Girl Time

Sometimes I feel like I don't get enough quality alone time with Ella. We have most of the day on Tuesday & Thursday together since Carter is in school, but I feel like those days quickly fill up with errands and other things that are easier to get done with only one child tagging along. All too often I decide to get other things done on those days than doing something special, just me and her. I really want to try to do better about that, especially since she isn't really napping in the morning anymore.... we can truly take advantage of the whole day together!

Last Thursday we went for a little bike ride and fed ducks near our neighborhood. It was a beautiful day for it, and Ella had a blast! This was the first time she's fed ducks, and she was so fascinated by the noises they made and the way they'd snatch up the bread. She even loved "throwing" the bread to them (even though it always ended up in the grass 6 inches away)! It was a fun outing, just her and I, and I look forward to more of that this spring!!

Here come the ducks!

They knew exactly why we were there.....

 

 

She sat in my lap for the longest time, just enjoying the ducks, the sun, and the wind.

 

Loved this time with my baby girl!!

Ella Using a Fork

She's gotten pretty good at it! :)

 

March Already?!

Still having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that it is now March! The time passes so quickly with these two little ones. The days are long, but the years are short ---- SO very true!

 

One afternoon last week, Ella decided she didn't need a nap, so I brought her in my room with me to watch Minnie while I did laundry. She got so still and relaxed up on my bed, I just wanted to snuggle up there with her and go to sleep!

 

 That grin!

More backyard playing recently....

 Two little peas in a pod

 Love those piggy tails!

 Daddy figured out a way for Ella to "drive" McQueen!

Bubbles and a Bike Ride.

We've been cooped up so much lately due to the cold weather, so we were really happy to get outside this afternoon and enjoy the nice temps!!

 

Carter had fun blowing bubbles and chasing them around the yard trying to pop them. :)

And Ella had fun watching.

 

 

 

 

 

We got this bike trailer last week, and hadn't yet had a chance to try it out.

Eric took the kids for their first ride in it tonight, and they both loved it!!

 

Excited to head out! Ella looks a little concerned, huh?

 Waving "HI" to Mommy as they pass by!

 Blurry, but lots of smiles!

 Weeeee! Love Ella's big grin!

 Lots of fun!! Looking forward to using this more this spring!

 

Reading Together

The kids sat quietly and peacefully this morning for quite a long time and read with each other. Had to share some pics! Love these two!!

 

 Carter was reading to her.

 She's always watching her big brother.

 Love them so!!

Ella and her Love of Cheese.

Yep. This is a post about how much my daughter loves cheese. It is, without any uncertainty, her very favorite food, and has been since she was about 9 months old. Anytime I ask her what she wants to eat, her answer is always "CHEESE!" Anytime I ask her if she wants cheese, she giggles, grins, claps, and gets so excited. She often times wakes up in the morning asking me for cheese. Literally.

So today she must have woken up from her nap on the wrong side of the crib. Just watch how heartbroken she is over our lack of cheese in the house today. Poor girl.

Her strong and dramatic reaction was hilarious to me, I wanted to ask her one more time what it was that she wanted, but I didn't have the heart. And she eventually did get over it and enjoy the fruit in front of her, but it took some time. ;)

Side note: Check out that bed head! And yes, she has a busted lip. She fell flat on her face on the concrete while leaving Carter's school on Tuesday afternoon. It bled a lot, and within 10 minutes was swelled up so big. Poor girl. :( It's tough to be 16 months old!

Sweet Helper

Ella always gets a little freaked out to walk across this bridge at the park by our house. One day recently while I was recording, Carter went and lended her a hand. I thought this was too sweet not to share. :)

 

Valentine's Day with my Little Loves!

We had a very sweet V-day here at our house! The kids enjoyed opening their valentine's treats in the morning, Carter had a fun party at school, and Eric came home early and cooked us a very yummy dinner! Perfect day! Here are my little sweeties all dressed up!

Trip to the Zoo

I'm finally getting around to uploading pictures from my cell phone of our zoo trip last Friday. We spent the morning there with friends, and had a great time!

 

Inside the petting zoo. These goats weren't very excited to see us. :/

 

Connor had to try and sneak a kiss.

Sleeping goats, totally ignoring all 8 children. They couldn't care less!

 

Carter loved the pigs.

Just hatched  ;)

bundled up!

the 4 younger ones checking out the chickens

This lizard was very lively, and the kids thought it was pretty funny.

Trying to elbow the lizard ????

Coming up for a breath.

The 4 older boys and the penguins.

Ready to feed the giraffes...

....and Ella, too!

 

 

And a picture of all 8 of them that Laura took.

We love all of our friends, and are so glad to have a great group to do fun things like this with! I hope many years from now they all look back at these pictures of the group of them and have fond memories!! I know I will! :)

Morning Cartoons & Coloring

A few pictures from our day yesterday. :)

Morning cartoons on the couch together.

 Carter's loving this camera lately. He takes pictures of everything!! 

....including me while I'm taking pictures of him! 

 Really into Mickey and Minnie

Rough housing with her brother! 

 This cracks me up! And he's totally ignoring it!! 

 Getting tired

 Yay! Minnie!! 

So sweet, and totally unposed - promise! :)

Just wish their faces weren't blurry! 

After lunch, Carter wanted to finish coloring a little proect that he brought home from school.

Ella was really interested in what he was doing, so I set her up with a crayon and some paper. 

This was her first time to color!

 Getting the hang of it

 So tempted to eat that purple crayon!

 Sweet cheeks.

 Carter checking on her progress.

 Sweet smile. 

 Seeeeeee? Showing me her picture. 

(Look closely, she has purple crayon around her mouth and in her teeth - HA!)

 Probably won't be the last crayon to get partially eaten :-/

And a side note - yesterday was Eric's birthday!! We celebrated with a family lunch and some play time at Chickfila. Later on, we had pizza for dinner, and a movie night with the kids. We all really enjoyed our low key family evening! Tomorrow evening, Eric and I are going to have a date night, too, to celebrate! Happy Birthday, Eric... we love you!!