A cute, but crass, Ella story

Ella learned a fun song for her Christmas program at school (I promise that a video is on it's way), and here's how it goes:

Where is Santa?
Where is Santa?
I don't know,
I don't know.
Santa's coming,
Santa's coming.
Ho! Ho! Ho!
Ho! Ho! Ho!

There is also a second verse about Rudolph. Well, we are in the beginning stages of potty training, and every day, Ella sits on the potty before we get dressed. This morning, it was taking an unusually long time, and so I asked her, "Is there any pee-pee coming?" And Ella responded "Yes, and Poopy, too!" Then slowly and quietly (with no prompting from me) she began to sing.

Where is pee-pee?
Where is poopy?
I don't know,
I don't know.
Pee-pee's coming,
Poopy's coming.
Ho! Ho! Ho!
Ho! Ho! Ho!

I wasn't sure whether to laugh, because it was the funniest thing that I have heard in a long time, or to tell her that we don't sing songs about pee-pee and poopy. I have to say, being the parent of a toddler is a funny, funny thing.

Does this look like a man who should be president?

An Actual Sign from the Nashville Zoo

I'm not quite sure what to say about this, I don't think that there's much to be said :)

Tis the Season for Danger

As Advent begins tomorrow, I thought that I would clean up our living room and get out our mangers. Ella has a Little People manger that a nice family in our church got her when she was born, and Brad and I have an olive wood manger set that Brad got in Jerusalem. I am not one for much decorating, my mother calls me a minimalist, but I like to get out the mangers once Advent begins.

Ella was very excited when I got out her manger, she immediately began jumping up and down shouting, "The Danger, The Danger". No matter how many times I try to correct her, she insists that it's a Danger. Not only that, but there is no baby Jesus in our manger, instead we have a Baby Moses. And, maybe you can see in the picture of our danger, there is a donkey cart. Ours is really a "stroller". I tried to put the fruit piece in there and Ella said, "No fruit, that's Baby Moses' stroller".

You would think that the daughter of a pastor and a PhD student in religion would do a little better, but apparently we have a lot of work ahead of us convincing Ella of the real Christmas story that doesn't involved dangers, Baby Moses and his stroller.

An Answer to Prayer

For those of you who keep on the saga of the Daugherty life, I am happy to say that as of today, we have found a daycare for Ella! She will finish out this week, and two days next week at Outlook, and then move to City Road Chapel United Methodist Church. I had called every place in the city (that wasn't completely out of the way) that we would be willing to take her to, and everyone had a waiting list. We had heard back from our "last hope" yesterday that they wouldn't be able to take Ella until late spring or early summer, and so we were back to square one.

Someone had mentioned City Road to us, but it is a little out of the way. On a whim, I called yesterday, and they said that they might have a spot. I set up an appointment for today, and when we arrived for our tour, they told us that they had officially opened the spot this morning. After our tour, we asked for a day or so to think about it, and if we liked it, we would return later in the week to put down a deposit. As we walked to the car, we realized that we both liked it, felt comfortable with it, and were ready to sign Ella up. We read over the paperwork, then walked back in and put down the deposit.

There are definitely things that we will miss about Outlook, and Ella has loved her friends and teachers, but we are excited about City Road. One thing that we are most excited about is that she will have a Bible story and song each day as well as prayer before all of her meals. It's nice to have her at a place that reinforces our faith.

Just when it looked like we were down and out, God answered our prayers, and isn't that just like God? Thanks for your prayers.

Well, Sometimes Life Sucks

There are definitely days when I wish that life would just go away....and today is one of them. Yesterday, we received a note in Ella's mailbox at school that there was a meeting for parents this afternoon. I thought that it was a little odd, but didn't think much of it. This afternoon, there was a note that they will be closing Ella's daycare on November 30, sorry for the inconvenience. Good luck finding somewhere to send your child.

We love Ella's daycare, Ella loves Ella's daycare, and there is a year to a year and a half waiting list to get into the good places. I'm a little at a loss about what to do. And, they told us at like 5:00 on a Friday night, so there's nothing that we can do until Monday morning but think about it. My problem is that I internalize things, so I get sick to my stomach, constantly think about it, can't sleep, etc. Uuuugh. I'm sure that it will all work out, but for now, all I want to do is cry.

Does it really start this early?

This morning, Ella slept in. She has been a little cranky lately, and so I wanted to let her sleep as long as possible. I went into her room at the last possible moment and told her that it was time to get up, no response. I told her that we needed to get ready for the day, no response. I told her that it was time to go to school, and I hear from the crib, "No school, night-night.", and then she rolled over to go back to sleep. I know that kids like sleeping (heck, I like sleeping, a lot!), but isn't 23 months a little young to be wanting to skip school and sleep in?

Yum-Yum?

Today, Hardee's unveiled it's newest fast food offering, the Country Breakfast Burrito. This burrito stuffed with eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, cheddar cheese, hash browns and sausage gravy. This bad boy of breakfast will earn you 920 calories and 60 grams of fat. Who eats these things? I can't remember the last time I had 60 grams of fat in one day, let alone for one meal. No wonder America keeps getting bigger and bigger! Yuck.

He Pushed the Water Back

I guess that sending our kids to Sunday School does something. Ella and I were hanging out this afternoon, and she saw thepaper that she had done in Sunday School this morning. She looked at the drawing the she made and said, "He pushed the water back." When I asked her who, she said "Noah", but then changed it to God. Today in Sunday School, she learned about the Hebrews passing through the Red Sea. It's probably true, "Everybody oughta go to Sunday School."

You can never know

I went this week to a Minister & Mates retreat in Baton Rouge, LA. The speaker was one of my favorite preachers in the Church of the Nazarene (he's a long preacher, but a good one), Dr. Jesse Middendorf. He has incredible theology and his sermons are so thoughtful. As I was on the District Assembly circuit this summer, I think that I listened to over 20 hours of his sermons!

Last night, Dr. Middendorf spoke of the storms and shipwrecks that come into the lives of pastors (it was a pastor's retreat after all). And one of his points was that "Good people have children who rebel." He shared the story and heartache that he and his wife have experienced with their youngest son, Jim. Jim has been involved with alcohol, drugs and things that they don't even know about. For two years, they didn't even know where he was! And as he spoke about Jim, all that I could think about was Ella.

Every night, before we head upstairs to bed, I go into Ella's room where she is peacefully resting (and oh so cute!) and pray for her. I pray that God would put a hedge of protection around her, that God would help her to grow up to love God, that God would care for her in the midst of all that is happening in her life. The thing that hit me last night was that the Middendorfs probably prayed the same thing for Jim. The more Dr. Middendorf spoke about Jim, the harder I began to pray for Ella. But I realized that you can never know what will happen. You never know what choices your children will make. You can't make their decisions for them.

It breaks my heart to even think about not knowing where Ella is for two years, to think about drugs and alcohol destroying her life. You can never know what will happen, but I rest in the fact that no matter where she is, she will be in the palm of God's hand, and I am thankful for that.

Nobody Likes to Wait, Including Me

I'm going on a short business trip this week to Baton Rouge, LA. I arrived at the airport at 8:30 for my 10:15 departure time, and was able to get right through ticketing and security. I soon learned that our plane was delayed, and delayed and delayed. I now sit at the Nashville airport waiting for the plane to get here in hopes of a 1:45 departure. I know that there's little that can be done about these kinds of things (it's all weather related), but I when I think of all of the things that need to be done at home, and how much I could have used these extra three hours of time, it makes me sad. Our lives have been absolutely crazy this fall, and these three hours could have made a big difference for me and the chores that await me at home.

But, maybe this delay can teach me a lesson. Sometimes I just need to stop and slow down. And it really is okay not to be doing something every single minute of the day. I'm off to get some lunch, and enjoy reading the magazine that has been sitting unopened at my house for 3 weeks.

A Game and half? A Game and a half?

What has happened to the Red Sox? After two straight losses to Toronto and two Yankee wins, only a game and a half stands between the beloved Red Sox and the dreaded Yankees. Will what has so far been a fantastic season be ruined? I am banging my head against the wall in frustration (not literally, of course). Such is the life of a Red Sox fan.

Teeth are not for Biting

Along with being a genius, my daughter has quite an aggressive streak. With her best friend, she would sometimes tackle her just to hug her. She also would tend to bite her every so often. Since she has been in school, the teachers have mentioned to us that she sometimes has some issues with hitting, pushing or kicking. I knew that there was a problem yesterday when I walked into Ella's school, and her teacher said to me, "Can I talk to you for a minute?" Uh-oh, my first parent/teacher conference. Ella's teacher proceeded to tell me that not once, but twice in the course of the day, Ella had bitten one of her classmates (different classmates, you have to spread the love). I felt embarrassed, sheepish and was quite apologetic.

As I took Ella out to the car, I asked her if she had gotten in trouble, and she told me that she had, and for biting. So we talked about how we don't bite our friends. We also went to the library and checked out a book that we had looked at before, Teeth are not for Biting , along with companion books, Hands are not for Hitting, and Feet are not for Kicking. We read each of the books last night and again this morning. I don't know how much Ella understood, but I guess that at least we're trying. On the way to school we talked about how we act with our friends, not hitting, pushing, kicking or biting, but instead sharing our toys and playing. What else is a parent supposed to do? And how many more playmates will my daughter abuse?

I am sure that Ella will grow out of this stage, but in the meantime, it leaves me feeling inadequate as a parent :(

The angst of Parenthood

Ella has been in daycare now for almost 3 weeks, and she loves it. Unfortunately, she's only attended one day this week, because the center was closed on Labor Day (but Trevecca and Vanderbilt were not) and then she has been sick this week (now she has a recurrence of her hand, foot and mouth disease and can't go). Well, 1) we pay for her to go whether she's there or not and 2) we need her to go because we're working, taking class, doing homework, etc. A person only has so much sick time that they can take! I'm a little concerned about it all, and wonder if we're going to make it through. Part of me wants to find a way to stay at home, but if I stay home, we don't eat or have a roof over our heads. This is the reason that families stick close together, Ella has a grandma who stays at home everyday (and soon a grandpa, too) that would love to spend time with her. If only we lived in Indiana.......

Tonight's the Beginning of Something Exciting

So tonight's the night, the NFL season starts! Of course, I am doubly excited because the season starts with my Indianapolis Colts facing off against the New Orleans Saints. When I was 5, my mom signed me up to be a cheerleader for pee-wee football, and I have loved it ever since. I love the competition, I love the hype, I love listening to sports talk radio. Everything things that the Colts won't make it back to the Superbowl this year, and they might be right, but I'm ready for an exciting ride. There's just something about Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy that gets me excited!

My Child....Ever Amazing

Here Brad and I are, heartbroken about sending our angel to daycare. On Friday, I took the day off, and we took Ella to "school" to meet her teacher, her new class, and to become slightly acclimated before we drop her off for a full day on Monday. We stayed in the classroom for about 20 minutes, then left her there.

A half an hour later, we went in to get her and she said, "No, go! No, go! Me stay!". We finally convinced her that we would come back next week, and she relented to leave with us. That afternoon, we had planned a swimming adventure with Ella's best friend, Noelle (or Bauble as Ella says) and her mommy. When Ella woke up from her nap I asked her, "What do you want to do this afternoon?" Without hesitation she answered back, "School, me school." She was happy to go to the pool, but obviously she's ready to leave the nest. At least for a little while.

Children are amazing! Okay, maybe just mine :)

Times They are a Changin'

Next week is a big week in our house. For the first time in her life, our 21 month old is going to daycare. In order to make ourselves feel better about taking our child to be cared for by someone else for 40 hours a week, we call it school. Ella got a backpack for school, and she picked one with Elmo on it. Pretty cute.

The next week, Brad will begin school and take his first language exam for his PhD program. We are excited about this fall, but also a little nervous about all that we have to get done. Lots of families have two parents who work full time and make it okay. So will we, right?

Cute Ella story: This evening, Brad and I were in the kitchen talking about the slumping Red Sox and the soaring Yankees. All of a sudden, Ella, who was sitting in her booster seat in the dining room began to say, "Boo, Yankees" and make a thumbs down sign. We had taught her this months before, but we hadn't tried to get it out of her in a while. It was pretty cute, and pretty smart!

I'm about to become a Celtics fan.

For those of you who don't know, I'm a huge sports fan. Mostly just baseball (I'm a proud member of Red Sox Nation) and football (Go World Champion Colts!), but I also watch some basketball. I religiously listen to Boston sports talk radio, WEEI, for news on my beloved Sox and hate for the Colts. Even when we were in Boston, I could care less about the Celtics, they stunk. But today , I open up ESPN and see that my all time favorite basketball player, Reggie Miller "Knick Killer" is considering making a return, and playing for the Celtics. How awesome is that? I love Reggie Miller, and I could listen to news and comments about him on my favorite station, WEEI. Go Celts!

Vacation!!!

The Daugherty's are leaving for a short vacation tomorrow :) We are heading to Minneapolis to see some of our closest friends, Jeff & Richelle and their new baby George. Ella is most excited about the baby, of course :) Then, we are heading down to Iowa (I've never been to Iowa before) for my brother Steve's wedding. I am singing, Brad is ushering, and Ella will be the flower girl. We are excited to see our friends and family, and for Steve to marry such a wonderful girl (We think that he's "Marrying up"). I love weddings!!

I'm looking forward to a few days away from work, and with friends and family. Ella is also looking forward to seeing her family, particularly my mom. She walks around the house saying, "Mamaw, plane, me". It's pretty cute!

It is finished

Harry Potter, that is. Brad finished late on Sunday night, and I finished last night at 1:00 a.m. I can't remember the last time I stayed up until 1:00 a.m. for anything, let alone reading a book. At about midnight, I was going to put the book aside and plan to finish today, but then I got to a particular point in the book, and knew that there was no way that I could go to sleep until I finished the book and knew what happened.

I was unsure about how I would feel about the book once I read it (I was a little disappointed in Book 5 and even more disappointed in Book 6), but I was not disappointed, it was amazing. There were things that I could have guessed would happen, but I never would have anticipated it happening in the way that J.K. Rowling put things together. She did a wonderful job, a fitting end to a wonderful series.

I have to admit that I am sad that it is over. No more new Harry news? But perhaps now I can convince my husband to name a boy child Harrison, and not everyone would assume that I am naming him after my hero, Harry Potter.

Sharing = No Fun

So, today I have reverted back to my toddler hood (Ella HATES to share!) As most every one knows, on Saturday, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows came out, and arrived on my doorstep. Brad and I both read Harry Potter, although I am certainly the biggest fan in our family. We made the conscious decision to buy only one copy, but it's hard. We both want to read it, and any time the book is laid down, the other person immediately scoops it up and begins reading. We should have just bought 2 copies, or perhaps this is an occasion on which we learn something about life :)

I'm hoping to be finished soon (but, I'm only on Chapter 8!), I can't wait to find out what happens!

Is there more to life than this?

I often wished that I posted on my blog more, but two things hold me back: 1) Is there anything really interesting going on in my life to post about? 2) Where do I find the time? I get home from work at about 5:00 every day, play with Ella, eat dinner, hang out with Ella some more, and then put her to bed. By the time she is down, there's enough time to load the dishwasher, pick up the house, and get to bed in time to wake up at 5:30 a.m. to start all over.I recently started a diet that takes up a good amount of time. I try to work out 6 days a week, which takes up even more time. Where am I going to try to find time to get involved with church and (hopefully) new friends, good causes, and even to read a good book.

Is this what life is like until your kids get older (or until you lose 31 lbs?). I sure hope not. Any time management hints from my readers?

Harry won't die, will he?

This is a big month for us Harry Potter fans. In just 5 short days, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix comes out in theaters (still looking for a babysitter!). And, even more important, in just 16 days, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will arrive on my doorstep. Brad and I have been arguing for weeks now about who will get to read the book first. I can imagine us both sitting on the couch trying to read over the other's shoulder as Ella destroys the house! Hopefully we won't be that bad.

All along, I have convinced myself that Harry won't die. After all, it's a children's story, you can't kill off the main character in a children's story, can you? But, CNN ran an interesting article (click here to read) that it is not all that far fetched for Harry to die. What do you think, will she do it?

Newest Family Pictures

We went today (and actually one other time, taking pictures with a 19 month old is, well, exciting) and got our pictures taken as a family. If you would like to see them, click here . Enjoy the pictures of our little Angel, we sure do!

Where Does All the Time Go?

It's hard to believe that Ella is almost 19 months old. Brad took her for her checkup a week and a half ago, and she was 33 1/2 inches (90th percentile) long, weighed 26 lbs. 10 oz (80th percentile) and her head continues to be off the chart. She is amazing. We can see new things connecting in her brain everyday!

We went to visit my parents this weekend in Savannah. While we were there, Ella learned many new words, including: noodle (the pool kind), goggle, brilliant (like the Guiness commercials), Dixie (the dog), Andrew (my brother) and Uncle. She has even begun talking up a storm, of course we can only understand a little bit of what she's saying. But, she's trying to tell us something.

They always say that you should cherish the time with your kids while they are little, enjoy every moment. But, it's not until you begin to look back that you realize just how far they've come. What a joy, we are loving every minute of it.

Grey's Anatomy

Because we were on vacation, I was not able to watch the Grey's Anatomy season finale until last night. The show was a little surprising and a lot confusing. How could Callie really have been chosen as Chief Resident? Wasn't Dr. Bailey so much better than her? And, what is Derek talking about with Meredith, isn't he the one who chose Addison and not Meredith? And finally, what was perhaps most confusing for me was Christina's reaction in the apartment. What did she mean when she said that she was free? Did she not want to marry Burke? Is she glad to be rid of him, or is she crushed that he left?

I really like Grey's Anatomy, soap operaness and all. I am just not sure that I can wait until September to find out what happens.

Random Aside: As Dr. Bailey and George were sitting on the bench at the end of the episode, I said to Brad, wouldn't it be awesome if George and Bailey slept together?? It wouldn't really be awesome, but it would be very Grey.

Cold, Rainy, and Wonderful

We arrived in Boston last night (late, thanks to delays and air traffic control), and it's only about 45 degrees here today. Typical New England weather. And, I love it. We are having a great time, and it's good to catch up with people. As I was thinking about our trip, I realized that there's a part of me that acts as though life has stopped when we weren't here. But that certainly isn't the truth. Kids have grown taller, can talk and walk, and people have experienced things that we weren't here to experience with me. But, it's wonderful to know that friendships go on, even through the distance. We just pick up right where we left off.

Being here has reminded me how much I miss Boston. I miss our house, our friends, New England in general. But, I also can't imagine staying. I know that God led us to the right place at the right time. That doesn't always make it easy, though.

Ella has been so excited to be here. After a day with no sleep (on the airplane), she hasn't been eating. All she wants to do is play with the kids and the toys. Hopefully she won't leave Boston weighing 5 lbs less than when we got here.

Ouch!

In an effort to try to look respectable, I have been trying to do some basic exercises in the morning. This morning, however, I woke up to every muscle in my body complaining to me. I can barely lift my hands above my head. Perhaps the one comfort that I have is that it is actually working. Maybe someday I can be respectable!

Mother's Day & Baby Day

Today was my second Mother's Day. It began with Brad letting me sleep in an extra hour, even though Ella woke up at 6:30. We had a wonderful pancake breakfast and I got some beautiful roses and two nice cards.

Today was Baby Day at TCC (our church), and since Ella wasn't here last year for Baby Day, she got to be a part. This consists of going up on the platform and telling little things about her. She was by far the oldest one there, and loved being around the other babies. She just kept pointing, "Baby, baby, baby". Perhaps one of the best things is that she loves to carry purses, and so she took her purse from Guatemala to the stage with her.

The day continued with a long nap, and a wonderful dinner with salmon, sweet potatoes and corn on the cob. We went to the park, gave Ella a bath, and in a few minutes Brad is going to make me a Mother's Day peanut butter shake. Yum. I guess if I'm going to indulge, today's a good day.

I love the weekends, but they go by so quickly. I love being there when Ella wakes up, to put her down for naps, and just to experience the day with her. It's hard being a working mom (but I know that being a stay-at-home parent comes with challenges all its own.)

Last night, we taught Ella how to play Ring around the Rosy. She LOVES it! Even when we quit playing it, she kept playing it herself by singing a song that had some "R" words in it, and spinning in circles. Too cute.

"Gardening"

In an effort to minimize the work that we have to do on our yard (neither of us are big yard people, heck, we don't even own a lawn mower since ours got stolen), we chose to put down mulch in front of our house with a few shrubs in it. However, the mulch looked increasingly horrid as little green plants sprouted up all over it. Our yard was beginning to look a little trashy.

So, Ella and I spent a few hours today out in the yard weeding. Boy does that take a long time. It led me to several questions 1) Why do people like yard work? 2) How do people who do lots of yard work know what they're doing? 3) How much energy do I want to put into my own yard? We don't even have much grass.

I keep trying to bribe our parents to come and set our yard up, and then I will take care of it, but that doesn't seem to be working out very well. Perhaps I need to learn to do some things myself. Anyone want to teach me?

The Craziness of Life

Life has been crazy for us the past few months. Me-lots of traveling for work, B-lots of hanging out with Ella, and E-learning new things everyday. I will be happywhen life settles into some sort of routine, but I wonder when that will ever happen. Life is quiet on campus, the students have mostly gone home for the summer. This leaves our building with few inhabitants. It's lonely here.

We are heading to Boston next week for Brad's graduation. I can't wait! I didn't know that I would miss Boston this much, and so it's exciting to think of going back and seeing friends, even if it's just for a few days. Brad will get to say a few words at graduation, and I am so proud of him and what he has accomplished. He is enjoying these last few carefree months before PhD program will take over our lives.

Cute Ella story: Ella is starting to talk more and more, and one of her favorite words is no. In the car, I like to ask her who she loves: "Do you love Mommy?" "Nooooo." "Do you love Daddy?" "Nooooo", and on down the line with a myriad of important people in her life. Finally I said, "Who do you love?" and she replied "Cookie!". The honesty of children :)

Mommy and Daddy Who?

Yesterday, we went to tour a daycare for Ella for the Fall. It was amazing, and we are planning to take Ella there in August. It will be a great experience for her. While we were taking the tour, and talking with the program director, Ella took some time to hang out with what will be here class. Brad and I left her on the playground, and she had no complaints that we were leaving. Our tour took longer than the playground time, and so Ella got to go for a walk with her class in their special buggy. When we found her, she was sitting in the front seat of the buggy just like it was the most natural thing in the world. We basically had to pry her out of the seat so that we could go home. Here I was, holding back tears at the thought of sending my baby to daycare, and yet she had no problems, and barely wanted to come home with us. Children are much more adaptable than we think, or perhaps my daughter is just an extreme extrovert! We'll see.

A New Car for our Family

With Brad going into a PhD program in the Fall, we decided that for the first time in our marriage, we needed a second car. It makes me a little sad that we have succumbed to having a second car, but I like our new car. We got a 1998 Volvo V70. It's a good "family car" and has plenty of room to carry around Ella's junk. It will be good for our trip to the Heartland this weekend as we visit Brad's parents in Indiana. It's kind of nice to not have to worry about carpooling all of the time.

Is it Really 70 degrees outside?

Yes, for those of my readers who do not live in the South, it is 70 degrees outside here in Nashvegas. I knew that there was something that I was going to like about living here. It seems as though spring has arrived, while my New England friends are in the teens. Sure, I miss the Red Sox and Mike's Pastries, but you gotta love the trade-off.

Life continues to go by swiftly and surely for our family. We find ourselves making trips to the zoo, Ella loves the animals, swimming at the community center (okay, we've only done it once, but we loved it!), looking for a new car (although we are proud that we made it for 6 years with only 1 car), and a daycare for the little one. We are making a trip next weekend to the Heartland. Pat-Pat and PaPa are excited to show the little one off to their Muncie friends, and we are excited to perhaps be the recipients of some FREE babysitting!

As always, I love to share a little Ella story: Ella has reached the stage where she likes to mimic our actions. Last Sunday morning, we had a little extra time before church, so we sat down at the table for breakfast, and read some of the Sunday newspaper. When Ella had finished her breakfast, she immediately pointed to pieces of the paper that were strewn about the table. I put a Toys 'R Us ad on her high chair, and she proceeded to flip through, look at all of toys, and point out interesting ones to me. After about 5 minutes, she finished with that ad, handed it to me, and asked for another. Amazing, isn't she?

Are You Kidding Me?

This morning, at 5:27 a.m., our phone rang. I jumped out of bed, thinking that perhaps Baby Stackert has made his way into the world. Instead, it was the automated system for Nashville Metro School System, telling us that school was cancelled because of the snow (apparently the last people to have our number had school aged children, we can't seem to convince them that we don't!). I didn't even know that snow was on it's way, so I went to look out the window.

There were MAYBE 2 inches of snow on the ground. We turned on the news, and they treated it as though there were 24 inches of snow on the ground! They had reporters around the area, showing the amazing snowfall. One reporter leaned down to pick up the snow, "There must be an inch and a half here." Amazing! Not only that, but EVERY school system in Middle Tennessee was closed today, and the weatherman made fun of the school systems in Kentucky that hadn't closed yet.

The best part of all of it was that the traffic was non-existent today! It was like a Saturday morning. I know that living in Boston made me kind of a snow snob, "a foot, that's just a dusting." But all of this for an inch and a half? Are you kidding me?

A Recommendation for Salsa

This week, Brad, the grocery shopper in our house, bought a new salsa. We finally broke it out today, and it was amazing. I would highly recommend Paul Newman's Pineapple Salsa. We have the medium variety, but I would guess that any would be good.

Ella story for the day: Ella's favorite new game is pulling from her diaper bag things that are needed for changing a diaper. She pulls out the pad, opens it an puts it on the ground. She then takes out a dipaer and the wipe case, and proceeds to lie on the pad. She doesn't necessarily need to have her diaper changed, she just likes to pretend :)

I Love Parenting

I am truly amazed each day at how much I love being a parent, and especially how much I love my Ella. She is amazing. What I also find amazing is how much I love her. I never knew that I could feel so much love and devotion to a single person.

Some odd things about parenting: Parenting a toddler is exhausting. She is always on the move, always into everything, always doing something new. When I put her to bed, I am super excited to have some time to myself. But, not long after she goes down, I miss her. I want to go in and look at her sleeping. When I get into bed, I want to bring her into our bed to cuddle. How can you want to have a break from someone, and want to be with them all of the time?

I also am amazed about how utterly dependent children are on their parents. Ella depends on us for her every need. Not only that, but she trusts us implicitly. If I hand her something to eat, she puts it in her mouth without thinking that I might be giving her something bad, whether it would just taste bad, or be harmful to her. It makes me think of how easily people can (and unfortunately, sometimes do) take advantage of that and harm their children. Scary. It is a reminder to me of what a monumental task parenting is.

Let me end my post, dear reader, with a cute Ella story:
We often have Ella in the kitchen with us while we are cooking. One night last week, she was apparently very hungry (she continually made the baby sign for eat), so we turned the oven light on and showed her our casserole that was cooking in the oven. She promptly went across the room to the drawer where we keep the oven mits, got them out, put them on her hands and walked over to the oven to get the food out. What a genius!