On the Move

On July 6th we made the big move from Provo. We got a little bit of a late start because packing and cleaning were taking longer than we had planned. At least leaving later meant that Elise spent more of the traveling hours sleeping.

Bye, Provo!

Moving can be a little confusing for babies.

sleeping in the car on the way to Grandma and Grandpa's house

What is usually a nine-hour trip became a thirteen-and-a-half-hour trip because of our slower speeds from towing a trailer and from stopping more than usual with Elise. But, by 3:15 am California time, we made it! Thank goodness for Matt! He was such a trooper.

Here's to hoping that when Matt gets a job we won't have to move too far.

Independence Day 2011

Here are a few pictures of Elise's first Independence Day. Actually, these pictures are from July 2nd, when we went to see the fireworks. Elise ended up falling asleep during the fireworks show.

I clapped my hands to try to get Elise to look at the camera. It didn't work, but she started clapping too.

You can barely see her shoes, but they were the red part of her outfit.

It was so much fun to see my sister, Bridget, and her cute family.

God bless the U.S.!

Goodbye, Provo!

We are moving in a few days. I knew I wouldn't have a lot of extra time to blog because we'll be finishing up packing and cleaning, so I thought I'd post this now.

Well, goodbye Provo! We'll miss the people we're leaving behind, and of course we'll miss good old BYU (at least some things about it, anyway). Oh, and BYU creamery ice cream. And the temple being so close. But we won't miss the snow.

Here's a video of Elise waving. (Or maybe she's signing "all done"? I don't think she really knows the difference.) Matt is all tuckered out from the packing he's been doing!

Have a great Independence Day weekend!

Better Out Than In, I Always Say

Elise's favorite way to play with the jumperoo: from the outside.

Daddy/Daughter Days

Elise has been getting to spend more time with her daddy lately, and she loves it! Here's a glimpse of what they've been up to.

playing fort

Elise showing Daddy how fast she can make a mess when you're not watching

Daddy teaching Elise new things, like how to stack the rings

being silly together

sharing treats . . .

. . . because Elise begs

Daddy teaching Elise some great new dance moves

(Daddy has also been teaching Elise how to play the piano.)

Slide, Baby, Slide

Elise figured out that she can push the kitchen chairs and walk behind them. She seems to be getting closer to walking every day.

[Please excuse her grunting. She does it when she's tired or frustrated or when she's trying hard to do something, like push a chair that is 75% of her weight.]

Bear Hugs

Elise is such a cuddly baby, especially recently since she has been teething again. I love that about her (the cuddliness, not the teething). She is just starting to like stuffed animals, too, and cuddling with them. The funniest part about these videos is how briefly she is interested in hugging her bear.

This next video is Elise saying bear. (At least, it sounds like that to me.)