Bathtime with Ella Ann

Ella Ann really, really enjoys taking a bath now. Once she hears the water running, she immediately takes off on a sprint crawl to the bathroom...naked as a jaybird, by the way, and pulls up on the side of the bathtub waiting for Spencer or I to pick her up and put her in. It's the absolute cutest thing you've ever seen! She gets SO excited and cannot wait to get in the tub to splash around and play with her toys. I know she'll hate us for it in the future, but I couldn't help but post these pictures of her and will, of course, keep them in her album to show future boyfriends! Just kidding! :)

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!

A New Home & A New Ride!

Well, Ella Ann has recently moved into her new "home" and hitches a ride with Dad to get there! Santa brought her the house and car and she is now old enough to somewhat enjoy it! The house does all kinds of neat things....we ring the door bell, turn on the porch light, listen to dogs bark and cars honk as they drive by, listen to the weather on the radio along with fun music and we can one day work on telling time and numbers. It's very fun! She even has mail! ha! Ella Ann just chews on it, though...good thing it's plastic! Her car lights up and has a handle on it so it will help her when learning to walk.

Ohhh and in case you were wondering we do dress our little girl sometimes but right now it's easier to keep her in just a diaper because she likes to save whatever she eats on her for later and Ella Ann doesn't like to get dressed, so why bother?!?!

Beep, Beep! I'm headin' home!

Helllooooo? Anybody want to come over and play with me?

Come on in!

On the other side of Ella Ann's house!

Chewing on her housekey while taking a breather from all the fun on her stoop!

First Father's Day

We celebrated Spencer's first Father's Day this past weekend. We were truely blessed because he actually had the entire weekend off! Nana and Papa came for a visit too! It was so great to be able to spend Father's Day weekend with them.

Ella Ann gave her Daddy a plate with her footprints on it (see below)! Jana and I took our girls a few weeks ago to a pottery painting place and had their feet stamped on a plate and then Jana and I tried our best at decorating the rest of the plate. This is a very difficult thing to do.....write perfectly with a tiny paintbrush with two active girls trying to get our attention! I have to say it was SO much fun! We will certainly go back to make more memories with Mara Kate and Ella Ann! Just maybe we'll bring the boys along next time! Anyone in need of some more dishes?

Ella Ann posing in her new outfit from her Nana this past Saturday

This was taken before church on Sunday. Too bad few people got to see her in her beautiful dress because I was called out of the service to rescue Ella Ann who was screaming her head off in the nursery!

Ella Ann with her Nana and Papa

Ella Ann's gift to her Daddy

New Teeth & Tricks

Ella Ann has recently cut her two bottom teeth! They have been in for a little over a week, but I just took the below picture this morning. When I went to get her up this morning, she was sitting up in her crib waiting for me. It was the first time she has pulled herself up to a sitting position and I missed it! However, she did it three more times this morning, so I was able to see it. Yesterday she started screaming after I laid her down for a nap and when I went in her room after a few minutes to see what the problem was she was standing up in her crib leaning over it! Let me also mention that the crib is still in it's highest position! Yikes! This was also the first time she has pulled herself up without assistance from Spencer and I! Needless to say, Spencer lowered it as soon as he got home!

Ella Ann has a few more new tricks these days. She does an "army crawl" by scooting herself on her elbows and belly with her knees to follow. The only way I can describe it is that she looks like an inchworm when she does it! She gets VERY frustrated still when on her belly, so even though she puts herself in this position about every 10 seconds, she still yells until one of us rescues her!

I have also tried giving her some finger foods recently. We have tried dry and buttered toast, which she hates; a slice of cheese, which she also hated, and today I gave her a little bit of egg yolk (babies under 1 can only have yolks so don't think I'm being strange), which she actually liked!

Ella Ann's favorite toys these days, besides a bright pink girraffe that my friend, Molly, gave her, are a spoon, pot, an empty formula container, toliet paper roll and the cat! No need for the grandparents to buy anymore toys, just bring some trash or anything from your kitchen cabinets when you visit! ha!

So, for all of you many, many people who don't see us often, you must soon make a trip down to visit us so you do not miss out on all this fun! :)

Ella Ann & Mara Kate

Ella Ann and I went over to Jana and Mara Kate's house today for another fun-filled playdate! Actually, it was just a chance for Jana and I to do some major catching up! Since the girls were pretty good about entertaining themselves, we were able to do just that. I promise we really don't plan to dress the girls alike........it's just that great minds think alike! Ella Ann and Mara Kate enjoyed some quality time together slapping one another and taking toys right out of the other's hand, but it was all in good fun!

Connie, can you tell Ella Ann has on the pretty green dress you gave her? It fits her perfectly now! Thanks again!

Ohhh and today is my Dad's birthday, so happy birthday!!

They seemed to always want whatever toy the other had, especially Ella Ann! We are going to have to work on sharing immediatly!

Ella Ann, as you can see, just loves her little friend. It is soooo sweet to watch them together!

She Wore An...

itsy bitsy teeny weeny little pink and fruit bikini!!! With watermelon sunglasses to match!

Sleeping Beauty

I couldn't resist taking a couple of pictures of Ella Ann sleeping SO peacefully this afternoon. She slept for 2 1/2 hours curled up in her pretty little dress. So sweet! I guess she is still trying to recover from our long trip to Kentucky this past weekend where she spent all of her time entertaining Mimi!