Life With Ella

We have had such an amazing week with grandma and papa.  It feels like it just flew by.  We have one more full day and night tomorrow (today and tonight).  Today, mommy went to work, Ella went with grandma to get her hair washed and blown out, and papa and I went to Patagonia to do some shopping.  We all met up at Amicis for lunch and then we took a nice walk and Ella had a great bike ride.  Tonight we had a really nice dinner at Momo’s – not a usual place that we go to but it was really good! Ella’s nose is getting better.  The oral antibiotics are starting to work.  We’re going to have dinner here for New Year’s Eve and of course since New Year’s Eve means nothing to Ella, she wants to have Friday night movie night with grandma and papa.  Ella wants to see Spirited Away.  We saw it a few weeks ago and it was pretty intense, but she really wants grandma and papa to see it (better than seeing Despicable Me for the 3rd time this week!).  Grandma is doing really well with her shoulder. Tonight she was even able to cut her chicken with both hands.  This is a very exciting milestone.  Keep working hard grandma!  You’ll be flapping both of your wings in no time. Grandma and Ella checking out the transition that is being made from a baseball field to a football field!  It’s always a little strange to see. Go Ella go! I love this shot – mommy was pushing Ella and this other little girl on the merry go round thing. Grandma and Ella heading home. Love and happiness, beautiful people and beautiful scenery. Great shot.  Thanks papa! Looks like Ella is about to jump right into a pool.

Today we decided to go to the Jewish Museum downtown to see the Curious George exhibit.  We didn’t check the museum schedule and got to the museum to find out that it was closed.  Ella was totally fine that it was closed – later on during the day she told us that she told grandma and papa in the morning that she wanted to go to the Jewish Museum on Thursday and that she was right – we can’t go Wednesday because it’s closed…so we have to go on Thursday.  Ella threw some coins in the water outside of the museum and ran on the water steps with papa.  We decided that we would go to SFMOMA since it was right there.  Ella was pretty interested in some of the stuff and not so interested in others.  At least she knows what she likes.  After the museum we had lunch at Nordstrom where she inhaled her mac and cheese.  Sunny and I went out on a hot date tonight and saw the Little Fockers (didn’t really plan to see that but that’s what we ended up seeing) and Ella had a date with grandma and papa which I know made the 3 of them really happy! Another great grandma Ella papa shot walking down Mission Street.  It was a little colder out today. Playing around with papa on the water steps. Making one of many wishes. Taking those steps like a champion. Here are Ella and grandma at the SFMOMA.  Grandma was introducing Ella to some of her friends. Ella LOVED this cake – we had a little mid day snack at the sculpture garden cafe. Ella was mesmerized by this piece.  She sat there for quite a while watching it change. A beautiful gold beaded curtain that Ella loved running through. Ella added some more stuff to her dream. We did a video chat with AJ, Michael and Milo this morning.  It was great seeing you guys…we love you!  Michael and AJ got this costume for Ella for Chanukah but it was at our house.  They were going to give it to her while they were here but since they couldn’t make it, they had me present it to Ella during the iChat.  Ella loves it.

Today we made our trip to the aquarium at Pier 39.  Ella never gets tired of this place and wants to go every time grandma and papa are here.  After the aquarium, we went to the crab house and had a great lunch.  Ella ate clams, crab shrimp and fried artichokes.  We had a really fun day.  Later in the afternoon, Sunny and I took Ella to the doctor because she has some kind of infection in her nose.  She was so stressed out about going to the doctor that she fell asleep in the car.  Once we were in the office, we read her a whole bunch of books and she got less stressed out.  There was this one book that we read together called “Do Not Open This Book”.  Ella was really into when the doctor came in.  Ella did a great job.  She cooperated with the doctor, let him take a culture of her nose infection and kept begging me to finish the book.  She’s on antibiotics and her infection should be clearing up in the next 2 days.  I have been editing the pictures when you can see the one gross nostril.  Ella has been great about not touching it.  She probably got it from picking her nose so any parents out there reading this…DO NOT LET YOU KIDS PICK THEIR NOSE!  Ella learned the hard way.  The 5 of us had dinner at the Public House.  There is so much rain here that we almost needed to take a boat across the street. Grandma, Ella and some beautiful jellyfish. Here are the 3 beautiful pepople in the tunnel under the bay. Ella has become and expert at touching the skates, rays and sharks.  I remember a time when she would not touch them for anything! Back at home with our fish sitting job.  Ella has been very responsible.

We all spent the day with Jesse and Heather today.  They have been in town from LA for the past few days visiting family in the Bay Area and we got them today.  We had a really sweet day hanging out, walking to the Ferry Building, having tea and then hanging out back here watching parts of Fantasia and having dinner.  Jamie, Michael and Milo are staying in NY – no possible way to get here.  We explained the blizzard to Ella and showed her pictures of NYC snowed in that AJ sent us… Ella’s response was, “Oh my God!”  She’s been saying that a lot lately. In the beginning of our walk, Ella was cold so Sunny bundled her up with her scarf. Uncle Jesse giving Ella a little ride. Happy kid. Ella found a ladybug on our walk. I think they were doing some kind of chanting. Aunt Heather and mommy helping Ella to fly. Papa helping Ella to fly. Ella did a lot of jumping today. What a perfect postcard picture. Learning to drink out of the special tea cups. Ella did her job well – she fed the fish at dinner time.

Jamie, Michael and Milo were supposed to arrive tomorrow afternoon.  They are stuck in the NYC blizzard.  It really sucks because were were all looking forward to spending some beautiful time together.  It they can’t make it out by Wednesday, we’re gonna take a raincheck for February.  If you guys are reading this, we love you very much and can’t wait until we get to all be with each other.  Let’s do a video chat tomorrow.  Life in SF has been really sweet.  The weather here has held up pretty well and today we went to see the Nutcracker.  It was a beautiful production but I have to admit that I get pretty bored by the middle of the second act.  Ella of course loved it and grandma brought our binoculars with her so that Ella could see up close.  Ella loved using the binoculars and we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  After the Nutcracker, we came home and Stella and Juliet came over.  The girls played games and had a lot of fun.  Tonight Ella watched Bedtime Stories with grandma and papa.  Grandma thought it was one of the most inane movies she had ever seen.  I would take it over Gulliver’s Travels any day. Ella and papa doing a crossword puzzle together. Getting ready to leave for the Nutcracker. Beautiful shot in front of the ballet. Ella using the binoculars.We bumped into one of Ella’s classmates, Ellison at the Nutcracker.  Ella got along really well with Ellison’s cousin.  They had a great conversation about movies.Mommy and Ella by City Hall. Playing old school games Kerplunk and Candy Land. We are fish sitting our neighbor Hannah’s fish this week.  Ella is taking her job very seriously.

Ella woke up early this morning, woke me up and asked me when grandma and papa were going to land.  It was around 7:00 am so I told her that they would be landing in like 7 hours.  This is how the rest of our day was…when are they landing?  How many hours?  I can’t wait!  How many hours?  We finally left for the airport and 40 minutes later, grandma and papa were in the car and Ella was the happiest kid in the world.  Grandma looks terrific!  She’s doing really well with her shoulder recovery.  Papa is fantastic also, you would never know that he had surgery in November from side galloping.  We all hung out in the afternoon and Ella watched Despicable Me with grandma and papa.  Tonight we had dinner at Nama and had a great time.  Just as I was tucking Ella in tonight, she looked at me and said in such an excited and loving voice…”I can’t believe that they are actually here!”  Beautiful.  Nothing like pure love.  I want to to wish everyone who celebrates, a beautiful Christmas.  I hope you are all with the people who you love.  I know we are. Here they are! Tonight, I went to see what Ella had drawn earlier today on her dry erase board.  It’s behind a concrete pole, so it’s like her own private studio.  I took a look at it and asked Ella what it was…she said that the red person was Ella, sleeping and the rest was a dream.  The face in the first cloud was Brickelle and then there was the rainbow and at the end of the rainbow, a pot of gold of course.  She said that was her best dream.  I love the way her drawing told this happy story.