Fall Fun...

Sorry - weird picture to put as the top one - but once again, I can't get this blog to cooperate and so I can't get the pictures in the order I want them! Ha, ha. This is a picture of Stella and one of her 2nd cousins who is in our ward, at our trunk-or-treat party tonight.

This year, as you can see - Stella wanted to be Strawberry Shortcake...or 'Straw-shortcake' as she calls her. She has loved the new Strawberry Shortcake videos for about the past year and so we thought it would be fun to be her for Halloween. Strangely - it was apparently a very popular pick because we had to go to four different Halloween stores to find the outfit! They were sold-out of it everywhere we went. But, we finally found it and she looks adorable in it. We sprayed her hair pink, which she loved!...and we painted freckles on her cheeks and nose, which she also loved because she thought she was wearing make-up. :) So, it turned out to be a fun Halloween.

Other than that, she's just doing great, growing up so fast and is so smart and cute. She continues to love her preschool class and her dancing class. She, however, is resisting the potty-training idea. But, we are starting to work on it. Since she's our first - the potty training idea is new to us too - so we're all learning together! :) She is still a good sleeper...she sleeps three hours in the afternoon as well as from about 8 pm to 8 am every night. So, we consider ourselves very lucky for that! She is SO active in the day that we figure she just needs that much sleep! She says the funniest things and talks so well, people are always surprised.

We hope you are all doing well. Stella is one special little girl. We love her with all our hearts.

Stella (strawberry) lounging at the trunk-or-treat.

More lounging at the trunk-or-treat.

There was a fun Halloween party at grandma's house this year. Here is Stella with some of her cousins, getting ready to paint a pumpkin.

Again at grandma's house before the Halloween Party.

My mom gave her some candy and this is how excited she was. She's a candy nut!

We went to a pumpkin festival near our house and she got her face painted. She was very sad when it washed off that night!

Again at Schnepf Farms, pumpkin festival.

There was a petting zoo at the farm. She thought it was awesome!

Stella checking out the chickens.

She got to ride a pony. She was so excited and picked out the tiniest pony there.

Getting ready to ride an alpine slide up north.

She's kind of a scaredy-cat. She doesn't like slides or swings, etc, really. So, she was a little nervous for the Alpine Slide. But, she went with Daddy, so she had a good time.

Stella's Summer...

It's been a fun summer for Stella and our family. Stella is growing every day and is speaking in short sentences now. She can talk very well for her age and is such a little smarty-pants. She can count to 15, say her ABC's (although there are sometimes a few letters missing!). She can spell her name and knows the first and last names of just about every family member (extended family included!). She loves playing with her cousins and talks about them pretty much non-stop. She likes her nursery class as well - but isn't known for being the best 'sharer' in the class Ha, ha....I think it comes from being an only child and having all her toys to herself at home! :)

Her real passion seems to be dancing. She wants to dance all day every day. She tried a ballet and tap class last week along with the mom and tot tumbling class that we took last semester. She absolutely loved the dance class and cried when it was over. Every morning when she wakes up now she asks if it is "dance class day". So, needless to say, we went ahead and bought the tiny little ballet and tap-shoes and signed up for the whole semester!

She also started a little preschool class this week. It's called Sunshine Preschool and only has 2 and 3 year olds in it. (It's kind of like a 'joy school' except the moms don't help teach the class.). She was a little nervous to go in today, but was very excited to wear her new pink backpack. She had a great time and especially loved the snack. :)

She is now 32 inches tall and 23.5 pounds. Her hair is growing out a little bit, and is still as curly as ever. She's doing great and hasn't been to the doctor once (other than for her 2 year old well-check), since she got her ear-tubes in. So, she's a healthy and happy little girl. Here are some pictures for you of the last couple months.

All American Girl!

4th of July

4th of July with some of her cousins

She's a cotton candy lover!

More 4th of July festivities

Whenever we're at home, she refuses to wear anything besides a leotard and a tutu. :)

Tiny Dancer!

Yes, she still loves her binky. I haven't had the nerve to take it away yet!

At the beach in California

In California for family vacation.

Stella and Daddy on the beach

She loves peanut butter sandwiches!

Stella and her cousin Gigi at the beach

Stella and Gigi

Stella helping Dad with his birthday candles

In California

Playing hopscotch! ?

More hopscotch!

At the wildlife park in California

More beach

Stella very busy building a sand castle!

Walking down the boardwalk to go to dinner for Daddy's birthday

First day of school! Her prized pink backpack.

More first day of school

She actually posed for this one! Amazing. Wearing her new dress that grandma made for her!

Stella Turns Two!

Hi, Everyone! Well, it's taken me a while (again!) to get some new pictures posted of Stella for you all to see...But, hopefully you will think these are worth the wait! We had these pictures taken two days before Stella's second birthday. We think they turned out adorable.

It was so nice to see all of you in May. It felt just like going to a family party or family reunion for us. So, thank you for making Stella and I feel so at-home with your families and for being so gracious and providing us with a couple of great meals!

Stella's second birthday has now come and gone...Cameron and I have grieved the idea for the past week, that another year of her childhood is already past. It's a strange thing that we never realized until we became parents that while you relish watching your children grow up, it also breaks your heart to know that with each passing day, it is another day with them that you will never have back. At this age, she changes so much each day and week, it just feels like time is fleeting! Anyway - other than that, her birthday was a great day. She had a swimming party with all her cousins. It was a princess party - and we decorated all in Pink and Silver with crowns and cupcakes as the theme. It turned out really cute...and since Stella is such a fish this summer, it was a perfect setting for her!

She's been in swimming lessons since the end of May and is getting pretty good! She loves it and thinks that she can swim on her own. She even pushes my hands away sometimes and tries to take off! She is such an independent little thing - sometimes I think that if I let her go, she probably would just start swimming!

She is also still in her tumbling class, which she loves. She is a dancer by nature, already, and loves the bars and the trampoline too.

Stella got tubes in her ears two Fridays ago. It was a little traumatic for me and Cameron to see our baby go into the hospital to have 'surgery' so to speak. But, she did great and was back to her usual vivacious self within a few hours afterward! We are very grateful for the fact that there will be no more ear infections anytime soon.

Other than that, we are just trying to keep out of the heat! We may still be getting a new baby this summer, in July. So, while it may be a long-shot, we are hoping and praying it might work out that Stella can have a new little brother! :)

We hope everyone is doing well and is happy and healthy. Talk to you soon!