TOP: I bought Ellie a cup of vanilla ice cream with rainbow sprinkles while we were walking around the mall the other day, and she refused to eat it!....until, I let her feed herself!  Miss Independent ate the whole darn thing herself.  She shared some with me, though, and even fed me from her spoon...too cute.

MIDDLE: Ellie came with me to the car wash yesterday, and she loved holding the tip money and hanging out in the leather lounge chairs like a big girl.

BOTTOM: "Mr. Bill" (Bill Blackwell), the GM of the Richmond Braves' stadium, is Ellie's FAVORITE person.  She asks to go to him every time she sees him, and she even snuggles his shoulder.  Don't know what it is about him.  He sort of looks like my dad with grey-er hair, so maybe that's it.  Anyway, he took her over to see the mascot, Diamond Duck, at the game last night.  She thought he was HILARIOUS!..though she refused to let him touch her.  We're having so much fun here in Richmond.  There's nothing quite like the family feeling of being on a minor league team.