Lots of Love…

Valentine's Day was last Saturday and I'm finally getting around to posting Elayna's cute outfit.

We have a really nice weekend.  Alicia baby-sat for us Friday night so Aaron and I could have a nice dinner out.  We really enjoyed getting dressed up and discovered a great new restaurant near us!

Saturday we spent with the family and cooked a great meal at home.  Aaron has really spoiled me this year -- but we both agree that Elayna is our real valentine.

The weather in Phoenix is GREAT the last few weeks so we're soaking up lots of time at the park.  Elayna is now very excited about the swings.  She sits with her mouth wide open saying 'ahhhh' while the seat swings back and forth.  Extremely sweet.

She also finally has some top teeth.  These have been breaking through the last week and although there aren't a lot of symptoms, she's been crankier than normal.

We are working on finger foods.  Her hand-eye coordination is wonderful and she can usually get food to her mouth -- she's just not really sure what to do next.  We have successfully eaten some baby-puffs but that is a big event. 

Happy 10 Month, Elayna

Happy 10-month birthday, monkey!!  We're a few short weeks away from her big 1-year birthday ... wow, is it going by fast.

Yes, she is wearing her 'jammies to the park.  And having a GREAT time.  The many expressions of Elayna:

The Haircut

About a week ago, I had had enough of Elayna's long hair.  It got in her eyes, it was wild in the morning, and she won't let me put it in a pony.  So I spontaneously trimmed it.

And now we all agree it's a little too short.  And resembles Jim Carrey in Dumb and Dumber.  But I think overall, I like it....

Viva Las Vegas

To celebrate my brother Nathan's 21st birthday, the family met in Las Vegas for a long weekend.  My parents flew down from Montana and our family + Alicia drove over Thursday morning.  This was the longest Elayna's been in the car and she did great -- although she didn't sleep as much as we had expected.

Elayna had a really fun time with the lions at the MGM, the fountains at the Bellagio and the lights on the strip.  She definitely wore out fast so we took turns napping or putting her to bed at night.  It is hard to take a baby to Vegas and I don't recommend it, but we made it work.

Elayna had a GREAT time catching up with my parents too.  She hadn't seen her grandparents since August but I think she still remembered them and loved being spoiled!  Grandma and Grandpa watched her a few times while Aaron and I ran to the casinos for a quick black-jack fix or got a bite to eat.  It was really nice to have the whole family together.

We stayed just off the strip but still WALKED everywhere.  It was a long weekend but we managed to see a show, eat lots of yummy food, visit several casinos, play blackjack and poker. We were WORN OUT but it was worth it.  I think Nathan really had a fun time too.

Additionally, we met my old friend Jenny (Gilbert) Scott and her husband Dakon on Saturday for lunch.  Jenny and Dakon have lived in Vegas for several years but we lost touch a while ago.  It was great to catch up -- they look amazing and was very fun to have the opportunity to see them.

Here are a few photos:

Drinks at the bar at Planet Hollywood

Watching the lions at the MGM.  We arrived just in time to watch them being fed.

Happy Birthday, Nathan!!

It's my brother Nathan's 21st birthday today.  I was in 6th grade when he was born and I remember being so excited that he was a boy (my sister was less than 2 and I didn't need another baby sister).

I'm sure Nate is having a great time with his friends celebrating this awesome milestone!  Don't worry though .... I'll buy him a beer this weekend on our family trip to Vegas.

I stole these Deep Thoughts from someone else's blog ... but somehow they remind me of Nate.  He wasn't old enough to remember Jack Handey (I do though), but the dry humor is very Nathan.  So Nate, these are for you!

My 10 Favorite Deep Thoughts

Deep Thoughts was a long running highlight of Saturday Night live in the 90s. They were the supposedly 'deep" thoughts of a man named Jack Handey.

1. The face of a child can say it all, especially the mouth part of the face.

2. To me, boxing is like a ballet, except there is no music, no choreography, and the dancers hit each other.

3. If you ever fall off of the Sears Tower just go real limp because you'll look like a dummy and people will try to catch you ... because, hey, free dummy.

4. Anytime I see something screech across the room and latch onto someone's neck, and the guy screams and tries to get it off ... I have to laugh because what is that thing?

5. The memories of my family outings are still a source of strength to me. I remember we'd all pile into the car - I forget what kind it was - and drive and drive. I'm not sure where we'd go, but I think there were some trees there. The smell of something was strong in the air as we played whatever sport we played. I remember a bigger, older guy we called "Dad." We'd eat some stuff, or not, and then I think we went home. I guess some things never leave you.

6. When I was a kid my favorite relative was Uncle Caveman. After school we'd all go play in his cave, and every once in a while he would eat one of us. It wasn't until later that I found out that Uncle Caveman was a bear.

7. Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself. Mankind. Basically, it's made up to two separate words - "mank" and "ind." What do these two words mean? It's a mystery, and that's why so is mankind.

8. To me, it's a good idea to always carry two sacks of something around when you walk around. That way, if anybody says, "Hey, can you give me a hand?" you can say, "Sorry, got these sacks."

9. When I die I want to go peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather, not kicking and screaming like the people in his car.

10. The wise man can pick up a grain of sand and envision the whole universe. But the stupid man will just lay down on some seaweed and roll around until he is completely draped in it. Then he'll stand up and go, "Hey, I'm Vine Man."

and a bonus:

1. If you want to be the popular one at a party, here's a good thing to do: Go up to some people who are talking and laughing and say, "Well, technically, that's illegal." It might fit in with what somebody just said. And even if it doesn't, so what, I hate this stupid party.

2. Regardless of whether they discover life there or not, I still think we should consider Jupiter an enemy planet.