McCall, Idaho

Violet and I took a trip to McCall, Idaho this week for a family reunion. We had so much fun, and it was great to get to see that side of the family. I haven't been able to go to one of these reunions in about 6 years. August is the months of reunions and we are looking forward to the Corier family reunion in about 2 weeks.
Violet requires a lot of sunscreen in order to go to the beach...she even had it in her hair, which is why her hair is standing straight up.
Violet was really interested in the flowers we picked on our walk. Our condo was right near a golf course so we got to walk around the golf cart path every day.
Olivia is finally old enough to play with, and Violet really loved to play with her. Olivia's favorite toy was my old Sam's Club card, so Violet kept stealing it. Check out that face!
Violet loved the lake! I had to drag her out because she kept getting too cold but didn't want to stay on the beach to warm up. I would put her down to play in the sand and she would instantly crawl towards the water. This kid is always up for an adventure.
Violet is giving Olivia a hug. She was so cute, she would get as close to Olivia as possible and put her arm around her and lay down, they would just lay there and snuggle...what cute cousins.
Violet sitting in the Sand. We had so much fun at the beach that day, the whole family was there.

Portland Temple and the Beaver Pond

We've had a lot of fun the last couple of weeks. Here are some pictures of this week.
We were able to go down to the Portland Temple last Saturday and see Randy and Cathy get sealed, it was really nice, and they seem really happy.
Peter, John and I went to the Beaver Pond by our house, it was a beautiful day and I was able to take some great photo's. I'm putting a book of photo's together for my friend that is moving to NY to get her PhD . It was a perfect day to take pictures.
Violet was really ready for a nap by the end of our little hike.
Violet liked to look down into the water. It was really peaceful out there.
Violet likes to try on glasses, she thinks it is so funny. Here she is trying on Grandma's glasses. she was making the funniest faces and laughing...I of course couldn't get a good shot of that.
Here is another picture of us coming up the trail.

Hope everyone is doing well. We are so excited to see The Wood family in a few weeks!

Love you all!
Ellen, Peter and Violet

nothing new

Well, there is really nothing too new going on at our house. For those of you who don't know, our air conditioner was out for about 3 days, but works again. Those 3 days were pretty miserable and really made us apreciate some of the things we take for granted (ie. air conditioning). Sam has been a little sick and has developed a cough. He's hacking away as I speak, but he's okay. Wesley is still learning to go to the bathroom on the potty. JOnathan called one night to say that he'd be late and I let Wesley answer the phone, it went something like this, "Hi, I pooped on the potty. Bye." We had a pretty good laugh. Jonathan has been busy as usual. We are just grateful that he is getting good experience and learning a lot. Here are a couple of pictures of life at our house the past few weeks.


On the 4th of July we went to a carnival. Wesley played the bean bag toss and won a prize!

Sam is a big baby. At his 4 month appointment he was 19lbs, 4 oz and long (I don't remember exactly). I call him our little line backer.

We tried to find a parade in our neighborhod on the 4th of July. We packed up our strollers and went for a walk. About a mile down the road we ran into someone who said they canceled the parade. So, we just went for a long walk.
The highlight of our 4th was letting the boys stay up late and watch fireworks on TV. Wesley was so excited. He danced and ran all around (oh, fireworks are illegeal in our county).

our house on the 4th

We went to Splashtown with some friends a few weeks ago. Wesley and Dad had a lot of fun swimming around. Mom and Dad both got really sunburned, but the kids were fine.
Wesley and Sam sitting on the couch. Sam learned to sit all alone this past week. I cannot believe how big he is getting
Wesley loves to help Mom cook. His favorite is stirring flour. He's such a good helper.
At the carnival Wesley got to jump in a bouncy castle thing. As you can see, he had a lot of fun.

Hope all is well at your house. Good luck with your finals Peter and congrats on finishing school!

the Wood's

Our last week!

I just had to post that this is our last week in Rexburg, and I am just dying with excitement!  Peter should be finished with all of his homework this weekend and then we just have to pack up and clean! yay!  We are so excited to be done with school and Rexburg!

Love you all!

Officially a toddler

Violet has officially entered the world of Toddlerhood, by taking her first very funny steps.  She can walk about 4 feet between Peter and I and she walks with her hands straight up in the air (what a funny kid).  She really just takes two or three steps and then makes a dive for our arms.  It is hilarious to watch and Violet thinks it's the best thing ever.  

Also, we received a response to our request for potential birth mothers for our friends, Daniel and Belinda.  Errin Wilson has a friend that is working with LDS family services also and is due in September, and a connection has been made, so if you could keep these two families in your prayers so that everything works out for the best for the baby and the parents.  We'll keep you posted on any updates.  

Love you all! 

Ellen, Peter and Violet

Arizona Wood's

Well, after a failed adotpion with Eli, Warren and Mel were able to adopt another baby. They got a call last week from an agency that wanted to place a baby girl with them. This baby is also in Sacramento. I think it is official, Maxine has a little sister. They are thinking about calling her Virginia (Ginger) after Jonathan's Mom. We are so glad that simething wonderful did work out for them.

EMily

epilogue

I guess the birth father would not sign his consent for the adoption. We are very sad for the whole situation, but Warren and Mel seem to be thinking of the birth mother and baby's situation rather than their own.

emily