Putting the Walk in Sidewalk

Even though it's getting cold here in Minnesota, Elise loves to be outside and she loves to walk. She could walk up and down store isles and sidewalks for hours. On this day we were lucky enough to have daddy on speaker phone so he could go for a walk with us.

All By Myself

While staying at Grandma's we're learning all kinds of things.. like how to eat like a civilized toddler. This is the end of mealtime messes, right?

Halloween Dance

Thanks to Great-Grandma Helen, Elise has discovered another dance move, the bob and sway.
She loves her singing Halloween card!

I'll Take That One. And That One.

Well, if Chris has to leave for another two months, I suppose I'll focus on the silver lining. I get to bring Elise back to Minnesota during my favorite time of year. When Fall hits, I know the trees are going to be beautiful, we'll get pick apples at the orchard and the Vikings will be playing. These are a few of my favorite things. Unbeknownst to us, a few of Elise's favorite things now include dancing to Polka music.



On a side note, our family will soon be learning where Chris' next assignment will take us. On October 23rd, we will be assigned to one of the following places: Rome, Quito, Ecuador, Panama, or Cyprus. It's been a long, exhausting bidding process, so we're excited to learn which one we're going to get. It's like Christmas x100. Our start date will depend on which city we get. The earliest would be August 2010, the latest, August of 2011. Cross your fingers for Rome or Quito!!

Lovely Day at Monticello

This photo sums up Chris' relationship with Elise. Pure wonderment. She is so enamored with him and everything he does.

Sweet daddy-daughter moments that melt my heart.

Elise loves showing daddy all her amazing physical feats!

Daddy loves showing Elise the world.

Perfect ending to a long day.

Finally, Some Rest For The Weary

Unfortunately, we weren't able to make it out to Utah this summer because of Chris' schizophrenic schedule, so we asked Utah to come to us. Yes, Grandma and Grandpa Dowling were nice enough to fly out and give us a little break. I'm such a wimp about leaving Elise with babysitters, especially for any extended amount of time, so it was nice to spend some time alone with my wonderful husband and not worry about our sweet baby. Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa!

We had some amazing weather while they were here, the humidity was virtually non-existent, so we went sight-seeing! Here we are at the Jefferson Memorial (you'll have to take my word for it).

All those wonderful daydreams I had when I was pregnant could not prepare me for just how precious my little girl would be.

Nor did I ever imagine that at 15 months I'd have to use honey to get a bow to stick to her sparse, but sweet, little strands of hair. :)

So Many Swimsuits, So Little Time

I forgot how hot and humid DC gets in the summer.. always a great excuse to take Elise to the pool. Although, these days, she's more interested in walking around the pool than swimming in it.

That better not be a mirage!

The payoff.