A Belated Thanksgiving

Ever since Spencer and I have been married, we've always spent Thanksgiving with my parents. The first two years we were married we went to Disney World, last year Ella Ann was born a week before and this year Spencer had to work so we couldn't go anywhere. Therefore, my parents drove down here again and I cooked our Thanksgiving feast. My Mom was unable to take off work on Friday, so we just skipped Thanksgiving Day and treated it as any other day. Spencer had both Thursday and Friday off, so we went to the park to enjoy some amazing spring-like weather. Spencer made me toss a football with him both days at the park and Ella Ann would sit in between us in the grass with one of her three singing Christmas ornaments. Yes, she has carried around one of three bug Christmas ornaments that "grunt" Christmas tunes that I found when I was unpacking some of our Christmas decorations this past week! It's hilarious because she will dance each time she pushes their bellies and they starting grunting "We Wish You a Merry Christmas". So if you will picture in your mind me trying to toss a football (for those of you who know me all too well you know how much I hate sports) so you can imagine how terrible I am and then there was Ella Ann walking back and forth between us pushing her singing ornament and dancing! I'm sure we were a sight for sore eyes!

Okay, so back on Thanksgiving, my parents came down Friday night and we ordered some fantastic pizza. Spencer had to work on Saturday, so my parents, Ella Ann and I went out to brunch and did some Christmas shopping. That afternoon, we had some appeptizers and Mom and I cooked until Spencer got home later that evening. Then we got to chow down on our belated Thanksgiving dinner! Finally! Next year, hopefully, we'll be back at Disney for the holiday!!!!

We had a really good time together this weekend and it was an easy goodbye for my parents today because Ella Ann and I will be seeing them again in a few days!

Ella Ann playing with her Mimi.

What a happy kid!

Ella Ann giving Grandpa a big kiss!

Ella Ann with her Grandpa and singing ornament!

Our Thanksgiving spread!

Ella Ann had already eaten dinner before we sat down for ours. She sat with us, though, and ate some puffs because she wouldn't touch the turkey!

Ella Ann and her Cheerios

Now that Ella Ann doesn't drink bottles four times a day, I give her two snacks a day along with her meals. One is usually fruit and the other is many, many Cheerios. She doesn't like bread and is picky with meat, so Cheerios and oatmeal, which she eats for breakfast, are my best bet! For her snack this morning, I put a bowl of Cheerios on the floor with her water and she just dove in them and shoved as many in her mouth as humanly possible and then proceeded to keep shoveling handfuls in her mouth, even if her mouth had met it's maximum Cheerio capacity! I had to take a picture because Spencer and I were laughing at her, which made her laugh, so they just keep falling out of her mouth. It was great! Most of you all know what a big eater we have on our hands (she eats adult-size portions for her 3 meals) so I'm sure if I gave her an entire box of Cheerios she would eat the whole thing! I think she has a wooden leg! Ohhh and I'd like to mention that not only is she a big eater, she's an expensive one! I tried giving her generic brand cereal and she wouldn't have it. It was Cheerios or nothing at all! Hmmmm...I wonder where she gets that from??

She points out her next move.....

then she shovels them in her mouth with one hand while the other hand grabs the next bite....

then Ella Ann decides that dumping them all on the floor would be much easier, which is when Daddy interceds and begins rationing them out to her!

Birthday Girl

Today is Ella Ann's first birthday! Yeay! Spencer took the day off today, so we are just going to relax and play. I thought I would post a few pictures I took this morning of her playing with her barn that Grandpa and Mimi gave her for her birthday. She's carrying around the sheep in the last picture...she loves it's fuzzy head!

If you'll look closely, she has a cut on her head. It's her very first walking injury! I was sitting at the kitchen table last night and she was carrying a book to me and tripped over our rug and hit her head on my birthday present, i.e., my new bench for my table. Yes, she screamed her head off! :)

We have playgroup today, so Ella Ann will get to see some of her friends on her birthday!

Let's P-A-R-T-Y!!!!

We celebrated Ella Ann's 1st birthday this past Saturday!! Wow, it's hard to believe she's 1!!! This year has gone by so fast, and I cannot believe our little baby is no longer a baby. She is up on two feet now and walking everywhere and cannot be considered a baby anymore. It is bittersweet because I miss her being so small and sitting in my lap forever and ever, but it is really fun now to watch her explore all things new, understand what we are saying most of the time, drink real milk, and dance her little tail off! She loves to dance and showed off her skills at the drop of a hat, or should I say a commerical with music, to her adoring fans this weekend!

All of our family came in town for the big celebration. We really enjoyed having everyone here and were sad to see them leave. Ella Ann racked it in as far as gifts goes and received enough new toys to last her at least until Christmas! ha! :) We ate a lot of food and had "Pretty In Pink" cupcakes, i.e., strawberry cupcakes, for dessert; however, Ella Ann had her own special cake that we had gotten her. If you will notice in the last few pictures she absolutely hated her cake and wouldn't have anything to do with it! We thought as much as she loves food she would literally dive into a cake but that certainly did not happen! She sucked on her fingers that had a little bit of icing on them, but that was it!

Ella Ann has been busy today playing with all her new toys! Her Uncle Craig and Aunt Kasey got her a magnetic barn with animals that sticks to our fridge and that has been her favorite so far. She pulls it off the fridge and takes it, as it plays "Old McDonald", over to Spencer in the living room and then will go back and get the animals. It's so funny! At least I can get some cooking done now without Ella Ann attached to my leg!

Thank you to all of you that came and to those that sent gifts and sweet cards. Spencer and I appreciated all of your help with what you brought and for helping out in the kitchen! It was so much fun and I can't wait to do it again next year! Maybe I should start trading Ella Ann's brussel sprouts and beans for cake so she'll learn to eat it by then! :)

Ella Ann with her Nana

Ella Ann is trying to figure out why Minnie Mouse looks so familiar!

Taking a break from opening all her gifts!

The bows were a big hit too!

Ohhh YEAY it's the magnetic barn!!!

Ella Ann helping Mommy open some gifts.

Ohhh nooooo I don't know about this sticky icing thing! Yuck!

"It's my party and I'll cry if I want to, cry if I want to!"

Ella Ann dancing in her "My Daddy Loves Me" t-shirt!

Striking a pose this afternoon in her new bunny slippers! She also enjoys chewing on them too!