Ella Turns 2!

Ella celebrated her 2nd birthday last Sunday. We can"t believe our little girl is two. She has grown up soo much and is an official toddler. This girl talks soo much and has so much personality. She understands what we say to her and follows directions if she pleases. She is fun and full of lots of energy. She can recite the majority of the alphabet and count to 10. Her favorite songs to sing are ABC's and Ring Around the Rosies and sings them all day long. When she is not singing, she talks and there are no longer quiet cars rides because she always has something to say. She loves to go, and her favorite things to do are sing, go to the park, color anything she can get a hold of, play with her cousins Maylan and Brandon, push her baby around in the stroller, and read books. she is soo much fun to be around except when she throws her fits. We took her to the doctor this week for her 2 year old check up and she 34 1/2 lbs (97 percentile) and 35 inches (80 percentile). She finally made it under the 100 percentile for her age since she has always been off the charts. We love her soo much and are so blessed to have a beautiful healthy girl. I was going to have a birthday party for her with all her friends but because of my circumstances of being on bed rest it had to be cancelled. I was crushed but Ella had no clue. All she seemed to care about was presents and she got plenty of them. We had my parents for over for dinner on Sunday and we had the family party on Monday. Ryan and Wendy came over with there kids. We had homemade tacos for dinner followed by an awesome caterpillar cake made by Wendy. It was soo cute. Ella's favorite part was opening presents especially since they were all for her. Thanks Mom and Wendy for doing the party. We loved it!

Knott's Berry Farm

Ella and Daddy on the "Zoom Zoom Cars"

Instead of Disneyland passes for the year we got Knott's Berry Farm Pass from my parents for Christmas. So far we have only been once, but Ella loved it. There is a section in the Park dedicated to little kids called Camp Snoopy. It was filled with little rides and attractions. It is perfect for Ella. She thought she was "hot stuff'" going ride to ride but with her daddy by her side. That day we just hung out in Camp Snoopy and didn't adventure out to the big rides. We hope to go soon.

Christmas in Boise

Ella in front of all the presents she thinks are all for her.

The kids put in a nativity play for the adults on Christmas Eve. Ella was a shepard but she acted more like a wandering sheep with her cousin Preston because they were all over.

Ella opening up a baby Elmo doll from her Grandma and Grandpa Blocker.

This Holiday season we spent in many places. For Christmas we were in Boise at my sister Lisa's house. We drove up there with my parents and because it was such a long drive we stopped in Utah for 2 days. We got to visit with my sister Laurie and her family. We finally met baby Kloe. She is sooo cute and belongs perfectly in the family. We left Christmas Eve to Boise and spent 6 days there. We were there with Lisa and Ryan, Laurie and Adam, Brittney and my parents. Christmas was soo fun. Ella loved opening presents and liked her toys along with all her cousin's toys especially her younger cousin Preston. She thought they were all for her (typical for an almost two year old). We had lots of fun spending time with family, playing in the snow, eating wonderful food, and playing the Wii. After 6 days of Idaho fun, we hopped on and airplane to Portland for New Years with Jordan's parents.

Thanksgiving in Portland

Jordan and his mom at Cannon Beach

Marcie and Ella on Mt. Hood

For Thanksgiving this year we went to visit Jordan's parents in Oregon/Washington. We went up on Tuesday and left on Monday so we got to spend some good time with family. Marcie and her boyfriend Jeff were also there. We spent lots of time eating, sleeping, and shopping. We also went up to Mt. Hood and visited the ski resort and ate lunch at the lodge. It was beautiful and FREEZING! We also spent some time in Cannon Beach. The weather was rainy so we didn't walk on the beach but did a little shopping in the cute town. Ella of course got a new wardrobe because she is sooo spoiled and we enjoyed relaxing in their beautiful home surrounded by green trees. We look forward to visiting again for New Years.

Ella's 1st Gymnastics Class

Ella and Daddy in the foam pit

This fall, we enrolled Ella into her first gymnastics class at Precision Gymnastics. It's a mommy and me class she started when she was 18 months and I know she might seem sooo young to be in gymnastics but it has made her grow in a lot of areas. Her physical developmental skills have improved by balancing on the balance beam, climbing a ladder, and jumping on a trampoline. She loves doing somersaults (with help from her mom) and log rolls. Her coordination skills have improved along with her confidence. This girl thinks she can do whatever any big kid can do. She is more confident at the park and doesn't like when I try to spot her when she starts climbing. She make me nervous but so far she hasn't fallen.

Ella loves going to gymnastics! At the end of her class, she always gets a stamp and a sticker. That is probably her favorite part. When we walk in, she always says, "sticker!". She LOVES stickers! We are so proud of her accomplishments. This last week Jordan didn't have class so he came to watch us and take pictures. He was impressed at how much Ella could do. His favorite part was the giant foam pit. Ella loved jumping to him. The class is ending in 2 weeks and we hope to continue enrolling for another session this winter.

Maylan's 50's Birthday Party

Ella with her 50's dude cousin, Brandon.

Last Sunday, my niece Maylan celebrated her 8th birthday and had her party the day before at Mel's Drive In (a 50's place). It was the cutest party. First of all, Wendy made every single girl invited to the party a poodle skirt. 17 girls were invited! The girls got to wear their skirts, play 50's theme games, and eat hamburgers, french fries, and milkshakes. They had a blast! What was great about it, was the whole party took place at the restaurant and there was no mess at home. That is my kind of party!

More Trick or Treat Time!

For actual Halloween night, we went to Ryan and Wendy's along with my parents and some other people in their ward. We started off the night by ordering pizza and hanging out waiting for it to get dark. Ella was very anxious to get out there. She made the connection that wearing her poodle skirt and carrying her pumpkin gets her candy. There were about 1o kids in our group and Ella thought she was "hot stuff" walking with the big kids. She went to every single door they did and would never let go of her pumpkin. It got pretty full and heavy and you can tell it was heavy for her to carry but she would not let it go if her life depended on it. After trick-or-treating, we were supposed to sit by an fire pit, but it was still so warm outside, there was no need to use it. Ella had a great time trick-or-treating and spending time with her cousins and friends. She now knows what candy is and sure likes it!

YES ON PROP 8!!!

Jordan and I have been very active recently in the Yes on 8 campaign in CA. It's something that we feel very strongly about. We have encountered a lot of enthusiasm and support for Proposition 8 as we've surveyed people on the phone and talked with people on the street regarding their position. For us, it's imperative that marriage retain its traditional definition. Our only disappointment through our avid support of Proposition 8 is that some opponents misconceive the amendment as some kind of hate initiative. This notion is just not true. We love people, regardless of sexual orientation. Nevertheless, domestic partnerships and civil unions already provide non-heterosexual couples all rights associated with civil marriage. So why extend the definition of marriage to include anyone other than 1 man and 1 woman? Allowing non-heterosexual couples to be married threatens the very nature of marriage and societal values. Schools WILL be required to teach homosexual relationships on the same plane as heterosexual ones. Kids will be exposed to this at an early age, as the recent history of Massachusetts has shown. Further, the very idea of religious freedom, upon which this country was founded, may be compromised when religious organizations refuse to hold marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples. These are only a couple of the possible repercussions that worry us should Prop 8 not pass. That's why we ask Californians to

Vote Yes on Proposition 8

this November. Again, this is NOT about hate, it IS about protecting the sanctity of marriage for ourselves and our children. That is why it's important that we maintain the traditional definition of marriage to be one between a man and a woman. More information regarding Proposition 8 can be found at www. protectmarriage.com.

Twick or Tweet

For Halloween this year, our family decided to be part of the 50's. My wonderful sister in law, Wendy, made the cutest poodle skirts for us to wear. Our first Halloween event this year was our ward trunk-or-treat. It was a Halloween party followed by trick or treating in the parking lot. People would decorate their cars and kids would trick or treat car to car. Ella loved the concept of trick or treating. She loved going car to car saying "twick or tweet". It was soo cute. After we finished going to all the cars, she insisted on going again. She would walk to anyone who had a bag of candy and say "twick or tweet". She was soo fascinated with all the candy and would take breaks by plopping in the middle of the crowds and looking at her candy in amazement. When we got home she ate a lollipop and that was the last of her candy that she knows of. The rest is for mommy and daddy.

Bay Area Fun

Ella and Grammy Scott

Auntie Val and Jordan

Marjie and Marcie

Hanging out with Josh and Sara and the Yogurt Shack

Grandma Jean, Jordan, and Ella

Last week, we made a little trip up to the Bay Area to visit family and pick up some things. Ella and I flew up on Monday and Jordan drove up on Thursday. Jordan's grandma, Grandma Jean, had just been put into the an assisted living home and was moving out of her house. The sweet and kind grandma she is, gave us some of her belongings, including a car and the Scott family genealogy. Jordan's parents also met us there from Washington and gave us some furniture. We scored! Now our house actually looks furnished and feels more like a home. After our trip, we looked at the many boxes of genealogy we received and are soo excited to learn more about Jordan's family history. Grandma Jean is an amazing person who loves her family deeply. We are so blessed we get to have the family history and hope to keep up with the amazing work she has put into this.
While we were there, we were able to visit with family and see a few friends we haven't seen in a while. We love the Bay Area. Every time Jordan and I go up there, we always say "we hope someday we can live here". Beside the fact that you can't find a house for under a half a million dollars, you can't beat the beautiful weather and the friends and family. Maybe that will happen. You never know.

Jumping Jacks!!!

Ella and I went to a place called Jumping Jacks for Hannah Foate's Birthday. This place was soo cool. It was a giant warehouse with lots of bounce houses in it. Ella loved jumping on them. She had no fear of going through the obstacles and sliding down the slides. She even slid down all by herself. When we got home she was exhasted from all the fun.