Talking...A Video Montage

So I said in Ella's 10 month post she can say a few words so I have been trying to capture them on video. This is harder than it sounds given that Ella is mobile now. She is very interested in everything around her, and the first time I tried to catch her talking she found something way more interesting to do. I think we got one "WOW" on this video.



Then I tried again a few minutes later...hence the same outfit. This time she decided to show her audience how skilled she is at pulling up on the coffee table and taking things out of the basket. Cute...but not exactly what we were looking for.



So we are strapped in!  Maybe now I will be able to get her attention. As you can see my daughter has a very independent spirit. That is a nice way of saying she wants to do what she wants when she wants. There is a moment in this where she starts to get pretty upset about being strapped in with no food in front of her, then she stops. The reason is because she got the patented "Teacher Look". I still got it! I guess it is the "Mommy Look" now.



Still strapped in, I thought Titan would be a distraction to my overall goal which was to get her to say her words, but I think this might be the best video I got. By the way, she did a double handed wave the second I turned the camera off!

My New "Job"

 Rachel and Ella

 Brooke and Ella

 Brooke and I had on matching outfits, apparently I am trendy!

So I think most people know that I have left RE/MAX and taken a job as a nanny for a friend's girls.  I mostly just take them to school in the morning and pick them up in the afternoon. Sometimes we get to hang out in the afternoon after school though. Today was a beautiful day and we went outside after school to swing and play for a few minutes. As you can see from the pictures Ella was not in a wonderful mood. She is teething and did not sleep well last night so she was somewhat fragile today. She really loves the girls, and they are both so good with her. We all have a really good time together when we are not rushing from one place to the next. I am so lucky to call this a job. I am able to stay home with Ella and hang out with these two awesome girls! It is great. I am tutoring on the weekends, doing some freelance work for an agent team at RE/MAX, attending a bible study on Tuesday nights and maintaining my position as MFC (Mayo Families Connection) secretary getting ready to take over Vice-President, all while getting ready to move my family to Florida for three months beginning in January.  Clearly I am not slowing down even a little bit, if anything my life is busier now that I am not working in the office every day. I love to be busy though, it just seems to suit me. The busier I am the more I get done. I am really enjoying this new chapter in my life. Below is just a silly little video I took this afternoon of the girls and Ella. It is kind of long and mostly pointless, but I had to put it up.

Going on a Walk

Tim, Titan, Ella and I went on a walk today with our friends Danielle and Steve and their pup Molly. Super fun, and Tim got to use the backpack. Ella loved riding up so high!

10 Months

Sorry I am a little late on this one, but Ella turned 10 months while we were on vacation. This was a big month for us. This was her first time traveling, flying on a plane, napping/sleeping in the same room as mommy and daddy (since she was really little). Ella also started really talking this month. She can say five words now. Yay! We had so much fun with her on vacation. She and Tim really got to spend some good time together which was great. She is now totally a Daddy's girl. It is fun to watch.

At 10 Months Ella

* Wears size three diapers

* Wears mostly size 9-12 month clothes. Still some 6 months too

* Can pull to stand on almost anything

* Can say, Mama, Dada, Dog, Wow, Uh-Oh and sometimes we can get a Hi out of her

* Drinks out of a sippy cup if mom holds it

* Has stopped going to daycare full time since I took a job working from home

* Still drinks 4 bottles a day, but smaller ones. She takes about 24 oz of formula

* Still only has 2 teeth

Loves

* The Wiggles ( a singing group for kids)

* To laugh and smile

* To be kissed on the neck

* Veggies

* To make funny faces

* Small toys she can hold in her hand

* The bath

Our Fabulous Mexican Vacation

As you can see from the first couple of pictures, Ella was relatively unimpressed with the airplane. She slept on my lap most of the flight to Atlanta. She woke up towards the end and seemed to enjoy the landing.

 Some cute towel animals our housekeeper kept leaving for the kids.

The view from the back of our hotel room, we had a hammock swing and a private pool.

 Tim and Eric

 Melissa and Ella

 Eric and Ella

The hotel had a carousel that was really beautiful and on our last night we tried to take the kids for a spin. Eric did great, but Ella all  but jumped off the horse into my arms. This last picture is a fake... the carousel was stopped. She had fun going around as long as I was holding her. Oh well maybe next time. 

So much fun! Eric and Ella just loved each other and it was so fun to see old friends again. Thanks Eric squared and Melissa  for a wonderful vacation!

Yes, She Is Sound Asleep

My Parents' Latest Visit

My parents came for a visit a few weeks ago and we had a great time...sort of. We had a really great first part of the visit. We went to Lanesboro which is a small town about an hour from Rochester that is right on the Root River. There are some shops, a winery and ice cream all within a few blocks. We had a great time. The last picture is of my dad playing with Ella and Titan. Titan just loves my dad and has a very hard time staying out of the activity when my dad is involved. Now for the sort of part....we all got the stomach flu! I got it first and then Tim, then my dad and finally my mom. Thank goodness there was always someone healthy enough to take care of Ella, but we were pretty miserable for a while! Other than that we had a great visit.