M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!!!

Spencer and I spent our Thanksgiving holiday with my parents in Disney World this year. We started going on trips over Thanksgiving several years ago but since we had Ella Ann we haven't been able to go these last 2 years. I met my father-in-law in Tennessee on Sunday so I could give him Ella Ann for the week. Spencer and I had a really fun day on Monday just hanging out and enjoying each other's company for a change! We went to bed super early on Monday night and got up at 1:15 a.m. to drive to Orlando so that we would be at the gates as soon as MGM Studios opened at 9:00 a.m.!! It was not a bad drive at all and we made it to the gate at 8:30 in the morning! We hit the parks hard on Tuesday and wore ourselves out! It was soooo fun! My Mom and Dad flew down early Wednesday morning so we were back at the parks again that day with them. It's way more fun to be at Disney with my parents because we are all always on the same page about what we want to ride, where we want to eat, what we definitely don't want to do, etc. I know we wore my poor parents out because they were dragging by 10 a.m. on Saturday after getting to the Magic Kingdom early so we could hurry up and ride all the rides we wanted to before the masses came! We had them up and at em' every single morning! Poor kids, they were quite the troopers though! :)

We did eat a traditional Thanksgiving dinner (at least Spencer and my Dad did) on Thursday night at The Flying Fish on Disney's Boardwalk. They LOVED their turkey meal and Mom and I loved our salmon and scallops! Mom and I figured we could eat turkey any day so why not eat something better?!?!

Spencer and I got our Disney fix in a really big way and were really ready to come home and see Ella Ann! It was an awesome time with my parents in my favorite place in the world and I will probably be ready to go back in a couple of days but we sure were glad to get back home and see Ella Ann on Sunday!! She had such a good time with her Nana and Papa for a week and I know she will miss them like crazy and ask for them for at least a week! Thanks again to both Gary and Gayla for being so kind to keep Ella Ann and taking such good care of her and to my parents for a wonderful, wonderful Thanksgiving!

I took quite a fiew pictures so click HERE to view them all.

Put Me In the Zoo

Spencer and I took Ella Ann to the zoo yesterday afternoon as a birthday treat! We have never been to the Atlanta Zoo, even though it is about 1.5 miles from our house! The temperature was only 55 degrees, so a few animals were not on display, but we had such a good time and the place was empty so we got to see so many animals without having to deal with swarms of crazy kids!!! Here are a few pictures from our day:

She loved the petting zoo!

Ella Ann enjoyed watching the real elephants.....and petting the elephant statues! She would hug and kiss all over it!

Since Spencer and I are leaving Monday night to go to Disney for the rest of the week with my parents, I am taking Ella Ann to meet my father-in-law tomorrow in Tennessee so that she can stay with her Nana and Papa. Spencer is working in Toccoa all weekend and left at 5:30 this morning so last night was the last time he'd see Ella Ann until we get back next Sunday. He definitily got in some quality time with her before bedtime, so I snapped some pictures of their sweet moments!




I know the following picture is random, but I had to post it to tell you all how in love with my coffee I am now!!!! Isn't my cup of joe fabulous!!!!??? My friend, Megan, gave me a frother (I have no idea what it's actually called because it came from IKEA and everything is in Swedish) a few months ago and now I have my very own cappuccino every morning!!! The best part is the frother was only $1.50!!! I had to take a picture because it's so pretty and it's what I dream about at night because I can't wait to get up the next morning and drink it! It's the little things in life that make me happy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELLA ANN!!!!!

Two years ago today.......

we were blessed with our sweet little girl, Ella Ann Emilie Jensen!!!

We are so thankful to God for giving Ella Ann to us. She is such a wonderful, fun, loving, sweet, funny, smart, pretty, easygoing (lately less and less, though!), amazing child and we are loving every single minute of every day that we get to spend with her.

Here is the birthday girl last year......

and this year!! The cakes got bigger, along with Ella Ann!!!

She has her 2-year check up this morning and this afternoon we are taking her to the zoo for the first time! I will post all the pictures later!

Our Weekend Getaway

This weekend we headed to Cashiers, North Carolina for Emory's internal medicine department's annual retreat. Last year was the first time we went because the first year was too close to my due date so we didn't attend. We had SO much fun last year and were extremely excited about going this year. Emory pays for every single thing so we all pretty much live it up to the fullest while we are there! We stayed in the main lodge that is very nice, cozy, and rustic and several people stay in the surrounding cabins. Those that have kids bring them because it is a very neat place for them to explore. We stuffed ourselves silly with wonderful food and fun!

To say that Ella Ann had a good time is an understatement! She was bubbling over with energy as soon as we walked in the door! The combination of being outside, playing with friends, and dancing was just too much for her to handle!! Ella Ann greeted people in the lobby, which is not like her these days because she has turned a little shy on us, and saw Spencer shaking friends' hands so Ella Ann would stick out her hand to whomever walked by and say "HIIII!!" Very funny! Ella Ann also had a blast playing with her friend, Luke. One of my good friend's husband is in the same department as Spencer so they were also there for the weekend. It was fun to watch the kids interact and play Saturday afternoon. However, I have to tell you that the most exciting thing Ella Ann did was dance her tail off with the DJ on Saturday night!!! They had happy hour before dinner so the DJ was playing music, checking his lights, smoke, sound, etc. before the big party after dinner. Well, Ella Ann thought that it was her responsibility to make sure the dance floor was in good condition by seriously breaking it down in front of everyone!!! Not many people get to see this side of our child, so it was hilarious to see people's faces as they watched Ella Ann dance like crazy!! There are no words to describe how much she loved dancing last night! She would stand in front of the smoke machine and wait for it to all come rushing out so she could dance in it! She also loved the bright lights that flashed on the floor, along with the spotlight that she would dance in! What I couldn't stop thinking while I watched her dance was how much she would have loved the 80s!! She made lots of friends while getting busy on the dance floor, as you will see below! We hated to tear her away from all the fun, but Spencer and I also wanted to enjoy the rest of the evening so we put her to bed, and after the fun-filled day that she had, Ella Ann happily complied!

Cashiers is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, so the drive this time of year is beyond spectacular. I took a few pictures of the foliage, but they really don't give the scenery the justice it deserves.

We had the neatest room this year! It was like we were walking in Alice In Wonderland because when we finally found our cubby-hole-like room, we opened the crooked door and walked down a narrow hallway to another door that opened up to our fabulous suite!!! What a treat! In the above picture Ella Ann is at the entrance but you can barely see her.

Checking out the property before lunch.

Isn't it beautiful??!! There was a waterfall to the right of the picture.

While Ella Ann napped Spencer and I took a short hike through the woods. It was so nice to spend a little time together without anyone else around for a change!

Once she woke up, Ella Ann was raring to go so we headed out for a hike, which didn't last very long because Spencer and I realized it was nearly impossible to trudge through leaves, visable tree roots, stones, etc. with a toddler that doesn't like to get dirty!

Swinging with a friend, Sean, and his Daddy.

Ella Ann loves her little boyfriend, Luke! ha!

She even dragged him out on the dance floor and taught him how to shake it Saturday night! Awwwww!

Ella Ann, our tiny dancer with Luke and his Daddy, Dave. Dave was trying to persuade Luke to go dance!

As you can see from these two pictures, Ella Ann was not lacking any dance partners!

Yes, she is really busting a move in this picture!!!!!!

Dancing with Wissam, one of Spencer's good friends!

All in all, we had a blast, if you can't tell!!!

It's Party Time

This weekend all of our immediate family came down to celebrate Ella Ann's 2nd birthday a little early. We had a wonderful time with everyone and really enjoyed having the company! I chose to do an Elmo theme party because Ella Ann is absolutely in love with him and she did enjoy all the decorations around the house. She also loved having all of her favorite people around her to provide lots of entertainment, new toys, and new clothes! Once again Carter and Ella Ann took over the show! As soon as Carter walked in our front door he was asking for a piece of Ella Ann's birthday cake!!! I knew I could count on him to devour the mound of cake I had made! Of course Ella Ann wouldn't touch her cake, but we did manage to get her to eat some ice cream.....3 bowls full! I worked SO hard on the cake too! She did enjoy having "Happy Birthday" sung to her and she blew out her 2 candles on the cake! After the huge sugar rush her and Carter literally ran around in circles around our condo for at least 30 minutes straight! She loved opening all of her nice gifts and will be entertained with all of her new toys at least until Christmas! ha!

Thank you again, everyone, for coming down our way and celebrating with us! You made our weekend!

We took over 100 pictures so please click HERE to view some of them. I uploaded them to my Facebook account because it was easier and faster!

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!