14 Months Old

So, since we are still without furniture, or without home for that matter (at least for the next few weeks), this post is without the standard rocking chair/teddy bear monthly shot.

Elsa is changing at lightening fast speed. This past months has been insane!!

*She is walking like a champ. This seemed to happen over night! And, she is even running!!

*Her favorite new activity is crawling into the stroller from under the tray. She does this several times a day. Although she can get down, she frequently stands up and tries to climb on the umbrella/handlebars...scares the you know what out of me. I think she thinks she is part monkey.

*I honestly don't know where she learned this next one...She will throw random things into the toilet (thankfully just toys at this point, but caught her perilously close to tossing my phone). And, she will toss items (not waste) into the garbage cans. We are missing a few socks....thankfully the cleaning ladies discovered my nailpolish, watch, and hair brush prior to removing the trash.

*Looks like a battered child right now. We bought her this Little People wagon with blocks and she loves to climb in it. Only problem is when she climbs out, it tips over. Well, she face planted into the handle. Screamed louder than I had ever heard a child scream. Palpated her cheek and thought she fractured her zygoma. but, since her condition improved with a popsicle, decided it probably wasn't too serious.

*Loves swimming. We have taken her to the pool on base and she LOVES the water!! Good thing our new house has a pool!! Maybe her sport of choice will be swimming!!!

*Explores EVERYTHING!! Fortunately, she is doing well in our small apt!! But, her favorite "toys", we have to frequently take away from her (cell phone, remote control) for fear they will end up in the trash or toilet.

*LOVES phones. We gave her our old phones from England. But, of course, she wants better. She wants our new phones.

*Quite the little dancer!! Any time music is playing she bounces up and down. It is really cute. We took her to a baseball game and during innings when they would play the jam music she would let loose

*Knows where her belly button is. When we ask "where is elsa's belly button?" she will lift her dress and point. she will even lift our shirts and point out ours.

I want to thank everyone for their prayers over the past couple of weeks. As some of you know, but many don't, we miscarried again. I was 10 weeks along and pregnant with identical twins. It has been a tough past couple of weeks. But, since we have been blessed with Elsa, it has been easier in some ways than the first miscarriage. We have been smothering her daily with kisses and hugs and trust in God's plan regarding our family's future.

One Year Old

**i had this mostly written before we left England, but am finally getting around to posting it. I am sure you were thinking we dropped of f the face of the Earth. Sorry for the absence.

The past few weeks have been a time of reflection for me. I have changed more as a person in the past year than I did in the previous 34. I thought I had everything all figured out...LOL. We weren't prepared for the impact she would have on our lives despite years of planning, praying, and hoping God would bless us with a baby. She has taught me more this past year than I have taught her. She has taught me to be less selfish, to be more patient, and how to let things go. I have a new passion for a more simplistic and natural lifestyle. She has fulfilled my true purpose in life...motherhood. Prior to Elsa, I was focused on my career. I used to allow my titles of Major, Doctor, and Surgeon to define me. I now realize how silly that was. Mom and wife are the titles God intended for me. Lets face it, there is no where I would rather be here on Earth than with my daughter and husband. I am more in love with my husband than ever before and we maintain our marriage as a priority. I have refocused my life, our life, on what is most important...trying to live out God's word in this fallen world. It can be overwhelming to think of all the challenges and temptations she will be confronted with. I hope Elsa will one day know our God and stay true to herself and her upbringing.

I love to ponder what Elsa will be in the future....

A Thinker???

A Talker???

Life of the party??

Here are some pics from our last few days in England. She LOVED feeding the ducks in a nearby village of Bury St. Edmunds.

Getting creative in entertainment. We have minimal furniture. Elsa loved crawling on the rolling duffel bag, so we took her for a spin around the house.
Having fun at the playground!!

And....her ONE YEAR Doctor visit with our friend Dr. Leigh!!

22 pounds 9 oz (75%)

30.5 inches tall (95%)

head: 48 (100%)--she's really smart :)

Elsa's First Birthday!!

This is way belated, but I am finally getting around to this post. I know I have said this before, but time is moving way too fast. I wish I could freeze time. But, then i would never know the joy of the future.

We held her party the week before the movers came. We hired Natalie to do photos during the event and hired a cake done....somethings i will do by myself in the future, but made my life so easy given the circumstances. It was more adult than kid. Had no theme (seriously, for a one year old...LOL). But, was fun none the less. Thank goodness for the Wii because we have absolutely NO kid-over-one-year-toys.

We attempted a mini photo shoot outside, but it was so windy. Elsa's hair was standing straight up!

Some of the kids playing the Wii

It was so funny to see how excited the other kids were about Elsa "smashing" the cake.

Cole giving Elsa some pointers

May 30th is a popular date for birthdays. Here is Ethan blowing out a candle. Our friends Katrina and Mark also have birthdays on this date as well.

The ladies man (cole) playing with Elsa and Savannah

A few of the ladies (Linda, Liz, Elsa, me, and Katrina)

Elsa was a little shy opening gifts...she didn't really open any by herself, but she loved the pink bow

Notice the new outfit. She had a record 3 baths this day.

Rest in Peace Grandma

This is old news to many, but still fresh in my heart. It is one of a million reasons why it is so hard living away. My Beloved Grandma passed away suddenly on May 20th at the age of 87. I have so many memories of her growing up and will miss her terribly! Her birthday is the day after mine and some of the best memories involve celebrating our birthdays together every year. Even if there was distance between us, we always talked and celebrated over the phone. Here are some pics from many years past.

I had to quickly rummage through our photos before the movers came, but also came across this one of us and her late husband, my grandfather, Jack.

I will miss the sleep-overs. My cousin, Kylie, and I would visit for either a weekend or for a full week each year growing up. We would give each other makeovers--grandma included (where I first discovered the combo hairdryer/curling iron), climb trees, walk or bike up to the 5 and dime or grocery store, bake cookies....what memories. I heart her "eccentric" tastes whether it be her plug in fireplace that made some sound that was supposed to resemble the sound of a fire but fell miserably short, the ceramic goose that stood guard on her front stoop adorned with the appropriate seasonal attire, among many others. Love you Grandma!!

Here is the text from her obituary in the Mankato Free Press

Velma Rogers

MADELIA — Velma L. (Feder) Rogers, age 87, of Madelia, MN died on Thursday, May 20th, 2010 at the Madelia Community Hospital.

Visitation will be held on Sunday from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Pilgrim Funeral Home in Madelia and will continue on Monday for one hour prior to the time of the service at the church. Funeral services will be held Monday, May 24, 2010, at 1 p.m. at the Church of Christ in Madelia with the Rev. Allen Burnham officiating. Casket bearers will be children Shari Roemhildt, Bill Feder, Terry Feder, and grandchildren Nathanial Feder, Jon Roemhildt and Scott Roemhildt. Burial will be in Riverside Cemetery, Madelia. Arrangements are with the Pilgrim Funeral Home in Madelia.

Velma L. Cunningham was born Dec. 28, 1922, to George & Octa (Butcher) Cunningham in Letcher, SD. She was the fourth of five children. The family moved from Artesian, S.D., to rural Madelia in 1934, and Velma (Cunningham) graduated from Madelia High School in 1940. In 1941, she married William Feder and they had four children. She helped run a television store and operated Feder’s Mobile Village mobile home park in Madelia. She also worked many years for LaSalle Farmers Grain fertilizer plant. In 1988, Velma married Ken “Jack” Rogers and they were together until his death in 1994.

Her children include Shari Roemhildt (Errol) of Owatonna, Bill Feder (Judy) of Mankato, Terry Feder (Linda) of Struble, IA and Larry Feder (Lynda). Larry is now in Heaven. She also has five stepchildren, Ramona Bjork (Delano) of Embarrass, MN, Beverley Murphy (Richard) of Kissimmee, FL, Laura O’Hara (Michael) of Pleasant Hill, CA, Susan Rogers (Anne) of Golden Valley and Cynthia Barton of Roanoke, TX. She has 11 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren and sister, Jeanne Brown of St. James. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Jack, son Larry, brothers Robert and J.T. Cunningham, sister Minnie Sprague, their spouses and many other relatives.

The Simple Life

Two words for you....roughin' it. Our HHG (House Hold Goods) were packed Wednesday through Friday, crated and sealed, and are en route to CA. It feels good to have it done. Like this move is really happening. We are down the the bare essentials. Living on "stick" furniture. Sleeping on a not so comfortable mattress. Finding new ways to entertain ourselves. Getting creative cooking with less than adequate supplies and trying to deplete our remaining food. Here are some pics of the great pack out.

The week preceeding the move, I put signs up on cabinets, closet doors, etc and relocated all supplies and items we would need for the next 2 months in these areas so the movers would not pack them in this shipment.

Bye Bye Bedroom

Bye Bye Dining Room

Bye bye living room

Elsa showing one of many inventory stickers placed on our things. We spent a better part of the day replacing stickers that she tore off (why is it they are drawn to things off limits)

Elsa did quite well during all the chaos. She had fun playing peek-a-boo with our two packers and loved crawling among the boxes.

Day one's shipment

Day two shipment. In all we filled 8 crates.

This is out of order, but quite funny. A few days before the movers, Aaron went out golfing. So, it was just me and bean at home. I shut our bedroom door so I could hop into the shower. I think I was in there for 5 minutes max and I came out and this was the scene. I should mention there were no clothes on the floor....

She emptied the laundry basket, the under bed tub full of clothes, pulled clothes out of the dresser drawers, and pulled the comforter off. Hurricaine Elsa....Category 5.

So, when I title this post "The Simple Life" it is definitely that. Here is our loaner furniture for the living room.

I don't have a pic of our bed, but here is Elsa's high chair...I think you can imagine. Think institional, metal frame...

Our next shipment will be packed in three weeks and will take one month for that to arrive. Unlike this shipment which is via cargo ship, that one will be via military aircraft. There are pretty strict weight restrictions, so it is only supposed to be items that you need within 30 days.

Springtime in Suffolk, England

Now that our time here in England is short, I thought it would be a good idea to drive around the countryside and take a few scenic pictures to help remind us about the subtle beauty that can be found all around England. Elsa and I set off and drove all around Suffolk one afternoon and while Elsa decided to take a two hour nap, Dad took the camera and snapped a few memorable photos.

This picture was taken just outside the village of Gazeley on a typical English road that most locals simply refer to as "B Roads". They are small roads that can seem pretty tight when you come upon a car travelling in the opposite direction. Every once in awhile you come across a lorrie (semi-truck) and the driving experience turns into a nerve racking moment behind the wheel. And, the national speed limit on these roads are 60 mph!!! Most of the time there is not room for two cars!

This photo was from Icklingham...I still get a kick out of the red phone booths after being here for three years. I've never seen anyone using these phone booths, but I think they are a neat part of England.

This next photo is also from the village of Icklingham. Every village seems to have it's own church and while most are not in use, the local Brits are good enough to take care of them as a centerpiece of the town.

This is a shot from Mildenhall where Courtney and I fist lived when we moved to England. I just liked the view!

More scenery...there were small creeks with flowers blooming everywhere the day Elsa and I took our drive. The flowers come and go pretty quickly.

So, one of the things Courtney and I enjoy about springtime in England is all of the baby lambs running around the pastures. It is a for sure sign that spring is near. Here is a typical setting just outside the village of Moulton.

One thing I have noticed during our time here in England is that many English people take great care of their old and stylish homes. These thatched roof homes are a great example of that point. Neat looking roofs and a great way for a house fire to quickly get out of control!!!

A nice and brightly colored home in the village of Dalham next to the creek with the springtime flowers in full bloom!

One last thing I could resist taking a picture of was a typical hog field in England. Most hogs in England have more elbow room than your typical Brit living in a larger town or major metropolitan area!!! While the accomodations aren't exactly high class, the open views and spacious living area is tough to beat in England!

Thats about all for now. We hope to post photos of Elsa's first birthday party soon and I will also try to post a few pictures from my golfing trip to St. Andrews, Scotland.