So many 1st's...So little time!!

Wow, I have wanted to post for so long, but where does my time go?!? By the time evening comes around and I think about posting, returning e-mail (mostly long overdue, sorry everyone!), or selling on eBay (my side job...to support my shopping/thrifting habit. Check out my listings, my seller's id is flute-er), or practicing my flute, I'm too pooped to post :) Well, I am going to at least start a post while Elle is napping, and then throw laundry in the washer!

Major 1st I can't wait to post about is Elle's first birthday!!! Yes, my little peanut is 1 years old. AND, to compliment her first birthday, she got her FIRST ear infection most likely on her birthday, and we made our FIRST trip to Urgent Care the day after her party, where she got her FIRST antibiotics prescription. In her party photos she looks less than interested in partying! She half ate her cake and opened her presents half-heartedly. Poor baby girl :(

Legos from Daddy of course! He has been talking about getting legos for our future children since we were engaged!

Now, for Elle's first trip to the ocean!!!! Elle and I went with my parents to Florida to visit family...and to spend time at the ocean and swimming...and just being WARM :-0 Lets just say that this was a Loooooong, Coooooold, Minesooota, winter...brrrrrrr! Welcome home Sarah and Bernhard! As you may recall, Elle went sledding on Easter (yikes!) Anyway, onto the warm, warm, sands of Cocoa Beach!

The ocean through the eyes of a babe! Pretty amazing...sigh....


Elle with Grammy and Papa and Great Uncle Dallas.



Oooooo, the pebbles were so much fun on my little piggies!

Went to the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa and had a wonderful time, even though we sweat buckets! Elle cooled herself off by eating her first slushy...very messy and colorful :)

Beautiful flower at the zoo...I'm obsessed with photographing flowers :-) Thank goodness Summer is almost here!

Elle's first ride on the carousel...fun at first, then a little scarry!


See this giraffe...


see his loooooong tongue?


Yep, it kissed or tried to EAT Elle!!!


Weeee.....Elle's first ride down a waterslide :)



"Whoaaaa! What just happened? Can I do it again?"

Other firsts that I so wish I could capture with my camera lens (Oh, I so wish I could keep these memories in pictures...): Elle was crying with her eyes closed while lying on her changing table (in the middle of the night, of course) and I was trying to make her stop crying, so I tickled her. Through her tears, with her eyes closed, and a big smile on her face, Elle reached up and tickled herself saying, "gicka, gicka, gicka." I couldn't believe my eyes! We haven't even tickled her that much. So cute :-0 Also, I love to see her wheels turning in her little brain. If I could capture it on film you would be able to see the synapses firing like wildfire! While in Florida Grandma hid a toy under the dust ruffle of the bed. Elle caught on immediately and began hiding EV-ER-YTHING, EV-ER-YWHERE! Now, we find magnets and legos in shoes and many different things pushed under the couch. She loves to get down on her belly and look under the couch and laugh.

When I see her learning happening, I can't help but thank God that she is developing well. All the developmental milestones are happening as they should (even the annoying ones like throwing toys on the floor to see how many times mom and dad will pick them up, OR SCREAMING when I so much as walk 2 feet away from her...). Yes, I will take the good with the bad, or shall we say challenging, if it means that she is on target!