Coming this August...a SISTA

Wink

Last night when I was getting Ella ready for bed she started opening and closing her eyes in the funniest way. When I asked her what she was doing she said, "Winkle, eye wink." A video after the fact is never as good as the original but she still gives you one really good wink!

Our Little Reader

Lately Ella has started reading to herself and we think it is so cute! She has spent hours this week next to a big pile of books and we are constantly amazed to see how she remembers what words are on specific pages. This video is a compilation of "watching Ella read" clips that I have taken over the last few weeks.

Daddy and Daughter

Super Cute Girl in a Stroller

On Saturday we got some air conditioner units installed so Ella and I tried to stay out of the house as long as we possibly could so we wouldn't be in the way (and to be honest so we would not have to smell the installation guys' feet...you really would not have believed the smell and even though I'm in the second trimester I still can get a pretty queasy stomach at times). So, Ella and I took the opportunity to take some pictures around our complex.

Preschool

This is the little preschool in our complex that Ella will probably start attending a few days a week when she is 3.

Going Shopping

Last time we talked my parents asked me where we go shopping so this picture is for them. I do the majority of my shopping at Ren Ren Le which is a large grocery store down the street. It takes me about 15 minutes to walk there with the stroller and my ever-increasing baby belly. You might also notice the McDonald's sign in the picture! I get all our fruits, veggies and eggs from the little shop in the second picture. It's right outside our complex so it's extremely convenient. We also go to a store called Metro where we can get some imported goods and cheese and L buys all our meat from a halal butcher that is a few bus stops away.

Mountains

I took this picture from the front gate of our apartment complex. You can only see these mountains on a very clear day so we are always excited when we can see them.

Views from our Windows

On one side of our apartment we look out on a lot of construction (that goes on almost 24 hours a day!). But, on the other side we are extremely blessed to see green! This view is extremely rare in this country...especially since we live in a city of around 9 million. We fear that this little farm's days are limited and we will one day look out on a sea of apartments but we are definitely enjoying it while we can.

Ella's Input

Before we were married we decided that if we had two girls the first one's middle name would be Grace and the second one would be Joy. But, now we are having a hard time deciding what Baby #2s first name should be so tonight we thought we would ask Ella.

A: Ella, what should we name your little sister? Do you like the name Sophia?
Ella: No.
A: What about Lydia?
Ella: No.
A: Ayda?
Ella: No.
A: Then what should we name her?
Ella: Cracker!

L and I had such a good laugh about the name Cracker Joy!

Dancing with Daddy

Ella loves dancing with L. Here are a few videos of them dancing together.

Pretty in Pink

Kitchen Completed!

I'm so proud of L for making such a great kitchen for Ella! And, we're already looking forward to the time when we have two little girls cooking together in it!

Finishing Up the Kitchen

A few weeks ago a friend offered to come over and help L finish up the kitchen. This friend is a carpenter so he brought a bunch of his tools and ended up spending the majority of the day with us. We were really blessed by his willingness to help and enjoyed getting to know him better!

Going for an After Dinner Stroll

Our apartment is at the very end of this sidewalk but we live on the top floor so you can't see ours from this pictureElla often stops for a closer look at a bug

Ella loves walking up on these little curbsPlaying with a new friend at the playground inside our apartment complex (although sadly most of the equipment is actually adult exercise equipment instead of stuff for kids)

Helping Fold Washcloths

My God is So Big Motions