Nesting and Decorating

Thanks to a patient and loving husband, today we finished my nesting/decorating projects. I don't know if it is because I'm not working and around the house more, but the nesting urge was sure a lot stronger this time around. It started about a month ago when Steve came home to find me on my hands and knees scrubbing our tile and grout--I then wrangled him in to helping finish the kitchen, the largest tiled area in our house, but hey I did two bathrooms and an entry way all by myself 7.5 months pregnant that counts for something right. The following Saturday we had the carpets cleaned and then I made him climb into the attic 2 or 3 times to get down baby stuff so I could wash it and organize.

At Christmas we had my family help us move the weight machine out of the guest bedroom and refinish a toddler bed Carole gave us and move it in with the guest bed. Then I decided to begin decorating the nursery and Ellie's room. I've always had ideas of what I wanted to do and had been purchasing things here and there, but never really finalized anything so with Ellie settled into her new room and the baby coming I was determined to complete the decorating. Today we hung the last items. Below are pictures of the nursery and Ellie's room.










I need to thank my friend Lori for letting us use her tools to complete some of the projects and for helping me with the lettering--THANKS!

Now let's play a game, one of these is not like the other. I bought these animals, but needed one more to complete my decorating so I drew a pattern, Steve cut it and I painted it. Can you guess which one? I'll give you a hint: it's green. Not bad, eh?


Ellie's Room:

She picked the color of the bed and loves her polka-dot sheets and Strawberry Shortcake pillowcase. (P.S. Steve taught me how to stitch these photos together in Photoshop. Click on them to enlarge--they look better bigger. Pretty cool!)

Independent Stool

Ellie realized a few weeks ago the stool that came with the art station Santa Claus brought is very portable and makes her tall enough to reach things or climb things. Steve and I have nicked-named it the "Independent Stool" and now we have to pay a little closer attention to what we leave around on the counters and within her+stool's reach (I don't think Santa Claus knew about this added feature).

Family Picture w/8 Weeks Left

I thought we should take a few pictures of me pregnant with our second girl. Do you have any idea how hard it is to coordinate a 2 year old and a dog? Not much more to say, but enjoy the picture.

Tucson Spring Gardening

For those of you who live in a colder climate, I hope this post does not upset you, but maybe encourage you to come and visit. :) We have had a pretty mild winter with next week's forecast in the lower 80s and when we went to Costco yesterday they had this beautiful lemon tree on sale. We have been needing to plant a new tree since we lost the peach tree last year, but never really got around to it so we decided now is the time. We planted the lemon tree and cut-back our bushes getting ready for spring growth. I even got so into the gardening mood that I determined in a couple of weeks I may plant some vegetables and fruit. Here are a couple of pictures of my gardening team.

Valentine's Day

Thanks to my parents always celebrating Valentine's Day as a family event, I have grown up thinking of Valentine's Day more as a day to show love for all of those around us rather than a romantic holiday (don't think Steve is completely off the hook-I still like flowers and chocolates). With this in mind we started a new family tradition this year--fondue! I thought it would be a fun and flirty dinner/dessert and yet family friendly. Note, I have never had fondue myself and here I was going to attempt to make it. Well I did some research and determined to combine a couple of recipes I found for a cheese fondue. We had cubed ham steak, asparagus, potatoes, cauliflower, and french bread for dipping and it was delicious! So good we had to take it over to the neighbors and let them try it and they raved about it and almost licked the bowl clean. We then had a chocolate fondue with bananas, strawberries, and angel food cake for dessert. YUM! YUM!

Ellie Growing

You can probably tell by the pictures being posted that Ellie is growing so fast. I keep squeezing her tight and telling her that she needs to stop growing so fast, but she then resoundly replies, "I'm going to be a big sister and I need to grow big." What can you say to that. :)

Tucson Snow

So believe it or not Tucson is home to the most southern ski resort in the Northern Hemisphere. I have been wanting to take Ellie up Mount Lemon to play in the snow, but with the 80 degree weather we have been having there hasn't really been an opportunity. Well today's weather provided an almost snow like experience with a hailstorm which Ellie thought was snow when she saw it all over the grass outside. So we bundled her up in our Tucson Winter clothes and let her go outside to play in the "snow". She loved it and didn't want to come in an hour later to take a bath. I think Ellie has seen more snow here in Tucson than at Grandpa and Mimi's in Idaho. And who says Tucson doesn't have seasons?



























January 2007 we received over 2 inches of snow at our house. This was Ellie's first encounter with snow. I love that the snowman has oranges off of our tree for his buttons and is scratching his head like what is happening here. And look at the cactus in the background with the snow on top. CRAZY!

Ellie's Park and Rec Classes

Since I have been staying home with Ellie we have been taking classes through the local Park and Recreation Program with our friends. We took a Tumble class in the fall that all the kids loved because they got to run around and climb and Ellie learned to do somersaults and to jump like a frog. Starting a couple of weeks ago we started and Art class. The first week they beaded necklaces and snakes. This week they painted--and it was a hit. To quote my friend Lori, "Ellie painting...WOW does that girl know how to paint. She doesn't leave one inch of the paper white. Got to love it!!!" It's true she knows how to make good use of her resources. :)
She started off using her fingers which was fun, but then when the other kids got paint brushes she needed one too.

One of the final masterpieces:

 .

Ellie's friends Ben and Megan.

Pizza Making

Ellie always loves to help me make cookies. She cracks the eggs and stirs for a little while and then becomes distracted with the task of eating the dough. After we made cookies this afternoon for 'Family Movie Night' I started rolling out dough for pizza and she wanted to make her own so I gave her a piece of dough and she rolled it with her little rolling pin and then folded it like Mommy to put it on the pan (she had her own pan) and then we began adding toppings. It started out beautifully a little sauce, three pepperonis perfectly placed and some cheese--I thought she was a pro. Then the craze began more of everything and before I knew it her pizza was more of a tower of cheese and toppings. It all melted and cooked pretty evenly and she ate most of it. Here is my little chef and her creation. :)

Happy New Year!

As many of you may know, Britney is not a late night person so we tend to celebrate New Year's on January 1st. We have started a tradition of making Aebleskivers (a Danish pancake in the shape of a sphere. They are cooked in a special cast iron pan as pictured below). Steve's family has been making them for years and his sister Debbie gave us a pan when we got married so we enjoy them from time-to-time, but are certain to make them on New Year's Day. They are usually cooked and then coated with powdered sugar and then you can spread jam or honeybutter in the middle--delicious! This year I made a few with sweetened cinamon apples cooked into the center--also delicious (they tasted like a mini apple pie)! Ellie wanted to have a picnic so we made a transportable lunch and enjoyed the lovely wheather in our backyard. We wish you all the best this 2009!

Christmas 2008

When we returned from our anniversary trip our Christmas visitors had already arrived. Mimi was happy to see Grandpa after spending a week apart and Ellie was excited to have Jakey here for Christmas (although, thanks to Mimi, Ellie began calling him by his biblical name Jacob which was very frustrating for Uncle Jakey). The weary travelers had driven all Friday night to arrive early Saturday morning and Ellie did not understand why they were too tired to play with her. After they rested we had a wonderful week with them and were sad and a little bored when they left. Below are a few highlights from our Christmas.


Ellie telling Santa Claus that she wants him to bring her "presents". After we left she didn't understand why she didn't get her presents. We had to explain that Santa delivers all of his toys on Christmas Eve. She had fun visiting his workshop in the mall and was very patient in waiting for her "presents" to arrive.



Left: Ellie enjoying her present from Santa Claus. Once she found the markers in her stocking she began drawing and had to be talked into opening more presents, which seemed to be the trend for the whole morning--each present brought 20 minutes of entertainment before she could be coaxed into opening the next present.
Right: Jakey searching for his present, an 8GB micro SD card among all the packing peanuts.


Ellie feeding Sushi her new pet goldfish from Uncle Jakey. (P.S. We had to upgrade to a Beta Goldfish named Sushi II when Sushi didn't wake up New Year's Eve. They say beta goldfish are more resilient--I guess we'll find out.)

Side Notes: We enjoyed reading a story about Jesus every day and then Ellie would move Mary & Joseph closer to the manager on our advent calendar. The second day she was a little discouraged by the distance that Mary & Joseph had to cover and she said, "Mom they needed a car not a donkey."

One of the stories we talked about was when Jesus was on the cross and he asked John to look after his mother, Mary. Ellie asked where was Joseph? Good question. After a little research we discovered that nobody really knows but it is thought that he had passed away years earlier.

Happy 5 Year Anniversary!

With the 5 Year milestone drawing near and Britney finally starting to feel better we decided to plan a trip for the two of us to Orlando. Mimi was nice enough to come and babysit for us (and even begin the potty training process for us--maybe we'll have to make this a tradition every time one of our children needs to be potty trained :) ). Our trip was wonderful! We spent a day at the Kennedy Space Station on Cape Canveral, a day at Disney's Epcot Center, we shopped around Downtown Disney, went to the Orlando Temple, and spent a day relaxing by the pool. We missed Ellie, but it was nice to be able to sleep in and not have to worry about what to make for breakfast as our hotel had a hot breakfast buffet every morning. Here's to another 5 and another 5 and another 5 . . . .!!!




































Above: Steve in front of a Transformer built entirely out of Legos at Downtown Disney.

2008 Season's Greetings!

Dearest Friends, We hope this season finds you well. It has been a wonderful year for us full of adventures and blessings. We are still here in Tucson and enjoying the lovely weather this time of year. Steve is making progress on his research at the University and we hope to graduate by the end of next summer (keep us in your prayers because there is a lot to do between now and then--like write a dissertation). In Steve's spare time (which he doesn't have much of thanks to the research, Church callings, and the honey-do list which was fairly lengthy the last few months) he likes to work on the Datsun Roadster. He recently got the rebuilt engine in and is waiting to purchase a new battery before he starts it up. Ellie loves to spend time with Dad in the garage. One Saturday as Steve was getting dressed Ellie asked, "Dad are you going to work?" His reply was, "No I don't have to work on Saturday." "Are you going to scouts?" "No I don't have any scouts today." With excitement in her voice, "Dad are you going to the garage? Can I come?" Steve generously shares his screwdrivers and wrenches with her and he has to ask if needs to use one of them and you had better believe she knows how many of each and what color and size they all are.

As for me, I took a leave of absence from work starting the beginning of August to be home with Ellie. I love being here with Ellie and finding fun projects for us to do: we took a Tumbling class through the Parks & Rec program, we love story-time at the library, lunch-bunch where we share food and recipes with friends, and taking care of Daddy. A few days after my departure I found out I was pregnant and became quite ill with baby#2 (hence the long honey-do list for Steve). The baby is due April 18 so after the holidays I believe my life will be filled with preparation for another young one. As for the gender of the baby, Ellie was certain of a little brother. No matter how you phrased the question she would say boy or little brother. At our last ultrasound the doctor says she is 90% sure it is a girl which we are all excited about. I told Ellie that her and her little sister could play dolls together and she thought that would be "neat". I asked her what we should call the new baby girl and she said "Little Brother". I guess some answers never change. :)

We feel so blessed to have so many wonderful friends and send you the warmest wishes for a Merry Christmas!

Love,
Steve, Britney, & Ellie Moore

Thanksgiving 2008

We were fortunate enough to spend Thanksgiving in Idaho with the Buckley clan. The week was fun and went by quickly.














Jake and Ellie playing Hide-and-Seek. They also enjoyed dancing together.  It's not hard to see why those two are best buds.


Ellie enjoying a stack of "delicious" pancakes made by Grandpa. She ate 6!  Then helping Mommy open her Christmas present.

















Ellie enjoying Scooby-Doo movies from Nessa and Nate and then giving kisses for her presents.
It really was a wonderful week. As seen above we did our gift giving with the whole family there (except Nessa and Jake who have to wait until Christmas). Thank you to Nessa and Nate for our wonderful gifts--we'll let you know what we buy in Florida with the loot. We gave Grandpa a universal remote for the HD TV and DVD player system downstairs. Steve made sure everything was wired correctly and then programmed the remote so with the push of one button you can choose whether you want to watch TV, DVD, HD DVD, etc. Steve also fixed my Mom's digital picture frame (a gift from last year which was still under warranty). It is so nice to have such a handy man around--I LOVE HIM!

Run, Datsun Run!!!!

The old...                                                           The New...

                                            In car

After a long and difficult (and expensive, says Britney) journey the rebuilt 2000 engine is now in the Datsun with the new 75 amp alternator, aluminum radiator and electric fan. Still to be replaced is that crappy battery (note the charging connectors) and the exhaust system. I will try and start it up in the next few days. I'll let you know what happens.

Happy Birthday Steve!

Today Steve is, as the Primary song says, 'one year older and wiser too'. I asked if he felt any older or wiser and he said, "lets wait to see if that happens when I graduate". As for the festivities, I got up early with Ellie so he could sleep in. When Steve got up Ellie was so excited to say Happy Birthday Daddy! She then said, "you get presents and cupcakes today". Of course that is all a birthday is to her right now. We fixed him a special breakfast of eggs benedict and a yummy lunch. We relaxed, played games, and decided to go out to dinner at On the Border--yummy Mexican food. I would like to say that we sang Happy Birthday and cut into the cake, but to be honest we started eating the cake last night. Steve loves Miami Beach Birthday Cake which is a tradition in his family and since I haven't been able to make it for him for a couple of years (we have been out of town on his birthday and have celebrated by getting a piece of cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory) we decided to start eating the cake early. Well Steve Happy Birthday! I hope this year is full of fun new adventures for you!

Ellie Trick-or-Treating

Hurray, she wore her costume. She started crying again and we were trying everything to distract her and finally the chance to give Zoe some milk and take a picture with Zoe was all she needed to stay in costume. Isn't she the cutest 'Abby Cadabby' fairy you have ever seen?












A picture with Zoe that stopped the crying. Ellie and all the other trick-or-treaters. She usually hung at the back until everyone else was done and then she would go get her candy. 

Daddy helping Ellie the 'fairy' to fly. One of the first houses we went to. Look at her face, "Dad is this okay?".

Below: Ellie and the loot.

We went to "Trunk or Treat" at the church for a little while. Ellie had fun playing the games they had. She went fishing, threw frogs onto lily pads, bowling, etc. We didn't stay for the actually candy part because we all got tired and she had plenty of candy. When we got home we went over to our neighbors, Tank and Debbie, they had little jars of playdough and they let her pick out three colors. I think it was her favorite 'treat' of the night just look at the picture.

Ellie Writing Her Name

Ellie has been trying to write her name the last couple of days. It usually looks like that big one on the right where the capital 'E' has several extra lines (she says its her E and it can have lots of lines), but today she did a small one that looked pretty good so I had to take a picture. You have to look close to distinguish the 'i' from the 'l's because it is as big but there is a dot on top.

Ellie's First Halloween Party

Well some friends from work had twins a month after Ellie was born and they have an annual Halloween party, but we have been out of town on Halloween since Ellie was born due to engineering conferences Steve attends so this is the first year Ellie is really getting to experience Halloween. We talked about what she wanted to be for Halloween and it was decided she would be Abby Cadabby so we went to the store (because Mom had a coupon) and she picked out her costume. She was so excited she carried it all the way home. When we got home we took it out of the packaging and hung it up where she would see it every day and we talked about it all the time. Well when we went to put it on--she had a serious melt down so as you can see from the picture no dress and wings just the hair and wand was all she wore of the costume. Hopefully by Friday I can convince her to wear the whole costume.

Magical Nose

A few weeks ago Steve was playing with Ellie and stole her nose (you know the game where you pretend your thumb is the nose of the other person). Ellie didn't think it was funny and almost started crying until Steve returned her nose. Then Ellie discovered she could steal Daddy's nose and then the game became hysterical. Well last night the game got more creative. Steve got Ellie out of the bath tub and was putting her diaper on when she reached up and stole his nose. She then pretended to shove it into her mouth and start chewing. Of course Steve was loving it and acted like he had lost his nose and began pumping her chest so he could get his nose back. Ellie then reached into her mouth and pulled out "a piece of Daddy's nose". It took several pieces from her mouth to complete Steve's nose. After Steve's nose was put back together Ellie then started pointing into the air saying "my nose, it's gone". I guess it somehow floated off of her face. Steve began grabbing at the air to retrieve her nose but it had just moved according to Ellie. Finally Steve snagged it before it reached the ceiling and returned it to its proper place. What an imagination!

Ellie and the Pumpkin Patch

Well we went to a Pumpkin Farm today to pick our own pumpkins. Ellie fell asleep on the way there (since it was about a 50 minute drive) so she was a little shy around the animals, but after the nachos she warmed up and enjoyed the rest of the activities. We all had fun and look forward to the pumpkin coloring tomorrow.

Side Note: Now every time Ellie sees a pumpkin she says, "Look Mom a pumpkin patch".

Ellie Spelling