I just realized I forgot a little story I was going to mention about Ellie today. On Monday mornings Ellie and I go to church where I attend an amazing women's bible study, and Ellie hangs out with her friends and a babysitter upstairs. We both love it. But getting out of the house by 9 can sometimes be a bit of a challenge. Well this Monday was no exception. I was feeling particularly tired and a bit overwhelmed and ended up responding to Ellie in a snappy, unkind sort of way when she was slowing things down too much. I immediately regretted how I had spoken to her, and sat her down to apologize for being so uncaring. After telling her that I was wrong and I was sorry, I told her that I had been feeling a bit "stressed" about getting out of the house on time. Being a child, she demonstrated her forgiveness immediately with a big hug and a kiss.
So we arrive at the church and our bible study leader stops Ellie on her way upstairs to have their regular little Monday morning chat. Ellie remembered that last week Rosel had talked with her about her trip to the zoo, so she brought it up again, with just as much as enthusiasm as the first time. After discussing the sounds that all the animals make, and after Ellie boldly declared that the calf in the barn had indeed been the color PINK, she found herself with nothing left to say. So, being a bit like her mother, Ellie simply switched to another topic. "That's Mommy," she said, pointing to me. Rosel is one of those people who always has something good to say about everyone, so she added, "Yes, isn't she precious and beautiful?"
Ellie looked at me thoughtfully for a moment and then back at Rosel. Then she declared, "She's STRESSED."
For the July long weekend a bunch of Rob's extended family came out for a little bit of a family reunion. We had such a great time hanging out with Rob's brothers in particular, especially because we get to see them so rarely. I was a little bit surprised but incredibly blessed at how LITTLE I had to do all weekend!! Talk about doting uncles. It was so wonderful to watch. Above is Rob's twin Tom with Joshua.
Rob's older brother James sharing a moment with his nephew.
Meeting so many new people pushed Ellie's memory to the max, and occasionally she resorted to calling James, "That guy". But she really loved That Guy.
Joshua trying to pluck Uncle Farzad's whiskers. Uncle Farzad really has a gift with kids!
Uncle Tom playing dolls with Ellie. If you think that's heroic...
...well, this isn't a photo of the actual incident, but it does represent it fairly well. On Sunday before we left for church Ellie was playing by the pool, scooping water into a cup and transferring it to other containers on the patio. There were people all around, and we were about to head off for the morning, so she didn't have a life jacket on. I wasn't outside at the time but I was told that she suddenly lost her balance and fell in the pool. Uncle Tom tried to grab her from the side, but when that didn't work, quickly jumped in and lifted her above water so Rob could pull her out. Needless to say, she was a bit traumatized by going under, but loves to retell the story over and over! And even though it's become a bit of a joke, Rob and I feel pretty thankful that Tom was so willing and quick to jump in and save our daughter's life!! What an uncle! We love our brothers.
