Getting a lil Grecian

Not many words today, rather a quick glance into our stay in Greece.

While a fair amount of our trip was spent in meetings, we did thoroughly enjoy our surroundings (I mean how could Greece NOT be beautiful?).

Truth be known, I surprised myself by not taking more shots.

I have to say waking up every morning to the bright sun peaking in the window...oh joy of all joys, I could do that every. single. day.  Are you catching on to the theme in these last posts?  I really love the sun.

And what do ya say?  Do you dig the blue doors like the Greecians?  I sure am partial to it (though it could be a prettier, ahem, CAROLINA blue color, ahem).  Maybe I can convince some Slovaks to paint their doors bright blue???  I'll get right on that ;)

Her First Dip

We're not talking about eating ranch...we're talking about in the ocean!!! (yes, that was cheesy ;)

We took E to the beach one afternoon while in Greece and I think it's safe to say she thoroughly enjoyed it.  It makes this beach-lovin' mama's heart happy to know that her girl could be a potential beach bum.  Or, who knows, maybe she'll end up loving the shade like her pops...but if we're going off of just this first time at the beach, then wahooo...our girl is going to enjoy the mess out of sun and sand.

Topless and dirty face (from snacking on sand no less)...doesn't get much cuter.  (She does have a cute polka-dot bathing suit, but eh, when in Europe do as the Europeans do...right?  At least for now, that is.)

My man, our babe, and the ocean.  Love.

Our friend Brian snapped some of the three of us to document the occasion...and we're so glad he did.  Thanks, B!

(Don't know why I'm scrunching my nose in that one above, but I like it  nonetheless...)

I couldn't help but include this last one.  Her lil face cracks. me. up.  I do believe she was getting splashed in the face, but it couldn't have been captured at a cuter moment.

We sure did enjoy our day at the beach...though shortly after these pics were taken Daddy and E went to take a nap.  Sometime during that nap E wet all over Dad and our two towels.  But it was both memorable and note-worthy ;)

Double Digits (10 Months)

Oh gracious...there's a little girl in this house that is no longer in the single-digit months!

Lil E is officially 10 months old.

Weight:  My best guess now she's around 19 pounds.

Fun Facts:
*  We had her checked out in Greece and this girl is a TALL and THIN one.
*  She now points if she wants something, which is both precious and difficult because it can be a guessing game as to what she wants (we are learning some signs right now, which should make things easier).
*  She can take some steps with help, but is a great cruiser and is constantly moving herself from place to place either by quickly crawling or by holding on and going from one piece of furniture to the next.
*  She's still holding out on the teeth!  We keep thinking it will be any day, but nope, she's still got the gummy grin :)
*  She really loves books, balls, and climbing up in to her rocking chair...those are her favorites these days.
*  She's quite personable and likes to smile at strangers lots.
*  Quite the eater is our girl.  She can put down some FOOD (I think she gets that honestly from both her mama and her dada).  The nursery worker this past week in Greece told us she ate all her own food and then started going for other kids' food.  That's our girl ;)
*  Getting her in her high chair and stroller at times can be quite the challenge.  She's started to express her dislike for them both (but only at random times...???)
*  She went to the beach for the first time this past week and LOVED it.  We also hit up the pool.  I think she'll be a swimmer yet, yahoo!!!
*  Right now both she and I are fighting a cold.  Booooo.  I'm quite congested and her nose has been running all afternoon.  We returned from Greece with the crunk and hopefully it'll be outta here soon.

And I'll end with some outtakes from our lil photo shoot today.  She was less than happy to be my model...I'll blame it on the runny nose, lil baby (though I must say that far right one particularly cracks me up ;)

Elise Noelle, you bring us great joy.  Happy 10 months, sweet girl.  We LOVE you!

Under the Parachute

That's the name of the weekly mama group that meets on Wednesday mornings.

I know you're wondering what it is, so let me explain ;)

It's a varying group of us that meet and bring our small kiddos to spend time around the parachute and sing songs/play games.

So far we've done it three times and it's truly been great.  My fearless friend Boba leads everyone in songs and games on/around the parachute and we mamas keep the tiny ones involved as best possible (which realistically looks like a mom hopping up every few minutes to catch a rogue child, but then they come back and continue on :)  It's quite fun.  Then afterwards we try to grab some time to chat together...which is encouraging just to be around other moms....but...

...it's always challenging (but good!) practice for my Slovak.  Thankfully all the women have been patient with me so far and I'm really grateful for that because I do make mistakes quite often haha.

The babies range in age, so far, from 9 months to 17 months.  They're all cute and it's funny to watch them play and interact.  I really am loving these Wednesday mornings and hope that we can figure out a way to continue them (indoors) somewhere come fall.

And because you know I want to show you some photos, I stole this collage from Boba.

Fun, fun, fun :)

From the REAL Deal

From the real deal...the real camera, that is.

It seems I've posted many pics from my phone lately (thank you very much, instagram) and have failed in uploading and using the pics from our legit camera.  (I go through these cycles...tell me I'm not alone?!?)

In between meetings, hangouts, small group, Bible study, language study, Wednesday play group, newsletters, cleaning, buying gifts, weddings (yay!), and so on, these smaller everyday moments are the details that make our life, well, ours together.  And I like it.  I want to remember them.  I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again, it's why I blog.  I like that we can have an online journal to look back on years from now (even if I'm the only one who looks back it :)

So, without further ado, all the goings on from lately captured by the Nikon...

He decided he wanted to grow a 'stache.  Let's just say after a few days without some lip action he decided to forego it (sorry you guys who encouraged him to keep it...kissing may just be more influential ;)

The ever constant results of Hurricane Elise!

She's been wearing more shoes lately because she's exploring the mess out of her surroundings (though she's not technically walking yet...she gets closer every day).  That bottom pair she's pretty much outgrown and worn out, so we settled for some adorable pink high tops.  Love 'em.

Getting things done with the help of Wunderlist, my favorite app.  And yes, I have already started thinking of ideas for Elise's birthday...maybe I have some overachiever tendencies ;)

Step in to his office.  Poor guy has to get all his work done right there on that couch with plenty of background noise from his wife and daughter (though I think here he's reading sports haha).  One perk, however, he wears whatever he wants to the office! :)

A favorite box of toys that stays in the living room.  I try to rotate them out weekly, but sometimes it ends up being bi-weekly.

And finally, we cherish the moments when this little one sleeps.  Not because we don't love it when she's awake, but it certainly makes for more pleasant and less cranky awake times when she gets good sleep.  Sleeping just isn't this girl's jam...she'd much rather be taking in the world around her.

So this week we pack up for Greece and head off to a conference.  Hopefully in between the meetings we can soak up a sun ray or two :) We'll see!

Straight to the Mouth

First, how about a little background?

Our girl LOVES to eat.  I mean, when food comes out she knows it means business.  It's even to the point where she'll chase down some snacks in her bag.  The girl loves. her. food.

So that means that she is constantly putting things in her mouth.  And for the sake of not wanting to forget, I'm putting it here for you to share in the scariness/grossness (is that a word?) with me!

The most recent items that have found their way into her mouth are:

a random dried piece of something from the ground
a marble
an air soft pellet (this was quite scary)
a piece of fuzz
a piece of plastic

And the KICKER (this really grossed me out)...

a very lovely cigarette butt (UGH)

Now at first glance it may appear that I'm failing in the mothering category.  You may say, HOW are you NOT catching her from eating all these things?

Let me just say, the girl is fast.  In some cases it happens before I/we even realized she was heading for it.  But, thankfully, she's yet to truly swallow any of the above things.

And, if we're being honest, it's just a part of life.  It's a stage she's going through.  Everything goes straight to the mouth.  And while it totally grossed me out when I realized she put a CIGARETTE BUTT in her mouth, I later chuckled because it's all part of her learning.  Maybe next time that cigarette butt won't look as appetizing?  Here's hoping! Life experiences, I tell ya...

And let's end with a picture of one of her favorite places to find things to eat...under her high chair of course!

Life Lately...

...by way of Instagram :)

Yep, we've been a little silent around here, but it's because this month has been full on, jam-packed.

Pic 1:  A lil head bump got this girl down and out for a bit, but she bounced back, no worries ;)
Pic 2:  This is how my hubby eats watermelon...g to the ross.
Pic 3:  All last week was spent at camp.  Above you see one of the many water games played...fun!
Pic 4:  My sweet friend Zuzana surprised me with these handmade earrings one day...love them.
Pic 5:  I may or may not have downed a whole pack of Oreos this past week (all by myself).  I know, I know, don't talk to me about it (the shame!)
Pic 6:  I loved this pillow found at a restaurant this past week.  Inspiration for a future project?  I think so!
Pic 7:  This lil girl had a blast in the pool...in my mama opinion she's 100% adorbs ;)
Pic 8:  Tons of graffiti around town, but this is my fav spotted so far.
Pic 9:  She's officially learned that the remote controls the tv...ruh roh.

So that's just a small glimpse into our happenings lately.  We're still chugging along over here!  We'll be around this week plowing through some more language study and then mid-week next week we're off to a conference.

Happy Monday! :)

The Day Freedom Rang...

(Writing things here on this blog sometimes helps me to process my feelings and thoughts...though I don't do it enough here, I want to remember how I feel right now in this moment.)

It's the 4th of July.  The day America celebrates its freedom.

But today is bigger than that for us.  It's the day that our dear friend and adopted grandpa, Elton Earp, went home to Jesus.  Today he gained a new and perfect freedom...freedom from his temporary home, his holding place.  Right now he is in Heaven where he is free to worship and praise his Savior.

For the last little while Jason and I have been sitting here on our balcony and in between tears and laughs we've been sharing stories about all the good times, memories, and funny things we could remember about Elton.  What a guy he was.  Faithful, proud, true, genuine, real, kind, rugged, giving, LOVING.

Some things we want to remember:  what a genuinely giving person he was, giving me a hard time about only being able to eat ONE big pancake at the Farmer's Market, always wanting to get me (and getting me!) pink lady apples, how he LOVED Jason, the true friendship he and Jas had, his great memory of all things Durham, how he loved the church, his funny jokes, his "girlfriends" at the market, always making sure Jason was going to be on time, his long, long phone conversations, his love for his dog(s), and the list could go on and on...

Mostly he would want us to remember that He loved JESUS and was so ready to be with Him.  He lived a long, full, hard, but good life.  He was a rock solid man who trusted Jesus wholeheartedly.

We'll miss you, Grandpa Elton, but we know you'd MUCH rather be where you are.  Your life was a testimony...thanks for living it to the fullest for all of us to see! We love you!