Santa Loves Me!

Santa, Santa, Santa. Why has my family kept me in the dark about him? Well he is amazing... Here I am with Pappa and Lizzybear on Christmas Eve. We ate at Capital Grill and it was not my cup of tea! My parents had a blast and all I wanted to do is walk around and hi to random people at other tables.....

Here we are on Christmas day, with Maw, Aunt Linda and fam. I was not too happy to take this pic because it was interupting my play time. Waaaaaah!

Here I am with BB, Cha Chia, Aunt Jennifer and Pappa the morning after Christmas after eating at I-Hop. We had a great time with you and Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making the hard and icy trek to be with us for Christmas!!

Lastly, this is just a pic of what I saw first thing Christmas morning. Santa does exist and he loves me!!!!!! Thank you to all who made the holidays so special... Good by to 2009 and hello to 2010!!!

Happy Birthday, Katherine Elizabeth!!

Happy Birthday, Katie! Friday night mommy, daddy, Cha Chia went to Katie's 24th birthday celebration. I loved it because, as usual, I was the center of attention. It was a great time. I even sat in a big girl chair by myself for a little while.

The good, fun, sad, hard week

What an interesting week. It was a mixture of emotions. While mommy and daddy did get some one on one time, I was busy at Maw's house having a good time. I laughed a lot and had fun getting to do whatever I wanted. I missed my parents a lot but sure did have a great time. So while my parents were off on a cruise ship, I was practicing my dancing moves. Below you can see the progress I have made....

Happy 30th Birthday, Mommy!

Happy birthday, mommy! So, daddy had the best idea to suprise mommy for her 30th birthday. He planned a suprise party for her. That was so so sweet of him. The funny part is that mommy had to ruin the suprise after asking to cancel dinner plans so that she could concentrate on getting everyone packed since mommy and daddy are leaving on their cruise tomorrow. Daddy tried to convice to go anyways and it still did not work. Daddy finally told her that she had to go go since there would be more people joining us. Mommy looked shocked!!!! Mommy had a blast and I was able to see some of my favorite people. Above are our good friends, the Holmes. We miss you so much!!!!

Some of my parent's really good friends, Bill and Kate, suprised us by stopping by. Kate is preggers and has been on bed rest for several weeks. She was given special permission to come and it meant the WORLD to my mommy. We love you, Bill and Kate!!

Ammes and Kimberly were looking as gorgeous as ever. Mommy sure does love you, girls! Oh, and we missed Jason!

Here mommy is with her cousin, Katie and her boyfriend Greg. Well, little does Katie know that I have a huge crush on Greg. Muah! Thank you all for making my mommy's birthday so special!!!!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!!

Can you believe it? Santa Claus really is coming to Houston this year. It is snowing so that he can land his reindeers safely on the ground! I was so excited to see little snowflakes hit the ground and then disappear.

Here I am trying to concentrate on getting one with my hand while my mommy and sister pretend they are photographers....

Thanksgiving family fun

What a great week. Went to the Cowboys game and Tech game all in the same week. Here I am with mommy after the Tech game...

Was getting a little sleepy at this point. Notice the pjs!

Here I am with all my little cousins.

Here is mommy with her best friend from college. I know her as Mitch. Mommy says that she has a baby in her tummy.

Had a blast! Thank you poppa and BB for making our Thanksgiving so special!!!

Developmental Mastery

As of today, Ella can master the following:

Clap her hands
shake her hips (dad isn't a fan)
walk
Squat down to pick up an object
pick up tiny objects with two fingers
use a spoon to feed herself (a little messy, though)
roll a ball
play peek a boo
wiggle onto couch
play hiding go seek
says ball, momma, daddy, Izzy, Maw, Pappa, pretty, milk, ballon, bath, bear, book

Ella's Babtism

What an amazing day. All I can say is that I love my family.. Most of my family and close friends were here to witness my babtism. We then attended a luncheon that Lizzy and Papa Bear hosted. Thank you all so much.

Mimi and Tim, we missed you both terribly but understand you could not get away.

The Houston Zoo

What a great day. Mommy and I decided to break out of the house for a while and head to the zoo. I told my mom that I could only get so much from books and wanted to see the animals in person. And that is exactly what we did...

Here I am at the children's petting zoo meeting a goat for the very first time. It was the friendliest goat you have ever seen.

The goat was so incredibley cute that I wanted to give him some kisses. My mommy had to spoil all the fun and stop me before we locked lips. Mom, take a chill pill, will ya?

While visiting more goats, I saw this little boy petting a goat in the distance. He was so handsome, so I began walking his direction. Once I approached him I stopped, for I did not know what to do. All I could do was smile at him....

So after that cute little boy left, I walked over to where I could see some kids playing on the playground next door. I then proceeded to climb the fence to go and play. While in the midst, get who intervined? Oh well, I met my first monkey, zebra, sea lion and goat. Mommy, I want to go back tomorrow!

Much Love,

Ella

Darling Diva

This weekend my parents had our very first family portrait taken. (with Izzy) It was fun. The photographer had some of the coolest toys and kept me entertained the whole time. Mommy was a little up tight, but other than that it was fun.

Above are few pics my mommy took beforehand....I think I could wear this everyday..

After pictures, mommy, Izzy, Domino and Amy went to the lakehouse and had a sleepover. It was eventful to say the least. Everyone have a good week..

Peace, Love and Ladybugs

Aren't we a sight? So, yea, here we are Halloween 2009 and my parents said I was the cutest Ladybug they have ever seen. Like EVER!!! My parents were dressed up as hippies, whatever that is.

Cheese!

Here I am with Pappa Bear and Lizzy Bear....

Here I am with Maw and Mike.....

Lastly, here I am at my first adult costume party.. I had a blast...

Kate, I love you and can't wait for you to feel better so I can come over and visit. Bill, take good care of her.. Night Night!!

This is what Grandparents are for!!

So, over the weekend mommy and I drove to Dallas to visit the family. Here is a little window in how the weekend went.... I had Pappa A right where I wanted him....which was to let me do whatever I wanted!! He is a softy.

Kid City

So this morning my mommy decided to take me to Memorial City Mall for some fun. After she had finished shopping, she took me to one of my favorite spots. We call it "Kid City". It was a blast. I was able to work on mastering my walking and climbing skills.

Walking Phase II

Good evening to all friends and family. Above is Phase II of my walking adventure.

Mommy also took me to the doctor today for my One year check-up.

Results:

22.5 lbS 75 th percentile

31.5 inches 99th percentile

I am without a shadow of a doubt my father's little girl!

One Step, Two Step, Three Step...Four!!

Mommy has taken over the blog for this posting.

What an eventful day. This video was taken the day after her first birthday party. Pappa A, Mimi and Aunt Alisha decided to work with Ella, in establishing confidence for walking. He began the task by placing things of interest in her hand. This provided a distraction so that he could begin working his magic. The next step was placing the objects of importance out in front of her as a way to motivate her to step forward. Good job, Ella Faith!!!! Mommy is so proud.

It is amazing what joy she has brought to our life. We really can't imagine our life without her. God is so good us. Ella, you have made your daddy and I the happiest people in the entire world. We love you so much. I hope when you read this later in life that you know how special you are.

ELLA meaning (a bright light)

Love,

Mommy

Aunt Alisha rides in on her white horse and saves the day!

So, the drama continues. For those of you who haven't heard, mommy had to take me to the doctor wednesday, for a high fever. To make a long story short, I was diagnosed with Hand, Foot and mouth disease. Apparently, it is a fairly common virus that little kids can get. I have had a fever, along with blisters inside my mouth. I have been a little grumpy. Ok, a lot grumpy.

Since Wednesday, my mom also began to feel ill. She said that she had a very sore throat and was achy. We went to the doctor on Friday to get it checked and she was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection.

In short, I have HFMD, my mommy has an URI, and my daddy is on crutches for hip surgery. So, mommy called Aunt Alisha and she packed up her stuff and headed for Houston. Aunt Alisha is the best!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday, Ella Faith!!

Happy birthday to me, Happy birthday to me, Happy birthday to MME EE, Happy birthday to MEEEEE! What a weekend. Thank you to all my friends and family that made this the best day EVER....

So, I have decided that I want cake for every meal. Why not? Life is suppose to be fun, right?

Here is the beautiful cake that my daddy made with his own two hands. Yes, from scratch. I knew he was superman, and now I have proof.

My great Aunt Alisha gathered these photos of me, along with my parents all at the age of one. It was creepy, to say the least.

Here I am on my brand new rocking horse. Yeee Haw!!!!!

Adventures at Mawl's

Hello to all! Sorry it has been so long. I have been away at Mawl's house for the last several days while my daddy recovers from surgery. He has been in bed for several days recovering. Not sure what that means but I sure have enjoyed getting to see him more. I wish he would recover more often.
We have had sleep overs every night and I have gotten away with pretty much everything. Mawl has even put me in bed with her in the middle of the night when I wake up and want out of my crib. I wish my parents would do that! Parents, get with the program. If you don't let me start sleeping with you, I am going to move in with Mawl!!

Walkers are for big girls

So, tonight my mommy worked with me on learning how to walk with my walker. At first I resisted, due to being a little scared. I wanted to do it when I was ready. While my parents were cooking and talking I decided......well......lets give it a whirl. I then approached the contraption and began studying it. Didn't look so scary, just a little intimidating. After a few minutes of driving it around on my knees I stood up and off I went. I am such a big girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Labor Day!

Hope it was a good one for you. What a wonderful holiday. We went over to Amy's and James' house for a Labor day dinner with friends. It was quite a spread, if you know what I mean! James cooked hamburgers and hotdogs and they were delicious. Above is Jenn, Aunt Amy, mommy and Kim taking a photo opp.

Here I am with Aunt Amy................we are two peas in a pod. Oh, and they recently added a new addition to their family, Tracy, the puppy. Tracy and I had a lot of fun together. She liked to nibble on my hair for some odd reason. Oh well, what the hay.

Here I am with mommy and daddys friends, Jason and Kimberly. They were so sweet!! Mommy, I want to see them more often.

Feeding Frenzy

Notice the dirty look I give halfway through...She needs to quit patronizing me. I mean, really. The baby voice she does is embarrasing.

The Bear Family Vacation Day 2

Day two was a hit. Aspen is officially my favorite city to visit. Why? Because the weather is perfect. Mommy lets me go "outside" for a change. The weather here is perfect. Not too hot or cold. Its just right. This morning started off with going to watch daddy para-glide down a mountain. I know you can't be suprised that he would do such a thing.

Here I am with lizzybear and papa bear waiting for daddy to come down. Lizzybear was protecting me from the unforgiving sun. Thank you, Lizzybear!!

Great trip, other than the flight back. That is a story for another day and time...

The Bear Family Vacation Day 1

What a day, that's all I can say. My first trip to Aspen has already been an adventure. We flew in yesterday and I was so pooped that mommy and I decided to stay in for the night. But today was anything but dull. Lizzybear, Papabear, mommy and I started the day off with a little stroll thru town. It was .....lets say ADVENTUROUS! As we began our walk, we saw a crowd of people gathering in one area. As we got close, we noticed police tape around some trees. like a crime scene. We went closer and asked what was going on. Would you believe that a live bear was in a tree just a few steps away? Well, believe it. Below, you see a pic. Poor bear. Why can't she come down so I can give her a hug?

Here we are in the middle of the walk.

See. I told you. A real bear. It looked so scared.

Hipmamas Hurray!

Did you know that crayons taste delicious? Well they do and my new friends and I can prove it. Here I am at my first play date. My mommy thought it was time to break me out of the bubble and show me what the world is all about. Well....sort of. Mommy joined a playdate group called, Hip Mamas of Houston." So I guess that means I am cool, right? What am I talking about..of course I am cool.

After coming coming and taking a 3 hour nap it was time for daddy to be home. Here we are having our daily "Music" time. This is when we turn up the music really loud and start dancing. This is my favorite time of the day..

Wow, it's hard being me. I'm sleepy. Night night, don't let the bed bugs bite. If they bite, bite them back, and if they still do, hit them with a shoe.