Just for Daddy...

As Elina was having a snack on this particular day, I was thinking about the fact that we hadn't seen her signature scrunchy nose lately...a month or more at least...so I thought I'd see if she remembered how to do it...

She Loves Her Daddy...

...especially when he's silly...

Daaaaaddy...

Wake up...it's not nap time anymore!!!

Absolutely Precious...

Dancing with Daddy...

I just had to share this sweet moment with you that Jason had with his "Little bit" yesterday...

Fun with Daddy...

Peek-a-boo Daddy...

Hmmm...we've never played this game before...let's she if she likes it...

So far, so good

While we are always entertained while entertaining Elina, I guess she gets the last laugh this time...

Happy Monday...

Hey everyone! We hope you had a wonderful weekend and are off to a great start in a new week! How wonderful that the Lord's mercies are new every morning. There's a verse from Psalms above Elina's changing table that I often read to her/pray over her..."Let me hear your loving kindness in the morning, For I trust in you. Teach me the way in which I should walk, for to you I lift up my soul." I pray (mean it!) that TODAY you will hear HIS loving kindness. This past week and weekend has been a heavy one for our little community here in Vernon...please pray for the people of our town. The enemy has been attacking in huge ways...he's not going to win and I think he knows it, so he's trying to attack even more. As you think of us, please pray especially for our churches and minister's families.

We aren't the only ones going through heavy times right now...if you want...click on the MckMiracle button on the right of our blog...read about and pray for Baby Stellan!

As far as our family right now...Praise the Lord...He has blessed our household in such sweet ways this past week. I'm soooo Thankful! Elina was also blessed to get to see both sets of grandparents (and we our parents) this past weekend!...such a sweet time!...lots of open mouth kisses too!...can't wait to get that on video for you all to see! But for now we hope you will enjoy this little "laid back" video...

Sometime last week Elina became quite entertained by our throw-pillows and decided they were extremely fun to throw around the living room floor. I couldn't believe I captured this video because it is quite uncommon for Elina to stop and lay back! She was still getting better from being sick (hence the little cough), so I'm wondering if that had something to do with the little "breaks" she was taking as she was playing. Either way...it was really precious! I also thought her little shadow was too sweet...this is Jason's favorite way Elina wear's her hair these days! :)

Happy Birthday to the absolute best Husband and Daddy in the world! Thank you for being so wonderful for us! We love you!!!

Watchin' Daddy...

Hey Daddy...I love you!

Where'd he go?

Do you see him?

There he is!!

Yay Daddy!
Oh there he is again!
Good job Daddy!

Lately...

Elina has been more fun than ever. We were told that every new stage just gets better and better. It was hard to believe at first (how could anything be better than the sweet smells/sounds/sights of an itty bitty baby), but I completely understand now...we are having so much fun with our little Ellie Bellie! I decided that I would post our most recent pictures and videos so you can see Elina now, and then work backwards from there. I have so much to catch up on, but I can't help but show you all the latest stuff too.

It's been crazy to see what Elina is learning for the first time. She's starting to stay standing when you put her down, she's learning how to get down from the couch, she is quiet during prayer (for the most part) and then lets out a loud cheer when we say Amen, she cheers and claps her hands after songs in church, and she's been walking with a walker for several weeks (I have that on a video coming soon)!

Here are a few videos from a recent afternoon of family fun.

"Elina can you show everyone your new song?"

"Wanna try again?"

"Take Five..."

"Okay, are you ready now?!"

"Ladies and Gentlemen...If you're happy and you know it Clap Your Hands!!!"

Falling Asleep

While we are doing much better now with Elina's bedtime routine and with sleeping through the night (as of Sunday of this week, YAY!)...this was a few weeks ago...

Elina wasn't giving into the idea of sleeping, so Daddy held her like this (facing the stereo) so she could watch the blinking lights and listen to Daddy's new CD (which turned out sooo good!). She finally gave up! Precious!!!

Jammin' with Daddy...

Silly Daddy...

Daddy's Music...

So while Jason was practicing for leading worship New Year's Eve, I noticed the following while I was passing by (so of course I had to grab the camera!)

Isn't Jason so good at what he does!
I'm so thankful for you honey!...I love that you allow the Lord to use you!
And I must say that it melted my heart to see my little girl sitting and looking up at her daddy (she really did watch him for the longest time before getting distracted...I just didn't catch it all)...I'm so thankful she loves music...that's an answer to prayer!
And finally...no those aren't piles and piles of laundry on the couch!...I never let the laundry go like that!...ha! I wish...that just happens to be my "folding station". It's funny (or something like that) that inevitably I get the laundry washed, dried, and sometimes even folded...and that where it stops. Why can't those clothes get to where they are supposed to be? What's worse is when my husband comes home and notices the green couch!!!

Daddies...

make the best teething rings!

Daddy's First Solid Feeding...

Also older pics...as you may be able to tell from the decorations in the background...these were taken some time in November...

Silly Daddy...

Daddy's Little Princess...

This was Elina's last day as a five month old! And since I have a special 5 mo old page just for "Daddy's Girl" in my beautiful pre-made scrap book (Thank you again Molly Beth)...we had a little photo shoot...

Her little outfit even says "Daddy's Little Princess"

Daddy the Handy Man...

**UPDATE: Thanks Val for pointing out my imperfections! :) No seriously...of course I meant fell instead of feel in the second paragraph. It's corrected now, but for those of you who may have read it and laughed at me and then didn't let me know about it! (except Val of course)...I thought you may not notice the correction without this public announcement of my imperfections! Not that I haven't ever had a typo before...ha ha!

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Since Ellie's arrival, most honey dos have been on the back burner (for both mommy and daddy), but recently things have picked back up. Jason asked our friend Richard (who tremendously helped us for 3 months before Ellie was born) to help install a new back door...we feel much safer now! Here's Jason assembling the new hardware for a safe and secure closure!

Then a deal fell into our laps (or is that Jason fell on his back...j/k). We were blessed to receive a new dishwasher at an incredible price...too good to pass up!...so Jason went to work. Here he is pulling the old one out. I happened to walk in the kitchen just in time to see him like this, and yes...I did make him lay there so that I could grab the camera! For some reason that old dishwasher just didn't want to budge, but Daddy the Handy Man beat that stubborn old thing!

However, the dishwasher had the last laugh. When Jason tried to install the new one...we discovered there where no hook ups for a dishwasher anyway! Maybe this is what they meant by dishwasher doesn't work in the homeowner's disclosure. Well, another blessing came our way...our friend Tanner did his best to help install a garbage disposal (which I was wanting anyway) so that the dishwasher would have hook ups. Dispite great efforts (and the help of a vaccume cleaner...I still don't know why they needed that in there) the appliances won again...

So, after a very long weekend...our hot water heater ended up not working (in addition to and not because of everything else)...we had to call a plumber, who went under the house and found decaying pipes which literally fell apart when he tried to disassemble them. He fixed the pipes, which fixed the hot water heater problem, and ultimately put our kitchen back together for us! All in all...Jason/Daddy is still our hero (here on earth anyway!) Thank you honey!

(P.S. Maybe one day I'll get the cabinet doors put up...hopefully before a little somebody becomes mobile!!)

Uh Oh Daddy...