Our Little Baker

Ella loves to help us make dinner or bake - anything in the kitchen. My Type A personality and patience are sometimes tested when she is helping me stir or dump in the ingredients!

Laying out the bread for crustinis


Making zucchini muffins

Aunt Annie Turns 30!

Aunt Annie turned 30 on the 26th. Ella woke up that morning and said, "It's my birthday". I told her that it wasn't her birthday but it was Annie's. When we called Annie to tell her happy birthday she told Annie something along the lines of Annie's birthday night. Apparently Annie and Ella were going to share the birthday after all - Ella would get the day and Annie would get the night. And as usual, Annie graciously gave Ella the day.

Ella blowing out Annie's candles


Oops...still lit, better try again

We are all in a Nascar Fantasy League (none of us watched Nascar before this) and since we have been watching we have all picked our favorite driver. Annie picked Jimmy Johnson and Pete found this shirt - it's a little loud!

Miscellaneous

Ella playing the flute and wearing her Kyle Busch M&M hat courtesy of Grampy!

(See next post for our many pretend picnics that we have at home. Ella always makes us wear a bib)

Ella & Kate's First Picnic

Ella is always pretending that we are going on picnics. At home she packs her picnic basket with food and we go around the house to the stairs where the picnic always takes place. We picnic on the stairs multiple times a day. Mommy & Daddy thought it might be time that we actually pack some real food and go to a park. We went and ate our picnic lunch, played on the playground, and took a walk through the woods. Ella enjoyed the fun and Kate enjoyed a nap!

Relaxing at the park

Daddy & Ella leading the way


Taking a break after walking up the hill

Birthday Party

Ella and Kate were invited to a friends birthday party - a little girl from the babysitter turned 4! Mommy & Daddy got to tag along (the girls have a more active social life than we do these days!). Ella had a blast - they played on the playset, had pony rides, ate pizza, jumped on a trampoline, played with the sister of the birthday girl (Ella's Best Friend), and opened presents.
Her first non-family birthday party was a success!

Ella getting ready for her ride on Peter (that actually was the name of the horse!)

The stroll through the woods

Getting ready for the dismount and telling Peter "Thank you!"

Kate just enjoyed watching everyone play

Kate is 4 Months Old!

Kate had her 4 month check up on Monday. She is growing like a weed! She has good head control, can grab things and get them to her mouth, and laughs and talks all the time. She also knows her big sister by sound and sight. She loves when Ella plays with her - she smiles immediately! So far she rolled over once and it might have been a fluke. She had a cold again and I had her laying on the bed so I could use the aspirator. She was crying and rolled over to get away from me! That's the one and only time that she completed the roll. She can roll back to side and back again, but doesn't make it completely over.

Here are her updated stats:

Height: 25.5" (90%)

Weight: 13 lb, 12 oz (50%)

She also got the okay to start eating rice cereal. So far she is not a fan - not sure if it's the spoon or the cereal. We will keep trying...

So Observant!

Ella was playing with her baby, Lucy, in her toy room a couple of days ago. She wanted me to get her Lucy's pillow. I was looking for it but noticed that she was pulling up the side of her shirt. She has had some problems with dry skin during the winter so I asked her if she needed lotion. She told me no and continued to tell me to find her baby's pillow. Pete came in and noticed the same thing and asked her if she needed lotion. She told him no - that I was getting Lucy's pillow. I found the pillow, gave it to her. She laid it on her lap, laid Lucy on it, pulled up her shirt and let Lucy lay there. Yep, she was breastfeeding Lucy. Pete and I both tried not to laugh. Later that evening I talked to her babysitter on the phone and mentioned it to her. Barbara told me that the day that she brought Lucy along that Ella was sitting on the couch carrying on a conversation with Barbara and started to nurse Lucy during the conversation. She never broke conversation. Barbara said that she also continued to talk like normal. I guess that Ella figures if that's how Kate eats, must be okay for her baby too!