Life with Ella {week 37}

Hi friends! 

Can we just talk for a sec about the beautiful fall weather we have been having lately?!? I am loving it!!! 

{owl dress / bow}

Here's what we've been up to!

Monday, we started dog sitting for my friend Kathryn. Ella was NOT a fan!

{onesie / pants / bow}

She also developed a little bit of sass while playing...

...but thankfully, was kind enough to help me unload the dishwasher!

Tuesday was our 3rd swim lesson and Ella is definitely starting to get used to the water! She loves to kick her feet!

{swimsuit}

After, we did a little shopping with Chelsea...

...and again, helped me with the dishwasher! Haha, she loves to pull up on it! If only she really knew how to load/unload!

{dress / bow from Gap}

Wednesday we went to Whole Foods....

{dress / bow}

...and Ella took a really long nap, so I made some progress on her Halloween costume!

Thursday was swim lesson time again!

{swimsuit}

(and yes, I do take her picture every day before we start our lesson...and YES I plan on her wearing a different swimsuit each day!)

Then we hit up Harris Teeter to get some stuff for dinner!

{similar outfit / socks (these are my favorites because they are the only ones that don't fall off!) / bow made by me :)}

This is such a riveting week, huh?! ;)

Friday, we did a little swinging...

{romper / bow from Gap}

...put a cover on her crib rail so she can't eat the wood...

...and then Daddy came home from work early so we could FINALLY go to the pumpkin patch!

I'll be doing a separate post on that, because, well, you know me. But here's a little family selfie we took on Ella's first hayride to hold you over till then. 

{bubble / bow}

After the pumpkin patch, we stopped to eat at Sticky Fingers...Ella was into EVERYTHING.

At one point, she even grabbed the napkin and started eating it! 

This child!

Saturday I ran 11 miles (ugh!) while Ella hung out with her dad and took a 3 hour nap!!

{outfit / bow}

She also helped him ice his ankle (he has tendonitis)!

I also should note that Monday through Friday nights this past week, Ella had been waking up at 1, 2 or 3 AM and not going back to bed for 1-2 hours. It was kind of awful. Finally, she slept through the night again Saturday night. So we were all very happy Sunday morning! She also did not wake up in the middle of the night last night, so I'm hoping this continues!!

After a quick nap Sunday, Ella helped me unpack some groceries....

{similar outfit / tights / bow}

...and we also took a walk!

Last night, I got to go over and meet Kathryn's newest family member, Kelly!!!

How precious is she?!?!? 

Ella and I get to puppy-sit her this week! :) 

Sorry for the most boring week ever, but since Ella was not sleeping very much at night, we tried to keep things relatively low key around here!!! Let's hope she continues sleeping through the night this week!!!

Five on Friday {Favorite Fall Treats}

I'm linking up for Five on Friday to share my 5 favorite fall eats!!!

1. Pumpkin Cookies with Caramel Frosting

I've made these for the last couple of falls, most recently last week, and they. are. amazing! The frosting is definitely what makes them, so don't skip that!!

2. Trader Joe's Pumpkin Joe Joe's

I bought these a few weeks ago and ate the whole package in 2 days. And I'm not even pregnant. 

3. She-Crab Soup

A southern favorite. I make soup every Sunday in the fall, and this one is Trav's fav. It's terrible for you (hello 3830 quarts of heavy cream), but it is so, so delicious. 

4. Pumpkin pie spice creamer

Don't get me wrong, I'm all about a Starbucks PSL. But if you're feeling cheap (which I am most days of the week), you can make one at home with this creamer!!! I almost like it even better than the PSLs! 

5. Cincinnati Chili

What would a favorite fall foods list be without chili?! Because I am from Ohio, I prefer mine Cincinnati style, with chocolate, cinnamon...and of course, pasta underneath! Don't knock it till you've tried it...it's pretty amaze balls. 

Here is my mom's recipe (which is my favorite version!):

1 pound ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 garlic clove

15 ounce can tomato sauce

3/4 cup water

1/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

1 can kidney beans

spaghetti 

cheddar cheese

Brown meat with onion and garlic. Add all ingredients except beans. Bring to a boil. Cover, simmer 45 minutes. Add beans. Serve with spaghetti and cheddar cheese. 

Are you hungry now? I am!

Have a great weekend!!!

Life with Ella {week 36}

Well, it looks like someone is happy it's Monday!

{onesie / pants / bow}

 Ella's new trick is clapping her hands, which she is proudly doing in this week's picture. Her hands were moving so fast, they are a blur! Haha!

Last Monday, we went to the YMCA with Ella's new backpack! 

{romper from Europe-sorry! / bow}

Because every 8 month old needs a monogrammed backpack, right?!

{Honestly, I just got sick of "sharing" my diaper bag with her at the Y, so I got this one at Shower Me with Love for only $20!!}

And what would a Monday be without Ella falling out of her chair while I tutor?!

We really need to find another solution....!

Tuesday was Ella's first day of swimming lessons!!!!!

{swimsuit from Gap}

She was a little unsure about it at first, and the water was a little cold, but all in all, not a total bust. She did a great job kicking her feet and reaching for the toys!

Tuesday afternoon, I had to work at the Y again, but this time I got to be in Ella's room, and we read some books!

{dress / bow}

On Wednesday, we took a walk up to Harris Teeter to get some stuff for dinner...

{dress / bow}

...and I also realized Ella can finally eat Puffs by herself! Very exciting!!!

{bib}

Thursday was our second swim lesson, and it didn't go quite as well as the first. Ella enjoyed learning how to get out of the pool, but she was not into the whole swimming part at all. She did enjoy checking out the lifeguard. Oi vey. 

{swimsuit from Gap}

Also on Thursday, we finally got around to watching Monday's Dancing with the Stars, and the infamous Carlton dance! It was kind of amazing, and Ella wanted to learn how to do it. Carlton is her grandpa's middle name after all, so she should be a natural. 

{dress / bow from Target}

Friday we made our weekly (ok, fine, we may go more than once a week!) trip to Target.

{onesie made by my friend Chelsea! / jeans / bow}

We had to get supplies to make some delicious pumpkin cookies!! I'll be sure to share the recipe soon!

I put Ella up on the counter to take her picture (don't worry, I am holding her and I turned the knives away from her!), and she almost immediately grabbed one of the cookies and tried to eat it! What a little stinker! 

That wasn't the end of mischievous Ella. She also somehow managed to climb under the couch....

...and once again, totally flipped herself around in that chair while I was tutoring!

I promise, we watch her! All the time!! She is just all over the place! 

Saturday, Kathryn came over to watch the UNC vs Notre Dame game. Even though she is a Notre Dame fan, we let her stay because she brought food :)

{bubble / bow from Gap}

Ella was a great cheerleader, clapping for the players (and tearing the bumper off the fireplace mantle).

We also busted out the Halloween jammies...not too soon, right?!

{similar Halloween jammies}

Yesterday, we had planned on going to the pumpkin patch, but it was so rainy all day that we decided to go later this week. Instead we had a lazy Sunday watching football. 

{shirt / leggings / bow from Target}

Ella can now wave (top left), clap (right) and do "touchdown" (bottom left). Whenever we say "touchdown!" she raises her arms like the refs do when a touchdown is scored. It is the funniest thing! 

She is also officially crawling (tummy off the floor). I have milestone stickers for waving and crawling, but so far she has been uncooperative for pictures! I'll keep trying and hopefully have them soon to make her milestones "official!"

Sunday night, we went to visit my friend Chelsea and her new baby Mackenzie!

Mackenzie is just the sweetest thing. She was a big baby (almost 10 pounds!!!), but she still felt super tiny to me!

(yes, that is my child eating my pants)

It's hard to believe Ella used to be that small!!!

It seems that the Nap Strike is back in action (which is why I'm a little late in posting this...someone only took a 20 minute nap today), so please send happy and sleepy thoughts our way! 

Have a great week! :)

Five on Friday {Keeping up with Ella}

Happy Friday!

I'm so glad 5 on Friday is back! 

I always love reading other people's 5 on Friday posts, especially when they have little "themes," so my theme today is to share the 5 ways that I keep track of my child!

1. iPhone photo stream

I post a picture or video pretty much everyday (or else I get a very nasty call or text from one of the grandparents wondering where their daily Ella pic is) on this to share between family and close friends. 

2. Tweekaboo

After I post the picture on the photo stream, I copy and paste it onto the Tweekaboo app, where it also shares the picture with more family and friends who may/may not also be on the photo stream. I also upload any Facebook and Instagram pictures (whenever I post there) onto Tweekaboo, and at the end of each month, I order a book full of that month's photos! The best part is that they also print people's comments too! :)

Those 2 are the things I do daily, most of the time while I'm nursing Ella...it takes like 3 seconds and provides a great snapshot of our day-to-day activities!

3. This blog!

Obviously, you already know that I do a weekly re-cap each Monday. It's probably the most boring thing in the world for you all to read, but for me, I love looking back at weeks past to see what we did and where we went!

Now onto the things I only do once a month (or every other month)!

4. Project Life album

I actually got this album (plus the pocket pages, these cards and these cards...oh! and the pens!) at one of my baby showers and I love it! I thought it was such a unique gift, and it makes scrapbooking SO easy. Each month, I order prints of the important events from that month (holidays, monthly photo shoots, special trips, etc.) and then all I have to do is pick out which cards I want to go in the pockets and write a little blurb about the event! SO easy!

{Easter}

{Going home from the hospital and newborn pictures}

5. Baby Book and Calendar

I update the calendar about once a month, using this blog and my photo stream pictures to keep track of what to write on it! It came with a few stickers, which is fun too!

I also update the baby book about once a month, again using this blog and my photo stream pictures!

So there you have it! Ella's life is very well documented!!!

But before you think I am a big loser and have no life other than keeping track of what color Ella's poop was on September 6 (ok, not quite that bad), just remember that the majority of this stuff I only do once a month!! Surely I will be able to do this if we have another baby, right?! Am I crazy?! (Maybe don't answer that! ;))