The dreaded day...

Living in Arizona you hear lots of stories about scorpions. I have never missed pest control treatment on our house in hopes that I would always have an exterior wall set up so no scorpion intruder could enter my safe and cozy house. Well, the dreaded day came yesterday morning. I figure this is journal worthy since I have lived in Arizona for five years now and have never had a scorpion in my house. So, I got up early in the morning while Nate was out playing basketball to make some dessert I had to bring to a baby shower later in the day. Elli was still sleeping, thankfully. I put the dessert in oven and left the room while it was baking. I came back to the timer beeping and to my shock I looked down and saw what looked kind of like a piece of lint or fuzz string or something. I got down closer and saw this...the picture I took. I was shaking now and ran for a shoe. I grabbed Elli's little shoe so I could make sure I had complete control in the efforts to kill. As I slammed the shoe down, the tail whipped up I'm sure in an attempt to sting me and it just made me more mad. I went to town on it and then left it there on the floor for Nate to dispose of once he was home from his lovely morning. I text messaged him right away because I was still shaking. I also called my mom and vented my frustration. I hope I never see one of those nasty buggers ever again! Oh, and this picture doesn't really give any justice to how nasty they are.

A family reunion in Pinetop

What a week it was leading up to the family reunion. Nate was gone Monday morning until Wednesday night on a scout campout then he left Thursday thru Sunday for Utah for his cousin's weddings. I got the flu in Tuesday, ended up having to go to the hospital to get hydrated since I was having contractions, and then stayed sick and weak for the entire week. My mom and dad helped me out a ton with Elli and in the end we all survived. My mom, dad and Hunter all ended up getting the flu too...sorry guys! Anyway, that week was one I don't really want to remember, other than Heather having her baby, but on that Sunday I drove the 3 hours up to Pinetop to meet up with Nate and all his family for a much needed vacation. It was gorgeous there with the temperature being a high of probably 85. We had so much fun visiting, playing games, swimming, hiking and eating.

Elli doesn't like to walk much and is spoiled because we carry her whenever she doesn't want to walk. Nate was the lucky one to carry her while we were out hiking in the forest.

Elli loved the swimming pools at the resort. They had a pool that was 1 1/2 feet deep so she could touch the entire length of the pool. We spent many hours in the pool.

What a good dad to help your 2 year old play table hockey. Not an easy task for sure!

Thanks Karl and Karen for such a fun trip. We appreciate all the work you put into it!

Baby Jade

Elliana is always dressing up in crazy things. She still has her pajamas on but she insisted on putting her swim suit over the top. She has one croc on and it's on the wrong foot, and she has to still have her pacifier and blanket even though she is almost 2!

My sister had her first baby girl two weeks ago and she is just the most precious little baby ever! Elli loved being able to hold her when we went to visit her in the hospital. At first she was kind of unsure about the whole thing but then she kept saying, "hold her". Hopefully she will want to "hold her" own little sister in a few months. :)

Another example of the crazy things Elli puts on! I have no idea what inspires her to put sunglasses on her belly, but she does it a lot.

Grandma Visits

My mom's mom came to visit for a week from California back in May. It was so much fun to be able to spend some time with her. We only get to see her about once a year so it is always a treat. I was able to spend one afternoon with her where she spoiled me rotton! You can see from the picture of my grandma and mom why I have to die my hair! Obviously it is in the genes to gray early. I love my mom's and grandma's hair though, I just don't think I can pull it off. :)

Elli had a blast riding in my grandma's walker when we were at the mall. I liked it better than the stroller! Maybe somone can invent a stroller similar to this.

Elli had her yearly allergy test and the results were better this time around. She came down a little in the severity of her milk allergy which was so exciting for me. The allergist wanted to challenge her to some milk but once I told the GI doctor he told me to wait a few more months. She is still a little squirt and hasn't gone past 21 pounds in over 6 months! The kid can eat like it's no ones business she just must have the most amazing metabolism in the world. She will love it when she is older but it will be a battle we fight until then. She is such a good sport when it comes to doctor's visits. She cooperates so well and doesn't make much of a fuss. She says, "ahhh" when they look in her mouth, she lets them listen to her chest without budging and she likes it when they look in her ears, which after she always says, "good". What a sweet little girl!