Did someone say monkey bars?

Eloise has been attending a mommy and me gymnastics class for three weeks now. She is a very free spirit and does not like to be told what to do, but what 21 month old does? She will sometimes walk the beam, but by far her favorite is to swing from the bars like a monkey and say "wee"! She also enjoys crawling through tunnels and climbing into the sponge pit (I can't get her to jump in yet). She's still a little wary about the trampoline and only bends her knees instead of actually jumping. Russell is such a good boy and takes a nap in his car seat while I play with Ella. It's a fun activity to look forward to each week (as long as Ella isn't teething and/or cranky like last week).

What have we been up to?

This little girl is just growing up so fast.




She loves to be read to by her daddy and it is part of her bedtime routine. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Nelson for the books. She loves the Train to Timbuctoo, Baby Farm Animals, and The Belly Button Book. Ella also loves to go on walks. Thankfully, the weather has finally cooled down enough to stroll up and down the street in the evenings. It feels so nice to be outside and spend family time together, and we now know many more of our neighbors.





Eloise loves to help mommy with chores including laundry and dishes. Usually I fold the laundry and she is right there beside me to unfold it for me. As for the dishes, she would prefer to just lick them clean.




Last month during my birthday week, Brian and I decided to dig up some of the dead patches of grass that had been scorched by the sun in the summer, and plant some trees. It certainly was a lot more work than anticipated. Brian dug out the grass on Mon, I picked out some trees at a local nursery on Tues which Brian purchased on his way home from work and then we planted them that night. We chose a Chinese Pistache because it will grow very fast (3-4ft a year) to become a nice shade tree and it does well in clay and drought. The other tree is a holly that will prosper in the shade of the big one. We went to home depot on Wed and purchased some stones, sand and mulch. Once home, we unloaded the stones and I prepared the ground using a hand tamper to flatten it. I finished the leveling and sand on Thursday and that night we laid the stone and called it a day. There was just enough time for a shower and then off to Outback for tasty birthday dinner. Yum.


I like the end result, but maybe in the spring I'll add some more soil and plant flowers around the trees.

Halloween pictures to follow at the end of the month.

Ella's First Haircut

Among several other tasks on my "to do" list, I can check this one off today.

BEFORE

AFTER

She is so joyfully adorable.

Sitting Up

Eloise has learned a new trick this week. She is sitting without support. She can't sit up on her own yet, but when we set her there she'll stay for a couple minutes unless she loses her balance. Her every accomplishment is so amazing. She is also eating carrots and green beans now and seems to really like them. Also she loves her new toy, the baby einstein bounce and play that Aunt Erin let us borrow. Thanks.

Recreation

One of our favorite things to do is target practice. We don't get to do it very often, but last week it sure was nice to get out in the sun for a little while. Thanks to our friends who have land, we have a great spot to shoot.