Updates!

The past week and a half has been pretty busy. First off, on the 11th, we got the keys to our house we are renting! Yay! It feels so great to be on our own, in our own place! I was a slacker and didn't get any pictures of it before we moved in. I would take them now, but the house is a mess. We are still trying to organize things and put them away. When we get that done (hopefully this week), I will take pictures.

We probably would have been farther along than we are, but I just had to get sick this weekend! I think Ella gave it to me because she had a runny and stuffy nose all last week. She wasn't acting sick and she was, and still is, cutting three teeth at once, so I attributed the runny nose to that. She had her well check appointment on Thursday, and her doctor said it looked like she might have an upper respiratory infection because she had fluid in her ear, so he put her on antibiotics. Anyway, she has been fine, except for that nose. I, on the other hand, was bed-ridden. I haven't been this sick for almost two years! Well, I did get a sinus infection once while I was pregnant, but I was not stuck in bed (or the couch).

One thing that made it hard taking care of Ella, was that now she crawls! She has been SO close for a month, and then, the day before her doctor's appointment, she figured it out! Yay! Here is a video of our little 9-month old doing her thing! It's not the best video, but every time we pulled out the camera, she stopped.

I almost forgot! Ella also turned 9 months old last week! She is such a smart and funny little girl! She already knows how to get what she wants! At her appointment, she weighed 16lbs, 9oz. And she was 27.75in long. She's a little thing, but that's fine with me! She is in the 50th percentile for height, and dropped a little for weight. Her doctor didn't say exactly what it was, but last time she was in the 30th percentile, so I'm guessing she's now in the 25th.

So that's what has been going on with us! When we get the house completed, I will post pictures!

Home Sweet Home

Well, not quite yet, but we did get approved for a house! Woohoo! I'm so excited! We will probably sign the paperwork either tonight or tomorrow, and then it's moving time! I don't have pictures now, but maybe I can get them off the listing. We'll see. If not, I will post some when it's ours!

A Season of Changes

I know it's not officially spring yet, but it's finally gotten warm (I hate cold weather and being cold) and it feels like spring! Spring is my favorite season. I love seeing all the plants and trees start to blossom out and it also the greenest time of the year. To me, the air feels fresh and new, and it has a certain smell to it that I absolutely love. I can't describe it other than, well, fresh and new. I may sound crazy, but I don't care. It makes me very happy.

The weather is not the only thing changing that I'm excited about! We got a good amount of tax returns (thank you, Ella!), so we were able to pay off several small debts and a couple of credit cards. And, last night, Craig got a second job! It will work very well for our family schedule-wise.

Some of may know that Craig has been looking for a better paying job for just about a year with no luck. Recently, we decided that a second job would be better than nothing, because he does have a job, but it just doesn't pay enough. We have been staying with my parents for the past two and a half months because of this. Now that he has a second job and we were able to pay off those debts, we are now in the situation to be able to move out on our own!

We have been praying hard and fasting every Fast Sunday for a new job. It has been very trying on my faith, but I was determined to keep strong and not let it falter. He will still be looking for a new full time job, but another good thing about his new job is that there is potential for him to go full time and have a good income.

Now, it's time to look for a house to rent! We were wanting to buy, but it's very hard to get a loan and we most likely won't qualify. At least we are able to get out on our own! I feel like a newlywed all over again! I've never had the chance during our almost two years of marriage to be able to decorate a house how I want. We've never had a place of our own to live in. I'm so excited! I will definitely update when we find a house!

Eight Months Old

I completely forgot until now that I haven't done this yet for Ella! Oops!

Anyway, Ella turned eight months old one week and one day ago, on Presidents' Day. I cannot believe how fast she is growing up! I know I say that every month, but it's true! She is turning into a little girl.

She can do so much now! She is starting the first stages of crawling. She gets up on her knees, but still hasn't quite figured out how to move forward. But, she is becoming very mobile and is starting to get into everything she can!

This little girl has a very long attention span. It amazes me. She can sit for an hour or more playing with her toys intently. It's great when I need to do something! Sometimes I just sit and watch her play, play, play. She also love to dance! I will have to get a video of her dancing on here soon!

Another thing that she is doing is that she can clap! And she even makes the little smacking noise. I tried to get it on video, but she will not perform on demand. She's very smart. She already is very stubborn and even shows some attitude (like pushing my hand away if she doesn't want me touching her or if it's in the way of something she wants). She also knows the word hungry. We ask her if she's hungry and she starts to whine if she is.

Ella has also said her first word! Well, sort of. She can and does say "ah da", "da", and last night she was saying "dada" quite a bit. However, she does not quite yet associate "dada" with Craig.

We love Ella so much and it just more and more exciting watching her grow up, figure things out, and physically doing new things. Craig and I feel so blessed to be able to raise a special little girl.

Help!

I think I'm turning into one of those crazy Twilight people! AAH!!!

Here's the story. When these books were big (about a year ago?), I thought everybody was crazy for being so into a book. Now, I love reading, but I am not the type of person to become like this over a book (or anything for that matter). I usually avoid things if everybody has to have it, see it, or read it. However, I sometimes will get, watch, or read these things after the craze has passed. A long time after.

This past Thursday was my birthday, and one thing I received (from my sister), was the first two books from the Twilight series. I thought, "Cool! I finally have something to read!" I have been secretly sort of wanting to read them, but would NEVER admit it to anyone.

Anyway, I decided to start reading them that night. Needless to say, it's only Monday, four days later, and I'm over half way through the first book. I can't put it down! I was a terrible mother on Friday just putting Ella on the floor to play by her self so I could read. And I fully intend to do it again today. Don't worry, I'm feeding her, and everything. I feel very bad, but I can't help it!

What's worse, I even can't wait until March when the movie comes out on DVD so I can rent it! I think my husband thinks I'm crazy now. We watched the Oscars last night, and every time the guy who plays Edward in the movie was shown, I yelled to Craig, "That's the Twilight guy!" Every time.

So anyway, I now know why people went so crazy when it all first came out. Now I have to get back to reading some more.

Snow!

On Monday, Craig, Ella, and I went up north to Flagstaff for a snow trip. It was Ella's first time in the snow, and was my first time in that much snow. It was so beautiful! There was probably about a foot or more snow on the ground.

It was a last minute decision to go up north, so we weren't exactly prepared for how much snow there actually was. We did not get to play in it very much, but the times we did, it was very fun! Ella also loved it! She got so excited when she could touch it and walk in it! We had so much fun!

Now, tomorrow, is a different story. It's the day I turn old. 25. A quarter of a century old. Yeesh. I guess one positive is that our car insurance will go down in price a bit.

Anyway, here are some more pictures of our trip.

The Annual Newman Family 4-Wheeling in the Desert Trip

On January 24, we went out on the desert near Florence with all of the Newman family. They hold this trip annually (usually closer to the new year), but did not last year because Craig's parents were on their mission. His dad has a 4-wheeler he always takes, and Craig's brother Chris brought his motorcycle. It was very fun and the weather was beautiful! However, we were afraid it was going to rain on us. Thankfully it didn't! This was also Ella's first time on the desert. Ella did not ride on the 4-wheeler. I just kept picturing her falling off, and I didn't want that to happen and have her severely hurt. Craig and I were able to go by ourselves for a little bit, though. She is still not quite used to her Grandma and Grandpa Newman and she's going through the separation anxiety phase, but we had a great solution that worked every time! All we (or they) had to do was give her to Craig's twin brother Keith. She thought he was daddy, so she was totally fine once he was holding her! So cute!

Here are some pictures of the trip (and a couple I took the other day that I thought were adorable). Sorry for the picture overload!

Daddy and Ella

Cousin Ashlynn, Uncle Keith, Grandma Newman, Aunt Melissa's legs

Grandma Newman

Cousin Shelby, Uncle Chris

Daddy and Ella

Sleeping on Mommy

Ella pulled the pillow on her lap by herself