Playing Around

I don't know who it was that first came up with the idea of putting playgrounds in malls, but whoever it was is a pure genius. What better way to lure in unsuspecting mothers than to offer a fun place to play for their little ones. And what better way to suck in the mothers like me who LOVE going shopping, but would feel way too guilty dragging their child around the mall without the promise of something fun for them to do in return!

Needless to say, Ella and I go to the Downtown Mall every couple of weeks and window shop for a little while and then I let Ella have some fun and let her play on the playground. She absolutely loves it and just squeals with delight the whole time while she chases all the big kids around.








I realized I haven't been taking as many pictures of her lately as I used to, so I decided to bring my camera along this time. She is learning how to climb on everything now, which made this trip especially fun for her now that she can do so much more!





Ella was playing so hard that I think she needed a break. A couple of times she just stopped, lied down, and looked up at the ceiling until she caught her breath. . .then she was off again!

Pigtails

I put Ella's hair in pigtails today for the first time. She looked so cute and so much more like a little girl rather than a baby.

I took a few pictures of her first pigtails (it was taken after church, outfit changes, and her nap so it did look a little better this morning--at least I hope-- and I was able to keep most of the hair out of her eyes for most of the day :)

A Series of Unfortunate Events

How did we enjoy Brad's day off today??

1. Ella getting at least 3 of her molars in at the same time (that's all I've been able to find from looking in her mouth (. . .there is no way I would dare sticking my fingers in!) and waking up at 5-5:30am every morning as a result of it. (At least this is the only explanation I can come up with for the early wake up calls!)

2. Leaving a not too impressive yard sale only to have Ella lock herself in the car while strapped into the car seat and playing with my keys. She kept pushing the button over and over, but only managed to hit the "lock" button--never the "unlock", of course. Brad had to rescue us--thankfully this was the one Saturday morning he gets off every 3 months! I had a very upset baby on my hands by the time he got to us and I was a very worried mother!

3. Planning to start our patio project in our backyard, and purchasing all the equipment to set it up and lay it out. We get home from Home Depot only to find our refrigerator has stopped working and our freezer is dripping everywhere and all of our food has gone soft. Of course, since it is a Saturday, no one can come out to look at it until Monday. Brad and I tinker around with it to see if we can fix it; we finally give up and buy some ice and put everything we can in coolers hoping we can salvage some of our food. The repair man will come out on Monday (hopefully).

4. Getting swarmed by mosquitoes in our backyard. They are the worst this time of year, and I would say the rampant mosquitoes are the thing I detest most about coastal Virginia. Have you ever read Chesapeake by James Michener?? He talks about how horrible the mosquitoes were for the Indians and settlers and I can attest to this first-hand. I told Brad that I think I look like I have "the pox" and have been super dramatic about my scabs and welts! I hate them SO bad!!

There you have it. I know, really nothing too horrible but it is definitely not what I had planned for my day. On the bright side, at least I had Brad to share it all with rather than dealing with everything on my own, right??

I hope our next day off together will be a little more fun and a little more productive . . .

My Saturday Mornings

I have to admit I totally get addicted to Garage Sale hunting--especially this year now that I am always on the lookout for fun kiddie stuff for Ella. This garage sale season has brought some pretty good finds and I thought I would share them all with you. I really have come to totally believe that you can find almost anything you want at a garage sale especially when it comes to kids and toys. I could probably count on one hand the number of toys Brad and I have bought for Ella at a "regular" store. We just can't afford them and it seems like every time I have found something at the store that I thought Ella would just love, I have found the same thing for $1 or less at a garage sale a week or two later. I feel like I have become really good at passing up things that we really don't need, but when it comes to finding a bargain at a garage sale I just can't resist! I think Brad may be starting to think I have lost my mind, but, oh well. I'm pretty sure I'll keep hunting each Saturday morning. I do have to admit I sometimes feel like an old woman when I rush out to get the paper and circle which garage sales I'm going to hit that morning. I think I especially look like a weirdo when I do it on a Wednesday and start "planning in advance". Oh well. I will admit, that is just who I am right now. . .but at least I think it has been paying off!

I took a few pictures of my best finds over the past 2 months. I have also bought little toys and clothes for Ella, but these are the ones that were most exciting to me!


This is a little rocking snail that I found for Ella for $2 at my first garage sale of the year . . .I later saw one very similar at TJ Maxx on sale for $75! Ella loves to ride on it everyday!

Here is the walker we got for Ella for $1. . .she doesn't use it as much now that she can walk on her own, but it was a lifesaver for a while.

Fun little picnic table, $5

Crocodile see-saw

And the jackpot from this last weekend was this awesome playground! I have been looking into prices and trying to figure out if we would ever be able to afford getting one for Ella lately. They are normally REALLY pricey, but this awesome lady sold it to me for $40. I was nervous getting it because I have never made so big a purchase without Brad's consent, but I just had to dive on in and do it on my own since Brad was at the hospital. I figured, if he didn't agree, I would always be able to sell it for more on Craig's List later! Look how much fun it is! Ella is still a little small for it now but come this winter and spring I think she will really enjoy it!! I am so excited about this purchase, can you tell? (Please ignore the ugly towels and that in the background. . .we had just gotten back from swimming when I took these pictures :))





Crawling through the tunnel

Going down the slide all by herself!

Oh, and I have to say an extra special thanks to my dad for the playground, because last time we were in town he snuck $40 into my pocket (as he often does) when we were leaving for the airport. I've been hanging onto the money waiting to use it on something fun, when I found this at the garage sale I thought it would be a perfect use for his "gift" to us. So. . . . thanks again, Dad!