Georgia Peaches

Playing Catch Up!!!

2008-10-30T12:23:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe how fast this month has flown by. It makes me sad too because this is my favorite time of the year and it just seems to be slipping away. I have a whole list of things that I have had every intention of posting and yet as you can see I have not touched the blog since September. October happens to be the busiest month in our family so here are the cliff notes to the past month of our lives...if you are interested.
1. Elena turned 2!!! Yeahhh!!! ) It is amazing how fast time flies. She is growing up so fast and has become a big helper. She loves to pull the kitchen chairs up the counters in the kitchen or the bathroom and help me with whatever I am doing.

She also loves to make Eliza laugh. The other day Eliza was up in her highchair and Elena pulled out all of the bath rags from the drawer and would throw them up in the air in front of Eliza. She had Eliza laughing hysterically.

2. I am also one year older! I had a wonderful birthday! Brandon surprised me and sent me to get a massage for my birthday. It is amazing how tense you can get carrying the kids around. He also made me a nice dinner and did all of the dishes. He is so thoughtful!!!
3. We celebrated our anniversary early and went to see Wicked while it is here in town. It was awesome!!! I set the apartment up like a restaurant and made a special dinner and we ate in our nice clothes and went to the show. We had so much fun.

4. My Grandpa also came out to visit and we went to the pumpkin patch. The girls liked it so much we went to another pumpkin patch the next week too.

5. Brandon had his first med school interview in Augusta, Ga and it went well so hopefully we will have good news this year. He is scheduled to have two more interviews next week so we are keeping our fingers crossed and our knees bent.

The Doll Phase!!!

2008-09-14T11:24:00.000-07:00

Elena has officially entered the doll phase. Nana surprised her with a new baby doll and Elena carries it around with her where ever she goes. She shares her food and drink with this baby, has me change its stinky diapers and carries it around in a special baby back pack. When we went to play at the park last night we couldn't leave the baby behind. So we strapped her on Elena and off we went.

Evening at the Park

2008-09-14T11:20:00.000-07:00

It is so nice to live in a area that has so many parks close by. The other night after dinner we took the girls to the park to get them good and ready for bed. Here are a few of the pictures we took while playing and the park.

We love to READ!!!

2008-09-14T11:08:00.000-07:00

For the longest time Elena would not hold still long enough for me to read the first page of a book let alone the book in its entirety. I am not sure when the transition happened but she love to read now, especially the Dinosaur Books. If you have young kids they will love these books. I took them to nursery when I was substituting and the kids loved them. The author is Jane Yolen and the illustrations are by Mark Teague. I love to collect children's books so let me know what your favorites are....We need some variety!!!

Tagged!!!

2008-09-09T10:17:00.000-07:00

Well, I was tagged by my sister-in-law Lisa and this is my first time so here it goes...
MY THREE FAVORITE... Tag
What are the last three things you purchased?
1. Training underwear...(not for myself of course!!!)
2. A little black dress
3. Fall decorations

What are the last three songs you downloaded to your IPOD?
--I don't have an IPOD--

What are your three favorite movies?
1. Sabrina
2. While You Were Sleeping
3. You've Got Mail

What are three things you have not done yet?
1. Been on a Cruise
2. Backpacked through Europe
3. Gone on a shopping spree

What three things can you not live without?
1. Brandon
2. My little girls
3. Chocolate
(Lisa I am glad to know we are on the same page with this one!! :) )

What are your three favorite dishes?
1. Spinach Salad
2. Chicken and Mushroom Soup (Trust me on this one)
3. Chicken and Artichoke Pizza Braid

What are your three favorite TV shows?
1. So you think you can dance
2. 24 (Through season 5 anyway)
3. Wheel of Fortune

What are the last three places you have traveled to?
1. Lake Lanier
2. Stone Mountain
3. Salt Lake City

What are your three favorite desserts?
1. Cheesecake
2. Cinnamon Rolls
3. Triple Chocolate Chunk Brownies with Reese Pieces

What are three things you would buy if money was not an issue?
1. A big piece of land with a mid-sized house and a GATED pool.
2. Clothes and Shoes to fill the closet of my new home!!
3. All of the home decor I love but can't afford at Hobby Lobby!!!

If you could have three wishes, what would they be?
1. Safety for those I love.
2. That Brandon will get into Med School
3. Cheesecake in heaven

Three People I Tag:
1. Angela
2. Steph
3. Brittany

No Hair!!!

2008-09-06T16:21:00.000-07:00

So the other day I was at the store and had forgotten to put a bow in Eliza's hair and the person at the checkout thought she was a boy. I also had a Latin American lady ask me if I had shaved her head. Now I remember it took Elena a long time to get hair but after looking back at the pictures I think poor Eliza's is growing even slower. She is now seven months and she doesn't have much more than fuzz!!

Naughty

2008-09-03T10:28:00.000-07:00

Elena loves gum and occasionally if she is good we will split a piece with her. Well one day she decided that half a piece just wasn't good enough. So she decided to sneak off with the pack. It wasn't until after she got in trouble that I realized that this was such a picture perfect moment!!

New Discoveries

2008-09-03T10:21:00.000-07:00

Elena will be turning two in October and she already love to talk on the phone, listen to music, drive the car, and wear big people shoes!!

We Did It!!!

2008-09-03T09:55:00.000-07:00

We finally moved. Actually we moved at the end of July but trying to get things set up has been crazy, but I think we are about there. The girls are doing great. Elena had a hard time at first and for a while she would tell me that she wanted to go home. I kept having to explain that we are already home. I think it has finally clicked. She has grown into a big helper. She loves to hold Eliza's bottle even though Eliza can hold it on her own. She loves to help load the dishwasher, clean up imaginary messes with diaper wipes, and I have to say, she is very good about picking up her toys. As for me I am trying to keep busy. The girls and I love to go to the park and Nana comes to visit once a week and that is always fun. We are very excited about the holidays and we have already put up the fall decorations. I love Autumn!!! I have already made a batch of cinnamon rolls and plan on making more this week.

This is Brandon's pride and joy. Actually, we lost some of our things between Rexburg and here so once we replaced the couch, the bookshelf and the end tables, the computer desk, and stocked the fridge, we decided that the box would just have to do!!!

Little Flirt!!!

2008-07-09T09:56:00.000-07:00

We had a wedding reception at our home a couple of weeks ago and Elena, our shy child, made a friend. Brandon thought it was so cute so he was snapping a bunch of pictures and even instigating it. I wonder if he will be doing the same thing when she turns 16?!!!!

Daddy's Girls

2008-07-09T09:53:00.001-07:00

Here are a few of the recent pictures of Brandon with the girls!!!

Elena and Grandpa

2008-07-09T09:48:00.000-07:00

Elena has finally started going to my Dad when he is around. She has been scared of him for a long time now...mostly because he didn't pay attention to her. The other day when she was having a hard time I went to see if she was okay and Grandpa was rocking her in the rocking chair singing to her.

Prayers

2008-07-08T05:28:00.000-07:00

Elena, for the first time last night, would repeat after me when I was helping her say her prayer before bed. Ever since Elena was little she has been calling Brandon "Papa," and when she says it, the last syllable is always high pitched like she is asking a question. Well last night this is how the prayer started.

Me: Heavenly

She mumbles something that sounds similar.

Me: Father

She pauses for a second and then says "Papa."

Brandon and I looked at each other and laughed. She is smarter than we give her credit for that is for sure!!!

Family Pictures

2008-07-03T17:25:00.000-07:00

I am sure many of you know the hassle involved in getting the family ready for pictures. Well in order to have a happy baby for pictures I thought I would put her down for a nap knowing that she smiles the most when she wakes up. Well....That backfired!!! Instead of sleeping she screamed so when it came time for pictures her eyes were blood shot and she wanted to fall alsleep. We had to bribe Elena with chocolate and even then this was the only picture that she smiled in. Brandon on the other held the same pose and same smile in every picture. He needs to train the girls!!!

Great News!!!

2008-07-03T17:24:00.000-07:00

We received the long awaited news that Eddy's wife, Rreza, has finally received her Green Card and will be able to return to the United States after being in Kosovo for a year. We are all very excited so there is no telling how excited Eddy is after being in Rexburg alone for a year. She is expecting their first child, a little boy, in September so she is getting home just in time!!! Congrats Y'all!!!!

It Takes Two!!!

2008-06-16T18:51:00.001-07:00

Well it has been so fun having Eliza in our home.
Elena, for the most part, has been a wonderful big sister except for the occasional momentary lapse of kindness when she wants to see what kind of reactions she will get from Eliza if she steps on her head, or shoves her fingers down Eliza's throat. Elena watches us very closely and likes to tickle Eliza's face to get her to smile. She is also very helpful. I no longer have to fetch diapers or throw them away for that matter. Elena really is so fun to have around. Elena also loves having her picture taken. I always know that she has the camera and wants her pictures taken when I hear her saying, "CHEESE!"

Partners in Crime (Eventually)

2008-06-16T18:48:00.000-07:00

Starting Over!!!

2008-06-16T17:47:00.000-07:00

So!!! It has been roughly a year and a half since I last updated my sorry excuse for a blog. When my sister-in-law was here for Eliza's baby blessing she asked to see it and she told me, in the kindest way possible, that it needed a lot of help. We are living in Georgia close to my family so I guess I just figured I didn't need to worry about it anymore. Then I realized that there are so many people that I keep up with through reading their blogs. As for Brandon and I, we are living in Georgia. We applied for medical school and unfortunately were not accepted to any of the schools that we applied to this year. After my bitterness about the whole situation wore off, and I was able to think rationally again, we remembered the feelings that we had when decided to apply the first time... And soooooo we are reapplying. Waiting to find out whether or not you got in the first time was bad enough... Imagine doing it twice. Needless to say this was not what we ever expected life to deal us but like one of my favorite county singers so eloquently put it,

That's the way it is, you've got to roll with the punches.
That's the way it goes, you've got to bend when the wind blows.
You live you learn, you crash and burn.
It's hit or miss and thats the way it is.

For now we are staying in Georgia and Brandon is working as a chemist at the CDC in Atlanta. We have two super cute little girls and are trying to make the best out of this waiting period. And so this is the beginning of a long and prosperous blog.