Me and Grandma

Me and Grandma are really having a blast together.

I think that even though I don't see her very often she must be someone very very special.(Mama especially likes it when Grandma gets up with me at 5:30 in the morning.)
p.s. please ignore mama's comment the other day about not posting while we're in Vernon. She forgot how much Dada would want to see what I was doing out here.

Fun In Vernon

"Look at all these GREAT toys Grandma got me!"

"I just love dogs."

"I wish Rosie would come inside so I could chase her. *sigh*"

"So much space, so little time to explore it all!"

"Oh Dada, I miss you! *kiss kiss*"

A Taste of Summer

Hi All! Ellie and I are off to Vernon tomorrow to visit Rob's parents for mother's day, so I won't be posting for a while. Thought I'd leave you with a few photos that, to me, scream 'SUMMER IS HERE!! YAHOOOOOO!"

Soaking up some Vitamin D (and gulping water)

Walking to Mama (have I mentioned yet that Ellie can walk? When she chooses to, that is. She looks a bit like Frankenstein when she walks, however.)

Dropping things and picking them up again: a favorite past time.

"Night-night baby!"

The Ultimate Activity:

Water on the highchair tray.

I got a whole load of dishes done while Ellie splashed.

And then when I wiped up the floor...it was clean!
The best joys in life are so simple.

The other ultimate activity: emptying the waste paper basket.

Ladies and Gentlemen, They've Fallen in Love!

With the swings, that is. You should have heard the shrieks and squeals coming out of these two girls (Ellie and her cousin Regan) on this visit to the park. Now that it's finally SPRING (yahoo!) Ellie and I frequent the swings (in any park, we're not picky!) as often as we can.

Oh oh...she learned to say NO!

See this sweet, innocent face? Well, this sweet innocent face has learned to shake determinedly from side to side, accompanied by a firm 'NAH!' (no). I had a feeling this day would come.
Our lives will never be the same...though it is awful neat to see
Ellie learn that she's not just an extension of Mama.

Happy (belated) Easter!

Kisses for all of you!

A real character

For the last two weeks Ellie's been an absolute broken record. Everywhere we go...Superstore, church, at home, all Ellie says is 'HI!' (which sounds more like 'hieeee'). "HI! HI! HI!", she says (accompanied by a vigorous wave and a huge toothy grin) to every person in sight. Including me. It does not matter if she's been around you all day. It does not matter if you just left to get a drink of water. It doesn't even matter if you haven't left the room at all! This girl is just itching to make adult conversation, even if at this point all that consists of is 'hi'.
The other day I walked into Ellie's room to wake her up from a nap. She was laying on her side facing away from me, breathing loudly, as though she was sleeping. Suddenly, even though I hadn't made a noise, she whipped onto her back with a huge smile on her face and said 'HI!' and laughed. Like she had tricked me.
I wonder what she'll be like when she's two?

All is Well

Hey All. Just wanted to let you know that after a 1.5 hour wait at the walk-in clinic, Ellie was given a totally clean bill of health (no ear infection). Dontcha just love that? Actually, the wait ended up being a lot of fun, as Ellie made friends with an outgoing, in-your-face two year old named Jaden who kept pulling her clip out of her hair, and a shy 16 month old girl named Miriam. Her and Miriam discovered that they both knew how to sign for 'more'...and continued to sign for 'more' until they had completely finished off each others' snacks. Very cute. It felt a bit more like we were at a play group than in a waiting room. So teething is the problem, Motrin is our best friend these days, and Ellie's sleeping again. Today we're actually off to the doctor again to check out the wierdest diaper rash I've ever seen, Ellie's first. Hey, by the way: anybody out there have any opinions on vaccinations? Good/bad/useless?
Let me know!
p.s. Ellie's 26th word: Amen! (sounds more like "Men")
Soon she'll be shouting that out in church, I'll bet.
She seems like the type of kid to shout things out in church at inappropriate
(or strangely appropriate) times.
We'll see.
p.p.s. Ellie has gotten bored with her own nose. Her latest fascination is picking other people's noses. If they let her.

Our Night in a Nutshell

This photo was taken the other day, but it perfectly depicts our night last night. I was up with Ellie from 11:45pm until about 3:15 am. Ear infection? (she wailed every time I put her down) Teething? (she has three huge lumps where there will one day be molars) Who knows. She would only fall asleep when sitting on my lap, leaning on my chest. Which wasn't so bad, really. You know how it is...the older they get, the more precious it is when they're completely calm, still, and peaceful. No, I didn't mind so much.
This morning we've already trekked out to the store for some Motrin, and the second she's up from her nap (which I also had to rock her to sleep for) we are heading to the walk-in clinic.
I think I was going to post about something cute and fun.
I must be tired.

Ellie's friend.

Anne of Green Gables named her reflection in the window
'Katie Maurice'.
I wonder who ELLIE thinks she's kissing?