Cheese!

This is what 19 months looks like.  This is what being sick with a virus looks like.  This is what Ella and Daddy looked like on Christmas Eve. 

How I Eat My Hamburger

First, I eat all of my french fries with lots of ketchup.   You can't blame me here because I rarely get fries.  Usually I am stuck with carrots, peas, corn or some other vegetables.  And when I do get fries, they are the baked kind, not the yummy delicious fried goodness that causes mommy to have guilt.

Then I move on to my tomato.  You can see that I really enjoyed my ketchup.

And lastly, I eat my burger and bun.

Tummy Tickling

Dear Santa,

Dear Santa,

     I am sorry I was terrified while sitting on your lap.  You have to understand, I rarely am thrust onto the lap of a stranger and I was a little bit nervous.  After all, you are also famous.  I recognize you from my many books and the decorations my mommy has displayed around the house.  You did notice that I did not cry, right?  Yes, I whined, but that was all.  Mommy and daddy actually thought the visit was a success, but I wanted to double check with you because it is you that decides whether I am naughty or nice.

   Speaking of naughty or nice, you did watch me while we ate at Red Robin?  I was SO good.  Mommy and daddy actually said it was our most successful dinner out yet.  You saw that, right?  And you did notice that after I got off your lap, I was very friendly and happy to be near you, right?  You saw me wave to you?  And did you get the kiss I blew you?  I hope you heard me say, "Ho, ho, ho."  I said it with a lot of gusto, but the mall was quite loud.

  Also, thank you very much for the candy cane.  I did not even pitch a fit when it was taken away from me, even though I figured out it was a treat.  I was a very good girl.  I hope you agree.

xoxoxo,
Ella

Busted Lip and Bangs

Yesterday was quite the day for Ella.  She fell and busted her lip.  I was not there, but I imagine she did quite a number because when I got home her upper lip mirrored Angelina Jolie's.   And as you can imagine, no mother wants that for her daughter, at least I don't.  Besides the fat lip, she had a scab and was not in the jolliest of moods.  It was one of the days.

Daddy took the picture while I was getting a haircut, just to appease me. 

Then Ella (and the rest of the family) got haircuts yesterday.  Ella had a fit when we had to leave the hairbrush behind.  I  mean, tears and all.  Like streaming down her face.  After that fit I can only imagine what she was like immediately after she fell.  Poor baby. 

After all that, we ran to the library to check out a book appropriately titled Positive Discipline and Your Toddler.

Happy Thanksgiving

Taking a Thanksgiving picture this year was a struggle.  This is the best we could do:

Shopping Intervention

Warning:  being a mom to a little girl can be expensive.  You must have good willpower not to go flat out broke.  Seriously.

Who can say no to this sweater vest from Gymboree and its matching skirt?

? 

Or what about this elephant dress?

I surely couldn't.  Nor could I leave the store without the 6 other items Ella just had to have!  And Ella did not seem to mind either!

Best. Lunch. Ever.

Mommy, I LOVE peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  They are my favorite!

Daylight Savings Is for the Birds

Daylight Savings is for the birds.  Ryan, Ella and I all agree.  In fact,  I want to go to bed now and it is 6:52 pm.  And Ella nearly had a melt down with the kooky schedule.  Whoever thought of Daylight Savings obviously did not have a toddler at home at the time!

So Worldly

When you have slippers from Greece (thanks Aunt Gillian and Uncle Brett), you automatically gain street credit, and you have comfy slippers to boot!

Psst.....

Psst....

This is what I do as soon as mommy turns her back....

And believe it or not, I even stand in the drawer,  although I am not sure if I will do that again anytime soon.  I *might* have learned my lesson when I fell and bumped my head.  On second thought, it didn't hurt *that* much!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from the Cutest Duck... Ever.

Ella's Big News

Ella would like everyone to know that she is going to be a big sister this coming May.  And although she is not happy about sharing her birth month, her toys, or her parents, we are confident that she will be a wonderful sister.... eventually.   

You Know You Are Pregnant When....

You know you are pregnant when the vegetables you have been avoiding for the past three weeks all of a sudden sound delicious.  So delicious in fact, that for dinner you choose to consume an entire plate of raw carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower with a side of ranch.  

Then, while having a tough time falling asleep you think, "Well, maybe I am hungry."  

So you go downstairs and consume a bowl (or two) or pesto pasta, mushrooms, and sun-dried tomatoes with a tall glass of apple juice.  Gross!

Another Ella Talent

It is no secret that my daughter is talented.
I mean, she CAN point to almost all of her body parts when asked.
She CAN make almost any animal sound.
She is also a great decorator.

I guess she thought my kitchen floors needed a little sprucing up!

Our Adventure to the Roloff Farms

This is the one minute I sat still while at the pumpkin patch.  There was just too much to see and do!

I had a conversation with the ponies and kept saying "Neigh, neigh."  However, the stubborn ponies just ignored me. 

Mommy and me. 

Exploring.  You can tell that we must have been the LAST family on the face of the earth to arrive at the Roloff Farms.  Pumpkin picking was pretty slim.  But, don't worry.  I have a nice 23 pound pumpkin that looks just perfect on our front steps. 

Trend Alert

New trend alert!  Ella has made layering bibs the new "in" style.  According to this fashionista,  the more bibs, the better!

New Shoes

I have a "thing" for shoes.  When I had discretionary income I would often buy myself a cute pair of heels or a swanky pair of boots.  That was before baby and before new house, both of which I would rather have than spending money!

Like these.  Aren't they cute? 

Times sure have changed.  Now my discretionary income is minimal so no new boots or heels for me.  But that is okay.  Instead I get to indulge my daughter in new shoes since she actually needs shoes.
And because I am still a shoe snob, Ella gets adorable See Kai Run shoes.   After all, foot development is really important and Ella has pretty complicated Flinstone feet.

Carley by See Kai Run

Gemma by See Kai Run 

And don't feel too bad for me, I  did manage to get two new pairs of shoes this past weekend, but they are not nearly as cute as Ella's new kicks!

Just Practicing

                            MY QUACK!

Grandpa's Pasta

I L-O-V-E pasta!  And I must say, I am a lucky girl because both my Grandpa and Grampy AND my mommy makes delicious pasta.

Obviously I love pasta because it is yummy.

But I also love pasta because it guarantees me a bath!

Too Cute to Pass Up

So, I am one of the few people who actually *LOVE* all things Christmas, even in October.  In fact, it might be because of me that holiday decor is already in the stores.  Already I am thisclose to ordering outdoor sconces to flank the garage (I already contacted customer service with my questions),  have  scoured the Christmas card designs on Shutterfly, and have bought Ella a Christmas dress.  It was just too cute to pass up!

Sunday= Special Breakfast Day

Growing up I remember my dad making a special breakfast on Sunday.  Sometimes it was french toast or maybe it was eggs, or more likely, both french toast and eggs.  Regardless, it was the best thing about Sunday morning.  I like to make Sunday mornings a little special around here too.

This past weekend I made Ella strawberry- banana pancakes.  And I must admit, they were pretty delicious.  Ella also gave me her seal of approval with a few, "More, mores."  And THREE kisses before she was even finished eating!   For those of you who don't know, Ella is a very stingy kisser.

Looks like strawberry-banana pancakes will be on the menu again next Sunday!

BOOM BOOM

Ryan made stew for dinner tonight.
I know, I know.  He IS husband of the year!
And while Ella was eating hers, we were all gathered around the table watching and talking.
Surprisingly her little body let out two very loud (for lack of a better word) farts.
Ryan and I looked at other in dismay.
And Ella very proudly sang,  "Boom, boom!"

Competitive Moms.....

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Thanks, Ali.  I had to share....

Forced Hiatus

BLISS has been shut down for the past 5 days.  But, have no fear, the hubs is back in town with the camera.  Accidently it was left in the diaper bag that was left in the car that was then parked at the airport all this time.  Welcome home, camera, welcome home.

Purty Girl

Today Ella went to the salon and got her hair did.  This salon was a little girl's dream complete with a pink cadillac, great decor, and a fun ambiance.  

And because I am sure the video is not enough, check out the pictures~

Viola!  Purty, purty girl!

My Weekend Review

Dear Loyal Followers,

I had quite the weekend!  First, Grammy flew in to town so I have been getting LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of extra attention. Plus, she brought me books and more books.  Have I told you that books are my FAVORITE?  I like to read them, have them read to me, carry them around, sleep with them, read them in the car, talk about the pictures, point out all the ducks and dogs, and every once in awhile chew a corner or two.  Having new material to read will be grand.  After all, I was getting quite bored of my selection.

This weekend I went to GYMBOREE class with teacher Britnee.  I was a STAR.  In fact, I ran around after the little boys collected all the balls to put them back in the bin.  It was my favorite activity.  I even liked picking up more than bubbles, parachute time, climbing the obstacle course, and singing to JIMBO the Clown.  Besides being the best picker-upper, I was also the best dressed at Gymboree.



And the fun did not stop there.  On Sunday, my bestie, Keira, came over to play.  We had pizza and played very well together.  That is, until I pulled her hair.  I felt bad, but Keira put me in my place.  She said, " NICE."  I am working on doing nice by gently touching people.  I had fun and I did fairly well sharing my toys.  

It was a great weekend!  

xoxox, 
Missy Moo

One Year Ago...

One year ago today Ella and I were on our way to NY... It was our first big adventure together, but I had no idea that when it came to flying, it was only going to get MORE DIFFICULT!

So Not a Baby Anymore

This picture just kills me.  When I took it and looked at it my first thought was, "Sigh, Ella looks like a toddler."  Gone are her tiny baby features, the super pudgy cheeks, the undefined knuckles, and the roly-poly thighs.  Okay, the roly-poly thighs are still roly-poly, but they are, well, less roly-poly.  Her hair is SO not baby anymore.  In fact, her mullet needs shaping and her bangs need a trim.  But as cliche as it sounds, Ella will always be my baby girl.

Is This MY Daughter???

Ella is a go get 'em type of gal.  She is a good sleeper, but when she is awake, she is constantly on the go.  So I was a bit surprised yesterday when I saw her lie down on the floor. One can only assume that her first visit to GYMBOREE tired her out.

Evidence #1

Evidence #2


Plus, Missy Moo took a THREE hour nap! But who can blame her?  She ran, and climbed, and bounced, and danced, and clapped, and giggled, and crawled, and chased, and played with the parachute!  But, silly momma forgot her camera.  Next week, next week. 

Back On Track

During the last week....

School started
Ella got sick and had a 101.3 fever AND puked on me
Missy Moo and I had another great adventure and flew to Boston to meet Ryan for a wedding
But had a blow-out on the plane which resulted in plastic bag filled with soiled clothes and MY shirt
We destroyed Jerry and Jessie's house
We interrupted S & P routines but played until hearts were happy
Visited with old friends at a BBQ
Cut a rug at Brad and SLE's wedding
Spent the night child-free while Ella was with Grammy and Grampy
Flew back home while Ella put up a stink
Arrived home in time to get some shut eye just in time to greet my new class of 31 kiddos

Back To School Shopping

This past week Ella and I did a little Back To School Shopping.  After all, she DOES have quite the reputation for being the best dressed little girl in the state.  She made out like a bandit with
~ 3 dresses
~ 3 shirts
~ 2 Cardigans
~ 1 pair of jeans
~ pair of tights
~ 2 pants

all for  $55.00!  In fact, we had a total saving of $75.00.

Old Navy, you just might be my favorite store for baby clothes!  

Report Card~ Summer To- DO List

Now that summer vacation is over, it is time for my Summer Report Card


The countdown is officially on! Well, to be honest with you, the countdown has been on for a long time, but now we are down to only F-O-U-R more days of school until SUMMER VACATION! And I am stoked. Students don't realize that teachers are just as excited, if not more excited about vacation than they are, this teacher especially.

With summer vacation lurking around the corner, I thought we should make a to-do list. After all, we want to make the most of summer!

1. Pick strawberries.  Never happened.  I did, however, EAT strawberries.  
2. Use the strawberries to make jam.  Nope.  No jam.  Although that might be a good thing.  Do you know how much sugar is in jam?  Because if I made the jam, then I would eat the jam and the jam would end up on my waist and that would be bad. 
3. Take early morning walk(s) Yes!  And I am going to try to keep this up when Ry is home before work.  We shall see. 
4. Play barefoot outside  Easy when your backyard is fake grass.  
5. Be a regular at the ZOO  We went weekly.  In fact, we went today.  Ella and I ROCKED the zoo. 
6. Blow bubbles with Ella  I blew bubbles AT Ella.  She was amused for .5 seconds. 
7. Find the best Farmer's Market We went to one Farmer's Markets several times.  Therefor, it won my "BEST FARMER'S MARKET AWARD". 
8. Hike at least 4 new- to- us trails  We failed miserably at this.  
9. Go on a picnic  Yes.  We had a picnic at the beach with Grandma and Grandpa.  Ella had her first hot dog. 
10. Attend at least one music in the park event  Nope and I am sad about this. 
11. Make s'mores on the beach  Does in a house ON the beach count? 
12. Take Ella on the train at Seaside Yuppers!  She actually went on twice~ once with me, and once with Uncle Brett, Grandma and her dad. 
13. Walk the water loop downtown  Yes, we even had pizza. 
14. Take Ella to the wading pool at the park Three times, although she is a little young for it. 
15. Drink sangria at happy hour With Jeff and Erica at Manzana
16. Find my cooking groove more than normal... just made baked ziti
17. Run for fun... (will this ever happen) once and it really was not fun
18. Go out for ice cream we are THE BEST at this...
19. Take Ella to Friendly's Sad.  I wanted her to have an upside down cone face.  We never made it there while in NY
20. Enjoy the sounds of the crickets Gosh, they are loud.  
21. Cook out  Of course. 
22. Visit OAKS Park  ANd rode the Merry-Go-Round with Daddy

PHEW! We have a lot to do this summer and I can't wait!

Saturday Night

Ella and I did what most good girls do on this Saturday night....

we washed our hair (and ate few bubbles)!

Tear....

Where did summer go? Seriously? I remember waking up on the first day of break thinking, "What am I are we going to do today?" It was hard to imagine blank days, days with no where to go, no where to be and no decided lunch time. I must admit, it was a little overwhelming at first. I wanted to stimulate my daughter, teach her things, and provide her with social and educational opportunities, but my database of these outings were limited. After all, being a working mom and a stay at home mom are two totally different ball games. And this is where the mother's guilt sets in as I have a confession. I like my job and there is a very slight chance I may be looking forward to returning to work.



The more I think about it, the more I realize that I might just be looking forward to wearing my new first day outfit, catching up with colleagues, and feeling like I have somewhere to go. After all, I have a little girl that needs me to provide social and educational opportunities, and as much I would like to believe it, I am not superwoman.

Michael Phelps ... Watch Out!

Michael Phelps, watch out!  Ella is developing quite the love of water and I fear that sooner or later she will be able to take you, and any anyone else for that matter, on.  Here is the evidence from our Cousin's Weekend trip at the Lake House.

Testing the water

Notice the LIFE JACKET, Dad.  No need to worry.....

She kept jumping backwards because she wanted to float.  She loved it, I promise.

Waist deep in the lake

"Daddy, I DON'T wanna get out!  I am NOT hungry!  That was SO fun!"
All smiles....

FYI ...

If you remember this post, you would not be surprised to learn that the hubs and I caved and purchased Missy Moo's very own ticket for our December trip. The stress of it was already keeping me up at night.

Quack, Quack, Quack

I Do Deserve a Medal....

As you know, we recently returned from a trip to NY. Flying standby allows for some pretty cheap flights and fly-by the seat of your pants opportunities. It also allows for some extra stress and requires and laid back attitude. None of this really bothered me until baby. In the past each get-away was a fun adventure; you never knew if the travel gods were going to cooperate or curse you.

Leading up to our trip I rearranged our trip dates since Ryan had a week of serious work backed up to a bachelor party in Vegas. Being the gold-medal deserving wife that I am, I decided to minimize the time spent apart by rearranging our trip to correspond to his busy week. However, flights were not as open as I would have liked. We had the option of flying Sunday morning on an early, early morning flight or flying a red-eye Saturday night. Obviously, the early morning flight was a better choice. However, there were minimal seats available and there was even a chance we wouldn't get on; that would suck! The red-eye, at last check before arriving at the airport, had 17 open seats. Without a doubt, that looked pretty good. We went with the red-eye which departed at 10:30 PM.

A 10:30 PM departure meant Missy Moo would miss her 6:30 PM bedtime by at least 4 hours. This was the start of my stress. And it did not stop there. By the time we arrived at the airport those 17 seats dwindled down to single digits. People must have bought last minute tickets or flight crews were hitching a ride to work or people like me were flying standby with a higher priority. As a I found this out my dream of obtaining a seat for Ella was pretty hopeless. However, I came armed with chocolates. Luckily for us, and I am not sure how this happened, but Ella and I snagged independent seats, a dream come true. Flying standby has its perks, sure. However, few airlines will move paying passengers for the comfort of a non-rev passenger. After all, they don't make money on us. Somehow, by the grace of the travel gods (combined with the chocolate bribes for the crew), Missy Moo and I each snagged a seat and next to each other. Obviously, being 14 months old she could not have a seat away from mine. Phew! And as much as I hate red-eyes, it was pretty painless. I enjoyed my personal TV, watching Cold Case and other crime shows while keeping a diligent eye on Ella's pacifier. If that thing fell out, who knew what would happen since she was not in a deep sleep. And before we knew it, the 5 hour flight was over. Ella was a supreme flyer, sleeping 3.5 hours. However, her patience had run out while waiting to deboard. She cried and cried and cried. And who could blame her? Her usual night's sleep consists of 12 hours and at the moment she only logged 3.5!

..........

Returning home was trickier. Since the NYC airports are notorious for delays, sitting on the tarmac, and the grumpiest customer service possible, I was not hopeful. I decided against another red-eye because although the flight was smooth, the catching up on sleep and getting back on routine was not. After hemming and hawing, I decided that the first direct flight of the morning would be best. Chances were that someone would miss the flight since it was so early, there would be less of a chance for delays, and consequently, we would snag a seat. But true to NY airports, nothing was easy. After waiting in line and talking to a rep, I was directed to another line that would "help". No such luck. In fact, they looked at me with two heads. So much for some privileges. With time running out and lines getting longer, it was looking bleak. I managed to find a semi-helpful lady who let me cut in front of a group and check me in. Unhappily, (this is where her demeanor changed) she gave my momma a gate pass so she could help me lug all the baby stuff to the gate. After all, I only have two hands.

So now it is dangerously close to boarding and we have yet to get in line for security. I am in a panic. My mom is running behind me and the security line is long. There is NO chance. NO CHANCE AT ALL. I manage to squeeze my way into the crew line ( hey, the guy let me) and by the grace of god, made it to the gate in time. Armed with my chocolate gesture, I try to snag a seat for Ella, but the guy barely looks at me. He could care less. There was no point so I keep my chocolate and I take the 5 minutes I have to use the restroom. I had intended on feeding Ella breakfast, grabbing something to eat for myself and drinking some Starbucks. None of that happened. But, we got ONE seat... Yup, one.

So, for 5.5 hours Ella sat on my lap. And for those of you who know Ella know that she is happiest when she is on the go. She does not sit on laps. She does not cuddle. And she certainly does not fall asleep on people. I knew it would be a long flight home. To make matters worse, we were in the middle seat. I had a gentleman to our left and a lady to our right. The fella was a father of 4 and was wonderful. He engaged Ella and was friendly and helpful. The lady, not so much. She must have been having a bad day.... or life. Anyways, I tried to keep Ella from kicking the seat in front of us. Impossible. I tried to feed her without letting her stick her hands in her food. Impossible. I decided against eating or drinking myself during the flight since I had no where to put it out of her reach.

We sang songs, tickled each other, talked about colors and what was going on around us, we looked at pictures, we read books, we played where is Ella's (hair, eyes, toes, belly....) and even managed to fall asleep for over an hour. I was armed with lollipops just in case it got bad. Luckily, I did not have to break them out (if you know me, you know this would have been tragic).

And we survived.

Now we get to do it again in less than three weeks. I keep threatening Ryan that he can take care of Ella while I sit elsewhere on the plane and relax...

What Happens in NY Stays in NY

I took my first red-eye flight. I was a good girl and slept 3.5 hours. However, I was so OVER it when we landed. I did pitch a mini-fit. After all, I was tired. Instead of my normal 12 hour nightly nap, I only managed a 3.5 snooze. Mommy totally understood.

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Grampy was excited to give me my first flying saucer. I managed to eat 90% of it before Mommy took it away. Grampy wanted to feed me ice cream every night, but Mommy put her foot down. She is such a Debbie Downer.


As you can see, I totally enjoyed each and every bit.


While in NY I got to see some of mommy's college friends, Andrea and Nikki. We played. It was so fun. Gabi taught me all about the Disney Princesses. I have a lot to learn!


Grammy and Grampy took me to Lucy's for dinner. I had this A-MA-ZING meatball.


While we were out to eat Great Aunt Vi came in. Funny thing, when I was in town last September we ran into Aunt Vi the one night we were at Lucy's. Guess you can say that Aunt Vi and I crave Italian at the same time.


I had many, many visitors while in NY. My new friend Audrey came over to play. She is FUNNY and liked to run around in the buff. My mommy kept laughing.


I met cousin Bree. We got along famously. I plan on teaching her everything I know.


Isn't Bree cute?


Gramy and Grampy gave me lots of attention.


I got to visit with my great grandpa at cousin Cheryl's bridal shower. Mommy loved seeing him too!


I attended my second bridal shower. This was special to me since I got to see my mom's family that lives far away. I had so much fun.


All the girls on my Grammy's side minus cousin Jennifer.


FOUR generations.


Cousin Alex and I

It was a great trip. I can't wait to go back in December although I am sure my mommy is not looking forward to the plane ride!