Drum Roll Please...

Per usual, we packed it all in this past week, including a trip to the doctor for our 20-week ultrasound. As many of you know, this is the appointment that involves a gender reveal, if interested. We were definitely interested, but we decided to try something different this time. Since the appointment coincided with Aunt Jill's birthday being the day before, as well as their family's vacation to Chicago, we took the results to a bakery in a sealed envelope and revealed them that night on Jill's birthday cake, surrounded by our local and traveling family members. And... it's a boy!! Yes, much to our delight, we'll be welcoming a son (and Ella a brother) in December. Check out the cake pictures below! The rest of the week involved a trip to the zoo with Aunt Jill, Uncle Adam, cousins Ava and Reid, and Uncle Jeff; extra "Ava time," as she stuck around to hang out with us all for a few days (and what a helper she was!!); and a day trip to Iowa for the annual Kunde family reunion. 

Having breakfast with her cousins.

Reid and Ella running in the hallway.

Fun at the zoo.

Ice cream!

Ava read the results to us!

The frosting may have been smudged, but we're having a boy!

Swimming at the family reunion.

Swimming and puppies?! This place is awesome!

As Ava said during the week, now the new baby can be best friends with Reid, and she can be best friends with Ella. So sweet!

Grocery shopping with her latest cart. Thanks, Aunt Jill!

Erin and Martin Got Married!

The big day finally arrived, Aunt Erin and Uncle Martin got married this past Saturday! Ella, Erin, and I traveled back to Iowa the Monday prior to the wedding, which allowed us to spend the week with Aunt Abby, who was already back from Texas, as well as help prepare for the big day. It was a beautiful wedding, and the weather couldn't have been more perfect for an outdoor gathering. We also enjoyed getting to spend plenty of time with family, some of which we rarely get to see and who hadn't met Ella yet. All in all, it was a wonderful week, and we're so happy for the newlyweds!
 

Me, Sam, and Abby.

Erin and Martin and her parents and grandparents. 

The girls and their shades.

The Collins family.

"Give me the keys, Mom!"

Barely holding onto her baby on the way home.

Uncle Sam entertaining Ella.

My cousin Chris, his daughter, Carli, and Ella.

Ella at the fair.

Riding the train at the fair. Miss Independent wouldn't let me hold her.

Great Grandma C. and Abby.

Great Grandma P., Ella, Erin, and a kitten.

Yes, she's still in her pajamas.

Her second pony ride.

Ella's Supermarket Sweep

On Saturday we decided to beat the heat and hit the Kohl Children's Museum for a second time. Our first trip was in December, when Ella was still a crawling baby, so it was naturally a lot different this time around. As suspected, her favorite exhibit was the grocery store, where she not only got to fill her own cart with all of her favorite foods, but also push it around the store like a mad woman.

Ella filling her cart.

Totally in her element.

Playing in the water room.

She loved the car, of course.

A lunch date with Harper, earlier in the week.

Mommy, what's in there?

Lately, Ella has been strapping her dolls and stuffed animals in her highchair. Mr. Cow was the latest.

Another Week of Water

With the intense heat showing no sign of letting up this week, we spent a lot of time in the water. Whether it be the rooftop pool, the public park pools, or even the random water puddle (see below), Ella had no trouble locating the H2O. On Tuesday, Cousin Abbie came over to hang out, and we played in the pool, as well as in a huge, muddy water puddle at the park. As always, Abbie captured some great moments, which I've included below. The 4th of July began with a trip to a great local park, where we enjoyed both the large lap pool and the smaller wading pool. After lunch with friends we all took naps and then spent the evening grilling out with more friends and kids. On Thursday, Aunt Erin, Ella, and I took advantage of the air conditioning and traveled to Ikea in the suburbs, where Erin found plenty of great stuff for her and Martin's new place, and I rounded out Ella's play room with a few items. The weekend finally brought cooler temperatures, as well as a trip to the zoo, another BBQ with friends, and, finally, some good 'ol park time - sans water.

Swimming in the rooftop pool.

Demolishing a strawberry.

This water puddle was a little deeper than any of us anticipated.

She wasn't happy to be leaving it.

Splashing at the park pool on the 4th of July.

Cousin Abbie reading Ella a story.

Too cool for school.

Ella's new play room is looking more complete with a table and chairs and a magnetic board.