Happy Halloween!

Well we just got back from trick-or-treating in the same neighborhood that I went to last year with Ella Ann and I have to say that the night was a complete.........success!!! We first hit the restaurants and shops in the neighborhood that participated in trick-or-treating and then went to a few houses. The evening didn't look like it was off to a good start because the first store we went in Ella Ann clammed up and sat on the floor and cried because she didn't want to say trick-or-treat, but soon after she saw a couple of little girls dressed up that were older than her and they showed her how to do it right and after that she did it all by herself!!! She would quietly say trick-or-treat to everyone, get her candy....or pillage through the massive bowls to find a few that caught her fancy then she tried to take way more than she should, and would politely end with a thank you! Spencer and I had SO much fun together watching her and watching everyone elses reaction to our cute little Minnie Mouse! She loved wearing the costume and even wore the cumbersome gloves for about 10 minutes then they were off for the rest of the night! When we got home she didn't want to take off the costume and wanted to sleep in it! Here are a few pictures from our night!

Ohhh and Ella Ann even wore the costume to Publix this afternoon....ears and all!

Minnie with Minnie!

She had just fallen down before I snapped this picture, but ole' Minnie was up and at em' and ready to get some candy before you could say zippity-do-da!

I would have to hold her back at some of the bowls because she would just keep taking and taking, but Spencer and I were secretly all for it because she would do an awesome job picking out our favorites! In my mind I would say..."ohhh no, a little to the left and grab those peanut M&Ms.... we hate Almond Joy!!"

I posted this dark picture anyway because it's the only one we have of us walking up to the door.

BOOO!

Happy Halloween!!!!! I will post pictures from our night tomorrow! Ella Ann has been practicing saying "Trick-or-treat!!!" and then we pretend we're giving her candy so she can then say "Thank you!!" I think she's got it down pat and Spencer and I are chomping at the bit to get us some candy!!!!! She is saying "Booo!!!" in this picture. I took these pics before we left for my Bible study this morning.

Toccoa, Helen, & Home

This weekend the three of us went to Toccoa, Georgia again so that Spencer could work at their hospital. Spencer and I had told Ella Ann we would be going to Toccoa earlier this week so all week long she kept saying "Coooowaaa!!!" around the house and each time we got in the car! She loves to go there!! On our way, we made our usual pit stop at Jaemor Farms and picked up some produce. The place was crazy busy with busloads of senior citizens! Their name tags said "Seniors Travel and Leisure Group" so you know they were in it to win it at the farm! They were buying things left and right! I have no idea where they were going to put all that stuff on their Greyhound! Anyway, several of the women would stop and say hello to Ella Ann and she would immediately cower behind Spencer's legs or grab onto them for dear life...all the while giving them her hairy eyeball!

Once we got to Toccoa we dropped off our stuff and went to eat Mexican for dinner. On Saturday, Ella Ann got up before dawn so we were up and at em' pretty early. We walked to get my cappuccino this time and then hurried back to the hotel so we could get ready and drive to Helen, Georgia. I've been wanting to drive the 30 miles north of Toccoa to Helen to see what it was all about. Several people from Toccoa and some of my friends have mentioned how neat of a place it is and that I must go and see it while I was in Toccoa. Ella Ann and I hit the road at 9:30 a.m. and drove through the mountains (amazing scenery with the fall foliage and neat small towns) to Helen. It was really neat coming into the town because you are at the top of a mountain and then look down into Helen and every single building, house, etc. is done in the stucco-type structure with a red roof. It has a German/Swiss look to the entire town, even the Wendy's looks European! It was really neat! Since this was the last weekend of Oktoberfest Helen was packed with tourists. They had all kinds of breweries, beer gardens, wineries, candy shops, German bakeries, boutiques, etc. in a very pretty town square. Ella Ann and I got out and walked around as fast as possible since we had to hurry back to Toccoa to eat lunch and so she could nap. We picked up some German candy (the people actually spoke German at the shop) and did some sampling at other stores for fun. They also had a stage set up and a group of girls were clogging for the audience. Even though Ella Ann got to pet a horse and walk around with me instead of riding in her stroller, she was dead set on playing on a playground (I don't know why). Therefore, every thing we did that did not involve playing on a playground she was NOT happy about. In fact she threw an obscene amount of tantrums while we were there and I was very ready to get her to bed! It wasn't the most enjoyable trip, but I was glad I went and saw how neat Helen truly is!

I had planned on leaving early Sunday morning again but Spencer said he wouldn't mind if I went ahead and left Saturday late afternoon. I hated leaving him there all alone, but I know lots of football would keep him company! :) Ella Ann and I got home that evening and went to church this morning. I guess we will just head down to Centennial Park this afternoon so she can have some much needed playtime on a playground!

All Ella Ann wanted to do was rock the rocking chairs while at Jaemor Farms!

She tried to help me carry some of my veggies.

Checking out the pumpkin patch with Daddy.

Do we know how to have fun or what?!?!

Driving through Helen.

Ella Ann making a new friend in Helen! She wasn't afraid at all and would go right up to her and pet her nose!

A real live horsey is very exciting!

These pictures are of Helen's town square. Very, very pretty!

This is what happened when I asked her if she would stand there so I could take her picture......a big arching of the back, coupled with a "NOOOOO!!!!", then ending with her rolling around on the ground kicking her legs! People had to walk around this crazy kid!

Fortunately I did manage to locate a playround, but we were could only stay for like 10 minutes, so you can just imagine what it she was like when I grabbed her off the equipment to walk back to the car! Ohhh and this is the beloved trick-or-treat shirt that she refuses to take off!

A Free Weekend

It was a rare weekend.....Spencer didn't work! Yeay! It was so weird to have him hang around all day and night on Saturday (he did go in on Sunday night). Let me back up to earlier in the week to tell you that we went to the aquarium on Monday afternoon since Spencer was post call and was able to go with us. We hadn't been in a little while and Ella Ann really enjoyed herself this time around. She can say every animal's name and her favorite was watching the sea lions play in the water.....each time they passed her she'd say "Hi sea yion," followed by, "bye sea yion!!" We also went outside so she could watch them above the water and that were barking like crazy so that made Ella Ann go crazy! Also this week I gave Ella Ann her first pedicure, much to Spencer's dismay!! See the pictures below!

This weekend we went to eat brunch at an awesome bakery close to our house. Unfortunately Ella Ann was coming down with a cold so she wasn't too happy about sitting in a high chair and waiting, and waiting, and waiting for our food. We also went to Toys R Us to pick out her birthday present, which was really fun! Out of all the millions of toys in that huge store, guess what Ella Ann went straight for?? Ohhhh a tiny stuffed dog! She went nuts when we had to say goodbye to it! We got her a really fun gift but I will post about that after her birthday party in 2 weeks. That afternoon Spencer went to a restaurant/bar with some friends to watch UK play while Ella Ann and I went to the mall to do some retail therapy.

We were not able to go to church as a family this morning since we couldn't put our sick child in the nursery so Spencer went to the early service then I met him at Starbucks for some coffee in between the services and I went to the second. On our way to get coffee I pointed out a house to Ella Ann that was all decked out for Halloween. In reply she goes "Ohhhhhh!!!! Pumpkin!!!!", then as we got further down the road she starts telling me, "Turn around, turn around!!!!" She is so funny! It's weird to have her talk back to Spencer and I (in a good way so far), answer our questions, and to have her tell us things. It's nice because I don't feel so bored anymore because I have someone to talk to now that will talk back! ha! We have been talking about her birthday party lately to get her excited and we've told her all the family members that will be attending, so far Aunt Kasey seems to be the favorite....sorry grandparents! :) We tell her that everyone will bring her presents and we are going to eat some cake, which she happily agrees to but you know there will be no cake going anywhere near her mouth since she refuses to try it! So now she walks around the house and asks for everyone by name and then starts saying, "Presents, presents!" or "Sooooooo fun!!" because every time I tell her about her party and what we're going to do I always end it with, "It will be so fun!!"

Ella Ann has also started voicing her opinion about what she wants to wear, actually not wear I should say! My Mom got her a shirt that says "Trick-or-Treat" on it to wear with some black leggings. The child has worn it no less than 15 times. She will NOT take it off! She would sleep in it if she could! She also discovered her costume hanging in her closet and now wants to wear it around the house all day! I won't disclose what it is.....we'll save that for our Halloween post! I'm glad she wants to wear it, and all it's gear, because I was afraid we'd put it on her for the first time on Halloween night and she would refuse to keep it on.

Well, enjoy our weekly pics!

Watching and listening to the sea lions play and talk with Daddy. She kept saying "BARKING!!!!!!!!!"

I took this picture in the middle of her singing "Mary Had A Little Lamb."

With Mommy in front of the Beluga whales exhibit. We walked to the aquarium so that's why we all look a little rough!

She loved the fish!

For those of you who haven't been to our jaw-dropping aquarium, this is the largest exhibit they have and is where the 4 whale sharks are located. It is a bad picture but at least it gives you an idea of what we get to experience! Yes, that is one of the whale sharks at the top of the picture. I couldn't even fit the entire tank in!

This also isn't a very good picture but it was so cute because the penguins were playing with Ella Ann and she thought it was the best thing ever!

Yeah and she tried to cart off some merchandise from the gift shop on our way out but I got her on film....caught red handed!!!!

I took this picture after I painted her toes. I told her to be careful and not touch them and she took me SO seriously because the balls of her feet never hit the floor for a good 2 hours!! I'm not kidding!

Pretty toes, pretty toes!!

Ohhh Won't You Sing Along With Me

Mandy posted on her blog a video of Carter singing and Jana has done the same with Mara Kate. Since our video camera hasn't been working since our vacation and I have been wanting to post a video of Ella Ann doing the same thing, Spencer got the brilliant idea that I use our handy dandy camera to video her! Since Ella Ann resists having any picture or video of her taken these days I had to bribe her to get her to sing! I told her that she could watch Elmo if she would sing for the camera, which she happily did for her little red furry friend....never for just Mommy, of course! She can sing "I Love You", i.e., Carter's song, much better than in this video, but she was distracted by her toys and her reflection in our television (which was turned off)!

Two Firsts for Ella Ann

This weekend was very nice because we actually stayed home and just relaxed! Unfortunately Spencer had to work all Saturday, day and night, and went in again Sunday evening, so Ella Ann and I got out and about when he wasn't home and just played around the house and the park while he was home.

Saturday afternoon, we packed up Ella Ann's "Dora the Explorer" Power Wheels 4-wheeler that she had gotten from her Mimi and Grandpa last year for her birthday and went to the park so she could ride around on it. Okay, so we have tried for ONE YEAR to get her on this machine, which she has always flatly refused. It has sat in her closet every day, in plain view, and she would say "No" if we asked her to ride it. A couple of weeks ago, Spencer got it out and tried it for the hundredth time and, lo and behold, she got on it, hit the button, and began crashing into every piece of furniture in our tiny home! We thought she would hop right on and take off on it once we got in the grass at the park and she did....but only for about 10 seconds....after that, it was back to "NOOOO!" when we tried to persuade her to get back on it!!! Ahhhh, the joys of parenting a toddler! hahahahaa! We were at the park for literally 5 minutes because Spencer and I both got so frustrated that we drove all the way there for her to play on that thing and she wouldn't! I did, though, manage to snap one picture of her riding it! Sorry Dad, we'll keep trying! :)

This afternoon I took Ella Ann to her very first concert! It was a concert just for young kids in a park near our home. The weather was beautiful, the park was fun, and the music/atmosphere was perfect for Ella Ann! I have to say that I blasted some of my own music on the way home and refused to let Ella Ann listen to her beloved toddler music just so that I could feel like an adult again! She LOVED dancing to the music and singing along to her favorite songs! The park had a very nice playground fit for Ella Ann's size, so that was the big distraction to the concert. She kept wanting to go down the slide, swing, or spin around in this tea-cup-like thing that I'd never seen before while she listened to the music, as did most of the kids!

Here are a few pics from our weekend!

And she's taking off.........

and immediately getting off the ride! Spencer tried really hard to convince her to get back on, but have you ever tried to reason with a toddler?? You'll never win!

Dancing and making motions along with the music. No, I was NOT one of the parents you see in the background crawling around on the ground with my child and acting like a crazy person! :) I did, though, get up and dance with her!

This is "The baby on the bus goes whaaa, whaaa, whaaa!"

"The mama on the bus goes shhh, shhh, shhhh!"

This was that funny "cup" that spun around, crooked I might add, that she enjoyed but only if she was spinning slowly! You should have seen her try to walk after she got out!

I took this picture on Ella Ann's last trip down the steep slide before we left because she slid right off the slide, fell backwards, and hit her head on the end of the slide! Woops!

And Away We Go Again

On Wednesday of last week Ella Ann and I hit the road once again and made the long trip to my parent's house in Kentucky. We haven't been home on a weekend in over a month, but it is well worth it because we are going to fun places and anything is better than sitting at home by ourselves! We stayed with my parents Wednesday through the following Monday because Spencer was going to be gone throughout the week with work and was going to Toccoa again for the weekend to work at the hospital. I thought it would be a great time for the girls to see my parents again while he was busy.

Unfortunately, Ella Ann came down with a stomach virus on Tuesday. It was the first time she has ever really been sick, but I have to say I never gagged once, which was what I have been fearing! I guess when it's your own child everything, even disgusting things, aren't as bad. She vomited her brains out, though! hahahaa! We couldn't go to my Bible study on Wednesday morning, so we just went ahead and left that morning. I packed a bag just in case she got sick again with a backup bobbie, clothes, Febreeze, and a big towel, but thankfully none of it had to be used! She was kind of puny throughout the trip, but was fine. So far the rest of us are not sick. Yeay!

We had a really good week and weekend with my Mom and Dad. Ella Ann was entertained all the time with the toys we leave there and, of course, a few new ones! Her Mimi and Grandpa played with her, colored with her, walked around the neighborhood with her, pushed her in a tricycle, cooked with her (her new favorite activity), and danced with her! My Dad had bought Ella Ann a miniature card table and chairs (Disney of course) so she would have something to color on and work her puzzles while at their house. She LOVED it! I forget that it's probably not that easy for her to sit on the floor all the time and play! We also visited both my Mom and Dad's work so everyone could see how much Ella Ann has grown, went out to eat for lunch and dinner a few times, and drove the 45 minutes to Evansville, Indiana to do a little shopping and eat an early dinner on Saturday afternoon. Ella Ann even got to sit in a Z car in the showroom at my Dad's dealership! She kept wanting to get in it and "drive"!

She also enjoyed spending some quality time, as usual, with Dottie (one of my parent's beloved cats)! She would say "Come Dottie, come!!" and when we were outside Mimi taught her to call Dottie and Ella Ann would yell, "Kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty!!!!!" It was so cute! She also got to show off her singing abilities to her grandparents by singing "Twinkle, Twinkle" all the way through, the alphabet, "Mary Had a Little Lamb", and "I Love You", which she always says is "Carter's song" because that is what he sang for all of us in Hilton Head!

The time passed fast while we were there but it was time to go home on Monday and see Spencer. I hated that he had to go to Toccoa and sit by himself during downtime from his work while at the hotel. I know he was really bored and missed us being there to entertain him! ha! Thanks again, Mom and Dad, for the nice visit!

Ella Ann was ready to play with Dottie every morning! Poor cat!

Coloring with Mimi and Grandpa on her new table.

Playing with a new felt board one morning. She looks so much like Spencer in this picture!

When we visit my Dad at work he always has lots of balloons to give to her!

She really liked playing in the Z car!

The keys are all I need!

We met up with some of my parent's friends at Applebee's one night.

Enjoying some spaghetti at our favorite Italian restaurant.

My Dad taught her to "salute!" with their drinks! She said it really well!

She would take her pillow out of her bed and lay down on it in the living room, so my Mom joined her!

She kept saying "NO!" to Dottie, who she thought was trying to eat her popsicle!

My Dad and I finally found a taker for the orange ones!

Helping my Mom and I cook one evening. She loves to sit on the counter when I do anything now, even just when I pour a glass of water!


It's dance party U.S.A. at the Simms' household!

Ella Ann took a few spins on the small carousel at the mall in Evansville. She was so stoic, but as soon as it was time to get off she went crazy and wanted to keep riding it! She didn't look like she was enjoying it but looks were deceiving!

She really, really wanted to ride the big carousel after she rode the dinky boat and train!

Ella Ann and Dottie.

My Dad was blaring his new Elvis CD in the car and when my Mom opened the door Ella Ann started breaking it down!

A picture on the deck before church Sunday morning.

The rocking tricycle turns into a push tricycle too, which Ella Ann loved!

One of us was always having to push her around on it!