Friday Five - Toddler Christmas Wishlist

Ellie's Christmas List 2014 by lifeonthefarm 

I am so excited that the holiday's are fast approaching and that I have a couple of Nanny jobs so that we can be sure to make this Christmas special for Ellie.

I love it when other bloggers post their wishlists for their babes - so I can get ideas for Ellie as well, since she is still too young (18 months) to really communicate what she wants.  However, she is becoming much more active and creative so I let that be the "theme" for this year.

Ellie loves to sit and play at the kids table at church.  I think that having one would be a great addition to our home.  They are the right size for her and we could accomplish a lot of activities at it as well (not to mention it would be great for when cousins and friends come over!)  I am LOVING this one but its a bit out of our price range so I am on the lookout for something similar and how great are these chairs?

To go along with the craftiness that Lu has been showing I think that an Easel should definitely be on the list.  I am loving this one for a number of reasons: it's white, has a chalkboard, whiteboard/magnetic board, paper roll, and cubbies for all the supplies.  In addition to the easel, I think some craft items are in store like chalk, toddler crayons, play doh, a chalkboard eraser, and some magnets.

Books are always a good choice for littles and Ellie for sure loves her books.  Often times she will disappear into her room for at least 10-15 minutes to just flip through her books.  She has her favorites but I am sure she will appreciate some new ones in there.  I have heard great things about Flora and the BabyLit books, plus I loved Madeline growing up and don't have the whole series.

I don't think it would be a Christmas list for a babe if clothes weren't part of the list!! I am hoping to get some 2T sized clothes for E that will help transition from Winter to Spring.  Basics are always good; jeans, some tops, a sweatshirt or two and then how can you pass up these cute boots? Totally out of our price range though!

Ellie has also been showing a huge interest in instruments or at least toys that make music so she can dance.  Any or all of these would be a big hit, especially the maracas since she loves to "shake, shake, shake"!

What sort of items are on your Little's Christmas list?

♥ Ashley

Thankful Thursday

I can't believe that we are already a couple of weeks into November!! That means that we are quickly approaching the holiday season!!  I just love this time of year with all the festiveness and the joy that it brings to people. 

Something that I think we all too often forget to do is to be thankful. In a society where there is so much competition and always wanting to "keep up with the jones's" it can make us focus on what we don't have rather than what we do have. In an effort to be more positive I have been making it a point to be thankful in my nightly prayers and to make sure that my friends and family know my gratitude. This is a trend in hoping to continue throughout the year and not just the days leading up to Thanksgiving. 

It can be hard but so rewarding to focus on all we have!

Now let's be real here. Life with a toddler can be rough, with their tantrums, "not listening", napping strikes, and the ability to make a mess of everything!  I have to tell you that I love it. Our road to parenthood was challenging but Ellie is the biggest gift. And I truly think that I appreciate her so much more because of our struggle with infertility and the roller coaster of the adoption process. 

Today I am so thankful for God's plan and gifting us the most beautiful, funny, energetic, sweet and loving little girl. I'm thankful for Him for opening our hearts to adoption and placing us with the most perfect baby!! 

I love you Ellie Faith. So much more than words can express and I thank God every day for the gift of you!

♥ Ashley

What's Up Wednesday

Gosh I feel like the past two weeks have just flown by. I guess life gets pretty busy when you're in charge of more than one kid!!

We've started Christmas dressing in the house and I couldn't be happier!! Let the festivities begin!!

I love my new jobs. I get to nanny for two families. My favorite part is that I have the chance to be with Ellie everyday! I love that I get to spend time with her and that she is having the opportunity to socialize with other kiddos around her age. This is definitely helping to suppress the constant baby bug I have.   Ellie is doing so well playing with the other kiddos, learning how to share, and taking her naps! I know that some day she will be a great sister and I can handle more than one!!

How cute is this goat!?? She got it for her birthday and it's just the best!!

And also Ellie has totally gotten bit by the "craft bug" and enjoys herself some good chalkbaording. 

I see one of her very own in the near future!

Speaking of babies and my emotions. Back in August Thomas and I had a conversation about how horribly I handle people's good news. He pointed a few things out and it finally clicked. I can finally be happy and not feel so jealous of this great news. I have started to fully accept the path God has for us and our family and to put it all in His hands. 

There were so many baby announcements on my blog feed on Monday and I was able to really be happy for each and every one of those lovely bloggers.  The green monster was no where to be found (still hasn't made an appearance) and I can't tell you how good that feels. So truly, from the bottom of my heart, Congratulations!!! To all you mama's to be!!

♥ Ashley

Weekending

I had a pretty busy week last week. I am a nanny for two different families and I pick up hours at our church. So I'm working a lot - which is good. The best part is that I get to bring Ellie to work with me!!  I don't know why I didn't start nannying before!!

We had a great weekend! 

One of the most exciting things we did was head out to our local Children's Museum to meet up with a blogger!! We met up with Jenny and her adorable daughter Callie. It was so fun meeting her in real life. I've been reading her blog for a while and it was so cool that we actually got to hang out. 

Jenny sent me an email a few weeks ago letting me know that she would be traveling my way and asked if we could meet. I jumped at the chance. She is just as sweet and kind in person as she is on her blog and Callie is just adorable. 

The girls got a long great and we just had a fabulous time!! Although we were having so much fun and I hardly took any pictures! Luckily Jenny has it more together than I do and was taking pictures left and right!! I got a few (that she sent me) that I wanted to share!!

So first Blate was a success!  I can't wait to do more!!!

♥ Ashley

DITL

I always imagined myself being a SAHM. Little did I know the challenges and heartache we would endure to become parents. But we have a faithful God and through adoption He made us parents. And through His plan, I get to be a SAHM/Nanny and get to spend my days with Ellie. 

I have seen many posts around the blogosphere about DITL (day in the life). I finally got my act together and put one together!! Keep in mind this is not really a typical day. 

The day is Thursday October 2nd. 

7:15 I woke up with Ellie stirring in our bed next to me. Thomas had already left for work. I brushed my teeth and then got Ellie up, changed her diaper and get her some milk (and coffee for me)

7:25 we snuggled a little then she watched an episode of Arthur on PBS kids eating her breakfast while I read emails. 

8:00 I got Ellie wrapped up in my carrier and we headed out to do our morning farm chores - feeding the goats, horses and chickens. 

8:15 we came back in from our chores and I set Ellie down to play while I washed my hands. Then I made the bed (something I try to do every morning) started a load of laundry (it's never ending amiright!?), I opened all the blinds in the house, started the dishwasher and made up a chore list for myself. I have found I am so much more productive of I write down a plan of action. 

9:00 I finally got ready for the day and got Ellie ready too. Then we played some more and sang a few songs. 

This girl and shoes!!

10:00 I got Ellie and myself bundled up to take a walk since it was nice outside. The neighborhood next to us has a few little playgrounds with slides and those are Ellie's favorite. So I got her in the stroller and we headed out in that direction. I have been really working on "letting go" and allowing Ellie to try new things - I don't want to stunt her abilities - and I let her go down the big slide all by herself. Oh my word was she in heaven. I think she could slide all day if I let her. 

11:00 we got back home from our walk, had some lunch and then played some more. I am really trying to get more of a routine for Ellie's day going and also praying for our meals. It's a work in progress. I have also found that coming up with toddler meals (that don't make much of a mess) that get a majority of the food groups is a challenge. 

Nachos, fishies, cheese puffs and cheddar for the win! (At least we got dairy covered!)

12:00 I put Ellie down for a nap - she gets a sippy of milk and a special song I made up for her and then down she goes. She has actually been going down really well lately and today was no exception. Thanks babe!!  While Ellie was sleeping I started on my chores list (laundry, cleans kitchen, clean master, etc) and then started reading some blogs  and watched a cooking show or two. 

Finished up my fall chalkboard on my pantry. 

3:00 talk about a good nap!!! Ellie woke up so she needs a sippy of milk to keep her heart happy (and belly too)!! Then I got her 2nd lunch ready, aka afternoon snack and we had some more one on one time working on table manners and leaving her plate on her high chair tray. 

3:30 the dogs have been acting crazy for the past hour so I decided it was finally time to feed them and to have Ellie help with her "chore". Basically I fill up the feeding cups and walk Ellie to the dog bowls and have her dump the food into the bowl. Most of the food made it in today!! Win!!  I also opened up the playroom so she could play with some different toys. She wasn't really into it and kept running to the slider and banging on it. Okay girlfriend Mama can take a hint. Thankfully the weather was nice and warm, so we went out to check on our front garden and then out back to play with the goats!

4:10 we came back inside after too much fun and excitement (and dodging Annabelle - that goat!!) got cleaned up. Really I'm surprised I live on a farm with how OCD I am!! and then we read some favorite books and while Ellie was flipping through them I finished up some of the noisier chores that I couldn't do during nap time. 

5:30 got the call that Daddy is on his way home so I pre-heated the oven for our super healthy frozen Tortinos Party Pizzas!! Lol. Just keeping it real and we can always guarantee that Ellie will eat these! Throw on an episode of Daniel Tigerls Neighborhood and just enjoy the cuteness of my baby girl!

6:00 Daddy gets home and I tell her he's coming through the garage and she runs down the hall saying "dadadada" with her arms out! Melt my heart!! Pizza is almost ready so we get the table ready and then have dinner. 

Again this is not a typical day (with the walk to the park or the finishing up of the chores!) but I just had so much fun showing Thomas all the pictures from our day and showing him what we did! It was like he was there with us. I will definitely be doing another post like this in the near future!!

♥ Ashley

#31 Days

I'm pretty sure that I mentioned it but I decided to do a 31 day challenge for Ellie's outfits for the month of October. We only missed one day so I think we did a pretty good job (and then her 3 outfit changes on Halloween hopefully made up for that!). 

Most of Ellie's outfits were made up of clothing items we already had! With the exception of a vest and few tops, I think her clothes had a pretty good variety. I also really liked utilizing what we already had!

♥ Ashley

Halloween 2014

Halloween is over! I can't believe how quickly that happened. They do say that time flies when you are having fun, and life with Ellie is nothing short of exciting!!

Ellie had a costume change this year because I just couldn't decide which one I wanted her to wear!!

Last year Ellie was a little witch and since all we needed for that costume again was a basic black shirt, I just had to put her in it!! I got the witch hat here, I'm so glad it still fits, and then I made the skirt last year. She was just te cutest and I love the comparison from last year to this year!!

I mean I just can't!!!

And then for the costume change!!!!

As many of you may know Thomas and I cheered together in college (no that is not how we met - it took a lot of convincing on my part to get him to join) and we kept our uniforms. Then a friend of ours gave us a mini uniform for Ellie and I just couldn't pass up on the opportunity for a family costume!!

Go Wildcats!!! (#tripleting)

I think the poms were her favorite part, but seriously she loved this costume and ran all around the house in it!!

twinning with my babe!

teaching her how to "Fly" at an early age!! Hands down one of my favorite photos of the two of them!!

I do have to say that we are a little boring when it comes to Halloween. We didn't go anywhere - just stayed home to pass out candy to the whopping 3 (three) trick or treaters we got. Next year we are going to leave a bowl of candy out on the porch and take Ellie out.  

And then here are our pumpkins this year! Love them!!

♥ Ashley