Say Cheese!

I just love asking Elle to smile for the camera; I just love seeing what the results of my simple request bring. Sometimes it is sweet, sometimes it is darling, but mostly, it is a combination of ornery and silly.

Jumping Fun!

Our neighbor’s son was having his birthday party, and a Jump House was the main event. Elle was quite excited, seeing as how she loves to jump. She even got the privilege of having the entire Jump House to herself, while we waited for everyone else to show up. Johnny found it a little unfair that the Jump House was reserved for children only, so he joined Elle for a little jumping fun.

What To Wear!

Elle absolutely loves to dress up. She loves dresses, tutus, boas, crowns, jewels, lace, ruffles, and anything else that is frilly and pink. Everyday she must find something pretty to wear, and if yesterday's outfit was particularly pretty, than why not wear it twice? It seems perfectly reasonable. Who wouldn’t want to wear something pretty over and over again? It sure makes life a lot easier. It saves time and energy, and useless debating. Maybe Elle is on to something…maybe not.

I Am a Child of God!

Now I Know My ABC's!

The Circus!

On a whim, I decided last minute, that we as a family should go to the circus. Johnny was not all convinced, but after a little persuasion, he was on board. Surprisingly, I had to convince Elle, as well. She, of course, had never been to the circus before, so when I asked her if she would like to go, she replied, “Elle don’t think so. Elle don’t want to go to the circus.” However, after I explained to her what we would see and do, she was all for it. I then called Johnny’s parents, and persuaded them to come, too. With my mission of convincing everybody accomplished, we all set out for Oakland, to attend the exciting event. And thankfully, we were not disappointed. The circus was extremely exciting and fun. There was music, dancing, elephants, tigers, acrobats, clowns, lights, motorcycles, dogs, kids, and the list goes on. Elle was dancing, singing, clapping, and gasping the entire time. She loved it! It really was a lot of fun. We all enjoyed ourselves immensely. I am glad that I had a whim, and convincingly persuaded everyone to join.

And just a little side note: the cotton candy was twelve dollars. I know, shocking.

Reflection!

Being a mother of a hyper and very energetic two-year-old, I sometimes forget to take the time to stop and realize what amazing things my daughter thinks and says everyday.

Yesterday happened to be one of those days that Elle reminded me to take a moment and reflect. While I was reading my scriptures yesterday, Elle found a picture of Jesus that I use as a bookmark. As she picked it up, a smile lit across her face. “Look Mommy, Jesus,” she said. Now, Elle recognizing a picture of Jesus is not new. In fact, it is a usual day occurrence. So, I simply replied, “Yes, Elle, that it Jesus.” Elle proceeded to look at the picture, and then exclaimed, “Jesus is my friend, and Mommy’s friend, and Daddy’s friend.” I smiled and again replied, “Yes, Jesus is all of our friends.” Elle continued to look at the picture, and then said, “Jesus can hold me Mommy.” This comment made me stop and think. How sweet and simple Elle’s words were, but also how profound. This little two-year-old, in a few simple words, expressed something that our Savior could do for her. I stopped, smiled, and put my arms around her. “Yes, Elle, Jesus can hold you.” Elle smiled at me, and said, “Jesus is a little bit special to me Mommy.”

After yesterday, I hope to take a little more time to really listen to what my hyper and energectic two-year-old has to say.

Miss Organization!

Every night at bedtime, Elle picks out some toys to take into bed with her. It usually consists of her little animals-mostly cats-and a few other odds and ends. After she falls asleep, I go upstairs and take her toys out of her crib. And every night, this is how I generally find her toys: lined up and in perfect order. In respect of being organized, Elle is definitely a Daddy's girl.

Sharing!

Johnny and Elle got to lick the brownie bowl the other night, but as you can see from the pictures, neither one is very good at sharing. How in the world is the mother of a two-year-old supposed to teach her daughter to share, when the father obviously has issues with the concept? I'll tell you how: unsuccessfully.

26.2!

We did it! It is hard to believe even still, but Bridget and I ran our first-and according to both of us-our only Marathon. It was a lot of fun, a lot of work, a lot of determination, and a lot of pain. Maybe I should back up and start from the beginning, to give you an idea of how it all came about.

Our day started out at 4:30 in the morning. We woke up, got dressed, packed our bags, and ate whatever we felt our stomachs could keep down. We then piled into the neon, and drove through the dusk of early morning towards our dreaded doom. After parking the car and following the trail of runners to the starting line, the reality of what we were about to do was finally sinking in. We both felt nervous, anxious, and jumpy. And walking around the corner and seeing the starting line, did nothing to help ease these feelings. It only intensified them. As the seconds ticked by, and the designated starting time approached, our anticipation, eagerness, and anxiety only increased. When the gun finally went off, and we actually started our greatly anticipated marathon, we were both able to relax…somewhat. The first half of the marathon went well. We ran across the Golden Gate Bridge, and through Golden Gate Park. It was beautiful, and frankly, a lot of fun. I had a disposable camera, and took pictures the entire time. However, when I hit the half-way mark (13.1), my enthusiasm started to waver. I realized I still had 13.1 miles to go, and it did not sound all too appealing. I finally put the camera away, and continued running, but without as much gusto. And by the time I hit mile 18, my zeal had completely worn off. My feet hurt, and my legs were not much better. I couldn’t believe that I still had 8 more miles to go. I kept wondering over and over again what I had gotten myself into. I could then see why people say running is such a mental game. I had to keep my mind as well as my body going. I had to keep my head in the game. But luckily, after a while, my feet and legs did not get any worse. In fact, I sort of became immune to the pain. And that immunity helped me to continue to run mile after mile. And when I finally got down to two miles left, it was at that point, that I knew I could finish. I kicked it in harder, and picked up my pace, in my great desire to cross the finish line. When I finally rounded the last corner, and saw the greatly anticipated finish line, I could hardly believe it. Just the mere sight of it, gave me the motivation I needed to kick my legs in gear, sprint the final leg of the race, and complete my goal of running a marathon.

Crossing the finish line after running 26.2 miles is something I shall never forget. As hard as the marathon was, it is something I am extremely glad I did. It was worth it in so many ways, and the feeling of accomplishment was worth every sacrifice.

Elle's Castle!

Johnny, Bridget, Elle, and I all went into the San Francisco Saturday afternoon, in order for Bridget and I to attend the expo and receive our packets for the marathon. It was a lot of fun, and it sufficiently got us both nervous and excited for what lay ahead the next day. After the expo, we all went and ate at an Argentine restaurant-obviously Johnny's idea-and tasted some authentic and exceptionally good food. But across the street from the restaurant, was the highlight of the day for Elle. Situated across the street was City Hall, aka the castle. According to Elle, City Hall was her castle. She had so much fun climbing the stairs, and playing in what she felt was nothing other than a castle. She could have stayed all day running and playing inside her imagination.

Flowers!

I wanted to give a little update on Elle's relationship with her Greek boyfriend, Steve. Since we have been in Idaho, we have not had a chance to see him in a while. However, when we went to the park on Saturday, who do we see? Steve. Elle was a little shy at first, but after a short while, she warmed right up. And at the end of our park excursion, Steve presented Elle with a gift of flowers-dandelions I might add. It really was sweet. Elle was quite pleased. My, those boys learn early.

"A Pretty Outfit!"

Elle absolutely loves to dress up. She loves to pick out clothes and accessories, and put together what she deems, "a pretty outfit." It is really fun to see her use her imagination, but there are times when it can be a little frustrating. Such as the time when she wanted to wear her purple sweat suit, in the middle of summer, when it was over ninety degrees outside. Or how about the time she wore dress up high heels to the library? Or there was that day she wore the pink boa shopping. There are plenty to choose from. Elle has many “pretty outfits,” and she loves to wear them everywhere. What girls don't do for the sake of looking pretty. But the purple sweat suit is beyond me.

Bed of Rocks!

Sometimes I do not know what goes through a child's mind. I have a prime example of such a thing. The other day, Elle decided to make a bed out of her rocks. She got a blanket and pillow, and said she was sleeping. To me it was the most interesting and peculiar thing, but to her it was the most normal and ordinary thing. Like I said, sometimes I do not know what goes through a child's mind.