2013 Review

Top Ten Moments of 2013

In no particular order...

• Christian and I became parents! 
• After an emergency c-section, Elliot Claire Carnley arrived safely on August 1st. That day changed my life forever and I am so grateful for my sweet baby girl. We almost lost her but thankfully, the medical staff acted quickly and got her out in time. The day I became a mom definitely didn't go as planned but I am so grateful it turned out the way it did.

• Christian accepted an internship with a company in Boise.
• After lots of applications, interviews, and offers, we finally accepted an offer to move to Boise this June for a summer internship. I'm a little nervous since I've never lived outside of Utah, but I know this is where Christian needs to be and I'm hopeful it will be a fun adventure for our family.

• We bought a new car.
• Our old car served us well but it was on it had been on it's last leg for a while. Now we have a Hyundai Elantra and we love it!

• Went to Hawaii!
• On a sort of spur of the moment decision, my family booked a trip to Hawaii in October. None of us had ever been before but now it's safe to say we are hooked! We rode bikes down a volcano, surfed, played on boogie boards, visited the temple and Polynesian Cultural Center, went para-sailing, deep sea fishing, played on the beach, and my all time favorite activity: snorkeling! While snorkeling we saw sea turtles, eels, jelly fish, eagle rays, urchins, and a ton of amazing fish. Best thing ever. Oh! And we took Ellie Bellie with us at just 2 months old. She was a champ :) 

• Celebrated Ellie's first Christmas
• Elliot had her first Christmas! We spent Christmas morning with just the three of us -- it was great. At this point in time we're more excited about it than Ellie is...there is something about having a kid during Christmas that makes it a million times better. 

• Moved back to South Jordan
• We're back! We moved in with Christian's parents in July, just in time to get things settled before baby made her debut. Christian's parents have a full basement apartment that they are kind enough to let us live in rent free. Talk about generous! Even though Christian is still at BYU and needs to be in Provo 5 days a week, it works out because his dad works at BYU so they carpool together most days. So, we live in a nice apartment free of charge, Christian can carpool with his dad, AND, the best part, we live just minutes away from both sets of grandparents. Translation: we can always find a babysitter :)

• I won a Gold's Gym membership!
• This is a funny story. During the Christmas break, I was mindlessly scrolling through Facebook and saw a contest to win a gym membership through Gold's Gym's 12 Days of Christmas giveaway. I was bored, so I downloaded the app and applied. A little while later, I got an email informing me that I had won! Woo-hoo! I am now the proud owner of a 1 year full gym membership and a $50 iTunes gift card. All because I took two seconds and told them my favorite Christmas song. (FYI...It's "All I Want For Christmas Is You." Thank you Mariah Carey!)

• Christian and I celebrated our 24th birthdays.
• We're getting old! I can't believe I'm married, I have a bachelor's degree, and I have a baby. It's like I'm a real life adult or something! As weird as all that sounds, and despite the fact that I still feel 19, Christian and I had a great time celebrating together with our families. 

• Family got the Purcells together for pictures!
• When the whole fam damily got together for Christmas, we decided it was a good time to go take family pictures. The last time we did this, none of the grandkids were born and Christian wasn't yet a part of the family...so it was about time for an update :) The whole process was hilarious thanks to 4 kids ages 4 and under, but it was a lot of fun and we got some really great shots! I love these people with all my heart. 

• My little brother turned in his mission papers!
• My little brother Michael is the smartest, kindest, most witty kid I know. Well, I guess I can't really call him a kid anymore since before we know it, he'll be heading out on his mission! I am so proud of Michael and his willingness take a 2 year break from the life he knows to venture out and serve the Lord. He is such a great example to me and I love him dearly. He's the best little brother a girl could ask for.

It always makes me happy to look back and remember all the great things that happened during the year. I think I can safely say 2013 was my favorite year yet! We're excited to see what new adventures 2014 will bring!

5 Months

 Our Ellie girl is 5 months old!

Isn't she just the cutest? I love this picture of her...tummy showing, one sock kicked off -- totally her personality. She is our little sunshine girl! So happy :)

Here are some quick facts about Elliot in the past month:

• She listens to every sound we make and has started copying us. One of her specialties is fake coughing. 

• She said her first word! Well, sorta :) She makes a sound that sounds remarkably like "da-da." And she does it on command. What a smarty pants!

• She is working very hard to sit without assistance. She's getting the hang of it but so far doesn't last for more than a minute or so.

• Ellie has added rice cereal to her diet! She took pretty well to it at first...or so we thought :) She kind of freaked out, haha. We've learned she doesn't like eating with a spoon but she takes rice cereal from a bottle just fine.

• And also, baby food! Once. She's only tried peaches. She enjoyed them much more than the cereal. She's still pretty messy with a spoon but it's fun to watch.

• She has become a grabber! She pulls my hair and scratches at my cheeks, nose, and neck every chance she gets.

• She drools even more than before and constantly has her fingers in her mouth. I thought she might be teething but there aren't any poking through yet!

• She loves to laugh. Peek-a-boo, tickles, and playing with her cousins really get her going.

• Elliot celebrated her very first Christmas! And she did awesome with Santa :)

• She still loves the mirror. She has one that hangs in her bedroom next to the changing table. Every time I stand her up after changing her diaper or outfit, she immediately whips her head around, stares in the mirror and flashes a huge smile. This girl definitely doesn't lack confidence!

• Ellie babe loves to read. Good thing too, because she got quite a few books for Christmas. Her favorites include Dr. Seuss and Winnie the Pooh.

Elliot about to open some of her books.

• Do you know what else Ellie loves? Phones. Every time I pull mine out to take a picture or video she gets really intense and excited.

• As I mentioned last month, Elliot loves standing. So, we introduced her to one of those exercise saucer things. She hasn't really figured out how to play with the toys around the outside yet, but she loves to stand for long periods of time like a big girl.

• She's been carefully watching Christian and I whenever we eat for some time now, but just recently started showing interest in cups! I let her suck on a the rim of my cup the other day and she loved it. She shakes and her eyes get really wide with excitement. 



Sorta like this :)

And now for picture timeline time!

                                                    1 month                                   2 months

                                                     3 months                                 4 months

5 months

4 Months

Elliot is 4 months old!

This past month has been so fun! Ellie is growing and learning so quickly -- she amazes me. Here are some fun facts about our girl at four months:

• She is drooling like crazy. She spits and bubbles and fills her mouth with saliva then pushes it out with her tongue. The fronts of her shirts are constantly wet.

• Her interest in toys has increased dramatically in the past couple of weeks. She grabs, pushes, pulls, and plays with her toys now. Her favorites are a musical snail that rocks and lights up. She also loves her "crunchy" doll which as a skirt that crinkles when you move it.

• Ellie is getting stronger all the time. Not only can she sit up in her Bumbo, but she loves to stand! She holds all her own weight and only uses my hands for balance. Look at her go!

• Elliot is obsessed with her tongue. 

• She is such a happy baby. She flirts and smiles at almost anyone and can be a real distraction during church. 

• Her hands have become very fascinating (and tasty) lately.

• She likes being lifted up, over people's heads and then down again. She thinks it's hilarious.

• Ellie is my little koala bear. I love that she's now old enough to carry around on my hip. She just clings onto my shirt and is happy to go along with whatever I am doing.

• This girl loves mirrors. She'll smile or giggle 99% of the time when she sees her reflection.

And now for her stats:

• Weight: 13.7 pounds (30th percentile)
• Height: 25 inches (75th percentile)
• Head: 16.75 inches (75th percentile)

Here's a visual timeline of how quickly she's growing up.

                                        1 Month                                                        2 Months

                                      3 Months                                                            4 Months

Ellie's Blessing Day

Last Sunday was Elliot's blessing day!

The blessing, given by Christian, was beautiful and so sweet. And Ellie reverently listened to the whole thing. She was such a good girl! And she looked especially scrumptious in her lacy tiered dress. 

The dress she wore was actually the one I was blessed in 24 years earlier. I was so happy my mom saved it and that I got to share something so special with my daughter. (And that it fit.)

It was a beautiful day and we were so happy to share it with some of our family!

Grandma and Grandpa Purcell

Uncle Michael and Aunt Steph

Cousin William 

Cousin Chloe

What a great day :) We love you Ellie!