It's the Simple Things

"It's the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary." 
— Paulo Coelho

Ella reminded me of something this morning.  Our morning routine goes something like this: Wake up at 6:30, take a bottle, play until 8:00, nap until 9:00, eat breakfast, play again.  Ella thrives under structure.  She needs to stick to a routine, so this is how most mornings go.  Morning play time is one of my favorite things to watch Ella do.  She loves to play.  She squeals with joy and laughs with excitement.  We pull out her word blocks, connector rings, stacking rings, balls, toys, baby lap top and cell phone, leap frog play table, etc.  It always strikes me that she has so many toys.  Between Brent and me, grandparents, and friends-- she has plenty to play with.  I initially thought that Ella would prefer to play with the electronic toys-- you know, the ones that light up, sing, beep, buzz...but she prefers a simple toy over any others-- her bathtub word blocks.  A pack of 25 costs $5 at Target and we use them in just about every scenario...during playtime, at restaurants, in the car, in the tub.  They are multicolored and have pictures and sight words like cat, car, boat, ball, moon on them. She loves these things and they go everywhere with us.  As I watched her play this morning it occurred to me that it was the simple toy that Ella likes best and found the most joy in.  What a novel concept in a world where bigger and flashier are "better."

I took some pictures of her as she played joyfully with her blocks.  The saying, "it's the simple things in life" repeated in my head.  I started to wonder--what if I stopped to really enjoy the blue sky, a longer prayer, chirping birds, a walk around the block, coffee with a friend, planting flowers, or the sunset more often?  It's not that I don't love those things now...it's just that the simple joy they bring is often overshadowed by the hustle and bustle of life.   Maybe I too would find the childlike joy that Ella finds in word blocks if I would just take the time to enjoy the simple things in life and allow myself to be still for a moment--find the extraordinary in the small stuff.  I know this isn't always easy, especially with a baby to take care of and a household to run, but I'm going to challenge myself to "stop and smell the roses"...just like Ella takes time to show special love to her blocks!

I never realized before I was a parent all I would learn from Ella.  The funny thing is, I think I learn as much, if not more, from her than she does from me.  I'm posting the pictures of Ella with the blocks this morning.  Maybe it will challenge you to stop and enjoy the "word blocks" in your life!!

Some toy options....

more options...but...

See all the blocks that dot
the rug...

         

In the end...it's always the blocks!!

Getting Back into Blog Mode

I have to admit that my blogging has been sporadic at best since we moved.  Sifting through all we've been doing lately seems overwhelming almost like where do I begin??  If I were to recap the whole summer, you'd be sitting here still reading this blog into tonight.  The cliff notes go something like this: We've spent a wonderful summer with family and friends acclimating ourselves to life in Georgia.  Our life in Texas was much more laid back, so being on the go has been fabulous, but exhausting.  Ella is turning into a little person rather than a baby right before our eyes.  Her personality continues to grow and she's a real trip!  She crawls EVERYWHERE now.

 A really special highlight from the summer was the first time she crawled (Saturday, August 20th).  Brent was home and my brother, Jason, and his girlfriend, Elise, were here and we all got to watch it.  I love that Brent has been home to see all her major milestones...smiling, rolling over, crawling.  I love that we watched those things together.  And, having Jason and Elise here was the icing on the cake.  I am blown away by how wonderful Uncle Jason is with Ella...he's so proud of her.  He loves her so much and she loves him too.  He'll even change dirty diapers!!  If that's not Uncle love, then I don't know what is!!  Elise is great with her too and Ella loves when they visit.

So, since her initial crawl, Ella has been on the move.  I'll put her on the rug and next thing I know she's rounding the breakfast bar headed into the kitchen.  She is more and more fun everyday.  She loves to babble and we hear lots of ma's, da's, pa's, ba's, and of course her patented "hi"...she really says "hi"!!  Not sure if it's deliberate, but we'd like to think so. She certainly always uses it in the right context.  She even appears to be trying to wave, while she says hi.  It's so cute, when she waves she's not quite sure how to hold her hand, so it looks like she's wiggling a claw in the air or something...lol!   She's also pulling up...I tell you, she has some strong legs!!

Time is flying.  I really can't believe she's almost 9 months old.  We love her more and more each day that passes.  She makes us laugh and brings us so much joy.  Yes, Miss Ella is still as assertive as ever.  She didn't outgrown the "I want my way" personality trait when the colic went away.  Let's just say, I think Ella will stand up for herself in life as she continues to be "spirited":)  She is truly a blessing.  I find myself stopping multiple times a day and looking at her while she goes about her day and thanking the good Lord for this amazing little person.  I think we won the lottery the day God chose Ella Grace to be our little girl.

I'll try to blog more often.  Just needed a good catch up post...something to get me motivated to be back to my blogging self.  Stay tuned!

Up to mischief!  Look at the Elvis lip!

Reading with Daddy!

Fun with Mimi!!

Listening to a band and eating dinner Downtown

Yeah, my bow is as big as me!

Jason and Uncle Jason after she crawled!

Can you tell my dad's a dentist...I'm
already brushing my teeth!!

My favorite time of the day!!

Just reading my book

Now I'm going to eat my book...

Off to crawl around...

Love this picture...she looks like she is
modeling the Baby Einstein fish mobile!
I'd buy it from her!!

Papa's Birthday Weekend!

Ella and the Birthday Boy

Happy Birthday, Papa!  Yesterday was Brent's dad's Birthday.  I didn't get a chance to sit down and blog-- but wanted to send out a (belated) Happy, Happy Birthday to him.  Eddie and Julie (Papa and Mimi) spent last weekend with us.  We enjoyed some wonderful food, DELICIOUS cupcakes, and quality time together.  We are finding that Savannah is a great place to entertain...especially when you learn the local places to go.  The dining around here is amazing and I think it's single handed contributed to me gaining some extra pounds since we moved here...but that's another story.  Anyway, Papa got to spend his birthday weekend with his favorite little girl, Ella Grace.  He's so sweet with her and she loves to be held in his arms and play with with him.  She's lucky to have him!!  We really enjoyed spending the birthday weekend with both Eddie and Julie and are so glad they came down to enjoy our new hometown.  It's nice to be near family again and we feel fortunate when we get the chance to help celebrate special occasions.   Happy Birthday, Eddie/ Papa! We love you and truly appreciate all you do for us!!  Your support through the years has meant more than you'll ever know :) Thanks for being you and giving us a reason to try a dozen of Gigi's cupcakes!!

Cupcakes--cut in half!

Yum!

Ella says, "What's going on??"...Singing Happy Birthday!

Make a wish...

Mesmerized by the fire!

The Unofficial Mover

Ella is unofficially on the move.  Why unofficially you ask?  She has yet to crawl forward (which I think most would consider official mobility), but she can scoot backwards around the room and roll to any location she chooses.  Areas of choice include, but are not limited to: the fireplace, anywhere with chords, and straight to any dog toy.  So, it's time to baby proof!!  It's hysterical to watch because she knows that she is not allowed in the fireplace...don't worry it sounds a lot worse than it is...it's not connected for use.  She'll scoot slowly towards it (going backwards of course) and I say, "Hey...what are you doing, no, no."  At this point she startles, throws her hands up (like I'm the police or something) and acts like she wasn't headed for the fireplace and tries to make a detour--STINKER!!!   The problem is that it's hard to make a detour when you can only scoot backwards...so she ends up frantically scooting into the fireplace as she attempts to make a U-turn...priceless!  Then there are also the baskets under the coffee table.  One has been replaced with her toys....the other still has DVD's and "stuff" in it (large items that she can't choke on of course).  She loves to roll over to the coffee table and take out the basket that is not the one with her toys in it (her's is pink...the other is a traditional basket)...she thinks she's being so sly....then I say, "What are you doing?"--she freezes in he tracks again, throws her hands up, and laughs.  She really cracks us up!!  The look on her face is always unforgettable.  I just hope she doesn't laugh when she's a teenager and we're telling her that her curfew is 11:30....but that's a while off, so we'll not think about it for now.  We just keep asking...where did our little bitty baby go??  She's more like a little person now with a HUGE personality.  We predict she'll be crawling within a couple of weeks.  She's almost there, she just can't figure out how to move the hands and legs forward at the same time instead of backwards.  So, here's to a new phase: MOBILE ELLA...I'm sure we will have MANY adventures to follow as she becomes an official mover....stay tuned!

Starting poistion...I was just mad about something but I'm getting over it...

Now how do I make this work?

Okay, I'll just roll... 

Sitting....getting into my moving position

Scooting backwards...

Decided to scoot backwards under my jumperoo!

Mommy caught me in the basket but I don't know it...yet...

Oh, shoot...guilty!

Thinking so hard, I've got my tongue out...I can do this...

Trying to stand--don't get too far ahead of yourself, Ella!!

Okay, just going to scoot backwards for now!

Full crawling position...any day now I'll be a crawler!

Happy Birthday, Nana!

Happy Birthday, to a fabulous Mom and Nana!!  Hope you have a SUPER day!  Thanks for being a wonderful Nana to Ella...you let her play in the tub an extra long time, you teach her new words, you read her stories, you rock her to sleep, and you show her the tremendous love you have always shown us!  She's a lucky little girl.  Thank you for being an example of a loving mother and for being there for me while I navigate the uncharted waters of being Miss Ella's mommy!  We appreciate all you do.  We wish we could be there to celebrate with you!  Love you! XOXO!