Ella and the Austin kids

Mama Amber got the kids these hillarious drink cups....

And I got several cute shots (like this one below) of Ella holding baby Lyndsey. I think Ella would lay there forever if it meant she got to hold the baby.

...and then Charlie wanted in on the action as well....

Ella and Lyndsey look like he may be interrupting girl time. :)

A few cute shots

Ella woke up from a nap the other day with her shirt twisted and tangled....it was so cute I had to run to get the camera.... Ella and Charlie at club Kaleel....

I got a steal of a deal on these little sunglasses for Ella (pink camouflage!).... and now we all have our own shades.... And my new favorite shot of the month....Ella actually was posing for these shots, and gave me little smiles. She loved it, and then loved seeing herself on the camera immediately after.

Ella found an old pacifier somewhere and snuggled up on the couch with Baby and LaLa...

And her newest favorite thing....drawing!! She will sit at the table (on a stack of one or two bibles) and color with crayons. She certainly will entertain herself long enough for me to get dinner going, and that has been really nice for me! She isn't a normal pacifier gal (she is a thumb sucker when sleepy), but here she is with another one she found!

Port Townsend

My cousin John got married a few weekends ago to a wonderful lady named Stephanie. Their wedding was on the beach in Port Townsend, WA. It was gorgeous. I feel so lucky to have grown up with the Olympic Peninsula, San Juan Islands, and ferry boat rides right at my fingertips. My mom's sisters both have homes in Pt. Townsend, so we got to go there quite a bit growing up. We loved seeing family. Here are my Mom, Ben, Ella, and Deedee as we walked by the ferry line... Ella and Ben were very cute together. I love that these cousins are only 3 months apart in age!

Ben was kind enough to share his pink sunglasses with Ella. She loved them.

Ahhh...I feel home here....

The boat ride over was beautiful, perfect, sunny, I could have ridden that ferry all day...

The wedding!

Ella with my Uncle Bruce...fast friends....

My cousin Linnea and I :)

Linnea's new little boy, Nick....

Benjamin....

The cutest grandparents. Great Grandma Amy, Great Grandpa Charlie....

Ella's baby obsession continues....she is so sweet with them.

Ella with Grandma Gretchen....

All of the cousin's kiddos....Ella, Ben, Orion, Nick, and Ian behind the couch....

Ella in safety goggles....

Yulekake..... A Swedish tradition in my family. These cinnamon roll like delights take an entire day to make and bake.....Grandma Amy and Aunt Teri baked Yulekake for the morning after the wedding.

And a final shot of the love of my life and I outside Teri & Bruce's home....stunning panoramic view of the water.

The 100th Post!

In honor of the 100th post (hooray!), we thought we would add a few recent videos. This first one is simply Ella eating corn on the cobb. There is something about her chewing, her cheeks chomping, her little chewing noises....they slay us with cuteness. Jason and I both feel this way. We nearly could melt just watching her chew her dinner - it is the BEST. Particularly when eating corn and pasta. :) And praise God, Ella's dairy and egg allergies are basically gone and we can actually sit and eat the same things at the same time - it delights us all.

And here is one more video of Charlie and Ella playing "Blast Off" with their Daddies....

Summer Fun

We have LOVED summer. Summer with a kiddo companion has been FUN. It makes me (a major fan of Autumn), very sad to see it go. I can see why having sunny weather with kids is such a benefit. We've had so much fun at parks, on walks, at the zoo, in backyards, in pools, in fountains. Here are a few pictures from August.

She still loves her bubble baths each night.... Riding in Hazels stroller with her....

Water fountain fun with good friends....

Clark County Fair with some wonderful teenagers and Lisa Closner...

Exhaustion after State Fair fun....

Ella's first popsicle, kindly given to her by our friendly neighborhood gas station man....

The Zoo dinosaur exhibit with Michelle, Gavin, and Miriel...

And some SUPER shots of Ella & Charlie....

This one may be my all-time favorite....