In Honor of Father's Day

Fathers Day has come and gone, but I wanted to take a moment and acknowledge the wonderful father Elise has. Some of Wes and Elise's favorite activities to do together are sing and dance. Elise has recently started really enjoying singing - especially songs from Wizard of Oz. I know Wes loves that Elise does in fact like music and can already carry a tune better than I can.

One of Wes' great parenting characteristics is that he has a high standard for Elise while still showing her plenty of grace. I think this will be an incredibly important attribute as Elise gets older and is faced with hard decisions of obedience, making good choices, and loving and caring for others well. She'll know that her daddy expects her to be the best version of herself she can be, but that if she doesn't make a good choice, she will still always be loved unconditionally.

Enjoy a few pictures of Elise and Wes spending life together....

Babymoon

Wes and I had the chance to get away just the two of us last weekend - some refreshing time away before Lilah June arrives. It was our final travel after about six weeks of straight travel! Elise went to Fort Wayne for the weekend, and Wes and I headed to Columbus, OH. Why Columbus, Ohio? Well, it is a long story (ask Wes), but we had a free night stay there.

We actually really love Columbus - it is a fun town - it has the fun of a college town, but more to offer since it is a bit bigger (but not too big). It actually became a bit comical how many people we ran into with ties to IU. Plus, we randomly met another couple who also work in in college career development - very small world!

Wes and I were both surprised that we did miss Elise a little bit, but there was one time she definitely wasn't missed - mealtime! We had some great food in Columbus and were able to sit and enjoy it. Our typical meals at home feel so rushed - I'm up and down a minumum of five times getting things for Elise. Our conversations are interrupted by our talkative little girl. But, our meals in Columbus were leisurely, relaxed, and delicious!

So, in my opinion, all the pictures of Wes and I make me look ENORMOUS, so here's a nice one that just has our heads. The others are some of Wes' artistic shots, including the adorable duck family we saw and from our garden walk (Wes was a great sport to go on the garden walk with me.)

I'm a big girl now!

No, I'm not talking about my ever growing belly! Elise spent her first night in her big girl bed in her new room. I haven't gone in this morning to get her yet, but she seemed to do great! Elise is now in what was the guest room, and Lilah will be in Elise's old room. Don't worry guests, we'll kick Elise out of her room if you want to come visit. That's why we put her in a double bed. She's a big girl, but she could probably manage with less bed :).

Fair Oaks Farm

On the way home from Chicago (see previous post), we stopped at the Fair Oaks Farm. We'd heard about the farm from several people, but didn't really know what to expect. It was such a fun place. They had all kinds of activities for kids - a giant bouncing pillow, a train, powered tractors, and a maze, to name a few. We watched a baby cow be born - they have 3000 dairy cows and around 10 calves are born a day. And we got to take a bus tour of the dairy. The cows get milked on this carousel-type thing. It is crazy because they know when to get off the carousel without anyone telling them. Apparently cows are animals of routine, so once they learn the routine, they stick with it. (I always loved cows - used to collect cow things - maybe this is why - I, too, enjoy a routine). It was a fun detour - I recommend it to anyone traveling up 65.

Chicago!

So, the Erwins are just a travelling family right now. We made our second to last trip before Lilah's arrival this past weekend. We went to Chicago to visit Wes' brother Tim and his wife (my college roomie) Molly. And, Wes' other brother Mike got to come down from Madison, WI, too, so it was good to have all the brothers together. Tim and Molly were wonderful, gracious hosts, and we had a great time. As I think I've mentioned, Elise is just a little intrigued with the Wizard of Oz right now, so we made a special trip downtown to Oz Park. Elise got her picture taken with all the characters. If this obsession continues, I'm predicting a Wizard of Oz themed birthday party in our future. It is fun to watch Elise's imagination grow. Often when we're walking dogs, she'll want to pretend that we are going to the Emerald City with "her friends" (the lion, scarecrow, tinman, and Dorothy).

Elise at the Beach