The Whistler

Ella blowing a whistle on 2/18/11. Bonus: At the three minute mark, she blows out of the other end.

An Ode to Ella

Dearest, Sweetest, Cutest Ella,

You have spent the morning climbing on everything that you can manage to hike your chubby little pink cancles up on to. You have climbed on the couch, the chairs, the ottoman, Shiloh's bed, and your wee chair. On all of them you have proceeded to do dizzying dances that defy gravity and physics and -- so far -- have survived without a scratch. I'm positive you could teach the monkeys in the zoo a thing or two.

Dearest, Sweetest, Cutest Ella,

You are tireless and thorough. You leave no stone unturned, no shoe in the closet, and no book unrifled. Somehow, you managed to shuffle your busy schedule around to include even more pilfer time. And I especially appreciate you taking the time to relocate every last DVD from the shelf to the floor for easier access [Yes, Julie dearest, every last one.]

Dearest, Sweetest, Cutest Ella,

You have thrown out the laws of physics and raised the bar for the entire human race by pushing boundaries for the number of bowel movements a person can have in a day. Even as I write this, you're fogging up the room with your umpteenth steaming fresh batch. It's the first thing I smell in the morning and I continue to enjoy a veritable schmorgesborg of strange and exciting aromas throughout the day.

Dearest, Sweetest, Cutest Ella,

You have not failed to ask me for a "Baa" [bath] every five minutes on the minute from the second your little eyes popped open this morning [roughly an hour before I was ready for them to].

Dearest, Sweetest, Cutest Ella,

You have asked me ever-so-sweetly and politely [not] for numerous things throughout the day. I live to serve you, so your frequent requests fulfill and complete me [not]. I'm always happy to drop whatever I am doing -- be it dishes, laundry, Shiloh's therapy, or cleaning up your latest mess -- to hand you things off of the counter or fix you a drink [not not not].

Dearest, Sweetest, Cutest Ella,

I'd like to run screaming from the house. Sometimes.

Dearest, Sweetest, Cutest Ella,

I love you anyway. All the time.

The Puddle Duck

Mom and Ella went for a walk this evening while Shiloh was away visiting Uncle Donald. This was Ella's first walk down the road.

It's interesting how stomping in puddles is an instinctive and not acquired behavior. Ella found her first puddle and proceeded to stomp as fast as she could.

These are her favorite boots. She reminds me of Gossie: Ella is a Peas. A small, cute Peas who likes to wear bright pink boots. Every day.

The Northern Lights

Last night, I happened to be outside late and saw the Aurora Borealis for the first time. They weren't extremely bright, and looked like a banded green fog floating in the sky. It sparkled and morphed, some bands getting brighter and more distinct while others faded. Unfortunately, it wasn't bright enough to get a picture of.

[Science] Auroras are caused by the collision of solar wind particles with photon emissions in the Earth's upper atmosphere. Solar wind is the constant outflow of ions from the sun, and is funneled by the Earth's magnetic fields which carry them toward the poles and accelerate them. When the ions in the solar wind collide with the photons in the atmosphere, energy is released in the form of light. Interestingly, different types of atoms create different colors; since the one I saw was green, this was most likely the result of oxygen atoms. Auroras tend to be more frequent and brighter during the intense phase of the solar cycle when coronal mass ejections increase the intensity of the solar wind. [/Science]