Ellis Party of 7: Latest Happenings this Fall

This fall has been INCREDIBLE here in Gville since the changing of the leaves. We've never actually lived in a place where the seasons truly exist so its been a real treat being here the past couple of months. We've really started to feel like this is our home and feel reassured that this was the place for us. I've met a couple of girls at the park that I've been making playdates with weekly and we have storytime at the local library too. We've actually been fairly busy over the past weeks with various events and "first time" occasions which include Sesame Street Live, Taylor's first trip to Disney World, and Halloween. Here are a few highlight pics:

Sesame Street Live at the Bi-Lo Center: every parent should experience this. Taylor yelled out each character name as they made their entrance...but so did the other 1500 kids there. It was hilarious...but of course I cried. Because I'm a sap. and Because it was so sweet that they all ( including both my kids) thought they were real and for some reason that made me cry.I guess I wish I was a kid again.

Daddy and Taylor Grace

My little Man jumped during all the songs in the first act and wore himself out

Outside the Bi-Lo Center with my babes

I think Taylor is screaming at the bus that drove by: She just learned what buses are

Boo in the Zoo for Halloween

2nd best part of the night: Taylor ran into a boy in a gorilla costume and poor girl came out of her skin ( it wasnt really scary but she was startled)

Best Part of the Night: She got lots of yummy candy for mommy and daddy to eat...and she got the stickers

My little owl

DISNEY WORLD!!!!

So, I dont recommend traveling to FL to take your toddler to Disneyworld. BUT, when your family lives there its totally worth it. Taylor Grace has taken on a bit of an obession with Mickey Mouse lately, and she's also recently learned about princesses and castles. So, naturally I decided we should take to THE place with princesses and castles.

I DO recomment, however, to take an entorauge with you when you plan on taking more than one child under three. Just the diaper changes alone require more than one person at disney. I was glad to have family there to help.She did well and there were actually a bunch of rides and shows she was able to ride. We stayed all day until about 10:00PM. The kiddos actually napped for two hours in their strollers, which was crucial.

The only meltdown happened at the end of the night, when she asked her daddy what happened to the castle. Mark, being a sweet daddy, just replied " Honey, the castle went bye bye, it had to go night night."

Oh MY GOODNESS the FLOOD of tears that came after Mark told her that! Poor girl, had hit her breaking point and leaving the castle was too much for her!

It was an awesome event. I do regret, though, that she'll probably never remember it. But we have the pictures to prove it.

Meeting Goofy was an event for sure. We waited for 25 min to take a picture with him and when we got to him she was scared to stand next to him. Just look at her face.

Classic family shot: oops my son is being blinded by the Florida sunshine

My favorite part of the whole day was when we rounded the corner and saw the castle and taylor yelled " OOOHHHH A CASTLE!!!! A Princess Castle!"

First time Taylor saw Mickey in person. Within the first 30 min of our arrival an impromtu parade came down the street with all the characters. I choked back the tears. I did think to myself " Dang it, how do they do it EVERYTIME! This really is the happiest place on Earth"

Taylor was very excited to see all the characters in person during the parade. I think Mickey, Minnie and Daisy are her favorites.

Sidenote: We watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse waaaaay too much at the Ellis household

Sitting on the sun porch in Minnie's house

At home, theres nothing more entertaining than bathtime here at the Ellis fort.

Noah with a foam letter "Y" in his mouth

Taylor singing "Home on the Range" I love how she says the word antelope...its more like anteyope. Other bathtime songs include Gloria in Exceles Deo, Aint gonna rain no more no more, and Daisy Daisy..and the occasional Boom Boom Pow by the black eyed peas ( she only knows one line by the way)

Noah is almost 8 mos now and fully crawling and pulling up on everything. I think the difference between the girls and boys is that I can already tell that Noah is very physical in everything he does. He's always working on something or trying to get somewhere. He adores Taylor and pretty much has to be near her at all times. He's already learning that little brother are supposed to annoy their sisters and take their toys away.