Circus Debut

The main reason for our trip to Dallas last weekend was so Ella could have her first circus experience. We went to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus with Meme, Pop, Nana, Papa, & Aunt Cici. Words cannot express the excitement Ella showed. I couldn't decide if it was more entertaining to watch the circus performances or Ella's face while she was taking it all in. She LOVED every single second of the 2 hour show! She still talks about it all, the clowns & elephants being her favorite memories. I think this was just the beginning of a yearly tradition. We all had a great time! Thank you Meme & Pop for planning such a fun day!

Not sure about the cotton candy.Ella & PopElla, Meme & ClownOn Papa's shouldersIntermission TreatOne of Ella's favorite parts.Ella & Aunt CiciFinale

Swimming at Meme & Pop's

Last weekend we had a wonderful trip to Dallas. We spent Friday afternoon relaxing in Meme & Pop's pool. Ella LOVED swimming...we had never seen her so comfortable swimming on her own (with her floaties,) jumping in & going under the water. Ella stayed in the pool the entire afternoon! She got out long enough to scarf down an peanut butter sandwich, & was back in for more swimming until it was time to celebrate Meme's birthday with singing & cake.

Chilling!Racing Meme to the steps.Time for a short break.Playing frisbee with Daddy - good throw!Celebration Time

Happy Birthday Meme

Ella was so excited about Meme's birthday all week. Since she LOVES birthdays, she can't wait to celebrate in Dallas tomorrow. Today we made a red velvet cake, from scratch. She siad she was "making a ladybug cake for Meme." This is because it is red & there was a ladybug on the box of the red food coloring. Here is step by step how to do it in case you ever need to know...pictures show the process minus the final product. She was in bed before I topped the cake off with the homeade icing. And to tell the truth, the cake has some "appearance issues," but I'm sure it will taste delicious! I don't blame Ella at all...she is quite a little baker!

FYI - this stuff does stain!Checking out how a sifter works.Of course I remembered her apron AFTER the red food coloring part.So serious!Showing some attitude!Snuck this one in...guess she was finished stirring.
And here is one of the Happy Birthday videos she made for Meme.

2 "Firsts" Today

Ella got to experience 2 firsts today. She had her 1st visit to the vet with Aussie. I explained to her that we were taking Aussie to the doctor, aka "vet." She thought it was really funny that Aussie was riding in the back of my car (which was a first as well) and talked to her the whole way there. When we walked in, she said "This is NOT Dr. Boecker, Aussie has a different doctor." FYI...Dr. Boecker is her pediatrician. She was great the entire time we were there. They came & took Aussie a couple different times to run tests & Ella said, "It's ok, she'll be right back!" After the vet came & talked to us the first time she said "I LOVE Aussie's doctor. This is fun!" She was also good at comforting Aussie who was very vocal with whilning the entire visit. She would pet her tell her "It's OK. I think you are tired." I know where she'd heard that one before! She also learned a new word through the experience...leash...she had never seen Aussie on one before. In fact, we had to go to Target & buy one this morning before the appointment. By the way, Aussie is fine. She has a UTI & is now on antibiotics, but everything else looked great!

Putting stickers the vet gave her on Panda, which is now her FAVORITE animal & went everywhere with us today.
She also had her 1st sushi experience this evening. New Braunfels now has a sushi bar/restaurant & it is wonderful! Of course, Ella showed absolutely no interest in trying any of the food, but she had fun playing with the chopsticks.
.Get that spicy tuna roll!

Summer Visit from Cynthia & Arturo

Aunt Cici & Arturo came to NB for a fun summer visit. We grilled great lamb chops Friday night, floated the river Saturday & relaxed with a movie that evening after cooking out buffalo burgers. Craig & Andy (from Austin) and Stewart (from San Antonio) met to float with us. It was a WONDERFUL float! In between, we enjoyed hanging out at the house with Ella. She was great & loved the extra attention! She got to share her "donkey experience" with Cici & Arturo Saturday & Sunday mornings. Each day, she fed them strawberries & peaches. Thanks for making the trip to see us. We had a great time!

Ready to hit the river on this 103 degree day!



Cynthia thought it was a little strange that this is Ella's new show watching position.

Donkey encounter Saturday morning.

Ella Loves to Cook

On Friday afternoon, Ella & I had so much fun making a banana split pie for our weekend guests. She helped me every step of the way. And, we had a huge dietary breakthrough...she will now eat fresh strawberries! After she finished placing them in the middle layer of the "pie" I asked her to try one. While she wasn't so sure at first, she proceeded to eat every single straberry slice that was left in the bowl. Funny thing is they were supposed to go on top of the dish, but I was not about to stop her shoveling them in her mouth. She kept saying "delicious," "yum, yum" & rubbing her tummy!

Looks so yummy!Now for the bananas.All done!"Do I like this?"Going back for more & more & more...Finished product & strawberries in the bowl...ALL gone!Now for the beaters!

Growing Up

It's hard to believe how old Ella is looking & acting. Just for the record: she is a little over 2 months shy of turning 3 years old, weighs 25 lbs & is 35 inches tall. Did a little mini photo shoot this weekend...full of personality!