Thursday, February 18, 2010

Birthday Girl

Wow! I can't believe a year has come and gone! Here are some of Elli's accomplishments/milestones/and troubles...

*Pnemonia (2 times)
*RSV (2 time/hoping to avoid three right now)
*4 teeth
*ear pierced
*first flight
*curly hair
*attitude
*acid reflux
*enema for blocked intestines
*tubes put in ears (no infections since) :)
*won't sleep without her "woobie" little blankie that is flannel on one side and silk on the other, this started at like 3 months old.
*hates the car....refused to sit in her carrying car seat after like 9 months
*loves sphagettios
*loves vegetables; way more than fruit
*loves her daddy
*sat up at 4 1/2 months old
*rolled over starting at not quite 8 months
*crawling at 9 1/2 months (like a weirdo with her right leg in front of her, kind of like a monkey)
*walking at 11 months
*loves other babies
*words she says: daddy, hi, moma, buh bye, baba (bottle), thank you (signs), more, done, no, don't.
*loves to give kisses
*Had her first Upper GI ( a test to determine reflux).

Here are some of my favorite pictures of Elliana throughout the year! You are a joy to have around Elliana, and I can't imagine my life without you! I love you!
PS...Mara haven't had her party yet, will post pics! Don't worry!





Monday, February 15, 2010

Build A Bear, Rodizio, TV, Taxes



Okay, so pictures first, then the explanations!


So, we went to the Rodizio, a glorious, wonderful restraunt! It was outstanding, below is a list of things you can eat! The appetizers are amazing, the meats are amazing, and let's be honest, who's going to eat salad at a place like this! But they are good!

Elli's Build A Bear Bunny Pinkie, from Grandpa B and Grandma J! Elliana loves this Bunny and insists on taking it with us everywhere we go! In the car, Pinkie comes, in the store, she comes...otherwise we have a tantrum, and lets be honest, we'd rather have her happy then throwing a tantrum!

Tom and I did our taxes while my Dad was here and we decided that it was time for a new TV...not a used one, or one that was SUPER old ,but something nice and new and pretty! Behold, our lovely 42 inch LCD flat panel 1080 P TV. It is wonderful! It took us awhile to get one that would work properly, but we now have it and it's awesome! The TV we got, when turned off had no sound. You had to restart the TV and cable box in order to get sound. We returned it (after much guff from the store, Sam's because we aren't on my parents membership)...got TV 2, believe it or not, SAME problem, by this time I am VERY upset!!! Go looking for a new TV alone while Elli is home sleeping and Tom is studying. I find that no one has ever heard of such a problem and am made to look like an idiot, which I'm not. Decide that we'll try another of the same TV, and WAHLA; it works and it's wonderful! We spoiled ourselves, and now we need to pay the bills.... :(



Meats

As a result of our slow roasting and seasoning process, our rotisserie grilled meats melt in your mouth, satisfying even the most discriminating taste bud. We cut thin for tenderness and flavor.

BEEF

Picanha (Pea-con-yah) Top Sirloin, a very lean, juicy cut
Picanha Com Alho (Pea-con-yah com Al-yo) Top Sirloin basted in garlic seasonings
Fraldinha (Frall-ding-yah) Beef Tender, our most flavorful and tender cut of beef
Assado (Ah-saw-dough) Brazilian Pot Roast served with potatoes, carrots and onions
Alcatra (Al-cah-tra) Chef's Special - Rotisserie grilled Whole Sirloin.

POULTRY

Peru Com Bacon (Pay-roo com Bacon) Lean, juicy turkey breast wrapped in bacon

Sobre Coxa (So-bree Co-shah) Marinated & Seasoned Chicken Thighs

Coracão (Ko-da-son) Tender chicken hearts seasoned and grilled…a Brazilian favorite
Frango Agri-Doce (Frango Awh-gree Do-see) Sweet and spicy chicken covered in a flavorful sauce.

PORK

Linguiça (Ling-we-sah) A very mild and flavorful Brazilian sausage

Lombo (Lome-bow) Marinated Pork Loin

Presunto (Pray-zoon-toe) A lean cut of Ham grilled to perfection

Add Image

Grandma J and Grandpa B come to visit!

Elli got to celebrate her birthday a little early, we got this amazing cake from Costco, a Red Velvet Cream Cheese cake, it cost $20, but man was it good! Elli was not so sure she wanted to touch it, she hates to get her hands dirty, but after a bit, she learned, oh wow, this is good!



Elli got spoiled with presents from Grandma and Grandpa, and her Great Grandparents too! She is a lucky girl to have so many people who love her!
The amazing, spectacular twenty dollar cake before we eat it! :D
This was a Christmas present (above) from her Grandma J and Grandpa B! She is just getting big enough to enjoy it, and have the chance to drive me nuts with the music! Thanks Mom and Dad!





I think we wore Grandpa right out...he had only been here a couple of hours, and he was out like a light! This is the night my parents got her, and Elli is loving all the attention! She also got this cute little tails quiet book that she LOVES! Thanks for coming Mom and Dad, it was great to have you!

Christmas 2...






These are our adventures Christmas day at the Duncan household! They LOVE to get freezing cold and go sledding! This is not my favorite activity; but I am trying to learn so that my daughter can enjoy it! Elli wasn't SUPER fond of the time, but loved being with her daddy...shocker, I know! Overall it was fun, plus when we got done Mom made us all homemade hot chocolate that was TO DIE for! This is the end of our Christmas of 2009!

Christmas...yes, I know it's a little late



This is at my families Christmas Eve party, the 2 dollar gift exchange! Elli got some cute little stuffed animal magnets for the fridge! She loves them....but hates them on the fridge!
This is Elli Christmas morning in her new Christmas jammies and yes, her hair is done! We honestly do nothing unless our hair is done!!! :D This is being retared....okay, so the picture to the left is my Mom and Elli. Don't kill me Mom, you look GREAT! :D Elli was spoiled rotten as you can imagine and she got this adorable Cabbage Patch doll. Betty Katherine I believe is her name! She LOVES that doll.

New post, since these pictures are being dumb!

Musical



Last week I had the opportunity to get out with some girlfriends and go to see Legally Blonde the Musical! It was SO much fun and a great show!!! I am so glad that I went. The show was amazing and the company was great! Plus, getting away without your baby in-tow is always nice! Here are some pictures, and we're going to go and see Mary Poppins next month! What a blast, thanks for inviting me in girls!!!


Monday, February 1, 2010

Video

I promise I will post pictures soon...but for now, enjoy this video! No, Elliana did not cry, she laughed and wanted to try again and again and again! So laugh, cuz it's funny, and I still laugh everytime I see it! And yes, it's sideways...sorry!


A-Z

A – Airport, good heavens we had a CRAZY time getting home for the holidays, we flew and it took us 12 ½ hours to get from Denver, to Salt Lake City. Our Engine didn’t work in our plane and anyways, it was a HUGE to do….took us forever, but Elli was a gem and we met some really nice people who helped us with Elli!
B – Breathing Treatments….we are back to breathing treatments at the moment at least one time per day! Poor kid, hopefully one day soon we’ll get over this cough, and be a “normal” if there is such a thing kid.
C – Carseat, Elli’s carseat is now forward facing and she LOVES it!
D – Downtown, we have been downtown quite a bit recently, and have had lots of fun with friends, especially at the Zoo and the Aquarium.
E – Elliana is almost 1, I can’t believe my baby is almost one! It’s crazy, she is doing great and is 21 lbs 2 oz and is 29 ¾ inches long! She is still a great baby and we are in the process of taking away the bottle, and the binki, except for at bedtime.
F – Formula, we no longer need it! HALLELUJAH! We are moving on to Whole Milk!
G – Gifts, Elli got lots for Christmas, her favorite is a doll from her grandparents (Grandma J and Grandpa B) and a ball popper from Grandma and Grandpa Duncan.
H – Happy New Year! If you didn’t get our Christmas card, and would still like one, post a comment with your address and I will surely send one your way!
I – I have been a slacker, I know…I am going to get back in the habit of posting at least once per week!
J – January, has just flown by and Tom has started Semester 2 of med school! He already took a midterm and got a B, go babe! We are so proud of his work and the sacrifices he makes for our family!
K – Killed me….I knew it would kill me to find something in the last 2 months that started with the letter K….okay, I cheated! :D
L – Laughter, we have had lots of good laughs, one of which will be in a video following this post, or rather before it, depending on how you look at it….Elli was walking around with a chair….or was it falling? Anyways…watch, it’s funny!
M – Mom…being a mom is hard work, and I really miss my Mom! Can’t wait to see her this weekend!
N – No…Elli’s new favorite word, she doesn’t want to eat something, she will shake her head and say NO. She must have gotten such an attitude from her dad… ;)
O – Office, we sure have visited the doctors office a lot, trying to figure out what is wrong with our little miss Elli! All is well, no worries!
P – Party, we are going to have a Finding Nemo Birthday party for Elli! She doesn’t know it, but we are very excited! She is getting a laptop like daddies for her Birthday…hopefully this will help her so she won’t play with his.
Q – Quit, I am going to quit drinking Diet Coke, for real! No gimmicks, no jokes, I am done! Check up on me…it’s going to be hard!
R – Rough, we got our loan money and had a rough couple of days going over the budget, but it’s done and hopefully we’ll survive till July!
S – Seeking a renter for our apartment, we are looking to move into a bigger place, no I’m not pregnant, but our place is just top small…coming from our place in Idaho Falls, to our place here, we just don’t have enough room!
T – Tubes, Elli had tubes put in her ears on Dec. the 10th, she is doing great! And I am SO happy we did that! She has been so much happier since we did that!
U – Umbrella, I thought I would be using one a lot more being here in Denver, but today it is beautiful, mid 50’s…no snow, Elli and I are going to go on a walk when Dad gets home!
V – Vacation, we had a great vacation at home, but are SO glad we are back home…it was great to be with family, but like Dorothy says, there is NO place like home!
W – Walking…Elli will walk, as long as no one is watching, but if you watch her, she gets too excited and falls down! She’s doing great though!
X – Xnay…lots of people told us not to do it, but we did and LOVE what we did! We pierced Elli’s ears, and it’s SO dang cute! I will try to get a good picture and post it tomorrow!
Y – Yes, for the first time in my life, I got pulled over by a cop! It was SO scary…here in Denver the year your plates expire is big and the month isn’t listed…or is small. In Idaho, it’s just the opposite, the month is big and the year is small! Well, mine says 02. The cop pulled me over and then realized my plates weren’t expired, but still asked for all my information, turns out I didn’t have my Drivers License on me. He tried to look it up but said he found I didn’t have a valid drivers license. I promise I do, and he ended up finding it…and let me go with a warning. Talk about SCARY!
Z – Zharius, is Elli’s new buddy! He’s the cutest little boy and his parents are very good friends to Tom and I. Elli says Zhar (ZA) when she is excited to see her friend! It’s so cute!

There you have it, possibly the longest post I have ever written, but hopefully you enjoyed the major catch-up in our life! We love all our family and friends and can’t wait to see you!