Crib and Summer

I'm going to make this a quick one and rip it off like a band-aid.  The crib we spent hours researching for Jacob in the summer of 2004 to be the safest, most comfortable (and prettiest) sleep arrangement for our precious baby went up in the attic this week.  Jacob and his siblings occupied this crib pretty much consecutively for 12 straight years. One child outgrew it, the next baby came along.  Repeat.  Repeat.  But as you may know already, Ellie outgrew it by being able to climb out of it!  So we're in the process now of trying to get her a nice new, safe bed but it's taking some time.  Right now she's comfortable in a temporary set up.  I'll keep you posted.

The four "babies" who used the crib.

Summer has begun here!!!!!!  Here's how we kicked it off this week:

Ellie holding her own with her cone.

A wonderful sand/water table gifted to Ellie.  She loves pouring the water and splashing!

She has a lot of fun with this.



Summer is a time for puzzles at our house.  Ellie got her own one going thanks to Julia's help. I didn't notice the word she'd spelled until I took the picture.  Ellie does have the "key" to a lot of stuff around here.  Our hearts for sure.

Julia in her corner.

Jacob tends to not leave the table until he's done so his was finished pretty quickly.  Xavier getting started on his.  This table is part of our school set up so it was nice to move it away from the school area.  Made it really feel like summer to take all our piles of books off of it!

Ellie got ahold of a floatie bathing suit all the kids have shared.  Hopefully this year it will support her.  She was pretty proud of finding it and didn't want to take it off.

She climbed up on her changing pad and pretended to go to sleep!

My little work station with grants, insurance forms, applications for equipment, etc. for stuff for Ellie. The counter provided a perfect spot for my little system.  Can this be my excuse for not cooking?  I wouldn't want to get a pot or pan tooooo close to all that paper!!!

Bean bags

Does anyone remember the Bozo the Clown show that used to air in the mornings in the 1990's right around the time you were getting dressed for school?  There was a game where you tossed the ball into buckets for prizes.  I set this up for Ellie and she had a blast!!! 

Soccer

Xavier had his last soccer game so we all came out and gave him a cheering section!

The girls had their own little side game going.

Julia discussing strategy with Ellie to score on Jacob.

Ellie preferred digging in the dirt with her new friend.

Therapy

Ellie goes to a wonderful place for therapy now once a week for an hour.  The first half is physical therapy where she shows off her balancing skills.

And her reaching skills.

And her right arm!

Then off to speech therapy where she loves using a tablet for games that focus on receptive understanding.

Ellie's sense of humor - she wrapped herself up in the cover for her changing pad and looked like the cutest bundle you've ever seen!

Hello Little Ellie.

Mother's Day

It's been a while since I've shared any of Ellie's outfits.  Before church Sunday she resumed her normal position against the wall and started striking poses. 

At mass, a beautiful tribute to Our Lady with flowers and candles.  Honored to stand by her as an example of motherhood.

Back home I'm showered with homemade cards and "coupons".  We had some laughs over all that!

Mommy and her four blessings!!! 

Dr. Ellie

The doctor was IN this week at our house!  Ellie was busy listening to symptoms and writing her notes on all her patients.

"Mm-hmm, you say you've been feeling this way all week?"



"Let me just jot that down."



"Any wheezing with that cough?"



"I think I know what you need."



"Take two hugs and call me in the morning."