Flowers

Without Maisie to chase her around all day, Ella has had to find alternative ways to get out and run around. We take a lot of walks, and even though the weather has started its all too familiar rolling slide back into fall, the sidewalks and boulevards are still lined with flowers. Ella is delighted. She points out each new batch as she sees them. "Flower!" Also every rock, which she calls a "gah!" I say, "rrrooooccckkk" and she says "gah" and hits it and goes to look for more.


Our walks take a while.

Farmer's Market

Last Saturday, Maisie, Aaron, Gramma Liisa, and Dylan went bowling at the Bryant-Lake Bowl. Ellie and I thought about going too, but decided that perhaps a tightly crowded restaurant/bowling alley/cabaret theater isn't the best place to take an antsy toddler with more mobility than sense. So instead, she and I decided to go to the Midtown Farmer's Market.

I was planning on picking up apples for making applesauce, so I made sure she was wearing the apple hat her Grandma Jo made. I also wanted tomatoes for canning. But Ella was enamored of these beautiful winter squash called Sunset...

So we had to get one of those first.

We did stop by the awesome local apple orchard table and bought a whole lot of apples, which Ella also got excited about.

Maybe it's just that she really likes applesauce!

After we got over our joy about the apples and squash, we were able to listen to the Danish folk music that was being played, which Ella also really enjoyed.

It was a chilly morning, but very fun.

First day of school!

Today was Maisie's first day of her 2nd year at her Montessori preschool.

For comparison - look how much bigger she is than last year!

I can't believe how much she's grown!

Speaking of growing up... Ella is now 14 months old, and becoming a fully formed person. She walks, climbs, and runs, has fantastic receptive language skills, and can communicate! She is very clear about her likes (milk, being read to, balls, Gramma Liisa, the cats, Maisie) and dislikes (diaper changes, bedtime).

She loves to go to the children's museum, and play with water...

and to play in the outdoor sandbox!

As you can see, she has beautiful curly hair, big blue eyes, and an infectious grin.

We are so fortunate to have such wonderful, beautiful girls!