Above are some cute photos of Ella this week. She has a lot of fun playing in the little fisher price house at Nana and Papa's and just this week learned how to climb up her crib from the outside. Hmmm, I'm predicting she'll be in a toddler bed before two; what do you think?? She had fun this week making Daddy a card; she used crayons for the first time and managed to take a bite of the color blue. Mmmm blueberries! 

This weekend I've a chorale concert that I've been working towards for the past couple months up in Traverse City. We'll be performing Vivaldi's Manificat and Gloria by Boccherini. I'm exhausted, but super excited because these pieces are fabulous. Then on Sunday Ella and I will be heading down to Tennessee for a couple months to visit with my family. 

Jonah is doing good; please continue to keep him in your prayers for safety. We're counting down the months until we'll finally be home together again; 5 left which is much better than 7!! :O) We love you Jonah!! 

Thanks again for your prayers. Lots of love~ E, J, & I

I'll try and get some more videos up soon; my computer is a little slow of uploading them. 

DADDY

I told Jonah that he got promoted from DaDa to Daddy recently. Ella actually points at his photos and says his name "Daddy", as well as when she sees him on my laptop, and she even associates talking on the telephone as "Daddy" or "DaDa". She loves to pretend to be talking on the phone. She has a fake phone that she puts to her ear and talks, but pretty much anything else can be a phone too for her. I think the funniest was when the sea horse bath toy became a phone the other night & she seemed to have gotten "Da Da" on the phone that way too. ;O) We love you Daddy!!

Recently I took a little rode trip just north of Traverse City with Dawn and Ella to check out the fall leaves. The colors seem to be reaching their peek now. Seeing that I was born and raised mainly in the south where we never got the opportunity to experience rarely any type of season other than hot, hot hot, and hotter; I'd have to say that I'm pretty awe struck with this beautiful season. I'm excited that Jonah, Ella & I will be making our way up to Michigan someday to continue to enjoy these beautiful colors together every year. 

Ella is finally interested in swings. She was pretty hesitant about it at first, but now she understands that they are for enjoyment rather anything else. Her hair seems to be growing more everyday and still remains curly. She's learned lots of new words and continues to be interested in everything. She loves to figure things out and never gives up until she does. Not only does she look like her daddy, but acts like him. :O) They are my wonderful pair and I'm so excited about seeing them together again. 5 more months!!

As always, thank you for your prayers, love, and support. ~E

Rocker Video

Here's a cute video of Ella in a rocking chair. This is especially for Daddy! :O) Every day after her morning nap she has a routine of grabbing a book and sitting down in the rocker. We're very proud of our little girl.

I'm pretty excited about fall; the warm colors are splendid and I love all the smells, especially, carmel pumpkin candles! Hope you also enjoy the fun photos of Ella in her Halloween outfit. 

Lonesome

Here are some updated photos of what's going on with our little family at the moment. Ella is exploring how to sit on rocking chairs, horses, and basically anything that is close to her level. I posted also a picture of Daddy playing football overseas and looking much messier than Ella does when she eats her yummy pasta dishes. Ella is a lot better balancing now when she walks, babbling a lot more, and has even learned some new words! Jonah is doing good; he says that he's not busy and ready to come home and be with his girls. Currently I'm singing in a local chorale and starting a jewelry/baby clothes business online. (myworld.ebay.com/mommadorn) 

Well, that's a brief update! "Lonesome" is pretty much how I feel for our little family right now until Daddy gets home safe. As always, please continue to keep our little family in your prayers. We love you all & miss our friends & family that are miles away! :O)

Fun up in Michigan

Hello! I just wanted to post a couple more fun photos taken during our 3 weeks together up in Michigan. Their are some really cute ones of Jonah & Ella. 

Briefly, Jonah is over in Afghanistan; I'm not going to go into detail on his whereabouts, but I'll keep you updated as much as possible. Also, If you're interested in sending him packages please email me & I'll give you an address. I should have the address within the week. I know that he'll need food that is ready made because it's likely that he's not going to have electricity. Books, snacks, photos, & letters would be wonderful, and the more packages sent, the better. It's going to be another long approx. 7 months for the 3 of us not being together. Please keep Jonah & his team in your daily prayers.

Enjoy the photos & thanks for keeping us in your thoughts!! Lots of love!!