Here are two of Elena's current favorite things to do:
Dancing and Flipping
We went to a wedding reception at church a couple of weeks ago and Elena had a great time dancing in circles. Adorable, isn't it? I'm always amazed how long she can do it before she gets dizzy. Hopefully, she'll eventually get some dancing skills from her dad.
She also loves doing somersaults (known around here as "flips"). She started trying to do them once Dan taught her how to flip into her crib, but he hasn't seen her do somersaults on the ground without help yet, so I shot this video. Sorry that it is so dark and grainy. It was night-time and there just wasn't enough light in the room.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Day at the Beach
We were enjoying ourselves so much in Virginia that we almost forgot to go to the beach. Crazy, right? My parents live only 10 minutes away and I haven't been since the fall and we almost ran out of time before we returned home. In the end, we only went because Elena reminded me. Luckily, she reminded me on a day that was 85 degrees and sunny. She had a blast playing in the sand and in the water. (But only up to her knees - it is April after all. That water was pretty cold.)
There was a crew of pirates hanging out at the old Coast Guard Station - now a museum. It was "Family Day" so they had a few displays and a coloring area. We took some coloring pages to do later. This one pirate was playing an old accordion. He was pretty good, so we stopped to watch him and then he gave Elena a piece of pirate treasure (plastic Spanish coin).
It was a great day. There were lots of people, but not a crazy amount like in the summer and we were able to park super close. I'm so glad that we were able to find the time to go because Elena had a blast and I LOVE the ocean. Just being there makes me so happy. Looks like Elena feels the same way:
There was a crew of pirates hanging out at the old Coast Guard Station - now a museum. It was "Family Day" so they had a few displays and a coloring area. We took some coloring pages to do later. This one pirate was playing an old accordion. He was pretty good, so we stopped to watch him and then he gave Elena a piece of pirate treasure (plastic Spanish coin). 
It was a great day. There were lots of people, but not a crazy amount like in the summer and we were able to park super close. I'm so glad that we were able to find the time to go because Elena had a blast and I LOVE the ocean. Just being there makes me so happy. Looks like Elena feels the same way:
Friday, April 24, 2009
Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?
These are in no order, but I'm exhausted, so I'll just put up my captions and go to bed.
We went to Busch Gardens today and had a blast. It was great weather, we got to see my Dad's "Funky Physics" show, and they opened a new children's area: Forest of Fun. They already have Land of the Dragons on the other side of the park which is great. I'm excited to go back again with Dan. We had such a great time, but he always makes everything more fun.
Elena loved being around all the Sesame Street paraphernalia and the walking characters. It was so cute. They have a little roller coaster and a several rides. Plus there's the water area and a little playground. (The bathrooms there even have a nursing room. That'll be really handy in the fall.) Elena's favorite thing was definitely playing in the water. There's a video of that at the bottom. She must've spent over 90 minutes total running around in the water today. That's also why she wore 3 outfits today. Next time, I'll remember her bathing suit.
Do you like our cool glasses? They had a 4D movie (one of those ones with water and air effects and bubbles coming down from the ceiling, etc.) and Elena really liked that too. It was a totally new experience for her because she'd never seen a movie in a theater before.
This was her favorite ride of the day. She was too young to go on this one last year. It actually went around kind of fast. I was so glad and surprised that she loved it since she is currently scared to even sit on a carousel horse.
She finally warmed up to the roaming characters. At first, she was happy to see them, but didn't want to get within 20 feet. There's a green screen behind us because if we had paid $16 for the official picture that they took, they would have inserted our choice of scenes behind us (the front stoop of 123 Sesame Street, the beach, or something else I can't remember). Their pic actually turned out really cute, but I'm a cheapskate, so I decided to go with the green photo.
Driving a boat on another ride:
Princess Elena:
They do a little show every hour or so. It was adorable to see a couple dozen 2 and 3 year olds all dancing around below the stage.
Granddad, Granny, Bethany, and Adam with the little one:
It's The Hamburglar!
The background noise at the beginning is annoying, but I love her expression and laugh at the 20 second mark. She came close to running through the circle once or twice, but always chickened out. Maybe next time...
We went to Busch Gardens today and had a blast. It was great weather, we got to see my Dad's "Funky Physics" show, and they opened a new children's area: Forest of Fun. They already have Land of the Dragons on the other side of the park which is great. I'm excited to go back again with Dan. We had such a great time, but he always makes everything more fun.
Elena loved being around all the Sesame Street paraphernalia and the walking characters. It was so cute. They have a little roller coaster and a several rides. Plus there's the water area and a little playground. (The bathrooms there even have a nursing room. That'll be really handy in the fall.) Elena's favorite thing was definitely playing in the water. There's a video of that at the bottom. She must've spent over 90 minutes total running around in the water today. That's also why she wore 3 outfits today. Next time, I'll remember her bathing suit.
Do you like our cool glasses? They had a 4D movie (one of those ones with water and air effects and bubbles coming down from the ceiling, etc.) and Elena really liked that too. It was a totally new experience for her because she'd never seen a movie in a theater before.
This was her favorite ride of the day. She was too young to go on this one last year. It actually went around kind of fast. I was so glad and surprised that she loved it since she is currently scared to even sit on a carousel horse.
She finally warmed up to the roaming characters. At first, she was happy to see them, but didn't want to get within 20 feet. There's a green screen behind us because if we had paid $16 for the official picture that they took, they would have inserted our choice of scenes behind us (the front stoop of 123 Sesame Street, the beach, or something else I can't remember). Their pic actually turned out really cute, but I'm a cheapskate, so I decided to go with the green photo.
Driving a boat on another ride:
Princess Elena:
They do a little show every hour or so. It was adorable to see a couple dozen 2 and 3 year olds all dancing around below the stage.
Granddad, Granny, Bethany, and Adam with the little one:
It's The Hamburglar!
The background noise at the beginning is annoying, but I love her expression and laugh at the 20 second mark. She came close to running through the circle once or twice, but always chickened out. Maybe next time...Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Easter
We had a really great weekend. My parents and Dan all drove here on Friday night to spend a few days with us (My mom is still here - yay!). Elena was so excited about seeing everyone - especially her dad of course.
We spent much of Saturday running errands and working in the yard (we aerated and planted grass seed), but then we got cleaned up and went to the Spanish branch's Easter party in the afternoon. It was really nice. There were crafts for the kids and food for everyone and then they had an Easter egg hunt. Sometimes it's nice to be in a smaller congregation: they let the younger kids (2-4 yrs old) go first and since there were only about 5 of them, there was no fighting over eggs. Everyone had a great time.
This video is from the hunt at the church building. Just so you know before you watch: "bam" is a verb used to describe how one breaks a hard-boiled egg or opens a plastic one by "bamming" it on a hard surface. It was one of Elena's first words (because egg yolks used to be her favorite food) and I love that she still uses it!
We capped off Saturday by reading about Christ's resurrection in Elena's little picture scriptures. It is so special to be able to share such important things with her now that she is getting older. It was a good reminder for all of us of why we celebrate Easter.
Sunday was a lovely day. The weather was perfect, church was great, and dinner was yummy. We also dyed eggs in the morning and Elena got very into it. I think that she would have kept re-dying them all day if I had let her. The Evans' came over to eat with us and it was nice to have a larger group and to share the day with friends. As an added bonus, Emily brought her homemade rolls - I have to get that recipe! After dinner, Elena and Sadie had another Easter egg hunt, this time in our front yard. Below are our Easter Sunday pictures.
Dying eggs with Grandad:
Isn't her dress beautiful? My mom made it!
Sadie found one!
The girls are checking out their eggs:
Mike, Sadie, and Emily:
We are so grateful for all of our blessings that holidays help us to reflect upon - especially the Atonement and the Resurrection of our Savior. I hope that you all had wonderful weekends as well!
We spent much of Saturday running errands and working in the yard (we aerated and planted grass seed), but then we got cleaned up and went to the Spanish branch's Easter party in the afternoon. It was really nice. There were crafts for the kids and food for everyone and then they had an Easter egg hunt. Sometimes it's nice to be in a smaller congregation: they let the younger kids (2-4 yrs old) go first and since there were only about 5 of them, there was no fighting over eggs. Everyone had a great time.
This video is from the hunt at the church building. Just so you know before you watch: "bam" is a verb used to describe how one breaks a hard-boiled egg or opens a plastic one by "bamming" it on a hard surface. It was one of Elena's first words (because egg yolks used to be her favorite food) and I love that she still uses it!We capped off Saturday by reading about Christ's resurrection in Elena's little picture scriptures. It is so special to be able to share such important things with her now that she is getting older. It was a good reminder for all of us of why we celebrate Easter.
Sunday was a lovely day. The weather was perfect, church was great, and dinner was yummy. We also dyed eggs in the morning and Elena got very into it. I think that she would have kept re-dying them all day if I had let her. The Evans' came over to eat with us and it was nice to have a larger group and to share the day with friends. As an added bonus, Emily brought her homemade rolls - I have to get that recipe! After dinner, Elena and Sadie had another Easter egg hunt, this time in our front yard. Below are our Easter Sunday pictures.
First thing in the morning - checking out her Easter basket:
Dying eggs with Grandad:
Isn't her dress beautiful? My mom made it!
Sadie found one!
The girls are checking out their eggs:
Mike, Sadie, and Emily:
We are so grateful for all of our blessings that holidays help us to reflect upon - especially the Atonement and the Resurrection of our Savior. I hope that you all had wonderful weekends as well!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Happy Girl
Play doh is Elena's favorite thing right now. She got a case of 20 colors for her birthday in January and many of them are already drying out due to overuse. She is content to sit at the table and play with it for a full hour - longer if someone else plays too.
Party in Charlotte
We had such a great time 2 weeks ago when we were invited to hang out with friends to celebrate Patrick's and Emily's birthdays. Kristin really out did herself and made not 1, but 3 different kinds of gourmet cupcakes, plus bar-b-que and sides. I have to remember to get her macaroni and cheese recipe - it's so good!
The grown-ups had fun playing Rock Band and watching the kids run around. I enjoyed getting to hold little babies. (Only 3 more months to go!) The only problem is that I wish I had taken more pictures. I don't have any of the food, Audrey, Ty, Laura, Amanda, or Kristin. I'll have to remember to get a group picture next time. Kristin did a much better entry of the party here.
Sadie dancing with Emily:
Luke and Elena playing with chalk:
I have no idea what they were doing, but they were always in motion, so this was my only opportunity to get all three in one shot (Elena, Will, Luke):
Thanks for hosting, Kristin! We'll have to get together again soon!
The grown-ups had fun playing Rock Band and watching the kids run around. I enjoyed getting to hold little babies. (Only 3 more months to go!) The only problem is that I wish I had taken more pictures. I don't have any of the food, Audrey, Ty, Laura, Amanda, or Kristin. I'll have to remember to get a group picture next time. Kristin did a much better entry of the party here.
The boys:
Sadie dancing with Emily:
Luke and Elena playing with chalk:
I have no idea what they were doing, but they were always in motion, so this was my only opportunity to get all three in one shot (Elena, Will, Luke):
Thanks for hosting, Kristin! We'll have to get together again soon!Yay for Blue!
The color of our master bathroom was a light sunny yellow up until a few weeks ago. I chose it myself when we moved in. It's the same color that we have in the kitchen. I love having a yellow kitchen, but having a yellow bathroom was starting to really get on my nerves.
About the same time that I got pregnant with this baby, I started avoiding the yellow bathroom like the plague and doing my make-up and hair in Elena's bathroom. I decided that it was because of the color. All of a sudden, I couldn't stand it any longer. So, I went the store and brought home a couple of samples. Once I chose one (I tend to be a little indecisive), Dan and I painted it this pretty blue. I love it. Every time I walk in, it's a surprise because I keep forgetting that it's nice and calming now. It's amazing what a small change can do.
About the same time that I got pregnant with this baby, I started avoiding the yellow bathroom like the plague and doing my make-up and hair in Elena's bathroom. I decided that it was because of the color. All of a sudden, I couldn't stand it any longer. So, I went the store and brought home a couple of samples. Once I chose one (I tend to be a little indecisive), Dan and I painted it this pretty blue. I love it. Every time I walk in, it's a surprise because I keep forgetting that it's nice and calming now. It's amazing what a small change can do.
I didn't take any Before pictures, but here is an After or two.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Elena and Caleb
We love having Caleb come play with us 3 days a week. He is a very sweet and fun kid. He and Elena love to play together and they also learn a lot about sharing and taking turns from each other too.
Caleb's sisters came with him on Wednesday because they are on Spring Break, and Elena is super excited that they will be back tomorrow. Izzy and Abbi are the kind of big sisters that I want Elena to be. They are great. We played with Play Doh for a good part of the morning.
Then Elena decided that she wanted a picture taken with a "snail" that she had "made". She really just grabbed a chunk of Doh off the table because she wanted to be like Abbi:
Isabelle made these two cakes:
And Caleb enjoyed making this silver horse with Abbi's help.
Here is one of my favorite pictures of the two of them. It is from 2 weeks ago. They are watching the garbage men at work.
Caleb's sisters came with him on Wednesday because they are on Spring Break, and Elena is super excited that they will be back tomorrow. Izzy and Abbi are the kind of big sisters that I want Elena to be. They are great. We played with Play Doh for a good part of the morning.Abbi made a little snail:
Then Elena decided that she wanted a picture taken with a "snail" that she had "made". She really just grabbed a chunk of Doh off the table because she wanted to be like Abbi:
Isabelle made these two cakes:
And Caleb enjoyed making this silver horse with Abbi's help.
Basketball
Our church youth basketball tournament was a few weeks ago and I am overjoyed to tell you that the Spanish branch's girls won their first game (as in: first game ever). They were so psyched. We had lost several games during the season by super close margins and the girls had worked so hard! This game actually went into triple overtime. I am so proud of them.
I helped coach along with Erick (on the right). Hermana Rivera (in the green jacket) is our Young Women's president and Hermana Mena (in gray) is the secretary. The 7 girls that played in the game that we won are in green or white. It was so great to see them progress through the short season and become a true team.
It really made me reminisce about my ward's YW basketball team from when I was in high school. We had so much fun and we were really good. Well, not me - I averaged 2 points per game, but everyone else was really good. :) It was great to be part of a team with the girls from church.
I helped coach along with Erick (on the right). Hermana Rivera (in the green jacket) is our Young Women's president and Hermana Mena (in gray) is the secretary. The 7 girls that played in the game that we won are in green or white. It was so great to see them progress through the short season and become a true team.
It really made me reminisce about my ward's YW basketball team from when I was in high school. We had so much fun and we were really good. Well, not me - I averaged 2 points per game, but everyone else was really good. :) It was great to be part of a team with the girls from church.
Bedtime Fun
Dan put Elena to bed by himself one night a couple of weeks ago because I had a church meeting and this is what he taught her:
Don't worry, he also taught her to CLIMB OUT. (Can you read the sarcasm?)
All kidding aside, she loves it and she's actually really good about only trying to get in or out when the railing is down. She'll ask if it's bajado or not and if it isn't, she'll ask you to put it down so that she can "flip into bed." So far she has never tried to get out with side up. I'm so grateful that she is such a naturally obedient kid. And I know that Elena is grateful to have such a fun dad!
Don't worry, he also taught her to CLIMB OUT. (Can you read the sarcasm?)
All kidding aside, she loves it and she's actually really good about only trying to get in or out when the railing is down. She'll ask if it's bajado or not and if it isn't, she'll ask you to put it down so that she can "flip into bed." So far she has never tried to get out with side up. I'm so grateful that she is such a naturally obedient kid. And I know that Elena is grateful to have such a fun dad!
Our Blizzard
I'll start by showing a picture with Elena and her new tricycle. Dan and I were so excited to find a tricycle on clearance at Walmart Saturday night (Feb 28). We were there to get diapers (little did I know that I would only use like 3 out of the whole pack, but more about that later), but the rest of the world was buying up milk, bread, and eggs in preparation for a big storm. Anyway, Dan put it together when we got home and Elena has loved getting on and off of it ever since. She is starting to be able to reach the pedals better and coordinate enough to make it move forward and back some. She gets a big kick out of it.
Sunday (March 1) Elena woke up with pink eye and that evening we got 5 inches of snow. I decided that as long as we were home-bound with her being sick (but not feeling sick) and everything in the state closed for 2 days that there was no time like the present for potty training. She actually did a great job with the whole potty thing (at least with #1 - if you know what I mean) and she got over the pink eye after just a couple of days, so by Wednesday (March 4) I was daring enough to put some pants on her and take her to the Children's Museum. She'd been in nothing but underwear, a shirt, and socks for the first couple of days.
This picture is of Elena on Monday **Day 1 of potty training** totally zoning out while she holds the decorated tin box that I made for Baby Boy (with Amy's help). Don't worry, she took a nice long nap right after this pic. Pobrecita.
Finally: Here are some snow pictures. My favorite is the one on the bottom. We had a blast sledding in her pool in our backyard. I knew that dang hill had to be good for something. :) I was so sad by the fact that I was beyond ready to come back inside after an hour. I wish I had the energy and enthusiasm of a kid sometimes. Or at least that Elena was old enough to play outside on her own. She would have stayed out all day!
Sunday (March 1) Elena woke up with pink eye and that evening we got 5 inches of snow. I decided that as long as we were home-bound with her being sick (but not feeling sick) and everything in the state closed for 2 days that there was no time like the present for potty training. She actually did a great job with the whole potty thing (at least with #1 - if you know what I mean) and she got over the pink eye after just a couple of days, so by Wednesday (March 4) I was daring enough to put some pants on her and take her to the Children's Museum. She'd been in nothing but underwear, a shirt, and socks for the first couple of days.This picture is of Elena on Monday **Day 1 of potty training** totally zoning out while she holds the decorated tin box that I made for Baby Boy (with Amy's help). Don't worry, she took a nice long nap right after this pic. Pobrecita.
Finally: Here are some snow pictures. My favorite is the one on the bottom. We had a blast sledding in her pool in our backyard. I knew that dang hill had to be good for something. :) I was so sad by the fact that I was beyond ready to come back inside after an hour. I wish I had the energy and enthusiasm of a kid sometimes. Or at least that Elena was old enough to play outside on her own. She would have stayed out all day!
Coming Soon: March Highlights
With Dan out of town for the month of April, I want to do a better job at updating so that he can see some new pictures. I figure that I'd better get caught up to the present by doing several small March posts over the next day or two. April has been pretty uneventful so far anyway.
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