Off we go!

It's so early..... but I think I'm actually ready. I'm about to go in and wake Ella up - poor thing. My brother will be here in about 30 minutes or so to take us to the airport. Say a prayer for us - hopefully the skies (and Ella) are friendly to us this morning. Sometime soon when I have more time I will sit down to express my feelings about new hurdles you have to face every time you fly..... there is always something! This time it's trying to cram all your stuff into 1 bag, even when you're flying with a child. And we lucked out by buying our ticket before they started charging for your first bag!!!

Getting ready for our next trip.....

On Saturday we leave (at 5:30 A.M) for Rapid City, South Dakota. We are headed back to Maia's wedding on July 5th, and going a little early will let us spend time with Seth's family. We are really excited to see the family, and also to catch up with friends we only get to see once or twice a year. Our friends Michael and Dan have both recently gotten engaged to their girlfriends, so it will be fun to catch up with them and wish them congrats. It'll be the first trip back to Rapid for Ella, and Grandma and Grandpa can't wait - us too! Needless to say we will be busy doing laundry, packing and preparing for the trip this week.

Take me out to the ballgame

Last night we went to the Spokane Indians game with my brother Zac, and his girlfriend Kristen. The Indians kicked butt, winning 8-3 I think. Seth's company has box seats that they share with the employees throughout the season, so we had a great view of the game, right behind home plate. Really fun!

6 Months - Can you believe it?

Well, we can't! Ella is 6 months old today. Everyone always tells us to enjoy this time with Ella because they grow up too fast, and it's so true. Seems impossible that 6 months have passed already since our baby girl was born. Happy birthday Ella Rose!

I've got to make a note of this

Sunday night, Ella slept 12 hours - without interruption! Some babies around 6 months may do this all the time, and I'm happy for those of you out there who are lucky enough to experience this every night (really I am), but for our house, this was huge! Since getting Ella to sleep in her crib at about 4 months, she has woken up at least once each night, usually 2 or 3 times. I'm more so making note of this so I've got a record in this blog/journal thingy so I can see when this miracle happened. Last night was not a repeat performance, as she was up at 1 a.m. and then again at 5:30.

Happy Father's Day!

To all the Dad's out there, especially those in our circle of family and friends - we wish you a very happy Father's Day! Ella, Serena and I did our best to make sure Seth had a great one, after all, it is his first! How cute are these two!?

Jumparoo performance

When we first pulled out the jumparoo I was worried she was too small to sit in it without having a blanket stuffed in behind her. Well I finally let her move around in it without the "security" blanket today and she went a little nutty. This girl cannot sit still, I swear! What are we going to do when she can roll, crawl and walk?! Here's a little video - I'm afraid it's a little dark, so hope you're able to see it without too much trouble. I think she gets extra points for no hands toward the end.....

Si - You're Awesome!

Our friend Si stopped over in Spokane on Thursday - so we only had one night to visit with her as she made her way back to Rapid City from Seattle. (Luckily we'll get a chance to see her in Rapid next month when we're there for Maia's wedding) It's always fun to hang out with Si! And I can't even begin to tell you how talented she is..... maybe I can show you. She had been talking about helping us decorate or paint Ella's room for a while, so while she was here, she stayed an extra day and painted some amazing Shel Silverstein characters on the wall in the nursery. SO COOL! Thank you Si - the scene is set in Ella's storytime corner. Hours of wonder await!

Good Times!

We love visiting Portland. Seth and I lived there for 5 years and it's always great to go back and see the city and the people we love there. This weekend Jenn, Don and Aayla let us take over their front room - thanks guys! Aayla had really been looking forward to seeing "Baby Ella" again - and it was so fun to see the two girls together. Ella looked at Aayla like she was was so jealous she couldn't do all the big girl things she could..... they'll all come faster than her parents are ready for I'm sure!

Saturday night, Jenn and I headed downtown to our friend Farrah's wedding. It was such a gorgeous event - and what a beautiful bride! Someone who I hope is relaxing on her honeymoon by now! - Congrats Farrah! - I got a chance to see old friends Annie & Sean, Courtney, and some other people I hadn't for a long time, some since we left Portland in 2005.

It was Mommy's first night away from the baby, so it really was a big night for us. Daddy took great care of Ella of course, so I had no problem relaxing and having a great time. Thanks Seth!

Before our drive back to Spokane, we were able to meet up with more friends - Ryan & Bianca and Kevin. We did our usual - brunch - at a place called Virgo & Pisces. Yet another great pick by the lovely Bianca.... and the funny thing is that we'd all been to this location before - when it was a different restaurant - when we first met her now husband, Ryan. Even though it was a quick get together, I'm so glad we all had a chance to catch up over a meal - something we used to do together all the time!

Here's some pictures from the trip.

Aayla showing Ella the ropes on the music table

with Jenn
Jenn, Court and Annie
with the beautiful bride
the girls hanging out watching Little Einsteins

A trip to Portland

We head to Portland on Friday, staying with friends Jenn, Don and their daughter Aayla. Jenn and I are going to our friend Farrah's wedding on Saturday afternoon - at the Governor Hotel in downtown Portland. Seth and I hope to meet up with a few other friends while we're in town too. Breakfast on Sunday, B and Ryan? Bucky? Can't wait to get back to Portland for a few days!!

Cheers to Tim & Margaret

Here's to 36 wonderful years together - and to many, many more! Happy Anniversary! We love you, and can't wait to see you next month!