Easter Egg Hunt

Today Ella participated in an Easter Egg Hunt at a local church. She had a great time collecting eggs and enjoyed watching a puppet show after.

A Hike to Rainbow Mountain

A few weeks ago we decided to go for a hike on Rainbow Mountain here in Madison. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed exploring the area around our new neighborhood.

Looking in a stream with Daddy.

Fenway LOVED the hike that day.
Ella wanted to wear Daddy's hat and hold Fenway's leash.
Rainbow Mountain has lots of interesting rock formations.

Rainbow Mountain has wonderful views of Madison.

Happy 2nd Birthday Ella!

Ella turned 2 on February 4th! We celebrated by having a yummy dinner with friends and an ice cream cake. Here are some pictures from her special day.

Mmmm cake!

Ella's ice cream cake.


Happy Birthday Ella!

Ella LOVES her friends Emma and Sophie!

" Look what I got!"

Go Red Sox!

Meeting Santa

I know this is late but I thought the pictures were cute. We attended a children's Christmas party at Chuck E. Cheese through Casey's work in the middle of December. Ella got to meet and interact with Santa but she would not sit on his lap. She also had fun eating pizza and playing lots of games.

Going to bed with my Dolls

Ella usually goes to bed with her big Dora doll who she calls "DD." The other night she had to grab just a few more before bed. She was very excited to go to sleep with ALL of her "babies."

Day 6 - Sweet Home Alabama

After six days on the road we made it to Alabama! Below are some silly pictures we took of Ella riding in her car seat. One is of her wearing my sunglasses and the other is of her purple tongue after she had eaten a tootsie pop. She was such a great traveler. I think she enjoyed the trip just as much as Casey and I.

The Biltmore House - Day 5

One of the most amazing stops we made along our drive south was at the Biltmore house in Asheville, N.C. The grounds and house were amazing! It took us almost three hours to tour just the inside of the house which includes four acres of floor space and over 250 rooms (33 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, 65 fireplaces, three kitchens and an indoor swimming pool). It remains the largest private residence in America.

Ella and Daddy in front of the greenhouse.

Ella enjoying her snack in front of the Biltmore.

Construction on the Biltmore was completed in 1895.

Drive South - Day 4

On the fourth day of our drive we visited Virginia Tech were Casey received his masters. The following day we continued our drive along the Blue Ridge parkway and saw many beautiful sights!

Drive South - Day 3

On the third day of our drive we began our journey along the Blue Ridge Parkway. We also stopped at Appomattox Court House.

Drive South - Day 2

The second day we planned to drive along Skyline Drive but it was closed due to snow. Instead we drove to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello in Charlottesville, VA.

A life size statue of Thomas Jefferson

Our Drive South - Day 1

On our drive south we stopped in many locations and took in the beautiful scenery along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Our first stop was Hershey, PA. We visited the park at night during the Halloween "Hershey Park in the Dark" celebration. We had planned on Ella wearing her Halloween costume but it was COLD and rainy. We still had alot of fun though! Ella went on many rides and also did some trick-or-treating.