THREE LITTLE BIRDS

Last night we put Ellis to bed as usual and as she often does, about 10 minutes later she starts yelling "Mommy...Daddy... Where are youuuuuuu?????" as she stands in her crib with her arms stretched out ready for one of us to sweep her up and rock her back to sleep. Last night, that person was me. As our routine goes, I grab her and 'baby', wrap her in her fuzzy pink blanket, and rock her as I sing Bob Marley's 'Three Little Birds' until she falls asleep.

As I was singing, I asked her to sing with me to see if she actually would. To my surprise, she belted out the words in the most adorable way I could ever image. You know, in the way only two year olds can "Don Wowwy, bout a ting" bc they really can't say their R's quite yet. So, there we were, rocking in the dark, both singing Bob Marley, and my heart just about melted. I almost couldn't sing with her b/c I was trying so hard not to laugh. Then I thought to myself, this is what life is about. This is the good stuff. This is the stuff I never want to forget.

Then I started to think that I wish I would have had my phone so I could take a little video of her singing b/c moments like this I do not want to forget. I do not want to forget how sweet her little voice sounded, how content and happy she was to just rock with me, and how she needed me. Because the truth is, kids grow up. They do not stay this sweet and innocent forever. I know there has been, and will be, so many moments like this with Ellis and Baby #2 that I will want to capture so I can look back and remember their little voices and sweet little faces, but you just can't capture them all. Some moments were just meant to be just that - memories that live in your head.

But I CAN write down a few things about Ellis that I want to remember at the age of {almost} 2 years old. Part of the reason I write and post pictures in this blog is b/c it is a way for me to document our lives. Logan, Ellis and I can look back on these posts when she is older and remember these moments. So, here they are. The little things I do not want to forget...

1. Her sweet little voice as she sings her favorites - Three Little Birds, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and Pat-a-Cake ('leaving on a jet plane' is a soon to be favorite - we are working on it ;)

2. How her hair curls in little ringlets after a bath

3. How she runs to me and grabs my leg when something scares her on TV - Yes, even Disney can be scary to a two year old

4. How she shakes her finger at me and says, 'No Mama!' (Yes, I know it is naughty, but it is just too cute not to love)

5. How she proclaims she is done after everything (eating, getting dressed, brushing her teeth, etc) with a big "ALL DONE!"

6. How she almost always wakes up happy and jumps up and down in her crib with excitement

7. How her little feet turn in as she walks

8. How she runs into our bedroom after I get her out of her crib and yells "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!!!!" Oh that one just melts me every time. She then climbs on the bed and plays with the dogs and giggles as Logan tries to sleep. I let it happen and find it quite amusing.

9. The way she says 'Gamma' and Gampa' when she sees my parents. AGAIN, 'R's are hard ;)

10. The way she gives kisses and says "wove you Mommy' before bed

11. How she gets excited when one of us gets home from work. She runs and gives hugs. :)

12. How she says our dog's names (Emma & Oliver (Olie-Vair) - in a British kind of accent)

13. How she copies what we say when we give the dog's commands. "Emma! hurry up!" and "Emma! Get in here!"

14. How she uses 'baby' as a pillow when she's tired

15. How she looks when she sleeps. We like to sneak into her room at night to watch her sleep before we go to bed.

16. How she is sleeps with her head on the mattress and her butt in the air

I just love this little girl more and more every day. I know I say that probably way too much, but on the other hand, can you really say that too much? :)

WHAT'S COOKIN, GOOD LOOKIN?!: PLAY KITCHEN REFINISH

Remember this sweet little find from this post over the summer? Well, here is the promised 'after' picture. I would like to claim this handy work as my own, but I cannot. It is the work of the talented Kriza of Oak + Olive Home.

I wish I had gotten a picture of it with the oven door closed. Krizia painted a chalkboard window on the front of the oven so Ellis can draw things with chalk that are in the oven. She also painted the right side of the oven with chalkboard paint so Ellis can write her grocery list! You know, like wooden sandwich meat and maybe a few plastic pears! YUM! ;) Now Ellis just needs to learn how to write! We will work on that one...

I put a small cafe tension rod under the sink and sewed a little curtain out of some vintage fabric that I had.

We gave the oven (along with all of the kitchen goods) to Ellis for her Christmas present. She loves it and plays with it constantly when we are home. Her favorite is the Melissa and Doug cookie set. She pours us tea, 'cheers' with her cup, and shares all of her wooden cookies with us! We taught her to say "nom nom nom" as she pretends to eat her cookies. I love it!

ELLIS AVEREE - 19 MONTHS

It has been a while since I have done an Ellis post. I suppose 18 months would have been more of a milestone, but I missed that one. :)

What we will remember about E at 19 months:
- She LOVES baby dolls - JUST.LOVES.THEM. She has been known to carry several around at once and get very upset if someone Isla (her cousin) tries to take one away. She pulls down all of our kitchen towels and swaddles her favorite doll "baby" in them. It is so darn cute.
- Her new trick is throwing her toys (yes, baby included!!!) in the kitchen sink! We always soak her sippy cups and other things in warm, soapy water in the sink, so we have had to dry out some books and give a few time-outs!
- On the subject of time-outs, she doesn't understand that they are a bad thing. She gladly goes over and sits in her 'time-out' spot and continually says "I sowey" (I'm sorry) with a big smile. ugg. Discipline is an area we struggle in. 
- She says so many things, meaning we need to watch our mouths more than ever. She will repeat anything. She will link words together and say things like "I love you, Mommy" and it melts my heart. Her little voice could not be more sweet. I love that she can now communicate with us and tell us exactly what she wants.
- Ok, this one is a funny one. I can't think of anything she is really afraid of except beards and black foam rollers!!! She is getting over the beard phobia, but man, do black foam rollers terrify her! She cries at the sight. We happen to have a few friends who own foam rollers, one being a personal trainer (Matt) and one (Luis) who just loves to roll. ;) Matt has two of them, a red one and a black one. The red one was no big deal, but forget that black one!!! That black one was clearly dangerous and very scary! The whole thing cracks me up.
- Super Why. The girl loves herself some Super Why! Our neighbors told us about the show and she just can't get enough. I think I know all the songs (and dances) by heart. Make sure to visit 'Storybook Village' if you have a little munchkin.
- The potty. We have recently introduced her to the training potty and she just likes to stick baby in it, close and top and sit on it. I guess we know her thoughts on starting potty training.

ELLIS - 16 MONTHS

Oh Ellis! You make me smile every single day and not a day has passed since you were born that I have not felt like the luckiest person on earth b/c I get to be your Mama. You are outgoing, loud, and the most lovable little human in my world. You are my world and you are your Daddy's world, too. You dance in circles, throw your toys, squeal with delight, and scream all of the time. You love Oliver and Emma (our pups) and you especially love baby dolls. You are not much of a cuddler b/c you want to be moving all of the time. You got your Daddy's looks, but I know you got my personality. You are, without a doubt, going to give me a run for my money b/c I sure did give my mom a run for hers. I wouldn't have it any other way. You think I am funny and you think your Daddy is REALLY funny. I am glad you do, b/c usually don't. ;) I cannot get enough of your sweet giggles and your cute little pigeon-toed walk. I love you to the moon and back Little Miss Ellis Averee. I do.

Like mother, like daughter. We are rockin' some summer white.

HAPPY 4th OF JULY

In this family, the 4th means pink, ruffled swim suits, fresh fruit salads and sunny days at the lake.

That sounds really nice, doesn't it?  The 4th actually means, waking up at the crack of dawn to sweat our buns off at the a parade, monitoring Ellis at all times to make sure she isn't eating sand on the beach, and shoving 15 Buells in a three bedroom lake house.

Happy 4th y'all!

We had an impromptu dinner at Jodie and Luis' last Sunday after our flea market extravaganza and I whipped up this super yummy salad.  J and I were at Target the other day (I know...weird) and the peaches were perfectly ripe (yes, I am that person who touches all of the fruit before I buy it to make sure it is ripe). There was a sign next to the peaches that said "pair with feta," so I did. It was amazing AND so simple. I am making it again this 4th of July weekend!