Halloween

For those of you who know Ella, you may know that talking to strangers does not top her "fun list." Nor does approaching a stranger. However, Cinderella tonight went up to every door, said Happy Halloween and trick or treat and thank you to even scary looking strangers! She shocked me. And she had the greatest time doing it. But all along she was very clear who she was. Are you Cinderella? No. Are you Ella? Yes. Are you dressed as Cinderella? Yes. Pretty smart for an almost two year old.

Happy Halloween!

My Dad the Twinkie

Cinderella!

Ella fell in love with Cinderella sometime around January of this past year (I think) and has been besotted. Now she has enlarged her circle of love to include all Disney Princesses but given a choice of who to be for Halloween (her dad wanted her to choose Abraham Lincoln) Ella went back to her first love.

We haven't gone trick or treating yet (but I have been coaching Ella in the art of trick or treating for over a month - we'll see how she does when strangers answer the door but when we practise she is a pro!) but since we had a Halloween party this morning here are a few photos. Oh, and Ella has been waiting for weeks to wear her Cinderella dress - I couldn't even get it off for nap time!

Best friends in costume


Halloween arts and crafts


Contemplative Cinderella




One Year Ago...

Quick trip

Ella and I decided we needed to make one last really quick trip to MN to see family before Baby Sister arrives, and one last trip while she is still free. So yes, she sat on my completely non-existent lap for one leg of the trip. I didn't say the whole experience was ideal.

It was great to spend a lot of time with Grandma and Randy, Kait and Erik, Grandpa and Joyce and Great Grandpa. Ella loves "Sota" as she tells me. By the way she has become SO VERBAL all of a sudden! She went from understanding everything, to saying quite a lot of words to now speaking in full sentences with all of these fun thoughts! I am really enjoying this time with her.

Painting Pumpkins


Napping in the crib at Grandpa's house (on the bear Grandpa made!)


At the zoo with Grandma and Kait


Exploring Grandma's wodnerful yard (Ella never wanted to leave). At one point she requested that Kait and I lie down on either side of her. Everytime we time we tried to get up we were admonished by a not-yet-two-year-old "Mommy lie here!"


Transitions....
Though I do not have any photos of it, Ella has started "school" at The Sherman Oaks Nursery School, and Ella and I both go for one and a alf hours per week. She LOVES IT. She sings her school song daily. (tsons.org)

And just this weekend we moved her into her NEW room, so baby sister can sleep in the smaller room that is closer to mommy and daddy when she comes. Ella is quite proud of her new room (though we did not get her a new bed, we decided we should be a two crib household to start with!). Her new room is pink, which makes her VERY happy!

90 degrees and Pumpkins

How long do I have to live here before it will seem normal to me to be in a pumpkin patch in October and HOT? When will I not wake up every morning and think I am going to dress my child in pants and a long sleeve shirt, maybe a sweater in the diaper bag? When will I get used to crazy California weather???

We went to the pumpkin patch this morning where Ella got to see animals (4 tiny horses and three sleeping goats) which is all she could talk about the whole way there. She also got to climb the hay bale mountain, ride the carousel and, her favorite part, ride the choo-choo train. JD and I realized how much Ella has grown up when he took her over to the train, buckled her in, then left the ride area and the two of us stood where the other parents were and Ella did not protest. In fact, when it was over all we heard (for some time) was "More choo-choo?" Later today we will paint our pumpkins in preparation for what is sure to be a 90 degree Haloween day.

Playing at home


Cute big girl PJs (that Ella loves, thank you Laura!)


Checking out the animals


Big girl riding the choo-choo



Carousel with Daddy




Climbing the hay bales


Ella just wanted to jump the whole way down. Luckily Daddy was there to help her!


We did it!


Surveying potential pumpkin picks




Same pumpkin patch...one year ago!

Ella's First Haircut

October 3, 2007
Ella got her first hair cut! As you can see, she was unfazed by the entire experience and enjoyed loking through the basket of toys. None of it bothered her. She sat patiently while they cut and mommy took pictures. She wasn't strapped into the chair or anything but stayed still the whole time. Pretty impressive!





After they cut her hair they blow dried it (why? No idea) an then sprayed hair spray on it (again, why??) that was supposed to smell like cookies. It did indeed smell sickeningly sweet. Maybe they should borrow some of Disney's patented smells for the good stuff!!


Finally they added some dorky ribbons, but the end offect was sweet, Ella's hair looks a little less scraggly but still with some curls at the ends and she was an easy kid.

She turns 2 in less than one month! Her current likes: Anything Disney (Pooh, Princesses, Mickey), choo trains, tools, cuckoo clocks, baking and cooking, playing in water, painting, coloring with crayons, play doh and animals. Any of the above elicits major enthusiasm from our Ella. She is really growing into a sweet, helpful, funny and wonderful girl. I have to say the last few monthss she has been very easy and a lot of fun. She also likes to make plans about what we will do with baby sister.


Book club weekend! All the girls were in town for bookclub this last weekend. Deirdre (6.5 months pregnant), Kelly (6.5 months pregnant), Laura, Jennie, Brandy and Karen (has an 11 week old baby, you can't tell she has recently given birth!). It was such a wonderful weekend with the girls and so far all the little book club members (the oldest is Anna who is almost 3) are girls too, and so far only more girls on the way!

October Already

Here it is, October before I know it!!

September was a great month. Ella is at a really wonderful age. She loves playing, helping Mommy with anything (she is very good at washing dishes and cooking dinner!), reading and dancing. She really loves when we play music and dance, and she can amuse herself for quite soemtime singing Ring Around the Rosy and then falling down...all alone! Of course, everything is still more fun when she is playing with her best friend Lil, the two are truly hilarious together.

Deirdre and Laura in Vegas! Dad and Nana took care of Ella all weekend and I went off to vegas with Laura. It was wonderful to get a way and have a whole weekend with my friend, and Ella was thrilled to have Nana and Daddy to herself all weekend. She did not miss me a bit!


With Laura and her sister Katie


My cousin Molly came out to visit, and Ella loved hanging out with her. We had some very fun days shopping, walking by the ocean, and the parts Ella remembers - eating cupcakes and pizza. She has decided that pizza is her favorite food!



Uncle Jack had a big 70th birthday party in San Francisco and so JD, Ella and I flew up for two days and got to see everyone. Ella is wonderful traveler. Here are Ella and Daddy with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.


A family photo. Ella has named the baby. Not sure what the baby will think of her new name, but currently Ella calls her Moo. Great.


Best friends in their Halloween costumes. The Sugar Plum Fairy and Cinderella.


Disneyland!
Ella has not stopped talking about Disneyland since we went. The carousel was her favorite, and the parade. She talks about it everyday. Here are a few highlights. Hanging out with Becca.


Meeting a Halloween costumed Goofy.


Riding on her own horse (for the first time!) on the carousel.


Meeting Belle. While pointing to Aurora and telling Belle about Aurora. When she got up to Aurora she wouldn't even get close. She loves the Princesses...from a distance! She does love to talk about them though. She is very excited to be Cinderella for Halloween!