AK

Minutes ago

Me: "Do you know what kind of work AK does?"

Ellie:"No, what?"

Me:"She is a policewomen. She helps protect us."

Ellie: "Protect us? From what. . . . Poop?"

-EM

Christmas Photos

Thanks to Nans for the beautiful Christmas dress.

A belated Merry Christmas...

...to you all! We're doing well. Just busy, I guess. Ellie had a great time opening gifts. That said, I don't know that any gift in particular stands out. She seems to go through cycles of appreciating one gift over another. I guess that's a good thing. Thanks to all who contributed. I would list names, but I don't want to chance leaving someone out by accident. So, again, thanks to all and I hope everyone enjoyed themselves as much as we did. Best wishes!

-ED

Antlers

Last month I made mention of some reindeer antlers Ellie received. The backstory is as follows. Shortly before the Christmas parade, we started reading "Olive, the Other Reindeer" to Ellie. As a result, she decided she wanted her own set of antlers for Christmas. Nanny, being the awesome Nanny she is, obliged but couldn't resist giving them to her any later than the day of the parade. The photos that follow, taken from that day, also reveal that Nanny couldn't stop at just one set of antlers.

-ED

Not that I needed the reminder...

...but as I was preparing our departure from nanny daycare today, the little one could be heard saying "Daddy, don't forget me!"

-ED

Queen Contrary

Ellie is in a phase, or at least I hope it is a phase, where she likes to disagree with us. It's not so bad except it usually manifests itself when she is cranky, and so it comes across as whining or fussing or something like that. Anyhow, the other morning she was doing this as we were headed out the door to "nanny daycare." In the midst of this particular episode, I said "You are so argumentative, aren't you?" Her response: "No, I'm not." All I could do was laugh. That's my girl.

-ED

For the record...

...Ellie is 3-0 against the Tarheels in football. She napped this year unlike 2008, and there is no "hostage-style" photo like 2007 due to the holiday frenzy of this weekend.

We're the red and white from State,

and we know we are the best.

Hands behind our back,

we can take on all the rest.

GO TO HELL Carolina!

Devils and Deacs stand in line.

The red and white from NC State.

Go State!

-ED

Parade

Ellie attended her first parade this past week - a Christmas parade.

The town I work in closes down at noon, the day before Thanksgiving, so that everyone can prepare for the parade that begins at 3pm; and, my office was no different. We prepared snacks, etc., for friends and family to munch on while viewing the parade since the route went right past our front door.

Of course, the parade concluded with Santa. Ellie was heard saying, "thanks, Santa, for my set of reindeer antlers" as he rode by. The antlers is a post unto itself. That said, I think she enjoyed the sights and sounds and I'm sure we'll do this again.

The blocks spell "Holiday Caravan" but my pic doesn't convey that. Oops.

Mustard and Christmas go great together, right?!

My girls love a parade!

-ED

The gingerbread girl

For years now, Aunt Katie has helped an old family friend with a nice, holiday-themed fundraiser. Don't ask me why, because I don't have a good answer, but we never participated until this year. The event: Gingerbread house decorating. The place: Mrs. Pumpkin's Bakery. The cause: The Special Children's School and Family Support Network of Greater Forsyth.

We were greeted by the ever cheerful, Aunt Katie. She led us to our station, complete with gingerbread house with tons of candy on the side. Ellie knew exactly what to do. No, she didn't start eating the candy (EM and I did that). She started putting candy on the house. It was only following the brilliant example of her parents that she started eating the candy.

We were there only a short time. But it was fun. It was for a good cause. And now we have a customized decoration for the home to help us kick start the holidays. Good deal. Thanks, Aunt Katie.

-ED

P.S. - Santa was there, but Ellie wanted nothing to do with him. Surprise.

Lines

Ellie has a quirk. She has a thing for lining her toys up.

We call ourselves neat and organized. Others call ED and myself anal.

Anyone to guess where Ellie got this affinity for lines?

-EM

*all lines where created exclusively by Ellie

It was a beautiful fall day!

I got off work a little early today. Ellie and I did a little shopping. We spent most of our time at Borders reading. Then we went home to enjoy the evening outside.

-EM

PS- The picture taking has been lacking in the past few months. Mostly due to the move. We are getting more settled. There should be more pics in the near future.

"Can we go to one more house?"

Our fairly, little princess did a great job with halloween, and had a great time in the process. But, as was mentioned in the prior post, we'd been working with her in preparation of the festivities and I think that's where the credit lies. Also, props to Nans for the costume - I think if we had let her, Ellie would have slept in her wings and tutu.

Things kicked off Friday at the church with a halloween party. There was food and games and trunk-or-treating. Ellie enjoyed the food; the cupcakes, in particular. She didn't give two cents about the games. Then we wrapped things up with trunk-or-treating. Ellie didn't shy away (as is her tendency around people she isn't overly familiar with) and, in fact, went up to many trunks and said "trick-or-treat" and "thank you" with little to no prompting from us.

As for halloween night, Nans and Pa came over to "help." So after dinner and taking care of a few premature visitors, the five of us headed out around our new neighborhood. Ellie's timing was a bit off in that she said "trick-or-treat" many times before the door opened, but she did a great job nonetheless. And there were several times when we were ready to end it, only to have her ask "can we go to one more house?" All in all, a huge improvement from last year.

-ED

Practice

We have been practicing our trick-or-treating. Each night this week we have taken Ellie outside, let her knock on the door, one of us opens it from the inside, she then holds out her bag and utters the magic words. The best part is when her and I split the candy afterwards - surprise, surprise. Anyhow, this is all done in the hope that we will avoid any similar problems to those experienced last year.

-ED

Quote of the year?

"Daddy, I love you. You make my heart feel super happy."

Oink

Tonight at dinner, Ellie was telling each of us which character - from the show Super Why - we are. The characters consist of Super Why ("with the power to read"), Princess Presto ("with spelling power"), Wonder Red ("with word power"), and Alpha Pig ("with alphabet power"). So when she got to Nanny, she said "Nanny, you're the pig!" Needless to say, Pa, EM and I had a good laugh at poor Nanny's expense. Nothing new. Right, Nans?

-ED

ABCDK

Ellie has gotten pretty good at her ABCs. Most times she skips from D to K. If you pay attention to the video she actually says all the letters this time.

The smartest girl in the world

Last night-

Me: "How do you spell your name?"

Ellie: "Ellle"

Not to bad for a 2 year old. I was pretty impressed. Shortly after that conversation I spoke with Nans and Papa. Turns out Ellie and Pa had been practicing spelling her name that morning. I may be partial but I think she is incredibly smart.

-EM

Daddy daycare...

...is back in session! At least for today. For the first time in a long time I didn't have any court cases scheduled so I decided to give Nanny a break. We had a nice morning followed by visiting mommy at work for lunch. Ellie fell asleep in the car on the way home and is still napping as I type. I enjoy time with my little one, but I enjoy work, too. But most of all, I enjoy knowing that Nanny has generously given of herself so that EM and I can work while having the peace of mind that she is well cared for... it's as if daddy daycare never really ended.

-ED

In the garden

This weekend was spent redoing the landscaping in front of the new house. Ellie had a great time helping us. She spend a good bit of time entertaining herself with my big bucket of soil. She would get a shovel full and put it in various spots throughout the yard. One time I turned around and Ellie had put about 5 shovelfuls of soil on Spunky. He just laid there and let her do it.

Yesterday afternoon Ellie went on a bug hunt. She took a small handheld mirror, held it up to her eye like a magnifying glass, and yelled "If you see a cool bug, yell cool bug." She was on a mission all afternoon.

Quotable

Ellie's favorite TV show is Wonder Pets. As it relates to the show, her favorite thing to do by far is sing the theme song. However, she also quotes some lines and tells some stories that are derived from the show. Today, out of nowhere, she says "I need a hug, big guy." It was pretty darn cute and pretty darn funny. I know the "I need a hug" language comes from the show's character Tuck, the turtle. I don't know where the "big guy" comes from. Not that it matters.

-ED

Pull up head

At times in the past Ellie has worn a clean, dry pull up on her head at home. Last night ED, myself, and Ellie took a trip to Lowes hardware. Ellie rode in the blue car cart. She has a great time pretending to drive as we shopped for landscaping goodies. After a while Ellie got into my purse. Next thing I know she has a pull up on her head. It stayed on her head through the store and all the way home. I couldn't help but smile thinking of what people thought she had on her head.

Turns out its a . . .

. . .virus.

We saw Dr. Betsy yesterday. Ellie has a virus. Her mouth and tongue are filled with sores. Poor girl isn't eating or drinking much, just what she can to get by. Dr. Betsy said just give pain killers until it runs its course. Maybe a few days this will get better. She is crankier now without the fever. Mouth sores are the worst.

She was quite a trooper at the doctor's office yesterday. She sat patiently in the waiting area. We had to sit on the sick side. I was praying she wouldn't get up and start touching too much stuff or want to play with the other kids there. She sat quietly in her own chair. Once in the exam room the nurse took a rectal temp. Ellie promptly asked "Can we do it again? No, can we do it two more times?" as the nurse finished. Dr. Betsy came in and examined Ellie. She sat so still for her, but didn't care for the mouth exam. Despite the gagging on the tongue depressor Ellie still asked "Can we do it again?" to Dr. Betsy. She just loves the doctor's office.

-EM

Noisy sleeper

Ellie has always been somewhat of a noisy sleeper. In fact the first night in the hospital her and I were alone sleeping in our room when she started moaning. It scared me to the point that I didn't sleep well. Well I quickly learned that she is a noisy sleeper. Most of the time she moans or sighs when asleep. Her noises are a comfort to us now when heard over the baby monitor.

Well last night was a different story. As ED mentioned Ellie has been feverish all weekend. At times her fever has topped out at 103-104. When it gets high she becomes chatty. Last night she slept without waking, but she was chatty. At different times she was talking in her sleep. Most times I couldn't make out what she was saying, but around 2am a very clear "oink, oink, oink, oink" was heard.

She woke up with a lower fever then the past mornings. Hopefully she is getting better.
-EM

Fever

This weekend, Ellie's temperature never seemed to dip below 100. However, she's not displaying any other symptoms and, actually, she played quite a bit during this time. I think it's molars. But when you ask Ellie how she feels, she says "I'm a little bit sick." I dunno. EM's gonna call Dr. Betsy today and see if a visit is in order.

-ED

Shadows

Ellie and Daddy

Trip to the fair

Ellie, Nans, Papa, Daddy, and myself took a trip to the Cabarrus County Fair last night. Ellie had a great time. She loved the racing pigs, the farm animals, the corn on the cob, and the funnel cake. At the end of the night she took a ride on a horse named Tonto and loved it.

As we were getting ready for bed her and I discussed what we saw:

Ellie: " We saw goats, and neigh neighs, and a big cow. And the little girl got milk from the cow out of his butt."

Me: "Those are utters honey."

-EM

Yeah sure.

As they like to say, kids say the darnedest things. Ellie, of course, is no exception; we just happen to be doing a poor job of cataloging such statements. And while I'm not sure this qualifies under that heading, it is one of her more common expressions and it always tickles me to hear her say it. Specifically, what I'm referring to is her tendency to respond "yeah sure." I don't know where she got it; but, if you ask her to do something she's inclined to do more often than not you will get that response.

-ED

PS - Poor girl isn't feeling well. EM just finished a cold and as such Ellie is just starting one. I guess I'm next in line. Sigh.

Whew!

We're in the new house! It took quite some doing, but everyone is relatively ok. Ellie seems to like her new pink room, and little by little we are starting to feel at home. EM swears it's gonna take 'til December for her to feel settled and, as such, vows to never move again. Fine by me. More later....

-ED

What Ellie is packing to take to the new house-

1 small red bucket with yellow handle (usually holds blocks)
1 piece of plastic lettuce
1 smear of plastic peanut butter
1 plastic onion ring
2 cobs of plastic corn

"We are all packed Mommy. Let's go!"

I wish packing was that simple.
-EM

Busy Bees

We are very busy here in our household. For those of you that don't know we are getting ready to move. We have sold our house and have one to move into. We will be heading one county over in a effort to get closer to Ryan's work and Nanny daycare. This move will cut down on travel time significantly. Ellie seems to be handling it well. We are trying to prepare her by talking about the events to come.

She has decided that she want to live in a "pink house with a little red heart on it." Our new house has a play set in the backyard. She can't wait to have her own playground.

Potty training is going well. She has a accident here and there, but mostly makes it to the potty. Blue M and Ms are her favorite reward. Peeing during naps and bedtime will take a while to disappear.

Today Ellie had her first official nap in Nanny's big bed. She has outgrown the pack and play. We knew it was a matter of time before she would protest. Today she told Nanny that she didn't want to sleep in it. I hope to ward off moving to a big girl bed at night for a while. She has plenty of room in the crib and hasn't figured out how to climb out.

So, needless to say with our move happening in a few weeks activity will be slow as far as posting goes. (yes- slower than it has been) We will try our best to keep updating the blog. Hopefully in month or so life will slow down a little. It will be just in time to enjoy the fall temps on our new screened in porch!
-EM

My job

As I was vacuuming yesterday-

Ellie: Mommy hold me, give me a hug.

Me: Ellie I am just about to finish. Can you wait once second?

Ellie: Mommy, it is your job to hug me.

Needless to say I turned off the vacuum and hugged my baby with a great big smile.

-EM

Dr. Betsy

Vacation prevented us from seeing Ellie's doctor sooner, but last week we finally had Ellie's two year check up. We prepared her for this visit for some time leading up to it: we regularly read to her an Elmo book about his visit to the doctor and Kinsey gets a huge assist for getting Ellie a doctor kit for her birthday.

So the big day came around and there we all were: me from work, EM from work and Nanny and Ellie from Nanny's house. Suffice it to say, the examination room was a bit crowded once you added the necessary medical personnel. Anyhow, Ellie did a great job - she was very attentive and cooperative. Everything is a-ok. Her height is in the 90th percentile (37"), her weight is in the 70th percentile (28lbs), and when the doctor was done Ellie said she wanted to do it again.

Little did she realize we weren't done as in came the nurse for Ellie's shot. There was a brief pause and for a split second I thought I saw the look in her eyes indicating all hell was about to break loose, but she pulled it together and proceeded to say "let's do it again." Crazy. Of course, it didn't hurt that the nurse gave her five stickers.

-ED

Cruisin'

We went to Kinsey's 3rd birthday party on Saturday. Ellie had a blast. Ellie loved playing with all of Kinsey's toys including this hot ride. Kinsey loved feeding birthday cake to Ellie.

At first sight it is hard to believe that Kinsey and Ellie are 1 year apart!

Happy Birthday Kinsey!

In other news:

Ellie is doing great on the potty. She is going much faster than earlier in the week. Not many accidents. We are very proud of her.

-EM

Heard any good stories lately?

Well, I just did.

Ellie was in the bathtub when she said she wanted to tell me a story. Here's how it goes:

"Once upon a time, there was a daddy bunny and a baby bunny. And they went to the garden to get some carrots and some raisins. The end."

She's two years and three weeks old! I'm simply amazed.

-ED

In other news...

...Ellie experienced another first that was lost in all the potty-training commotion - her first 4th of July celebration! We went with Nanny and Pa to Rich Park to take in the show. She had fun in the moments leading up to the display; she especially enjoyed rolling down the hill. Once the fireworks began, she flinched some and never quite relaxed as EM held her tight. However, her reaction when it was over is all you need to know about how she enjoyed the experience: "Let's see fireworks again."

-ED

Asleep at the potty

Nans just called me at work to tell me that Ellie is so driven to pee on the potty and get an M and M that she has sat on it for 4 hours this morning (with two pees) and is now asleep on the potty. Every time Nans tries to move her off the potty to the crib Ellie cries "I don't want to wear a diapie (diaper)" in her sleep.

Another training update

Today was successful:
4 pee pees on the potty

I think she is starting to get it.

The hardest part:
Sitting and waiting for the pee pee to come out.

Training update

We woke up today with the intent to make this day, and all holiday weekend if need be, all about potty training. We had our chocolate ready, as well as Ellie's big girl underwear with plastic underwear to go over it. We figured, given what's transpired recently on this front, that we also had the most important part - a ready, willing and able participant in Ellie. We figured wrong. By lunch she managed to wet at least four sets of underwear, and we were no closer to achieving success than when we began.

As we prepared for nap time, and in spite of there being no measurable success, we resolved to continue our efforts in the afternoon. I think Ellie woke up around 2:30pm and, suffice it to say, by 4pm we were utterly and frustratingly resigned to defeat. We had pumped so many liquids into that girl her bladder was swollen. Yet she absolutely refused to sit on any potty whatsoever. Making things worse, she also refused to wear her underwear:

Us: Do you want to be a big girl and wear big girl underwear? Or, do you want to be a baby and wear diapers?

Ellie: I'm a baby! I want diapers!

All this took place between her crying and/or fussing and/or doing a pee-pee dance. It was a miserable experience for all involved. So, as I said, we admitted defeat and apologized to the little one for pushing her so hard.

The next couple of hours were still pretty miserable as all this fussing and fighting left our little one in a foul mood. By dinner things, mood-wise, had improved and we decided to run some errands with a diapered baby. Right before we walked out the door, Ellie said she had to sit on the potty! So we figured what the heck? Low and behold, she pooped on the potty! We cheered, we smiled, we laughed, we whooped it up! We had chocolate, too. And the rest of the night went amazingly well.

Don't get me wrong. She hasn't visited the potty since that time. But the return of her good spirits, and the brief success we experienced, were enough to help us get over the sore feelings from earlier in the day. And it all goes to show that no matter what we do, or want, as parents, what the children do is ultimately up to them.

Anyhow, I think the rest of this weekend will be much more relaxing.

-ED

Sweetness

Last night at bedtime rocking in the chair together:

Me: "Ellie it is time to go to bed. You need to get in your crib."

Ellie: "Pat my back?"

Me: "Of course I will."

Ellie smiles a great big smile. She reaches up and strokes my face and says,
"You are a good Mommy."

Daddy walks in to say goodnight. She looks at him and says, "You are a good Daddy."

In training

Back in February, I wrote about how we made our first foray into potty-training. It was a short-lived and, needless to say, unsuccessful venture. Fast forward four-plus months and we have a much more "focused" and intelligent toddler to deal with, so we are on to round two of potty-training.

EM has said privately for a while now that this second round would begin in earnest after the vacation; and, true to her word, it has. In fact, last night Ellie pooped in the potty. It was completely by accident, of course, but I can clearly see where we have an opportunity to succeed this time around whereas our first experiment in potty-training was just that - an experiment.

So why am I more confident? One word: chocolate. Take tonight for example when EM informed me she was able to cut Ellie's fingernails without one bit of protest by offering our chocoholic-in-training a single M&M. Mind you, we aren't advocating bribery but sometimes you have to doo what you have to doo (doo).

-ED

We're back!

I know. You didn't realize we were gone. Well, we were. For the first time since she was itty-bitty, we went to the beach. We were joined (actually hosted) by Nanny and Pa (thanks), and for part of the time by Nanny's sister and the sister's youngest daughter. The weather was perfectly beachy. More (hopefully) to follow....

-ED

Our Birthday Girl

Happy Birthday!!!

Two years ago today you, our little bundle of joy, were born! It is so truly amazing to think about all you have accomplished thus far and far more amazing to think about all that is yet to come. We love you very much, Ellie Rose, and we are so proud of you!

-Mommy and Daddy

Another first

It's been a while since I commented on firsts for Ellie. However, since this was one first I was not necessarily thinking about, or looking forward to, I figured it was worth mentioning... her first (and hopefully last) motor vehicle accident. Everyone is ok as far as we can tell, and the identities of the others involved will be concealed to avoid further embarrassment. That said, it's my understanding that these things, as it relates to injuries, become clearer the day after the accident. So we'll see how everyone is feeling tomorrow.

-ED

Celebration

Today we will celebrate Ellie's second birthday with some friends and family. We have no big plans. Just an inflatable pool and sprinkler for the kids, pizza and cupcakes. On the one hand, I'm disappointed we're not doing more; but, on the other hand, we've been overwhelmed with other stuff lately. As long as Ellie enjoys herself, and I think she will since it will involve playing in the water, I'm fine with it.

-ED

Update: Ellie had a great time at her party. She awoke from her nap around 2:30. As soon as she got up we told her that we were getting ready for her birthday party. The excitement began. The balloons were her favorite. She carried them around forever. Papa and Daddy set up her pool out front with her plastic slide going into it. She loved it. She had a great time playing with Payton, Eryn, and Nicky. And she ate two cupcakes!

When one door closes...

...it must mean Ellie is near.

For the last week or so, one of Ellie's big "things" has been to close doors. It's kind of funny - she just goes around closing doors. The funniest thing, however, is when she closes the door and then begs for help to open it; for example, when she closes herself in a room all alone. That said, all this door closing makes me wonder... when will the opening of doors become a problem?

-ED

How did your day begin?

Ellie woke up this morning a little cranky. So I tried to get her mind off of whatever it was that upset her:

Me - Did you have sweet dreams last night?
Her - Ya.
Me - What did you dream about?
Her - You. And me. Daddy loves me.
Me - I sure do!

Needless to say, my day started wonderfully.

-ED

Petting Zoo

Pa manages a Tractor Supply store. Last weekend he arranged it so that an area farm set up a petting zoo at the store. So, of course, we had to go given Ellie's love of animals; and, we're all so glad we did - she had a ball! In fact, she didn't stop talking about it until mid-week which I think is close to an eternity in terms of toddler time. Anyhow, we saw goats, horses, chickens, a camel, a llama and a kangaroo. The best part was Ellie got to ride "Big Snowflake" twice. She was a natural in the saddle - she sat up tall and held on tight and enjoyed every minute of it. It was wonderful!

-ED

Show us the flower on your butt

Fasten your seatbelts!

The terrible two's are under way (and she's not even two yet). For the last week or so, Ellie has been more prone to being fussy or pitching fits. As such, we had our suspicions but we were holding out hope for an illness or something of that sort; however, this weekend left no doubt as to what we are dealing with. Heck, we must have put her in time-out a dozen times. There was even one time in the car when, I swear, she sounded as though she was possessed. Please send your prayers and words of advice.

-ED

Boo boos

On our walk tonight I asked Ellie where she got the boo boo on her finger.

Her response: "From the boo boo store"

-EM

It's a zoo out there.

Everyone (me, EM, Papa and Nanny; that would be essentially everyone in Ellie's world, minus a few notable exceptions) took off of work today (yes, Nanny works) in order to escort Ellie on her first trip to the zoo. We managed to stay dry and in doing so saw: pretty flowers, frogs, snakes, alligators eating, rhinos, elephants, sea lions, polar bears, overly affectionate chimps, geese, baboons, turtles, penguins (we didn't have the heart to tell her they were actually puffins) and I'm sure I'm leaving a thing or two out. Anyhow, it was a good time and everyone was sufficiently tired when we left. Ellie's favorite part: the "Rockin' Safari Ride" - go figure.

-ED

Sneaky

When I turn my back this is where Ellie likes to go.
She loves playing Elmo games. This one is her favorite.

-EM

Mommy, Mommy. . . .

Ellie has learned my name. Yesterday I caught her twice calling me Theresa. The first time it took me by surprise. The second time I was sure. I told ED. He did not hear it until this morning.

Like every morning, I left for work before Ellie woke up. ED overheard Ellie in the crib. At first she called out Mommy, Mommy. Then she called out Theresa, Theresa.

-EM

Possessive

I'm sure if we tried to correct her, and if she were a bit older, Ellie would ask: "If a ball can be:

• yours
• mommy's
• daddy's
• nanny's
• or papa's

why can't it be mines?"

But why bother with that right now? It's so darn cute when she says something is "mines" that we don't mind if she stands uncorrected for the foreseeable future. That said, issues of sharing (or not) is something we will definitely be working on sooner rather than later.

-ED

Astonished, part two

Earlier this month, I commented on my amazement over the things this girl says. Fact is, she does it every day. And it's not just the words; it's the thought process - I'll remind you, she's not even two. Anyhow, I just usually fail to post about it all because I don't have the time or the energy. Well, tonight she gave several more examples and it just so happens that I have the wherewithal to post about it. This particular moment started with her asking me to hug her baby doll.

Ellie: Daddy pat baby's back.

I comply.

Ellie: Daddy sing baby song.

Me: Which song do you want me to sing?

Ellie: Rock bye baby in treetop.

I comply.

Ellie: Boo-boo take picture of daddy and baby.

She then proceeded to take her toy camera and snap a picture. All EM and I could do was smile and shake our heads in disbelief.

-ED

Emphatic

The following conversation took place this morning as we arrived at Nanny's for the day:

Ellie: No see Nanny.

Me: Do you wanna see Papa?

Ellie: Yes. Not Nanny. No see Nanny.

I know no harm was meant. I also know she loves her Nanny dearly and enjoys spending time with her. This was evidenced by Ellie's wild laughter on the bed, moments later, as Nanny played with her. I only bring this up because it was so funny to me given the emphasis of her declaration.

-ED

Ellie's Easter Egg Hunts

Our first Easter egg hunt was at Grammy and Poppy's on Saturday. Ellie loved it. She was great at finding the eggs. She loved opening them to find what was inside. Most eggs were filled with goldfish and "tebby bear" cookies. Ellie then had about fifteen more egg hunts. Eggs were hidden again at Grammy's, in our living room, in Ellie's bedroom, and outside our house over and over again. The egg hunting never got old. She had a great time!