Memorial Day Weekend

We had a great Memorial Day weekend at the cottage on Big Star Lake. We finally got to enjoy the sunshine and unwind a bit. We discovered that going up to Brad's parents cottage is quite a different experience with a child:) It takes twice as long and three times as much stuff to pack, just laying out in the sun all day and reading doesn't really happen, and little girls who are spoiled with tons of constant attention don't like to nap or sleep regularly:) All in all, it was tons of fun to be there and it was awesome to see how much she enjoyed it...just a little bit less relaxing that what we were used to:)

Ella experiencing a boat ride for the first time...obviously she wasn't scared:)Ella showing off her flirty look:) Ella and Auntie Betsy soaking up the sunshine
Ella and Grandma Koning

Ella and Mommy about to take a snooze on the boat
Do we look alike?

Floating fun with Daddy-O Ella was throughly amused with Macie all weekend...they are best buds...at least until Lily (her new baby cousin) is old enough to really play with.

Ella experiencing sand for the first time...she was not that impressed:)

Grandpa Koning and Ella having a little one-on-one time.

Cutesy Crawler

Our little Ella began crawling a week or so ago and boy is she on the move! It is so fun to see her getting around on her own which she loves because she can get at her toys a lot easier...and into things that she shouldn't:)...and is able to stand up along things too! Time to babyproof our house!

Tulip Time

We had a fun time at Tulip Time in Holland this year going to Art in the Park, watching Dutch Dancing, walking down 8th street and going to the Street Scrubbing parade! I could not resist getting Ella a Dutch costume so basically the highlight for me was dressing her up and taking pictures of her:) Here are some pics of our time at Tulip time!
Grandpa Koning with Ella in Art in the ParkElla chillin' at Art in the Park

Our little Dutch girl
Ella, Alden Lucas, Layla Geurink

Layla and Ella

Ella and her little baby cousin LilyI couldn't resist putting this picture of Lily in here - isn't she just beautiful?The cousins - Kennedy, Ella, Kooper & KolterJill, Brad & Ella
Although this is not my favorite picture, I think it is crazy how much she looks like me in it...usually everyone thinks she looks like Brad.

Our little ham:)

Ella with Great Grandpa Essenburg & with Grandma Koning and Great Grandma Essenburg at the Street Scrubbing parade.

Seven Months!

Silly Faces. Sweet Potatoes. Sippy Cups. Seats. Sunhats.... These are just a few words to describe what is new with Ella now that she is 7 months old. You can usually find her with her fingers jammed in her mouth chewing on them as she is working on cutting her 3rd tooth or you will see her with her mouth "stuck" open for like a minute or two at a time which is hilarious to watch (see below) She is trying her best to crawl now but can't make it past the rocking stage and is constantly doing face-plants. This past week I attempted to be Suzy Homemaker and made some of my own baby food and she tried out the sweet potatoes - as you can see from the picture, she is less than thrilled:) We have also been giving her a sippy cup with water which she absolutely loves - whether it be to drink out of or just chew on it like crazy:) Due to her long length we finally bit the bullet and started her in the next size of carseat. It is so huge it is comical but hopefully it will last us a long time! Ella seems to absolutely love to be outside so as long as it is nice out we venture out for a bit to catch some rays (thanks Julie In't Hout for the adorable sunhat!) Ella can sometimes be a handful but also so sweet and we feel so blessed to have had her in our lives over the past 7 months!

A Party Hardy Weekend!

This past weekend consisted of parties, parties, parties! Friday night started with our friends Darrell & Lindsey's sons 1st birthday party. See below pics of Darrell, Brad, Jonathan, & Ella playing on the great playground set that Darrell built for him, Jonathan devouring the cute baseball cupcake Lindsey made, and all the kiddos at the Birthday party (Kalie, Mason, Jonathan, Layla & Ella.)

Saturday morning we took a short roadtrip to see my friend Shawna to be apart of her baby shower. She is due in June and looking beautiful - we can't wait to meet little Max!!! Ella managed to basically cry and scream most of the shower (major teething going on) but there were moments when she showed Shawna her sweeter side:)

Saturday night I had the pleasure of going to my little cousins bachelorette party. It was so much fun to see how excited and happy Sara is and we cannot wait to be apart of their wedding day this coming weekend!