Strawberries

It is strawberry season around here!

Summer Has Arrived

Nothing beats "swimming" in your own little pool.

Ahhh Friday....

Today I woke up and did not know what day it was. I love that about summer vacation. Days mingle and blend, schedules become a little less important and life is lived. The only big decisions become what is for dinner?, what do you want to do today?, or honey, would you like some coffee? LOVE THAT! And today the sun gods blessed us again.



Ella's new love affair~ ELMO

Ella had an especially fun day as she is still loving' the ELMO doll she stole/borrowed from her buddy, Grafton. Seriously, she will not put the doll down. Thanks, Grafton. I think you prevented us from having a major meltdown in the car.


Ella and I ran a few errands today. We went to REI to return a pair of shoes for daddy. But, little miss Ella, fashionista in training, could not leave the store without some sensible shoes of her own. She got the cutest pair of bubblegum Crocs and plaid Keen shoes. Precious. And let me clarify, CROCS are not cute, unless you are a tot.


Sportin' my new shoes.


Here they are up close and personal.


Cute Crocs?

And before we knew it, the day was practically over. Grandma brought Nancy and Caitlin over since they were in town visiting. They oohed over baby girl and she hammed it up. We toasted the day with pasta and VEGGIE meatballs (much to grampy's dismay). Hey, Ella certainly looks as though she enjoyed them!


As Ella says," MMMMMMM!"

A Walk Down Memory Lane

(Does anyone RECOGNIZE this shirt???)

Summer Fun

My first official day of summer vacation included a dental visit (yuck), a trip to the grocery store, and allergy shots. And the allergy shots left me down and out for the rest of the day. I sneezed no less than 43 times and was in bed by 8:00. I was miserable. Even as I type this, more than 24 hours later, I have a red snot box, itchy eyes, and fat, swollen arms. And as miserable as these shots are, they are 1,578 times better than the alternative. The trade off of three painfully miserable days is up to SIX WEEKS of allergy-free bliss. I will take it.


Black and white photos hide red noses.

So, in my eyes, Summer Vacation really began today. And, we rejoiced with the summer weather. Finally. We celebrated Ryan's second Father's Day at the Original Pancake House with banana pancakes and blueberry pancakes. YUMMM! A certain Missy Moo really loved then.

After nap number one we took Ella to the park, where she swung on swings, tottered on the see-saw, and ran around the sprinkler fountain. And to really celebrate the summer love, we indulged ourselves ice cream. Missy Moo quite enjoyed the sweet treat; she certainly has her mother's sweet tooth.

To top off the day, we ate dinner outside for the first time in our new house. I swear since we have purchased the patio set, the weather has been March-like.




So my summer vacation has just begin, but I am already diving in head first. Dinner was delicious.... and made by me!

Ella's Tricks

Happy Father's Day!

Daddy, thank you for loving me with all you have.


Daddy, thank you for comforting me when I need it.


Daddy, thank you for starting family traditions.


Daddy, thank you for passing on your good looks.


Daddy, thank you for being Mr. Mom when Mommy is at work.


Daddy, I love you to the moon and back.
XOXOX,
Ella

Ella's New Discovery

Ella has discovered that her finger fits perfectly into her nostril.

Between playing in her nose and taking off her diaper, I am sure life is going to get pretty interesting around here.

Let the fun begin!

Summer To DO List....

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 ofsummer!

1. Pick strawberries.
2. Use the strawberries to make jam.
3. Take early morning walk(s)
4. Play barefoot outside
5. Be a regular at the ZOO
6. Blow bubbles with Ella
7. Find the best Farmer's Market
8. Hike at least 4 new- to- us trails
9. Go on a picnic
10. Attend at least one music in the park event
11. Make s'mores on the beach
12. Take Ella on the train at Seaside
13. Walk the water loop downtown
14. Take Ella to the wading pool at the park
15. Drink sangria at happy hour
16. Find my cooking groove
17. Run for fun... (will this ever happen)
18. Go out for ice cream
19. Take Ella to Friendly's
20. Enjoy the sounds of the crickets
21. Cook out
22. Visit OAKS Park

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

Sunday ... Funday

Hi, readers! I am BAACK in action! I have missed you all.

4,387 Kisses and 12,875 Hugs,
Ella

Lucky Girl

The hubs and I joke around that Ella has the best rooms in the house. We joke about it, but it really is true. Check out her bathroom.

My New Trick

This is me.



This is my diaper.



And Mommy was not the one who took it off!

Today was Uncle Brett's graduation barbeque. To kill time before the picnic, I played outside in my playhouse that grandma and grandpa gave me. Mommy wants you to notice how clean and cute I look in these two pictures.





AT PICNIC

This is what I looked like five minutes after arriving at the picnic. You can tell that I had a great time. I explored and played my heart out. And as you know, it is just IMPOSSIBLE to stay clean at a park! Duh, Mom!



AFTER PICNIC:
You can't tell here, but my moosh is a mess! I have dirt from head to toe, but that is okay; that's what baths are for!

We're BAAAAACK!

This was the week that technology failed us. First the camera kicked the bucket and then the GPS called it quits. After doing my best to self-diagnose our camera woes, calling CANON tech support, and trying the good 'ol turn on, turn off method, we decided to just go ahead and purchase a new camera. Stinky. I hated spending money on another camera when what I really want is a fancy-pants camera. But, with a cute little Missy Moo, one cannot be without a camera for long. We were left with no choice.

As for the GPS, I WILL and I mean, I WILL get that sucka to work properly again.

Dear Camera

Dear Camera,

You suck. This is like the bazillionith time that you have failed us. For some reason you have decided to be unreliable and disagreeable. Who ever heard of a camera not snapping pictures when prompted? It is YOUR JOB and lately you suck at it! Well, let me tell you, the day is coming. Soon you will be upgraded because I no longer love you...

Fondly,

One mad momma

We Are In TROUBLE

Setting: 7:36 pm Sunday night, Ella's room. Missy Moo was put to bed at 6:30 and never went down. Instead cried, whined, and mostly played during that time.

"Ella, you goofy girl. It is time for bed. You are supposed to be asleep."

Ella stares blankly.

"Lay down and go night-night," I say as I gently point my finger at her.

"Hjdghughjdfgns," says Ella as she points HER finger at ME.

"No, YOU lie down and go night-night," I repeat.

In a perfect mocking and sing-song tone, Ella once again points and shakes her finger at me while communicating her message.

Geesh! We are in for it!

Finally... SUN

Today the sun gods listened. They came through in the best possible way and provide us with the PERFECT summer day, and since it has rained an entire month straight, we enjoyed EVERY. SINGLE. MINUTE of it.

We started our Saturday like every other Saturday, enjoying a lazy morning in our pajamas. We listened to music and danced to our own beat. We read books, emptied to toy box, and relished in the fact that the whole day was ahead of us.

After nap and a shower, we went for a walk along the river. Our mission was to feed the ducks, but the ducks were off enjoying the sun. Instead we took a quick spin on the swings and laughed out loud at the kiddies who were weaving their way through the playground equipment.



After lunch Ella took a spin in her hot set of wheels. Man, she loves her ride! In fact, I am positive I heard her say, " Check out my new ride. It has power steering, anti-lock brakes, and automatic locks. Most importantly it is fuel-efficient and I look good in it!"

One Year Ago...

Ella was a wee itty- bitty thing. Well, in terms of Ella. Look at what a cuddle bug she was and check out her feet. Oh, sweet baby feet just can melt my heart!