the weekend

Some photos for you to enjoy.  We had another birthday party to attend this weekend and had a lot of fun.  Stella knows the Happy Birthday song very well by now.  She also knows that there are many fun things hiding in those pretty bags, wether they are for her or not.  Here we are waiting to go...(thanks for the dress Grandma, she looked adorable in it)

There was a lot of fun to be had.  All the kids love playing together and even competed in lots of little foot races.  Stella won everytime!  :)  Stella ended up taking her dress off after all the play time; I guess she was just so hot.  So I let her run around looking like a hillbilly baby in just a diaper.  Hey, it's summer in S.C. 

Chase, Stella and Elizbeth.  Best Buddies!  (except for when one has a toy the other wants)

Other fun things worth mentioning:  Whenever you ask Stella what time it is she always say 'Four-Eight'.  Quite often when I explain something to her she'll say 'Oh, okay'.  Today is day two of potty training.  It started with her lead of using the potty.  It's not been very smooth thus far though.  But I am going to give it several more days before throwing in the towel...or toilet paper rather.  Stella and I call her new big girl panties her 'fancy pants' and she likes that.  Though we've had a bad record so far of keeping them dry.  Any advice is welcome!  Stella wants to hold her baby sister really bad and is having a hard time waiting for her to 'come out' (as I've explained is what we need to do).  She has a favorite pair of sandals and will wear no others, of her own that is.  Everyone else's are still very much coveted.  You can see her favorites in the pics... a cheap-o pair of silver flip-flops from Old Navy.

trip to the movies!

Stella's first time at the movie theatre.  There's a new IMAX theatre that just opened here and they've been playing free movies for families every wed. this summer.  We went to see Monsters vs. Aliens today.  My girlfriend talked me into going; I was not expecting Stella to do very well.  But she did a great job!  I was very suprised.   She did cover her ears for some of the loud parts, but other than that she paid attention most of the time and liked it.  I think having some friends there helped a lot too.  Well that and the suckers and fruit snacks.  :)

Stella, Chase and Elizabeth holding hands.  How cute!

a quick trip home

Well, it was a great trip back to Indiana.  Though it went by very fast we sure did make the rounds and got lots of visiting in with family.  We even made to a couple of the nieces and nephews ball games. 

  Stella loved playing with her cousins' cars at Grandpa and Grandma Kruse's house. 

Dylan and Gavin are so great with her and love to play with her.  What a great way to swing.

Here her Grandpa and Mimi were giving her a peticure.  This is some star treatment for sure.  Mimi paints and then Grandpa blows dry.   

All dressed up to attend a family members wedding. 

Chatting it up with her Great Grandma Mac.

Me with Stella's Grandma and Great Grandma.

Ring-around-the-rosie with her girl cousins. 

On to Ft. Wayne for some more fun and time with family.  This was about the closest Stella got to her Uncle Matt.  I think it's because he gave her the freezer pop.  :)  And I love this pic of Stella swinging.  She loved the feeling of laying back.   Stella learned a new phrase which she says all the time, "pick a boogie"  It's really pretty cute and she knows it's funny.  She also becomes more and more attached to her cousin Kate who is 5.  Kate isn't quite sure if she's ready to be so well liked by Stella, but she does really well with her!  Stella either wore or carried around this one pair of Kate's flip flops all week.  It's the first thing she would talk about when she woke up from a nap or in the morning...."holding Kate's shoes", she'd say.  We slept in the same bedroom with Stella at night and quickly discovered that she talks in her sleep.  One night she even called out for Kate.