Summer Lovin'

Well, time to be a little more upbeat after what was a downer of a last post. But thank you to all who commented for your kind words. It meant a lot to hear from friends and family. Now let's change gears and talk about what a fun August we Calderwoods are having.

Ella is the apple of our eye! We just can't get enough of her fun little personality. This month I'm discovering my little girl is quite the determined, aggressive little bugger. She is a girl who knows what she wants, whether that be her bottle or her little friend, Pete, and she stops at nothing until she gets it. I think we have our work cut out for us.
Just today Shaun and I took Ella hiking to the White Oak waterfalls (I'm working backwards again because as I've said, I have no idea how to post pictures in any other order). She did great on her first hike. She spent the two and a half mile hike down to the falls looking all around, but snuggled up to Shaun on the trek back up and fell asleep in her carrier. It was the sweetest thing to see as she nestled against his chest.
Ella and I also went on a girls road trip (another first) to see our friends Kristin, Katie, and Becca. We visited Kristin who now lives outside of Phillie in New Jersey. It was wonderful seeing my girlfriends, and a nice getaway before I go back to school full time. The highlights included a day at the shore, a day in Phillie, and going to see Mama Mia. Just a mere four years ago we had seen the play in London and we were so excited to be reunited and watching the movie version. We danced in our seats and had to restrain ourselves from actually standing and dancing like we had done at the live show. Probably much appreciated by others in the audience. Anyway, we really had a great time. I love those girls!
Here we are at the Jersey shore. This was Ella's first time at the ocean and she got so excited when she saw the water. She started screaming (in a good way) and trying to leap out of my arms. What a cute kid!
Katie and Becca at the Liberty Bell in Phillie.
As for Ella, it's never too early to start sightseeing. She did a great job in Phillie. It probably helped that there were four adults to help instead of just one or two. I really need a nanny:)
Ella LOVED the girls, and she enjoyed a lot of quality time with Katie. Katie's just not allowed to do the "tugboat" sound when she's feeding Ella as it makes her break down in tears.
The other highlight of the trip was Ella getting to spend some time with Pete, her betrothed. Though if we weren't careful watching them Ella would roll on top of him and try to kiss him. I told you, I have an aggressive little girl. When we came in and saw her on Pete she looked up at us and made a face as if to say "Oh no, they caught me!" I think Miss Ella might be a bit like her daddy:)

Speaking of daddy's, here they are at the lake. We took this trip right before we headed to Phillie. This was also a wonderful trip, relaxing and fun, with my sister and her two kids, as well as my mom and dad. I loved this picture of Shaun and Ella out on the deck at the lake.
Ella loved her aunt Janet and is missing her kisses. We had good times together listening to ABBA on the boat.
And Thomas and Lauren, or as I lovingly refer to them, Tamika and Lakeesha, had a great time swimming in the lake. We stayed up late playing scrabble and enjoyed teasing each other throughout their entire visit. If you're reading this Thomas and Lauren, just remember, "Shanika say haay baby!"
My dad enjoyed the lake with us too. He really enjoyed playing with Ella on the boat, and even hopped in the water a bit with us.

So all in all, it's been an amazing couple of weeks. There were other events too, like spending more time with Veeda, Brendan, and Mei. They just left to go back home yesterday, and we're going to miss having them around. Veeda and I have been friends for so long she's like a sister too. I'm glad she got to spend the last week of their trip out here at our house so we could visit more.

I guess if I look back on the last couple of weeks, and the summer as a whole, I'd have to say it's been a time of great reunions. Reunions with family, high school friends, college friends, and grad-school friends. I feel so blessed to have so many wonderful and loving friends and family members. We're looking forward to our trip to Colorado in just a couple of weeks to see Shaun's family, and we were glad we got to see my other sister, Michelle, and her family, at the beginning of the summer. It's been a busy summer, but a summer of lovin'. I'm sad it's ending all too soon, but I'm trying to be optimistic that this year will be a good one, even if it is hard with Shaun in school and me working full time. I think good things are in store, and I'm grateful for all of the rich memories we've already created in Ella's short six months of life! I want all of the best for her, and it gives me a sense of excitement as I think about all of the great things life holds in store for her!