Are you ready for some football???

ELLA IS!!!

This past Sunday Mark, Ella & I cheered the Green Bay Packers on for their season opener agains the Chicago Bears. I am happy to report that they WON! Dad couldn't be happier!

Aunt Patti!!!!

We L O V E Aunt Patti!!

Not only is she loads of fun, but she is a huge help to Mom.

And to top it all off she always gives Ella developmental "assesments" to make sure our darling baby is developing as she should be. (I'm only kidding).

Anyway- we were lucky enough to have a visit from Patti this past weekend because she was here in Denver on business. We had so much fun hanging out with Patti and having lunch with her and her frieneds.

Her visit was quick, but we were so happy to have her! We can't wait to see her again soon.

Also- A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO PATTI, who turns 27 years young today! I woudl post the video of me & Ella singing her Happy Birthday, but you don't want to hear my singing voice.

First Day of "School"

Ella had her first day of "school" today. Actually it's really a "Parents Day Out" program through our church, but we call it SCHOOL.

After today, Ella will go to school every Tuesday from 9:30a-1:30p. Mom is so excited!! Today was a short day to get all the kids acclimated, but Ella did great. She didn't cry at all when I left and she was happily playing with the toys when I arrived to pick her up.

We couldn't get over how cute Ella looked with her new backpack and new shoes! She was so excited to wear the backpack- she loves it!!

19 months old

Dear Ella,

It's hard to believe you are 19 months old today. Time is flying so fast and I barely have time to write down all the memories we are making with you. You are such a smart, beautiful and fun little person to have around. You surprise me every day with all the things you are learning. You are learning your ABC's and how to count to five. You sing songs like "Row Your Boat" and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". Your favorite book is "Goodnight Moon" and you ask to read it constantly. And you are even learning to say your bedtime prayers. We say the same prayer that I said when I was a little girl. I can't even begin to tell you how much I love you. Even though you test my patience from time to time, I can't imagine how boring life would be without you.

Love, Mom

Funny Viedo- Ella gets Dad a BEAR

Ou biggest little blessing is our darling Ella Anne. She is a firecracker for sure (where did she get that from?). We hope you enjoy this video of her taken on 8/10/09. It makes us laugh every time.

18 months

We headed to the doc for Ella's 18 month appt last week and our little (or should I say BIG) girl is still growing like a weed. Here are the stats:

Weight: 30lbs

97%

Height: 33.5 inches

90-95%

Head circumference: 19.5 inches

>97%

The doctor said we have absolutely nothing to worry about with Ella. She is a healthy girl and developing great. He was really impressed with her vocabulary and couldn't believe how much she was talking. We are so blessed to have such a happy, healthy, well-adjusted baby girl.

Our only challenge with Ella seems to be the on-set of the TERRIBLE TWO's. We were informed the they actually start around 18mos and boy do they!!! Ella is strong-willed to the MAX! She knows what she wants and she IS going to get it! She's quite a handful when she gets her mind set to something and we are STILL spending quite a bit of time in the corner. I'm hoping this blows over soon!

Weekend fun

A photographer friend of ours (Alan Fulte Photgraphy http://www.alanfulte.com/) captured some amazing shots of Ella at a birthday party this weekend.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Happy 4th of July!

Ella hopes everyone had as good a 4th as our family did!!

We were blessed with a visit from GG and Granddaddy Godsey. It was a wonderful weekend!

GG got herself a pair of cowboy boots while visiting, and Ella just HAD to try them on!

We also spent time at the zoo, watching fireworks, swimming in the backyard and good food!

Thanks for the wonderful memories and looking forward to another visit soon!

Family Reunion

We traveled to Florida this past weekend where we met up with Mark's family for a mini family reunion. It was so wonderful to spend time with everyone and enjoy the Florida sun and water!

Here are a few pics from our trip:

Ella Bella!

Everyone who knows me well knows that I've been dying to get Ella in pigtails since the day she was born. And it was SO worth the wait! Isn't she just the cutest munchkin ever!?

I think Ella will be the LAST kid her age to have a full set of teeth!!! She has been teething like crazy this month, and all the drooling, chewing on things and sucking on her fingers has given her quite a rash around her mouth! But she still manages to make that cute! :) At least I think so, and that's all that matters, right!?

If there was any doubt in our minds, this past month has proved to Mark and me that we definietly have a toddler on our hands! Ella is not a baby anymore... she walks, runs, talks, sings and does some other things that we're not so happy about too. No one ever told me the terrible two's really start atound 16 months. We certainly have a headstrong child on our hands (I wonder where she gets that from!?). She knows what she wants and she will throw a fit until she gets it! I feel like we spend half of everyday in TIME OUT! She's lucky she's cute!!!