Bonjour!

Since Kacy announced it already, I get to talk about it now! Kacy, the little adventuress she is, took a job in Paris, France as an au pair for 9 months starting in September. I am SO excited for her because she will love and grow from the experience. I am SO excited for me because Mr Thomas, baby & I are going to go visit her! We haven't bought plan tickets or anything yet but planning is in process and we want to go next March or April so its a while off still (need time to save you know?). I've wanted to go to Paris almost my whole 20's (while I've been in my 20's) but it just seemed like a dream because we had no real reason to go. Now we have a reason, visit Kacy. Plus we'll have a free place to stay because she has an entire suite to herself! Anyway, thats that for now.

Here is another blog site I stumbled across the other day full of great DIY home projects, Starter Home to Dream Home. I like her kitchen redo too.

I like this blog too, Thrifty Decor Chick. I want to redo my staircase like hers.

i want this kitchen

I stumbled upon this great site the other day, Censational Girl. I love her taste. I am always trying to find my decorating style so my house remains a bit drab. I love french, farmhouse, a little country, a little traditional & a smidge glam. I am NOT into modern/contemporary (eew, no offense to those who do, for ex. my hubby who is so sweet and lets me just do my thing with the house, which isn't much).



Eliza's room is my favorite room in the house, sums up my style but it's still in the accessorizing phase. I am into neutrals and soft colors more than bolds and that is why I love her website. There are a lot of little gems here and great DIY ideas for your home. I love that garden window, NEED ONE (maybe after my sister & I get onto Amazing Race & win, haha)!

nicknames

Eliza-bear, E-bear, E
This is her VERY ADORABLE bear outfit, fitting for her nicknames. Not to sound cheesy but her smile just lights up my life! Its infectious!

Here are some pictures that daddy took when left to his own devices (I was sleeping). Colin picked out her outfit for the day and even attempted to put a matching red bow in her hair but it wouldn't stay. He is such a cute daddy and ADORES his baby. I would like to know what his thought process was here. Unsteady basket on table with a baby who can't sit up yet. Lol!

Ouch!

As I was holding Eliza in my lap at the computer desk her little bobble head bobbled its way against the desk. Bump! Ouch! Silence for a moment as she realized that she just hit her head and that it really hurt and then the flood works! And I am not talking about just Eliza, mommy cried too. Seeing her get an ouchy and be in pain hurt me too. And as I cried while comforting my crying baby I realized in that moment that I have become a mother.

While comforting my baby I flashed forward to all the times in her life that she is going to be in pain. Learning how to crawl and bumping her head many times, learning how to walk and falling, someone teasing her at school, being left out, not getting the part in the school play, getting sick and the list will continue. My heart hurt thinking about my baby ever having to feel pain. Can't I just protect her from all the pain in the world? Of course I can't (well I couldn't even if I wanted to) because if I did she would not be able to grow into the person she is meant to become and she won't find her inner strength. But I will always cry with her, hold her tight and tell her that I love her and its all going to be okay because it will. And I know that it will all be okay because the Savior lives and loves us. He has felt all of our pain for us so that we can be okay, so that we can have happiness. As a mother my understanding of the atonement has just increased today.

3 months old

This mama is way behind on blogging. With a baby it seems that she is learning something new and changing everyday. She is almost 16 weeks! We can't believe it. At her 10 week dr visit she weighed 9lbs 13 oz and was 23 inches long, long and lean (like her daddy)! At 3 months she has began holding a rattle, sleeping 8-11 hours at night, laughing out loud (its the cutest squeal you've ever heard), and rolling over from tummy to back just on her right side (does that mean she will be right-handed?). She wakes up happy and cooing, rarely cries except for the regular baby stuff (burp, tummy ache, hungry or tired) and is about 95% smiles! She has started to notice the dog more, wiggles like crazy and laughs when mommy walks by her if she is in the bumbo or bouncer, loves to sit in her bumbo and is using those neck muscles a lot. Its so funny because I will have had her in the bumbo for a while so I put her in the bouncer to give her neck muscles a break but she wont relax. She'll try to sit up in the bouncer, its so funny! She is still wearing most of her newborn clothes. She loves when daddy comes home from work, is beginning to tolerate story time, hates tummy time. She sleeps and eats like a champ. She loves to cuddle and puts up with the multiple wardrobe changes everyday b/c of spit-up, barf, or poopey. The other great news is that her hips are healed which means no more brace! We are so happy that this is behind us. She is such a calm, happy little girl. We just can't get enough of this sweetheart! Life with Eliza is so much fun!








In April we also celebrated Colin's birthday. The day before his birthday we went out to dinner with his family at Red Robin's. On his birthday I made him biscuits and gravy for dinner (per Colin's request) and pavlova for dessert (I'd never had it before but Colin loves it, its actually really good). Later that night I had to work so Colin hung out with Eliza and his twin brother watching the Jazz game and eating nachos. That Sunday we had another birthday dinner at my dad's with the Atkin family. I made another pavlova per Colin's request.

she looks so much like Colin in this picture

Oh steam mop, where have you been all my life? Love this!
PS Colin got me this for Mother's Day. You know you are getting old when a mop for a present is so exciting!