Happy Birthday Uncle Michael!!

Ellie, Schatzie, and I joined Grandma Deb, Grandpa Jer, Shirley, Joel, and Jess at Michael & Jess's house to celebrate Mike's 25th birthday. We started the day with snacks, drinks, and games outside in the heat then we went to Village Tavern for a fantastic dinner (good choice, Mike!) and then ended the evening back at the house for cake. What a fun evening!! Ellie (yes, she is picking her nose) and Schatzie on the back porch at Mike & Jess's house.
Michael, Ellie, and Shirley rock-rocking on the porch.
Ellie eating and loving crab dip at Village Tavern... See there is some Maryland in her!!
The happy couple at dinner... Mike and Jess!
Back at the house for dessert... mint chocolate chip ice cream cake... Yummy!!

The drive home ready for bed.

Happy 4th of July!!!

We had a big day today... Parades, street fests, and cook-outs... Oh my!!

Lots of fresh air to be had by all and a beautiful day was an added bonus!! I have to admit that it does take a lot for me to tear up, well, I did at the parade. I wasn't sad, they were happy tears!! I think that I was just so happy to be sharing this with Ellie... her first parade and the joy and amazement in her eyes. I saw it through her eyes and it was pretty awesome!!

Ellie at the Greensboro parade all dressed up in her patriotic best!

Big man on a little car. Ellie had a blast seeing all of the marching bands, floats, and entertainers!

She even got her own flag thanks to the Boy Scouts!

Here is one of the bands we listened to at the Fun on Fourth street fest. They are a dixie land band and she really enjoyed them. She creid every time we tried to walk and see other things!

Well, this is exactually what it looks like... Ellie on a port-a-potty. Aside from the normal things that you would think of when thinking about the jobs of a single parent (morning routines, dicipline, and getting it all done with just two hands) there are the added hurdles, you know the ones you don't plan on. Well, I hit a big one this weekend... What do you do when the only toilets available at an outdoor event are port-a-pottys and you have a toddler who is potty training and a stroller and only two hands? Well lucky for me they had a handicap port-a-potty so the stroller issue was solved so I didn't need that extra set of eyes. Now on to the "Mama, pee-pee" issue, as you can see about 15 layers of toilet tissue was applied to the seat in hopes that it would shield her hiney and then you take a deep breath and keep telling her not to touch ANYTHING!!! We made it through without any mishaps or rashes and I will keep holding my breath until we hit the next hurdle, wish me luck!!

Ellie at the street fest with some colonial actors.

Lunch to go... on the potty. Before you say anything, it was all her idea, let's call it multi-tasking at its best. On her way into the bathroom, she grabbed her lunch plate and ran on in. They say to choose your battles and I figured that I would just let this one slide!

T-ball lessons from Uncle Michael. She caught on pretty quick... So smart!!

Grandma Deb and Ellie in the backyard.

Crazy Daisy was a hit and I am not just saying that because she is running around like a crazy lady with a bat in her hands!

"Mr. Joel, please fix my shoe. Thanks!!"

Ellie and the puppies buzzing in the backyard.

"Aunt Jess, no shoes!"

Relaxing on the lounger!

Grandpa Jer teaching Ellie the fine points of yard work. So, I wonder if Grandpa has ever heard of child labor laws??

Hot Times in the SummerSitting where she shouldn't be... on top of the chair and VERY proud of herself!!

Tormenting the dog, poor Schazie!!
But at least she is still smiling!!
At the beach concert on Saturday afternoon, Ellie sticks her tongue out while Jer looks confused. I think it was the large beer on such a hot day!
The sprinklers were a hit and so was Ellie in the sprinklers!!
I was actually jealous! Who wouldn't want to strip down to their panties and run through sprinklers in public on a hot day with people around you who think it is adorable!!I love you too, Grandpa!
Aaaagghh!! This is awesome!!!
Ellie and Miss Linda in the sprinklers, Yea!!
Mr. Joel, Uncle Mike, and me... half nudie in his hat! I am styling!!
Ellie and her crack!!! That is what happens when a pull-up gets soaked!!!
Dancing in the park!
Picnic at City Lake Park on Sunday afternoon!
All done?!?!
Sweet Ellie on the horsies on the merry-go-round.

Ellie on the choo-choo train at the park... her first official train ride, horray!!

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!!