Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Ella's growin'



So, our catch-up wouldn't be complete without a little bit about Ella. She is so much fun - though sometimes a handful. She is definitely a little gal who knows what she wants! But, she is talking more all the time, using sentences, repeating what we say and delighting audiences everywhere. She has charmed the ladies in the office at Centennial High and is our little PR girl. She has begun singing constantly as well, to herself, to her babies and stuffed animals, in the car with what we are listening too, etc. It is so cute! (but I am not biased, I'm sure). We especially love her renditions of "Peggie Tales" (that's veggie tales to those of you who aren't bilingual), "Tinkle 'ittle 'tar", and The wiggles 'teddy bear picnic' complete with motions. We videotaped some recently and are thrilled to have it for posterity when she is famous.


She is also truly a "rennaisance girl" in that she not only loves music and is very nurturing to her babies and stuffed animals, but loves to read books and play with her truck. That's our well-rounded girl. The pictures shown here are Ella helping Oma with the gardening and enjoying a gigantic slip-and-slide with cousins at the ranch. She has also discovered the trampoline and the wonderful world of jumping. Life will never be the same.


- Posted by Erin

July (Whew! We are almost caught up...)


In July I finally finished my last class! Yay! It feels incredible to finally be totally done. I am actually sick of school and don't think I want to learn anymore. Ever. Well, not while in a class as a student that is. But, who knows. Maybe I won't know what to do with all this free time (just kidding).






We also took a great road trip out to Phoenix to see Jme and Jon, whose baby is due in a month. Then we went on out to Albuquerque for a wedding. Congratulations Bobby and Rachel! We did it all in 4 days - about 6 hours a day of driving. Ella did great - usually. We have fond memories of our first "real" road trip with Ella.




Moving further into July is also affording us some great news. Ian now will be subbing in Torrance at an adult school which has free day care available. In the evenings he will be working with Revolution Prep, a great SAT prep place that has a neat philosophy of taking care of preparing not just those who can pay mucho dinero for the tutoring and classes, but even those who can't. God is good...and we are truly grateful for these two jobs.

June





Mid-June saw the end of school. It was somewhat bittersweet for Erin, as she was saying goodbye to students she cared about and a neat group of staff and teachers at Davis Middle School. However, she was looking forward to working with an amazing principal and the challenge of a different job where she can really be a part of planning and implementing a school-wide focus on literacy at a smaller high school. She also was totally excited to get to spend the summer with her little cutie!! ( She means Ella, but Ian is a cutie too, of a different sort).
Meanwhile, Ian began... The Great Job Search!

Breaking the Silence:May






So. We are finally hearkening to those of you who have pointed out that it has been 3 months since our last entry. Sorry. Things have been crazy - but here are some of the highlights: (We will go back to where we left off and fill you in...)
  • April/May was exciting as we had a wonderful visit from Megan, who was back in the States from Costa Rica for a bit. It was fun to be tourists for a weekend and to see and pray with a wonderful friend.

  • Erin also walked in her Master's in Reading graduation ceremony in May, though she didn't technically finish her last class until July. Hallelujah! The end of three crazy years...