We're Back!

I have not had a chance to download my photos from our trip, but we're back and not too happy about it either. Don't get me wrong - we're doing well and love Alaska, but God really worked some things in us on this trip (something we were both praying for) and now we're getting itchy feet :). Who knows where God will take us in the future, but we are definitely praying that He'll open doors for us to start walking in His destiny.

That being said, we had a wonderful time in Oklahoma and Texas. I got to see old friends and teachers, which was wonderful (and, my, how everyone has changed!), and we got to relax and enjoy a whole new world. Esther, Tim, and I absolutely loved the heat and humidity. We had to take extra precautions with Esther, which is not something we're used to doing, but she did great for the most part.

Here is an overview of what we did on our vacation:

• Met Jesse's girlfriend - a very sweet girl who loved Esther. She's perfect for Jesse and managed to handle my parents and my family with great finesse!



• Attended Jesse's graduation. Congrats little brother! He was the only graduate, but he got the highest honors! I'm proud of him!



• Had breakfast with one my close friends, Holly, who is now mommy to 3 year-old Liam and twins Luke and Leia (yes, she is a Star Wars fan).



• Spent 4 days in a cabin near Robber's Cave (made famous by Jesse James)



• Rode horses through the mountains. My horse loved the leader, so I hardly had to do more than slow it in order to prevent it from running into the leader. The only problem was when he got excited to return home and tried running. Since I am not skilled at horse riding, this made it very interesting! But it was a blast!



• Tim fished for most of our time at the cave. He caught bluegill and 1 crayfish. He also tried snagging snakes in the water, but stopped after he told that they may be water moccasins (note: I just discovered that the snakes we saw were harmless).



• Spent a day on a boat on a huge lake. Tim and dad caught at least 10 bluegills (such small, cute, blue fish) and we had a little adventure. Our boat broke down and we were stuck on the water for about an hour. It was fun sitting around, getting sunburned, splashing each other with water, and cracking jokes about our situation. Good times!



• Shopped like crazy and ate good food! Doesn't get better than that! I got an iPhone, which rocks, and we stocked up on clothes for us all. Esther got a pair of Early Walker shoes and they are helping her along nicely! And I got to take Tim to Mardel's, an awesome Christian book store, which we enjoyed. Bought some great CDs and t-shirts. Yes, I love to shop and so does my little girl (and apparently, so does Tim...)



• Visited Bass Pro and Cabelas. Tim's life-long dream came true! He was in heaven when we went inside Cabelas. That look of awe was priceless. We spent a bit there, but it was worth it :)

I know I am leaving things out, but they aren't that important, I guess! Esther really did love it. She LOVED Susie and she loved the things she got to experience - sitting in the grass, blowing bubbles, shopping for new books, clothes, and toys, meeting new babies, etc.

Speaking of our daughter, here are the things she has started doing the past couple of weeks:

She can now say "Mama," "Dada," and "Nana" and apply those names to the correct people, although Nana can also mean "banana" (when she's eating them, she'll go "Nana" when she wants more) or "no-no."

She can balance on our shoulders without hands, although she likes to use Tim's ears for handles, and she has decided that sleeping on his shoulders is fun. She'll literally fall asleep up there! Below is a picture I took with my phone. It is too cute!

Lastly, she is standing more and more unassisted, letting go of our hands and taking a step unassisted, and is cruising more and more. Oh, and she's officially getting teeth in. They're starting to poke through now! All I can say is nursing is starting to hurt!

The trip had a bonus attached - Esther's sleep schedule shifted as a result! She goes to bed earlier and sleeps hard until about 2-3 a.m. Tim and I get at least an hour to ourselves! And we get to sleep a solid 5 hours!

Well, this has become very long! Hope you all stuck around and read this :)

Overnight Changes

Esther amazes me. She goes from one step to the next overnight, literally.

Yesterday she decided to do a lot of new things. I don't know what made her decide to try these new things, but she literally woke up a different baby (in a good way, I would say).

Here are her most recent developments:

• Separation Anxiety has Kicked In. Tim and I are officially the top people for Esther. She dealt with a form of this when she was younger, but now it is even more pronounced. She has been clingy for the past week and cries whenever we leave her. I have to admit, it is really sweet and cute!
• Reaching Out. For a month now she has been reaching out when she wants to be held by someone or picked up. She does it all the time now!
• Babbling. She has moved to consonant sounds. As of May 12, Esther started adding consonants to her speech. She used them within her speech before, but she's now starting her words with them. She says "Mama," "Blah Blah" (her new favorite), "Dada," and a few other sounds.
• Clapping. Also as of May 12, Esther discovered how to clap. She did it completely unsolicited by me. I was holding her before bed and she started doing it. We got her to do it a couple of other times. So cute!
• Crawling and Standing. For a couple weeks now, Esther has been crawling in the true form for two weeks now (she's been crawling in her own way for a couple months...more of a scooting action). She has also been pulling herself up to standing for two weeks. On May 12, she stood up against me, pushed off, and stood, unassisted, for about 15 seconds. She only fell to sitting, because I got so excited :)

Those are just a few milestones reached. She is reaching them so fast, I can hardly keep up! Such a cute, smart little bug!

Tonight our family leaves for a ten day vacation to Oklahoma (would much rather be going somewhere cool, but, hey, I can't wait to see some old friends and watch my brother graduate!). Flying with Esther will be even more interesting than the last time, judging by how active she is now. She wasn't inactive the last time, but now days she can hardly sit still :) It will be an adventure! I can't wait until our plane leaves!!

Well, take care everyone! I'll update later!