Spring has Sprung!

So glad that not only has it been nice a few days in a row, I actually had off work on the nice days! Back to work tomorrow though, which means I'll be napping when it's almost 80. Bummer! At least Ellison will get to go outside with Gramma. And I'm sure there are many more nice days ahead in the upcoming months :)

Miss Ells LOVES to be outside. She has been looking longingly out the door whenever it opens for weeks, so she has been loving the nicer weather too! This morning the first thing she did when we came downstairs was grab her coat and go stand by the front door.

We did make it to the zoo again over the weekend, plus the park today (before it started raining, which caused quite a fit from Ellison when we had to leave suddenly) and a walk a few nights ago. Ellison also grilled with Daddy on Saturday night!

Ellison's first ride on the zoo train

So happy it is almost summer!

Of course my little monkey wanted to climb UP the slide...

First ride in her wagon!

Zoo!

Yesterday was finally warm enough to go to the zoo! I have been waiting and waiting to go...I didn't want to have to get Ellison all bundled up and still be wondering if she was cold while we walked around. It was so nice yesterday, we didn't even need coats, let alone hats and mittens and blankets!

We had a zoo pass last year but Ellison was too little to really notice or care that we were there. We went a lot, but it was more for our own enjoyment and exercise than hers! This year she is much more interested in animals, so I think it will be a lot of fun for her. We live so close that we can decide to go at the last minute, like we did yesterday. So convenient...I will definitely miss that if we move farther away!

E's favorite animals were the elephants and the baby chicks. She stared in the little window by the chicks for a long time, and she did not want to leave the elephants. She was singing her little elephant song to them (there is a Barney episode where they sing about elephants, she has seen it many times!) and pointing to her ears and feet like she does when we read the elephant page in her zoo book. What a cutie!

Showing her big elephant feet!

The best part yesterday was that it was not crowded AT ALL when we went, so I could let Ellison walk around. She would have been in the way if there were a lot of people around, since she is still getting the hang of walking and is so tiny! She walked a lot and took a great nap when we got home.

Teething...wouldn't stop chewing the hand!

Hopefully we won't have to wait too long before it is warm enough to go again...hopefully with Jay too this time! :)

1 Year Pictures by Krystal Klear Photography

We had these taken 2 months ago, on E's 1st birthday, but I didn't get the CD of pictures until a couple weeks ago...so figured I would post them here now! Better late than never :)

 

In case anyone is wondering about all the accessories...

* I made all the bows and the Sesame Street sign and banner myself
* I'm going to give Jay credit for the chalkboard since he did most of the work...he painted chalkboard paint onto a piece of wood and fitted it into a poster frame. I just did the writing part!
* Ellison's Elmo shirt, tutu, and bib were made by my friend Meg - her Etsy store is Two Silly Babies (http://www.etsy.com/shop/TwoSillyBabies)
* The diaper cover was a custom order from an Etsy store as well, Baby Duds Boutique (http://www.etsy.com/shop/BabyDudsBoutique)
* And the headband and flower (which E has in about 15 colors) are from my favorite headband store on Etsy, Flower Child Bowtique (http://www.etsy.com/shop/flowerchildbowtique)