Smiling Ella

Hey there,

Mike plans on posting a blog soon but I just thought I would share two of my favorite photos. This is what she looks like when she wakes up. Can life ever be bad when you wake up to this face???? :)

What Stays in Vegas, Melts in Vegas

Hey All,

Last summer the weather didn't bother me but now that I have a child who will either literally melt (which I don't care to see) or become dehydrated and cry (which I also don't care to deal with), it is a bit of a pain. This is Vegas's winter. Instead of being stuck indoors because because you'll freeze, instead you'll fry. Thus, Ella and I are now staying indoors. If I didn't have classes and didn't love Daddy that much, we would skip this popstand for the summer. We'll just have to suffice for taking weekend trips to San Diego and a week or so in Seattle.

Other than having all the liquid sucked out of us, the Murdock clan is great. Ella is changing from a little baby to a girl. She still loves TV and is now talking to it. She seems to really like sports and when there is a player interview, she coos at the player. Daddy is happy for the interest in sports but when I point out she may be flirting with men already he isn't happy. He reminds Ella that she is grounded until age 18.

She is also so smiley that we cannot get through a bottle without her breaking concentration to smile at the feeder. It is really funny. Mike is trying to get her to focus but she has her own ideas. That's my independent girl! She also wakes up with a smile in the morning, it melts my heart. Every morning we have our lovefest where she smiles and I tell her she is my favorite person in the whole world (don't tell her daddy...).

Finally, Ella has decided that she would like to become a Vegas entertainer and is currently working on her opening act of putting her entire fist in her mouth (see above photo). We're working on her disappearing act... She also inherited a new toy, her Bumbo. For those without children, Bumbos are crazy seats that help kids learn to sit. My mom thinks they look a bit like toilets and I think they look like those teacup rides at Disneyland. Regardless, she looks really cute encased in her Bumbo. The crap they have for kids...

Attached are some more recent photos of Ella, Ella with and her homies and gal pal (the above photos is with her boyfriend Jonah and is definitely Anne Geddes quality), and Ella in her Bumbo. http://www.flickr.com/photos/7822160@N02/sets/72157600635099625/