Ella is 11 months!

Our little girl is almost a year! I can not believe how fast time has gone by. At 11 months Ella is keeping us very active! She is walking everywhere. She is chatting all the time with us. Her babble is definitely conversation-like. It has rise and fall, she has expressions when she talks to you, she waits for answers, etc. It is so sweet! She is pointing and bringing things to us. She is following some directions - like if we are playing and I say go get the ball, she will bring it to me. She is sleeping really well, about 12 to 13 hrs at night, and two 2 hr naps a day. She isn't the biggest eater yet (must take after her mom). She refuses breakfast, only wants a bottle. She prefers pasta for meals (who doesn't). She is just such a joy and we are loving every minute as a family of 4. Grey is still the best big brother. He plays with her and interacts so well. We are truly blessed!

The Real Life Dash

Soccer season has begun. The rain has canceled approximately half of our games, but the boys are still having fun. One night I asked the boys who was the fastest and they all agreed they were the real-life Dash from The Incredibles. I think I was lucky to catch this super fast boy on my camera!!! So far, soccer has been fun. This is Greys 3rd season. Billy coaches the team and they really have fun bonding on the pitch. Now, if we can just get Grey to stop making silly faces at me and play the game, we will be in business!!!

Just Catching up

Lately we have been very busy. Billy is traveling a lot with work (about every other week). I'm still working full time, being a single parent part time (when Billy is away), and working to get my photography biz off the ground. Grey has done fantastic in Kinder. We could not be more proud of him! He has stayed on green almost every day (one yellow day so far!). He is learning so much and comes home showing us new things he has learned. It is such a joy to watch him! Ella is keeping us on our toes. She will be 11 months next week. She is almost exclusively walking. She is talking a little (momma, daddy, no no, uh-oh, and trying to say thank you). She is very much as adventurous as her big brother. She is definitely a Daddys girl. Almost always happy and easy! So we are are just trucking right along and enjoying the change to fall! Hope everyone else is enjoying this cooler weather!

These are pure evil!

These little bites of sweetness are just pure evil! The best part of Halloween is the candy. Hands down. So, whenever I hit the grocery store around this time of the year, I just can't help myself. I can't seem to remember the last year, when I made myself sick off of these, or the year before, or the year before that. It's a sickness, and in true dysfunctional fashion - it cycles. I bought this bag yesterday. I think to myself, I'll just eat a few. I get no more than 4 at a time. But I eat those 4, and then 4 more, and 4 more, and 4 more. Until....This bag is practically gone. My stomach hurts. And yet, I yearn for more!!!!

Ella Walks!

Ella took her first steps at Camp Meeing, the first week of August. She took 3 steps to her Daddy. She has taken a few steps here and there to various friends and family. But, today she really took off! Can you believe it??? Please forgive the quality. She LOVES my phone, so I was recording on my phone (the buzz you hear is a text coming in!) and so would walk to try and get it. Mean Mommy!!!

Labor Day Weekend

We went to Sea World this weekend with my aunt and uncle, my cousin, and her 3 kids. We had a blast. Ella absolutely loved the shows! What you see in the first picture, her standing and clapping, that's how she was almost the entire day. She did not take a nap, but was so happy to watch everything. It was such a joy to share this with her. The second picture is Maddie and Grey. All the kids had so much fun, but I felt like this picture just summed up what summer was about - family time, Sea World, and blue mouths! That just is exactly what a kids summer should be in my mind! Hope everyone had a great summer and is ready for the fall!

Ella @ 10 months

Ella is 10 months!!! Our little girl is getting so big. Here are some things about Miss Ella Bella

Weight - 17.1 lbs (10 to 25 %)
Length - 27 3/4 (50-75%)
Head - 17 2/8 (50 %)

Talking - she can say "momma", "daddy", "uh-oh", and "no-no"
Tricks - she can stand on her own; if someone says "yay Ella", she will smile and clap; if she drops something she will say "uh-oh"; if she is done eating will shake head and say "no-no"

She is really good at entertaining herself. She can play in her bed for an hour and never make a peep. She is a great sleeper. When we put her down for her nap, she just rolls over and goes to sleep. No fussing at all. She prefers to feed herself. She's not really into baby food - she wants food she can pick up and eat by herself. I'm guessing she is going to be fiercely independent. She adores her brother. She loves on him and hugs him and lights up when he comes in a room. She is such a sweet, amazing little girl. We are so, so proud of her!