Babies and Belly Buttons

This week Ella learned her new favorite word, "Belly Button"!  She loves saying it and then lifting up her shirt and bending over to find it.  She's also been known to go and lift up her mom, dad, and nana's shirts to help them find theirs.  This has proved to be a little embarrassing and proving to be added motivation for ab crunches:)  She's talking constantly.  I don't know what she's saying most of the time but she has picked up quite a few words and is able to repeat words like "vacuum", "Book", "Bath", "Bird", "Gold" (courtesy of Nana) among others.  She understands a lot of things.  She hid her sippy cup and I told her to go and find it and she knew to go to our closet to the very back where she had left it.  I would have NEVER thought to have looked there that stinker!  At least she's a smart cookie.  Mischevious, but smart!

As promised, here are a few photos from Michelle's visit taken on my mom's camera.  A couple of others that were on there too that I decided to go ahead and add since my mom hasn't taken pictures off of her camera in months.

The Millers at Great Meadows on the 4th

I can't believe how big Jackie and Katie have gotten.  It's hard to think of them as anything but being close to Ella's age, not "tweens"

All of us awaiting the fireworks!

Ella watching the first of the fireworks.  Moments after this photo she began crying hysterically and we ended up going to the car to comfort her.  I still enjoyed it though.  She was really quite a trooper.

Ella loves her aunt Michelle

Ella loving on Nana

Papa with four of his eleven grandkids

Ella and Lacy playing a duet on the piano

Katie enjoying the view from on top of Old Rag

Sarah pretending to drive Papa's car in Nana's hat

Ella enjoying the puppets at the ice cream shop in town

Ella literally stole Jackie's milkshake.  She had to go get a new one.  Apparently Ella really likes Strawberry Milkshakes:)

Here's one from May at the lake but still fun to include.

Ella at the lake in May.  What a cutie!

Getting her groove on!

Ella looooves to dance.  I'll check the rear view mirror in the car and see her jammin' to tunes on the radio or on a cd.  She'll start dancing if there's music on the television or really if music is coming from anywhere.  The other weekend we went to Chris and Melissa's housewarming and Ella enjoyed dancing as their band did a little jig.  She might have even been a bigger hit than the music itself~just kidding Chris and Melissa... we love your music.  Actually, it's apparent that Ella does too.  We hope you enjoy watching Ella get her groove on as much as we do:)

Times and Seasons

My sister has five children ranging in age from 18 to 4.  She's lived in Texas for the past ten years roughly, so our visits only get to happen once or twice a year.  Despite her busy life as a mom with five children, we've always been able to enjoy quality visiting late at night after the kids went to sleep.  I was either single and able to hop a flight to see her for Christmas, or she would come in the summer with the fam and utilize her buddy passes (her husband works in the airline industry so up until last year we used buddy passes for lots of little trips). Just two and a half years ago Shaun and I went to visit them for Christmas and I remember many a late night visiting by the fire and eating m&m's (a Miller family tradition).  This year I think I had the same expectation of late night discussions about our life's dreams, the economy, McDonald's, and whatever else would come up; however, I was sorely disappointed when the reality of having a baby of my own meant I couldn't afford to do that anymore.  Although my sister and her family were here nearly three weeks, I think I've been able to visit more on the telephone than we were able to do in this visit.  It was a little difficult to accept, that at least for this time and season we can't have what we used to.  Her kids are bigger and staying up later, mine is so little and needs to be in bed early.  She naps in the day which meant I couldn't do a lot of the fun day trips with them that they planned (and even if we had gone Ella would have made life very difficult traveling to DC or doing a hike along the battlefield so we opted out), and of course work made it difficult also.  Yes, this is the time and season of being on a rather regimented schedule.  My life revolves around nap times and bed times, and my sister is just exiting that stage.  I'm not writing this because I'm mad about it, I really and truly have come to accept that this is what being a mom is and I'm okay with it.  I know twenty years down the road we'll do those late night talks by the fire again and we'll reflect on the memories we have and will make in between now and then.  I'm grateful for family, and I look forward to whatever future memories we will share together.  I thought it might be nice to record some of the fun things we were able to do while Michelle was here.  After all, this is for posterity:)

Michelle and her family did A LOT while they were here, and we joined in on some of the fun events: two bonfires in the backyard, two adventures at the park (Rady and Crockett), two movie nights after Ella was asleep ("Dan in Real Life" and that shopaholic movie... both super cute), two visits by the pool side at the Millers, three nights at the Carousel for ice cream, and one night of making tiny hamburgers to the Millers liking.  We also really enjoyed the 4th this year.  We started out with the ward pancake breakfast and spent the evening attending the festivities and fireworks at Great Meadows.  Totally worth $20 in my opinion to get in.  Ella cried through the whole fireworks show but I had expected that might be the case.  I held her in the car and comforted her but just knowing my family was right outside and so close by was nice.  We enjoyed our time with everyone that day (pictures soon to come-- they're on my mom's camera so I need to get them from her).  For now I'll post the photos I took on my camera which I'm sad to say is only a few.  

Thanks for a nice trip Michelle, Mike, and kids.  It's only been a day and we already miss you guys!

Ella and nana at the pancake breakfast on July 4th

Ella showing her 4th of July spirit with the american flag.

Michelle reading to Lacy and Ella before bedtime

Ella and Katie on the swing enjoying the bonfire!