It's laundry day!

Actually every day feels like laundry day at our house. I have a bad habit of starting the laundy and not finishing it. I will blame it on the fact that Ellery's room is right by the laundry room and I never want to make too much noise while she's napping.

This has nothing to do with laundry but here is a cute picture of Poppy and E eating icecream together at the lake last weekend. Drinking the last drops of the icecream came very naturally to Ellery - must be in the genes!

HELLLOOO

Hellllooo blogging friends! Sorry for no updates this week! This past weekend we went to Austin to see my grandparents. They enjoyed spending time with Ellery and Nathan and I enjoyed a little relaxation time not having to be on our toes 24-7. It is an understatment to say that Ellery likes the lake - she LOVES it, everything about it. She kept saying "boat" and grabbing my dad's finger to pull him outside so they could take a boat ride. One time my dad (Poppy) thought maybe she just wanted to play inside the boat, but not a chance. She wanted to GO!
This week Nathan and I were able to attend a huge gala for Boys and Girls Country on Tuesday. It was outstanding, with about 1500 people in attendance. My parents have been involved with the organization for awhile and it is a truly wonderful one. It gives many children the opportunity to live with a Christian family and experience "home" because for various reasons they are unable to live with their biological parents. And the guest entertainer was none other than Bill Cosby!
And to top of our week, I ventured out to the Nutcracker Market today for about 6 hours! My mom was so gracious to pick up Ellery from school and let me knock out most of my Christmas gift list. Most importantly, however, it was just wonderful to sneak away with a friend and have fun! What a gift!

And because most of you really just want to hear about Ellery, one of her newest words is Hellloo! It is adorable. I have tried to video her saying it so I could post it, but she doesn't do it on command. She also got an early Christmas gift this morning - the Neat and Tidy outdoor cottage. She was so surprised and excited when we took her outside to see it this morning. The girl just loves being outdoors and for the past month or so has been amusing herself with pine needles. Hopefully this new toy will bring her just as much excitement!

Cute Little Ladybug

Last night was so much fun! Ellery was just adorable and she actually seemed to enjoy wearing her costume. I wish you could have seen her in person because pictures just aren't quite as cute.

First stop was the Fall Festival at church. Ellery really enjoyed all of the toddler activities including bobbing for ducks, coloring, playing with the parachute, and the Nemo moonwalk. I didn't know she was big enough to even get in one but I ended up having to go in after her because she didn't want to come out. I can't wait until she can really jump around!

The Fall Festival was a cowboy theme. Here is the ladybug saddling up.

Here she is headed to another moonwalk for the older kids.

Yeah Madikate has arrived!

Is that really Madikate in that duck
costume? I had to feel her face to make sure she was real!

My antennas must have scared my friend!

Bobbing for ducks

Yipee found the duck with the star on the bottom!

Look I might be a wrangler like my Lulu!

Next stop was to Lulu and Poppy's house for a surprise trick or treat. Lulu came with us to the Fall Festival and we couldn't let the night end without seeing Poppy. We were glad to find out that he WAS giving out candy this year instead of canned vegetables and raisins(hahaha inside family joke). Finally, we went to another friend's Halloween party to continue the festivities. Ellery was a trooper and I can only imagine what her little toddler mind thought about all of the dressed up children and adults.

Her classroom at school celebrated with cookies and a costume parade. The toddlers don't dress up (could you imagine changing diapers in a costume?) but they were able to see all of the older kids. Here is a picture taken right before we left that morning. Thanks for the shirt Aunt Sherry!

Happy Halloween from the Kellys

My sister just emailed these pictures and I had to share.


Her husband, Taylor, is on the right....WOW




Their dog Bailey as a police man...



And Kenzie Lou as the itsy-bitsy spider...

Call Me Betty Crocker

Whew today was a day spent almost entirely in the kitchen, minus a few hours spent at Gymboree and the grocery store. Did anyone see Jessica Seinfeld on Oprah discussing her new book, Deceptively Delicious? Well, I was completely inspired even though I already own several cookbooks for kids, including Sneaky Chef, which is sparking a little controversy.

I received my cookbook in the mail on Saturday and it blew me away. It is so well organized and starts with the basics, such as what the heck does a butternut squash look like and how do you cook such a vegetable?? I say that because I was perplexed at the grocery store looking at all the varieties of squash available. I really had to ask for help. Poor Ellery probably was thinking my mom is a real loser when it comes to grocery store knowledge. :) At one point she put her head on the shopping cart handle bars she was so tired from shopping.

I compiled a menu for the week and got to work. I spent the afternoon making purees - carrots, yellow squash, butternut squash, and cauliflower just to name a few. The concept is that you have fruit and veggie purees stored away and then you can just whip one out to put into a recipe. Because everyone wants their kids to eat a little more spinach and broccoli. Something about a healthy meal makes me feel like a better mom.

Sweet Ellery decided to sleep for 3 1/2 hours this afternoon leaving me even more time to prepare dinner - spaghetti with homemade meatballs and sauce. This may sound simple but it was full of healthy additions - carrots and butternut squash. As I was making the meatballs (which included ground turkey) I could not tell if they were cooked through or not and I was scared to try them and even more terrified to let Ellery try them. Nathan had called earlier and said he wouldn't be home for dinner so my taste tester was not available. So...Ellery ended up with just spaghetti and sauce tonight and guess how much of it she ate? Zip. Zero. Nothing. We resorted to the regulars - peas, hot dog, and strawberries.

Nathan did try out the meatballs later and really liked them. So maybe I will pack them in Ellery's lunch tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow, I have a batch of cookies in the oven right now that I promised I would bring to her school for their Halloween party. While I am committed to cooking more healthy meals at home, I am SO over being in the kitchen!! I am already thinking about which restaurant we can hit for dinner tomorrow.

Week in review

I am loving our day to day life as a family...we are so blessed. Ellery is getting bigger every day and transforming into a little toddler right before our eyes. Her little mind is working overtime, adding new words to her vocabulary seemingly by the minute. It is amazing!

So let's see this week...we have officially transitioned to one nap a day instead of two. I am actually really enjoying the new schedule although Ellery is still adjusting and often falls asleep in the car before I can get her home for her after-lunch nap. I can get her out of the car, upstairs, change her diaper, take off her shoes and she doesn't wake up! Tired girl!

Wednesday night Nathan and I officially graduated from our parenting class at church. It is based on the Love and Logic method of discipline and we have gained so much insight. I find myself listening to parents around me whether at the grocery store or at Target and thinking about what they could have done or said different. Don't be fooled though - I am completely stumped at times at home with Ellery and all my "learned" skills go out the window!

We had a fun play date with Roanna and Jake Friday morning. Roanna and I went to school together for our masters degree and she just moved back to Houston having been in Ohio while her husband completed medical school. Baby Jake is almost 7 months old and Ellery acted like a sweet big sister (most of the time). It was fun having a little boy around for a change!

Friday night Lulu and Poppy offered to keep Ellery overnight. Nathan and I had a date night and were able to catch a movie. We saw Dan in Real Life with Steve Carell, and while I know it got bad reviews, I actually really liked it. But I may not be the best judge of movies. I am only a fan of movies with happy endings and non-dark story lines! I think Ellery had a great time hanging out with her grandparents too...going to dinner, for ice cream, walks on the boulevard, and endless play time!

We have spent quite a bit of time outdoors this week because of our beautiful weather. Here are some pictures we took on our play date and then just playing in the backyard with Colby:

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...well not really

Wow...it has been so beautiful outside these past couple of days. We are taking full advantage of it this weekend. Ellery was in her "mommy" mode Friday afternoon, pushing Colby around in her car. She would push him a little ways, then go around to the front of the car and give Colby a little pat on the head. This lasted at least 30 minutes until she decided it was her turn to sit and be pushed. We also went winter shoe shopping for Ellery! I had noticed that it was getting difficult to put her shoes on and thought perhaps we needed to move up a half a size. Well we went to Stride Rite and had her feet measured....they had grown an entire size since the beginning of September. This is a good thing because while Ellery is in the 90th percentile for height, I think the size of her feet may have been in the 10th percentile! We ended up purchasing three new pairs of shoes which is way too many, but my daughter (who may have inherited a shoe shopping gene) was picking out just as many for her to try on as I was. A girl DOES need play shoes, boots, and a dressy pair!

This afternoon we are taking a short road trip to Galveston to take some Christmas pictures at the beach. I know it is way too early to think about Christmas but I am READY! I love putting up the tree, looking at all the beautiful lights, feeling the cool air outside, eating yummy treats, and of course rejoicing in the true meaning and celebration of the season. Hopefully Ellery will enjoy being at the beach (although it will definitely not be Jamaica) and we can get a few good pics in as well!