THE SUMNER FAMILY

Soccer Player!!

2010-09-22T10:47:00.000-07:00

this video is from the beginning of summer. :)

Where does the time go?!?

2010-09-19T10:23:00.000-07:00

Wow, I just saw that my last post was in June....and it's now September, the END of September!! Time is flying! These last few months have been full of fun, change and lots of growing up for little miss Ellie. She is transforming into this little, or I guess I should say, BIG girl by the minute! She is so full of energy and is on the go All.The.Time. I feel like I get a workout by just watching her cute little self run and run and run, then jump and jump and jump, then climb and climb and climb, then run some more! If only I could have half of her energy, I would be good to go! Ellie is talking up a storm...and by that I mean talking in our language. :-) She picks up new words and phrases every day, (some of which I have NO idea where she got them from) and loves saying the letters of the alphabet (thanks to "Super Why!"- one of Ellie's favorite cartoons that is all about letters and spelling out words). As far as numbers go, we are still stuck on the number "2". When she is meaning to say- 1, 2, 3 GO!...she says- 2, 2, 2 GO! So we'll keep working on that one for now. ;-)

*little side note*
[I am on my computer in the kitchen right now and she just walked in from the other room and said, "what's up mommy!" hahaha, I love her so much!]

At the beginning of the summer, I started watching a newborn baby girl two days a week (full 8-9 hour days) and to be honest, I was pretty nervous about how Ellie would handle sharing Mama with this new little one....but she absolutely LOVES little Leah! She is so good with her and gets so excited every time "baby" comes over. What a relief that was for me and at the same time, gave me hope that if sometime in our future another little one comes along, Ellie would be okay. I now watch Leah's big sister too, who started Kindergarten at the school right across the street from our house, which has been very convenient for me to pick her up! Ellie loves having Ashley here to play with in the afternoons and they have become great little buddies. So I am so thankful for how everything has worked out and couldn't have asked for a better family to be able to work with. :)

Jeremy and I started playing co-ed softball and we are having a blast!! It is so much fun and we are loving getting out there and doing something new, while being able to hang out with friends and have a good time....and of course have some good laughs too! We actually did really good for our first game, woohoo! Ellie loves going and cheering on mommy and daddy....no, not really, she is MUCH more into having Papa chase her all over the place, climbing up the bleachers and walking up and down the (6 inch wide) side ledge which gives us all a heart attack! I think Papa got much more of a workout from chasing Ellie around then we did from playing! Lol! After the game was over, she and her little friends went out on the field and ran the bases- Ellie was in Heaven to say the least! Thank you Grammy and Papa for taking care of 'the wild woman' and cheering us on as we attempt to relive our athletic days. :)

Here are a bunch of pics from the last few months of us just hanging out, going on Ellie's first camping trip and enjoying being with our family and friends that we love so much!

precious thing

who has some sass in her too...:)

beautiful long hair

family pic

"cheese"

cuddle time

chalk with Nana

so cute!

cousins camping

playing in the water with Papa

daddy with his girl

Jenny and Ellie

Ky getting ready to go tubing

cute "Bubbi" as Ellie would say

my first pine cone!

Zoey, Auntie and my little no-looker

Kylee and Auntie- look at Zoey in the background!

getting as close to Poppy as possible :)

Jenny and Jimmy= cuteness

cousin love

dad and me

my beautiful sister

playing "go fish"

tent fun!

Big Talker!

2010-06-16T21:15:00.000-07:00

Old Sacramento

2010-06-13T21:15:00.000-07:00

We went to Old Sac with my parents on Saturday and had so much fun! It was so nice to walk around outside and enjoy the beautiful weather. Ellie loved seeing all the trains and boats and the horses that were pulling the carriages. She walked with us the whole time (besides hitching a ride on Papa's shoulders a few times)...I think she might be in the best shape out of all of us! :) Here are a few pictures we managed to get that day.

she had me in a headlock! She still had plenty of energy when we got home!

more pictures...

2010-06-12T14:57:00.000-07:00

love this smile!

and this laugh...

would someone like me to answer this?
glad I could help!

naked baby having a snack :)

Ellie HAS to wear one brown shoe and one red shoe...wearing the same color is out of the question for her!

holding baby Leah

The Latest...

2010-05-28T11:26:00.000-07:00

So as you may know, Ellie's first language is Japanese! hehe! You think I'm kidding?! Come on over and listen to her talk! :) Ellie talks non-stop from the moment she wakes up until the moment she goes to sleep, and everyone who hears her always comments on how much it sounds like she is speaking in Japanese. It has just been in the last month or so that she has really started to say words (in English) that we can understand (besides mama, dada, papa etc.) and now she is saying tons of new words and phrases every day! Don't get me wrong, we love hearing her speak her own little language and carry on full on conversations with us, in which we have NO idea what she is talking about...but I must say, it is so nice to be able to understand her now and give her a response back that actually relates to what she is saying! She probably thought every time I would say something back to her, "mom, that had noooothing to do with what I just told you" haha!

I am absolutely loving this age right now where Ellie is really starting to talk and understand things, and her interest in everything around her is so much fun! I love how every little thing is the BIGGEST deal and makes her face light up. --example-- spotting the moon in the sky makes her little self full of joy and she shouts to everyone "look!" "moon!", or seeing a firetruck drive by makes her jump up and down and she waves to it like crazy until she can't see it anymore then tells it "see ya!". I love watching Ellie learn and discover and explore new things every day. She is so much fun! Can you tell that I might be just a liiiittle bit obsessed with this little girl?!?! ;-)

Here are some cute pics from this last month...

enjoying the warm weather

"cheeeese"

cutie pie

"another picture mom?"

she picked out her outfit this day :)

loving on her baby

reading to baby Leah (I watch her 2 days a week) Ellie LOVES her! Thank you Lord!

picking up Bubba from Sunday School

working in the yard with Nana!

she put Nana to work! :)

pile up on Papa!

Now Grammy's turn!

2 years old!!

2010-05-04T14:02:00.000-07:00

My little munchkin turned 2 last Friday (April 30) and I'm still trying to digest how that is possible! These last two years have gone by so fast; it still feels like it was just yesterday that Jeremiah and I were anticipating the birth of our little girl and wondering how our lives would soon forever change. I feel so incredibly blessed to be Ellie's mommy and couldn't have ever imagined loving someone so much!! She is such a sweet little girl, yet full of energy...and more energy...and more energy...:) She is constantly making us laugh and now, feeds off of our laughter rather than getting scared from all the noise, haha! She is such a little cuddle bug- I hope that never changes! Ellie loves being outdoors and loves to play soccer with daddy. She lights up the second he says "where's your soccer ball?". She also has a very "girly" side to her too that is starting to come out. She loves to play dress up and twirl around in her pretty dresses and tutu's and she never leaves the house without putting her purse on first. :) She is just so much fun and being able to watch her little personality develop more and more each day is the greatest thing ever! Ellie girl, we love you SO SO much and can't wait to celebrate many more birthdays with you. Happy 2nd Birthday Ellie Ryan!!

*Here are a ton of pictures from her birthday weekend!!

the birthday girl

look what daddy got me!

opening more presents

my very first tricycle...thanks Grammy and Papa!

"hey look at me!"

coloring on her new easel

on our way to Fairytale Town with the cousins

Ellie loved this slide-It went super fast!

weeee!

walking with Auntie

sliding with Papa

loves choo choo trains

telling Papa the story of Cinderella ;)

so cute!

Grammy and Ellie

silly cousins

the girls- sister, mom, Jenny and me

hitching a ride from Uncle Jimmy

watching cartoons with her new sunglasses on (before she broke them)

that didn't stop her from wearing them though! she is too much!

Ellie picked out her outfit this day...she brought me over her tutu and then her fairy wings. :)

reading her book

Dancing Queen!

2010-04-05T13:00:00.000-07:00

I seriously can't get enough of her! :) Love her so much!!

Silly Girl!

2010-03-31T15:16:00.000-07:00

Spring is here...I think!

2010-03-26T14:59:00.000-07:00

We Sumners get very excited when the sunshine is out! Ellie is SUCH an outdoors girl, so we like to take full advantage of a sunny day by taking a walk, going to the park, playing in the backyard...etc. This weather has been such a tease lately though; it will be beautiful out one day and then be raining the next day....so we are very much looking forward to the rain-free days that are ahead!

Ellie is totally into soccer and loves kicking her soccer ball--then chasing it--then kicking it--then chasing it. This works great for getting all her energy out! :) She's now starting to "dribble" the ball and then she sets it up in front of her so she can give it a good hard kick. She always has to do a few "running in place" steps though before she kicks it. It is so fun to watch her! We can't wait for the day when we get to sign her up for soccer! I think she will love it! Her daddy has been teaching her some of his "soccer moves" which he is really proud of. :) I have to say (and not just because I'm her proud mama!) Ellie has some serious power in her kicks for an almost 2 year old! I'll have to post a video of her playing soccer so you can see what I'm talking about. It's really cute! My computer hasn't been working so I haven't been able to download any pictures from the last few months, but here are a few Jeremiah had on his computer...they are mostly from our recent trips to Tahoe and SLO which were so much fun!

cousins playing on the stairs

Uncle Jimmy and Ellie watching it snow

cute little snow bunny

playing in the snow

Ellie with her bud Cameron in San Luis Obispo

admiring her future husband :)

the girls and the babies- my best friends from college

the daddies

giving some love

sharing some cereal at the coffee shop

"let's trade toys!"

my little model- striking a pose!

one tired little girl

Little Pilot!

2010-02-20T14:47:00.000-08:00

Last Friday, Ellie and I went on a field trip to the UC Davis airport with a few other mom's and their children. We had so much fun! Ellie loved checking out all the airplanes and even got to get in one and drive it! (or I guess I should say fly it? oops, I definitely said drive it in the video) :) We got to see a plane land and take off which was really cool, and Ellie waved hi and bye to the airplane until she couldn't see it anymore. She was totally into it which was so fun. I thought the loud noises might scare her a little, but she was as happy as can be and was not bothered one bit! It was a fun experience and one that I'm sure we will be doing again in the future. Here are a few pictures and also a video of the cutest little pilot ever! :)

playing on the big red tractor

video clip:

Uh-Oh!

2010-02-14T11:52:00.000-08:00

Ellie is really into coloring right now. She loves to color in her coloring books and on her big sketch pad which is great!...but she discovered a new favorite place to display her artwork which is not so great- the bathroom door! Thank goodness for washable color crayons! :)
We think Ellie may be left-handed. She definitely favors her left so far, but she uses her right hand alot too. So I guess we'll just have to wait and see...

Here are a few pictures of our coloring cutie!

such a big girl

Love this smile!

this is WAY more fun to color on TOP of the table!

look Mama, isn't it pretty?!

Nana's Visit!

2010-02-10T14:49:00.001-08:00

My mother-n-law came to visit us this last weekend and we had so much fun with her! This visit she was able to stay a few extra days (rather than a quick weekend trip where we try to squeeze in as much as possible in 1 1/2 days) so it really felt like we were able to spend good quality time together and of course Ellie loved having the extra time with her Nana! We always look forward to "Nana visits" too because it gives us a good excuse to go out to eat, shop, etc... which is always such a fun treat! We are so thankful for Jan and appreciate so much her love for Ellie and for us too. :) Here are some super cute pictures from the weekend. As you will see, Ellie is becoming such a Nana's girl...it is so precious.

taking a walk in the sunshine

showing Nana her piano skills
..thank you Nana for my cute Elmo slippers!

looking at pictures in Ellie's baby book

I love how they are looking at eachother

loves her Nana

story time

Princess Fairy

2010-02-01T11:19:00.001-08:00

Ellie's new favorite thing is to play dress up by wearing her pretty princess fairy wings. It is absolutely adorable! Ellie went to her friend's birthday party last weekend and the theme was a princess fairy tea party...so so cute! That is where she got her wings. Ellie will bring them out to me and then hold up her arms so I can put them on her. I guess I'm going to have to start looking for little dress up clothes for her. :) Here are some pictures of our little fairy......My 1 1/2 year old is growing up waaayyy too fast. :(

More of Christmas and hanging out...

2010-01-29T09:19:00.000-08:00

the cousins photoshoot...this is one of MANY shots! we eventually had to bribe Ellie with lots of cheez-it crackers just to sit still!!

Christmas Eve night...the kids getting their Big gifts from
Grammy and Papa

Ellie's new kitchen!

Her new car from mommy and daddy

see you later!

doctor Ellie

off to do some shopping

wearing her new Christmas coat

what can I make for you??

cuddle time with Dad

"Hey!"

I love my big cousin :)

20 months old and cute as can be!

hanging out w/ mama

I love my girl!

"I know I am not supposed to be over here"

Sweet Girl!

2010-01-28T10:20:00.000-08:00

Ellie talks all the time, and she talks in her own language which sounds a lot like Japanese, so we never really know what she is saying. It is really funny to hear though! But she is now starting to say more words that we can actually understand or at least have a chance at figuring out what she is trying to tell us, so we're having fun with that! Here is one of those times. :)

and here is her normal talk... ;-)

Dancing Cousins!

2010-01-24T14:43:00.001-08:00

Here is a video of Ellie and her cousins gettin' down to Mickey Mouse on Christmas Eve! They are all so funny...and so so cute!

...more Christmas pics to come, hopefully soon!

Funny Girl!

2009-12-23T10:47:00.000-08:00

Sumner Family Christmas!

2009-12-21T14:32:00.000-08:00

This last weekend, Jeremiah's family came to our house to celebrate Christmas and Chelsea's birthday! We were supposed to fly down 2 weekends ago to my mother-n-law's house and have an early Christmas there with her side of the family, but unfortunately Ellie got really really sick and we had to cancel our flights and stay home. We were so bummed because we were really looking forward to going down south to see our friends and family. After a week and a half of having a very sick baby, Ellie finally started to feel better and get some energy back and her appetite came back as well. So the family decided it would be better to travel up north to our home just in case Ellie was still feeling kind of yucky. It was so fun to have everyone here altogether for once!!! That rarely happens these days, so we were very grateful for that!
Here are a few pics from the weekend. We finally got a family picture, Yay!... but most of the time, the cameras (especially Nana's and Auntie Chelsea's) were busy taking pictures of little Ellie belly who stole the show the entire weekend. :-)
We love you Jan, Chelsea, Shayna and Kevin. Thank you for a wonderful weekend!

the fam...of course Jer had to be silly!

Ellie loved playing with the confetti (is that what it's called?!)

playing with the kitchen toys Nana gave her

hmm..what else can I find in Auntie Chels' bag?

being goofy...it's what they do best!

playing with Daddy

wearing Auntie Chelsea's beanie

stick that tummy out!

concentrating on watching her cartoon

November Fun!

2009-12-09T15:18:00.000-08:00

it's winter time

my little soccer player

hanging out w/ KyKy

playing with my best buddy

I love my legos!

me and my Grammy

playing with cousin Clara

playing outside w/ my sticks!

Papa brought me a jamba juice to help me feel better

Little Dancer

2009-11-24T19:13:00.000-08:00

Ellie loves to dance...and while she was watching Elmo (her new favorite thing) and dancing, you can hear her say really quietly a few times "dance". So cute! :)

Halloween Time!

2009-11-01T14:08:00.000-08:00

I have to admit, I am not the biggest fan of halloween....but having a little one to dress up sure makes it much more fun and exciting!! We went to our church's harvest party and had a great time! They had tons to do there...bounce houses, big slides, games, face painting, trick or treating, but Ellie was pretty much only into running around like a busy little bee and eating her lolly pops all night long! She dressed up as a bumble bee (which was very fitting considering the fact that she cannot stay still for more than one second!)...and was the cutest little bee if I say so myself! :) We took so many pictures, so here they are...hope you like them!

playing chase with cousin Kylee

bumble bee and cinderella

cute little bee

hangin out with cousin Cooper the pirate

on her way to trick or treat with daddy

"that's what I'm talkin about, 2 lolly pops!"

so yummy!!

Ellie and Papa

I love this one!

cousins picture...Ellie not so happy

my sister's family...so cute!

And a few other cute ones from last week...
18 months old!

Ellie the lego building machine!!

carries her proud work all around the house :)

Fun at the pumpkin patch/nut tree!

2009-10-09T17:16:00.001-07:00

Jeremiah, Ellie and I met our good friends in Vacaville to take Ellie to the pumpkin patch to pick out some pumpkins and then after that we headed over to the Nut Tree so she could play with all the fun toys they have there. It is such a great area with so many fun things to do...and it's gated too so she can't escape! We will definitely be going back to the Nut Tree very soon so she can ride the train and the carousal since they were already closed by the time we got there.
We took tons of pictures so I did my best to not post them all! Here is our little cutie in action!

I'm 17 months old today!

2009-09-30T18:51:00.000-07:00

here are some cute pics I took of Ellie today...:-)

her new favorite hang out spot....her baby carseat

this one was from the other day...caught her in running action

About time for an update!

2009-09-13T13:07:00.000-07:00

Hi friends! I don't know if anyone still looks at our blog, since I have been seriously slacking in posting these last few months...but if you still peek in from time to time, thank you! I'm going to try to keep this updated more often from now on. : )

Okay, so where do I begin?? Ellie is now 16 months old!! That just does not seem possible! She is such a little girl now, which is so fun but kind of sad at the same time because we feel like she isn't a baby anymore. She is growing up so fast! I catch myself sometimes just starring at her and then realize my eyes are filled up with tears because the love that I have for her is SO overwhelming. At those times, I feel like I get a glimpse of just how much God loves us...even though He loves us more than we can even comprehend, I still feel like I have somewhat of an idea of what that kind of unconditional love looks like.
Ellie has absolutely LOVED the summer time and being outdoors everyday...exploring the backyard, riding her scooter, going down the slide, playing in her play house, going on walks, swinging at the park...you name it, we've probably done it to keep this little go getter busy!

My parents have been down in Mexico for the last 4 weeks because my mom is getting treatment there for breast cancer...and we have been missing them terribly! It just doesn't feel right when you are used to seeing someone everyday then all of a sudden weeks go by and you haven't been able to see them once. It's been really hard for all of us, but we have to keep focusing on my mom getting through and finishing treatment and then we can have them both home for good hopefully!! Poor Ellie has missed her Grammy and Papa so much. All she says is "Papa" and runs in their house looking for him. It breaks our hearts, but it has really helped being able to talk to them on the web cam so Ellie can see them and feel like they are still here. My parents are actually starting to come home on the weekends which is SO GREAT!!!! We are so happy we get to see them more often now and don't have to go weeks at a time without, and Ellie didn't let them out of her sight when they came home last weekend! 4 more weeks until my mom finishes treatment!
Jeremiah's mom (Ellie's Nana) is hopefully going to be coming up to visit next weekend!! We are SO excited to see her and Ellie will LOVE having her Nana here! There is something so special about grandparents...Ellie is a very loved little girl. : )
Okay, enough of me rambling...I'll get to the good stuff now and post some pics of little miss cutie! Here are a few from the last couple of weeks.

sweet thing

big girl drinking a juice box

look at my cute little braids!

loves piggy-back rides

in deep thought

"how many times can I twist your ear?"

goofy smile!

eatin some pizza while watchin some football

playing in her house

look what i found

Running through the sprinklers!

2009-07-22T16:28:00.000-07:00

This was Ellie's first time running through the sprinklers....and she absolutely loved it!! She had so much fun playing in the water! I'm not sure who had more fun though, Ellie...or all of us watching her! : )

Nana...these are for you!!

2009-07-21T23:48:00.001-07:00

Do I look like a big girl or what?!?!

A

Ellie's favorite outfit.....diaper only! : )

Precious Moments!

2009-07-18T23:03:00.001-07:00

Grammy and Ellie right after she was born

Momma and sweet little baby

cute little bear riding her tricycle

cuddling with daddy

watching the waves crash

running through the sprinklers for the very 1st time!

taking a walk with Papa

best kisses ever!

playing in the sunset

visiting Nana down south

best buds holding hands

San Diego

2009-07-03T15:49:00.001-07:00

Last weekend, we headed off to lovely San Diego for my good friend Tara's wedding and also for my sister-n-law Shayna's wedding! That's right...2 weddings in the same weekend that were both in SD! What are the odds of that?! I was in Tara's wedding on Saturday...which was absolutely beautiful and so much fun! It was on a cliff overlooking the ocean...amazing view! Then on Sunday, we headed off to my sister-n-laws wedding which was only about 15 minutes away from where we had been staying. (that worked out so nice!) Shayna got married on the beach which was so awesome! She looked just beautiful! So you could say we had a very eventful and busy weekend, but we had so much fun seeing friends and family and Ellie got to experience the beach for the first time, and she loved it!! She did so great all weekend, we were so proud of her! : ) We don't have alot of pictures from the weekend, but I'll post the few that we were able to get.

the girls...Holly, Tara (bride), Jamie

such a pretty view!

Ellie running all over the place at the rehearsal!

daddy and his girl!

momma and baby!

me and Jame!

oh how we miss living by the ocean!

We're back.... : )

2009-05-30T16:01:00.000-07:00

Woops! It has been a couple of months since I have updated our blog..and we have had some big events take place recently! So I'll do my best to post some pictures of each thing to catch you all up. (if anyone still checks this thing!)

Ellie turned ONE on April 30, and she had two super fun birthday parties!! She is such a big girl now! We can't even believe how grown up she is every time we look at her. She is such a sweet little thing and is SO full of energy (literally, never stops!) and is so stinkin funny, she's always making us laugh! Jeremy and I are having the time of our life raising our little Ellie. She is just too cute for words! Hope you enjoy the pics...there's lots of them!

Easter '09- first Easter egg hunt at church!
Ellie was a pro!

look at all my eggs!

hangin w/ cousin Zoey...love Ellie's look on her face!

Papa with his grandkids

(little peekers!)

daddy and his girl

Ellie's first birthday!!

(Ellie put the flame out with her finger!!...we'll never forget that one!)

Uncle Jimmy and Ells

huggin on cousin Kylee

birthday party #2!

and of course we had a winnie the pooh theme : )

hangin w/ her buds!

Ellie's Nana came up for her 1st birthday!

sitting in her princess chair

It's summer time!!

My precious little one year old! : )

silly girl!

Time Flies!

2009-03-31T16:51:00.000-07:00

Ellie is now 11 months old! I can't believe our little baby is going to be ONE next month! That is so crazy! She is such a sweet little thing and is showing us more each day she has quite the personality! Ellie is hilarious, she makes us laugh so hard...and she is now starting to laugh at herself too, which is the cutest thing I've ever seen! We love her so much and are so proud to be her mommy and daddy!

enjoying some cheerios outside

watching the show my friends tigger and pooh (her absolute favorite)

getting too heavy for mom!

where'd Ellie go?

there she is!

peek a boo!

Ellie and her cousin Kylee eating breakfast together!

her hair looks so pretty in this pic

Ellie snuggling with Papa...both have their coffee!

picking flowers out back

Funny Daddy!

2009-03-31T16:24:00.000-07:00

This video is so cute! Jeremy had Ellie laughing so hard! I love how the littlest and silliest things can make a baby so happy. There is nothing better than hearing your baby laugh...it's the best! : )

Nana's visit!

2009-03-06T09:27:00.000-08:00

Jeremiah's mom came to visit last weekend, and we were SO excited to see her!! Ellie had so much fun playing with Nana and showing her everything she can do now! It was so great to have Jan here, and so special to see Ellie and her Nana together. Jeremiah's sister Shayna, and her now fiance Kevin (woohoo!) came over for the day on Sunday to hang out with us which was so much fun! We loved seeing them and Ellie sure did too! She was being so cute and of course, was showing off and being the silly little goose that she is! We had a great weekend with everyone and are so thankful for you all! : )

Nana and Ellie

Ellie loved Nana's necklace

so cute!

playing patty-cake!

Elle reading the ads

little miss adorable!

peek-a-boo

cutest little profile

keep up with me Uncle Jimmy!

hanging out at Kylee's basketball game

our little walker

here's a video of Ellie cruisin the gym : )

AND SHE'S OFF........

2009-02-18T18:26:00.000-08:00

A few of Ellie's favorites right now:
*walking all over the place
*dancing...and she rocks out! (possibly the cutest thing I've ever seen!)
*reading her books
*going on walks...(LOVES to be outside)
*going to play at Papa and Grammie's house
*playing with her cousins
*getting into EVERYTHING she shouldn't!
*watching the price is right and wheel of fortune
*eating crackers and cheerios all by herself
*climbing all over mommy and daddy
*playing "I'm gonna get you!"
*giving kisses
*clapping her hands
*giving "fives"
*taking everything out of whatever it's in
*looking in the mirror
*talking and laughing

9 months old!

2009-02-06T12:09:00.001-08:00

Here are a few super cute pictures of Ellie that I took this morning while she was playing in her room. She was giving me some great smiles, so I wanted to share them with you too!!
**a little side note**
Ellie has been trying to walk all by herself this last week...and yesterday she took 4 steps! I couldn't believe it. She gets the biggest smile on her face as she takes her little steps, it's really cute! :)

Ellie enjoying the sunshine

Back at em'

2009-01-25T13:12:00.000-08:00

Poor little Ellie has been so sick for the last 2 weeks, but she is feeling so much better now and is back to her normal active little self! That was the first time Ellie has gotten sick (besides feeling a little yucky after her shots) in 8 months and she got hit pretty hard for her first time, poor baby. The doctor put her on antibiotics and after about 2 weeks her cough and cold finally cleared up. So now we have our happy little girl back who can breathe and sleep again. (thank goodness!)

Ellie is cruising all over the place with her little walker, it is so fun to watch! I can't believe how big she is getting! She has already taken her first steps....at 8 1/2 months old! People keep telling us once she is walking, our lives are over... and I think that time will be here before we know it. Yikes! She'll be standing up holding onto a toy and then let go and take 2 steps while not holding onto anything and then reach for something else to grab onto. What a brave little thing!
Ellie's favorite thing to do is read her books. It is so cute! She'll just sit there forever reading her books, flipping through every page while talking the whole time.
We are having so much fun with Ellie! It just gets more and more fun the older she gets!

Here are a few pics of Elle...

tired little girl

silly girl

helping dad put together her new car seat

So darn cute!

2009-01-07T19:28:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I know I have been a little video crazy lately, but Ellie has been doing the cutest things ever! Here is 1 more clip for you to see. She is such a fun little girl!!

Ellie's cool scooter!

2009-01-06T21:22:00.000-08:00

We have the greatest next door neighbors you could ever ask for! Jeremiah and I have really enjoyed getting to know this couple. On Christmas Eve, Steve and Renee (our neighbors) came over and said they had a Christmas present for Ellie. It was so sweet and thoughtful of them to think of her! They are the best! Check out Ellie takin a ride on her fun new toy that she loves! :)
(sorry it's so dark, we took this at night...we need to stop doing that!)

Ellie's first Christmas!

2008-12-29T11:03:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year! It was especially great because we had our little Ellie with us! It was so much fun for Jeremiah and I to go shopping for Ellie's first Christmas presents! (even though she had no clue what was going on, hehe!) She loved tearing the wrapping paper off the presents and then playing with all her cool new toys she got from her Papa and Grammie and Aunt and Uncles. And Ellie wanted to say a special Thank you to her Nana for sending her the cutest clothes ever!
Ellie is at such a fun stage right now. She is becoming a little more independent and is able to play and entertain herself for longer periods of time. If this girl could be on her feet all day long, she would definitely prefer to be. She is a little walking machine. She pulls herself up on everything and will walk around in circles holding onto her toy or the couch or whatever it may be. She's even brave enough to attempt to let go of what she is holding onto and take a step to reach for one of us. She is crawling now, so I will be in the kitchen doing something then all of a sudden feel a tug on my leg and look down and there is Ellie....standing up holding onto my leg with a big smile on her face. It's so cute! Her favorite word to say is Da-Da! Jer is loving that! :) Ellie is now 8 months old! (officially tomorrow, the 30th) I guess what they say is true....time flies when you're having fun!

opening up a Christmas present!

I think she liked her talking ducky!

Ellie's new buggy!

our family Christmas pic

...should we have gone with this one instead?!

boo boo...with her hair in her eyes

big smile :)

Picture Fest

2008-12-10T12:16:00.001-08:00

It's been a little bit since my last post....so I thought I would just put up a whole bunch of pictures of the last month or so. Ellie is now 7 months old!! She is keeping me quite busy these days, now that she can get around to wherever it is she wants to go, I have to keep a good eye on her. She is pulling herself up on anything she can get her hands on and loves to explore and study everything she finds. She is quite the little cutie! Jeremy and I are doing really good, we are getting so excited for Christmas to be here! I love this time of year! All of the Christmas decorations everywhere, spending time with family and friends, and celebrating the birth of Jesus....it just doesn't get any better than that! I am so excited that Ellie gets to celebrate her first Christmas this year, even though she is just a baby and won't really know what is going on....I am so thankful she is here with us!! :)

my family with Grandma Pickrell (my mom's mom)
(taken a couple months ago)

Ellie and Auntie Chelsea

Ellie loves to blow her cheeks out...it's so funny!

take 1 for some Christmas photos

all the grandkids for Grammie and Papa's Christmas card

they are adorable!

piggy tails

just found this pic of Ellie from right after she was born...it made me all teary remembering her sweet little face just staring up at me. Greatest moment ever!

...and now look at the big girl she is becoming!

Fun at the park!

2008-11-21T07:35:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, Ellie and I headed over to the park to meet up with her cousins and some friends. It was super fun to watch all the kids play together. I told my dad to bring the little tricycle Ellie likes to ride because I was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to do much, being she is only 6 1/2 months old. But Ellie LOVES to be outside and when you have some cute little faces there to entertain her too, she is one happy camper! So she rode the little tricycle around while someone pushed her, which is absolutely hysterical to watch! As soon as I put her on the seat, she instantly grabs onto the handlebars and starts swinging her feet....it's so cute! They had little baby/kid swings there, so we put Ellie in the swing and I had no idea if she was going to be way too small or if she would not like it at all, but she loved it! I couldn't believe she was big enough to swing at the park! (I know I totally sound like a first time mom right now, every "first" is such a big deal!) I definitely had to take a video of Ellie swinging to show her dad, because he would be just as proud!
Okay, here are some pictures from the park. It has been SO beautiful outside, we have to take advantage of this weather before it gets all cold and rainy out.

our little racer

Ellie sports the piggy tails now

Grammy, Ellie, Halle and Kylee

our buddy Hayden

Bubba sticking his tounge out at Auntie

sweet little ZoZo

Ellie swinging for her first time

My favorite picture...look at those eyes!

little boo-boo

UH-OH!!

2008-11-05T14:41:00.000-08:00

.....I think we're in trouble!!!

Ellie is six months old now! Everytime I look at her I can't help but think, "how did she become this little person so fast?" I know I say this alot, but time is flying by! She is trying to pull herself up on things now (as you can see in the picture above) and can get around by scooting and rolling over and over. It's pretty funny. Ellie makes us laugh so much! She is a little spitfire! And she says MOMMA!!! I'm not even kidding you! I couldn't believe it when I heard her say it for the first time! Jeremy was out of town on a business trip so he didn't hear her say it until I was talking to him on the phone and I put Ellie down and she started to cry and say momma momma. He was all, "No Way!" It was pretty funny.

Here are a few cute pictures of Ellie just hangin out and playing on the floor.

First Halloween

2008-11-05T14:05:00.000-08:00

This was the first Halloween that Jeremiah and I have actually gotten excited about in a long time. We are not the biggest fans of this day, but now that we have a little one, it makes it alot more exciting and fun because we get to dress Ellie up in a super cute costume! I do have to admit though... I did wait until the very last second to find her a costume and it barely made it here on time,(since we ordered it online) so next year I will definitely be a little more prepared and start planning out costume ideas sooner than 3 days before Halloween! oops!
Ellie was the cutest little panda bear I've ever seen and we had so much fun going to the church harvest festival and meeting up with Ellie's cousins, who by the way were absolutely adorable!
Before we headed over to the church, we stopped by my Nana and Papa's house so they could see Ellie in her costume and also my uncles were in town visiting, so we got to see them too!! It was a really fun night...and so fun to see all the cute little kids dressed up in their adorable costumes!

our cute little panda bear

Ellie and Papa

Ellie with her cousins...
Cooper the elephant, Kylee is Cinderella and Zoey is Tigger

First Solids!

2008-10-27T12:06:00.000-07:00

Our little baby girl is now being introduced to solid foods!! Where is the time going??! I can't believe Ellie is old enough to be eating from a spoon! I waited as long as I possibly could to introduce solids to her, but we felt so bad because every time Jeremy or I would eat something, Ellie would just stare so intently at it and then try to grab it out of our hands and put it in her mouth. I guess that is a good sign she is ready huh?! So, when Ellie was a little over five months old, we slowly started to give her a little bit of rice cereal here and there, letting her become used to and comfortable with eating it and getting the feel for it. We did this for a few weeks. Then, yesterday was the Big Day! Ellie got to eat some real food with actual flavor!!! We gave her some sweet potatoes and she loved them! I was kind of nervous about it, but she ate them like a pro! She of course wanted to hold the spoon and feed herself (little miss independent) so together we would put the spoon in her mouth as she ate every single bite! I think Ellie was definitely ready and excited about tasting something so yummy! Jer and I had so much fun watching her cute little self eat like a big girl! =)

Here are a few pictures of Ellie in action!

Little Sweetheart

2008-10-22T17:36:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of the latest pictures of Ellie. Thank goodness for digital cameras, or we would be seriously broke from all the film we would have to get developed. :)

Pretty in Pink

So happy and refreshed

Good Morning

2008-10-13T13:06:00.000-07:00

Ellie is so much fun to hang out with! As I was playing with her this morning, an overwhelming emotion of gratefulness hit me as I realized how blessed I am to be able to stay at home with Ellie everyday and raise our little girl. I am incredibly thankful for Jeremiah, for how hard he works to provide for our family and for all the time and love he pours into Ellie every spare minute that he has. He was just telling me how there is no better feeling than when he looks over at Ellie and she smiles so big at him first! She is such a happy little girl and is learning and doing new things every day...it is mind boggling how fast babies learn and pick up on things. The other day, I had to walk Ellie around the whole house, holding her hands as she walked, because she just wanted to GO. She didn't want to sit and play with her toys anymore, she was over her jumpy swing and saucer, she just wanted to move. I thought that was super cute.....until we were done and I tried to stand up straight afterwards from being bent over for so long. :) It was worth it though, to see her bright and smiley face shine as we walked into the room to show dad what a big girl she was.....I think it's safe to say, we had one very proud 5 month old at that moment!

do i have to smile?!

I'd rather play with mom's phone

little cutie

classic Ellie face

you got me! I'll give you your phone back now

Lady Bug

2008-10-10T12:44:00.001-07:00

Our little lady bug is now sitting up all by herself!!

They are too cute!

I Love this one...

Growing up

2008-09-27T20:47:00.000-07:00

~Ellie is growing up so fast. Jeremiah and I can't believe that our precious little baby who we brought home from the hospital.... this tiny little six pound bundle of joy who could fit in our hands, is now turning into this adorable little girl who smiles and laughs at you, jumps up and down in her jumpy swing, screams when she gets excited, and holds your face while giving you kisses. Where did time go? I was just looking through all of our pictures of Ellie, from when the time she was born until our most recent ones, and I cannot even believe how much she has grown and changed in these 5 months. Time is going by so fast! Buuut, there are those days (like the ones right after she gets her shots, which was 2 weeks ago) where it seems like time is in slow motion and just barely creeping by....but you get through it and when you look back, it was another week that came and went and before you know it, you're now starting a new month! This is crazy!!

sweet baby

Ellie's new thing...grabbing her feet and putting them in her mouth

Tahoe!

2008-09-23T11:22:00.000-07:00

Sooo...you could say we had a pretty eventful weekend this past weekend. Friday evening, Jeremy flew down for a quick trip to LA for a good friend's wedding that was on saturday....(Ellie and I weren't able to go which we were really bummed out about, because we would have gotten to see Nana and Aunt Chelsea and tons of Jeremy's friends)... But we had another good friend that was getting married on Sunday evening in Tahoe the same weekend, so Ell and I picked up Jer at the airport Sunday morning and we drove straight from there up to Tahoe for wedding #2. The super fun part about this was that not only were we taking our "first real family trip" but we got to go see and stay with my best friend Jenny and her husband Ryan who live in Tahoe....and they just happened to live right across the street from the wedding location we were going to. Awesome! We had such a great time hanging out with our friends, both in LA and in Tahoe, and were so proud of Ellie because she did so great!! She loved being outside and looking around at everything (it was so beautiful up there) and had so much fun playing with Auntie Jenny and Uncle RyRy. Jeremiah was pretty exhausted because he had a really busy weekend, but we were really glad he was able to make it to both weddings because he didn't want to miss either one of them. AND, we finally got ALOT of family pictures of the 3 of us!!!! It's about time!! Also, Jeremiah's birthday was on Monday and he turned 27! Wow, he's getting old. : ) So we got to celebrate his birthday there too! Here are some pics....
Ellie chillin in the sling

Auntie Jenny

Hanging out with Dad

our family

(outside the reception...what a view!)

Momma and baby

on our way home...precious baby!

I'm 4 months old!

2008-09-02T11:02:00.000-07:00

Here are ALOT of pictures of Ellie...it's just too hard to choose only a few when they are all so cute, so i'll just have to post them all! = )

we had a little photo session out in our front yard this morning....
!

And here's a picture of mom and dad (dad always does a goofy face for pictures).....we still have yet to get a picture of the three of us. That will be our next goal!

Rolling Over

2008-08-21T12:28:00.000-07:00

Ellie is now rolling over!! She rolled all the way over for the first time on Tuesday, and ever since then she hasn't stopped. Every time we put her down on the floor, she instantly rolls. It is so cute! The first time Ellie rolled all the way over and propped herself up all by herself, Jeremiah and I got so excited and I think a little too loud, it startled her and she started to cry. I'm pretty sure now she doesn't mind her fans cheering because she is all smiles when we get excited for her!

Ellie is not wasting anytime at all. Now that she has accomplished rolling over, she is very determined to learn how to scoot. This girl is on the go! She tries so hard to scoot. She has the leg pushing thing down, she is just trying to figure out what to do with her arms to make her go forward. Our little girl is already growing up way too fast.

Here is Ellie at 3 1/2 months with little piggy tails and a funny face!

Cute Giggles!

2008-08-12T15:35:00.000-07:00

Ellie loves to stand up now while you hold her....and she talks to you the whole time too....she'll even throw in a few giggles while she's at it! It's so cute! Enjoy =)

lots of projects

2008-08-06T08:53:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Jeremiah was in Idaho having LOTS of fun with the boys. His work took all their employees to an extremely nice (5 star nice) resort called Tamarack Resort for the weekend. He had such an awesome time! They did so many fun things...I think his favorite part of the trip was the white water rafting (especially the riding the bull part). I'm glad he was able to go and have a fun weekend being outdoors and doing activities he doesn't get to do everyday....but Ellie and I did miss him a lot and were excited for him to be back home! Jer will have to post some pics of the place he stayed at...it is beautiful. So while he was gone having tons of fun....my dad and I were having even more fun.......we painted our house! haha okay, so we weren't really having more fun than Jer, we were working really hard, especially my dad because I would take breaks to take care of Ellie, and he painted non stop and did the majority of it. Thanks dad, you are the best! The house looks soooo great!! What a difference a little paint can make. The house used to be blue...but not anymore!! Jeremiah came home to a new house and he loved it! He knew we were painting of course, but he hadn't seen it until he drove up. So that was fun! My mom went out and bought us some really pretty plants and flowers to put in our front yard to add some color....thanks mom! Jeremiah planted those and they look great! Now we just have to wait for them to grow and bloom and they'll look even better!

Another project in the works that Jeremiah and my brother are working on is building Jer's office. It is coming along great. They are almost finished, just a few more things to do. It will be so nice for Jeremiah to have his own space again to work, and not get distracted by Ellie...just kidding, I'm the one who really distracts him! (but I am getting better) = ) The first night the guys started working on the office, we had a slight set back. Jeremiah was pulling down some boards and one came right down on his head and the nail that was in the board gave Jer a nice big gash in the back of his head. So the night's work ended shortly due to a run down to the emergency room where Jer got lots of shots and 3 staples in the back of his head. Poor guy! He handled it like a champ, I was the one who was queasy and probably no help at all because I would pass out if I even looked at it. You would think having a baby would toughen me up a little bit! So these days are busy days for us, but we are enjoying the outcomes of all the hard work that is being put into each project and appreciate more than anything all the help my dad and brother have and are giving us!!
Here are a few recent pics of..... who else.... our Ellie girl! = )

So Fun!

2008-07-25T13:04:00.001-07:00

In the last couple of days, Ellie has changed so much! She LOVES to play now and hold things and have 5 minute long conversations, even if it's with herself! She loves to play in her bouncy seat and hit the toys that are hanging down while talking and yelling the whole time....it's so fun to watch! She also holds her head up so good now when she plays on her tummy. It's been nice to be able to put Ellie down for a bit, now that she can entertain herself for a little bit it gives me a chance to get some things done around the house. Another big thing she is doing now is taking naps in her crib!!! Yay!! She was taking naps on mom...so this is a big accomplishment (for the both of us)! = ) She sleeps in our room at night time and is sleeping great during the night...so we're not going to make any changes there for a while! Jeremiah and I are so proud of her and love watching her little personality come out more and more each day. She is so much fun and such an active and alert baby! I'll have to post some videos we have taken of her just talking away...they are adorable! Here are some recent pics of Ellie belly at 12 weeks old.

Happy Girl!

2008-07-22T12:51:00.000-07:00

Weekend Fun!

2008-07-16T09:06:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was our Hamlin family reunion and we had such a great time together! It was so good to see everyone and be able to hang out and talk and just be together. We are so blessed to have such an amazing family who puts forth the time and effort to make it a priority to get together and stay connected in each other's lives, even when we live far apart and our lives are going 100 miles per hour. Ellie did great and it was so fun to introduce her to all her cousins and aunts and uncles that she hadn't met yet. Jeremiah and I are having so much fun watching her as she enters into new phases. Each week brings something new and we are just amazed at how big she is getting! Here are a couple pictures of Ellie from the weekend.

Daddy's Girl

2008-07-15T22:09:00.001-07:00

Here is a very proud daddy who is head over heals in love with his girl! Ellie gets the biggest smile whenever she sees him. It is so cute! She loves to sit on her dad's lap and watch tv with him....in the last picture they are watching a soccer game together!

Cutest little face ever!

2008-07-08T21:56:00.001-07:00

10 weeks old!

2008-07-08T21:39:00.000-07:00

Ellie is now 10 weeks old and is getting cuter and cuter by the second! She smiles all the time and loves to talk and talk (in her own language) which is the cutest thing we have ever heard! We are having so much fun with her and feel incredibly blessed to have such a beautiful baby girl!
Here are a few pictures of the animated faces Ellie makes!