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.