CA and miss Ellie Layne

c

i have been in CA for the week for a friend's homecoming from her mission in france. the trip is lasting a little longer than expected but who can complain about that? the weather here is my absolute favorite. it's overcast in the morning with a soft mist that covers the plants until early afternoon. by noon the sun is out in full force. 

i snapped these shots of ellie the first day i was here. i can't believe how much older she seems every time i see her. her new thing is an obsession with belly buttons. she learned where hers is and now is curious about everyone else's. at first i was very confused why she would lift up my dress and say "buh buh. buh buh" when i realized what she wanted i thought "ohh do i have the belly button for you girl!" at 28 weeks pregnant it's made quite the transformation.

my mom and i marvel at her little life here. she is smothered with love at every possible moment. and my mom, as her grandmother or "sweetheart" (as the grandkids call her) has the role of never saying "no." ellery and i laughed about how little ellie gets the grandma treatment every single day though. it just makes me think about how when you are younger you want to be older soo bad...at least i did. i can remember dying to shave my legs, dying to wear make up, dying to do my hair like my sisters. i was so fascinated by them doing their hair with the blow drier and the round brush. i used to think, "when i do that to my hair that means i am so much older and so beautiful." now i laugh at how appealing it is to be 1 years old again. your worries consisting of a binky and your mama.

and of course if you can get enough of that fudge popsicle...