Ellie Takes Steps

Tuesday morning Jon woke up and we ate breakfast together and he left for work right after Ellie woke up. She must have slept well because she was ready to play right away. While she sat begging to go play outside I grabbed some clothes for her, dressed myself, dressed her, put on her winter coat, then took her outside. She used her walker to mosey around the driveway. I had forgotten to do the last steps to my pots that I had made with Mrs. Frey and Tara over the weekend, something I was supposed to do on Monday. It was a bit tricky to take off the molds but with some prying and breaking (of the molds, not the pots) I was successful. I cleaned up my mess and tried to make going inside look like fun for Ellie. It worked and she came in without complaining.

Not a fan of her hood

Hunter arrived at 9:00 but not before Ellie went down for a nap. She had been cranky so I decided to put her down for a nap and she slept almost the entire time Hunter was at our house. So Hunter and I spent some time playing with the train set (Hunter), dusting (me), trying on jewelry (Hunter), and folding laundry (me). Hunter spent probably forty minutes trying on a box of jewelry that Corinne gave to me and the other sisters had picked through and didn't want. I told him that he looked like a pirate and he said, "No, not a pirate." Later he said, "I look like a princess. A beautiful princess!" HA. His father would have been so proud (Jon was horrified that I let him play with jewelry).

Decked out

Ellie woke up around noon and Elisha was running late (usually she comes at noon) so Hunter and I cleaned up the living room then put on our coats to go outside. We were opening the door when his mom pulled up. I told Elisha about our day while Hunter quickly played outside until it was time to leave.
Ellie and I ate lunch and then I put her down for another nap before heading to Elverson. Grandpa and Grandma watched Ellie while I taught my Elverson lesson then came back to Geigertown for two lessons up the road from our house. Jon picked up Ellie and met me back at home and we had dinner together. Following dinner we had a walking session and Ellie did two "rounds" before giving up. Fortunately her second round included eight small steps towards Dad. Go Ellie! She was then too cranky for more rounds so she went to bed.

Wednesday morning Ellie and I had our first Precepts Bible Study. Ellie was in childcare with Corinne and Daniel along with about ten other kids age three and under. I am so glad to be back at Bible Study and Ellie behaved well during the two hour period, but she was tired. Before we left I was with Mimi and I put her on the ground and she took seven slow, unsteady steps before sitting down. Showing off for Mimi.
I took her home to nap and she slept until my piano lesson at 3:00. Following the lesson we ran to the grocery store then Ellie played outside while I emptied the groceries and started to prepare dinner. She played outside for forty minutes by herself, walking around with the walker and getting stuck in the grass. I spray painted a light for her room and read the newspaper in the sunporch until she was ready to come inside.

Troubles with the walker 

We had a quick dinner of spaghetti and then I left for Bible Study at Brittany's house. Jon spent the evening with Ellie and put her to bed. I came home late - it was nice to be able to go to Bible Study and not bring Ellie along! 

Ellieisms: 

Ellie doesn't like to walk unless she chooses to walk. When I try to encourage walking practice she almost always has spaghetti legs and just refuses to stand up. 

Ellie is teething! I feel a tooth coming in under the gum her bottom right side. Tooth number 7.

Jon's Day Off

Since Jon had been traveling over the weekends he was able to take Monday off to recover. Due to the jet lag he was awake at 6:15 and running the saw in the basement by 6:45. His goal: to install the trim in the laundry room. Ellie woke up and Jon made us all pancakes for breakfast (he's the best, really) and then was back to work while Ellie and I showered and started our day.
Ellie and I went out to the Pottstown T.J. Maxx and did some shopping before heading to Elverson to Grandma and Grandpa's house. I didn't know that Jon would get the day off until Sunday afternoon so I still wanted to stop by over the lunch time period and spend time with everyone as usual. We were the first to arrive so Grandma sent me off to Walmart since I had a few items to pick up. When I came back Mom, Kelly, and her kids were all at Grandma's.
Ellie ate lunch and I had some applesauce, half a sandwich, and a blueberry muffin insisting I shouldn't eat lunch since I was going to eat with Jon. After Ellie ate she pushed Maya around in the walker like it was her job. Very serious.

We headed home and I heated up leftovers for Jon and I for lunch. Ellie took a monster nap while Jon continued working on the trim in the basement. At 2:00 two piano students showed up and Ellie woke up halfway through the first lesson with a stinky diaper. I called to Jon and he changed her and had her in the basement until she kept climbing up the stairs preventing production. So she played with me until the final five minutes when I called to Jon a second time for deliverance.
From 3:00 until 5:00 Ellie and I played and cleaned up the house and decorated some for autumn. My container with the autumn decorations had moths in it (yuck) so I put it outside while I undecorated from summertime.
At 5:30 Alyssa Gibson arrived to babysit. I gave her directions and Jon and I left for our night of freedom. We ate at an Italian restaurant in Parkerford (Giovanni's - we've eaten there before) and headed to the outlets. Jon found a pair of jeans and new brown dress shoes and I also bought a pair of jeans. It wasn't quite as successful as I hoped but it was a start!
While we were away poor Alyssa was in a nightmare. Ellie was refusing to go to bed and just worked herself up. Alyssa broke a glass (poor girl) and didn't have any time to do her homework since Ellie kept her busy the entire time. She tried to put Ellie to bed for a long time but it just didn't work. When I dropped Alyssa off at home I think she ran out of the car to get away from us. Bad girl, Ellie. Jon tried to put her to sleep but I ended up finishing the task when I came home.

A Busy Saturday & Jon Comes Home!

Saturday morning Ellie woke up nice and early and we started our day with breakfast and showers. An auction was happening up the road at 9:00 and Ellie and I made our way over there at 9:30. I wish I would have bought more stuff (things were going for a dollar right and left) but I didn't really have a vision for it. Items included a lot of old stuff like toys, tools, glassware, etc. I left at 11:00 because I had promised Grandma that we would stop by while Grandpa was away golfing.

Ellie's perch during the auction

Grandma treated us to lunch and let me run to Walmart to copy a picture of Grandpa in uniform for my basement wall-art. Ellie really enjoys Grandma and Grandpa's house because when we get out of the car she perks right up (even if she's just fallen asleep) and kicks her legs until we get inside. Then she crawls right over to their toys and gets busy.

I had to leave Grandma's house at 1:00 to put Ellie down for a nap at Nana's house. Tara Frey had invited me over to Mrs. Frey's house to do a fun project of making concrete planters together. Mrs. Frey had done it the weekend before with her friends and the three of us made more together. I made four of them (there were a lot of materials Mrs. Frey wanted to use up) so I'll have to post a picture of how they turned out sometime. After making the planters we went inside and enjoyed a piece of fresh baked apple bread. So delicious!
I had to run at 3:45 from Mrs. Frey's to pick up Ellie from Nana's house then pick up Mimi to go to an event at the Community Center. The Friends of the Community Center were hosting a fall festival geared towards children to raise money. Dad had invited Ellie and I a while back but he had to work late so I picked up Mimi and Dad and Mom-mom met us there later. We went on a hay ride with huge horses pulling them (one was 18 1/2 hands tall, for you horse people). Mimi and I took Ellie into the bouncy-house and she was unsure at first but soon enjoyed the bounce and slide. It helped that she was the only kid in the place.

Ellie and I split a hot dog (Ellie: 2 bites. Me: the rest) and some chips (Ellie: 22 chips. Me: 3). I roasted some marshmallows that I immediately regretted (the jumbo ones do not taste the same as normal marshmallows) and when it was raining and the family movie was about to start (The Incredibles) all the girls left and let Pops hang out talking to his peeps.
Ellie and I dropped Mommom and Mimi off at their respective homes and then went home. She took a little bit to unwind but when she went to bed I sat on the couch trying to convince myself to do something productive. Instead I went to bed at 9:30.

Bathing for church

Sunday Jon was set to come home! Ellie and I went to church and made it on time - a miracle, really. Dad invited us over for lunch along with a couple from church that I had never met. We ordered from the Deli and Ellie slept through lunch. We left when she woke up and went home to clean the house.
At 3:00 Autumn Jackins came by to cut my hair. She is almost through beauty school so I thought I'd pay her to give me a cut because 1) I could name my own price and 2) she came to me. She cut off a lot of hair and it resulted in a cut two inches shorter than I anticipated. She left and I cleaned up until Jon suddenly arrived at home. I had thought he'd give me a ten minute warning but he just showed up! We were very happy to see him and Ellie gave him a huge smile and a big hug. Jon was thrilled at how small Ellie seemed since he said she always seemed so big in the pictures I sent to him. Daddy and daughter got right to playing, making up for lost time.

Since he came home around 4:00 we skipped evening church and heard about his trip and went to bed early. Jon fell asleep around 8:30 but I laid in bed until after 10:00 and finally fell asleep.

Happy Birthday, Jon! Love, Kimberly & Ellie (and Ellie Walks)

Today Jon celebrated his thirty-third birthday! He started six hours earlier than us and had a fun-filled day at the baby product convention that he's at in Cologne, Germany. He also had time to stop by the big cathedral near his hotel and ate at a Mexican restaurant. Nobody in Germany knew it was his birthday (per his request) and I think overall he enjoyed the day! We will have to celebrate when he comes home.
Ellie and I started the day early when she woke up at 6:45 but it worked to our advantage since we were set to go shopping at 9:15. We met up at Kelly's house then drove to Good's Store to pick up the Iya's. Corinne and Daniel rode with Ellie and I while Mom rode with the Fentons. Apparently our ride was a lot quieter.

Ready to shop!

When I pulled Ellie's stroller out of the car she pointed to it and climbed right up into it. 

We shopped until we almost dropped. We spent quite a bit of time at the Bass Outlet since they had some great sales! Ellie celebrated Jon's birthday by taking her first (documented) steps! I say documented since Grandma says she's taken a step or two at her house. At 1:30 we finally stopped and ate lunch at Chickfila. Corinne commented how hungry she was, even though she didn't even realize it until she was actually eating. We take shopping seriously. 

Lunch break

Ellie fell asleep on the ride home at 3:00. I dropped the Iyas off at Good's and ran in (while they stayed with Ellie) and grabbed a disposable container. It is a lot faster to run in solo than to unbuckle a baby and lug her in and then buckle her back in. When we drove toward Morgantown we called Jon and spoke to him about his birthday.
Before heading home we stopped by AmyBeth's house to pick up some clothes for Ellie. Her daughter had received quite a few hand-me-downs and she was willing to share with me since her second child is a son. Yay for us! I was able to snag a pair of PJs, a handful of sweaters, and some pants and shirts for the wintertime. It's nice to have some more clothing to add to her closet!
We went home and put together a meal for a family in Reading. I decided since Jon was away that I would knock off all the people who need meals this week so that two dinners wouldn't need to be made. Ellie was so tired by this point since she had only slept thirty minutes in the car but she still wanted to walk around with her little walker in the driveway. I parked the car across the driveway so she had a clear visual of where to stop, she likes to walk that thing right to the street otherwise.

She walked all around with the walker and would even scoot it around to the direction she wanted. When she needed to go up a step she would run into the step then wait for me to help put it up. She really enjoys walking - I'm sure she'll enjoy being free of the walker! I didn't do any actual walking practice with her since Jon was really bummed about missing her first steps.

Jon's Birthday Tribute:

9 months

14 months

2 years

Almost 10 years old (he's in the Dodgers shirt)

12 years old

Us dating

Heading to our honeymoon!

Father & daughter at the Iya wedding

Our family

Happy 33rd Birthday, Jon!!

A Couple Videos

This morning I tried to figure out what to do so I texted Mom and Kelly to see if they wanted to go to the outlets. They weren't available today but agreed to going tomorrow. So Ellie and I went towards Ephrata to hit up the stores that were closed yesterday.
I didn't find any furniture that was exactly like I wanted but I have some ideas that I want to think about and maybe show Jon. Ellie stole the show and drew a crowd while she cruised around the store and flashed smiles at other shoppers. It keeps shopping enjoyable.
We stopped by a place called Carson in the Cornfields and I bought a hook for Ellie's room. Next we went to Shady Maple and grabbed some groceries and took them home.
Ellie fell asleep on the way home and was snoring when we pulled into our driveway. When I took her out of the car seat to bring her inside she bit my shoulder. That was a first! I'm pretending it was because she was so deeply sleeping she didn't know what she was doing. She went right back to sleep and I emptied the groceries and prepared for my students.
The Faber boys came for piano lessons and Ellie woke up towards the end o their time. She was a bit cranky and clingy but it was probably because she was hungry. I fed her after they left then we played and I made dinner for a family in our small group who have been having a stressful time recently with work and whatnot.
Ellie and I dropped off the meal at 4:30 and came back and talked with Jon on Skype for a while before he went to sleep. My goal was to go out after dinner to T.J. Maxx but Ellie was just too tired. So we stayed home and played until I tried to put her to bed. I failed and brought her out to eat more and eventually got her to bed.

Avoiding sleep

Another lofty goal was to do a lot of sewing while Jon was away but I have just been too tired. I worked briefly on the dress for Ellie but put it down and watched a movie instead.

I peaked in on Ellie and she was sleeping on her pillow pet.
I'll have to let Brooke Stoltzfus know that she uses it. 

Ellieisms:
I bought some day-old donuts from Shady Maple and Ellie and I ate those for lunch (first lunch, really) on the drive home. She liked them a lot and tried to stay awake so she could keep eating them.

And Ellie playing this morning: 

Shopping and Dinner at Grandma's

Wednesday morning Ellie woke up and was a bit cranky so we took it slow. I even put her back in the crib to hang out with a book and when she woke up more she was happier about starting the day. We ate breakfast and then headed out around 9:00 for a used furniture store that I had seen something on Craigslist that I liked. It took a while to get there but the piece is pretty but bigger than I thought so I couldn't a) fit it in the spot I had planned for it or b) in my car. Oh well. It was a large consignment shop so I looked at the clothes as well as shoes and other furniture and we left with two size 14 skirts (potential for fabric use) that were 50% off their consignment price and a pair of shoes that didn't look worn at all. We headed home the long way to swing through Ephrata for another furniture store and home decor store but both were closed. Who would have thought their day off was Wednesday? Lesson learned.
Ellie fell asleep less than two miles from home but didn't remain asleep. I put her in the crib but she woke up and fussed so I brought her out and we ate a real lunch (crackers in the car shouldn't count) and played until I put her to bed at 12:45. I put her in the crib with a bottle and a book and she drank her bottle, read the book for a while, then finally fell asleep. I worked on her dress until she fell asleep then cleaned up the kitchen and living room before my piano lesson at 3:00. Ellie woke up halfway through the lesson and Mrs. McCoach played with her for the last five minutes as she was starting to push her way to the keys and play along.

After the lesson we played and ate a snack. Jon called us and let us know about his fun day in Germany (well, his very busy day) and then we headed to Elverson. Grandpa and Grandma hosted us and Mimi, Pops, and the Iyas for dinner. Initially it was supposed to just be the Iyas and Mimi and Pops but she had pity on us and boy am I glad we were invited! Ellie played with Pops and the Little People farm then showed everyone how she stands without holding on to anything and walks while holding something with only one hand instead of two. Soon she will be walking! She served a delicious meal of ham, sweet potatoes, stuffed shells, italian bread, blueberry muffins, salad, green beans, and applesauce. For dessert we had apple pie and ice cream. Ellie refused the ice cream at first but after I stuffed it in her mouth she realized that it was delicious and ate it up.

At 6:45 we left and headed to Bible Study at Brittany's house. I brought the pack'n'play because Ellie was obviously tired at Grandma's house. She didn't want to sleep (she yelled/cried even when she was in my arms) so I told her if she was quiet I would let her stay up. We started the study and Ellie went up to Brittany and sat in her lap for fifteen minutes, paging through her book and enjoying being in the lap of the leader. She eventually got down and crawled around and spent the majority of the rest of the time touching the books on the bookshelf. After prayer requests she laid on the floor doing that "swimming" thing she does.
We came home and she went right to bed. And I think I will go join her.

Ellieisms:
I keep thinking I hear a male talking but it's just Ellie snoring.

Ellie's One-year Well-Child Checkup

Ellie must have known that we had a big day ahead of us because she woke up bright and early at 6:45. At this point I was kicking myself for having her doctor appointment so late, at 9:45. But if she would have stuck to her typical schedule (waking up around 8:00/8:30) we would have been golden. Oh well. Maybe next time.
We spent the morning snuggling, playing with her toys, then showering and getting ready for the appointment. The doctor's office is right in Morgantown so we left with fifteen minutes to drive ten minutes and arrived a bit early (well in reality a month late, since she is 13 months tomorrow). Ellie was cruising around the waiting room chairs flirting with an older man (late 70s?) and showing off. She still hasn't figured out that the doctor's office brings pain (shots). I hope she never figures out the correlation.

Fat baby

Busy baby waiting for the doctor:

Ellie passed all of the developmental "tests." She claps, talks, holds on to things tightly, can stand up, cruises holding onto furniture...stuff like that. The nurse weighed her measured her and she came in similar to before: short, fat, and with a large head. Dr. Lavin asked the usual questions and Ellie became really silly for the doctor. Maybe it was the early wake-up time but she was talking and screeching then would be silent and still when I wanted to show off her real skills. Oh well. She received some shots and we scheduled the next appointment and were outta there!

Ellie's one year stats (one month late):
Height: 28.5 inches, 14.7%
Weight: 20 lb 2oz, 49%

Ellie and I went to the consignment store in Morgantown before heading home. I found some things for my sewing projects, which was fun. Ellie found two bouncy balls that we bigger than her fists that she would excitedly throw against the carpet then chase them down as they bounced away. It kept her busy and gave me more time to sift through the merchandise.
We went home and ate lunch together before Ellie went down for a nap at noon. I did a bit more planning and work on Ellie's future new dress (hopefully, if it turns out) and was surprised when Ellie woke up only an hour later. I went up and tried to get her back to sleep but she seemed to be in pain (she kept putting her fingers in her mouth) so I gave her some Tylenol. Ellie did not go back to sleep so we just played together for a while. I tried to put her down later but was unsuccessful. We spent the afternoon together and headed over to Grandpa and Grandma's at 3:45.

Playing with her favorite toy

Grandma and Grandpa were watching Ellie during my lessons. When I went to leave I said "bye-bye" and when I turned to wave at Ellie she was already holding her hand up waving, happy to be staying with Grandpa and Grandma. My first lesson cancelled on me (I found out when I was driving their way) so I stopped by a store before heading to the next lesson to pick up a gift for Jon's birthday. Jon called during my shopping and I heard more about his time in Germany. Then I taught two more lessons and then went back for Ellie.
Grandpa said that Ellie was tired and that must have meant she was being high-maintenance! What a shame. I really did try to get her to nap more! I took her to Mimi and Pop's house next for dinner. Mom had made a delicious dinner of Pork and Israeli Couscous. I definitely want the recipe and the rest of you will want it, too. Mom-mom and Corinne were at dinner since Daniel is at newcomer's class and Mom-mom, well Mom-mom brought fresh bread. Worth it.
Following dinner Mom and Corinne did the dishes and Kelly came over with her kids since Josh was at small group. She had rented a movie from the library and we all watched it until it was time to leave. While we watched Clark and Ellie played with all the toys in the basement and Ellie tried periodically to escape up the steps. The chair barrier kept getting more layered as she figured out how to move the first chairs out of the way and would crawl up. When they were two chairs deep she still tried for a few minutes unsuccessfully. She knows when to admit defeat.

Trying to escape

We headed home at 9:30 and Ellie was tired! I fed her some yogurt then put her to bed. Now I'm watching Dancing With the Stars season 17 season premiere. Go Bill Nye the Science Guy (HA!).

Ellieisms:
At breakfast this morning Ellie would drop crackers off of her tray and proclaim "uh-oh!" Um, uh-oh only refers to accidents, kid.

Jon Heads to Germany

Sunday morning Jon woke up and made coffee and pancakes for breakfast. Ellie used to love pancakes but now she hardly touches them, I am not sure why. We went to church for the first service and Ellie once again received a glowing report from the nursery volunteers. Actually, they said they were disappointed that she wasn't remaining for the second service hour. I'm glad to hear she is a good girl.
We went home before the second service since Jon needed to pack and make sure everything was ready for his trip. I tried to put Ellie down for a nap but she fought it until it was time to leave. At 12:30 we headed over to Nana and Poppop's house since they had invited us and Peter and Brittany over for Rueben sandwiches.
Peter and Brittany are housing a foreign exchange student from China so I met her for the first time as we all ate together. Donna offered grilled meat and cheese sandwiches for those opposed to the sauerkraut but Jon ate it up to prepare for meeting the motherland (Ellie and I also at it, if you care. We are true Germans).
We said goodbye and left by 2:00 stopping by Fenton's to pick up a book for Jon's trip. Ellie and I left him at the office then went home for her nap. She was so tired after her long day that she was but by the time we passed Joanna Store. She took a nice nap before we left for church. Instead of a typical praying meeting we had communion and Matt Carter led. It was interesting. Fortunately Dad was my table leader and the majority of the time was spent as small groups at the tables.
Following church Ellie and I came home and she went to bed after a bit. I watched a movie then also went to bed early.

Walking around the kitchen

This morning Ellie and I woke up and it was rainy and dark. I had thought that I might try to go out after Ellie's nap in the morning and stop by a used furniture store but Ellie just wasn't cooperating! She was acting tired but refused to fall asleep. After feeling as though I missed my opportunity I changed Ellie into a cute outfit and we headed to Grandma's house. We stopped by the bank before going to Grandma's and we were still the first people there. Eventually Kelly, Clark, Maya, Mimi, Pops, Daniel, and Corinne joined us for lunch. Grandma made sandwiches, pasta salad, a delicious breakfast cake, and served cookies, watermelon, and more. Ellie really chowed down on the pasta salad which was surprising since she has not been eating well lately (her diet has been basically yogurt, chips, and milk). She played a lot with Grandma's toys but was obviously tired when she was laying down in the middle of the floor. I set up the pack'n'play and put Ellie down. While she slept I went to Walmart since I needed ingredients to make a meal for a friend who I had texted earlier and took me up on my offer.
I called Grandpa on my way out of Walmart and Ellie had woken up so I went and picked her up before heading back home. She went back to bed upon arriving home and I put together dinner for the Rus family.
Sarah Rus had her baby Thursday morning and I was so excited to hold the little guy! I dropped Ellie off with Mimi while I went to Morgantown and met little Teophil Graham (Teophil is after his father). Little Teo has more hair than Ellie does now a year older than him! He was so small and it was fun to cuddle with a newborn again.

Teo

I had to rush off after a bit because after picking Ellie up I had to be home to teach a piano lesson. Ellie had a blast playing with Brenda during the lesson and was laughing and crawling all around. She's getting so big! No walking yet, though.
Ellie and I ate dinner together and played in the living room until bed time. We read a book after putting on her PJs and her new favorite is "Pat the Bunny" which I didn't know was actually a fun book until Ellie pulled it off the shelf a few days ago. The bunny is not named Pat - you are actually supposed to pat a bunny. Ellie scratches it but she has the right idea.
After Ellie went to bed I did a load of laundry, watched my favorite TV show, and started cutting out a dress for Ellie. I realized I needed to wash the lining fabric so I didn't get very far but part of the boring part is done!

Ellieisms:
Ellie likes to be chased. She will crawl away and when I stop chasing her (on all fours) she looks back at me and laughs, mouth wide open, ready to crawl away quickly. She is also ticklish on her tummy, thighs, and feet. 

Reading books while lounging on the Leaf

Autumn Has Arrived!

Friday morning I knew I had to focus my time on finishing up the baby quilt for Saturday's auction. I took Ellie over to Deb's house around 9:00 and she went down for a nap by 10:00. I quilted and almost finished by the time Ellie woke up. Fortunately Mimi was free so she stopped by (partially for a tour of Deb's new kitchen) and helped me out considerably by entertaining Ellie while I finished up by sewing on the binding.

Kelsey, Mrs. Baskin, and William stopped by on their way home from Weaver's Orchard to also see the new kitchen. Ellie became excited when William showed up and she was talking to him and crawling towards him. She also spent quite a bit of time on Kelsey's lap and I'm not sure why! New person, I suppose. We left before lunch, thanking Deb and Mimi for making the quilting possible.
I took Ellie home and we ate and I started the hand-stitching portion of the binding. When she started cranking I put her in her crib for a nap but she didn't go to sleep for an hour at least. She was not a happy camper!
The quilt got finished and Jon was allowed to come home early since he is leaving for Germany on Sunday. He went out and mowed the lawn and Ellie watched and ate a snack while I gathered my things for the auction. Ellie was supposed to go to Grandma's while I ran errands but since she was cranky all afternoon we didn't get to stop by until 5:00. I talked with Grandpa and Grandma before Grandma shooed me out the door (I had called to cancel but Grandma was disappointed so I still went).  I dropped my donations off at the church for the auction and saw Dorothy and Mom there so hung around for a while before going back to get Ellie.
Jon and I wanted to go out to dinner as a family before his departure and Deb had recommended Cafe 110, which is right in Morgantown. Cafe 110 is open for lunch every day but also serves dinner Friday nights. We went in and had bruschetta for an appetizer, salad, soup, and split the filet with caramelized onions, bleu cheese, and a dark wine-based sauce. Smashed potatoes and asparagus finished up the meal and boy was it delicious! Two thumbs up.

Reading a book during dinner

Ellie hung out in the high chair for the first three quarters of the meal and then got antsy. The restaurant wasn't very busy so I grabbed a chair with arms on it from another table and she sat in there playing with the butter containers in the bread basket for the duration of the meal. We went home and she went to bed while Jon and I watched a movie in the basement.
This morning, Saturday, Jon was supposed to wake up early and start working on the basement. Apparently the bed was too comfortable because he slept in right up until Ellie woke up. He made our iced coffees and got right to work on painting trim for the laundry room. I showered and entertained Ellie until 9:00 when I left to pick up Brittany for the auction and a bridal shower. Sadly this year the women's fall auction landed on Hannah Kurtz's bridal shower. Brittany and I went and drooled over the items and I bid on a few silent auction things before we went to Morgantown for Hannah's shower.
Today was the first day that felt truly like autumn. I did not realize this, but Hannah's shower was outside. Fortunately I had decided to wear a maxi skirt and long-sleeved shirt, otherwise I would have been freezing! A lot of girls were wearing cute little dresses but I'm sure they regretted that as soon as they saw the location.
The shower was a cute set-up, a garden tea party of sorts. I sat with a bunch of girls from church including Corinne, Katie, Brittany Mountz, Tiffany Hopkins (now Wilson), and Kelsey. Corinne and I reconnected with our old babysitter, Theresa. It was neat to see her and meet her daughter, Carrie. The shower was enjoyable in spite of the cold weather.

Us with Theresa, our old babysitter

The CEFC girls

After the shower Brittany and I stopped by the church and the auction was just finishing up. The women broke last year's record of $3200 with a whopping $4400 (I think I got that right!). A successful event!
I went home and Ellie was napping. She woke up but I put her back down and wrapped up a pair of earrings for the evening's birthday party. Alyssa Gibson turned 13 on September 5 and Stephanie invited us over for the party. Jon was working on trim in the laundry room so Ellie and I went without him. We stopped by Morgantown for some groceries and then went to the Gibson's. I took Ellie's walker along and she cruised around like she owned the place. At one point two family friends (single sisters maybe in their 50s) were holding her and playing with her which was nice since that meant I could talk to people without interruptions. We left when Ellie seemed to be getting tired and it was nearing close to dinner and I had the groceries.
Jon asked in the morning if he could have some guys over for dinner and FIFA. Omar, Peter, and Daniel came and the four of them had burgers, bean dip, chips, and watermelon. Over dinner they were chatting about the teams and Daniel said that they should try America vs. Internationals or something like that. Ha. I think they switched around the teams a bit but the guys hung around until after 10:00. By that time I was in bed and Jon came up and started packing for his big trip to Germany!

Mid Week Roundup

Tuesday morning Ellie slept in while I finished up some piecing for a quilt I am making for the women's auction on Saturday. Or perhaps she took an early nap -- whatever the case, I finished up the quilt face before we had to head to Elverson for lunch at Grandma's house.
Kelly, Clark, and Maya met us at Grandma's around 11:15. Grandma decided to call Mom as well and she joined the party. We feasted on leftover barbeque from the Fox picnic and Clark, Ellie, and Maya hung out together. Maya is a cheerful kid even after coming straight from her 4 month checkup. What a champ. Grandpa asked to hold her because he had noticed earlier that he hadn't held her since she was a newborn! Ellie and Clark took a spin on the deck and it was quite a beautiful day! Sunny and warm.

Maya & Great Grandpa

After lunch Ellie and I went home for her nap. She slept for about an hour then we went to Deb Saint's house to quilt the quilt I finished piecing in the morning. I worked for an hour on planning it out and sandwiching it before we had to go back to Elverson for my piano lesson.

There's something on your chin, baby

Grandma and Grandpa held on to Ellie while I taught Carson from 4:15-4:45. They said she did wonderfully. Ellie really enjoys Grandpa and Grandma and always points at their door when we pull up because she wants to go inside. They interact with her on the floor and give her a lot of attention - of course she loves them!
We went home and made dinner for when Jon came home. In the evening we stayed home and took it easy.
Wednesday morning Ellie and I stayed home and she took a nap because we had some fun stuff planned for later. We put dinner in the crockpot and at 11:15 went to Nana's house to hang out with Cecelia Mountz who is one year older than Ellie, she was born on August 30, 2011. We went up to Nana's playhouse and explored the kitchen toys for a while until we went back inside for lunch. Nana prepared brats for us while the kids had fruit, crackers, and cheese. Ellie seemed infatuated with Cece and Cece liked talking about "Ehwie."

Notice the difference in hair...

Tea for two

Sharing

When Ellie seemed to be getting cranky and Cece was obviously ready for a nap we said goodbye and went to Mimi's house. Wednesday was a balmy 92 degrees and Pops had opened the pool so we couldn't pass up the last good swim day of the summer. We were the first people to arrive so Ellie played with the toys inside until Mimi, the Iyas, and Kelly and her kids showed up. The pool will probably be a favorite for Ellie next year because she seemed to really enjoy it this year but was restricted by her inability to walk/my lack of desire to swim. We hung out by the pool (frequently with nobody actually in the pool) for an hour before I had to take Ellie home for my afternoon piano lesson.

Snuggling with her stuffed animal

Ellie went down for a nap and my student came at 3:00. Ellie woke up right after she left so she got to watch me shred the beef for the barbeque sandwiches for dinner and chop up potatoes to be oven roasted. Jon came home and I ran out the door to grab some groceries to finish dinner (rolls). We had dinner and Jon left for prayer group while Ellie and I played with her People before she went to bed after much protest. She even threw-up all over her bumper and carpet. She didn't have a fever, I just think she worked herself up so much from yelling that she threw-up.

Playing with a birthday gift from Nana

Action shot

Standing up like a big girl

Trying to stack

Thursday morning we went to Deb Saint's house and I worked on the quilt most of the morning. Ellie took a nap while we were there and when she woke up I decided to go home since she wasn't really cooperating. She went down for a nap before my afternoon piano lesson and woke up right as it ended. Aunt Carol Hoke was disappointed since she was waiting to play with Ellie when she awoke. Next time.
We had leftovers for dinner then headed out to small group in Morgantown at 6:30. A couple from our small group had their first baby at 10:36 this morning and weren't going to make it and Brock and Nebin weren't either so I brought Ellie along since it was a smaller small group and was less formal. Sarah Rus had a son and named him Teophil Graham Rus after his dad, Teophil Paul (we call him Paul because his dad is named Teophil, too) and Teophil Graham was 7lb 14oz and about a week early. I haven't heard anything more about the birth story but I'm looking forward to it. She delivered at the women's clinic place where you go and use a midwife and no epidural and stuff. So we will see!
Jon put Ellie down in the pack'n'play while we were at small group so we woke her up and brought her home. She didn't fall asleep in the car but when I gave her a bottle and laid her in her crib she just waked her head on the side bars (where the bumper is missing) a couple times accidentally and fell asleep (or knocked herself out??) (I checked, she was breathing). I'm glad he put her down because we didn't leave until after 10:00.

Ellieisms:
I am trying to teach Ellie how to "blow a kiss" and she has only done it twice, once to me and once to Jon. Usually she becomes distracted and puts her fingers down her throat and gags instead.
When Ellie is feeling silly she shakes her head fast or puts something on top of her head. Exhibit A: