Noah Parker Ellis arriving late March

So, we picked a name for our sweet baby boy!

Noah Parker Ellis

We are so excited to be having a boy this time around! It should make the whole experience totally different! And of course if you know our family, we like change. We had our name narrowed down to three choices and we tried to get Taylor to say each one outloud. Noah was the only one she could actually say. It was so sweet...and we were glad because it was the name both Mark and I agreed on. Right now we are teaching her to nod her head for YES and shake it for NO. So, its pretty hilarious when she says Noah's name she also shakes her head "no" while she says it. I'm sure we'll work through that one before the baby arrives. We are now at 22 weeks and both mommy and baby are doing well. I've got alot of energy actually and I've been fairly comfortable up until this point. We are excited for the holidays coming up. We'll be spending Thanksgiving here with some new friends. My mom will be coming the week after for a visit and then we're off to Texas for two weeks to spend with Mark's family and our friends in Houston. After that we'll be buying blue and getting ready for Noah!

On another note, please keep my brother, Wesley, in your prayers and my family as well. He was deployed to Afghanistan a couple of weeks ago. He's going to be out on patrol from Camp Dweyer in the Helman province. He is an officer in charge of 40 men over there- and will be mostly out on MRAPs(Mine Resistant Ambuish Protected vehicles). Its difficult knowing my little brother is out there in the war and at times it feels like we're on an emotional rollercoaster. But we are trusting the Lord and His sovereignty. We KNOW He loves Wes even more than we do, and that He can protect him just as easy in Afghanistan as he can here in the safety of his home. We're all praying psalm 91 over Wesley as well as a couple of others. You are most welcome to join us in that too!

We uploaded some funny videos of Taylor Below! Enjoy

Few Videos and Introducing Noah

Here's Taylor at bath time. she loves her bath which you can hear her repeat over and over. she loves to try and jump into the tub and tends to scream at the top of her lungs in excitement. Sometimes the neighbors ask what if we abuse our kids. This is only a small taste with minimal screaming.

Every now and then (ok really most days) there is a scene like this at some point.

Just wanted to update everyone else and the rest of our news. Our new baby is going to a boy! We're expecting Noah Parker Ellis to arrive on March 25th.

October

We took Taylor to the Pumpkin Festival in Half Moon Bay this month. It was a perfect day on the coast! Taylor was more fixated on the ladybugs or "badybugs" as she calls them. Our girl is getting so big. We really have a toddler on our hands now. Taylor is literally running EVERYWHERE and fast! She is picking up lots of new words-her latest ones being spoon, bath, ladybug, shoes, toes, juice, crackers, and eyes. Of course she mimics other words daily - she is definitely a talker and I wouldnt have it any other way!

We asked her "How big is Taylor?" and this was her response

Old car- she loved walking around in the truck bed
playing peekaboo

finding badybugs

Taylor and dada on the haystack

Punkins!

She discovered flowers all on her own!

Spotting balloons in the sky is very exciting

We just got back from a visit in Orlando to see my brother Wesley, who is 1st Lieutenant in the Marines. He was home on leave for a week to visit before he's being deployed to Afghanistan for the next 6-8 mos. We were really glad it worked out for us to fly home to see him. We are all very proud of Wes and his leadership and devotion to our country! He is ready and excited to go of course like all Marines are! HOORAH! He will be in the Helman province while he's there- doing patrol on MRAPS. We will sure miss him while he's gone but we are so honored that our Wes is out there fighting the good fight. Please keep our him and his marines in your prayers- and our family as well.

And here in California, the only news is that I'm about 18 weeks along and we are pretty sure its a boy this time! We can't get the official ultrasound for a couple of weeks but we are pretty sure of what we saw when we took a sneek peek- and it wasn't the "hamburger" situation that we saw with Taylor's ultrasound. SO we will keep you posted when we "officially" find out that its a BOY!

so cute

My friends Kim and Christine from Orlando just opened a new business and they sent Taylor the cutest birthday package! Thank you sweet friends!

Taylor is 1 !!

Our Sweet Girl had her 1st birthday recently! My parents came for a visit over her bday week and we took her to the zoo for the first time. We had her bday party right after our family breakfast. I made her a rainbow cupcake and let her go to town with it. She was hilarious as she shoveled into her mouth without stopping to breath. I think she was really afraid I would take it away from her!

Its hard to believe we have a toddler now. Shes becoming more and more independant these days..wanting to use the spoon herself, walking EVERYWHERE, and of course pointing out her food preferences especially when its something sweet. We are also hearing Taylor try and repeat what we are saying. Her newest words are banana, "look! theres an airplane!", and of course "Aleigh and A-ho" ( for our dogs raleigh and tahoe).

I did have a short cry on the night before she turned one. I'm sad she's not going to be my little baby much longer...of course then Mark reminded me that it was a good thing since I'll have another new baby to take care of in less than 6 mos!

Passys are her "thing" so among the many gifts she got, we wrapped up a box of new passies...as soon as she opened it she kept saying "ooooohh ooohh"

We celebrated Raleigh's bday the week before with a candle in the dog food...I think he was confused

Yeah, this party hat lasted all of 2 seconds

the Taylor toddle

We caught a little girl cruising around the house.

Ellis Party of 6

Well, I guess we'll be changing our blog name in the near future! Yes, we are pregnant again due on March 25th! I'm nearing the end of my first trimester now. I actually found out the day that Mark drove away from Orlando with the moving truck. We figure that God must be up to something with timing like this! But we are very excited to have a new little sister or brother for Taylor Grace. She'll be a great big sis I can already tell. I'm feeling pretty good now but I've had a little bit of morning sickness this time which I had'nt had with Taylor. So, we are wondering if its a boy this time. We've been to the doctor and gotten an ultrasound and the little peanut already had sweet little fingers and toes. Taylor has NO idea what is about to hit her of course. We are just loving on her and trying to enjoy the time with Taylor by herself. She is almost fully walking now although she chooses to crawl when she needs to get somewhere fast. But she's really growing fast now.. we're almost completely off the bottle, switched to milk and on to sippy cups now. Knowing I'm going to have another baby in the spring is overwhelming at times, when I look at Taylor and she still seems so small and young...but now that she's walking and learning to talk I think I have a big girl on my hands now....and she'll be a help to me later I hope. So, if you have any advice on how to prepare a 1 1/2 year old for a new baby bring it on!

Yosemite....our backyard ( well sort of)

Mark, Taylor and I had a chance to hop over to Yosemite National Park for a few days last week. It is absolutely gorgeous there! Unfortunately the waterfalls were dry because its the summertime...but we were not disappointed with the breathtaking views of Half dome and El Capitan! Mark and taylor hiked together in the new Kelty backpack I got Mark for father's day. And lucky for me I only had to carry snacks and water. :) We had a great time and Taylor had a ball in the great outdoors. A mama deer and her two babies crossed our trail about 12 feet from us and Taylor got really excited! I think she thought they were doggies but oh well she did see them...and well they do kind of look like our dogs. We did see a baby black bear too crossing the road one night.

After we left we found out there had been a big rock slide later in the day and the park service had to evacuate part of the Valley..Thank you Lord that we were not there at the time! We're slowly beginning to explore around California. I guess everyone makes their sacrifices in order to live in this beautiful state. We're finding that most of those sacrifices invlove finances...its costs money to do EVERYTHING here! But we are taking it all in stride. We know God has a plan and an adventure for us here for the time being. And when we've seen and done it all this year we'll move along. We've found a great church with lots of activities for families. We've even made a few friends already! So, life is starting to normal out for the Ellis family here...even though we miss family and friends terribly.

I posted a few pics from our trip below. Theres more posted on our facebook page...its so much easier to upload photos to facebook for some reason. So if you have a facebook acct and you are not our friend let me know and I'll add you so you can see more...if you arent on facebook...get one and we can be friends.

Taylor and Mark hiking up Yosemite falls....it was bone dry

Tunnel View of El Capitan and Half dome

Mama and Taylor at Lake Tenaya



BIG Pine cone

Californians

We've been in Cali for almost a month now. Its hard to believe we actually made it here in one piece. We had lots of "snafus" you could say during the moving process but we're finally moved in and settled down for a bit anyway. Mark's family drove our Tahoe here and were here to help us for a week, which was soooo great. Mark has already traveled to MT for a conference in wilderness medicine. While he was away David, my brother, came for a week to visit and help with Taylor. Since our family has left its been very quiet and lonely here. Mark has worked a few shifts and I spend alot of my days chasing Taylor around and of course letting the dogs in and out of the house. We did manage to get a short hike in last week. There are parks and hiking EVERYWHERE here! Its amazing! We're planning to spend a few nights in Yosimite Natl Park next week and do some more hiking before it gets chilly here. Speaking of the weather...I'm a total weather nerd and the weather here is BORING. I know I shouldnt complain but we're talking 55-85 degrees everyday!!! NO clouds, no rain, no nothing! We dont even get the ominous fog that the nothern bay area gets daily. I never realized how much I need that weather action.
But on the flipside you can do almost any outdoor activity any day you want and you know you wont get too hot, too cold, or wet. So, I think I should be happy.
We've found a great church, Menlo Park Presbyterian, which is very contemporary and very kid-friendly. I've already met a potential friend there and we're trying to set up a coffee date this week.
Mark is getting used to the Stanford system and we're both loving the 8 hr shifts! I see him so much now! Not much else to report. We're still praying for our house in Orlando to get rented.
I've made a few goals for myself this year....I'm going to learn to be a fabulous cook and I'm going to attempt to make at least 1 quilt. I ordered an easy amy butler pattern and fabric so we're see. I'm not crossing my fingers but I really want to try. I hope I dont get too frustrated.
I'll take some pics of the house soon and post them!

Almost walking!

We are only a month away from Taylor's 1st birthday and she will definitely be walking by then! This video was from last week when she first started taking a few steps. Since then she has really been improving and practicing her walking skills. She's very proud of herself too!

June

Here are some pics from June. Our sweet girl is really growing up. She's pulling up on everything and she attempts to stand on her own. She loves to be the center of attention of course. Loves to sing and has figured out how to "dance" when music comes on.

June has been a busy month for us for sure. We are busily packing for California and getting all the details in order. We did find a really neat, ecletic home in Redwood city which is about 15min North of Stanford University. We ended up renting a house on almost an acre at the top of a large hill so our home overlooks the bay in two directions. The dogs will have a blast there I'm sure! Our official leave date is July 15th. But between here and there we are going to visit family in NC, Mark's parents are coming to help, My grandmother came for a week visit, and I have our family's girl beach trip. So, we are really busy right up until we leave. Its exciting to think about going somewhere new for a while but at the same time its so sad to leave family and friends and a generally comfortable life here in Orlando. Many tears have already been shed saying goodbye to people. But I know God's got a plan for us and I'll just trust in that for now.

Pulling daddy's hair
She LOVES grass (not the 4:20 kind)

Taylor learning to walk

I bought Taylor Grace a new walker "shopping" cart. I was filming her when she discovered she can use it to walk by herself!

Taylor learning to walk 2

Taylor crawling for the first time

This is an older video but she crawled for the first time April 24th 2009

DISCLAIMER

So, heres my disclaimer....Please do NOT listen to me on these videos below. Ever since I've become a parent it seems I've turned into a total dork. I discovered this when playing back all the videos I recorded. I'm pretty sure I dont speak in my regular, God-given tone of voice anymore. Its all turned into high pitched squeaks and noises to get Taylor to laugh. I'm sure Mark wonders what happend to his wife because everyone knows that men DO not have this happen to them. Well, not my hubby anyway. So, as you watch just know its all for Taylor and yes, I realize that truly I am the dork I've always wondered I was. Maybe every first time parent feels this way?

Crawling!!!! Taylor officially crawled this past week on April 24th. She's kind of still working on her groove but she certainly gets where she wants to. Mark managed to get some footage of her trying to crawl. Its been about a week since then and shes improved so much! She's such a big girl now!

How we typically clean up

SO when we are finished eating...this is usually how we clean up. Everyone is happy this way.

Videos

This video is actually from a while ago, but she was just learning to eat baby food. I think she's about 5 months here. She was sooo hungry.

randoms

Easter Beach trip

We took a trip to the Beach after Easter Sunday services. It was a gorgeous day! Taylor loved the sand and loved to wiggle her toes around in it. She wasnt a huge fan of the water but we managed to get a few good pics of her anyway. She is now trying to figure out how to crawl! I can't believe it my baby girl! We actually got a great video of ther crawling and scooting so we'll post that as soon as we can find the cable to upload it on the computer. She's also found her voice and LOVES to talk and babble around especially when we are in public places where she can get Lots of attention. She's figured out a little trick , She thinks that a fake cough will get my attention..so whenever I'm engaged in a conversation or on the phone I usually here a small little "agh agh" to get me to turn my attention to her. Its hilarious! I'll try and get that on video too. On another note we are slowly starting to box up the house for our move to California in July. We've put our house on the rental market and we're starting to look online for a place near Stanford. I know the Lord wants us to go there if even for a short time...its definitely a leap of faith that I have to take daily when I think about it. I'm glad we have wonderful family and friends to get us through California. Anyone who wants to visit...come on !!!

First Egg Hunt

Taylor's Anti-Climactic Roll

Big news in the Ellis house!! Taylor is now sleeping through the night!!!!! I had my wisdom teeth out last wednesday ( which has been a nightmare) and so Mark sent me to stay at mom and dads for a couple of nights. We decided since I was out of the house that daddy and Taylor would go through what we call "Baby boot camp". She's getting close to 7 months and she was sleeping much better but we were still getting up several times a night. After talking with the pediatrician, he suggested that we go ahead and sleep train her for three nights. Since we're getting nearer to the separation anxiety stage he thought it best to teach her to self-soothe. I have been somewhat opposed to this method, myself, for a while but I was willing to try it for three nights only. Mark said she did wonderfully with little protest...and I'm soo happy to report that after three nights Mark and Taylor did it!!!! She slept the entire night without a peep last night!! I know that there will most likely be more nights when she will be up but I know she can do it! I'm so proud of her and I'm so thankful to Mark for taking it for Team Ellis.

This has been great timing because I've been on pain meds all week and it looks like I'm back to the oral surgeon on Monday. I may have a complication that they need to fix...which has put me out for the weekend and maybe some of next week too. Yuck. I know it cant go on forever though.

Heres another video:

Taylor rolled over for the first time a couple of months ago...but of course every time I get my video camera out she will not perform for me. I have NO idea where she gets this from since I'm pretty sure neither mark nor I were ever camera shy. So I finally got her rolling over although she doesn't really want to you'll be able to tell in the video.

Taylor listening to herself (February)

This one is funny- its one of the first times Taylor started to hear herself talking. We were at a Superbowl party in Houston with our good friends Callie and Chris...so I'm sure she felt the need to compete for attention!

This a picture I snapped of Mom with Aunt Betty Lou and Uncle Tom the last time I was there visiting. I just liked it...I promised them no more pics on the internet without warning...so sorry. It just reminded me of summertime with the colors and everything. I had to post it.

mom and baby

This one was taken right after my mom got hit with a bicycle on the beach. The beach was EMPTY and there was plenty of room but the girl plowed right into my mom, knocking her clear across the sand- and my VERY expensive camera went crashing to the ground. I know she got hurt a little but we both were laughing hysterically. I basically had to post it for mom- so we can always remember and have a good laugh about that moment.