Friday, September 25, 2009

Monkey Pictures

Ella wanted to take a picture of her stuffed monkey.

She got him all posed on the chair.



Then Mommy got inspired and wanted to take a picture of her monkey.

She got her all posed on the chair.



Then Ella wanted to make mad and silly faces.


Cops and Kids Day

Cops and Kids Day is an annual event in Westerville. They have police officers come from agencies all over central Ohio and they bring cool equipment like armored trucks and bomb robot things. The kids can go around and check out the equipment.

Usually the officer is handing out some sort of freebie...coloring book, sticker and Ella's favorite...candy. She would stand at the table by the candy and just stare at the officer. They would offer her the coloring book and she would take it, thank them and then continue to stare. Finally they would realize what she wanted and offer her some candy (I think they expected the kids would just take it) and she would happily grab a piece. Her patience was amazing.

There were also bounce houses and balloons and face painting and free food.

We had a lot of fun!


Peeking out of an armoured truck.


We were waiting in line for the bounce house. Loved the way she was standing there holding onto the stroller, the feet stance. She's such a little grown up.


This little guy was a remote controlled bear that talked to you via the operator. Since it is a "live" dog it actually talks and interacts with you. Ella LOVED this guy!

Monday, August 31, 2009

Zoo

Columbus has a great zoo! Our family has a membership so we go frequently, sometimes only for an hour or 2. The other day Ella and I had nothing else to do so we headed to the zoo for a little impromptu visit. On the way I asked Ella what animal she wanted to see and she replied "the tigers".

On the way to see the tigers we walked by the elephants and the line to see the new baby elephant was at the "15 minute wait" sign so we decided to hop in line for that.

First the elephant. Isn't he cute?!



And check out the tiger! He was pacing back and forth along the glass. Ella was nose to nose with him...way cool! :)

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Reversible Tote Bag

Look what I made!!





A reversible tote bag!!

Ella saw it and claimed it as her own.

weekend project

Recently we received a friendly letter from the home owners association regarding the condition of our mailbox, specifically the post. Our mailbox post was painted white and apparently that is a big no-no (it is to be a neutral wood color) so we were instructed to correct the situation.

Off to Home Depot...

I'll spare you the details and just say that we fixed it today and here is the proof.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Birthday Party

We had a birthday party for Mom on Monday. We grilled out and enjoyed yummy cake and pie. Ella even put on a party dress (she's not a big fan of the dress ya know).






I think he wants some cake!


Showing off the loot.


On a side note...there were "complaints" about the thickness of the pie crust. I personally like it a little thick but also can't seem to roll it thin enough for some people (Darren and Marla). I realize this pie had issues since I pieced the top together with hand smashed dough...but any good ideas for rolling the dough thinner and still being able to move it?

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Pie and Cake

Check out these beauties. I bet they make delicious pie.



Better taste test just to be sure.



Add some spices.



There were some technical difficulties with the crust. Generally a good sign that things will taste good, even if they aren't all that pretty. Maybe I should say that it was a hand-crafted pie.



Yep, it was de-licious!



4 layer yellow cake with chocolate frosting. I rarely make layer cakes so this was something new. It's a touch lopsided. *note the pretty backdrop.



layers are a bit uneven but not to shabby for a first attempt.



Here is the "backdrop" I mentioned earlier. I asked Darren to take a picture of the cake and rather than move it to a clear area of counter he just snaps some random picture (it has been deleted). I may have mentioned something about making it look pretty and taking into consideration the area around it and the picture having a good backdrop. He disappears and comes back with this piece of cardboard packaging from a recent toy purchase. I had saved it because it was cute and I thought we could find some cool use for it...little did I know.