Ellie-isms

Ellie has always had a great vocabulary. Once she started talking - she talked in full sentences.

And let me tell you - she never stops!

But lately, her speech seems to have advanced to a whole new level.

Now, she really converses . . . she picks up on nuances of speech . . . and totally understands sarcasm.

Here are a few examples . . .

Drew was playing with Ellie on a blanket and said "Daddy, will you roll me up into a burrito?." But when he did, she got claustrophobic and started screaming. When he unwrapped her she looked completely hurt and said "Daddy, I wanted to be a taco!"

Some kids say no, some whine - but Ellie's phrase of defiance:

"It's not possible!"

Tonight at bedtime:

"I'm really tired, Mommy. You better only give me 2 more kisses."

And just for your viewing pleasure, here are a few shots of Drew and Ellie's outing to the pumpkin patch!

The perfect pair - a pumpkin and a worm

Naval Gazing

Now, at almost 31 weeks, I'm really starting to picture baby boy in our family.

Will he be like Ellie? Will he be a better sleeper? Will Ellie feel jealous? Will I survive having a newborn and a toddler?

In the meantime, it's fun to see how much Ellie loves her baby brother. She talks to my belly all the time and tells him that she'll teach him how to ride a bike and go pee on the potty.

Step One

This week marked a major milestone in Ellie's school career.

She had her first day of drop-off preschool.

We have belonged to this co-op preschool for 1 1/2 years but I've always stayed at school with her.

I was a little worried about drop-off day since she wouldn't even play in the playground by herself last year.

But we've been talking about drop-off day all summer and much to my surprise it was easy as pie!

Happy girl! She was so proud of herself.

Ellie has talked about her friend McCormick ALL summer. He's such a sweet little guy and they actually stood still for a photo! Doesn't she look grown up??!! When I got her set up at the art table and told her I would see her later she looked up at me and said "bye mum" eeek! I felt a few pangs pf separation but I quickly got over it and ran to the coffee shop to enjoy a cup of tea and 2 hours all by myself!

Is this winter?

"Is this winter, mommy??"

That's the question Ellie has been asking the last few weeks. Summer definitely faded out with rain and clouds and Ellie seems to have noticed!

Good thing she has such a great collection of rain coats! Drew's sister, Aunty Neen, came for a visit over labor day weekend. Look at that family of blue eyes!!!

Bebe Belly

26ish weeks with baby boy

26ish weeks with Ellie (we had just moved to Boise) Wow, has life changed a lot in the last 3 years!

This & That

Since postings have been scant I thought I'd share some of the little nuggets of random info that have made our summer a busy one.

We are in the process of growing out Ellie's hair. It wasn't exactly by choice . . . she refused to get her hair cut. So it's getting longer and her bangs are always in her eyes. Fortunately, she likes having her hair done up in "pup tails." Here are her first braids. Not quite long enough but almost. We signed up for "Tot Soccer" this summer. So every Friday evening Drew and Ellie played soccer with about 20 other kids and 'coach Jeff.' It was pretty hilarious to watch the parents try to keep their 2 - 3 year olds focused on one activity for an entire 30 minutes!

Ellie is really into art lately. Body art that is.

We knew we needed to think about the stroller situation with the baby boy on the way but the thought of a double wide stroller made me cringe. Drew saw this 'Phil & Teds' at the park and loved it. It doesn't take up any more room than a single. But there was a problem . . . they cost between $400-$800!!! Ahhh.

So we had a yard sale and decided to put all the money towards our new stroller purchase. Unfortunately, we only made $175 bucks. BUT as luck would have it we found the exact stroller we wanted on craigslist for . . . $175. Now that's good karma! Even Ellie and Olin like riding in it.

Preschool starts next week! Ellie is so excited to see her friends from last year and Teacher Betsy. We went to a playdate/open house at the school a few days ago and Ellie loved getting back in the groove of school.

This year she has one day of drop-off and one day where I stay with her. I'm sure a blog post will be dedicated to the drama of drop off day.

We are also in the midst of potty training. So far, so good . . . with tattoos being the incentive. So if Ellie looks like a tattooed biker chick you know we're having a good day :)

End of summer visit

We just wrapped up a wonderful week long visit with my sister Michelle and nephew Jules!

Jules is 5 yrs old and just about to start kindergarten.

I really hate that I only see my sister once a year but I know Ellie will talk about her Auntie Michelle until the next time we see her. Already this morning she has been saying "My Auntie Michelle lives in Brooklyn. That's in New York."

Cousin Jules! Actually most of the trip Ellie just referred to him as "Cousin!!" Even though this photo marked one of only 10 minutes they weren't fighting, it was still great to see them get to know each other. The fam. Now the countdown begins to next summers visit!!