Ellie's 4th of July

This 4th of July, Dan had to work all day and night so we ladies were left to fend for ourselves! :) My mom and I took the girls to The Cannery in Sumner during the day to enjoy some free food and fun. That evening, I decided to do things a bit differently than usual. While my mom and Kate and I stayed home and watched a movie, I shipped Ellie off with Nana and Papa to enjoy the festivities in Steilacomb with our friends/family. What a great time she had! I think the pictures speak for themselves! Thanks Nana, Papa, Auntie Tara, Uncle Matt, and everyone else for treating Ellie to a great celebration! It warms my heart to know that my girls are surrounded by so much good family. Some day they will realize how rare and wonderful it is to have a big but close, loving family on all sides of the family tree! They will be better people because of it. I'm so glad Steilacomb has become part of our family tradition now. Love ya!

Ellie and good buddy Addy

Bean bag toss with Auntie and Uncle...look at that view of the water too!

More fun with all the kids

Annual tradition...making homemade ice cream

LOVE this picture! What a special moment with Nana!

ready for the show

Ellie LOVES LOVES LOVES her Auntie Tara

Dancing with Papa Jerry

June then July

My first July 2010 posting and I am still trying to figure out what happened to June! I think I missed the entire month! Perhaps because we really haven't had any summer weather yet or perhaps because we have just been distracted by the goings-on of late. On June 20th, my grandma (Gigi) passed away. I flew with Kate to Chicago so we could attend the wake and funeral. Kate is named after my grandma (Katherine) so it was a special meeting for sure. Shortly after we returned, I underwent minor surgery to have a cyst removed from my ovary. I am still recovering but feeling much better though these events have most certainly blurred the past couple weeks. In any case, time continues to do its job and my little ladies are continuing to grow quicker than ever. Ellie has officially mastered the cartwheel which we are all VERY excited about! She has been practicing daily for months. She also can count to 100 with just a few mistakes. Way to go Ellie! Kate is cooing ALL THE TIME and continues to reveal new wonders of her personality every day. For example, she loves to sleep with something soft or warm by her face (which of course keeps me in a constant state of stress!). She actually snuggles her lovey already. Also, Kate has extremely strong legs and can scoot herself around if she has something to push against. She thinks everyone around her is hilarious and her smile is contagious. She also loves to twirl her hair and continues to prefer her fist over her binky (though I believe she is looking for her thumb but just hasn't quite figured it out yet). Like Ellie, Kate loves music and movement. And Kate is a total cuddle bug! She will snuggle right up to whomever is holding her and it melts me every time.

My mom is her for a couple weeks to help me while I recover from surgery. Looks like she is handling her responsibility well. :)

Papa Jerry turned 60 on the 4th of July and we celebrated at our place. We had a great time and Ellie made sure Papa's day was extra special. Happy Birthday Jerry!

Nice shot Ellie!

Uncle Matt will do anything for little Ellie Bean. What a guy!

Daddy and Kate out grilling the burgers

I love this picture of Father and Son

Ellie loves her Papa!

Ellie explaining her special decoration for Papa

And of course, I like to end with some new pictures of Kate. I am completely addicted to her. Her cheeks are so squishy, her skin is beautiful, her smile is contagious, and her little rolls are delicious! :) In fact, I'm going to get her now and snuggle her up! Enjoy the photos!

"Mom, seriously? Take this damn thing off my head!"

Mema did my hair!

This is her favorite way to sleep.

OOOOOH! That little beauty!

Sweet Love

Why New Moms Should Not Go Running

I went for a run tonight and when I got home I discovered that I never put my bra back together after nursing Kate and my IPOD was on speaker as well as in my headphones. So I was the crazy girl running through my neighborhood with one boob flapping in the wind and "Smack That" playing for all the world to hear. Nice. No wonder the neighbors were staring. And this is why new moms...too tired to notice the details...should not go running.

Scrub a Dub Dub

Bathtime is Kate's FAVORITE time of day!

DaDa

Happy Father's Day Dan! You are the best daddy because you ALWAYS put your family first and you bring so much humor and fun to our lives. You are a careful protector of your girls, not just their safety but their hearts too.

Your girls love you!

Ellie's First and Last

Ellie's first preschool graduation (she actually has two more years)

Last day of gymnastics

First lemonade stand

First ballet recital...OH MY GOODNESS! What a little cutie she was on that stage with her rosy cheeks and little ballet slippers! I love this age because the more they mess up, the cuter they are! And of course, Ellie's number one fan was there through it all, cheering on her big sister (OK, so she just slept through most of it...but it's the thought that counts, right?). It wouldn't be fair if I didn't include her photos too!

Kate's three classic expressions: CHEEKS

BROWS

SMILE

Oh, what a...

Can I Get Some Butter With Those Rolls?

Ellie and I have been icky sickies here lately so we have spent a lot of time resting in the living room. We have read (and reread) EVERY book in the house, watched EVERY movie we own, and slept a lot (that part I liked very much!). We were running out of things to keep us busy so I took out the camera and took some pictures. We actually look MUCH happier than we felt! Kate had her two month doctor appointment today...Ellie Marie was my little string bean and Kate Elizabeth is DEFINITELY my chunky monkey! She is in the 90th percentile for weight (and 75th for length) and I am LOVING all the yummy little chubby rolls I get to kiss and squish! She is such a cuddle bug and lets me just smother her with kisses. LOVE IT!

Can I have some butter with those rolls please?

This picture just cracks me up...

Seriously...the chubby face smile....DELICIOUS!