The Parrillo Family

(If you can't see this video in your email, click here to watch Eloise's New Year's message on the web!)

By eating tomato soup.  In a very messy way.  Here's to my little girl turning two years young on Sunday.  Can't believe you've been in our lives for two years - they've been the best of my life. Your mother and I love you so much, Wheezie!  You're getting to be such a big girl we can't hardly believe it. Love, Daddy

Eloise couldn't be more excited for Christmas.  Everywhere she looks, she sees Santa Claus - or as she calls him "Ho Ho TaTa".  I think she knows that's not his name, but at this point it is her nickname for the guy in the big red suit and she's sticking to it. We've been having fun opening up our Advent Calendar everyday and looking for our "Elf" who oftentimes doesn't actually sit on a shelf, but somewhere out of arm's reach.  Part of the "Elf on the Shelf" tradition - which my sister Sharon gave us as a gift last year - is that the kids get to name their own Elf.  Sounds like they name him/her each year.  We asked Eloise what she wanted to name her Elf - and (I think) because of the connection to getting candy (like she does with the Advent Calendar after she 'finds' the Elf each morning), she decided to tell us that the Elf's name was "Trick or Treat".  So, we have a little Elf that visits us each morning -...

We packed up Ellie and (along with the Moran Clan) went down to Wilmington for our annual tree farm visit. (If you are reading this in your email and can't see the slideshow below, you should click here to view the photos on the site.)

Maybe I've been spending too much time talking and working on our basement remodel.  And...maybe a few too many trips to Home Depot (and Menards!).  Ellie even turned down going to get cupcakes as long as we could go to Home Depot! ( if you are watching this in your email and can't see the video below, you should click here to watch the video on the web! )

Last week, we packed up and went out west to visit Uncle Charlie and also to see - for the first time - Mickey Mouse and Cinderella in person at Disneyland.  We were fortunate enough to take this trip with the entire Moran family/MoranClan/Moranimals (as Aunt Elise calls them) and Ellie couldn't have had more fun.  From the moment we walked into the park, it didn't take us but about 10 minutes to "see" Mickey Mouse in person.  Ellie freaked out. Of course, we couldn't go to Disneyland without getting Ellie a pair of her own ears.  She wore them ALL DAY! We also met Cinderella in person - or as Ellie calls her "Rellie".  Ellie couldn't believe her own eyes and the look that came over her face when we saw Cinderella was priceless. There's a lot more photos here in the slideshow below.   If you are reading this in your email and you can NOT see the photos below, click here to see them on the web .   ...

What a big weekend for Ellie!  Sure...she got to see her absolute favorite Cinderella IN PERSON, and her bestie Mickey Mouse IN PERSON, and spend the entire weekend with some of her favorite Aunts and Uncles, but the part that warms my heart the most? She's lucky to have had a VERY early taste in her life of the wonders of In-N-Out Burger - one of Daddy's favorite treats when we get to California. She also was able to eat a few of the " Secret Menu Items " - including her very own Grilled Cheese and Root Beer Float. Thanks to "Aunt CiCi" for this cute photo of Eloise in her car seat after we ate!

This was Eloise's 2nd Halloween,  but the first time she was able to participate a bit. Natalie and Grammy Dianne collaborated to create this amazing Owl costume.  Eloise looked as cute as could be with her feathers.  We practiced for weeks the whole *knock, knock*, say "Trick or Treat" bit with Ellie but when rubber met the road, she got awfully shy. But that didn't stop her from getting right in there and going door-to-door with her Cousin to grab a bunch of candy from our neighbors. Here's a bunch more pictures.  If you are reading this in your email and can't see the slideshow below, click here to view the photos on the site.

This is Eloise's second Halloween and we marked the occasion with her second trip to Sonny Acres - our local pumpkin patch.   Here's a post that includes photos of our trip from last year.  Looking back, it is easy to see how much she's grown up in just one year. This year, Eloise was much more interested in stomping around, checking out the petting zoo and being helpful in selecting our pumpkin(s).  Seems like this has become a family tradition! There's a whole slideshow of photos of our visit you can see below.  (NOTE:  If you are reading this in your email and can not see the slideshow below, you should click here to view the slideshow on the web .)

Along with my folks, we took Eloise down to my Alma Mater (University of Illinois) for the Illini vs. OSU football game.  Once a year, the Athletic Department invites back all the former student-athletes and invite us to participate in the festivities - including the opportunity to spend some time down on the field.  For the first time, I brought Eloise down there - and - the best part:  we brought my Dad down there too! This wasn't Eloise's first visit to Memorial Stadium.   Here she was last October . Here she is from this weekend.

Eloise is starting to show off a little bit of her maternal instincts.  She's good at classifying groups of things into "Daddy" (the biggest of said things), "Momma" (the second biggest) and "Baby" (the smallest), regardless of what the objects/things are. Also, like most girls, she's taken an interest in her dolls.  Over the weekend, Grammy and Grandad Moran gave Eloise a new 'bath time baby' and she couldn't have been more excited.  We immediately filled up the little bathtub with water, went outside and Ellie began to scrub her up.  And...while Eloise loves her baths, you could tell that she was enjoying the fact that she wasn't the one getting the bath!

Our daughter loves hotdogs.  Yes.  Gasp!  Hotdogs.  And not (always) the organic/fancy kind.  In fact, if you ask her what she wants to eat for dinner on any given day, the answer will typically be "hotdog"! So, I was pretty excited to find time to take Nat and Ellie over to a hotdog stand called Gene & Jude's in River Grove, Illinois.  Gene & Jude's makes the "best hotdog" on various lists including Reader's Digest, a bunch of food and travel magazines and most recently was named "America's Best Hot Dog" by Rachel Ray . We ordered our dogs (Yes!  Even Nat ate a dog!) and then had to figure out how to eat them.  See...this is a true stand.  That means there aren't any tables.  Not even picnic tables outside.  Just a ledge that you can stand at and hunch over while you scarf your dog down.  We improvised and popped Ellie up on the counter where she could eat her dog and drink some of her Momma's root beer.  She cou...

Today marked the first day of art class for our little Eloise.  Nat took her there without much expectations.  The class is aimed at toddlers and is starting as the weather turns colder.  It is a perfect excuse to get out of the house on Wednesdays.   But...when they arrived home after the class, we had a *very* proud Eloise showing me what she created:  a "sand" tree that used glue - spread by Eloise herself - to hold down the sand. Color me impressed with my daughter! Who knows?  Maybe she'll take to art like she's taken to gymnastics and we'll end up with a Picasso or Rembrandt! Although Daddy would prefer a Computer Scientist?!?!

Do you remember your first popsicle?  That ice cold sweet fruit-flavored treat that represents summer?  I know I sure don't.  I likely have eaten hundreds of them, but the first one?  No idea. For Eloise, we were there to capture her very first Popsicle.  She'll always be able to see how messy she was and how much fun she was having.  We were up in Michigan and she was fortunate to share the experience with her very favorite people:  her cousins! (If you are reading this in your email and can NOT see the slideshow below, click here to head back to Ellie's site to see the pictures.)

Looks like our little daughter has a little bit of Hippie in her!  She's certainly a dancer.  We took her to a party on our block called Elmstock that featured a bunch of live bands. We just stood back and watched Eloise navigate the crowd and make herself at home.  Once the band got into a groove, so did she!  Check her out dancing below.  I'm amazed at how brave she is.  She's too young to know really what to do, but after watching enough Yo Gabba Gabba, she knows that "dancing is good!", so she's doing what feels good - and boogin' down.  Everytime I see her spinning around in a circle, I get a huge smile on my face! And...keep your eyes open for an appearance from Uncle Marc! 2 important things!   1.  If you are reading this in your email and can NOT see the video below, you should click here to watch the video back on Eloise's blog . 2.  The sound is pretty loud.  You might need to adjust the volume of the video (bottom le...

It wasn't all donut eating and peach picking while we were up in Michigan on vacation this year.  Well...that actually *was* a big part of the trip. But!  There were other things, too.  Here's all the photos of Ellie relaxing on vacation - and even Uncle Peter makes an appearance! (If you are reading this in your email and can NOT see the photo slideshow below, click here to head back to the site to watch the slideshow!)

We went peach picking (two times!) up in Michigan.  Eloise was in her element:  snatching the fruit right off the tree and gobbling them down right in the orchard.    

Upon seeing this photo, we know her Grammy will be so proud!  While we were up in Michigan, we came across this mechanical horse at the Meijer grocery store.  These things were a staple of my childhood, but they are pretty rare to see these days.  The best part?  It was only 1 cent for the ride! At first, Ellie didn't love it, but after Nat peeled her out of the saddle, she moaned to get back in.  Once she got back on, the smiles came out and she was soooo unhappy when the ride ran out and we had to leave. 

Last week, we put Ellie into her stroller and walked down to her cousin's house to see them all off on their first day of school.  It was a big day - with Izzy going off to Junior High and Vin heading off to his first day of kindergarten.  Lots of growing up going on. Eloise wasn't all that thrilled to be left behind - in fact she longingly scrambled up close to the bus as Izzy got on.  She was yearning to get going to school too.  Eloise can't wait for *her* first day of school.  As her Dad?  I know that I *can*.  Like every parent, I don't want to see her grow up that fast.   Here's a full slideshow of photos.  (If you can't see the pictures below, click here to head back to the site to watch them all.)

We made a pitstop on the drive up to Coloma this week.  For me...There's nothing better on a roadtrip than a stop at the Cracker Barrel.  I'm there for the food.  Eloise?  She's there because the fried apples are pretty tasty, but there's also table games to be played!  Everyone knows this game, right?  Based on how many tee's that were left after Eloise played, she's a certifiable "genius".  Me on the other hand?  A real "ignoramous"! I guess it helps when you throw the game on the floor and all the tees fall out.