Elena's Montage

Pismo Beach, CA--Sun, Sand and Fun!

2011-09-29T10:55:00.000-07:00

Here are some highlights of the trip to Pismo.

Finding decorations for our yet-to-be-made sand castle with
Mom and Great-Grandma. Mom also found a shirt.

Flying Squeeky.

Enjoying a chocolate covered treat (a marshmallow, maybe)
on the boardwalk.

Creating a magnificent sand castle using the decorations
from the beach. Which Zachy later destroyed.

Oh, so much sand.
But super cool shades!

Fun at the Fair--better late than never!

2011-09-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

Ok, so the Evergreen State Fair ended almost a month ago. It's been busy. Now it's not so much so let's share some summer fun (when we actually had some summer). Hope you enjoy the memories with us!

I think somebody is getting a little too big to ride the pedal tractors at the fair.

This ride looks a little bit more her size. Too bad it went too fast and the camera went too slow for a better shot.

Really, it's the only reason to go to the fair.

Checking out the new digs for the dogs, chickens, rabbits and cavies (aka guinea pigs). A lot fancier than when Mom and Auntie were exhibitors at the fair.

This probably would have been more fun if she was heavy enough to get a good bounce going.

Oh, and here are some of the animals we saw:

A baby Highland cattle.

Mom pig and her 11-day-old babies.

Four very cute baby llamas (or alpacas).

Morel hunting

2011-05-13T20:49:00.003-07:00

Zachy just loves pulling the Morels out of the ground and putting them in the bag! His favorite ones are the big, big, big ones!
He gets creative with them too. He put one on the end of a stick and called it a marshmallow, putting them on his fingers is fun too. Something about the hole in the stem...
But really Zachy's favorite part of mushrooming is having his own whistle to blow.

Horses horses!

2011-05-13T20:49:00.001-07:00

Elena is collecting Breyer horses now. She has 15! This is more than Auntie has and she is very proud of that.

Gardening season commences, finally!

2011-05-10T17:57:00.000-07:00

After rain, rain, rain, rain and some more rain it was finally sunny and warm enough (for one day, so far) to get the tomato starts from Grandpa and plant them in their comfy little beds.
Gently, gently Elena removed them from their baby beds and planted them where all grown-up tomatoes need to be to spread their roots and make juicy, juicy fruits.

And, of course, there was the planting audience of Rainey "guarding" the chicks (l-r; Phantom, Black Ghost (under Phantom), Butter and Caramel).

Elena also decided to see if Whitto really will eat anything placed in front of him. I'm pretty sure the photographic evidence of a weed in his mouth is all we need to confirm that theory.

Elena@7!

2011-04-25T08:18:00.001-07:00

Elena got a birthday surprise when she woke up - her room was full of balloons and streamers! She has a busy day today - celebration of life with raspberries and strawberries at school, treats with her dance classmates, birthday dinner of nachos, and a dessert date with Mom and Dad to Coldstone Creamery.
HAPPY 7TH BIRTHDAY ELENA!!!

Plants vs. Zombies on XBox

2011-04-24T16:44:00.001-07:00

Both kids just love this game! We finally got the full version of the game thanks to funds received from the Easter Bunny.

Easter egg experiment

2011-04-20T10:39:00.001-07:00

This year we tried making our own egg dye by boiling food items in water and vinegar. We used blueberries, blackberries, red hots, sweet tarts, jellybeans, starburst, Tumeric, and kool-aid. It was a fun experiment but very time consuming since each item had to boil separately and the color was weak so the eggs had to sit in the dye longer. We also used different colored eggs - white, brown, and one of BoPeep's green eggs!

Checkerboard math

2011-04-13T10:06:00.001-07:00

Elena loves math at school! In the picture she is solving the problem 126,789x4. Using the materials she solved it - 507,156.

Outdoor Adventure

2011-04-12T15:22:00.001-07:00

Butter, Caramel, Phantom, and Black Ghost are growing up so fast! They got their first taste of the great outdoors today thanks to the sun. Elena and Rainey made sure they stayed safe in their pen.

A history of human shelter

2011-04-03T11:37:00.001-07:00

Elena's class had a presentation fair on the history of humans. Subjects included religion, clothing, nutrition, and defense. So much information and very impressive displays. Great job on your prehistoric shelter model and fancy labels Elena! We are so proud of you!

Brave Elena

2011-03-22T14:06:00.000-07:00

Elena was hard at work clearing the land so we could put up a large fenced area for the chickens to live a little more safely from predators.

When we got to the bottom of the wood we were moving we were surprised by two inhabitants of the dark, wet pile.

Elena was very brave and picked them both up and moved them to a new hiding place under the shed.

And her chickens got a beautiful new place to roam.

Jazz hands!

2011-03-21T19:54:00.001-07:00

Elena loves jazz and will patiently dance the ballet portion of class until the switch over. She loves the music, the moves, and it is super exciting because it's new! Who wants to see her recital in June?

Hula girl!

2011-03-21T19:46:00.001-07:00

Should hooping be allowed in the house? With our new exercise hoops Elena can endlessly hoop like a pro. And without worry of putting a dent in it!

Bo Peep is my best friend!

2011-03-20T14:38:00.001-07:00

We made a new chicken pen today - 29'x24' of scratching heaven. Right now it's just Bo Peep and RC inhabiting the poultry pad, but in 2 months it will also be the home of Butter, Caramel, Phantom, and Black Ghost. Elena loves spending time with chickies of all ages!

Going out with a bang

2009-12-31T14:47:00.000-08:00

Grandma had a lot of snow at her house and we didn’t get any at our house. Her snow was lots of fun for sledding and making snow angels. The snow wasn’t so good for making snowballs or snowmen. Mommy and Aunt Kiki helped Aubrie and I shovel the snow into a big pile to form into a snowman. He has a bucket hat, carrot nose, and skis. The four of us also made a tunnel. It was really fun when Aunt Kiki pulled me and Aubrie through it on the sled! Aubrie shared her Rudolph blanket with me when we watched movies. I also liked playing dominoes with Grandma, Mommy, and Aunt Kiki. It was super cold outside even with the fire, so we make s’mores inside. I love marshmallows!Everyone got s’mores and super sticky.

Happy New Year!

Love, Elena

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T15:08:00.000-08:00

Winter break means staying in your pajamas all day! And having popcorn for lunch :-)The Band Hero box was a great bed for story time. Reading Christmas stories of course! Elena carefully laid out cookies and milk for Santa and carrots for his reindeer. Up early on Christmas morning. Elena’s stocking was full of stuffed animals Santa said she could have back (including Pinkie), candy, and Littlest Pet Shop animals.Dressed in holiday clothes and ready to open presents! Let’s get the party started! The present from Santa is always the most exciting… Did he bring what I asked for? Not quite… It is a Disney Prince, but not Aladdin. It is Prince Naveen from the Princess and the Frog. Elena already has two Tiana dolls, so she’s very happy to have Tiana’s prince. Great movie by the way, Elena can’t wait to own it! This will forever be known as the Christmas of Barbie and Barbie clothes. Not only did Elena get numerous new Barbies and Barbie clothes, but all the Barbie items that were in time-out were returned back to her per Santa’s instructions. Time to reorganize the bedroom to make room for Barbie!Elena’s Barbies fully dressed and lined up to party. Merry Christmas everyone!

Winter Party at the Children’s Museum

2009-12-21T21:13:00.000-08:00

Since the museum had such and awesome Halloween party, we had to attend their winter party too! There were wooden ornaments to decorate, hot cocoa kits to make, cinnamon ornaments to make, and disco carpet skating! We did all the usual activities too. Elena loved making money and charging everyone to ride the bus, float a boat, or have their pet examined in the vet clinic. Maddie and her mom joined us too. No one wanted to visit Santa, but everything else was loads of fun! Daddy used his holiday gift card from work to buy Band Hero for the Wii! They have Elena’s favorite song, You Belong with Me by Taylor Swift! She loves playing the drums, and is learning to enjoy the guitar and singing. Daddy likes it all!!!

Ssh, somebody is sleeping…

2009-12-17T15:00:00.000-08:00

Daddy went out of town on business and Mommy let me and Zachy share her bed! It was super cozy! I like sleeping with kitty Warrick now. He can stay in my room all night!Kitty Warrick purrs in my bed and we fall asleep cuddling. I think we share dreams too. Love, elena

Christmas deliciousness

2009-12-16T21:02:00.000-08:00

Again Auntie baked too many cookies, and again it took 5 people forever to get them all decorated… But those 5 people had a lot of fun doing it! Anyone want to lick the frosting off Elena’s forehead? Zachy got his own cookie. No one else would touch it after he did…

Getting in the holiday mood

2009-12-14T20:57:00.000-08:00

We were really festive for Halloween (having the party at our house encouraged us to go all out) and felt Christmas deserved equal attention. Elena captured the tree in a new perspective for us. This is the area she decorated.This year Elena got to attend the Nutcracker for the first time! We got dressed up for the occasion (even though it was just a school performance) and had a picture taken in front of the fully decorated Christmas tree. Seeing the Nutcracker was also Auntie’s birthday present. Elena’s favorite part of the show was the costumes and when Clara visited the foreign countries. She thought those dances were more lively. With Grandma’s help, Elena fit all the presents around the tree. Now there is no where for the kitties to nap!Elena did not help make any of the Christmas chains, but she did hang up the artwork. Auntie and Grandpa created this tree with lights. The ornaments are by Elena. They are from a scratch kit and she enjoyed using the little stick to create various designs. Our Christmas card display. Zachy and Elena both loved the animated snowmen this year. Zachy had too much fun with them in Elena’s opinion, she kept turning them off so they wouldn’t make noises! Zachy caught on quick and learned where the on/off switch was so he could turn them back on.

Christmas in Kennewick

2009-12-13T20:09:00.000-08:00

Of course the first thing on the minds of small children is, “When can we open presents?!?”Ok, did anyone see what anyone else got? Elena got Sea World Barbie, Jasmine Barbie, and Sleeping Beauty Barbie from Nana and PopPop. The beginning of a very Barbie Christmas. Sharing the Nintendo DSi. The girls took some cute pictures with the DSi camera. Matching pjs and blinking red noses! What kind of reindeer roars?Each kiddo got to do their own gingerbread house. Zachy was lucky his cousins Ruby and Nattie were there to help him, otherwise he would have had a bare house and an upset tummy. I think he only put one candy on the actual house.

Thanks for hosting a wonderful Christmas Nana and PopPop!

Time for a show

2009-12-11T16:11:00.000-08:00

Elena had a ballet recital. All of Miss Hannah’s dance classes participated and performed to songs from the Nutcracker. Elena’s class danced to Spanish Chocolate. Elena loves putting on dance shows! She did an amazing job following the routine and was a super cute dancer.After the dances, there was a dessert reception. Elena go a big bouquet of roses from her daddy. So pretty and smelled so good! Amelia got flowers from her daddy too! Great performance girls!

Goin’ to the Lodge

2009-12-07T15:08:00.000-08:00

We finally made it to Great Wolf Lodge! Elena loved all the waterslides. There were waterslides in the shallow area, medium sized waterslides that Elena went down all by herself, and large waterslides that went through tunnels and you had to ride an inner tube or raft on. She was so brave! These jetskis were fun to ride, but they were stationary. Trying to squirt Zachy! Elena also enjoyed sitting in the inner tube in the wave pool, splashing Daddy, listening to story time, and watching the indoor snow storm. We went to the lodge with Aubrie and her family. These stick bugs were a Christmas present from Aubrie. There are six of them, they are sticky, and they eat blackberry bushes.

We are already excited about going to Great Wolf again. Who wants to join us?

Going on a tree hunt

2009-12-05T21:37:00.000-08:00

Many of the Noble Firs had red and purple needles, so we did a lot of tree searching. It was a sunny, chilly day and visiting the tree farm is like taking a walk in the woods! The ground was frozen and crunchy when we walked on it. Daddy had the power saw all charged so the tree went down fast! Timber! Clarice and Little Golden came too. They like Christmas a lot! I got a rainbow candy cane from the farm owners. It was really tasty! Mommy got Zachy and I matching winter outfits. I love reindeer! Zachy will probably be able to wear his sweater next year too! Not me, I am growing super fast.

Love, Elena

Hello, Santa

2009-11-30T21:00:00.000-08:00

We saw Santa with Aubrie this year. We wore matching reindeer skirts. My tights have sparkle stripes! I was so good with Santa and didn’t cry at all. I didn’t sit on his lap, but I did ask for Jasmine and Aladdin dolls. I’m being really good, so I hope he brings them.Here’s our Christmas card! I put the stamps and address stickers on all the envelopes! This is our Christmas letter. There are questions about me!

Love, Elena

So grown up!

2009-11-30T20:54:00.000-08:00

Elena is so photogenic! She does an awesome job at the individual portraits and it is always hard to choose just one pose.Happy family!

Yay, Christmas!

2009-11-27T14:26:00.000-08:00

I could spend all day arranging the colors on the tree. It is the perfect size for Barbie’s to put presents under! I like the blue and purple lights the best. I wish we had more of those colors… Oooh, I’m going to do a rainbow tree! Didn’t Zachy and I do a great job? I can’t wait to do more Christmas decorations! Love, Elena

Prima ballerina

2009-11-05T16:10:00.000-08:00

Elena is taking ballet classes at the YMCA. She adores her teacher, Miss Hannah, and hangs on every word she says. Elena’s friend from school, Amelia, is also in the class. We’re really looking forward to the December recital. Should be super cute!

More Halloween fun

2009-10-31T16:30:00.000-07:00

We went trick-or-treating at Daddy’s work. There was lots of candy to collect and eat! Everyone thought Zachy was really cute.Mommy did a good job on my wolf girl makeup. Daddy’s octopus was cool! Mommy was a pretty ballerina. I get to keep her tutu! I didn’t wear my wolf girl costume on Halloween for trick-or-treating in the neighborhood. I was Snow White instead.Zachy had to wear his bat costume from last year so he would stay warm. We went down the street and back up and filled up half of my pumpkin bucket! I love candy!

Love, Elena

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-29T16:23:00.000-07:00

Zachy and I went to the pumpkin patch with some people from my school. I have never been to this pumpkin patch before, it was different. There was a hay maze that was lots of fun! I played hide-and-seek with Roisin in the maze. The hay maze ends with a slide! Mommy went down the slide once too!We also saw a pig show. It was like the 3 Little Pigs story, but there was a big bad pig instead of a wolf. It was funny!

Teacher Cathy came too! I sat next to her on the wagon ride out to the pumpkin patch.It was cold so I kept my hands in my pockets the whole time. Next time we’ll remember gloves! The last activity was getting an ice cream treat! It was yummy, but made me even colder.

Love, Elena

Halloween party!

2009-10-25T18:37:00.000-07:00

We had the Halloween party at our house this year! I was Princess Mononoke, the wolf girl. Mommy made my costume, it was cool!Daddy made a haunted house with a spooky smoke machine. The bounce house was lots of fun and so was the costume awards! We made floam monsters, decorated caramel apples, and filled creepy bug boxes.

Hope you had a fun time!

Love, Elena

Montessori outings

2009-10-23T18:32:00.000-07:00

We went mushrooming with Amelia’s family, Gunnar’s family, and Abie’s family in the Sultan Basin. We found chanterelles!We also had an outing at the salmon hatchery. The fish were splashing us!Trying to throw Roisin into the water (just kidding!).Feeding the baby salmon.Helping Zachy feed the fish.

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-10T17:56:00.000-07:00

This year we went to Bob’s Corn to get our pumpkins for Halloween. Zachy fell asleep in the car and slept through the hay ride out to the pumpkin field.After much searching, prodding, and lifting, Elena still hasn’t found the perfect pumpkin. This one is a keeper! She made it about 3 feet before giving up. Good effort Little Miss! Not quite as big as this pumpkin, but still over 4 feet. Bob’s Corn had lots of activities – a corn maze, pumpkin catapult, pony rides, and playground. Elena chose to ride the cow train.Maggie Jane was a good cow!

First day of kindergarten

2009-09-28T17:44:00.000-07:00

Not much different from last year – same classroom, same teachers, same hours of class time. Elena was so glad to be back with Cathy and Katie and Pokey the Turtle. Seeing her friends again was fun too, and about half of the kids were the same, so that means making new friends also!

Ocean Shores in September

2009-09-20T16:40:00.000-07:00

Who would have guessed Ocean Shores would have such beautiful weather in mid-September? Elena had fun being chased by waves and playing in the sand. She was wary of the sea foam. We camped with Maddie’s family. It was a lot of fun and we were finding sand everywhere… Next time we will bring more baby powder since it helped slough the sand off our feet before getting in the car. This was a fun gift shop to go in! Elena only found broken sand dollars on the beach so we bought some whole ones at the store. Plus postcards with the sand dollar legend on it. Elena tried digging to China, but didn’t get far. Even with Zachy’s help!It was also a great weekend for kite flying. Elena got a color your own kite which came with color crayons. We didn’t tie it well enough to the log, and it flew off. Daddy was fast and caught up to it before it got too far off. Daddy flew a red kite of his own too.

Go Purple Transformers!!!

2009-09-12T16:17:00.000-07:00

The team with Coach Angie.Throw it to someone in purple!Smiles on the sidelines. Elena’s not really playing keeper or goalie, she’s just standing back there hoping the ball doesn’t come her way. Elena’s favorite part of the soccer season was when she got her medal at the last game of the season. She wore it for 3 days as a necklace she was so proud!

Library display

2009-09-03T15:58:00.000-07:00

Elena didn’t want to display her cars again. Or show off her My Little Pony or Barbie collections. She didn’t even want Auntie to show her collection of horses!

We ended up displaying our vintage Fisher Price Little People. They have been in the family for 30 years and hopefully for another 30. Elena loved setting the house up – bedroom upstairs, picnic outside, and never forget the toilet or sewing machine!

Evergreen State Fair in Monroe

2009-09-02T15:51:00.000-07:00

We didn’t leave the fair with many pictures of Elena this year. We went on ride after ride after ride and those pictures never seem to turn out. This year she was tall enough to go on at least half of the rides so we bought bracelets. She really liked the potato sack slide, the scrambler, and the hang-gliding ride. She did not care for the fun houses, she said they were weird. Of course we indulged in lots of delicious treats – elephant ears, cotton candy, corn on the cob, shaved ice, etc.

Jell-o Pudding Art!

2009-08-29T15:39:00.000-07:00

We had to find a new medium for finger painting if Zachy was going to participate too. It was not a day to deal with paint in the hair…

Elena was a big help mixing the pudding and helping choose the colors. She thought the lemon flavor was tasty, but would have preferred strawberry. Do they even make strawberry pudding?!?She wrote her name, and painted some rainbows. They smelled delicious!

Soccer!

2009-08-24T14:58:00.000-07:00

We were all so excited for Elena to play soccer this year! She got a pink ball and pink soccer cleats and looked so sporty!Then she started going to practices and games and she was really clingy and didn’t want to participate. Coach Angie was wonderfully patient and let Elena shadow her on the field. She was the only girl on her team, but all the boys were very nice and encouraged her at every step. She will definitely play again next year!

Woodland Park Zoo with Lisa

2009-08-19T14:44:00.000-07:00

We hadn’t been to the zoo since they finished the new penguin exhibit. Of course we had to go with Lisa because she loves, loves, loves penguins! The new exhibit made penguin viewing easy for all ages. Elena liked the windows into the water best. Lisa wished they were sitting by a real penguin. Elena and Lisa had fun feeding the birds too. Elena was a bit hesitant at first with all the birds swooping around overhead, but she came to love holding out the food sticks for the birds. Close enough to touch! Comparing her hand with the hand of an orangutan. Big difference! The petting zoo was fun too (but no penguins to pet). Elena liked the little mule and the sheep the most. Zachy was nice enough to give Elena a ride on his tractor.

Bike on Deck!

2009-08-17T14:14:00.000-07:00

The bike doesn’t drive well on the grass, so Elena used her head and rode it on the deck instead. She was nice enough to take Zachy for a ride too.

Active at Grandma’s

2009-08-14T13:59:00.000-07:00

I took all my Barbies to Grandma’s house. We put clothes on everyone and had a big, fancy wedding. All the Barbies took turns getting married. Then they danced afterwards! I made a zoo. All the animals were in their pens. I sorted them by type of animal. I sold tickets to the zoo and Mommy and Grandma came to visit. Zachy wanted to come too. I let him help feed the animals! Love, Elena

Camano Island with Ruby and Nattie

2009-08-09T13:56:00.000-07:00

Elena just loves spending time with her cousins Ruby and Nattie. We spent a weekend at Camano going on treasure hunts, having pony parties, and eating!Elena found PopPop’s fishing lure in the rocks. He was very happy to have it back! Elena rode in the boat to help collect the crab pots. Motor was busted so Uncle Greg had to do a lot of rowing! Smiles all around! Aunt Sarah helped everyone find walking sticks.The kids tried to skip the stones, but that was tricky. Seeing who could throw the furthest was fun!Elena was having such a great time that she stayed an extra night for a sleepover with Ruby and Nattie. Nana and PopPop were nice enough to drop her off on their way home.

Do you know the ice cream man?

2009-07-31T13:45:00.000-07:00

Daddy flagged the ice cream man down in time to get a special treat! A Powerpuff Girl popsicle! Delicious lemon flavor!Too big to finish it all on her own… Good thing little brother doesn’t mind leftovers!

Vacation – day 13 (last day)

2009-07-30T13:39:00.000-07:00

It was cold when we woke up! And there were ground squirrels everywhere! It was a long ride home. Montana was really pretty and green. We stopped at McDonalds two times for chicken nuggets.

I’m glad I am home with Kitty Warrick and all my toys!

Love, Elena

Vacation – day 12

2009-07-29T13:30:00.000-07:00

Yay! Yellowstone! I found some buffalo earrings. They are very pretty and they dangle! This bison calf was painted so pretty, I wish I could take it home. Driving through Yellowstone was only interesting when we saw animals. We saw moose and elk and deer. Pinkie went with us to see the hot springs and painted pots. It was stinky!We saw cloudy water, clear water, and water that looked rusty. This water looked like gray milk. I saw Old Faithful two times! I really like the gift shops in Yellowstone. There are machines that flatten and stamp pennies. I’m collecting them! My favorite is the one with the bison stamp. Here are the bison! They did not say, “Go C U!” Finally a campfire to roast marshmallows on! It was fun just throwing the marshmallows into the fire and watching them grow.They smelled good while they were cooking too. Daddy made dutch oven stew and hobo pie cornbread for dinner. It got cold really fast, even by the fire. After showers, Mommy, Zachy, and I cuddled in the tent until we fell asleep.

Love, Elena

Vacation – day 11

2009-07-28T17:15:00.000-07:00

Cody, WY is the home of Buffalo Bill. We spent a lot of time in the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, which is five museums in one. My favorite was the Museum of Natural History. I liked pushing buttons for animal sounds and videos, touching the animal skulls, and filling my passport with stamps.A beautiful day for walking in Cody, WY! There were lots of bison inside the Buffalo Bill center. None were alive. I liked this bear. Both sides of him. We rode on the trolley and got a tour of the city. There was a lot of historical information. I was glad I had Pinkie. The gun was heavy.After the trolley ride we went to the candy store. Later we saw the free Gunslinger show. I liked the costumes! It started to get cold and rained a little. It rained a lot during the night!

Love, Elena

Vacation – day 10

2009-07-27T17:06:00.000-07:00

Today is a driving day as we leave Colorado and go to Wyoming. The weather is stormy and we saw lots of lightening as we drove. Oh my goodness gracious! And big fat rain drops hit the windshield – it was loud!

Look at this cool Hershey’s Kiss cloud!

A double rainbow!

We camped in Cody, Wyoming today and I learned what a jackalope was.

Love, Elena

Vacation – day 9

2009-07-26T17:05:00.000-07:00

At Aunt Joyce’s house we played with Tristan’s air blaster gun. It’s like a trash can with a handle and shower cap that shoots large gusts of air. Lots of fun! Aunt Joyce taught me a joke:

What does a cow say? MOO!

What does a sheep say? BAA!

What does a bison say? GO C U! (for Colorado University)

Great Grandma took this nice picture with me.

Love, Elena

Vacation – day 8

2009-07-25T17:04:00.000-07:00

Oh boy! A pink wedding!

Congratulations Laura and Tanner!

Love, Elena

Vacation – day 7

2009-07-24T19:56:00.000-07:00

See Vacation – day 6 activities on Zachy’s blog.

This morning I went with Auntie and Grandma to the Denver Botanic Gardens. I really liked the dinosaur exhibit and the Mickey Mouse cactus.

Daddy was go-karting, but when he was done he and Mommy and Zachy and Grandpa met me and Grandma and Auntie at the Denver Zoo. It was a really nice zoo with lots of animals. They were hot and so were we.

There weren’t any bison or penguins or barn owls, but there were bats!

The carousel was giving free rides, so I rode on the zebra. Mommy and Zachy were on the jaguar. The seals were Zachy’s favorite! These guys are funny looking! After the zoo we had dinner at the Downtown Aquarium, an underwater dining experience. There were pretty glass fish and anemones that lit up all over and we were seated right next to a giant fish tank! Tuna, sharks, and even a scuba diver swam by as we ate dinner and dessert. I got to decorate a giant rice krispie treat with chocolate sauce and candies for my dessert. It was pretty enough to eat!

Love, Elena

Vacation – day 5

2009-07-22T18:56:00.000-07:00

Here’s a pretty picture from our campsite. It was hot in the tent this morning. No sleeping in… Here we are at Arches National Park. It is still very hot. Look at all the stuff packed on top of our car! The rock structures were really neat. We saw sheep rock and elephant rock. I liked looking for windows in the rocks as we drove by. At the visitor’s center I got some bird fact cards to color. There is a barn owl! I learned all about plants like the yucca from a ranger and earned a junior ecologist sticker! We didn’t walk the trail to the double arches, it was way too hot! But we did walk the 104 steps between the trailheads! There is a lot of counting this trip… It was so hot I stuck to the fence! Thank goodness the car is air conditioned! This is Colorado. Yay! Another state! I held my breath and wished for chocolate milk. We kept looking for wildlife on the rock walls, but didn’t see anything. The river below was full of river rafters though.

Tomorrow I get to see Grandma!

Love, Elena

Vacation – day 4

2009-07-21T15:32:00.000-07:00

Let’s drive away while Daddy tries to pack the car! Ha ha! I love Mommy’s glasses.We went to the Tracy Aviary in Salt Lake City. There were so many birds! Cool birds like the Tinamou where the daddy raises the babies. Baby Tinamous can’t digest seeds so they eat the adults poop (with broken down seeds in it) to get the enzymes they need in their stomach. Eww! We also went to story time and fed the ducks. There was a bird that was almost as old as Grandma! It was called a Condor. My favorite part of the aviary was the bird show. There was a pretty barn owl in the show named Aurora. Barn animals are my new favorite. These tall grasses surround the flamingos, hiding their pond. But we found them!

This was the scenery all the way to Green River (same state). We did see a train and counted 95 cars, but overall pretty boring. We camped at Green River State Park and met Great Grandma for dinner. I had rainbow sherbet!

Love, Elena

Vacation – day 3

2009-07-20T15:31:00.000-07:00

Daddy packed up the campsite and Mommy took us on a walk to the interpretive center (which was closed!). But we did see some covered wagons, the trail they went on to reach the ferry on the river, and some signs telling of life in the 1830s. It was cool seeing the wagon grooves still there!

Today we went to Salt Lake City! We saw bison (my new favorite animal) and entered the Great Salt Lake. Isn’t the reflection on the lake pretty? Here are the antelope on Antelope Island.

It was super hot. The air was hot, the sun was hot, and the sand was hot. Hot, hot, hot. After wading through stinky algae and hordes of brine shrimp, we are finally up to our knees in water. The Great Salt Lake is very shallow. I don’t like it at all. The salt got in my eyes and mixed with the sunscreen and I cried all the way back to the car. Mommy and Daddy both laid back and floated. Zachy too. The water was warm and full of itty bitty creatures. I didn’t like the cold shower after either. This bug drove with us all the way off Antelope Island. We saw the bison and antelope on the island. Cool!

We camped at Cherry Hill. It was city camping with not much room to run around. Zachy and I collected all lots of little, rotten apples in the campground and made a big pile. Sweet dreams!

Love, Elena

Vacation – day 2

2009-07-19T11:07:00.000-07:00

We’re drove through 3 states today – Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Zachy and I have never been to Idaho before.

I was very glad to have Pinkie in the car. She watched lots of movies with me.We camped at Three Island Crossing State Park in Idaho. It was windy. There was a big butterfly in the tree that I chased around. Zachy and I had fun sitting in our chairs and I took lots of pictures.

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Love, Elena

Vacation – day 1

2009-07-18T11:07:00.000-07:00

The zoo was super fun! Daddy had never been so I got to show him all the pretty birds. We had fun feeding the animals too, but most weren’t hungry.

I got my face painted with this cool butterfly. It is super sparkly!

Then we went to Nana’s house. I played with Ruby and Nattie, we always have so much fun!

After dinner we went in the pool. It was really, really dark. Nana has a light up ball that goes in the pool and we pretended it was the aliens coming to get us, ahhh!

Mommy sang some songs with us in the pool. We did the hokey pokey and had noodle horse races.

Love, Elena

Too cute

2009-07-10T20:37:00.000-07:00

Had to post these because they are so sweet! This is Elena’s newest poodle dress.

We had portraits done this day, she gave some great smiles! We ended up doing her 5th birthday picture (3 months late…)

She got huge compliments on her bling bling shoes and pretty hair curlie. Elena rocks the poodle dress!

Cousins

2009-07-05T20:19:00.000-07:00

The Ruzauskas’ got together over the 4th of July weekend.

Elena loves her cousins Nattie and Ruby! All 5 grandkids sitting in their little chairs. Wave hello! Does anyone look happy?

Remlinger Farms in as fun as ever!

2009-06-24T16:44:00.000-07:00

We couldn’t stop having fun! Elena wanted to go on all the rides at least once, and Zachy was more than willing to give them a try (this was his first visit).

It’s great that Elena is so comfortable at Remlinger and always excited for the next activity. We met up with Aubrie and Mark and Aunt Kiki too. Aubrie was willing to ride the boats with Elena. They were bummed that the ducks weren’t in the water, someone must have tossed them out. What’s a trip to Remlinger without a pony ride or two? At least Elena is willing to get off the horses now to take a ride in the flying pumpkins or the antique cars. Not sure of this pony’s name… They were in labeled stalls but the pony wranglers said those weren’t their names. The girls in one car and the little boys in a different car with their mommies. Watch out for the turkeys! Elena loved feeding the baby goats. She also fed the rabbits, sheep, ducks, and chickens. I think her favorite part of feeding is putting the quarter in the machine and having it dispense food…This was a new activity for us, the hay trampoline and maze! We never spent much time in here before but the girls just loved it. Jumping down. Running around. Almost too big for this ride? Such happy campers! Zachy was tired, but Elena needed one more go on the roller coaster. So proud of her for going it alone, and she had a blast!

Fort Flagler, a family campout with Elena’s school

2009-06-18T13:02:00.000-07:00

Elena’s school had a family campout at Fort Flagler near Port Townsend, WA. We slept in barracks, ate meals in a cafeteria, and enjoyed spending time as a family with other Montessori families and Elena’s teachers. We will definitely go back next year!

Elena had fun playing with Amelia (of course) and Ava who will be joining her class in the fall. There were Papillion puppies everywhere! Elena’s teacher Katie has one and the rest of the litter are scattered about other school families.

Elena enjoyed the beach very very much, especially collecting and arranging the shells she found. It was chilly! Not sure why she isn’t shivering! Besides the beach, we visited the gunnery, haunted hospital, and took the general tour of the old naval site.This was her prize find – a crab claw. Thanks to everyone who planned the campout! We really had no idea what to expect and were pleasantly surprised with the activities, accommodations, and food.

Getting excited for camping!

2009-06-14T14:32:00.000-07:00

Woo hoo! Got a new tent big enough for the whole family (and some pets – get out of there Whitto!).Looks like our camping trip should be a success if the kids are allowed free-play in the tent. Love the enclosed entry to keep pesky pests out and little babies in.

We plan to camp our way to Colorado and back in July. Looking forward to two weeks of outdoor family fun.

Last day of school!

2009-06-11T13:59:00.001-07:00

Before the Kindergarten graduation ceremony, the whole class performed a song.

LYRICS:

Roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds

That's six parts, six parts, six plant parts that plants and people need.

The roots hold the plant in the ground,

They gather up the water that falls around.

And there's a root inside of me

Because a carrot is a root that I eat.

That's six parts, six parts, six plant parts that plants and people need.

The stem is an elevator up from the ground,

The water goes up and the sugar back down

And there's a stem inside of me

Because celery is a stem that I eat.

That's six parts, six parts, six plant parts that plants and people need.

The leaves are the kitchens where the food is done

They breathe the air and catch rays from the sun.

And there's a leaf inside of me

Because lettuce is a leaf that I eat.

That's six parts, six parts, six plant parts that plants and people need.

The flowers are dressed so colorfully,

They hold the pollen and attract the bees.

And there's a flower inside of me

Because cauliflower is a flower I eat

That's six parts, six parts, six plant parts that plants and people need.

The fruit gets ripe, then falls on down

It hold the seeds and feeds the ground.

And there's a fruit inside of me

Because an apple is a fruit that I eat.

That's six parts, six parts, six plant parts that plants and people need.

The seeds get buried in the earth,

And the cycle starts again with a new plant's birth.

And there's a seed inside of me

Because sunflower is a seed that I eat.

That's six parts, six parts, six plant parts that plants and people need.

Let's feed the ducks!

2009-06-10T15:54:00.000-07:00

We went to bounce and then feed the ducks at Country Village.

Elena thought this rooster was extra pretty. She threw bread to the chickens too. Elena had so much fun watching the ducks stick their heads underwater and put their tail feathers in the air! It made her laugh. She found a group of large babies and tossed them some bread too. Everyone got a fair share! Those are nettles in the foreground that stung Mommy when she was taking pictures - ouch! Here's the nest of "babies."

We're using Windows Live Writer to post blogs now. We can add interesting frames to the pictures and use color options too. Bonus that we can choose what date to have each entry posted on. What do you think?

Horseback riding

2009-06-09T17:48:00.000-07:00

Elena and Auntie are taking a horseback ride in the Lake Wenatchee State Park.

Icicle Outfitters and Guides provided the horse and the guide.

Just a couple of (careful) cowgirls waiting for their steed.

Gina, our guide, leads our mount, Belle, out of the "loading dock" to the start of the trail.
(Elena kept calling our horse "Jasmine" instead of Belle--I guess those Disney princesses are interchangeable.)

Off to our trailriding adventure! Giddyup, Belle!

Belle's back end from her back.

Belle's front end from her back. And in front of Belle is Gina's horse, Smoke.

Elena finally gets rid of Auntie and looks like she's ready to ride off on her own. Too bad Belle is tied up to the hitching post...

Ahh the memories...

2009-06-09T17:12:00.000-07:00

This video reminds us of Elena being pulled in this sled through snow by Cody. If I find the video, I'll post it below.

Pool time at Grandma's

2009-06-09T16:44:00.000-07:00

We are so excited the pool by Grandma's is open now! Elena loved the opportunity to try out her Ariel swim gear complete with goggles, flippers, and hand gloves! She liked watching Zachy splash everywhere he went.
Is she a dolphin here? Her dolphin name is Sweetwind. Zachy was a hippo named Sir Daiquiri. They both went to visit Mrs. Calabash (aka Grandma). Make believe is fun at the pool!

Everyone pile on Mommy for a ride to the deep end (only 5ft).

Practicing some water ballet.

We are really looking forward to our summer at the pool!

Summer fun with the hose

2009-05-25T15:07:00.000-07:00

Elena and her elephant help Grandpa water the tomatoes. The elephant got dirty. Elena washes it off.
Zachy is dirty too. Elena washes him off too.

Elena made some mud cakes for everyone!

That dress looks like a mud cake... As do Elena's feet...

Soundbridge

2009-05-25T14:41:00.000-07:00

Elena's favorite thing at Soundbridge was trying all the different instruments.

Auntie's friend Susan was really nice about bringing out different instruments than what were on display, like this drum and the french horn.
This was Mommy's favorite, the timpani drum. There is a gong, wood block, and triangle on the wall right next to this drum - it was an entire percussion ensemble!
This piano was a hit because you could dance on it. It's sound was a little off though... It was like stepping on puppy squeaky toys rather than a piano...

This organ had buttons to change the sounds. Instead of just making piano sounds, it could sound like jazz, guitar, or string instruments. Elena had fun experimenting.

Elena said this was her favorite.

The french horn was heavy! Susan helped hold it and gave a little lesson on how to get sound to come out - purse those lips Elena!

Don't worry, Susan was cleaning the instrument mouthpieces like a maniac!

An oboe.

The trombone. Elena was able to make sounds with all the instruments - go E!

Elena and her little friend

2009-05-25T14:29:00.000-07:00

Elena's friend Amelia came over to play outside in the sunshine. To fit everyone in the car, Zachy had to move to the middle, and to make the move easier, he got to sit facing forward! He just loved that! Plus he's surrounded by two doting girls who like to make him giggle. Elena and Amelia were busy busy outside. They crunched snails that were on the apple trees and house. They helped some of the poppy flowers open up. They swung on the swings. They played in the garden with the treasures. They colored the front walkway with sidewalk chalk. And they had a tea party. For their tea party they made snail salad with real snail, flowers, and grass.

Dentist visit

2009-05-25T13:18:00.000-07:00

Elena had her first x-rays taken at the dentist. It was surprising that she did so well with the large apparatus in her mouth. She wasn't so good with the rest of the exam... Elena did get a lesson on brushing her teeth, and got all her teeth counted twice - she already has 3 of her 6-year molars!!! Because she wouldn't let the hygenist clean her teeth, they couldn't take her picture and put it on the "cavity free" wall.
Zachy had a good time and let the hygenist put the tooth polisher on his tooth. He even got a pinwheel as a prize for being a good patient.

Last public swim lesson

2009-05-25T13:05:00.000-07:00

Elena had her last swim lesson with Molly. She passed level P3 despite doing the crawl stroke backwards... Yes, she was going forward, perfectly side-breathing, but her windmill-arms were going backwards! Oh well, teacher Patty will straighten her out. Elena came to love the lockers at the pool. She would nicely hang her clothes inside before going to her lesson, shoes included. After swimming and a shower, she'd pull the clothes back out and sit inside to put her shoes on.
How many years until her bum outgrows the doorway?

Remember this game?

2009-05-25T13:01:00.000-07:00

It's Twister! Grandma still has the 1980's version at the River House and Elena got her first taste of "the game that ties you in knots." She had fun trying to stretch from red to green and watching Mommy and Grandma fall on the floor.
The Twister mat is also a great dance/gymnastics stage.

Time to pick mushrooms!

2009-05-17T17:46:00.001-07:00

Gosh you're tall Elena! Do you really need to stand on tip-toe? At the River House Elena and Grandma put some flowers in the flower press (a birthday present). She pressed a daffodil, a dandelion, and a purple flower.
The best kinds of guns shoot bubbles and water ;-)

The mushroom picking intermission consists of snacks and climbing on big rocks.

Elena's new fascination is super huge morels. She likes to see if they are larger than her fist, and then will weigh them.

Here's the biggest from today's hunt - 1.9oz and 1.6oz. Next time we'll probably find even bigger ones!

Size doesn't matter when it comes to eating them... All are yummy!

Little Miss E turns 5 on 4/25!

2009-05-17T17:08:00.001-07:00

Supposedly turning 5 means 5 birthday celebrations. Elena had her 5th birthday party at Jump Planet. She invited all her classmates, friends from gymnastics, and of course Aubrie.

It was a strawberry theme party with cupcakes in the shape of and decorated like strawberries - yum! Everyone had a great time and Elena loved all her fabulous gifts which included a flower press, Barbie, and pony figures.

On her actual birthday, cousins Ruby, Nattie, and Tate came to celebrate. We had a weekend of fun which included a sleepover on Elena's floor, trip to the children's museum, chicken and french fry dinner with Auntie, Auntie Terry, and Walt, and a trip to Chuck E. Cheese.

At school, Elena had her celebration of life. A candle is lit to represent the sun and Elena holds the Earth ball and walks around the sun for every year since she was born. Pictures and interesting facts are shared from each year of her life.

Everyone sings and they share a special treat. Elena brought in strawberries and kitty Warrick!

Elena also celebrated being 5 with Grandma and Grandpa and her own personal pizza! Alfy's Pizza honors birthday girls and boys with a free pizza on their birthday. Elena got plain cheese and we added the candles and sang Happy Birthday.
Elena got a Nintendo DSi for her birthday from Mommy and Daddy. She loves that it is blue and can play it in the car on trips. Her favorite game is Gardening Mama which Auntie gave her as a birthday gift.
Happy 5th Birthday Elena! Wishing you many more wonderful celebrations!

Where a kid can be a kid...

2009-04-30T07:54:00.005-07:00

Grandma took me to Chuck E. Cheese. I had to show her how to play all the games. The penguin game (seen here), the bowling game, the monkey game, and the water game. This is where you can win an ice cream or cotton candy. When I went with Mommy I won some dinosaur money!
Look at all my tickets! Sometimes I use them to get special prizes for Zachy too.

I won an ice cream and didn't have to share with Grandma. We had lots of fun because it's fun there!

Love, Elena

New Swimming Lessons

2009-04-30T07:54:00.003-07:00

Elena took public swim lessons with Molly at the pool in Bothell.She practiced front and back floats, side breathing, diving, and the backstroke. After a little bit of hesitation, her favorite swim lesson activity became donning a life jacket and going to the deep end for jumps off the diving platforms.
The kid loves jumps though and has fun even when they are in the shallower area of the pool. Elena finished her swim session and passed level P-3. She isn't signed up for another session though, she's going back to lessons with Teacher Patty.

Buca Di Beppo!

2009-04-30T07:54:00.001-07:00

Nana and PopPop came to visit and we went out to dinner at Buca Di Beppo. Elena had crunchies, bread, and hot fudge sundae for dessert! Ah, heaven! Zachy got his first taste of ice cream and chocolate too. Elena was willing to share since it was GIGANTIC, and they both really enjoyed it. Delicious!
Who won the game of tic-tac-toe? Probably Elena.

Country Village, Bothell

2009-04-30T07:53:00.003-07:00

At least this year they didn't swarm us at the car... We were too early to see any babies, good thing we saved some bread for next time. Elena emptied her bag of bread pieces in 5 minutes. Take pictures fast, Mom!
She still loves riding the playground horses. There is a new pirate ship play structure so she had fun pretending Tinkerbell and Peter Pan were there.

Then we went to the tea shop for some hot cocoa. And to admire their tea and pastry selection. Note to self: take Grandma!

Easter 2009

2009-04-30T07:53:00.001-07:00

Hippity hop, here comes the Easter Bunny! This year the Easter Bunny filled the eggs with... necklaces? Actually, Elena practiced being the Easter Bunny and filled some eggs with necklaces and candy. The Easter Bunny was too lazy to empty those out, but he did hide them! And lots of other eggs too! The eggs were filled with candy, dinosaurs, itty bitty ponies, and stickers.
Elena's Easter basket filled up fast, so she used her bike basket to collect eggs in. When that filled up, she used the shopping cart. Soooo many eggs! But boy were they fun to find and open!

The Easter Bunny brought Nana and PopPop too! Those must have been some giant eggs...

Hoppy Easter!

Rehabbing Rainey!

2009-04-29T12:47:00.000-07:00

Auntie and Elena took Rainey to Mega-Dogs in Woodinville on several occasions to try and get her to use her leg after her crazy tendon-slicing-in-a-splint-for-almost-four-weeks injury by making her use it in the water first. (Check out a healthy Rainey competing in agility at Mega-Dogs June 17, June 24 and July 1, if you're in the area.)

Elena became an old hand at removing the cover from the pool. By the last trip she was yelling out instructions while Auntie did all the work!

Well, she helped at the beginning of the swim time so she could get in the pool faster and then oversaw the closing of the pool. I see management in the making!

So, who is getting the most swimming practice out of this session? Rainey or Elena? (Luckily it turned out to be Rainey and she is fully recovered from her freak injury.) But, Elena got a special shower each time Rainey swam by.

At the end of each session Rainey was given her freedom (to rest) and Elena had free reign to practice some of her best moves!

Planting time!

2009-04-27T15:07:00.000-07:00

Elena started her own garden! She planted carrot seeds and various flower seeds.
We are all very excited to see what comes of her seeds. Especially since she isn't remembering to water them...

Elena helped Auntie Terry get the tomoatoes seedlings ready for the plant sale. She helped separate the plants and put them in individual pots. It was also fun to plant rocks!

Different ways to drive

2009-04-27T14:58:00.001-07:00

Elena loves driving! She loves the driving and winning at the Wii game, Mario Kart, and will race with anyone who will join her or by herself. Her knowledge of racing is evident in the real world now too. She sits in the back seat telling the driver what place they are in and that they should drive faster and pass x-amount of cars to be first. Hopefully she'll understand that the real road isn't a race by the time she's 16... Now that it's spring, Elena will have more opportunities to drive her bicycle around the neighborhood. Even when she falls down, she climbs back on and is ready to continue. It's fun! Maybe she'll be on 2 wheels by the end of the summer.

Star Bag

2009-04-27T12:25:00.000-07:00

On March 24th Elena brought the star bag home from school. She was very excited to go outside and see what was in the sky - stars? the moon? maybe a satellite? After bundling up (it was cold), she put on the binoculars and headed outside to look at the sky. Not much to see, just gray clouds. It wasn't late/dark enough and the sky was overcast. We kept the star bag an extra day and went out at a later time the following night. It was dark enough to see all sorts of stars and a couple of airplanes.
Elena's favorite part of the star bag experience was writing in the journal and drawing a picture of her observations. She got to share her entries during circle time in class.

Snow White

2009-03-19T15:41:00.000-07:00

Elena is pretending to be Snow White. Looks like she's eaten the poison apple and fallen asleep. Where will we find a Prince Charming? There's one! Think Charming Zachy will give Snow White a kiss and wake her up?
Nope, he'll just smile and giggle.

Then lose interest and crawl away. Good luck Snow White!

Elena writes the word ____.

2009-03-17T16:35:00.000-07:00

BTW, it says "set"

This is work from Elena's school. Her teacher made a point to mention that the first word is "set" and that her t just looks like an x. A nice chuckle for her parents. :-)

At the River House

2009-03-17T15:46:00.001-07:00

Grandma gave Elena a lesson in ironing. She really liked it! Elena only ironed square pieces of fabric, but Auntie has high hopes she'll be doing shirts soon...
Elena was very careful.

Elena has been sewing buttons at school. After ironing the fabric, she chose some buttons to sew. No, she didn't sew all of those... Some are waiting for our next visit.

Thanks for always having fun stuff to do Grandma!

Are you wearing green?!?

2009-03-17T15:06:00.000-07:00

Elena decided that pinching isn't very nice, so if you aren't wearing green you'll get tickled. Better watch out Grandma! We haven't seen any leprechauns today... Or do these two little ones count?
Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Cute new do

2009-02-27T21:11:00.000-08:00

While delivering the kitties to the vet for their program shots, we passed the Brat Pack salon. Since Auntie had just gotten a new haircut, and Mommy was sporting a rockin' new do, Elena was inspired to get her hair cut and styled. About 4 inches were cut off while Elena watched Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus on dvd. Then she got a little braid and some glitter sparkles. Nothing finishes a trip to the hair salon like a lollipop and prize toy. So beautiful, especially in the fancy dress from Auntie Tracy!
Two cute cuts.
FYI, fat Whitto weighed 17lbs 14oz, kitty Warrick was 13lbs 10oz, and Perrin 8lbs 8oz.

Mini putt-putt

2009-02-27T21:02:00.000-08:00

Elena had some putt-putt fun with the boys. She worked very hard to get the skills down and was always asking if she was holding the club correctly.

Look at her hit that purple ball! Luke looks athletic but chilly.
Elena got a hole-in-two! Go E!
She had a blast and looks forward to the next golfing experience. Any one game?

San Francisco Zoo

2009-02-27T20:44:00.000-08:00

It's another beautiful, sunny day in central California - let's go to the zoo! Look at the baby giraffe! The zoo is also the home to a newborn gorilla, but she was inside and we could only see her on video.
The San Francisco Zoo must have some partnership with Fisher-Price because their logo was everywhere. Throughout the zoo there were great photo opportunities (like this giraffe one) which had the Fisher-Price logo at the bottom. And there was an entire snack station devoted to Fisher-Price Little People - tables, umbrellas, etc.

This is Elena's favorite.

Uncle Al warned us of poo throwing animals, but we only witnessed them spraying... This rhino sprayed, and we saw the tapir spray too.

Elena was super excited to see the hippopotamus and we made sure it was going to be a stop on our zoo tour (after a few turns on the carousel), but we never found it! We finally had to ask a zoo employee where the hippo was at. They informed us that the hippo had been old and passed away. Elena was disappointed, but a bag of pink cotton candy eased her pain (and her sweet tooth ;-0).

Let's all cruise to Santa Cruz (so witty)

2009-02-27T20:27:00.000-08:00

We got a great deal on plane tickets ($54 each way!!!) and flew to San Francisco during Elena's mid-winter break to visit the Vecchiets. Despite many people feeling poorly with various symptoms, we had a super fun time! After visiting Al's store, we went to Santa Cruz for some fun on the beach and to see the monarch butterfly migration. Everyone had fun at the beach playing in the sand, avoiding the water, and playing follow the leader.
Luke was a bucket head Transformer who made a cake pie. Elena made tea and squished sand buildings her mom made.

The weather was fantastic! The sun was nice and warm and it wasn't too windy. The surfers seemed to be having a great time. As the tide came in, we collected all the sand toys and created a cake sculpture. Impressive!

Happy cousins enjoying chocolate chip cookies.

Since we saw the butterflies after the beach, it was a little cooler and the butterflies weren't as active (the temperature has to be at least 55 degrees for them to fly).

Auntie Tracy visits!

2009-02-27T20:06:00.001-08:00

Auntie Tracy came for a visit with Uncle Brandon and Gizmo!

They brought Rock Band which Elena loved! She rocked the drums and couldn't get enough of them.
Elena adores Auntie Tracy and loved jamming with her and her daddy.

Auntie Tracy has a great voice! It's so good she could use it to lure little babies into her clutches and give them raspberries or zerberts.

Auntie Tracy enjoys shopping in the U.S. Elena had fun following her around the Seattle Premium Outlets and Target. Auntie Tracy is great at spoiling Lenaloo and bought her lots of pretty dresses and fancy accessories. Cute, cute, cute! Elena loved the fancy chocolate drizzled caramel apple she was given too.

We took advantage of Auntie Tracy's kindness and had her redecorate/rearrange the homes we own in Animal Crossing: City Folk. She did a great job (which Elena has already destructed) but we learned some tips and have our fingers crossed that some day one of the rooms will be on display at the HRA (Happy Room Academy).

Random tasks of cuteness

2009-02-27T15:36:00.000-08:00

Elena thinks she's Harry Cotter. No matter how many times we tell her it's Harry Potter, she still insists on Harry Cotter. She should watch the movie and find out.Too bad Elena isn't always this obedient... One of her greatest challenges is following her mommy's directions. Hopefully it's a little girl phase that she'll grow out of and not a mother/daughter relationship trait that lingers.

Hooray for sunny weather and a swing set!

2009-02-27T15:21:00.000-08:00

A beautiful day, but still a bit chilly out.Zachy isn't having near as much fun as Elena, but really she's having enough fun for 12 people!

With some help, Elena was able to do forward and backward flips on the rings!

When there's no one around willing to push the swing (and someone is too lazy to pump her legs) there's always twisting the swing and letting go to spin, and spin, and spin!

Elena in 3-D

2009-02-06T19:15:00.000-08:00

Did everyone enjoy the Super Bowl? Elena enjoyed the free 3-D glasses we picked up at Target.She thought they were way cool.
Grandma showed her some 3-D pictures on the computer.

Playhouse Disney LIVE! 2/01

2009-02-06T19:09:00.001-08:00

Part of Elena's Christmas present from Grandma and Grandpa was tickets to see Playhouse Disney Live. Elena and Grandma went to the show and ice cream afterwards. Elena dressed up with a sparkly skirt and shoes, Mickey Mouse earrings, and mouse ear hair. She just loved, loved, loved the show! And the cotton candy Grandma bought her.
Elena didn't have a favorite part, but Grandma enjoyed the Little Einsteins.

Elena brought home a souvenir for herself and Zachy. They both got tools who are characters in Handy Manny.

Elena can't wait for her next show! What's coming next? Princesses on Ice again? Elena can only hope.

Look how tall her hair has gotten!

2009-02-06T18:04:00.001-08:00

New PJs!

2009-02-06T18:01:00.001-08:00

More poodle jammas for Elena!

These are actually Gizmo/Poodle jammas. Or Gizmo/Rai jammas. Gizmo is due for a visit any day now. Elena is anxiously awaiting his cuteness!