Winter Walkabout

So we have officially gotten more snow in the last few week than we did all last winter. I have to say we love it! If it's going to be cold there should at least be snow. We have a hard time finding time to get outside as a family, our days are pretty busy, but we wanted to start the New Year out right. We went on a hike with The Hones and had a blast. They have their fancy stroller/sled/trailer that Jades and Ellie rode in, and they were adorable. It was so nice to get out of the house and enjoy the snow.

We saw a Bald Eagle!

It was a good way to start the New Year especially since the Medley clan is participating in "losers for life". Our own biggest loser or get more exercise challenge. This is super helpful for me since one of the things on my 2013 list is to run a half marathon in April. I usually go running outside, but with the below 20 degree temperature I broke down and got a gym pass. I hate the treadmill, but I have to get my miles in somehow.

In other news Jared got a new job! He applied, interviewed, and was offered the job all in one day! Its with a company called Forever Green. They are a health food/supplement company. He will be doing all the design for the company....and in his own office ;)

Ellie is going to start walking any day. She stands without holding onto anything all the time. She has taken A step a few times, and Jared saw her go from sitting to standing this morning! She is growing so fast. She has two teeth, loves finger food and just started clapping. She enjoys pulling all the dvd's off the shelf, books out of the bookcase and ziploc bags out of the draws. Lets just saw she keeps my days busy and exciting. Love her more than words.

Splashing in the tub

Terrorizing Rosie. Rosie is such a good sport 

Standing- Holy cow!

Loves Cheese...

...and her foot

Christmas 2012

We had a wonderful Christmas. It was so nice to be able to stay at home and celebrate as a little family. We definitely had fun shopping for Ellie this year. I can see now how parents tend to get carried away with Christmas gifts, I begin to think she need everything. This year we stuck to the rule of:

One thing you want.

One thing you need.

One thing to wear. 

One thing to read.

It actually made it a little easier to buy things for Jared. Jared really surprised me this year. We finally got a print of the Sacramento Temple for our living room, cast iron skillets (yes plural, he got me two!) TOMS and some dishes and glasses from World Market. He did GOOD! I got him mostly clothes, but thats what he needed :)

It was so fun to spend time together as a family this year. Even though Ellie is too young to really understand what is going on, we were excited to just have her smiling face around. 

I was so grateful to be able to be surrounded by so many wonderful family members and friends this holiday. It made me think that even though there is a lot of bad things that happen in this world there IS JOY, BEAUTY, LOVE, & HAPPINESS. It may be harder to see but it is there, I believe it. 

Loved our card tree!

 Our tree was PERFECT. So glad we decided to put it up high, Ellie would have had a hay day with the ornaments.

This is nothing compared to the amount of snow we actually got. More snow than all of last winter.

Family Pictures

Being married to a photographer I often get jealous of all the cute family photos I see of other people's families. I want family pictures too! It hard to find the time and someone to take them for us, but we finally found the time. We did a double photo shoot with one of Jared's friends Devin Ashby and his wife. I figured now that our family is growing we should send out some Christmas cards. So happy we are able to capture this time in our lives and Ellie at this stage. She grows so fast, I blows my mind!

Ellie- 9 Months

Ellie is 9 months old today. The time has been flying by, she doesn't feel like a baby anymore. She is VERY independent and VERY mobile. She crawls everywhere and walks along the furniture. I have caught her standing alone 3 times now. She hasn't figured out the next step. I definitely think she will be walking by her first birthday. She keeps her self really entertained, exploring the living room, her toy box and terrorizing Rosie. Rosie is such a good sport, she lets Ellie crawl all over her and pull her hair. She now has two lower teeth. They are not quite all the way out but have broken through the skin most of the way. Teething hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be. She hasn't woken up in the middle of the night or anything. 

This is kind of the way I think of being a mom, it's not as hard as I thought it would be. Don't get me wrong, I have my bad days, but we are just cruising along doing our thing. Maybe it doesn't seem so bad because I just go along with Ellie's schedule. I have accepted that I can go on a run between 8-10, that way I can get Ellie home for her morning nap. I shower between 10-12 while she is asleep. I run errands between 12-2 to avoid meltdowns and get her home in time for an afternoon nap. That's my routine and I'm used to it. I also think I have been blessed with a really good baby (so far). I have realized I am okay with just letting her explore, I really let her do her thing as long as it is safe. I have realized that she is going to fall down and smash her fingers. As long as she isn't crying and bleeding and don't really freak out. There are going to be bumps and bruises and that's okay, she is a baby. 

Jared and I have loved watching her personality emerge! She is so funny! She is friendly, not timid, curious, lively, and AMAZING in ever way. 

We love you Ellie Belly.

Thanksgiving

 We all collaborated this year to put together a wonderful Thanksgiving. Katie hosted since she has the biggest table, although we all didn't sit there at one time. It would have been a miracle to get all 10 adults sitting at once when there are 6 babies among us. I tackled the turkey, wasn't as hard I thought it might be, and it came out really good. We had wonderful food, served hot!, Mario Kart and active babies. So thankful for our wonderful family that we have the blessing of living so close to. The holidays are always a good time to reflect on what we are thankful for. I am so thankful for my amazing family, I couldn't ask for a better husband and a more beautiful baby. Ellie is such a good baby, mothering her is easy (so far). I am grateful for my family. I am grateful for my friends, and the friendships I have made with people in Utah. I am grateful for the blessing the gospel is in my life, for the knowledge it gives me, and for perspective it gives me in my life.