Zumba!

So I went and did a zumba class today and it was so much fun!  I was worried about looking like a complete loon but I don't think anyone was paying attention to me.  It was a great workout and so much fun.  Wish I could do it more often!

It was also for a great cause, the instructors donated their time so all money raised is going to send a kid (hopefully more than one) with MS to camp.

Happy 21 months!

Holy cow, I can't believe Elayna's 21 months already!!  At 21 months she:

Has all her baby teeth (except two year molars)
Is saying a ton of words (mama, dada, Dora, off, bye bye, Hi, lizard, dog, cat, Emma, bubba, night night, boppy, poo poo, and Layna!)  I know there's more I'm just not thinking of right now.
About 23 pounds
Can open doors with the lever handle
Likes using real metal silverware
Loves the pool
Loves Dora the Explorer.  Slightly obsessed. I found the theme for her second birthday party
Likes purses and shoes
Still size 12 month - 18 month clothes
Size 3 diapers
Size 4 shoes moving up to size 5
Loves being outside
Her hair almost reaches down to her butt.  Almost.
Babbles a lot
Still rear-facing in the car seat

Warning, she was grumpy during these pictures because she didn't want to take her Dora pajamas off:

Holding her Dora pajamas.  

I know I say it over and over, but she just keeps getting better.  Elayna is so funny, smart, pretty, amazing, etc, and I just wish she's stay this way forever.  But I also know it keeps getting better every day.  I love you, Ellie belly!

Menu board

Let me give a shout out to Pinterest for this idea!  Love love love that website. 

So I had a frame that I had tried to make magnetic and chalkboard.  It worked okay, but has been sitting in my kitchen for months unused because it didn't meet the needs that I originally created it for.

So I pulled out a bunch of my scrapbooking supplies:

And agonized for about an hour over which papers to use.  Serious decision to make!

After I got that done i put it back in the frame and put the glass over it to help protect the paper.  Don't want to have to go through that decision making again!

Then I cut out paper to cover the paperclips, put the days of the week on them, and hotglued them to the frame.  Ahhh, how I've missed my hotglue gun.  Need to find more excuses to use it.

 (BTW, very impressed with my moving photos ability at this moment :))

Then I created two boxes out of scrapbooking paper to hold the recipes. On Pinterest, I've only seen this with one box, but I wanted to make one for main courses and one for sides.  Of course, once I was done I realized maybe I needed a third for dessert.  So....dessert is now considered a side item.  

 The menu cards are unlined index cards.  I need to find my sharpie to write the names of the meals on the front, right now they're just penciled in.  On the backs are the ingredients.  And I mean all the ingredients.  For example, if we're having tater tots as a side, I need to make sure we have tater tots, ketchup, and sriracha.  Trying to take the thinking out of my grocery list!

It's hard to tell because of the glare of the glass, but on the top middle to right is MENU.  I also got to break out my cricut for this, which excited me as well.  

But most exciting is now, when I'm asked that ever-so-lovely question we all love to hear (what's for dinner), all I have to do is point at the board!  

Spin off blogs

Check out my blgs I follow list for links to my new blogs! First, I decided to separate my blogging about life from my blogging book reviews. So courtneysbookreviews.blogspot.com was born. Then I got to thinking about Elayna. She's quite the picky reader already, so I created elaynasbookreviews.blogspot.com, for her book review voice (interpreted by me :)) to be heard. I've got several books that I want to write about, but I would also love suggestions. I promise to read all books my readers request of me. Please go check out the new blogs!!

Stuff

First - my vacation officially started at 5:00 pm today!! No, I'm not going anywhere, but it's time off :) Have several books I've read that I need to write about. Hello for getting it done on vacay. Our laptop died. Grrrr. So it's iPad or computer hooked up to bigscreen for awhile. Sometimes I hate technology. Elayna's new word is mine. For everything. It was cute for a day but now is frustrating 'cause that's pretty much all she says so I can't understand her. I think that's all for now...

20 months!

Apparently this is my obligatory once a month post.  I seriously intend to post more but time just flies by!  Elayna is 20 months old today. At 20 months she is:

In size 3 diapers
12 - 18 month clothes with some 9 month still fitting
Size 3 shoes
13 teeth!  upper left canine came in last Friday
Still rear facing
As of today, has figured out how to remove her diaper
Running
Loves, loves, loves the beach and water, absolutely fearless
Is climbing anything and everything.  Up on the coffee table, onto chairs, up the stairs...
Shoe fetish.  'Nuff said
Loves being outdoors
Mimicking what we says
Is saying lizard, flower, bird (her favorite), ball, bye-bye, HI, cat, dog, mama, dada, bubba (for Nick), Memma (for Emma), Nana, Papa, I'm sure I'm forgetting some!
Knows how to do "muscles", points to herself when you ask where Elayna is.

In the last picture she was so mad because she wanted to go outside but it was time to leave for work/daycare.  She was so mad that she couldn't go out back!  But seriously, who couldn't love this cutie pie??

Happy 19 months, Elayna

I cannot believe Elayna's 19 months old today!!  At 19 months she is:

Basically running, although it looks pretty funny
Saying many words and trying to say a lot more
Loves reading books
Is in a size 3 diaper
Is just now outgrowing her 9 month clothes
Her hair is half way down her back and still a light brown/dark blonde
12 teeth
Obsessed with a Jeep exersaucer at daycare
Loves being outside (sitting outside watching her play as I type)
Is trying to dress/undress herself
Still rear-facing
Loves the pool
Hates the bathtub
Loves fruitsnacks, it's like toddler crack

I took a bunch of pics today and have the camera plugged in to the computer, but with the changes to blogger I can't get them to upload.  Grrrr.  I guess I'm going to have to break down and get Google Chrome.