Kani House..can we say YUM !

Thursday evening we went out to dinner at the Kani House Japanese restaurant with Jason, Emily and Jason's uncle and his co-workers. They had some pretty amazing food.  We all decided to get our food hibatchi style which is where they cook the food right in front of you. Our chef was pretty entertaining!  Miss Ellee got some pretty wide eyes when she saw the flames.

 

puzzled wided eyed look

  

  

She was very interested in those chopstix!

 

gold mining.

Thursday (1/28) we went to the Consolidated Gold Mine.  They say it was the site of America's first gold rush.  We got a lesson on panning for gold. Then we each got to try panning for gold on our own.  We only found a few flecks of gold in each pan but, it was pretty interesting to see the whole process.  We were told that our gold was probably worth a combined total of $4 or $5.  I guess we won't be retiring anytime soon. :) 
We then got an underground tour of the mine.  We were taken 60 feet below the ground where the actual mine is.  It was complete with all the old tools they used as well as a few bats...ewww!  Check out our pics!

 

  

 

 

 

said so well.

I found this poem/essay written by a woman named Katherine Center.  I thought it was very well written and is exactly how I feel.

defining a movement:

 WHAT I WOULD TELL HER:  (If I knew what to say.)

You are a miracle.

And I have to love you this fiercely:  So that you can feel it even after you leave for school, or even while you are asleep, or even after your childhood becomes a memory.

You’ll forget all this when you grow up.  But it’s okay.

Being a mother means having your heart broken.

And it means loving and losing and falling apart and coming back together.

And it’s the best there is.  And also, sometimes, the worst.

Sometimes you won’t have anyone to talk to.

Sometimes you’ll wonder if you’ve forgotten who you are.

But you must remember this:  What you’re doing matters.
And you have to be brave with your life so that others can be brave with theirs.

The truth is, being a woman is a gift.  Tenderness is a gift.  Intimacy is a gift.  And nurturing the good in this world is a nothing short of a privilege.

That’s why I have to love you this way.  So I can give what I have to you.  So that you can carry it in your body and pass it on.

I have watched you sleep.  I’ve kissed you a million times.  And I know something that you don’t, yet:

You are writing the story of your only life every single minute of every day.

And my greatest hope for you, sweet child, is that I can teach you how to write a good one.

--Katherine Center

kisses from daddy.

Mmmm..Green beans!!

We have moved on from carrots to green beans! Miss El seems to like these too. She is pretty funny to watch when she is trying new foods! Here are a few snapshots...and even a video!! Enjoy! :)

So, I have to explain this photo. Aunty Em and Uncle J are not quite equipped for feeding a baby so we had to improvise. We used Uncle Jason's sweatpants to hold Miss Ellee on the chair..and a pillow to support her back. :) I think she was more interested in the tag on the sweatpants then her green beans at first. Haha!

Look at that face!

You would think she didn't like them..but, she did!!

still grabbing for that tag!

waiting for more!!

And the video...

jet plane to Atlanta!

On Tuesday Ellee took her first airplane ride!  We are in the "peach state" this week visiting my sister and her husband along with some other family that we don't get to see very often.  We are so excited to be having a vacation!
Ellee did so well on the plane.  She did get a little fussy towards the end but, what 6 month old wouldn't after spending 7 hours on a plane!  There were actually quite a few babies on the first plane.  I guess you don't really notice them until you are traveling with one. :)

We have a lot of fun things planned to do while we are here.  Today we went mining for gold.  It was pretty fun.  We got a tour of the mine and got to sift for gold.  I will post about that later, and of course there will be pictures!
We are going to the Georgia Aquarium tomorrow and hopefully the World of Coke.  I think Miss Ellee will love the aquarium!

We are off to get dinner at Kani House: Japanese Steahouse and Sushi.  They do all the cooking right in front of you.  It should be fun!! :)

Ellee 365: days 189 - 195

189 days old.

190 days old.

191 days old.

192 days old.

193 days old.

194 days old.

195 days old.

6 month well exam.

Friday was Ellee's 6 month well exam.  She did very well during the appointment.  The Dr. was very amazed at how well behaved she was!  Here are her latest stats:

Weight: 15lbs even. - (25th percentile for her age)
Height: 25.5 inches - (35th percentile for her age)
Head Circumference: 43cm (16.93inches) - (63rd percentile for her age)

So apparently Ellee will be getting shots every visit now. :(  This time was hard!  She got one oral vaccine and 3 that were giving in her legs.  Poor girl, cried so hard!  I almost started crying.  She is a trooper!  Thank goodness we have to wait 3 months for her next round.

We are noticing a lot more changes in her lately.  She is sitting up for longer periods of time.  She will also entertain herself with her toys.  Her favorites are the singing giraffe and the baby einstein bird that makes different instrument sounds.  She gives hugs and loves on us!  That is probably my favorite thing!
She has also become more aware of her parents.  I have noticed that she misses us more when we leave her. Friday at work I had one of my co-workers hold her while I took care of one of the residents.  Everytime I would walk past her she would start to fuss.  At one point my co-worker brought her in the same room as me and Ellee started crying because she saw me.  Makes me feel good that she knows who I am. :)

One of my other favorite things she does is she sucks on her top lip.  It is so cute...just the right side of her top lip...almost like she is concentrating on something.
We are so excited to see what more is to come!

Aaalllllll aboard!!!

We went to Sprouts again this past Thursday (1/21). The theme this month was Choo Choo trains. Here is Miss Ellee as conductor of the train! :) Also, check out the very cute cake one of the moms made for everyone!

Ellee Belly Button!

Here is a video my mom took of Ellee while she was watching her. She is trying to get her to crawl. :)

carrots.

Ellee is officially on solid foods now.  On Wednesday she tried carrots for the first time.  The look on her face was so funny when she first tasted them.  I didn't catch her initial reaction on camera but, judging by the smile on her face on the pics I did catch..I think she likes them!  Check out her carrot face below! :) 

I plan on making all her babyfood.  It is actually alot easier then I thought it would be.  I just steamed the carrots until they were nice and soft then put them in the blender and hit puree.  I added some of the water that I used to steam the carrots with and it turned out pretty good.  I'm not sure what she will try next...maybe green beans or squash? :)  I will be sure to post pictures as we try all the fruits and veggies!

avatar.

I mentioned last weekend that Shayne and I were able to take Miss Ellee to Grandma & Grandpa's so we could go to dinner and a movie with some friends.  We had such a great time!  After a very yummy dinner at the Harbor Monsoon we went and saw Avatar.  What an awesome movie!  I wasn't sure if I would really like it because I typically don't like those kinds of movies.  But, I can say that the 2 hours and 40 minute long movie was excellent!  It sure did not feel like it was that long...until we stood up when it was over. Ha! :)  Here we are in cool new 3D shades!

Even Miss Ellee tried them on!

Ellee 365: days 182 - 188

182 days old.

183 days old.

184 days old.

185 days old.

186 days old.

187 days old.

188 days old.

It's my half birthday!!!

Well, on the 14th it was....Miss Ellee is a half a year old!!  I can't believe it!  Here is her 6 month pic!  I got some done at JC Penneys but, haven't gotten them back yet.  Stay tuned for those! :)

Nadya, Ellee & Santa!

Shayne's sister and I took the girls to see Santa at the Tacoma Mall just before Christmas.  We got there just after Santa had left to "go feed his reindeer".  So, we decided to just wait for him to come back.  After about an hour of waiting he finally returned.  Thank goodness we decided to wait because when he finally got back there was a line out the door.  And we were the first ones in line!!  Luckily we both have really happy babies who didn't mind waiting. :)  I think the picture turned out cute. They aren't smiling but, at least they aren't screaming!! Haha! Sorry it is so late!! :)

our 3 kids.

I have to say that our dogs Charlie & Lucy have been really good with Ellee!  I didn't know what to expect from them when we brought her home because Charlie has never really been around babies and Lucy was still a puppy.  They have been awesome!  Lucy loves to be around Ellee and likes to give her kisses.  Ellee likes to reach out and touch them both.  I can see Ellee and Lucy being best friends and Charlie being the "protector".  We couldn't be happier about how well the dogs have adjusted to Ellee!

We took these trying to get a photo for our Christmas cards.

Christmas Eve coffee date.

Miss Ellee and I had a coffee date with my good friend Jaime.  We met at Pony Club when we were in middle school.  She is living in Colorado now and was in town for the holidays.  The last time I saw her I was barely pregnant.  It was so good to see her and catch up!  And Miss Ellee loved her!

live nativity scene.

A few days before Christmas my friend JuLee and I took Ellee and her daughter Lexie to see a live nativity scene at one of the churches in Gig Harbor.  It was really awesome..not what we were expecting at all!!  Everyone was dressed up like in the bible times.  It was so elaborate and well done.  Here are a few shots for the night.

Miss Ellee all bundled up ready to go!

Miss Ellee and Lexie

Jake & Katrina (JuLee's sister & brother in law)

Miss Lexie petting the live duck

Joseph, Mary & Baby Jesus