oh the thinks you can think.

yesterday ella and i went to the library.  they have a fish tank in the children's section of the library, and the last time we were there (3 weeks ago) elenora noticed that the biggest fish was no longer in the tank.  i had her ask the librarian where it was ("escuse me, where is the big fish?") and we were told that it had gone to "a bigger pond."  i just bluntly told her that the fish had died, since i prefer being honest with ella about life and death and everything in between.  when we went there yesterday she remembered about the big fish and was asking me "mommy, did the big fish die in there?" "i don't know ella." "mommy, how did they get the big fish out of there?" "i don't know ella, you'll have to ask the librarian."  so she did.  the librarian started explaining that they had a net that they scooped it out with, and ella asked "but how did they get the net in there?" and i had to explain that they took the lid off of the tank.  she really thinks of everything.

in the car yesterday she said "one time there was a big storm coming and it was a hurricane."  "who was talking about that, ella?" "daddy." "when?" "not for a long time... mommy, the big storm was a hurricane and they called the hurricane 'Earl'."

hurricane earl was about 2 months ago and j. was interested in watching its development on the television for about a day and then hasn't talked about it since.

"how do you remember that, ella?" i asked.  "it's just stuck here in the middle of my brain" she responded as she stuck her index finger into the middle of her forehead.

later in the afternoon we read several of the library books we'd picked out.  one of them is called something like "there once was a boy who had a mother who bought him a hat" and there's one part of the book where the mother gives him a dinosaur mask to wear and he wears it to the doctor and the nurse is scared by it.  anyhow, at bedtime as i was walking out of the room she asked "mommy, did the mask feel scratchy on his face?"

what good questions she asks.

elenora is really enjoying school.  she's made lots of friends and they do lots of crafts there and dig potatoes out of the earth and read stories and sing songs in a "wizards house" up on a hill while the llama and goats are grazing around the property.  fabulous fabulous school.  2 of her new friends are rose and walter.  rose is a very nice little girl.  j. asked ella what kind of a boy walter is and ella responded "um, i think walter is a little bit of a Throwing-Things boy."

we went out for a walk after lunch today and elenora asked me, as she always does, "carra me." so i joked with her that we went out for a little walk which turned into a long carra-me.

elenora has chilled out a bunch since this past july when she was so 2.  now she's just fine except when she gets overtired.  which is so funny because that's when we had so much trouble with her as a baby.  a lack of sleep really affects her to where she just falls to pieces.  at least now i can make funny faces or something and she is able to come back from the edge.  i can tell which days she needs a nap and which days to keep her up for activities and then put her to bed early.  it feels good to have everything under control.

which probably means that some big change is coming.

at the park ella is really into climbing things and hanging upside-down from the monkey bars.  she is much stronger and braver than even a few months ago.

she's been writing letters.  she writes E L L A really well.  here is one of her first signatures.  (yes, we know it's backwards.  she was only 2 when she wrote it.)

here is part of a card she made for her uncle for his birthday in which she wrote the word "LOVE"and his name:

and here's some of her artwork:

notice the E's and the water in this one:

forest adventure

i've discovered the forest behind my house.  yesterday i went on my own to the entrance i knew of (which is down the road about a mile, and i followed the trails back towards my house until i came out the other end.  the trails took me past several ponds/lakes and a brook and through huge pine tree groves that were planted during the depression according to a rotting wooden sign.  it was a magical time--smelling the rich earth and rotting logs and leaves that remind me so much of my childhood (which was spent mostly outdoors and often in the woods).

today i took elenora to the woods for an adventure.  she was just so good, and we had such a fun time exploring together.

first braids

elenora's hair is long enough for 2 braids now.  so adorable.  the funny thing is that i used to put braids in my hair to make it curly, but she slept on her braids one night and it made her hair straight(er).