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!