Black Hills hiking trip

You rode on mommy and daddies back up the side of a mountain while eating Cheetos, you loved it :)

twinkle twinkle little stars

You sing constantly, especially in the car. Most of the time the songs are not recognizable, sometimes I can pick out words. But tonight I got serenaded with twinkle twinkle little star. We can thank Miss Kristen for singing to you as a baby, she used to sing this to you everyday at nap time :)

The reason we moved to South Dakota...

You, "Auntie Donnell", Aubrie, and Karsyn. I absolutely love love love the way you say Danielle, I hope it never stops. Although I know it will because you no longer say "wawer" (water) or "Mimi" (Mandi)

Your first time ice skating

You are adjusting well to being a South Dakota girl, but alas you hated ice skating.  But you did love the ice cream treat afterward 😊

You are a binkie kid no more!

So we cleared a minor hurdle this past weekend...just before nap time you told Daddy to throw away all your "binkies". So Daddy took all of them and hid them and told you they were all thrown away, your response, "ok, daddy!" So nap time rolls around you ask for a "binkie?" Daddy told you they were all gone and you said, "ok daddy!" After asking for it a couple more times and being told they were "all gone because Ellie told daddy to throw them away and she will just have to take a nap without one" you went to sleep in your crib.... Daddy proclaimed VICTORY! This was Saturday, and it is now Wednesday, you haven't had a binkie since and have only asked for it twice.  Winning!

Our goal was to have the pacifier gone by the time you turned 2, which is only a few weeks away. You are ahead of the game, my little advanced lady!  Speaking of advanced, everyone thinks you are one smart cookie because you know your A,B,Cs and can count to 13 (well 1 through 8, then 11, then 13).

Love you kiddo, weird to think of your as a kid now, not a baby...

Goat sounds

Your Daddy LOVES your goat sounds ☺☺☺

https://youtu.be/pmT9rLyAd9Q

Goodbye Swanage

"Sad day as I say goodbye to 20 Swanage, I truly love this house and its circle that Ellie learned to walk and run around, and most recently learned to count while running laps. Its been a great home and I wish I could pack it on the truck and take it with us. Buy alas, onto to bigger and better adventures and many more circles!"

I feel a change comin'

As I type we are preparing for a grand adventure, moving from Richmond, Virginia to Rapid City, South Dakota.We are moving to South Dakota and you don’t understand that or know what that means yet, but your Dad and I are so very hopeful that you will love it.  Dad is in South Dakota already, and has been for over three weeks at this point.  You miss him dearly and ask about him regularly, my go to answer for where Daddy is “Daddy is in South Dakota.”  You so far have accepted this answer and provided no further questions about its meaning.  You have even started to parrot back to me “South Dakota.”

I do know that you are going to miss our house, you enjoy saying “Ellie home.”  But know this, your dad and I did not come to the decision to move us and you across country lightly.  It is something that was discussed at length, but we both ultimately feel it is the best decision for you and our family.  Your Dad and I have chosen to put you in an environment with a strong extended support system, something we don’t have in Virginia.  Your Bammy and Pop Pop are pretty much all we have and they are six hours away in North Carolina.  We want more than that for you. You don’t know it yet, but you will be surrounded by family and friends in South Dakota. Time spent with cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, great-grandparents, and friends who are more like family will far exceed the stress of moving and relocating our lives.  Because when your Dad and I stop, and really think about what is most important to us, it is that you be surrounded by love and support.  And we honestly feel the best place for that is South Dakota. We do have great friends here in Virginia (which we will miss dearly) and I don’t want to discount their friendship, but home is really where your heart is and our hearts are in South Dakota.

We love you Ellie, and I hope you love your new home as much as we do!

 

Bless you Mimi

You have named Mandi "Mimi" and you think her little oinks and snorts are sneezing, which means you are constantly saying "bwess you Mimi!"

I think it is the cutest thing ever. You also say waaawer, which is equally adorable. You are just so stinking cute 😊😊

Uncle Nick

As you know, you have an extended network of Aunties and Uncles, people that are really important in our lives and that are family regardless of blood relation. Today is the 4th anniversary of Uncle Nick's passing, I know your daddy talks to you a lot about Nick and how they were the best of friends.  Daddy has many stories about his and Nick's adventures and I will often catch him telling you these stories while giggling.  Daddy and you also listen to Uncle Nick's favorite music together, I think you almost know the words to "see you later, see you soon."

I wanted to share a couple of my favorite memories about Nick, which happen to be the first and last times I saw him.  The first time I met Nick was shortly after your Daddy and I started dating, I want to say it was only two or three weeks after our first date.  Your Dad called me around 9pm on a weekday (you know I like to go to bed early!) and asked if I wanted to hang out.  I was already falling in love with your Daddy, so despite it being so late on a weeknight, I happily agreed.  Dad picked me up and told me we were going to meetup with his best friend, who was in town from Spearfish.  He said we were going to their absolute favorite place to hangout, Perkins.  Being a naive girl from the East Coast, only in Rapid City for a couple months at this point, I had no idea what Perkins was and assumed it was a hip bar or something of the like.  Needless to say I was quite surprised when we arrived at a diner, what Aunt Danielle would call an "old folks restaurant." A diner was their favorite hangout? Despite my confusion I went along with it...we sat down and the waitress handed us menus.  Just as quickly as she handed them to Daddy and Nick, they replied they wouldn't need them, they were only having a drink.  Mind you Perkins does not serve alcohol, so by a drink they meant soda.  That's right, your Daddy had brought me to a dingy diner to have a soda.  But after the first 30 minutes with these two sipping Dr. Peppers my cheeks hurt from laughing.  I couldn't tell you what specifically we talked about, but I remember story after story, some about their time as cadets, some about driving aimlessly, and I distinctly remember hearing Uncle Nick's Wookie impression for the first time.  We must have been at Perkins for almost three hours, all the while just drinking soda and laughing or more so giggling.  That was the beauty of your Dad and Nick's friendship, it was simple and easy and so terribly fun.  It didn't matter to me that is was midnight (and I had to be in the field the next day at 7 am) or that we were in an empty diner, their laughter and connection was so infectious. At the end of the night when our bill arrived, something like $6 total, both Nick and Daddy laid down $10 each...tipping the waitress an amount more than double our bill.  It was this night more so than others I really learned who your Daddy was.  He loved his friends deeply, but more so he surrounded himself with people, who just like him, loved serving others more so than themselves.  Constantly giving...in their jobs, in their lives, and even to surly diner waitresses who were annoyed that they had only ordered Dr. Pepper. I definitely fell more in love with your Daddy that night, because of the person he was and also because of the person who his best friend was.

The last time I saw Nick was on this day 4 years ago.  This day and the week or so leading up to it are somewhat of a blur in my mind, punctuated by vivid memories with strong emotions attached. To be honest I know Nick passed on this day, but I can't remember at what time or where we were. Although it must have happened during the day, because we spent the evening with Daddy's other best friends, John and Cory and their wives, at John's family lake house.  I remember it being an evening of peace and friendship, we were all at ease, I think mostly because there was some resolution. Even though it was an unpleasant resolution and something none of us wanted, it felt like the first piece of closure we had seen in a week. We spent the evening walking around the lake, reminiscing about the amazing person Nick was. At some point one of Daddy's friends sent a message telling us when they would be driving Nick's donated organs from the hospital to the airport to be flown to waiting recipients.  He told us the route the ambulance would be taking, so that we could watch if we wanted.  It was somewhat of a hard decision, but we collectively decided it was something we needed to witness. We drove down and parked at a bank behind the hospital (not sure why I remember this detail, but I vividly remember the sign) and got out of our cars and waited.  Within five minutes we heard the sirens and soon the ambulance was visible.  Nick was being escorted by police cars with lights and sirens.  I remember the darkness of the night and how the street was entirely empty.  It was just Nick and his escort.  The moment he passed by I was flooded with emotion (just as I am now, writing this).  It was one of the most moving and profound moments in my life, honestly second only to your birth.  I know it was a culmination of emotions from the entire week's events, but it was also much more.  I was literally watching Nick give his life for others.  He was continuing to give just as he had done every day.  Selflessly giving to others and saving lives. I know this was also the moment I let Nick go, because I knew I wanted to remember Nick this way.  I wanted to remember the vibrant person that Nick was and in my mind this moment perfectly encapsulated him.  He was surrounded by people he loved, by the profession he held so dear and he was about to get on airplane to save lives.  That was your Daddy's best friend and that is the moment I let him go.

I am sad you never got to meet him, but you will always know him through your Daddy's memories and stories.  I know he will always be with you and I know you would have loved him as much as we did.  We love you Ellouise Keegan.

South Dakota Visit

The whole Calhoun clan came to visit a couple weeks ago, you had a blast with Nana and Papa. 

Circles and Roo

This week, you have really been into loving on Roo and running in circles.  You make me laugh :)

Are you a toddler?

When I look at you these days I no longer see a baby, I see a toddler! Complete with a personality, words, independence, and tantrums (yes tantrums).  We love the little girl you are becoming!

 

1 year photo shoot

Last box of formula

Today you finished your last box of formula.  You are drinking whole milk in your bottles only. Where has my baby gone?

Love you my little toddler!

1 year appointment

You are 1! I can't even believe it!  You are walking exclusively, insisting upon feeding yourself, watching sesame street, babbling, you love your new kitchen set and your pretend cell phones, you love Mandi and loving on her (Roo still hasn't warmed up to you), and riding in your new trike!

you weigh 22 ilbs 10 oz
you are 30 inches long
your head circumference is 46 cm

a happy, healthy, and normal baby!