The Rectordays

Yep, unfortunately it is true.... I have failed again at getting a weekly preggo pick taken in my original spot. Hey, at least I do have this pic (albeit stolen from a group picture). This week was just quite the busy / interesting one for the family. Daddy went out of town on business, Eleanor had her first ear infection and well, when Daddy got back into town he and Momma both got the stomach flu... so hey, at least we are all still standing! Not only that, I am really feeling good (minus the stomach flu part, that thankfully left this morning!)... BR #2, you are just a mover and a shaker. You are constantly wiggling, pushing and prodding on Momma's tummy... it definitely sometimes hurts, but I just love the feeling. I totally remember this stage from when Eleanor was inside (more than initial kicks)... sometimes it is hard to even catch a full breath - but I am so so thankful for these movements and pray that you keep it up (just slim them down a bit at night, eh?). We are

Eleanor and I had our very first tea part the other day... it was a rite of passage for my little girl (and me), and thanks to Jenna, apparently will become a very common occurrence in our household. Eleanor was ALL over it... and was very polite, if you ask me! My little lady loved faking the whole bit... passing out cakes, pouring spots of tea and drinking the cup over and over...     Eleanor also learned (who knows how?!?!) to blow on the hot tea before taking a sip... hilarious!     Then she found Momma's brush... and our first tea party was over.   Eleanor, we must do it again soon.

Mindy is out of town on vacation with her Mom and Sis-in-law this week, so on Wednesday Eleanor and I spent the day with Lucy to give Josh's mom the day off! My mom was generous enough to come help, as well, just in case we had any hiccups, but we had SO much fun! The girls actually played pretty well together, which honestly, is close to a first... and they both napped well, which was imperative for survival :). Great practice for BR #2.... but ohh--weee, this Momma is tired!! Eleanor in all of her bed head glory was so excited to have Lucy come and play...    It took Lucy a little while to warm up to Eleanor... no tears, just a little timid!   It also doesn't help that Eleanor's idea of getting her attention usually means hitting her or pulling her hair...   There were many times that Lucy tried climbing up me to escape... look at Eleanor scoping out her target in the background, baha!   Then Dot-Dot did some laundry... and well, BOTH girls wanted to ta

All dressed up to work I go.... this week I had one of my last three weddings - that is right, only two more to go! It is SO strange writing that... so strange living it.... I cannot believe the wonderful chapter of wedding planning is coming to a close (for now). It has been such a large part of my life and something I truly love, so to see it end is bittersweet... but SO SO sweet to stay home with my babies. Again, a huge step of faith for Momma and Daddy, but we really believe that the Lord is calling us to this and we are ecstatic! You have become quite the little booger... you rarely keep still, which is such a blessing, but it is getting tight in there! I am starting to feel a bit uncomfortable - especially by the end of the day... normally in my upper back but sometimes in my lower tummy... and sleeping is starting to be more of a task to get in the right position. Again, worth it! This week, praying over your precious life is becoming more real (because of the above descr

So, in order to set myself up for success.... I told myself that outside of the pregnancy series, I was going to be a faithful scribe for each of our children's first year of life. Committing to monthly posts (like I did for Eleanor) to note how quickly they change from newborn to toddler.... going beyond that (with as many kids as we want) is a commitment I don't want to make in fear that kids down the road really get the shaft :). However..... there are just too many things I don't want to forget that Eleanor is doing right now, so an update is necessary: *We have a full-blown walker.... sometimes runner. It took Eleanor about 2 weeks to really feel comfortable with walking (and she definitely preferred crawling) but I would say by the time we hit 13 months she was not only a walker, but a RUNNER. She is so confident on her feet, even though it looks awfully wobbly.... *She has NO fear. We often say that about the pool because I really do think it we let her she would

On Saturday, we decided to stay at the beach all day and take advantage of one last full day of lounging, sun and swimming.... by the end of the week, Eleanor was kickin' her sunglasses regularly. She totally adapted to island life - which is good, because Momma and Daddy plan for her to spend lots of her summers with toes in the sand... somewhere! Walking on the beach with her Pa-Paw (notice her 6 month swimsuit that is still so big on her that we have to tie it up... lovely). Loving these memories.... Eleanor was ALL about playing in the sand... you never know how babies will respond to the "mess", but she couldn't get enough.... so naturally, bath time was REAL fun for Eleanor. Building sand castles... or hills, whatever... Wish you were here, picture... That evening, we ate at Mala Ocean Tavern... it is quite the dive, but still such a wonderful menu and exquisite view.....  when we golfed with the locals they told us this place was a must, and they wer

So, Momma got lazy with her camera taking skills during the middle of the trip... do I regret it? Of course. Is it surprising? Not at all. Unfortunately, the only pictures I have from either day are from the evenings..... but basically, on Thursday and Friday we enjoyed a whole lot of sun / swimming / beach and morning walks.... Eleanor rotated swimsuits, so pretty much we can imagine what those pictures would have looked like if we just refer back to days 1-4 :). For dinner on Thursday, we decided to keep it easy so we ate at one of the restaurants at the resort...  Now normally, I think these kind of restaurants are just so-so, leaving me with average hopes for my meal. But Pulehu was GREAT - it was Island Italian, believe it or not and I had a wonderful Butternut Squash Ravioli that was so so good. Top that off with bread, Maui onion butter and macadamia nut pesto and you can rest assured that I was a happy camper. And unhappy camper?...   To say that Eleanor made dinner

  On Wednesday, Nanna and Pa-Paw went to take an early morning helicopter tour of the island for their anniversary... so we decided to head down to grab some chairs to call ours for the day!    Eleanor waiting patiently for her sunscreen to soak in.... this was one of the worst parts for her every time... we put her in a suit, cover her in lotion then make her look at the water - I guess I would be frustrated too!   And Daddy and Eleanor went straight to the pool.... with her cool shades of course...   They stayed on while she swam - for the most part! She normally gives it about 5 minutes, max... but I think she finally understands they protect her eyes :). We swam and played until nap time then took a break to put Punkin Bottom down.... after lunch, we went straight back to our chairs with Nanna and Pa-Paw....   And Eleanor discovered Momma's favorite drink... which means the rest of the trip I never did get to enjoy a full one :)... Eleanor loves LAVA