Walking Videos and Job Search Update

Elena is a walking wonder now! She doesn't do it all the time--her preferred method of getting around is still crawling, but more and more she will venture off walking. The distance she walks in the first video is about as far as she can go. Go, girl, go!







In other news, we found out that the church we had applied to in Pennsylvania has hired someone else, so we're back to square one again on the job front for Andrew. That means we will be here at least through when our lease is up; we would have to sign another year-lease if we stay in this apartment. So, we've decided to try to look for a house to buy. We're very excited to be taking this step, though it does come with some sadness that we are not where we want to be eventually--in the ministry. We know that God has a plan for us though, and he has made it clear that his plan is for us to be here right now. For how long, we don't know, but buying a house seems to be the next logical step, since we've really grown out of the space we have, which is about the biggest you can rent. So, you can pray for us to find a great house or to get hired for a job before we can buy one! :)

Rain

Funny thing about living in Florida-you can't predict when it's going to start to rain. I took Elena for a walk with the sky sunny and white fluffy clouds overhead. It had rained earlier, so I was not suprised to see drips from the trees, but then I saw sprinkles on the pond. I assumed it was going to be light and brief because the sun was still shining brightly, so with no sign of lightning, we waited under a tree. Much to my surprise, a short while later it was raining harder, sun still shining! We were getting wet under our tree now, so we ran for it to the covered mailboxes. In the five or so minutes we waited, the sky got dark and rain poured down. We dried off with a t-shirt I had in the stroller, and walked home getting sprinkled by trees. What a funny place we live. :)

Walking Girl

She walks! She has finally gotten her confidence, and now she will take off without something within reach. What a big girl!

In Milwaukee

We're in Milwaukee with Billy, Rachel and the crew. Tonight we're hanging out, and tomorrow we'll do more of the same before the rehearsal. Elena did great on the plane, but she's already off her sleep schedule! Oh well, it's worth it. :) We're so happy to be celebrating with Billy and Rachel. :)

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Lately

We've had a pretty normal couple of weeks, but a few things stick out. Mostly we've been laying low and getting ready for our big trip to WI for Billy and Rachel's wedding (Andrew's brother).

We've had a few exciting things happen, though. For one, poor Andrew had a traumatizing experience on Sunday. After church, we left our car in the church parking lot and went across the street to a restaurant. I forgot the baby food, though, so Andrew (graciously) ran across the street to get it. He came back with the food, but he also came back with a passenger. We didn't know it at the time, but this caterpillar had hitched a ride on his shorts. All we knew was that he was having some skin reaction to something from a bush he had run through. I went over to the Walgreens and got some Benadryl cream, and by the time I got back he was feeling worse, and he was still feeling prickling in his back. I lifted up his shirt and saw the culprit--as you can see it has little spikes all over it. They were leaving some kind of secretion on him that was causing the reaction. He freaked out, I freaked out, but we got the guy off, and the waitress came and took him outside. She put him in a bush outside, and on our way out one of our friends spotted him and we took a picture. What a morning! Andrew still has the rash.

Elena's had a runny nose lately, probably because she's just broken her second tooth. We took this funny picture this week--she didn't realize this Cheerio had gotten stuck to her snotty nose. I took a picture before getting it off of her. :)



So, horray for a second tooth! Her first tooth is finally coming in so that you can see it really well, and the second one is just a bit of white that you can barely see. This fuss face shows her little teefers pretty well.




This is a funny picture I took of Elena playing the other day. She is so funny--she loves the laundry basket! She tries to get in it, throws things in, takes them out. Always she takes them out! Funny kid. :)
Hopefully we'll get some good pictures at the wedding and post about our trip soon after we're back. We leave tomorrow (Wednesday) and come back on Sunday. We're looking forward to seeing the Hyer family and having a little time away!

Teeny Tiny Tooth and Other Pictures

The other day I got out the camera and this is what we got. :)

You can see her tiny tooth if you look closely! It's on her right side--that little white spot.
Mommy had to tickle her to get her to show it!

"Oh"

She doesn't quite know what's going on--why is Mommy on this side of the camera?

She knows that whatever is going on now, she doesn't like. haha.

Whenever she sees her blankie she lays down on it and sucks her thumb. Too cute!

Elena loves to read her books!

The Newest Addition

With the rest of my birthday money, I got a Beta fish. I have had various Betas through college and at work, but after the devastation of my work fish dying when I was around 8 months pregnant, I swore off of fish for awhile. This week I decided it was time to try again! Elena and I went to PetSmart and got all the stuff we need.

I decided to choose a name that Elena can already say--Bob. She used to say "bob" all the time, and I would say, "nobody is bob!" (Except for you, of course, Bob-bob. ;) ) So now we have our very own Bob Fish.

Whenever we come down the stairs and walk over to Bob Fish, Elena says "oh." It's so adorable! She hasn't actually said "Bob" for the fish yet, but I'm sure she'll get it!

Here is a picture of his home on the counter between the kitchen and the living room. I hope he is happy here. :)