Ella's 1st Christmas program

Ella had her first-ever Christmas program Thursday morning at her pre-school. Her age group was going to sing 5 songs, and we had been practicing them the last few weeks. She was doing great at home, dancing all around and singing; her favorite being Jingle Bells, as you've seen previously. :) But, we found out that when they practiced the few weeks before in the sanctuary, Ella freaked out and refused to get up and sing with the kids. Oh, boy. I knew it was going to be interesting..... Here is a pic of Ella coming in with the other kids...the only one with a parent in tow. And, about 2 minutes later, her teacher rescued her from a crying fit: Shortly after, Ella came running back to sit with us. She continued to do the motions with the kids and was interested in what was going on, but just did not want to be front and center, I guess. Which I think is strange because she seems to love the attention! When the teachers started handing out bells to the kids, Ella realized it was time for Jingle Bells and ran back up there. She wanted to make sure she got her bell! I was so proud of her for staying up there for that song and getting into it. Hey, 1 out of 5 ain't bad, right??
Rushing back to us after her song, she decided to sit with Brad on the aisle, so she could "perform" close to us. When the Reindeer Hokie Pokie came on, she jammed in the aisle:

After the singing was done, Santa came to greet the kids. And, our 'fraidy cat is not too fond of him up close, either! Though when she realized he came bearing gifts, she tolerated him to get one and then got away from him!

Then we made our way to cookies and punch, and to hang out for a short while until I had to head back to work. Brad's parents and my dad came to see her, so she had a great time eating cookies and spending time with them.
And, last but not least, I finally got to see Ella's classroom since I'm always working when she goes to school. She was so proud, and couldn't wait to show me her "cubbie" with her name where she keeps everything.
Brad's mom works at this church and keeps a good eye on her, so I feel very comfortable with her being there. Ella seems to really enjoy it and is always talking about "going to school." I'm so proud of her, and I didn't even cry! :)

PS: If you noticed in the pictures, Ella has a scab on her nose....it's from her rubbing and scratching on it at night when she goes to bed! She just started it about 2 weeks ago, and it's getting pretty annoying! I couldn't figure out what was happening, and I finally realized it when checking on her one night what she was doing. I don't know if it's a comfort or what, but it looks pretty painful to me! Not to mention, an eyesore right in the middle of her face that could be prevented! I don't know what to do about it, I've thought about putting a bandaid over it at night, but figured she'd just pick it off, and someone suggested her sleeping in mittens, but I don't think that'd go over so well either. Anyone have any suggestions?? Kids are crazy! You never know what they're going to do next....

Thanksgiving 2009

This posting is a little late, but alas.
We had 4, yes 4! Thanksgiving meals this year. 2 of them I didn't have my camera at, and the other two I only took a couple of shots. My Grable side and Brad's family were the first two the weekend prior to Thanksgiving. Didn't take pictures at those, but trust me, there was good food, and plenty of it! On Thanksgiving day, we went to Warsaw to be with my grandparents and aunt and uncle. The meal was delicious, as usual!
Ella goofing off before dinner:




And one very satisfied customer!



The following day we had dinner at Jen's. Ever since mom passed away, (5 years now, hard to believe!), we've gotten together for this, and sometimes Easter too. After all these years, we're just part of the fam! :) Jen and I do all the cooking, and I have to say, it's pretty darn good! We usually hang around most of the evening and play Wii and charades. Good times!

Ella had a great time. Jen has a nephew that's a year older than her and they play really well together, and can make quite the mess together, too!

A face only a mother could love:





I think there might be small crushes developing between Ella and Isaac. After beating up on each other, they appeared to be spotted feeding each other grapes. Hmmm...





Aren't they precious??


And, because I write the blog and have complete control over it, I'm leaving you with an "action" shot of Brad playing Charades. :)



Answer: Tammy Faye Baker. That was a tough one! On second thought, maybe I should've made a video......

Jingle Bell Rock

Ella started going to "pre-school" recently one morning a week, and she's loving it! I teared up the first time she came home with a "painting" she had done. Can she really be big enough to do this stuff?? I'm a sap, I know!!
This week they are learning a few Christmas songs for a "program" they're having in a couple of weeks. I can't wait...you think I got a little teary over a few colored streaks on an over-sized piece of paper....I'm gonna need a box of Kleenex for that!
Anyway, she loves the Jingle Bells song and was really getting into it tonight, I have a feeling this program could be pretty interesting with her happy feet. I don't think she knows how to stand still. Here's a video of her practicing...half-naked...good times at the Johnson house!

Deck the Halls

We put up our Christmas tree last weekend because I wanted to get Ella's picture taken for our Christmas card this year. It's funny, the last couple years I haven't wanted to do much decorating, but this year, with the awe and newness of Christmas for Ella, it's just given me a whole new perspective. This is the first year that she's really starting to get into it and start to understand a little about what's going on. Right now she constantly says "Christmas tree", "Christmas lights", "Santa", and "Baby Jesus", but not quite sure how it's all connected yet or what it all means.

Here she is loving on Santa.



And...getting as close to the tree as she can without touching it....



My grandparents recently down-sized, so I was given quite a few decorations that they no longer needed. They all remind me of my childhood, and I'm happy to have them. This porcelain tree I have always loved, and we had one at our house growing up too. So, I was pretty excited when I got this one. I couldn't wait to plug it in and show Ella, and she laid there for about 10 minutes just watching and naming all the colors.



After a little decorating, we took a break and decided to pick it back up in a few days. In the meantime, we played dress-up. She calls herself the "white princess" in this dress. :) Her friend Audrey gave her this after she outgrew it.



And, tonight we finished up the decorating. Ella gets to display a few things in her room, which she thinks is pretty cool. She received an early christmas present on Thanksgiving Day; a music box that she really loves to sit and listen to. We've already heard "We Wish you a Merry Christmas" several times. ;) She also has her own very little tree that she got to decorate. The ornaments are little "s'mores", it was one of the first decorations I bought when I was out on my own.





It's getting festive in our house....now, if I just had a fireplace to hang our stockings!!!

Pig and Potty

A couple of weeks ago Brad was asked to bring in a pig from his family's farm to church. It's not what you think...LOL. A few months prior, the kids had auctioned off some books and toys to the congregation to raise money to buy animals and send them to the poor, which are used for barter in other countries. One of the animals they were able to purchase for them was a pig, so he wanted to actually show the kids what they had been able to buy.



I think the kids really enjoyed it; I know Ella did. She didn't want Brad to take it away, and when we got home from church we kept it in the garage for awhile until it was time to go back to the farm. Ella thought that was too funny. Cocoa wasn't so sure, as we had the pig in her crate. All the time Ella is still saying "piggy in the garage?" or "Piggy at church?"



OH, and one more little announcement:

WE ARE POTTY-TRAINED!!! Woohoo!



She had taken interest after we received some little potty seats from friends, so one day I just decided this is it; we're gonna give it a real shot. Literally, by the end of the first day she had the hang of it. It was almost too easy, and I kept waiting for the backfire. I have heard and witnessed so many horror stories with potty-training, I was actually pretty pessimistic at first about the whole thing, and really dreading it. Well, luckily she proved me wrong and doesn't even want to be in diapers anymore; but that may be because she knows she's going to bed when she gets one! ha I don't quite trust her through the night yet. But, I'm very happy with the progress we've made.....another milestone...WHEW! :)

Block Party

Today Ella and I were hanging out, playing with blocks, drinking some milk, ya know, partying hard for 2 year olds! She's just recently gotten into actually playing with blocks instead of just dumping them out and scattering them around. Ella was so proud that she was stacking the blocks pretty high, and would cheer after every one that she put on. I, as her mother, thought it was really cute, so I got a video so atleast the grandparents could say "awww" along with me! :)




We were still in our jammies, rockin' the bedhead. Like mother, like daughter! :)

A Great Day in the Life of a Toddler

Last Monday we babysat for one of my good friend's little girls, who you've seen in an earlier post. Emily and Ella get along great and love to spend time together. (Aside from the occasional 2 yr old tiffs over taking each other's toys.) :)
I think they played with every toy imaginable in the first hour or two they were together. They do a great job of destroying a house. Here they are making laps with their strollers. They took turns following each other around.



Next they moved on to destroying the bedroom. They're taking a quick break from all their work!



Making Brad look pretty; it's a tough job! :)



Quick pose for a picture.



Then we had to do some dancing. The characters had hats on, so of course they had to too!



It was a beautiful Fall day, so we decided to take the girls to Jefferson Pointe to run around for awhile. We hit the play area in the food court first, and they had a blast! They're the perfect age for this.





Had to take a break for a snack...but not before lots of handwashing and sanitizing, of course! ;)




We headed outside and there were a lot of Halloween decorations set up. They were climbing all over this Haunted House. I couldn't get both of them to pose at the same time for a pic.



Caught looking very guilty. Trying to stuff those little pumpkins in those little pockets???



Had to take a pic of the cowgirl/boy. I was laughing because Brad was back behind trying to hold both girls up to the holes, and was getting wet and muddy from having to kneel in the muddy grass. Oh, the sacrifices we make for a good picture.... I wasn't mean enough to ask him to retake it. :)



And last, but not least, we ended up at Barnes and Noble. Ella loves to play with the train there.



The girls were both so good for us, I love days like that! They were so tired and took a good nap then were up and at 'em again! Recharged for more demolishing of the house.....

Gettin' Pretty

Twice now Ella has gotten into my makeup, and decorated herself with my eyeliner. Here's a shot from the second time...but I have a feeling it won't be the last!

Zoo Halloween '09

Last Tuesday evening we took Ella to Halloween at the Zoo. It was such a perfect evening, one of the rare warm fall days that we've had. I had never been there before, and had heard mixed reviews on it. We had received a coupon in the mail and decided to give it a go.
Ella had such a good time and was perfect while we were there. Believe me, that's shocking these days.....those Terrible 2's are hitting hard!! (But that's another blog post.) It was set up really well; very organized. There were thousands of pumpkins lining the walkway and people dressed up everywhere. All of that plus the few animals and other attractions really held Ella's attention.

We had just entered the zoo and rounded the corner and we saw a pumpkin with Ella's name carved into it, so we had to get a pic, of course! :)



Here she is, leading the way! If you can't tell, she's a ladybug this year. Our neighbor gave us the costume and it fits perfectly!



Here she is taking Brad through the maze. I'm surprised she kept her hood up the whole time. Maybe some of you remember the drama with the spider hat from last year??? If you need refreshed, look at the pic at the top of this blog! ;)



Of course we had to make a stop and see the fish. I think they've made quite a few appearances on this blog....



Ella is getting a "treat" from one of the stations. She really thought she was big stuff handing everyone her tickets. I can tell she hasn't been around candy too much because she would hand it right to me without a fight. :) I don't see it being that easy in the years to come...



In the barnyard area there were quite a few animals made out of pumpkins and gourds. They were really cool and Ella got a kick out of them too. Good thing, because it took her mind off the horse I promised would be there....but wasn't. Oops.





At the end of the night, she ended up with ten things, ranging from candy to a straw cup, and even Brad and I got a bag of chips and some coupons. She was so excited with her "loot", this is a pic we captured just as we walked out of the zoo. Don't think you can get a much bigger smile than that! Makes it worth it to see her so happy and appreciative!




And one last pic, a very happy, satisfied, and tired ladybug. :)





I would highly recommend this to anyone who's considering going, especially the younger kids. We had a great time and will definitely go again next year.

English as a 2nd Language

Tonight Ella was reading a book to herself and it was cracking me up. I tried to grab the camera and get a quick video of her, but of course she caught me and then had to show off for the camera. She is actually saying a lot of words and sentences now, but also likes to revert back to her own language, as you will see!

Brad's grandpa asked him once if she was always this energetic, and here's proof that 95% of the time she is! And this was taken right when she should be going to bed....why do they always get crazy right before that? I think it's because if they stop moving they will drop!! :)

Here is the video Enjoy!!

Fun with Friends

Last weekend we had dinner with some frienda. Ella has such a blast playing with their 3 kids, and they are so good to her. She's just starting to really get into coloring, so when they got out all their gear, she was in Heaven! Here is a pic of the youngest child, Audrey, and Ella drawing and coloring on the huge paper. It was a masterpiece, I'm sure!
Thanks Jason and Sarah!! :)

Trip to Columbus

Last Sunday we drove to Columbus for a quick day away. We had heard great things about the Columbus Zoo and wanted to check it out. With our zoo pass, we can get into many zoos around the US for half off. :) So, we decided to take advantage of that for a cheap getaway. I'm also a big fan of Hotwire, and scored a room at the Sheraton Suites for $43!!
We left Sunday morning on the 3 hour drive, and Ella slept for 2 out of the 3 hours, which was great. We NEVER get that lucky on car trips with her, she's usually very cranky. It was so nice to carry on a conversation and not get interrupted. :)
After we arrived and checked out our room, we decided to grab a bite to eat. We were conveniently located by a Champps, So Brad was able to catch up on all the football games and it counted as family time. LOL
We found a local mall (my definition of family time) and then came back to the hotel and swam for quite awhile.

Right after we arrived. Brad and Ella were checking out the bed and drooling over the HDTV.


Acting like she owns the place, feeling right at home!

Ella's quite the little fish; she sure has no fear! That's good and bad...we sure have to watch her very closely. She had a great time, though, and we had the pool to ourselves, which was nice too.

On our way down to the pool. I love her little bum! :)

Happy as can be in the water!


"Hey mom, come on in, the water's great!"


Monday morning we got around and headed for the zoo. Ella had to get in on the "primping." I'm waiting for the day I round the corner and catch her with my lipstick all over her. I can guarantee it'll happen. I have to hide to put on lip gloss so she's not begging me for some. What's the deal with that?? Is it just instinct for little girls? It's not like I wear a lot of make-up, believe me; I should probably wear more!


We couldn't have picked a more perfect day. It was gorgeous out and we almost felt like we had the place to ourselves! This huge zoo, and the parking lot was practically empty!

One of the highlights was seeing a baby elephant. They are one of my favorite animals, I could've stayed right there all day. Ella was most interested in the ball the baby was playing with.

Up close and personal with a tiger. It kept walking back and forth and Ella would try to reach out and grab it each time.

They have a great aquarium area, complete with manatees.

They had several types of monkey/apes/orangutans, and they're also fascinating. Definitely the closest to human. There were a couple of young monkeys that were running around chasing and picking on each other just like normal siblings. I could've stayed there all day, too. This orangutan was trying to nap in the shade, but was rudely kept awake by my ever-curious daughter.

There were several statues of different animals to climb on.



We had a great time walking around, and our feet sure felt it at the end of the day!

We spent 3 1/2-4 hours there and still didn't see everything. We would definitely go back again and highly recommend it to anyone who's been thinking about going.

End of the day pose. A good zoo equals a pooped toddler!



BONUS* Ella was wiped out and slept most of the way home, too!! :)