The big news

For all of those people who thought we would never stay in Kansas we are going to prove you wrong!! We are buying a house!! And here it is!
Yup on May 23 we sign the papers and we will officially be home owners. We are so excited and pleased with our great find. Our new home is located in Overland Park (the city we are currently living in) and is sooooooo cute. It is a 4 bedroom ranch on a 1/4 acer lot. The whole house is redone inside and out with hard wood floors and a partially finished basement. I can't wait to share more photos with you when we move in!!!

Another sox monster

It seems Elsie really likes socks...or is it that Will really likes socks?? This time I do not think she really looks like a monster though maybe more like a baby with puppets on her hands.

Bath time

Elsie loves bath time. She is getting more and more adventurous with her toys though. Here one of her bowls is also used as a hat. And she even matches the ducky.

The thinker

We had a morning photo shoot a few days ago and I like this one the best.

A family photo

While we were torturing Elsie with photographs we decided to make the whole family suffer.

Easter

We had a very low key Easter here in Kansas. We got dressed up and went to church (which we do every week any way). Then we came home and tried to take photos of Elsie in her cute dress...but it did not go so well. These are the best we got since she no longer stays still for photo time.

A basket full of toys

We keep a bunch of Elsie's toys in a small basket in the living room. Lately she has been climbing into the basket of toys. Isn't she so cute??

Fun in the Park

We had a little spell of nice weather again and we took advantage of it and went to a park. Elsie seems to like to keep her mouth wide open while she is out side. Here she is on the swing at the park. She loved it and was giggling as she swung back and forth.

Playgroup

As many of you know we go to a playgroup each week. Even though this has been happening most of Elsie's life I have not documented it until now!! Here she is trying to escape being in the photo with her little friends. We have lots of fun and do lots of different things. We are all looking forward to the warmer weather when we can go for walks in the many parks near by.

Elsie's game

About a month ago Elsie started playing a head tilting game. She begins by tilting her head so her ear goes towards her shoulder. Then we mimic her and she gives us a big smile. Next she stands her head back up and then tilts to the other side and again we mimic her. We tilt back and forth for a while until she gets tired of it. Her favorite time to play this game is while she is eating.

Our newest adventure

I never imagined how quickly Elsie would figure things out. Ever since she has started to move it seems like she can do anything!! Her latest thing is climbing up the one stair to the landing in front of our door. She can not climb the regular stairs yet as there is not enough room on the step for her abilities. But I am sure that will be coming soon too!

Valentines Day

Valentines day has come and gone but here is Elsie in her out fit for the holiday.

Playing with Daddy

I just love to watch Will come up with more and more crazy things to do with our poor Elsie. I keep telling him to be careful and so far nothing bad has happened.

Guatemala Girl

Will served his mission in Guatemala about 10 years ago!!! Yes he is that old! While he was there he picked up a trditioal outfit for babies. So here is Elsie all decked out!

reflection

Check out this freaky reflection.

Pulling Up

I thought it was neat at first but now she is pulling up on everything. She was all over the house today pulling up on this or that and I captured it all on film. It is amazing how agile she is.

From crawling to pulling up. What's next?

I can't believe it but Elsie has been crawling for 3 weeks now. She started out slow but now can stay up on all fours for as long as she wants. If this was not enough fun for the family she has also started pulling up on things. Here she is pulling up on the tub.

Elder Shumway

Though it might appear that we went to Utah to go to Yellowstone, that is not the truth. We really went to Utah to welcome home Elder Tyler Shumway. He served his mission for the LDS church in Purto Rico for two wonderful years.

A new toy

While in Utah we received one of Elsie's last Christmas presents from her uncle Steven. This one converts from a riding toy to a walking aid. We are sure she will enjoy this present over then next few months. Thanks Uncle Steven!!

a few more photos of Yellowstone

Here are a few of the pictures Julia shared with us and so now we will share them with you. This is the snow coach we rode in...notice the skis in front and the treads in back.
What a happy family.