It's Here!

I just finished my home deep clean and everything is ready to go for a GREAT weekend!  So many things to look forward to!  Tonight marks the start of college and MSU football season! AND Ashley, Jeff, Molly and Oscar are all on their way for the weekend!  So this will be Ella's first slumber party.  I have talked to her all week about sharing her toys, so hopefully she will be a good girl.

Bath fresh!

I realized today that without thinking about it I am planning on making Mama VanderLaan's (Mo's Mom) taco dip and Mama Hannen's (Emily's Mom) sandwich for 12 to enjoy during our college football watching tomorrow.  So in a way it will be like all of the 1054 college roommates will be back together!

Our plans include crafting and football watching tomorrow and Sunday we are heading out for Ella's first baseball game to see the Brewers!  Depending on the weather it may also be her first tailgate as well :)

She will be more excited once the game actually starts :)

It's gonna be a great weekend!  GO STATE!

Meijer is Coming!

Just got the amazing news that Meijer is coming to Wisconsin!!!  I'm thinking of volunteering at the construction site just to get it here faster.  AND it will only be 20 minutes from our house.  Now I will just try and be patient for the next year or so while they build it...

Ella is also very enthusiastic!

Yes, this news is so good it warranted its own blog post.

Miscellaneous Happenings

Things were pretty uneventful around here today.  Although I was able to cross two rooms off of my cleaning list, so that felt good.  Somehow I don't actually feel like the house seems cleaner though, but Nick says it does so I must be on the right track.  This weekend my college roommate and her husband and baby are coming to town so I have to get everything done before then.  At least I have a solid deadline to keep me on track!  Not to mention that I am super excited to see them all - Ella and Molly will be great playmates this weekend!

Some bumbo time - how cute are her little jeans??!

I also spent some time getting things ready and organized for Ella's first day of day care.  :(  I am headed back to work on Tuesday and I have very mixed emotions about it!  I know they will take good care of her and I am looking forward to seeing my work friends but it is going to be a hard transition.  Anyway, I had ordered some name bubbles since EVERYTHING that goes to day care has to be labeled.  They came yesterday so I had fun sticking them on things today.  Hopefully they really do hold up through the washing machine and dishwasher.

napping while Mommy cleans

In other news this weekend I re-covered our office chair.  It needed it SO BAD, Zoe apparently loved the fabric that it came with and completely clawed it up.  She doesn't claw on other furniture, but I guess she really loved the texture of this.  For probably close to 3 years I just had fabric draped over it and it looked like a mess all the time.  I had been mentally planning how I would sew a slipcover for quite awhile but finally decided that I was going to do it.  I got the fabric half off so it only cost me $15.

I couldn't believe how well it turned out!  I love it so much.  All I did was carefully pin the pieces together on the chair and did some very steady sewing right on the line that I pinned.  Such a difference - had I known it was going to turn out so well and be so easy I would have tried this a long time ago!  Lesson learned.

2 Month Weigh In

Today was Ella's 2 month appointment!  She is still a big girl but has dropped to the 75th percentile instead of the 90th so she is tapering off a little bit which the doctor says is just fine.  She officially weighs 12 pounds, 5.5 ounces and is 23 inches tall!

Tummy time with Mortimer the Moose!

She did receive some vaccinations today as well, but she is a trooper!  She cried for just a bit but was smiling just a few minutes after.  She has been a little sleepy today but if that is the worst side effect I'll take it.

We got out the exersaucer awhile ago, but Ella has really been enjoying it lately, I think she loves "standing" on her own and looking around.  She is quite content in there for awhile.

Just lounging around!

This weekend was pretty low key around here.  Nick and I did manage to get some yard/house work done, but we mostly just relaxed and cuddled with Ella, it was a great weekend!  And I must confess that I am failing miserably at operation deep clean.  I have gotten a handful of rooms done but have not stuck with the one room a day concept at all. :/  So much for using the blog as motivation!

Ella has turned into a great sleeper, she has been going 8-9 hours at night.  She makes me so happy because when I go to get her in the morning she gives me a great big smile to start the day!  Makes it much easier to get up in the morning :)

Shortly after we returned from vacation I found Zoe and Lucky in Ella's room being cute.  Zoe was all sprawled out in the glider and Lucky was apparently having a discussion with Mr. Bear.  It was pretty cute!

Cabin Vacation - Part 3

The final installment of our vacation!

The rest of our days at the cabin were mostly inside days as it got pretty windy again, but I sure enjoyed some comfortable weather and not sweating it out in 90+ degree heat like we have been this summer!  We enjoyed reading over some old letters which tell the history of the cabin and looking (and laughing) at some old family photos.  Nick, Ella and I spent a day in town doing a little shopping and had lunch as well.

Ella (and Grandpa!) love flying together!

Ella was the center of MANY photoshoots

looking like a big girl - one of my favorites!

Sung as a little bug sleeping in the bunk house!

On the trip Ella also found her thumb for the first time and is now a thumb sucking expert.  (I know reviews are mixed on thumb sucking vs. paci - but I'm quite ok with her being content with her thumb.)

Enjoying the cozy fire

a final look at summer

I look so cute in Grandpa's hat!

With that (and a few tears) we bid farewell to the cabin and to another summer.  Hopefully Ella will be enjoying many more summers at the cabin (I mean, who doesn't enjoy summers at the lake?).  About an hour after we left I remembered something I had seen on the Pure Michigan facebook page (see - the ads do work!) which was only about a 15 minute drive off our route.  And that was to stop at Palms Brook State Park to see Kitchitkipi "Big Spring" - Michigan's largest spring.  So glad we decided to stop!

The water is 45' deep and at 45 degrees year round - COLD!  But it is crystal clear and very beautiful!

Ella and Daddy checking out the fish

Lots of trout!

Looking straight to the bottom you can see LOTS of huge trout and several fallen trees.  It is so clear it is very bizarre to think that it is really 45' down!

It was a very beautiful side trip and helped us stretch our legs a bit.  I am so glad I remembered to check it out!


And with that we made it home, with only one other stop for some food and a diaper change.  Ella did really great on both drives, each time we only had to stop once for her - she is a good little traveler.  Such a big girl at only 2 months old!

Cabin Vacation - Part 2

Alright, we will continue our up north adventures!

We finally got some warm weather and Ella and I spent some time at the end of the dock enjoying the sun and water.  I did my best to keep her in the shade but I had a Mom fail moment and apparently let her get too much sun, her cheeks were a little pink that night. :/  I felt awful but she just looked so darn cute with a little sun tan!

Right BEFORE this photo was taken we were looking out over the lake and saw the Bald Eagle fly down to the water in the middle of the lake.  It sure looked like he was going to catch a fish but must have decided at the last minute not too because he didn't come up with anything.  He did however skim the lake all the way back to shore.

Shortly AFTER this photo was taken I happened to look to shore and saw a mink running across the shore!  I wasn't totally sure what it was until we looked it up later that night, but after seeing images I am positive.  A first for me at the cabin!

Nick and I were able to take our kayaks out while Grandma and Grandpa watched Ella for a bit.  This was our first time both being away from her!  I think we were gone for an hour or so, so they really had it pretty easy, no diaper changes or bottles involved!  On our kayak trip we kept our eyes peeled for the eagle, Nick found him up in a tree with the binoculars and we were able to kayak to within 50 yards of him.  It was quite a sight, I could see his head turning and heard him fly away when we got too close.  You'll have to take my word for it though as I didn't risk the camera in the kayak!

We enjoyed many beautiful sunsets and a couple of camp fires, where Ella bundled up in her adorable hoodie (and a cute blanket too!), and I made delicious s'mores!

Ella has started to LOVE her bumbo (and yes, we heard about the recall - thank you!) and she loves her taggie that her Auntie Em made for her!  She has started to find the "tags" and loves to put them in her mouth (of course).

Ella and Grandma enjoyed some beach time while Daddy and Grandpa went for a sail.  Grandma helped Ella find her toes!  She hasn't started grabbing them on her own yet, but she sure stares at them like she is trying to figure out how.

On Thursday Grandma Hund drove up from Lewiston to spend some time with Ella.  Unfortunatley it was a windy rainy day so we were stuck inside but Grandma got lots of cuddle time in!

And that's all for now!  Final segment coming soon along with a great last minute stop on the drive home!

Cabin Vacation - Part 1

Ella's first trip to the Upper Peninsula and to The Cabin!

We were able to spend last week at my family cabin in the U.P. on Brevort Lake and Ella experienced lots of firsts and was able to get lots of love from her Grandma and Grandpa Boehm, Aunt Mel and Uncle Steve and even Grandma Hund!  Mel and Steve were there for the first weekend and then Mom and Dad stayed with us all week in their View.

We started by celebrating Mel and Dad's recent birthday's

Dad almost always celebrates his birthday at the cabin!

It was pretty windy the first couple of days so we mostly just hung out (which I guess is really what we did the whole time!).  We all took a walk to the sand dune and Ella really loved looking all around in her carrier, this was her first time facing out and she loved it!  She loved to look at the trees the whole time we were at the cabin.

Ella and Daddy chatting

Uncle Steve decided that it would be ok to hold Ella.  He really didn't look as nervous as this picture shows but this was the best I got, all the others were blurry!

Dad was able to get the boat in the water on Sunday after the wind died down a little.  This was a first for the Flex - towing!  And a first for me as I drove to the launch with the boat in tow!  (I let Dad do the actual launching though)

I decided to save on some packing and let Ella sleep in the Minnow room bunk beds!  She apparently loved it because she slept all night while we were there - sometimes 9 hour stretches! (another first!)  She also enjoyed playing in her bed - although she was not ready for bunk bed gymnastics yet.

little minnow in a big bed!

We had some tummy time on the beach and lounging around with Daddy

Sunday I got a text from my high school friend Michelle asking if I happened to be at the cabin since she was in St. Ignace with her husband Austin!  I was so excited for this surprise visit!  They were able to come out for the evening and have dinner and catch up - so fun :)

Photo credit to Michelle since I forgot to take one :(

Monday night we decided to go into town for dinner (which had mixed reviews) and then got ice cream and Ella had her first expierece in a fudge shop - which she loves already! (she could tell by the yummy smells :) )

And this will be continued in further posts, I hear a baby calling me!

Operation Deep Clean

I have made it my goal to deep clean this house... something I rarely do (cleaning is not my strong suit...).  To accomplish this I have decided that I would do one room a day.  It seems manageable.  The goal is to basically touch every surface, vacuum, mop, dust, pick up, etc.  Today I tackled the office and I am proud to say that I completed it all (although I am just now finished at 9:30..).  I figured if I blogged about it I might be held more accountable and feel like I had to complete it.  So that's why you are all hearing about my cleaning goals.  Wish me luck!

And because every post needs a cute picture:

Hiking to the sand dune!

Vacation re-cap is still coming - promise!

2 Months Old!

We got home yesterday from a great trip up north to our family cabin, it was a very relaxing week and Ella had many firsts!

I will have some good posts recapping our trip coming up, but a special little girl turned two months old yesterday so I have to cover that first... plus I am ready to just relax so I will coordinate more detailed posts when I have more energy!

Ella heads to the doctor next week so I don't have her latest height and weight, but I think she is probably close to 13 pounds.  She is in Kirkland brand size 1-2 diapers (LOVE Costco diapers and wipes!) and size 3-6 months clothes.  She is such a happy, content baby!  She smiles and coos all the time now and holds her head way up during tummy time.  She loves to look around and see what is going on around her.  She loved being at the cabin and slept all through the night, but typically she is still getting up once at night, which I can't complain about too much :)

This week she found her thumb and is officially a thumb sucker!  It took her awhile to transition from her fist to just her thumb but she seems to have it down now.  We love her so much!

Time to take the last of the vacation laundry out of the dryer!

Hiatus

The blog will be on a temporary hiatus until late next week because we are packing up the car and heading north!  I am so excited that I will be spending the next week looking at this view...

The last two days have been super stressful and busy as Nick has been gone allllll day with a work conference.  The funny thing about living near corporate is that he would normally fly to Milwaukee for these meetings and be totally gone... it seemed like it would be awesome to live here so he would be "home" when there were meetings, but I still don't end up seeing him until 9:30-10 because they have evening events planned for everyone.

Ella and I have been busy doing laundry, packing, planning and grocery shopping.  Tomorrow we have to spend the morning dropping off the fuzzies at their respective boarding places and then wait for Nick to get home, finish packing and hit the road!  Here's to hoping she can enjoy a 7 hour car ride!

Watching Mommy pack some groceries