10 Months

So this thing is a sticker, huh? I wonder how I can get it off...

Ella is 10 months old and learning every day! She throws her hands up in the air when you say "up" and down when you say down "down." She can play peek-a-boo by herself, covering her face with sheets or a blanket and quickly revealing herself with a huge smile. When my mom sang her "If You're Happy and You Know It" the other day, Ella clapped on command throughout the song. She's starting to point and show us just how much she understands. It's so much fun to watch her go.

She is going all of the time. Since the crawling began, we've been following her around from one room to the next. We're exhausted-- as expected. She'll gladly pass up mounds of toys for a pair of flip flops or a long cord clear across the room (no matter how often we try to hide them). She's exploring everything!

We've been taking a music class once a week, and Ella and I both love it. She bounces during songs and smiles big when we dance. Here's hoping she has her dad's musical genes :) Our weekends have been full of brunches, bbqs, birthdays, and other meet-ups with family and friends. Last weekend was our last "free weekend" until October. Yes, October! We have weddings (and wedding events), family weekends and vacations, and parties filling August and September. We feel very lucky to share such a happy life. Speaking of happy, check out the recent happy photos of our Ella.

Bath time is still our favorite time...

Brunch with Dad

Happy Birthday Auntie Megan!

Ella loves crawling to see Jackson.

She climbs up right on him. He's been so patient with her!

Family Date Night: Summer Concert in the Park

Oatmeal for Ella, Latte for Mom
Our regular morning walks downtown 

Ella's First Trip to the Zoo

At the Zoo with Dillon and Joi

First Time Playing in the Sand
Apparently it's delicious.

Another sand pic, Half Moon Bay

Summer Fun with Family

This summer has already been packed with lots of fun time with family. Two weeks ago, Ella spent the weekend with her Grandma, Grandpa, and Auntie Megan in Dublin, while Chris and I had our first weekend away in Healdsburg for our friend Lindsey's wedding. Ella did great, and our family really enjoyed everything from her morning cuddles to bath time at night (the girl LOVES water). Chris and I enjoyed some wine tasting, an amazing tapas dinner, a little gambling,  walking to the downtown square from our hotel, and spending time with friends at the wedding. So fun! We did find ourselves talking about how we missed Ella a day into it... 

Nana and Papa visited us last weekend, and Chris was able to take the Thursday and Friday off for a little stay-cation. On Thursday we all took Jackson and Ella on a walk around Fort Funston, an off-leash dog area on the coast. Then we made our way to Park Chalet, a restaurant where Golden Gate Park meets Ocean Beach, for a delicious lunch outdoors in patio chairs. On Friday we took the ferry from San Francisco to Angel Island for a day of hiking and picnicking in the sun. On Saturday and Sunday Chris and Rick spent a lot of time in our yards, planting a beautiful vegetable garden among many things, and we got a chance to visit with more Garber/Luthy family over dinner. To beat the crazy heat at our house, we made sure to utilize our patio for eating many meals and drinking wine and margaritas over the course of Nana and Papa's stay :) It was a really great mix of being out and about doing things, as well as having nice time around the house together.

It was amazing how much Ella developed during their days with us. When they got here she had mastered her belly-to-sitting move, and when they left she was standing/holding herself up, pulling up on us, and rocking around on her knees a lot. 

That brings us to the breaking news: Ella is crawling! She put the "independence" in Independence Day this year :) After a day of swimming and barbecuing at my Aunt Kathleen's with my parents, sister, Tim, and grandparents for the Fourth of July, it was so much fun to have her crawl in front of all of us.

Red, White, & Blue with Great Papa Goofy and Great Grandma Ellie

I like Papa Goofy's hat almost as much as my cracker :)

Nana taught Ella Patty Cake!

Kiddie Pool Fun with Mom and Grandma 

Mom thought a sweet potato cube would be like a popsicle on a hot day...
Wrong. I had so much fun, though! Delicious :)