Eloise at 7 months

Oh Elo, how are you so cute? We say this every day to our sweet Eloise who is now 7 months old! As expected, each passing day brings more and more excitement into our home as the girls grow & change. We are especially enjoying the happiness that Eloise exudes about 99.9 percent of the time. She is still such a mellow, go with the flow kinda girl that is never short on grins.

What Miss Mellow is up to at 7 months:

• saying bababa & dadada & the oh so sweet....mamama! She reserved this as a gift for me on our anniversary right before I put her to bed. It made me cry even if it wasn't on purpose!
• eating like a little piggy crying between each bite as if we can't shovel it in fast enough
• drinks from a sippy fairly well, if someone is holding it up for her
• really enjoys being read to
• enjoys eating the books even more than reading them
• thinks Charlotte is just about the greatest person in the world
• teases the dogs with leaning in close for kisses (pictures to follow)
• laughs really hard when you blow on her belly
• would rather sit up than lay down but can't get to a sitting position on her own
• sucks on the back of her wrist when falling asleep
• grabs at anything and everything that is within eyesight
• she frequently has a mini Mohawk....naturally
• has pushed up on all fours from laying on her tummy one time
• still no teeth but lots of drool

She loves her Daddy



and her mommy

 She is nursing 4-5 times a day usually at 7:30,11:00, 3:00 & 7:00. There is a 5th feeding on days that start earlier, end later or are just plain out of whack which lately are about 50 percent of the time. On days that I work, she prefers 6oz per bottle. She eats about 4-5 ounces of solid food at lunch & dinner.  New foods for this month: oatmeal, brown rice, sweet potatoes, avocados, butternut squash, green beans, peas, pears, apples & prunes every once & awhile to keep things moving if you know what I mean ; )

She is napping around 8:45-10:45, 12:30-2:45, 4:30-5:15 & then sleeps 7:30am-7:30pm.  She is very consistent with her sleeping...now if we could only get Char to do the same I would feel like a million bucks every day! I think Elo must be hitting a mini growth spurt because she has woken up around 5 the last few mornings to nurse.  Either that or she has been missing mama & needs some extra snuggles....both valid reasons right?  I mean really, who could turn this girl down for a snuggle?

We will conclude this months update with some pictures of Elo with her puppy dogs....

staring contest that Eloise won



We don't allow this on a regular basis but she was totally asking for it leaning into Benners with her mouth wide open! We laughed so hard looking at this picture because the gigantic tongue looks like it is coming out of Elo's mouth, not Bennett's!  Building her immunity.....she'll thank me for it later ; )

Onto 2012! Growing girls, delighted & thankful parents looking forward to seeing what is next!

Christmas 2011

Our Christmas morning began around 2am when a visitor that is about 36 inches tall climbed into our bed.  I usually take her back to her bed but, it was Christmas so we snuggled up & went back to sleep until a little after 6.  Robby & I got up first to get breakfast cooking.  We had Bob & Jeannine, Rob's parents with us which was so fun! They were up soon after us and we enjoyed some Christmas music & some warm beverages before the little ones joined us.

Over 6 years of being a nurse, this was only my second Christmas day I have not been working.  It was really special to be there for Elo's first Christmas.  We were excited for the girls to wake up so we could get started celebrating the birth of an important person.  Over the course of the past few months & more so in the past month, we have been talking with Charlotte more & more about how Jesus came as a baby & that we would soon be celebrating his birthday. We have our nativity set that G Gran gave us along with a couple books that talk about the nativity story.  She has been hilarious every night when I tuck her in bed.  She looks as me & says "where baby Jee-us go?" & then quickly answers her own question with, "baby Jee-us kiss-mas twee wif mommy daddy."  She has been sighted frequently around the house holding baby Jesus (who is only about 3 inches long) & rocking him while she hums.  She has also tucked him under a blankie in her room for nap time.  She is so motherly! She makes sure that Eloise has the camel to chew on at her leisure.  When I ask her to grab a toy that Elo can play with in the car, 9 times out off 10 she shows up at the front door with the camel. Eloise loves it!

So, once our sausage balls were ready, we sat down in front of the tree & Robby read to us from Char's Jesus Storybook Bible. We read the story of the birth of Jesus while Charlotte sucked her thumb & stuck her finger up her nose....so common these days.  I would have thought the story would get old after so many years of hearing it.  In actuality, it becomes more & more incredible each year as my understanding of the gospel increases.  What an incredible sacrifice for God to become flesh & be born into the world as a baby.  It was a great start to a great day at the Valentine home. 

enjoying the Christmas Story

Here are some photos of our gift giving/receiving....

She may look like she is attacking her sister but she is actually tickling her : )

Robby & I sometimes exchange gifts & sometimes we don't.  This year was an exchanging year. One of the gifts I got for Rob that I was really excited about was a pocket knife (pictured below). When he opened the knife up I almost died....it was a bit larger than anticipated so it will definitely get any job done! He also got a new book & a cigar lighter.

I was surprised multiple times Christmas morning : )  Rob got me the photo editing software I have had my eye on for awhile! I can hardly wait to get it on the computer & get to work! Thanks Rob!

My mom & dad sent a package & had Robby wrap it. I opened it up & found this inside......

2012 is deemed a crafting year! If you don't know what this is, click HERE. I have been seeing countless things on Etsy & Pinterest that are created with a Silhouette Cameo.  Thanks Mom & Dad!

As it says in Acts, it is more blessed to give than to receive; so so true.  We were thrilled to give the girls their own little kitchen to play with.  We had been thinking about doing this all year  & really wanted to build one for them.  Again, out of all the play kitchens I have looked at, the Pottery Barn one was my favorite but cost an arm & 2 legs.  I showed Robby the plans & he got to work! He did the constructing & I did the sewing....what a team we make!  Maybe we will start mass producing ; )

We couldn't be happier with the finished product! 

We saved the best for last.  Rob had covered the kitchen with a sheet while opening other gifts. We joked that Charlotte would ask "what dat mommy?" Rob said we could tell her "it is the ghost of Christmas PRESENT" hahaha! This made me laugh. Turns out, she didn't even notice the kitchen when she walked past it with the sheet off! We had to direct her attention to it & then she decided she might like to play with it.  One of my favorite additions was the 12 eggs I bought to put in an old egg crate.  She likes taking them out & putting them back in.  My very favorite addition is the apron I made her.  I looked at a few different ones & then pretty much made my own design.  It turned out absolutely adorable & fits her great!  I love that she has her princess crown on for all the pictures : )

She went straight to the table, grabbed a sausage ball & stuck it it her oven! Ha!

Peeking to see what is under the kitchen sink.



Eloise showing her excitement for what Charlotte gave her from the fridge...her beverage of choice : )



After a fun filled morning, the girls got all fixed up in their new outfits from Auntie Deb & Uncle Joe.  They looked SO CUTE! We went to the Christmas morning service at CCC & enjoyed worshipping on the day we celebrate the birth of our risen king. 

Here they are all dolled up...



We came home from the service & put the little ones down for naps.  We then got to work in the kitchen with preparations for our dinner & desserts.  Chef Robby was in charge of the Prime Rib which turned out ultra delicious.  We also had mashed potatoes & a mixed green, walnut & Gorgonzola cheese salad.  We were all pretty full!  We had to have a couple bites of each dessert though....



Our friends Erik & Jennifer were adopted into our family for the evening.
 Charlotte served Erik some protein & carbs to top things off.



Steve, Jenny, Rob, Me, Jen & Erik



The gifts given & received were plentiful & lots of smiles were had by all.  We have some new books & toys to keep us busy in 2012. We were thankful to celebrate Christmas with the Valentine clan & look forward to the next time we will be together.  Crazy but the next time Grammy & Pop Pop visit will be in March & baby Isaac will be here!



Our family

Praying your holiday was as joy filled as our was! I will say it one last time....Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from the Valentines!

 

Celebrating 7 years

Well the celebrations of the 7 year mark have ceased and we are just a few days away from Christmas now.  I knew that getting married right up against a major holiday would mean a general sense of busy-ness each year but have decided that I like that.  In celebrating our anniversary in the middle of a busy time, it gives us the perfect opportunity to step back & relax while spending some quality time with one another. 

This year's celebration might have been one of my favorites for multiple reasons....

One, no one in the family had a stomach bug SEE PREVIOUS ANNIVERSARY POST HERE.
Two, we had discussed waiting until January to celebrate but someone who knows I LOVE surprises totally surprised me.  I was in the middle of one of those afternoons where the girls woke up from their naps early & I was just staring at them thinking, what am I going to do now? I must have looked a little depressed or something because Robby asked me the typical question "Are you going to make it?" "I'm not sure" I replied. Ha....does anyone else ever feel like this? Anyway, he then asked me if I needed a surprise & I am sure my eyes lit up.  He took Charlotte in the other room & I heard him tell her, "go give this to mommy."  She handed me a piece of paper that had this printed on it..... 

Underneath it said, "You & me, dinner & a show, Friday night?" - RV." I could hardly believe it I was SO excited.  Then he said that it gets better.....Hugo & Juanita were going to keep the girls over night & I could sleep in as late as I wanted on Saturday morning!! Seriously, with the previous weeks leading up to our anniversary, the total days of a waking time prior to 5:30 am far exceeded the days where we slept till 7. I told Rob that sleeping in might be as good as dinner and a show ; )

So, we dropped the girls off around 4:30 with Juanita, the supermom who took care of 2 two year olds & a 6 month old until her hubby got home.  We went back to the house to get ready for our night out & here is how we turned out.....

We decided to eat at Bongos Cuban Cafe in Downtown Disney.  It was delish! I have no shame in saying that I really enjoy eating a meal without helping a toddler behave & nursing a baby at the same time. The food just tastes so much better & I seem to be in a more relaxed mood ; ) We went all out & got appetizers, drinks, the main course, dessert, tea for me & an espresso for Rob.  

Fun fact about me, I am 28 years old & had never ordered an alcoholic beverage until we were on this date.  I was looking at the menu & one caught my eye so I ordered it! It was just a simple berry mojito that I enjoyed every tasty sip of.  I think I may have been a little silly for about 30 minutes which is why I don't order drinks like that ; )

All that to say, dinner at Bongos was fabulous as we sat outside (me under a heater), took our time eating, chatting & listening to a group sing Christmas music at a stage next to the restaurant.  After dinner, we strolled down the walkway along the water then headed over to the theater for Cirque du Soleil. 

Neither of us had seen a Cirque du Soleil show before so we were very excited.  It was incredible!  I kept thinking that surely someone would fall & break their neck while performing all these crazy stunts.  Thankfully everyone survived & we were wowed over & over again.  There were multiple favorite parts & I would say to anyone who hasn't seen one, put it on your wish list!

We got home, took the pups out & then put a fan on in our room to insure a good nights sleep for me.  I do remember thinking I heard Eloise crying multiple times....why does that happen? I did sleep well though...right up till 8:45 when I woke up & then laid in bed looking at the ceiling until I felt like putting forth the effort to roll out of bed & stand up.  This is SO different than jolting out of bed to nurse a screaming baby!  Robby had my hot tea waiting for me at the kitchen table where we sat and discussed further how absolutely crazy the people we saw in the show were.   We then did a "clean as fast as you can & as much as you can in 30 minutes" at my request before picking up the girls.  That was an anniversary gift in itself!

Char & Elo received a great report from their honorary mother, father & sister while we were on our date. Thank you heaps & heaps Hugo & Juanita! We headed home feeling reconnected as a couple & ready to jump back into life with 2 babies in the house.

It was a happy anniversary for sure, spending it with my sweet Rob that I vowed to share every part of my life with on December 18, 2004.  I am thankful that God has been gracious to us in deepening our love & affection for one another & for Him.  Onto the next year!  

Roomies

It is official, Charlotte has a new roomie! Her best friend & baby sis, Elo has moved in to occupy the crib that has been empty since May.  Two weeks have passed since night number one & it has been an unbelievably smooth transition.

Let's back track a bit....

Our number one concern with putting the girls in the same room was Eloise's life. I frequently answer the question "What does Charlotte think of Eloise?" with "she loves her with a dangerous kind of love." Let me explain, Charlotte is more attentive than I am to her baby sister.  When Elo would be on the floor or in a bed, Charlotte would cover her with every blanket in the house, throw book after book into the crib or try to lay on top of her.  This was all slightly humorous while being observed by a responsible adult that could put an end to things when necessary to sustain a normal breathing pattern or protect that cute little face from being smushed by a large book.  About a week before they moved in together, Eloise was in her crib with the mobile on, Char was sitting on her bed reading & I thought that Char seemed calm enough that I could vacuum the living room.  Three minutes into vacuuming I hear screaming so I go into the room.  Charlotte is smiling at me & Eloise has Charlotte's blankie over her face while screaming & flailing.  I pull the blanket off with one hand and reach the other direction to catch the toddler by the arm who is trying to escape.  I get her to look at my eyes (which can be so difficult some days) while I sternly tell her that she cannot throw ANYTHING into Elo's bed  that she could hurt her very badly.  I must have sounded more stern than I thought because Charlotte went bonkers!  She is screaming & saying "no spanking mommy!! no spanking!"  I calmed her down & told her that she was not getting a spanking this time but if she chose to do it again, she would receive a spanking.  We review the "rules" for having Eloise in the bed with mommy out of the room & I get back to vacuuming.  My goal is to allow her the opportunity to obey & get lots of praise for leaving Eloise alone, or disobey & receive the previously stated consequence.  After 5 minutes, I hear no screaming so I tip toe over to the door & peer in.  I can see Charlotte pulled up on the side of the crib & she is whispering to Eloise. I have to listen closely to hear "I hate spankings Eh-wheese! I hate them!" I think I may have gotten the point across ; )

So, fast forward a week, we decide that we should give it a whirl. They are both great sleepers going down around 7:30 & usually sleeping till 6:30 or 7. So, the first night, we do the bedtime routine, review the "rules" once more (maybe for the 100th time that day) kisses for them both & head out to the living room. We don't hear a thing so we continue on with our evening.  30 minutes later, Rob decides he will go check on them.  He opens the door to their room & can see Charlotte completely passed out in her bed.  The light comes across Elo's face in her crib. She is on her back, eyes WIDE open with her fists covering her mouth & nose, looking terrified to say the least.  He comes out to get me so I can see....oh my we laughed SO hard.  It was like she was thinking "Sleep with one eye open? I would rather sleep with both eyes open so I can be ready for that blanket!"  She survived the first night...and each since then.

Here they are one morning in their jammers 

The rest of the two weeks have been so much better than anticipated.  They usually go down at the same time but a few nights, one has gone to bed before the other & it has been no problem!  We added a video camera to the room that we can check the feed on our iphones to make sure Elo is safe & sound!  



She can only climb in if the gate is down...thankfully : )

 

Elo didn't mind having a guest I just pray that I never walk into this in the morning!

Many people ask how many bedrooms we have.  We have 4, the master, the home office, the girls room &  a guest room so yes, we have the space for them to each have their own room.  We really wanted them to share a room & have even thought that if there is a girl #3, we would keep on with the room sharing.  We are really hoping to foster a close friendship between siblings & encourage sharing instead of selfishness.

Two nights ago, I put Eloise down in the guest room because Matilda was over & they were playing in the girls room.  In the morning, Charlotte came running out screaming "Mommy! Where Eh-wheese go?" So I think we are safe to say that the big sis is used to the new set up!

Last thought, the little whispering I overheard completely confirmed our decision to have them be roomies.  I can't wait for all those funny little conversations that will be shared between two sisters that we get to eavesdrop on  : )

7 years of Wedded Bliss

Don't ask me how seven years have passed since I walked down that aisle to give my hand in marriage to the man of my dreams!   I say 7 years of wedded bliss....it has not all been bliss but it has been a joy filled journey & I love this man more each & everyday.  I thought it would be fun to upload the video that Robby surprised me with for our reception.  He actually took me up to the church & let me see it the night before the wedding. That was a sweet moment in the midst of a busy couple days.  More wordiness about marriage to come but for now, here we are as youngsters in love.....

Settling in: CCC's New Home

We enjoyed a 4 day stretch of activity in CCC's new building the first week of December.  I spent Thursday evening with the Worship Team practicing & getting used to the new sound system.  Friday evening, our family along with some others met Erik & Jen, our Children's Ministry directors to clean, unpack & set up the children's area. All of this was fun but fell more on the "work" side of things : )

Saturday morning, we, the ladies of CCC participated in the very first official event in the chapel: The Annual Ladies Christmas Tea.  It was such a relaxing morning for me since I was a lady without little ones in tow.  It was like a date for me & Jenny!  Here are some photos of our time....

Heidi & Ashley getting people checked in

Trinity sporting the festive wear : )

Edie & her absolutely adorable granddaughter Quincy

Emily & her daughter Olivia.  This lovely woman is who has been watching our girls this fall.

The focus of the brunch was on the true gift of Christmas, Jesus Christ. Sadee did all of the coordinating, Amanda did the cooking & Melanie did the speaking.  It was all spectacular!

Melanie

Sadee



Me & my Jenny Girl

 I had to include the picture below.  This is my sweet friend Cathy with her girls Anna & Clara, aren't they beautiful? We met the Ziel family about 5 months after moving to Orlando.  Cathy was very pregnant with her son, Alex & the girls were only 3 & 5 years old.  She & her husband Don are on staff with Cru, previously known as Campus Crusade for Christ.  We immediately hit it off with them & ended up being in a Life Group together over the following year & a half.  Don is an elder with Rob & they have much in common & enjoy their time together. Cathy has been a good friend & is officially my go to mama for questions about parenting.  She is a wise woman who loves the Lord & does an incredible job exemplyfying Christ in the way she cares for her home, husband & children.  She LOVES being a mom, I love that about her.  We have had many a lunch date at her house with her 3 plus my 1 or 2.  These dates usually consist of lots of  three minute conversations cut off by responding to the needs of someone under 4 ft. tall.  They also frequently consist of turkey & cheese quesadillas....yummy. In all of the busy-ness, I learn more about loving your children than she could ever express in words directed at me as I witness her caring for, correcting & encouraging those little hearts that have been entrusted to her. We met one morning at Dunkin Donuts while our children were with our husbands.  We were amazed at how we actually finished conversations & were caught up on each others recent happenings in such a short amount of time! I am thankful for this woman.

Sunday morning came quickly & we were there early so I could do a final run through with the Worship Team.  Rob was able to assist with some last minute things while Uncle Steve supervised the mini (and many) Valentine ladies in the nursery. 

Before the service began, everyone gathered at the entrance of the chapel for a ribbon cutting.  Gregg spoke for a moment & then he along with Chris, Paul, Dave & Travis made the cut...or cuts if you will while the elders stood nearby.

The Valentine Ladies, what you can't see is my arms shaking from holding so much weight ; )




The Chapel filling up for the very first time.



The first service was wonderful.  It was an honor to participate in leading worship with Luke & the rest of the team.  We definitely had a full house with around 300 people! We are looking forward to seeing how the Lord uses this building to bring more people to know Him.

One simple & special part of the day was after the service was over & we headed to pick up the kids.  Picture this, preciously in the High School, the nursery was in a theater dressing room & the older kids met in hallways.  We were thankful to have a space to meet but it was definitely not ideal.  This week, we walked over to the education building & there were kids running outside playing "Red light, Green light" in our grassy area.  We picked up the girls and sat down outside between the chapel & administration building and just relaxed while kids ran ALL over.  It brought a smile to my face to see all of the kids enjoying the great outdoors & the adults interacting in such a comfortable environment where we weren't rushed to get out so they could lock up. Eloise's favorite part, she got to spend a few moments with Clara who totally adores her : )

All in all, it was a beautiful day or days getting settled into our new home.  Praise God for his provision in allowing each and every thing to fall into place, such a blessing!

It's beginning to look a (little) like Christmas!

One tradition we have in the Valentine home is to bust out the Christmas decor ASAP after Thanksgiving celebrations & cooking marathons have ceased.  This year, it fell on Sunday.  We put the girls down for their naps after we arrived home from church & got to work.  We set up the tree, the garland on the bookshelves & set out a a few things but saved the fun part for the family to enjoy. For the 2 weeks leading up to our decorating extravaganza, Charlotte has been super excited about Christmas trees.  She was adorable when she woke up from her nap & came out to a Christmas tree in her very own living room!

Our evening started with jamming to our new Ultimate Motown Christmas CD while making some sugar cookie dough. Charlotte was the best dancer & also the best helper with her measuring expertise, pouring each ingredient into the bowl & even helped roll it out! We were covered in flour along with most of the kitchen....as it should be for a fun evening of cookie making!

We had all the ornaments laid out to hang once our "snackies" which are always sausage balls & pigs in a blanket, were ready.  I love to hang my ornaments in order, I start with my Baby's first Christmas ornament & move on through the years.  So, I had them all laid out with the intention to be organized & then I just laughed as Charlotte ran over and started picking them up 4 in each hand & running all over the living room.  So, this year was the first of MANY years that with the assistance of little hands, they will be hung in random order & in random places....sometimes this means 3 ornaments on one wimpy branch : ) I am not ashamed to admit that I did a little adjusting after someone went to bed.

Char got the hang of it really fast & did a great job getting the ornaments on the tree.  She very much enjoyed getting to help Daddy put the star on!

After the ornaments were hung, we baked 3 cChristmas tree cookies & had a decorating contest ; ) YUMMY! Here are our masterpieces....

Fancy huh? Not really, just delicious, no time (or energy) for fancy!

This girl is such a silly goose....

Oh yes, I did fail to mention that little Eloise was snoozing during most of the party but woke up for the milk portion of the milk & cookies ; ) She was excited to see something new in the living room.  Thankfully she is not mobile yet so our decorations are safe!

We finished the evening with watching a video of our trip to Crested Butte last winter. Char named every single family member a million time...guess it was a good assessment of her recognition skills, especially with the ski hats & goggles ; )

It was a wonderful evening to kick off the Christmas season in our home.  We are looking forward to some memorable moments this holiday season as we celebrate with two little ones.