Big shoes to fill

This is a classic! I remember seeing pictures of me wearing my dads shoes. What is it about kids wanting to wear big shoes? She was so proud of herself because she did it all by herself. (I got some video of it too, but I'm trying to figure out how to add it.)

Fork time

Ellen has gotten really good with her spoon, so I decided to give the fork a try. I told her she had to poke at her food. So, she took a piece of cantaloupe out of her bowl and poked and chased it around her tray. She did really well



Then we tried strawberries. They weren't quite as soft as the cantaloupe so she tried poking them a different way. (I love watching her process stuff)

More camping

Here are a few pictures of some of our friends that we went camping with and their kids.

(Picture #1) Lathan and Ellen sitting around the camp fire. (#2) Paige talking to Ellen and Hannah (#3) Chuck and Tim eating dinner Friday evening (#4) Rachel and Ellen ... Ellen is playing with Rachel's i-phone! (#5) Jamie is enjoying our home-made apple pies (#6) Brett & Ashley soaking up the great weather

We filled our free time with many activities. Here, Ellen is eating her dinner Friday night. It was the first time she would actually eat a hot dog. We made home-made apple pies with these grilled cheese makers. The kids played with bubbles and they made them all land on Ellen's head. Hillbilly golf (that's what we call it) was the game of choice for the guys.

We took the kids fishing on Saturday. Tim and Caleb bought some minnows and worms to fish with and the kids thought the minnows were the best! Ellen wasn't afraid of the little fish at all. She reached in and grabbed them. As you can read Ellen's lips she is proudly displaying her "fish." Then she decided to do a little talking to the minnow with her fishy face.

Here are a few pictures of us fishing. The water was so high that we didn't catch anything, but we had fun trying.

Saturday evening ended with a camping staple...SMORES!

Camping at Pomme De Terre

Tim, Ellen, and I were invited to go on an impromptu camping trip this past weekend. We camped at Pomme De Terre (on the Pittsburgh side) with some friends from church. We had great weather and Ellen had a blast. We are looking forward to doing it again soon.

I have a lot of fun pictures, but it's late and I am tired, so I will try to post more tomorrow.

Here are a few pictures of our "Home-Sweet-Home"

Another Park?

I have been in Bolivar for almost 10 years now and I didn't know there was another park besides Dunnegan Park. Ellen and I had lunch with a friend and her two children at this little park by the Middle School where Tim works. It was a great park for Ellen because it had smaller equipment and it wasn't as intimidating to her.

Dress up time

I did a little rearranging in Ellen's room and she re-discovered her tutu and crown. So, I have started a dress up box for her. It has purses and jewelry so far, but I am sure it will grow quickly.

Look Mommy!

Since we have gotten our faster Internet connection we seem to be spending more time on the computer! : ) We decided to put Ellen's desk out with the big desk so she could have a place to work too. The teacher in me is very pleased with the way she is holding the crayon; and the mom in me wants to hold onto every piece of "art" that she makes. The funny thing is...that she has usually wadded up the paper and thrown it in the trash before I have a chance to keep it. She knows exactly where the paper is in my desk and will get it all by herself. (imagine that)

Tent Time

I dug out a tent that I used when I was teaching and Ellen thought it was great! She put her blocks and a blanket in there and played for a while. She is starting to form an imagination. It's exciting to see her mind at work.