Tantrum Time

Oh, poor little Elli had a rough time this week! It's a very long, drawn-out story the way I tell it, ("It was a long, dark, stormy night...) so I'll spare you all the details, but the bottom line is that both Ellison and I don't enjoy molars and eye teeth coming through! This has been the worst teething to date. Our poor, sweet, calm baby girl has had her moments of absolute meltdown at the drop of a hat. She had her very first major temper tantrum. And what did her momma do? Take pictures. Yeah, I'm pretty sure that was probably not the textbook way of responding. There was the opportunity to take even more poignant photos of the episode than what is here, but I was frankly quite shocked (and really concentrating on not outwardly showing my smile)! She was SO angry with me! At one point she was standing about 2-3 feet in front of me, and when I sat down on the ground in front of her, she turned around (so she didn't have to look at me), and just stood there bellering. When she realized I didn't go away, she proceeded further down the hall where you can see her trying to gain support from the closet doors.
And again, here she looked and saw I was STILL there, so she continued on into her room. Wow, I felt like I was having a glimpse into the future...

Eventually our seemingly hormonal little child calmed down, and then remembered that I AM the coolest person in the world, and clung to me like a monkey for a very long time! I realized how out-of-shape I am - it is NOT easy vacuuming with 22 pounds hanging on one arm/hip. Seriously though, we feel bad for our poor little people who have the torture of those little chompers cutting into their mouths. After a few days of a bumpy road, Mookie seems to be more comfortable again. And as rough as it feels to be a parent sometimes, I'm sure it's gotta feel more rough to be a 1 1/2 year old going through this stuff! We wouldn't trade you for the world, Mookie!!!

Cute Girl in a Yellow Skirt

Here Ellison is checking out her first toddler knee abrasions. Heck, if she's anything like her mom she'll have many adult abrasions as well. She didn't notice the evening before when it actually happened. Every single morning, she acknowledges her knee "owie", and will continue to repeat "owie" until I acknowledge them, then as I slide over the bottom half of her wardrobe over her legs she says, "Bye-bye owie".


I had to include a couple of pics of Ellison in her little yellow skirt - we love it! I hear Olivia Newton-John playing in my head every time I look at it.

A Family Day At Last!

Weekends with the 3 of us together have felt rare lately since I've been working a lot of weekends. This past Saturday we 3 Sotos had such a great day! Ellison somehow knew we wanted to hit our neighborhood's garage sales at 7:30am - she's usually asleep yet - she woke up just in time & we had breakfast on the run. I know it sounds pathetic, but 35 houses with the potential of cheap kid stuff? Had to! And boy, did Mookie make out!!! After returning home for a little while ( low on cash), we then went to Country Park to play and walk.

Evening Outdoor Fun

Like most kiddos, Elli comes alive whenever she gets the opportunity to be outside. I don't know what the big deal is - I mean, God knows it's just loads of fun being couped up in a house with her mom all day. But of course this evening of outdoor adventures was made even better since Ellison got to be pantless. She & her mama did some driveway graffiti, then Ellison would walk up and down the sidewalk, each time pausing to "walk backwards" into the steps, where she would sit down with a look of pure pleasure on her sweet little face. Unfortunately, during one of these passes, Ellison suffered her first skinned knees. Alas, it's still cool to go pantless!

The Budget Salon

Jonathan had to practice some real self-restraint here. Ellison kept dipping her food-encrusted hands in the spilled water on her tray, then would rub her hands together as if to "lather" them up, and then "wash" her hair. Seriously, it's as if I could actually see Jon's skin crawling before my eyes. But he did well - he let Mookie have her kid moment.

Pensive Elli

Contemplating whether the amount of chlorophyll in food is directly proportional to its taste...

I love this photo - it almost looks like our little Mookie is eating at a little cafe next to a window. In Paris. A girl can dream, right?

Elli's Weekend Buddies

Ellison definitely enjoyed having her cousins to play with through the weekend! You could tell there were kids in the house - for the first time, she wasn't clingy with her Mama & Daddy with company in the house. All she wanted to do was play with her buddies. Of course, it didn't hurt that she got a ton of attention from Alex. Alex was pretty much her full-time playmate during their stay.

Ellison, our little shoe queen, had to try on Alexandria's cool shoes, with the help of Alex & Aunt Sara.

Fun at the Zoo

I unexpectedly got off work on Saturday, so I got to join the rest of the gang in going to the NC Zoo. We had lots of fun, Ellison was a doll & even missed her nap, and she especially loved trying Dippin' Dots for the first time.

Teddy & La-La had to enjoy the zoo as well.

Ellison's first time on a carousel! She loved it at first, then became a little unsure with the up & down motion, and the loud music, so she tightly wrapped her arm around her dad the whole time, but then wanted to go "again" when it was all done.

Haille, Alexandria, Jonathan, & Ellison

Looking at the rhinos



Playing in the Kid Zone

A Family Meeting

Here is Ellison meeting her cousins, Haille & Alexandria, for the first time! Sara (Jonathan's sis) & Jerry (her husband) and their girls arrived from Jacksonville, FL at midnight Friday night while Elli was asleep. She got a lovely surprise during breakfast the following day.

A New Source of Entertainment

Ellison has found that not only is Grandma & Papa's van fun to hang out in, but so is the Pimpster! It's great - I get the floors mopped while she & Daddy have a hayday in the fun-on-wheels.

Ellison's Swiffer

A few weeks back, Ellison's dad removed a portion of the Swiffer to make it easier for her to push around. No need to consult child labor laws - Ellison loves "helping" to clean on her own. Shortly after the Swiffer adapted to Ellison's size, she decided to officially make it her own by decorating it with a bunch of stickers. For whatever reason, the stickers rubbed her the wrong way on this day, because she tediously tried removing them...

OK, I know stories of Swiffers don't make for exciting photo ops, but she's just too darn cute not to photograph all the time. ;)

To Papa Carl

Today, April 18, would have been Papa Carl's 58th birthday. We've all been thinking of him and missing him like crazy! We feel so fortunate that Ellison got the opportunity to be in her Papa Carl's arms when she was a baby. Anyone that knew Papa Carl knows that was one of his favorite things to do -- hold little ones. He was rarely seen at family gatherings without a child in his arms or his lap. I (along with my siblings) was so blessed to grow up with him as my "second dad". Our families did everything together, and when all of us kids (me, my siblings, & my cousins) were older and having families of our own, our parents (my mom & dad, Uncle Carl & Aunt Yvonne) did everything together. We are still a very close family, but there is such a massive void. Even though Ellison didn't get to know her Papa Carl for very long, he'll still always hold such a special place in our hearts and our families. We love and miss you, Carl! Today, on your birthday, we celebrate how beautiful your life was to each and every one of us!

Here are photos of our little Mookie with her Papa Carl...

A Day at the Park

We took advantage of the beautiful sunny day we have today and went to Country Park. We had a fun time. Ellison loved the slide so much, she would start repeating "again" & nodding her head before she was even all the way down. :)

Barefoot Mook-tessa

Ellison is such a great little helper around the house. She loves helping with laundry, sweeping, vacuuming, and now cooking. The other day I was making some bread, and I needed to have some cinnamon & sugar mixed up. I thought it might occupy her for a little while. Try 45 minutes! She never let out one peep, she just kept stirring & stirring. Her dad started having OCD moments when she kept getting some on her pants. After picking her up to dust off her pants & clean up the counter for the 11th time, I told him he needed to work through it. He had a better idea, and switched her to the miniature whisk - no way to scoop out any. And we wonder why Ellison has issues with getting even little specks of "dirt" on her hands... (Sigh). I can see the years of therapy ahead... For all of us... ;)

Little Lady in Red