Beautiful Sunset

This was the view out our front door last night...

IU Homecoming

Last week we made a trip down to Bloomington for the IU v Penn State football game. Although the Hoosiers lost, it was a good game and we had a blast. Matt's parents kept Ella for the day and we traveled with Joe & Jen Wright, and Jeff & Kelly Ostermann.

Tailgating before the game.

Here we are at the game....the north end of the stadium is under construction.

Steph & Kel after the game.

Sleeping on Daddy's Lap

These were taken last week. Even though Ella is 6 months old, she looks sooooo little in these pictures for some reason! I think it's the big poofy sleeper!

The Pumpkin Patch

Ella made her first trip to the Pumkpin Patch a week or so ago. It was so much fun! She loves being outside, and it has been so warm this fall that we have been able to spend time outdoors.

Hiding in the pumpkin patch...she blends right in!

Standing with Mommy's help.

Standing all by herself (with the help of a pumpkin, of course)!

On Daddy's shoulders.

She was honestly more intrigued by the little blades of grass than she was by all the pumpkins....we guess she's gonna be a "details" person!

Nanners...

So....the doctor said we could start giving Ella regular food. Obviously, we have to start with soft, squishy foods (bananas, potatoes, etc.) - but, he said we CAN start feeding her some of what we are eating. How can we be at this oint already!? Anyway...here is her first taste of a real banana. We mashed it up and put it on her Bumbo tray. She really didn't know what to think. She mostly just slapped, splattered, and smeared it everywhere. Thus, our first attempt with Nanners ended in a trip to the bath tub!

Bath Time!

Here are a few fun bath time photos!

Ella turns 6 months old....and celebrates with a trip to Knoxville!

Mommy had fall break from school....so Ella, Mommy, and Nana headed south to Knoxville, TN to spend a few days with Nana's sister, Joyce, and her family. It was a GREAT trip -- we had a ball! And....Ella turned 6 months while we were there!

Ella with Aunt Joyce and Uncle Greg. Uncle Greg initially made Ella cry with his height and deep voice....but she quickly found out he was harmless.

Here is Ella with Mommy, and Aunt Ashleigh (well, we call her "aunt" anyway....she is really a second cousin...or something like that!).

Ella made a new friend while in Knoxville. She met Mae. Mae is Tommy (Steph's cousin) and Marsha's little girl who is almost 18 mos. old. Mae and Ella were very curious about one another....we are sure they will have lots of fun together on future visits! (can't figure out how to turn the picture!!)

Ella LOVED Mae's toy cell phone....and Mae was very polite to share it with her! They were too cute together!

Here are Nana (Cheryl) and Mimi (Joyce) getting a kick out of their grand daughters.

Happy Baby!

Ella is almost 6 months old in this picture. She is such a happy girl! She has brought us so much joy these past 6 months!

Gracie turns ONE!

Cousin Gracie turned 1 on September 21. Here are a few pictures from her party.

Mmmmm...cake is good....

I said I'm 1, didn't you hear me?

Grandma and her 2 other girls!

Happy Birthday to ME!

No comment. :)

Big Girl!

A lot has changed since our last period of frequent blogging. Ella has become very efficient at rolling over...even doing so in her crib. We put her down on her back, and when we check on her, she is on her tummy! She has also grown leaps and bounds with sitting up on her own! She starting doing this awhile back, but has become a lot less wobbly in this last month. We still surround her with pillows though, just in case she takes a spill. Ella is still enjoying her cereal, although now it gets mixed with prune juice instead of water...for obvious reasons. She talks more and more each day -- and she LOVES Jed. She gets a big smile when ever she sees him!

US v. Brazil

One weekend in September Matt went to see the US soccer team play Brazil in Chicago. US lost, but it was a good time anyway! Here are a few pictures!

Ella Loves Gracie

A few weeks ago Cait had a hair appt. and Steph kept Gracyn for her. The girls had a ball!

Gracie's close-up!

Aww...Ella wants a hug!

Ella is cracking up here....she thinks Gracie is sooooooo funny!

Labor Day in Cleveland!

Ok....so I am a little behind! It is now October 3rd, and I didn't post at all during September. I guess it was a busy month! Now the recap: We spend Labor Day weekend in Cleveland visting family and friends. First stop was Andy & Meri Sikora's house.

Here Matt and Ella are posing with Andy....well, we're not really sure what Ella is doing!

Steph & Meri at dinner in downtown Cleveland.

Ella got a little restless towards the end of the meal, but it was nice that we were sitting outside because we could walk her around if needed!

From Andy & Meri's we went on to Steph's Grandma's house....her parents were already there. Four Generations: Charlie (Steph's Dad), Ellen (Steph's G-ma), Steph, & Ella.

Here we are on Grandma's deck. Her neighbor let us pick corn, tomatoes, and peppers from his garden. That night Uncle Criag got chicken and potato wedges from a local restaurant, and we enjoyed the fresh picked corn with our dinner!