Ellie and Jessica wanted to be lions at the Children's Museum. They both loved the grocery store and catching ducks in the pond.

Pump It Up and Build-A-Bear

We went to Pump It Up with Jessica and Grandma. Jessica loved the slides, but Ellie as afraid of them! Ellie was drinking from the water fountain and got a little water on her dress. I was turned around looking at something else, and within seconds, Ellie had gotten completely naked. I laughed and said to put her clothes on. She said, "No, I want to be 'maked'," and went running as fast as she could all around the place. Everyone was laughing. I finally caught her and put her clothes back on!

Later, we went to Build-A-Bear. Here, you can see my big belly! About one month to go!!

Taking Care of Our "Summer Home"...

I'm sure Chris will kill me for this photo, but I couldn't resist!! We are responsible for mowing the lawn at our sublease this summer, so Chris was quick to spring into action! I don't think I've ever seen him mow the lawn before since we've always lived at an apartment! Jessica, my 4-year-old niece, came to visit the next day and said, "This grass needs to be cut!" I guess she wasn't impressed, but I thought he did a great job!

Bath Time at Build-A-Bear

We went to Build-A-Bear with Grandma and Jessica. Ellie made a horse, and Jessica made a purple hippo! Ellie insisted that her horse be "maked" (naked). I guess that's ok, because afterall, horses are supposed to be naked!

FRECKLES!!!

Ellie has about three freckles on her nose! One is pretty dark. I'm still hoping they will wash off because I'm feeling a little guilty - like I haven't used enough sunscreen for her! This picture shows the dark one on her nose between her eyes. Chris and I both have freckles on our nose, so I guess it was bound to happen - sunscreen or not!

Songs about the Rain...

The pool pics are from the only day it didn't rain! It hasn't rained all day, every day. But it has rained at least a little every day except for one! And even when it's not raining, the dampness in the air means you still feel wet anytime you're outside! I had to include this picture for my CA friends who may have forgotten what a rainy day looks like! There's definitely no drought in store for the Houston Rainforest!

So, Ellie has started to request the rain songs when it rains. You know the list, I'm sure...

"It's raining it's pouring..."

"Rain, rain, go away..."

"I'm only happy when it rains..."

"Rain drops keep falling on my head..."

etc.

Ellie's Pool

We had a great first week in Texas visiting with friends and family! Ellie didn't have one day where she didn't have a playmate! We got a new pool for her, and she seems to enjoy it! We don't even have to warm up the water here! In CA, the water was often too cold for the kids to swim in if it all came straight from the hose!!

Happy Hollow Park and Zoo with Dad

We all went to Happy Hollow Park and Zoo after Ellie's first haircut! She had a lot of fun, and Chris enjoyed visiting a place that Ellie and I love to go. She had a great time on the carousel!

She rode on the cars for the first time. She enjoyed the first few minutes, but they had to stop the ride early because she got really scared and was trying to get out! The cars were going around in their very slow circle path, and Ellie was smiling and turning the wheel. For a minute, I thought, "That's really great that she's not scared anymore. Look how much fun she is having." But then all of the sudden she got scared. She kept passing us by, buckled in her car, jumping up and down, and holding out her arms as he car approached us. We watched from the fence, telling her she was fine and to keep her hands in the car! They stopped the ride, she got off and later said she had "fun" on the cars!

First Real Haircut

Ellie had her first real haircut on June 14 before we left California! She was really scared at first. The hair stylist suggested that we hold her down and let her scream while he cut her hair! Chris quickly vetoed that idea, and eventually she was at ease with the idea of getting her hair cut!

Adjusting to TX

Many people have asked how Ellie is adjusting to the move. For the most part, she is enjoying each day, but she still asks daily about her California friends. I have tried to make every day extra fun so that she will stay happy. Today as we pulled up to our new house, Ellie says...

"I don't like this house. I want to get in an airplane and fly to California. Then I will go to my house and see my friends."

But it will just take a little time for us to adjust to our new schedule, and I'm confident she will enjoy her summer here!

Pics to come soon!

Ellie's Email to Daddy...

This afternoon, we wrote an email to Chris on his first day of work for the summer. Ellie told me what to write, and I typed...

______________

hi daddy

i want my daddy

ellie loves her daddy

mommy loves daddy

arden loves his ellie kate

mr. newell loves his ellie kate

ms. karen loves her ellie kate

arden

swappy loves swappy

love you daddy

bye bye daddy
______________

Ellie's Interview

Here we are trying to get Ellie to tell us some things about our upcoming "vacation" to Texas. She's a little bored (and shy) with the interview and quickly finds something much more interesting - the "prinklers" (AKA the sprinklers)! I didn't think about the fact that this would come out sideways! Oops! I'm still learning!

Ellie Elevator Video

We are just playing around with my friend's camera on the elevator. We had planned to display an ultrasound today, but... The doctor said she didn't need to do one after all. She could easily feel that the baby's head is down (not breech), so no ultrasound was required.

Lunch with the Dads

We met our friends for lunch at the "Oval", the main grassy area on campus. We all had a great time!

Final Biz Kids Play Date of the School Year

The kids are playing and having a great time! As usual, Ellie and Arden love to tease each other and do just what the other hates!!

I also got Ellie to eat some carrots (sprinkled with powdered sugar) after the party!

Baby Boy - 31 weeks

During the camping trip, the baby was VERY active. Maybe we have an outdoor's man "in the making"!

Last night, I felt the baby's hiccups for the first time!

Memorial Day BBQ in Berkeley

We celebrated Memorial Day in Berkeley at a BBQ hosted by the Hillegas crew! As always, the food was great and the company was funny! Ellie practiced her flower-girl skills for the upcoming wedding in July! Mason is talking - IN SENTENCES! Very cute!

Camping in Yosemite!

We had our first real camping experience as a family! We slept in tents under the stars with 3 other familes, made smores and cherry cobbler, and "hiked" to see waterfalls! We had a great time!! We camped right next to a creek, and the sound of the trickling water was very relaxing! Nights were a little tough as my bladder is pretty small at 30 weeks pregnant!! Our tent was tiny, but it was cozy! The views were beautiful and the scenery was gorgeous!

Astros Game!

On May 22, we went to watch the SF Giants play the Houston Astros in San Francisco. We took the Caltran to the game, and Ellie was terrified at first! Arden loved it, and eventually Ellie came around to enjoy it as well! Ellie "fixed her hair" for the game! She and Chris had a pinky war during the game. And the 10pm trainride home was bearable thanks to Dora and VideoNow!