September

I am not sure why I keep doing this to myself....trying to write about September in November. I barely remember yesterday - but two months ago, really Brooke (I ask myself)?

As a matter of fact, in September I completed another year of life, added one more year to the thing we call age, I got "officially" older. I mean the truth of the matter is we get "older" every day but one day a year we "become" that age. I do not like the idea of getting older and the task of remembering two months back getting possibly harder than it is now - but I do like the celebration of birthdays and I guess that is where we will begin September - my birthday.

A few days prior to my birthday we were out shopping and found these little gems. I really wanted them for my birthday but Ellie and I just couldn't wait - we had to have them NOW! I mean what could be better than slippers that help to clean the floors? I mean really? The creators of these slippers understand me. And oddly enough, Ellie has the same personality trait.


But back to my birthday celebration...we started a bit early (don't be surprised people, if you know me at all or read this blog a year ago - you know we celebrate birthdays for at least a week). Labor day is the perfect way to start celebration early. It's always on a Monday - typically a few days before my birthday - and obviously time to start celebrating - so in that spirit and as a family, we went golfing.

It was really a banner golf game. I played the best I ever had. I had beautiful drives, I was hitting from the fairway right towards the green, I had the longest drive ever, I mean really...it was banner. And even though my game was on (happy birthday early to me) my favorite and most memorable part of the day was Ellie, driving the cart for the first time - all by herself. It was almost atypical Ellie - she was not afraid, she wanted to do it. And her first attempt I THOUGHT I caught on camera...but when I got home I realized it wasn't filming (so bummed) but hopefully the images will last in my mind.

She drove with hard rights, hard brakes, a heavy foot - pretty much like I drive. I said it was atypical Ellie because she usually doesn't take to new things, she would typically be afraid of it, but in this case - we caught her taking the cart when we were all on the green - ALONE! It was an awesome day. I love golfing with my family and love that Ellie likes to come along. She is happy as can be cleaning balls, raking sand, getting putters, and now - driving the cart.

Very very sadly, this is all I caught on video:


Quick derail from the birthday - since we moved and school had started, it was becoming harder for us to find a time with Ellie's piano teacher. We decided it was probably time to move on and find someone closer. So I asked my new neighbor for someone in the area, and on the 7th Ellie went to her first piano lesson outside of our home with her new piano teacher - Heather McQuisten.

I was hesitant to change teachers, but it has made all of the difference. The two teachers have very different styles and Ellie seems to be reacting better to this style. I think she likes going to piano, rather than the teacher coming to her. I am not sure exactly how she does it, but I no longer have to beg and plead for Ellie to practice. She genuinely enjoys piano class and even practices without complaining. One song she was learning she and her teacher made up words about Ellie to sing to the tune. She has a great way of getting Ellie involved in piano and I am so grateful.

Why do I care so much? Why do I want her to play the piano? It's a talent she can develop. It's something if she puts the effort in, she will see the reward. It's a lesson of hard work, persistence, patience and determination. Along side of that, her brain develops and works along side of her senses. She learns to read music, hear pitch, teach her right and left hand to do something different but work in harmony.

All of this is reason enough, but for me there is one more thing I hope she learns and that is to find a place where she creates something beautiful, something soothing, a place where she can go to think or escape a hard day. A place to meditate and to reflect or just to get lost in the sound. I want to help her create a place where she can enjoy music and the pure beauty of it. And hopefully a place where she feels peace.

One of the things I LOVE about Ellie is she sings as she plays or as she goes about her day. I always want this music to live inside of her. It makes it easy to see she is happy and peaceful and is enjoying life. Okay, I didn't plan to derail THAT much....

SO...also on the 7th and more related to my birthday - we had parent night at Ellie's school so I went and Kevin and Ellie stayed behind. I texted them I was coming home, but I guess I made it back quicker than they were expecting. I came home and was quickly ushered with my eyes closed to my room and was grounded there for the remainder of the night while they completed their secret birthday planning. In fact I caught Ellie so off guard with my quick arrival that I gave her anxiety and she described it like this, "Mom, you timbered my shivers!" We laughed over and over about that.

On the morning of the 8th I woke up to these great things. A counter full of presents and a cake:


And an office fully decorated with bright streamers and balloons. Aren't they the cutest ever! I love how much fun we have celebrating birthdays and love that my family enjoys it as well.


Ellie had school and Kevin had work so I spent the day kind-of working and playing hooky for awhile with Leea shopping in the mall and eating our favorite treats.

After work we met up with my family for dinner and more presents at the Cheesecake Factory.


And then home for German chocolate cake and relaxing on my new patio furniture I bought myself for my birthday. Don't mind Jed.


Ellie celebrated with a new partner to jump on the trampoline with her.


Actually most of the summer she was looking for new partners for the trampoline and back on the 4th of September she successfully got Grams on the trampoline. (Jed had been there plenty of times before.) It was a great birthday and a wonderful start to September.


Sadly, a dear friend of ours passed away in early September and so we went to celebrate her life (as she wanted us to call it) with her family and our dear friends the next weekend. It was such a reminder to me how thankful I am to have such wonderful friends and family in my life. I have been so blessed with wonderful people in my life and Whitney was for sure on of those. In fact she was Whit-ness the greatness. Here is an old picture of Whitney and Ellie from our annual shopping trip.


Remember back in May when we planted our garden? Well, the move has been wonderful on all of us, but the garden didn't take it very well.

These are the only fruits (and potatoes) of our labors harvested on the 4th of September.


And this is Ellie eating one of them on the 14th. We are hopeful for next year's garden.


In school they really focus on independence and since September Ellie has taken on bathing and getting out of the bath all by herself as one of her big steps towards being independent. This is how I found her after her bath on September 11th. It's actually pretty great - I start her water and she washes and conditions her hair and washes her body. I make sure her robe and towel are near and she gets out, drys off (we are still working on her hair drying techniques - drip drip) and gets her robe on. She hangs out in her robe until it's time for her jammies - it's just too cute.

We love seeing her around the house like this!


Ellie's friend from school, Anja, had her birthday party on the 17th. Ellie wasn't sure she wanted to go and that was purely based on the activity - rock climbing. We actually had a good talk about trying things before deciding if we like them or if we can do them. She decided to go to the party and she successfully was able to climb. I'm not really sure that this one talk or this one experience will help Ellie, but it was awesome timing that her composition paper that week was this quote,

"Tis a lesson you should heed,
Try, try again;
If at first you don't succeed,
Try, try again;
Then your courage should appear,
For if you will persevere,
You will conquer, never fear
Try, try again;"

I made her hang it up in her desk. (And then she added a website she was interested in. :) )


And here she is - successfully climbing the wall!



On the 18th we hit the Utah State Fair a little later than we normally do because we decided this year to go to the demolition derby. It was way more crowded than we like, but we still had fun doing our traditional things. This year we had enough people on the big yellow slide that we took up every spot across the slide and all went down together - I gave Ellie'a rug a little tug- and it was awesome!!

Of course Ellie had to do the little hands farm.




Then we met up with our friends for a full night of the crash-up derby, which did not disappoint. It was epic you may say. Ellie and her friends were cheering and dancing and enjoying everything that is the derby. I think their faces tell it all.






As we were leaving the fair Kevin and Ellie stopped for a photo op. We just love the fair. It was so much fun we can't wait to do it again!




The rest of the month was life as usual but we did get a visit from our Canadian friends at the end of the month. Most of that weekend Ellie was with her dad but I did sneak away to see her primary program on Sunday the 25th. She had two parts and had them perfectly memorized and did such a great job. I am always so proud of her.

On the 26th we all picked up Ellie from school and surprised her with a quick trip to Utah lake. Although the weather was perfect, we soon realized why we don't go to Utah lake that late in the season - the water was so green and dare I say...hairy.

This did not stop everyone from getting on the tube. Here is Ellie trying to show Lana how to do it. It was pretty funny to speed up and slow down and watch their faces react to each move.



And then Ellie would not leave until Kevin got in to swim with her and take the picture "that we take every year" - according to Ellie.

So here is the picture in 2011:


Here it is in 2010:


Again in 2009:


And the first year we had the boat, 2008:


Ellie has the greatest memory and I'm so glad she enjoys the memories we are creating! I hope she realizes that I am usually there too - just the one behind the scene WITH the camera instead of in front of it. It's just that Kevin and Ellie are SO CUTE to capture!!!

Speaking of too cute to capture - this is Ellie as we were making an after school snack on the 29th.


She came up with this all on her own....I just again, captured it on camera and enjoyed my time with Ellie.


Bon appetit!

Bed Time with Ellie

One of my favorite times with Ellie is bed time. She has to have someone lay with her before she will go to sleep - so in our new house I typically have to climb up the ladder to her new loft bed and try not to kill myself getting over the railing. But once I'm tucked in next to her some of the sweetest parts of the day happen.

I try to not talk for too long because she is trying to go to sleep. And to be honest, some nights I'm tired and just want to go to my own bed. But then there are the nights where we talk and giggle and just enjoy being next to each other at the end of the day. I hold on to these moments because I have no idea how many more years she'll want me there as her captive audience ready to talk about anything.

One question I have almost always asked Ellie is what her favorite part of the day is. She often says, "Right now." It always make me smile and feel good. Last week I was in Boise and Kevin got to feel this for the first time. I got a text from him that said, "Laying with Ellie she asked me my favorite part of the day...I said playing Pass the Pigs...she said, "Mine is right now, but pass the pigs is second."...Cute!"

I asked her if it was her favorite because she was in bed or because we were in bed talking and she said she loves bed. She loves sleep, sleep is her favorite subject. But she did add that she loves me too. Of course for me, it's my favorite part of the day because she wants me there, talking with her, giggling, and she wants her day to end with one of us next to her.

There are also a lot of giggles and funny things that happen at the time.

Our typical routine is to get in bed, say a prayer together and then kiss good night. One night when I was gone for work Kevin climbed in bed (back in PG before the ladder), got tucked in and then it was time for prayer. He didn't know our typical routine and after prayer Ellie, very tightly lipped said, "I'm doing kissy lips." They cracked up and we have several times cracked up since then.

A couple of weeks ago I was laying with her and she smelled my armpits. She kept sniffing them because she liked the smell. We giggled and I finally had to make her stop. A week or so later she said, "Do your armpits smell good tonight?" I responded, "No."
She sniffed and said, "Ew...why don't they smell good tonight?"
"Because I didn't shower today."
"Disgusting, so that's why you look so fancy smancy."
"I don't."
"I know mom, it was a joke."

Oh.... sarcasm has begun. I knew it was only a matter of time, but luckily I can handle it. I just hope that bed time with Ellie continues for many many more years.

August

August, like the other summer months, flew by. Kevin was busy for almost two weeks (some nights until midnight) laying down weed paper and spreading a huge pile of bark in our yard. We decided to have a house warming party mid-August so we wanted to get it done. Ellie was in pure bliss spending as many hours in the first thirteen days of August with Mason, Logan and Titus as she could. The first five days they were all still in Utah.

They had fancy lunches - look how they are holding their forks...so cute:

Robin and Mason were on the hunt for a white dress and so she took the kids shopping. Ellie and Mason came home with these super cute dresses that they had to model for us. They made us sit down so they could announce themselves and then it was like they were on the runway; again...so cute:

The boys were in matching superman shirts, and of course they are super cute:

That night while Kevin was out in the yard late he found a surprise -- he found several toads working in the yard - they pee on you if you pick them up so Ellie and I are just happy to look.

Mason had been training for a 5K and she ran it while in Utah. Ellie went running with her a couple of mornings and was sad she didn't sign up (after telling me all month there was no way she wanted to do it.) As a reward Robin took Mason to Cowabunga Bay and of course they let Ellie tag along. Ellie was as hesitant at first on the slides as she was about the race but of course by the end of the day she wanted to do the slides.

That night it was time for a little down time so Ellie (and Ariel) was the first to try out the new tub in our bathroom.

On the 4th the girls did the summer cinema series and then on the 5th Ellie jumped in the van to spend a week with her cousins in California.

Robin is such an incredible aunt dragging four kids to all sorts of fun adventures in Salt Lake, packing them in the car for a long drive back to California, and then taking them all around southern California to fill their summer with memories.

She took them to the beach (another model pose here):

Then for Mason's 8th birthday on August 9th she took just the girls to Pacific Park at the Santa Monica Pier to celebrate:

As if that is not enough fun, on the 10th they surprised her with the announcement that they would be going to Disneyland on the 11th! Kevin and I decided to add to the surprise and flew in on the 10th and met them at Disneyland. The girls didn't know we were coming and as they walked in the gates we met them walking the other direction and I can honestly say they were surprised. Ellie was happy to have us there and we spent the day at the happiest place on earth.

Ellie still wanted to stay away from the Tower of Terror and the Haunted Mansion, but I was completely surprised this year when she loved Space Mountain. Thunder Mountain Railroad is still her favorite, with the teacups a close second.

I don't know if it's the song or if they just love this ride, but every year when we make it to the pirate ride the girls come up with something clever.

We stayed late enough to watch the fireworks, but the gang was so tired - I think the one picture of the kids with Ken and Andrea (Robin's brother and sister in law) sums up how we all felt after the day.

Ellie went home with her cousins that night and Kevin and I stayed one more day to celebrate our first anniversary (a few days late) at Disneyland. It was a fun day and I even got to see my boyfriend, Handy Manny. He's no Kevin, but he sure is handy!

Not the greatest picture, but this is us enjoying the new World of Color show - it was incredible - a must see!

On the 13th we all met up at their house and headed to the church to support Mason in her decision to get baptized. It was a special day for her and I'm glad we could all be there to support her. Ellie was the official greeter handing out programs and welcoming people.

We enjoyed some great family time with our family and Robin's family. It was nice to all be together.

Logan with his dirty hands:

Titus drinking and driving:

Ellie and Logan chowing on some food:

Then it was time to say goodbye and get on the plane and end the 20 something days of non-stop cousin time. THANK YOU Robin and family for an incredible time this summer. We can't wait to do it again next year!!

The week of the 15th was the last official week of summer break so we spent as many days as we could playing with Sage and Taj and enjoying the freedom that no school allows. There were many playdates, a sleepover, a trip to the zoo and a trip to the movie to see the Smurfs.

Ellie and I did some school shopping - we hit the uniform store, Old Navy for pants, Target for shoes, a bag, and some supplies and then we were done. I love uniforms, but they make school clothes shopping a little dry. :D

On the 19th Ellie and I went to Challenger to meet her 2nd grade teacher, Ms. Elsey. 


In second grade I went to Hillview Elementary on 4500 south. My teacher was Mrs. Sorensen who owned the original Iceberg on 3900 South. She was the greatest teacher and I had a pink desk. Levi and I were playing ball in the back yard and with his bat he connected with the baseball and then the baseball connected with my nose. It was broken, I had surgery and Mrs. Sorensen brought me the newest shake they had - grasshopper. Yep, I was one of the first in Utah to have that shake and I still love them today. I loved the 2nd grade. 


But anyway, back to Ellie....after we found her desk (which is not pink) and met her teacher I dropped her off at Thanksgiving Point for her final summer camp.

Monday the 22nd was the first day of school. I hate to see summer end, but I am glad Ellie was excited about school and I am happy that she enjoys going each day. In this picture you can obviously see how cute Ellie is, but you can also see all of the hard work Kevin put into the yard. It's so beautiful and we really enjoyed spending time in our yard in August.