Big Girl Bed Hijinks

We decided it was time to transition Ellie out of her crib and into a big girl bed around New Years. The whole transition went surprisingly well. After all the worrying we did about what the rules would be and how we'd enforce them, she adjusted almost immediately and we've never had to really lay down the law at all. Kind of a let down, almost. I'm not complaining.

At first we found her in all kinds of crazy positions, but eventually she's settled in to sleeping like a regular human, head on the pillow, blanket on, that sort of thing.

What she does do, though, is sneak out of bed and grab things to take back to bed with her. I've caught her in the act. She must plan out what she's going for before getting out of bed because she quickly runs and grabs what she wants, then runs and jumps back into bed. It's hilarious.

She started just grabbing some stuffed animals and an occasional purse or two.

{Muno, Cat in the Hat, Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Beeker}

Then she went through a long phase of putting shoes on. Flip flops, crocks, slippers, dress shoes, but always matching pairs (not always on the right feet).

Eventually we moved the shoes out of her room. So, she started grabbing books, we'd find 4 or 5 books in there with her some nights. Then things got really quiet for awhile, and we kind of thought she was over getting up and grabbing random things. Then we found her the other night like this:

Not over it.

However, she does seem to be over "ninny." We told her last night ninny was gone. There were some big tears, but they didn't last long. Tonight she asked for ninny, we told her it was gone, and that was that. Kind of sad to see that vestige of her babyhood go. Again, I'm not complaining.

Foofa and DJ Lance Rock

Last year at Halloween we put off getting Ellie's costume until the last minute. This year I decided to make one! My mom always made costumes for us and they were so cool. Well, I think they were. Anyway, I think my first effort came out pretty good. I wasn't creative enough to come up with my own ideas, I stole from her favorite tv show, Yo Gabba Gabba.

The body was fairly simple to make. I had a pants pattern and I used a sweater that fit her really well as a template for the shirt. The hat I had to make two of. I learned a lot about the way a hat looks when it's flat vs. when it's actually on someone's head.

It took me forever to make, but in the end it was totally worth it. Mostly because she still drags this thing out and asks to be foofa at least once a week. And it still fits!

Pumpkin Carving

We had a great time last Halloween, so even though it's been awhile I wanted to at least write something official about it.

Our little town (technically a suburb I guess but it doesn't feel like a suburb) had a pumpkin carving event!

They had a bunch of tables set up with carving equipment and a bunch of pumpkins available to carve. You just picked one and tried to find an open spot at a table and carved away. Check out this pumpkin! It's huge!

There were tons of families, they had a little bandstand with local musicians and the kids enjoyed dancing.

Ellie helped decorate, and I used her lines as a guide. I think it turned out pretty cute.

A couple of days later they'd taken all the pumpkins and arranged them along a path in the woods and you could go on a pumpkin hike. It was muddy and a little drizzly and Pete was out of town so I didn't get any pictures and I had to carry Ellie the whole way. But it was so neat to see all the pumpkins and look for ours.

Looking forward to this year!!

Haircut!

After some deliberation I decided Ellie needed a haircut last Semptember.

{wispy crazy}

{we did pigtails before the big chop}

So, I cut it. Yup, me! Came out pretty cute, too, if I do say so myself.

{we miss Grandma}

I've since trimmed it up a couple of times, and taken her to a real hairstylist to fix my mistakes a couple of times. Sometimes I wonder if she'll want to grow it out or if I made the right choice, but I like her little bob and it sure is easy to keep combed out!

It's kind of funny doing this almost a year later because her hair is so much fuller now. You'll see. I'll get there eventually.

Maui is Heaven

Pete's parents, who are always very very generous (as are all of our families, we are very fortunate), flew the three of us and Aunt Su Su to Maui to stay at a resort for a week. A WEEK! Holy smokes, that was a fabulous time.

First of all, the resort was gorgeous. Fabulous pool with awesome slides right out our back door. Beach just a few feet away. It even had an adults only pool that served cocktails. IN THE POOL. You looked out over the pool edge to see the coast and ocean and beauty. And typical Maui weather, 80's and dry all. day. long. For a WEEK.

{resort entrance}


{view from our room}


{beach even a 1.75 year old could walk to from our room}

Then, we went on this awesome bike trip down the side of Haleakala after freezing our behinds off to watch the most amazing sunrise I've ever seen. I'm not even sure how to describe it except to say we were above the clouds. And it was really really really cold, and I hate being cold, and it was absolutely worth it.

I did not want to go on this ride by the way. Getting up ridiculously early (I don't care what time it was back home) to freeze for 30 minutes in the dark and then fly down the side of a very tall mountain on a tiny bike did not sound like fun to me. I was wrong. I can admit that.

Then, they have this really amazing aquarium. Really amazing! Ellie was fascinated. The best part was they had basically a tunnel through a tank with a small portion of the floor that was see-through. The reaction from Ellie running down the tunnel then realizing she was about to cross an "open" pit was hilarious. Wish we'd caught that on video.

{the wind is always blowing on this part of the island}

Then, the grandparents took Ellie for the day and Pete and I just explored the island. We hit the little winery, and then we ventured a bit further south and saw the sights.

The story of the black rocks is these are not tiny pebbles and they make the most amazing rumbling sound in the surf. It was impossible to get a recording of it because the wind is always blowing, but it was definitely worth a trip to hear it.

Otherwise, we just had an amazing time hanging out with the grandparents and relaxing and enjoying everything about this entire trip.

Even the plane ride home wasn't too horrific.

Sometimes I Wake Up Crabby

Sometimes I let her sleep. That's Pete's favorite joke. He's sooooooooooooooooooooo funny. Crab fest at Scruncle and Aunt Julie's marina gave Ellie her first boat ride! An important rite of passage in this family. And resulted in one of my favorite videos of her.

The "wee" is so convincing, don't you think? Anyway, we all had a good time, and overdosed on crabs and old bay.

Yum.

A Wedding

Next on our cross-country trip, a visit to Portland for my brother's wedding. We had a fabulous time and it was a gorgeous ceremony and reception. Her family was so welcoming, and I haven't seen my brother so happy in a long time.

We had too much fun at the rehearsal dinner to get many pictures but Ellie looked awfully cute in her little dress.

First were pre-wedding pictures, then ceremony, then the obligatory bubble blowing, etc.

{so sweet}

{my favorite picture ever}

{Grandpa Mac did, in fact, wear a tux}

I love these pictures because you can just see how much fun we're all having, everyone's so happy. And now let the wild rumpus start (can you tell what we've been reading lately?).

The reception was truly a blast. It was on the family farm, an amazing piece of property. They had a dance floor set up with tables surrounding, amazing food, everyone just let loose and had fun. Great toasts, yummy cake, good beer, perfect weather. Ellie tore up the dance floor all evening long.

I had a gazillion more pictures I wanted to post, but instead I'll just point you to the flickr group if you want more. Welcome to the family, Aunt Mary!!