Martha's Vineyard

This past weekend we went to Martha's Vineyard for the day. Ellie is the perfect traveler/sightseer right now so we are trying to get in all the places we want to see before baby #2 arrives. Ellie was so thrilled because we got to ride on a bus and a boat- while on the bus she entertained people by singing- "the wheels on the bus go round and round" At lunch, she danced with the staff to the jamaican music playing and while waiting for the boat she had all the people around us laughing with her antics. She has developed quite the personality- shocking since mike and I are not personable at all- ha ha. It was so great to be able to see Martha's Vineyard before it is taken over by tourists this summer. We just had the best day walking around, looking at all the homes and enjoying the beautiful weather. We took Ellie to ride the oldest carousel in America- built in 1883- and had a similar experience to her first time seeing Santa- she got so excited to see the horses and kept making horsey sounds- ran up to the carousel but when it was time to get on wanted nothing to do with actually sitting on the horse- so daddy and Ellie rode in the chairs- and she is still talking about it.

We miss our friends in Oklahoma but have been so thrilled to have the opportunity to live in the Northeast and see experience all the culture this area of the country has to offer. And watching it through Ellie's eyes has just been the icing on the cake. We definitely act like tourists and as an example I will relay the following story- we arrived in Martha's Vineyard and figured out we had to get a bus pass for the day. Mike went to the ATM to get cash and when the bus arrived we were told we needed exact change. Mike was standing outside the bus holding ellie and the stroller- me and my big pregnant self had to run across the street to get the change. The bus driver was about to leave mike just standing there when he pleaded for another minute to which he got a very non southern response but the bus driver reluctantly said he would wait one more minute. When I showed up the whole bus cheered- I think they were just happy to see that I had not put myself in labor. Needless to say we looked like the classic tourists but luckily it was the off season and we got away with it. It was quite humorous.

Enjoy the pics!

Ellie sitting drinking her water- she was fascinated with being able to use a straw!
Family photo on the boat- my belly is getting huge

Ellie driving a car- watch out world
This is one of my all time favorite photos- Ellie was cracking me up about something and found herself pretty amusing as well- mike happened to catch it at the perfect moment- priceless

Riding with daddy on the carousel
First trip on the carousel- we got her on the horse before she could think about it but after this ride there was no way she was getting back up there
Looking out the window at the boats

More Easter Pics

More pics as promised of Ellie in her beautiful easter dress!

Before church we let her go down her new slide which was initially indoors- it is the perfect size for her and she loves it!
Ellie smelling the flowers- she as too scared to get close to the flowers but she pretended- she is one funny kid. She will walk up to any dog she sees and try and hug him but try and hand her a flower and she freaks out- it is hilarious.
Mimi and Ellie!
Daddy and Ellie- I just love this picture!
Sweet girl with her ever present snack cup.

MImi's visit/ Easter

DISCLAIMER- I will be posting more pics later because Blogger keeps telling me I am making a bad request and I am getting extremely frustrated- so I will go with what I have and post the remainder easter pics later.

My mom/ Mimi was in town this past week as her school had spring break. we had a great visit and Ellie sure does love her mimi. It is amazing to me how quickly she is so comfortable with mimi and how she never misbehaves for her- it was such a blessing to have mom here this week to help and give my pregnant self a little break. Last Sunday was Easter and the Easter Bunny brought Ellie a slide for the back yard as well as bubbles which she loves- the weather here has been amazing and we all just loved being outside with Ellie running around. She is a ball of energy these days so I am very thankful to have such great weather as we would have gone nuts staying indoors. We also did an easter egg hunt and as soon as she caught onto the fact that there was stickers and chocolate in the eggs she loved picking them up. In fact she loves the eggs so much we still play with them on a daily basis- they will probably still be out come next Easter.

On Monday we went to Boston to the Children's Museum and had so much fun. Some parts were a little advanced for ellie but she has a great time pretty much anywhere. we walked ALOT which was good with all the easter candy I had been consuming since I gave it up for lent. the day was exhausting but so fun and it is definitely the major benefit of living in Newport that such great cities are so easily accessible.

My mom and I also hit up the outlet malls while she was here- Ellie is going to look so cute this spring/summer as you will see in the upcoming months. And mom brought ellie plenty of hairbows so she can look like the southern girl she is at heart.

again it was such a fun visit- we could not have asked for better weather and I know Ellie could not have had more fun with her mimi- she still asks for her on a daily basis and I am glad they are so close as Mimi will be a great distraction when the new baby arrives in July. Only 12 more weeks which is scary and exciting but I know I will be ready to deliver as the third trimester is not that comfortable! Hope everyone had a great Easter.

Riding the horsey at the children's museum.
Still fits in her easter basket- I will post last years pic later for a comparison!
Bought Ellie some cute shades at the outlet- she loves them and of course they are pink to match all her outfits.
Mommy looks a little rough but we were walking on the cliff walks so please excuse the appearance- we discovered the cliff walks which is a sidewalked trail with the atlantic ocean on one side and the mansions on the other- it is beautiful and we plan on taking many trips there to get our exercise
Ellie in her new raincoat- adorable
After church
Ellie and her new bunny from mimi- soon ellie will no longer fit in her crib as she has too many stuffed animals to sleep with
Easter egg hunt
Look at those adorable curls- I love her hair.
Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles- her expression of pure joy is priceless

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!