New Dress

I'll write more later, but for now I have to show off my handiwork. This is by far my favorite thing that I've sewn. There are even matching bloomers, which Ellie loves.

Happy Easter

Not typical Easter weather, but it was snowing as we were heading out to church this morning. Then there was a gorgeous snowfall with huge flakes this afternoon with the sun peaking through. Katie had a great time outside while we waited for dinner to get finished. Unfortunately I was unable to get pictures of the girls in their dresses until after church, and that never goes over well (grumpy and hungry!). I suppose I'll have to dress them up again soon and try again. But they were just darling in their Easter dresses (if I do say so myself) and it makes me proud to be Mom to such wonderful little girls. I love Easter with all the pastel colors. They really make me happy :-) But really, this is a great season to remember the great sacrifice of our Savior and the the promise that we can be forgiven of all our sins and live forever with our families because of what He did for us. We're down to less than 3 weeks and we'll be together with Steve, which is another wonderful blessing!

Sarah has decided to walk, and is now taking probably 10 steps at a time now. She has amazing balance and can't wait to chase after those sisters of hers! She is growing up much too fast. She has decided to wean herself, so we don't get that snuggle time very often anymore. I'm just glad she loves to be swaddled and likes to lay her head on my shoulder as I rock her before I put her to bed. I love our snuggle time. Katie is the same way. We sing a few songs before nap time and bedtime and she always lays her head on my shoulder and sings along. It makes me want to hold her forever when she does that. She's definitely my snuggliest little girl and I love it! I love how Ellie likes to hear stories every night (although I'm running out of things to tell stories about) and just how inquisitive she is about life. We like our special time at night when everyone else is in bed. These little angels sure grow up too fast, though.

Here Comes Peter Cottontail

A Happy Easter song for everyone to enjoy

Katie's 2!!

What a great birthday Katie had today. She got to celebrate ladybugs with all of us, including Dick and Sybil (of course) and had a wonderful time. She got a ladybug puppet, remote control ladybug, ladybug jammies, a puzzle and spinning top from Grandma and Grandpa, and a shirt and book from Dick and Sybil. Whew! Grandma did an amazing job frosting the ladybug cake and we all enjoyed devouring it! Hard to believe Katie's already 2 years old. I sure love my little Katie Bear!

I'm having issues with the picture site again, so as soon as I can figure out what the deal is, I'll post all the pictures from the last couple months...

Spring

Happy First Day of Spring!!!

Hippity, Hoppity Easter's on Its Way!!!

(and it's Katie's birthday tomorrow!)

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Love, the Elgan girls

Ellie even got to eat green eggs with Sam (I am) this morning. Sarah did have a hat, but wouldn't keep it on. And yes, I made those shirts, too :-)

The News

Steve's been nice enough to play with the look on all of our blogs lately. I just don't get the computer language. I let him deal with it instead. I love purple!!!

I guess the biggest news I've told most people. But, Steve has been accepted into the Mechanical Engineering program at West Point. Here's what was in the acceptance letter:

I am delighted to have this opportunity to offer you a position as a Mechanical Engineering instructor in “The Nation’s First Department of Engineering,” contingent upon your availability to start graduate school in the summer or fall of 2009 and report for duty at West Point in 2011. Your nomination will also have to be approved by Signal Branch.

We had 27 applicants for just two ME openings in this year’s selection process—so your selection is an extraordinary achievement. Congratulations on all you’ve done to earn this distinction. We are all excited about the prospect of having you join our team.

We are still obviously very excited about this news! He spoke with his Branch Manager and he's suggesting we try to start school next summer to avoid that deployment coming up. We still need to look into schools. So far just have BYU and the University of Illinois in mind. I'm sure there will be others once we can look into it. In the end we just want to be somewhere close to family. Steve also found out that he will be receiving the bronze star he was submitted for. Plus, he leaves Baghdad in less than a month. That means we're almost 4 weeks away from having him home! Hooray! Lots of good news.

Then there's some not-so-good news. I called housing and was told it could be 3-4 months before we get a house. I wasn't too thrilled to hear that news, especially since the average wait is supposed to be 68 days. This has been the cause of a lot of stress in my life, but I'm trying to let it go. We'll live in temporary housing (hotel) until something comes open. Luckily we'll have about 3 weeks of block leave in May, so we can just leave for a few weeks.

Here are a few things about the girls lately:

Ellie:
She got to be the reverence child in Sharing Time today and I hear she did an excellent job.
Ellie is growing faster than a bean pole and is outgrowing a lot of her clothes.
She still changes outfits about 10-15 times a day. So funny. She never really gets any of them dirty, so it doesn't bother me. I think it's a great way to use her imagination.
She has gotten really good at coloring. She can almost stay completely in the lines, which I think is great at this age. Not that going out is bad... :-)

Katie:
Is on her second ear infection and this one has been really bad. I guess there was bleeding with the last one and it never quite healed all the way.
She absolutely LOVES books. If we read all day to her she would be in heaven.
She has an incredible memory for the words of books and songs. And her ability to carry a tune is extremely impressive. I always know what she's singing (even if the words aren't there).
She's learning the art of tattling on her sister and says funny things like, "careful Ellie" or "don't push" or "Ellie hit me".
She has her 2nd birthday coming up in less than 2 weeks. Hard to believe.

Sarah:
She has changed an enormous amount lately. She can wave good-bye.
She can climb stairs... and fast.
She just learned to clap today.
She is climbing onto chairs and dishwashers.
Still has just her 2 bottom teeth.
She is a little chatterbox and talks all the time. Loves to copy her sisters.
Also loves to be in the middle of the action, many times resulting in injury from one of her sisters.
Refuses to eat baby food completely now.
Still isn't sleeping through the night.
She's pulling up on everything. She can even stand up by herself without something to pull up on. She has taken one or two steps, but isn't quite ready to walk on her own yet.
She's growing up too fast! She's definitely not my little baby anymore.

Me:
Still have avoided the illness around here (knock on wood). I've become a sewing fiend again lately. I'm working on Ellie's Easter dress. I haven't found one I liked in the stores, so I'm making it myself. It's going to be quite the princess dress. Ellie's excited about it. I'll show it off once I'm done :-)

That about covers it for now. Steve did write a more detailed blog about the job and what he's been up to if you want to head over to his.

Happy 5th Anniversary

Today is our 5th wedding anniversary. We were noting the other day that we have only spent 2 of our anniversaries together. Kind of a bummer. But these have been 5 wonderful years together. I count my blessings every day that Steve and I found each other and that we have an eternal marriage with three beautiful children. Not every marriage can stand 2 years + separated and I am thankful that Steve and I communicate so well and that our marriage continues to get stronger, even amidst these trials.

The video is a little project I did for Steve. The song is appropriate, I think :) It's about 4 1/2 minutes long- lots of fun memories. For some reason the music ended too soon. Didn't do that in my original. Hmmm... I also noticed that Steve and I haven't taken a lot of photos of just the two of us over the years. We'll have to work on that. Anyway- enjoy

You're How Old?

Yesterday I put Katie and Sarah down for naps and came downstairs with Ellie to do our daily nap-time project. As we were walking down the stairs, Ellie informed me that "the little children are sleeping, so we can do a project now." I asked if she knew that she was still a little child as well, and she said, "oh, I know. But Katie and Sarah are smaller children, so they don't get to do big girl things like I do." That girls needs to get around little kids more! And that's my Ellie- 3 going on 15.

ER

My dad and I just got back from the emergency room where we took both Katie and Sarah to have them checked out. Both have ear infections from this terrible illness that has slammed the area lately. It's a good thing Amoxicillin tastes so good. Dad has been really sick and Mom just picked it up and has been in bed the last few days with it. Thankfully I've avoided it for the most part and Ellie has only suffered from a runny nose and a little cough. Let's hope it stays that way. Having sick kids is so hard on everyone. I'm exhausted!

Our Week

It was a fairly uneventful week for us. The only big event was Ellie's first visit to the dentist. She was so excited to go! She had come along with me on my last 2 visits, so she knew what was going to happen. She opened her mouth wide and did everything she was asked. She thought the water-sucker (the hygienist called it a duck that was thirsty) was hilarious and loved using it. Unfortunately, it appears that sometime either when I was pregnant or when she was very little she had damage done to her teeth. They kept asking if I was on antibiotics or if she was. Not that I can remember. Apparently she has calcium deposits on her teeth that if we're not careful will turn into cavities. Gotta keep an extra close watch on them.

We all have inevitably caught a bit of what has been going around. Katie had a fever and runny nose. Ellie has had a "frog" and a cough. Sarah woke up last night with a fever and cough. Mom and I just haven't felt too great. Dad of course has had it the worst, and it's been going on for more than a week now. We are anxious for everyone to start feeling better.

Ellie has been on a growth spurt lately and is growing out of her clothes. It makes her happy to hear us tell her that. She likes being a big kid. We just measured her and she's grown a full inch in the last 2 1/2 months. We have our "growth chart" on a wood beam down in the storage room. Same place we all measured ourselves as we were growing up. That makes it even more fun. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this or not, but Ellie loves her princesses. I have a cassette tape with a "mix" of Disney tunes. She can name the movie they're from before I can! Not sure what that says about how many times she's watched them :-D She has also been on a pretend play kick. We have to act out every Disney movie ever made. She makes an excellent Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Mowgli, Simba, Dorothy, etc... The kicker is that I, or whoever she convinces to play with her, gets to be every other character in the story. Mom has more patience and will act these out with Ellie for hours. I'll do it, just not nearly as long. Every girl deserves the chance to be a princess. It's better she gets it out of her system now :) I've not completely converted to the Princess craze with the merchandising, but there are some things that are just too much fun for a little girl. Besides, you can't beat the "dancing Cinderella" underwear that Ellie loves. Anyway- I think you can guess what she and Katie were acting out in this picture.

(We received a "daddy bib"-[it says "I love my daddy"] and a "mommy bib" as a gift when Sarah was born. The girls have fought over that bib at every single mealtime since. The "mommy bib" just isn't as exciting. I finally found more the other day and bought enough so that when Sarah decides she needs one as well, we'll be set. What these girls don't get into their heads...)

Katie still hasn't learned her lesson about tipping back chairs or climbing on things. She's fallen off of chairs multiple times and off her crib railing (she was perched on top of it, as she loves to do). That little girl has no fear.

Sarah is still a bottomless pit. She eats whatever we are eating. She is finally using a spoon (as opposed to a dropper) as well, although she prefers to eat foods that she can pick up with her own fingers. Most nights she eats so much I'm sure her tummy will burst! She sleeps through the night about once or twice a week. We're making progress.

Steve has faster Internet now which allows us to use the webcam. That has been wonderful! The girls absolutely love to see him. Still no word from West Point, although they did write and offer to have him apply to a position in Admissions, which is what his best friend, Tom Tolman will be doing. We'll take whatever will keep him from deploying back to Iraq fall 2009 (which is what his Brigade is currently scheduled to do). We just keep praying that it all works out for the best.

Sunday Valentines

I have become an obsessive sewer! I never in a million years thought I would learn to sew, let alone enjoy it, but I really do. Steve suggested maybe I enjoy it so much because it's like a puzzle- and I love puzzles. These dresses were my latest sewing project. I actually ended up sewing 4 dresses. The initial ones I sewed for Katie and Sarah were much too big. Katie fit into Sarah's, so I made a new, smaller one for Sarah. The dress that was too big for Katie I gave to a friend of Ellie's (Hannah) in the ward that is a year younger. Hannah wore her dress to church today as well and I wish you could have seen Ellie's reaction when she saw her. Her eyes absolutely lit up and she told me with enthusiasm, "look Mom- Hannah is wearing her heart dress too!" I love it! (the rest of the pictures are here)

Katie is still a nursery flunkie. She will be 2 years old in just over a month and still cannot handle going to nursery without me. Then with Sarah finding her vocal chords and cruising around so well, it could be a long time before I get to actually go and stay in class at church.

Ellie has really enjoyed her special time with Mom at night. I typically put Sarah to bed first then we do scriptures and prayers with the girls. I sing songs and put Katie to bed while Ellie gets to read a book with Grandma or Grandpa. Then it's Ellie-mommy time. As soon as I come out she says, "let's have popcorn and snuggle." I will admit- it is nice to have that quiet time alone with her at night.

I have people ask me all the time about Steve's return date. From what we can tell, he should be stateside by around April 12th. That is only 2 months away! Yippee! It's great to finally see that end in sight. So, the tour will end up being closer to 14 months instead of 15. I'll take it! Still no word on housing. As soon as we hear I'll be sure to post about it.

I took the girls outside yesterday before the cold snap hit and we made a snowman with what was left of the snow. Dad called it our pygmy snowman. The girls enjoyed it, so why not, right?

So, from the Elgan girls... Happy Early Valentine's Day! :-D

Anniversary

Today marks the 1-year anniversary of Steve's deployment. One entire year! I still can't believe it's been that long. What a horribly long time to be away from a husband and father! So much has changed in a year. For starters, Sarah is (well, here) and about the age Katie was when Steve left. How bazaar is that? Ellie is a little kid that amazes me daily with her knowledge. She is extremely empathetic and takes good care of her sisters. Katie amazes me every day with all the new words and phrases she uses. She's become a full-fledged talker. You can almost carry on a conversation with her she speaks so well. And she is absolutely hilarious. Sarah is almost as funny with her personality. Cracks me up. She's figured out how to climb onto the gate (top), which is what Katie was doing (right) when we first moved here a year ago.

One whole year... I really hope we don't have to do this again. We love being here with my parents, but life is a million times better with Steve!

American Idol

When it's bedtime around here, we've decided it's not worth putting Ellie and Katie to bed at the same time since they will stay in their room and rearrange furniture, take out all the toys, jump from crib to bed, etc... They don't sleep, in other words. So Katie goes to bed at 7 and we keep Ellie up until about 7:30 or 8:00. Lately we've popped popcorn and watched TV together to unwind. Okay, so I like to watch American Idol. I think it's funny and I get a kick out of it. And since it's on when Ellie is still awake, I let her watch it with me. I didn't realize just how much she was getting out of it until tonight. They were doing auditions and after each person sang, Ellie would ask, "are they going to Hollywood?" What? She has no clue what or where Hollywood is, she just knows it's a good thing. So funny to hear her ask me that.

One thing I love about little kids is the way they pronounce things. Here are a couple that come to mind. I know there are tons more that make me laugh, but I'll have to bring those up another time. We'll see if you can guess what these are...

Katie's two favorite things are her "shaya" (Ellie calls it a "shasher") and "bonkie". Katie likes to eat "manas" and loves "moni" (Ellie used to call it "kockawaymay"). Katie does not call them diapers, she calls them "melmos" after the character that is drawn on them.

Ellie likes it when it is pinkling and enjoys running through the pinkler (notice a "pink" trend here?)

Sarah can say "duck" and is a pro at spitting. :-D

key:
shaya= pacifier
bonkie= blankie
manas= bananas
moni= macaroni
melmo= Elmo
pinkling= sprinkling
pinkler= sprinkler

Catch-Up

I feel like it's been forever since I've written on here! There was one very big announcement that has happened that I failed to mention. I have a new nephew! Peter Timothy Gubler was born on January 24th and he sure is a cutie! I really wish I could be out there in Utah with my mom to enjoy that new little baby!

Let's see... what else?

Ellie is LOVING being a Sunbeam. Every FHE night we sing the "sunbeam song" and at the end we have to ask, "who's a sunbeam?" and she proudly raises her hand. We do this at least 3 times in a row. Very funny. She is great at telling us what she learns each week. This week it was Jesus and the Spirit. She really is a smart little girl. She likes that she knows a lot of the songs they sing during sharing time already. She is definitely a girly-girl. She has a whole closet full of nice winter clothing. But what does she choose to wear every day? A leotard and tights (she has a few to choose from... yes, I facilitate this girlishness. :-) She's also really gotten into the Wizard of Oz lately. I personally don't like that movie, but Mom introduced it to her and she loves it. Ellie is already planning Halloween outfits for her and her sisters around this theme. I've ordered her some red ruby slippers and will make her a dress for her to play in. She sure loves to dress up! She also loves to be in charge. She picks out clothes for everyone each day if I don't get to it first. She's become quite the tattle-tale as well. I hear, "I didn't do it, I promise" quite a bit. Sure you didn't!

Katie is hilarious. She talks extremely well now. My favorite phrase lately is (And she yells it), "okay, coming!". She has such a vibrant personality. Everything is larger than life for her. She has that gorgeous smile with those long eyelashes. But then she can get mean and hit or scratch her sister (wonder where she learned that?) and talk with such a mean tone. It's sad, but funny at the same time. She still adores Sarah and the feeling is reciprocated. They both light up when they see each other. I love it. She climbs anything and everything. If she falls, she gets back up and tries again. Even off big stools- that girls has no fear! Well- until it comes to strangers. She still won't stay in nursery without me. There are male nursery workers... I'm not sure I would want to stay, either! Katie can mostly dress herself now. She even has an opinion at times as to what she will wear. Hence the picture to the right- nice outfit and yes, she has climbed onto the counter to get herself a snack. :-D

Sarah has become a little kid. She's never been a big fan of baby food (I still have to feed her through a dropper- she won't use the spoon unless there's "real" food on it). She eats macaroni and crackers and ravioli and fruit and basically anything you put in front of her. She really liked the grilled cheese sandwich. I don't remember either girl eating this kind of food at 9 months old. Crazy kid. She's crawling all over the house and cruising along furniture. She can stand for a few seconds on her own without falling. She's not interested in walking, and I'm not pushing the issue! She has the best little giggle and when she smiles her whole face lights up.

Ellie and Katie just adore Dick and Sybil Smith. I think I've mentioned this before. But they really have a strong attachment to them. Ellie sits on Sybil's lap and Katie sits on Dick's during Sacrament meeting now. We were talking about it today and I don't know what we'll do when we move to Kansas. The girls are going to have a serious adjustment there! Not sure we can handle the 10-hour drive every Sunday to attend church here, though :-) They came over to enjoy dinner with us tonight and we always have such a good time with them. It will be sad for everyone when we have to part ways. We've already talked about having them come visit as often as possible.

We had a strange phenomenon occur here tonight. There's about 8 inches of snow on the ground right now (which the girls have had a blast playing in). This evening it started to thunder and lightning- and it was a very impressive storm. But instead of rain, it snowed! I have never seen that before. Very cool.

I guess that's about it for now. I'm sure there were other things I wanted to write about, but forgot. We're anxious for Mom to get home. She's been gone almost 2 weeks now and we're looking forward to having her home this week if she can outrun the snow. Dad's super busy with all the jazz festivals in the area, so we haven't seen a whole lot of him lately. It's a busy time!

About housing... I got a call from Picerne the other day and they actually offered me a house. But (and I hope this was the right decision) I turned it down. There are old homes that were built in the early 1900's on "Main Post" that have hardwood floors, have "character" and are drafty, but are nice if you're into that sort of thing. I'm not. Then there are houses on "the hill" that are newer (last 10 years) and have carpet and an attached garage. That's where we were before and where we'd like to be again. So I turned down the house on main post and am keeping my fingers crossed that there will be a house for us on the hill by the time Steve gets home.
We had some fun taking pictures the other day... you can see them here.