Aunt Leah's BIrthday!

Elli helped make Leah's cake this year. She did the sprinkles.

The sisters and Elli. She wanted to jump in at the last minute.

One of Leah's presents has this sparkly grass in the bag. Elli quickly had it all over the place. It was fun watching her spin, roll, and play in it.

Some of Leah's nice gifts. She got some prety new things to wear for the spring and summer.

Brent, Elli, and I spent the night at Leah and Matt's house, even though they stayed out late, but the rest of the family met at Leah's house Sunday morning. We went to her church and then went back to Leah's for Asung's food (Asung was our friend from India who taught us how to make this yummy dish), presents, cake, and playing games. Thank you Leah for having us all over for a very fun day.

Young's March 14

It doesn't get whole lot better than blue ice cream. She of course got it everywhere, but who cares when it is that good.

She really liked this tractor. She pretended to take her friends and babies for a ride.

Elli has been asking if we can go eat ice cream and play with goats. She loves to do this in the summer. The baby goats are adorable as well as those little cows. We were showing her a couple of the mommy goats that looked ready to give birth at any moment. We explained that they had babies in their tummy and maybe the next time we come we can see the babies. Right after that conversation, a very large man walked by and Elli said, "Mommy, does he have a baby in his tummy too?" Goodness.
As we pulled out of the parking lot she said, "Oh the goats. I miss them. They will be sad when I leave." We assured her we would come back another time.

Spring Break Days 3-5

Day 5-I can't get this in the right order ever! We went to COSI. We had a blast! Elli loved it. She kept walking around saying, "where are we going now?" She especially enjoyed the frog display. God made some amazing frogs. They were a good reminder of his creativity and sense of humor.

Elli and I are in the rocket ship at Cosi. Elli got in and started patting her legs like the Little Einsteins. She was so excited! We sang the theme song several times.

Look at Elli and Brent lifting the car with the pulley! This was pretty cool.

A huge water table. Elli was in heaven! She played in here for about 30 minutes, then she also played in the other play area about as long. She loves to play in water. Wearing the little rain coat only added to her excitement. She was squealing and laughing at all the things she was doing.

Elli participated in the static electricity show. She walked passed all the big kids to be on stage. She grabbed this man's hand and was first in line to get the shock. After about 3 charges, she let go of his hand and said she was all done. She walked off the stage with a big smile!

One-on-one attention for playing with really strong magnets. Elli loved it. She opened her mouth really wide and said things like, "See that mommy?" "Wow. That is amazing." I asked her who made the magnets and she said God. Then she said, "God is so amazing!"

Day 4- we practiced her name and went to visit my friend Tiffany with her two precious children. Elli of course wanted nothing more than to play with the baby. However, the baby had a different plan and slept most of the time. It was fine with Tiffany and I because we had some great adult conversation!

Day 3 was full of playing at home. We played hide-and-seek, tents, babies, chase Fergi, and lots of other things. We ended the day with Puggles.

Spring Break was great.

Spring Break Day 2

Today, we had another great day. I was able to go back to my Tuesday morning Bible Study and learn more amazing things about Jesus and his role in the specific plan for all of our lives. Elli and I then joined some friends at the mall for lunch and playing. This day was not a repeat of yesterday as Elli was playing with friends. (she seems to be more aggressive and not as kind hearted) She went to the dentist with me where she helped me have a good appointment but slapped those hands across her mouth and refused to let the dentist take a peak. Oh well. Next time. This evening we went to Aunt Meg and Uncle Kyle's house for dessert. We had a great time visiting and watching Elli! She was a wild girl after the chocolate and ice cream. We got tired watching her play!

Spring Break Day 1

Elli wanted to exercise after I did, so we went to Rolandia to play on the indoor play place. Elli was hilarious. We had a great time running, sliding, wrestling, chasing, and hiding. There was a birthday party there though so there were several other children that we didn't know. Elli still thought she was in charge. She was telling the kids where to slide, how to do things, and even helped them when they were sad. She would say things like, "You can play with me", "are you okay?", "want to go on this slide?", etc. There was a little boy crying so Elli went over to him, patted his back and asked what was wrong. He said he wanted his mommy, so Elli said "just a minute." She goes to the side and yells down at all the moms sitting there, "Excuse me ladies. This boy needs his mommy." Sure enough, his mommy came running! We had a great time playing together and it was fun to see Elli's little personality come out. She seems to have a heart to help others feel loved and welcomed. Sound familiar?

Valentine's Day

My friend Jeni made this shirt for me. Brent thought it might be a little silly to wear in public, however, I think deep down, he was proud that I wore a shirt that said "I love Brent."

Elli was very sick over Valentine's Day, but I let her sprinkle some sprinkles on these rice krispie treats. She didn't touch them, or sneeze on them for those of you who ate them:) She does love to sprinkle though.

Brent and I enjoyed an evening out to Bonefish Grill. It was delicious and we had a good time together. Uncle Kyle stayed with our sick baby girl. Thank you Uncle Kyle!

Happy late Valentine's Day everyone.

Picture catch up

We had a couple of big snows and Elli had fun playing in it this year. After she tasted the snow she said, "Mommy we don't eat snow. We eat food." I guess she didn't like it.

Elli loves to give Fergi a bath. If you could see her feet, you would see that they do not even touch the floor. She sings a song, "washing the dog" the whole time. It is from her Kids Songs Sing Along DVD.

Elli has really gotten into dressing up lately. She loves to wear her princess dresses and "marry" me. (She also kisses like Ariel with the head tilt and parted lips:) This day she wanted her tutu on while doing ballet. Look how excited she is!

My little girl is turning into a big helper. She likes to do things for me around the house. Here she is putting away the peanut butter and marshmallow cream. She likes "fluffer nutters."

Family project to turn the mega blocks into a castle that Elli can go in. It was a little tricky getting the height and width correct and stable, but success is seen here.

Sorry about the lack of pictures lately. I just didn't seem to have the opportunity to sit down and upload them. (sit down, up load hehehe)

Tears to my eyes

In church, I've been getting Elli out of the nursery and letting her stay with us during the music. Brent is in the choir and praise team so Elli really likes watching him sing. She also LOVES music so it works well. This Sunday, my dad was holding her and we started singing "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, etc" This is Elli's new Bible verse to learn. When we started singing, Elli's eyes got really big and she squeezed my dad's neck and said, "papa, this is my Bible verse!" She was so happy. It made me cry, hard. She is so precious and I love seeing her get excited about recognizing the Bible verse.

Fergianna, Worms, and Jonah

This is a story post on the funny things from Ellianna:
"Fergianna"
Elli-"Mommy, I have a baby sister at home."
Me, "Really? What is her name?"
E-"Fergianna"
Our dog's name is Fergi. Pretty creative don't you think?

"Worms"
We had the TV on a channel showing the show "Man Vs Wild" before bedtime one evening. The man was looking for something to eat and found a thick juicy worm. He then prodceeded to eat it. Elli's hand went directly to her mouth and she told me she needed to "fro-up." We ran upstairs and she leaned over the toilet. Nothing happened, but she did it three more times. We finally put her to bed and she woke up an hour later saying, "Mommy, I going to fro up." I went upstairs and took her to the bathroom. All she could say was, "That worm. He eat that worm?"
Poor little girl. It made quite an impression. I guess we are not raising a doctor afterall.

"Jonah"
ON the way to school this morning, Elli heard the song, "Who did swallow Jonah." Here's the conversation that followed:
Elli-"That whale swallowed Jonah" "Yes, Elli." "Why" "God wanted to teach Jonah a lesson." "Why?" "God wanted Jonah to learn to obey him so the whale swallowed Jonah then spit him back out." "Who is God?" "God is the one who made all of us even Jonah and the whale." "Mommy, God lives in heaven with Jesus?" "Yes, Elli." "Can I go to heaven?" "Yes, Elli. If you ask Jesus to forgive all your sins you can go to heaven and live with Jesus." "And I can go to his house and have dinner?" "Yes Elli. You can go to his house and eat a very big dinner."
What a wonderful story and sweet reminder that we will go to heaven, go to God's house, and eat dinner:) Maybe Elli should explain salvation to others who don't know yet. It is much easier to understand.

Christmas at the Brown's

Saturday the 27th, was Christmas morning at our house. Santa brought Elli this trampoline which she loves! he also brought her a book, a puzzle and an outfit. Santa brought me a half day trip to a spa and a weekend away with the girls. Santa brought Brent enough socks to replace his whole drawer, (Just what he always wanted), an electric razor, new shoes, and a shirt. it was a fun morning.

After opening gifts at our house, we went to my parents for Christmas bruch. It was delicious as always, then on to the mound of gifts. We all got some very wonderful things. Most memorable, Elli's piggy bank and laptops, Lori's new clothes and purse, also a few house decorations, and Brent's saw. All goodies are appreciated and are being/will be used. Thank you all!!!!! (family, count this as your thank you card this year:)

After celebrating at my parents', we went to Leah and Matt's for Christmas dinner of stroganoff and asparagus with homemade bread from Heather. (all delicious once again) We played air hockey and ping pong, then went to the very crowded zoo. It was only about 65 degrees or warmer, so it was very busy this year. Elli really wanted to see the elephants, but we managed a few other exhibits along the way. She got kissed by a reindeer, laughed at the monkeys, saw the "kitties" and then gawked at the elephants. We had a good time and will hopefully do it again next year. This is the 2nd trip and it would be a fun tradition to keep around as long as they do the lights:)
Merry Christmas everyone.

Christmas at the Fergusons

Nana is helping Elli play with her new wooden dress-up dolls. The kids went together to get the parents an air purifier, which helped my allergies while I was there. Elli got some nice gifts as well as each of the kids too. It was fun opening gifts Christmas morning.

After a very delicious Christmas dinner, we all bundled up for a long walk in the cold air. We went down the icy roads to the golf course and walked in the deer trcks, and snow mobile tracks for that matter. It felt good to burn some calories and be together. Elli did a little walking, but was enjoying being carried by family members for the most part.

Our plan was to leave Friday the 26th to head home. Well, Toleda got so much ice that morning, that our trip was blocked by a shut-down highway 75South. So we waited until later in the day. Once we hit the road, we realized that there was so much traffic, we wouldn't get home for another several hours. So, we turned back, went to Toledo and watched Devin play basketball that evening. As it worked out Jenna and Justin were on their way home from the honeymoon and we met up with them as well. So the entire family was able to watch Devin play ball and spend a couple more hours together. It made for a late night arrival, but good memories. Devin's team lost, sad to say, but they did play against a VERY good team.

Snow fun

Our first experience with Hillbilly sledding. This big tractor pulled about 10 sleds over the fields for about 2 hours. It was sleeting and freezing, my hair got stuck to my coat and my snot was frozen, but it was some of the best snow fun I have ever had:)

We bundled up at NAna's for some snow mobiling. Elli was a little nervous, so we just took her for a short ride on the four wheeler. She wasn't so into sledding either, but she did enjoy the warming up in the house with cookies and milk afterwards. ( We took her for a short ride on the sleds behind the tractor. As soon as we started to move, she cried. Then Kyle, who was next to us, fell off and she wailed! Memories for a life time)

Daddy daughter conversation overheard

Brent, "Elli you are a pain in the hiny."
Elli, "I not tiny. I a big girl."
Brent, "No, I said you are a pain in the hiny." (spoken more slowly)
Elli, "I not a hiny. I Elli."
Brent, "I'm going to have to send you to Hollywood to get a job."
Elli, "I not going to Olly. I staying here!"
Brent to me on the other side of the door laughing, "We're in so much trouble with this one!"

Elli is a sweet little girl, but she does have a mind and a mouth of her own. As we have learned from studying James, only God can tame that little, tiny, cute tongue!

Jenna and Justin Dodson, Dec 20, 2008

The happy couple ready to depart for their honeymoon after a wonderful reception.

Elli had a bad stomach virus causing her to throw up and have runny poopy too. Poor thing. She threw up the morning of the wedding even making me nervous about her performance as flower "princess" girl. She seemed to get better as the day wore on though and was begging for food after about 4 days of not really eating. So here she is, before the wedding started, eating a bag of pretzels. Thank you Nana for making her pretty dress.

Brent's grandpa Ferguson has only seen Elli a few times as he still lives in Canada. This was a great day for seeing people you don't see often, so we snagged a photo.

The wedding party and a finicky flower "princess." At one point she was playing hide'n'seek in one of the brides maid's dresses. The photographer did a great job of bribing Elli into smiling though. She hasn't had more candy, suckers, and gum at one time in her life:)

A quick smile before the ceremony. Brent is one handsome man.

The bride to be with Lana, Lance's wife. Lance and Lana were in town for the whole week. It was good to visit with them as well. Lana was an honorary bridesmaid along with 4 other ladies. Jenna did a great job of making all us girls feel loved and special at being part of her day. Thank you Jenna for a wonderful wedding to be part of and we wish you a wonderful marriage.

My 32nd Birthday

My sweet family, right before the present fest!Mom, dad, and Grandma Gracie. They forgeot to tell the rest of us it was "wear red" night:)(except for me of course.)

Matt and Leah taking a self portrait.

The newly engaged couple, Heather and Gary. They had just returned from a trip to NYC where Gary popped the question. Heather texted us "you need to learn to spell Gary's last name" as the way of telling us she was engaged. Catchy, for all but me. I didn't get it sadly until the next day when Leah asked me if I had talked to Heather about what her ring looked like. Goodness. I am new to texting and that's my excuse:)

For my birthday, we went to China Cottage, my favorite Chinese restaraunt. It was a good gathering with great food. Not pictured here is Brent's brother Kyle who was able to join us for dinner. We then went to my house for cake, icecream and presents. I made out with some great presents. Thank you everyone for wishing me a happy day and for celebrating with me.

Elli's cash register

Heather got this cash register for Elli this summer at a garage sale. Typically big toys like this go to the basement after Elli plays with them for a while. However, she plays with this all the time. It is one of her favorite toys. In this picture, she set up all her doggies from visiting Santa 8 times and had them watch her buy things. She is holding one of her dogs a well. She kept telling them things like, "You want this? I wil buy it. Here you go. You sad? I will get this for you." What a little mommy she is:)

Mom's Birthday

Elli wearing Gonga's glasses.

Elli took this picture of my mom. Sorry mom:)

The table set for a very pretty and delicious meal for mom's birthday. It was a good time with family. We all enjoyed a meal together after church, some cake and ice cream, presents, and then the Christmas program at church. What a fun day. I love you mom.

Baby Jesus

Elli is really enjoying this Christmas season. She loves to sing the Christmas songs on the radio, read Christmas stories, and talk about presents. She also likes to hear the story, thankfully, of baby Jesus coming to earth as a baby and then growing up as an adult to die for our sins. She plays with the nativity scene in our house as well. moving it all over the place. She calls the characters out like this: baby Jesus, Mary, Jophes, sheep and shepherds. How cute that Jophes is a part of our Christmas story this year.

Thanksgiving 2008

Elli and Madison sharing ear phones. How cute.

Look at the spread at my grandma's house. It is always a great Thanksgiving feast. Notice however, we are no where to be seen. Brent, Elli and I as well as my cousin Brandi and her family are now banned to the kid's table. At least we aren't far from everyone else. And, we do get served first:)

I do it myself

Elli and I put up a christmas tree today while Brent was practicing for the church christmas program. We had a great time with the christmas music, lights, and ornaments. Elli was determined to help me carry some of the boxes with the ornaments in them. This box gave her a little trouble, so she ended up pushing it all the way over to me. I think it took me longer to decorate this tree than any other I have done. One ornament on, two ornaments off with, "Mommy, look at this one. Is it pretty?"