Jean's Berry Patch 2010

Holding the basket for Daddy
Then the eating began...

Yummy!
(Look carefully and you can see the juice running down her arm!)

One happy, sticky girl!

"I just picked a strawberry and it's gone...where is it?"

Priceless face!

Big helper

This afternoon we went for our annual trip to Jean's Berry Patch to stock up on some delicious strawberries. Our experience was so much better this year going early in the season and we got some amazing berries! They were so perfect that Brad and I filled 2 huge buckets full. It was so hard to stop picking when we kept seeing the most beautiful berries everywhere we turned. Ellie had a great time helping and eating while Brad and I filled our buckets. She made quite a mess as always (we like to say that making messes is one of Ellie's super powers) and I got some great pictures of her sticky, red face. 5 hours later after making our yearly supply of freezer jam we still have strawberries coming out of our ears! I have no clue what to do with them all because we don't have a ton of freezer space. I have spent some time tonight looking online for some recipes and have found a few winners. I guess I'll be baking alot in the next few days...

Ellie's First Camping Trip

Hannah, Ellie & Paige playing in the baby jail

Helping Daddy with the tent

A few weeks ago we went to Jordan Lake for the night with 5 other families from our church. Even though we were there for less than 24 hours we had a great time. Brad borrowed a huge tent with 3 rooms from a coworker so we had plenty of space for Ellie's pack-n-play. We were worried that she might not sleep well, but thankfully she slept like a little rock! The weather couldn't have been more perfect and all the kids had a blast. We shared a campsite with our friends the Suttons, and enjoyed our time by the campfire with them especially. The more I experience camping the more and more it grows on me. I can definitely see our family taking more trips ( as long as there is a bathroom, electricity, and running water nearby) together in the future!

Egghead Ellie

Ellie was playing with some plastic Easter eggs on Saturday and did this...

Sick Easter Weekend

Easter weekend was a rough one for our family this year. Brad came down with a nasty cold last week and took a sick day on Friday. Then at softball practice Saturday afternoon he took a nasty hit to his face/eye and ended up at the emergency room later than night. Thankfully it doesn't look like any bones were broken but he is going to an ENT on Wednesday just to make sure his hearing wasn't affected. Then Saturday night Ellie started getting sick. She woke up Sunday morning with a nasty cough and runny nose. By this time I wasn't feeling well either so we both stayed home from church to rest and keep our germs away from everyone else. Yesterday was pretty rough for Ellie but thankfully today she seems more herself. We all got a pretty good nights sleep and it seems like we are both on the mend! Here are a few pics we took on Sunday afternoon. We attempted to do an Easter Egg Hunt with Ellie but all she wanted to do was pull up the grass...maybe next year!

Blowing Kisses

It's Official....Ellie's a toddler!

Yes, it's true, this week Ellie has practiced walking so much that she barely crawls anymore! The push toys that she has been using non-stop these last few weeks are getting no love because Ellie realizes that she doesn't need them now that she's a "big girl." She has even been walking while holding a toy and can sometimes squat down to pick up something and stand right back up. It has been so cute to watch her walk around the house by herself, changing directions and smiling so proudly as a result! It has been fun but nerve wracking for me, but Ellie hasn't seemed to mind the falls too much. Our little girl is growing up so fast!

Our Little Talker

I have been meaning to record for a while now some of Ellie's first words....
1. No...it's actually a "no,no,no" while shaking her head. She usually says it after we have told her not to do something instead of a defiant no.
2. Banana...one of her favorites.
3. Bye Bye
4. tickle, tickle...she just did this one today for the first time...so cute!
5. Mama
6. Dada
7. Yes

She is also signing the following words:
1. More
2. Please
3. Eat
4. Drink
5. All done
6. Milk

She shakes her head yes & no in response to questions a lot as well.

Ellie is expanding her animal sounds as well:
1. Monkey
2. Elephant
3. Chicken
4. Lion

Body parts she points to when asked:
1. Belly Button
2. Head
3. Tongue
4. Hands
5. Feet
6. Hair
7. Nose (this was a hard one for some reason)
8. Eyes
We've been singing Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes a lot lately, so I'm hoping to add to this list soon!