Potty trained!?

Our Ellie girl has been fully potty trained since May, but we have a few kinks to work out.  :)  First of all, she likes to strip naked to go potty.  We're hoping to nip this one soon, as it's next to impossible for me to bend over to put all her clothes back on.  :)

Second, she likes to bring all of her clothes out of the bathroom, and to whichever room we happen to be in, making us very nervous that she's going to run out of time.

Third, she likes to put the seat up and sit on the rim of the toilet.  While this is ok at home, since I am a maniac about keeping the toilets clean, (you would too if you had your face in it daily) being in public is another story!

Fourth, and most obvious....she likes to sit backwards, IN the toilet.  Matt and I could not stop laughing when we caught her like this the other night. 

Ellie's new bike

A co-worker of mine asked if Ellie would like her daughter's old bike.  It was just the right size for her, and the right price for us:  FREE!  I brought it home and Ellie insisted on buying new wheels for it while we were grocery shopping.  Once we got the training wheels on, she was ready to go! 

She's super excited to have her very own princess bike.  She struggles to not slam on the brakes, as she is used to being able to pedal backwards on her trike. 

Riding in the street, where it's much more level and easier to ride for little legs.  :)  Thanks Kristina and Abigail!

4th of July

A little pre-fireworks naparoo with Stevie.  Ellie was so excited about going to the fireworks and talked about it for three nights prior.  We had to explain to her that it had to be dark out, and it only happened one night in the Summer.  All day she asked to see the "boom-booms." 

Trying to get Daddy excited about the "boom-booms."  We like to go to the Lakeville fireworks because the area is huge and there is no bad seat.  Plus, it's nice and close to home!

Eating some candy and waiting for it to get dark out.  She was super excited the entire night, and when the fireworks started, she asked to go home.  Go figure.  :)

Lakeville had a Blackhawk chopper there for people to check out.  The line was INSANE, so we opted to not go climb in it, but we did get to watch it take off. 

It shot straight up into the air...both Matt and I were surprised at that.  Ellie kept waving to it and wanted to know where they were going. 

It's super hard to see, but one of the guys was literally hanging out the side of the chopper waving to the crowd. 

It was such a beautiful night! 

Ellie watching the fireworks. 

An exciting edition of "Find Ellie Girl"

                      I spy an Ellie Girl and Bingo Cat....

Her bucket was full of pool toys...she wanted to go swimming, but mean Mommy made her take a nap instead. 

This made me laugh out loud.  We find Ellie sleeping in the most peculiar positions, with the most random things in bed with her. 

    This was just too cute to not share.  These two nap together all the time.  Steve loves him some Ellie girl, and she loves to smoosh on him as well.  He follows her around the house when she's playing, and even watches her very closely in the bath.  So cute!

Ellie at the Zoo!

Ellie at Target Field

Trying to get a picture of Daddy and Ellie girl in the Golden Glove.  This is the best one.  :)

She was SO excited to go to a baseball game.  She was dancing around, clapping her hands.  It was so cute!

ohhhhhhhhhh!  ahhhhhhhhhh!  Sadly, we did not get to see it light up for a homerun.  :(

um...no smiles here.

Seriously, leave me and my hotdog alone. 

Smiles for Mommy.  She had just seen T.C. Bear walking on the field.  For the rest of the game she kept asking "where did that bear go?"

She ate some popcorn....

Caught raindrops on her tongue....

Tried taking a few pictures....

Had some more popcorn....

                                                                And then went home and told BingoCat all about the game.

Ellie's leg update :)

Ellie girl will get her cast off (hopefull for good) on the 14th.  She is now walking on it and it doesn't slow her down one bit.  She's been jumping and trying to run as well.  She can even ride her trike with her cast. 

Some of the signatures on her leg.  She's quite the popular lady!

This is how we keep the Ellie girl clean while having a broken leg.  We wrap a hand towel around her cast and then tie a plastic bag to her leg.  She thinks it's hilarious.  Then she gets to play in the baby tub.  She'll play in the little tub almost longer than she would in the big tub.  :)

owwie

So...our Ellie girl is officially a Rohde and Hockens.  Today when I went to pick Ellie up from daycare, I got a voicemail stating that Ellie had fallen at the park and refused to put her foot on the ground.  When I got to daycare, one of her daycare "moms" was almost in tears.  I went inside and found Ellie sitting on our other daycare lady's lap.  Ginny said that Ellie hadn't really cried, just wimpered, and refused to put her foot down.  While they were playing at the park, Ellie was climbing up a part of the "big toy" and her foot slipped and her leg went through the ring.  On the way home, I tried touching her foot and she FREAKED out, so I called Matt and we decided that Urgent Care was calling our name.  We got right in, had X-rays, and it was confirmed.  Our Ellie girl broke her little leg.  She barely cried at all through the entire ordeal.  The only time she cried is when the DR examined her foot and during x-rays.  Tomorrow we'll go to another clinic to get her official cast and find out how long she'll have it.  She's doing really well so far...hoping some motrin will get her partway through the night.  She was doomed from the start...there are klutz's on both sides of the fam.  It was only a matter of time...

Mommy's little reader

Ellie girl LOVES to read books and will spend lots of time in her bedroom looking through her oodles of books.  She has a HUGE basket full of books in her bedroom, and another HUGE basket full of books in the living room, not to mention all of the books I have in storage for her still.  I am so happy she enjoys books!

Reading about girls' baseball and looking like a big girl!

Showing off her awesome smile :)

Bathtime Fun with Steve

Ellie really likes to watch the water and bubbles fill up the bathtub, and she always has a friend by her side.

Steve really seems to like the bathtub, especially when Ellie is involved.  These two are always together lately.  It's so cute.  Ellie will lay on the floor and Stevie Cat will wrap himself along the side of her.  They are best buds.

Ellie asking Stevie to lay on the side of the tub.

And he does!  He will stay at the side until she gets out.  He's actually fallen into the bathtub with Ellie before, giving her a small scratch.  She yelled at him to "get out of my baftub Stevie!  My Bubbles!"