the mighty jungle

class field trip to Arboretum

Ella's words

Ella is building up her vocabulary bit by bit. Here are her favorites "words":

dada = refers to any child or baby, especially her big sister
daddy = yours truly
mama = hers truly
Ella = Ella (the first proper name she's learned, that vain little girl...)
da!!! = ball (the high volume is key to understanding this word)
da = dog (lower but still excited volume distinguishes this from ball; also this word is typically followed by high-pitched dog-like sounds)
babee (or something like that) = blueberry
ba ba hee hee = beginning of Ba Ba Black Sheep song
mmm mmmm! = cookies, candies, or cake
nana = banana
eeeh eeeh = please (this is said at a pitch that is much to high for an adult to replicate)
haah = hat (she pats the top of her head when saying this)
duck = duck

So, there you go, a window into the deep thoughts (and priorities) of a baby...

well-stocked with girls

peekaboo

bath time

Both girls have always loved bath time.

little gardeners

Eve has taken a strong interest in gardening. 
Ella is almost past the phase of eating dirt.

mini-rocking chair

This rocking chair was a kind gift from Martha's colleague Paul Rhode, whose son used the chair many years ago.

Ella is delighted when she hears Eve walking into the room.  Eve describes how a closed grocery store results in a bear claw.

enthusiastic

If we had to choose one adjective to describe Ella, it might be enthusiastic.