Parents As Teachers

Tonight was Ella's Parents As Teachers Group Meeting. That means all the families that use P.A.T. meet together at the elementary school for a group session. It is usually loud and wild, but most of the times the girls enjoy them. Gracie isn't in P.A.T. anymore since she is in school, but she usually comes along. Tonight we were supposed to have our 2 year olds work on tongue and mouth exercises to help them speak more clearly. Blowing on these party favors is a good exercise to tighten up their mouths.

Ella finally got the hang of it, and then she couldn't quit blowing!

Blowing bubbles was another good exercise to try with the kids.

The kids also spent time blowing through straws to push these little pom poms across the tables and their favorite exercise was to lick the icing out of the Oreo cookie. They couldn't use their teeth, just their tongues, and it was amazing how much some of the kids struggled.

Tonight we were supposed to invite Ella's grandparents to the meeting. Grandpa had a meeting in Moberly so he couldn't come and Mama lives over an hour away and it started snowing again, so we hated to risk having her on the road when it could turn nasty. Nana came and hopefully enjoyed watching the girls play, even though it wasn't the best group meeting we have ever had.

Another Snow Day

We woke up to another day of no school due to the snow. The girls were very excited since they still wanted to play with all of their new birthday gifts. First on the agenda was trying out their new leotards.

Gracie and Ella both love to dance, but now that Ella has an actual leotard we couldn't get her to stop dancing. She had to add her fairy wings to the outfit and spent much of the morning dancing with anybody and anything.

This Barbie was Ella's first dance partner.

Gracie's ballerina doll was a good partner for Ella. She's almost bigger than Ella!

Gracie had big plans for making a snowman. I agreed since I really haven't played in the snow with her this winter. We made a small snowman and then decided to go sledding down our hill.

The Family Birthday Celebration

Since Gracie and Ella have birthdays so close together, we picked a date in the middle for their family party so that people wouldn't have to travel to Macon twice. Today was the big day...Super Bowl Sunday and the girl's birthday party.

Gracie finally got the Snuggie she has so desperately wanted!

Ella loved her new Dora umbrella!

Gracie is a big fan of scotch tape, so she got a new supply for her crafts and projects. She even got a fancy desktop style dispenser!

Baby dolls continue to be one of Ella's favorite things! She loves her chicken baby that cheeps.

As soon as Ella opened her robe, she had to put it on immediately. She's also loving on her new Peek-A-Boo baby doll.

Finally...some Zhu Zhu pet accessories! They were impossible to find at Christmas, but now they are in the stores.

Yes, Ella is still wearing her robe at this point of the party.

Gracie got a cow baby doll, so she told Ella it will be good friends with her chicken baby.

Gracie loves opening presents! Who doesn't?! This one was from Ray and Mikie, our old neighbors from Kahoka.

This is an outfit for Gracie's American Girl knock-off doll. It is super cute and is made in Atlanta's school colors. It also has Gracie's name on it. She was very excited! Good idea, Mikie!

Princess and the Frog is one of Gracie's new favorites.

Aunt B gets each of the kids a Precious Moment figurine for their birthday every year.

Ella had a cupcake balloon bouquet for her birthday cake.

Gracie really wanted a Barbie cake, so I did my best.

Ella was puckering up to blow her candle out! Too funny!!

Lucas, Sydney and Madison were enjoying the cupcakes with Ella.

Do ya have a little cake in your mouth, Gracie???

Trying out the new Snuggie. It looks pretty cozy!

Ella's Second Birthday

Our sweet, yet ornery, Ella turned two years old today. She walked around the house telling me, "It my birfday."

We didn't do too much celebrating until Brent and Gracie got home from school.

Gracie was a very helpful big sister and assisted Ella with unwrapping her gifts. It's so hard to resist opening a present...even if it's not for you.

Ella loves Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but we didn't have the movie on DVD, so she was excited to unwrap this present!

Ella got a new outfit and bed for her Zhu Zhu pet. She loves her hamster!

Wowzers! I don't know what this face was all about, but I'm glad I caught a picture to capture the moment!

Ella loved her Velcro pizza making kit.

Looks like big sis is going to enjoy making pizza as well!

I made Ella a big cookie instead of cake since we are celebrating this weekend and will have lots of cake then. I had a few Dora items to put on top of her cookie so she was as happy as if it had been an actual cake.

There is no frosting on that candle, but I guess she has seen enough people lick the candle that she thought it was the thing to do!

Atlanta's Alumni Basketball Game

Tonight was the Atlanta C-3 Alumni Basketball game. This year they allowed employees to play to increase the number of participants. That means Brent couldn't resist the opportunity to join in on the fun.

Ella and Gracie found the whole game to be very amusing. They took their pom poms to cheer for their daddy. Ella was especially entertained when Brent fell down while taking a charge. She kept laughing and saying, "Daddy falled down!" Everyone sitting near us heard that over and over. The best news was that Brent made it home in one piece with minimal pain.

Ella's Big Triumph

Ella has been pottying in her big girl potty for probably a month now. She's not terribly consistent yet, but she is eager to try when it's on her own terms. It seems like she is getting closer to being ready to officially potty train, but I'm still hesitant since she isn't even 2 years old yet.

Tonight Ella went into the bathroom while Gracie was taking a shower and she shut the door behind her. I left her alone and thought she was just peeking at Gracie. Well it wasn't long until Ella started banging on the door saying what sounded like, "I pooped in the potty." I opened the door and quickly scolded her for stripping off her diaper. I started to redress her when I noticed the potty...and yes, she had pooped in the potty for the first time! I took a picture of her looking quite proud, but since she was in her birthday suit I won't post it. I imagine it was something of an accident, but it was still a very proud moment for Ella. I hope it continues!