Uncle Mike

Ella had another great visit from Uncle Mike, aka the Godfather. It was so much fun and so nice to see him. Ella took to him immediately, and although she hasn't yet uttered the words Uncle or Mike - she has lots of love for him already. Here are some of our favorite pictures from his visit:

A very fun trip to Chuck E. Cheese when we thought our baseball game was rained out.

Totally enjoying the Providence Children's Museum...

...and eating all of their playfood too.


We did enjoy some real food as Mom and Mike made stuffed cabbage.

Enjoying some Worcester baseball after a rainy day. Ella and Uncle Mike shared some nachos, fireworks, and lots of laughs.

We went blueberry picking and brought home an astonishing 6.29 lbs. of berries. We made blueberry pancakes, smoothies, scones, a pie, and ate a whole bunch too.

Ella and a little blueberry pancake aftermath.

We even went to Kid City in CT - lots and lots of fun.

Can't you tell??


Even with all the rain we did get a little sandy beach time in.

Of course a dinner visit to go and see Great Grandma in CT.

We fit in a little shopping, a lot of coffee, and some great times.

(and a few triumphant diaper changes!)

We love you Uncle Mike!

Bear

So - it has come time, sooner than I expected or even hoped. Ella is now old enough to make her own Build-A-Bear. We were at the mall to run around on a hot Friday night and we stumbled into the store. She chose her bear right away and ran over to find the perfect hear for him and even helped press the pedal to get the stuffing inside. She took her bear over for a bath, brushed his coat. By that point she was ready for the birth certificate declaration - so Mom helped out with the clothes. We were so busy with Ella's new friend that we didn't have time to take photos. She named him, well, Bear. They have no been apart since. On a side note - with Bear attending all formal and informal meals with Ella - Mom and Dad are very happy that Bear is a black bear.

My Baby

Ella is 20 months old today and has been spending each day of it developing the most amazing personality. She is all girl. She loves dress up, taking care of her babies, play cooking, and loves anything crafty. She spends lots of time coloring, and smushing play-doh. She is fond of food, and feeding the dogs (they like that!), and is starting to help Mom cook. She is her father's daughter too - she reads about 10 books a day and loves trying to figure things out - putting things in, out, over, and under - even enjoying her plastic tool set. She is true outdoors toddler - loves running, water play, and being in her own little house. She loves people, even with the little shyness at the beginning. This has been a wonderful Summer so far. Here are a few of our favorite pictures from this week to mark the big 2-0.

The Beach!!

A week or so back we hit the beach in Newport - saw some of our favorite Reeds and enjoyed a really wonderful dinner (Thanks Aunt Bette - Norey's was amazing). Lucky for us Dad knew exactly which beach to go to - one that was not too crowded, not too expensive, and that had ROCKS (Ella's favorite thing). Here are a few of our favorite pictures from the day:

The Reeds visit Beantown!

This weekend we had a great family day in Boston. Here are our favorite pictures form the day - the trip to the aquarium, shopping and fun outside!

My little bambina!

Aaahhh Summertime!

Finally it's Summer time. It has been beautiful amidst a little rain -so we have been out in the yard. Dad and Ella planted Mom's third attempt at a dogwood tree. She is quite the little helper!





After all of that work, it was time for some play! Ella took her new tricycle for a ride - with a little push power from Dad.



With work and play behind her - it was time to head inside. Perfect.