A legacy of laughter

Last week Elynor & I got to spend an afternoon with my Grandma Jean (her GG), Aunt Mary, and cousin, Kelly. Essentially, this meant we all sat around and enjoyed Elynor's entertainment. And boy, did Elynor enjoy doing the entertaining. Her curious and outgoing personality have never been a secret. But this was the first day that I believe (or noticed) she realized her cause & effect on the crowd. Specifically, with the group watching, she'd dramatically drop her head to her chest (imagine a sneezing gesture) and pop up with a huge smile. When she got the desired laughter, she'd do it again, and again, and again. Okay, I should have captured this on video, because I can't quite do it justice. But it is becoming more & more fun to watch the nuances of her personality emerge.

Unfortunately, this is the only pic I got that day. But it summarizes our afternoon pretty nicely. I think it's safe to say that Elynor has inherited a legacy of laughter.

Better late than never

Elynor & I enjoyed an awesome day last Sunday, celebrating her amazing daddy. Since my parents were in town for my cousin's graduation party on Saturday, we also got to celebrate my dad, in person! Thanks dads and grandpas - we are so blessed to have you in our lives. We love you!

Whoohoo, daddy! I love you so much I asked that parrot to sit on your head.

Thanks, Grandpa Kev, for shooing that parrot away. Hopefully he didn't leave anything in my daddy's hair.

I love to dance with my daddy. He always makes this silly face. I do it too so people don't look at him quite as funny.

It's fun to dance with Mama too. She also makes that silly face, but I just let people look at her funny. She seems used to it.

Entertaining eating

This, Elynor's interesting (and new) self-feeding technique, made her the hit (at least the hit entertainment) at the cafe where we dined. Definitely further proof that she's got a mind of her own!

Checking In

We're here - really, I promise... life is good, just a little busy right now. A little work, a house rehab (just a few decisions), and oh yea, a mobile baby (all you mamas with kids older than elynor were right... your life changes) are filling our days. So when it comes to the time of night when I might write a blog post, I usually just go to bed. Or fold some laundry. Or do some dishes. Or enjoy dinner w/ my husband. Or pick up anything the Elynor tornado has left behind so I don't step on something in the middle of the night. Or all of the above.

Thanks to everyone for your continued inquiries, prayers, and offers to help. We are blessed. I will post about a fun first father's day, a visit with Elynor's Great Grandma Cochrane (GG Jean), and Elynor's interesting eating technique very soon. Promise.

For now, g'nite (after a little Craigslist hunting for steals on light fixtures, appliances, etc.)!

Demo Party

Saturday was one of those days when you just have to stop and thank God for His blessings - friends, family, and a future home, to name a few. Pictures tell the story of the day far better than I can, so check out the full album or the few teasers, below (none of the vertical pics were loading correctly here, so really, do check out the album for full appreciation of the day!).

Thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone who stopped by, said hi, and/or got really, really dirty!

Toothing

...as Rye likes to call it. In addition to some home renovation, that's what's going on in our house. Capturing a photo's been difficult, so you'll have to trust me that 4 of Elynor's top teeth are coming in right now. I first caught a glimpse of the left, middle tooth this weekend, shortly after telling my mom I hadn't seen any more teeth coming in. It's almost 100% broken through, and the likely culprit of some crankiness over the past few weeks. Further exploration identified 3 more upper teeth hatching. Wow - was this little girl a baby just 9 months ago? It seems with the presence of both top & bottom teeth she'll no longer seem so baby-like.

Answered Prayer

God is good - how this home purchase/sales/renovation process continues to teach us lessons about His plans, provision, and answered prayer! This weekend was another huge reminder. Not only did we have an amazing demo party at the new place (separate post to come), but we received not one, but TWO offers on our condo! Did I say God is good? After some back & forth and revisions to the offers... we accepted one Sunday evening. Yippee! Of course, there's still room for things to fall through while lawyers review the contracts, but we're optimistic and give thanks to God for his perfect timing.

For now we're looking toward an Aug. 15 closing. Oh, and NO MORE SHOWINGS - yippee! We can go back to a lived-in home (perfect timing for the daily visits from Hurricane Elynor).

More from Cali

Wow! Elynor's Uncle George & Aunt Becca captured our trip to Cali like photo pros. Here are a few more highlights. Check out George's website for the complete portfolio.

No, this background is not from photoshop - we're 1/2 way up our Yosemite hike (before we got to the really cold part, or I wouldn't have been smiling so much).

The Keeton cousins (Katie, Becca, Sarah, Elynor, Molly, Maddie & Maggie)

Thrilled to be experiencing "nature" (as Uncle George called it).

No, we would never let Elynor put her mouth on a cable car bar. That is, unless it's the only thing that makes her happy.

Is that Ace Ventura or Elynor?

It's Official

After a bit of drama in the final days, we closed on the new place last Thursday. Whoohoo - thank you Lord! We're now the owners of two homes (still praying for someone to purchase this condo) and just starting the big rehab adventure. Our design consultant, Dave, and building lead, Justin, have already taken the reigns in guiding the process. With goal of being in by September, we're moving fast. This week we'll finalize the new floor plan, begin selecting finishes, and tear out the existing interior.

This weekend we stopped by to assess the journey before us, enjoy our new yard, and meet some of the neighbors (and some of our new pets) -

Introducing the Westy's Playlot. That's Elynor's pet swan making a nest on the white yard pebbles.

This lush green carpet is nicer on the knees than my usual wood floor.

And what girl wouldn't love her very own pet flamingos? But the pets aren't limited to the yard...

Elynor, meet your new pet horse. Don't be scared by his glowing eyes.

Be careful Elynor, getting too close to those beads might zap you back to 1970.

We discovered the key to babyproofing - hide the door behind a wall of tile.