Ellie was lucky enough to have Adam, her favorite uncle come to Greenwich to watch her while we went to a wedding on Saturday. They had lots of fun together swimming in the hotel pool, eating pizza and watching ESPN. Adam took the photos above while babysitting.
Ellie is now 22 months old. We were in Greenwich, CT for a wedding this weekend and Ellie liked swimming in the hotel pool and walking around the town. She's becoming a very funny little girl and is extremely talkative. She makes us laugh with some of the things she says. For example, she calls cupcakes, "cakecups" and while we were in an elevator the other day, she kept referring to it as an "alligator." Ellie is very interested in doing things "byself" or by herself and although she sometimes exhibits almost-two-year-old behavior, we still think she's pretty sweet. See photo of her giving John an Eskimo kiss below.
It was fun having Erica and Todd visit this past weekend. We spent time in Newport on Saturday having lunch and walking the Cliff Walk. Erica and Todd brought Ellie a very fashionable tiara headband and tutu which she's spent a lot of time wearing since their visit. Thanks for coming, guys!
Ellie and I went to the zoo this afternoon after she had her second-ever haircut. She talked about seeing the seals, giraffes, elephants and penguins for the rest of the day. 
We went out to dinner last night with friends and Ellie and Cate were dressed exactly alike. They were wearing the same shirt, overalls and bow. This was not planned in advance, but they looked pretty cute together.
We went to the playground after school yesterday. Ellie has become way more independent there; she goes down the slide on her own and begs to be pushed higher on the swings.
Ellie was cracking us up tonight while playing with John's blackberry. It almost looks like she's texting someone or checking sports scores to make sure the Bills won today (they did). What she is actually doing is admiring the picture of herself on the blackberry. 
We went downtown for Waterfire last night with friends. Ellie was mesmerized by the fire and enjoyed spending time with Gwyn, Benny, Connor and Maeve. Another highlight of the evening for Ellie was playing in the double stroller with Ben.
Ellie has been into her dolls lately. She pretends to change their diapers, put on bibs and give them naps. She also enjoys giving them stroller rides. One of Ellie's favorite things is to use baby wipes, which she calls "whites" on her dolls. She's very serious about keeping them clean. 
Ellie began her morning in her new tutu (courtesy of Mimi)
they spent time outside
Ellie relaxed on "Mimi's bed"
we went to the school playground in the afternoon to see Henry
and all enjoyed a dinner out to celebrate the first day!
Labor Day means the end of the summer around here which is why I find it somewhat depressing. It also means that I've got to head back to work. Today was the last day at the pool club for the season and we made the most of it. We spent the entire afternoon there with my mom, Julie, Will and Cate. Although it may be September 1st, we're already looking forward to spending next summer at the pool!
We finally got to Baker's Beach yesterday before the end of the summer. We couldn't have had a better beach day, it was perfect! Adam, Erin and Pat came with us and we all hated to leave. Ellie had fun playing with Ben and Gwyn and for the first time this summer, really explored in the sand.