Cousin Thatcher & Ella Ann

Yesterday we had the pleasure of meeting Ella Ann's newest cousin, Thatcher! Spencer's first cousin, Chad, and his wife, Danielle, live hundreds of miles away from us so this is the first time our family has met Thatcher, who is 6 months old. We had such a good time catching up with Chad and Danielle and enjoying dinner with them. It was so cute to watch Thatcher and Ella Ann "play" together. There wasn't much playing, just Ella Ann attacking him and pulling at his clothing! Poor Thatcher, he couldn't get a break! :) He was a very good sport, though, and would just sit pleasantly in his Mom's lap and smile at me. Very, very sweet! The last time Chad and Danielle saw Ella Ann was right after she was born, so they got to see how much growing she has been doing.

We really had a good time with our family and it was a treat to have them at our house. We look forward to the next time we get to see them and see how much Thatcher has grown!!!

Ella Ann giving Thatcher a little pat on the head. She kept trying to give him kisses, too!

Thatcher checking out some of Ella Ann's toys.

Ella Ann with her Cousin Chad.

Grandpa & Mimi Visit

We had a great, but too short, visit with Grandpa and Mimi this weekend. Unfortunately, Spencer was working all weekend and didn't even get to see them. They couldn't believe how much Ella Ann had grown since the last time they saw her. They hadn't yet gotten to see her crawl or pull up, so of course Ella Ann was showing them all she can do by taking off everywhere and chasing after all of us if we left the room!

Her Grandpa and Mimi played and played and played with her on Saturday. We also took a nice, hot walk in the park, which we all enjoyed despite sweating our tails off, so to cool down we got some yummy ice cream afterwards. We loaded up Ella Ann in her stroller and went downtown to eat at a great seafood restaurant Saturday night. Ella Ann did wonderful throughout dinner and especially loved to watch the fish in the huge aquaraium close to our table.

My parents also stayed for church on Sunday, which was great! They got to spend a little extra time with their grandaughter and I got to introduce them to a lot of my friends. They headed home afterwards, in tears, but we'll be seeing them again next month. Poor Ella Ann is already missing her playmates!!!

Ella Ann playing house with her grandparents.

Mimi feeding Ella Ann practically another meal with all the food that dropped into the catch on her bib! Doesn't that sound good????

All dressed up for a night on the town!

This is the pretty dress from her Aunt Andrea that she wore to church.

Cute Pictures

I took these pictures of Ella Ann this week and I just had to post them because they were so cute......and funny! We went to lunch yesterday with a friend of mine so I got to dress her up in a pretty dress.

Ella Ann pulls up on anything and everything now and once she's up she usually wants back down but hasn't quite figured out how to do that without ending in a big thud on her bottom! We are trying to teach her to bend her knees to sit. This evening she was getting into her toy basket searching for something, usually her pink rabbit, and fell in! I grabbed the camera as fast as possible!

Ella Ann plays on her learning table every single day now.

Can't....quite....get....that....rabbit!!!!

Little Mermaids

Jana and Mara Kate came over to our place yesterday and we spent some fun time in the pool. Mara Kate was an old pro in the water and was kicking her legs and everything! Ella Ann just chilled out in her float and would sit with Mara Kate in it for a little while. They both looked so cute in their swimsuits and matching hats!

Jana and I got to chat a little bit while the girls played in Ella Ann's house in her room after swimming. It is no fun going to the pool by yourself, so I was thankful they came over to spend some time with Ella Ann and I. Sure makes for a brighter day when I have company!

Ella Ann's checking out Mara Kate's stylish hat!

Look at these bathing beauties!

Mara Kate's sitting pretty (legs always crossed as a lady should sit!) in front of Ella Ann's house.

Fun-Filled Weekend

This weekend we went to Spencer's sister's house and spent some time with our family. Ella Ann got to see her Aunt Mandy, Uncle Zach, Cousin Carter, Aunt Kasey, Uncle Craig, Nana and even her Aunt Emily! It took Ella Ann a little while to warm up, but she was showered with attention and just ate it up! She got to show everyone how she can crawl, babble, eat lots of finger foods, clap, pull to a standing position on her own and she even waved bye-bye for the first time while we were there!

Her Cousin Carter is 16 months old and they loved playing with one another and the adults enjoyed watching them. Carter would give Ella Ann one of his toys and then immediatly want it back! It was very funny! Ella Ann tried her best to keep up with him, but with Carter always on the move so that was pretty much impossible.

As always, we were sad to leave and look forward to our next visit. Thanks Mandy and Zach for your hospitality and Ella Ann thanks Carter for being so kind and sharing all of his toys with her!

Ella Ann saw her Daddy holding Carter so she decided she wanted to be held too!

Kissing Cousins! Toooo sweet!

Ella Ann got to visit with her Aunt Emily who hadn't seen her since she was just 7 weeks old.

Ella Ann got to play with her Aunt Kasey and Uncle Craig.

Hitching a ride to the swing set in Carter's wagon. Ella Ann flapped her arms in glee the entire ride! She loved it!

Ella Ann LOVED swinging! It made her SO happy! She was getting pushed by her Aunt Kasey in this picture.

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July from the Jensens! Ella Ann is celebrating her very first Independence Day today! Of course we don't plan to do anything! Hopefully we can catch some fireworks downtown tonight by sitting in our parking lot.

She wore her patriotic dress to church on Sunday and is wearing it all day today, that is until she gets food all over it!

Family Time

My mom came down late last week and stayed through Sunday at our house. It was soooo nice having her around and Ella Ann loved spending some QT with her Mimi and vice versa! My Aunt Valerie (my mom's twin, obviously) and her eldest daughter, Barrett, were also in town this weekend for a volleyball tournament. They love Ella Ann and I had her dressed and ready for them in the adorable outfit with ice cream cones all over it that they gave her during their last trip down here. She looked so cute in it, as you can see below! They got to see her crawl, eat table food and speak her long randitions of "dadadadadada" and "nanananananana" and "mamamamamama"! Once she gets going she doesn't stop!

Ella Ann has been spoiled rotten with so much attention and it will be tough going these next couple of days trying to get her to play by herself again!

See how much fun Ella Ann is having! She ate up all the attention!

Smiling with her Cousin Barrett

This picture isn't from this weekend, but I took it last week before we went for a stroll outside. She looks so cute so I had to post it!