Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Cowgirl Ella

Here is a fun video Paul made of Ella walking in her new cowgirl boots we bought for her birthday party. We loved how she would do a cowboy walk when she had her boots on so we wanted to get it on video. Hope you enjoy!

Soooooo Big!

Here is a video of Ella sporting her first pony tail and showing me how big she is.





Saturday, August 25, 2007

Ama and Papa are here!



My parents have moved out here for the next three months! They actually came before we left for Maui and house sat for us. They just moved into their apartment today and we got to go over and check it out. Ella loves having her Grandma and Grandpa here, she calls them "Ama" and "Papa." Paul and I are excited to have babysitters right down the road from us =)





Friday, August 24, 2007

Isabel Josephine Mew Lung Vernon has arrived!


Our new niece Isabel was born on August 20th! She weighed 8 lbs. 1 oz. and was 20 inches long. Paul's sister had a quick and easy labor and did it all natural!! You go girl! We can't wait to hold our new niece! She looks just like her daddy =)






We're Back!


Aloha! We made it home from our awesome vacation in Maui. I was tempted many times not to get on the plane and come home. It was so amazingly beautiful there! I would pack up and move there in a second. We stayed in Kaanapali beach at the Kaanapali Beach Hotel. We had a great view of the beach from our room.

We had a fun filled week that consisted of going to a Luau, snorkeling, a sunset cruise, driving through the rain forest on the road to Hana, driving to the top of a volcano, and laying out on the beach and swimming in the beautiful warm ocean.

Ella had a great time too! Not only was she awesome on the plane ride, but she also adjusted right away to the 6 hour time change! She loved the beach, especially playing with the sand. She really liked to pour sand all over mommy, which I didn't like too much. She loved swimming in the ocean with us, and really enjoyed watching the hula dancers at the luau.

So if you haven't been to Hawaii I suggest you go because it is hands down the most beautiful state in America. The weather was perfect and it didn't rain once! Hurricane Flossie never did make it to the islands so we were very thankful for that. Thank you to all who kept us in your prayers. We had such a wonderful time together and we can't wait to go again.

Below are just a few pics from the trip. We took almost 500 pictures!






































Wednesday, August 15, 2007

On our way to Maui


So, usually it's Andrea doing all the posting but this time it's Paul. Andrea and I have 4 hours to burn in Chicago sitting around in the airport until our flight to Maui departs. I didn't feel like firing up the computer so I'm just posting this from my phone.

Ella was really good on the flight from Columbus but the next leg is almost 9 hours so hopefully she can handle it. With all of Ella's food diapers, wipes and other misc. items we had to pack in the suitcase we were a little over the 50lbs limit. To avoid a $50 charge we moved a few things around in the suitcases to better distribute the weight. Unfortunately while doing the rearranging we over-stuffed a suitcase and the zipper broke. We spent a lot of time trying to fix it but the more we tugged on it the more prongs ripped and bent off. The ticketing attendant eventually got some tape and a big plastic bag for our broken suitcase. It looks like one of our first purchases in Hawaii will be a new suitcase for the flight home.

Well even though we have a lot more time and I have a few more stories already that I could share I'm going to end the blog since my little thumbs are starting to hurt from typing on my cell phone keyboard. I'll end the blog with a cute pic of Ella and I at O'Hare waiting for our flight.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Big Girl!

   


When I went to go get Ella after she woke up she was standing up in her crib. She pulled herself up for the first time! I hope soon she will be taking steps!
Posted by Picasa

New car, sore teeth and Hurricane Flossie


So this past week has been very exciting for us! We finally got a 2nd vehicle!!!! We purchased a used Acura MDX. It's really nice and has tons of room so I will no longer be trying to fit a stroller in the back of a small trunk. We have been having fun driving around and playing around with the navigation system (the greatest invention ever!) We finally can somewhat drive places and not get lost.

I also got my bottom braces on last week (my top ones were put on last month) so I now have my whole grill. My bottom teeth were the most crooked so I have been in pain since then. I have hardly been able to eat anything and I'm hoping the soreness will subside soon. My braces also keep rubbing against my bottom lip which causes a huge cut in my mouth so on top of my teeth hurting I have a gigantic canker sore feeling cut. Hopefully two years will go by fast =) Fortunately for me Paul has had experience with braces since all of his sisters had them so he has been giving me pointers, the most beneficial one has been using the wax.

We are leaving for Maui tomorrow and we should be arriving the same time as Hurricane Flossie! Except by the time she comes she will most likely be a tropical storm. So we are looking forward to rain our whole week!!!!!!! If there was such a thing as bad luck I think we would definitely qualify. It's still supposed to be in the 80's so hopefully there will be a few dry times so we can at least go to the beach. We are still excited and know that no matter what we will have fun. Spending a whole week with the family no matter what the weather is like is still a blessing. I just pray that Ella will do ok on the long flight. She has always been great on planes but I'm worried since this flight is so long and since she is more mobile now that she will be a little cranky. I'm also hoping the six hour time change won't be so tough on her. Please keep us in your prayers that all will go smoothly! I will update about our trip when we get back. Hopefully we can post a pic of our new niece when we get back too who is due to make an arrival any day! Come soon Izzy!





The Braces



Flossie




Helping mommy pack



Sunday, August 5, 2007

Ella Bella

Here are some fun pictures I have taken of Ella over the last week.



Posted by Picasa



Posted by Picasa

Saturday, August 4, 2007

Summer at the Waldo Pool


So I know I already wrote all about Ella going to the pool but since I have a Waldo pool membership and we go there pretty much everyday I decided I would post some videos and pics of Ella swimming. Ella still loves the pool! She is able to walk all around the kid pool with her baby raft on so it's really fun to watch her go explore. The kids all love her and give her toys to play with so by the time she makes it back to mommy she has a raft full of toys. We have had a really great summer at the pool. The pool is rarely crowded (unlike most other pools) so we are able to swim around freely without getting kicked in the head or splashed on. I feel like I'm at summer camp everyday =) I think we will both be sad when the pool closes. I know I will miss the pretzels with cheese from the snack bar.
















Practicing to be a little indian

This is Ella's new favorite thing to do.




Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Getting Faster







I love the smile she gives me.

Getting Ready for the big 1!



Here is a sneak peak of Ella's first birthday party theme. I have been having fun planning her party. Isn't she the cutest little cowgirl you have ever seen?
Posted by Picasa