Illinois Trip #1

We just got back from our first of three trips to Illinois this year. We had a great time visiting everyone! We arrived Thursday morning and Elle did a wonderful job on the airplane. She made friends with the man sitting next to us, and really enjoyed watching us take-off and land. She was very excited to see grandma and grandpa, and immediately realized she loved riding on grandpa's shoulders. She did a lot of swimming in her little pool, enjoyed evening walks around the neighborhood, the local park, and meeting LOTS of new people!

A couple of Elle's favorite things in Illinois were the following:


1. Being outside... Elle LOVED being outside, especially crawling around in the grass. The weather was perfect, so I was thrilled she was able to spend so much time exploring.


2. Grandma and Grandpa... From riding on grandpa's shoulders to sharing muffins with grandma, it's safe to say Elle LOVES seeing her grandparents!

3. Raggedy Andy... Although I didn't get any pictures of her playing with this overstuffed doll, I did get a video of her wrestling with him! Her great-grandmother gave her a Raggedy Andy doll which was a HUGE hit!

4. Grandma's curio cabinet... My mom has some collectibles in a small curio cabinet at their house. Within hours of arriving on Thursday, Elle found it, as well as her voice, as she attempted to "boss" the figurines around! If she wasn't playing with her Raggedy Andy, she would most likely be found at the curio cabinet!

Here are a couple of more fun pictures...

Elle and Aunt Kristin hanging out together

Elle and Mackenzie catching up since they last saw each other

We all had a blast visiting family, and are looking forward to seeing them all again in August!

Last Day of Daycare

Today was Elle's last day at daycare. It was a bittersweet day, because as some of you know she will be going to a babysitter next year, which we are very excited about, but Elle also loved her friends and teacher at daycare. So even though I had the day off, I decided I would let her go hang out one more time with everyone. She loves playing with everybody and everything there, she is truly a little social butterfly.

Even though she was only in daycare for 5 months, we couldn't have asked for a better place to put her. Her teacher was amazing and loved Elle like her own daughter. As a working mom, it's so important to have someone like that you can trust to leave your most precious cargo with! I am so thankful to have found the place I did. Here are some pictures of her last day...

Getting in some last minute reading


Snuggling up to the classroom's favorite little bunny... it does
everything from supporting those new to sitting to being a
fun object to crawl over!

Pulling everything off the shelf, Elle's new hobby is making messes!

Elle's 9 Month Check-Up

It's crazy to think our little girl is a short three months away from turning one! This has probably been the fastest year of my life, and I hope that this coming one slows down a bit. Elle had her 9 month check-up yesterday and we are happy to report that she is continuing to grow beautifully!

Here are her 9 month stats:

Weight: 18 pounds 6.5 ounces (45th percentile)
Length: 28 1/2 inches (78th percentile)

There were no shots at this appointment, and I don't know who was more happy about that, her or me?!

And it officially summer! I'm so excited to spend the next two months hanging out with my favorite little girl! It's going to be great!

I had to post this picture because she loves crawling around with just her towel on her head after her baths... it's pretty funny and cute!