Dreams and the big stage

Every morning, I ask Ella what she dreamed about. She always answers with "I slept like a princess." I just don't think she has really understood "dreaming." Well, I asked my routine question this morning and she answered,

"I dreamed I was on the big stage - in my purple dress. I was tapping with Elmo!" She smiled and giggled. Then she got all serious and sad. She said, "but the big kids wouldn't let me dance to the princess song!"

She is such a delightful child. Even though we butt heads a lot now (two independent, stubborn gals), she is such a blessing and I am thankful that God gave her to us!!!

10 weeks old

Wow! Mary Catherine is 10 weeks old! It's just going by way too fast already!

She started cooing yesterday. It is the sweetest sound!! It is just such a joy to watch her smile and then to hear her "talk" - it's just amazing. She isn't rolling over yet, but she will roll up on her side pretty good. She isn't too big of a fan of tummy time unless she is on the boppy pillow. She is sleeping great. She started sleeping in her crib when we got back from the beach and she has been doing wonderful. She will usually eat around 8 or 9 pm and then sleep until 4 or 5 am. She hasn't gotten into any routines for naps during the day yet. If she gets up around 8am, she is usually ready for a nap by 9 or 9:30. That is about the most predictable nap. Other than that, she will eat, sleep, play and then we will do it all over again. I have been reading to her for awhile now, but she hasn't really responded to much. But, today, I read her "Fluffy Chick" for the first time (a bright, colorful cloth book) and she just cooed and smiled. What fun!! Maybe she will be another book worm like Ella!

She can sure poke her lip out though...and let out a cry! :)

Happy Birthday Paw Paw Ace!

Ella, Mary Catherine and I made our first long journey together - we went to Byron to see Paw Paw Ace and Mimi. It is about a 3.5 - 4 hour drive from our house. We stopped at Annett and Marvin's on our way over there. That was a wonderful break for us. All in all, we had a pretty good drive.
Once we got there, Katie and Pearce were there. It was wonderful to have all of the grandbabies together. We ate hot dogs and hamburgers. Ella really enjoyed singing Happy Birthday to PawPaw and helping him blow out his candles.

One of my favorite moments of the trip was listening to PawPaw and Ella play. They had their purses and had a pretend car in front of the refrigerator. They buckled and unbuckled their seat belts and they traveled to K-Mart, Bi-Lo and McDonald's. What a joy to see how much Ella loves to play with PawPaw.

Here is a video that Ella made for PawPaw for his birthday.

Hilton Head beach trip

We went to Hilton Head Island, SC for a couple of days. We had a nice (but semi-long) drive down. Once we got there and got unloaded, it was kind of late. We decided to just go to Hilton Head Diner for dinner. Below is the view from our villa. It was nice and relaxing.

Our first day at the beach was on Sunday. Ella was so excited. She all of her shovels and pails ready to play in the sand.

She was scared of the ocean at first. She wasn't really sure what to think. Of course, daddy had to hold her while they waded out there the first time.

We had fun playing in the sand. She and I collected "sticks" and put them in our little sand castle.

The first day on the beach, she wouldn't go anywhere near the water without her "floaty" on. This picture of her is priceless! :)

Of course, she thought she was big enough to go out into the water all by herself...

umm...maybe not.

Mary Catherine napped a lot at the beach. We kept her pretty well covered up. No trips into the sand for this little one just yet!

Parker and John got there on Sunday and boy did Parker and Ella have a great time playing with each other. They were fast friends. They would have stayed out in the sand and water all day if we would let them!!

Look closely - Ella is in the air. Her feet aren't touching the ground.

This was so funny. Ella just adores Parker. Everything that he did, she mimicked. If he giggled, she did. If he shivered like he was cold, she did. If he drank water, she did.

No, nap, all day at the beach - boy was she tired! She feel asleep sitting up! Clint having fun in the pool. Can't get any better than this! A couple of days at the beach, crown, a balloon and Dora on DVD!!

Sweet sister moment

This morning, as I was getting dressed, Mary Catherine was on the floor playing. On the top of her play mat is a sun that lights up and plays music. There are several colors on the sun. She loves to her the music an see it light up.





Ella wanted to give her some love, so she got down beside her. The next thing I knew, Ella was whispering to Mary Catherine, "This is green" as she pointed green. "And this is purple" as she pointed to the purple. "And this is red" as she pointed to red. She told Mary Catherine about all the colors on the sun. Sweet, sweet!!

2 Months old!!

I can't believe that Mary Catherine is two months old today! She has grown so much. She weighs 11 lbs 4 oz and is 22 inches long. She is in the 50th percentile in both height and weight. She is smiling a lot and is starting to coo. Her face will just light up - you can just see the joy coming thru her eyes. Such a humbling experience seeing the pure and innocent joy beam from her.

Ella started running a fever yesterday, so she stayed home from school today. She went with us to the doctor. When it was time for Mary Catherine to get her shots, I asked Ella if she wanted to stay in the room or go out into the hallway. She opted for the hallway. I explained to her that she would hear MC cry really loud but that the nurse wasn't going to hurt her - it was all so that she wouldn't get sick. She covered her ears and I walked back to the room. As I held MC's hands, Ms. Tiffany, the nurse, gave MC her shots. She cried really loud, tears were burning my eyes. Then I glanced over at the door. Ella was peaking her head thru, hands on her ears and pain in her eyes from hearing her sisters cries. She said that she was sad that her sister was crying.

Mouths and screwdrivers...

Anyone who knows Ella, knows she talks non-stop. She explained it brilliantly the other day as we had the following conversation.
Mom: Ella, do you ever stop talking?
Ella: No mom. I have a mouth, so I just HAVE to talk!


One of mine and Ella's special treats is to buy M&M's when we are at the grocery store and we share them on the way home. The other day, we had the following conversation.

Ella: Uh-oh, mommy. The M&M is broke. (as she held up a cracked M&M)
Mom: Well, honey. How do you think we can fix that M&M?
Ella: With a screwdriver.

Favorite words of Ella's (translation):
ester-today (yesterday)
fisk (fix)
lellow (yellow)
motor-bicycle (motorcycle)
favs (favorite)