Ellie's Birthday

We had a celebration for Ellie's birthday with family. Ellie enjoyed every minute of it. 

Eleanor Joyce and her Great Grandma Joyce

It was such a beautiful day we even opened presents outside.

Ellie's Grandma Deanna made her this adorable little tent. We are going to get some good use out of it this summer in the backyard!

Her other big present from Mom and Dad was a balance bike. Soon she will be going with Dad on bike rides by herself!

She even shared her toys with cousins.

Ellie Turns 2

I can't believe that Ellie is already 2 years old, and how fast she is growing and changing. Ellie surprises me daily with her incredible memory and her dynamic personality. Here are some of the most notable things about Ellie at 2 years old.

• She provides herself with a running commentary all day long. "Watch out Ellie" "Careful Ellie" "Sorry Ellie" "Oh, what is it? It's a (fill in the blank)" etc.
• She loves singing songs. She knows all the words to "You Are My Sunshine," and most of the words to the other songs we sing: "If You're Happy and You Know It," "Popcorn Popping," "I Am a Child of God," "Old McDonald," "Mary Had a Little Lamb," "Hush Little Baby," "Do As I'm Doing," "Clean Up" and others. I often hear her on her own sing snatches of any of these songs to herself. The cutest is when she sings "Clean up"
• She remembers and repeats everything.
• She loves reading. She has her favorite books memorized and will "read" you the story. 
• She is becoming more outgoing and loves going to nursery. She also had her first neighborhood babysitter (while she was awake) and did great!
• She still loves to be outside and would prefer to play outside than anywhere else.
• She loves to run and is full of energy. 
• She is goofy and has a real sense of humor. 
• She likes watching and playing basketball with Dad. 

Coming July 2015!

We have been so busy around here that I haven't had a chance to share our exciting announcement! We are expecting a little boy on July 21. This pregnancy has actually been very easy so far, hardly any nausea at all, and besides a couple months where I was absolutely ravenous all day long and wanted to eat everything I saw, I haven't really felt poorly at all. Ellie doesn't really know what it means, but if you ask her what is in Mommy's tummy she will say "baby brother!" I know she will be a wonderful big sister, even if she might find it hard to share her toys (she's in that stage). He is an active little guy and during the ultrasound they had a hard time getting a still shot of him at all. We are so excited to bring him in to our family in July!

February 2015

February started off with gorgeous weather. It has been the warmest winter I have ever experienced in Utah. My daffodils have even bloomed already. We took advantage of the warm weather to play outside. We went on a nice bike ride with some friends. I took Ellie to the zoo, and we hung out in the backyard when we could, and when we couldn't we acted like goofballs inside. February has come and gone, as Februaries often do. 

January 2015

We welcomed in 2015 with our usual early party at Alli and Dave's. Ellie seemed a little lost in all the action, but enjoyed the smarties she found in some of the balloons and even liked the fireworks. We are excited for what this new year will bring! I also enjoyed a night out with some of my best friends in the world. We went and saw Into the Woods (since most of us were in the musical together) and talked and laughed over dinner. We also enjoyed playing in the snow at the ranch on Martin Luther King Day. Ellie loved the six-wheeler and being pulled on the tube. It was also perfect for making snowmen and other amazing snow sculptures (this was Evan's work). Other than that we just did our usual thing. 

Crazy Hair!

Kickin back and relaxing.