tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2522084429358839382024-03-13T07:46:47.014-07:00A Pajama LifeSemi-crunchy, somewhat hippie, pajama wearing mama!Tiffany Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11258860619912932529noreply@blogger.comBlogger289125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-252208442935883938.post-78898261674963181522015-01-06T20:11:00.000-08:002015-01-07T06:35:38.465-08:00Memories, Dreams and Reflections 2014It is sad to see that I haven't been on my blog and haven't posted a thing since May. I hope to be able to change that as I continue to find a balance with my family and with my ETSY shop. Each year I seem to make positive strides at finding that perfect balance.<br />
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As I have done now for the past four years, I will be posting for the MDR 2014. I absolutely love doing this each year. I can quickly go back and see what I wrote, the changes we've gone through as a family. I'm shocked at the things I forget in just a couple years. If you are on the fence about participating, do it! I promise you won't regret going back through and reminiscing.<br />
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Links to my previous MDR posts:<br />
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<a href="http://www.tiffanymarieellis.blogspot.ca/2011/01/memories-dreams-and-reflections-in-2010.html" target="_blank">MDR 2010</a><br />
<a href="http://tiffanymarieellis.blogspot.ca/2012/01/memories-dreams-and-reflections-2011.html" target="_blank">MDR 2011</a><br />
<a href="http://www.tiffanymarieellis.blogspot.ca/2013/01/memories-dreams-and-reflections-2012.html" target="_blank">MDR 2012</a><br />
<a href="http://www.tiffanymarieellis.blogspot.ca/2014/01/memories-dreams-and-reflections-2013.html" target="_blank">MDR 2013</a><br />
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1. Me<br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/me_zps56ca224c.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo me_zps56ca224c.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/me_zps56ca224c.jpg" /></a></center>
I know it's a really crappy iPhone picture, but I don't have any pictures on my main camera with only me. <br />
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2. I Love You<br />
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/S51096CB207389_p_10_zps20b530f5.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo S51096CB207389_p_10_zps20b530f5.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/S51096CB207389_p_10_zps20b530f5.jpg" /></a> <br />
My love for these 3 kiddos is like an endless river of loving love ;)<br />
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3. Still Laughing <a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Sistermeme_zpsc6eef086.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Sistermeme_zpsc6eef086.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Sistermeme_zpsc6eef086.jpg" /></a><br />
I LOVE this photo so much! I love how close these kiddos are, but sometimes the little one's can make their sister go crazy. I know she wouldn't trade it for the world though. <br />
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4. Winter Wonderland<br />
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The kids and I made our first "big" snowman. This is one aspect about Quebec I love, the snow! I love watching the snow through our windows, love walking in the snow and love the sound of the snow crunch beneath my boots. I love sledding, snowball fights and soon I know I will love ice skating...when I actually try it. If we ever go back to living in Arizona, having snow would be one of the biggest things I would miss. I'm sure when I was little I built snowmen with my parents, but this was the first time I remember making a decent size snowman. And of course, the kids named him Olaf. <br />
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5. Birthday<br />
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For Parker's 4th birthday we decided to have his birthday party on a train. We took an Amtrak from Montreal, QC to Plattsburgh, NY and back. It was the coolest party I have done. We all had a blast and the train ride was relatively stress free.<br />
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6. Friends<br />
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Goinshouse_zps73bcfea8.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Goinshouse_zps73bcfea8.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Goinshouse_zps73bcfea8.jpg" /></a><br />
We were so lucky to be able to stay with our good friends for a few days during our stay in AZ. After almost 2 years, it was so great to be able to see them. <br />
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7. I was inspired<br />
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Elianabirthday2edited_zps8506b385.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Elianabirthday2edited_zps8506b385.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Elianabirthday2edited_zps8506b385.jpg" /></a><br />
This is a picture from Eliana's 2nd birthday. She had asked for a Frozen/Tangled birthday party and after much thought, inspiration finally hit me which resulted in this dress. A mash up of both themes.<br />
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8. Spring Fever<br />
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I think I've started to understand the true concept of, "spring fever" now that I have lived in a place that experiences some pretty cold and snowy winters. My old definition of spring fever meant the great desire for spring training games to start. I sure miss going to spring training games. <br />
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9. Travel or Vacation<br />
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Grandcanyon12_zps8a934a27.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Grandcanyon12_zps8a934a27.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Grandcanyon12_zps8a934a27.jpg" /></a><br />
Our trip to the Grand Canyon on our way back to Arizona from Idaho. I thought it was funny because the park now equips popular picture areas with camera stands. Now you can make sure everyone in your party is in the picture and not have to rely on other people being there at the same time to take the picture for you.<br />
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10. Summer Days<br />
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This past summer we took a trip to visit our families in Idaho and Arizona. While in Idaho, Pops took us all fishing in a little lake nearby. <br />
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11. A Day in My Life<br />
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Some people are born to do amazing things, my amazing thing is being a mom and my big accomplishments are my children. No matter how much laundry I have to fold, how many dishes I have to
wash or how many times I step on a toy lying around, I love being a mom
and I know I'm good at it. <br />
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12. All Smiles<br />
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/randomfun2_zps5d6a8c2f.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo randomfun2_zps5d6a8c2f.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/randomfun2_zps5d6a8c2f.jpg" /></a><br />
These two kids are twins, born two years apart. They are extremely close...nearly inseparable, they defend each other no matter what and they drive each other crazy! <br />
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13. Autumn Harvest<br />
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We celebrate two Thanksgivings...Canada Thanksgiving in October and US Thanksgiving in Nov, but we all know which one is the real holiday. <br />
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14. Family or Home<br />
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/S51096CB207389_l_5_zpse7ad6d96.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo S51096CB207389_l_5_zpse7ad6d96.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/S51096CB207389_l_5_zpse7ad6d96.jpg" /></a><br />
We also had an opportunity to fly out my in-laws for the Christmas holidays. I know I have written this before, but the holidays are always the hardest for me. I miss family and friends so much. It was a little better this year, having some family here to celebrate with us.<br />
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15. Celebrate<br />
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/July4th2014_2_zpsfbee3d67.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo July4th2014_2_zpsfbee3d67.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/July4th2014_2_zpsfbee3d67.jpg" /></a><br />
Since we were in Arizona over the 4th of July, we got to celebrate the Independence Day. I sure missed seeing fireworks on the 4th the previous year.<br />
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16. Let's Do it Again<br />
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/IMG_4929_zps5162ee44.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IMG_4929_zps5162ee44.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/IMG_4929_zps5162ee44.jpg" /></a><br />
One of the coolest things we did this fall was go on a ghost tour of a section of downtown Montreal. It was so awesome to learn about historical events of Montreal. I will definitely be doing another ghost tour next Halloween. <br />
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17. I Miss You<br />
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Vegasdaytrip8_zps8627ea9e.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Vegasdaytrip8_zps8627ea9e.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Vegasdaytrip8_zps8627ea9e.jpg" /></a>I know I've said this before, but moving to Montreal and away from all my family and friends was one of the hardest things I've done. The hardest part is not being able to drive to visit my parents each weekend. Or hang out when my brother comes for spring training. Holidays and celebrating our kids birthday's away from everyone is really tough. This move, though, is also one of the most amazing things I've ever done. <br />
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18. Beautiful<br />
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Montreal is truly a beautiful city! This is a picture of the inside of the Notre-Dame Basilica in downtown Montreal. We are starting our 3rd year living in Montreal and I feel like I've so much more beauty yet to discover here. <br />
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19. Dress Up<br />
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I had a hard time choosing a picture for this one. I was on a roll making Eliana dresses and outfits this year. This is what Eliana wore for Halloween, she went as Princess Bubblegum from Adventure Time. <br />
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20. Macro<br />
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This is the closest I have to a macro photo. The ladybugs were out of control this summer. The kids loved it.<br />
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21. Holidays<br />
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The kids standing in front of our very large tree. We haven't had a vehicle in two years now. Most times, I don't miss it. However, when it comes to taking home a tree with no vehicle, that is a different story. Nolan and I carried this beast for nearly a mile while it was snowing. Come to realize the tree was too large for our place and too large for the tree stand. We made it work, but we will be a little more cautious next year.<br />
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22. My Favorite<br />
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The Legend of Zelda for the NES is my all time favorite video game. I've been really obsessed with it this past year and couldn't resist the opportunity to make Eliana a Link inspired dress. I'm actually getting ready to design our master bedroom in the theme of Zelda. <br />
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23. Don't Ever Change<br />
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24. Just because...so there!<br />
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Happy New Year! <br />
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25. Hopes and Dreams<br />
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To start off 2014 was a tough year, emotionally and financially. We struggled hard, financially, most of the year and spent the year working through those struggles. When we moved up to Canada, 3 other families and 2 single individuals arrived around the same time. Altogether we were a group of 16. Our first year we spent a lot of time together. We helped and supported each other, spent holidays, births and birthdays together. Last year two families left Canada, and as I'm typing this sentence the last of the 3 families is flying back to Arizona. After today there are only 7 of us from our tight knit little group, and our family makes up 5 of them. What an incredible 2 years we all had, so many amazing memories. I'm very sad that it ended so soon for many. I'm also sad that our only support system, our little tight knit group, is nearly gone. I know we will be okay, but they all felt like family and it's hard not to feel that way when you go through such a life changing event like we all did together. <br />
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We DO have a lot to look forward to this year. We are getting ready to start the Canadian permanent resident process. I'm catching on to this French language and thanks to an amazing gift by a good friend we now have Rosetta Stone for French. Vanessa is making great strides in school and soon Parker will be starting kindergarten. I think my only other goal...and I think I have to let my hubby in on this one...is to buy a car.<br />
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I'm so grateful that Ashley Sisk at Ramblings and Photos hosts this each year. Check out all the other MDR2014 posts. Click on the picture below to go to her site. <br />
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<br />Tiffany Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11258860619912932529noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-252208442935883938.post-90835541791275761902014-05-01T10:46:00.000-07:002014-05-01T12:46:01.042-07:00Eliana turned 18 months old and Happy Easter!!<div style="text-align: left;">
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First of all I will have to just say...Happy Easter!! Our Easter was fairly unorthodox. We missed the bus for church. There was a lot of grumpy shenanigans all around...and I have no idea what is going on with my hair, lol. I seriously never wear my hair parted down the middle like this. Oh well, the point is we were altogether for in a picture for Easter. </div>
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It has been a couple months since I have done an update post! One is due for Parker too. So much has changed with both of these kiddos. </div>
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<b>Eliana's 18 month stats</b></div>
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<b>Weight:</b> 20.5lbs (< 5th percentile) </div>
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<b>Height:</b> 31.5" long (25th-50th percentile) </div>
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<b>Clothing size:</b> Wears 18-24 month clothing and some 2T</div>
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<b>Shoe size: </b>5/6</div>
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Eliana's vocabulary has grown SO much since my last post. Amazing how fast she picks things up. I remember Parker being a lot quieter at this age and Parker used sign language more and knew more signs then Eliana. She has had an easier time with her words, that she has pretty much stopped using signing for communicating with us. She still does sign please, more, and change.<br />
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I find it so cute when little ones are first learning their words. I hope one day I can make a book for each of the kids with some of my blog posts. I love re-reading the posts I wrote for Parker and seeing how different the two were at the same ages. <br />
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Some cute words Eliana says:</div>
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<b>Grandpa owie</b></div>
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<b>bye bye cheese</b></div>
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<b>I uv oo (I love you) eww</b></div>
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<b>juice stinky</b></div>
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<b>popcorn yucky</b></div>
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<b>Elsa pee pee </b></div>
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<b>Olaf tubby </b>(bath)<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>please happy</b></div>
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<b>sorry ball</b></div>
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<b>scary cracker</b></div>
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<b>mine baby</b></div>
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<b>bo</b> (which is her way of saying, "no") <b>backpack</b></div>
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<b>outside</b></div>
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<b>shoes</b><br />
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As you can see from the above picture, Eliana is such a happy, fun loving and silly little girl. She loves to sing at the top of her lungs when she hears a song she knows. She finds ways of making us laugh, all-the-time! The combination of Parker and Eliana together, makes for a lot of fun times. Together they are both so funny. </div>
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Though Eliana is very funny and goofy, she is very sensitive. If we tell her, "no" she will break down and cry. It's so sad. Nearly, the exact opposite of how Parker would respond to, "no." For Parker, it was a challenge and for Eliana, it's the end of the world. </div>
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Eliana just cut 4 more teeth. 2 are barely poking out of the gums as of today. She now has a grand total of 16 teeth!<br />
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Eliana is getting better at eating. She will only eat a few bites of her breakfast and lunch(sometimes she refuses to even eat breakfast,) but she does have a fairly good appetite by dinner.<br />
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She is still nursing, a lot. All day and at night. Obviously, this has a lot to do with her not eating enough food. It's not for lack of trying to get her to eat. If she's not going to eat, at least she is getting her calories and nutrition from nursing. She is only nursing once at night, but during the day it's quite often. I don't remember Parker nursing so much at this same age, but after a certain time I stopped blogging about it so I'm not really sure. We are letting Eliana self-wean. We did the same thing with Parker and he ended up stopping a couple months before his 2nd birthday. We are hoping for the same timeframe with Eliana. </div>
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Eliana knows and can say a lot of the parts of her body. She will point and say where her eyes, ears, mouth, teeth, tongue, chin, armpit, belly, toes, hands, hair and butt. I didn't get them all in a video I took of her, but she did a lot of these. Her little voice is so cute to hear.<br />
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Eliana isn't officially "potty training," but she does understanding sitting on the potty. She knows you pee-pee in the potty. She will take off her diaper and sit on the potty, but she doesn't ever go. Anytime I'm in the bathroom she HAS to go in there and also sit down and "potty." Nolan and I have never been the type to push any of the kiddos to potty train. We will talk to them about it and tell them what it means to potty. We are very open with bathroom talk. When we see that they have a good understanding of the concept, we start to work consistently with them to potty train. They see daddy and I go potty and learn that the potty didn't eat us and it seems to help them not fear the potty. We let Eliana flush the toilet, when needed, so they aren't afraid of the sound. We did the same with Parker, so I think that has a lot to do with why Parker's potty training went so easily?? Vanessa was very easy potty train also. Again, I can only hope Eliana is the same way. </div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/18months4_zpsff98e61b.jpg.html" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/18months6_zps700f3438.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 18months6_zps700f3438.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/18months6_zps700f3438.jpg" /></a></div>
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Eliana loves:</div>
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-playing hide and seek with Parker and Vanessa...one of her favorites. She runs around cracking up the whole time. Doesn't really ever hide. </div>
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-pretending she is a kitty. She will crawl around the house, meowing. </div>
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-going to the park. She LOVES the slides. She will climb up the stairs and slide down all on her own. Though she is still terrified of the swings. </div>
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-playtime with daddy. She might always seem to want mommy, but honestly she is a daddy's girl. So cute when she calls for him. She loves talking to him on the phone when he's at work before her nap. </div>
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-baby dolls. She loves baby dolls. She walks around the house with no less than 2 dolls at a time. She has about 6 dolls and loves them all the same. </div>
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-her red Fisher Price car she received at Christmas. She sits and plays in that car all the time. </div>
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-craft time with big brother. We do a lot of preschool crafts for Parker. Helping him to learn weather, time, letters etc. and it's one of Eliana's favorite times of the day.<br />
-loves to cuddle mommy. She will stop everything she is doing to lay in my lap when I go to sit down. <br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/18months8_zps461bc7e6.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 18months8_zps461bc7e6.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/18months8_zps461bc7e6.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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Eliana doesn't like:</div>
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-to sleep in her own bed. To be honest, we aren't really pushing her a whole lot. I love to cuddle my little miss. It will be nice to one day have our bed to ourselves, but for now I'm okay with our sleeping arrangements. Having a 14 year old really puts in perspective just how fast these kiddos grow up. We do have the kids' room all set up for both of them to share the room. We separated the bunk beds and we decorated the room for each of the kids. Parker's side is firetrucks and misc. vehicles and Eliana's is just random cute girly things.<br />
-swings at the park.<br />
-to wear clothing. Unless we are going outside, she takes off everything I put on her. Most times she will leave on her diaper.<br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/18months7_zpsda022681.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 18months7_zpsda022681.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/18months7_zpsda022681.jpg" /></a> </div>
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I can't believe how big she is getting...so fast too. It's amazing that we are in our second Spring and heading into our second summer here in Montreal. With all that went on last year, in went by so fast.<br />
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Here's to another amazing, wonderful and happy month...happy 18 months my little miss :) We love you so very much. <br />
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Tiffany Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11258860619912932529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-252208442935883938.post-89149852022482538762014-03-07T14:42:00.001-08:002014-03-07T14:42:55.578-08:00Siblings!Sometimes being a big sister is a little more than she bargained for...<br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Sistermeme_zps33cac1b9.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Sistermeme_zps33cac1b9.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Sistermeme_zps33cac1b9.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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Though I know my oldest gets overwhelmed with her little siblings, I know she wouldn't trade being a big sister for anything. </div>
Tiffany Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11258860619912932529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-252208442935883938.post-1675636142272668162014-02-18T07:56:00.000-08:002014-02-18T07:56:42.454-08:00Sewing, sewing and more sewing!I've actually taken a little break from selling my items and as you can see it has been a little bit since I have been able to post. It can get a little stressful sewing for customers and I always need a good vacation from selling to sew things for myself, family or close friends. Always projects I can never get done when I'm selling my wares.<br />
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Anyhow, this is Eliana modeling a couple of the new dresses I made for her. Can you believe how big she is getting? She turned 16 months this past week and has changed so much!<br />
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If you are interested, similar dresses and outfits will be available for sale in my ETSY shop later this week. <br />
<a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/bohemianbabycouture?show_panel=true" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/bohemianbabycouture?show_panel=true" target="_blank">Bohemian Baby Couture</a><br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Newdress6_zps1ec01913.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Newdress6_zps1ec01913.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Newdress6_zps1ec01913.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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This dress is one of my new favorites and you will probably see me making more of these. The dress is made from the peppermint swirl pattern by Candy Castle Patterns </div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/TiffanyampCoinspireddress_zpsbf4b96ed.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo TiffanyampCoinspireddress_zpsbf4b96ed.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/TiffanyampCoinspireddress_zpsbf4b96ed.jpg" /></a> </div>
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This is my Tiffany & Co inspired dress. Eliana has a couple Tiffany & Co. bows that I bought and never anything to wear them with. </div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/beachcomberoutfit2_zps7b2d2fe3.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo beachcomberoutfit2_zps7b2d2fe3.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/beachcomberoutfit2_zps7b2d2fe3.jpg" /></a></div>
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A cute little beach comber top and ruffle capris. Getting ready to welcome in some warmer spring weather! </div>
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Tiffany Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11258860619912932529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-252208442935883938.post-30399288514800819862014-01-13T16:03:00.000-08:002014-01-13T16:04:53.754-08:00Eliana is 15 months old!Didn't she just turn one? I didn't even have time to get her 12 month post up, lol! Holidays always make the time fly by...<br />
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<b>Weight:</b> 18.5lbs (< 5th percentile) </div>
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<b>Height:</b> 30.5" long (25th-50th percentile) </div>
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<b>Clothing size:</b> Wears 12-18mo clothing</div>
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<b>Shoe size: </b>4.5-5</div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Eliana7_zpsf2ceec3f.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Eliana7_zpsf2ceec3f.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Eliana7_zpsf2ceec3f.jpg" /></a> </div>
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<b>Words she is uses:</b></div>
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Mama</div>
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Dada </div>
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Sessa (Nessa/Sister)</div>
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Papar (Parker)</div>
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Titi (kitty)</div>
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Tan tu (thank you)</div>
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Choo choo (when she sees a train)</div>
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Hello</div>
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wuv u (I love you) </div>
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uh oh</div>
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oww</div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Eliana1814_3_zps650a65d5.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Eliana1814_3_zps650a65d5.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Eliana1814_3_zps650a65d5.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>Signs she does:</b></div>
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milk</div>
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please</div>
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more</div>
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eat</div>
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all done</div>
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change</div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Eliana1814_zpsf04fa206.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Eliana1814_zpsf04fa206.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Eliana1814_zpsf04fa206.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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<b>At 15 months;</b></div>
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...Eliana is starting to eat more solids and she's doing really good at using a spoon or fork to eat. She loves a lot of different foods, so far. As long as she can dip it in ranch dressing, she will eat it. </div>
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...she is still nursing quite often and through the night. Now that she's starting to eat more solids I'm hoping that the night time nursing sessions will stop. </div>
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...we are working on getting Eliana to sleep on her crib mattress on the floor in our room and will hopefully move her to sleeping in the crib in her and Parker's room over the next few months. </div>
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...has 4 more teeth. 4 molars broke through the gums during the holidays
for a total of 12 teeth. Teething makes her very clingy so I'm happy
they finally broke the gums. </div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Eliana1814_2_zps80bac382.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Eliana1814_2_zps80bac382.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Eliana1814_2_zps80bac382.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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...her eyes are really taking on more of a gray/blue color. If you look closely she has a lot of different colors in her eyes. </div>
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...you can see from the pictures that her hair has a lot of curl to it. It's starting to get a little darker, but still a lighter brown with reddish undertones. </div>
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...she lost a couple pounds the last three months. At her 12 month appointment she was 20.5lbs and now she's down to 18.5lbs. It probably has to due with being so active and hardly eating. She looks healthy, so we aren't too concerned. </div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Eliana1814_5_zps668799c4.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Eliana1814_5_zps668799c4.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Eliana1814_5_zps668799c4.jpg" /></a></div>
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...Eliana climbs on EVERYTHING! The TV stand, tables, chairs, couches, beds....toys! We are looking into getting a climbing toy for the front room to help redirect her from climbing on things she shouldn't. Maybe I will look into getting her and Parker into a gymnastics class too. </div>
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...Eliana LOVES to dance and will even sing. Just garbled words, but she's trying. </div>
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...Eliana LOVES anything that Parker does. He does great 95% of the time though Parker gets pretty annoyed when she continually rips apart his train tracks.</div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Eliana6_zpsc4d77e98.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Eliana6_zpsc4d77e98.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Eliana6_zpsc4d77e98.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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She has such an amazing, silly, happy and loving personality. She is my little cuddle bug! </div>
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Happy 15 months lil' miss!! We love you so very much! </div>
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Tiffany Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11258860619912932529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-252208442935883938.post-7957996402675502772014-01-01T21:09:00.001-08:002014-01-01T21:24:08.204-08:00Memories, Dreams and Reflections 2013Here we go again! This is my third year participating in this photo series. I love doing this, love reminiscing on the past year. If you would like to visit my post from last year, click<a href="http://www.tiffanymarieellis.blogspot.ca/2013/01/memories-dreams-and-reflections-2012.html" target="_blank"> here.</a> <br />
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1. <b>Me!</b> <br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/temphousingjan2013_zpsac92705e.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo temphousingjan2013_zpsac92705e.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/temphousingjan2013_zpsac92705e.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
This picture was taken while we were living in temp housing when we first came to Montreal. <br />
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2. <b>I Love You</b><br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Iloveyou_zpsf66f3757.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Iloveyou_zpsf66f3757.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Iloveyou_zpsf66f3757.jpg" width="840" /></a> </div>
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It's these moments that I love. Eliana snuggling against my chest or snow ball fights with the kids. Long conversations with my oldest daughter or moments when we can't stop laughing at the oddest things. Pillow fights with Parker. Walks to the store with my hubby. Sometimes, it feels like time stops for a little while during these times. These wonderful moments, make all the rough ones manageable. Moments I wouldn't trade anything in the world for. </div>
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3. <b>Still Laughing…</b> <br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Elianameme_zpsd96a0b1e.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Elianameme_zpsd96a0b1e.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Elianameme_zpsd96a0b1e.jpg" /></a></div>
Another series of pictures taken in temp housing. I couldn't resist making Eliana into a meme. <br />
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4. <b>Winter Wonderland</b> <br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Snowcolor_zps3525e01f.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Snowcolor_zps3525e01f.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Snowcolor_zps3525e01f.jpg" /></a></div>
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It has taken a bit of getting used to dealing with cold weather and snow. This is a picture of Parker all bundled up and ready to play in the first snow of the season. </div>
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5. <b>Birthday</b><br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Elianaoneyearphotos2_zps5d61f3a0.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Elianaoneyearphotos2_zps5d61f3a0.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Elianaoneyearphotos2_zps5d61f3a0.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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Eliana's first year photo shoot. I wanted to take these photos at this park about a mile from our house. It has some gorgeous trees and so many beautiful backdrops for pictures. We haven't owned a vehicle since our move, so you could imagine how "fun" it was hauling all the stuff I used in this photo to this location. </div>
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6. <b>Friends</b><br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/DSC_0743_zpsa495309b.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo DSC_0743_zpsa495309b.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/DSC_0743_zpsa495309b.jpg" width="840" /></a> </div>
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This picture was taken at Parker and Evan's Willy Wonka themed party. Our move to Montreal brought us closer to families and friends that were also relocated from Arizona to Montreal. I also love that we were able to Skype with family and friends that couldn't be at the party in person. </div>
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7. <b>I Was Inspired… </b><br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/AllkidsFathersDay_zps36d1a2a8.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo AllkidsFathersDay_zps36d1a2a8.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/AllkidsFathersDay_zps36d1a2a8.jpg" width="840" /></a> </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Dj5Yf_TDMmM" width="640"></iframe></div>
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I really wanted to do something cute for Father's Day this year so we made a cute little video for daddy.</div>
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8. <b>Spring Fever</b><br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/dandelionsupdated_zpsddd0b1d4.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo dandelionsupdated_zpsddd0b1d4.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/dandelionsupdated_zpsddd0b1d4.jpg" width="840" /></a> </div>
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The minute the snow cleared, and the temperatures warmed up, everything that had grass was also filled with dandelions. Couldn't imagine having to deal with them if we had a yard, but Parker enjoyed playing in and with them.</div>
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9. <b>Travel or Vacation</b><br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Bigapple2_zps6a7c4412.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Bigapple2_zps6a7c4412.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Bigapple2_zps6a7c4412.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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When my parents and brother came into visit us in Montreal, we took a road trip to Toronto. We packed a lot of activities into a couple of days including taking Eliana and Parker to their first baseball game. </div>
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10. <b>Summer Days</b><br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Summer2013_zps21b5cf21.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Summer2013_zps21b5cf21.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Summer2013_zps21b5cf21.jpg" /></a> </div>
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Unintentionally, when we chose our place, we moved into a neighborhood with a public pool and a big park only a block away. We didn't take advantage of the pool as much as we should have this past summer, but now that we have our free passes we will be going there a lot more this next summer. </div>
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11. <b>A Day In My Life</b><br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Eliana_Nessa13013_5_zpsc289e1d9.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Eliana_Nessa13013_5_zpsc289e1d9.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Eliana_Nessa13013_5_zpsc289e1d9.jpg" width="840" /></a> </div>
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With three kids, someone always needs something. I know all three kiddos love each other so much, but there is always some sort of sibling drama going on. I wouldn't have it any other way....unless of course all three decided that sibling rivalry is overrated. </div>
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12. <b>All Smiles</b><br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/summer2013_zps1568e737.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo summer2013_zps1568e737.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/summer2013_zps1568e737.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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It's a rare moment to have all three kiddos smiling. Takes a lot of patience. I was going through all the pictures and found this picture. I didn't even remember I had this one of the kids. </div>
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13. <b>Autumn Harvest</b><br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Eliana1styearphotoshoot_zps20a63216.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Eliana1styearphotoshoot_zps20a63216.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Eliana1styearphotoshoot_zps20a63216.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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Eliana's birthday falls right into the most colorful time of the year. It was so much fun to take her to the nearby park for her birthday photos. You can see she had a lot of fun playing in the fall leaves. </div>
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14. <b>Family or Home</b><br />
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<b> </b> <a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Familypicture2_zps555c4549.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Familypicture2_zps555c4549.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Familypicture2_zps555c4549.jpg" /></a></div>
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15. <b>Celebrate!</b><br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/NewYearsEve4_zps958e824f.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo NewYearsEve4_zps958e824f.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/NewYearsEve4_zps958e824f.jpg" width="840" /></a> </div>
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Happy New Year! </div>
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16. <b>Let’s Do It Again…</b> <br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Letsdoitagain_zpsbf3d580e.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Letsdoitagain_zpsbf3d580e.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Letsdoitagain_zpsbf3d580e.jpg" width="840" /></a> </div>
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The kids and I will be doing the, Color Me Rad, this next year. For the most part, we had a blast! I'm excited to participate in the race again. </div>
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17. <b>I Miss You</b><br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/IMG_2126_zps29c9a841.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IMG_2126_zps29c9a841.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/IMG_2126_zps29c9a841.jpg" width="840" /></a> </div>
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This is the first year we didn't celebrate birthdays and many holidays together. Missing my parents and brother since our move to Montreal. </div>
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18. <b>Beautiful</b> <br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Vanessa2013_zpse066bb6e.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Vanessa2013_zpse066bb6e.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Vanessa2013_zpse066bb6e.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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I'm nearly certain I've posted a picture of Vanessa for this prompt the last couple of years. She is beautiful in so many ways. </div>
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19. <b>Dress Up</b> <br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Halloween2013_zps14fa2b59.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Halloween2013_zps14fa2b59.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Halloween2013_zps14fa2b59.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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We all dressed up in steam punk versions of Alice in Wonderland characters. I'm still hoping to take a better picture of us all in our costumes, but for now this one will have to do. </div>
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20.<b> Macro</b></div>
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<b> </b><a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/spiderwebhydrant_zps56b8a5ed.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo spiderwebhydrant_zps56b8a5ed.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/spiderwebhydrant_zps56b8a5ed.jpg" /></a></div>
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One of my biggest fears are spiders. We had some deadly spiders in Arizona, but you would never see them. Here...they are everywhere. Trying to have a nice picnic at the park? Nope, giant spiders live in the grass here. Anyhow, I saw this web and it was the perfect web!</div>
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21. <b>Holidays</b> <br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Christmasmorning_zps336fdc24.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Christmasmorning_zps336fdc24.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Christmasmorning_zps336fdc24.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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Christmas morning! </div>
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22. <b>My Favorite</b> – share your favorite picture or memory from 2012.<br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Christmaspart2_5_zps9ec9166d.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Christmaspart2_5_zps9ec9166d.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Christmaspart2_5_zps9ec9166d.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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This was taken a couple days after Christmas. Eliana was being so silly. </div>
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23. <b>Don’t Ever Change</b><br />
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<b> </b><a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/kiddosJan2013_zps707be78b.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo kiddosJan2013_zps707be78b.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/kiddosJan2013_zps707be78b.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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I hope my kiddos will always be close, always love each other. </div>
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24. <b>Just Because…So There!</b><br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/NewYearsEve6_zps1b6d7a3a.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo NewYearsEve6_zps1b6d7a3a.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/NewYearsEve6_zps1b6d7a3a.jpg" /></a></div>
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And we can't forget Picasso! He's been through a lot. Just a week before our big move, he was mauled by two dogs. We nearly lost him. Picasso is such an awesome cat. He's been a very important part of our crazy, wonderful story too. </div>
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25. <b>Hopes and Dreams</b><br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Christmasmorning4_zpsa4ac1632.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Christmasmorning4_zpsa4ac1632.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Christmasmorning4_zpsa4ac1632.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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We sat down and made a few resolutions this year. My main resolution is to learn the French language to a point I can carry on a conversation with someone. Another resolution is that my hubby and I will be dedicating one afternoon/evening a month for a date night. We've discussed starting the process to becoming permanent residents and citizens of Canada and possibly buying a home here in Montreal after Vanessa graduates from school.</div>
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2013 was an amazing year and my goal is to make 2014 even better! </div>
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<a href="http://www.ashleysisk.com/2014/01/memories-dream%E2%80%A6flections-2013.html">
<img 200="" alt=" width=" height="200" src="http://www.ashleysisk.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Memories-Dreams-and-Reflections-13-RS-Button.jpg" title="Memories, Dreams and Reflections with Ashley Sisk" /></a></div>
Tiffany Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11258860619912932529noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-252208442935883938.post-37914308193428194222013-12-27T13:28:00.000-08:002013-12-27T13:29:46.030-08:00Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!Wow! What a crazy year it has been. Can't believe in a week, we will have been in Montreal for a year. I will be doing a full year in review post next week, but for now I wanted to wish our family and friends a Merry Christmas and Happy New year.<br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Familypicture2_zps555c4549.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Familypicture2_zps555c4549.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Familypicture2_zps555c4549.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Familypicture_zps8d2e1b1a.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Familypicture_zps8d2e1b1a.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Familypicture_zps8d2e1b1a.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Christmasmorning2_zps59344ede.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Christmasmorning2_zps59344ede.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Christmasmorning2_zps59344ede.jpg" width="860" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Christmasmorning_zps336fdc24.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Christmasmorning_zps336fdc24.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Christmasmorning_zps336fdc24.jpg" width="860" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Santa2013_zpscfe51bab.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Santa2013_zpscfe51bab.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Santa2013_zpscfe51bab.jpg" width="860" /></a></div>
Tiffany Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11258860619912932529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-252208442935883938.post-72056869259227457562013-11-11T12:40:00.000-08:002013-11-11T12:40:45.200-08:00Eliana's Milk and Cookies First Birthday!I know, I know...once again I've been slacking on the posts. A few days after Eliana's birthday party, we all were really sick. Then it was sewing, sewing and more sewing for our Halloween costumes!<br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Elianasbirthday9bw_zps4d449676.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Elianasbirthday9bw_zps4d449676.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Elianasbirthday9bw_zps4d449676.jpg" /></a> </div>
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So here you go, the birthday pictures! I will be doing another post with Eliana's official 1st birthday photos and 12 month update. <br /><br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Elianasbirthday16_zpsa5d1242e.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Elianasbirthday16_zpsa5d1242e.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Elianasbirthday16_zpsa5d1242e.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Birthdaypartypage2_zpsf32acf8b.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Birthdaypartypage2_zpsf32acf8b.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Birthdaypartypage2_zpsf32acf8b.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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I had made a bib each month for monthly pictures I did with Eliana. At the party I had printed out each picture with her wearing the bib and hung the pictures with the matching bib around the dining room. </div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Birthdaypartypage1_zpsad5a8f54.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Birthdaypartypage1_zpsad5a8f54.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Birthdaypartypage1_zpsad5a8f54.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Elianasbirthday13_zps111437c1.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Elianasbirthday13_zps111437c1.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Elianasbirthday13_zps111437c1.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Elianasbirthday2_zps2c2916f9.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Elianasbirthday2_zps2c2916f9.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Elianasbirthday2_zps2c2916f9.jpg" width="840" /></a> </div>
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Her "cookies & milk" cake was one of my favorite parts. It turned out amazing! I made the fondant using the marshmallow fondant recipe that is floating around the web. Super easy! I had one of my friends help me to make the cake itself. She did such a great job.</div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Elianasbirthday10_01_zpsf4a167e9.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Elianasbirthday10_01_zpsf4a167e9.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Elianasbirthday10_01_zpsf4a167e9.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Elianasbirthday22_zps3868e31f.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Elianasbirthday22_zps3868e31f.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Elianasbirthday22_zps3868e31f.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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Eliana had fallen asleep at some point in her party. We ended up waking her up to sing her happy birthday and open presents. She was not very happy about that. Reminded me of Parker's first birthday. You can read about his first birthday party <a href="http://www.tiffanymarieellis.blogspot.ca/2011/09/we-have-1-year-old-parkers-birthday.html" target="_blank">here. </a></div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Elianasbirthday18_zps33a55ab4.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Elianasbirthday18_zps33a55ab4.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Elianasbirthday18_zps33a55ab4.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Birthdaypartypage3_zps26b8d35b.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Birthdaypartypage3_zps26b8d35b.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Birthdaypartypage3_zps26b8d35b.jpg" /></a></div>
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We are so lucky to be able to relocate with other families from AZ. This was the first birthday for our kids, that no members of our extended family members were able to attend. I'm glad that mine and Nolan's parents were able to call in or FaceTime and see the celebration, but it's not the same as seeing them in person. I'm happy and thankful that we have all these "relocated" families...our friends, be able to come and celebrate this birthday milestone with us. </div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Elianasbirthday32_zps6a568e47.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Elianasbirthday32_zps6a568e47.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Elianasbirthday32_zps6a568e47.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Elianasbirthday25_edit_zpscdea59fe.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Elianasbirthday25_edit_zpscdea59fe.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Elianasbirthday25_edit_zpscdea59fe.jpg" width="840" /></a> </div>
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It was an amazing day. Happy First Birthday our lil' princess. </div>
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Tiffany Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11258860619912932529noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-252208442935883938.post-78028343140919947602013-10-08T16:21:00.000-07:002013-10-08T16:21:30.438-07:00Cake Smash!! Eliana's 1st birthday invitationsIt has been awhile since I have struggled with insomnia, but here it rears it's ugly head tonight. Of course, it would be a night Eliana is sleeping as she should, like a baby. Since I can't sleep I decided to write a post. <br />
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We decided to have a pre-birthday "cake smash" for Eliana so I could use the pictures for her birthday announcement/invitation.<br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Elianacakesmash1_zpsb842851d.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Elianacakesmash1_zpsb842851d.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Elianacakesmash1_zpsb842851d.jpg" width="840" /></a> </div>
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The whole photo shoot came out so cute, very messy, but
cute. Here are a few of my favorites from that day and a sneek peak of
her little invitation. I'm really late at mailing out the
invites...more like announcements for out extended family, but I haven't
forgotten. They are addressed and headed for the mailbox tomorrow.<br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Elianacakesmash10_zps11dbf2cc.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Elianacakesmash10_zps11dbf2cc.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Elianacakesmash10_zps11dbf2cc.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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It took her a few minutes to want to touch the cake, but once she had a taste of the cake she was thrilled and started making some of the cutest faces.<br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Elianacake17_zps22c7b634.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Elianacake17_zps22c7b634.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Elianacake17_zps22c7b634.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Elianacake7_zps4fb9310f.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Elianacake7_zps4fb9310f.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Elianacake7_zps4fb9310f.jpg" width="840" /></a> </div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Elianacake11_zps698cf963.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Elianacake11_zps698cf963.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Elianacake11_zps698cf963.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
After I was finished taking all the photos I needed we set loose Mr. Parker to join her in eating the cake. He'd been waiting so patiently in the background and was very excited to be able to join in the fun....of course by the look of Eliana's face, she wasn't thrilled about having to share. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Elianacake18_zps75bec741.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Elianacake18_zps75bec741.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Elianacake18_zps75bec741.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Gotta love those baby toes! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Elianacake20_zps72e91a89.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Elianacake20_zps72e91a89.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Elianacake20_zps72e91a89.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Here is the finished invite. I love how it turned out! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/ElianasinvitecompleteFacebookcopy_zps5e80520e.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo ElianasinvitecompleteFacebookcopy_zps5e80520e.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/ElianasinvitecompleteFacebookcopy_zps5e80520e.jpg" width="840/" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Come back in a couple weeks for all the details on her Milk and Cookies 1st birthday! Can't believe Eliana is almost 1<br />
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<br /></div>
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<br />Tiffany Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11258860619912932529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-252208442935883938.post-54423790265943490092013-09-26T09:25:00.000-07:002013-09-26T09:25:59.617-07:00Parker is 3!<div style="text-align: left;">
I can't believe my little Prince is three! I've been blogging about Parker since before he was born. That is crazy for me to think about. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/DSC_0599_zps5c39dfac.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo DSC_0599_zps5c39dfac.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/DSC_0599_zps5c39dfac.jpg" /></a> </div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Current stats: </b></div>
<b>
</b>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Weight: approx 28lbs (10th percentile) </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Height: 36" long (10-25th percentile) </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Clothing size: Wears 3T<br />
Shoe size: 10</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Diapers: Underwear!! 100% potty trained<br />
<br />
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/DSC_0608_zps743d048e.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo DSC_0608_zps743d048e.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/DSC_0608_zps743d048e.jpg" width="840" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/DSC_0733_zpsb20e0ded.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo DSC_0733_zpsb20e0ded.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/DSC_0733_zpsb20e0ded.jpg" width="840" /></a> <br />
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>At 3 years old;</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br /><div style="text-align: left;">
... is officially potty trained!! No diapers at night or when we are out of the house. I'm so proud of him. Parker had been using the potty since before our move to Montreal, as long as he was nekkid. He always struggled with telling us when he was wearing underwear. When I finally said to my hubby that we are doing this, we are going to get him fully trained. We picked out regular underwear, some stickers, made a "train" chart and Parker was fully trained within the month. I'm so proud of him and how well he has done since.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/DSC_0743_zpsa495309b.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo
DSC_0743_zpsa495309b.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/DSC_0743_zpsa495309b.jpg" width="840" /></a> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/DSC_0746_zps570b0750.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo
DSC_0746_zps570b0750.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/DSC_0746_zps570b0750.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
<br /><div style="text-align: left;">
...can say his ABC's and counts to 15 in English and counts to 5 in French</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
...can say quite a few french phrases like, "my name is__," " I'm sorry," " please and thank you,"hello" and "goodbye." <br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/DSC_0684_zps6a68515b.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo DSC_0684_zps6a68515b.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/DSC_0684_zps6a68515b.jpg" /></a> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/DSC_0750_zpsb576cade.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo DSC_0750_zpsb576cade.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/DSC_0750_zpsb576cade.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
...starting to recognize some letters of the alphabet when you show him in books and also recognize numbers<br />
...recognizes most shapes and colors<br />
...working on tracing letters, shapes and numbers. <br />
...learning to use his scissors to cut shapes.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/DSC_0776_zps3d3941c9.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo DSC_0776_zps3d3941c9.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/DSC_0776_zps3d3941c9.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
Parker also has a wonderful imagination. I
blogged about his imagination in a recent post about him last month. Though, I think
our whole family has been blessed with an overactive imagination. Evenings at our dinner
table can become quite interesting, and I love it! </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/DSC_0641_zpsa783fb3e.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo DSC_0641_zpsa783fb3e.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/DSC_0641_zpsa783fb3e.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/DSC_0635_zps90d51474.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo DSC_0635_zps90d51474.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/DSC_0635_zps90d51474.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Parker is such a smart little guy, on top
of that he is a ladies man! He is always flirting with girls and seems
to always have a girl around him when we go to the park. One time he had
3 girls around the age of 6/7 walking him all around the park. Taking
him down the slides, swinging him in the swings and building sand
castles with him. Just before his birthday we were riding on the bus and
I looked over to see him holding hands with a random lady on the bus.
Her boyfriend was chuckling. It's
kinda odd and cute at the same time. Nolan and I always joke about it. I
guess we will be keeping a very close eye on him as he gets older. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Happy Birthday Parker! We love you so much :)</div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
</div>
Tiffany Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11258860619912932529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-252208442935883938.post-58476618226518541752013-09-16T15:47:00.000-07:002013-09-16T15:54:18.197-07:00Eliana is 11 months old!<div style="text-align: left;">
We missed a monthly update! :( August was a crazy busy month. Parker turned 3, school started for Vanessa, in laws were in town visiting and a scary trip to the ER. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/11monthsold4_zpsafad1a5b.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 11monthsold4_zpsafad1a5b.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/11monthsold4_zpsafad1a5b.jpg" width="840" /></a> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Current stats: </b></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Weight:</b> 19lbs 2oz (25th percentile) </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Height:</b> 27.50" long (10th-25th percentile) </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Clothing size:</b> Wears 9mo & 6-12 months </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Shoe size:</b> doesn't like wearing them, but she fits in a size 4 or 12-18 months </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>At 11 months Eliana; </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
...took her first steps at exactly 10 months (8.11.13)</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
...started walking officially on 9.1.2013</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
... has 6 teeth, no new teeth since around 9 months old </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
...still barely eats any sort of solid foods. We offer her food at meal times, but she eats only a few bites.</div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/11monthsold1_zps8c504cd6.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 11monthsold1_zps8c504cd6.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/11monthsold1_zps8c504cd6.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
...her hair is starting to grow in thick. It's hard to tell, but it looks like it might have a little curl to it. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
...her eyes are starting to shift to more of a blue/green color. She has this beautiful brown band in her eye color too. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
...walking has made her so much more independent. It's a nice break for me during the day because Parker and Eliana play so great together. As long as Eliana doesn't try to touch Parker's trains, lol. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/11monthsold3_zps9728574a.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 11monthsold3_zps9728574a.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/11monthsold3_zps9728574a.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
...she talks a lot too! She mimics her brother at all times. Sometimes, especially dinner time, that can be slightly frustrating. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
...says; "mama," "dada," "Parpa(Parker)," "sisa (sister or Vanessa)" and "kitty,"</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<br />
We are working on getting her birthday party together. Her theme will be, "Milk and Cookies." I'm obviously more excited about it than her, but it will be fun. How has it almost been a year already? </div>
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We love you so much little miss! Happy 11 months :)</div>
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</div>
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Tiffany Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11258860619912932529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-252208442935883938.post-81562886263000570292013-08-21T21:18:00.003-07:002013-08-21T21:19:51.105-07:0031-ish days of Parker: ImaginationSometimes I have to remember that when I don't have much to say, my pictures can speak for themselves.<br />
<br />
Parker's imagination knows no bounds. From playing airplane to trains or crawling around the house being a kitty. He can make a plain ole' boring hat something amazing! A blank piece of paper becomes a ticket to ride the Polar Express or a ticket to visit a chocolate factory. A red rug into a lava pit and the only "safe" areas are the couches. I just love it!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/DSC_0489_01_zpsff199fcc.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo DSC_0489_01_zpsff199fcc.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/DSC_0489_01_zpsff199fcc.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/DSC_0282_zps08004e2a.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo DSC_0282_zps08004e2a.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/DSC_0282_zps08004e2a.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/uhoh_zpsaab355ac.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo uhoh_zpsaab355ac.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/uhoh_zpsaab355ac.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/DSC_0323_zps2de04803.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo DSC_0323_zps2de04803.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/DSC_0323_zps2de04803.jpg" /></a></div>
Tiffany Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11258860619912932529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-252208442935883938.post-69106863176796877572013-08-09T13:04:00.000-07:002013-08-21T21:20:04.526-07:0031-ish days of Parker: First year favorites!I just couldn't resist going back to Parker's first year and posting some of my favorite pictures! It was so much fun to see how much he changed. <br />
<br />
<br />
Parker 1st month:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/parker_zpsa71ff1db.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo parker_zpsa71ff1db.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/parker_zpsa71ff1db.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Parker's 2 month:<br />
<br />
Parker had a HUGE growth spurt his first month!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/7weeks_zps967f396d.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 7weeks_zps967f396d.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/7weeks_zps967f396d.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Parker's 3rd month:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/3rdmonth_zpsfb53b552.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 3rdmonth_zpsfb53b552.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/3rdmonth_zpsfb53b552.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
<br />
Parker's 4th month:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/4thmonth_zps221985f8.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 4thmonth_zps221985f8.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/4thmonth_zps221985f8.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Parker's 5th month:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/octomonster_zps4373e794.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo octomonster_zps4373e794.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/octomonster_zps4373e794.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Parker's 6th month:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/24weeksold3_zpsa0df4502.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 24weeksold3_zpsa0df4502.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/24weeksold3_zpsa0df4502.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Parker's 7th month: </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/6months6_zps1ab30ba5.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 6months6_zps1ab30ba5.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/6months6_zps1ab30ba5.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Parker's 8th month:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/readingtime7_zps207c2dc3.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo readingtime7_zps207c2dc3.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/readingtime7_zps207c2dc3.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
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Parker's 9th month:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/DSCF9370_zps85cafd20.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo DSCF9370_zps85cafd20.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/DSCF9370_zps85cafd20.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Parker's 10th month:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/allstargame3_zps5c832b23.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo allstargame3_zps5c832b23.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/allstargame3_zps5c832b23.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Parker's 11th month:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/happybabyboy4_zpsac73cfb7.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo happybabyboy4_zpsac73cfb7.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/happybabyboy4_zpsac73cfb7.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
1 year old!!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/1yearpage_zpsbc66c67b.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 1yearpage_zpsbc66c67b.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/1yearpage_zpsbc66c67b.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
Tiffany Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11258860619912932529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-252208442935883938.post-50479102080936425232013-08-06T19:50:00.003-07:002013-08-21T21:20:13.706-07:0031-ish days of Parker: Silly things he says!Yes, yes...I know, I have missed a couple days of posting for this, but I'm hoping to get back on track.<br />
<br />
I know I have shared this before, but Parker is a pretty silly little guy. Since he started to talk, he began to say some of the funniest and cutest things. As his speech becomes more and more pronounced his sayings get sillier and cuter.<br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/IMG_2406_zpsd69f46b9.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IMG_2406_zpsd69f46b9.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/IMG_2406_zpsd69f46b9.jpg" /></a> </div>
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Just today Parker was playing with his cars and shouting, "Choo-Choo!" Over and over and over. Finally, daddy tells him to use his inside voice. Parker responds, "but I'm singing the choo-choo song!"<br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/IMG_2422_zpse01338a5.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IMG_2422_zpse01338a5.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/IMG_2422_zpse01338a5.jpg" /></a> </div>
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Recently, Daddy started playing the "Guess what" game with Parker. Basically, Daddy asks Parker, "Guess what?" In which Parker responds, "What?" Daddy says, " I love you." For the first time the other day Parker reversed the role and asked daddy, "Guess what?" It was so cute to hear him be so sweet.<br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/ebd7ec71-2504-41dd-a501-e68ae0184cb3_zps45043927.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo ebd7ec71-2504-41dd-a501-e68ae0184cb3_zps45043927.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/ebd7ec71-2504-41dd-a501-e68ae0184cb3_zps45043927.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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As you can imagine dirty diapers and potty's aren't that uncommon in our household, but having a willing person change said diaper or clean out the potty is another story. All of a sudden it seems like everyone is REALLY busy once Parker or Eliana poop. So we adopted the, "Not it" game. I bet you know how this one is played. A couple weeks ago, after Parker went poop on the potty, he walked out of the bathroom and yelled, "not it!"<br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/IMG_2672_zps8c2065e2.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IMG_2672_zps8c2065e2.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/IMG_2672_zps8c2065e2.jpg" /></a> </div>
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<br />Tiffany Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11258860619912932529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-252208442935883938.post-23261587585951220012013-08-02T16:00:00.000-07:002013-08-21T21:20:22.072-07:0031-ish Days of Parker: A first glimpseI found out January 17th 2010, that our family would become a family of four. I think I took over 20 tests because I was so excited! I can still remember the morning I took the pregnancy test. I couldn't believe I was holding a positive test and I remember jumping onto the bed to wake up Nolan and show him. Crazy that it has now been over 3 years since that morning, it feels like it was just yesterday. <br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/positiveHPT1-19-10_zps405ce271.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo positiveHPT1-19-10_zps405ce271.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/positiveHPT1-19-10_zps405ce271.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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A women's body is truly amazing. Something so tiny, at one time he was just a little blip, and he has changed our lives forever. <br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/babyus2_92_zps625da3b9.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo babyus2_92_zps625da3b9.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/babyus2_92_zps625da3b9.jpg" width="840" /></a> </div>
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This is one of my favorite belly photos from my pregnancy with Parker. Believe or not, I love being pregnant! My body, however, doesn't feel the same way.<br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/19weekbump_zpsb49c044e.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 19weekbump_zpsb49c044e.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/19weekbump_zpsb49c044e.jpg" /></a></div>
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My favorite ultrasound of my little prince. I remember when the tech talked about the cord being wrapped around his neck and how it was completely normal. I would rather not have heard something like that. I love how clear you could see his face though. <br />
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<br />Tiffany Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11258860619912932529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-252208442935883938.post-19724132709009950352013-08-01T15:52:00.002-07:002013-08-21T21:20:46.871-07:0031-ish days of Parker: Singular momentsParker turns 3 in exactly 31 days! For the month of August I wanted to try to write a small post about him everyday. Talk about how he's changed so much and how amazing of a child he is. Now, on to the first post. <br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/day1_2_zpsabf6bfd2.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo day1_2_zpsabf6bfd2.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/day1_2_zpsabf6bfd2.jpg" /></a></div>
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I was riding on the bus heading to a doctor appointment and I noticed a father getting on the bus with his four boys. The youngest looked about 2 and the oldest maybe 7 or 8. Each of them clean and nicely dressed(other than the press-on tattoos all over their arms.) They sat down quietly, talked and giggled amongst each other. A couple of stops before my stop, they all politely got off the bus, each thanking the bus driver on their way out. I was seriously mesmerized and I couldn't help, but be insanely jealous that this gentlemen had four of the best behaved boys I have ever met! I had a flashback of all the times Parker misbehaved while we were out and I was at a loss as to what I was doing wrong as a mom and what I could do to get my child to behave the same way!<br />
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I got off at my stop and I had a little time before my appointment. The doctor's office is located in the same building where my husband works so he met me and we talked to pass the time. I told him about the father and the well behaved boys that I saw on the bus, and I brought up my frustrations about how we could get Parker to behave like that. My husband reminded me that Parker is a very well mannered boy and reminded me of all the times we've received compliments about his good behavior. He said, "You only witnessed a small glimpse, a single moment, of those boys. Sure they were being good at that time, but most likely they aren't that way all the time."<br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Day1_zps813b2e1e.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Day1_zps813b2e1e.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Day1_zps813b2e1e.jpg" /></a> </div>
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My husband was right! It made me feel so much better to think about it that way. Parker IS a wonderful child. He's polite and has great manners. He is silly, smart, imaginative and he is very loving. The moments he is being defiant and challenging are few and far in between. It's just something I will have to actively remind myself every time I'm in a situation like this. And when Parker wants to go in public wearing giant red car shoes, no shirt and dirty pants...I should be okay with it because he will only be this age for a small time.<br />
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I love you my little Prince....Tiffany Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11258860619912932529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-252208442935883938.post-8905133474979624822013-07-24T08:53:00.002-07:002013-07-24T09:08:34.245-07:00Wittle People Wednesday: Parker's Wonka invitations and an update!Can you believe it?!? Parker will be three in a little over one month!! We took the kids to the park to take some pictures. My wonderful Parker was being silly as always when he sees the camera come out. I couldn't resist sharing some of the "blooper" photos from our little session. <br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/birthdayinviteblooperphotos_zpsc0c5926f.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo birthdayinviteblooperphotos_zpsc0c5926f.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/birthdayinviteblooperphotos_zpsc0c5926f.jpg" /></a> </div>
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Just a small update on his stats! Parker had a small growth spurt length wise in the past few months. He still seems to be hovering between 26-27lbs. Crazy he has been at this weight for almost a year now!<br />
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Current stats @ 34.5 months: </div>
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Weight: 27lbs (5-10th percentile) </div>
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Height: 37" long (25-50th percentile) </div>
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Clothing size: Wears 3T/4T</div>
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Shoe size: size 9</div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/birthdayinviteblooperphotos2_zps33ca5d1e.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo birthdayinviteblooperphotos2_zps33ca5d1e.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/birthdayinviteblooperphotos2_zps33ca5d1e.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/birthdayinvitephotos2_zpsc0bcfbcf.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo birthdayinvitephotos2_zpsc0bcfbcf.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/birthdayinvitephotos2_zpsc0bcfbcf.jpg" /></a></div>
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I purchased the template for this invitation from this <a href="http://www.drawpilgrim.com/2011/09/how-we-threw-a-willy-wonka-birthday-party/" target="_blank">blog</a>. When I saw the invite I HAD to have it. Within this blog post there is a button that says "buy it." Click on that button to purchase the invite. It cost $2.50 for the template. I was able to make edits to the actual invite using the free PDF software call Foxit reader. The Adobe reader wouldn't let me make any changes, so that is why I used Foxit instead. The invites were printed locally at a print shop. They did an amazing job!!</div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/photo1_zpscc167ddb.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo photo1_zpscc167ddb.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/photo1_zpscc167ddb.jpg" width="840" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/birthdayinviteblooperphotos5_zpsb69808c3.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo birthdayinviteblooperphotos5_zpsb69808c3.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/birthdayinviteblooperphotos5_zpsb69808c3.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/birthdayinviteblooperphotos4_zpsf01e393c.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo birthdayinviteblooperphotos4_zpsf01e393c.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/birthdayinviteblooperphotos4_zpsf01e393c.jpg" /></a></div>
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I'm seriously overly excited for this party! Willy Wonka is a show I've loved to watch for as long as I can remember. Parker now watches this movie nearly every day. He randomly sings the songs as he is playing in his room. He calls every piece of paper a "golden ticket." He is as obsessed as I am.<br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/birthdayinviteblooperphotos3_zps041794ec.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo birthdayinviteblooperphotos3_zps041794ec.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/birthdayinviteblooperphotos3_zps041794ec.jpg" /></a> </div>
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Finally, I was able to get a couple cute photos I could use to send with the invites! </div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/birthdayinvitephotos_zps37c10cf9.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo birthdayinvitephotos_zps37c10cf9.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/birthdayinvitephotos_zps37c10cf9.jpg" /></a> </div>
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Tiffany Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11258860619912932529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-252208442935883938.post-53601462004157558312013-07-23T17:10:00.000-07:002013-09-16T17:59:12.733-07:00Eliana is 9 months old!!<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm about a week and a half late getting her monthly birthday post updated! It's here though :)</div>
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Current stats: </div>
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Weight: 18lbs 4oz (25-50th percentile) </div>
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Height: 27.25" long (25th-50th percentile) </div>
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Clothing size: Wears 9mo & 6-12 months </div>
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Shoe size: size 4 or 12-18 months </div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/9monthsold_zps7de6faec.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/9monthsold_zps7de6faec.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 9monthsold_zps7de6faec.jpg"/></a>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/9monthsold5_zpsa836f309.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/9monthsold5_zpsa836f309.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 9monthsold5_zpsa836f309.jpg"/></a></div>
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At 9 months;</div>
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...stands without support</div>
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...can stand up without pulling up on furniture/toys </div>
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...she took two steps when she wasn't paying attention, but hasn't done it since so I'm not counting that. </div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Eliana9monthsold4_zpsb7c6ea4b.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Eliana9monthsold4_zpsb7c6ea4b.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Eliana9monthsold4_zpsb7c6ea4b.jpg" width="840" /></a> </div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/9monthsold2_zps6ed2f473.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/9monthsold2_zps6ed2f473.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 9monthsold2_zps6ed2f473.jpg"/></a></div>
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...has 6 teeth total. 4 are very visible as of this morning. 2 more are still barely poking out of the gums. (4 on top, 2 on bottom)</div>
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...because of said teeth and possibly a growth spurt, lil' miss is having some MAJOR sleep regression. She sleeps worse than when she was a newborn. It's not that she is wide awake wanting to play around. She is wanting to nurse all-night-long. Needless to say, I'm pretty exhausted. </div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Eliana9monthsold7_zps8c25376d.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Eliana9monthsold7_zps8c25376d.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Eliana9monthsold7_zps8c25376d.jpg" /></a> </div>
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...she is still the happiest baby ever!! Sure we have bouts of grumpiness, but it's amazing how this lil' miss can smile through the tears. </div>
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...I'm almost positive she says parpar or baba for her brother. When she gets excited to play with him she babbles these sounds. </div>
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...she is so in love with her sister and brother. She always wants to play with them. She gets excited when she sees them. </div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/9monthsold3_zps38a93ee9.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/9monthsold3_zps38a93ee9.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 9monthsold3_zps38a93ee9.jpg"width=840"/></a></div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/9monthsold6_zps0a172a0a.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/9monthsold6_zps0a172a0a.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 9monthsold6_zps0a172a0a.jpg"width=840"/></a></div>
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...loves the kitty. Poor Picasso now has two sets of hands trying to pull of his tail. </div>
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...loves to swim! We have free passes to the pool just around the corner from our house and she absolutely loves the water. </div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/9monthsold4_zps9c26e788.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/9monthsold4_zps9c26e788.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 9monthsold4_zps9c26e788.jpg"/></a></div>
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Counting down another wonderful, wonderful month! Happy 9 months my lil' princess. </div>
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Tiffany Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11258860619912932529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-252208442935883938.post-21928754401597576172013-07-12T09:23:00.000-07:002013-07-12T09:23:09.772-07:00Color Me Rad Montreal 2013!!We have been busy!! I know I have said this before, but I really thought this, "not having a car," would slow us down a little bit. We are still moving around the city all the time. Montreal is so AMAZING! So many places I want to see and visit. We can actually do things outside during the summer. I'm being told that the humid heat is still to come, but right now we are enjoying being outdoors. <br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/IMG_1594_zpsf445d1e5.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IMG_1594_zpsf445d1e5.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/IMG_1594_zpsf445d1e5.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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Last month we decided to participate in the, "Color Me Rad," race. Originally, I had planned to participate in the Tough Mudder Run, but the cost to be in that was way more than we could afford. The nice thing about the Color Me Rad race is that kids were allowed to join at no cost!<br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/IMG_1621_zps267e19f5.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IMG_1621_zps267e19f5.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/IMG_1621_zps267e19f5.jpg" width="840" /></a> </div>
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The race was held at the Esplanade Financiere Sun Life. The building you see in this picture is the Montreal Tower. Something I didn't know until I started writing this post, the Montreal Tower is the tallest inclined tower in the world! The Montreal Tower is 165 meters high and sits at a 45 degree angle. Just to compare the Tower of Pisa is 56m high and only leans at a 5 degree angle. The tower is stunning up close. It's hard to see the angle in the picture I took because took it on the wrong side. </div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/colormeradpage2_zpsbaddaece.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo colormeradpage2_zpsbaddaece.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/colormeradpage2_zpsbaddaece.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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We had a few of our friends join us! This race is better the more people you are with and I recommend you buy lots of extra color packs. We were one of the last people to cross the finish line and we never received our free one at the end. Plus it's fun to have "color" fights throughout the race. </div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/colormeradpage3_zps8ea0dacb.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo colormeradpage3_zps8ea0dacb.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/colormeradpage3_zps8ea0dacb.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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Throughout the race they had "color stations" where they would blast you with color packs. Some would be a mix of water and the color. The race was nearly sold out by the time we signed up so we have to choose the last group to go with. Next year, I'm going to sign up early and choose an earlier group. That way if we are really slow, we won't miss seeing all the color stations along the way. </div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/colormeradpage4_zpsb1cff89d.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo colormeradpage4_zpsb1cff89d.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/colormeradpage4_zpsb1cff89d.jpg" width="840" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/colormeradpage5_zpsade53061.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo colormeradpage5_zpsade53061.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/colormeradpage5_zpsade53061.jpg" width="840" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/colormeradpage6_zpsd52dba12.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo colormeradpage6_zpsd52dba12.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/colormeradpage6_zpsd52dba12.jpg" width="840" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/CYUL13_03_05451_zpse364b7bd.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo CYUL13_03_05451_zpse364b7bd.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/CYUL13_03_05451_zpse364b7bd.jpg" /></a> <br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/colormeradpage_zps883dbffb.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo colormeradpage_zps883dbffb.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/colormeradpage_zps883dbffb.jpg" width="840" /></a><br />
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I can't wait to do this race again next year!<br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/IMG_1590_zpsc9df77c2.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IMG_1590_zpsc9df77c2.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/IMG_1590_zpsc9df77c2.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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<br />Tiffany Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11258860619912932529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-252208442935883938.post-31678318270208216032013-06-18T15:36:00.001-07:002013-06-18T15:36:35.144-07:00Eliana is 8 months old!<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/8months3_zpsbf4d0262.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 8months3_zpsbf4d0262.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/8months3_zpsbf4d0262.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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Current stats:
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<i>Weight: </i>approx 17lbs 8oz (25-50th percentile) </div>
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<i>Height: </i>26.75"<i> </i>long (25-50th percentile) </div>
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<i>Clothing size:</i> Wears 9mo & 6-12 month </div>
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<i>Shoe size:</i> size 3 or 4 depending on brand</div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/8months_zpse9fef5f1.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 8months_zpse9fef5f1.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/8months_zpse9fef5f1.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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Where do I start?!? Eliana is changing so much and it's happening so fast! </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At 8 months; </span></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
...can stand holding on with one hand. She has on a few occasions stood without any support, but not for long. </div>
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...has mastered cruising(walking) around the furniture. I don't think she is too far off from actually walking. We will see in the next few months!!</div>
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...bear crawls FAST! </div>
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...is getting into everything. Trash cans, drawers, cupboards....nothing is safe, LOL! </div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/8months4_zps524ebce8.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 8months4_zps524ebce8.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/8months4_zps524ebce8.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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...has two teeth! Her second one broke the gums about a week after her first. </div>
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...says, "dada" and "mama" now. I swear she has said, "hi," on a few occasions and at appropriate times, but it's not consistent. </div>
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...her eyes are turning a sort of bluish-green color.</div>
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....her hair is starting to darken and fill in more.</div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/8months5_zpsa5cb5ab0.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 8months5_zpsa5cb5ab0.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/8months5_zpsa5cb5ab0.jpg" width="840" /></a> </div>
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<br /></div>
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...we are still struggling with her wanting to eat solids, forget baby puree's she wants nothing to do with those. She will eat tiny bites of food from whatever I might be eating, but only a couple bites. It's a little frustrating because I know she is hungry. </div>
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...still wakes up throughout the night to nurse. Thankfully, she doesn't ever stay awake. </div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/8months2_zps6141629c.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 8months2_zps6141629c.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/8months2_zps6141629c.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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We are going through ideas of what her first birthday theme will be, but nothing is set right now. It's going to be a tough year for all the kids' birthday's. My family has always been around for their birthday's. With us living in Montreal this is no longer possible. This year just won't be the same. </div>
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Oh Eliana, if you only knew how happy you make us! I love you lil' miss...so very very much :)</div>
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Tiffany Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11258860619912932529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-252208442935883938.post-59300795413485688822013-05-30T13:00:00.001-07:002013-05-30T15:16:28.946-07:00Mama Memoirs: Public Transportation<div style="text-align: center;">
When Nolan received the news that his company was closing their Phoenix location, and they wanted to relocate Nolan to Montreal, we both just knew it was something we wanted to do. We then had to make choices on what we could live with and without when we moved, due to the increased cost of living in Montreal. One of the decisions we made was to sell both our vehicles. It was weird to think about not driving a car, as I have driven and owned a vehicle since I was 16 years old and there were very few times periods that I went without driving. We now, however, rely 100% on public transportation, our legs...and on RARE occasions, a taxi, LOL!</div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/IMG_0444_zps9830a50f.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IMG_0444_zps9830a50f.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/IMG_0444_zps9830a50f.jpg" width="840" /></a> </div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/IMG_0932_zps5c703ebc.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IMG_0932_zps5c703ebc.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/IMG_0932_zps5c703ebc.jpg" width="840" /></a>
We moved to Montreal in January. Luckily, at first, we were right downtown and next to where Nolan was working. That was nice...sort of "eased" us into getting around the city. I had a little bit of anxiety, and all the worst-case-scenarios went through my head about getting on the metro the first time. A fire, an accident, a thug would come behind me and push me...the world would come to an end and I would be stuck in there. No joke, lol. I stood quite a ways back from the edge of the platform for a while. It's different now, I love riding the metro and using the buses to get around.<br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/IMG_0954_zps4dd7de66.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IMG_0954_zps4dd7de66.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/IMG_0954_zps4dd7de66.jpg" /></a>
There has only been one or two extremely frustrating times while using public transport here, but that is it...a couple of times! I can't tell you how many times I would get stressed while driving a car. Add to that the fact that our cars seemed to always break down and in the back seat sat a hormonal teenager, an upset two year old and a screaming baby. Oh, and a husband that was "directionally challenged." Needless to say, I was...well, I loathed driving near the end. </div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/IMG_0914_zpsdcfaf299.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IMG_0914_zpsdcfaf299.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/IMG_0914_zpsdcfaf299.jpg" /></a>
There is something about using public transport, or just plain walking, that makes me feel accomplished. All the walking is making me a healthier person. Eliana is usually sitting in the carrier on my chest or back, so I'm getting a dang good work out. Parker LOVES riding on the buses and the metro. Vanessa is learning to navigate the transit to get to school and back and I think it gives her a little independence. <br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/IMG_0612_zps3452abd0.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo IMG_0612_zps3452abd0.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/IMG_0612_zps3452abd0.jpg" width="840" /></a><br />
We save by not paying for gas, car insurance or car maintenance. We
figured that to be at least $200-300 a month. Plus, at the time we were
still paying off one car so that is an additional $250 per month. We also save money on groceries, as most of the time we have to carry home what we buy...<br />
<br />
<i>edit: Okay, I have a confession...we don't save on groceries because we are a milk loving family. In Montreal milk is very expensive, comes in tiny bags that seem to get drunk in one sitting and never goes on sale, EVER!! </i><br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/a04b0188-3b54-4504-a84a-8a15d00fc112_zpsb3daf715.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo a04b0188-3b54-4504-a84a-8a15d00fc112_zpsb3daf715.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/a04b0188-3b54-4504-a84a-8a15d00fc112_zpsb3daf715.jpg" /></a><br />
I know this isn't the deepest of topics, but I'm so happy about all the changes we've made for our family. It has been so exciting for us out here. We are learning a new culture and a new way of life, with regards to transportation. It's nice to have a fresh start.<br />
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<br /><a href="http://www.asortafairytaleblog.com/"><br /><img src="http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/yy6/mchiappini/TheMamaMemoirs_zps1d0b6ab8.jpg" /></a></center>
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Tiffany Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11258860619912932529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-252208442935883938.post-68498483514381608992013-05-23T13:15:00.001-07:002013-05-23T13:15:47.422-07:00Eliana is 7 months old!<div style="text-align: center;">
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Closer and closer we get to Eliana's first birthday. THAT is crazy to think about! <br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/7monthsupdated4_zpsdb8e5a7c.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 7monthsupdated4_zpsdb8e5a7c.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/7monthsupdated4_zpsdb8e5a7c.jpg" /></a><br />
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Current stats: </div>
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<i>Weight: 16</i>lbs 9oz (25-50th percentile) </div>
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<i>Height: </i>26.4"<i> </i>long (25-50th percentile) </div>
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<i>Head circumference:</i> 17.71" (25-50th percentile) </div>
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<i>Clothing size:</i> Wears 9mo & 6-12 month </div>
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<i>Shoe size:</i> size 2 </div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/7monthsupdated5_zps724c0456.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 7monthsupdated5_zps724c0456.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/7monthsupdated5_zps724c0456.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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At 7 months Eliana, </div>
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...has cut her FIRST tooth! The bottom left tooth in the front. The tooth actually broke the gums a couple days after she "officially" turned 7 months. </div>
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...crawls all over the place. Eliana actually does the "bear" crawl. </div>
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...can pull herself to standing position.<br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/7monthsoldround2_4_zps72a19148.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 7monthsoldround2_4_zps72a19148.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/7monthsoldround2_4_zps72a19148.jpg" /></a> <br />
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...can stand holding on to things with only one hand. <br />
...she's learning to cruise around toys and furniture while standing. </div>
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...can return to sitting position from laying or standing. </div>
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...says, "mama."</div>
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...reaches out for me to hold her.<br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/7monthsoldround2_2_zps96a054c6.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 7monthsoldround2_2_zps96a054c6.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/7monthsoldround2_2_zps96a054c6.jpg" width="840" /></a> <br />
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...not sure what color her eyes want to be. Some days they are blue other green or grey.<br />
...her hair is a light reddish-brown, with the cutest little curl in the front. That section of hair has been curling like that since she was born. We comb and brush it and after a bit, will return back to a cute curl.<br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/7monthsoldround2_5_zps3a0f6425.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 7monthsoldround2_5_zps3a0f6425.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/7monthsoldround2_5_zps3a0f6425.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/7monthsoldround2_1_zps36a73a3d.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 7monthsoldround2_1_zps36a73a3d.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/7monthsoldround2_1_zps36a73a3d.jpg" width="840" /></a><br />
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...still nursing pretty exclusively. We keep trying solids with her, but she still struggles with swallowing them. She gags and ends up spitting them back up.<br />
...when she isn't playing on the floor, she spends the rest of her time in the baby carrier on my chest. I don't complain, this phase won't last long.<br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/7monthsupdated_zpsaf717a7a.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 7monthsupdated_zpsaf717a7a.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/7monthsupdated_zpsaf717a7a.jpg" /></a><br />
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...she has a billion of the cutest faces! Amazing that a baby can smile so many different ways.<br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/7monthsupdated8_zps02c008ff.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 7monthsupdated8_zps02c008ff.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/7monthsupdated8_zps02c008ff.jpg" /></a><br />
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She's growing up too fast...I'm so blessed that I can be a full-time mommy and not miss any of these moments with my kiddos.<br />
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Happy 7 months, lil' miss!!<br />
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Tiffany Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11258860619912932529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-252208442935883938.post-78949000831995737932013-05-22T16:50:00.002-07:002013-05-22T16:50:59.121-07:00Wittle People Wednesday: Dandelions!Linking up with <a href="http://www.ashleysisk.com/2013/05/wittle-people-wednesday-30.html" target="_blank">Ramblings and Photos</a> for, "Wittle People Wednesday!"<br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/dandelionsupdated_zps1328c0c1.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo dandelionsupdated_zps1328c0c1.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/dandelionsupdated_zps1328c0c1.jpg" width="840" /></a><br />
The weather has been unbelievably GORGEOUS! I'm experiencing seasons!! In AZ, you have hot and less hot. The park is so close it makes it real easy to get the kids out during the day to play.<br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/dandelionsupdated2_zps0c83b8bc.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo dandelionsupdated2_zps0c83b8bc.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/dandelionsupdated2_zps0c83b8bc.jpg" width="840" /></a><br />
I was teaching Parker how to "make wishes" with the dandelions. He was trying so hard to blow the "puffers" off.<br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/dandelionsupdated3_zps96442bb6.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo dandelionsupdated3_zps96442bb6.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/dandelionsupdated3_zps96442bb6.jpg" width="840" /></a><br />
It was a little windy that day, so most of the time the wind would blow them all off before he had the chance to. Tiffany Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11258860619912932529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-252208442935883938.post-23530996899906639342013-05-08T05:00:00.000-07:002013-05-08T05:00:12.979-07:00Wittle People Wednesday: Sewing for boysLinking up with <i><b><a href="http://www.ashleysisk.com/" target="_blank">Ramblings and Photos</a> </b></i>for, "Wittle People Wednesday!"<br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Newshorts_zps1d70100a.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Newshorts_zps1d70100a.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Newshorts_zps1d70100a.jpg" /></a></div>
It's starting to get warm here in Montreal and I realized that I had only 1 pair of shorts for Parker! I went to the store and clothing here in Montreal is much more expensive than in the states. On top of costs, most of the shorts have buttons/snaps and zippers and we are working on potty training Parker. I wasn't planning on making shorts, but I came across a cute pattern for cargo shorts. I was able to find the perfect fabric at the local fabric store and 2 yards of this fabric was less than what it cost for ONE pair of shorts at the stores.<br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Newshorts3_zps3da6fadf.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Newshorts3_zps3da6fadf.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Newshorts3_zps3da6fadf.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Newshorts2_zps34ba27ed.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Newshorts2_zps34ba27ed.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Newshorts2_zps34ba27ed.jpg" /></a> </div>
You can find this pattern at this <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/thesweetestpatterns?ref=pr_shop_more" target="_blank"><b><i>ETSY</i></b></a> shop. It was an instant download. Easy to read directions with pictures and quick to sew from start to finish. My favorite thing about these shorts is that they don't LOOK homemade. I don't know why, but I'm kinda picky about that.<br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Newshorts6_zps1034ffaa.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Newshorts6_zps1034ffaa.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Newshorts6_zps1034ffaa.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
Of course, boys will be boys...they didn't last 5 minutes before Parker decided he needed a sand bath. I was far less concerned because I didn't spend a fortune making them and I loved that he was having so much fun.<br />
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/Newshorts4_zps0e98a15c.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Newshorts4_zps0e98a15c.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/Newshorts4_zps0e98a15c.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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<br />Tiffany Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11258860619912932529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-252208442935883938.post-41112838937849824342013-05-03T06:11:00.000-07:002013-05-03T08:05:59.628-07:00Mama Memoirs: Sick Day?!?<div style="text-align: center;">
I feel like I start ALL my blog posts with, "I'm a little late getting this posted, but..." Well, this post is no different. I pulled a muscle in my neck on Saturday afternoon and I've basically been in a lot of pain and unable to sleep, due to a stiff neck, for the past few days. Because of my injury this post will also be on the short side. </div>
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Which brings me to my topic, where are my sick days?!?</div>
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<a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/tellingston/media/sickdays_zps0ac1419a.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo sickdays_zps0ac1419a.jpg" border="0" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tellingston/sickdays_zps0ac1419a.jpg" width="840" /></a></div>
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No one ever warns you, before motherhood, that no matter how sick or how hurt you are, you don't get to "call in sick" as a mom. To me, being sick and still being able to function as a mother, has been one of the toughest and more challenging things to face as a mom. My day doesn't change just because I'm sick. I still deal with dirty diapers, feeding kids, interacting with them and making sure my two year old isn't getting into trouble.<br />
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Oh, and as my doctor writes the prescription for my neck, she says with a smile, "You will get the best sleep you have had in months with this!" Though she neglected to mention that when I do wake up, it will feel like I was hit by a ton of bricks and that I smashed my head through a wall.</div>
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So, off I go to lay on the bed, cuddle with my 6 month old and let my two year old eat cookies and watch Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory for the 100th time. </div>
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Tiffany Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11258860619912932529noreply@blogger.com1