My Personal Bucket List

There is no time limit on this list in order for me to best enjoy which is the purpose. It is a bucket list for my life. I can add to it as I please. As mentioned in the previous bucket list blog, this is a list of things I can do within 3 hours of home either alone, with Ellie, or with our tribe! The purpose of this personal list is to live the life around me not holding back or just sitting at home while we are without Eric most of the week. We can't wait to start living life in this new phase. We miss him while he works so hard and is in school, too, but he encourages both of us to do whatever makes our hearts happy and these are things I want to do both with Ellie and just myself. Mine and Eric's bucket list seen on the previous blog will be one we continue to work on all of our God given days together!

- Serve at least quarterly at a kitchen, or children's home of some sort. Take Ellie if possible and teach her to serve others lovingly.

- Hike: * Graveyard Fields

            * Crowder's Mountain State Park
                    a.) Backside Trail
                    b.) Crowder's Trail to Rocktop Trail Loop
                    c.) Pinnacle Trail
                 
            * Jones Gap State Park
                    a.)  Rim of the Gap - Pinnacle Pass Loop
           
            *Caesar's Head State Park
                     a.) Asbury Trail
                     b.) Bill Kimball-Coldspring Branch Loop

            *Croft State Park
                     a.) Beech Tree Trail
                     b.) Southside Loop Trail
                     c.) Foster Mill Loop Trail to Lake Johnson Loop

             *Oconee State Park
                     a.) Tamassee Knob Trail
                     b.) Hidden Falls Trail
                     c.) Lee Falls Trail

             *Keowee-Toxaway State Natural Area
                     a.) Raven Rock Loop Trail
                   
             *Rocky Bald and Cedar Rock Trail

             *Crabtree Falls Trail

             *Max Patch
   
-Paint more canvases

-Read all the books on my book list

-Buy a kayak to use on our lake....and then kayak

-Get a long term temporary tattoo I design with my anatomical heart including my defects to see if I want to bite the bullet and have it forever on my right wrist.

-Take Ellie on a day trip to IOP and spoil her rotten...and hike with her 5 miles on the beach (any hiking mamas wanna plan a day trip this spring/summer?)

-Attend more classes at the Y.

-Achieve a big dream of mine which is so big I can't make it public. But if it happens be sure I'll let you know. I'm sure y'all know me well enough to know it is NOT have another baby lol!

Winter Wonderland Ball 2019

I have always dreamed of Eric and Ellie having romantical daddy daughter dates and was super excited to sign the two of these baby dolls up for The Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club of Greenville Winter Wonderland Ball. It was also open to Mother/Son couples.

Ellie wore a new (to her) dress from Once Upon a Child, enhanced by silvery metallic ballet flats, a winter white cardigan, a new purse from her Nana, and her rhinestone bow. Eric of course was dressed to match Ellie. That is what we do around here.

Eric and I fixed Ellie's hair together. She loves to have her hair and "makeup" done. We took photos like it was prom in Mommy's vanity area and outside on the porch as Eric gave his very beautiful princess date a bouquet of flowers. Ellie loves flowers. She sniffed them and touched them delicately. We loaded up her purse with the essentials: milk, diapers, and wipes. We loaded up the royal carriage and away they went.

Per Eric's report of the evening with enthusiastic interjections from Ellie herself, they began the evening with pizza and a cookie. The pizza was pepperoni and the cookie was M&M. They did the Cupid Shuffle, Twist and Shout, and a slow song or two in which Ellie laid her head on Eric's shoulder. He loved that. They saw friends, Marie and Noah there as well! They had pictures taken which I am waiting to get back from the event. Eric reports that Ellie dragged him around by his tie the majority of the evening. She danced and she also enjoyed sitting and observing others.

When Ellie came home, she was in her daddy's arms, clutching her purse and grinning from ear to ear. When he put her down she twirled around and danced all over the house!

I cannot wait for these two to attend two more Father Daughter dances next week with our dance studio, Sterling Studio of the Performing Arts and the YMCA. These moments are so fleeting and I am so thankful we have the chance to take every opportunity offered to create memories with our Ellie. She won't always be a little baby but she will always be our baby!

The Bucket List

I was reflecting at the start of this new year about all the years past in my life. It dawned on me that in 28 years, this is the first time I don't have some big thing, or goal, or life moment that I have planned or am aware of awaiting me some time in the next 365 days. Before, I was always looking to accomplish the next phase of school, get through college, land a job, find my dream husband, have a home, have a baby, get a dog.....well....now all of those blessings have been given and I have what feels like reached the top of the mountain and I can finally stand and enjoy the view. So this next phase of my life, God willing, is going to finally open doors for me to enjoy me, to have no big agenda, yet, do what it is I want to do (within reason of finances and family).

Nearly 6 years ago I wrote this bucket list you see pictured at the top. I wrote it for Eric and I. We were a new couple and I knew we would spend forever together. We combined our own dreams and ambitions and made a list of things we wanted to do together with our lives. A lot of these things we have done, a lot we have not. We have not done any of the traveling. (I wrote this at a time I never saw kids in my future). Some are small and can be repeated, some are grand and will be once in a lifetime and a huge deal if we can actually do it. I had this list pinned to the interior of a kitchen cabinet at our old house. Now in the new house it is stored in our family notebook that I keep and I only just re-discovered it again a few days ago.

Seeing this list reminded me and brought me many thoughts. It reminded me to not let stress of Eric being a chemical engineering student, full time employee, and very busy to not take over our love for adventure, excitement, fun, and one another. It reminded me that we have so much to do with our lives and we need to be grateful for every day! It made me think how I am now in a set and "normal" place in my life where I can finally make room for more of these to happen. With Eric. Alone. With Ellie. This list above I truly hope to accomplish out of the joy of adventure with Eric. But it has got me thinking I could make my own list for me.

A lot of the hikes I wrote on this list were hikes I had researched and wanted to do around the time I was starting my first job. Yet, none of friends at the time were local or into hiking and my parents (whom I still lived with) would never let me go alone (and I don't like to deceive them!) So, when I met Eric I was so excited to finally find a companion who could enjoy these things with me. Though, we never did go hiking together...not until we had Ellie. Now, these trails, all but 2 of them, I have done with Ellie. This makes me happy to see that I am actually getting out and exploring the beautiful places around me and I am seeing and doing exactly what I hoped to! Seeing some accomplishments of my own off this list has shown me I can have a bucket list just for me, too, alongside this one. That way I can still live life on the days and hours I am just me, or momming it up with Ellie. Life comes in phases. This is a phase of life where sadly we only see Eric and actually get to enjoy his company about 2 days a week. I miss having nothing holding us back from adventure. However, graced by his encouragement and love himself, his striving to achieve his career dreams and provide for us a better life so that we can do more on this list, does not mean I cannot achieve my own goals and find my own little adventures, too! I am so thankful for him and how he encourages this. He knows adventure and goals make me happy.

Therefore, I am constructing my own bucket list of things I can do reasonably within 3 hours of home, on my own or with Ellie or with friends. Things that make me happy. Things that push me to break limits, goals, and boundaries. Things that show me new things and new people. Things that help others. Things that benefit my own quality of joy! I have been very blessed to be able to have a flexible schedule at home with Ellie and I am going to praise God by utilizing that and exploring the world around me He created and loving His people all around me. This is a very exciting time of life...a time where I can finally say it is time to do what I want for me!! No career to respond to, no teachers' orders to comply with, no daily grind. My one boss is Ellie and she loves adventure as much as her mama so these little Gladden girls are about to rock out 2019! Never waste a breath, a moment, a chance to do something with your life. As long as my model for life remains as God first, Eric second, Ellie third, me fourth.....I believe it is ok to pamper yourself and show yourself some love too! Emmay's Bucket List is about to go down!!

2018 was an "Event Full" Year!

Get the title? I didn't encounter a soul this year who did not lovingly mention how Ellie and I hit up all the events in an hour (or more) radius. It was certainly and eventful year for the Gladdens.

When I had Ellie towards the end of 2017, I took the time I needed to get comfortable in my new role, withdrawing from the world. Only my true and closest friends were supportive and understanding of this and it really led into a beautiful start of 2018. I had the strongest friendships possible (still do) and the greatest support system as a new mother. And after I got that time I needed to figure out semi-partially an idea of what I was doing as a mother, I sought adventure. I found Hike it Baby which was one of the most pivotal things I took on this year. It gave me not just a few new friends but literally an entire tribe of super deeply rooted close friendships in other mamas who offer such wisdom, guidance, love, and best of all, pass no judgment. I love the outdoors and it has been great getting Ellie out in these adventures and having her meet new friends this year. It has been awesome for healing bad post-partum depression and anxiety, and making me a stronger person physically.

Ellie enrolled in Kindermusik, Mommy and Me Ballet, took swimming lessons, joined MOPS, and reached all kinds of wild big girl milestones. She grew so very much this year and I learned our relationship grows as she grows.

Eric and I grew stronger in our marriage through the challenges of facing 3 more semesters of school, spring, summer, fall. This most recent Fall semester was the worst and hardest both emotionally and mentally for both of us. This fall semester was a really important round of Chem-E courses and a heavy load. This meant Eric was up at like 3:30 every morning and not home ever before 9 pm every night. I got a small dose of single motherhood and this time really challenged us to open doors for communication. We napped together more than played together. But we got through it. It will not be the last semester with these challenges but we know we can do it so I can be thankful for this season of life and the opportunities it is going to bring as well as how it grew us as a couple to communicate clearly and to open our eyes to each other's hard work. I am very proud of him and his amazing grades and his incredible work ethic. He serves God, his family, his career, and his education all so selflessly. I don't know how he does it. Sleeping about 4 hours a night. That was our biggest challenge this year.

We moved into our home we dreamed up from the ground up. I dreamed up our home a scrap of notebook paper while I was pregnant and this year we finally moved in and saw that dream come true. One of our most exciting times this year!

We lost Cajun just before the move. He had to be put to sleep. He lived a long and spoiled rotten life. I didn't make a big announcement because it was really hard for Eric and I. Really hard. We may have a human baby, but fur babies really do leave a paw print on your heart. Cajun was not mine from the start. We all know I called him my step-son and we had an on going joke that I hated him. I didn't. He made life more difficult than it needed to be at times but he was really a treasure to our family, especially Eric. We had fun times and good memories when it was just me, Eric, and Cajun...and those were special times. Our big loss of the year.

One of my favorite things to do with Ellie I discovered this year was to explore all opportunities and new adventures as possible. Every new experience opens a new pathway in her brain, and the repetition of those activities establish the pathways. So I wanted to take her to everything possible I could squeeze on the calendar. It's one of the reasons I stay home with her....so we can-not-stay-home.....hahaha! The best part is, 90% of what we do is free! The other 10% is usually $10 or less! So we have spent the year going all over and doing all sorts of fun things! I think we went trick or treating 10 times. It was not about the candy. I think she had two pieces of candy....Eric the rest. Ok, ok, I ate the Reese's and Kit-Kat's. It was about getting her into the experience and honey, let me tell you!! After her first trick or treating experience, she was RUNNING from booth to booth, bag wide open, smile on her face! There were festivals with dancing and crafts and hay rides! She saw Santa about ten times too. She only cried once for Santa. Again, not about how many, but just giving her as many experiences as I possibly could! It was so fun watching her different reactions from one event to the next! I also loved seeing which events were best organized and really worth our time for future reference.

We hosted each of our parents (and briefly siblings and kids) in a beach home in Surfside for a week. This was Ellie's first beach trip and it was really a special time. We wanted her grandparents to be able to share this first experience with her. We went to Michigan for Eric's cousin's wedding and the 4th of July. We love Michigan in July. It is a break from the heat here. We went to Edisto with my family in August.

Ellie turned one this year. One of the most exciting events of the year that made me cry. I wasn't going to throw a party but I am way too much of a planner to not throw a party for her at least for the first birthday. I anticipate only hosting parties when she chooses them instead of a really once in a lifetime experience. It will always be her choice, bu I am more of experiences over parties myself.

Eric and I celebrated 5 years together and 3 years married.

It was really a very wonderful and beautiful year full of good changes and lots of growth. I have never loved my husband more and if you know how much I have loved him since I met him then you know that is an immeasurable amount. I respect him far more greatly now as I watch his hard work and constant selfless nature and I clearly see I am blessed to have a one of a kind....a true one of a kind, God given answer to prayers.

For 2019, it would seem that things are possibly "Winding down" in the sens we have no plans currently for anything new or big. School will still be a part of our lives and balancing that, but otherwise, I think now we are settled in our home after 2 years of getting pregnant, starting school, havin a baby, selling our home, renting and building a home.....things ahead finally look a little "normal". Whatever normal actually is. But Eric and I have been dreaming of our future and praying about our future and whatever God has in store. There will constantly be so much unknown. So we pray first and foremost that our lives are constantly ones full of the Holy Spirit and are seeking to glorify Him and to follow the plans He has for us. That is a big prayer because sometimes what God says is best can feel hard for us until we can see with the eyes God has looked through all along. That is why it is called faith and our faith is in Him. I pray our daily lives and 2019 would glorify God, follow His will, be full of protection, provision, happiness, forgiveness, love, strength, and pure joy. I have no big ideas or visions....like for the first time ever in my life.....no plans. Just a good year! Cheers!!!

Ellie at 16 Months

I want to do every now and then blogs mainly for myself to keep for memories of Ellie as she grows. So much changes over the course of a year. So much changes in even a month! I don't really expect anybody to read this apart from people closest to Ellie. Mainly for my record to keep for her. :) I will print these and put with her baby book. But feel free to read if you don't mind one proud mommy!

Ellie's current vocabulary:

*Ball
*Bow
*Blondie
*Baby
*Bye-Bye
*Mama
*Dada
*Mimi
*G-Daddy
*Dog
*Hello
*Hey
*That
*Water
*Up
*Down
*Uh-oh
*Yeah
*No
*Stop
*Yay
*Please
*Thank you
*Outside
*Light
*Cheese
*Ho Ho Ho (Santa)
*Tree
*Bird
*Done
*Ok
*Hot
*Eye
*Mouth
*Bless You (when we sneeze)
*Rock rock (for rocking chairs and rocking the baby dolls)
*Yuck (her name for poop)

Ellie knows the following animals and their sounds and makes the sounds:

*Dog
*Horse
*Owl
*Bear, Tiger, Lion, Dinosaur...anything that *roars*
*Elephant
*Monkey
*Bird

Body Parts Ellie knows:

*Eyes
*Nose
*Mouth
*Ears
*Tummy
*Hands
*Belly Button

Ellie has been learning at ballet class to walk on tip toes, kick, jump, and twirl. She has accomplished all of these, yet she performs them at home constantly, and observes more at dance class. Ellie has started to enjoy running alongside me in the house or in the yard just short little paces. It is like a game to her. I am so excited to get her into running as she grows! We love having dance parties together.

We have started a little mini mommy lead pre-pre schooling which is all just fun to Ellie. It should be. It should be interesting, exciting, and fun! We learn animals, body parts, colors, shapes, alphabet, and numbers. She has already sang, "ABC" and stops after "C". We read books, sing songs, practice puzzles. We do crafts, science experiments, and we even do exercises and massage to teach her about touch, feel, her body, and how her body is able to move. It is all just a bunch of play, but productive playing.

We LOVE going outdoors for exploring, wagon rides, bubbles, chalk, playing with toys and Blondie. We love our play dates with all our friends. Ellie is involved in Hike it Baby Greenville, Mommy and Me Ballet at Sterling Studio of Performing Arts, Kindermusik of Greenville at Village Arts, and Easley MOPS. (If anybody ever has any questions about these groups feel free to hit me up!! All are so amazing and I couldn't allow Ellie or I to go without any of them!)

Ellie is very sneaky and mischievous like all toddlers, I presume. She is very smart. Yes, I am her mother, but...she is. She is smart in so many ways. Spend time with her and you will be amazed. She is clever. She also knows she is cute and she says hey, or hugs you, or claps her hands like she is proud of herself whenever she gets caught getting into things. It is hard to keep a straight face most of the time. She also hilariously tries to put everything back in order and straighten up in a fast frantic when she hears my feet coming.....then she stands up straight and holds her hands, wears a big grin and says, "Hey!" Sneaky. It is so cute but she still gets her lesson. Gentle love and a pop when necessary. She never even flinches at her poppings. She just smiles and wants to distract me to another item to play. And that is what we do...we proceed and keep loving and playing!

I have been all about Palmetto Basics and how to optimize love and minimize stress in loving and leading your little one. Love and play are so very crucial and important in their strong and happy development. I am so bi into playing with Ellie hands on. People call me crazy for how silly we are or very energetic. I am. But I had this baby to do all I could to give her the best world possible and it is fun getting down on the floor with her at her level and exploring with her....sometimes that means singing the same song or reading the same book, or pushing her around the house in a tray pretending it is a buggy over and over and over again because she wants to, it makes her happy.

Ellie can sing the starts of a few songs. ABC as mentioned previously, Jesus loves me, and some Kindermusik tunes, Riding in the Buggy, Baby Baby My Sweet Baby.

Ellie's favorite play item are baby dolls and stuffed animals. She holds as many as she can at once in her arms, rocks them, kisses them, pats them, sings to them, feeds them, tells the "sh sh sh" to calm them, and tucks them into their crib. She is a nurturer.

She is also stubborn, strong willed, and independent. This will be AWESOME for her adult self. Currently, it makes mommy have to channel in a lot of deep breathing and patience. But I also kind of love it even now because she is pretty great with a fork which she demands to use, she is already almost completely dressing herself, she even tries to change her own diapers which I hope is a sign we can potty train in a few months (fingers crossed), she likes to comb her own hair and put her bows in, and feed herself. Now, she does none of these things perfectly but she is determined to do so and that is really rather awesome. I do love this spirit about her, even when I want to just do it and make it go faster. If we don't let them try when they are curious we are putting such a bock on their independence and neurological pathway development. So take a deep breath and help show, teach, and guide. In saying that, I can also say Ellie is like her daddy and loves to see how things are done and then try and imitate or replicate. For example, she has a tea set with a dessert tray that comes apart. She does not play with the tray as a tray for crumpets, she plays with it as a puzzle that she constantly wants to take apart and put together. She loves when Eric and I sit with her and we guide her in assembling and disassembling. She even knows which piece goes next now, and her coordination for these small pieces are really being honed in as she continues practicing. I love this about her. I do not have this mentality or brain. I am a person who wants it already put together and hates taking time to read directions to figure it out.

Ellie is in love with jewelry, make-up, purses, shoes, accessories, and animals. These are a few of her favorite things.

When we go places, people think Ellie is quiet and reserved. She is a very observant child who watches and examines everything before partaking of it. Give her about 20 minutes and you will see a wild one pop loose. But she is always listening, watching, and preparing to mimic what she observes. Another reason to really be aware of our surroundings, music, words, actions, and reactions.

Ellie is a HAM!! She LOVES to make us and friends laugh and to be the center of attention. She loves to put on a show and just be so stinkin' funny!! When she sees you laugh, she laughs all the harder.

She loves snuggles, kisses, hugs, and playing games of tickle attack, chase, and games where we pretend we are going to "get her!" She still loves peek-a-boo and hiding.

The never ending comment we get about Ellie is how tanned she is. She is not tanned, lol, just has a very beautiful skin tone. She got that from Daddy. This mama lathers that baby up in sunscreen and long sleeved swimmers in summer. We appreciate the notice people take in how pretty Ellie is. She is very beautiful. She is also very smart, funny, and kind!

I love her smile and her dimples. I love her sweet eyes. I love her hair and how soft and blonde it is. I love the way Ellie takes off in excitement with her arms and hands thrown backwards and her face and chest bent forward like a little airplane. I love how she holds her hands behind her back when she is looking things over or walking around.

She currently still has 10 teeth (this includes top molars).

Every day with Ellie is fleeting faster and faster away. She is truly a very sweet and easy tempered, loving, helpful, and thoughtful little baby. She blows my mind with the amount of love and care she already gives. She changes every day and learns something new every day, for real! I love being able to keep a record here for myself.

Teddy Bear Luncheon

I wanted to share this with all the mamas and daddies out there who are not currently aware of this spectacular event.

Bon Secours St. Francis Health System in Greenville, SC hosts a Teddy Bear Luncheon every year to benefit the medical needs of others. This year, the proceeds are going towards the Adolescent and Young Adult Inpatient Cancer Center. Because of the generosity also provided by the Hyatt Regency of Greenville, 100% of the proceeds benefit this facility for cancer patients. When I learned that, my heart was swollen with gratitude for this community and their compassionate hearts.

The tickets for adults were $15. Children ages 3-12 were $10. We were encouraged to bring a brand new teddy bear or stuffed animal to be donated as well. For $30 and the donation of a precious lovie for a child to hold, Eric, Ellie and I were able to enjoy a delicious sit down meal, entertainment provided by Wade Hampton High School Drama Team (wonderful job), Photo opps with classic Christmas characters, cookie decorating, and a photo with Santa Claus. It was well beyond worth it. Even more so considering that our money is going to help cancer patients. I am so thankful for this community who is not using health care abusively to make money, but to help, truly, help, love, and serve, to do no harm, to those in need. Amen! As a former medical professional (before taking on my best role yet as mommy)...a large majority of my passions lie in healthcare, surgery, and touching lives who have lost hope. This event was SO much more than seeing Santa....again....it was all about the joy of helping others and exposing Ellie to that service and nature.

I couldn't recommend this event any higher to all upstate residents to attend. I am thankful my friend, Julie, shared with me so that we could be part of it! Ellie, 16 months, enjoyed every single aspect. She laughed and smiled and watched intently at the drama team, she smacked down on green beans, mac and cheese, and chicken, she danced, and enjoyed all the stuffed animals surrounding her. We loved seeing her joy, as well. Ellie was also enamored with the Festival of Trees! So beautiful. Check them out, y'all!

Y'all...add this to the Christmas docket for your families next year!

Beets!

I love adding new healthy and color rich foods into my diet. I am in love with how food is medicine for your body!

A while back, on the hiking trail, a sweet friend of mine and I were chatting about food and things the babes eat. I explained to my friend Shelly that I had never eaten beets before, yet I had considered having Ellie try them once and just bought her canned beets. Ellie detested them and then I was totally turned off. Eric had mentioned to me that he too, hated beets. So, after telling this to Shelly, she was like oh no! Don't eat canned beets! She told me to get some fresh beets and roast them and told me I could even do them up with other veggies.

So this week, to motivate me further to add beets into my diet and to get me to try them, I did a quick search on the benefits of beets. Y'all. These are sooooo insanely good for you. So, I peeled them, quartered them, and cooked them in a little grass fed organic butter and seasoned with a little Mrs. Dash original. I made them alongside onions and carrots. Note: Even the leaves are good for you. I am going to add mine to a smoothie next time.

Verdict: YUM! So so so so very good!!! I loved them. They actually are not too very different from potatoes but offer so many more healthy benefits! I want to eat them very frequently, now.

Be warned....and thankfully...Shelly warned me...poop and pee will turn red....but its worth it hahahaha! So don't be scared.

Even Ellie ate a couple. She still preferred the carrots over them. She has the same tastes as her daddy.

So go try beets, y'all! Fresh beets!! Not the canned!