Winter Days....

Some things you can do on a cold, Winter day (if you are Ella):

1. make your racetrack into a circle, line up your cars around the inside, and then lay in the middle---call it a clock and say that the cars are the numbers and you are the "stick" in the middle that tells what time it is!

2. make homemade salsa and taste the cilantro (even though you won't taste other things that you would definitely love)

3. decorate a paper tube from a foil roll, then put it on the door handle and tell your mommy you made "a lever" and that it makes it easier to open the door. Then impress her even more when you tell her that "it's also a simple machine." When your mommy asks you if you learned about that on Curious George, tell her, "Nope, I just made that up myself!"

Ice Storm

This week we were the lucky recipients of yet another Winter storm...this time an ice storm. Thankfully, Haluski did not decide to come on this particular day, as I have no idea how we would have made it to the hospital! We are grateful that we were not one of the thousands of households that lost power.

Aside from all of the troubles that the ice caused people, it really was beautiful on the branches. Here are a few pictures that I took that morning:

unknown bush encased in front yard

icy bird house hoping for warmer days

azalea bush

another unknown bush

"berry bush"

a wreath our neighbors had laying in the yard

another view of the wreath covered with snow

trees in ice--doesn't quite capture what we saw

icicles hanging from the second floor of our house

holly bush in front of the house

another holly bush view

I think we are all looking forward to Spring days---opening the windows, walks to the playground, and planting our garden!

Baby Gould Shower

On Saturday, my parents hosted a baby shower for Rob and me at their house. We had a great day with everyone and appreciated their generosity --their time to be there and the nice gifts and gift cards that we received. Pappy and Baba made sure that Ella was also included as the big sister-to-be and she had wonderful time, too, with her own balloons and decorated chair.

Ella and I used some of the gift cards yesterday to purchase a few last minute goodies for the baby and will save the rest for things we'll need along the way.

Later that evening. my parents also treated Rob and me to a date night out while they watched Ella--we had dinner and they gave us symphony tickets! That was probably our last date night before we become a family of 4--crazy to think!

So the countdown is on--only 10 more days now, and we don't think it can come soon enough. We are all prepared here (physically, anyway) and I don't think that I can nest anymore than I already have (just ask Rob about our freezers). In the meantime, Ella and I are just enjoying our time together during the day with crafts and projects (today we went to Briar Bush Nature Center). Hopefully our next blog post will be to show you pictures of our new addition!

awesome umbrella cupcake cake from Auntie Carolyn (Thank you!!)

big sister-t0-be in her specially decorated chair

silly girl!

some of the delicious food

love her!

opening gifts and cards with my helper

checking out a gift from the Peters that Ella can help the baby play with

decorated mama

decorated daughter

wonderful 3 Bears clock for the baby's room from Auntie Titter and Uncle Dave

Karen doing her "string and needle test" to guess if the baby is a boy or girl

(straight line swinging means a boy, while circular swinging means a girl....

It started out straight, then ended up making circles!.....so....

It will just be a surprise!!)

Auntie Carolyn reading the "Baby Poll"

Ella and Pappy playing her new spelling puzzle game

I thought this face was so funny!

Elizabeth, Tasha, and Karen Peter

(one of the nicest families I know---Elizabeth was 2 and Tasha was a newborn when I started babysitting for their family)

Oopss--we forgot to get a family photo!

Giggling

Ella's face when she and Rob are "laughing at Mommy so she doesn't see!"

Adventure Aquarium

On Saturday, our friends invited us to go to the Adventure Aquarium in Camden with them. We had a great time and the kids really enjoyed themselves. Ella's favorite parts were seeing the sharks and sea turtles and watching the hippos eat hay. Thanks to the Conarons for a fun day!

starfish in touch pool

lots of Nemo's!

wearing a shirt from England relatives

playing with the toy sting rays

(We had just finished seeing a lot of real ones in another section and were telling Ella that they sting....She, of course, had no interest in petting some, then, in the petting pool!)

Watch out for sharks!

bird near the hippo tank

checking out the fish

our friends: Cynthia, Dave, and Liam

the Conarons looking at starfish

silly buddies!

cool tube fish tank

posing in the rain forest

family photo

Miscellaneous

Last week, Ella and I made her valentine cards for her preschool class. She used stickers and glitter to decorate foam hearts, attach a pencil, and then signed her name on each one.

writing her name

some of the completed valentines

up-close look

We also had Ella's first school parent-teacher conference last week. It was interesting to hear what skills the teachers have observed that she has and to hear about how she interacts in the classroom. Her teacher reported that she is pleasant and helpful and does well with tasks such as cutting and coloring. Later in the day, Ella and Rob made me birthday brownies and gave me gift cards for Barnes and Noble (for coffee and books)!

making brownies
(Ella told Rob what the ingredients should be when she looked at the back of the box).

wearing Rob's hockey jersey

(She has been getting into watching hockey and football with Rob and loves

cheering for the teams with him)

31 years and 37 weeks, Respectively

Here are pictures of Haluski and me on my 31st birthday after Rob took me out for a birthday dinner date (that's why my belly looks realllllly huge---it's just because of all of the dinner I ate)!

37 weeks pregnant (9 months, 1 week)

I think I was saying, "Hey!" as Rob was commenting that he was having trouble fitting my belly into the shot.....but, I did a picture of his belly right after this to pay him back. Lucky for him, I am nice enough not to post it online. (I plan on keeping that photo in case I need to use it in the future, though!)