Miss Ellie

I haven't written much about Miss Ellie and her little 2 yr. and 4 month old self these days. She is a character. To start out, she is OCD if I have ever seen it. She is so particular and obsessive about things, it cracks me up. She is so capable and can do so many things.

** Her most recent activity is to go and get the lunch size chip bags out of a box in the garage, come in and find the small pair of kid scissors in the drawer and cut the top off of the bag so that she can have a snack. She puts the scissors away, cleans up her trash and she is good to go. Her cutting is very neat...i was very surprised.

**She is obsessed with her hot pink pair of Crocs. She puts those shoes on with anything and everything. I'm surprised that I am able to put on something different for church. She will wear them around the house all Sunday morning with her dress and then I change them just before we go. She can get them on/off by herself and will not wear them if the strap is not around the back.

**When it's time to go pick up a child or just walk out front to get the kids from the bus, she has to turn off the tv (if it's on), get her Crocs on, and put the toys that she was just playing with away (as if we aren't coming right back). It is so funny.

**She has a blanket that cannot be replaced with any other. None of my other kids were attached to blankets or anything of that sort. She rubs the corner of the blanket with her left hand and sucks her right thumb while sitting with it or going to bed with it or riding in the car with it. She is now ok with me washing it. I would always have to sneak it to the wash the first thing in the morning without her seeing me or she would cry about it being in the wash until it was done. She now will get a stool, take it to the washer and put it in herself. Very cute.

**Last week, while in the restroom at church, she and I came out of the stall and while I was washing my hands, she was making sure every door was closed. She shut every one. She is that same way about drawers. They can't be left open. She goes around and makes sure everything is locked up tight. :D

**I have noticed that if I take my shoes off while in the house, she will take hers off and leave them right next to mine. It is pretty cute.

**She has to have her door shut once we lay her in her bed. She even says "door" when we lay her down. It's funny on some nights because Emily will be telling her I want it open and she is crying "no". They are both fine with it shut.

**Ellie likes us to lay down with her on her big girl bed first before we put her into her crib for the night. She cuddles so close when we lay down together. I love it. She is so cute and so lovable.

**She will get out a little plastic snack bowl, put some crackers or dry cereal in it(she has gotten them down out of the pantry by herself) and then come and show me. She sometimes puts the box of crackers/ceral back in the cupboard or else leaves the box right by where she gets out the bowls.

**She has a "safe zone"in the house where she will go and sit if she hears the trash truck coming down the street or the gardeners. It is where she can't be seen from any windows. It's the same spot every time. It's pretty funny. I have found that she takes her toys to play with them in this spot, or the Nintendo DS will be right there where she was laying down to play it.

**She can get out the Nintendo DS, put a game in and play with it. I watched her get it out, plug the charger into the DS and then into the wall. She knows just what to do...it's so amazing. I guess not so amazing when she is watching everyone else do these things everyday.

**When the other kids are taking showers and getting pj's on, she will go into her room, take off all of her clothes, take off her diaper and bring me out many pairs of her pajamas to put on. She is so funny!!

**I can ask her to go get me something out of the bathroom or anywhere and she knows just where to go, gets it and brings it back to me. She can be a great little helper.

**When she is finished eating her cereal at the table, she will carry the bowl and the spoon and drop them into the sink. It's funny because she is short and can barely make getting the bowl over and into the sink. She did it with my glass bowl and of course, it chipped. Oh well.

**She will only watch one thing on tv...(she calls it "BABY"). It's a movie from the Baby Einstein collection. She will watch any of them but it has to be one of those or else you will not hear the end of it until "Baby" is on. She asks for it multiple times a day. Thank goodness it isn't a ridiculous cartoon that you can't stand to have on.

We all love having her in our family. I can't imagine life without Miss Ellie. I just hope she doesn't start the "I can't step on the cracks in the sidewalk".

She is fun to be with and I enjoy the time spent with her. She is a happy baby but is loving to shout out "NO" when she doesn't like something. She did throw a fit the other day at Wal-Mart. She was going to literally eat the entire sack of goldfish that you can buy in the bags unless I put the bag away. She didn't like that at all. She let everyone know it too.

**She loves to jump all over the place. She will then fall down while cracking up all the while.

This is Miss Ellie in a nutshell right now. She is fun, loving, tender and feisty. She loves her Daddy and wants him to hold her while he is home at anytime. Todd is great with her and all of them.

Everything has its place in Ellie's mind and don't try to tell her otherwise. She is a fun little girl!

"MY EIGHT"

8 Shows I watch: (I don't think I can come up with that many)

*Fox News
*The Office

8 Things I did yesterday:

*clean kitchen/washed dishes
*folded 3 loads of laundry
*grocery shopped with Miss Ellie
*went for a run and then later a walk
*made Todd cookies
*helped with homework
*read scriptures
*went to bed too late

8 Favorite places to eat:

*Taco Rico
*Grinder shop (here in SLO)
*D'Elias Grinders (in Riverside, CA)
*Mom's kitchen for New Mexico style enchiladas
*Fish Taco at Cracked Crab
*Taco Mesa (preferably the carrots and the blackened chicken tacos)
*CPK
*Max's (Stanford Mall)

What is sad is that only 3 out of the 8 are places that are close by me.

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To:

*Thanksgiving dinner and my family being here
*Having Todd home tomorrow (his Friday off)
*Not having to buy diapers for the first time in 9 years
*A date with Todd...or a weekend away.
*Watching my children go through the temple for themselves for the first time. :D What a day that will be!!
*When I don't have to get a babysitter to go somewhere
*Carefree summer days

8 Things on my Wish List:

*Digital SLR camera
*My own home :D
*A home gym
*Furniture in my living room
*To take Taekwondo or Karate with my children
*A housekeeper to come and help me do the work.
*To live closer to the temple. (2.5 hours each way makes for a looooonnnnngg day when you have little ones.)
*To not have bills to pay :D Wouldn't that be nice.

This was fun. I'm off to run some errands with Miss Ellie.

Fall is here.....or not quite yet

You wouldn't know it here by the weather. It has been beautiful the last few weeks. Temperatures in the 80's. That is not typical for this time up here. I haven't had to turn on my heater yet this season. YEAH!! There is a bonus to the warmer weather. Less money out of my pocket. I love the weather here. There is no smog so the sky is so clear and the ocean is so big and beautiful. Eventhough I am completely terrified of any ocean activities, I love to look at it. A nice sunset isn't bad either. I was not scared at all of the ocean as a child. I have watched too many shows/documentaries that the people had such horrible experiences out in the water that I have no desire to do any activities out in the ocean.

Anyway, lots has been going on and yet I put too much time into Facebook and not into posting over here. I haven't written anything about Halloween or posted pics. I don't even think I wrote about Mitty's 9th birthday at the end of October. The problem with posting pics is that I can't find my camera. Not good!! I have a bunch of pics on it. I have been keeping busy with scout schedules, primary calling, visitors (my sister and her kids...we had 9 kids between the two of us here in the house. it was great!!), homework packets for each child weekly, cleaning, laundry, fixing food, etc. You all know the drill. There is never a dull moment around here. Now, I'm getting ready to have lots of family come for Thanksgiving next week. My parents, 2 brothers, one sister and her husband and Todd's aunt will be here with us. I have not had Thanksgiving with my side of the family for probably 4-5 years. The kids are excited to have it be more of a party than just a "bigger" dinner. I love the food that is prepared for Thanksgiving and can pretty much taste it everytime I think of the menu. I love it. I'm looking forward to the few days off that the kids will have.

Emily has been singing her Thanksgiving songs that she is learning for a show they are going to do at school for all of the parents. I love Kindergarten. They do so many fun things. They are having a feast and a little program next Tuesday. I look forward to all of those shows/events.

I made pumpkin bread yesterday for some friends and boy does the house smell good. I love that smell and taste. I'm trying hard to stay out of all of the good stuff. It's so hard at this time of year. I remember when I was pregnant during Thanksgiving that I gained 10lbs during the month of November and another 10lbs during the Easter months. It all worked out in the end. I never gained more than 35-40 lbs. I'm happy to have those days behind me.

Before the season gets away from me I do want to write down some things that I am thankful for at this time.....

-Todd's job
-Healthy family
-health insurance
-the Gospel in my life
-that Prop. 8 passed
-that I have food in the cupboards
-that I can go to the temple
-that gas is cheap for a moment. :D
-that I have nice neighbors
-that my children associate with good friends
-that Mitch loves scouts
-a wonderful, helpful and caring husband
-good parents/siblings
-a latter day prophet, Pres. Monson
-desire to do what is right
-that I understand the importance of family
-that I am grounded in who I am and that I'm aware of my purpose/role here on Earth.
-good friends
-sisters
-my calling in the Primary presidency-opportunity to teach the children
-primary children
-church music
-piano
-good kids
-good ward
-gift of faith
-my testimony
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I have many things to be thankful for that I take for granted. I am thankful for my savior, Jesus Christ.