October 2011

Fall is here and we love it!

We took Ellie to several fall festivals, including one at her MDO. She dressed up as a lady bug for several of the events.

Grandmommy and Grandaddy took her on a train ride at the Calera Train Station to the pumpkin patch. She loved it and got to pick out a pumpkin.
On Halloween night Stephen and I took her trick or treating with some friends and she dressed up as Rapunzel. She was very sweet and would say "thank you" each time someone gave her candy. This was her first year walking up to doors alone :).

Grandmommy, Grandaddy, and I also took Ellie to Tuscaloosa this month. Grandad's neice was having a huge tailgating announcement party so we went and hung out all day. Ellie had a lot of fun hanging out outside and eating lots of food. We didn't go to the game though because I didn't think she would make it through after all the celebrating that morning/afternoon.

Ellie also took her first trip to Disney World this month! Stephen, myself, Grandmommy, and Ellie drove down to Orlando and stayed in a resort close to Disney. They had an awesome water slide at the outdoor pool and even though it was a little cool Ellie loved it! She slid down the slides all by herself and someone would be waiting for her at the bottom. She would shoot into the water and then swim to whoever was waiting. She has become such a good swimmer!! There was also a hot tub so she played in that some too.
Ellie loved Magic Kingdom! Grandpa Steve, Mima, and Pamela met us there. The first thing we did was wait in line to meet the princesses. Ellie was "star struck" you could say. She looked at them so lovingly and gave them each a hug. It was the sweetest thing ever! We also met Mickey and Minnie. She rode the teacups about 20 times, flying dumbo, giant carousel, and lots of other rides. We had a wonderful time and I can't wait to take her back again.


We also hung out with Aunt Rachel and the girls one day. Ellie really enjoyed playing with her cousins Mia, Monica, and Gabriella. She remembered the girls from the year before I think :).

OH, and Ellie's new thing is standing on my center console and looking out the sunroof as we are driving up the driveway. Apparently she is practing for when she is a beauty queen :)

September 2011

Ellie started MDO this month. She was going two days a week for 4 hours a day. It started out o.k but didn't last long. She didn't like it and neither did I so she only did it through November. I think one of the main problems was that she was in a 2 year old class (which she should have been) but was socially more advanced than most of the other kids. For example, she was the only kid in the class that was potty trained and had been for a year. The "other problem" was that she had good communication skills which made her seem older than she was. Her teacher seemed to think that because she had the verbal skills of an older child and was potty trained that she should be acting like an older child.

The other thing was that all she did there was worksheets, like writing worksheets. Not exactly what I had in mind when I signed her up. I wanted her to be doing art projects and having fun, not doing worksheet after worksheet. She would cry a lot of times when I dropped her off and they even called me one day to come and pick her up because she was upset. That was very unlike Ellie. So, we tried it for a few months and then decided to pull her out.

Lots of football watching this month. We've been haging out with friends to watch while the kids play :)

Why Hello There!

So, I fell off the blogging horse over a year ago and am just now getting back on. I actually forgot that I had a blog until a few months ago but things have been really busy and I haven't had time to update. So I think I will try to create a few different posts with the months and briefly update.

Trying to stay entertained

It has been such a hot summer that Ellie and I have not been doing anything outside that doesn't involve water, MEANING, we've been indoors trying to stay entertained. We did a lot of swimming at the beginning of the summer but really haven't been much in the past two months. Stephen and I have taken her to Ijump several times, bowling, and tree top but that gets expensive. I've taken her to the book store a few times to play with the dolls and the train table but that is kinda far so that takes that off the list. Entertainment comes down to play dates (which we love), borrowing friends kids, and making stuff. We have jumped on the trampoline on the rare occasion that it isn't sweltering and actually Stephen has jumped out there with her several times with the sprinklers on.

We've baked and cooked like crazy but today I decided we were going to make some crafty stuff. I searched a few blogs, made a list, and then Ellie and I headed to Wal Mart to buy our supplies. We made window paint and painted the double doors going onto the deck and she had so much fun. Who knew? She also used the paint to paint the bathtub during bath time...

While I made lunch, daddy and Ellie made Ice Cream in a bag and it was actually DELICIOUS! It was so good that they immediately made a triple batch after tasting the first batch. Granted, one batch is only enough for one person, if even that :). Ellie enjoyed making it and then putting sprinkles and chocolate chips on hers. YUM

We made one batch of homemade doodle paint and it turned out good so we'll make more tomorrow or one day next week. I have to buy the squirt bottles to put them in first. We still have plans to make play dough, puff paint, bird treats, and several other things. I think a couple of things a day is good for now though :).

Oh, and Ellie and I made a "busy tray". It's basically a cookie sheet covered in scrap book paper. We made letter magnets out of clear stones and card stock that she can put on the cookie sheet to practice her letters/spelling. (No, she isn't spelling, I said practice :) ). It can also be used to put a color sheet on and has a lip all the way around so that her colored pencils don't fall off. I plan to make some cards with different words on them that she can put the corresponding letter magnet on each letter on the card. It could also be used as a snack tray. I'm going to leave it in the car for those times when we have to wait and Ellie is bored :) Anyways, it's so cute and I got the idea off of another blog. The magnet idea is from http://www.our-everyday-art.com/2010/12/alphabet-magnets.html and the busy board is from http://inbetweenlaundry.blogspot.com/2010/10/busy-tray.html

Baking Bread

Ellie and I made bread this morning! She poured all the ingredients and whisked it until it got "too hard" with all the flour in it. Next we sprinkled flour all over the counters and she helped me knead the dough. She did pretty good I must say. After we kneaded the bread for TEN long minutes, we had to let it set for an hour and a half....

Next it was time to punch the dough and make the rolls

All done~all that's left is the baking

I just got these out of the oven and they are YUMMY! Good job Ellie

So thankful for this precious child

I am so thankful that God has blessed us with Ellie. She is such a wonderful girl and brings such joy to everyone she is around. She is always happy and laughing and making the funniest faces. She has the best sense of humor and uses it often. Each night I lay in her bed with her and we read certain books in a certain order. The last two books we read are her Bible (pre school version) and a book of prayers. We read about 8 prayers from the book and the first one we read is The Lords Prayer. Tonight, as I was reading it to her she was kinda mumbling along with me so I said, "lets read it again" and she says "no, I'll read it mommy". This is what she says "Our father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, they will be done on earth as in Heaven"..."Forgive us of trepasses and lead not to temptation"...and she stumbled through the rest. Now, she got the first five lines PERFECT then skipped a line, said a couple more, then said some of the other phrases. This child is only 27 months old! I felt like my heart was going to come out of my chest, she is so amazing. I cannot thank God enough for this precious gift and I just wanted to share a little bit of why she is so awesome :)

Fingers

Ellie is trying to learn the names of all her fingers. She really likes the pinkie finger and the thumb. Her pronunciation of all her words is getting so so clear. I think it's been clear all along but she's really sounding out each letter now. I love that she can talk. Makes life so much easier :)

Stephen and I took her to the bowling alley today. It was her first trip and she had so much fun. It was the middle of the day but they had cosmic bowling going on so everything was lit up. She liked her bowling shoes and that the shoe laces were lighting up. Of course daddy took her to the arcade section while we waited for our lane and they played games. She likes that game where you throw/roll the ball and try to make it into one of the holes. Daddy lets her walk up to the front and toss the balls in but she still manages to get them into the zero point hole most of the time, lol. We had lots of fun. After bowling we went to Buffalo Wild Wings and then to Target. It was such an awesome family day. I love days like these :).
Stephen and I decided that we want to join a bowling league together so I think we're going to do that in September. Should be lots of fun. It would just be nice to do something as a couple on a regular basis. I just need to talk to grandmommy about watching Ellie for us those nights. It's just one night a week and its close to her bed time. Besides, grandmommy and grandaddy love watching Ellie ( and she LOVES them). Shouldn't be a problem, I'm excited!

Everyone enjoy your weekend~

I love you Mommy

Ellie is always saying " I love you mommy" and it melts my heart. She's so sweet!

Happy 4th of July

We celebrated Independence day yesterday with some of our best buddies. Ellie really enjoyed the fireworks and playing outside in the dark :). She was asking today if we could go see fireworks again, lol.

The Garage Sale Stand-off

Stephen, Ellie, and I went to some garage sales this morning. At one of the houses Ellie found a suitcase that opens up to a beauty parlor. Well, she sees this thing and says "momma, I want to see this". So I go over, open it for her and this other little girl, about 4 years old, comes swooping in and looking around. Well Ellie was getting anxious and saying it was hers and I kept telling her not to worry, the girl was just looking. Well, the little girl decided that SHE wanted it and I say "No, sorry honey, Ellie had it first". Well, her mom yells, from where she is CHECKING OUT, "get it" in Spanish. Never even comes over to assess the situation. Well if you know me, you know I'm not gonna sit back and let my daughter or myself get bullied by someone who won't even come check out the situation. I tell her again, "No, you can't have it, she (being my daughter) had it first". Well at this point it's a standoff. Ellie closes the suitcase, picks it up, and firmly grips the handle saying "No, it's mine". This is my child, and she will not be bullied by ANYONE. It was so funny and irritating at the same time. I am so glad that she sticks up for herself and at the same time I'm thinking this other mom is being completely lazy and rude. She was ALREADY CHECKING OUT when her daughter tried to swoop in on Ellie's toy. UGH. Below is the item in demand and as you see it is at our house :)

PeeJamies

Ellie would LIVE in her "peejamies" if I allowed it. This all started back in April, the day after her birthday party. Tito and Tita bought her a pair of pajamas with satin pants and she could not get enough. She wore them all day, every day and only took them off long enough for me to wash them. Below are the pjs I speak of...

I mean seriously, the only time she didn't have the p..j's on were when we were going somewhere. I was able to finally convince her to rotate her pjs but here we are, JULY, and she is still living in her pajamas. She is a lady of leisure. With that being said, a lot of the pictures I have of her appear to be in the morning, because she is in her p.j's, but it's just an illusion. Sometimes its 3 o'clock in the afternoon, we've been out and about in regular clothes, and as soon as we get back in the DRIVEWAY she's asking about her pajamas :). Who am I to tell her she can't lounge around the house, play in the yard, or on the trampoline in her p.j's? LOL. You're only young once.

Update on Ellie

Ellie is a TALKER, which I love, but some of the stuff that sticks out in my mind is:

"You a princess mommy"
"Coming Mom"
"Just a second"
"You'll be right back?"
"Hey babe/Wake up babe" (in which she is talking to her daddy, lol)
"I love you so much"
"I want my grandmommy"

I registered Ellie for MDO in the fall so I'm anxious to see how she does with that. I am sure she will love it but it's still scary, well not scary, but nerve wracking, to send my sweet little angel to spend time with other people and kids on a regular basis when I'm not around. However, several of her good friends go to the same church she'll be going too so at least there will be some familiar faces.

Ellie and I have gone to pick blueberries several times this season. We are really taking advantage of living so close to the blueberry farm and go anytime it is cloudy and cool. Which, if you live here you know we've had lots of those days lately. She doesn't really like blueberries but she likes picking them and she enjoys visiting with the cat that lives in the barn at Smith Farms. When I was growing up my mom always took my brother and I to pick berries of all sorts. My great grandmother and grandfather had a farm in Ohio where we spent time each year so we were always picking something on their farm, blueberries, strawberries, grapes, etc. Mom also took us to local places if I recall correctly. Good times nonetheless.

J U M P

Daddy surprised Ellie with a trampoline last week. He came home with it just as I was putting Ellie down for a nap and we went outside to assemble it. It took us the entire two hours and we finished putting it up just in the nick of time. When Ellie woke up we brought her outside and she looked shocked. Her mouth was just hanging open and she said "Zat my trampoline? I want to jump".  She LOVES so we are on it all the time!

I'm sooo behind

Sorry I haven't blogged since Ellie's birthday! It's hard to find the time. I have so much to do all the time that sitting at the computer to write is a rare luxury. Soooo, a few days after Ellie's birthday party we went to the beach with my mom. Ellie, mom, and I stayed on the beach and Stephen stayed about 30 minutes inland at a golf tournament. Ellie LOVED the beach and so did I. It was so relaxing to have mom there to help watch Ellie. We spent every morning on the beach, went in for nap (well, Ellie and mom did, I stayed on the beach, soaking up the peace and quiet), back to the beach for a couple hours and then ordered food in. It was SO NICE!! Ellie loved waiting on the waves to knock her over. So cute!

We had family pictures made mid May at the Botanical Gardens and they turned out so cute!!

Mom and Bubba went back to Africa mid May so Ellie and I have been spending as much time as possible in the pool. We've managed to get Stephen out there with us a couple times but its mainly just the two of us. Ellie has no fear of the water and I'm quite certain she'll be swimming by the end of this summer. She is doing so well. She goes all the way under, kicks her feet and moves her arms around and manages to get back up. She is starting to move forward so she's getting there!! Its so exciting! I can't wait for her to be able to swim all the way :)



We took down Ellie's crib last week so now her room has a lot more open space which is nice. I was a little sad when we took down the crib; little by little she's no longer being seen as a baby :(. She is such a sweet girl though, love love love.

Oh, and Stephen turns 30 in a few days and I'm throwing him an 80's themed birthday party!! I'll post pictures after.

Ellie's Birthday Party

She got embarrassed when everyone sang

We had a HUGE minnie mouse birthday celebration for Ellie's second birthday this past Saturday. Her Grandmomma and Grandaddy came from Africa, Tito, Tita, and cousin Haven came from Nashville, Grandpa came from Orlando, and of course Dede, Bobby, Aunt Jackie and Uncle Patrick came from around here. She had lots and lots of friends come over and the kids decorated Minnie Mouse wands, colored pictures, and what proved to be the most popular thing, decorated Minnie Mouse Cookies. They also spent a lot of time in the ball pit and running around the trees outside. We spent two days cooking, baking, and decorating and the everything turned out so cute! Ellie had an absolute blast and so did I. It was a great day spent with family and friends.

Easter

My dad, step mom and nephew Haven were here from Nashville so Haven went to church with Stephen, Ellie, and I this morning. A huge thing happened today, Haven asked Jesus Christ to come into his heart!!! I am so proud of him for being so brave and getting in front of all his peers, none of whom he knew. He was in children's church so Stephen and I weren't even there. YAY Haven!!!

Ellie is TWO

Two years ago today I gave birth to the most beautiful, precious, amazing little baby,  Elizabeth "Ellie" T. Fike. Somehow, in what seems like the blink of an eye, she has turned into a little girl who is outspoken yet submissive, funny and serious, sweet, loving, brave, daring, tough yet sensitive, and all together incredible. Ellie brings such joy to our life and to everyone she comes into contact with. She is so polite and is always smiling and laughing and saying hello.  She has the most beautiful blue eyes and the prettiest lips I've ever seen. I am so enamored with her and truly greatful that we have recieved such a wonderful blessing from God. 
                                                 HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sweet angel!

Pudding Paint

Finger Painting with pudding today...

Beachin it

STephen, Ellie, and I took a quick trip to the beach last weekend and it was so nice to get away. We stayed with a friend that has a little boy that is two and a half and he and Ellie had a good time playing together. They were both so sweet with eachother. Several people asked if they were twins, haha. Ellie loved the beach and playing in the sand even though it was too cold to get in the water. We spent most of the day Saturday in the pool and hot tub and then went to eat on the beach that night. The restaurant had a really nice playground on the beach so after dinner we let Ellie play on the playground and in the sand. Stephen walked her to the ocean and showed her how to build a sand castle; well he tried anyways. She was mainly interested in knocking it over than anything else. Sunday was BeAUTIFUL so we went to the beach bright and early. When the birds ran us off (They weren't really messing with us but Ellie was not a huge fan of them so she said she was ready to go)we went to the pool for a couple hours, hit up the outlets, then drove home. So nice to get away.

Zoo Day

We went to the zoo last Friday with several of our friends and Ellie had so much fun. The weather was nice, semi cold, but beautiful. There is a new section of the zoo that is really pretty and Ellie had so much fun running around with her friends. We saw the usual, monkeys, giraffes, one elephant, zebras,etc...