Portland or Bust

2012

2012-01-28T14:56:00.000-08:00

I'm now entering my 3rd calendar year of life and I must say, things are going pretty well. I've learned the joys of accessorizing one's outfit. There are so many colors out there to choose from.

Clara and I have become good buds. She is a great lookout, I mean just look at those eyes, nothing can get past them.
I'm pretty sure mom and dad are going to let me start babysitting soon. This way I can earn a few extra bucks to buy some more accessories like a coach bag, and some alligator boots. See, I'm a master at getting Clara to go to sleep.
Now you thought I had dad wrapped around my little finger.. You haven't seen nothing yet. When Clara and I tag team him, he doesn't stand a chance. I'm thinking full day outings at the zoo complete with a huge banana split.
Yup, 2012 is going to be a good year. I hear 3 year olds get all the boys at daycare, and with this face, I'll have to be fighting them off with a stick. Until next time...

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-20T21:20:00.000-08:00

Typety type type type. A girls work is never done. Blogging is such a strain on my time. I barely had time to decorate for Christmas.

After putting the sticky clingy things on the window mom and I spent some time decorating the tree. Look it doesn't take up the whole living room.

I also spent some time with Mema and Poppop when they came to visit. We had all kinds of fun, we went to see Santa, went shopping at the mall, and we went to the Zoo to see the Zoo lights. We rode around on a cool train and I got to see the Elephants, which are still not pink... so strange.

Have you all met Clara? She's super cute and fun to hang out with. She's been sleeping in my room the last few nights, we stay up chatting ALL NIGHT LONG!!!!

Santa Clause is coming to town

2011-12-03T17:01:00.001-08:00

I've seen this guy Santa around town and at the mall and mommy tells me I have to be good so that he brings me lots of goodies. Now that all the leaves are gone, I've had to find other ways to be helpful around the house. I decided to try my hand at cooking. Dad and I made Pumpkin milkshakes on Thanksgiving.

Some of you may know that I have a new baby sister. She is way better than my baby dolls she makes all kinds of cool sounds. I try to help mom and dad with her. I get her a changing pad, and her blanket and her hat. Here I'm helping shake her bottle so she can eat. That girl eats a LOT! even more than me.

I have 22 more days to be good. I know this because I have a new job everyday to put an animal or shepherd or angel on the cool nativity advent calendar Grandma made us. All the animals are so soft.
Today mommy and I took Stout on a long walk. It was COLD out. I had my mittens, hat, coat and extra sweatpants on, but I was still cold. So I decided to get out and help mom by pushing the stroller too.

Today I helped daddy clean the floors. He wanted to pull out the vacuum for the carpet, but I told him "Daddy, I got this."

With all these jobs I have around the house, feeding the animals, putting things in the trash and recycling, getting things for Clara, etc. I've still made a little time for play. Here's my slide that mommy and daddy put in the basement, who says you can't have any fun during a Portland winter?

Oh and here is Clara if you're interested, she isn't much help around the house though...

Baby sister Clara

2011-11-20T13:54:00.001-08:00

Mom and Dad had been gone for the past couple of days so I've been spending time with Grandma. Which is really cool! We played blocks and worked on big sister duties. Grandpa even stopped by to say hi. Everyone has been talking about this baby Clara, I'm not sure I know who that is, but she sounds fun.

Mom and dad got all of my old baby stuff out of the basement. The found my old car seat, and bouncy seat, and some old clothes. I hope they realize that they don't fit me anymore. I think I could use them for my baby dolls.
This morning, Mom and dad left one more time and they told me they were bringing baby Clara home. I'm thinking, NEAT, new toy!! Grandma and I spent the morning practicing big sister type things with the baby doll and the cat. The cat was less than happy. But then at about 11 o'clock, we ran towards the door and there was Mom, Dad and MY CAR SEAT!!!
You'll never guess what was in my car seat... IT WAS A BABY!!!! Can you guess her name? It's baby Clara!!! Mom and dad told me this was my new baby sister. I think she's pretty cool. I decided dad needed some help with the buckles. So we got the baby out and boy was she squirmy.

So now, I'm a big sister!! Now that's pretty cool. I mean Clara is cute and all, but I'm still WAY cuter, still I think I'll share some of my blog space with her. At least until mom and dad take her back to the hospital...

Fall is Fun

2011-10-18T20:19:00.001-07:00

Daddy and I started going to soccer practice on Sunday mornings. It's pretty cool I get to carry a ball around and try to lick it like an ice cream cone. Here is dad trying to grab my leg, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to use that for with the ball sitting right there looking so tasty.

Mom and dad left me with Grandma and Grandpa for the weekend and they went off to see some friends in Leavenworth, WA. I'm not entirely sure what all they did up there, they said they wouldn't tell. They did meet this cute baby though. Her name is Lily.

Next we had to get ready for Sausagefest at the Kunzl's. I got my hat ready, I bet it's going to be cold...

As it turned out, it wasn't that cold, but this little girl Lanie let me borrow her baby stroller. I spent most of the night pushing the baby around the entire house. It was so much fun.

Last weekend we spent some quality time at the farm. Check out my ride.

MOM!!!! THAT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN!!!! IT'S OVER THERE!!!!!

I got him I got him!!
Chasing pumpkins around is extremely tiring work. They have these weedy fingers that like to reach up and grab your feet.
Grandma came up on Saturday too, and she took me for a horsey ride.
This last pictures is to show off my cool slippers, and my awesome flexibility. I'm thinking I've got the perfect yoga outfit on, This is called downward facing dog.

Final days of summer

2011-09-11T20:02:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we took a short drive (5hrs, each way) to Wieser, ID to visit Uncle Mike, Aunt Suzanna, Mikayla, and Brenden. I had a great time, we played all kinds of games and we got to go peach picking at a farm nearby. Here is Dad teaching me all about peaches. He claims to know something about that because he grew up on a farm. I asked him, "how come the grass in the yard is so brown then?"
Next we went into town to and checked out some local shops. I'll let you guess which one was my favorite...
Here is a parting shot of the whole crew. I'm the one in the cute zebra dress.
And while we're on the subject of just how cute I am, here is my game face!! AAAARRRRRR!!!!
Last weekend was our neighbor's 2nd birthday party. Do you see all of those balloons? Come on Dad hurry up, I bet they have CAKE!!
The party was fun, but I spotted something even more exciting, so off I went. I came prepared this time. Checkout my cool aquasocks....
FOUNTAIN TIME!!!! Who knew? I mean I knew the park had swings, and now fountains!! It's pretty cool that it's 90 degrees in Portland now that it's September! I sure hope it stays like this the rest of the year.

One final note! Normally, when I'm running around the house banging drawers, hitting the cat, grabbing the dog's tail, etc. Mom and Dad are always yelling "Ellie NO!!" Well at the party, not only was I allowed to hit something, They gave me a bat to do it with! And when one of the big kids hit it.... all kinds of toys and goodies came out!!! What an AWESOME PARTY!!!

Finally Summer in Portland.... Sort of

2011-08-14T18:04:00.000-07:00

Today was the summer picnic for Journeys, the adoption agency that Mommy and Daddy worked with to bring my beautiful smiling face into their lives. They are soooo lucky... Anywho, they had the picnic not just at a park, but at a WATER PARK!!! The swings and slide were cool and all, but once I saw the water fountain, it was all over. I practically dove in with my clothes on. I got dad pretty wet doing that.

After I got changed into my bathing suit I had a blast with the other kids and this lady standing in the middle with the camera. She was a more adventuresome parent then mom or dad were. They said something about it being too wet. Isn't that the point!!!
Last weekend we went down to Grandma and Grandpa's house for Grandma's birthday. It was so cool, Grace got to go for a ride in Scoots (Grandpa's plane) I'm too small, but Grandpa let me sit in it. How do you like my headphones?
Amber, Mommy's roommate from college came down with us too. She is a really cool gal. She and I played a lot last weekend. Here we are working on our circus act. This is a much easier way for me to show everyone my belly.
And for all of you saying I have a big belly, look at how lose dad's pants are on me. I can barely hold them on...

Philly!

2011-07-17T10:17:00.001-07:00

We had a big Hodge family reunion in Philly last weekend. I got to go on the airplane again, it was really cool, this time I had my own seat and it was a window seat. I spent a lot of time with my cousins Kylie and Shaye. It was so much fun to see them. The reunion was at Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma's house on the river in Mom'sland (Maryland). They had a great big bath tub too, but that water was much warmer so Dad, Mom and I went for a swim. Great-Grandpa had a cool slide on one of the floating docks. I must have told Dad to put me back on that think at least 100 times. It was so much fun. Be warned Dad is a pasty white Portlander and the following photo may shock some readers.
Mema and I had a great time entertaining the group. I was playing the shuffle the rocks game and banging them on the table. I pretty sure I could have gotten a pretty good conga line going with my groovy beats.
Mom and I sat on the swing seat for a while. HIGHER MOM!! FASTER!!!
On Sunday Mom and Dad headed off to the Phillies game, so I got to spend more time with Kylie and Shaye at their Grammy and Papa's pool. They had an awesome tube that I could sit in and swim all over the pool. Mema was trying to hold me back, but I wanted to get out and work on my dog paddle.
All and all, it was a great trip. We saw lots of the family and a bunch of Mom and Dad's friends too. I can't wait to go back in November and maybe introduce my new brother or sister....

Happy 4th!!!

2011-07-04T19:59:00.001-07:00

Mom, Dad, Stout and I headed for the coast this holiday weekend. Dad found a camp site at Mt. Humbug state park. Yup, that's the name of the mountain. The park was all the way down by Gold Beach which is way down the coast, so we drove and drove and drove on Friday, but finally got there in time to check out the beach.

At first the sand was pretty icky, and then the waves from the big bath tub came up and it was COOOLLLLLDDDD!!!!!

But Mom saved me and we chased the waves back into the bathtub. Of course some times the waves chased us. We went climbing to the top of Mt. Humbug on Saturday. Mom, Dad and Stout were pretty tired when we got to the top, but I took a little nap on the way so I was all set to go. Shhh, Mom don't tell dad that I'm back here, I'm going sneak up and scare him.... HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
Stout had to take a little snooze at the top of the mountain. Mom was all smiles though.

On our way home we stopped to see a few lighthouses on the coast. Here is the view from Umpqua River lighthouse. Stout couldn't be bothered to turn around for the photo. I think he wanted a bite of Dad's apple. Oh! I almost forgot. This here was our sweet ride. Grandpa hooked us up with his truck and camper. It worked out great. I got to sleep in my pack n play on the kitchen table/ bench, Mom and Dad where in the bed, and Stout slept on the floor. It was perfect!

Well it's time to rest up now because we're off to Philadelphia on Thursday for the big Hodge reunion. I can't wait to see everyone, it's going to be AWESOME!!!

Growing so fast

2011-06-24T22:12:00.000-07:00

Mom and Dad keep telling me I'm getting big so fast. That may be true, but I still can't reach the remote on the top of the end table. I do have my first job though. I'm responsible for the most important chore of the morning. I have to walk into the kitchen and get Stout his treat, then walk back to the living room and give it to him and hopefully he leaves my hand attached. So far so good.

I have my first crush, the neighbor Cooper is CUTE!! I wish he had a little more hair though, those bald guys look old.

I've decided that I can climb the stairs by myself. I haven't quite figured out how to get down though. I'm going to have killer quads, or well quad; I tend to climb with just my left leg. Which turns me a bit to the right so I end up banging my head into the wall. I'm still a work in progress.

I've begun taking music lessons with Grandma. She's a professional, she played the organ in church, but she comes cheap. I just need to give her a few hugs and blow her some kisses.

The family took a recent trip to Seattle for the Mariner... I mean Phillies game. I forgot Dad might read this. But the Mariners totally rocked it and took 2 of 3.
It was a really cool Father's Day weekend. I had the 3 greatest guys I know with me for the whole weekend. Poppop came all the way from Pennsylvania with Mema, Grandpa rode up in the car with Grandma and Mom and Dad. Those two guys always make me laugh. I had the bestest time with Dad, I spent all 3 games in his lap, I wouldn't leave him for a second.

Mom was there too, but she was so nice to let it be Dad's day.
We had some time between innings to work on our Fish Faces.
Even time for a family photo. I told Grandma and Grandpa that I'm with them, totally a Mariners fan, but Dad said, "My house, my rules!" so I had to wear a Phillies shirt, which was cool. I'm all set for July 4th.
I just about made it through the whole weekend. Here I am sleeping during the Ninth inning of the last game on Sunday. I just didn't want to miss a minute of it. What a great time! Until next time...

Ellie's day in the sun

2011-05-19T20:13:00.000-07:00

Hey guys look the sun is out! We should get out there and play!!!

Come on Grandma lets go! FASTER!!!
WEEEE!!!! The swings are awesome!!!
Another successful day of wearing out Grandma!

Easter

2011-05-03T20:02:00.001-07:00

LETS GO FLYERS !!!! I'm pretty sure that they're my favorite hockey team. The colors are a bit rough for a girl to wear in Oregon. Everyone thinks you're a Beaver fan. I don't think I've chosen yet, I'd like to keep my options open. I hear Harvard is a good school.

I got my Easter basket from Mema. It had all kinds of cool stuff in it. Books, clothes, toys, and a cow that rattles. This Bunny book was pretty cool, it has lots of animals that you can touch and play with.
Family portrait time! We had to borrow Judy's yard because her tulips looked awesome. I'm not so sure why I had to wear this big fancy dress? Mom and dad were in jeans and Stout was wearing what he always wears. This dress is impossible to crawl in, hard to stand in, and it barely fits in the car seat!!! It's hard to be a girl in this world, always trying to please someone.
Once I finally got out of that dress I was able to move around. Good thing too, someone left eggs all over the living room. I must have found about 10 of them. They all rattled which was cool, but then I opened one up and out popped yogurt bites and puffs YUM! my favorite.
I will say one thing about Easter that Jesus dude rocks!!! I mean not only did he find me a great family, he lets me see my birth family, he made sure that when I grab the puppies dog tail that I will be forgiven, and best of all he and I both like to leave empty eggs (tombs).

What is the bright yellow ball in the sky?

2011-04-18T20:50:00.000-07:00

Stout has been longing for some outdoor play time. Dad told me the other day that we had 29 days of rain in March. I think that's some kind of record.

But we've done our best to pass the time. Dad and I spend every Sunday reading the paper. I really like that coupons. Lots of colors.

We went down to Grandma and Grandpa's place a few weeks ago because we were having our hardwood floors refinished. Grandma told me that this thing makes butter. I looked and looked, but didn't see any butter. I was very disappointed.

You know how there is that one picture that everyone has of them as a baby. It's that one that the parent's show the boyfriend when he comes over. It's that one that we all dread, but we love our parents so we endure their craziness and just go with it. Well here it is. Did I mention bath time is REALLY FUN!!!

SUN!!!! To be honest though, I'm not so sure I'm a big fan. I mean one second dad and I are walking up and down the sidewalk, then WAM! Blinded by the light. I'm totally a Portland girl, I was getting used to all of the clouds. Now that I think about it, I could get used to this sun thing. Mom is a California girl after all...

I'm number 1!! I'm number 1!!!!

2011-03-06T14:35:00.001-08:00

I just celebrated my FIRST BIRTHDAY!!! Wow that was a good time. My cousins came all they way from Pennsylvania to see me. They brought Mema and Aunt Mel with them. They were helping me learn how to crawl, play with toys, and SCREAM!!!!

We went to the Portland Children's museum which was way cool! Dad and I played on the slide for a long time. Until he got tired of picking me back up.

They had an awesome fish tank with fishes and snails. Mom took a picture from the other side.
Then came the party. There were all kinds of people here. My Tummy Mommy Tabatha came and brought my brother Jadan and sister Anastasia, Uncle Joey, and Nana D. They were so much fun to play with. Everyone sung happy birthday to me. You can find that on my Mom's You Tube page.
I ate the entire cupcake, or well at least all the icing. Stout may have helped me a bit.
I got all kinds of cool stuff like a bus and clothes and a doll house and books and Lots of clothes. Anastasia built me a tower with my new blocks. But we couldn't have that. Ellie the Destructor will take care of this AAAATTTTTTTAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!

New found fame

2011-02-20T20:36:00.000-08:00

Well it's been a bit crazy around here, but I've finally found some time to sit down and type up a new blog post. And I do mean time to sit down. I love standing up these days, Dad even walked in on me in my crib yesterday, standing up. I pulled myself up all on my own. I still have to work on the getting down part, but it's good to have a diaper for padding.
Have I mentioned that I'm a Happy Kid!?!?!
As many of you know I am a international celebrity on YouTube. With over 120 views of my "Ellie the Destructor" video I find it hard to get any time to myself. The paparazzi are everywhere. I took the parental units to the park a few weeks ago to escape, and look they found us there too......
But since I am such a class act, I always smile for the camera. I love my adoring fans and I really do love all the attention. I think it was driving dad a little crazy though. They had him running left and right and over the river and through the woods. I think we were headed to grandma's house. He looks tired.

I mean who gets tired when they're out enjoying nature.....

Busy, busy, busy

2011-01-24T20:32:00.000-08:00

It really is getting hard pleasing all of my adoring fans. Lucky for me, I had my big cousins to teach me a few tricks about partying all hours of the night. Well at least their eyes are open.
Aunt Mel is helping Shaye measure me. I'm getting pretty tall. Mom and Dad tell me it's because I eat all of my food. As you can tell I eat most of it, the rest ends up on my shirt. I'm just saving it for later.
Dad told me that Mema was a bit crazy and she loves to spoil her kids and grandkids, but THIS IS RIDICULOUS!!!
I thought I was tall, but Dad is super tall. I'm not sure why he's straining so much. I don't weigh that much...
As you can tell I'm very happy to be sitting on the couch with my cousin Kylie, and Uncle Mark and his girlfriend Justine. Just keep an eye on Uncle Mark, he's been known to give some kids a few shiners.
Mema has so many fun toys at her place. Heck she always has so many toys around her neck or hanging from her ears. Did I mention that Kylie was my best friend the whole trip...
Check it out FIRST CLASS!! It certainly was hard keeping dad awake the whole time.
You know those family photos that your parents bust out years later to make fun of you when you're a teenager and you bring a boy home? I'm going to make sure that I bring home a guy with some serious tats and a motorcycle. Seriously! Hoodie Footie Pajamas??? with Reindeer? and Rantlers!!
Just because my waist is the same size as my head... See above note. Add a few more tats.
Christmas tree shopping with mom. I'm pretty sure ours is the one with the yellow tag in the background.

Mom and Dad went to go visit some friends and I got to spend the day with Mema, Poppop, Aunt Mel, Uncle Justin, Kylie, and Shaye. There was all this white stuff on the ground and it was really cold. I was all for playing in my bouncy seat, but before I knew it.... I was thrown into this pink straight jacket and I strapped to a sled and ...
AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But you know what. IT WAS AWESOME!!!! Who needs a crazy boyfriend with tats when you have rebels in the family already! Next visit we're riding bikes!

Fall

2010-12-06T20:06:00.000-08:00

Aunt Deanna and Uncle Curt invited me to my first real volleyball game. I've seen mom and dad play with Mema and Poppop, but these girls were good and TALL! It was at Santiam Christian where my cousins Noah and Micah go. I hope I grow that tall one day I've already started working on my swing.

We had a visit with my Tummy Mommy Tabitha and my sister and brother Anastasis and Jaden. We took a ride on the carousel and had a great time eating lunch.

My favorite toy is this cool drum / hat / bowl / mask / and whatever I want it to be. It must of cost mom and dad a fortune. The toys these toy companies come up with are fantastic!! This one is made by Rubbermaid!!!

I'm pretty sure my mom told me I was going to be a Whitworth Pirate, but then I got this really cool Penn State gear from Mema. I really love watching Penn State football games with dad, but mom tells me that summer camp, I mean Whitworth was a blast too.

It is COLD!!!! But all is well, mom got me this cool hat. I can't put my arms down....

See you all next time. I'm really looking forward to my trip to Philadelphia to see my Mema and Poppop and the rest of Dad's huge family. YAY more people to play with!!!

Oktoberfest

2010-11-01T21:05:00.000-07:00

Wow another month has gone by. Mom and dad keep telling me how big I'm getting, but they are WAY bigger than me. I keep eating though, I've had beans, pears, squash, carrots, peas, and sweet potatoes. Who knew vegetables were so good, I'll be sure to eat them for the rest of my life.

The family went on a road trip up to Seth and Meghan's place for sausage fest. There were a bunch of people there playing games, and hanging around the fire pit. It was AWESOME!!! I must have stayed up all night. I got to sleep in Mom and Dad's bed with them for a bit.

Dad was helping me prop my head up. His beard feels kinda funny though.

Remember that food I was talking about before? Mom and dad keep shoveling it in and they're pretty sure 75% of it comes back out, but eventually it all disappears. I say "Keep it Coming!"
You know what else was AWESOME!!! Mema and Poppop came to visit and they fed me TOO!!! I mean how cool is that? I got to hang out with them while mom and dad went to work. I missed my day care friends, but it was totally worth it to hang out with my grandparents. They are so much fun.
This past weekend was something called Halloween? I'm not quite sure what that is, but I got to wear this yellow suit. Then a bunch of people came to the house and dad and I gave them candy. I don't know what that is, but everyone was really happy to have it. I had a blast seeing all the people in their costumes. I couldn't get rid of the orange thing over my head though, that was weird.

On to November, I can't wait to see what fun things I get to do and see and learn this month.

Outdoor Adventures

2010-09-23T17:50:00.000-07:00

Dad had his company picnic at the Zoo! Now that was cool! We didn't stay too long because grandma was coming for a visit, but I got to see my nursery animals, only bigger. We saw a big bear, and a big elephant. That thing was HUGE!!! It wasn't pink though which was kinda strange.

I apparently live with a couple of these big animals. This one is called Stout, mom yells at him a lot and he might have a stinkier butt then I do..

This past weekend we went to the San Juan Islands in the Puget Sound. We stopped at Rob and Claudia's place on the way up and spent the night. I had a great time with them, we stayed up all night long. They gave me a sweet U Dub sweatshirt and I thought we were all going to go to the game on Saturday. But my parents told me I couldn't go tailgating so we met Heidi, Jason, Trevor, and Toby for breakfast which turned out to be cool.

Then it was off to the San Juans and Lopez Island. It was sunny out so we tried to do as much as possible on Saturday afternoon. Here we are looking over fisherman's bay.

This is where things turned ugly. We went for a walk down on Spencer's Spit, and can you see what mom and dad did to their pants? It was SOOOOOO embarrassing. We were walking back to the car and all these people were coming out for a wedding, I just had to hide my face.
On Sunday we tried to get out of the house, but it rained a bit. Luckily dad's rain coat conveniently doubles as a stroller hood. I looked cool in my soft top convertible

On Monday we went over to San Juan Island and Mom found the perfect boat name for dad.

Dad and I had some fun at the crabshack looking over the harbor. That guy is So Funny!
We took a stroll out onto the docks and got a good shot of the family at the end of the marina.
On the way out there we saw some more animals. This sea lion was just waiting around for the bait shop to open. Unfortunately for him they were closed on Monday.

And just because I'm so darn cute, here are a couple of shots of my happy face throughout the weekend. Can't wait for my next trip...

So much to say...

2010-08-31T18:50:00.000-07:00

So Mom and Dad tried to starve me the other day. I mean I was expecting my bottle then all of a sudden they stuck this stick in my mouth with some goop on the end of it. It tasted pretty good, but I sure didn't know what to do with it.

Mom kept smiling and giving me more mush. I guess it's not that bad, but I'd rather have my bottle.

We went to Autumn and Guy's house a few weeks ago and they hooked me up with some cool stuff. This here is my exer-saucer, it's pretty cool huh?

The coolest gift was this awesome hat though. I'm way cooler than mom and dad.

Dad and I sat on the couch to read a new book. I thought I pooped a lot but that Perry guy is ridiculous.

Then Stout came up and we just hung out and watched some football. Me and the guys, it was sweet.

Oh, and Mom and dad said something about the kitchen being done. I don't know what happens in there, but I sure know that's where my bottles sleep. I get so excited every time I'm in there.

They love the new French Door.

The new colors are so much brighter then that old green. I heard mom say that dad is a great painter, so maybe he can teach me and I can help so that the kitchen will be completely finished.

Weekend Fun

2010-08-16T20:31:00.000-07:00

Dad and mom took me downtown to see some of the sites in Portland. I'm big enough now to hold my head up so I got to see everywhere we were going. I know dad was with us because I could hear him, but I sure couldn't see him.

Then we sat down and had some lunch and Dad was going to give me a sip of his beer, but I reminded him that I was too young.

Mom was with us too. She had a funny hat on and I laughed at her.

This past weekend we went to this place called the beach. It was pretty cold out but I got to be strapped to dad's chest again and I got to see what dad called the big bath tub. I will be sure to try to make those waves the next time I'm in my bath tub.

After Partying all night in the hotel room with mom and dad, we set off from Yachats and stopped to see some more light houses. Today was a little cloudier, but mom and dad insisted on self family portraits.

I had a great time with mom and dad, I think we should go to the beach every weekend. As you can see I am getting so big, hopefully next time I can sit up and play in the sand.

Frank the Tank! Frank the Tank!

2010-06-26T21:44:00.000-07:00

That's right. Our exciting Saturday nights now consist of updating you on our kitchen progress, and posting new photos of Ellie and Stout. Tomorrow we're totally going to Babies R Us, and maybe Home Depot. Dennis is at least having a beer as I type.

Ellie, Mom, and Stout spent the last 10 days at Grandma and Grandpa's house while the cabinets were being painted. Felix and Dad spent a week there. Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa! We had a great time!

While we were there, Ellie sort of figured out how to grab things.

Grandma calms a fussy baby. Fussy? Where? Looks peaceful to me.

Stout was worn out from guarding the house and the baby against intruders including neighbors, the yard care guys, and Grandma and Grandpa themselves!

Daddy and Ellie in her cupcake dress from Denise, Carrie, Kristen, and MaryAnn Ufkes.

That snail is SO FUNNY!!!

The new french doors. Aah, glorious light!

Still airing out the fumes.

The flooring guy comes Monday.

One major appliance in, three to go! And flooring, subway tile backsplash, faucet, and probably a million other things...

Until next time...

The Crying Game

2010-06-19T17:02:00.000-07:00

We thought we'd see if Noah, Micah, or Grace could get Ellie calmed down, since we know Ellie likes them so much. What do you think? But Ellie loved reading Goodnight Moon with Aunt Deanna!

Kitchen Update

2010-06-19T16:49:00.000-07:00

Cabinets were installed a week ago, and are being painted now. The whole family is at Grandma and Grandpa's house, including Stout and Felix. Grandma and Grandpa couldn't be more happy about that.

Grandma being excited about Ellie's visit. This, by the way, is how Ellie likes to spend her time burping... ASLEEP. Tall cabinets! YAY!!! The sink goes under the window, with the dishwasher in that space to the left.

Our new pantry and mail station. The stove will be on the wall to the left, next to that cabinet you can see in the photo.

That's where the stove goes!

Visit with Julia, and maybe one or two actual baptism photos

2010-06-01T11:57:00.000-07:00

Archery Summit Vineyard in Dundee, OR
On a walk outside Hood River

Overlooking the Columbia

Dennis playing in the NAGVA National Volleyball Tournament in Portland. Look it up.

Stout and his mistress, Julia

Aunt Nancy makes Ellie smile with "I'm-Cool Mike"

I'm having issues with rotation, but Ellie with her cousin Micah

Ellie with her cousin Brenden

Zonked out but baptized girl. She slept through the whole thing, including being paraded around the church by Pastor Scott

Ellie with her birth mom Tabitha and Nana Dee