ONE AND A HALF

 

If I had a quarter for every time I say that the second child  grows up sooo much faster then the first I would be a stay at home Mom with all the cash I had! :)  It's so true though. Ella will be one and a half on the February 20th and I really can't believe it.  Last week she woke up from her nap very happy with lots of smiles.  I can't resist her in a simple onesie and some great light in the front room.  I hope someday she knows how naturally beautiful she is.  Her long eyelashes, rosey cheeks and those blue eyes just amaze me!  She is really showing her individual personality these days.  She is Hilarious!! She has found the word "no" this past week and uses it frequently!  She is talking like crazy, getting a word in edge wise with her big sister is kinda difficult at times.  She loves to dance, sing and do gymnastics moves like her sister in the family room.  She is really into babies right now-way more then her sister ever was!  She holds them, rocks and shushes them.  She is now in her big girl bed and LOVES it. She is sleeping great, Thank Goodness! 

Can't believe it's only 6  more months till you are 2! Love you sweet girl.

Snow

I can't believe I haven't posted any snow pictures!  These are not from this last "blizzard" actually not sure which snow storm they are from :) There have been so many I can't keep track.  Lily LOVES the snow and sledding. Ella likes it all in moderation.  She is not a fan of all the gear that goes with it!

E at the LG

Lily LOVED the Little Gym. We spent many a Monday morning there and Bryan and I both felt it not only helped her gross motor skills, but it built her confidence to "perform" in front of people, take risks and just have fun!  Ella got to experience the Little Gym while in the sling as a newborn!  We couldn't wait for this session to start so she could begin her Little Gym experience.  Grandma Reyn gave Ella the tuition for her Christmas present (so awesome!!) and so today was her first day.  I wasn't sure how Lily would handle her little sis having all the fun so she had a play date with Lina and Elizabeth.  Next week we will take Big Sis.
Ella loved it all, she was a little shy at first but smiled and giggled most of the time. I love taking pictures of her first class and seeing how much they grow in one semester!

Strike!!

When Grandpa Ron was in town last week we had a fun night bowling. Both girls have never been so it was a new experience for all of us!  Lily did pretty good with the bumper guards and a little help from Grandpa, Dad and Amber every now and then.

Can you hear the giggles??

The girls and I had a fun night "for girls only!" on Saturday while Daddy and Grandpa Ron went to dinner.  We watched Ella Enchanted and just had so much fun. Well, when it was bedtime I put them both in my bed with some books to read and headed to brush my teeth. When I came back Ella had Lily's  clean pull-up on her head and the giggling could be heard down the hall!  It's music to my ears!  Of course Lily needed a "hat" as well!  I love that they are already cracking each other up!

2011

We were able to celebrate the New Years with our friends the Sammelmanns and Husters.  The kids had so much fun playing together and everyone except Claire made it to midnight.  Cheers to a wonderful 2011.

Christmas Morning

The girls were so excited to see what Santa had brought them!!  They were spoiled as usual and were both really into opening their gifts. Ella just liked the first thing she opened and played with that most of the morning.