When it's a little too quiet upstairs...

...this is what I found!

Isn't Ellie a little young to be so mischievous??

Ellie on the Move

Miss Ellie is on the move these days! She can easily climb the stairs, is fully crawling on hands and knees (no more army crawl), and can pull herself up and cruise along things - yikes! As you can see here, she also is discovering the fun of opening cabinets and drawers.





Sometimes she even climbs inside the bigger cabinets, which is pretty cute! [sorry, no photos] She is certainly keeping me on my toes these days!

Ellie is now 10 months old - she is a happy and friendly girl with a BIG toothy smile to share with everyone.

Wookie Cookies

Gram Leanne sent us some fun Star Wars cookie cutters - she sure knows what her son and grandson like!

Link helped me roll out and cut the dough with the cutters




Darth Vader, Yoda, Boba Fett and Storm Troopers!


Then we all decorated the cookies for Family Night:


Yum!!

Stair Climber

Looks like life just got a bit more interesting here at the Giles home

American Flag Store

When I was younger, my siblings and I LOVED to buy souvenirs when we'd go on vacation. From Washington DC to Hawaii we were always asking "Where is the gift shop?" I now know what a waste of money those "precious" souvenirs can be, but I have also learned the fun of checking out some of the *finer* gift shops.

We drove by some huge gift shops in Orlando - each with it's own unique store front - the Giant Mermaid, the Wizard, the Animals with the Possessed-looking Eyes, and the American Flag. Lincoln desperately wanted to go into the latter and kept calling it "Wal Mart" (I guess Wal-Mart and Americana are synonymous, even to a 3 year-old). These are the gems we found:


Yikes!! An alligator is eating my hand!!



True




The cutest thing in the store




The lady in line ahead of me actually bought these...wow...






Link and Ellie liked playing the small guitars

Luckily, we got out of there with only a giant lollipop for Lincoln - on sale from $3.00 to $2.99! What an amazing discount!! :)

Disney World!

My sister is working at Disney's Animal Kingdom this summer, so my parents planned a wonderful family vacation. My parents, grandparents, and all my siblings were there - FUN! We visited all the Disney parks and relaxed in the pool at our rental house. Both Lincoln and Ellie just loved all the extra people to play with, and we all loved the warm (HOT!) weather and time together.

I think Link was in shock at Magic Kingdom - how do you explain all sorts of crazy themed rides to a 3 year-old?! Going from space, to pirates, to Mickey Mouse must be a bit confusing! He's been really into Toy Story lately, so he loved the Buzz Lightyear ride and was SO excited to meet Woody and Jessie.


Ellie was a good girl, even though she could only go on a handful of rides.




Ellie practicing her standing at the fish tanks in Epcot:


I'd say Lincoln's favorite "ride" was playing in the water fountains at Epcot. He ran around for over an hour just loving it. (Yes, I've become one of those parents who lets their child run around in a diaper at a theme park...oh boy)


Us "kids" even got away for an evening to hit up the big rides at Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom while the grandparents and great-grandparents watched the kids. (Thank you!!) My sisters, brother, and sister-in-law in line for the new Toy Story ride:


On our way to the airport Lincoln asked "Go to Disney World again?" We all had such a great time, none of us wanted to come back home.

A Boy and his Boots

Lincoln can't quite get over the fact that it isn't going to snow anymore this season. Here he is getting sprayed by the hose in 85+ degree weather while wearing his snow boots.