Lagoon. . .Daddy Adventures. . .and Smelling the Roses

LAGOON. . .

Last weekend, while Scott was home, we took advantage of our time together and the beautiful weather to take Ella to Lagoon. She has been begging to go since we moved into our new house and we pass by it in our travels everyday. Good thing we didn't move next to Disneyland! :-) She was so excited and could not wait to get on the rides and eat cotton candy. It made me think back to the days of the ol' Eastern Idaho State Fair. I remember getting my wrist band and going with my friends after school. I thought it was the greatest thing. You do have to admit though, fair food is the best! It was a blast for us to get to watch Ella and all of her excitement. I definitely see now why my parents enjoyed Disneyworld even though they didn't get to do most of what I'm sure they would have liked to do. Watching your kids have fun is the best!

Look closely and you can see how much Ella loved the lady bug ride above. It's a kids version of the Rocket. It takes you up and drops you. It looked fun from the ground but as soon as it dropped, she started screaming. I tried to distract her and get her to wave at Scott but she was pretty much "freaking out". I felt so bad and promised her she never had to ride it again.

DADDY ADVENTURES. . .

This week, Daddy's travels took him to Houston, Texas and Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ella learned that Texas comes from an Indian word that means "friends". Ella was able to visit Scott in Houston last summer so we talked about our trip and getting to go to the Aquarium and swimming. Ella also learned that Nevada is home to Hoover Dam (and we talked about what a dam is) and that there are a couple of famous ghost towns in the state, Virginia City and Hamilton. She said that she did not want to go to the ghost town, for obvious reasons. :-) We are excited for Daddy to come home this week and look forward to learning more next week!

SMELLING THE ROSES. . .

This past week, Ella has been coming to my office in the mornings before going to preschool. Not part of our typical routine. Her sweet nanny, Tanya, is on vacation. (We hope you are having a great time, Tanya! We miss you!) On Friday, I was in a hurry to get her to school and get back to my office to get a few things done before a meeting at 9am. Ella had other plans. As soon as we got outside, she noticed that it had rained and proceeded to locate and jump in every puddle within a short walking distance. Being the concerned mother, I asked her to stop so that she would not get her shoes and socks wet and get sick (more than she already was). What I should have done was splashed in them with her! I continued to try and hurry her along, only to get stopped again when she noticed all of the purple and yellow pansies that were planted next to the sidewalk. She wanted to see them up close and smell them. I let her, briefly, but then got us on our way again. What I should have done was smell them with her! We had only taken a few steps from the flowers when she stopped me again. She had just figured out a new trick and she wanted to show me. I told her she could show me later but she insisted that I stop and watch her feet. So I did. She stood frozen like a popsicle and then leaped into the air and attempted to do a 360 degree turn. She almost made it! I clapped and started walking. What I should have done was ask her to do it again because it was so cool! We finally made it to school and I did make it back to my office, although not in time to get everything done that I needed. But that was ok. How lucky I am to be Ella's mom and to have a daughter that really sees and enjoys what is all around her and tenderly reminds her mom to do the same! I love you, Ella!