WoWsers

When I said I'd be posting new pictures soon, this wasn't what I had in mind!! Taken on Jay's phone last night before Ella's bath. Besides her hair (if you can get past that!) notice she's got her finger in her belly button. The past few days she has become obsessed with it!

Cabin Fever

Cabin Fever. I have it. It's driving me crazy. I want to be someplace warm (someplace OTHER than work or the library or Target (these are about the only other warm places I frequent). Besides the stir-craziness I have, I have millions of projects I could work on, yet nothing sounds interesting enough to get me off my butt to work on it. I'm blaming the past 36 hours of laziness on the weather. The freezing arse cold weather. Yes, I realize this is January and I live in Minnesota, HOWEVER, it's still annoying....BUT, I'm still going to pat myself on the back right now, because I haven't skipped any workouts. Believe you me, I've wanted to...but I haven't. Today was the start of week #4, which is an "off" week with less-intense workouts. Thank God for small favors.

Enough ranting about the weather (aren't you sick of the news people continuing to talk about it too? Seriously....yes, we're all miserable, let's stop talking about it!) :)

Ella's getting new teeth in like crazy! Last week, a bottom front tooth came in - the one beside the front tooth (I wonder what that one is called....) And this morning I found her first molar tooth! WOW! Top left - her first 1st year molar. Very exciting stuff. :)

And Annie if you're reading this, Ella's missing you. All day today she's been walking around and randomly saying to me: "Girl, puppy?" I'm talking LOTS of times. Girl = Annie. Puppy = Lilly.
A few of Ella's other recent words (this is more for my benefit, so when I get around to actually documenting her life in her baby book, I have this for reference):
hat,
hop,
dance (and she dances while saying it),
sit (she announces this, which actually sounds like she's saying s*it and then plops down),
fork (obsessed with utensils lately, and YOU KNOW what this word sounds like....not good) I'm sort of nervous about being in a restaurant and Ella asking for her fork. I'm guessing we could get a few looks. Honest - she's saying FORK.
horse (she didn't say this one for a long time despite her obsession with farms, farmers, tractors, and all the farm animals)

Alright, check back, I'm hoping to get some new pictures posted soon!

Benefit for Angela Selberg 1.14.11 - SEE YOU THERE?!?!

Hey Everyone -

If you haven't already heard about it, I wanted to let you know that there is a benefit tomorrow night (Friday, January 14, 2011) in Worthington for my cousin Angie (Selberg). She was diagnosed with MS 10 years ago (not too long after graduating from college). It was discovered after a random car accident in a mall parking lot, which was the "trigger" for her MS to "flare" She's been struggling with her health and just living a normal life ever since. You may be wondering why there's a benefit?? WELL, for a very exciting and special reason!! Angie has been accepted for a medical therapy treatment for MS at a stem cell clinic in Panama City, Panama. She will undergo stem cell spin therapy using stem cells from her body. The doctors at this clinic have been treating other MS patients using this procedure which removes stem cells from Angie's body, then spins out the "good cells" (thus, removing the bad ones) and then injecting only the good cells back into her body. The hope is to eliminate most if not all of the bad MS cells so that she will regain control over her body and her life! She's heading to Panama in just a few short weeks (beginning of February) and will be undergoing 8 procedures to inject the purified stem cells back into her body. This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity and our big 'ol family is very excited for Angie and for what this could mean for her future. If you will be in Worthington, here are the details:

Where: Elks Lodge, Worthington
When: Friday, January 14, 2011
Time: Meal served from 5- 7 p.m. (free will donation) with both a silent and a LIVE auction to follow

Also, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans is matching monetary donations. If you're interested, let me know. Payments have to be made directly to Thrivent for the match to be made.

I know many of you won't be able to attend, but please include Angie in your prayers as she makes this journey and undergoes the therapy treatments.

Climbing Furniture

New Year

Happy New Year! Ella hasn't wasted any time in checking things off her list for 2011. New Years Day she succeeded in climbing up onto the furniture. I'm going to retry uploading the video...we haven't seen her do this before, and she's usually so cautious about everything, that this new skill is pretty cool for her (and for us!)

Our resolutions this year:

More church (in Jay's words: let's be more faithful!....Umm....when he first said that I was like, what is THAT supposed to mean?!)

More workouts (3 days down so far this week!)

Oh, and last week Ella & I ventured out on those 35+ degree days to get some snow time. We haven't officially played in the snow yet (Ella got a sweet new sled for Christmas from Grandpa Paul & Grandma Jolyn, but of course, we had left it at their house) SO.....I improvised, and we went "wagoning" :) She had a blast & I actually did too! Here's Ella before:

And here's her reaction after we got back inside. She wasn't very happy with me!

And I thought Ella looked so cute in her navy pea coat that I wanted to share. :)