mountain beauty

This past weekend, Evan and I went to the Springs to go up to the mountains to see all the Aspens change color. It was a beautiful drive through the mountains on an old dirt road to Cripple Creek and then back down on a main road. We had so much fun stoppiong to picnic halfway through in a little valley by a creek. Grama got to hang with Evan and we all had fun walking around Cripple Creek after the drive!! Here are a few of the pictures.


Trying on a winter hat in Cripple Creek...too big but way cute!


Our view from the picnic bench


One of the views along the drive


Evan in his little duffel bag cave to protect him from the wind while we ate our lunch. He was one little happy guy.


4 generations


He's one very loved little boy!!

little friends

Evan and his friend Lizzy who came over to play yesterday...Lizzy is only about 4 or 5 weeks younger. It's so fun to have friends so close in age! I know they look huge in this picture, so...


....here's one where you can see that they are still pretty little. Evan is in one of his 0-3 outfits...I laugh at how big it is on him, but it was so cute. :)

Stay tuned for pictures from this past weekend up in the mountains looking at the Aspen's change color!

a cute little Pea

So while I was pregnant and before we knew that Evan was a boy, my mom dubbed my tummy (and also the child inside) "the Pea". I think she did this because of the story The Princess and the Pea, but anyways, the little nickname stuck, and my mom will still tell me to "kiss the Pea for her". It's cute. But this morning I dressed Evan in a little green onesie (his first 0-3 onesie and as you can see, it's still too big, but I was getting tired of blue, haha) and when I laid him down for his nap he tucked up like this and I thought, my goodness, he kind of looks like a little Pea - so like the good momma I am, I took a picture. :)



Also, my grama flew in yesterday for her 2 week stay here in beautiful CO (and we're having a wonderful Indian Summer....LOVE IT). She'll be staying with my folks, but I'll go down to visit a couple times. But here are a few pictures of Evan meeting his other great-grama...

new bouncy seat

While over at his friend Lizzy's yesterday, Evan had so much fun on her bouncy seat! Thank you, Lizzy, for sharing! I also posted a couple videos of him playing/bouncing on his YouTube page....

a week of firsts

This past week has been one of many firsts for us as a family...

** This was our first week on the new schedule. I decided it was time to cut Evan's evening feedings down from 7, 8, 9 and 10 to just 7, 8:30 and 10 - the 8:30 feeding being a bottle (I pump in the am for that bottle). I was a little nervous because I wanted him to still be able to sleep through the night. But I shouldn't have worried, he did fine and we still got all the sleep we were before hand. This new schedule also allowed us to...

** Go out for the first time! Scot and I had a wedding to go this past weekend and so after the ceremony (Evan's first wedding!) we took him home, fed him, and left him with my folks! It was so great! Scot and I had so much fun at the wedding, too. It was a very small affair, maybe 75 people, and just a beautiful setting. It was in the Springs, so the view of the mountains was spectacular. We danced and danced and my feet still hurt! But it was great to be able to leave Evan and feel comfortable knowing he was in good hands.

** While we were in the Springs, Scot's sister also happened to be visiting. So Evan got to meet his Aunt Liz and cousin Samuel for the first time. And Scot and I got to meet Samuel for the first time, too. He's such a cute kid. A huge head of blond hair that likes to stick up and big blue eyes! He's on the larger size and Evan on the smaller, so it was a cute pairing.

** Evan saw his first soccer game! (We're brainwashing him early....) A family friend's son was playing down in the springs, so before we went to visit with Liz and Samuel, we watched a good game of soccer. Our team won 3 to 1 and it was a beautiful day to just be out side on a blanket cheering for 13/14 year old boys!! So fun!

** This is the first full week that we've gone to bed without the pacifier! And it's been totally on his own initiative. He just hasn't needed/asked for it. We still use for naps sometimes, but on the whole we're using it less and less as he finds his hand more and more.

** My son is going to be a flirt...hmmm...big surprise there, right? We were sitting next to one of the other new babies in church yesterday and he was standing and grinning and 'launching' himself at Rose! Rose is only 5 weeks old, but she smiled right back at him and he back at her. Oh goodness....it was so cute, but what am I going to do?!?!

** On Friday, I walked with a gal from church who happens to have 6 kids. As we were about to start our walk, all her kids were on bikes or in the stroller and she told them all to say "Good morning Mrs Eskestrand" - but all they were able to get out was the good morning part - they totally dropped the Mrs Eskestrand part (but I don't blame them). I told Betsy that they could just call me Mrs E. But I was shocked. Mrs ANYTHING sounds SOOOO old! It was the first time I had kids call me Mrs anything - but I will say that Mrs E is a lot easier to say than the whole thing!

Well, that's our week in a nutshell. I have another busy week ahead of me with play dates and an afternoon at the park with other moms...my grama is coming in on Wed and that will be tons of fun. I have errands to run today, shopping to do tomorrow, cleaning sometime....and somehow I'll get it all done! :)


The new Mrs and Mrs Ellsworth!!!


Us after the ceremony - Evan slept most of the time, poor guy.


I added this one b/c I thought it was just too cute to pass up. Here Evan is playing as I unpacked from the weekend. His Elephant (Ellie) fell off the play gym and so it ended up in the baby bag, well he inadvertently grabbed it and just hung on to it while I unpacked!

Baby Trent Update

After much prayer and deliberation, baby Trent was taken off the ventilator yesterday. Much to everyone's surprise, he was able to breathe on his own due to less pressure being put on the brain stem. He is currently being fed through a tube but is in critical condition with a very low respiratory and heart rate. Please continue to be in prayer for the family as they say goodbye to their little boy - pray for peace and comfort. The whole family is up in Denver today saying their goodbyes to little Trent. I'll update more when things progress.

please pray

Please be praying for a family from my folks church. They have 8 kids and their youngest boy, 8 weeks old, suffered sudden bleeding and swelling in the brain due to a rare case of Vitamin K deficiency. Even with emergency surgery, it has left little Trent almost completely brain dead. He has one eye that will dilate and one foot that still has a reflex, but otherwise, he can't breathe, swallow or even blink on his own and never will be able to again. Right now he is being supported 100% by a respirator. My dad and the pastor of the church are headed to the hospital tonight to be with them. I think my dad is going to explain in more common terms what's going on and also to give them some figures of probablities and such. Pray for them, too.

Thankfully, his parents have been able to hold him and he just looks like he's sleeping. I think they are waiting for him to be declared fully brain dead before they take him off the respirator at this point, but noone knows when that will be. But please pray that the Lord takes little Trent quickly so that they don't have to be faced with that decision at all. And pray for comfort. Thankfully, the family is well rooted in Jesus and they are trying to trust and rest in Him during this heartbreaking trial.

Last Week

So last week, my dad's mom came to visit us and we had a great time! We mostly just hung out and she got her fill of her great grand-baby!! Here are some pictures from the week!



4 generations! (We'll get a 5 generations picture when I go to FL in Feb...)


'hanging around'


can we say cute?


Getting some love


Nice and full


My dad positioned his arm, but he just happened to yawn when I snapped the picture, the result...hilarious!! My little boy is already turning into a demanding little man!! haha


His bug-eyed look cracks me up...


She looks too young to be a great grama, I know. But that's what happens when everyone has kids before they're 22!


Our living room is finally put together!!


Here is our dining room all done, too. Now we just need the futon and the downstairs/den will be complete, too!! I love having things all pulled together!


Well, this week looks somewhat busy, too, which is always nice. Between keeping up with friends, the house, Bible studies and Evan, it's a pretty busy life. This weekend we'll be in CSprings for a wedding and then hanging out a little with Scot's sister, Liz, who is buying a house down there. So be on the look out for 'cousin pictures' - Samuel will be with Liz, so Evan and Samuel will meet for the first time!!

I've Gotten Brave

So I decided to branch out in my internet savvy ways and create a YouTube account....and I even went so far as to add some videos. Some of them are a little over a month old, but they are there for you to see. Some are just fun for family far away to watch, others are just funny (or at least funny to us...). But anyhow, there is now a YouTube link to the right of the page and all you have to do is click to see the videos.

I have to say that I discovered after I downloaded the videos that I can't rotate the videos, so one of them is all sideways so Evan looks like he's laying down instead of sitting up. Sorry, but I've learned for next time!! Hope you enjoy and I'll be on later to tell you all about the week and post pictures of some of our times together.

Bobe Bobe

Evan's Bobe Bobe (Polish for great grama, pronounced bob-ay bob-ay) is coming to visit us today for the week! We are really excited for her visit and I'll post pictures of her visit later. Have a great week!

clarification...

I have had many people comment, ask, laugh, question, condemn and congratulate me on having Evan on a schedule and I'd just like to clarify a few things. First and foremost, a 'schedule' - or flexible routine as I like to call it - is what works for our family, and just because I'm an advocate of it, doesn't mean that it is always right for everyone else. Every baby is different and every family is different, too.

When I say 'schedule', I mean a flexible routine that we follow. Yes, Evan eats about every 3 hours. About. If he's hungry after 2 and a half hours, I feed him. If he's hungry after 3 and half hours, I feed him. He just happens to get hungry right at the 3 hour mark most days. He has this routine, though, because I guided him in the beginning. I didn't want to be feeding him on the hour every hour and so my first 3 days of nursing went something like this. Day 1: I fed him whenever Day 2: I fed him every 2 hours Day 3: I fed him ever 2.5 hours and no, I didn't think I was depriving him of food. After that he just gradually lengthened the time to 3 or 3.5 hours. I do want to say that during growth spurts I demand feed, though.

I chose to 'schedule feed' for a few reasons. 1) I am an organized person and knowing about when he's going to eat is beneficial for me and my sanity 2) I feel and take the approach that Evan is joining our lives and we are not going to change everything around just because he's here. Obviously, a child brings change into your life, but we have a family-focused approach to life/things, not a child-focused approach. 3) Children/babies need some semblance of a routine, they just function better. 4) It works for us and we love how easy it's made everything. I don't let him stop me from going and doing. If we're out and he needs to nap or eat, he naps or eats, it's that simple. Life goes on and he'll be a flexible kid, right?

Well, I hope this cleared some things up. No, I don't starve or force feed my child - haha. That would make for an unhappy baby and therefore an unhappy momma. If you still have questions or comments, please feel free to email me. :)

baby eyes and laughs

I think Evan's eyes are starting to change. :( They are still mostly blue, but the very inner ring around his pupil is sometimes lighter. It's not a light brown (yet), but more of a light blue/green/hazel color. So I'm watching them to see what they do. I thought I was in the clear with his eyes staying blue for this long...I guess we'll just have to wait and see!!

Also, Evan giggled for the first time on Tuesday! It was so cute! But, as much as I try, it seems like it was a one time thing for now...but it was so cute! haha He was just laying down and smiling and all of a sudden there was a gurgle/giggle sound.

I have to say, that I love this stage he's in. (I'm sure I'll say this a lot) He's such an easy baby - I love watching him change and grow. It's hard to imagine that in a couple years we'll be battling the 2 year old stage! But every stage has its high and low points, you just have to enjoy all the high point you can, right?

billy's bootcamp and other updates

Hello hello...I feel there is so much to catch you all up on! First of all, I think I potentially did a very stupid thing this morning. Haha. Now that Scot has started rotations, I decided it was a good time to start working on the 8 lbs I have left over from Evan...and I figured I would accomplish this by walking a few times a week and doing my Billy Blanks Tae Bo videos. Well, I did a video this morning. A whole video. And I'm already feeling sore. I should have realized that my minimal walking the last 2 months and the lack of anything but walking the last 2 months of pregnancy would not have kept me in enough shape to just hop right into a "Basic Bootcamp" workout. Sigh. I think I am going to regret my eagerness tomorrow. I also have to say that I wish Karen would have just made a video for me before I left so I could do the amazing workouts she had for us. They were fantastic...if I only I had a video....hint hint....(and nevermind that she's about to give birth...)

Evan is doing well. 2 months old today. My goodness how time flies! He has been consistently sleeping all the way through the night and I praise God for that. It's amazing to get a solid 8 hours of sleep in.

Labor Day. I hope everyone had a wonderful long weekend! Scot and I house sat for my folks while they were in Mexico with friends and we had a blast! We met up with our dear friends who we haven't just hung with in a while and had a great time. We walked and went out to lunch. Visited Garden of the Gods, watched some of the hot air balloon fest...chit chatted with some of my mom's sweet old neighbors and mostly just chilled (or chillaxed as Jared would say) and enjoyed our time together before Scot started rations.

Rotations. Scot started rations today and if it weren't for the fact that I wasn't up when he left, it was kind of like a first day of school. He was so excited. He had his clothes all picked out and ironed last night...so cute. But today marks a day of transition for me. I've been so spoiled with having him around the last 2 months. Even if we weren't hanging out, he was around. And now he's now. But in a strange way, I think it's going to be good this way. I'll be able to get all my stuff done during the day and then just be able to hang at night while he's home. At least I'm hoping. :)

Meals. Ok, so some of you know that I'm a planner. And some of you would probably say that 'planner' is putting it lightly. Well, I'll have those in the later category know that I've lighten up quite a bit...but anyways....before Evan was born I wanted to come up with a meal plan to use once rotations started so I wasn't having to sit and figure out what we were eating that week when I had other things to do. I had in my head that something like a 4 week meal plan would be a good start. Well, once I had all my recipes sorted and such, I had 12 weeks worth of meals planned!! (but it was NOT intentional!! I just happened to have 12 chicken, turkey, vegetarian and easy meals that I liked to make). So I have my meals planned out for the next 12 weeks and I'm looking forward to seeing how it works. Tuesdays are always my 'new meal' day so I can get creative and try something new and see how we like it. And Sundays are always leftover days... I'll tell you all how it works out. :)

Well, I need to go and get ready for the day before Evan wakes from his nap! Here are a few pictures from this past weekend!!


The beautiful Garden!! Gotta love CO!!


Kissing Camels


Our wonderful friends, Brit and Ryan!