Halloween 2008

We had a spooktacular Halloween this year! The weather was absolutely gorgeous! Ella was dressed as a bumblebee this year. The cutest bee that I've ever seen! We had a couple of people over to hang out by the fire and hand out candy. The men were left with the task of taking the kids trick or treating, as the women stayed back and handed out candy. Ella actually did really well this year. She went to quite a bit of houses instead of like last year where she just sat on the porch and ate the candy out of the bowl. We hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween!

Halloween 2008

Ella's Birthday Extravaganza!

Ella's Birthday Extravaganza!

We started Ella's birthday weekend celebration with a Finding Nemo themed party on Saturday, October 11. Friends and family came to help us celebrate our little Ella turning 2! It was an unseasonably warm day with temps in the low 80s. The kids got to go "fishing" for prizes. I think everyone caught some big ones! We sang to the birthday girl, who decided that was a perfect time to sample the cake. She couldn't keep her hands off the icing!! We then opened some presents and then it was off to bed for the birthday girl. The party didn't stop there though. The adults stayed around for a fire and some beverages.
The next day we got together to cheer on Da Bears, and thanks to Uncle Zac we were able to watch it with the satelite.
October 13th 2008- Ella is 2! Daddy, Mommy, and Ella went to the zoo to celebrate her birthday with the animals. We had a nice day walking around and enjoying the weather, but the animals weren't too exciting. They were all sleeping. They must have been too tired from the previous partying done over the weekend. Just like some of the people at Ella's party (Uncle Zac)! The highlight of the trip was our behind the scenes tour of the dolphins. We got to go up close to the dolphins and see where they train and play. That evening we had Ella's friends over for ice cream and some play time with some of her new toys. What a fun weekend!!

Gone Fishing

On July 13, Ella went fishing for the first time. Ella, Daddy, Mommy, Grandpa Fandrei, Grandma Fandrei, and Bennet packed up their poles and bait for a fishing adventure at Meadows pond. Aunt Amy, Uncle Todd, and Evan later joined us. Daddy and Grandpa were getting frustrated because the fish kept stealing their bait. Ella was frustrated. She just wanted to hold the fish. Daddy finally got one! He gave it to Ella, and she just grabbed it without hesitation and put it in the bucket. She loved watching them swim, but she wanted to keep picking them up and hold them.

Gone Fishing

4th of July 2008

We spent 4th of July this year cooking out, swimming, and hanging out with friends and family. The kids enjoyed throwing snaps and watching the fireworks.

4th of July 2008

Splish-Splash

Splish- Splash

Ella had to try out her new boots in the puddles. She loves to splash! She also saw her first rainbow. Just a note to all you concerned viewers: Ella was not in the street by herself while Mommy was taking pictures. Grandma Cor was right by her.

Summer Fun!

Summer Fun

I am just trying to catch everyone up on what we have been up to. So far this summer, we have mostly been hanging out in some kind of pool. Ella loves to spend time outside. She is such a big helper. She helps Mommy garden and water the flowers and she also helps Daddy cut the grass. We just spent some time up north and she got to swim at both grandparents' houses.

Evan Ryne Fandrei

Evan Ryne Fandrei

We welcomed the newest member of our family on Thursday, May 29th. Evan Ryne Fandrei came three weeks early weighing in at 5lbs.14oz. He is such a little guy with a full head of hair. (He puts Ella's to shame). Ella loves her new baby cousin. Oh, I'm sorry "her baby"! Ella refers to Evan as her baby and would like nothing more than to rock him, hold him, and give him kisses! She is now outnumbered with 2 boy cousins, but watch out boys she'll give you a run for your money.

Kevin's 30th birthday/ Memorial Day Weekend

Kevin turned the big 30 this year. We tried to keep him feeling young at heart, so we decided to have a party. It turned out to be a beautiful weekend. We had a traditional Memorial Day backyard barbecue. It was so nice to have many people come to Fishers since it was a long weekend. Thank you all for coming. We had such a fum time!

Kevin's 30th birthday/ Memorial Day weekend

The Indianapolis Children's Museum!

The Children's Museum

Grandma Fandrei, Ella, and Mommy spent a fun day at the Indianapolis Children's Museum on Friday, April 25th. Many of the things at the museum are a little too old for Ella, but she found many things to play with. She absolutely loved the water table! She also enjoyed spending time with George (Curious George that is). We had a fun day running around and exploring.

Ella's First trip to the Zoo!

Ella made her first trip to the Indianapolis Zoo on Monday, April,7th. It was a beautiful spring day. She absolutely loved it. The first animal she saw was a duck, and she just started screaming. She was just so excited to see all the animals. We also watched a dolphin show. She kept yelling "fishies" and would clap when they jumped out of the water. We had such a fun day. I'm sure we will be going back many more times since we did buy a membership.

Ella's First Zoo trip!

Easter 2008

Easter 2008

We had such a great Easter this year. We were able to go up north and visit with our family. Ella received so many gifts you would think that it was Christmas. She had her first Easter egg hunt. She did pretty well, except she stopped once she found out that there was candy in the eggs.

On Sunday, we went to a birthday party at an indoor "jump" place. It was a place called the Bounce Zone! We were not sure how Ella would do, but she absolutely loved it! Her favorite was going down the slide. (Daddy was tired after having to put her up at the top so many times!!) We had such a fun afternoon doing something different.

The Bounce Zone!!

Valentine's Day 2008

Valentine's Day 2008

Ella spent her second Valentine's Day quietly at home with Mommy, Daddy, and Bennett. We tried to pose many times for our Valentine's Day card. It wasn't easy!