A few recent pictures

I took a few pictures before church last Sunday just to see if I could get a few decent ones of Ellie. Sunday marked 17 months of life for our little girl and somedays I just wish I could stop time and enjoy her more at this super fun stage of life. Toddlerhood is such a funny time and Ellie is proving to be quite the ham. Her personality continues to delight us and I feel like we are always laughing at something funny she is doing or saying. I feel like I love this little girl more and more with each passing day!

kissing baby

Ellie is loving her babydolls so much right now. She is obsessed with taking the babies clothes off. She frequently brings her baby to us and says "off"...precious!

The last week Ellie has been doing this little toddler run where she swings her arms out in front of her, and boy is it cute!

funny face

Ellie has had her horsey since Christmas and although she took a break from it for a few months she is loving it again.

One of the many benefits of hardwood floors...

Best Buddies

Back in the spring Ellie met Teagan at our neighborhood playground and they have been buddies ever since. We have lots of fun with Teagan and her mommy Joelle going to the park, the pool, and just playing at each others homes. It is so sweet to see how excited Ellie gets when I tell her we are going to play with Teagan. She usually claps and squeals with delight at the thought of her friend. Teagen turns 2 this weekend so Ellie loves watching her older and more "mature" friend do new things...thankfully she is a good role model for our sweet girl!

A Sign of the Times

Our Little Chef

I have been searching around lately for a gently used play kitchen for Ellie and this week we got one. It is just the right size and she has been cooking up a storm! She is loving pretending to cook and I am loving watching her learn all about it. This is the kind of thing that I have always looked forward to about being a mom and I am in heaven!

I love Skype!

I had heard about Skype before but had never used it until Brad went to Amsterdam a few weeks ago. Let me tell you, I am now a big fan! Because of Skype I not only got to talk to Brad almost every day while he was away, but I got to see him too. It was so comforting to be able to hear his voice and know he was safe and sound.


While Brad was away, Ellie & I spent some quality time with our family. Over the weekend we headed to Dunn, NC to my aunt & uncle's house with my cousin Anna and her kiddos. We had a nice relaxing time there and Ellie absolutely loved being around her cousins all weekend! On Monday we headed up to Brevard, NC to spend the week with Nan & Pop Pop (my in-laws). We had a great week with them just playing outside mostly. Brad's parents have a great yard and Ellie had a fun time exploring everything in it, climbing on the rocks, running down the hill, and swinging. Ellie is so blessed to have great grandparents who love to play with her and I loved watching them bond over the whole week. We had a nice time together and enjoyed our time with them so much. Thanks Nan & Pop Pop for making our week without Brad a great one!


This is the only picture I took the whole week we were gone. This was taken at the Nature Center in Asheville with two of Ellie's great grandmothers. We all had a fun time together that day and Ellie especially loved chasing the peacock around.