Ellie's First Swim

Thursday morning Kelly dropped Maya off at our house while heading to Reading for Clark's two year appointment. Before I knew it Mimi was peaking her head in the door and she stayed on baby duty while Ellie and I kept her company. Kelly texted and asked if we wanted Chick-Fil-A for lunch and we could not refuse. Maya was a good girl and ate an ounce of formula and spent some time in our swing.
We all ate lunch together and I think Clark ate more ketchup than the rest of us combined. He'll forego the fries, too. More for me. Nap time was on the horizon and Mimi had to go grocery shopping so we said goodbye to them.
Ellie napped then we went to East Earl to go to Goodville Fabrics and Shady Maple. I wanted to pick up some supplies for my sewing duties for Corinne's upcoming events (bridesmaid duty) and had heard that Shady Maple was having a sale on chicken drumsticks - $1 a pound. Ellie behaved and did her best to make friends by smiling and flirting with everyone we passed.
We came home and I tried desperately to put Ellie to sleep. I must have missed her window, though, because an hour later I gave up. Jon came home from work and hung out with Ellie while I heated up some leftovers for dinner. Jon has been having a long week at work so we hung out together watching TV after Ellie was in bed. It was nice and relaxing.

Today Ellie and I went to the gym for my class at 9:15. At 10:30 we were at Mimi's putting on our swimsuits to enjoy the ninety degree weather: it felt wonderful! Kelly, Clark, and Maya were also at Mimi's and kept us entertained. Clark and Ellie splashed around in the baby pool for almost an hour before I decided to try to put Ellie down for a nap. Recently she has fought sleep at Mimi's but I put her down in the pack'n'play in the basement and she fell asleep right away and slept for close to two hours. Pools tire a baby out!

Clark rode on the riding toys and splashed around until he found half of a cracker Ellie had been chewing on and he ate it. I decided he must be hungry so we went in for lunch. After lunch the Fentons went home and I waited for Ellie to wake up.
When Ellie woke up Pops was home eating so we said hi then went out to the pool again to go for a swim with Mimi. They sat on the steps for quite a while and then they took a few laps with Ellie in the floating toy.

Ellie and I headed home around 3:00 and I fed her some lunch. After eating she was obviously tired again so I put her down for a nap and she slept almost two hours. While she slept I prepared the drumsticks, made baked mac and cheese, and made a pinterest recipe of brownies. I definitely deleted the recipe because it was terrible.

My friend Rachel sent me this adorable outfit
that we got in the mail today!

Mimi, Pops, and the Fentons came over for dinner. Everyone hung out by the grill while Jon made the drumsticks and then we ate at the picnic table. The weather was great! Nice and toasty. Clark tried out all of Ellie's riding toys and Ellie loved watching him go.

Hanging with Pops
Yes, she has a bow in on her hair

Ellie loved watching Clark being busy

Heading to market

The chef!

Giving Clark's big wheel a spin

Riding in the grocery cart

Clark trying to figure it out...

 Everyone left by 8:00 and I bathed Ellie and put her down for bed. Omar came over and hung out with Jon while I started cutting squares out for napkins. Two down...Eighteen to go (at least for this section of fabric)

Ellieisms:
Ellie definitely "worms" around a bit on the floor. Today I put her down in the living room and I came back and she was two feet away from her starting point.

Pictures from a year ago:

I love this picture. I think it's hilarious.

Memorial Day & Summer Arrives

Memorial Day started off with a family date to Lowes. First, though, we stopped by Twin Valley Coffee (aka the Burkholder's front yard) for an iced totty and apple pastry. So tasty! Jon once again decided to cut coffee out of his life so I enjoyed 85% of the drink.
Our goal for Lowes was for Jon to pick up some things for the laundry room (flooring stuff, plumbing, and electrical - he hit all categories) while I had a coupon for a free paint sample from their "spring collection" so I stood for twenty minutes trying to decide which one to take. Since this is the summer of orange I settled on a firey orange. It's really pretty but now I'm not sure what I should use it for - maybe Corinne will want something painted for the wedding. I really just wanted to take advantage of my free sample since it is a decent amount and usually cost $3.50. Oh the lengths I'll go for something free.

She bites her tongue a lot nowadays

We headed home since Ellie was due for a nap soon but she fought sleep while Jon worked on the basement and I toiled over her new dress. The dress idea came to me when Jon and Omar were hanging out Sunday evening and I really wanted to try to make one for her. I used a dress that is a little big on her for a guide and researched techniques online. I think it turned out.
At 10:15 Ellie was really tired so Jon left without us to go to the Memorial service in Elverson. I fed Ellie some food then put her down and she woke up shortly after Jon came home. We hung out while Jon continued working on the basement until it was time to leave for Nana and Poppop's house at 4:15. I finished Ellie's dress just in time!

Dressed in blue!

We were invited over for dinner at Nana and Poppop's along with Peter and Brittany. Grandma and Omar were also there and the eight of us had burgers and ribs. Delicious! Following dinner we played Ticket to Ride: Europe. Well, Jon played the first game while I tried to put Ellie to bed and won. After failing I played the second game while Jon hung out with Ellie and I won. It was a very successful evening for our family. Ellie did not want to sleep but remained content hanging out with Jon until we pulled out at 10:15.

Our entertainment

Trying to fly

Tuesday was a rainy, gross day. It made for a long day. Ellie was all out of sorts and so was I, quite frankly. We did a load of laundry, made dinner, wrote up the grocery list before I had piano lessons in Elverson. Quite an unproductive day! Ellie hung out with Aunt Carol Hoke during Abby's lesson then with Grandpa and Grandma during Carson's lesson. Ellie loves Grandma's house - she is always having a ball when I arrive. Grandma not only watched Ellie (with Grandpa) but she also sent home soup and a streusel cake. Ellie ate some soup but was so tired due to her short naps so she went to bed right after dinner. Jon was a wonderful husband and went grocery shopping for me. It was so nice not to have to go out in the wet, dreary night! He also brought back some treats for me as well as a few things for our basement bathroom (toilet bowl cleaner, stuff like that). He knows how to make a dreary day better!

Wednesday Ellie woke up at 6:30. She had only woken up one time in the night and I didn't even hear her. Jon reported that she cried for a few minutes but went back to sleep. Oops. I slept great! She was tired by 8:30 so I put her down for a nap and got ready for the gym. Class begins at 9:15 so I woke Ellie up, put on her outfit, and was at the gym by 9:25. Fortunately class started a bit slowly so I only missed the warm-up song. Following the class Jen Wilson and I went for a walk around Summerfield.
Feeling like a negligent sister I decided to text Kelly and see how her day was going. Her day was sounding like my day yesterday so I offered to bring lunch by to help occupy Clark. I picked up a Turkey Twist and a peach tea from the Deli and Kelly provided chips and crackers (for Ellie). We hung up a pennant banner in Maya's bedroom. Clark was very attentive to everything going on and liked to stand on the stool with me. At one point he went up to Ellie, who was playing with Maya's toys, and starting talking in a high pitched voice and trying to get her attention. It was so sweet!
Ellie went down for a nap when we arrived home and I thought she would sleep for a few hours. Only an hour later she was up and ready for the afternoon. She played nicely on the floor during my afternoon piano lesson then we went outside for some pictures.

Photo shoot in the new dress.

It was a balmy 88 degrees today - hot and humid but I loved it! It finally felt like summertime. After hanging out in the shade for a while I knew it was time to feed Ellie and begin dinner. She was becoming bored of her toys inside so I pulled out the Johnny Jumpup and she started to figure it out. I realized that she would jump more when I walked close to her, but probably because she was excited that I was coming to pick her up (which I wasn't). She generally jumps or flaps her arms when she's excited.
Jon arrived home at 5:30 and we ate spaghetti for dinner. Dr. Kane came for his piano lesson at 6:00, left at 6:35, and I fed Ellie and put her to bed. During the piano lesson Jon and Ellie went outside and watched cars drive by. Apparently Ellie was entertained.
Ellie was very tired and went right to sleep after eating. Jon stayed home with her while I went to Bible Study. It was beautiful outside so we met out on Brittany's patio and enjoyed the fresh air. When I came home Jon had done the dishes, finished installing the basement laundry room sink, made more ant traps, opened the air conditioning vents, and taken out the trash. I should leave him alone with Ellie more often!

 Ellieisms:
Ellie has begun to army crawl! Aunt Kelly witnessed her weak attempts but she does gain ground if she works long enough.

I took buttons off of Jon's old pants that were headed to Goodwill

lace detailing to make the gray more feminine 

Sitting in her new chair we picked up at the yardsale last week 

Room to grow!

Our Weekend

Friday morning Ellie and I went to the gym. I decided to stop by Mimi and Pop's to nurse before running errands. I thought they would be out with the Iyas but they were all sitting around the kitchen table. I fed Ellie then we chatted with everyone until they had to leave. Ellie let Mrs. Iya hold her for a bit, so that was a plus!
Ellie and I picked up my dry cleaning and I thought about grocery shopping but Ellie was tired so we went home instead. I had thought I had all the ingredients for dinner but Jon had taken the leftover turkey for lunch so my plans for enchiladas for dinner was thwarted. It was a rainy day and a bit late so I called Jon and he said we should just order a stromboli for dinner. Usually I would scrap together something in such a situation but Tyler and Brittney Estes were coming for dinner.
So we had stromboli, salad, and strawberry-rhubarb crisp for dinner. The boys played a couple of rounds of FIFA before the four of us played Sequence. Somehow the boys also won every round of Sequence.

Saturday morning Jon woke up earlier than Ellie and me and worked on the basement. We went to Elverson to say goodbye to the Iya's before noon. Jon continued working on the basement (he's installing laminate flooring in the laundry room) while Ellie and I went to a yardsale up the road. I picked up a coffee table for Corinne and Daniel (hope you like it!!) for $2. I couldn't fit it on the front seat or in the trunk and I didn't have time to go back for Jon so I put the front seats as far back as possible (which is pretty far since I do drive a Buick) and laid it across both front seats. Then I squeezed in between the table and the steering wheel and carefully maneuvered on home. I thought ahead and knew I could turn right and most of the way was down hill so it was uneventful. Jon was less then impressed with the setup.
At 2:00 Jon, Ellie and I headed to Parkesburg to Ben and Jess Mountz's house. They had invited us and peter and Brittany and Tyler and Brittney over to watch a big soccer game. The boys watched the game in the basement while the women and Ellie stayed upstairs and talked. Jess made a nice spread and we hung around all afternoon into the evening. Following the game we remained until Ellie was starting to fuss. She has decided not to sleep in other places so my attempt earlier in the day were unprofitable.
Ellie was asleep by the time we pulled out of their development. Apparently her car seat is more desirable than Ben's guest room. Oh well.
We arrived home and laid low for the evening. Jon probably worked on the basement (I do not recall.

Sunday morning we drove separately to church. Jon was going to pick up Omar from the train station immediately following the second service and Ellie and I wanted to go home. Although I had tried to put Ellie to sleep between services it was unsuccessful. Instead she took a nice, long nap in the afternoon. Due to the holiday weekend we did not have prayer meeting so Mimi and Pops invited us over for dinner...then they cancelled. Apparently they had a more desirable option come up! (ha :)
Instead Mimi and Pops dropped off some dinner for us on their way to the Frey's house. We ate dinner then Jon and I played two rounds of Ticket to Ride: Europe. I won both. Omar came over and the boys played a few games of FIFA and I started making a dress for Ellie. Then the three of us played two more rounds of Ticket to Ride. I won once more then Omar won. I really like that game - it's less complicated than the expansion versions of Settlers and goes more quickly because bartering is not involved.

Sorry about the lack of pictures.

Ellieisms:
Ben and Jess' dogs made Ellie nervous. They were in their kennel so I walked her over to them and she seemed okay until they started jerking around. She doesn't like sudden movements or loud noises.

The Iyas Visit Elverson

Wednesday morning Ellie woke up at 7:30. I skipped the gym in favor of her nap then met up with Mom at 10:30 to look at furniture at a lady in Summerfield's house who is moving. I didn't make any purchases but the lady gave me some serving utensils and a set of baby spoons. Worth the trip right there.
We went home for lunch then I taught piano lessons. I'm sure we did some other fun things (maybe a run to BBs?) but obviously it was not memorable. I had Bible Study in the evening and Jon had prayer group and it was my turn to take care of Ellie so I brought her along to Brittany's. We met outside since the weather was so beautiful and Ellie was very enjoyable. She sat on Katie's lap for a while and just hung out. When 8:30 hit, though, she had been awake for six hours and was ready to go home. Fortunately we were finished the study so I scrambled to pack the car and head home.
Thursday morning I knew the Iyas were in town (they arrived Wednesday afternoon) and Mom said we should come any time after 9:30. Ellie was supposed to take her first nap but after struggling for forty-five minutes I decided it wasn't worth it so we went over to Mimi's around 10:15. The Iyas are baby people and I felt terrible when Ellie cried when they tried to hold her. I blamed it on her being tired, which was mostly true. A nap was out of the question at Mimi's because she still refuses to sleep in other places besides her bed unless it is completely dark. It fails every time.
Kelly, Clark, and Maya joined the party and we all hung around until 12:30 since Mimi, Pops, and the Iyas had plans. Mrs. Iya held Maya and Dr. Iya got down on the floor to talk to Clark and he scramble away from him. We tried to explain that Clark treats anyone besides family and his Sunday school teachers that way because he's a bit reserved.

Playing at Mimi's

In the afternoon I spent time making some baby food for Ellie, doing laundry, and hanging out with Ellie. Jon and I had small group at 6:30 so we ate dinner when he came home and headed out the door. Ellie came with us and behaved beautifully, sitting on the floor and playing with her toys while we listened to thirty minutes out of a sermon. We left small group a bit early so Jon could meet the Iyas.
I put Ellie to bed at Mimi's since it was dark and she was tired. Jon and I spent time with Mimi, Pops, and the Iyas, leaving shortly after 10:00. They had gone to Shady Maple (they thought the name "shady" was a bit....shady) and Sight and Sound. Jon and Dr. Iya bonded over their love of Premier League soccer. Dr. Iya roots for Liverpool and Mrs. Iya likes Arsenal while Jon is all for Barcelona (I root for them because he does).

Ellieisms:
Ellie has started biting the tip of her tongue while it's sticking out. Not hard, but she does it and grins. I'll have to try to get a picture.

Sun tanning on Tuesday

Happy Birthday, Corinne!

Sunday morning Jon and I drove separately to church because of the welcome lunch. Ellie did not sleep during church but I put her down for a nap as the service ended. After I put her down I grabbed Jay and we walked around together since Carly was talking. When I had to go to the welcome lunch I had to hand him off but he didn't want to go. Sweetheart! Ellie slept for an hour then woke up and ate some macaroni and cheese at the welcome lunch. I ducked out of the welcome lunch after we had eaten because I wanted to spend as much time with Carly and Jay as I could before they had to leave.
Kelly and Maya were at Mimi's house and shortly after Ellie and I arrived we went with them and Carly and Mimi to the sales office to work on more invitations. We spent a few hours with some luck but then Carly had to head back and pack everything up.
It was great having Carly and Jay in town! Thank you so much for coming.
Monday morning Ellie slept in until 8:45. Therefore I once again missed my 8:00 gym class and decided to skip the gym altogether. Instead I dropped Ellie off with Grandpa and Grandma and went to the dry cleaners, bank, and Walmart. Kelly, Clark, and Maya joined Ellie and me at Grandma's for lunch. Ellie was very ready for her nap when I returned from Walmart. I tried putting her to sleep on Grandma's bed but she fought me. I ended up leaving her on the bed since she was calm and quiet. Apparently she didn't fall asleep, though, because we heard a thump. Originally Kelly thought Clark had pushed over Grandma's decorative brick but then Ellie started crying. Oops. Fortunately she didn't seem to have any bumps or bruises and she was happy when her scheme for avoiding her nap proved successful. She ate applesauce and banana bread happily in the highchair.
Ellie slept when we went home until right before my piano lessons. She was cranky while I taught and I played with her after the hour was over to see if she would maybe get tired for a nap. Her next nap started at 4:30 and I woke her up at 6:00 since I wanted her to sleep at night. Jon worked on the basement floor a bit while Ellie and I hung out. She eventually went to bed after 8:30. I worked in the basement and watched some TV until bedtime.
This morning, Tuesday, Kelsey and Katie Estes texted and said they were meeting up at the park behind their house at 9:00. The forecast called for 70 degrees and sunny. It was nice and balmy with the humidity making it sticky. Ellie enjoyed the swings and watching the boys crawl around but she didn't make any moves for crawling herself. When we came home she was very tired and went right down for her nap. She slept two hours and woke up and ate a huge lunch of macaroni and cheese, applesauce, and spinach.
It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon so we spent some time sitting outside. Ellie sits nicely on a beach towel in the shade playing with her toys and picking at the grass so I get to read my book (for Bible study) and tan. It's great! I wonder how much longer it will last.
Ellie took another nap and woke up conveniently right before we needed to leave to drop off a meal at Kelly's then to Grandma's. Grandpa came bounding out of the house when we pulled up and when I came back from my lesson they gave Ellie a good report. Grandpa said she is a very happy baby! She seems to love Grandpa because she would watch him wherever he went and whenever he cleared his throat or spoke she craned her neck around to look at him. It's sweet and Grandpa loves it.
We went home and Jon had already arrived from work. He fed Ellie macaroni and cheese (we're almost done with the leftovers, I promise) while I heated up dinner. He had a missions committee meeting so I did laundry and cleaned up the kitchen.

Everything we did today I told Ellie we were doing in honor of Aunt Corinne's birthday. We went to the park for Rin's birthday, sat in the sun - for Corinne's birthday, and ate dinner -- all in the name of Corinne's birthday. Happy Birthday, Aunt Corinne! We love you and miss you! (Well, I miss you. Ellie doesn't know what she's missing yet!!)
Corinne's Birthday tribute:

Carly & Jay Come to Visit!

Friday morning Ellie and I went to the gym. We went home for her nap then went out grocery shopping. Then I spent some time cleaning up the house and preparing dinner. Last Thanksgiving Iron Mountains gave us a turkey and we still had our turkey from the year before, so we threw the old one away because we didn't have room for both. Jon really wanted to prevent that from happening again so we decided to fry the turkey and have a thanksgiving style meal. We enlisted the Bradshaws, Peter and Brittany, and the Freys to help eat the fifteen pound bird. I made rice, a sausage/apple/cranberry stuffing, corn, and broccoli. Brittany brought mashed potatoes and dessert, Dorothy brought sweet potatoes, and Tara brought a strawberry/rhubarb sangria.
I set up the picnic table in the backyard with a table cloth and Grandma Mountz's china. Christmas tree lights helped make the area seem a bit more exciting. I enjoyed myself and I hope everyone else did, too! Ellie behaved pretty well. I tried putting her to sleep after dinner but after several minutes I decided I would rather spend time with my company. The boys started a fire so we hung around that and Ellie sat in her stroller or in my lap until she could not fight sleep any longer and I put her to bed. Our guests stayed until 11:15 (a successful party = eating a lot and staying late).
Jon helped clean up the dishes Friday night but we still did not get to bed until 1:15. I know I was excited because Carly was coming into town!
Carly and Jay flew to Pennsylvania late Friday night to surprise Kelly and meet Maya. They had a late flight in so I expected that we wouldn't see them until mid-morning. Brittany and I met up at Donna's house and went to the Elverson yardsale. I found a children's rocker ($3), dress for Ellie ($6), and an oil lamp ($1). None were items I needed but I have been looking for an oil lamp and the dress is really pretty! The rocking chair will probably be replaced by a future gift from Mimi but we'll get some use out of it until then :)
Nap time quickly approached and I tried to put Ellie down at Grandma and Grandpa's house so that I could continue looking for deals at the yard sale. She didn't want to nap, though, and ended up avoiding sleep all together since Grandma held to her no-cry rule and went in after I left. It was so generous of them to be willing to watch Ellie on their Saturday morning!
I met up with Mimi, Carly, and Jay. We finished up then headed over to Bulltown where Dad was hosting an open house of the new barn/garage they are building. Ulterior motives caused our support of his event since they were handing out free Twin Valley coffees (that's $2.65 I saved!) plus sticky buns and cookies. Jay took a major swig of Carly's coffee and was running in circles thirty seconds later. He was very excited to see Pops drive up in a golf cart and would watch Pop's every move.

Kissing Cousins

Jay shares. He'll make a good big brother!

Sitting down to a feast

Grandma invited us all over for lunch and she made us sandwiches. Ellie ate quite a bit, favoring Grandma's delicious banana nut bread. After lunch we went to Mimi's house where I tried to put Ellie down for a nap while Carly and Mimi went to go surprise Kelly.
I fought with Ellie for almost an hour trying to put her to sleep. Apparently she only likes to sleep in her own bed because we went home after Carly and Mimi returned and she fell asleep immediately after I put her in her own crib (after a few wails). Stinker. While she slept I made two 9x13s of baked macaroni for the welcome lunch our small group is hosting at church.
Mimi hosted dinner which Ellie, me, and the Fentons attended. Jon had to go pick up Omar from the train station in Philadelphia so he missed the dinner. Clark and Jay got along nicely. Jay only became jealous once when Carly was holding Maya. Otherwise he would want to look at her and kiss her little head.

The boys playing with Pops

Gma & Gpa stopped by after dinner

Dancing boys

Diaper babies

Ellie finally fell asleep at Mimi's house when it was late and the room was dark. I hung around late enough that Mimi, Carly, and I went over to the sales office and worked on Corinne's wedding invitations. We spent over an hour and printed thirty invitations. Baby steps.
I pulled Ellie from the crib and took her home. Usually she falls asleep in her crib but this time she stayed awake for an hour and a half after we were home - from 11:00-12:15. Jon helped wrestle her to sleep but ultimately she nursed herself to a comatose state. We decided it was time to work on her sleeping habits since she has become difficult.

Jay would try to mimic Ellie's moves. 

Comparing bellies

Ellie: 9 months, 17lb
Jay: 21 months, 20lb

Ellieisms:
Still no crawling. Mimi thinks her wide-legged sitting position causes her to not crawl.