Tag: Ellie

Ellie – Let’s Go Fly A Kite

Leave a comment
Ellie’s still little and with that comes the element of complete surprise. Stage rehearsals can go horribly for some little dancers and then they are wonderful for the recital. The exact opposite can happen as well. A little one can really enjoy and love being on stage at rehearsal but then meltdown completely when it comes to having a full audience, brighter lights and all the things that might overwhelm a child. 
Because of this, I took video of Ellie at rehearsal and for the actual show, just in case. Lucky for us she was wonderful for both occasions, so I thought I would share both of them with you. As you can probably tell, the top video is from stage rehearsal and the bottom is from recital. Hope you enjoy!

Ellie’s First Recital

Leave a comment
Today was the big day! It’s Ellie’s first recital! She was so excited when she woke up this morning and so ready for recital. We still had a full day to get through. In the morning, Ellie had stage rehearsal. This allows the dancers, especially the young ones, get a feel for what its like to be on stage and dance. Ellie got up there and did a great job. She may have been a little shy and quiet but she soon warmed up to it and had a great time. It was a great sign for the evening ahead!
Ellie practicing her “Dumb Dog” dance at stage rehearsal.

After a successful stage rehearsal we headed home for lunch and a nap. Lunch happened, nap did not. That had me worried that a meltdown could potentially happen before, during or after the show or at all three moments. My fingers were crossed and I think I was holding my breath. She was so excited for the night that I didn’t want it sullied by not having a nap.

Ellie is all dressed and ready for her very first recital! Shaun is a great daddy for carrying Ellie’s costume bag, but I think we already knew that. It may not look like it here, but Ellie was ready to get the show on the road.
My beautiful little Ellie doing her Fly A Kite dance. She was having fun with her little friends. It makes my heart soar to know that she enjoyed it.
Beautiful arabesque!
Jumping and jumping over and over again. This was her favorite part of the dance to do!
“Dumb Dog, Why are you following me?” Nice big shuffles.
She actually sat down during this part of the dance! Usually she just stands there. I guess she didn’t like that part and for those who know Ellie, she doesn’t do anything she doesn’t want to do. My stubborn little girl.
My cute little cupcake. She loved this dance the most because of the costume. While the dance was to Dumb Dog from the musical Annie, she called it her “Minnie costume. She looked adorable!

Luckily the lack of a nap didn’t create any issues. Ellie was great and we even got a few smiles out of her on stage. Even though she seems so serious on stage its because Ellie loves to soak everything in. I know she was having fun though, because at one point in her ballet dance she spotted Shaun and myself in the audience. I waved at her and she waved right back with such an excited look. So lucky to have caught it on video too!

Ellie is all smiles with one of her teachers, Miss Jess. Thank you for such a wonderful year!
Smiles, hugs and flowers from Daddy! What a special night for both of them. 
Mommy and Ellie are all smiles after the best first recital ever. So proud of you Ellie!
Ellie with her teacher, Miss Elizabeth. Ellie adores her! What an amazing young lady and teacher. She really has a gift with kids and as we saw tonight she is also a very gifted and talented choreographer. I think we will see a lot from Miss Elizabeth in the future!
The little dancer and her flowers. She didn’t want to put them down or have anyone hold them!

Ellie had one heck of a night and felt so special. Hugs and pictures with family and of course her teachers and then flowers from several people. She was all smiles afterwards and you couldn’t get her to stop talking about her wonderful night. We are so proud of you Ellie Belly! What a wonderful night for everyone! A little bittersweet but wonderful nonetheless. Love you Ellie!

It’s a Great Day for a Zoo Day!

Leave a comment
With our move to Seattle coming up, it was hard not to think about the things that we will be leaving behind. The same goes for my parents and my sister. Once the Wharton’s head to the Pacific Northwest, my parents and sister wont have the same reasons to come and visit California. Its not that they wont come back to visit, but it wont be as often as it used to be. With that in mind we decided that during their visit, we would head to a few of the places we will all miss the most and today was the Santa Barbara Zoo!
It was a perfect day for the zoo too! Warm, sunny with a nice cool breeze. Couldn’t have asked for a better day! When we arrived at the zoo we headed straight for the giraffes, making sure we had the chance to see the new babies and feed Michael too. We made it with plenty of time to spare and enjoyed every moment. Its fun listening to Abby and Ellie giggle and laugh about the giraffe’s long slimy tongue.
After we fed the giraffes it was time to feed ourselves. We headed off to a quiet little spot for a picnic. We watched people and the giraffes from our perch and had a visit by several little hummingbirds. Once our bellies were full it was off to see more animals and have some fun!
Abby was so excited to feed Michael the Giraffe again! She loved every minute of it!
Elle was trying really hard to feed Michael but tough his tongue too. She was fascinated by it!
One of the two mama’s hanging out with the babies. So cute and she was being so protective!
One of the little hummingbirds that came for a visit as we had a picnic.
Walking the boardwalk to see the Condors and the Channel  Islands Fox.
Beauregard the Channel Islands Fox was adorable today! He crawled up a beam and came right up to the netting that covers his enclosure. We thought we were special but its because it was feeding time. A few minutes later a keeper came with dinner and he was off to give her some love. Still cute and Auntie Jillian was beside herself with excitement because he came so close. Great moment at the zoo!
We had to stop and visit the penguins for Abby. Gotta love these guys in their little tuxedos!
At the end of the day Abby and Ellie had the chance to choose something from the shop. Abby chose a giraffe which she named Audrey after one of the mama giraffes. Ellie chose a lion and promptly named him Ted. Not a clue where that name came from but it sure gave us the giggles.

We made our rounds through the zoo, seeing as much as we could before closing time. I didn’t get to see the otters as I had hoped. Well I did but just their bellies as they were sleeping in the grass. What is important though is that the girls had the chance to see the animals they love to see; giraffes, elephants, gorillas, penguins, lions and more.

We had a great time with all of the animals and even the drive home was gorgeous. For one last bit of nostalgia, dating back to when Jillian and I were kids, we stopped on the way home to get a little treat at Foster’s Freeze in Carpenteria. So yummy and a great way to cap off an already fun day in Santa Barbara. Its going to be a while, but until next time Santa Barbara!

Last Day of Dance

1 Comment
Today was the last day of dance. My heart felt a little heavy knowing that not only was this the last day of dance for the year but the last time the girls would take class at the studio. Bittersweet really. Despite my feelings, the girls had a wonderful time and are so excited for recital. Its hard to believe that its only a few days away! The last day of dance also kicks off a whirlwind ride of recitals, trips, time with family, packing and moving. Here we go!

Ellie the Stubborn

Leave a comment
Ellie is one stubborn cookie. She wanted to put her shirt on ALL BY HERSELF this morning. I was given the death glare when I tried to help. Ellie looked like this for about twenty minutes before she sheepishly asked for help. Oh that little stubborn girl of ours!

Playroom Pack-up!

Leave a comment
I chose to start the packing in here. Not sure why… But I do know that once the toys have been gone through and packed into a box or sold this wont have the chance to happen again! Oh boy, I am going to need some luck and possibly a stiff drink by the time this is done.

A Belated Mother’s Day Trip

Leave a comment
Happy Belated Mothers Day everyone! 
As if we haven’t been sick enough, I ended up with a tummy bug the night before Mother’s Day so all of our plans had to be postponed. So today we celebrated and enjoyed a day in Santa Barbara at the zoo with Grandma Zoe. The weather was beautiful and everything seemed to work out just right for us. 
The newest buzz at the zoo was the birth of two baby giraffes. From two different mothers, Sunshine and Dane were born within a week of one another and during the morning hours they were out in the habitat for everyone to see. We had to make sure we caught a glimpse of them before heading to Seattle!
Aside from the baby giraffes, the big excitement for the day was having a chance to feed the giraffes! Knowing Abby’s fear of some animals I thought for sure that she would back out of this. But to my surprise she didn’t. In fact, she loved it and was sad when all of her lettuce was gone! After the feeding she talked all day about how long, slimy and purple the giraffes tongue was. What a fabulous experience!
We had a lot of luck at the zoo and had the chance to see so many animals. All of them were out and moving around which is a rarity. When everything had been seen and we had had enough, we hoped back into the car. As we tried to leave, we were caught in the tail end of the Amgen California bike race. Once through that we took a lovely drive and then headed home. 
As a final bit of fun we stopped in Camarillo at Ottavio’s for dinner, which was delicious! It was the perfect close to a great Mother’s Day.
This Black -crowned Night Heron was very interested in what we had to eat.
Big smiles and happy tummies. A little lunch before our trip through the zoo.
Ellie is explaining many things…
Love baby giraffes! Meet Dane and Sunshine the newest members of the SB Zoo family.
Abby feeding Michael the Giraffe. He was one hungry boy!
Look at those big lips and tongue! Ellie couldn’t stop giggling!
A little love from mama.
Neema the lioness was happy as a clam chewing on her bone. Abby and Ellie were so excited the she was this close to them.
Beautiful girl.
Deep in thought. I love that you can see Ellie’s reflection on the glass .
Elephants getting one of their hourly “snacks”
Best Buddies!
Hiding in the shadows.

The First Swim of the Season

Leave a comment
The first real heat wave of the year is upon us. Today’s high was just over 100 degrees and even with the air on in the house it was just hot. With the thought of keeping cool and keeping the girls busy, we dug out the toys and headed up to the pool.
We had a blast, stayed cool and got plenty of sunshine. Abby has become super confident in the water. She went from hating the water in her face to learning to holding her breath and trying to swim under the water. She does swim in the kids pool where she can stand up on her own but pretty soon we will move on to the big pool. The biggest hurdle is out of the way. Swim lessons here we come! 
Yey another fun day and adventure here at the Wharton house. I see a lot of swimming in the near future!
The Goggle Girls
My goofy little monkey loves the water!
Getting a ride around the pool on daddy!
Sweet Little Fish

Disneyland, Rain or Shine!

Leave a comment
Disneyland, what can I say? We cant seem to get enough. Today we headed to the Magic Kingdom with Grandma Zoe for a day of fun. The weather would be cooler and there was a chance of rain but that didn’t stop us! That’s what our rain jackets and ponchos are for! Besides, rain keeps the crowds away and that is always a plus when visiting Disneyland.
When we arrived the crowds were definitely smaller then normal and the rain seemed to hold off. Right out of the gate the girls ran into a few of their favorite characters like Pluto and Goofy but the highlight of our trip down main street was the one and only, Mickey Mouse. In the spirit of meeting characters we headed over to the old Carnation Plaza and stage that has now been converted into the Princess Faire. There you can watch a show and meet several of your favorite princesses. Abby and Ellie were lucky enough to see Princess Aurora, Ariel and Cinderella  Once they had their fill we caught the Tangled stage show and it was adorable. Once again Disney put together something great for kids and adults too!
Waiting patiently at the trams for a fun day at Disneyland!
No biggie… its just Micky Mouse!
Little miss cheeser waiting in line to see Pluto!
Happy to see Princess Aurora!
Its Ariel! Ellie’s favorite princess!
Cinderella…
Exploring the Big Blue!
A little wet from the rain but ready to ride on Winnie the Pooh.
Looking cute in her poncho and ready to see Winnie the Pooh!

After a few rides like Buzz Lightyear, we stopped for some lunch and then continued on our way. We took a journey with the Nemo and the gang and then decided to take a trip down the rabbit hole with Alice. Then Ellie and I took a spin in the tea cups since no one else likes them! As we ended our ride on the tea cups it began to rain. So we put on our rain gear and headed to our next destination. The rain didn’t last long, but it certainly cleared the place out a bit.

The remainder of our day was spent riding Winnie the Pooh and then heading over to California Adventure for a few of the girls favorites. After that it was time to throw in the towel and go home! Once again we had a great time at the Magic Kingdom and we hope to be back again very soon. Until next time Disneyland!

Two Sickies and One Big Sicko!

Leave a comment
The month of April was a bit of a bummer. Our activities were pretty limited which is why there aren’t too many posts for you to enjoy. That is all, due in part, to most of us being sick. Shaun has managed to escape it all but the girls and I weren’t so lucky. 
It all started with my sinus infection and conjunctivitis that reared its ugly head on Easter. That left me on 10 days of antibiotics, steroids and eye drops. Within those ten days, both Abby and Ellie ended up with pink eye as well. Abby even missed a week of school because it was so aggressive.
Two weeks after my Easter ER trip, I landed there again. This time my throat was so sore I couldn’t even swallow without horrible pain and each time it left me in tears. The odd thing was that my throat wasn’t horribly red or swollen and my tonsils were only slightly inflamed. The ER doc told me it was just irritation from post nasal drip, but I was skeptical. As an allergy sufferer I have nasal drip often and never have a felt like this. So I made an appointment with my ENT and discovered that I had viral tonsillitis. See, sometimes your gut is right.
During that time, Ellie ended up sick again. This time with a cough and a very high fever, around 104. She was down about three to four days before returning to her normal, happy go lucky self. Nothing is worse then seeing your little ones sick. Ellie’s cough sounded so horrible and I knew it hurt her, but after several more visits to Dr. Calig, we found that it was just a cough and it needed to run its course. It did, but it was hard, especially since I was even close to being my best.
My poor little monkey waiting for Dr. Calig to diagnose her pink eye.
My little monkey at her worst. This was around the highest point of her fever. For those who know Ellie,  just laying there and watching movies is a sure sign shes sick. When healthy I can barely get her to sit still for more then 20 minutes at a time. 
Her fever was high, close to 105. She slept on the air matress next to mommy’s side of the bed so that I could watch over her. She finally fell asleep and was restful that night. Her fever broke too!
Finally up and feeling better. Still a bit feverish but nothing like the few days before. So happy our little monkey is on the mend!

Both Abby and Ellie are healthy now and mommy is trying her best to be the same. Just as my tonsillitis had run its course, I ended up with a cough. Within a week, maybe less, it had progressed into something nasty. After yet another trip to see my ENT, I discovered it was a bad case of bronchitis. So now I am on a seven day treatment of antibiotics, more steroids and an inhaler. While the cough is still there I am now sleeping through the night again and starting to feel better. Thank goodness!

Through all of this Shaun has been amazing. He took care of the girls, tried his best to keep up with the house and made sure all of the daily routines stayed the same. I truly have an amazing and patient husband and I am so thankful he was here to watch over us. My hope is that he stays healthy after all of this too! Thank you Shaun for all of your love and support. You are amazing and I love you so much!