Beautiful Family

Remember this cute family? Sarah asked me to take some more family pictures for them before we move away. I actually did these for them a few weeks ago. Their little Elizabeth is such a doll and has been a good playmate for Ella. We'll sure miss them!

One Less

As of today I have one less hurdle between me and my Master's degree! I sat for my oral coursework exam this afternoon. It was just me and three of my professors locked in a room for 2 hours with me in the hot seat. I had to answer questions, draw diagrams, apply knowledge to new situations, and prove I've mastered the material I've been learning. And I passed! Now all that's left is my thesis project. I'll be finishing that long distance because we're moving to AZ on Tuesday.

To celebrate passing the exam Blair and I took Ella to the pool/water park in our neighborhood this afternoon. It was great weather and Ella had a fun time experiencing the water and watching the other kids. Then we splurged on some Haagen Dazs and I spent the evening NOT studying. It was refreshing.

No pictures of Ella swimming yet but here are some pictures that our friend, Emily, took for us a few weeks ago. We had beautiful weather until just before we met for pictures. The wind picked up--no, it REALLY picked up--and a dust storm blew in and made the air hazy. And Ella didn't want to cooperate very much. But Emily still managed to capture some nice pictures of us! Here are my favorites.

Favorites

Ella has really been showing personality and preferences in the past several weeks. Here are some of her favorite things:

Bath time. She kicks her legs and grins when she sees us filling her tub.

Bananas. We have to hide them or she'll point at them and grunt then whimpers pathetically when we don't give her one.

Anything from mom and dad's plate. She loves to experience new things.

Avocados. It's her favorite food...she cries when it's gone. And, no we don't feed her like this. We use a spoon.

Peaches!

Morning yoga...nice cobra form. Okay, so she's not a yoga prodigy. But she does enjoy playing with her toys on the floor each morning.

Her stuffed elephant, Zobedia. Ask me later if you want to know about the name.

Smiling and being sweet

Ella is going on 11 months tomorrow. Her first birthday will be here before we know it! And she's still our favorite little person.

For My Nieces

Last weekend Blair and I took Ella up to Lava Hot Springs, Idaho to hang out with my sister and her family for the weekend. Then we went on to Boise for a few days to visit my mom and three of my brothers and their families. It was a busy week but we had a great trip! While I was in Boise I took two of my nieces out for a photo shoot. Sharene is starting high school this year and Kara is just a grade behind her. Aren't they gorgeous? I told them I'd post a little sneak peek on my blog, so here it is. You are both such beautiful girls--I hope you like them!

Disneyland Part 3

I just have one more thing to share about Disneyland. On our third day there we all dressed our little girls up like princesses/fairies and had a mini photo shoot. They certainly got lots of ooohs and ahhhhhs from people passing by. Ella loved her fairy skirt and tried to eat her wand. Our Sleeping Beauty hated sitting in her dress (darn hoop skirt) but wasn't quite a walking pro, so she did a lot of standing and fussed when she was tired and couldn't sit down. Snow White is already training for her first marathon so chasing after her was exhausting, but well worth it. A big thank you goes to Janeal for finding the adorable outfits! And now, a sample of the results:

Snow White

Sleeping Beauty

Eleanor the Fairy Princess

Disneyland Part 2

Favorite rides (Disneyland and California Adventure):

~Space Mountain

~Soarin' Over California

~Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster

~Carousel (ahhh, nostalgia)

~Small World (Ella's Favorite)

Favorite Food:

~Monte Cristo Sandwich at Blue Bayou

~Swirly ice cream cones from the shack in Paradise Pier

~Churros (thanks, Steve!)

Favorite Pastimes:

~Taking pictures of our cute babies

~Skipping and dancing to the soundtrack music playing at the park entrance

~Pin trading

~Saying Happy Birthday to random people just because they were wearing a happy birthday button with their name on it

~Racing through fast pass lanes and figuring out the rider switch program

~Chatting and catching up with friends

~Girls' night out shopping and hot tub

Disneyland Part 1

During our post-graduation trip we left AZ and headed to CA where we met some friends from our early college days. And Disneyland was where we hung out for 3 days! It was my first trip to Disneyland and I had a fantastic time. Hopefully it won't be my last trip there.
Ella was amazing during the trip! She took naps in her stroller, waved at random people while we walked around, and didn't get scared on any of the rides she was allowed on. She even put up with her sunhat!
Here's the group we went with. All four guys were roommates during their undergraduate days at BYU and we like to get together for reunion trips every couple of years. We had three baby girls with us--the oldest was about 18 months and Ella was the youngest at 9 1/2 months.
The first day we had lunch at the Blue Bayou. I was shocked at how dark it is in that restaurant; I never felt like my eyes fully adjusted. I guess normally the Pirates of the Caribbean ride passes through the restaurant but it was closed for repairs, so we missed that effect. But it was still a great experience. I had been told that they have a fantastic sandwich called the Monte Cristo. I was intrigued by its strange description so I had to try it. And I am very glad I did! It was delicious!

Yep, it was my birthday the first day we were there, too. Loved the Mickey Mouse shaped sprinkles.

I have some more to say about our trip and plenty of pictures (including princess pictures of all the babies) but that will have to wait a day or two. For now here's my first picture with a real celebrity. He was very gracious.