Happy 2nd Birthday, Ellena!

Princess Ellena

Ellena received an edible bouquet from Aunty Kim and company - yum yum! Included was a Princess crown, so of course she had to try it on. Here she is saying, "Ellena Princess" and pointing to herself!

Great Wolf Lodge

We just got back from an overnighter at Great Wolf Lodge, an indoor water park near Olympia, WA... We all had a blast! Thank goodness for Grandma & Grandpa who wrangled four monkeys while the adults got to indulge in the "big kid" slides! We can't wait to go back... thinking a couple years 'til Evan is tall enough to do everything...

Day Out With Thomas 2010

Today we spent the "Day Out With Thomas"... and the kids loved it! This was my and Ellena's first time and we enjoyed ourselves. Between the two kids, Ellena is actually the one who really likes Thomas. She has not seen the shows, but enjoys the books and train sets. Today was a very cool day for her!

Ok, I'm gonna give away a few secrets to make your trip a good experience - thanks Pops for the 'insider info'. We bought tickets for the second train ride, so when Thomas pulled into the station to unload the first ride, we were the first in line to take pictures with Thomas. (This line can get crazy long, since they can't take pics while he is off doing the 25 min. train ride - if you miss the cut, you are stuck waiting!) We then hurried to the back of the line to load up and ride. We got off the train and there were 15 minutes before Sir Topham Hat made his appearance. We hung out in the shade and had a snack while holding our first place in line for this. By the time we got our photo with Sir Topham Hat, the gift shop had cleared out quite a bit... Everything went so smoothly!

The kids each picked out a toy from the gift shop - Evan got a board game and Ellena got a bath toy. They were so excited to play with their loot!

23 months!

We are now just one month away from Ellena's second birthday! Oh my! This girl constantly amuses me... whether it's her sweet, loving hugs and kisses whenever I say "Ouch", her dancing prowess (mainly moving her arms like Row Row Row Your Boat), the monkey-see-monkey-do mentality she shares with her big brother, or the dramatic temper tantrums that can start out of nowhere and end just as quickly. Every new day with Ellena is a special gift.

We have been working on the whining and things are getting better. She now makes it a point to ask for things in her "cute" voice and I think she understands that she gets things much quicker that way!

Ellena is very conscious of her personal space. When we are out and about, she does not like people approaching her. Say we are in the grocery store. If a stranger starts coming down the same aisle as us, she will hold her arm out to them and shout, "Stop right now!" But the strangers don't usually understand her and think she is waving at them, so they approach her and talk to her. Ha!

Pockets - Ellena loves pockets! She decides what shorts/pants to wear based on if they have pockets! She will then carry a Hot Wheels car around in her pocket all day! I now know to shop only for bottoms with pockets. And the dress I made for her - I added some patch pockets to the skirt.

Dora - Oh, how Ellena loves Dora the Explorer. She gets to watch one Dora show after naptime. When I put her down, she never fails to say, "Dora... and Boots... and Swiper too." She loves her Dora nightie and Dora panties and today she picked out Dora rubber slippers. This is her first pair of footwear that has the strap between the toes. My mom said, "She's so hardhead, she's going to force herself to get used to the strap just so she can wear them." Yup, she did.