Today I wanted to talk about my sweet husband.  I sometimes forget to tell everyone how amazing he is.  He is never quick to anger.  Never does he yell.  He knows how to calm my child and how to calm his silly wife.  He will always do what I ask, when I ask it.  He never acts put out or exasperated.  He will always take care of me and Eloise first.  He talks with me...well mostly he listens while I talk at him.  He loves all of his family members.  He provides for his family.  He works hard and will always work hard.  He is funny and a nerd.  He is spiritual and a rock in any sort of storm.  I love him with all of my heart and can't wait to keep living my life and after with him. I'm glad I met him and I hope I will always remember how wonderful he is.

Little Miracles

So, my dear sweet baby is....miraculous.  Today while trying to learn/teach how to use the potty :0) she made a beautiful remark.  Now, let me remind everyone that my little girl is already her own person.  She may only be 21 months old, but she is so mature that I don't have any idea where she came from.  The only thing I know is she's straight from heaven.
Anyway, back to the story......while on the potty she started talking about Douglas' Uncle Dave.  She told us she liked Dave and she told us he was really nice.  You are wondering why this is so miraculous?  Uncle Dave has been in heaven since 2004.  Eloise has never met Dave here on Earth, that I know of.  We asked if she had seen Uncle Dave and she replied, "ya," almost as though we should've seen him too.  We asked her where Dave was and she told us, "he's with Mamu."  Mamu is her uncle Michael here on Earth that she loves SO much!  Michael has been having a rough couple of months and so it was interesting/wonderful to hear. The best part is that Eloise has never seen a picture of Uncle Dave in her life and she pointed him out to everyone un-prompted by anyone in the family.
The miracle of all of this is that it re-affirms the fact that none of us are ever alone.  Even when we feel that no one else is there, that no one understands, we may just have an Uncle Dave that we can't see always watching over us.

Thoughts

I know that I sometimes get these hair brained ideas that get talked about on my blog.  I also realize that I seem to not post for weeks and weeks and then tell the whole world how I'm feeling.  Well, here I got again...for both of those things.
I was sitting in church today, not really listening because I have a 17 month old who is super "active" in church. I try, really I do, but sometimes I only hear bits and pieces and can't really make out what the whole theme of sacrament meeting was.  Anyway, sitting there in church.  I looked to my right and there is my husband sitting, pretty sure he was sleeping, and I thought "wow this cannot get any worse.  I have no idea what is going on in church.  My kid is being out of control. My husband is so tired from all of his school work he can't help. I'm so tired from being a "single" mom that I don't care.  And everyone around me is probably wondering why I'm not doing anything about any of it."  Well, that's seriously how I felt all day.  Poor pity me, poor pity me.  I then heard the end of a talk which said " 3 Nephi 27:27 'even as I am' " The sister said that was the example we needed to follow. Jesus Christ. And love as much as we could because the Lord himself had said that love will make everything else work.  I thought, 'seriously? Love?  I love a lot and nothing seems to get any better.'
Wow, I was in a funk today....sorry.
Anyway, I sent my sick baby and tired husband home to get some rest while I went to Primary.  I currently teach eight to twelve 4 year old boys.  They are different and remind me how grateful I am I have a girl cause I understand her.  It was Primary as usual and I went home.
Let me get to the point here.....It wasn't until I was driving home from dinner at my in-laws that I began to understand the tiny bit that I had heard today.  It was just for me to hear.
My husband and I were talking about all of the great people that we currently live by and how fantastic they are.  How you would never know anything was wrong because they always are looking out for everyone else.  The family that spoke in church today is one of them.  The husband was violently ill for weeks before anyone even knew and then he hesitated to ask for a blessing because he was sure someone else needed the blessings more than he.  I then asked about another family and my husband said, "well he has a new calling, she just had the baby, and the job situation is rocky again."  I thought to myself  'Elise, when was the last time you asked someone else how they were doing and really cared to know? When did you ask how YOU could help instead of wishing someone would ask you if you needed help?'  And it hit me.  When did the Savior ever ask for help?  Never.  He was always looking for someone who need His help.  When did the Savior ever say 'oh I'm so sad'?  Never.  He always brightened someone else's day.  I need to remember the greatest example of love that there is and it's true everything else will be brighter because I will be able to shine his presence even brighter through me.
Wow, who knew I could actually get something out of the tid bit......He did and I'm glad He made me listen.

Life, life, life

Do you ever wonder how life gets completely out of control?
I do on a daily basis.
Seriously......
For an update on our hectic lives......:0)
Douglas is in his last semester of school!!! Woot! Woot!
He is currently taking 19 credits so it's kind of like I'm a single parent.  Hahaha he really does a lot though.  He still helps out with the baby when he can!  He's freakin' amazing.
I am still in Cosmetology school.  Almost done.  I have about 800 hours left so SWEET!
Now for the part that everyone really cares about (wink, wink)
Eloise.
She is16 months old and so SO busy.
She loves Calliou, Sesame Street, and Eloise (ironic no?)
She loves to color and to run.  She also loves to dance and sing!
She is so hysterical and so frustrating all at the same time!  I love her!

(crazy red eye :0P)

Few New Things....

So it's fantastic to be here.....haha at 6:33 am.  I'm getting a little better at being awake early, but sometimes like today, I wish I was still asleep.
Eloise is SUPER close to walking.  She's a little older in her brain I swear because she will walk until she realizes she's doing it by herself and then like an adult she's like "oh my gosh I'm doing this by myself, and I know I can't so I can't!" and then she falls down.  She's supposed to be so unafraid because she hasn't learned about not being able to do things yet I thought, but she knows.  It's great though because every now and then you can tell her, "Eloise I know you can do it" and she'll walk straight to you.  I love that she may have a little doubt, but her trust of knowing I know she can do it is super cool.  I like that she trusts me know because that may change someday.

Haha she's hilarious......

I can't wait for her to get bigger.  I just love her.  I hope she can always need me for love, fun, and excitement.

See you for now.

Elise

I love my baby

So my little baby is not so little anymore. But I freakin' love her.  And I'm going to tell you all about how cute I think she is. Haha
She loves to take a bath in the sink and it's hilarious because she's almost too big for it :0)
Recently she loves to sing while taking a bath in the sink....which is even better.
She loves to dance to any song while we drive in the car.
She loves loves loves outside.  Whenever we go outside she points to the trees and exclaims "oooo"
She is trying to run before she walks.  Which is funny cause she wants to walk so bad.
She loves to dip any type of food, in any type of sauce.  Her favorites though are ketchup and ranch.
She loves to bang any toy, spoon, straw, french fry, anything on an surface to see what noise it makes.  She may be destined to be a drummer.
She loves to smack her lips after she tastes any type of drink.  It's like she's tasting it a little more and appreciating it way more than any 10 month old should.
She loves to watch Sesame Street and thinks that the muppets are freakin hilarious.  She always laughs whenever it comes on.
She loves popsicles, ice cream, and ice.  Watch out if you have one of those cause you'll have to share.
These are only a few of the things, I love that she loves.  I know mushy and all mommy like, but I can have moments like those every now and then.

Elise

Yes!

So today was the day people!  My alarm was set for 5:05 a.m.  I was supposed to arise and go for a run, come home and make breakfast, get ready and have some mommy time before the baby woke up.  The alarm went off and guess what? I didn't hesitate!!!!! I got right out of bed, turned it off and got out the door.  Mind you, I was tired and the sleep didn't wipe itself from my eyes until I was about 1/3 of the way into the run ( more like a medium jog cause let's be honest.....I can't run to save my life :oS)  but I did it!!!! Yahoo!!!! I got home, showered and made breakfast, and the blog is my mommy time! You know, it sounds cheesy, but this is really going to help me feel better about myself.  I'm excited!
So moving on to my little baby!!! She's not really a baby anymore, but like all mom's say, she'll always be my baby!
She can almost walk by herself, it's freakin' nuts! She will pull herself up onto furniture in no time flat.  She'll walk around holding onto anything and Douglas can usually get her to take about 3 steps to him all by herself.  It's so amazing to me the trust kids have in their parents though...she takes those 3 steps and then she just starts to lean forward, toward whom ever is standing there, like "here I come, you're going to catch me right?" I hope I can catch her every time she leans toward me for help, but I don't know, she may have to fall a couple times.
I'm sure those of you who read my blog saw her awesome first word on facebook! I love that she says that now.  We went to Cabela's last night and she is for sure Douglas' daughter.  Every animal that was hanging or standing anywhere in that store, she pointed at and said "wow" or the variation "whoa" It's so stinkin' hilarious, but she loves Cabela's just as much as her dad.
Here's another cute video of her dancing.  Anytime we have on music and we turn it up she'll dance, and when you turn it down she stops.  Now, this video is a little harder to see because me, being really dumb with technology, didn't realize I wasn't recording when she was doing it really well, but watch closely.  And her favorite music to dance to is rock, like Linkin Park, which is also something her dad would pick.  Do you think she likes her dad at all?

Here we go again..

So how funny is this....
Douglas and I were watching the TLC show '19 Kids and Counting' last night.
We LOVE, LOVE the Duggars, (At least I do :0P), and Douglas asked me how old the mom, Michelle, was.  I guessed, but I wasn't sure so what did I do?  I grabbed my Ipod touch and googled it.  I know not everything you find on the Internet is true, but I always google everything.  I may or may not be addicted.....hahaha. Anyway, the Duggars of course have a website, so I found out how old Michelle Duggar was but I continued to read about the family.  I read that every child has a favorite Bible hero and a favorite Bible verse.  Now I know that seems normal to anyone who has watched the Duggar's show, but it was an eye opening experience for me. If any of those children were asked about their scripture they would be able to answer.  They would be able to tell you their favorite story, or recite their favorite verse(s).  If I, a 24 year old woman, who has grown up in her religion, was asked the same question about my scriptures, I couldn't answer it.
So......I have decided to really actually try to learn about the scriptures.  I know that I have said things like this before, but a few Sunday's ago one of the speakers said something that hit me hard even though I've know it all my life.  "If you want to do something, decide to do it, and then do it!"  Well Elise....duh!!!!  So I decided, I'm going to read, listen, study my scriptures so that when I'm asked, I can answer.  I'm going to exercise because I want to be healthier.  I'm going to wake up earlier because I know it will help me to have a better day.  I'm going to pay off debt because I'm tired of being a prisoner to it.  It may sound like a lot and ridiculous lots of you because you probably already do all of these things, but to me they are fantastic goals that I can't wait to accomplish.  And I will accomplish them.  I can't wait!!!
Side note.....I will also blog more because I will have extra time in the morning so yay!!! I'm also going to figure out how to post videos cause my baby is funny a lot of the time!!! Haha

Thanks for listening.......or I guess reading....

Love
Elise

Busy

Wow, being a mother and wife is busy.  Sorry, I haven't had time to blog because well I would rather sleep then tell all of my life on the Internet.  Haha no really sometimes I do have to choose sleep over staying up and cleaning or doing other menial tasks.  But here I am today, blogging.
Douglas finished off this semester really well.  He finally likes his business classes so he actually studies for his tests and does his papers.  Funny how your attitude changes when you LIKE doing something.  He's really excited because this time next year he will be finished with college.  Yay for that.
I am know out on the floor taking clients at my school.  Talk about overwhelming.  People sit down in my chair and expect me to know what I'm doing and really I'm not sure that I do.  But I'm a pretty good faker, usually, so I just do my best.  
Eloise is so big.  She's 7 months old now, 24lbs, and a ball of fire.  She has 2 bottom teeth and is so close to crawling she gets so pissed when she goes backwards instead of forwards.  I can't wait for her to be able to move because she wants to come and see what you're doing all the time.  She loves to drum and sing and make noise in general.  Doesn't that sound just like Doug? ;0)
Here are some pictures of our little baby and her recent adventures.

Do you think this one fits?

She loves sitting in the sink for her bath time.  Haha

It's been a while

I realize I haven't blogged in a while and a lot has happened.  Douglas and I have both started school.  It's kind of a mad house around here.
Douglas just finished his first set of tests and he did so fabulous!   He got 90% on all of his tests.  That's freaking awesome!  Yup that's my amazing husband.  He did all that even while watching Eloise three days a week in the afternoon!\
I had my nails final and it was a little nerve racking, but I did really well.  Now that my nail program is over I will be starting hair theory.  I'll be learning the techniques of cutting and coloring for the next eight weeks and then I'll be on the floor for actually doing it.  I'm really excited.

Now what everyone really cares about....ELOISE. ;0)
She is doing so fabulous.  She is 5 months now and getting bigger everyday!
She weighs 19lbs 8 oz and is 25 inches long.
She is very chatty and loves to scream and squeal and tell you exactly how she feels.
She absolutely LOVES to try new foods and I'm glad she's not picky.
We just love her so much and can't wait to see what happens next.

I'll post soon a bunch of pictures!

Life is working.....knock on wood.

So it is a new week.  Yay for that.
Pretty sure I did absolutely nothing today.....wow that's really crappy.
But, I think that it is still okay.
         Today we found out that Douglas was ACCEPTED in the BYU BUSINESS PROGRAM.
That means school will be able to be over faster. 
                      It also means that starting in January, I will have no husband because he will have 15 credit hours.  Crazy. 
Plus, I'll be in school too, so we probably won't see each other, but I will sacrifice anything right now so that my husband can be done with school sooner. 
       Even though it sounds crazy and kinda insane, I'm really grateful that I will be in school and Douglas will be in school because we will be able to provide for our family easier and sooner.

                 Sacrifice is a part of life and right now it's working out.  
Sweet!

By Request :0)

Pictures of my beautiful two month old baby.  Requested by a Grandma who doesn't live so close.



My Happiness

So the other night I was having a really hard time.  As usual Douglas just said something not even meaning to be rude or careless or anything and I started to cry because of the emotions that I had bottled up. 

See there's this thing that no one tells you about after you have a baby.  Not only have you spent a crap load of money on maternity clothes and baby supplies, but after that baby comes out, none of your clothes or shoes fit that fit before so you have to buy a whole bunch of new stuff then.  Really, no matter how much exercise you do, your stuff never fits the same.  No one tells you that.

   Anyway, that was my moment.  I haven't really felt much like myself since Eloise was born.  Your identity isn't really you anymore, it's you and your baby.  You are no longer Elise and Douglas, your Elise and Douglas and baby.  No one really wants to see you, they want to see your baby.  Your body still isn't yours because Eloise needs it to eat and really it doesn't look like it did before I was pregnant so sometimes I stand in the mirror and wonder how my head got on this other lady's body. 
   I have tried really hard to be positive and learn how to work with the changes that have happened and let's be honest, I've had a hard time......but I have a really great thing.....my happiness.
   As I was crying and feeling bad, my husband was so perfect.  He looked at me and said "you're right, you don't look like you did when I married you.  You're right, I was attracted to you the way you looked when we were dating.  That doesn't mean that I'm not attracted to the woman you've become now.  Just cause you look a little different doesn't mean that you're not who I love.  We change and we change together." 
   Now, I know what all of you women are thinking, 'Elise he lied to you :0)' or 'you are SO niave'.  You know what, I don't think so.  Douglas is right.  I still love him and he may not change very much until he's an old man and he may change appearance a whole lot, but he is my happiness.  Not his body, but his personality.  The fact that he wrestles me, tickles me, laughs with me, hugs me when i cry, calls me crazy (cause I am).  He is my happiness when he holds my daughter and tells her that he loves her.  Tells her about how silly her mommy is and how much fun we're going to have as a family.  He is my happiness because he reminds me that I'm his happiness no matter if I look the way I did before or how I look now with a little more in places I wish there wasn't.
  I know it may seem crazy, but isn't it nice to know that I can be someone's happiness no matter how I look and someone can be mine no matter how they look.  I think we all need to be reminded that we are all someone's happiness and you may not even know it.
              Someone loves you just the way you are.

Love,
Elise

Halloween

So it was a little difficult this year to decide what to do about Halloween.  I really didn't want to find a costume for my small baby because A. she can't trick or treat & B. I didn't want the candy cause I'm trying to be skinny again
But,
   in the end we decided to dress her up and Aunt Kimberly gave us the idea.
                 Grandma Hardman (aka Liz) and I executed the plan.

Costume is a 4T turtle neck that we added snaps to the bottom to close it like a onesie and cut off the extra long sleeves to make her leggings.
Cricut iron on flocking cut on the paper dolls cricut cartridge.  24x12 size at the biggest it would cut.
Tule tu tu and a rocking hair thing made by Aunt Aly.
End result.............

Eloise was a baby skeleton. 
        And I think she looked stinkin cute, but I have a biased opinion!
We had fun though.  We went and saw all the Grandparents in Riverton and Draper, was cooed over in Cabelas and by the end of the night had peed through every layer including the costume and so it wasn't clean for the Grandparents down here.  *Sigh*  Life with a baby :0)

First Halloween down, at least 11 more to go.

Elise

Beauty School Drop Out....

So I've finally decided and committed to what I'm going to do with my life.
I'm headed to cosmetology school!
I'm actually really excited.  I'll be able to cut hair, do make-up, do nails, eyelash extensions, and permanent cosmetics!   It always seemed like something that I would want to learn, but never really seemed like a good idea.  However, the more and more I thought about what I would want to be able to do if I ever needed to work, it seemed to interest me the most.  So yay!
I hope I don't become a beauty school drop out like Frenchie from Grease and I definitely hope I don't ever color mine or anyone else's hair pink! (unless they want me too)
Anyway, if you know anyone who needs these services, look me up in the future :0)

Elise

Learning a lot about life

So being a mom for the last 5 weeks has sure taught me a lot. 
Sleep is something you definitely need and when you don't get it....you can be mean:0)
Babies really do have different kinds of cries.  You hear that from moms you come in contact with and think that they are crazy, but it's true, they do.
It's really frustrating when the baby poops all over three outfits in less than 3 hours. 
Laundry is now a NEVER ENDING chore....yuck!
Sometimes you really just want to be alone.
BUT,
when my Eloise smiles and laughs in her sleep
               when she stretches and snuggles me
when she looks around the room with her beautiful blue eyes
                              when I see her grow,
All that stuff at the top of the page, is so worth it.

I love being her mom!

New....and Grateful

So I haven't posted in a while. Mostly because when I got put on bed rest, I'll admit, I got really depressed.  I didn't really want anything to do with anything so I didn't.  I'm better now because my beautiful daughter is here and even though we have our rough spots, she is way more fun out of my belly :0)

I am posting some pictures from her first photo shoot.  It was so much fun.  My cousin Jessie took the pictures and she is so patient and got some really fantastic pictures.  I just love her.  It was so much fun to watch my baby decide if she was going to be happy or not.

Mostly I'm blogging today about a few things that I have been thinking about as of late.  I hope that anyone who reads this blog doesn't get offended, but I really need to vent a little. 
I have been very frustrated with the news and the world making such a big deal about Elder Packard's talk from conference.  I understand that it was not what people wanted to hear, but when does conference really ever have a whole bunch of talks about things we want to hear.  I'm pretty certain I remember a talk a while back about piercings that really angered me, but that doesn't mean it isn't what the Lord wanted us to and needed us to hear.  I know that now the topic at the fore front all over this nation is about certain attractions that people have to each other.  I do not profess to know any answers about these attractions or what really can be done except for unconditional love and being there for any person you may meet who needs you to listen.  However, I do not understand how I am asked to love and accept how they feel without hesitation, but they cannot do the same for my beliefs and how I feel.  I'm sorry that everyone in the world right now doesn't understand the stand that the church has on same sex and same gender attraction and marriage, but they are allowed to feel that way.  If you want me to feel unconditional love and acceptance of how you choose to live your life, then please have the same respect towards how I choose to live mine. 
Please know that I do have people very close to me that are dealing with some of these struggles and decisions.  I have also lost people close to me that were dealing with these questions as well and I love them and I'm there for them if they need me.  I also hope that they understand that I want to do as my Heavenly Father asks and that they respect me enough to know that what I believe is important to me.  I will never force the way I feel on another individual so please don't force me to believe the way you feel. 
Okay enough of that.....thank you for letting me vent.

On a happier note, let's see some pics of my beautiful baby!

Oh she's so cute.  And so are we :0)

Hopefully I can blog some more now that I am feeling better!  Talk to you soon!

Elise

Yay for being pregnant

So I love being pregnant ( states Elise sarcastically )

If you haven't heard yet, I am now part of the greatest pregnant club ever.....the bedrest club!   Yay for that.  I have PIH which is the new fancy acronym for pre eclympsia.  Anyway. I'm  here in bed ever day until Eloise is ready to come. Sweet. 
My husband is such a sweety because he gave me such a good quote the night we found out that I would be on bedrest.  He said he was given this quote when he was on his mission, "Come what may and love it."  That's what I've been trying to do because I love that I'm not in the hospital and I love that I'm not having a baby that is in NICU.
It's kinda hard because I'm not one to just sit and do nothing all day, but I have grand plans to read books and scrap book stuff, so we'll see if I can do it.  Probably not, but we'll see how it goes.  hahaha
I just wanted to say I'm so grateful for everyone who has been helping Douglas and I so far and helping me by cleaning my house and grocery shopping for me. 
I will never be able to put into words how much I am thankful to my Heavenly Father for surrounding me with people who love me so much!

Any suggestions to keep me busy let me know.

Love everyone,

Elise and Eloise

I'm grateful.....

Today was a rough day....I was throwing up all day today and I have no idea why.  For a while I was really upset about it, but then I realized that I needed to be grateful because there are so many things that could be worse.
You see this week has been rough for Douglas and myself.  Douglas had to go to work in Colorado this week which is a blessing and a curse.  He's gone for a week, but he makes more when he does work out there.  So it's a catch 22.  I want him here, but we need to save for our baby Eloise so it's a dilemma.
Well, this week in Colorado was really rough for Douglas because he got stung by wasps at a home he was working at and he has allergic reaction to bee stings.  His hand stared to swell and hurt really bad.  He uses his hands all day and was far from our hospital and doctors so he was really stressed.  On top of that it started to rain and he does all of his job outside so he was hurting and soaking wet at the same time. 
Because of who I am, I"m not a very good listener because I just want to take action and fix it, so I wasn't very sympathetic to him because I was trying to make him think positive and thinking of how I could make it better...it didn't help.  hahaha
So what did I do, I called our insurance company.  I'm so grateful for insurance, even though it costs a lot of money, it helps so much.  They told me because it was an emergency it was completely covered because he was out of state.  So I found an urgent care on Google near where he was....I'm grateful for Google.  He maybe didn't want to go, but he did and he was so much better!!!
So today was rough because I was throwing up all day with taking the medicine I've had to take since the beginning of being pregnant.  I'm not sure why, but it was draining, but I found out why I'm grateful for that.  Eloise was moving and grooving like crazy today.  She's still growing and she was moving so I wasn't worried so I guess I'm grateful for throwing up.  Hahaha
It's kinda funny, but I tried to have a positive attitude today and it worked.  It was just rough.  I'm grateful for the lesson that I learned today.  Staying positive helps. I'm grateful for my Heavenly Father for teaching me that lesson apparently I needed to learn it. 

Love you all,

Elise and Eloise (cause she's with me too :o) )

Wow it's Almost JULY

July is right around the corner!  Holy Cow!

Well we've been busy.  We went to Moab and it was so freakin' HOT!
 I can't even believe I survived cause the whole time I was sweaty!  That's never happened to me before.
Something I thought was so funny, when we were hot and outside and hiking Eloise held perfectly still.  I don't think she liked the heat.  I think she just floated in there uncomfortably wishing she could be like 'mom, get me in the pool or the air conditioning.' See, she's got some Douglas in her :0)

We had so much fun with my family and Dallas and the Price family.  Here are a few pics.

Beautiful place.  Yes I hiked to Delicate Arch....it was far. And Douglas is being the Little Mermaid again, yes shirtless.

Well, it's been crazy fun, more stuff to come!

Yay for life.

Elise