Our trip to Oregon and Washington

Last week Jordan, Ella, and I went to visit Jordan's parents. We had a blast. Ella and I flew up on Monday and Jordan met us on Thursday. Our week was filled with lots of shopping, field trips, and relaxation. We went down to Newport Beach (in Oregon, not California) and stayed in a hotel right on the beach. It was Gorgeous! The weather was freezing when we got there, but then it got warm and sunny. While we were there, we went to the aquarium. Ella loved the fishes.
We also went to the Portland Zoo. Ella was so fascinated with the animals and had no fear of them went they got close to her. We did lots and lots of shopping. Jordan pretty much got a whole new wardrobe along with Ella and me. We also did some relaxing by getting 1 1/2 hour professional massages. Thank you soooo much Steve and Marjie for spoiling us. We are still full from all the eating out. We miss you.

Portland Zoo

Newport Beach, Oregon

Disneyland Fun!

Our Family on the Winnie the Pooh ride
Ella is soo close for riding the Matterhorn. She is about 2 inches short. Crazy!
As our Disneyland passes are about to expire, we decide to get some more trips in. This was when we went about 2 1/2 weeks ago (Yes, I'm behind on my blogging). The weather was perfect and it wasn't really crowded. We waited no more than 10-15 mins for the rides. Ella is really starting to like the rides. She really enjoyed the Winnie the Pooh ride because of all the bright colors. We had lots of fun. This week, Ella and I went on Tuesday with Rachel and her kids. We wanted to ride the Toy Story Mania ride because it was the grand opening but it was a 3 1/2 hour wait. Yikes! Since it was 100 degrees outside we decided to ride it in August when our passes work again. I'm sure it will be 100 degrees then too but we hope the wait won't be as long.

Ella is almost 16 months and is growing up so fast. This week she started to say more words and said her first sentence "It's my birthday." It is so cute and fun to hear her talk. She got that sentence from me. I always say it to her and now she copies me. I better watch what I say because she does listen. She also knows how to say and identify doggy. Her vocabulary is growing and Jordan and I can't wait for her to actually talk. She understands what we say to her and she started to sign "drink". We are so proud of her accomplishments. She is at a busy age but very fun. She loves to go to the park and we seem to go pretty much everyday. She loves to climb up the stairs and swing on the swings. It is funny because if we are in the car and we drive by the park, she points and yells. She doesn't say park but it's the same jabber tone so we assume she is trying to say it. She knows how to say, Mama, Daddy, what's that, I do, it's my birthday, doggy, ma (grandma), and hi. She also can identify her ears, hands, toes, nose, and belly button. We are working on the other body parts. She is so wonderful and such a joy in our lives. It's so nice to have Jordan around because now he sees how much fun she is.

Ella vs.The Turtle

Today we went to a Owen's birthday party. It was a reptile birthday and a man came and showed some crazy reptiles. One of the reptiles was a 43 lb turtle. The man let the HUGE turtle walk around and it didn't seem to bother Ella. In fact she didn't mind touching it all by herself. She is fearless.

Sweet Baby Marissa

Marissa Kate arrived into this world on Thursday May 29. She weighed 7 lbs 15 oz (same as Ella). I picked up Brandon and Maylan from school and took them to the hospital. We got to see Marissa when she was less than 2 hours old. She is so cute and so tiny. She has a ton of hair too. Its so hard to believe that Ella was that size 15 months ago. We enjoyed holding her and watching the nurse give her a bath. We are so excited Marrisa is here and we love to hold her.