5 months!

Eliana is now 5 months old! Yay! It is so exciting to watch her grow and develop every day. I have not been keeping up on my pictures like I should have lately, and I now have several blogs to publish in a row, but it has been such a busy month so far! Ellie got her first tooth on the day she turned 5 months- yay! These are some of my favorite pictures of Ellie this month. She is such a cutie, and I love love love her little chubby cheeks! We could not have asked for a sweeter, cuter, easier baby- I am so in love!

Eliana Laughing!

Some Firsts for Ellie Belle

Ellie had her first solid food! She seemed to really enjoy it. She even tried "helping," which means grabbing the spoon and feeding herself! She was pretty good at it too, she actually made it in her mouth some of the time :)

It turns out she is not quite ready for solids yet, though. She liked the rice cereal, but she isn't hungry enough for it quite yet. We will try again in a few weeks :) It sure is fun to see her experience new things though! Watching her encounter the world for the first time with such wonder and awe, it is so sweet. This month was filled with a few other firsts, including the first time her toes touched the grass and the first time her toes were dipped in a pool! She just loves new experiences. She is so much more interactive with the world around her everyday. She smiles and coos at all the new faces she meets, and is such a happy baby. I just love her!

Texas!

This past week Ellie and I went to Texas to see my family. Adam was in Washington, D.C. with his fifth grade class, and I thought it was a great opportunity to go see my mom :) We had a great time! We flew into San Antonio and spent the day at the Riverwalk. Ellie went on her first boat ride, and she was such a good baby the whole day. Of course she has captured her grandparents' hearts, and they doted upon her the entire week.
This picture is of my mom and Ellie at Johnathan's baseball game- it was so cold! Ellie also did a little flirting with a certain toddler boy with blonde curly locks... tsk tsk tsk :)
We hung around my mom's restaurant and ate really good food during the week, and really enjoyed spending time with mom, John, Johnny, Grandma Kay, Athena the great dane, all ten of her puppies, Atlanta the border collie, Snow Balls the cat, Angelo the cat, and many many more animals all on the Mcdonald farm. My mom always loved a house full!
We are very glad to be home, in our own beds, and ready to take on the huge task of moving across the country. It sure was fun to have a little vacation though :)

Daddy is my homeboy

This is a onesie Adam picked out before Ellie was born, and he was so excited about it! When Ellie turned 3 months, we took this pic because she finally fit into it. I can hardly believe how fast she is growing, it is so amazing to watch! I am so blessed, I really do have a wonderful family. These two are so cute together, I just love it! Adam told me he would have a million children if he could, he was born to be a father- lol! I am definitely enjoying this one, but I think my maximum number is much closer to 4 than a million...

A day in the life of a teacher in Vegas...

Adam in his protective gear- Tooth Proof!

For Career day at Adam's school, the Airforce came and Adam volunteered to be attacked by a German Shepherd! (It was a famous dog - one who sniffed Saddam Hussein's prison cell and court room for bombs in Iraq.) His students loved it, and it was quite a rush for Adam. He normally deals with our little doggies, and used to be a little afraid of big dogs. He sure faced his fear :) It was pretty hilarious!

To see another video, visit our picasa site and look under Adam's Airforce Experience: picasaweb.google.com/adamwestfamily

Eliana's new quilt!

We received such a beautiful gift for Eliana this week- a handmade quilt! As a seamstress in training, I appreciate how difficult, time consuming, and how much love is put into each creation, and I think this is the most beautiful quilt I have ever seen. I am so grateful for this gift, and I am sure Ellie will treasure it for many years to come. I put Ellie in her big white bow her Daddy picked out- I know it's big, but it's oh so cute!!!