Our Trip to Washington

We took our first big plane ride with Ellie this past week. We went out to see Ben's sister, Rachel, her husband, Jared, and their children, Jaden, Jackson and Kylie. It was the first time we met Kylie and they met Ellie and it was the first time we had seen the boys walking and talking. We don't get to see each other often, but when we do we have a great time.
It started with a 5 hour plane ride and then a 2 hour drive and Ellie was fantastic. People on the plane said she was such a happy baby and one lady said she could tell we were such a happy family. These were wonderful compliments to hear and a great encouragement to us as parents.
Ellie did great with the time change and great in a new place. She is good at traveling, but in our family we definitely love coming home too! She loved her cousins and Jaden and Jackson were great at making her laugh and entertaining her.
We went to the beach, went on picnics, cooked out, went on a nature trail walk that led down to a beautiful beach with beautiful starfish (Ellie had a great time with Kylie in the stroller on this adventure), played in the backyard (Ellie did some major swinging with her cousins, Jaden loved pushing her and making her laugh) and the adults got great time hanging out together when the kids were sleeping! We also took a day and went to Seattle. We went to Pike's Place and had mini donuts and saw them throwing fish. If I lived there I would spend a lot of time there buying fresh food and beautiful fresh flowers. We also rode a ferry, went to the top of the Space Needle, fed the seagulls, rode the monorail, and had a great time watching the boys ride a few rides. We had a great time and were excited to experience a lot of Seattle that the boys had not seen or done yet. We also attempted a picture with all 4 kids for Ben's parent's. We got a few shots, but it was right before
Ellie's bedtime, but she did a pretty good job. Jaden and Jackson were also very excited to hold the babies. Jackson got to hold Baby Ellie as they like to call her! We definitely wish we could see each other more often so the kids could play together and we could hang out more!

7 Months Old

Ellie turned 7 months old on June 11th. We were out west and able to weigh her on a baby scale and she weighed in at a whopping 12 pounds 12 ounces. She has gained 11 ounces in 1 month! She eats all the time, she just has an amazing metabolism I guess :) She is very smiley these days, loves giggling (as you will see in the pictures) and loves to roll to get her toys. I often put her on the ground and put her toys around her and she rolls to the toys she wants. She had her first plane ride and did awesome! She eats a variety of foods and has loved everything, except avocados took a couple of tries, but she loves them now just like her mom and dad. She loves to give squeezes and is going through a transition of having a problem with mommy leaving the room. She has now realized that sometimes I am in another room and she can not see me, so she is learning to move past that. We love watching her grow and change and can't wait to see what this month brings!

Peek-a-Boo

I was in the kitchen for a second while Ellie was laying on the floor on her blanket. When I returned Ellie had put her blanket over her head and was talking and laughing under there. I lifted up the blanket to discover a very happy little girl!

Our First Hair Bow

Ellie is slowly growing her hair and doesn't have too much. We tried our first hair bow and she didin't mind it, Mommy and Daddy just thought it looked silly :) We will save our bows for a little while longer!

Avid Reader

Ellie has discovered the wonderful world of paper. She now enjoys reading (and eating) paper. Ellie and I also read a story every night before bed and she is discovering how to turn the pages of her stories. I am sure this is just the beginning of her loving to read!

Around the House

Ellie loves to be at home. She loves to play with her toys and loves to roll around on the floor. She has discovered Maggie and loves to reach for her and Maggie is very kind to allow her to reach for her :) Ellie also loves her crib. She gets fussy sometimes and it is not nap time, but I put her in her crib and she plays in there and loves to play on her own. She continues to be a wonderful baby and a very happy baby!

Learning to Sit Up

We are learning to sit up around here. Ellie can sit up just fine on my lap without needing me to lean on. She is now trying to master sitting up on her own without her Boppy.