Keeping busy!

We are just keeping busy! The warm weather finds us outside most of the time. We are getting ready for a house full of family coming in town for my big 4-0!! Ellie has been telling me "happy birthday mommy" all week! Too cute! Jeff is tilling Grandma's garden so that Ellie and I can plant our veggies. We need to go get flowers for the pots outside. My Tulips are blooming!! YEAH!! Ellie loves to smell the flowers and I think she will like helping me water too. She is trying to learn how to peddle her trike. She puts her feet on and says "peddle, peddle" as I push. She can't quite reach on the down. She is talking more and more each day and she always seems to amaze me. I love watching her grow up!

My, how Ellie has grown!

We went to the doctor yesterday for Ellie's 2 year checkup. She is doing great! At birth, Ellie was 4 lbs. 1 oz., today she is 23 lbs. When she was born, she was 17-3/4" long, now she is 33-1/2" tall! WOW! What a big girl! Look how she has grown!

The Party!

Ellie's 2nd birthday party was today! It turned out great...very simple! We had cake and ice cream, the kids had an easter egg hunt and then the presents! Just like Christmas, there were too many to open at one time. So, she got through some and there are still some unopened...and she is down for the night. Ellie's friends Virginia, Liam, Ashton and Connor came to celebrate, along with their parents, and the Walker's and Grandma came too. Lots of fun, Ellie is a lucky girl to have such great friends and family. Tomorrow is her birthday and we are headed down to the lake to spend Easter with the extended family. Happy Easter!

Great vacation!

Well, we are back from a week long vacation in St. Croix with temps in the 80's every day. When we got on the plane yesterday it was around 85 when we got off the plane in Toledo it was 29! OUCH! Ellie had so much fun playing outside all week. The good news is that she is so tired from trying to keep up with her cousins (Jake, 6, and Ben, 5) that she is happy hanging in the house today. She stayed in her jammies all day! And took a 3 hour nap! YEAH, mom got a nap too!

The last time we were at the beach was last summer and Ellie didn't really like it. This time she LOVED it! She just played and played. She went in the water as long as mom or dad was holding her. She loved the pool too! We went to an outdoor buffet at a hotel that it on a little island (just a few minute boat ferry over) and the entertainment was a Mocko Jumbie. Here are some pictures. Ellie is still talking about it. She says "Ellie scared, he's dancing, funny". She clapped for him once he left.

A morning out!

We went to Toledo this morning for Ellie's 2nd haircut at Cookie Cutters and she did great! It takes mom, dad, her favorite treat (Yogos) and a favorite DVD to get through it, but it appears to be cut straight. Before the appointment we went to The Original Pancake House, one of our favorites. I can't believe how much Ellie ate...she loved it...pancakes, bacon and OJ. We ran a few other errands before heading home for a nap. The sun's not out, but it was warm enough to play outside this afternoon without hats, gloves and our winter coats! Is warm weather getting closer? My Tulips have shown their faces, so it can't be too much longer! We leave Wednesday for St. Croix and we will try to bring the warm weather home!!

Getting ready for vacation

Well, we decided to go to St. Croix and we leave Wednesday. I don't have any summer clothes for Ellie yet, so I have been doing some shopping and thanks to Beth and Ehrika have borrowed and bought some too. Went to the doc yesterday and Ellie never got over the ear infection from a couple of weeks ago...so we are on more antibiotics. In addition, I think she and Jeff are passing a stomach thing back and forth. According to Ellie, everything hurts...knees, eyes, head and so on.

We rented Open Season last weekend and can't tell you how many times Ellie watched it. The bear's name is Boog. I had to return it and she keeps asking for Boog Bear. Might need to b uy that one for the long airplane trip!

She is back on to the potty thing. Went on the potty all day yesterday. She had an accident today, but it was in the bathroom right next to the potty. We need to get a better stool so she can get up there. I think she was trying and by the time I got there it was too late.

Had a great playgroup this week with the MOMS Club and had our second MOMS night out last night! What a great group this is going to be!

Well, more shopping tonight and more shopping this weekend. Getting ready for our trip and Ellie's birthday! Can't believe my girl is going to be 2 in 2 weeks!! She still wants a donut for her birthday!! Too funny!

Loving the warm weather!

Ok, so I am still a day behind on posting. These pictures and the beautiful day were yesterday. We went to the Chelsea Tree House yesterday and Ellie played for 2-1/2 hours and had a blast. She isn't tall enough to climb the tower to get up in the structure, but once she is up there she has no fear. We were there with Lenawee's Child playgroup so there were alot of other people we knew. Another little girl, Lauren, was not quite tall enough either. So, I, super mom, helped them up the tower...over and over and over!!! I got quite a workout. Ellie must not have wanted to miss the sunshine because she only slept 1/2 hour! We played outside all afternoon. And then when Dad got home we all went for a walk and Puck got to go swimming! Today was warm and muggy and now "they" are calling for 1-3" on snow tonight! Weird! Here are some pictures from our warm day yesterday! Bye-bye sunshine...hello snow!

Yeah! Playing outside!

I am a day behind on posting. The ones dated Sunday were actually Saturday's events and the ones I am posting now are from Sunday. It was gorgeous yesterday...Sunny and 50 and no wind. That might not seem warm for those of you who don't live here, but it is when it has been cloudy and 20-30. We got to enjoy some time outside and Ellie played with the little snow that is left on the ground. And, of course, plenty of time in her swing. Earlier in the day we went to COSI . She had so much fun.

Let's play in the water

It was such a nice day we took Puck for a swim. I put Ellie's rain boots on because the day before we went on a walk and she had so much fun going through the puddles. Of course we didn't have her boots on and she got soaked. Well, she had more fun watching Puck swim and wanted to throw his bumper for him, she didn't really play in the puddles. Puck was so excited to be out he ran Ellie over trying to get his bumper. She landed flat on her back in the mud and water. We had to strip her down to put her back in the car. She was more upset about leaving then she was about getting knocked over.

Lowe's is so much fun!

Mom and Dad decided to get organized in the basement by building shelves and drawers. We got to go to Lowes to buy the wood and brackets. It was fun. I can fit places mom and dad can't!