Hanging from the rings at the playground
Cute girls at Elise's 3rd birthday party
This is the number of rocks I emptied from her pockets one afternoon
Playing in the backyard
Picnic at "Ella's house"
Running in the driveway
Monday, May 23, 2011
Enjoying the Springtime
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 playground
Cute girls at Elise's 3rd birthday party
This is the number of rocks I emptied from her pockets one afternoon
Playing in the backyard
Picnic at "Ella's house"
Running in the driveway
Hanging from the rings at the playground
Cute girls at Elise's 3rd birthday party
This is the number of rocks I emptied from her pockets one afternoon
Playing in the backyard
Picnic at "Ella's house"
Running in the driveway
Peakfest
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 train ride together, without us! They did great, and enjoyed the ride. What a big girl and boy!
It was hot by the end of the trip and I carried Ella about 20 minutes back to the car, on my back...naturally she was exhausted from all her fun and couldn't walk. My back was killing on Sunday! Regardless, it was a great Saturday and lots of fun!
Jumping fun!
The big milestone for the day was that Ella and Dominic went on a train ride together, without us! They did great, and enjoyed the ride. What a big girl and boy!
It was hot by the end of the trip and I carried Ella about 20 minutes back to the car, on my back...naturally she was exhausted from all her fun and couldn't walk. My back was killing on Sunday! Regardless, it was a great Saturday and lots of fun!
Friday, May 20, 2011
Reading with Ella
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!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Ella-isms
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 recipe." I asked "what kind of recipe would you make?"; her reply: "a CHOCOLATE recipe!" Me: "yum, what would you make out of chocolate?" E: "donuts!" me: "donuts sound great, how will you make them?" E: "first I will need butter...then juice."
We were talking about how small a friend's new baby was, and I told Ella "you used to be that small too, you were so tiny!" and she said to me "Yes, and before that, I was in your tummy." I said "Yep, you were." Then she said, "Nomar used to be in my tummy. And when he was done in there, Cory was in my tummy." Then she paused for a second and said "But she didn't like it" I said "why not?" She said "I don't know but I just closed the door and trapped her in there!" I actually scared her because I burst out laughing so suddenly at that one.
Steve cut a tree down in our front yard that was dead and hasn't had any leaves for the last few years. Ella noticed the tree was cut and asked me if it fell over. I told her that daddy cut it down because there were no more leaves growing on it and we'd have to put another tree there. She said "I could help Daddy?" and I said "well, cutting a tree down is really hard work, I don't think I could even do it." Ella said, "Ohh it's a Daddy chore?" I said "yes, kind of, you have to be really strong to cut down a tree." Then Ella said "right, there are boy chores and girl chores." This isn't something we say to her and it's not something I've ever heard her say, so I said "what do you mean? what's a girl chore?" Her reply - "you know, like making cards!" (ha - I wish that was the extent of my chores!)
I was reading to Ella before bed and once we finished reading, she asked me what we were going to do in the morning. I said "tomorrow is Sunday, so we'll go to church in the morning." She started to say in an annoyed, protesting tone, "Oh, Momm-mmmy..." and then it was as if something magically came over her, she changed her tone and said "Okay Mommy, okay, we'll go to church." I couldn't believe her quick change of heart and how she had stopped herself mid-grumble to be so compliant. Then she said to me, "what will we do after church if I'm a good listener?" and instantly her motivation became very clear. I said "we'll do something fun, what do you want to do?" She said very quickly, "go to the playground." I said "okay, sure, we'll go to the playground", and then she said as quickly as she could "and go to lunch at a restaurant after. I want chicken nuggets and fries and milk." Ha!
On a Sunday afternoon, Ella had her coloring sheet from church and she was cutting it into little pieces and putting her little cut papers into piles. She said to me very solemnly, "these pieces are for Jesus." I said "oh wow, that is really nice." And she said "Yes, when Jesus comes here I am going to give him all these pieces." It was so sweet, I really didn't know what to say. Steve walked by and she said "Daddy, these pieces are for Jesus." Steve was even more surprised than I had been, and asked "tell me about Jesus. Who is Jesus?" And Ella answered: "Jesus is God, right Mommy?" I could've cried I was so touched by her sweetness.
Ella can be quite the sassy talker and her newest back-talk phrase is "I don't care" - she doesn't really understand how to use it but she'll say it when we ask her to do something and she doesn't want to do it. Steve told her to get her shoes so we could get ready to leave the house and she said "I don't care" and kept on doing what she was doing. This is at least the 3rd or 4th time she's said it, and I told her she should not say "I don't care" anymore because it's not nice and really yucky talk. I told her I needed her to look at me and tell me she understands me. She said (mildly annoyed), "yes Mommy I understand." Then, apparently going for the overkill, I went to say "so I don't want to hear you say that any more, and if I hear you say it again, it's going to be an instant time-out, no warnings." And then she said to me, more annoyed, "Mommy, I already told you I wasn't going to say it anymore!" She was right!
We had dinner out at a restaurant, Ella was pretty wild for a good chunk of the time. Later that night she said to me "did I do a good job listening at the restaurant?" I paused and said "well, you did pretty good...not great, but pretty good." Ella thought about this for a second and then said to me "Ok, not great - but I didn't do pretty good, I did pretty GREAT."
She certainly keeps us on our toes these days!
I was at the stove cooking and Ella was watching me and said "Mommy, I wish I could make a recipe." I asked "what kind of recipe would you make?"; her reply: "a CHOCOLATE recipe!" Me: "yum, what would you make out of chocolate?" E: "donuts!" me: "donuts sound great, how will you make them?" E: "first I will need butter...then juice."
We were talking about how small a friend's new baby was, and I told Ella "you used to be that small too, you were so tiny!" and she said to me "Yes, and before that, I was in your tummy." I said "Yep, you were." Then she said, "Nomar used to be in my tummy. And when he was done in there, Cory was in my tummy." Then she paused for a second and said "But she didn't like it" I said "why not?" She said "I don't know but I just closed the door and trapped her in there!" I actually scared her because I burst out laughing so suddenly at that one.
Steve cut a tree down in our front yard that was dead and hasn't had any leaves for the last few years. Ella noticed the tree was cut and asked me if it fell over. I told her that daddy cut it down because there were no more leaves growing on it and we'd have to put another tree there. She said "I could help Daddy?" and I said "well, cutting a tree down is really hard work, I don't think I could even do it." Ella said, "Ohh it's a Daddy chore?" I said "yes, kind of, you have to be really strong to cut down a tree." Then Ella said "right, there are boy chores and girl chores." This isn't something we say to her and it's not something I've ever heard her say, so I said "what do you mean? what's a girl chore?" Her reply - "you know, like making cards!" (ha - I wish that was the extent of my chores!)
I was reading to Ella before bed and once we finished reading, she asked me what we were going to do in the morning. I said "tomorrow is Sunday, so we'll go to church in the morning." She started to say in an annoyed, protesting tone, "Oh, Momm-mmmy..." and then it was as if something magically came over her, she changed her tone and said "Okay Mommy, okay, we'll go to church." I couldn't believe her quick change of heart and how she had stopped herself mid-grumble to be so compliant. Then she said to me, "what will we do after church if I'm a good listener?" and instantly her motivation became very clear. I said "we'll do something fun, what do you want to do?" She said very quickly, "go to the playground." I said "okay, sure, we'll go to the playground", and then she said as quickly as she could "and go to lunch at a restaurant after. I want chicken nuggets and fries and milk." Ha!
On a Sunday afternoon, Ella had her coloring sheet from church and she was cutting it into little pieces and putting her little cut papers into piles. She said to me very solemnly, "these pieces are for Jesus." I said "oh wow, that is really nice." And she said "Yes, when Jesus comes here I am going to give him all these pieces." It was so sweet, I really didn't know what to say. Steve walked by and she said "Daddy, these pieces are for Jesus." Steve was even more surprised than I had been, and asked "tell me about Jesus. Who is Jesus?" And Ella answered: "Jesus is God, right Mommy?" I could've cried I was so touched by her sweetness.
Ella can be quite the sassy talker and her newest back-talk phrase is "I don't care" - she doesn't really understand how to use it but she'll say it when we ask her to do something and she doesn't want to do it. Steve told her to get her shoes so we could get ready to leave the house and she said "I don't care" and kept on doing what she was doing. This is at least the 3rd or 4th time she's said it, and I told her she should not say "I don't care" anymore because it's not nice and really yucky talk. I told her I needed her to look at me and tell me she understands me. She said (mildly annoyed), "yes Mommy I understand." Then, apparently going for the overkill, I went to say "so I don't want to hear you say that any more, and if I hear you say it again, it's going to be an instant time-out, no warnings." And then she said to me, more annoyed, "Mommy, I already told you I wasn't going to say it anymore!" She was right!
We had dinner out at a restaurant, Ella was pretty wild for a good chunk of the time. Later that night she said to me "did I do a good job listening at the restaurant?" I paused and said "well, you did pretty good...not great, but pretty good." Ella thought about this for a second and then said to me "Ok, not great - but I didn't do pretty good, I did pretty GREAT."
She certainly keeps us on our toes these days!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Picture Post
Sleeping with Cory
Ella got her face painted for the first time at a friend's birthday party, she picked a butterfly to match her shirt!
Sweet little chums
Really pretty sky one evening
Sleeping 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 Costume Day at school
Posing on Mis-match Day
She grabbed this bag of batteries and asked me to take a picture of her, so silly!
One night when I went to check in on Ella one more time before I went to sleep, this is what I saw. She had 2 books in bed with her when I said good night. I counted them after I took this picture - there were 17 of them! She loves her books!
Ella got her face painted for the first time at a friend's birthday party, she picked a butterfly to match her shirt!
Sweet little chums
Really pretty sky one evening
Sleeping 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 Costume Day at school
Posing on Mis-match Day
She grabbed this bag of batteries and asked me to take a picture of her, so silly!
One night when I went to check in on Ella one more time before I went to sleep, this is what I saw. She had 2 books in bed with her when I said good night. I counted them after I took this picture - there were 17 of them! She loves her books!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Easter
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 classroom
After 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 real eggs were wet from being covered in condensation, and Ella refused to put them in her bag until Glenn thoroughly dried each one off!
After Ella found all her eggs, we went inside where she found many Easter goodies waiting for her
Easter treats for Grammy and Grampy G
I found this one on the camera card, looks like it was taken by a 3-foot photographer with some serious skills!
It was a great Easter and we were very glad to have Mom and Glenn here to celebrate with us!
After 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 real eggs were wet from being covered in condensation, and Ella refused to put them in her bag until Glenn thoroughly dried each one off!
After Ella found all her eggs, we went inside where she found many Easter goodies waiting for her
Easter treats for Grammy and Grampy G
I found this one on the camera card, looks like it was taken by a 3-foot photographer with some serious skills!
It was a great Easter and we were very glad to have Mom and Glenn here to celebrate with us!
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Easter Egg Dyeing
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 decorating
Glenn got a kit that was 'no-spill' coloring cups - Ella and Steve waiting to see the magic!
Checking out one of Grammy's beauties
Ella's dyeing method involved sticking her hand all the way in the dye cup...here's her very blue as a result
Easter card for Grammy
Check out this egg portfolio!
In her smock, ready to go!
Steve gets very into his egg decorating
Glenn got a kit that was 'no-spill' coloring cups - Ella and Steve waiting to see the magic!
Checking out one of Grammy's beauties
Ella's dyeing method involved sticking her hand all the way in the dye cup...here's her very blue as a result
Easter card for Grammy
Check out this egg portfolio!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Easter Egg Hunt
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 Amanda
Cracking open an egg to see the treasures inside
Showing off her loot!
It was a fun morning, I always enjoy getting to visit Ella at school and seeing her with her friends. I am really happy that she really likes her school, has friends and teachers that she likes, and is learning a lot at the same time. Plus, as long as she's at an age where she really wants me to come to all her 'events', you can bet I'll be there!
Her whole class and one of her teachers, Miss Amanda
Cracking open an egg to see the treasures inside
Showing off her loot!
It was a fun morning, I always enjoy getting to visit Ella at school and seeing her with her friends. I am really happy that she really likes her school, has friends and teachers that she likes, and is learning a lot at the same time. Plus, as long as she's at an age where she really wants me to come to all her 'events', you can bet I'll be there!
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