Uh... what?

I took this picture on our way home from church Sunday... What the heck?

Cincinnati

We went to Cincinnati this past weekend just for fun. Actually, Dan had the entire weekend off (Saturday and Sunday) and we wanted to take advantage. Seeing as how Cincinnati is only an hour or so away from Lexington, it seemed like a good place to go to get away for a day.

Our first stop was at a massive Gap Outlet just outside of Cincinnati. It seems like these days the word "outlet" has come to mean "store that carries last season's clothes." Well NOT this outlet. It's one of those where all of the damaged items go. Or in the case that we found, items that just didn't sell at a few stores (and were likely damaged out and sent to the outlet). It is in an industrial part of town and housed in a warehouse. Dan was ready to go after about 45 minutes. Bummer. However, for a seasoned shopper, 45 minutes was plenty of time to find some goodies. And Ellie found a hot pink deflated soccer ball (which Dan inflated when we got home).

Originally we wanted to pay a visit to the aquarium, but as we were walking outside of the entrance, lunch was calling our name. We dined at a seafood place positioned right by the aquarium (how ironic). It was fabulous and Ellie ate tartar sauce for the first time and loved it - hence the pictures. She got that from her Pop. Being that we were an hour past her nap time, we decided to get back in the car and head to IKEA.

Ellie woke from a short nap to find herself at the entrance of IKEA in 25 degree weather. Nice. She perked up quickly and began testing out furniture. Oh Ellie... a shopper at heart!

Trader Joes and Potbelly sandwich shop were our last stops. At Trader Joes we were starting to lose Ellie. {Side Note: Trader Joes is a natural-ish store that got it's start in California. Enough said.} She began reaching for anything and everything she could grab, saying "NO" very loudly, and squirming out of the shopping cart. We left pretty quickly and found Potbelly, got a few sandwiches, and got back on the road.

The next day, Dan and Ellie put together a bookshelf we bought at IKEA. She helped unpack the box, handed screws to Dan, delivered his screwdriver upon request, ate some snack, and asked to be picked up numerous times. Ellie eventually lost interest finding a magazine more intriguing.

We were sad to see Dan return to work on Monday for a 30 hour shift. But hey, at least we had a fun filled weekend!

Love,
The Raz's

HOP

Well the video pretty much speaks for itself. But in case you don't know what's going on, Ellie is learning how to hop. Oh, and yes, I made her dress.

Whispers

I had one of those oh-so-marvelous-life-of-a-resident's-wife days a few days ago (Sunday, to be exact). Dan was on a 30 hour shift and wouldn't be returning until Monday around lunch. So it was just me and Ellie stuck indoors because of this beastly cold and snowy weather that is apparently normal for Kentucky in the winter (I think this is a run on sentence...). Who knew? It seems lately with the gloomy weather, lack of time spent with Dan (we've been on about 3 actual dates in the past 7 months, thanks to Erik and Maryann - before she left town!), the fact that we left our community back in Shreveport, and there has been a lot of tension, stress, and frustration in our lives. It's one of those times when it seems like we just can't coordinate our life. And on Sunday I was sitting in the living room after I had put Ellie to bed and began wondering if this is what the next 2 and a half years are going to be like. Shortly after I ate my dinner alone feeling sorry for myself the entire time, I glanced at my cell phone and saw I had received a text. One of our new friends in our neighborhood had dropped off some cds for me in our mailbox. So, I put on my jacket and my trusty slippers and headed out in the snow to my mailbox.

I wasn't prepared for what I saw. The snow was falling all around me in some of the largest flakes I had ever seen. I was shocked at how beautiful my street of cookie-cutter houses could be blanketed in snow. Not a single car was to be heard, no dogs were barking, no one was outside but me. It was a deafening quiet that struck me to my core. And that's when God spoke:

"I did this for you to enjoy. Isn't it beautiful? I love you and you are not alone."

I just stood out in the snow for as long as I could (wearing thin pants and slippers, it wasn't long enough). I walked back into the house completely renewed. For the first time in days I felt positive. It most definitely reminded me of the scripture in 1 Kings:

"Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper."

Do what you have to do to make some time in your life for God. It is, after all, the time he has given to you.

Anna

Second Christmas

Dan's family came in town the week after Christmas and (yes) I'm just now getting to writing about it. These family visits contain so much stuff that I procrastinate posting, sorry fam!

The pictures are a sampling of Ellie's fun-filled three days with her family. We had "Christmas," went to PF Changs, Pazzos (of course), had tea parties, celebrated New Years Eve & New Years Day, played monopoly, Blockus Trigon, spun Ellie around in circles until she couldn't stand up, made strawberry jam that didn't set up, watched the ball drop, ate too many cookies, patted cousin Avery on the head, pushed around Bee Bee in the stroller, and only had one melt down in three days. It was a good visit!

Thanks guys, for driving all the way up here to spend your holidays with us! We loved every minute of it! And you are welcome back any time. For that matter, there are lots of you who haven't ventured up to Kentucky and you don't know what you're missing!!!

Love,
The Raz's

Night Night

Ellie inherited my old doll this Christmas, and at first she didn't seem to care very much (probably because it was used). She must have had a change of heart at some point because she is quite fond of her now. She calls her "Bee Bee" and I'm sure at some point will give her a proper name. Bee Bee gets carried around a lot, pushed in the stroller, and "put to bed" several times a day. Last night, after iChatting, Ellie was exhausted. Just before we took her to bed, she made a palette on the living room floor. For she and for Bee Bee.

Night Night!
The Raz's

Trying It On

One of my favorite kid's chain stores (Gymboree) that I cannot regularly afford is having a HUGE sale right now. So if you have kids, you should go! Dan and I picked up a swimsuit, a cover up, and a cute little summer shirt for the warm weather. IF WE EVER SEE ANY AGAIN. It's -2 degrees today and freaking cold out there! Anyway, back to Ellie. After we got home from making our purchases, the two of us unloaded her goodies and Ellie immediately wanted to try them all on. So, we put each piece on over her clothes, yep, even the swimsuit. She put on the swimsuit cover up twice and it's the pink dress she's wearing in all of these pictures. It didn't come off until bed time!

Ellie has a fascination with shoes. You migh tbe saying to yourself... and what woman doesn't??? Well I don't know of very many 20 month olds who love shoes like Ellie. Let's just say she gets it from both her mother and her Tudi (g-ma). In these pictures she is trying to get her favorite little white shoes on both me and Levi. Cute.

Cheers!
The Raz's