Happy 1st Day of Summer!

I can't think of a more appropriate way to welcome summer than this:

Video of Ella

I came home yesterday to find a little blond girl riding her bike up and down the sidewalk. I actually asked Laura "Is that Ella?!" Because the last time I checked (just a few days ago), Ella had absolutely NO interest in pedaling. None. Zip. Zero. She thought it was much faster to push her feet along the sidewalk. And now? She's pedaling! I have to admit, seeing her do this choked me up ever so slightly. And I am *not* a crier. My baby is just getting so big all the sudden: the potty (though we seem stalled now), the big-girl swings, making out on the front porch with boys, and now pedaling?!

Ella wanted to use her new mad pedaling skillz to go for a walk/bike ride. She is so fast that Sadie and I could barely keep up. Sadie kept stopping to smell the flowers. Somehow she has gotten the idea in her head that when you smell flowers, you must scrunch your nose up and blow out forcefully. I tried to get this on video but kept missing it. Rest assured, though, it's the cutest freaking thing you've ever seen. Possibly in your entire life.

Later, Daddy came home, and we went for *another* walk. We ran into Coy, this older neighbor of ours that always brings Ella gum. Today, he had a bag full of goodies from a picnic he had attended, including this purple wig:

Thanks, Coy! But if you happen to be reading this (which seems pretty likely, right?), lay off the gum for a while, okay? We've got enough packs to start our own drugstore.....

Our walk turned out to be quite fruitful. Because in addition to the wig, we made an important discovery. You might ask: What are the girls looking at? (Click on the picture to see....)


And that brings us into another installment of The Cicada Report. We found one while on our bike ride/walk. The girls just had to get a closer look. Who knew half-dead bugs could be such a draw?

Later, as Ella and I went for a run, we found another one (this one dead). Ella said: "Cicadas are really beautiful when they are dead." When questioned further, she acknowledged that she also finds them really beautiful when they are alive--"They're beautiful all the time," says Ella. When asked whether she wants to eat one, however, she said no. When asked whether she wanted to pick one up, she said "Yeah, maybe someday." I'll keep you posted on that one!

Just think, the next time the cicadas come, Ella will be 20!!!