September's almost over already?

I can't believe how quickly this month has flown by! It is blowing my mind.  September has been a wonderful month.  I feel like we are finally over the awkward adjustment period and are settled in quite nicely.  Caroline is doing great!  She eats well, has her two bottom teeth, sleeps well, takes good naps, and is overall a happy baby.  She is starting to get better at sitting up too.  Here are some pictures for your enjoyment!

After her bath tonight, see how she is getting so big!

With her daddy.  No one can make her laugh like Eli.  When he comes home and she sees him she just lights up.  She's always all smiles for Daddy.  It's so cute!  Speaking of Eli, he got a 95% on his last test!  We are so proud of him.

Such a pretty one!

I couldn't resist getting her a pair of skinny jeans!

This was her first time in a restaurant high chair!  She liked it a lot, especially when she realized she could put the edge of the table in her mouth very easily!

Also taken today.  She has such big smiles!  You can see her tiny teeth in there!

Her two favorite things at bathtime are her crocodile, and when we pour water from up above onto her tummy!

She looks like a little boy in this one, mainly because I hadn't fixed her hair yet, and it is a boy shirt.  We were in DisneyLand last summer when I was 5 weeks pregnant, and we really thought we were having a boy.  We picked this onesie out from the ESPN store.  It says "I watch ESPN with Daddy".  And she used to, when she was tiny and we had cable!

She sits in her high chair, well, we tie her in.

She eats...

She's kind of messy..

But she is so beautiful!

See those chompers?

Welcome to our Home!

I decided to take some pictures of our place for a photo-tour of our apartment. We are really happy with it, it's the perfect size for us right now. As you can tell from the pictures, I still have a lot of decorating/arranging to do, but for the most part we are enjoying it

Here is the corner of Caroline's room. I need to figure out the best way to arrange her room.



I couldn't resist a picture of the sleeping angel-baby! Isn't she adorable!
Her room was the only one I didn't pick up before I took pictures because she's asleep, but there's her changing table and rocking chair (don't dwell on the mess!)
This is one of my favorite things. I got the idea from a lady at a jewelry store in Utah because I was looking for a earring tree but they were $50 or more! She told me to get a length of mesh-type ribbon from wal-mart and pin it to the wall. I did and now my earrings are organized and easy to pick out. They used to just be in a big box and it was hard to find matching pairs.

Grandpa Bill's dresser.

My absolute favorite thing is having a walk-in closet. I love that our laundry basket is not sitting out in our room where you can see it. It is wonderful. I'm serious when I say it's my favorite part. I hate looking at dirty laundry.

There's our bed. I like our curtains. Mom was really nice to get them for us when she and dad visited in August. Thanks Gammy!

It's hard to get a shot of the shower curtain, the shower and toilet are in a separate room from the sink.

The bathroom is a good size. It's nice to have all the storage in it.

Mantle in living room. I've found lots of crafts to do to decorate more.

Do you Belchers out there recognize any of the furniture in our living room? I love having some of Grandma and Grandpas things, the couch, rocker, and tv stand and tv are all theirs. It makes me feel so at home, and like they are with us. I think they would like that we are getting a use out of our things. I especially like it because Caroline never got to meet them so at least she can get a visual of what their house might have looked like. I sometimes half-expect to walk in and find Grandpa in his rocker watching Walker on the tv. If only that could be.

So, I just covered these ugly cabinets with extra contact paper that I had and it turned out great! I love the mint green with my red appliances! Easy and cheap project.

Mom also got me these shelves to fill the space above the sink. I think it worked out well.

Front view of the kitchen. It's a good size for us.
And finally the dining room. Thanks for the table, Paul and Cheryl. It's just perfect. We are so grateful for the generosity of our family. They helped us furnish our place, and also to our parents for helping us move the stuff out here. We really appreciate it! So, if you want to see it in person just let us know. Come visit anytime!

Life in Kentucky

Life in Kentucky is busy, stressful, crazy, and happy. In general, it's very good. Here is an update on all of us.

Caroline is flourishing. She has continued to be a great sleeper (minus one or two nights of teething mayhem), sleeping 12-13 hours a night. She always wakes up with a smile on her face and still take two good naps a day. She doesn't like a big bedtime routine either, just scriptures and prayers, then we lay her down and she talks to herself for a few minutes before drifting off. It is great. She now weighs 15.2 lbs, is 26 inches long, and is starting to sit by herself (16 seconds today)! She is laughing more, but no one can get her going as much as Eli. Every time she sees her daddy she just lights up. It's the cutest thing! She rolls all over the place, likes to talk, and is just all around adorable. This stage is so much fun. She is a great eater too. Her favorites right now are carrots and apples. I made some peas tonight that she will try tomorrow. She does not like avocadoes, but they are so good for her I'm going to sneak them into something. She is a joy to take care of.

Eli is a stressed student! This guy is in class for up to 8 hours a day, studying the rest of the time, and still manages to be around his adoring girls (me and Caroline). He is starting to get more used to the hectic schedule and is enjoying his classes and the things he is learning. He is very happy that the BYU football games are streamed on ESPN.com, so he's been able to watch is beloved cougars. He has taken two tests so far and has one more today. Caroline and I are very proud of him, he is doing so well. We love that he still makes time for us. He tries to come home for dinner most nights and help with bedtime. He also is very good at taking out the trash, which I love! I know most women think this about their husbands, but I really do believe I got the best one out there. He is just the greatest and I am so grateful for him and all he does for us.

I am doing well. It's definitely been an adjustment, but I'm happy we are here. I stay pretty busy during the day with feeding the baby, keeping the house clean, cooking our meals and baby food, and trying to go for walks, swims, and fun outings with Caroline. I've started making more friends and finding more things to do. I've been introduced to the wonderful world of pinterest, and as a result have a whole schlew of projects, crafts, hairstyles, and recipes to try. Methinks it will be a busy week! The two things I want/need the most right now are a sewing machine and these boots.

So, things are good. We're excited for the fall. The leaves are barely starting to change and we just know it will be beautiful. We love our apartment, I'll take some pictures after I clean tomorrow, we love our baby, and we love our life. Sometimes it's really hard to do family and medical school at the same time, but we are figuring it out and getting better every day. All friends and family have a standing invitation to visit us anytime! Well, better go to sleep now!

Love,

Eli, Cherie, and Caroline

Just fun Pictures

Eli's First Day of School

Eli is officially a medical student. Here are pictures form his first day. He's doing great. It's stressful and busy, but he's doing quite well. I am going to brag and tell you that he got a 91% on his first test! Yay for Eli!