Ella and the Garden

I cannot believe that we are really at the end of our second summer together. Ella is an absolute joy and lots of fun. Don't get me wrong, she loves the words, "no" and "mine" as much as every little one her age but it is wonderful to watch her mature and grow. She is talking in sentences and says the funniest things to me. Last night she told her grandmother and I, "I have an idea". The best part is, she really did have an idea to make play easier for she and Grandma.

What follows are some pictures from a recent trip to the Botanical Gardens. I just love the picture of she and grandma walking along the gardens. Not a big surprise, she and Grandma are great friends and really enjoy their Tuesdays together. It is beyond description how grateful I am that Ella knows her Grandma and Grandpa "Bob" (or Bobby or Papa or whatever she might call him on any given day) as a constant part of her life, we are so lucky!

We've been very busy in these last few weekends but unfortunately I haven't gotten many pictures. She went to her first Wiggles concert with her friends, Kenna, Michal, Kate and Julia (and had a wonderful time) and her first trip to the Choo Choo restaurant for lunch served by a train. When Jeff Wiggle came by our seats she yelled out, "hi Jeff, I'm Ella". She will still tell you that she gave flowers to Dorothy (thanks, Kristi). We've also been to a Ralph's World concert at Ravinia with Kenna, Michal, Sophie and cousin Sean with our friends and family. It was a beautiful day to hang out and sing along! Sean and Ella will listen to "Surfing in My Imagination" without stopping.

More trips to Great America especially Wiggles Park, swimming at Lake Geneva, swimming at the River Forest Country Club with friends and many other really wonderful memories. Her favorite toy at the moment? Her floaties for the pool, which she wears around the house without the need for any water.

On a recent trip back to the gardens she told me that the roses smell "yummy" and she loved the train garden, which we had never seen before. She and her friend Annie just loved all the trains driving by!

I'll work on getting more photos and hope everyone enjoys a beautiful (and healthy) fall season!