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.

House Hunting

We had a very quick trip to and from Kansas this week. We left Wednesday morning and 10 1/2 hours later got to Fort Riley, KS. It was a very long day. Mom and I drove separately so she could continue on to Utah after our house-hunting. It was helpful to have her around on the trip so that when we were ready for a pit stop she could take a girl or two and I could do the same. Needless to say we were exhausted by the time we got to the hotel on post.

We were up bright and early Thursday to start our day. We met up with a realtor at 9:30 to look at homes. Steve and I had been emailing her and she had sent pictures of a few houses. We picked two that we liked then she picked a few more for us to look at while in town. I was extremely disappointed with her. For being in the sales business, she was a horrible saleswoman. We went to a house, she unlocked it and that was the extent of it. She knew nothing about the properties, she didn't ask us questions, didn't even pry to see if I liked anything or not. I don't like pushy salespeople, but I do like to feel as though they care. None of the houses were great. The Army had come out and said a bunch of families would be moving in soon, so builders from around the country came in and built like crazy. One big problem: the people haven't come in like they initially planned. So, these houses were thrown together as fast as possible, which means they were poorly built, the neighborhoods are all brand new- meaning only a few had sold and it was one big mud pit. Just not impressed at all. To give you an idea- a typical 1400 sq. foot, 3-bedroom house was selling for around $160K. I was more than frustrated by the end of our morning. I thought we'd be living in a hotel for the next year! The girls did amazingly well all through this, considering this was the second day of being in the car.

So then some better news came along. Mom convinced me to talk to Picerne (who is in charge of on-post housing) and I was able to get some good info. Looks like if we moved off the 4-bedroom wait list onto the 3-bedroom wait list there's a very good chance of getting a house by April. Otherwise it would probably be August. We would be back in the same kind of house we were in before. Nothing big, but it is definitely sufficient for our family. I felt much better after making that decision. Now we wait!

That afternoon we spoke with a different realtor and she confirmed our suspicions about the area. She felt that investing in any houses in Junction City (which stays alive only because of Ft. Riley) would be a very poor decision. So, while it was a long way to drive to decide on nothing, I feel it was well worth the trip. Most likely I would not have received this info from Picerne had I not gone in person and let them feel sufficiently sorry for me... dragging in three girls and my Mom and looking pathetic (or at least that's how I felt at that point).

We turned around the next day and drove the 10 hours back. I cannot believe how well the girls traveled. They were exhausted, I was exhausted, but we still made it back in one piece and really didn't have any big troubles. That was a huge blessing. I do know that none of us are interested in getting back in that van for any extended period of time any time soon! That was a very long three days and we are all still recovering.

And there ya have it. Really don't have any set place to live, but I feel good about our decision on housing. When I drove on post on Wednesday night I almost started crying, thinking about how nice it was to have Steve close to work so he could come home after PT and at lunch time. We would have had to give up both those times had we moved off post. Our time with Steve is precious and we want all we can get with him! Now we just need to get him home!!!!!

Daddy Song and more

Okay- so maybe Steve won't appreciate this story being published, but we both got a big laugh out of it, so I'll put it in here anyway. Katie has a funny way of pronouncing her consonants. If it's a "K" or "P" or "T" She over-emphasizes the sound. Words such as "rock" and "top" end quite forcefully. Katie also loves to sing. We sing about everything. Including her diaper changes. I have a song about changing her and she loves to sing along. So the other day I decided to sing something new and picked the "Daddy's Homecoming" song. Ellie and I used to sing it all the time, so I figured Katie would enjoy it as well. And she did. Fast forward to next diaper change and what song did Katie request? Why the same one, except she calls it the "Daddy Poop" song (be sure to emphasize that last "p" when saying it). Not sure why she decided to name it that, but oh my- it makes me laugh every time she requests it.

Ellie was being naughty one morning and I was tired of it and told her that I had enough and wasn't interested in playing her games that day. She started to cry and told me, "but I want to play games today!" Of course with the biggest pouty face you've seen. So I felt bad and told her that's not what I meant and all was better. This language of ours is hard to figure out sometimes!

Sarah has become the most clingy baby ever. She still does not sleep through the night (I think it's been 2 years since I had a good night's sleep) and just cries and cries whenever I'm around. When I leave her with Mom or Dad, she's happy as can be and wanders the house and plays with toys. The minute I walk into view, she starts that sad cry and doesn't stop until I pick her up. Then she has to be within touching distance at all times. I'm going nuts!!! It's a good thing she's cute.

The stress around here lately has been finding housing for when Steve gets home. He is "scheduled" to arrive mid-April (notice the quotes... this is the Army after all) and we have no plans on where to live. I thought we'd fall into another house on post, but it looks like that's not going to happen. So I'm stressed. We're now thinking we'll have to buy, since there are basically no rentals available right now. 1st Division has been moving back from Germany and the huge influx of people has caused that market to be overly saturated. So even though it's still months away, we're having to think far ahead as to what we want to do.

I'm guessing my stress level isn't helping Sarah feel very relaxed.

New Favorite Picture

I took this the other day and it makes me smile every time I see it on my computer desktop. Definitely my new favorite. I love chubby babies!

Baby Showers

My little sister, Cynthia is due to have her baby boy in less than a month. Since I won't be able to get out to Utah to enjoy this awesome experience with her (I am so bummed), I sent her gift out to Utah with Mom months ago. I just found a picture of it, which I think turned out adorable. Someone had made one of these "diaper cakes" for me when I was pregnant with Katie and I have enjoyed making these for my close friends and family members that are expecting. Just a new twist on baby gifts. Plus, I get to give them some of my favorite things like soft plush toys, my favorite brand of diapers, Old Navy socks, Johnson's bedtime bath, and Carter's onesies and washcloths- to mention a few :)

Anyway- I think they're fun! (this is a pre-wrapped picture... I put clear wrapping paper around it to keep it from falling apart)

Fun Discovery

While Steve was here on R&R he bought a new SD chip for our camera. We packed away the old 1GB for emergencies and thought nothing of it. When Steve bought his new Canon Digital Rebel Xti we decided to sell our old camera to my parents and give them that 1GB chip to put in there. Well, I went to pull pictures from Christmas off that chip and guess what I found? 3 days worth of pictures while Steve was here that I didn't know we had. What a fun treat for me! The funny thing is that when I initially went through our pictures, I thought it strange that we had no pictures for almost 3 full days- completely not like us! Now I know the truth. Anyway- they made me smile and it amazes me how much the girls have already changed since Steve was here.

Growing Up

Tomorrow Ellie becomes a big kid. She has her very first Primary Activity at church! I still can't believe my little girl is going to be a Sunbeam. Maybe I'm being overly dramatic, but this is big stuff for me! It's hard to believe that she can be old enough to go to Primary all on her own. It was just 3 years ago this week that Steve returned home from his first deployment to a little 8-month old (same age as Sarah is now) that wanted only to be held by her mother and yet wanted more than anything to learn how to walk. The time has flown by!

addition: She loved her activity. It took her a few minutes to warm up to her teacher and her friends, but after about 1/2 hour I asked if I could go and she gave me a hug, a huge smile and said she'd see me soon. Almost made me cry- such an independent little girl she's becoming. She sure does make me proud!

Finally

Okay- finally got the first round of pictures loaded. I still have to see what Mom, Troy and Geoff got, but I've put up all the pictures I have so far at steve.elgans.com

Christmas Fun

I guess I should at least make mention of Christmas on here. I had taken Ellie out shopping a couple days prior so she could pick out a couple gifts for her sisters. In the future we'll probably have her make the gifts or earn the money to buy the gifts, but I didn't think that far ahead this year! She was cute picking out the gifts, though. I could just hear the wheels turning as she figured out which gifts she could give her sisters that she would enjoy playing with as well. She even got to wrap the presents all by herself. I was impressed at how well she did, too.


We had an awesome time Christmas morning. My goal this year was to give the girls a Christmas full of things that would induce creativity and get their imagination running. We started out with our new homemade stockings (by me- I'm so excited to finally have matching stockings). They got some "Baby Loves Jazz" book/cd combos that they love to listen to. And they received items like scrubs which I made along with a medical kit. Mom got Katie her very own baby doll with a homemade blanket and pillow. They also got a full fairy costume including fairy wings, silk gloves, homemade tutu's by Grandma, fairy wands and sparkle slippers. Both girls have lived in those outfits ever since Christmas. We invited the Smith's to come enjoy the present opening and they brought the girls the cutest cat and dog that had baby kittens/puppies in them. My goal of a small Christmas was thwarted, but in the end I felt completely pleased with what the girls received and don't feel like I gave just to give. It was fun to watch their excitement and watch their wardrobes change as each wearable gift was opened. Steve was awesome and completely spoiled me this year. The back massager was definitely a hit with my brothers and sisters (and me, of course!). There were so many other fun gifts like the universal remote for Mom and Dad's system that alleviates 5 remotes downstairs. I think that was definitely a hit! We just had a wonderful time enjoying the gifts of giving.

The best part came when Carrie, Geoff and Emily, and Troy, Rachel, Sally, Daniel, Ethan and Amelia arrived. I love having family around. The kids got along wonderfully and we stayed up too late, got up too early and ate too much good food- the perfect family gathering :) We started a new tradition of eating chocolate fondue one night while we're together and that's one tradition we will definitely continue. The time passed too quickly and it was sad to see everyone go.

We got a special treat today when Troy called up and asked if we wanted to go to the Children's Museum here in town with him and the family (they've been spending the majority of their vacation in a town about 45 minutes from here with Rachel's parents). Of course! The kids had a really good time there. Troy and Rachel have such great kids. I am truly impressed.

This time of year it's easy to remember the Savior and the importance of family and to be truly grateful for the wonderful gifts we have been given. Now we've reached 2008 and we can't wait to have Steve back with us soon!

Separation Anxiety

Almost every child goes through this terrible stage a couple times while small. The first time is usually around 8 months when they realize the whole object permanence thing. Then they go through it again around 18 months... just in time for nursery. Well- a couple days after Christmas we decided to treat ourselves to a movie. We left the girls with a babysitter (two girls in our ward) and went to see "Enchanted"; which by the way- we loved. So I felt pretty good about taking this break and having a nice time. That is, until we got home and Sarah started to cry the second she saw me. It was the saddest little cry I had ever heard, too. I tried to give her to Mom so I could take the babysitter home and Sarah grabbed onto me, started crying again and wouldn't let go. Then for the next 3 days she would not let me out of her sight without crying those crocodile tears. She started waking up more often at night, wouldn't eat her baby food, and was clingy, clingy, clingy!!! Yikes! All this for 3 hours of sanity- totally not worth it! And of course Katie still will not stay in nursery on her own without me there.
On a positive note, Sarah is crawling all over the place and is pulling up on anything and everything she can. She giggles all the time and is just the sweetest little girl (when she doesn't feel abandoned). :-D Katie is just hilarious. I love the way she talks and the phrases she comes up with. I love that she is constantly singing whatever song comes into her head (ho-ho-ho... who wouldn't go?) and loves to dance. She wants to be just like Ellie and is doing her best to copy Ellie's every move. Very cute. Ellie is still a little mother to her sisters. She comes up with the funniest phrases. We were taking a picture of all the cousins and she said "the kids aren't cooperating!" She makes me laugh.

Steve's Art

Steve just finished up his personal website. I am quite impressed. Elganart.com

Thoughtful Steve

Friday was a rough day around here for me. It's the Christmas season and I'm missing Steve terribly. The girls have been pretty rotten to each other and that makes it tough on everyone. I was lamenting my station in life when Steve emailed and asked if I had gotten a package from UPS yet? I hadn't heard any knocks on the door, but I went up to check anyway. Well- there on the doorstep was a box from proflowers.com. Inside was a gorgeous bouquet of flowers. But it was the note inside that made my day, made my heart melt and caused the tears to flow. Steve had sent those flowers for our anniversary of the first time we met in person. December 14th, 5 years ago, Steve flew up to Utah from Texas to confirm that I was the girl he wanted to marry for all eternity. What an incredibly thoughtful thing to do! I have the best husband in the entire world!

Some of those promised pictures

Here are a few of my favorites of the pictures we've taken for Steve so far (these have been harder than they look!)...

First of all, there's my Yoga Baby... how many 7-month-olds (let alone any age) do you know that can make and hold this pose?

Decorating the tree and the girls (I believe Mom said Geoff used to enjoy doing this to himself as well)
My tribute to "White Christmas"
Who wouldn't want to find this in their stocking Christmas morning?
And then of course the girls in their Christmas dresses this morning:To get the full selection of pictures, check them out here.