Casts, Pacifiers, and School!

We've been going non-stop since we returned from Vail. The first thing we did was get Elise's cast off!! Surprisingly, she sobbed once it came off - she definitely liked all the extra attention she got with it. We had one more x-ray taken after the cast came off just to make sure the fractures were healed and thankfully her new bone growth looked great! The doctor told us not to be surprised if she walked with a limp for up to 8 weeks after getting the cast off but we're happy to report that she is limp-free!









The next thing we tackled was Elise's pacifier. She took a pacifier the night she was born and has had it ever since. After doing some reading and talking to other mommies, we decided to take it away completely - COLD TURKEY! A couple days prior to 'Operation No-More Pacifier' we explained to her that pacifiers were for babies and she was now a little girl who would be starting school soon and couldn't take a pacifier with her. As much as she seemed to understand what we were saying, the day we took away the paci she was not going along with us and screamed and cried for her pacifier. :( By Thursday she was adjusting to life without her paci really well and we haven't looked back since!


To help take Elise's mind off of her pacifier (or lack thereof!) we had a playdate with a friend and played on inflatable slides and had lunch!








Onto the biggest news yet, Elise started school today! My mom has been watching Elise pretty much since she was born, which we are so thankful for, but we wanted to give Elise the opportunity to be around kids more, as well as give my mom a break! So a couple months ago, Greg, Elise, and I started touring schools to educate ourselves and find a school that Elise would love. We succeeded because Elise had an absolute blast today! I'm so relieved! This morning was rough - for me, not Elise - when I got back into my car after dropping her off the tears just started rolling down my cheeks. She had a great day and only cried for a minute during naptime. When I went to pick her up I asked her if she was ready to go home and she said No. I think it's safe to say she really enjoyed it and is looking forward to going back on Thursday! I am really looking forward to seeing all the new things she'll learn by going to school a couple days a week. :)

Vacation Recap!

We spent the 4th of July in Vail, Colorado this year and had a great time! The weather was beautiful and such a nice break from the hot & humid weather in Atlanta. Elise was so excited to see her grandparents, aunts, and uncles from Florida and to spend an entire week with them! We celebrated the 4th with a parade in Vail Village and fireworks at dusk. It started raining so the grand finale was cut short, but all in all it was a great 4th!! The rest of the trip was spent doing a lot of outdoor activities...fishing, white-water rafting, mountain-biking, and playing at the park. An outdoor concert, a visit with a college friend, a moose-sighting, several card games, and some shopping rounded out the week nicely. It was sad to say goodbye both to the mountains and to our family but we made some great memories that we'll remember forever!

A family picture!



I'm in love with the mountains!



Elise is enjoying her balloon while we wait for the 4th of July parade.



Stopping for a picture while shopping in the Village.



Grammy and Aunt Jodie took Elise to the park while the rest of us went white-water rafting!



The moose we saw while driving up a mountain!



Elise and daddy relaxing in the lawn at the outdoor concert.



This was the best we could do for our family picture.



My favorite picture...thanks for being such a great photographer, Aunt Jill!



Thanks so much Geep and Grammy for a fun-filled vacation!



Loving life!!!