Elli's Current Loves

Here is a list of Elli's current loves:

• As of today, the Children's Museum Carousel ride - we rode it THREE times because she would sign 'more' after each ride was over. She would perform her upper body provocative dance (you have to see it to believe it...it's a bit of a shimmy and shake) when she was on the ride and then clap her hands along with the music. I saw people laughing as they saw her go past them. I am so proud! :)
• Praise Baby DVDs - God bless my sister in law for introducing these to us! I bought the set of 4 and boy am I glad. Every morning Elli watches the videos on the way to Ehrin's. It used to be a fussy 15 minute trip but now she is enamored by them completely. They have also been great for other longer car rides.
• Fruit Smoothies - because our mornings are typically hectic (and I like for Elli to sleep as long as she possibly can) I make her a fruit smoothie every morning and she sucks it down in no time on the way to Ehrin's. It's super healthy too which is a big bonus.
• Pot Roast - she's still a fantastic eater (PTL!) but she seems to particular pot roast and any vegetable done in the crock pot. I made it Tuesday and she said "mmmm" through the whole dinner. I figures that was a good sign.
• Coke/Diet Coke/Root Beer/any beverage in a cup with a straw that you are drinking - I will go ahead and blame my amazing and wonderful parents for this one. We try to limit as much as possible, but sometimes you just have to choose your battles!
• Her cousins - it seems as times that it's a love/hate relationship but overall Elli loves playing with her cousins and seems to get a huge kick out of them.
• Pretend play - typically with babies and/or fake food/kitchen toys.
• Coloring - she loves to color anything and everything. She seems to be very serious about it when she is coloring. Maybe she'll be an artist like her Mamaw!!!
• Talking - I guess it should be termed 'gibbering', but boy does she like to tell you all about it. I wish I knew what she was thinking as she talked.
• Talking on the phone - she will take pretend phones or our phones and talk and talk and talk on them typically as she is walking around the house. She talks really loud when she is on the phone so I always get a kick out of it. I wonder where she got the loud talking from. Greg, probably! :)
• Carrying her purse - she loves carrying around a little purse and goes to great lengths to keep it on her elbow or shoulder. I know I am severely biased, but it's adorable.
• Her mommy - bias aside, Elli is definitely a mommy's girl, but she has a serious crush on her daddy!! :)
• Uncle Syd - speaking of crushes, Elli L-O-V-E-S Syd.
• Grandpa Kevin - I don't know how this man does it, but kids love him. Elli is definitely no exception and I would say even more than being a mommy's girl, Elli continues to be a Grandpa's girl.
• Taking things apart and putting them back together - lids are a good example, but basically anything that you can take apart Elli is really into trying to put back together.
• Repeating everything you do - and when I say everything I mean it! She's such a little monkey!

Elli is in such an amazing stage right now. She's learning new things all the time and I'm amazed almost every day at the new things she is learning. I often underestimate how much she understands. I am so blessed by her. Greg and I can't get enough of her and have so much fun having dance parties to the opening song of the Winnie the Pooh cartoon. We also just love loving on her. She rocks.

The pictures below are taken in our backyard earlier this week on an awesome fall evening. I love playing with our camera settings.

At the Children's Museum today:

15 Month Appointment

I forgot to mention the stats from Elli's 15 Month Appointment:

20 lbs (20 percentile - yay Elli for being inside of the range!! - the doctor gave her an A+ on her print out)
33 inches (80th percentile)
80th percentile in her head circumference as well

In other developmental news Elli has started using some of the sign language I've been working with her on since she was a baby. In the middle of Kroger she pulled the eat sign out of no where and she usually uses the more sign after we are finishing a song (i.e. Jesus Loves Me). Fun!

Picture Post #2

For some reason the original post would't let me add any more pictures and there is no way I could miss out including the momentous occassions of Grace's FIFTH birthday party and a day at the zoo with Mamaw and Papaw.

Elli loves her Mamaw and Papaw!!

She absolutely loved the water zone. She cracked up at the water and had a fabulous time. I can't wait for next summer and some warm weather so we can go back!

Papaw and the polar bear became good friends.

At an Indians game with my family...we go almost every year to watch the Charlotte Knights (the White Sox AAA team).

Finally...a visit with Garrett Condon...so cute!! Congratulations Amanda!!! He is such a sweetie!

We enjoyed a quick trip to the State Fair. I love everything about the fair and I'm pretty sure Elli did too!

The baby calf was Elli's favorite part (well, tied with the elephant ear). She could have sat there and loved on them all night. She was so mad when we left. I'll admit, they were pretty adorable.

Elli's first camping trip of the summer with Grandpa and Grandma. We had fun even though it was cold that weekend. We took lots of walks with Potter and Weasley and enjoyed beating mom and dad in euchre! Since they camp in Peru we made a trip to the ever enjoyable East End at the end of the weekend for some yummy ice cream. :)

Happy 5th Birthday, Grace! Grace's party was a ton of fun filled with cupcakes, dancing to Miley Cyrus and lots of family and friends to celebrate with. I can't believe Grace is really five!!!

Aunt Jodi making Elli giggle.

All smiles with Grandpa and Grandma!

Picture Post

I have been so bad update updating, so I've included a picture post of the some of the things Elli has been up to.

I'm very proud of Elli's updated room. I put in the shelving unit myself (on sale at Target, which I am addicted to) and love how it looks and how much space it has saved us!!

Elli's church boyfriend, Steven. He's pretty much adorable!
Elli's very first picture that she took herself. Shoes...nice!

We enjoyed a Friday night at the Indians game a couple of weeks ago with our good friends Justin, Audra and Daniel. We get to see the three of them every week at church and Bible Study and Elli loves Daniel so much. She tries to pick him up whenever we are not looking.

Elli's pigtails.

Elli is an independent eater now for sure. She hasn't mastered the spoon (in my opinion) but I've learned just to be patient and let her try it. It's messy but I have realized that I don't want a seven year old who I am still trying to spoon feed applesauce to!

My parents church had a camping weekend at Mississinewa so we visited and had a fantastic time. It was so much fun being with family and God blessed us with an amazing weekend in terms of weather. Below are some of the pictures from our time there.

The Ponslers were at the campground which was fun for us. We just don't see them enough anymore! Tegegn is a huge hit with everyone in my family. He's such a sweetie!
Elli's first boat ride. At first she wasn't sure and then she started sticking her hands in the water spray off the side of the boat and tilting her head back in the wind. So fun!

Elli's first twinkie...Greg thought this was a big deal so we caught the leftovers on the side of her mouth.

Church service at the campground...very cool!

Elli and Grace at the beginning of the church service. Elli pretty much does everything Grace does. Hilarious!

Greg turned 30 on September 14. We have been celebrating his birthday for a couple of weeks now (that's the way I like to do it!!) and will do so until we cheer on the Bears at Soldier Field on October 4. Elli and I hope that Greg felt special on his birthday because we are so blessed by his love! He is such a great father and husband!

On Greg's birthday - Elli's shirt says "It's No Secret I'm Daddy's Girl". I thought it was so fun and appropriate for the day!

Enjoying cupcakes in Greg's classroom for his annual birthday celebration. Elli had a great time watching the kids (and vice versa). Happy Birthday Greg!!

We took Capri Suns for Greg's class during his birthday celebration. We had a couple of extras so I gave Elli one on Friday and she drank the entire thing in about 30 seconds. She doesn't get much juice so I guess she felt the need to enjoy it while she could.

She walked around the entire house with these shoes on. She's big into shoes (she gets that from me)!

In full Bear attire to cheer them on to their first victory tonight. Elli is coloring which is one of her favorite past times right now. She is saying 'cheese' in this picture. She's started cocking her head to one side with a smile and scrunched up eyes when the camera comes out.

Elli reading her book tonight. She likes to lay on her stomach and color or read books. I get a kick out of it!

Bear Down, Chicago Bears!

Lots of pictures in this post. I couldn't decide which ones to upload so I uploaded a lot! I am going to go from most recent activities (since that's the way my pictures posted).

Last night we went to Animals and all that Jazz at the zoo with Uncle Syd and Aunt Katie. It was really fun and I would encourage anyone to try to make it...it's held on Thursday nights in the summer. When we were near the band Elli enjoyed dancing to the rhythm. Some of the animals weren't out, but we were able to see quite a bit with the ambiance of the jazz music in the background. Below is a picture of Syd, Katie & Elli in front of the sleeping sea lions. It was their bed time apparently. Elli blew them kisses. :)

Elli is getting so big! When I saw the below picture I just couldn't believe how Elli has just become a little girl overnight...she's not a baby anymore!

We went to our second annual Nicholson/VanDam Chicago Bears Training Camp adventures in IL. There was a huge turnout at the practices. I enjoyed playing with Addie and Elli and didn't see much of the practices...I figure I have many, many weeks of watching/talking/obsessing about Bears football so I wan't too sad about missing some of the practice. Besides, I was watching the two sweetest little girls which doesn't even compare to my boyfriends Brian, Adrian and my newest BF Jay! :)

Below we are at the mall...Elli & Addie have on their Bears cheerleading outfits that Papaw and Mamaw got for them. They were so funny running/playing down the mall.

This is our second year to get pictures taken with Staley. Elli kind of hated it, but I made her suffer through lots of pictures with him.

Suckers!!! I figured this would be a good distration. Both girls were amazing at the 2+ hours of practice on three different days. Both Friday and Sunday were really warm but they didn't seem to be bothered.

A family tradition...you gotta' teach them young, right?

Elli did a lot of 'wallering' all over Aunt Sara! :)

Books...another distraction! :)

My boyfriend, Jay, who is going to lead the Bears to a Super Bowl victory this year!

I was in CA for work last week and missed Greg and Elli terribly! Thankfully Greg got some help from his parents. Both he and Elli had a great time hanging with Papaw and Mamaw when I was away.

Two Sundays ago we took a trip to the mall so we could take Elli to Build-a-Bear. Below is a picture of Elli at the Disney Store. This Minnie was as big as she was but she carried it around for quite some time until we were able to distract her and take it away. She wasn't too happy about it, but as much as I love her I can't see spending $40 on a stuffed animal!!!

Here Elli is trying to decide which animal she wants. I think she had three she was clinging to at one point. We ended up with the doggie, which we named Rawf.

Elli is FINALLY facing forward in her carseat. Ironically, she didn't meet the weight requirement for the seat, but did meet the height requirement so we were able to face her forward at almost 14 months. It's so much better for her and we are excited to be able to interact with her more while we are in the car. Elli weighs right around 20 lbs now. So big!

Elli's Current Faves...

I wanted to share some of Elli's current favorites and/or new activities so I don't forget this super fun stage:

1. Spaghetti (or anything noodle based that she can suck in) - she enjoyed some Lo Mein today at the Chinese buffet we went to.
2. Food in general - this girl can eat!
3. Being very busy...her favorite activities include picking up rocks from one side of our backyard and throwing them on the other side. She takes this job very seriously and does it for several minutes at a time. Back and forth...back and forth...back and forth.
4. When she falls down or hurts herself and I hold her to comfort her she always pats my back. She's very loving and I just love how she picked up this habit.
5. She loves to talk on her cell phone - last night she probably talked with the phone on her shoulder for 10 minutes.
6. Being active - this girl is on the go all the time! She has scratches up and down her legs...and some ouchies on her knee from all her antics. When we got home last night my dad asked her where her ouchie was and she pointed to her knees that are skinned up covered by band-aids and then proceeded to 'tell' us all about it.
7. Talking - she doesn't really say much but boy can she chatter on. I would love to be inside her brain for one minute to know what she's been telling us.
8. Singing - current favorite is the Itsy Bitsy Spider, but she'll sing along with just about anything I sing to her. She just started to do the motions to the Itsy Bitsy Spider. It's really not the motions, but she is trying.
9. Dancing - holy cow can Elli dance. She shakes her hips, shoulders, booty - you name it! Elli started stomping her feet really quickly lately in a new kind of dance. I think she and Greg have a lot of dance parties throughout the day when I am at work. It's amazing to me that anytime Elli hears any type of music she moves. Today at church she started dancing when we walked into the sanctuary and some worship music was playing. I didn't even really hear the music until I realized that she was getting her groove on in my arms.
10. She really has enjoyed the zoo, too. We went with mom and dad last weekend and it was just really fun.
11. French Fries - she doesn't get these nearly as often as she would like, but she loves them for sure. I've tried not to start her on condiments so they are without ketchup and she just inhales them whenever we give them to her.
12. Praise Baby DVDs - we've rediscovered these worship music videos that we got Elli for Christmas. It's a great way to calm down at the end of the day...well, I calm down and Elli likes to talk to the people/kids/animals on the screen. These DVDs were something I found from my sister-in-law and I love them!
13. Fair food - Elli took her annual trip back to Greentown for the Howard County 4-H Fair. It was a pretty cool evening but between Grandpa Kevin and Grandma Lee Ann there to spoil...I mean, help with...Elli and all of the fair food we ate we have a fun time. Elli's food sampling for the night included mashed potatoes, noodles, green beans, applesauce, an elephant ear, a fried pie with ice cream, milkshake, cookie, and lots of blue cotton candy thanks to Grandpa Kevin.
14. Taking a bow - this is our latest and greatest...just learned today! We taught Elli to take a bow and she is GREAT at it! :)

We went to dinner a couple of weeks ago and had a little bit of time before Elli's nap time so we found some random playground at an apartment complex in Castleton. It was a lot of fun and a perfect evening to spend playing! Elli loves slides! She and Greg are a bit too brave for my taste!

We've taken a couple of bike rides with Elli in her trailer. She does pretty good with it, but I think she would prefer to be riding her own bike. We are lucky that we have a really nice park within driving distance, so we've made a trip or two to it. It's a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

A Veggie Delight 6 inch Subway sandwich. I'm not kidding about her eating skills!

Gary and Sally had a get together at their pool a while back. Above and below are some pictures of the fun we had while there. Elli was in heaven - four grandparents in one area! It's fun to see Elli play with Addie. They are so sweet together!! Addie is just about the cutest little thing ever! She is super duper smart (and I promise I'm not biased!)!

I made blueberry pancakes last Friday morning and she LOVED them!

At the zoo...Dippin Dots has been a tradition so far! :)

Elli and the Elli-phants! It never gets old for me! :)

This is one of my very favorite pictures ever. This is usually Elli's face around her grandparents...full of smiles, laughs and lots of fun!

The butterflies were WAY cooler than any of us expected. Elli was completely enthralled with the butterflies and the scenery.

So, maybe Elli attacked the above butterfly. Maybe...

There is a butterfly on Greg's back. It happened about 90 seconds after we walked into the exhibit and Elli's reaction was so funny!At the park...Elli is trying to figure out bubbles. Greg said this was good for her cognitive skills. I am so glad I am married to a teacher!!!

Greg and I spent a few days in St. Louis to celebrate our 7 year anniversary. We had a great time enjoying some of the area's restaurants, a Coldplay concert and just overall enjoying the scenery. We were literally across the street from the arch...very cool. Here are some of our favorite pictures from the weekend.

My parents watched Elli while we were gone and I can't decide if they had more fun or if Elli did. Needless to say, there was a lot of fun to be had overall. I'm grateful that Greg and I have such a great family that a) they are willing to watch Elli (my parents even suggested that they spend the entire time at our house so Elli would be more comfortable and we wouldn't have to pack her and the dogs up..which I am SO grateful for!) and b) we trust them completely with our pride and joy! After time with my parents she is now whistling and loves to point out the turkey in her animal book for us. Apparently Elli loves my mom's turkey gobble! :)

I truly can't get enough of Elli right now! She is such a blessing. I think God every day for the amazing husband and daughter I am blessed with!!!!