Cleveland and Christmas with a little Sugar, Spice and Rice in the Middle

We had a great time in Cleveland but didn't take enough pictures. From the pictures we do have it seems Matt and Ellie were the only ones on the trip!=) Here are a few from the zoo.
Fell asleep in the car on the way to the zoo.
Woke up (kind of) just in time to see the giraffes.
Serious Ellie in front of bear.
Sea Lion.
Koala Bear.




Tyrannosaurus Rex.


Rain forest frog at end of the day.



Ellie met lots of Matt's family and friends and really enjoyed playing with his nephew J and niece J. Thanks to both of them for being so good with her! Ellie had some great plane flights and kept occupied watching her favorite Cl@ssic@l Music B@by DVDs on the portable DVD player. Such a good little traveler!

Since we've been back my computer has been down. I'm now slowly catching up on all the blogs. Debz and Shane are now waiting for approval and travel to meet their daughter Jazmyn! So exciting and Jazmyn is quite the cutie! Congrats to you all!

Also since returning we've been participating in a whirlwind of activities. One day we went to see Santa! Yes, you read that correctly! We celebrated Christmas in July with friends at the local quilt store. Ellie was not too sure about Santa but there are six more months before we try the meet and greet again!


We liked dancing and holding the jingle bells.


Ellie was really digging the Christmas tunes Santa was singing. We haven't heard them since our stay at the White Sw@n hotel in China. The "room radio" had them playing 24/7 during our stay! The yummy fruit that was available for snacking was also high on Ellie's list!

Now we're on the hunt for a new car and have several scheduled play dates and outings. We're certainly keeping busy this summer!