Memorial Day at Norris Lake

Brent and Matt right before the jump into the lake. Thank goodness the water was high.

Elli went to sit on this bench away from all of us because it was close to some little girls. Uncle Matt decided to go sit with her so she wouldn't be by herself.

While we were swimming in the lake, these ducks flew right over to see if we had food. Elli was ready to share her peanut buuter crackers with them, with daddy's help that is.

Ice cream trips are a big part of our time at the lake. Elli asks for it all the time. We made two trips, in the same day:) How yummy.

Elli is definately crying because she doesn't like the "little" boats. I was torn between making her ride on it and see that it is not scary, and just leaving her alone. Obviously, I made her ride. She did calm down but doesn't want to ride on it again. We'll see.

We ran out of eggs and needed them to make brownies and breakfast. So, when we filled up the boats we asked if we could buy some eggs. They sold them to us from the kitchen. Brent drew the short straw and had to ride with them all the way back to Gary's condo. None of them broke.

I know Elli doesn't look happy, but she really is. She loved sitting with Leah and did most of the time while riding on the boat.

This is HEather and I riding towards the boat for a picture. We had fun playing on the jet skis and we didn't even knock each other into the water this time.

Puggles

Puggles are the youngest group in Awana. They are 2-3 year olds. I have worked with them all year and have enjoyed it though, most of them are girls and very independent at that! They are sweet and have been a blessing to me. The last night of Awana, they sang their song on stage, except they didn't sing. The leaders sang while the girls who were brave enough to get on stage just stood there. Elli mouthed all the words, but made no sound. So sweet though.

I love my girl

I got Elli a new toothbrush simply because she needed it. After brushing her teeth with it, she looked at me and said, "Uh oh mommy. You got the wrong one. This isn't for kids, it's for people." I asked why it wasn't for kids and her reply was, "It's a good one."

We started summer school at home because I wanted something productive to do over the summer. (The days can get long:) The first day was yesterday and Elli said to me before we started, "Do I call you Mrs. Ferguson?" I told her she could and we proceeded to have a wonderful 40 minutes filled with lots of fun and learning.

Elli is at an age now where she really enjoys playing with other kids. We went to the park with some friends yesterday and she played with a little girl most of the time. Last night we met some new neighbors with two girls ages 4 and 5 and Elli played with them for 2 hours. This morning she asked me if we were going to find more friends to play with.

I really love my little girl. She has the cutest things to say, very funny reasoning, and the best higs and kisses ever!

Mother's Day and Post Mother's Day

I never get bored of my baby girl playing at Young's. She loves it there and asks to go often. Here she is waving to her "friends" while driving the tractor. (There were no friends:)

I had to run to save the baby goat, before I showed her how to hug gently. She said in a very labored voice, "I'm just trying to hug this baby goat." She loves animals and wants to hold, pet, or hug any that she comes upon.

My sister Heather had a wonderful Mother's Day lunch for all of us at her house. It was a beautiful day and we got some pictures. This is a great picture of the wonderful mother and grandmothers I have. Also, of the legacy they are raising.

Being a mom is a great blessing in my life. I am reminded that I have been given a miracle in Elli and want her to know and love the Lord with all her heart. I am praying for wisdom and guidance in order to teach Elli the right ways and to watch her grow in the Lord. Thank you God for the gift of Elli. Thank you for her joy, smile, and her sweet hugs and kisses.

One story to share from my precious gift. We were walking on the beach, just the two of us holding hands when she says, "Mommy, I do not want to go in the water by myself. I will get lost and lost and then I will get died. Then I will be in heaven with Jesus and he will need to make a new Elli for you and daddy because you will be sad." I told Elli God can't make a new Elli because she is the only one. I was amazed that she understood she would be in heaven and we would miss her. I really do love this girl.

This was Elli at 5:15 in the morning the day we left Florida to go home. She said, "Mommy I am still sleeping. It is not time to wake up." Look how small she is on this huge king sized bed. How did she get so turned around? Look at her little babies sleeping next to her. She is so like me in that area. Also, no pillow. Much like me as well:) (Just to clarify, I do not still sleep with baby dolls. Elli does things like me though and I didn't even teach her how. Strange. How do those kinds of things get passed on?)

Last Day of vacation

I want to start with a couple funny stories. One story is that she was crying while walking on the beach because she wanted to go to the pool. I asked her to stop but she kept whining. Later, we went back out to the beach to walk and Elli said, "I am sorry I cried. I love you, mommy. We are best friends again."
While playing at the pool one afternoon, there were some older people all sitting around and talking. (They lived there.) Elli "took" to one of the older gentlemen and asked him over and over to watch her do this and that. They loved her and obliged her requests. When we left, she waved bye and said, "See you around."
Elli went under the water and got it in her eyes. When she was done wiping all the water off her face, she looked at Brent and said, "well for crying out loud."

Another park for Elli to play at after dinner. She loved finding a new park everyday. They were all different.

She looks so long/tall here to me. She loved jumping in and would do it constantly. She would also come up with a different story as to why she was jumping. For instance, she was getting away from the lions, it was time to go to school, she needed to ride the horses, etc...She doesn't know yet that if you cross your legs while laying out, you'll get some crazy tan lines:)

We buried Elli's legs in the sand, then she did it to us, again and again. Fun times on the beach. She told me as we were walking back to the condo that she "loved this." I asked what she loved and she said, "just walking on the beach."

Okay, we used all the tickets, then decided we all wanted to race the go-karts. Elli giggled the whole time. She was pretending to drive the car, wheel going crazy! When I came up beside them, she laughed so hard and acted like she was going to drive away steering like crazy and smiling the whole time. We have truly had a blast this vacation.

Elli chose to use her last two tickets to ride the bumper boats with daddy. They had a lot of fun. Elli even got me wet as I was trying to get their picture:)

Elli loved riding the train. She got to sit up front and ring the bell the whole time. She said she was tired at the end of this ride:)

We got a "thumbs up" at the end of the airplane ride. Brent and I couldn't get over how cute she was being so independent. She looks so sweet with those pigtails too. Brent said while watching her ride this, "I am really going to miss these sweet days."

We went once again to the miniature amusement park. She of couse went to the horse ride first. She enjoyed this so much, but here is that little serious face she wears! Only a hint of a smile.

This is Elli putting on her sunscreen. Cute!

One of Elli's new adventures. She hangs onto the bar, slides under it, floats, then goes over to the other side. She has lots of new tricks in the pool this time. She has really gained confidence.

Golf Day on vacation

Sliding with mommy on the playground at Fudpuckers. What a great idea for a restaraunt to have this play area while we wait.

Dressed up and ready for a walk down the road to Fudpuckers for dinner. Elli had a great time there. We picked flowers on the way, she saw some alligators, she played on their playground, and even wrote her name on the wall! Brent and I enjoyed it too and had a great dinner.

Elli getting a tan with her 50SPF. She was acting like the ladies she was watching at the pool.

Brent golfed a beautiful course today. He had views of the bay, gorgeous weather, and a great round on a difficult course. He is loving vacation too!

Many activities today

Sunset hugs from my girl.

Ice Cream on the balcony.

Elli says, "There is a big girl in the baby swing." Funny girl. She loved playing at this park.

Scaring the sea gulls away from this dock. "Bye, bye birdies."

I call this pose, "Cheerleader in Training." Elli has just so enjoyed swimming and playing in the pool and ocean. She has changed so much from just 6 months ago on our last beach vacation. (Also here at Fort Walton Beach) She is like a big girl instead of a baby girl!

Elli joins in a game of shuffleboard. Brent beat me 111 to 34. Goodness.

Brent letting Elli fly her Sesame Street kite on the beach. It doesn't compare to the dragon kites we have seen, but it still looked cute flying over our bag!

Elli likes to go up high, then drop into the water. This picture captures that game and the adorable hat that makes her look like my little sailor girl:)

Rainy Day

We wanted some pictures on the beach or at least by the dunes. It was getting ready to storm but we headed out anyway. The ocean is cool in all types of weather. Sometimes it is fun to see it all wild. The rainbow after the storm was pretty as well. Elli made a song about how pretty it was and thanked God for giving rainbows after Noah's Ark.

We drove out to pick up the fans and lights that the owner of the condo ordered. Elli wanted to ride on the cart still, so she squeezed in with all these boxes. We also went to the outlet malls where both Brent and I found deals on new shoes. We enjoyed kunch at Cheeseburger in Paradise and headed home for naps.

Being couped up inside leads to lots of tickle and wrestle matches. Elli got the giggles really bad after being tickled so much. She was crazy! It was a lot of fun. Brent also put up one fan and one new light.

Here is one of the wrestle matches. Elli does not look like she is winning. She got flipped over and thrown onto the couch right after this. Then, she flew right back off for more.

Castles, rainbow jellies, and mommy time

Heading back to the pool after a couple hours on the beach building castles, playing in the waves, and looking for rainbow jelly fish!

Pool time with mommy today. We played hard and she wore herself out. She was rubbing her eyes and crying because we had to go in for lunch. She was sleepy but wouldn't give in. Poor girl. When her head hits the pillow for naps and bed time, she doesn't move:)

Elli has a book about a fish called Swimmy. In the book, Swimmy finds a medusa made of rainbow jelly. So, when we walk on the beach, Elli is constantly looking for rainbow jelly fish. Here she is checking one out. She said it has red, blue and purple on it. "Very pretty," she says!

Building a castle with daddy again for the sole purpose of crashing. She loves to crash sand.

Daddy-Daughter Day

Giving big hugs to daddy.

She did this countless times. She can't get enough of swimming. Brent was loving the fact that Elli was asking for him over me. I just watched this time around:)

Elli has pigtails and a new suit. She didn't want me to take her picture, but I told her we couldn't go to the beach until I got that pretty face:) This is what she gave me when she turned around. She loved the waves and the splashing. She kept asking Brent to play "in the biggest waves in the world!" We are off to a good start of our vacation.

Fort Walton Beach May 1

We left at 5:30 am and arrived at 6:30 pm. Not bad, but we were all tired. We ran out to the beach after unloading all luggage and groceries. Elli was soaked from the ocean and very sandy after throwing it everywhere. So she took her pants off and ran around in her underwear. Thankfully, there were very few people on the beach. We are snuggling with our bed time routine and then she was OUT!

Preschool Praise April 26th

Elli couldn't stand on stage with a spinny dress and not actually spin it!

This was our first experience as parents watching our daughter sing in front of church for a real program. (This doesn't count the times after service when she performs on stage for anyone watching) She sang well, obeyed Miss Sherry, who was frantic to keep all these kids in line, and gave us all a few good laughs. She smiled and waved each time she saw someone she knew. (mommy, daddy, Heather, Leah, Gonga) She at one point reached her arms out to me and said she needed a hug. This lasted for a couple minutes, but soon she was distracted with singing and put her arms down. I am so proud of her for learning her songs, being brave enough to sing in front of a filled church, and for realizing that she was making Jesus happy! (She had to be 3 before the program. She made it by one day:)

Thank you Sherry and Brenda for making this happen as well.

Michigan Trip

Elli getting ready to open presents!

Picture with a "princess". She was a narrarator in the musical but she has a sparkly dress!

Elli, Brent, Devin/Elvis/Pharoah, cousin Dave. Devin was hilarious and very good as the Elvis-ish character of Pharoah in Joseph and the Technicolored Coat. It was a great production. Elli was a little afraid of Devin, but loved watching him on stage. In fact, she was GREAT through the whole 2 hour performance. We are so glad we got to see Devin. SO funny!

Elli opening a birthday card from her Aunt Jenna. It had money in it so she was very excited.

Loving the trampoline and jumping with Kyle. She wore herself out playing on this thing:)

Jumping high with Nana. It took her a little bit to get used to it. She has a small trampoline at home where she holds onto the handles, so at first she was jumping while holding onto someone's hands. Of course, no one minded. This was great entertainment for all as we sat/stood around watching Elli and playing with her. What did we do for entertainment before Elli?