Where's Laurie?

I've gotten some emails asking where I've been!
Ella's summer activities keep us going and going!

Two weeks ago it was swimming every night.  This week is was doctor appointments and soccer on both Monday and Wednesday!  We eat fast food!

My job has changed.  As always, it's do more with less!    It's a change and it's here to stay and after a big pharmacy rah rah meeting with hospital administration we were told we are the model of the future and to just DO IT!  A change coupled with being FULL and new interns....I come home EXHAUSTED!!!

The awesome insurance company is not holding up their end of the bargain!   I'm too busy at work to make any phone calls during business hours, so it's very challenging!  It will all work out eventually, but I have a lot of phone calls, emails and time on HOLD ahead of me!

At least I've only gotten one bill with a threat of collection agency and I was able to take care of that one yesterday!

The rest of Seattle

Sure glad we had this relaxing trip.  My life has a new definition of busy since we returned!!!

Dearpting Friday Harbor on a sunny morning!

Such a peaceful, beautiful sight!

Gorgeous!

We stood outside for a while just enjoying the view!

We found a fellow America's Hometown friend and
wedding guest to snap a shot of us together!

That's our SUV - front row.  The guy called it "first class"

We sat in our car and watced as we pulled into the mainland

Pike's Market!

And THIS is where it all began!

It's a worth a band outside to me!  Can you believe
that line? 

The fish market

The view from the park after dinner

My Sweeties

**Photo taken at the request of Ella (makes my day when she requests photos)

If you give a toddler a gift card...

Ella got a super kind post-surgery gift in the mail!  It included a Target Gift Card!  Joe was home when she opened it and I heard about it, but I wasn't around to explain the gift card.

Last week we were headed to a going away party with work friends.  I told her we needed to go to Target to pick up things for the party and then we'd go to the party.  She disappeared and came back with her butterfly card!

She KNEW she had money at Target and she was determined to use it!

She told me on the way there that she wanted to buy band aids.  We were in a hurry and I thought that sounded fine but knew we didn't have time for major shopping!

We left with...

A beautiful Dora (dora out of nowhere)
frilly nightgown!

Her very favorite --- band aids!  She goes through a box
a week (when I cave and buy them).

A Dora boo-boo (impusle buy in the bandaid aisle)

I did the transactions separately.  She proudly PAID and I'm carefully storing her butterfly money in my purse and she can use it next time we go to Target!  Unfortunately she still feels her butterfly is an endless supply of money, but what fun for a kiddo!  Thanks for thinking of her and making her day!!!!

Father's Day (late post)

I LOVED Joe's gift this year!  I got sentimental and I went through ALL of my pictures chronologically (thanks to Picasa).  I found EVERY photo of Joe and Ella together that I had on my computer and put them in a book.

It's such an awesome book!

Ella is a very lucky little girl who has her Daddy as a HUGE part of her every day life!  One of the most fun books I've ever made!  It just melts my heart to see those newborn pictures.  He was a natural with her.  I couldn't even figure out how to hold her!

The Soccer Player

Ella is on the grey team!  Seriously?  There are TWO yellow teams (neon and light yellow) and she's on the boring grey team!  The first 2 days were mostly clinic and then a short scrimage.  She went into this knowing NOTHING about soccer.  We need more practice in the back yard and she needs to accept that she can't pick up the ball and RUN with it!  Hard concept when you can move so much faster when just carrying the ball and running!

We got the whole uniform!  I was
suprised it all came with the
initial fee!

So excited!

She was READY to run!

Group stretching.  I was so impressed with her willingness
to follow directions!

She's so little!  The short little boy turned 3 the day before!

Kicking and stopping the ball!

Kicking down the line

She took her shin pads off early, they hurt!

Her favorite part is lining up on the circle for the kick off!

The Swimmer

Swimming lessons were a very quick two weeks, but a lot of fun!  She LOVED it!  She LOVES to get her face wet, showers are so easy now!  She is much more comfotable in the water!  She mastered blowing bubbles, floating on her back and is working on her front stroke and back stroke!  I'm excited to find more lessons at some point!

Boy or Girl?

You voted! 

I found this idea on Pinterest.

I had my opinion on girl vs boy!

We had an awesome ultrasound!  I arrived with a case report of diagnosing parietal formaina at a 20-week ultrasound and both the ultrasound technician and perinatologist read and looked extra hard at the skull!

The skull looks great!  There are FOUR functioning chambers to the heart, my baby has a great looking brain, we found 2 arms and 2 legs (and I feel those kicking and pushing me).  She snapped the "It's a _______" picture and placed it in an envelope!

Joe kindly decorated this box for me after a quick trip to Target during his lunch!  I went to a party store and paid for balloons to be placed in the box.  I handed her the envelope and left for 10 minutes!  She was mostly worried about over-charging me because she wasn't certain she could really fit 4 balloons in the box!

We hired a sitter to pick Ella up from school and we eventually all made it to soccer!

Joe went to get dinner and Ella and I staked out a place at the park.  Our awesome friends Cindy and Mike arrived and took photos!  Our families anxiously awaited texts, emails, phone calls....

We'll let the balloons tell the story!

Are they going to wait for ME?

I have a scissors....

Big Sister can do it!

Ella said, "they're purple!"

"but you said there were 4 ballons, there are
only 3".....that's my Ella!
She did say "GIRL" before she counted!

Great attempt at a family picture Mike, you got her!  Great job!

Cindy and Mike brought the bubbly!  Thanks!!!

I promised Ella she could take a picture and we all had to say, "CHEESE"!

We are super excited to bring another little girl into our family!  We will continue to pray for a healthy baby and a much less stressful first few years of life for this little one!  We are testing names with Ella and she does have some strong opinions!!!!

Thanks for all the love and support!