Big Girl. Shiny Wheels. A Bible. Cicadas.

That title pretty much sums up what is going on around here. The most significant of these is how our big girl is using the potty for everything now. She had mastered the 'easy' part months ago. The last ten days has brought a breakthrough. And where most little girls would be seriously excited for a doll, dress up clothes or bling, our girl did 'it' for a toy hellicopter she spotted at our zoo gift shop. So when she did her part, this mama drove out to the zoo gift shop to get her the much coveted hellicopter. M&M's tend to do the trick now, thankfully. We are so proud of her and spend a lot of time mumbling around the house about how quickly she is growing up.

And Ella's latest obssession is shiny wheels. She spends a great deal of time watching cars on the road - either from the backseat or as they go down our street - critiquing the 'shiny-ness' of the drivers' wheels. She is down-right giddy when she spots a recently washed vehicle. Her Uncle JB stopped by for a visit on Sunday to pick up a piece of furniture (more on this later). JB has spent all of his driving life caring for his cars equal to how he loves his own children. Ella was in hog heaven prancing around his SUV checking out the shine. It is no wonder this is the same Uncle who hooks her up with little cars that she carries around in a Minnie Mouse lunch box!

We're into making faces, too. And she's pretty good at it.

We are in the slow process of re-working our bedroom. Four years ago, we would have had this done in a weekend. Present day with Ella under foot takes us twelve weekends. As a result, two antiques from my Grandma Donna are being passed on to family members to make room for new (matching!) furniture. I'm so happy about that. Yet cleaning out the vanity for my brother to pick up was a melancholy journey. It was my stash-away dresser full of special cards, letters and pieces of my childhood. One of those pieces was this little white leather Bible. My Grandma gave it to me Christmas 1979. I had forgotten about it.

Ella spied it immediately and has been carrying it around the house reading aloud from it. "I'm the teacher so you need to be quiet..." and then rattles off a story about Jesus and a woman walking down the street. It is always about Jesus and a woman with slight variations. For over two years now, she's been attending worship services every week with us. I can't help but think just a wee little bit is sinking in. She is cautious with it's amazingly thin pages. And if a few tear along the way? So what. I can't help but think how my Grandma would have loved this. A beat up Bible is the best ever.

Cicadas are chirping their weee-oooo-weeee-oooo songs in late evenings around here. It always tugs my heart to hear that familiar sound of living in these parts. I know that we are well into summer when they start lulling us to sleep. Ella is fascinated by their song and yet a bit frightened too. She demands to see one and I keep putting her off that they are awfully high in the tree-tops. I think you can pretty much figure out how it is going to go when she lays eyes on one. My word are they ugly creatures. And as long as she doesn't listen to the Bible stories about the locusts, we should be in good shape.

Take care, Ella-land!

~H