What did she say?

Ella works really hard at communicating. She tries so hard to say the words we say but usually has to come up with a simpler version. Sometimes this is really cute...like how she calls a phone a puck and then we laugh and laugh. Other times the words she comes up with are downright inappropriate...like how sock comes out a-s-s (and then we try to hide our faces as we laugh and laugh).

Lately, Ella has started saying "snack". Which is great and all but it is coming out as a-s-s too. And I am starting to wonder if our house is still G rated. I was ok with it though because only the family was aware of Ella's bad mouth or as Ella would say bad "bop". But the secret is out and we are shamed.

Last Sunday...at church...during sacrament...while the sacrament was being passed, Ella decided she wanted a...snack. Apparently it was an emergency too because she yelled a-s-s so loud and then kept repeating it at such urgency that we were searching as fast as we could. But it was too late. People had definitely noticed and turned around to see who's kid it was. I was embarrassed but choose instead to laugh because I am well, a little immature.

Ohh..isn't having a toddler fun!

Reading Suits Me

It began:


And grew:


And grew:


And grew:


Until it was LOVE:


Ella has no time for toys. They stay in her toy box all day. She is obsessed with books. And don't sit in one spot for too long or she will start piling the books up on your lap.

It is so cute as she brings me a book, puts it on my lap and says "more book", then she proceeds to go back to her room grab another book and put it on my lap. This continues until my lap is piled high with all the books she wants me to read. Then she stands at my feet and says "up, up, upupupupup.." (it is an emergency) and we read.

She actually spoke her first sentence not too long ago. I was trying to do the dishes and she was standing at my feet holding three books. She kept saying "book..book" but I wasn't responding. Then she did it...she said "Mommy, re-re a book". And so we did.

And with that, I dedicate this song to Ella, my bookworm:

Trip to Rochester

Last week we took a trip up to Rochester, NY. The purpose for the trip was for Chris to check out the MBA school at the University of Rochester.

The drives up there and back were pretty miserable because Ella did not appreciate being stuck in the car. She would tell us over and over again "uck(stuck)...I walk...up". We all had a great time after we got there.

The first day we were there Chris had an interview with the university. That seemed to go well. He also attended a class. Ella and I just hung out on campus, it seemed like the students had never seen a child before because I got a lot of weird stares and a lot of people asked me if I needed help. I think they assumed I was lost. After the class they took us on a tour of the campus and out to lunch. It was a nice time. The campus is beautiful but not very stroller friendly.

That evening we went to Park Avenue downtown and got some pizza from a local place. While we were waiting we checked out a record store. The pizza was amazing, it was so good that Ella even ate it. This is a big deal because she would never try pizza before.

The next day we went to The Strong Museum of Play. We drove around trying to find the place and when we finally got there we turned around in the car to see that Ella had fallen asleep. So, we went and got some hot dogs off the street. We tried the local favorite called the White Hot and it was so good. I never knew a hot dog could taste that wonderful.

The museum was definitely my favorite place we went on the trip. It was crazy how much they had for kids to do. There was a train to ride and a carousel. They had a Sesame Street Set. Complete with Elmo's World and a yellow taxi to drive. There was a Market to buy groceries and check them out. The list goes on and on. Chris's favorite room was called Field of Play were everything was an experiment in science. My favorite room was called Reading Adventureland. The had made different exhibits for different genres of books. There was an actual ship for the genre of books like Robinson Crusoe and Treasure Island. There was a castle for the fairy tales and I could go on and on. This place was awesome.

I really loved how every exhibit had a art project to do, like make a crown or a kaleidoscope. I also loved that he museum got together with the local library and had books that matched each exhibit that the kids could check out. Isn't that genius?

That night we went to a Thai Restaurant and Ella got to experience curry for the first time. She didn't like it but she was really into anything that was deep fried.

Back From Rochester

Ellaspeak

Ella loves to talk and learns new words everyday. The fun part is trying to figure out what she is saying. It is like she has her own language that we have to learn in order to communicate with her.
The way she says things make us laugh and laugh. And I love how if she doesn't know what to call something it becomes a "this". Check out some of our favorites translated into proper English:

"gink"= drink
"eww"= shoe
"ock" = sock
"ki-kik"=blankie
"Isaas"= Isaac/Elliot/Gretchen/Cousin
"pass"= pacifier
"pa-pal"= grandpa
"butt" = what
"bucko"= Michael
"bish"= fish

I think I will miss all her made up words when she learns to speak correctly.

No Trick All Treat

This was Ella's first year to trick or treat. We ended up with 2 free costumes so we decided to let Ella choose. I thought for sure she would want to be the pink octopus but no, she chose the dragon.
On Wednesday we took her to the Ward Halloween Party. As you can tell she wasn't too sure about the thing on her head:



Then yesterday we went trick or treating. It didn't take too long for her to forget about the costume. She would walk up to strangers (not an easy thing for Ella) and hold out her hand and say "UHHG" (give me candy in caveman). Then when she got what she wanted she would say "thank-you" (she is a polite caveman).



By the end of the evening the pumpkin was so full of candy she had to carry it with both hands. We tried to help but she had her death grip on it. Sturgill's don't foul around with their candy.



Then she decided it was time to start eating:




She had a great time and got a lot of candy which I am very excited about. Because, you know, I had to go through the candy and take out any pieces that "might" be a choking hazard or that I "might" need to be able to get through tomorrow.

Just for laughs

She was even wearing a bib!!!!

Gretchen and Ella

So, it looks like the girls are fast friends. Ella and Gretchen were so cute together. I found them playing hide and seek. Ella would come around the corner to find Gretchen and they would laugh and laugh. Debbie found the girls sitting in bed looking out the window and then they would look at each other and giggle so cute.
Ella really liked Gretchen and decided she needed to be big like her. So, now she sits on a chair at the table (though, just her little eyes peer over the top). She is also sleeping in a big girl bed or on the floor in her room, wherever she decides. Gretchen really liked Ella too. My favorite thing was when she walked past Ella tapped her on the head and called her "sweet pea". Check out the pictures of the girls playing:

(As you can imagine, their music was beautiful)



("Hold on tight!")



("Weee!")



("I don't get it?")

Ella Can Fly

Trials Help You Grow

So, right now I am wishing that Chris never put up the post about being pregnant.

I had my first doctor's appointment last week and found out that there was no baby. My body thought I was pregnant but the baby never formed. I had a D&C on Monday to care of the placenta and am feeling really good. It is nice not to be nauseous anymore and to be able to enjoy food again. I am still waiting for Chris to take me out for steak.

I am grateful for all the things to learn when going through a trial. I learned more than ever how much I need family. They had to do a lot of the care for Ella this month and this also helped Ella gain a close relationship with them. I also learned that sometimes there seems to be no reason for going through a trial except to gain more understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It is amazing what He went through for me and how He helps me though each hard moment. I also learned again and again that it is His will be done and not mine. Hopefully now I am more meek and submissive. And maybe more than anything I learned to be more grateful for Ella than I would have ever been. I hold her a little closer now and appreciate each new thing she learns a little more. Like tonight for example, she said her first prayer. I couldn't understand a single word except "A-Me"(Amen) but there she was folding her arms and bowing her head while babbling on a on. What a special moment.

Great Expectations

Life has been crazy out here in the Midwest. I've been working a lot of hours recently, having picked up a contract with Electronic Arts (to develop the web site for their new game: MySims Kingdom), and last Saturday I took the GMAT. On top of this, we recently found out that Kira is pregnant and we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our second child.

Kira' pregnancy has been pretty rough, but we're lucky to have a strong support group. It's been a lot easier for us financially this time as well, as our insurance covers prescription drugs (unlike BYU's health plan). We have our first appointment with the mid-wife this Thursday and will post pictures of the ultrasound if we get any. The little one won't be much larger than a tadpole, but it's always amazing to see life in all its stages.

Ella is doing well and I sat with her through nursery last week. She seemed to really enjoy playing with all the kids (except that one boy who kept taking all her toys...) and its gratifying to see her grow and learn. She moves her hands to "Wheels on the Bus" and interacts with some other kiddie songs. We'll try to get together a little movie so you can all bask in her cuteness. :)

Petting Zoo at the Fair

Ella loved the petting zoo. They had a lot of baby animals. She loved the baby pigs and would reach in their pin, touch their ears and say "flop flop". She also liked the little goats. They liked her as well because she had been eating chips. The goats licked all the crumbs off her hands and then moved on.
Ella's favorite part was the little Kangaroo. It would prop itself up on the bars and Ella would talk to it in some language I couldn't understand. Then the kangaroo would bend over and eat some straw so Ella would bend over too. By the end Ella was shaking the bars to let the Kangaroo out and when that didn't work she started climbing the fence. We had to peel her off the bars. It was so much fun!

Fair Parade

(Notice the necklace, she loves it)

On Saturday we went to the Fair Parade with Ella. It was fun to see my high school band and get candy. Ella liked The Shriners driving around in their little cars. She also liked the horses but most of the parade she just sat and ate her goldfish. I was glad it was free.

Busy Weekend

It was quite the week for us. My sister Jami and her family came into town. It was fun to see them and have all the kids play together. I wish it would have lasted longer.
The kids had the best time playing outside in the sandbox and in the sprinkler. Though, Ella didn't like the water on her clothes or the sand on her shoes. She is such a girl. Check out the fun:



We also went to a baseball game in Toledo with my sister Rayna and her family. It was awesome because we had a free dinner before the game and had free ice cream and popcorn during the game. This was all provided by my brother-in-law, Jeff's, work. We were glad we got invited. Ella really liked the popcorn as you can see from the picture.

Children's Garden

We took Ella to the Children's Garden on Saturday. It was so cute. They had a lot of fun little things for kids to explore and Ella really enjoyed it. She walked around the whole garden holding my hands and had a blast.

Also recently Ella began taking her first steps. She does up to four at a time but gets so excited about it that she falls and giggles. It is so fun!

Here are some pictures of her at the Garden:


(Leap Frog Lane)

(Gumball Alley)

Favorite Reading Spot

We are all settled in here in Ohio. We are currently living with my brother Jared to save money for a down payment on a house. Ella has adjusted really well, maybe better than us. She loves her twin cousins. She calls them babies even though they are older than her and follows them around everywhere.
She is also really happy to have a room of her own and has already found her favorite spot to sit and read. It is so cute how much she likes looking at a book.

Helping Move

Ella was a good little helper when it came to the move. She made sure to put a toy in each box and learned quickly that markers were for writing on boxes. She also really enjoyed helping me clean. Isn't it cute?

Fold Your Arms

So, I am way behind on the blogging because of moving to Ohio. I am now trying to catch up. Before we left for Ohio we were working with Ella on folding her arms for prayer and she finally started doing it. Look how cute and reverent she is. We will work on the closing your eyes part later.

Vacation To Monkey Island

Chris' Thoughts:

So we just got back from a vacation to Monkey Island. No joke, that's the actual name of the place. We had a wonderful time, so much so that Dad slashed one of his tires in a ruse to stay an extra day or two. It was a real pleasure to be in a place where cell phone coverage was intermittent at best - where we could spend uninterrupted time enjoying each other's company.

Bobby and Debbie let us crash at their hotel (though we might have technically exceeded the fire code statute), and Mom and Dad stayed just outside of town. While the room was large for hotel standards (3 bedroom, 3 bath with a full kitchen), that space quickly disappeared with 10 of us bunking there overnight. But here's the funny thing: it was absolutely wonderful to be so close to loved ones. It was a thrill to wake up and watch cartoons with Josh, color with the girls, and act like a little boy with an older brother.

My only regret is that more of us weren't able to make it.

---

Kira's Thoughts:

I will let the pictures show you what we did on vacation and just focus on the things that are most important to me.

Before we left I was so excited for Ella to get to play with her cousin Gretchen. I thought they would really enjoy spending time together but I was so impressed to see all the kids spend time with Ella. Josh was always considerate of Ella and Ella always had a smile for him. Elizabeth said that Ella was her baby and Christine would bring toys to Ella and show her how to play with them. I thought it was sweet to see the older kids interact with her even though she was a baby.

I was also amazed at how well we could fit into a small space. It got me thinking about a talk that Pres. Kimball gave about family. In it he discussed going to visit a family where he was so comfortable that it didn't seem to matter that the rug was torn or there weren't enough bedrooms for all in the house. That was how it was for us on vacation. It didn't seem to matter that there weren't enough beds for all the kids or that Ella was sleeping in the bathroom. We were just comfortable being together.

Monkey Island Pictures

View Pictures

I'm Proud to be an American

The fourth of July was great fun. It was nice just to be outside with the family while listening to beautiful music. But the best part for me was seeing how much fun Ella had.
She had the best time eating snacks and staying up late. She also loved the flags that were passed out. Her favorite part by far though was the fireworks. It was so fun to see her stare at them in amazement with her mouth hung open and then out of nowhere she said "WOW." She continued to say "wow" after each firework. It was crazy. We didn't even know she knew the word wow.

Domestic Trouble

Since we were all sick I decided to be domestic and disinfect everything I could. I started by putting Ella's stuffed animals in the washing machine. I remember my mother doing this and didn't think it would be a problem. Well, one of the animals exploded in the washing machine and it wasn't stuffed with what one would except to find in a stuffed animal. It was stuffed with the tiniest plastic balls I have ever seen. They were everywhere in the washing machine and the utility room. I spent a great deal of time shaking the balls off of everything in the wash. I felt like I was back in Little House on the Prairie times with how long it took. Then, I used the vacuum cleaner to suck out all the excess balls in the washing machine and proceeded with the laundry. Only to find that the balls were still around and no matter how many loads I do and how many times I clean out that machine they keep coming back. I think they are multiplying and replenishing!

Baby Doll

Recently we have been having some serious bedtime battles. Ella used to go to sleep so nicely but we were having 2-3 hours of screaming before she would fall asleep. We felt like we had to come up with something to help ease her troubles. We decided that the baby doll was the answer.
Ella loves her baby doll. She rocks her baby, hums her songs, kiss her, feeds her a bottle, and even burps her baby doll. So, we decided to get the baby some PJs.
Now at bedtime we put PJs on the baby doll and put PJs on Ella and then they go to bed together. And what do you know but there is no more screaming. She just snuggles down next to her baby and goes to sleep. It is so cute!

Check out Ella playing with her baby doll:

A [Sick] Week In Review

I won't lie, it's been a rough week. And those feelings are only enhanced as I hear Ella continue to protest her evening banishment to the crib.

Our little girl decided that good health was a thing of the past, and being the giving sort, passed along her illness to Kira. Being spared disease, it was up to me to make sure our family needs were met. Many thanks to Mom and Dad for dinner on Friday which really helped get me over the hump (mentally and physically).

I've decided that I'm not really that good at a lot things that Kira does. Somehow in our 3 years of married bliss, I forgot what it's like to have to prepare a lot of meals. And eating what I cook I'm reminded of why Kira took on most of the food preparation responsibilities (and by most, I mean all). Memories of college life bachelorhood come to mind, and I won't say that eating was quite the pleasure it is now. Perhaps that's why I've put on some 20 pounds since June of '05...

Blankie Love

L is for the way you look at me

O is for the only one I see

V is very, very extraordinary

E is even more than anyone that I adore

Love is all that I can give to you

Love is more than just a game for two

Two in love can make it

Take my heart but please don't brake it

Love was made for me and you