It’s official – Custer State Park is our new backyard!!
We all love our new home for so many reasons… Lance’s nearly non-existent commute to work, the wildlife outside our (gigantic) windows, the fireplace, and the fact that we can say we live in Custer State Park. How cool is that?!

We are on the ‘home stretch’ for meeting baby number two! And it’s literally a stretch – I forgot how quickly they grow in that last month, pushing against my ribs, looking for more space. We are so excited to meet this little one, but at the same time I’m feeling all the emotions about this small window of just ‘mommy and Elodie’ time left.

See you next month when we have another new ‘favorite!’

Out of all the craziness that was September, my most favorite thing was having each of Elodie’s grandparents here!

Never has a month gone by so fast! Between packing up our current house, prepping our new house, and working through our busy season, we found a small window of time to celebrate our anniversary. Plus spoil Elodie with love every chance we can. Obviously.

The morning of our anniversary, I had an OB appointment (can you believe we’re in the third trimester already?!) and picked up coffee & caramel rolls for breakfast after. Elodie was kind enough to sleep in *really* late so we could enjoy a meal together just the two of us!!

Elodie developed a cold a week ago, and has since dropped her morning nap. The one where I used to get work done. Hoping she will go back to two naps (or one nap plus one quiet time), now that she can breathe again, but not counting on it with the upcoming move. Change is hard! But maybe it will be exhausting? Fingers crossed!! :-)

Our parents have been so helpful this month as we transition from one home to the next. Moving, painting, cleaning, and entertaining Elodie, we couldn’t do this without them!

August, you were so good to us!! Plenty of time to play with our favorite girl and soak up some great weather. I know I shouldn’t be wishing for fall, but those crisp couple of days we had were simply glorious!!

This month Elodie has taken a serious liking to her books. We can’t read just a few anymore – we have to get them ALL out and either read them or stack them all up… and then transfer the stack one-by-one to another location or lucky house guest. :-)

She LOVES any kind of fruit and dessert, but knows she has to eat her food all gone before she gets the sweets. Thankfully, she also enjoys brushing her teeth and flossing. (I hope that lasts!!)

Her latest animal sounds are: monkey (eee), chicken (bock bock), elephant (bbbbb), and frog (biiiiit). She finally has a name for Grandma (nama), and she can bark like a dog and say baby (she knows there’s one in my tummy) all day long.

Happy half birthday to Elodie!

She did so well playing her favorite game with daddy – ‘hide the block.’ He set it in the grass, asked her where it was, she raised her hands like she didn’t know, but then went over and happily picked it back up.

Her other favorite things this month are crawling *down* stairs, helping daddy water the lawn, and dipping her fruit in Cool Whip. Also: pointing at birds (and dogs and airplanes and anything that moves).

At the end of the session, I asked Lance to take a few of me with Elodie because…

We’re expecting another baby in November!! :-)

It’s so hard to get work done when this little girl is looking at me with those eyes, begging me to read stories. Thank goodness she still takes long naps. :-)This month we tried pigtails for the first time. And the last time. Those teeny tiny plastic elastics are tough! So we will continue to use a bow to keep the hair out of her eyes.

Elodie favorite thing is being outside – playing with sand and rocks, splashing in a tub of water, and watching birds, puppies and bunnies.