Summer Diva/ Summer StormEllie in her summer best looking about as adorable as possible... talk about the original fashion plate!! "Here I come Tyra Banks, I am America's Next Top Model!!"

Here is our most recent summer storm. It is 95 degrees outside and we had gumball sized hail, craziness!!
All in all, the fun lasted for a little over two hours from thunder in the beginning to thunder at the end and only about fifteen minutes of hail in there somewhere!

First Weekend of the Summer... Fun and Hot!!
Surprise, surprise... Ellie and I had a busy and fun weekend!! With temperatures in the high 80's - low 90's we tried to make the best of it... I mean, it wat the first real weekend of the summer!!Friday night Grandma Deb, Grandpa Jer, Ellie and I went to the Shops at Friendly for and outdoor big band concert after grabbing sandwiches for dinner.
To top the night evening off perfectly we all had an ice cream cone from Ben and Jerry's. Yummy!!!
Ellie really enjoyed the bubble machine they have set up off to the side for all of the kids. Ice cream and bubbles, does a Friday night get any better? Yes it does, she stayed up until almost eight o'clock that night!!
What a beautiful little girl if I do say so myself (of course I am a little biased!).
Someone looks like they are about to get into something... sometimes I wonder what is really going on in that little head of hers.
All dressed up and no place to go. Way to go little diva, start getting usedd to thos high heels now, it will make it tons easier later!
Monkey see, monkey do... She watched me tweesing my brows one evening and had to try it herself, of course all she really ended up doing is holding the mirror and poking herself in the eye, but she never complained. Well, when I was done trimming her nails she decided that she neede to do it all on her own, such a big girl!
Sunday afternoon after her nap Grandma Deb, Ellie, and I went to Panera for lunch and then to the Piedmont Natural Science Center's outdoor zoo that just recently opened up. We saw monkeys lounging in th esummer heat,
A very pretty tiger that even put on a little show for us,
Alpacas in the farm exhibi and they did a little potty show for us (lucky us!),
A bunch of friendly goats (Ellie was not afraid of them at all!),
A half a dozen wooly sheep (they were very soft and even said "Baah!")
Donkeys that smelled out hands,
And merkats rolling around playing in the dirt. Ellie got to crawl into a "cave" to see them.
Here is my little bug looking like a bug! Our weekend was all of this and more but we did have a great time, we had so much fun that Ellie went to bed early tonight and hopefully I will be able to follow her lead... we will see!!

Pa-Poo's Father's Day Surprise
Meme had a wonderful idea about two weeks ago to surprise Pa-poo for Father's Day weekend with a visit from Ellie and I. The plan was a success, we flew in to Baltimore on Saturday morning unannounced and surprised him when he came home from Margie's kayaking. We were able to stay until Tuesday but we did make the most out of the three day visit!!Ellie smiling on Sunday morning while she was "helping" Pa-poo hose off the patio. The question is what got hosed off more, Ellie or the patio??
Ellie and Aunt Margaret watching from a distance.
See, big girls are a big help!!
Who says that drinking water from the hose is bad? I say it builds character!!
Time to stop and smell the lavender.
Happy Father's Day Pa-poo, I love you!!
Hanging out with Uncle Sean out on the patio.
Ellie and Uncle Ronnie at the Father's Day cook-out.
Ellie and Aunt Marg playing around before bedtime.
Dan, Erin, Kelly, and Uncle Ronnie with Ellie at our last minute cook-out. What fun!!
Monday morning we went to the Baltimore National Aquarium, here is Ellie with cousin Andrew.
How cute, Andrew is definatly a lover and not a fighter. He kept trying to hold Ellie's hand, give her kisses and hugs but she was having none of that!!
Ellie admiring the turtles.
Looks like Andrew is trying to give the turtles a hug. See, I told you, he is a lover!
Ellie looking all bashful in the rainforest exhibit.
Ellie and I (Meme off to the side) pause for a picture under a great white shark.
Here we all are on our fun day trip... Meme, MB, Ellie, Andrew, Lisa, and Aunt Angela.
Pushing buttons to make the frogs croak.
The dolphin show was awesome!! I think that the kids liked that almost as much as the puffin exhibit (birds that could swim under water, aka- birds that can swim like fish... awesome!).
The show actually held both of their attention for the entire half hour even though they were both very ready for a nap.
Monday evening we played in the hose again on the patio. Yes, that is a nudie butt!!
Ellie playing with Meme's turtle.
Hey, look at me, I am nudie!!
Yummy, part of her breakfast on Tuesday morning, a cherry turnover. Even I can relax a little on vacation!
Ellie is going to pack up all of her stuff to get ready to head home to Schatzie and her own bed. Bye-bye Meme and Pa-poo, Margah and Sean, I love you!!

Deep Thoughts and a Walk in the Gardens
Reading on the can, Ellie prepares for the drop off!
Sunday Afternoon Ellie and I went to the Bog Gardens and Bicentennial Gardens in Greensboro for an afternoon stroll. Here we got to see the ducks up close and personal.
"Look Mama, wa-wa"
Talk about a cheesy smile on her way into the Bog Gardens.
"Come on, this way!"
Imporntant lesson: Take time to stop and smell the roses!!
It was plesantly cooler on Sunday, mid-80's instead of the humid mid-90's that we have been having for the past week or so.
Pretty lilies.
A break for some eat-eat on the bridge at the Bicentenial Gardens. Mmmm... Fig Newtons and water.
Peeking over to see the water.
Ellie by one of the swings in the gardens.
"No way, Jose. Benches are for sitting!!!"
"I made it to the top all by my self!"
What a pretty little girl!
As soon as we got to the gardens she insisted on pushing. Hmm, overly independent, I can't imagine where she gets that?