Through The Woods To Grandma's House We Go

We don't really go through the woods to Grandma's house but today was such a beautiful day that we decided to hike around our property. I forget how beautiful the land is and how lucky we are to have it. Ellie loved running around on the trail with Luke and throwing rocks into the creek. Believe it or not that large rock is really that big and it's all ours. Chris affectionately calls it Mount Chrismore. He teases me that we should have his face carved into it. I think he's cute but I don't think we need his face imprinted into our old historic rock. I am hoping that Ellie will be good and tired tonight. She had a full weekend and we tried to run off all her energy.

Side note- Happy Anniversary to Whitney and Brian. We can't believe that it's been 7 years since we helped celebrate your special day in Savannah! We are so happy for you and who knew that years later you would be parents of triplets! Hope you have a great day together! Lots of love and good wishes to you!

Fall Has Arrived With The Bluemont Fair

Ellie checking out the Rabbits!

Maddie going for a pony ride. Ellie normally loves to go on the pony rides but wasn't having anything to do with the pony this time.

Ellie getting her fishing line to go fishing for some stickers and pencils.

Ellie showing off her prize catch of a sticker.

The Bluemont Fair is one of the first signs that fall is arriving to Loudoun County. We met up with Uncle Scott and Maddie for some fun in the sun. The girls enjoyed looking at the animals and playing in the kids field. We checked out the fire trucks and watched lots of kids climb up and down a rock wall. Ellie wanted to climb up the wall but didn't weigh the required 40 pounds. Ellie is a tiny little thing and will probably run into this time and time again. I wish I had that problem.

It's so much fun to be a kid with your kid. We did manage to sample some local wines at the fair and we highly recommend The Bluemont Vineyards. They had excellent wines and are owned by some Loudoun Valley Alumni.

These kind of events make me happy to live where I do. I miss the city from time to time but small town charm is something you can't find in the city.

My Friend Luke

Ellie loves her dog Luke! Luke wasn't feeling to good the other morning and Ellie wanted to make sure he got lots and lots of kisses. I am sure it helped Luke feel better. It's hard to believe that Luke will be turning 9 in December. He has been a wonderful pet and very understanding when it came to losing first place in our hearts to Ellie. Luke has started sleeping in Ellie's room at night and she loves it.

Ellie had a wonderful time at Preschool this week. We had minimal tears both days. I think it helped that we had a play date last weekend with her new classmate Olivia. The girls had a great time together and Olivia is all Ellie talks about now! I am sure we will be having plenty of play dates in the future.

When Bad Fashion Happens to Good Little Girls

Ellie loves to dress herself but doesn't always pick out the best outfits. She was so proud of her outfit this morning that she ran in to show Chris. Chris responded by saying "that's not an outfit that's a disaster. We were able to get her into something a little more classy before she headed off to preschool. Ellie seems to finally be adjusting to preschool. There are still tears when we drop her off but she slowly calms herself down. I am hoping in another week or so we won't have tears at all!

Hot Pink Cast

My poor little niece McKenzie broke her cute little leg last week. She was such a trooper and barely cried through the whole ordeal. She now has a hot pink cast to wear for the next couple of weeks. We wish her a speedy recovery and know that she will get lots of pampering!

Tumbling Video

Ellie is loving her gymnastics class but you will notice on the video that she only wants to do what she wants to do! I think she has learned this behavior from her father!

Gymnastics = Pure Happiness!

Ellie had her first gymnastics class and she LOVED IT!. She loves jumping and tumbling all over the place. We even went on the high beam which she sped across several times. She didn't always follow what the teacher was trying to show them but I am sure that will improve. There were just to many other interesting things to play with. There isn't anything better in this world than to see your child in pure happiness. It warms my heart and totally made mommy having to attempt doing splits worth it. I'll put up some funny videos of our day a little bit later!

Chatter Bug

Ellie is a talker. She will talk from sun up to sun down. She has a lot of funny things that she has told us and I thought I would share a few conversations with you.

Ellie- I love to go to school.

Daddy- Really, then why were you crying?

Ellie- I wanted to go to school just not with you Daddy.

Mommy- Did you go potty on the toilet?

Ellie- I went poop and it was a big poop.

Ellie- I want a piece a candy.

Mommy- No you can't have a piece of candy right now.

Ellie- Yes, and this will be the last piece of candy.

Ellie- I want a Popsicle.

Mommy- You need to finish dinner

Ellie- I'm full

Mommy- If you are full then you don't need a Popsicle.

Ellie- I want a Popsicle- Repeat over and over again

I really need to write down all the phrases because they are escaping my mind right now. She cracks us up with her very honest comments.

Off to School We Go!

Ellie started her first day of Pre-School today. She looked so pretty in her outfit and we were able to get some nice pictures. Ellie has two wonderful teachers that did an excellent job of comforting her while she screamed at the top of her lungs. I managed not to get to upset by the crying because I know this is such a great class that she will be with. I think it helped that Ellie has been in daycare so I am use to dropping her off.

Ellie is going to love school and she will make lots of friends there. I hope Thursday is a little bit easier than today.