ADKS at Thanksgiving

We had a very nice Thanksgiving holiday up in the Adirondacks with the Morris family. Ella loved playing games, reading books and going for walks with her Aunt Cassidy, Aunt Deanne, Uncle David, Grammie, Gop and Gigi. As you can see here, real highlights were rolling out pie dough and washing dishes!

Ella the frog

Although she only spent about ten minutes total in her costume (which was too small for her!), Ella did make a great frog. We practiced hopping and sticking out our tongues to catch flies in the weeks before the big day, but in the end, weren't all that interested in the whole event and the cupcake at our friends' party became the highlight of the day. We didn't even attempt trick-or-treating in the rain!! Next year should be more of an adventure... This princess/fairy/tu-tu outfit was handed down by our neighbors a few weeks later and would definitely have made a bigger hit with this two-year-old!

A fall visit

We had a very nice visit from Gramma and Poppa this fall, who are planning a return trip and month-long stay in February for the arrival of "baby boy". Ella especially enjoyed our sewing projects (new curtains for bedrooms) and eating lots and lots of strawberries (here with yogurt).

Goofy poses, toothy grins

Ella has developed a camera smile (squinty eyes, wrinkled nose, tight lips) that is probably more functional (protecting her from flash) than anything, but makes her seem a real ham every time a camera comes out. You can see in this close-up the chunk of tooth that we left on a cement path. Though it was a bit traumatic at the time, it definitely hasn't slowed her down...

Beeky/Bonka

Dear Bianca lived for eight years with a number of nicknames, but never one that stuck so well as Ella's "Beeky", which we all now use. From time to time, Ella does call her "Bonka" too, but rarely does the sweet almost-ten-year-old dog get called by her given name these days... She remains extremely gentle and sweet with Ella and all her toddler pals and we feel very lucky to have her in our family.

Family

Although we don't live down the street from any of our family, we all make the effort to see each other regularly and, as a result, Ella knows her family members well, talks of them often and is always excited about the next opportunity to gather...

Runners

Ella discovered a new love for speed this summer when she was finally outfitted with her first pair of running shoes. Likewise, her dad found new pleasures in running in his preparation for the Philadelphia Marathon, which he completed in 2:59:00 on November 22, 2009!

Ella likes to hike!

While all grandparents were gathered out in Washington State, Ella was treated to a rather foggy, but beautiful hike on Mt. Rainier. She rode in the backpack on her dad's back, had a snooze, made snowmen at the perfect picnic spot and sang songs on the way down. It was a big day for a just-two-year-old, but a memorable one. We have done a lot of little "hikes" since then and she has really gotten into exploration "hors piste" (off trail) - especially when equipped with a "walking stick".

"Curly like Ella's hair!"

The humidity really did a number on Ella's curls this summer. At the dining hall one day, as I was trying to get her more excited about pasta than the cupcake that she had just spied, I told her excitedly that they had 'curly noodles' and she replied - "Yeah, curly like Ella hair!"

IRONMAN 2009

The Morris family was represented at its seventh consecutive Lake Placid Ironman triathlon this summer as Uncle David went for a personal (and family!) record on a MUCH nicer day (for competing AND spectating) than we had the year before... Ella enjoyed drawing on the streets with chalk and yelling "Go, Uncle David!"

Morris family gatherings

We had a number of wonderful opportunities to gather with family this summer. Here are some group photos from Morris gatherings when Aunt Chris and Cousin Emma came all the way from Montana to Connecticut twice - both in the summer and the fall!

Missing summer...

Ella and I have been going through some of the photos from this past summer that we never had the chance to upload. So here is a quick retrospective of some of our summer adventures!
Ella spent a great deal of time in water, both at the swimming pool in Wallingford and up at the Mirror Lake in the Adirondacks. She loved playing hide-and-seek behind curtains, hanging in her yard and filling the birdfeeder with her dad -- and her favorite adventure of the summer had to be riding a horsie on the Merry-go-Round at the Island County Fair on Whidbey Island.

A new smile

One final note in this series of updates: Ella fell on a cement path yesterday and chipped one of her top front teeth. It certainly hurt and she cried a good deal, but as far as we can tell (and she'll meet our dentist for the first time tomorrow to get checked out) the damage is just cosmetic. She looks a bit more rough and tumble now, which is funny, as she is a relatively cautious two-year old who often reassures me that "Ella careful, Mama, Ella take her time." when coming "beep-beep" (backwards) "boom-boom" (downstairs). It is funny how certain words from her original vocabulary have held out despite the addition of words like "hippopotamus" and "everybody"... We'll send some pictures of the new smile when we catch it on film, but haven't yet as we don't want to make too big a deal of it...

Family visits

Yet again this fall, we have been blessed with wonderful visits from our family and are looking forward to a fair number in the next few weeks! Uncle David and Aunt Deanne came for the weekend recently and were part of a very important changeover as Ella went from a crib to a Big Girl Bed. In fact, there have been a number of little changes to her room and she has been very excited about the new space. She can often be heard saying "Ella (pronounced "Eye-a") no baby anymore, Ella big kid." Her verbal skills are improving so rapidly as to have her two parents in constant awe. She uses the word "like" quite often - not in the valley-girl sense, thank goodness, but in order to make comparisons like pasta being "curly like Ella's hair" and "catching daddy like a fish!" The other day, as we returned home and I caught sight of the mess we had left, she finished off my "Oh, goodness..." with a "gracious!" of her own! It somehow made that mess seem much more manageable.

The end of summer...

This September, we have had some gorgeous, warm, sunny days that almost feel like summer and have provided great opportunities for lots of outdoor playtime. However, the weather is starting to turn, so these will be some of the last shots of the summer wardrobe! Instead, we're talking a lot about the changing leaves and all of the colors that we see. It must be so impressive to witness the changing of the seasons for what should feel like the first time - since she is so much more conscious of everything around her this year. I have a hard time explaining that those leaves will be coming back next spring, but we'll have lots of snow between now and then - that's a lot for a little one to take in!
You can also see from these shots that Ella is still VERY attached to "wake-up doggy" whose snuggly satin paws have been key for comforting ear rubs these past two years...

"Hello, baby boy!"

We have been trying hard lately to get Ella used to the idea that a baby boy will be joining the family in February. She is taking it very well so far, and has told us that she is going to "hold him and not let him go boom." When she wants to talk directly to him, she uses my belly button as the portal (see below). And she likes to talk often about babies in daddy's belly and her own belly - where she currently has two - one boy and one girl. It is a lot of fun...

Fashionista

Ella decided to wear striped shorts over striped pants last month and I loved the look. She chose momma kitty as a prop for the photo shoot and I agree that the tabby stripes really compliment the look...

Friends

Ella and her sweet buddy, Casey, have had a lot of good times this summer and fall. Yesterday, as we pulled them around the campus in a red wagon, we caught them on a couple occasions giggling (as Casey leaned out of the wagon and Ella was telling her "No, no, no") and hugging, though restrained by seatbelts. They are great pals and always want to play at each other's houses. Here they are showing off their extreme smiles while at the Beardsley Zoo this past July.

"Hay, horsies!"

While walking through a field in the park, Ella found some dry grass and decided that it was hay. She immediately started calling for the horsies, and you can see her here trying to project her voice by cupping her hands on the sides of her mouth, but she had the angle wrong... Very sweet.

"Okee dokee, mama"

Ella went through a two-week phase of saying "Okee dokee, mama" quite often and in many different voices. Here is a video (which you unfortunately have to watch sideways) of one of these series of Okee dokees!

Grandkids and "Happy Birthday!"

Here is the yearly shot of Grandma with her four (soon to be five!) grandchildren and then one from our fourth or fifth birthday celebration this June.

Geem yogurt

Ella developed a serious addiction for Key Lime Pie yogurt this summer, which she calls "green/geem" yogurt. Here are some shots of Ella feeding herself an afternoon treat and then a quick video expressing her love for this delicacy.

Playing with the cousins

Ella loved hanging out with Matthew (then 13, now 14!), Hero (5) and especially Robert (10)! She was constantly calling out "Come, Robert!" so that her cousin would join her in whatever game she was playing... They were great sports!

Catching up - Summer '09

It has been a wonderful summer. We started off with two weeks out in Washington State, visiting with my family, here are some pictures from that adventure! These are from the beach on Whidbey Island where Ella spent a good deal of time playing in the sand with her Gramma, Poppa, and cousins.