Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

We heard lots of "weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees" and laughs this morning as we celebrated Ella's buddy, Margaret's birthday party at Monkey Joe's! Monkey Joe's is one of those large play areas with blow up slides and animals for the kids to play in. We had never been before so I wasn't sure how our little tentative one would do but after she discovered the slide, it was all smiles and laughs! Getting ready to head down!

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

She also liked playing with the netting at ropes at the top of the slide!

Mom, hurry up and take my picture so I can slide again! She must have gone down 50 times! I forgot my good camera so these are from my Iphone so the quality isn't the best but you can see the smile and fun on her face!! She had so much fun, she immediately fell asleep once we got in the car. Plus, we had pizza and cake, what could be better! Can't wait to go back, maybe when it gets cold this winter!

It may be the end of the summer...

but we haven't slowed down and neither has the heat! It is in the low 90's and less humid which is nice but it is still pretty hot down here. I am really looking forward to some cooler temperatures after this hot, hot summer! And we are still staying very busy and on the go! Last weekend, we had an adult night at the Jack Johnson concert. We went with our good friends and neighbors and had the best time! Jack put on such a good show and played for over 2 hours, definitely worth every penny and even the headache the next morning!

The six of us hanging out on the lawn waiting for the concert to begin.

Ella stayed home with the babysitter and it was great to get out! But we are sad that our favorite babysitter just told us she is moving to Boston:( We will miss her and if anyone else in Charlotte knows of a good one, let me know.

The Hummell's, our good friends and neighbors and parents to Ella's BFF, Wesley. They had just returned from a week at the beach, hence the tan.

Our next door neighbors and friends, the Flett's. They are die hard Jack fans and have seen him every time he has toured.

The girls (after a mini rain shower that only lasted about 5 minutes and cooled us way down!)

And the guys, Adam, don't look so surprised!

Jack rocking out

We had a full moon that night, definitely a sign of a good time!

Last weekend we had a fun time hanging out and running errands. On the weekends, Daddy gets up with Ella in the morning and usually dresses her. Sometimes there is no telling what she will be wearing but last weekend, he decided she needed to look like a little golfer so he dressed her in the onesie we got for her from a golf course and some shorts. She definitely looked like she was ready to hit the links with her Daddy and be his caddy! And he was saved the other day because Ella receieved a special package in the mail from Grandma! She made Ella a new outfit that was so adorable we had to put her in it right away. I think by Ella's smile, she loved it also!

Ella is so close to walking! I mean so close! She took her first step right around her birthday and it seems like each day she is gaining more and more confidence and taking more steps but she hasn't gone all the way yet and given up crawling. She will take 4-8 steps at a time and will either fall on her behind and start crawling or fall into her destination (usually Mommy or Daddy!). Here she is after she stood up on her own and she is thinking about it... and she is off, taking a couple steps (not letting go of her Elmo remote of course!)

And right before she fell and decided crawling is so much easier! I know one day soon, I will look over and she will be walking and not looking back. She is tentative in everything she does and wants to be perfect before she does it!

Finally, we took a little walk Sunday evening and Ella was loving being her Daddy's arms.

And Daddy was loving stealing some kisses from his little girl. A perfect ending to a great weekend! A special birthday shout out to Ella's Papa, my Dad who's birthday is today! We can't wait to celebrate with him and everyone else soon! We leave on Saturday for vacation at one of our favorite spots, Seabrook! Let's hope the hurricanes stay far far away.

Babies, Babies Everywhere

It seems like everyone I know right now is either pregnant or just had babies. There was a time when all we did was go to weddings, I think one year we had 7 in one year but now, the tables have turned and it is a lot less weddings and more babies! Just today, one of my best friends Amber had a little baby girl, Annie Mae Griffith! Mom and baby are doing great! I am so excited for Amber and Jon and so excited for them to have a little girl that will hopefully grow up and be best friends with Ella just like their Moms! I can't wait to meet this little one! Our other friends, Casey and Molly had a little boy 2 weeks ago, Joseph Case Neilson Jr. Mike, Ella and I went to visit them and bring them dinner on Monday night. Baby Joe was so sweet and tiny and slept through the entire visit. Ella became fast friends with their big Lab Monkee, I love that she doesn't have any fear around dogs. I forgot my camera but this is a picture of Molly and Joe from the hospital. We are already planning our first walking outing with them very soon and I hope Joe likes older women because he sure is a cutie pie!

Our other friends, Brooke and Michael are due next week, Lynn and Steve are due in October, Brooke and Ayden are due in December and Amy and Jason are due in February. Like I said, there must be something in the water (except that everyone lives across the country!). Can't wait for Ella to have lots of fun playmates!

Planes, Trains and Automobiles...

Here in the land of Ella, we are very busy and taking many different modes of transportation these days! First, we got a new car seat for Ella and she is finally facing forward and she loves it!! She hated her old car seat, I mean really hated it! She would scream and squirm every time we strapped her in (she really doesn't like to be confined in anything) but so far, she is loving this car seat and smiles and sings to us in the car!
She loves to stare out the window and see so much more than facing backyard.

And check out those long legs! They no longer hit the back of the seat and she can now stretch out! Speaking of long legs, we went to the doctor last week for her 1 year well visit and this girl is growing like a weed. She is currently just over 21 lbs and 30 3/4 in long!! She is about 53% in weight and 95% for height! Yup, our little girl has long legs and is very tall! The pediatrician said it's still too early to tell if she will stay tall but we are hoping so. She has had long legs ever since she was born and I am happy to say, she still has them!!

Making dinner can be a tricky time, Ella is all over the place these days so trying to cook and watch her can be challenging. The other night, I was cooking and Ella was having fun with me in the kitchen. She found the box of Kix (her favorite cereal!) and she started shaking the box and liked the sound and was laughing. Next thing I know, I hear a pop and the Kix burst open and all over the floor!! As you can tell, Dakota and Ella were in Kix heaven. I had to get a quick picture before I cleaned up the mess. I guess no more playing in the pantry while I am making dinner.

We also discovered a new fun place that we will returning to quickly, Discovery Place which is a children's museum in Charlotte. They recently redid it so there is a whole new area for toddlers and Ella had a ball climbing and exploring.

Checking out the fish exhibit, she loved all the colors and watching all the big kids!

Off we go again! Ella got a new toy, a push buggy. This was a belated birthday present and we had some gift cards that we used to get it. A bunch of her buddies already have one and she loves to ride in it so we got her of her own!

On a walk we go, Ella loves that she can check everyone out and see everything that is going on since she is so noisy!

Just chilling and relaxing in my new ride!

Finally, off on another mode of transportation. Ella got a bike seat from Aunt Kelly and Uncle Ben for Christmas but we didn't have a bike helmet until recently so we took it out this weekend for a spin. In her frog helmet getting ready to ride.

All strapped in!

Off we go! Wee!

I know, I know, the helmet is still a little big and needs to be adjusted but we did go for a ride around the neighborhood and Ella's favorite part was when we were going fast downhill. She wasn't sure what to do at first but she got the hang of it and just sat back and relaxed.

So, we have been on the go a bunch lately in all forms of transportation! Mike and I are looking forward to a grown-up night out tonight at the Jack Johnson concert, one of our favorite singers with our neighbors. Hopefully it won't rain since it's outdoors! Pictures to come soon.

These are a few of my favorite things!

Ella got very spoiled for her first birthday and is loving her new things so I had to show them off. Her adorable new clothes, she is definitely going to keep looking spiffy!

Ella's buddies must know that her Mommy loves all things personalized so I am loving her new backpack, towel and necklace!

And of course toys and books!

The fun water table which we have already used a bunch in this hot, humid weather!

Finally, more personalized things!! Her very own foot stool name puzzle and it looks perfect in her room! Thank you all for your generous gifts, Ella is so lucky to have such great friends and family.

Birthday Weekend

We had a fun, relaxing weekend! We have been super busy the past 3 weekends and it was so nice to have a quiet weekend at home with lots of family time. On Friday, her actual birthday, Ella and I spent the morning at the pool and then went to her favorite place for lunch, Chick-fila! Who doesn't love Chick-fila nuggets?? Always cautious in the beginning feeling things out!

She was fascinated by the sprinkler and was thinking about drinking it and then...

yup, she drank from the pool water!! Well, I guess anything goes on your birthday, right.

Ella likes to steal the toys from the other kids at the pool and yes we do have our own but of course, she stole a bucket from another little girl. So, today I went out and got a new bucket and shovel for the pool and our upcoming beach trip.

Having so much fun at the pool, what a fun way to start out the day!

In the evening, we went to the church up the street. They had a music camp for all the 3-5 year olds and so that night, they were having a picnic dinner and then the kids all sang. They were so cute!

And Ella loved playing with all the kids and "trying" to walk with friends!

Ella LOVES music so she loved watching them sing and would clap and dance along with them.

Who is a rock star? This girl! We got these glasses as party favors and Ella loves playing with them and actually kept them on for a little bit.

It was so hot again so we brought out one of her new birthday gifts, the water table and had lots of fun splashing around and cooling down.

Finally, back to walking, Ella has been standing up on her own (not pulling up on anything) a lot lately and once she learns she can take a step, she will be gone. But right now, she is still very cautious and hasn't gained that confidence yet but I know it won't be long!

Bye everyone! Hope you had a good weekend because we sure had fun!! More videos to come soon!