Navy Easter Party in Newport

Happy Easter!

This weekend there was a party on base for the kiddos- sometimes the navy really comes through with some great things for the little ones. Ellie had her pic taken with the Easter Bunny- well I should say we all had our picture taken as once again she was not too keen on getting close to him alone. When we walked in the room and saw the Easter Bunny or hop hop as Ellie calls him she was so excited- waving and smiling. Mike put her down and she ran to the Easter Bunny and about 4 feet from him came to complete stop and was not going any closer- so all three of us got in the pic and it turned out cute- mike will have to scan it in so yall can see it - that is the great part about the navy party as the pic was free- at this age I can not rationalize paying for a picture that she will not even take- maybe next year.

There was a room with an easter egg hunt- ellie did not quite get the concept but had a great time running around and playing with all the bunny and duck stuffed animals. She was adorable in her smocked dress and we kept getting stopped by people saying how cute she was- I don't think these yankees see many smocked dresses- that and she is exceptionally cute if I do say so myself but I know I am just a tad bit biased! We made bunny ears and she is so advanced she even spelled happy easter (ha ha) and then they had a band for the kids to watch- it was the same band we saw valentines day weekend and it is so amazing how much ellie has changed in less than two months- at the valentines show she was not even interested in the band. This time she would watch and smile but was not ready to get on the floor to participate- maybe by their next show she will be out there dancing since at home she is a dancing fool. She definitely got her daddy's sweet dance moves as many of you have witnessed at the numerous weddings over the years. All she needs to do is stick her thumbs up and she would look just like her daddy on the dance floor. Each night we put on music and the two of them have a dance party- it is by far the highlight of my day and I can not wait to have another little one out there dancing too!

My mom is coming this next week and we have tons of fun things planned and she is great at taking photos so I promise a long photo recap of the week! Hope everyone has a blessed Easter- Love the Piedmonts

Ellie and daddy watching the band



Our little bunny!

Trip to Zoo and Park- Loving Newport

Spring is arriving in Newport and I am starting to understand why people endure the winter months because it is gorgeous! We had the best weekend and the most beautiful weather which I find ironic since Oklahoma got snow- who knew I needed to move to the northeast to escape a blizzard in March. We went to the park both days and to the zoo- Ellie loves animals and this time got alot more out of the zoo but you could see in her big eyes that she did not quite understand what was going on. She is used to looking at animals in board books and seeing the real thing was not quite making sense to her but she loved it nonetheless. She was cracking us up as she would run and get so excited. As you can see from the pics below, she is full of personality- sometimes that personality can be a little trying but mostly it is just fun.

I am in the full swing of pregnancy now and the weather definitely helps keep an upbeat attitude. I am so thankful for mike as I seem to oscillate between weeping, anger and sheer elation. Hormones stink especially when you are trying to reman patient for a precious 19 month old. But Baby #2 is starting to make its presence known and we are so excited.

As spring arrives I hope to get more and more pics of ellie and our beautiful surroundings- I will keep you posted.

Loves the slide!
And crawling thru tunnels- I am amazed how much my little girl can do- no fear!
Ellie does not look too thrilled here but this is towards the end of the day so I think she is getting a little sleepy

Watching the camels!Flamingos- Ellie loved these as they were so close- she was so excited.

Waving to the goat- they had a little farm area and the cow mooed- Ellie was a little freaked out but recovered quickly.
Look at that expression- she is a stinker
Sheer amazement at the size of the Elephants
Angel!

Ellie's 18 month stats

Hey All

I meant to post this yesterday but forgot. Ellie had her 18 month check up and to sum it up the doctor said, and I quote, "not all of us are meant to be basketball players!" She is still such a little peanut but I truly believe the best things come in small packages. She is 2% for weight; 7% for height and 85% for head- that is one big brain- so she is destined to be tiny and very smart. I know who she got the smarts from (me of course- ha ha) but not sure where this super tiny figure comes from- glad she was blessed with it though and a little jealous especially as my figure just expands more and more with this second baby. I think she is perfect in every way and it was nice to hear confirmation of that from the dr- he said she was healthy as a ox! We are so blessed and I pray everyday that our second baby is as healthy and wonderful as ellie which I know he or she will be.

On that note, I want to use this post to send a prayer for all those babies/kids who are not as healthy as my angel and their parents who have to be a constant source of strength. In her job, my mom has heard numerous stories and seen several families who have had to suffer watching their child be sick- there is one family currently with a little girl named Gabrielle- she is 10 and has a tumor which is wrapped around her organs. She has been through years of treatment, chemo, etc to try and defeat this tumor and has had numerous ups and downs but the truly inspirational part is the faith her and her family exhibit. They have a post on caring bridge and to read their blogs it is as if God is speaking thru them. This little girl's faith never falters and when she is her sickest she can be found praying or sining songs to God. It is inspirational and reminds us how trivial our little day to day struggles of tantrums, bills, work frustrations etc. really are. I pray that we are never faced with such a cross to bear as I can not imagine any greater pain than watching your baby suffer. For all of you who have had to bear such a burden in your life, I offer my prayers and thoughts that your baby is well and your faith is strong. And I pray that all our babies and families remain healthy and thank God for the family he has blessed me with - it is a miracle.

Ellie's First Trip to Auburn

Ellie and I fly back to the south this past weekend for my best friend Emilie's baby shower. We were sad that daddy could not make it (for many reasons but especially because traveling with a toddler is tough to say the least!) We flew out of Boston and our flight was delayed but Ellie proved to be an angel on the plane- she fell asleep in my arms 30 minutes after boarding and did not cry at all except for a few short whimpers when her ears popped- everyone around us including the stewardesses were commenting on what a wonderful baby she was. We got to auburn very late thursday night but ellie slept great so it was a good start to the trip.

On Friday I took ellie to buy an easter dress as they do not sell smocked dresses in the Northeast- we also loaded up on hairbows another essential for a southern baby. My best friend Nancy has the cutest store in Auburn and it was so fun to be able to finally shop there for my little princess. We had a great mommy/daughter day exploring auburn, eating pizza at mellow mushroom, playing on the sidewalk in front of Samford Hall and having mexican food at mommy's favorite- laredos. I think Ellie already loves Auburn and she has not even seen it during football season.

Saturday was the shower and it was a little exhausting as Ellie was on the go the whole time- by this point I was really missing having another set of hands and my pregnant self was have a hard time keeping up. But it was such a joy seeing all my auburn friends and watching ellie play with their daughters - they were instant friends! My friend April has a little girl Vivienne who is three months older than Ellie- the two of them were cracking each other up the whole night and was probably one of the highlights of my trips. I feel so blessed to have the girlfriends I have from Auburn and to watch our daughters (and soon to be little boy) grow up together is such a joy- our lives sure have changed from the days when we were dancing front row to now watching our kids dance to the wiggles. We have replaced wine bottles with formula bottles and I feel safe saying on behalf of all of us that we would not have it any other way.

Once again our flight was delayed on the way home and both Ellie and I had had at this point. Ellie actually cheered when the plane landed and pulled into the gate- it was hilarious. We were exhausted by the time we got home but it was totally worth it and we are recovered already.

I can not wait til the day we can move back to the south for good- but for now these trips will have to suffice. Ellie can easily say Auburn now and we are working on War Eagle- by the fall I am confident she will be singing the fight song. I know someday she will love the loveliest village on the plains just as her daddy and I do- WAR EAGLE!

Ellie running around Auburn Campus holding her auburn teddy bear- any doubt where she will go to school?
Dalton and Nancy- just one of ellie's many future best friends
running around- funny to think that in 17 years she will be walking around these same sidewalks!


Caroline and Lindsay- what a cutie!
Future AOPi sisters- already gossiping about the days events
The Auburn Girls!
Ellie and Vivienne- making each other laugh hysterically just like their mommies laugh togetherBest friends

Clapping in excitement- I wish we lived closer!