First ER visit

I knew the day would come, but I just didn't think it would be last night at 9:00. Ella and daddy were playing as they usually do when he gets home from Terre Haute. They were running around, she was screaming and laughing, just having a good time! I was in the laundry room trying to do some laundry. I heard Adam say my name, and he came running in holding her. My heart sank at that moment. First of all, I have never seen Adam move so fast. Secondly, I could tell by the look on his face something had happened. 

She fell off the ottoman and hit her head on the edge of the wall by the fireplace. It left a pretty deep gash. Ella cried for a little bit, but she was acting fine. We were both debating on what to do. Neither one of us wanted to take her to the ER, but we knew we probably should. My friend Sarah is a nurse practitioner so we called her. We ended up taking Ella to their house since they live so close, and she took a look at it. She said we should probably take her in. That isn't what I wanted to hear, but I knew it was for her own good. 

My main concern was Ella freaking out at the ER. She has thrown some pretty good fits at the doctor's office so I was unsure of how she would do at the ER. She was so tough! She didn't shed one tear from the time we walked in the door from the time we left. 

Thank goodness Adam was there. He kept her entertained by making balloons out of gloves. She loved that! I also think she felt safe with him there, and that is one of the reasons she didn't cry. I am very thankful to have him at times like these. I can't imagine being a single mom and doing stuff like that alone. It's nice to have a good support system. 

Luckily, Ella did not need stitches. I prayed on the way there that this would be the case, because I knew she would scream if she had to have stitches. She laid very still while the lady was gluing her. I am still in shock of how good and calm she was with all this going on. Her only concern was getting a soccer ball at Target (we promised her a toy) and of course she said she wanted a ball. 

Twenty minutes after they glued it a nurse came in to peel the tape off. As she was peeling it off it came back open so it had to be glued a second time. Go figure! Ella was just as good the second time. This time around they left the tape on so we get to peel it off today. Unfortunately, she will have to wear a bandage on her head this whole next week while we are on vacation. The sun will cause it to scar more. That should make for some good pictures;)  She said Ella will have a scar, but it won't be a bad one. That is the least of my worries! 

Finally at around 10:00 we were able to go home. Ella was exhausted and so ready for bed! She cried for a little bit as we were leaving, because she wanted to go to Target..haha. You see what we will be doing first thing today! I am so thankful things were not worse. When bad things like this happens it definitely puts things into perspective and show you what is really important!  We definitely learned a few lessons last night!

33 months

Ella is 33 months old today. She will be three in three months. I think I might cry...

Ella is wearing a size 7 shoe now. She is wearing mostly 3T clothing, but she can still squeeze into some 2T stuff. The doctor told me when she was a baby she was going to be tall and skinny, and she is right on track so far. 

Ella is such an adventurous little girl. She loves to be outside. I have a feeling she is going to be a dare devil like Adam. She recently wanted to ride her big wheels down the steps on my parents deck and got mad when she couldn't. 

She is a beautiful, bashful little girl. She is such a sweet heart. She is in a huge mommy stage right now. She wants to know where I am and usually doesn't want me to leave her.  I hate to say it, but she is a "mini-Miranda." I was the exact same way. 

Ella is currently OBSESSED with Thomas the Train. She doesn't like to watch Thomas she just likes to wear Thomas. Her favorite t-shirt is her boys Thomas shirt. She also is going on about day 14 of wearing her Thomas pj's to bed. She woke up at 2am the other night wanting to put on her other Thomas pj's. 

Ella says the funniest things. Today she was painting, and she sniffed the paint. She said, "smells good mommy." Then she said, "smells like a car wash." Adam and I were both laughing. I am not sure where she comes up with this stuff! Her vocabulary has come so far. It's crazy to think back to last year at this time. She could probably only say about 20 words. Now she can talk in full sentences!

Ella you bring so much joy and laughter to our lives! I love this picture of you, because it shows what a happy little girl you are! You love life, and I hope it stays that way forever. Thanks for bringing meaning to my life. I love being your mommy! 

Our weekend

We had a pretty laid back weekend as usual! Friday afternoon I watched my niece while my brother and sister in law were at work. My mom usually watches her, but she was at a conference in St. Louis so I offered to watch her! Luckily, Ella was asleep for the first two hours she was here so it made things a little easier. I think Autumn got a kick out of the fact that Ella was asleep, and she was not. We had a fun time playing by ourselves until Ella woke up. Ella was raring to go when she woke up and wanted to go ride her bike. I am not sure what I was thinking, but I took them both out on the sidewalk to ride bikes. Things got a little crazy for a second, but I managed to survive with both of them. After playing outside for awhile Penny came to pick up Autumn. I was glad I was able to watch them both without any casualties;) It was a good test for me, and I am not sure I am prepared to have two kids anytime soon!

Saturday morning I was up bright and early to run with Sarah. 

We ran 8 miles, and I have the blisters to prove it! We are trying to work our way up to 11 or 12 miles before the half marathon. It definitely takes a lot more time and dedication than I imagined, but I love doing it! 

When I got home Ella was impatiently waiting for me to take her to the neighborhood garage sales. She is OBSESSED with garage sales now. It's just another way for her to look at toys. I let her go in her Thomas pj's since it was still early.  Ella found a couple of things she liked. 

She found this Harley Davidson bike. It has all kinds of buttons to push and has sound. She loves it!

She also spotted a Thomas the Train suitcase. This will be perfect for our Florida trip that is coming up! She has been dragging it around all weekend! 

Today we didn't do a whole lot.  I actually decided to make breakfast this morning. I am not a fan of making breakfast, but I wanted to try Pioneer Woman's egg in the hole. 

I can not believe how much butter she said to put in the pan. I made it just like she said with three, yes three, tablespoons of butter melted in the pan. The bread tasted like pure butter. Adam and I both thought this would be good with a little less butter. 

 We were able to play outside once the sun came out.  

We finished off the weekend with dinner at my parent's house.  It's always nice when I don't have to cook! We just have to get through this week, and we will be headed to Florida. I am looking forward to it!

Playground, Paint, and Play-doh

That is what our Monday entailed!!

Ella laughing at herself

10K run

This weekend I ran my first 10K (6.2 miles) with Sarah. I was a little nervous even though I was pretty sure I'd do OK considering we have ran farther than this the past couple of weekends. 

We got to the run early enough so we could stretch and take some pictures. As soon as I turned my camera on I realized that I left the battery at home. I have always feared I would do this, and it finally happened! I was SO disappointed considering I am a picture freak! Luckily, Sarah had her camera in her car so we were able to get a few pictures before the run. I was so bummed about it, and it was on my mind a lot of the race. I was so happy to see Adam at the end taking pictures with my camera when we came up to the finish. Aaron and Adam went all the way back to our house to get the battery. Adam must know how important pictures are to me! 

The run itself went pretty well. I thought it was extremely boring since we ran straight down riverside to waterworks road. It was pretty much nothing but corn fields. I felt good until the end, and then I started feeling a little sick. 

Heading for the finish line after almost an hour of running!

 Shortly before I almost lost my breakfast! 

Next up is the half marathon in St. Louis on October 23rd. I am terrified just thinking about it, but we have a lot of time to work up to it! 

Funny girl

Ella has been so funny lately. She says and does some of the funniest things. She definitely keeps us entertained! She is also becoming quite a little helper, even if we don't ask for her help. 

Yesterday I was folding laundry yesterday while Ella was sitting on the couch watching "BertErnie". Elliott was standing at the door scratching to go out. He does this a lot so I sometimes tend to ignore it. Ella, on the other hand, was paying attention. She got up off the couch, walked over to the door, opened the door, closed it when Elliott went out, and came back to watch her show. I got a good laugh about this. She has never done this before, and I didn't even realize she could do this all on her own.  

She is getting so big. I love having a little helper. I am sure the novelty will wear off for her soon!