A Trip to NC and an Egg Hunt

Okay, I know I'm being a little lazy by combining what should be two separate posts into one, but I don't have time to be perfect today! The first set of pictures below are from our trip to Winston-Salem last Thursday through Saturday. Spencer interviewed at Wake-Forrest and one of his old friends from home is a resident there so we stayed with him and his wife. Kevin and Andrea were such good hosts to us and we had so much fun with them. It is a rare opportunity when we are able to see them, so we really enjoyed getting to stay with them for a couple of nights.

While Kevin worked on Friday and Spencer interviewed, Andrea took Ella Ann and I to some beautiful gardens and neat boutiques. Ella Ann loved all the pretty flowers as you can see from the pictures!

Since we went out to dinner on Thursday night, we ordered in on Saturday and after Ella Ann went to bed the men made a fire in their fire pit and we sat outside and talked and roasted marshmallows. Spencer and Kevin loved reminiscing about their fun times together and it was fun listening to all their stories.

Ella Ann loved getting to know her new friends and after only about an hour after arriving, she was climbing in their laps and handing them books! We were very sad to leave them, but hopefully we will get to see them sometime again in the near future. We miss them already!

We came back home on Saturday because Spencer had to work and we wanted to go to an Easter egg hunt that our church was having on Sunday. The forecast called for thunderstorms, but God cleared the skies for all the kids to get outside for about 30 minutes to hunt for their eggs!

Spencer and I walked in the home of the family that was hosting the hunt and we thought we had arrived at the zoo! Seriously, the place looked like a madhouse! There were parents running around in all directions chasing after their child or their 10 children who were covered in chocolate, strawberries, juice, etc. that was spilling and grinding into the rugs right before our eyes! At that moment we were so thankful we only had one child to keep up with! It was fun, though, and we were so glad we went. There were tons of families there and Ella Ann had a ball with the other kids!

After pushing her way to the front, she was the first toddler to be let loose in the yard and Spencer and I were right behind her with the video camera and camera both going at the same time! Don't worry, as you can see from the pictures we weren't the only crazy parents there! We were actually embarrassed by the amount of eggs Ella Ann had put in her basket, which, by the way, she wears as a purse! One kid dropped his basket full of eggs and Ella Ann ran over and started putting them in her basket! I guess all that practicing payed off! heheheheee!

Pretty, pretty flowers!

Ella Ann and Andrea in the gardens.

Kevin and Andrea had bought Ella Ann bubbles so we were testing them out on their deck Friday afternoon. She tried really hard to chase them around!

She wanted the glow worm back that Kevin stole from her!

Checking out the backyard before we left on Saturday.

Egg Hunt Pictures

Trying to scarf down some food with the Barkers beforehand!

Ella Ann's locked and loaded at the gate.....

And she's off!

She didn't let one single egg pass her by!

I'm narrating as I film and Spencer was the photographer!

Dad had to get in on some of the action!

This is just a picture of a fourth of the kids there!

Ella Ann couldn't pause a moment for a family photo!

There's only 1 egg and 2 little girls!

Mara Kate watching Ella Ann and her Daddy sort through her loot!

Kentucky Shower

Last week, Ella Ann and I hauled it up to Kentucky for a visit with my parents. The main reason I went home was because my Mom and I were throwing an old friend of mine, who is getting married in June, a kitchen shower. I went home on Wednesday so that I could help my Mom with all of the preparations and to have a nice long visit. Ella Ann did great traveling and had a blast with Grandpa and Mimi, as usual! She went and stayed with her Nana and Papa on Friday so that my Mom and I could start cooking and running lots of errands. I know Ella Ann enjoyed her time with them and I REALLY enjoyed the time I had all by myself! My Mom and I ate at my favorite Chinese restaurant that afternoon and my parents and I enjoyed a a nice, long Italian dinner that wasn't at 5:30!! I actually got to eat dinner with the younger population for a change and not eat the Blue Plate Special! ha!

The shower on Saturday was SO much fun! I think Sara had a really good time too! :) We ate all kinds of good food and had a wonderful "present" (see below) cake! Sara got lots of fun gifts and we played some games and gave out prizes. I even got to get Sara back and embarrass her by making her wear her bow bouquet on her head! If I could only post a picture of what she made me wear at the bridal shower she had for me you would understand why I wanted to get a little revenge! hehehee! Sara was a good sport, though, but she said I was uninvited to the wedding! :) Ella Ann had a good time with some new pals at the shower. One of my friends has a little girl that is 1 year older than Ella Ann and one of Sara's friends brought her little girl that was 1. They enjoyed playing together and climbing on the couch!

We got home on Sunday afternoon and Spencer had the day off so he was able to enjoy some long overdue time with his daughter! I brought home some plastic eggs for an Easter egg hunt we are going to next Sunday after church and Spencer hid the eggs all around the house for Ella Ann and got out her Easter basket so she could practice hunting! She caught on to the concept very quickly and it entertained her for quite some time!

I posted a lot of pictures, so enjoy!

Ella Ann's Uncle Craig and Aunt Kasey bought these adorable Sketchers for her for Christmas and we were able to get them out last week! They look so cute on her and she wears them everywhere! She loves wearing them too and stomping around the house in them! It makes her look like such a big girl! :(

Kit Kat got a good swipe at Ella Ann after this picture was taken! Poor girl, scared her half to death but it didn't stop her from trying to pet her again! Kit Kat is just too old to be friendly!

My Dad said I needed to post of picture of him NOT wearing a t-shirt or sweatshirt so that people know he's not a slouch. Everyone, this is my Dad looking nice! :)

For some reason, she likes to perch herself in the fridge everytime it is opened!

This was taken before the shower started.

She was very interested in everything on the deck!

This was Sara's yummy present cake! It was all icing! Sara's colors are navy and Kelly green, so hence the green cake.

Ella Ann playing with Mattie.

Ally, Mattie, and Ella Ann all climbed up on the couch by themselves for this photo op!

Me, Sara, my friend Leigh's mom, and Mandy. Old high school buddies, minus Leigh!

Sorry Sara, had to post it!

Time With Mimi

Last Thursday, my Mom (Mimi) came down to stay with us. Spencer had an interview to go to, so it was just us girls Thursday night and Friday. Ella Ann got to drag Mimi ALL around the aquarium on Friday and nearly wore her out! Going to the aquarium is not much fun when Ella Ann goes along! She is much more interested in climbing on the fake rocks, benches, touching the waterfalls, and running in the open areas! She does enjoy looking at the tanks, but only for about 2.2 seconds, which gives the rest of us time to see about 1 fish! I know my Mom enjoyed it all, though, and got to see (and touch!) some sea life!

We went out to dinner to a fun Asian restaurant where you make your own stir-fry bowls on Friday night. Since Spencer got home that night, we all went to a fabulous brunch on Saturday morning and Mom and I did some shopping that afternoon. Since Spencer's beloved Louisville Cardinals were playing late Saturday afternoon, he couldn't join us for dinner at a really neat Mexican restaurant. I think Ella Ann's favorite cuisine is Mexican because each time I feed her festive foods, she gobbles them down! She loved the black beans, refried beans, and rice we gave her, along with all the other foods we brought!

We went to church on Sunday morning and my Mom left after that. We had such a good time with her and I really enjoyed being able to spend a few days with just the girls (sorry Spencer!). My very sweet husband put up with all of us for 2 full days and didn't complain once! :) We were sad to see Mimi leave, and Ella Ann cried in the car on the way home from church and kept calling for her Mimi. The good news is that we will be traveling to Kentucky this week to stay with my parents, so we won't miss them for much longer! Thanks again, Mom!

Here are a few pictures that I quickly snapped at the aquarium and the last one I took before we left for church on Sunday.

An Unhappy Swinger

Yesterday, Jana and I took the girls to the park to walk and do some much-needed catching up with each other! Mara Kate is walking, but still a little unsure about doing it on the grass, so we put her in the swing while Ella Ann roamed around the playground with her ball. Mara Kate loves to swing and Ella Ann does not! I knew she didn't like it, but I thought she might warm up to the idea if I put her in the same swing with Mara Kate. Ummmmm, no, she still hated it with a passion, as you can see below!!! It was SO funny, though, and would have been so cute if she did enjoy it, but the picture tells the true story!

It was so nice that Jana and I could walk around, let the girls play or sit, and us just hang out. Mara Kate and Ella Ann both love it outside and are pretty much happy and content with just sitting or walking. We really enjoy our times together and I honestly don't know what I would do without her here.

As you can see, Ella Ann and Mara Kate got to sport some shorts too! This is the first time Ella Ann has had a pair on this year so far! They looked so cute!

Battle Wounds From the Park

Today the 3 of us spent the afternoon playing around at the park. It was in the mid 70s here, so we had to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather! I have been taking Ella Ann these past couple of weeks to different parks and playgrounds and she has been having SO much fun! She loves climbing around all the playground equipment, although I have to bend and squeeze in several different compartments, bridges, slides, etc. so that I make sure she doesn't fall of of them or try and run down the slide (she doesn't understand the whole sitting and sliding down concept)! Yes, I am the over protective mom that you see chasing around their child on the teeny tiny play gym and going down the 3 foot slide!! Ohh well, the things I just have to do for Ella Ann! Anyway, the parks have also been great for Ella Ann because it is like setting a wild animal free! I get her out of the stroller and she takes off. She was introduced to real live geese on Friday at the park, which she went absolutely crazy over screaming and pointing "GOOSE!!", "GOOSE!!", "GOOSE!!!!!!!" as she bounced up and down!! Yeah, that was fun to tear her away from that scene! :)

So, back to my original story, since we have been going to parks often lately, she has gotten really familiar with dogs and loving them to pieces. She chases after them, no matter how far in the distance they are, and says "dooog"! She'll get so close to them that they end up licking her face, which she thinks is hilarious, as do I! A big bulldog gave her a kiss the other day and she had slobber hanging from her chin! Nope, the germ freak didn't flinch a bit! :) Okay, so Ella Ann spotted 2 miniature Yorkies today (she was holding my old cellphone and walking, by the way, quite the multitasker) and took off after them. The girls walking the dogs stopped so Ella Ann could catch up. Well, she got so excited that she took off running and fell flat on her face on the pavement....poor girl. Here is her injury....

She'll take a hit for a dog any darn day!

Yes, she is all smiles now! She recovered quickly after Spencer passed her her "bobie", a.k.a. her blanket, and was fine and dandy. Other than that, we had a great time watching Ella Ann experience spring outdoors!

**On a side note, please don't think I don't know how to organize paragraphs, captions, etc. This stupid blogger often does not want to cooperate so I end up publishing as is, which looks terrible I know!

Carter's Birthday Party

Last week, Spencer, Ella Ann, and I traveled to Tennessee to visit Spencer's family and celebrate our nepehew's 2nd birthday on Saturday. Unfortunately, Spencer had been sick all last week and seemed to get worse while we were there, so he didn't get to enjoy the festivities and fun as much as he would have liked to. This was also the first time he had seen the newest addition to our family, Cousin Seth. We had such a good time, as usual, with everyone and were sad to come home on Saturday night after the party. Carter and Ella Ann played with each other for 3 days straight! Carter LOVED making Ella Ann laugh by dancing, copying her jibberish "words", and tickling her and Ella Ann ate it all up!! They would both get to laughing SO hard that Ella Ann would begin to sound like an old man! There was lots of belly-laughing giggles to be had! Ella Ann would just follow Carter around everywhere and she had a blast playing with all his fun toys!! Carter got a play kitchen for his birthday and they were so cute playing with the toy food and "cooking." Carter would drag me over to his kitchen, tell me to sit down, and would hand me all kinds of food for me to eat! That wooden hamburger was yuuummmmy! :)

We also got to spend some time with Spencer's aunt and uncle at the party too, which was great! Ella Ann got lots and lots of attention and played with everyone. She also got to show off all her new dance moves, which included a shoulder shake that looks like she's doing the worm! She loved playing on Carter's John Deer Gator tractor and refused to get off of it most of the time. It had all kinds of buttons on it for her to push that either sounded like a tractor starting or would play music. She also tried very hard to sit still while Carter opened all his gifts, but usually ended up right in the way trying to peer in all of his sacks and boxes!

All in all, we had a wonderful visit and enjoyed spending so much time with our family. Ella Ann will have a hard time this week just playing with me again, or maybe I'll be the one having a hard time adjusting! Anyone want to come visit and entertain??? :)

Ella Ann pushing Seth in his swing. Is this a Spencer face or what???!!

Dancing on the Gator!!

Her Uncle Craig and Aunt Kasey got Ella Ann these cute pajamas!

Carter got a hand-painted table for his birthday. His and Seth's names are painted on the back of 2 chairs. It is SO cute! Ella Ann and Carter loved sitting at the table and eating their snack!

The 3 cousins.

Ella Ann loved Seth!

Right in the middle of the action! Carter is opening all of his gifts and Ella ann has to check it all out!! He really enjoyed opening every single one, but as soon as he opened up a t-ball set, that was it, he just wanted to play with that one!

The birthday boy and his Mickey Mouse cake!

A quick family photo before we hit the road. As you can see, Spencer is not feeling too hot!

Flashback to the 80s

A few days ago, I was in our bathroom and giving random objects to Ella Ann to keep her occupied while I put on my makeup. I gave her this red headband that I wear when I workout to play with while I got ready and she loved it! She carries it around the house and knows that it's "her headband" and tries to put it on her head! I took the below picture of her last night wearing it. She will come up to me and hold her handband up so I can put it on her. If she tries to do it, she ends up wearing it around her neck all day, which looks even more 80sish!!! I call her my little Jane Fonda! Now I just need to find her some leg warmers and off the shoulder sweatshirts!!

Workouts with Ella Ann!

Ella Ann's Aunt Emily and Uncle Paul recently took a trip to NYC and sent Ella Ann a t-shirt for Valentine's Day!!! Isn't that so nice??!!! She looked so cute in it, even though it will be a little while before she can wear it out of the house!! It looked adorable on her and we really appreciate you thinking of Ella Ann!!!!!!!! Thank you guys, you two are so sweet!!!!!!

A Trip to the Grandparent's House

Since Spencer was going out of town for work last week, Ella Ann and I went to stay with my parents in Kentucky so we wouldn't have to spend the week/weekend all alone. We had a really good time with them, especially Ella Ann because of the constant attention, playtime, and fruit! ha! We mainly hung out at their house and relaxed because it was way too cold to get out, but we ran lots of errands and went out to eat. My mom and I took Ella Ann down to the mall and let her run free for about an hour, which absolutely wore her out! She loved the open space and went crazy over a huge Beenie Baby display at a bookstore! Of course my mom couldn't let her leave empty handed and Ella Ann refused to put down a really soft white bear so it came home with us and she hasn't parted with it since! She sticks her thumb in her mouth each time she holds it! She also got her Valentine's Day present from her Mimi and Grandpa, which was a Little People Valentine set. She kept carrying around the table with the umbrella attached to it and would try and say "umbrella".

We also went shopping and out to eat in Evansville on Saturday. It was so nice to get out and walk around and I even was calm, cool, and collected when Ella Ann was over an hour late for her 2nd nap! For those of you who don't know or couldn't guess that I'm a complete crazy person when it comes to Ella Ann's naps because I'm such a stickler about them! So, for the people that are always telling me to calm down and not worry about it because Ella Ann would be just fine if she missed a nap or was late for one, you all should be proud of me!!! :) Ella Ann also had a very sweet ride while we were at the mall (see below) and enjoyed being pushed around!

While we were in Kentucky, Ella Ann's cousin Seth was born! Spencer's sister had her second little boy last week! We stopped on our way home on Sunday to visit with everyone and meet Seth. He is SO cute and SO tiny! Carter was really good with him and was very proud to show me his new "Baby Seth"!!! Ella Ann loved our pit stop because she got to play with Carter and all his fun toys!

We were glad to get home on Sunday and see Spencer, though. Ella Ann was very happy to see her Daddy and started smiling and pointing to him when we pulled in our parking lot! Spencer brought me home a variety of hot sauce from New Orleans, which I've used twice already and it's only 8:30 a.m. the following morning! I have put it on everything I've eaten so far! He also brought home a huge carmel and chocolate chip covered apple, which for some reason, I have been craving lately. We said we would only eat a piece of it last night, but of course the whole thing was gone in about 1 minute!

Thanks again to my parents for all the fun and food! We had a good time and we'll see you again soon!

Ella Ann showing Grandpa the bow from her present. She played with that bow for 4 days!

Ella Ann had just polished off some spaghetti and after cleaning her off, this was the result!

This was her car that she got to ride in at the mall. She loved it!

Rolling and tossing a ball with Grandpa and Mimi provided endless entertainment!

Ella Ann, Carter, and Seth. Carter did so well holding him! Nana and Papa now have THREE grandchildren!!!

Playing in Carter's car.

I wanted to post this picture of Ella Ann when she was 4 months old. Seth is borrowing her green seat in the next few months. The seat was stored at my parent's house, so I had brought it upstairs so I could take it to Mandy. The last picture is of Ella Ann in the seat last week. It's amazing how much she has changed and how big she has gotten in only 11 months! See, she's also grown hair.....finally!!! I was able to put a bow in it last week for the first time! She's wearing her new bow in the picture with Carter and Seth! We will be sure and put a bow in her hair now every time we leave the house so she will no longer be mistaken for a boy!!!

4 months

15 months

Don't ask why she has this hat on inside before she went to bed. She put it on and wouldn't take it off! I think she kind of looks like a pilot getting ready for takeoff!

Toddler Time

Since Ella Ann seems to be transitioning to only 1 nap (she hasn't taken a 2nd nap in like 4 days and wouldn't take her morning nap yesterday)....ohhhh so sad for me, I thought we would do something fun this morning instead of fighting a nap so we went to "Toddler Time" at our library that is close to our home! It was only about 30 minutes long, which was plenty of time for me! :) It was for ages 15 months to 2 years. Ella Ann and I walked into a room full of pre-schoolers, and a few toddlers around her age. Ella Ann LOVED it! She didn't necessary enjoy the storytime because she, of course, didn't pay any attention, but she really liked watching all the kids and interacting with them. Three stories were read with singing breaks in between each song and then they finished with a song that included an alligator puppet. Ella Ann would run in circles around the kids gathered in the center of the room to listen to the story and stop and point in their faces! Geez! She would also stop at each adult sitting with the children on the floor and the adults that were sitting in chairs around them and give them her biggest smile ever! Once they smiled or said hi to her, she would go to the next adult and do the same thing! It was hilarious to me, but I'm sure annoying to them!


Ella Ann would stand with the kids and sing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider", "The Wheels On the Bus", "The Hokey Pokey", and several songs that I wasn't familiar with. I guess I should start brushing up on my nursery rhymes! She loved the puppet show and kept trying to squirm out of my lap and go up front and snatch it from the man's hand! They also played music before and after story time and Ella Ann would just stand and shake it like it was nobody's business!! :)


I think getting out during her usual morning nap today was great for her. The chaos wore her out and I put her down after I fed her an early lunch a few minutes ago so hopefully she will sleep a long time!

I took this picture of her as storytime was beginning. I got the "are-we-really-staying-for-this look"!

Well as you can see, she warmed up quickly to the entertainment! This is her distracting smile that she would spread across her face before she took off running in front of the kids and back again! I apologized to the man reading afterwards!

"And you do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around!"