Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

We haven't had too much excitement at our house lately, which is just fine with us. Our days are pretty much full of little girls having lots of fun.

Gracie can go down the fire pole at the park!

This is Ellie's favorite spot. I think she feels like a big girl sitting there! She spends lots of time on this step, and usually takes something to keep herself entertained (like a water bottle, Mommy's shoe, etc.)


It's amazing how much fun it is to watch a 1-year-old discover her belly button. There were lots of giggles that afternoon, especially when Gracie and Mommy showed her we have "buttons" too!In other news, Candice ran her first marathon. You can read more about it here.

A Birthday, Seriously

Our little Ellie turned ONE on September 5th. And I mean little literally. Our 8 lb 6 oz baby only weighed in at 17 pounds (exactly) at her 1-year appointment. Yet there is a lot of personality packed into that little body! Ellie has started to be very opinionated and stubborn, but she also has a very tender heart that, when broken, results in the saddest little pout and slow-building tears.

We celebrated her big day with a little party and lots of family. Ellie was very serious throughout the festivities (see pictures for proof), taking everything in, oblivious to the fact that it was all for her. So when she curiously pulled down a present, we just let her go at it!

Ellie loves her Cabbage Patch baby from Grandpa & Grandma; but the silky she pulled out after it was her favorite. It got immediate snuggles!!

Ellie wasn't interested in the frosting or the cupcakes; she just wanted the candy!!

(Have you met her daddy??)

Speaking of her daddy....

And for those who showered Ellie with gifts, please consider this your official "thank you," because I know enough to admit formal thank you notes aren't gonna happen.

Black-Eyed Bean

Many of you already know about Ellie and her run-in with the stroller/dogs, but I've had some requests for pictures of her shiner so I will also recap the accident. While dog-sitting a few weeks ago, I decided to take my girls and the three dogs (our Rowdy and the two guests) for a Sunday afternoon walk. To make a long story short: two super-excited dogs unexpectedly bolted when they got outside and knocked the stroller completely over (a total 180) with Ellie (fortunately) strapped in. The results = an afternoon at the emergency room and a baby girl who looks like this:
This was taken Sunday night. The pictures of her at the ER are on Scott's phone, and I keep forgetting to download them. When it first happened, Ellie's entire cheek was swollen and her lip was huge! It is amazing how quickly little ones heal. This is how she looked the next day:

There is a chance she broke her nose, but they didn't take x-rays because they don't do anything for a broken nose at her age. She was still sporting a little bit of a black eye for her birthday (post and pictures coming soon), but she is almost back to her injury-free cute little self just 10 days later! And I have almost recovered from the emotional trauma of the event as well...

That was our first ER visit as parents and hopefully the last for a really long time (or forever)!

(Pre) School Days

It is hard to believe she is old enough, but Gracie started preschool!! She goes Tuesday and Thursday mornings. She could go three days a week, but Mommy didn't think she could stand being away from her big girl that much! It is perfect because she will go to preschool again next (school) year, so she can transition to three days a week then.

Gracie started school on August 18th. She is so funny because in spite of asking every morning if she gets to go to school and talking about all her friends and her teachers, today is the first day she answered "yes" when asked if she likes school. We decided she just doesn't like that Mommy and sis aren't there with her.

Gracie has already learned a lot and can't wait to learn to use the computer. She is also SO excited that next week's letter is G!