Adventures With Ella

My Little Nurse

2012-02-02T23:49:00.004-05:00

I hit my funny bone against the doorway pretty hard, and told Ella that I hurt my elbow. She was very, very sweet and said "let me rub it for you" and starting rubbing it.I said how much better it was feeling and she said "I'm not done yet" and kept rubbing it, really gently. Then a minute later she said, very sweet and concerned, "Okay, is it fine now?" I said "Yes, all better, thank you so much

Gymnastics Show

2012-02-02T23:30:00.001-05:00

Ella had her mid-year gymnastics show a few weeks ago and as usual I loved the chance to watch her do all her tricks up close. Jumping on the air track - she never gets tired of jumping!They always go from station to station and sing "Down by the Station" in a little train. This is a 3-5 year old class, and when Ella started in this class in January of last year, she seemed so little next to most

Chewing Gum

2012-01-31T23:04:00.000-05:00

Ella has been very eager to chew gum for about 2 years now. I always chew gum and so she's been really fascinated by it, asks me to blow bubbles that she tries to pop, likes to stick her finger on my gum, etc - she frequently talks about it and along with being able to drink soda, I think that chewing gum, and blowing bubbles, are some of her main goals in life! I've never let her have it before

4 year doctor's appointment

2012-01-26T23:39:00.000-05:00

I took Ella for her 4-year pediatrician appointment a few days after her birthday. She has really grown - she is 34.5 lbs (47th percentile) and 39 7/8 inches (54th percentile). They checked her hearing and vision for the first time, and of course she talked and asked a million questions throughout - she wants me to explain every poster to her, needs to know why the inside of your throat looks

Birthday Party

2012-01-26T23:12:00.000-05:00

We had Ella's birthday party the Saturday after her birthday. She wanted a jumping party with Backyardigans theme, so that is what she got!Mom and Glenn; Erin, Josh and Cameron; and Teresa and Carmen all came in for the weekend to celebrate. Ella had all her friends there and had so much fun. With my sweet birthday girl at home with Steve at BounceU, ready to partyCould this birthday girl be any

Ella's 4th Birthday

2012-01-17T23:52:00.000-05:00

Ella turned 4 on January 5th! A picture of her on her 4th birthday eve, her last night asleep as 3-year oldAnd here she is, waking up as a big 4 year old!!Adorable birthday girl in her birthday shirtMom, Steve and I met at Ella's school to have cupcakes with her class after nap time. After cupcakes they were wild and ready for some fun!Mom and I stayed for circle timeBig hug for GrammyMom made

Ice Skating

2012-01-04T22:44:00.000-05:00

I had off for New Years holiday on Monday and it was finally going to be a cold day, and I've been dying to take Ella ice skating, so seemed like the perfect opportunity. There is an outside rink downtown so we headed out for our ice skating adventure with high hopes!I had visions of the two of us holding hands and skating happily around the rink. Ha! Ella did not like it. She was terrified of

Week after Christmas

2012-01-02T23:03:00.001-05:00

We had a really nice week after Christmas. We had been away six weekends out of the past seven, and between all of the trips, getting ready for Christmas, and everything else we've been up to, it seems like we haven't had a free moment in months. But this past week was a really nice, and very welcomed, change of pace. I worked Wednesday through Friday, which was the first time I've worked this

Christmas Eve & Christmas Day

2011-12-31T23:42:00.001-05:00

We had a really great Christmas and enjoyed having family come for the holiday. Mom and Glenn; Dad and Donna; and Erin, Josh and Cameron all came to visit, and it was so nice to have everyone here.Santa had come through Mom and Glenn's neighborhood the week before Christmas, and Ella had been able to see him then. He gave her a candy cane and told her she was a good girl. Her reply: "I am."

Visit with Santa

2011-12-23T23:39:00.001-05:00

Ella's preschool had a Breakfast with Santa party last week and I decided to let that be our Santa visit for the year and save a trip to the mall and the big line to see Santa. She stumped me on the way to school because she wanted to know if we were going to see Santa's sleigh and the reindeer in the parking lot and then wanted to know if he has a car or did he walk? Eek, so many questions!It

Disney on Ice

2011-12-23T23:21:00.001-05:00

We took Ella to Disney on Ice a few weeks ago. I knew she would like it but underestimated just how much she'd like it, and how great of a show it would be for adults too. Ready for the show!Ella loved seeing Mickey and Minnie. They skated by and waved right at 'her' and she waved back for about ten minutes straight :)Cinderella's carriageMany princessesMinnie and the Tangled horse. We haven't

Cameron's 1st Birthday

2011-12-23T23:10:00.001-05:00

It is hard to believe it's already been a year since Erin had Cameron, but he turned 1 on December 4! Ella and I went to Charlotte for the weekend to celebrate his 1st birthday. Erin and Josh held the party at Mom's apartment and was Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme. The decorations looked great, food was wonderful, and the birthday boy couldn't have been any cuter!!Cameron wasn't sure about his cake

Decorating for Christmas

2011-12-21T22:40:00.000-05:00

Some pictures from putting up our Christmas tree a few weeks ago - Pulling out all of the ornaments - our favorite part! It was especially fun to have Mom with us to reminisce about all of the ornaments from when I was little. I love telling Ella stories about where they all came from - it's always funny when she tries to imagine me being her age ;)She was actually able to really hang the

Thanksgiving Weekend

2011-12-21T22:12:00.000-05:00

We went to Maryland for the long weekend for Thanksgiving. We went up early Wednesday morning, got to meet friends out for dinner on Wednesday night, and had a great day for Thanksgiving on Thursday. Carole made a wonderful meal and we all really enjoyed ourselves. Ella getting appetizers for Teresa and Carmen. She was very excited to make their plates for them and said to Carmen "you need a

Learning to Write and Draw

2011-12-14T00:04:00.000-05:00

I am really fascinated by how Ella learns new things, and one of the most interesting so far has been the process of her learning to write and draw. Thank goodness for her preschool, because even though I've had 31 years to work on my writing and alphabet knowledge, I would not have the slightest idea of how to actually teach it to Ella myself. But I love following along with what they're

Weekend at Grandma and Grandad's

2011-12-13T23:03:00.001-05:00

A few weekends ago, Ella and I went to visit Dad and Donna in South Carolina. It was great to spend the time with them, here are a few cute pics from the weekend:Having fun riding on the golf cartSwinging at the playground with GranddadWalking ChicoElla and GranddadGrandma, Granddad and Ella (and of course Chico!)

Weekend in Myrtle Beach

2011-12-13T22:46:00.000-05:00

It has been an extremely busy month or so, so I have a ton of catching up to do!On Veterans Day weekend we went to Myrtle Beach for Glenn's nephew Jimmy's wedding. Steve and I have been to several weddings since Ella's been born but we've never taken her with us before, so this was her first. The wedding was really nice and we had a lot of fun at the reception. Ella looking so cute at the

Storyteller

2011-11-20T20:48:00.001-05:00

A few Saturdays ago I got Ella dressed up to get her Christmas pictures taken, and of course needed to take some pictures-before-the pictures. I caught her in the middle of telling a story and I love these pictures showing all her expressions and gestures - they really capture my little storyteller!And the required smile at the end :)

Ella Says...

2011-11-09T22:40:00.000-05:00

Here are about 2 months worth of Ella quotes I've been writing down when I remember to!We were driving to Charlotte and it was Ella, Kelly and I in the car. Ella said "it's a good thing we brought a lady with us to carry our bags!" (meaning Kelly - ha!)Ella was on the phone with Steve and he asked her how baby Cameron was doing. Her reply: "he's so gigantic - like a peanut butter jar!" - complete

Overheard

2011-11-08T00:02:00.002-05:00

I took a shower after I put Ella to bed tonight and when I got out I could hear her still awake and talking in her bed. This isn't unusual at all, it usually takes her a long time to fall asleep. But what was interesting was how steadily she was 'reading' and I listened to her 'read' for about 5 minutes straight, talking the entire time. Then she sighed, and said "I'm tired now. Let me go to bed.

Halloween

2011-11-07T23:49:00.001-05:00

The night before Halloween I packed up Ella's cupcake costume to send to school for her school trick-or-treat party. The next morning she said "Oh no, I'm going to be a skeleton at school. Cupcake TONIGHT for trick-or-treating in the NEIGHBORHOOD." Soooo, skeleton it was again! We got to school and a few of her friends were already in their costumes so of course Ella wanted to get dressed up

Noah's Landing

2011-11-07T10:35:00.001-05:00

After Erin, Josh and Cameron headed back to Charlotte on Sunday afternoon, Mom, Glenn, Ella and I went to Noah's Landing. It's a "hands-on" zoo about 45 minutes away, but it's only open on certain days, and they were having a special event for Halloween, so it was the perfect day to check it out. The volunteers were all dressed up for Halloween and there were decorations everywhere, and the kids

Hollyfest

2011-11-06T22:00:00.000-05:00

The weather on Saturday morning was really bad but by the afternoon had dried out a bit and was cold but dry, so we decided to still go to Hollyfest. A funny story - before we left, I made Ella a peanut butter & jelly sandwich and carrot sticks for lunch. She said she wasn't hungry for lunch and had a carrot or two but nothing else, and not a bit of her sandwich. I knew that as soon as we got to

Pre-Halloween Weekend

2011-11-05T23:35:00.001-04:00

Mom & Glenn and Erin, Josh and Cameron all came for the weekend before Halloween. We had planned to go to Hollyfest early on Saturday but it ended up pouring rain and so we just hung out for the morning. Look at this little cutie!Steve with Ella and CameronWe eventually got Ella and Cameron dressed up for Hollyfest, two adorable skeletons!We celebrated Erin's birthday on Sunday, Happy Birthday

Neighborhood Halloween Party

2011-11-05T22:35:00.001-04:00

We had our neighborhood Halloween party the week before Halloween and it was Ella's first chance to wear her skeleton costume out. Scary pose in the drivewayIn the costume paradeThe party was at the new playground in our neighborhood, it's been there about a month or so and Ella loves it. Jumping It was a great first pre-Halloween festivity!

Pumpkin Carving

2011-10-27T22:52:00.002-04:00

Steve asked Ella what kind of pumpkin she wanted to make, she didn't have to think about it for more than a second and immediately said - "skeleton!" So, skeleton it was!Other years she's been really grossed out by touching the seeds and the strings but she dug right in there this yearElla told me a funny story about pumpkin seeds. She wanted us to bake pumpkin seeds so I told her we'd have to

The quest for the perfect Halloween costume

2011-10-26T23:48:00.002-04:00

Ella has been excited for Halloween for the past few months. She loves dressing up, Halloween decorations, and everything else Halloween-related. For her first two Halloweens, I didn't ask her opinion, just picked out what I wanted her to wear and put her in it - so easy. Last year, I wanted her to be a ladybug so I asked her if she'd like to be a ladybug and she was thrilled with it - simple

State Fair

2011-10-23T16:35:00.001-04:00

Last Sunday afternoon we took Ella to the State Fair. Steve and I had gone once before, when we lived in Fayetteville, and hadn't really had the desire to go back since then. But this year, since Ella had such a great time on rides at the beach this summer, we thought she'd really enjoy it. It was the opening weekend, beautiful weather, and very, very crowded, but a lot of fun. We went on a bunch

What a 3-year old dance party looks like

2011-10-23T16:15:00.000-04:00

School Pictures

2011-10-21T22:52:00.005-04:00

Ella had school pictures last week - they came out so cute, I had to take pictures of the pictures to share them!

Picture Post

2011-10-21T22:44:00.002-04:00

Looking so cute on a rainy dayIn the movie theater to see The Lion KingAll ready for her first day in her new classroom at schoolShowing off her skeletons from GrammyIn her skeleton sweatshirt (never mind that this is a boys sweatshirt, about three sizes too big - she HAD to have it - enough said!)Making a recipe for Chloe, her toy caterpillar / glowing creature. On this afternoon he was hungry

Green Acres Farm

2011-10-13T22:05:00.000-04:00

This past Sunday we went to Green Acres Farm for some fall fun. It was a beautiful day and we had such a fun afternoon. Ella is crazy about all things Halloween and was so excited for the trip.Big girl!!Climbing on hay balesRinging the bell at the top of the net ladderHaving funMy scarecrowsElla riding a pony by herself!Climbing on the tractorsWe had intended to pick pumpkins as well but

Preschool Block Party

2011-10-12T22:40:00.000-04:00

This past Friday was Ella's school block party and her class was finally going to perform the planets song after practicing it for several weeks! I was so excited to see Ella sing it. She gave me a scare a few days before because when I mentioned to her how I couldn't wait to watch her sing it she said to me, "oh no, I'm not going to sing, I'm just going to sit with you instead" -- aahhh, no!! So

Trip to Las Vegas

2011-10-11T22:43:00.000-04:00

Steve and I went on vacation to Las Vegas for a long weekend a few weeks ago. We went for the wedding of one of the girls in my department at work. I never had much interest in a trip to Vegas before, but this was the perfect chance to go and we had such a great time, I'd love to go back again! We stayed at the Wynn, I loved the hotel, it's definitely the nicest hotel we've stayed at and

Gymnastics Videos

2011-10-06T23:21:00.000-04:00

I haven't taken any picture at gymnastics in a while, so I took some videos with my phone of Ella last night. Some are from pretty far away so aren't great, but she's in the bright green leotard. Hanging from the barYouTube VideoDoing her little circuitYouTube VideoBack flip on the rings...but she lets go!YouTube VideoJump

Weekend in Charlotte

2011-10-01T23:06:00.000-04:00

The weekend after Labor Day, Kelly flew in from Boston on Thursday afternoon, and the next afternoon we headed to Charlotte. Kelly hadn't met Cameron yet, and Gee Gee flew in from Ocean City for the weekend as well. We were really excited for the trip and it was so great to see everyone for a fun weekend.Ella reunited at last with "her baby Cammy"Could he be any cuter??Ella and Gee-GeeKelly with

Last Beach Trip of the Year

2011-09-30T23:00:00.000-04:00

We decided to take a day trip to the beach for a final beach trip of the year over Labor Day weekend. I am guessing because Hurricane Irene had come through the weekend before, a lot of people must have canceled their beach plans, because we had no traffic, parked in a great lot, and the beach was really uncrowded. We enjoyed lots of beach time, swam a lot, and of course plenty of sand castle

Wedding Song

2011-09-15T23:05:00.000-04:00

Another video - this one is a song Ella made up, she always makes up her own words and they don't make very much sense but are just so funny.We showed Ella a little bit of our wedding video a few weeks ago, and she really liked that, and last weekend we saw where a wedding was being set up for later that night, and so I think she has weddings on the brain. We were in Charlotte last weekend and on

Singing about the Planets

2011-09-15T22:40:00.000-04:00

Ella has been learning about outer space and the solar system in school, and they are learning a little song about the planets that they're going to perform next weekend. She loves practicing the song and sings it all the time. It's really cute because the song has 8 different verses (Pluto is out), each one is different, and there are some big words in there, but she gives it her best shot!Here

Picture Post

2011-09-15T22:01:00.001-04:00

A bunch of recent pictures - Fancy dress at her last dance classWelcome to Ella's house!Mom and Glenn watched Ella for us for the weekend on our anniversary and Ella had a blast. They went to Tucker Lake one day, here's Ella climbing up the little iceberg water slide.And tailgating for lunch!They went to Build-a-Bear and Ella built her new buddy Kludo (she named him). He has a shirt, pants,

Mirror, Mirror

2011-09-06T22:40:00.000-04:00

Mirror, Mirror on the WallWho's the Fairest One of All?According to Ella? SHE is!!Ella has never met a mirror she didn't like - she enjoys looking at herself, making funny faces and gestures, perfecting her dance moves, being silly and just having lots of general merriment in front of the mirror.Glenn got a vanity for her and as expected, she loves it!Putting it togetherOooh, such a pretty girl!!

I am so proud!

2011-08-31T23:54:00.001-04:00

Ella has been working on learning her letters and numbers for a while now. She has a very strong memory so learning to count and memorize all of the letters was very easy for her, but it's really required a lot more effort on her part for her to learn to associate the image of the letter to the name and sound of the letter. Several weeks ago, her preschool teacher told me that she was much more

Birthday Grinch

2011-08-26T23:14:00.000-04:00

Lately Ella has proven to be quite the stingy lady when it comes to gifts for her friends that are turning 4. If it's a gift for someone younger or older than her, she's just fine, but if it's for a friend her age, and something she'd like to have herself - well, forget it! Several weeks ago, we were shopping for a birthday gift for her friend's party, and every suggestion I made, she said no.

Ella-isms

2011-08-24T23:18:00.000-04:00

Many of Ella's cute sayings from July and August: "Mommy, I love you so much. You always take care of me. If I get sick and throw up, I want you to come in the bathroom and watch me throw up." (This was sort of an odd foreshadowing because although she had not thrown up in about 7 months, she did a few weeks later!) "I am growing and growing. Soon I'm going to be a big mommy!" Said very

Strollin'

2011-08-22T23:33:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago Ella brought the umbrella stroller in from the garage and had been playing with it in the house. We were getting ready to go on a walk one afternoon and she wanted to push her stroller. All business, pushing her way down the sidewalk Close-up of her passenger Kitty is a faithful companion! Unfortunately, I learned my lesson on these walks as more often than not, they

Myrtle Beach

2011-08-22T22:21:00.000-04:00

Mom left the beach on Saturday morning, and the 3 of us headed down to Myrtle Beach for the rest of the weekend. Some cute pics of Steve and Ella on the beach We walked down the boardwalk and went to an arcade, Ella's first. Here she is trying Skee Ball for the first time. We played air hockey, she went in a little rocket ship ride, and Steve and I won some tickets playing some games. At

Broadway at the Beach

2011-08-22T21:43:00.000-04:00

Steve arrived at the beach on Friday and that night Mom, Steve, Ella and I went to Broadway at the Beach. Ella had such a great time on the rides at the Pavilion and was very excited for more rides!! Balloon ride - they were in the green car, I could see Ella's face sticking out most of the time :) I was surprised how fast these cars went around the curves but Ella loved it and went on

Pavilion

2011-08-16T23:35:00.000-04:00

After our dinner out we went to the Pavilion which is basically a boardwalk area with lots of rides and games, and was a great time. Ella pushing Cameron in the stroller - she will take any opportunity to help with him! Ella, Josh, Cameron and I on the Merry Go Round Learning the ropes of the crane machine game - she managed to 'win' 2 balls with some professional positioning from Grampy G

Restaurant Pics

2011-08-16T23:16:00.007-04:00

I love these pictures from Ella and Cameron at dinner at Fuddrucker's - Such a smiley handsome boy!! Being silly with Grampy G Ella <3 Aunt Erin!!

Photoshoot Attempt

2011-08-09T23:42:00.000-04:00

Before dinner one night we wanted to get some pictures of Ella and Cameron together. Of course the hope was that they'd sit nicely together, look at the camera, smile like the little cherubs they are, etc - but, since we're talking about a 7 month old and a 3 year old, we'll take whatever we can get! Looking good! Hey, this is more fun than sitting still! Ella's had enough! Could they be

Vacation!

2011-08-09T23:40:00.000-04:00

We took a trip to the beach a few weeks ago for vacation, Mom and Glenn rented a condo in North Myrtle Beach and we all met there. Ella was beyond excited for the trip and had been asking every day for many weeks when it was going to be time for vacation. Although I definitely love all the vacation and beach stuff, it's also just such a treat to have so many days in a row with Ella just being

Picture Post

2011-08-02T23:02:00.000-04:00

Here are a bunch of pictures from the last several weeks - Posing at the poolSwimming with SteveHaving fun with Avni and MaddieBig smile in Grandma and Grandad's golf cart Swimming with the kick board at their poolPainting a ceramics monkey. Ella picked out a plate, and I picked out a little monkey. After about 15 minutes she decided she wanted to paint the monkey instead of the plate, so we

Breaking out the moves

2011-07-31T23:51:00.000-04:00

Ella always wants to help me with my coffee in the morning, and coffee is pretty high on her list of the things she wants to have when she 'turns into a big Mommy.' I open the the packet of splenda and let her put it in, let her help pour the creamer, and then she stirs, which is her favorite part. Earlier this week, she surprised me and stirred everything up, put the lid on the cup, and told me

Isn't it Incredible?

2011-07-28T23:27:00.001-04:00

I am way, way behind in blogging and have tons of pictures to catch up on, but just had to write this quick story about tonight. I was clearing some things off the dining room table, and Ella was "doing dishes" at the kitchen sink. She loves washing dishes but really this just entails squirting water around, getting all the dishes wet and soapy, and just having a good time. Then, I follow up with

4th of July

2011-07-12T22:08:00.000-04:00

The night before the 4th of July we went to a little fair and fireworks in the town next to ours. Here is my little Miss Yankee Doodle, who likes any chance to get dressed up - and Independence Day is the perfect opportunity! There was lots to do with plenty of inflatables to climb up, jump on, and slide down. So excited to start climbing!Up she goesElla and Dominic at the bottom of a slideCute

Blueberry Picking

2011-07-09T16:16:00.004-04:00

Ella and I went blueberry picking with Christine and Dominic last weekend. The farm had both blackberries and blueberries to pick. The blackberries were a little trickier because of the prickers, and a lot of them were still red instead of black, but I like blackberries more than blueberries so was determined we were going to get a decent haul of blackberries to take home with us. The blueberries

Ella's Big Presentation

2011-07-09T15:45:00.001-04:00

Mom came a few weekends ago and we had a great time with her. One afternoon she set Ella up on the patio with the hose, outside kids paints and brushes. Ella was hysterical about it because she kept telling us she was working on "a big presentation." She was very serious, working very hard, back and forth from one side of the patio to another saying "I have to finish my project, this is a big

My Birthday and Father's Day

2011-07-05T22:32:00.001-04:00

I turned 31 on Friday June 17, and Father's Day was Sunday June 19. Ella is REALLY into birthdays right now and was very excited for my "birthday party." I kept telling her I wasn't having a party, that people don't always have a birthday party on their birthday, but apparently she didn't believe me. A few weeks earlier, we had gone to a birthday party for one of her friends and Ella didn't like

Hula hoop

2011-07-02T21:24:00.000-04:00

Ella loves playing with her hula hoop. She can't really keep it going but tries over and over and is just so cute about it! Some pics and video clips of the little hula hooper in action!YouTube VideoAnd giving a lesson to Steve on how to do it - I love how she is so supportive in her instructions!YouTube Video

Dance class

2011-07-01T22:09:00.002-04:00

Ella started dance class a few Saturdays ago. The class is half ballet and half tap, and she loves every minute of it. It is the cutest thing, I love to see her have such a good time learning new things. Sweet ballerinaPictures from the class - it's pretty hard to watch as clearly as I'd like, the window is pretty small and all the parents are kind of crammed in trying to see, but it is so cute

Pawley's Island Beach Trip

2011-06-28T23:05:00.001-04:00

We went to the beach for several days with Steve's family a few weeks ago. It was a great trip, and Ella is even more crazy about the beach this year than before. Ready to hit the beach!Ella and Aunt TesiePlaying in the sandWith Steve and CarmenElla and GrampyPlaying with Andy, who just graduated from high school and is heading to West Point in the fall!Jack swimming with Grandma CaroleFun in

Gymnastics Show

2011-06-15T22:24:00.001-04:00

Ella had her end-of-season show for gymnastics class a few weeks ago. Ready for the show!Ella loves practicing her tricks all around the house and showing off for our family, and was excited to wear her new leotard that she picked out. Grammy was here which made it even better. But once we were in the gym with all the kids (usually we sit outside and watch through the window) Ella just wanted to

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-06-13T21:59:00.000-04:00

Mom and Glenn came the second half of Memorial Day weekend, and so it was time for the first backyard water fun of the year at Grammy and Grampy G's house. Glenn set up the pools and water toys and Ella was in heaven. Many toys in the froggie poolWatering the grassDolphin poolElla stayed over with Mom and Glenn, and Steve and I had the afternoon/evening and the next morning to ourselves. It was

First Pool Trip of the Summer

2011-06-02T22:10:00.000-04:00

We took Ella to the pool for the first time last weekend. Steve made the mistake of telling Ella first thing in the morning that we were going to go later in the day, and she asked us approximately 300 times if it was time to go to the pool yet. When it was finally time, she was very ready!At the poolLots of fun swimming (and even more fun jumping over..and over...and over...)Cute video of her "

New 'Do

2011-06-02T21:41:00.000-04:00

We decided it was time for a summer haircut for Ella. It's been hot so I've been putting it up in a ponytail every day, but she likes to wear it down and doesn't want to have it up. She is most happy with it completely loose and all over the place..Plus, hair brushing was turning into a twice-a-day battle usually ending in Ella mad or crying. I got a few inches cut off a month or so and it made a

Sprinkler in the Backyard

2011-06-01T21:35:00.000-04:00

Hot summer weather is here, and we set up the sprinkler for the first time last weekend. Ella was thrilled and we all had a great time cooling off. Water slide!

Strawberry Picking

2011-05-27T21:51:00.001-04:00

We went strawberry picking last Saturday at a nearby strawberry farm with Susan and Elise. The four of us went together last year as well, so we were looking forward to our trip this year. Ready to go!The girls had a lot of fun picking berries, running up and down the rows, and of course many other antics along the way. Enjoying a taste of her hard workFeeding the chickensThis was really neat, a

Weekend in SC and Charlotte

2011-05-26T22:43:00.000-04:00

Ella and I went to visit Dad and Donna at their new house in Fort Mill the Friday before last. The house is beautiful, and they are pretty much completely moved in, unpacked, and decorated, it looks great. At the playground, getting pushed on the swing by GrandadWith ChicoPiggyback rideHelping Grandma brush ChicoErin, Josh and Cameron came around lunchtime and Ella was sooooo happy to see her "

Enjoying the Springtime

2011-05-23T22:44:00.001-04:00

I love the spring in NC, and warm sunny weekends are some of my favorites of the year. Some pictures of Ella having fun outside from the last few weeks - Hanging from the rings at the playgroundCute girls at Elise's 3rd birthday partyThis is the number of rocks I emptied from her pockets one afternoonPlaying in the backyardPicnic at "Ella's house"Running in the driveway

Peakfest

2011-05-23T21:55:00.004-04:00

Peakfest was a few Saturdays ago, and Ella and I went with Christine and Dominic. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time. We watched a magic show, had a fun lunch where the kiddos did their best to give Chris and I a run for our money, and then we went to the kids area where there were inflatables and rides. Jumping fun! The big milestone for the day was that Ella and Dominic went on a

Reading with Ella

2011-05-20T21:52:00.000-04:00

Ella loves books and reading - she likes picking out the books we read, reading her favorites over and over again, and she loves 'reading' to me as well. One night I got the camera and took a few videos of her reading. Quite enjoyable!

My Little Songbird

2011-05-11T21:42:00.001-04:00

Some sweet melodies from my little songbird ...:)

Ella-isms

2011-05-10T20:30:00.001-04:00

Ella was pretending she was a bunny and was in her "cage" (a laundry basket) with some toys. I asked her to help me do something and she said "first I need to finish my business"; I said (trying VERY hard not to laugh), "oh, your business?" - she said, completely serious - "Yes, my bunny rabbit business."I was at the stove cooking and Ella was watching me and said "Mommy, I wish I could make a

Picture Post

2011-05-05T21:40:00.002-04:00

Sleeping with CoryElla got her face painted for the first time at a friend's birthday party, she picked a butterfly to match her shirt!Sweet little chumsReally pretty sky one eveningSleeping with her legs crossed!Checking on the bird feeder ( = grabbing birdseed and dumping it on the ground)Playing air hockey for the first time with Avni, she was actually pretty good!In her Minnie costume for

Easter

2011-05-02T23:04:00.001-04:00

On Easter Sunday morning, we met Mom and Glenn at church. Here's Ella looking adorable in her Easter hat before I took her to her classroomAfter church, we had a nice brunch at a restaurant nearby, and then came home for an Easter egg hunt in the front yard. We had plastic eggs filled with candy and also some of the real eggs that we had all dyed the night before. It was pretty hot out so the

Easter Egg Dyeing

2011-04-30T22:25:00.006-04:00

The night before Easter we dyed Easter eggs over at Mom and Glenn's. Ella was very excited for egg-dyeing and it was so fun to watch how much she enjoyed it. In her smock, ready to go!Steve gets very into his egg decoratingGlenn got a kit that was 'no-spill' coloring cups - Ella and Steve waiting to see the magic!Checking out one of Grammy's beautiesElla's dyeing method involved sticking her hand

Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-26T23:07:00.000-04:00

I went to Ella's school for her classroom Easter Egg Hunt last Wednesday morning. The Easter bunny came to visit and although she wanted nothing to do with him, she had a lot of fun running around collecting the Easter egg hidden outside.Her whole class and one of her teachers, Miss AmandaCracking open an egg to see the treasures insideShowing off her loot!It was a fun morning, I always enjoy

Air Show

2011-04-26T22:05:00.000-04:00

The Sunday before last, we went to the Air Show at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro. It was a beautiful day, warm and sunny, and we had a great afternoon outside watching the planes do their tricks. It was really neat, there were many different planes and helicopters, my favorites were when several of them would fly in a formation together and do acrobatics all in sync with each other.

Tornado

2011-04-21T23:55:00.001-04:00

We had bad storms predicted for this past Saturday afternoon, but had no idea how bad they would turn out to be. It was predicted to be a really rainy day with bad thunderstorms in the afternoon. Ella and I ran a few errands in the morning and it was really windy and a little drizzly, but that was it. We went home for a little while, and then the three of us went to the mall and out to lunch, and

Extreme Bubble Bath

2011-04-15T22:21:00.001-04:00

When we were in NJ, Ella enjoyed an extreme bubble bath on Saturday night. Mom and Glenn's tub is a jacuzzi tub with jets, and Ella had a ball!Many bubbles! This video clip shows what she did pretty much the whole time - dancing and laughing at herself in the mirror!

A funny exchange

2011-04-12T21:39:00.000-04:00

Steve, Glenn, Ella and I went out to lunch this past Saturday. Ella pointed out that a big girl at a table near us was wearing "stomping shoes", just like she has. She is just as crazy about her shoes as she was when we first got them, and always tells me when she sees other girls with them on. She had to use the restroom so the 2 of us were in there, and the girl with the stomping shoes happened

Central Park Zoo

2011-04-11T22:04:00.000-04:00

Our trip to the Central Park Zoo was Ella's first trip to the zoo. It was a cold and wet day, so not ideal for being outside and walking around, but the upside was that we pretty much had the zoo to ourselves!Ella took full advantage of wearing her boots - here she is enjoying some serious puddle-splashingPetting a turtleMy favorite exhibit was the tropical bird house. There were beautiful birds

Trip to NJ

2011-04-08T23:06:00.000-04:00

Ella and I took a trip to NJ last weekend for a long weekend. I haven't been home since summer of 2008 when Ella was about 8 months old. We see everyone so often down here that it's not really necessary, but a lot of time has passed since I've been back so I really wanted to make the trip and thought Ella was definitely old enough to be manageable to travel with. It was Glenn's birthday weekend,

She called me Mom!

2011-04-07T21:20:00.003-04:00

For the first time last night, Ella called me "mom" - she calls me Mommy about 80% of the time and Mama the rest of the time, mainly when she needs or wants something, or isn't happy with the way things are going. But last night she said "alright Mom." I thought maybe she just left off the "-my" so I said "what did you say?", she said "Mom. Mom, mom, mom" like she was trying it out and so proud

Ella-isms

2011-03-30T22:10:00.001-04:00

Some recent memorable quotes from my little lady - Steve was giving Ella a bath upstairs and I could hear all kinds of wild laughter and hooting and hollering. He got her out of the tub after a while and it got pretty quiet and I heard lots of loud whispering. I went upstairs to get a basket of laundry. Ella had her back to me, but heard me coming up the stairs and yelled out "Daddy, it's the

3-year and Easter pictures

2011-03-28T22:36:00.000-04:00

I took Ella last weekend to get her pictures taken, and she did such a great job. Here are a few of my favorites!

Quick Update

2011-03-27T23:20:00.000-04:00

Thank you for the sweet and caring comments on my last post, we really appreciate the prayers and kind words. I wanted to give a quick update on Ella. By the end of the night on Friday her leg was hurting again, but she was fine when she woke up on Saturday morning, and has been great all weekend. The top of her hand is bruised from the IV and has been bothering her, mainly just putting a shirt

Scariest Night as a Parent

2011-03-24T23:26:00.000-04:00

Monday night was the scariest night we've had as parents so far. I'm sure this will be a long one to read, so I will start with the most important part first - everything worked out okay, and Ella is going to be completely, 100% fine. BUT, oh my goodness, what a night we had with her. Ella had intermittent leg pain starting last Wednesday, where she could complain that either her knee or her

My Big Girl

2011-03-20T22:01:00.000-04:00

We had another first today. Ella can be very shy and is generally very attached to me when we're in new or unusual places. She warms up after a little bit, but is still typically a lot more secure and comfortable the closer I am to her. Well, today we were getting her 3-year and Easter pictures taken, and there was a table with a bunch of legos on it that she wanted to play at and build. She

Super Girls

2011-03-19T21:35:00.002-04:00

Ella and her friend Kati in their superhero capes at gymnastics this week. My friend Nicole is very crafty and she and Kati made a cape for Kati; then Kati decided they should make one for Ella too - it was so sweet, and they were adorable in them!

Trip to Maryland

2011-03-18T21:21:00.002-04:00

We went to Maryland this weekend to visit Steve's side of the family, it was great to see everyone. We got to Steve's Dad's house on Friday night and Teresa came over for the night - Ella had so much fun playing with her and then they had a sleepover on Friday night. Ella stayed in her room the whole night, we were impressed, and Teresa got to discover the joy of sleeping with a 3-year old :).Big

Weekend in Charlotte

2011-03-07T22:53:00.001-05:00

We went to Charlotte last weekend to visit everyone. Mom and Glenn flew in to Raleigh because they had to do a few things around here, and they took Ella with them to Charlotte on Thursday night, the night before Steve and I drove there. Steve and I got to go out to dinner together and Ella got some excellent grandparent time! They had a successful trip out to Charlotte and then on Friday Mom,

Ella-isms

2011-03-01T22:01:00.000-05:00

Some recent gems from Ella - After a trip to the playground with a friend, we were on our way home for lunch and Ella asked me what we were going to have for lunch. I gave her a few suggestions which I guess were not appealing, and she said "Mommy, let's go eat lunch at a restaurant. I want to go with you to a restaurant and have a lunch date." We went and got pizza, how could I say no to my

Picture Post

2011-02-20T21:22:00.007-05:00

Here are many pictures from the past few weeks - Ella always wants to push the little cart at the grocery store but usually we have way too big of a trip to make so it seems like it'd be a disaster. One night we had a really quick trip and were just picking up a few things so I let her push it. I definitely was glad for the tall bar, because she needed a little steering help, but she did great

Twinkle Toes

2011-02-19T22:57:00.002-05:00

Ella and I went shopping this morning and got her a bunch of new spring clothes and some new pairs of shoes. She had SUCH an opinion about everything, it was really different from our last big trip where I really picked out everything and she was fine with all of it. She loves pink and pretty much wants to wear pink every single day, so we ended up with tons of pink and I snuck in a few other

Ella's Vacation

2011-02-09T23:43:00.000-05:00

While Steve and I were on vacation in Cancun, Ella was on a vacation of her own in Charlotte with Mom and Glenn (and across the street from Erin, Josh, and Cameron). She was so excited leading up to the trip, and asked every day when it would be the day that she was leaving for her trip. She even told me that "you and Daddy cannot stay at Grammy's apartment, only me."We got there late Tuesday

Cancun

2011-02-07T21:46:00.000-05:00

Steve and I went on vacation last week, to Cancun, Mexico! It was incredible - we had no responsibility, no where we had to be, and nothing to do but relax and enjoy ourselves. We stayed at a resort on the beach and didn't leave once - it was all-inclusive and we ate at different restaurants every night, and spent the days relaxing by the pool or on the beach. We read, talked, laughed, and just

According to Ella

2011-01-24T22:50:00.001-05:00

Ella says funny things every day and really there are just too many to keep track of, but here are some good ones I've managed to write down lately - She has started saying "Hey, what's the big idea here?" when she is trying to figure something out. I have no idea where she got this one but it is so funny.My toenail polish was way past due on needing to be taken off. I took it off one afternoon

New Gymnastics Class

2011-01-19T22:23:00.000-05:00

We took a break from Little Gym during the fall and winter, but I thought she'd enjoy going back to gymnastics because she did ask about it a lot over the last few months and always had such a good time when we went. This time now that she is 3, it's no longer a Parent/Child class and it's just the kids on their own! We signed up with a friend so that Ella will have her buddy in class (and I'll

3-year Doctor's Appointment

2011-01-16T21:43:00.000-05:00

I took Ella to her 3-year checkup on Monday morning. Since Ella turned 3, she now stood on the scale to get weighed and up against the measuring stick (I'm sure there is a real name for that) to get her height measured, and she even had her blood pressure checked (96/52) for the first time! She weighs 28.5 lbs which is 20-25th percentile, and she is 36 1/2 inches tall, the 35th-40th percentile.