Ella's First Day of School

Well, not really school but we are calling it school. It is a playgroup that I drop her off at once a week for 2 1/2 hours. But she is very excited about being such a big girl and getting to go to school all by herself. No tears on either end! Mommy did make a big mistake by sending her in a white t-shirt, only to see it covered in paint and marker when I picked her up! Oh well, she had a great time and hasn't stopped talking about it. I can't believe she is such a big girl :)

Easter Weekend

Easter was a wonderful time with family this year. Grandma Kathy came from Texas and Uncle Jason, Aunt Andrea and Marie came from Germany to spend Easter in England. Ella and Marie had a great time together, although there were a few times we needed two of everthing!!

I Love Paris in Spring!

Brian signed up for the Paris Marathon only a few days after we moved to England and the planning began soon after! Paris with a 2-year old may not sound like a dream vacation, but we had a wonderful time. The trip began with the usual tourist stops: Notre Dame, The Louvre, a cruise along the Seine, the Eifel Tower, and many, many croissants.

The Paris Marathon was quite an event--all 40,000 participants seemed to be going the same way we were going all day long!! Brian did great, with a time of 3:56. He was pleased given the fact that with the crowds he was standing still in several places during the race. The steps to and from the Metro immediately following the race were not his favorite part of the trip!

The trip could only be complete with a trip to Disneyland Paris--Ella had to meet Mickey Mouse!! We agree that the highlight of her trip, and maybe her life thus far, was the Dumbo ride! She was able to get autographs in her book and even got a kiss from Minnie Mouse. It was a trip we will not forget.

She's a BIG girl now!

Ella is 2!! Ella woke up this morning to find her new pink car waiting for her and dove right into presents, thanking Santa for each one!! We will have to work on that! We had all our great friends join us at Build-A-Bear to celebrate Ella's big day and we all had a wonderful time! Ella made a special pink monkey and we got an autograph bear for all her friends to write on to help us remember this special day. We wish that family could have been here to celebrate with us, but we know they were thinking of us today. Ella loved her Minnie Mouse birthday cake and all the goodies that came with it. She almost fell asleep on daddy's shoulder on the way to the car--it was a big day!

A little scared of the 'stuffing machine'!!

New chef outfit from Grandma Kathy!

Cozy chair from Grandma & Grandpa

Butterfly Fairy

Snow Days

Well, it has been said that this is the most snow England has seen in a decade! It is beautiful, but I am glad that I don't live in a place that I have to bundle Ella up like that all the time. All we could think of was the scene in A Christmas Story!! She had a blast playing outside, it took her a little while to get used to it and didn't really like it when she fell down. But she was a trooper and didn't give up! We didn't venture out too far if we didn't have to and have been drinking a lot of hot chocolate and tea. Just trying to enjoy what we know will not be common. Enjoy the pictures!

Our First Attempt (can you tell we are Texans?!)

My Little Snow Bunny (peeling off the layers!)

Ella's First Haircut, Sort of...

In order to begin improving the 'baby mullet' as we call it, I gave Ella her first little trim. I may have to call in a professional for the rest!! Enjoy!

With a Christmas here, and a Christmas there. . .

With family more than a little spread out over the globe, we had to choose where to celebrate the holidays this year. The season began with a small and quiet family Christmas at our house. Ella did not really enjoy seeing Santa in person this year, but was very appreciative of the gifts that he brought her. I think her favorite was her vacuum cleaner that matches Mommy's!!

We then made the short trip to Germany to spend Christmas with Jason, Andrea, Marie and the German family. It was wonderful to see everyone and we ate one of the most amazing meals thanks to Helga!! Ella and Marie had a blast playing together, although sharing was brought up a time or two by the parents!

We only were able to stay a few days as someone in this family has to work so that we can continue to travel the world--thanks Brian!! We decided to host a small New Year's Eve bash with some neighbors and friends from base. The Brits and the Yanks all got along beautifully--even played Wii together!

Our holiday season was a wonderful and memorable one and we hope that it was the same for all of you. Happy 2009!!