Playtime with Ella

Yesterday, Katie Anne and I went down to see Ella and Erin. We couldn't attend Ella's birthday party because we spend Christmas Eve lunch through bedtime at Saunders's parents' house, celebrating Christmas with them. So, Erin and I wanted to get the girls together to play and let Katie Anne give Ella her present. She picked it out herself- it was the pink piggy bank from Fisher Price, and it was absolutely one of Katie Anne's favorites when she was around one. (We never got her one for our house because they told us she played with it at daycare last spring for hours a day... Saunders said, "That's my little banker!")

When we first arrived, Ella was asleep, so Katie Anne had a great time "inspecting" all the toys Ella had gotten for her birthday and Christmas. Once Ella woke up, Katie Anne got SO excited... she kept yelling up the stairs, "Ewwa? Where are you? Come on!" while Erin was getting Ella changed. Then, Katie Anne immediately gave Ella her present, which she really liked. The girls played together with it so nicely- Erin and I were impressed by the way they got along! Of course, Katie Anne was a little thrown off by Ella's "new walker" status - she thought Ella was going for the left-right combo a couple of times when in fact she was just unsteady on her feet. They really had fun together- they did a great job of sharing the coins for the bank, and they had fun playing on the fireplace hearth with Elmo and Cookie Monster. It is just so crazy to think that they are only 8 months apart - that's the exact same age difference between Erin and me! (I told Erin I'm the Ella to her Katie Anne.) It will be fun to get them together when they are older and can play more things together. Here are some pictures of the fun...

Giving Ella her present...

So excited!
Too sweet...
Friends!
Hugging girls
Sharing the coins
Katie Anne shows Ella the ropes
Playing so nicely together!

Ella says, "I think I like you, kid."
The sweet hug - before the aftermath!
Poor Ella- after the hug, she lost her balance and hit her forehead! She felt fine a few minutes later (the pacifier heals all wounds) and wanted to go home with us, but she did have a little goose egg to show for it! We're about to call and see how she's doing this morning.