Dadadadadada

Threw this pic in for good measure (and for Aunt Dolly :) Mike as Mick Jagger..his famous routine always a hit!

"Hey mom, I'm over here with my new friend" (Ella with Natalie at the wedding)

Our fab owl bib set from Miss Bardot! Thanks Bardot!

Look ma, no brace! ha ha!

Father Doug speaking to Ella of the benefits of joining the Convent ;) (mom says keep talking)

Well, Ella did it! She "said" her first word last Tuesday. Dada... Mike wins ;) And it's been so sweet to hear her say this over and over (and over) again :) Big girl Ella! This week, Ella received a nice gift (very cute owl bibs) for her 1/2 birthday from Bardot and boys! We sure miss them since they moved to California.

Other breaking news this week.... Ella is now out of her braces! She loves stretching out her legs and kicking around. And she can finally wear pants now! She, of course, outgrew a lot of clothing that has been stored in the closet that wasn't condusive with the brace. Her 3 month pant sets are way too small- she is too long to wear them.

We also celebrated yet another wedding this week. It was the wedding of Ben (Mike's cousin) and Dana. It was a beautiful wedding and we all had a great time seeing everyone! Two of Ella's littlest admirers were Kyle and Hunter who absolutely loved her. Most of the evening Ella just chilled in her car seat and watched the activity around her. She loved the lights! I don't have many pictures including Ella of the evening. Ella did have one photo op with the bride and groom although not with my camera. Above are all the photos I took of Ella during the evening. I did get a photo of her listening intensely to Father Doug. She really liked him. She also LOVED being held by Natalie, Matt's (Mike's cousin) girlfriend. Ella is very sociable and will make friends with anyone quickly.

What a big week for Ella! We look forward to many more adventures to soon follow!