While Sitting On a Bench...

I realized how fast Ella Ann is becoming her own person. The two of us walked down to a big playground down the street from our house on Friday morning and while I sat on a bench Ella Ann simply took off and played.....without my help! Several funny moments happened as I watched her, but the thing that stood out in my mind the most was that I was actually sitting! This is the first time my little girl didn't need my help to climb up and down stairs, go down a slide, make her way across bridges, up ladders, etc. I've been looking forward to this moment forever but it was sort of sad at the same time. The other incidents that caused me to get sentimental, okay so maybe it's just my hormones being pregnant that caused me to get sad, was when this little girl that Ella Ann had made friends with came up to me and said, "Hi Katie." Katie? Ella Ann had told this little girl my name, not Mommy, but Katie! That's another thing, Ella Ann is now making friends with other little girls at a playground. Anytime we go to a park and/or playground, she always just stares at a child if they approach her and try to talk to her and they eventually give up but this time I watched her carry on a conversation not only with Mia, the little girl that talked to me, but with another girl, probably around 6, and her little sister that was probably 3. The 6-year-old took Ella Ann under her wing and helped her down a slide, only after I approached the slide and asked her if she needed any help and Ella Ann shouted, "No! I want her (pointing at the little girl) to help me!" Ohh I nearly shed a tear! I said okay and walked back to my bench and sat back down. The older girl was walking with Ella Ann and she said, "I like your shirt." Ella Ann's reply: "Thanks, I like yours too!" The cutest thing was another little girl approached Ella Ann and introduced herself and Ella Ann replied, "Nice to meet you!" It was surreal to hear Ella Ann actually carry on conversations with new little friends and it all made sense....no gibberish! I enjoyed myself so much by just being a fly on the wall that morning. Even though the twos have often been extremely difficult with Ella Ann it has quite an upside too. The good always outweighs the tantrums!

Since Spencer went to Toccoa this weekend Ella Ann and I just hung out around the house and did our usual errands to Kroger and Target. When we lived in our condo, it was so dark in the rooms and we couldn't get outside unless it was warm and we went to the pool (which is a lot of work) so I would separate my errands so I would have somewhere to go every single day. Now that we've moved, I don't have that urge at all and Ella Ann and I happily sit at home or get out and about in our neighborhood. Earlier this week I thought it would be fun for Ella Ann to ride her tricycle around the Virginia-Highlands square and down some neighborhood streets. Well now it's her favorite thing to do and she asks to go every morning when she wakes up! This is what she says to me (with very huge eyes right in my face), "Mommy!!!!! Can we go outside annnn...annn....annnd ride my tricycle VERY FAST, VERY FAST down da...da....da... STREET by the shops????!!!!" And let me tell you, fast she does go! The first day I kinda moseyed along while she slowly peddled but each day she goes faster and faster and today I thought I might have to jog! She wears her little helmet, sweating to death under it, and just peddles like crazy and does so well turning corners and watching out for people and pets! Everyone we pass just smiles...or laughs! She does look funny with that big blue helmet on!

On a side note, I have to tell you a very funny thing Ella Ann told Spencer the other night. Spencer put Ella Ann's dinner plate in front of her and told her to get up in her chair and fire away. Her reply to Spencer's "fire away" was this: "Don't say that Daddy! It's nauseous." How funny is that? She got nauseous from me because during my first trimester anytime I laid down on the couch, or floor for that matter, Ella Ann would always ask me what was wrong so I would tell her I was nauseous. She would often walk around the house and tell me she was nauseous, but she hadn't used that word in a while until "fire away" made her nauseous!

While at Target yesterday I was shopping around for a lunchbox for Spencer because I have to pack his lunch everyday now and with all the back-to-school stuff out I couldn't find a lunchbox that wasn't for a child. I did manage to find a patch of "normal" lunchboxes and I was trying to see if the square container I was going to buy to put his sandwich in would fit in it, Ella Ann kept shouting over to me, "Mommy, Mommy! The Dora lunchbox will fit! Get that one!" I told her, as I was laughing, "Ella Ann, I don't think Daddy wants to carry a Dora lunchbox to work." Her reply "Ohhhh yes he does! He likes Dora! It fits buy it!" Ohh the kid gets funnier every day.

I mopped the floor yesterday while Ella Ann napped and left the mop out so I could do her room when she woke up. When she did get up from her nap I was in the kitchen and I go back into the living room and this is what I found! She mopped a little in every room and when she was finally done the mop was dry! :)

Off she goes! Don't worry, I just took this picture really fast and then ran to catch up with her!

She can barely look at me without having the helmet flop around...even though it's super tight!