This Isn't Fair

I know, it's not fair to post something that is this stinkin' cute! Sorry.

Ellie's First Pull Up

Ellie's getting stronger! This is her first pull up. It won't be long before she's starting on CrossFit workouts.

Photo Montage 11-13-08

This is just a collection of some recent photos, enjoy!

Little Bo Peep?

"You better not put this on the blog!"

Oui, oui or wee wee?

'Sup?

Yes mommy and daddy, of course I will obey!

Awe!

Ellie's Indian War Chant

Steve's Job Transition, God Style

I couldn't help but include this picture of Ellie. This is the outfit she wore to Watermarke Church on Sunday. The staff put together a reception for me and Sabina between the services since it was my last day (click here for some history on my transition) and invited the whole church. There were two of the largest cakes I'd ever seen. One of them said, "Don't let the door hit you in the ..". Just kidding. The staff also gave me a very cool desk clock with an engraving that said "With Appreciation Watermarke Church".

Then God showed up in my job transition in a big way. He took a Lead Pastor transition process at Watermarke Church that went 3 months longer than planned and a North Point Ministries hiring process which normally takes a year and a half (just kidding) and brought them together within one day. Literally, Sunday was my last day on staff at Watermarke, and I received a job offer from Buckhead Church Monday evening! Wow!

The position I'll be in is the building engineer for Buckhead Church. Essentially, I'll be responsible for the IT network, phone system, security system, HVAC, electrical, and mechanical systems in the building. They are all computerized so my IT background was what they were looking for in this role. I start on the 23rd!

Saweet! Thank you God for providing!

Ok, Crawling For Real

This totally counts!

Ellie - FSU vs. GT

Ok, clearly this is before Ellie found out the final score. Once I told her that FSU lost, she ran into her room, slammed the door, and cried for 2 hours straight. Poor thing.

Pre-game

Ellie was pretty excited about the FSU/Georgia Tech game this past weekend. Here she is getting ready for the game.

Musical Talent?

Ellie started playing her first musical instrument. What talent!



Okay, for those of you thinking "that doorstop looks sharp, should she be playing with that?" NO, she should not! But being a first-time mom, my first thought was, "oh, how cute! She's having so much fun!" Then I thought, "Oh no, the little white cap came off - that looks like a choking hazard!" So I took it away. Then I thought, "Hmm, the end of the coil looks sharp, maybe she shouldn't be playing with that... probably why there was a cover on it..." Then I thought, "Okay, I guess I should take her away from the doorstop. But wait, I first have to get a video of it because she looks so cute."

Ellie's First Crawl!

We think this was far enough to count. Our friends Ken and Cheryl were visiting from Denver and Ken was actually the one to catch it on video. Nice job Ken!

After Every Bite?

Ok, does Ellie really make yummy noises after every bite no matter what the food. Well, watch this video with banana.

Haven't Decided Who To Vote For?

We asked Ellie to comment on the upcoming election and share her views on each of the candidates:

Ellie Meets Oatmeal

Ellie loves to make yum sounds after each bite and then chase it with her thumb.

Ellie's First Time Eating "Solids"

This was the first time Ellie tried "solid" food. It was brown rice that we pureed. Watch closely to see if you can tell if she liked it or not.

Video Fix

Here's Eliana waking up from a nap in her new world without a swaddle or pacifier. Ah, freedom....

And The Spelling Is.....

Ellie

Thanks so much for all of you who piped in with a comment.

This is a picture of Ellie loving to be outside on the nature trail. She loves looking at the trees and always has a story to tell while we're out there.

Lizzard Tongue

This is a crazy cute video that Sabina shot with her phone. What's with the tongue?!?!?!? Oh, and check out the bald spot on the back of her head. That's where we shaved her head for the gang she joined. Just kidding, a lot of time lying on her back makes it hard for hair to grow there. I'm sure she'll love it when we share this video at her wedding rehearsal dinner. :-)

Enjoy.

Rollover - Video

Yes, we could have easily staged the rollover sequence of pictures in the earlier post. So, here's video of her rolling over. No strings, lasers, or magnetic fields were used to accomplish the rollover. Also, no animals were harmed in the filming of this video.

My Favorite Tool

No, it's not a hammer or a chainsaw as fun as those are to use. The last couple of months I've been using reQall and it is soooo cool!

Basically, I just press and hold the number 9 on my cell phone (that's where I have reQall set as speed-dial) and I speak any new task, appointment or note into the phone. Moments later I receive an email with that message in text form and the audio recording attached. If it's a new appointment, I'm configured to receive a text message 30 minutes before the appointment as a reminder.

Now I don't need to worry about having my calendar or a pen and paper nearby. All I need is my phone to record a new task, appointment or note. reQall rocks, you should try it!

http://www.reqall.com/

Eli, Elli or Ellie?

Ok, Sabina and I were talking about changing the spelling of Eliana's nickname to Elli or Ellie instead of Eli. This is mainly because Eli is most commonly pronounced ee-lie as in Eli Manning.

So, whaddya think? Should we change it to Elli or Ellie? Please post comments to help us out.

Here's what Eliana looks like, to help you out. (Just an excuse to put yet another picture of Eliana on our blog) This was in her blowing bubbles phase.