We Have Ourselves a Threenager

We have officially had a kid during our marriage longer than not having a kid. That's a really weird thought. Ellie is now three, and I can't believe it. We sure do love her. She's the perfect mix of sugar and spice, and keeps us on our toes. I asked Ellie what she wanted for her birthday and she said balloons, pink cake, and presents. We did our best to deliver.

On the first day of Ellie's birthday weekend we had some friends over to celebrate. We ate pizza and doughnuts and played bingo. It was so great to have everyone over and catch up. Ellie loved having her friends over and played hard.

On day two of Ellie's birthday weekend we had family over to celebrate. We ate hamburgers and French fries with pink cake on the side. Ellie's Uncle Jake and Aunt Zaira brought balloons, which Ellie was thrilled about. We love having family over and always decide that we should do it more often (we are not very good at following through though).

On Ellie's actual birthday she opened her presents first thing in the morning. When Jeremy got home from work we asked her what she wanted for dinner. She said she wanted beans, so off to Costa Vida we went. After dinner we asked Ellie what she wanted to do, and she responded with "the animal store." Off to Cabelas we went.

I've mentioned this before, but we love Cabelas. It is the best free entertainment. Ellie loves walking around looking at the fish and animals. The fudge samples upstairs don't hurt, and the store is usually pretty empty unless you go on Saturday. Needless to say, our girl has great taste. Happy birthday sweet Ellie!

Ugly Fish and Dead Animals are Basically Like a Free Disneyland

Today we needed to get out. If I go to Target I spend all my money. Nothing else really sounded great, but Ellie mentioned going to the "animal store." Cabela's is great free entertainment and there is no temptation for me to buy anything, so basically it is the best place to kill time.

The fish are ugly, but they are alive so that's fun. Ellie had a blast running from one side to the other yelling, "Look, Mama!" I always find it funny that one side of the aquarium contains active fish, and the other side contains all the lazy fish that barely move a fin. Is that on purpose? Will we ever know?

One of these days I swear I will remember to bring a quarter so that Ellie can feed the fish. The nice thing is I haven't remembered yet, so she has no idea that is an option. Ellie also loves to look at the dead stuffed animals, she finds the George Bush look-alike a little creepy though. I can't say I blame her.

Kanye's New Crib

Introducing the newest member of our family, Kanye. She is the sweetest Mini Schnauzer ever. We might be a little crazy getting a puppy so close to having a baby, but she really has been so great. We're working on potty training, and we rarely have accidents. The most annoying part to me is her nipping. We are working on it though, and she is getting much better.

Ellie and Kanye have been the best of friends. She's so good with the puppy, and Kanye is really good with her as well. They spend a lot of time chasing each other in the backyard. I'll be honest, the first week was a little tiring, but we survived. Kanye now mostly sleeps through the night, and she is eating dry kibble now which is really convenient. Jeremy and I have had a lot of fun with her as well. She's has so much spunk, and we love it.