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.....