Check out this crazy kid!

Family field trip

Today when we told Ellie to fetch her shoes so we could go out, she pulled out MY shoes, slipped them on and proceeded to strut toward the door. We spent the afternoon at the BYU Monte L. Bean Museum--sure, the animals are no longer alive, but that failed to extinguish Ellie's amazement and curiosity. We stayed so long that Ellie missed her naptime window and we honestly didn't realize how whackered she was until we looked up the dinner table and there she was, sandwich securely clenched in one hand and beginning to drool through her open, slumbering mouth.

Aspiring big sister

I babysat a friend's 7-month-old a couple times recently and it was a blast to see how Ellie reacts to close contact with a REAL baby. Even though she became extremely jealous when I fed or craddled the other baby, she was generally very nurturing and excited to have a baby around. I was relieved to find that Ellie can actually be quite helpful in a big sister role. She obediently fetched the other baby's toys, binky, and diapers from the other room as I requested them, enthusiastically shared her dolls and animals (or pushed them into her face), and when prompted to use "gentle behavior," she lovingly patted the baby's head and rubbed her belly. Hopefully she'll be even more willing to help and nurture by the time Erik makes his grand entrance.

Wherefore art thou DDR?

Ever since Aunt Michelle's temporary absence (visiting friends in Portland), Ellie has found her life hopelessly DDR-less. (For those of you not in-the-know, DDR, or Dance Dance Revolution, is the only so-called video game I whole-heartedly embrace. It basically involves stepping on arrows on a special dance pad to corresponding arrows on the screen, all to the rhythm of your favorite tunes. I was a fanatic for this in high school, as are many Asians, but my skills are nothing on Michelle's, who tears up 19 high-energy songs in a row before stopping for air (oh, to be young (and not pregnant) again...).) We got Mish some new dance pads for her birthday and ever since, one of the highlights of Ellie's day has been joining Mish on the dance floor. Mish has been gone almost three weeks now, and Ellie has consoled herself by finding more and more DDR dance pad-substitutes, including everything from baby quilts to cutting boards to Bob's card pad to the laptop keyboard, when we're not looking. Needless to say, Mish: come home soon before Ellie destroys everything flat in this house!!!

Ellie's first pet

Well, Ellie's affinity for all animals has been officially established. We had been noticing how much more attention she pays to her stuffed animals, her sincere efforts to produce animal noises, and how for the first time she sat captivated through the entire "Babe" film. So, it was time to get her her first pet. We visited the pet store for FHE a couple weeks ago and found she loved the birds, turtles, bunnies, and dogs. Thankfully, she was equally fascinated by the fish, so we settled on a nice, low-maintenance beta fish, which she affectionately calls either "fff!" or "ish!" Hopefully Sesame Street will help her merge these utterings. And despite Fishy's lack of appetite, things have gone quite well. Several times a day, including first thing in the morning, all she wants to do is say and wave "hi" to her fishy. Her enthusiasm is undaunted--perhaps it's good we didn't get her a more interesting pet--it might have been TOO exciting for her little animal-loving heart to handle.

Valentine's Day

I saw an ad for a delicious romantic Valentine's Day meal at the BYU Skyroom restaurant last week, featuring raspberry chicken. We considered taking them up on the deal, but decided in the end that we could whip up that meal just as well, and for a fraction of the price! So we copied the meal to a T and enjoyed a romantic Valentine's dinner with our brothers.

Ellie's First IQ Test.mpg

We wanted to know how much Ellie actually understands us, so we filmed this interview to share with you our experiment.

Pictures of the Week

OKAY OKAY- Due to your continued demands and threats, we have relented to add FIVE of The Cute's Pictures of the Week. Just stop hounding us.

Playing in the Crib

Recently, Ellie loves to play in her crib. We think it is more like prison than anything else, but she doesn't seem to mind because no where else in the house is nearly as awesome as her springy mattress! We fear that the novelty will soon wear out and therefore will need to implement real parenting skills.

Ellie's Masterpiece

Ellie drew daddy an awesome mural that represents the love she has for him. It is showing on the refrigerator gallery. She even put stickers of smiley faces on it.

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