Walking Videos

My mom requested videos of Ella walking, so here you go, Grandma :)

#946 - Swimming

$9 swimming pool

On Mother's Day night, Daniel and I were able to go on a date. When you live in a small town, it's not a date without some sort of trip to Wal-Mart. So, between dinner and our movie, we stopped by Wal-Mart for a few things. One of those being the best investment we've made in a long time.

This pool...

I pulled it out this past Thursday during Ella's morning nap, and you would have thought I'd shown Riley a million dollars. He just kept saying, "We have our own pool! Daddy's not going to believe this!" (never mind that Daddy was the one to pick it out!) Once I got it blown up, I handed the water hose over to little man and he went to work.

 And then it was time to test it out!

The water was cold, but he didn't care! He had a blast!

And then when sister woke up, it was time for a pool mate! They were so cute to watch. He would splash her or pour water on her head, and she'd just laugh! I definitely think she's going to be our water-baby. Riley flips out if water gets in his eyes ("I need a dry towel!!!"), but Ella is totally fine with water just running down her face.

Oh, and she's not afraid to stand up in the pool either...Mama's not a huge fan of it, but that doesn't stop Miss Strong Will. :)

Miss Patriotic the day after Memorial Day (they swam on Memorial Day, too, but I didn't get any pictures).

Can you tell this is one of his favorite things to do at this point in his life??

 This past Friday Riley had his first "pool party" with a friend. :) His friend, Jamie, from down the street came for a play date and they played in the pool for about 3 hours. As Riley said, his hands and feet were quite "spongy" when he got out.

It's not even June yet, and I can already tell we're going to get our money's worth (and then some!) out of this $9 pool! If you're a Mama of little ones and don't have something like this yet, GO RIGHT NOW and get one! You will never regret it! (except maybe the extra laundry it causes due to needing towels and bathing suits)

#947 - She walks!

18 months & walking

Our internet has been spotty the past few days, so I'm a couple of days late posting about our big 1.5 year old!

How is it possible that this Little Lucy (one of my many nicknames for her - and no, I don't know where I came up with that one!) is this old? I know in the grand scheme of life, 18 months is a short time. But for this Mama, it's gone by all too quickly. My baby is growing and becoming a little girl.

Not only is her body growing, but so is her strong personality! We're beginning to experience little tantrums and fits when little miss doesn't get exactly what she was hoping for. Oh, the drama of girls! :) 

She's also quite attached to her Mama. The picture below shows perfectly how Ella feels about being physically attached to me. I have tried really hard not to spoil her by holding her all of the time, but sometimes, a girl just needs her Mama. And I'm okay with that!

 

 Just in the past couple of weeks her vocabulary has taken off! She's pretty much willing to try and say any word I ask her to. Some of them sound nothing like what I say, but a lot of them sound very similar. She loves the sounds made by "K," "P," and "S." She'll say pretty much any word with those letters in it. My favorites to hear right now are: "peas (please), thank you (her version), duck, book, water (she says it really well!), Riley, Daddy, Mama (she has mastered this one, for sure), baby, Pooh, and walk.

Speaking of walking, Ella Grace is now a walker! On her 17-month birthday she took her first steps, and on her 18-month birthday she walked all over the church. She still loses her balance at times and has to regroup, but she's doing really well! Every now and then I'll catch her trying to revert to scooting, and I'll say, "Ella, get up and walk! Don't scoot!" and she'll almost immediately stand up and start walking. We're so proud of her!

I'm thankful for the big plans I know the Lord has for this one. If she allows Him to (which I pray with all that's in me she does), I know He will use her strong personality and LOVING heart for His glory. We love you, Ella Boo!

#948 - Sparkly Green Earrings

This Book

I had never heard of Melanie Shankle or this book until I went to the dotMOM Conference this past February. Melanie was one of the Emcee's at the event, and just in the short time I heard her, I absolutely fell in love with her sarcasm! When she mentioned she'd recently written a book about motherhood, I knew I needed to read it. Since I'm addicted to my Kindle and don't really care to hold real books anymore (besides the Bible, of course!), I asked for this book (among others) for my birthday. Thank you, Mom and Dad! (and what's even better, my mom got this book for her kindle for FREE last week!)

I have a horrible habit of starting a book and then jumping ship about halfway through. And if you have a Kindle, you know how easy it is to do! I'm proud to say that I began Sparkly Green Earrings last week, and I finished it last night about 9:30. That should tell you how great it is! I laughed a TON (I got several looks from Daniel while reading in bed - it's mommy humor, babe, sorry!), teared up in some places, and thought many times, "I'm so glad I'm not the only one!"

So, today, I am thankful for Melanie Shankle and the fact that she followed her 4th grade dream of one day writing a book. I sure hope there are more to come in the future!

#949 - Lord of Hosts

Whom Shall I Fear?

One of my new favorite songs is "Whom Shall I Fear" by Chris Tomlin. When it comes on the radio in the car, I usually want to just pull over and worship right there. However, the two littles in the back may have a problem with that, so I worship as I continue driving down the road.

Yesterday in Daniel's sermon he mentioned this song because he referred to the Lord of Hosts, which means "Lord of the Almighty's Armies." In the song, Chris Tomlin calls Him the God of Angel Armies. Basically, it means the God of the Universe who commands the angel armies is ALWAYS by my side. How thankful I am for the comfort found in this promise! Whom shall I fear when I have Him fighting for me?!

For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone...

"Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation."

Psalm 91:11-12, 14-16

 

#950 - Sleeping in

Sleeping Until 7:30 am

At this point in my life, "sleeping in" for me is anything past 7 am. Sometimes I long for the days when I could sleep until 10 or 11 am! Maybe they will return again one day, but for now, I'm required to be an early riser.

Ella's pretty unpredictable regarding when she'll wake up each morning (she's always the first one awake). Sometimes it's 7, sometimes 6:30, or like this morning, it was 5:50. But, you know what was different about this morning? She woke up saying, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!" I turned to Daniel and said, "She's calling you," thinking he'd just grunt and roll over. But, to my surprise, he jumped out of bed and went to get his daughter!

And then I got to sleep for another hour and a half until I heard little man waking up. How thankful I am today for an attentive husband who chooses to put himself aside and serve me in ways that may seem small to others, but mean the world to me!

#951 - Transportation

Ella's Modes of Transportation

Our almost-18-month-old cracks me up. She's getting closer and closer to walking on her own, but we're just not quite there. Just in the past couple of days, though, she's been branching out and really trying to walk around without assistance. I finally got it on video tonight, and then she decided to add in several other forms of transportation she likes to use on occasion. Love her!