven months

eight months

nine months

ten months

eleven months

one year

What We Do All Day

2011-01-12T13:19:00.000-07:00

She makes messes...

...and then I clean them up.

Ellie thinks it's a much better system than I do.

Merry Christmas from the Lovejoys

2011-01-10T13:22:00.000-07:00

Stuck

2010-12-15T10:51:00.002-07:00

Being a mom is way too fun.

Ellie likes to dump everything out of this basket and put it on her head.

She got stuck once, so I had to take pictures before I saved her.

A Flip Book About Falling

2010-12-14T10:45:00.000-07:00

She gets a little bit top heavy sometimes...but she really, really wanted that toy.

Thanksgiving Dinner

2010-12-12T13:29:00.000-07:00

This year we went down to St. George for Thanksgiving to spend the week with the Lovejoys. It was delicious! Ellie is a big fan of stuffing, mashed potatoes, rolls, and turkey. The winners, though, were the cinnamon applesauce jello and frog eye salad (I agree!). Yum.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-24T19:02:00.000-07:00

Go Cougars!

2010-11-21T14:44:00.000-07:00

Last night, we took Ellie to her first ever BYU football game. She had a blast looking at everything during the first and third quarters, took a nap during the second and halftime (and we left before the fourth started). She's so much fun. I can't believe how easy she is. We definitely got lucky with this kid of ours.

Too bad we have to wait until next season to go again!

My Girl

2010-11-12T23:43:00.000-07:00

I've got sunshine on a cloudy day.

When it's cold outside, I've got the month of May.

I'd guess you'd say, "What can me me feel this way?"

My girl.

We Like Her

2010-10-29T12:12:00.002-06:00

In case you didn't already know.

One Time I Made Cupcakes

2010-10-27T12:09:00.001-06:00

And Ellie was happy to help.

9 Months tomorrow

2010-10-25T21:30:00.000-06:00

Technically, she still can't "walk"...but seriously, how can I not be proud?

She will be nine months old tomorrow. It goes by so quickly...

Farmer's Market

2010-10-18T12:54:00.001-06:00

We took Ellie to a farmer's market a couple of weeks ago. It was pretty fun. Ellie had a great time looking at everything and everyone.

Seriously, she's just the cutest kid ever.

All ready and waiting to go!

Little yawn

She carried that Pez dispenser the whole time.

Sleepy family on a Saturday morning.

Swings

2010-10-14T13:43:00.001-06:00

Ellie really, really loves swinging.

Proof:

Cousin Jane

2010-10-13T13:28:00.000-06:00

Ellie loves her cousin Jane, too. I love this picture.

Cousin Kate

2010-10-12T13:18:00.002-06:00

Ellie is selectively social. She loves me and Scott, my mom, Scott's sister Rachel, and a couple others. But even as the mom, I'm still second best. Ellie has a favorite: her cousin, Kate. EVERY SINGLE TIME Ellie sees Kate she squeals, flaps her arms, and pumps her legs up and down. She loves that girl. It might be because Kate bounces around. It might be because Kate gives Ellie all kinds of toys. But mostly, I think it's because Kate loves Ellie. For the past few days, Kate and been telling Ellie that she is her "best cousin".

Bananas

2010-10-11T13:12:00.001-06:00

We think she's pretty cute.

Her favorite foods right now are bananas, sweet potatoes, Gerber Lil' Crunchies (I call them baby cheetos), and EVERYTHING Mom and Dad eat. She's a little beggar baby.

Chelsea's Birthday

2010-10-10T13:05:00.001-06:00

My sister Chelsea turned 20 in August. After the festivities were over, Ellie had a great time playing with the wrapping paper.

I really like this picture. It's like she's saying, "What, Mom?"

Teddy Bears

2010-10-09T13:04:00.001-06:00

Ellie's great-grandma has a thing for teddy bears. She has dozens in her living room. Ellie was a big fan.

Wanting to give kisses/eat the bear's nose.

Oh Dear...

2010-10-09T12:46:00.000-06:00

Remember when I used to blog? Me too.

Want to know what changed? Scott upgraded to the iPhone 4 (which is really cool, by the way) and I couldn't pass up his old iPhone. So for the past couple of months, I've been on my phone and not my computer.

So there have been no new blog posts. Until now.

I'll try to be better.

But I still like my iPhone.

Under the Table

2010-08-25T11:35:00.001-06:00

Ellie's new favorite place to explore is under our kitchen table. She enjoys the challenge of getting in between the posts and then trying to get out. I've also caught her trying to eat the rungs a few times. Naughty little girl.

Hi

2010-08-24T11:26:00.002-06:00

She's Growing Too Fast

2010-08-23T11:09:00.005-06:00

I bought Ellie some pajamas the other day. They were on sale and I had a gift card, but they were for a 12-18 month old. They were cute so I figured I could wait. But I brought them home and washed them...and they fit! She's growing too fast. She's still too skinny for most of her 6-12 month clothes, but she's so tall! Stop growing!

(Don't tell, but sometimes still I dress her in a few 0-3 month pants. They still fit. She's so skinny but as long as I let her wear them a little low, you can't tell they're too short for her.)

Happy Anniversary

2010-08-22T10:19:00.007-06:00

Scott and I celebrated our two-year anniversary a few days early this year. We had a total blast.

We started out with a trip down memory lane at Joe's Crab Shack. We ate at Joe's while we were on our honeymoon and hadn't been back since. It was delicious and we were stuffed when it was time to leave.

After dinner, we headed over to the Usana Amphitheater for the Dave Matthews Concert. It was fabulous. We had good seats and a variety of characters around us to keep us entertained.

Brett Dennen opened who Scott and I both really like. He was great.

And then Dave came on. He was fabulous. Scott has seen Dave Matthews in concert 12 times now. I felt like such a rookie.

Happy Anniversary Lovey!

She's Mobile

2010-08-21T10:56:00.000-06:00

About two weeks ago, Ellie learned to crawl. She has been scooting for a long time but finally learned that her arms can move, too. She can also push herself up into a sitting position. Now she's into everything. EVERYTHING.

(looking at the vent)

(Hi mom!)

(I'm stuck! Help, mom!)

First Cold

2010-08-20T23:02:00.000-06:00

This poor little girl got her first cold. It's so sad. Her nose is running like a faucet and it breaks my heart.

Of course, she only wants her dad. I'm just a secondary caregiver around here. He's the favorite.

How To Eat A Biscuit - by Ellie

2010-08-20T11:25:00.001-06:00

Rub it all over your face, smash into your ears and nose so mom finds it days later, smear it on the tray, get some stuck on your neck, clap it between your hands, make some funny faces, and then misplace the biscuit on your shoulder.

She's fun.

Skunk Toy

2010-08-03T00:05:00.001-06:00

We went to Cracker Barrel for lunch one day and my mom walked around the store they have with Ellie. They walked by this toy and Ellie went crazy. She loved it.

Shopping Can Wear You Out

2010-08-02T23:38:00.002-06:00

One of the best parts of our San Diego trip is going to the outlets in Carlsbad. Ellie was so good to sit in her stroller and humor us while we walked around the shops during nap time. So I fed her in one of the dressing rooms and gave her her tiny blanket and pacifier. I turned around for less than 10 seconds and when I turned back...I saw this:

She was asleep! Hunched over like that sitting up! I laughed so hard. Poor girl was sooo tired.

House of Cards...er, placemats

2010-08-02T23:37:00.000-06:00

Kate helped me build a house out of the placemats in our hotel. Pretty impressive, I think.

She Wants S'more

2010-08-01T08:46:00.002-06:00

At our hotel in San Diego, there was a fire pit we could use. It was really fun to make s'mores. And later that week, Chelsea and I made s'mores on the stove. Ellie has decided she wants to eat everything I eat so I gave her a little taste.

Pure happiness

But then the s'more was gone.

And Ellie had a meltdown.

Hahaha.

Beach Babe

2010-07-31T17:40:00.000-06:00

When we were in San Diego, Ellie made her first trip to the beach. Even though it was a little chilly, it was great to see the ocean and feel the sand.

Ellie liked squishing the sand between her toes.

Jane and Ellie

(notice Todd and Kate's sandcastle in the background)

Sleepy girl took a nap in my arms.

I love my little beach babe.

Pillow Fight

2010-07-30T19:54:00.003-06:00

I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home

2010-07-29T08:37:00.003-06:00

Finally.

It's here.

July 29, 2010.

Scott is coming home.

Scott has been gone all month long at LDAC (Leader Development and Assessment Course) for the ROTC. He has been doing lots of Army stuff like:

Land Navigation

Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear training

Confidence and obstacle courses

Weapons training

First aid training

Situational Training Exercises

Patrolling

Foot marches and regimental runs

Water confidence training

Scott did great at all of this and was named the top solider in his platoon of 45 guys. Woohoo!

I'm so proud of my Army man and can't wait to pick him up from the airport this afternoon.

Four weeks is too long!

Road Trippin'

2010-07-28T18:24:00.001-06:00

Ellie is impressive. She survived the drive from Provo to San Diego. And she was such a good sport about being strapped down in a car seat for 20+ hours.

Most of the drive looked like this:

and only once did it look like this:

In Case You Were Wondering...

2010-07-27T18:18:00.000-06:00

Oh, she's just the cutest.

Grammar Police

2010-07-19T13:56:00.006-06:00

I know I'm not perfect when it comes to grammar. It brightens my day, though, when I see errors in public.

I doubt I'll ever beat this sign, but I found this gem at the mall the other day.

It makes me happy.

Dictionary.com—Usage note
The forms altogether and all together, though often indistinguishable in speech, are distinct in meaning. The adverb altogether means “wholly, entirely, completely”: an altogether confused scene. The phrase all together means “in a group”: The children were all together in the kitchen.

Pacifier...or Headgear

2010-07-18T14:43:00.002-06:00

Does this pacifier remind anyone else of headgear?

Hello

2010-07-17T14:36:00.002-06:00

Yummy

2010-07-16T13:50:00.002-06:00

Ellie thinks her toes make a delicious snack.

Scott thinks it's disgusting.

Mirror, Mirror, on the wall...

2010-07-15T13:44:00.003-06:00

Who's the cutest baby of all?

Baby Safe Feeder

2010-07-14T14:19:00.002-06:00

I bought Ellie this thing called a Baby Safe Feeder. It's basically a mesh bag with a handle. I put fruit into the mesh bag and Ellie can chew and suck on the back and get little bits of fruit without worrying about her choking. She likes it a lot. It's pretty messy though. Juice goes everywhere.

Shhh...

2010-07-13T15:12:00.000-06:00

Ellie woke up this morning before I was ready to. I may have propped her up with pillows, given her some toys, and told her to be quiet while I tried to keep sleeping.

Kate and Ellie

2010-07-13T14:52:00.000-06:00

Love Jeans

2010-07-13T13:41:00.000-06:00

She wears red, white, and blue all month long. She's very patriotic.

Thanks for the cute jeans, Mom.

We LOVE them.

4th of July Weekend - Part 3

2010-07-05T23:15:00.000-06:00

We went to the pool again. When we got there around 12:00, there were only a couple of other kids there.

When we left around 3:00, there were 42,253,381,096,923,853,253 kids there.

It was crazy.

But she LOVED it.

We stayed in the pool forever. I think I sang "motorboat, motorboat..." a hundred times.

She is my little fishy.

When I finally got tired of being in the pool, I had Ellie sit in her stroller. There was a lot to look at and lots of kids to entertain her.

We successfully tired her out. We left so she could go home and take a nap.

Poor girl couldn't even stay awake all the way to the car.

After a much needed nap, we got cleaned up and went to my parents' again for more family, food, and fireworks.

What a great weekend!

4th of July Weekend - Part 2

2010-07-05T22:47:00.000-06:00

Sunday was a great Independence Day.

Ellie liked it.

I love her.

4th of July Weekend - Part 1

2010-07-05T16:43:00.001-06:00

We had a great Independence Day weekend.

On Saturday we celebrated my Dad's birthday and had a barbecue at my parents' house. The weather was great and Ellie was a doll. People like her.

Hanging out with Uncle Matt

Pretty nice sunset on our walk home, right?

Riverside

2010-07-02T21:28:00.002-06:00

We love going to the pool with my mom, sisters, and nieces. Ellie loves the water. She would stay in there all day long. Today we tried out the "ladybug" that her nieces were nice enough to let Ellie borrow.

New Outfit

2010-07-02T11:14:00.000-06:00

Some days just aren't fun. So you have to come up with things to do that make it better. Like yesterday. I bought Ellie a new outfit. Because yesterday just wasn't fun.

But she was.

See what I mean?

The End of an Era

2010-07-01T22:04:00.000-06:00

Saturday was a sad day in the Lovejoy household.

Saturday was Scott's last day of work at the Missionary Training Center.

The MTC.
He was sad.

And so was I.

The MTC has been a part of us from the very beginning. Scott started working there in August 2007
...and we met in September.

Our first "date" was a quick dinner at Macaroni Grill before Scott headed into work.

The night he proposed, he was rushed because he had to head into work right after.

Now that Ellie is here, we were both very happy when Daddy came home from work to play with her.

More than anything, though, Scott LOVED working with the missionaries. Even though Scott served his mission in Brazil, he taught missionaries going to English-speaking missions. (They send all the missionaries going to Brazil straight to that MTC). The English-speaking missionaries going to English-speaking missions only spend three weeks in the MTC. We've figured that in the past three years, Scott has taught more than 500 missionaries.

He gets letters from his missionaries often thanking him for helping them during their MTC stay, for teaching them what it means to be a missionary and how to serve the Lord.

He knows Preach My Gospel better than anyone I know. You can ask him what is on page 176 and he can give you a pretty good idea. He has most of the quotes in there memorized.

Scott has a love for missionary work. Between two years on his mission and three years teaching at the MTC, he's devoted countless hours to helping to preach the gospel. Scott has a goal of serving at least six missions.

He's finished one. And we're working on number two.

So even though Saturday was a sad day, we have other days to look forward to.

What I Do All Morning

2010-06-22T13:33:00.000-06:00

Ellie wasn't a great sleeper at the beginning. We had our fair share of hourly wake-ups and far too many parties at two, three, four, five, and six o'clock in the morning. BUT, she's doing soooo much better these days. My secrets?

We did the cry it out thing for a couple of days. I got into the bad habit of nursing her to sleep and that had to stop. And now, she uses her pacifier. Win-win, if you ask me. She loves the thing now. Hooray.
I feed her a TON between 6:00 and when she goes to bed (anywhere between 8:30 and 10:00). Apparently if she has a bazillion ounces of milk before she sleeps she doesn't get so hungry in the middle of the night.
Scott gets up early in the morning to go to work or the gym. Once that happens, Ellie gets in bed with me. That way, the second she stirs, I pop that pacifier in her mouth and I get to sleep for another hour.

For the past week or so, Ellie and I have slept in until at least ten o'clock (except for Sunday). It has been ridiculous. I'm finally back to enjoying the nine hours of sleep I need each night! Plus, it's the only time she'll even consider cuddling with me.

This morning, Ellie started to stir around 9:30 so I gave her that beloved pacifier and she fell right back to sleep. I got up and heated my leftovers from dinner last night, got my computer, and watched reruns of Gilmore Girls while blog-stalking in bed next to my sleeping baby for a half hour.

Perfect morning? Yessiree.

(Awful picture, I know. It was still dark in my room and I took it with my phone. But she's so cute when she sleeps.)

(Here she is after she woke up. She's so much fun in the mornings.)

What Used to be Sleeping

2010-06-21T15:37:00.000-06:00

Ellie is really, really good at rolling from her back to her belly...but not so good the other way around.

Unfortunately, she has started rolling in her sleep and getting stuck.

Hopefully she gets better at the belly to back roll soon. Getting her to sleep (and stay asleep) is getting interesting.

Avocado Mustache

2010-06-19T15:17:00.001-06:00

Finance Lessons by Ellie

2010-06-11T09:46:00.003-06:00

Silver Rattle: $31

Sophie the Giraffe: $22

Having more fun with the underside of the car seat: PRICELESS

I just wish we had a picture of her licking it.

Pool Time!

2010-06-10T10:31:00.000-06:00

Ellie and I decided last minute to go to St. George with my mom for a few days. Ellie made it into the pool for the first time. She loves the tub, but didn't seem to care about the pool. (But we went again yesterday and smiled the whole time).