At some point over the weekend I asked Ella what she wanted to be when she grows up. She didn't even acknowledge the question at the time, despite its relevancy to whatever conversation we were having. Now some of you might laugh and say that she couldn't possibly know what I meant, but this child gets it. Well, except that sometimes she gets confused between "grow up" as in age and get older as opposed to "growed up" which usually means to throw up or gag, but that's a story for another day. Anyway... on Sunday afternoon we were eating lunch at Live Bait in Orange Beach {sidebar: let me tell you that we were the only customers this side of 75!}. We were eating seafood, coloring pictures and admiring the sea creatures hanging from the ceiling. My only complaint is that the television ...
ella
We did a lot of stuff…
Our summer trips to GS are full of fellowship, family time and long days at the beach. We travel in a caravan of RVs and usually spend upwards of ten days camping at our favorite State Park, many of us stay for a month or more. We spend most days at the beach, one day shopping and several days lazing around our campsites riding bikes, reading books and playing cards. I am so lucky to be a part of an amazing family and we are all very close. There are as many as 35 of us at the beach together on a given day. It is crazy to see us all spread out like a Bedouin community not far from shore. There are coolers and umbrellas, tents and towels, toys and sack lunches. It is without question my favorite time of the year. I know that people like the beach, some people love the beach. My family ...
Thankful
As evidenced by this photograph, we spent a lot of time naked on vacation. Let me rephrase that, Ella spent a lot of time naked on vacation. Any time we returned to our room to change clothes, whatever the reason, as soon as I took the last item she would say, "Can I be naked?" Of course you can, that is what vacation is for! We just kept the thermostat cranked up and she ran around in a pull-up for three days. Tonight before bed, I snuggled Ella into her room under a sheet, sweater blanket and two quilts. I turned her heater on and gave her two bunnies. She told me both of her bible verses for this month {Psalms 139:14 and 34:1} and said her prayers. At the suggestion of a great friend I asked her what she was thankful for. She immediately said, "God" because that is her standard ...
Good Morning Gulf Shores…
This is what we woke up to on Saturday morning. A beautiful sunrise and about 12 dolphins {not pictured} playing not far from shore. Ella & I stood at the window for half an hour watching them jump up and down. She kept screaming, "I see them, I see them." Very exciting. We had a fabulous weekend with many stories and not as many good pictures {we were much too busy having fun to remember the camera}. Much more to follow. ...
Better with time
Well, things are getting better around here. Not good, but better. I was feeling a little frustrated last night thinking about all there was to do today, but I vowed not to do anything productive before bed, just relax. Josh and Ella were both in bed by 6:30 and I read blogs, ate a snack and watched What Not To Wear. It was fabulously quiet. This morning I got up and made pigs in a blanket and a pot of coffee. I sat at the computer and played while Ella watched Franklin and Jack's Big Music Show. Josh slept. Beemer slept. It was quiet again. I decided that I would relax for a little while and then bust a move around the house. We were eating dinner with Josh's parents so I knew I had all day to work before we had anything to do or anywhere to be. Guess what? We were eating lunch, not ...
Ladies and Gentlemen
"Ladies and gentlemen, my new boots!" Just in case that last post stressed you out as much as it did me, here is a little pretty to cheer you up. These are Ella's new boots, perfect and polka-dotsy, don't you think? The ones Nana picked out for Christmas were adorable, but didn't take into account Ella's chunky-monkey legs! She swapped them for these and they came in the mail this week. Ella loves them, but refused to be in the picture, so this photo is the best I could do. Awesome, right? ...
New things to do
Ella always wants us to play in her room {which, of course, we don't mind}. She'll say, "Come in my room. There's toys in there. It's fun." We laugh so hard because it is almost the same speech every time. Today she invited me to play in the kitchen, but I must admit after only 15 days I'm worn out from kitchen play. This time, I suggested something new. Do you think it's weird that my two year old daughter has never played with Play Doh? She got some for Christmas last year and we never even opened it. We got some again this year and I promise we're doing better. We put on our smock, whipped out the rolling pin and cookie cutters and got to work. She kept saying, "It's a new game!" New games are always fun. As a part of my resolution to memorize more scripture this year, I decided ...
Weekend Recap
We've been busy around here this weekend and my house still looks like Christmas. If it wasn't for all of this going on, I might have it all boxed up. Oh well, here's to tomorrow. Guess who rolled around in cat poop and had to have a bath this week? That'd be Beemer. I have managed to find a little time to tackle those resolutions for 2009. Here is a little scrapbooking progress. There has been lots of potty-going around here, especially for leftover Christmas candies. The kitchen is still a HUGE hit. Here she's whipping up peas for Jaz. We went to Kamin & Cory's this morning to help with the reno and guess who looked like she was an Indian chief with war paint? That would Ella and Bunny. If you're wondering why she isn't wearing a shirt it's because she'd already ...