Safari Girl

Ellie and I went to a little shopping center yesterday, and I put her in one of those kiddie rides out front (you know, the ones you put 50 cents in and they bounce around for a minute or so).  I didn't even pay to turn the thing on, but she just had a ball in her safari jeep.  She kept copying the monkey in the passenger seat by putting her hand up on the dashboard just like him.  

Ellie is having a REALLY good week...she's being more angel than devil right now, and I am in heaven!  How do I keep this going??  We even made it all the way through Communion at church today (even without Joe there to help)!

One of the Guys

We had a bunch of Joe's teammates and their families over for dinner the other night.  There were tons of kids for Ellie to play and tussle with, and she had a ball with them, but her favorite part was just sitting in her chair with all of the guys, feeding herself some beans and rice.  Just one of the guys!

Just a Cute Picture

Mmmmmmmm!

Ellie is learning to feed herself now...much to her mother's chagrin!  It's just so much messier!..ugh.  We fought hard over who was going to be in control of the spoon over this breakfast of peach yogurt...she won.  Guess she has to learn somehow, though.

Best Buddies

My dearest friend in Charlotte, Denise, baby sat Ellie a ton while I was home this past week for a bevy of appointments.  Denise's little guy, Sloan, is fast becoming her best bud.  They go for wagon rides together, share sippy cups, fight over toys, beg for food from each other, etc...just like siblings!  I have no idea how Denise and her mom got Ellie to sit still and pose for this picture, but it is the cutest thing ever.

Keeping Busy

We've been home in Charlotte while Joe's been on the road with his team for the last week or so... and we've been very alone with Annie out of town and no family here.  So, to stay sane, I've just kept us really busy.  Ellie and I have been visiting all the friends we know here and taking morning trips to every kid-friendly museum I can find on the internet.  We're having a ball!  This picture is of Ellie playing in a little water exhibit at the Charlotte Nature Museum.  The next day, we went to the Discovery Center in uptown Charlotte, and she spent 2 hours playing in the toddler room there!  It was fantastic.  Can't wait to explore all of the kid activities in Richmond next.

Mac 'n Cheese to the Rescue!

Ellie woke up from her afternoon nap yesterday evening around 6pm on THE wrong side of the bed.  I thought I'd try to calm her down by putting her in her high chair and feeding her a yummy dinner of Macaroni and Cheese and cucumbers...her favorites.  Not fun!  She was a nightmare. So, I put her down, let her run around, and left the bowl of Mac on the bench for her to come back to if she wanted.  Ahhh, solution!  She eventually found it and it saved our night.  She spent the entire rest of the evening carrying around her bowl, eating like a big girl (sort of!) with a spoon.  There was cheese sauce everywhere by the end of it!  But...I had a content, quiet child FINALLY.

Catchin' Some Cartoons

I had to catch this moment on film...Ellie was just hanging out in her dipe, watching cartoons, and eating her favorite cheddar Chex Mix the other evening.  She is very into climbing up onto the couch and watching TV sitting up there like a big girl these days.  Luckily, we've only had three or four accidents so far...and nothing too major.  Although, check out that nasty scab on her nose...that was the result of a head first digger into the cement while we were waiting for Joe after his game one night.  Sad...but she recovered within a matter of seconds and was able to resume her crazed running around with all of the other crazy kids.

Hooked on the Ears

Ellie is STILL wearing her Easter Bunny ears.  She likes to watch her mommy prance around in them, too.  Hope this phase ends sometime before Christmas=).  Oh, and the yellow stick she's holding?  Yep, that's the toilet plunger...GREAT toy!

We're in the midst of trying to get Ellie adjusted to the baseball schedule...late nights, and hopefully, late mornings.  She's got the late night thing down...with just a few fits here and there...but the late mornings are NOT on her agenda.  Her morning wake-up call is like clock-work; no matter what time she goes down at night, she's up at 7:30 the next morning!  She'll figure it out sooner or later.  And in the meantime, naps throughout the day are an absolute necessity.

Getting "Pumped!"

Ellie lifting weights and posing for me the other day...what a ham!  We're all settled into life here in Richmond, and we're loving it.  We're living in an awesome location...we can walk to everything imaginable...restaurants, our gym, a Nordstrom!...what more could we want?!  And Ellie, not knowing any other way to live, has already completely adjusted to her new home, her limited supply of toys, and her pack n play crib.  She's the best traveler and my little companion.